Dropzone Commander Reviews and Updates

Well a while back we talked about following this game and how great their starter set was. Hawk Wargames has recently unveiled a ton of releases for their new faction The Resistance and they have released their new expansion book: Dropzone Commander Reconquest Phase 1. These releases should have been enough to overwhelm the average gamer but on top of all of it they also dropped another big surprise and announced the pre-order of plastic starter kits for the four core factions. These kits have been reduced in price and are a great new chapter for everyone that was sitting on the fence about which faction to pick. So lets take a look at some of the new products and what is going on with Dropzone Commander.....

First up is The Resistance:

This faction is the newest addition to the Dropzone Commander line and it does not disappoint. Think about John Connor from the Terminator movies leading his human troops and you kind of get a feel for the army. You get hovercraft, pick up trucks, motorcycle infantry, helicopter gunships, drilling vehicles and tons of other unique units. The Resistance splits itself into two army types, Allies or Feral and depending on which approach you choose it allows access to different units and commanders. I do not intend to do a full faction review but I will talk about some of the new units so lets start with the infantry since they lead the way.

The Resistance infantry are similar to UCM infantry and even share some of the same models. The highlight unit for this group is the motorcycle infantry called "Freeriders". This guys are cool and as you would assume fast. I like the idea and the feel of these units. They also have more infantry options than any other faction right now.

In terms of land vehicles, they have a lot of options as well. Everything from pick up trucks with guns and rockets to heavy tanks and school buses. The cool unit here is definitely the Breach Drill which can allow for some sneaky  infiltration options.

I have always loved the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II also known as the Warthog , this has become an iconic close air support aircraft and it has personally saved me in combat. The Resistance get access to its futuristic cousin the J-19 Hellhog which just looks great. It has the look of something that will chew up armor and infantry units and it looks like a close air support option. The addition of helicopters is a different approach and I welcome it.

The Resistance would not be complete without the dropship options that make this game work. They have somewhat a traditional option in the form of the Lifthawk but there are rules that govern its use. There are also some new options via hovercraft. Yup, all of you Marines that used to be on LCACs can get excited and pick up some Resistance hovercraft to sprint your troops to their objectives.

Overall the Resistance is full of new units that offer some very unique play styles to the game. The faction is a welcomed addition and I think Hawk always does a good job of balancing out their new stuff with the old. Hopefully more factions will come out with the same thought and care that was put into this faction. To get a hold of the rules for the Resistance you need to pick up a copy of their next product we will take a look at.

Reconquest Phase 1

At 152 pages this book is a great buy and the artwork is wonderful to look at. This book is full of the background shaping the UCM and its goal to take back the cradle worlds and eventually Earth. The book has the rules for the Resistance faction and it also has the rules for all the units that are not in the core rulebook that have been added to the game since its release. In addition to all of this it has new commander options for every race that can add some new flavor to your games and increase the options for your army. The price is the same as the core book so once again a great buy.

Last but not least the four original factions will all get a plastic starter set that has dropped in price and is extremely reasonable to purchase. I found some sets as low as $25-$45 online for pre order or you can simply get it direct from Hawk. These sets really allow new players to jump in and grab a faction that they were not sure about. One of the great things about DZC is that their starters are fully playable within the force organization and the skirmish style of play allows you to get going right away. So if you were on the fence before now is a great time to jump into Dropzone Commander and get started on your army.