Dan's Dropzone Commander Stuff

Deafnala told me to post some of my Dropzone Commander pictures here, so instead of painting the latest piece, I decided to do what I do best instead, and that is procrastination through forum discussion.

Here are some pictures of my Dropzone Commander stuff. If you have any questions about the game (which is brilliant) let me know. I won't post every pic I have, and instead show the coolest ones. If you want to see more, find me in the Random Project Logs section over at Warseer.

Enjoy!

First, an overview of the average battle:


Hawk Wargames sells cardboard scenery that is very affordable and really nice. The game is in 10mm so they can be used for Robotech too, but not for 40K or something.


Tanks


Tanks and a dropship. The game is all about positioning your tanks by dropping them at the right spot.


Like here, against my friend's Scourge, the arch enemy of the UCM.


But more than having to position your tanks, this game is all about securing objectives, and your most important asset in securing objectives are your weakest units, the humble foot soldier. Yes, 10mm. I was scared at first, but they are actually quite easy to paint.

The most recent release was the Resistance, a Mad Max style army mixed with somewhat contemporary military equipment like large tanks and choppers. Pretty cool army, I got a test model for free with my purchase a year ago.




One of the coolest models in the entire range.


Some more of the coolest models. These little trike-like cars are scouts and are absolutely awesome. They die quickly though.


Black Ops, because it is smart to colour code your black ops... black...


You have to use swoosh sounds when you use these models. It's in the rules... Just kidding.


They also have some really cool scenery pieces, with scenarios written for them to boot. Most people feel they are too expensive, but I think I am in good company here when it comes to scenery. You guys understand.

Finally, I also started on a desert-ish table for my UCM army. I am going to add some rock formations soon, but the table is finished at least.



Well... That's it for now. I am currently painting the second terrain piece, a kind of entrance to an underground landing area. Pretty cool stuff!

If you have any questions about the game, let me know.
Cheers,
Daniel

Looks fun!

VERY COOL STUFF & BEAUTIFULLY PAINTED! I had seen some of the pieces on C.M.o.N's Gallery & didn't realize they were 10mm minis. They certainly don't lack for details. GREAT WORK!  

Quote :

The game is all about positioning your tanks by dropping them at the right spot.

With a name like "Dropzone Commander" that is to be expected
You and your friend have some really nice minis and boards. These small systems usually don't have my fullest attention because I focus on painting up individual models though you show that one can get a lot out of these 10mm minis. How does it compare tactic-wise to 40k?

Thanks guys!

Yes, Floedebolle, it is indeed a lot of fun. It is highly tactical and even though I suck at tactics. I still get a lot of enjoyment out of this game.

Yeah, Deafnala, they are 10mm but indeed very, very detailed. Some models are seriously insanely detailed, to a point where I dare not paint them. I have a huge Shaltari army laying around that is just too scary to paint. I know I can pull it off, but I need to get over some mental hurdles first... Luckily I have 99 other projects also lying about, so I am not feeling too guilty about it... Heheh.

Grimscull, it doesn't compare to 40K at all. First of all, the game is very much objective focused, so you can have your entire army decimated, but run off with that one piece of intel and still win the game. In that sense, it feels very cinematic and narrative driven, but in fact it is one of the most balanced rules sets out there. There are no auto-win army lists, hardly any auto-include models. And even those models that are just too good to pass up, you can still win games without them.

I know 40K has objective based missions these days, but a friend of mine who plays both said that pretty much every time the best way to secure an objective in 40K was to completely obliterate his enemy. That simply doesn't work in Dropzone Commander.

It's also alternate activation, so you really have to think about which units to activate. This also means you don't spend half an hour waiting on your opponent to move all his models and have you remove all of yours. It gives the game a much quicker and intense feeling, even though in the end the time frame is roughly the same.

As far as putting attention into single models goes, if you are looking for a sci-fi game, I'd actually recommend it. A 1500 point army typically nets you around 40 models (counting infantry stands as 1), so it has more in common with skirmish games than it does mass warfare games. We've probably played a year long with just 1000 points, and didn't get bored.

Their latest army, the Resistance, is a cool mix of Mad Max style cars and old military tech, and you can really go to town on those chop shop cars as far as colours go. It is one of those armies that looks great with every model a different colour.

I'd suggest looking at a couple of battle reports on Youtube. I can tell you the game is great, but I don't know your gaming preferences. I'd say check out some battles to see if this type of game suits you.

Oh, and they're also working on a space ship game, like Battlefleet Gothic. They're working on it together with Andy Chambers, actually, so...

Daniel36 wrote:

Yeah, Deafnala, they are 10mm but indeed very, very detailed. Some models are seriously insanely detailed, to a point where I dare not paint them. I have a huge Shaltari army laying around that is just too scary to paint. I know I can pull it off, but I need to get over some mental hurdles first... Luckily I have 99 other projects also lying about, so I am not feeling too guilty about it... Heheh.

I can identify; i.e., I have a fair number of Rackham/Confrontation, & Freebooter that have intimidated me with all that detail for years.  

No worries, I will get to them eventually.

But first, more scenery!!







The Landing Pad is made specifically for scenarios with this thing in it, and I really like variety and scenery, so I am the one who buys them all. Most folks find it too expensive, which I find weird, because it is of equal importance to your army, but what can you do.

I am planning some rocky formations to go with this thing, for a desert-ish table. Hopefully I will be able to finish those before the end of next month.

Happy New Year everyone!

UBERCOOL STUFF! AND BEAUTIFULLY painted to boot! It is also inspiring: i.e., I look at your creations & come up wit ideas for some home grown pieces that my friend, Dr. J, might like. VERY WELL DONE!  

Despite being an essential element in a narrative miniatures game, scenery tends to be the Bastard Child of war games. Folks who think nothing of dropping $20 or more on a single mini shutter at the prospect of parting with like amounts for a piece of terrain that dwarfs the pricey mini. C'est la vie, eh?  

Thank you, DeafNala. I am glad to be an inspiration. I can't wait to show you guys what I have up next, but it's not done yet.

Dropzone Commander is most often played in an urban environment, but I have been hard at work to build and paint some rocky outcroppings to accompany the desert-ish table that I've shown here. Best of all, they work for both 10mm and 28mm, so we can use it for Warhammer and Bolt Action too.

And I know right? Everyone buys overpriced miniatures but then complain about overpriced scenery. Well, I guess there is always someone who likes building scenery so everyone else can enjoy it, and at our club I happen to be that person, and I don't mind. I am a control freak so I wouldn't want to have it any other way anyways.

As an Epic : Armageddon fan, I can only like these purty pictures!

And I think that on this forum you'll find a lot of people whom are like-minded to your stance on scenery.
For me, fantasy scenery is something I build, sci-fi scenery is mostly bought, as it's difficult to get those straight lines right all around. No fan of cardboard scenery though, but everyone has their own preferences...

I am very intrigued by those last addittions though : the landing pad and the radar dishes.
Roughly what size are they? And how much did they cost? And where can I get them?

Depending on the answer to the first two questions, I might very well buy me a set to complement the 28mm sci-fi scenery I am currently assembling and painting up...