Saturday 7 March 2015

Getting Started: Resistance Unit Overview

I think enough time has passed and enough games have been played so we can take a proper look at Dropzones newest faction - The Resistance. 

In this post, much like we've done with UCM, PHRScourge and Shaltari, I will go through each unit and describe some pros and cons in their use. 

The Resistance are quite unique in their design, firstly you can choose to be either Allied or Feral, with each side getting specific command cards to use. Also, the Resistance don't have much in the way of Dropships. This might sound strange in a game called Dropzone Commander. 

How am I supposed to get to the 'Dropzone' without dropships?! Well, if you read on you will find out


Command
Alexander: Probably most players go-to command choice. It NEEDS a Lifthawk, without it, the Alex is left taking potshots at a buildings. Probably never firing a shot in anger at the enemy. If you can drop this behemoth on turn 2 and be mid table it will scare the bejeezus out of anyone! Resistance players take note. You will lose your boss. If you come from a different race you may not be used to losing your commander, but because of the Alex's design it needs to be at the front-line, which puts it in harms way. Cards can help if you're lucky. Oh and it's an awesome looking model!

Thunderstorm: This thing is massive. Too big for the tabletop? not sure yet. Officially the model is not out yet, but it is the same chassis as the Leviathan, just with different armament. Talking of armament, the guns are ridiculous. 4 E12 range 18" plasma's - seriously, it's a beast. 
My biggest fear for it, is that it will just get in the way of your other units. If you trundle up the middle whatever you put on one side of it will not get around it. This means your enemy knows where most of your army will remain for the whole game. 
The retinue? personally I don't see the point. you are paying too much for them. I'd leave it empty. 


Standard

Gun Wagon: The staple in every Resistance army. The only question is 1 squad or 2? A squad of 3 has 6 shots hitting on 2+. Excellent AA and with the bonus of driving off of a Kraken and still being able to shoot you can really pack a punch and get an alpha strike on an opponent. 

Rocket Technical: Very little used standard choice. Probably due to the really short range. I think they would work best coming out of a drill right on top of your opponent. That way they need to be dealt with early before you get overwhelmed. The minor drop in points will really help. Only 10 pts per technical is pretty awesome and make a cheap standard choice.


Infantry

Resistance Fighters: You are definitely going to be taking at least 1 squad of these. They are cheap and do the job they are supposed to. Personally I like 2-3 squads in Jacksons in a Lifthawk, with the other squad either Bezerkers or Occupation Veterans. I think they can work in a battle bus too, but I prefer the Jacksons.

Occupation Veterans: I really like these guys. Put them in a battle bus and you have have some drive by shenanigans going on. Again utilising the Hovercraft, where you can drive off and shoot the same turn. They can also hold their own in CQB, all round these guys are great. They have also been greatly helped by a reduction in points. I think we will see a lot more of these guys cruising around.


Bezerkers - Feral: I think the Bezerkers are difficult to use. They don't have much utility, it's pretty much CQB or nothing, and when in CQB they are a bit random (which I quite like). I'd always stuff them in a building for an objective search on turn 1, it's an extra dice to roll. After that, go look for trouble. 4 bases in a battlebus is going to give someone a really bad day - possibly 80 attacks!! Add to that a points reduction and it will be great to see more of these guys on the tabletop.

Marine Force Recon (MFR) - Allied: As a long standing UCM player, all I have to say is WHY! WHY! WHY CAN'T WE HAVE THEM TOO?! These guys are amazing, coupled with their super slick Raven with Evasion countermeasures they dish out the hurt. As with Praetorians though, falling masonry really hurts them. 


Support

Storm Wagon: A fun unit to use. But, go big or go home! I think 6 minimum really, but that gets expensive, even with the points decrease from the FAQs. 6 of them will be 150 points, for one shot. Otherwise it's not worth doing. If you take them, make sure you have plenty of scouts for spotting, whether its free riders or gun technicals. You can really build a nice Barrage army with more of these and Cyclones thrown in. Obviously they need to stay out of harms way, as each Storm Wagon that dies reduces the effectiveness of them. 

Fire Wagon: So cheap and really effective, sorry to keep going on about it - but having a Kraken with them gives them an effective range of 5" (Kraken half move) + 3" (disembark) + 3" (Fire Wagon half move) + 6" (Range of weapon) = 17" That is amazing! I don't know why we don't see more of these about. Every list I design now has a squad in. 


Cyclones: Best looking models so far? (sorry Archangels). Yes they are, they are simply beautiful. The metal rotors are a great add too. In game these boys add much needed anti-tank punch. I think 3 is a good number to band about in, although 2 also works as their move and fire is good. If you don't have them already go get some.

Barrel Bomber - Feral: A cheap support unit, even with the AA gun upgrade. Can have devastating potential. Does a huge amount of damage to buildings, and has a large array of weapons to use. Shame the Frag bombs aren't so good. Being Armour 6 and 4dp it is very likely to get to where it needs to be to deliver it's payload.


Scout

Gun Technical: These little blighters can be a royal P.I.T.A. pop them out of a drill into safety, then bomb round a corner and murder a light dropship. I know they are only E5, but weight of fire is key here. So much better than their rocket cousins

Free Riders: A lot has been said about Free riders, not all of it fair. They clearly weren't designed for an anti-tank role, but that seems to be what they are best at. They have a fast Mf and E10 sticky mines, which are now E9 thatnks to the FAQ. 3 per base! Add to that they have Evasion countermeasures they are very tricky to get rid of. You will find yourself having to look through the army lists as you will be using guns you've never used before.... a lot! A very good scout unit either through a drill or ride on. 


Heavy

Hannibals: I am still a bit undecided on these. They are tough, have reasonable output but they are quite expensive, not only individually, but to buy as a squad with transport. They are too short ranged to not get the Lifthawk. I think they are a good defensive unit. Place them on a Focal Point and hold it, I don't think they work offensively, when you you are in the heart of the enemy. It's a shame that the resistance don't have a heavy dropship that can cart 4 or 6 of them about for cheaper than 2 Lifthawks. 

Zhukov: Some of the deadliest AA in the game bar none. 2+ to hit, E8 and Devastator 2. The Zhukov can take out any medium dropship in 1 shot. There is debate about whether to purchase the Lifthawk or not. If you don't then you are limited to position. Your opponent can play around them and they will mainly be a denial unit. If you mobilise them, they are more of a threat, but that means over 200 points on a squad. It's a tough choice.



Fast Movers

Pathfinder - Allied: What a superb unit! This is what UCM dreams are made of. Always going to be hit on a 6+, hits on a 2+. It gives the Resistance something extra. The ability to take out targets they can't reach. It is costly though and forces you to play Allied (not such a bad thing). Unlike their UCM counterpart, the Pathfinder can reliably be run on it's own. I think spending 160 points on 2 is a little much in a 1500 point game.

Helhog: A fast mover with transition. Also A6 and 3dp. Unless it has 1 dp left there is little point reaction firing it. This is a very versatile unit. The Resistance don't have much versatility. You can place the Helhog anywhere on the board, out of AA bubbles and it can harass all game. Personally, I would keep the AA missiles and not replace with the extra ammo. It just gives you more options.



Transports

Breaching Drill: I really like the drill. It has excellent utility in any resistance army. The Resistance lack one major thing compared to the other factions and that is light dropships for quick and easy extraction. The drill really helps to mitigate against this. Not only does have the ability to act as a board edge for your subterranean units but it can contest Focal Points. I love the idea of using one really aggressively with a shed drill load of rocket technicals right in enemy territory. Oh, and with A9 and 5dp it will be around for a while too.

Kraken: Probably one oft he best 'dropships' in the game. I know it's not strictly a dropship, but it does the same job. It's pretty damn resilient and it's quite inconspicuous. Plus the Hovercraft rule is good. 
You will go the first few turns not even bothering to think about the enemy Krakens, they will deliver what they carry and you will need to deal with that, then they start pumping you with E9 cannons, then you start losing stuff, then its too late........ 

Leviathan: Lovely lovely model, but I see 2 problems with it's usage. No.1: it can only take 2 squads. This means either 6 + 6, 9 + 3 or 1 squad of 12, but do you want that many Wagons? and how would they work. Do you take 6 Gun and 6 fire? 3 Gun and 9 Storm? With each set-up there are problems. I wish it could take 3 squads. No.2: is it's size, this will limit the placement of the Leviathan and ultimately its usage. I like the AA upgrade, 8 E6 shots hitting on 3+ and 4 separate weapon profiles is very good. 

Lifthawk: It's a mean mother. A6 and 4 dp is tough to crack. It's not cheap though, but it is a versatile dropship. Not many can claim to be that. For an extra 15 points it can have an AA canon too. That means an E8 missile, E5 chain guns and AA capability. Some people call dropships a tax, with a lift hawk I find that it's essential as it can soak a lot of firepower and can't be ignored. 

Jackson/Battlebus: The eternal debate! Jacksons or Battlebus?!?! Both have their good points, both have their bad points. The Jackson has countermeasures is A9 and a gun, can be equipped with spider launchers too, but and it is a rather big but, it has only 1dp. The Battlebus is A6 and 4dp, meaning it will definitely need 2 shots fired at it to remove it. It has no countermeasures though. You can also upgrade it to have some weaponry but it is quite costly. The biggest plus is the ability to shoot from inside. Drive-by's DzC style! 

Hope you enjoyed this run through, there will be some more advanced tactica coming for the Resistance. 

All pictures from Hawk Wargames http://www.hawkwargames.com/collections/resistance-all-products




37 comments:

  1. Nice overwiew!

    Some points though... Don't forget that the Gun Wagons have 29" reach of AA when sitting in a Kraken. That is pretty crazy...

    The Barrelbomber also have 4DPs and Freeriders mines are down to E9 now.

    I have started to play with buses and a Drill in my new Resistance list. The buses can also be good LoS blockers. :)

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    1. Good spot snolb, I will update the main article
      Gun Wagons are such a threat, vulnerable when left in the open, but they normally get the alpha strike on an unsuspecting aircraft.

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  2. Thx 4 the overview. Waiting to finish painting mine before testing.
    FM

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  3. I completely agree on the Fire Wagons, and I think we'll be seeing more Flame in general, especially once more infantry is released.

    I been mucking around with building a Resistance list, and am not sure how to build the infantry portion. You have to take at least one squad of Fighters and you will have at least one other squad of infantry assuming you want a transport of any kind. The Lifthawk/Jackson option fills up that BG quickly, and 3 small squads of anything doesn't seem like enough, but you also have Freeriders most likely which are infantry, though you don't want them in CQB. Do you go for the Infiltrators and get more infantry at the cost of a different type of BG? Feels like you have to, as you either have 3 small squads or 2 big ones, and you need more then that, and it's hard to count Freeriders as a full infantry squad as they perform some other useful roles.

    Nice read
    RH - Chris

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    1. Also nice to hear someone taking the AA missiles on the Hellhog, just picked mine up and aim to go Feral. As the only FM option, I feel like I want them, but 1 AA shot at Ac3+ is still not an interceptor. The biggest issue is the games where you have it first turn, you can quickly get rid of it's ammo and then it just sits off the board denying kill points? Ugh, need to get my force up and painted so I can do some first hand testing.

      RH - Chris

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    2. Don't forget that when you enter hover mode you hit on a 2+ with both guns!

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    3. True, but only ever one missile at a time meaning at most 2 DP per Hellhog per Turn. Makes me want to try a squad of 2 for the off chance you get that 6 first turn, but 280pts is a third of your list...

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    4. How about taking a Hellhog with extra ammo, and a Pathfinder to plink off light dropships? That's only 220 points...

      Hey, I like that idea!... 8^D

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    5. RH - Chris, for infantry I like 2 res fighters in Jacksons in Lifthawk, and then 2 squads of Occ Vets in Battlebusses in a Kraken with a squad of free riders.
      I know Joe (SkullSword) was playing 2 squads of MFR and 2 squads of Res Fighters in BB in Kraken. There are a lot of options.

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    6. I suppose you mean 3 res fighters in Jacksons, since 2 does not work.
      Besides I like to play the same way, cause I really like veterans.

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    7. Thanks for the responses I'll be going Feral before Allied, but you've given me some ideas

      chrisloomis13

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    8. I was playing around with some list ideas tonight, and it just seemed like I was either bringing too few squads of Infantry, or spending too many points to get a better number of survivable squads. Yes, there are lots of options, but not as many as you'd think, because the only Infantry (Allied) that can come as a single squad in their own transport is the MFR, and they're 151 points sans missile upgrade. I mean, yes, you could bring just a single squad of fighters in a Battlebus, but why would you? So it's kinda rough to get the "right" amount of infantry in a 1,500 point list...

      I will plug the 3 squads of Fighter in Jacksons and a Lifthawk and 2 squads of Veterans in BBs and Kraken tomorrow when I'm back in front of FFoR, and see what else I can squeeze into the list with the points left over after bringing an Alexander in a Lifthawk and a squad of Gun Wagons in a Kraken. I think those are "must haves", IMHO...

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    9. Sounds like you discovered what I like to call the Resistance Infantry Tax (RIT for short). I agree that it gets expensive quickly for their troops, but you can make up the numbers elsewhere. Gun Technicals are cheap for instance if you need a little more AA, but can't afford a second squad of Gun Wagons!

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    10. Although they are a bit of a tax, they have other uses. Occupation Vets are really good anti tank, as are Free riders.

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    11. True that, but I don't think of Freeriders as "Infantry" per se, even tho that's what they are; I think of them filling a much needed AT role (I think we've discussed this already on the forums), and even with the slight nerf to the E9 of their Sticky .mines, I still plan on using them that way, and to spot for Cyclones (possibly my favorite DzC model to date!). However, in the lists I'm making now after the Rules Updates are out im taking a Drill almost all the time, so I plan on expanding the role of Freeriders to serve as extraction teams for the Infantry that go into buildings and search for objectives. They still need to pull some AT duty in a lot of situations, but they're not going to be as one dimensional as they had been when I used them previously.

      And, yes, Veterans are absolute beasts with their looted plasma rifles! I plugged in some 1,500 point lists into FFoR this morning, but it's been a very long day, and I only got 2 hours of sleep last night, so I can't recall how they turned out, but there are a few I'm pretty satisfied with, and want to try out in a few games' time...

      And Gun Technicals are on my shopping list for the next order I place, which will be this Friday very early in the AM so that Miniature Market gets it first thing! I've got a second drill that will arrive tomorrow, so I can use two if the situation warrants it, but I think with a little experience one will suffice at 1,500 points. But in lists with Technicals, I feel like you absolutely have to take at least one Drill for them to pop out of (and possibly back down extracting an objective)... (Maybe that's obvious, but like I said, I'm not thinking too clearly at the moment... LOL!)

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  4. Really good catch on the flame trucks and transport combo! 17" is really nice. Perhaps enough to decrease the amount of infantry in the army.
    /Egge

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    1. Yeah, that is pretty wicked. *planning more purchases*

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    2. It's very difficult to field small amount of infantry, it's possible but not easy to utilise. I think the flame wagons are a great unit softener. I don't think they will ever be devastating (apart from against Sirens) as there are only 12 shots, so normally 8 will hit. But resistance don't need it to wipe out the enemy, just give them the edge. Plus they are dirt cheap!

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  5. Really great write up, Mike, thanks! I think you nailed pretty much every point spot on. I got into Resistance as soon as I was able (lots of supply issues here in the States), and built up big and fast, but just Allied for now (Barrel Bombers are inbound, tho, should be here Wednesday!). Played a ton of games with them and I agree with you on pretty much everything you say here in this post. I really, really like the army. The composition and how you play them is so different from any other faction. Of course, all the factions are like that to some degree, but these guys are as different from the others as Shaktari are different in their way. Still collecting more models, tho... I must admit, going Resistance is not for the faint of wallet, but they are soooo worth it!
    8^D

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    1. But one thing we do differ on is the Hellhog. I like taking the extra ammo for the Satan Chainguns, but will give it a go with the 2 AA missiles. But Resistance have such excellent and abundant AA choices, it doesn't seem like we need the Hellhog to play that role, too...

      I like my idea of taking a Hellhog and a Pathfinder in the same Air Wing. Maybe not the best use of points at 1,500, but definitely at higher points levels!...

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    2. I find the best units in the game are the versatile units. The Ferrum and the Jaguar immediately spring to mind. That's why I like to keep the AA missiles. If I knew what mission I was playing I would make a choice to either keep the missiles or change for extra ammo. For a take all comers list I'd keep the AA

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  6. I guess my recent list looks like this:

    Standard Army
    Clash: 1500/1500 points
    Standard Army
    Resistance Standard [1500/1500 pts]
    Breaching Drills [100 pts]
    Breaching Drill: Model 109 Breaching Drill [50 pts]
    Breaching Drill: Model 109 Breaching Drill [50 pts]
    Warlord's HQ [300 pts]
    Alexander: M3 Alexander(Commander), AT-77 Lifthawk(+AA Cannon) [300 pts]
    Vehicle Detachment [233 pts]
    Gun Wagons: 3x Gun Wagon, NT-1 Kraken [113 pts]
    Cyclones: 2x AH-16 Cyclone [120 pts]
    Resistance Band [311 pts]
    Fighters: 2x Resistance Fighters, AT-77 Lifthawk(+AA Cannon), 2x MT-90 Jackson(+Spider Launcher), MT-90 Jackson [183 pts]
    ^ Sharing ^ Fighters: 2x Resistance Fighters [48 pts]
    ^ Sharing ^ Veterans: 2x Occupation Veterans [80 pts]
    Resistance Band [196 pts]
    Fighters: 2x Resistance Fighters, NT-1 Kraken, 2x Battle Bus [116 pts]
    ^ Sharing ^ Veterans: 2x Occupation Veterans [80 pts]
    Rusted Fist [220 pts]
    Zhukovs: 2x M20 Zhukov, AT-77 Lifthawk(+AA Cannon) [220 pts]
    Infiltrators [140 pts]
    Freeriders: 2x Freeriders [70 pts]
    Freeriders: 2x Freeriders [70 pts]

    Any idea what I should buy next. I have no idea...
    I am thinking about the Hellhog to have something completely different.

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    1. as a suggestion, why not put 1 squad of free riders in with the boss and put both squads of Occ Vets in battlebuses in the Infiltrators battlegroup. Then you get all the benefits for the Occ Vets.

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    2. I was doing this before but then I just have 5 battlegroups. Which sucks...

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    3. That's a problem I was running into today, too... Seems like it's tough to get 6 BGs when you've got all the "basics/must-haves" like the Boss, Gun Wagons, Cyclones and Freeriders. Really kinda tricky getting variations, but I started using a squad of 6 Rocket Technicals (because I have them) for 60 points, sometimes in their own BG by themselves, so that I have both 6 BGs and a "dead activation" BG... I'll try to post it here tomorrow, but my day is chock-a-block with meetings, and then I'm doing my first DzC Demo Night at the FLGS as a Talon, so I'll need to leave early. Even taking Friday off as a vacation day so I can recover from what I hope will be a busy night!
      8^D

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    4. I was having the same idea with the rocket technicals! Although I wanted them to come out of a drill and have the cyclones in their BG.

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    5. keep just the technicals in that BG!If you have them from a drill you can have it like a dead activation the first turns. :)

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    6. Dead activation = say they activate and cannot do anything, so I have to skip?

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    7. That's right Ast. I'm not sure I would be happy with you doing that to me if the drill was in reserve, but when it is on the table you can absolutely do that. The models always count in readiness when subterranean at the beginning of the game, so when the drill is not on it might need FAQing.

      Both Sneaky and Interesting!

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    8. What's wrong with chillin in the tunnels? :P

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    9. I will take that back! :P Subterranean squads are not in readiness...

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    10. But as Zombiestate says, you don't have to move out from the drills the turn they show up.

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    11. Okay got it. Thanks for the explanation, guys.

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  7. Question about the Leviathan:
    Is it stated anywhere that the units buying the transport have to start the game within them? Otherwise you could let the Rocket technicals and Gun technicals come out of Drills and let the Leviathan act as a giant AA unit in the middle of the game. That is not bad for 120 points!

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    1. Somewhere in the core rulebook is it stated that all squads start the game in their transports. That's basic... (But not for Shaltari)

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