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What is the current rulebook? Is there another due soon?

Any plastics?

Is there a good forum?

Current rulebook is version 1.1 - minor updates from 1.0, you could get 1.0 and an errata for the same effect. Reconquest Phase 1 adds more units and the Resistance rules, apparently Reconquest Phase 2 is due soon, too, which will add more units - I can't recall when it's due, exactly, though.

All the starter sets are plastic, but they're the only plastics.

Seems like the facebook groups (Dropzone Commander Community) get more action than forums, but the official forum (hawkforum.co.uk) gets a pretty decent amount of activity.

Check Hawkwargames.com FORUMS for further details, especially good about rules questions.

Also frontlinegaming.org has a little blossoming community.

is there a PDF option for the rulebooks?

There's no official PDF option, but there are versions around.

Though at places like MiniatureMarket or the Warstore, the basic rulebook is about the best value you're going to find in a rulebook nowadays, as everything is in one package from rules to the force materials for the main 4 forces for 25 bucks at those stores.

The two-player starters are supposed to all come with rulebook v1.1 now, too.

I am seriously on the hedge about whether to get Star Wars: Armada, or Dropzone Commander for my next game, and I need a replacement with currently-available models for Battlefleet Gothic and Epic, respectively. DZC looks damn cool.

What most people are calling 'Dropfleet commander" should be coming out soon, so maybe you can get both in the same universe

 AegisGrimm wrote:

The two-player starters are supposed to all come with rulebook v1.1 now, too.

I can confirm that both of my starter sets came with a 1.1 rulebook.

AegisGrimm wrote:Though at places like MiniatureMarket or the Warstore, the basic rulebook is about the best value you're going to find in a rulebook nowadays, as everything is in one package from rules to the force materials for the main 4 forces for 25 bucks at those stores.

The two-player starters are supposed to all come with rulebook v1.1 now, too.

I am seriously on the hedge about whether to get Star Wars: Armada, or Dropzone Commander for my next game, and I need a replacement with currently-available models for Battlefleet Gothic and Epic, respectively. DZC looks damn cool.

Brunius wrote:What most people are calling 'Dropfleet commander" should be coming out soon, so maybe you can get both in the same universe

Unfortenately it is likely still quite far though. Hawk have yet to officially announce and name their project. Afaik, they have only announced they are working on a space game set in the DZC universe so far.

In the meanwhile, you could use Firestorm Armada models to represent the DZC factions (Terrans for UMC, Relthoza for Scourge, Sorylians for PHR, and maybe Aquans for Shaltari). That is what I have been doing.
Of course, the other option if you want to combine space with ground battles is to get Planetfall instead of DZC. It is likely to be cheaper too. The only problem with Planetfall so far is that it has just started up and therefore still has a small model range.

AegisGrimm:

I am seriously on the hedge about whether to get Star Wars: Armada, or Dropzone Commander for my next game, and I need a replacement with currently-available models for Battlefleet Gothic and Epic, respectively. DZC looks damn cool.

I would go with DZC if I had to chose between the two, but I am somewhat of a fanboy. DZC has one of the most balanced systems I have yet to play and what you take typically boils down to personal preference and tactics. It also has had several expansions, with several more on the way, and a fleet based tie-in game that is supposed to be shown in April. The fleet based game (which has been called "Dropfleet" thus far) is supposed to be a three dimensional objective based orbital game with high orbit, low orbit, and "ground" all coming into play. It has also been said that Andy Chambers (who made Battlefleet Gothic and is making Dropfleet with Hawk Wargames) took some inspiration from a previous rule-set of his called harpoon in what he has done so far. Things like range being based on your ability to track an enemy ship, etc.

That blob of text aside, I also just grabbed Star Wars Armada and it looks like a blast. It has been seriously well thought out, goes together quickly, and still provides a great tactical experience. My only concern with it, for the future, is the number of factions and ships that they can draw from, but I am hopeful that Fantasy Flight can keep it going for a while to come with new movies on the way and the expanded universe at their disposal. I also love the wide variety of fighter and bomber craft that the game will have represented. As opposed to generic craft that is the same across all factions.

Of course, the other option if you want to combine space with ground battles is to get Planetfall instead of DZC. It is likely to be cheaper too.

Actually I'm not sure either is more than the other in the grand sceme of things, but Planetfall ends up being in much, much bigger chunks. The starter is much more even at the same discount places (sometimes as much as 30 to 40 bucks), and as far as I can tell, even at MM or the Warstore, expanding your force is either in 25 or 50 dollar chunks, unless you want to buy a Leviathan box, which is the price of an entire DZC two-player starter box. For a guy like me who will likely be building both armies in the starter, that's really expensive to expand both at the same time versus DZC.

Meanwhile, I can expand potential DZC forces at 13-15 dollars for a tank squad of 3 or infantry detachment, or less than 20 for a single large or (pairs of small) dropships/gunships.

Also, no company in 20 years has convinced me that they are actively keeping every single unit in their game balanced more than Hawk. They genuinely want every unit to be a good choice on the table for a player that wants to figure out how it would fit in their playstyle. Unlike companies like GW, the new hotness of command vehicles don't necessarily even replace the old options, which is refreshing.

Other great thing with DZC is that 2 plastic starters gets you 3/4 of an army for pretty cheap and is a pretty well balanced force.
Add commanders, elite infantry and aircraft as needed.

As for Dropfleet Commander, we're getting more information at solute.

 AegisGrimm wrote:

Of course, the other option if you want to combine space with ground battles is to get Planetfall instead of DZC. It is likely to be cheaper too.

Actually I'm not sure either is more than the other in the grand sceme of things, but Planetfall ends up being in much, much bigger chunks. The starter is much more even at the same discount places (sometimes as much as 30 to 40 bucks), and as far as I can tell, even at MM or the Warstore, expanding your force is either in 25 or 50 dollar chunks, unless you want to buy a Leviathan box, which is the price of an entire DZC two-player starter box. For a guy like me who will likely be building both armies in the starter, that's really expensive to expand both at the same time versus DZC.

Meanwhile, I can expand potential DZC forces at 13-15 dollars for a tank squad of 3 or infantry detachment, or less than 20 for a single large or (pairs of small) dropships/gunships.

Yeah, that is my biggest problem with Planetfall as well. Not because of the price though, which is actually pretty good compared to DZC. That single Planetfall Leviathan box contains a lot more resin than an entire DZC starter set! ThePlanetfall starter set also contains a lot more than the DZC starter set, and Planetfall models are on average twice or thrice as large as DZC models (the tinyness of DZC models is my biggest problem with them, especially for the outrageous price they charge you for it. It is actually cheaper to get 15mm stuff). But the main problem with Planetfall being in big chunks is that it really limits the variety and customisability of your army. It forces you to build an army in only one way, rather than the many different builds you can have in DZC. Spartan has however made individual models available for Dystopian Wars and Firestorm Armada, so there is hope they will do the same for Planetfall as well.

By the way, I would recommend getting the resin starters over the plastic if you're willing to spend the extra cash. The resin is easy to work with and the plastics are demonstrably less detailed.

 ProfessionalAmateur wrote:
By the way, I would recommend getting the resin starters over the plastic if you're willing to spend the extra cash. The resin is easy to work with and the plastics are demonstrably less detailed.

Remember the plastic starters improved the sales of the game and the more players we have now.