March release round up

Brand new shiny toys for our dirty little fingers!

Another month has raced past us, with time almost willed forward by the many impatient DzC fans out there waiting for the next Hawk update (myself included, and my over-inflated sense of self importance makes me think that we definitely affected the physics of time in some way). Well wait no longer! On the 14^th as many predicted were given our prize, the line of numbers for the newest 4 units; the Birdeater, the Fireblade, the Helios, and the Ravager.

One thing I have enjoyed about this release is that we haven't been expecting the next 'big unit'. There was no Hades, Caiman or Eagle on the horizon and instead what we have been left with is four solid alternative choices which fit snugly into their respective race lists.

I will also reinforce the point that they are all good and seem pretty balanced as well. As quiet as the release may feel I think it is possibly the best since Christmas, as it expands the armies very evenly and will go towards making lists even less similar.

Anyway, lets get down to business!

Birdeater Battle Strider

This is the model Jeff Wayne has been waiting for. Now he and many budding War of the Worlds fans can make their tripod walker list! The Birdeater holds the same modest stat line as the Tarantula and just basically swaps one weapon over, an identical match to the twin ion cannon on the Kukri. The balance between the two units is very even really; the Kukri is a little faster, easier to deploy and you get more shots for a similar points cost, where the Birdeater brings more durability for your fire base and a couple of lasers to help pick of lightly armoured units. I don't see this unit replacing the Kukri, but rather I think you'll find a very even spread. The choice of this unit will depend a lot on how aggressive a player you are and how many gates you like to play with.

Fireblade Light Tank

I am a fan of flame weapons as I feel they bring a different element to a game. As such I welcome the Fireblade to the UCM line up. They are another light chassis tank and can share an Albatross with 3 or 6 Katanas, which I can see happening if a player wants to field nine of the light tanks. Their threat range of 12” is pretty sweet and means they can hang around a middle building and jet off to barbecue any unfortunate troops that aren't in a CQB. The extra dimension that a flame support weapon adds to the UCM shouldn't be overlooked either. With the current points cost of the Ferrum you only really need to field one squad of rapiers, leaving some very useful support slots open. The only question is whether people will be able to find points in their lists alongside the UCM's other excellent choices.

Helios Jetskimmer

The Helios is a tank which has been highly anticipated by the PHR majority, and it has turned out to be worth the wait. It stands as the only unit in the game which can kick out six, yes six, AA shots each. An even bigger bonus to this is that it can shoot two different targets in the same arc and anyone shooting back at it will be at +2 accuracy due to it being a skimmer. And then to dump more sweetness on it all 6 of the shots have shaped charge, so it isn't bad at killing tanks either. Drawbacks? Well it's not cheap at 165 points for two and a Neptune and with a 12” range against active countermeasures you are almost guaranteed to be shot back. All in all I have mixed feelings about this unit that won't really be answered until one of my PHR chums plays with them. Having shaped charge on the guns seems a little too much, even with the high points cost. As a Shaltari man I am used to units being gunned down by AA but I can't imagine a UCM player is going to be too happy about losing a sabre to AA fire. As with the Mercury drones we will have to wait and see, I do kind of expect Hawk will drop the SC from the guns and keep it strictly AA in the next update though.

Ravager Pack

I kind of expect the Ravagers to be the most controversial unit out of the bunch. As a whole the Scourge are short ranged and have beastly weapons. The Ravager breaks these confines and instead has an 18” range AA fire, with 4 shots (two guns with two shots each) at a mere E6. I can hear the more anal players of the game now, squawking their fury over the range of their guns and how it it doesn't fit the template of the game, and blalabla. Personally I think the unit is great, and fits the Scourge just fine. So what if they have an 18” range gun? That's still not a good range and to support the rest of the short ranged army they are going to have to deploy on turn 2, just like everything else. If anything Scourge needed this unit to play on a truly competitive level. One thing I didn't expect though was the CC attack, which makes sense as the stalker has it, and is a nice addition (though it probably won't get used that much to be honest). The unit isn't cheap which reflects how good it is, coming to 205 with Harbinger (including the obligatory AA upgrade). With this squad you get a reliable AA bubble that can cover your airspace much more efficiently that the Reaper could ever do. Sadly though the Ravager may well have put the final nail in the coffin for the poor Minder.

As always comments and opinions are welcomed; let us know which your favourite release this time round has been, and which your not keen on!

Toodles!