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Slyphic posted:Also, something I never noticed before now, when I wanted to check the PHR names because I get them wrong often. The PDFs have those list of 'famous ship names' for every class of ship, and the first famous name of a Medea strike carrier is Castor. Never noticed that one, but there's also a famous Banshee going by Nosferatu. Can't blame them for reusing it, it's a good name. While double checking just now to confirm I was remembering correctly, also noticed a Strix named Chang's Doom and a Succubus called Chang's End. Someone had a bad day it seems.
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# ? Jul 26, 2023 04:44 |
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# ? May 27, 2024 02:05 |
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All of which is to say nothing of that time they just straight up named two units the same thing. BFE had a Tempest class resistance behemoth, they used that name for a fast mover, then just straight up changed the name when it came out to Colossus class because of that fuckup. Or, IIRC, there's like 4 different things called Avenger.
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# ? Jul 26, 2023 05:01 |
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Happy to have gotten an e-game of dropfleet. Relearning the rules as a result of watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1989). (You can see the fleet action that inspired me by clicking through.) I took 11 Toulons at 1k. The Toulon Frigate swarms devoured those PHR light cruisers, almost two a turn. The squadron guns rule makes them very good, but I didn't realize while making the list that you couldn't stack two 'squads' and benefit from the squadron rule. They get grouped up at the start of the game into a larger squad called a group. :I 2d6 less squad guns, but still very good fun. Luckily they never catastrophically exploded. I imagine it could set off a huge chain reaction. I might play them differently in the future, but UCM is much more intuitive to play compared to space shaltari. X9 I did the dice calculations on shaltari, and it's almost always better to take disintegration compared to those weird particle guns. Critting on 5's really evens out the dice rolls in a way I didn't understand back when the game was released. Shields are also much better than I realized, saving crits is important but it's hard to understand the tradeoffs of everyone in the table getting to shoot a shielded ship. Those are all my thoughts, I'll be trying to play a larger game, shalteri list, 1500 and focus on disintegrators + using shields to make enemies focus on my larger ships while crowds of frigates set up. Toalpaz fucked around with this message at 03:33 on Jul 29, 2023 |
# ? Jul 29, 2023 03:29 |
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Been listing my hawk stuff to sell off as I'm not going to be playing these again sadly but the new wave of UCM Titania stuff is very cool.
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# ? Aug 3, 2023 11:16 |
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Flipswitch posted:Been listing my hawk stuff to sell off as I'm not going to be playing these again sadly but the new wave of UCM Titania stuff is very cool. Zone I'm guessing? The Titania ships are nowhere near the same league as the UCM cruisers, but I always thought the Condor was too spindly and like how the Titania version is a bit bulked up. Toalpaz posted:The Toulon Frigate swarms devoured those PHR light cruisers, almost two a turn. The squadron guns rule makes them very good, but I didn't realize while making the list that you couldn't stack two 'squads' and benefit from the squadron rule. They get grouped up at the start of the game into a larger squad called a group. :I 2d6 less squad guns, but still very good fun. A bigger group does let you keep squadron going through some attrition, and you can trigger it per target if you fire enough guns at multiple ships, so it's not all downside at least!
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# ? Aug 3, 2023 14:10 |
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Sojenus posted:and you can trigger it per target if you fire enough guns at multiple ships, so it's not all downside at least! Does anyone know how you do shaltari? It seems really hard to actually land a granite all weapons, are the disintegrators considered more reliable than the particle ships?
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# ? Aug 3, 2023 14:35 |
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Toalpaz posted:Does anyone know how you do shaltari?
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# ? Aug 3, 2023 14:43 |
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Yeah was for Zone. I'm listing my fleet off as well sadly. Fun game but it just hasn't got a scene here to kick-start with.
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# ? Aug 3, 2023 16:46 |
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I've become numb to the constant feeling of vague disappointment with DZC, but I gotta rant about the topple bus. The turret is behind the rear axle. And there's nothing else going on in the model to possibly justify it. There's just a huge empty space where the gun should be if the person designing this thing had a single loving clue how basic physics or vehicles worked. And that's assuming it fires straight ahead, and not to either side (it's not like it's on a turret mount or anything). Maybe that empty space could have some stabilizer legs. Or ammo crates. Or crew.
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# ? Oct 13, 2023 16:26 |
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In light of the silly bus, I decided to analyze the situation and make an authoritative and exhaustively researched assessment of the quality of recent Dropzone sculpts. My findings are published below for peer review and subsequent disregard of opposing opinions.
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# ? Oct 14, 2023 00:49 |
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I always thought the Shaltari stuff was hit or miss but it was unmistakably trying to do something different so got a pass.
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# ? Oct 14, 2023 15:59 |
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It's on Facebook, but TTCombat released some teaser stuff about likely a new faction, with Dave writing some accompanying short stories. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pfhvu3whxVTrU4uBwnkVEQRu1pp-qecn/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MmAEEqlpRWo24rgbCylj_Ej7H2oV1mXd/view
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# ? Dec 30, 2023 00:10 |
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The design is similar to PHR, with an interior of busy mechanical bits broken up by smooth surfaces, which I like. Worried about how mold slips and other issues will be impossible to clean off the ship in particular looking at that render. Still been enjoying painting... But haven't felt compelled to play either game in some time. For Zone in particular, been looking around at other systems around this scale and none have scratched the same itch or had a similar focus, so my main hope is that this new faction comes alongside a new version. Either it's also bad, in which case I can justify spending the mental energy and time digging into more things to play around with the models I like, or it's good, so hurray.
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# ? Dec 31, 2023 03:19 |
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It kills me that I haven't found a different 10mm SF wargame I like as well as the beta edition of DZC, but it's also complicated enough that it feels daunting to really try to fine tune. Weirdly, the more tidbits I hear about Dystopian Wars: Armored Clash, which changed scale to 1:160/10mm and is coming out next year, the more it sounds like it's based off DZC. I'm also holding out a teensy bit of hope for Horizon Wars 2nd edition (it has some ridiculous colon name).
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# ? Dec 31, 2023 03:53 |
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Got Dropzone to the table for the first time in a long time this past weekend. I've been meaning to try a less urban table for a while, and it actually worked just fine, except for we made the smaller/lighter buildings a smidgen too easy to blow up. We also had to play at only 750pts due to some time constraints. Best photo of the game (new camera sucks significantly less than my old one) Turn 1 vs Turn 6 There's a few more pics up on my blog - https://yadzcb.friestman.net/br-dzc-2024-01-20.html Was also looking at updating my quick ref sheets for playing Dropfleet again this year only to find out the chucklefucks at TTC have made the Hiroku, the models I am currently painting, literally unusable. As in, it has rules for modified ramming, but they removed the ramming rules from the game without updating the ship, so it just refers to stuff that doesn't exist now.
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# ? Jan 24, 2024 18:15 |
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The TTC buyout really does seem to have been an absolute disaster for drop(thing).
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# ? Jan 24, 2024 18:59 |
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Slyphic posted:It kills me that I haven't found a different 10mm SF wargame I like as well as the beta edition of DZC, but it's also complicated enough that it feels daunting to really try to fine tune. The upcoming Epic Warpath from Mantic looks pretty good to me, though isn't trying to do the same thing as DZC at all as far as I can tell. I like the order token allocation system, get a little bit of risk/reward play. Kickstarter launches next month, hopefully we'll see some actual models and not just renders.
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# ? Jan 25, 2024 01:53 |
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Slyphic posted:Got Dropzone to the table for the first time in a long time this past weekend. I've been meaning to try a less urban table for a while, and it actually worked just fine, except for we made the smaller/lighter buildings a smidgen too easy to blow up. We also had to play at only 750pts due to some time constraints. Beta rules I presume? I've been thinking about trying the current set with the experimental rules to see how it feels with the landing transports in particular, but can't be arsed to actually schedule a game. Right now I actually have everything set up on the table to do a solo run of Horizon Wars with my DZC poo poo (hopefully) this weekend at least. I don't think that'll scratch the same itch, but could be a serviceable small scale game, we'll see. Also, painted my presumably final behemoth and accomplished that stupid goal:
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# ? Jan 26, 2024 02:27 |
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We used the Experimental Rules for the current version. We always like to give current DZC updates a real try; transport and collateral rules are good improvements, but they don't feel like new designs, it feels like the game is reluctantly admitting v2 wasn't that good. We also looked at each other on turn 4 when my commander died and we both realized we had completely forgotten command cards, despite us both taking commander upgrades. Also, your Shaltari behemoth is amazing. That pose is killer. Slyphic fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Jan 26, 2024 |
# ? Jan 26, 2024 03:05 |
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Anomaly infantry (for the forthcoming 32mm game) are up for pre-order.TTC posted:We now have our measure of you. You are indeed sufficient. Your response though, thus far, has been disappointing. We see you are distracted by squabbles with fellow, less interesting flesh sentients, so this communique should redress matters. The Borg but triangles instead of cubes, and I guess Dave's been watching Attack on Titan. Kinda disappointingly rubber-suit aliens, compared to the weirdness of the Shaltari and Scourge. The guns also look exactly like their ships, to the point both of these guys look like they really want you to see the latest model kit they built. And it feels like a cheap dig, but in thumbnails the antennae head piece thing looks like two tails of a bandana, so I keep imagining them speaking like West coast 90s thugs. Slyphic fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Apr 12, 2024 |
# ? Apr 12, 2024 15:07 |
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Was hoping for something more abstract/alien rather than more humanoids, but they look alright enough. I just wonder how they'll translate to 10mm, the triangle details seem like they could get lost and you'll end up with mostly hot naked alien flesh and a gun.
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# ? Apr 12, 2024 16:42 |
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Looks like light ships are coming in plastic and being condensed down to a single sprue for all the classes.
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# ? Apr 13, 2024 12:58 |
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Sweet. I could use about exactly 3 of the UCM light sprues still. Considering the parts distribution, I'm going to hazard a guess they come three to a box. That's gotta be the Anomaly's cruiser sprue. I can't intuit what any of the bits are supposed to be, but it looks like two options for light/heavy engines/rear-of-the-ship, and 3-5 functional front bits. Maybe a command add-on as well. 2023 stamps on the sprues means hopefully they're ready to roll out this year.
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# ? Apr 13, 2024 15:14 |
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Also hearing from Salute goers that TTCombat says they've got Dropfleet Commander v2 ready for launch later this year. Can't say I'm excited about that. Dropzone v2 was an omnishambles on launch, and it never at any point was a better designed game than before TTC got a hold of it.
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# ? Apr 13, 2024 20:50 |
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Slyphic posted:Also hearing from Salute goers that TTCombat says they've got Dropfleet Commander v2 ready for launch later this year. Well I’ll cross my fingers, but I got put off pretty hard by the web-based rules approach TTC has had. Really like the models though.
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# ? Apr 13, 2024 22:59 |
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Well, Dave is back in control of writing the rules - Dropezone 2 was TTC religating him to model design - so I'm at least hopeful. DFC is a fun game, but the ground combat takes over a very good ship game.
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# ? Apr 14, 2024 06:14 |
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Scrounging around for comments from Salute attendees, it seems: DZC 3 probably next summer. 'Streamlining' of DFC intended to get game time down a bit for tournament purposes, only specific mentioned is carriers will function differently. Estimated release of September. Plastic light ship sprues will include a new ship, the UCM set has some sort of heavy destroyer. New faction is called Bioficers. They 3D print organic drones, which are designed to only last as long as necessary before being broken down into raw materials for reuse. They're remotely controlled by AI through the headsets with zero autonomy of their own. Striketeam is currently designed around 3-5 models per player.
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# ? Apr 14, 2024 13:22 |
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The ground game has always been a bit of an albatross around the neck of the rest of the game. It takes far too long to resolve. I, like many other people I know and play with, use the old pre-TTC Hawk TO "Ravanar's Pendulum" system for ground combat resolution, which massively speeds up the game and refocuses it on the most interesting parts - the ships. It was specifically developed for tournaments. L O L if 6 years later TTC/Dave finally admit that this is the superior design. Like I want a v2 DFC that streamlines ground combat, I just have no faith in TTC to pull it off. Bioficers; bi-officers? bio-fissers? bi-oafisers? I need to hear Dave pronounce that one. Slyphic fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Apr 14, 2024 |
# ? Apr 14, 2024 17:02 |
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Bio-artificers, so pronounced fissers
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# ? Apr 14, 2024 19:48 |
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I presume as well, but it stumbles off the tongue. On subsequent thought, aren't the Scourge also bio-artificers?
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# ? Apr 15, 2024 03:40 |
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It would be cool if... The Shaltari and Bioficers fought to a standstill long ago. The Scourge are running away from them, having lost their fight against the Bioficers. The PHR sphere is a Bioficer entity gone deviant, treating flesh things like pets instead of tools.
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# ? Apr 15, 2024 18:31 |
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# ? May 27, 2024 02:05 |
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Various poo poo possibly worth discussion: Striketeam being Kickstarted soon, wouldn't be surprised if it's announced at UKGE in a week or two. Can't say I have much interest in it game-wise unless they take advantage of potential interactions with Zone (or somehow Fleet?), but if it's just another skirmish game then eh, at least there's likely going to be some cool models. Last I heard the game wasn't intended to have anything larger than scout vehicles, but they've shown off a large-scale Bear. Could be a promotional thing for the Kickstarter, could be the game has shifted design to be transport + squad, who knows! Glimpse of a Bioficer ship (brightness boosted from dark video frame), looks to be from the sprue shown off earlier. Almost certainly going to be on display at UKGE.
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# ? May 24, 2024 15:50 |