I hear there are new units?

We have new units - not only that but we have rules now too, aren't we lucky gamers?

Good gamers, you have been good boys and girls, come here and get a belly rub

A new unit for each faction as wave 1 hits us like the proverbial tsunami. Below I will talk about each one and give my (not asked for in any way) opinion on them within the current game.

Also you lucky lucky readers will have the privilege or reading Dan's comments too. Maybe lucky is the wrong word........

So onwards to the quick and dirty review
I'm going to do this in (proper) alphabetical order, not the Dan-a-bet

The Angelos is a great addition to the PHR family and Dropzone as a whole. The idea of a flamer on an APC is not new (we here at OB publicised it a long time ago). Possibly PHR weren't the faction that really needed it, but then who does really? I know it would be really useful on Bears, also Invaders too. 6 E4 flame shots is nothing to be sniffed at and will really soften most bases of infantry (not those pesky A4 exotics though!). The only thing I'm not overly happy with is the price. 35 points seems too much to me. The Angelos is 30, I think this should probably be there or there abouts, maybe 32?

I think it will see some play, competitively too. It won't be in all the lists but useful none-the-less.

Flaming Michalos (by Dan)

Until the apparent typo of leaving Valkyries from the units who can select this vehicle as their transport is sorted, it's about as useful as a chocolate condom due to its slow move and high cost in a Neptune. If, and when, Valkyries can take the Flamgelos however it will become suddenly useful for troop biased missions. PHR are less efficient, but also less reliant, on demo than they ever have been, and instead they now equal Resistance for Infantry; what better to compound their troop game than a flamer! They carry the same burden as most APCs, in that they are slow and predictable, and once destroyed leave a unit stranded, but as we all know Valkyries care not one iota about their transport once deployed.  

When I first saw the rules for this, I thought "absolutely fine, good slot (heavy), tough and well priced." Really, that is the wrong mentality right now. Weapon energy creep is a thing. The Leopard sports 3 E12 shots. 3!! for only 85 points. I like very much that it is short ranged, but the top gun did not need 2 E12 shots. 1 would have sufficed. It can also do anti-infantry very easily. The dragon cannons can cut through infantry like a hot knife through butter. Could you imagine a heavy battle-group of 2 Leopards and a Dreamsnare, deployed out of a Gaia. That is brutal. It will certainly see competitive play in this incarnation.

Leo Pard (by Dan)
Yep, exactly what the game needs, more E12 weaponry! As facetious as this comment is, it holds some truth. More high powered weaponry isn't what DzC needs right now, but que sera sera. 

Ignoring the meta issues, I like the walker. It's Heavy battle-group doesn't restrict it as much as you would think (it can slot in command, for instance) so can be a nasty surprise for an unsuspecting victim. At 85 points it may seem cheap, but this walker screams gate tax, as you *have* to have an Eden, Firedrake or Gaia for it. It also has the added bonus of being able to turn its guns into an anti-infantry weapon, an incredibly efficient and dangerous one; beware all Medusa, Freeriders or Hazard Suits!

The Monitors are as cute as a button, and they will kill what they are intended to kill, but with a bit more difficulty than I think they should. They are armed with a pair of bigger badder shard cannons normally carried by destroyers, but the only upgrade to the cannon is (as far as I remember) a range boost to the free range. They even lose the 1-shot E10 splurge which would have been ideal on this unit. The added self destruct option is as essential to the unit as it is excellent. It doesn't need to hit which means (high) potential death for skimmers and infantry in the open.

The 2 main things that bug me (pun intended) are firstly; that they should hit on 2+. The reason this unit was even considered is because Scourge are way behind in dealing with the E+3 infantry and infantry lining the windows. Having 3+ to hit makes shooting these enemies will normally need 6's. 4 shots doesn't seem so hot then.

My second problem is the cost. You might think I'm nit-picking here, but 8 points is the same as a minder, who are AA. AA is supposed to be a premium in this game. I think 6 or 7 points would have been better. These will be in a lot of lists, purely because they need to be.

Monocle-itor (by Dan)
HmmmmmmmmMmmm. Big hmm. Big, big hmm. 
Now I have some very strong emotions on where Scourge are sitting in the meta right now, most of which well documented over the blog and podcast. In a nutshell, we're (we, because I'm Jelly through and through) behind every other race. Although our Infantry are the tits, they have a different impact to that of all the other races. Braves, Veterans and Hazard suits are all excellent at killing. The Freeriders and Scout ATVs are consistently irritating, and the Medusa... Well, lets not talk about that. So what we need is a unit to nullify these threats, who are ultimately making our better units (like the Oppressor for instance) almost redundant. Monitors are Hawks answer, at least for the moment anyway. 

Here's the thing though, I just don't think they are the answer at all at the moment. So 4 shots at E5 is okay for anti-infantry (and actually for Gun Technicals and Wagons too), but at 8 points a pop and another 24 for an Intruder (which you will need to deploy them anywhere useful) it comes up to a huge 56 points for 4! That's 16 E5 shots for 56 points. Run the maths. 2 wounds of a Medusa (that will just be healed back), 1 to a Freerider, and maybe 4 to a single base of infantry in a building. For 56 points that's an awful return. I thought the answer might be just to give them more shots or a better accuracy, but I'm beginning to think that perhaps the answer is to mitigate the need for an Intruder, and give them an infiltrate or forward deployment rule. This will allow another 2 to be purchased, making the odds much more preferable. So right now, I think they're pretty garbage, but with a small tweak they could be great. Oh, and the template is great. Shame it's E10, but moons on sticks and stuff.

Such a difficult unit. It really is not that much different from the Seraphim. It is certainly overpriced for what you get to do with it. 115 points for a maximum of 6 shots (more likely to be 3-4 though) in a game. If I could be given free reign with the rules for this I would change 3 things. 

• Remove the (Narrow) from the Missile Cluster fire arc
• Remove the Alt-1 from the Missile Cluster
• Make it 90 points

Simple solutions that keep the unit as intended, but helping it be useful. 

I don't think a Barrage weapon should have a narrow front arc. The missiles are a mass of bombs going off in a small area does not sound like it needs a narrow arc!

You should also be able to fire those missiles whilst firing the Heavenfire. It make no sense to only shoot 1 per turn. I really can't see players using it. I will get one to add to my collection of UCM, but I am unlikely to play it.

Retardliator (by Dan)

Attempting to buck the trend of Fast Movers really only being any good at AA, Hawk have given us something a little different. A single E12 shot (yay, more high energy), an anti-infantry blast (actually kind of useful these days) and of all the crazy things an E10 barrage weapon, giving you a potential large E10 blast! I like the Retaliator more than the Seraphim. It has a more specific role, in that it is actually not bad at what it does. The problem it faces is that it still suffers the inherent unreliability of being a fast mover (although this is slightly mitigated by Legionnaires or Mortars acting as FAOs), and just by the simple fact that there are better units to spend the whopping 115 points on. Mortars for anti-Infantry, Hazard Suits and Starsprite Drones for E12 shots, and the Phoenix for a E10 template; it's a victim of the utility of its own army. Shame really.

Last but not least, did someone say over compensation?

Thunder thunder thunder Thunderwagon Ho!!! My sword of Omen has given me sight beyond sight. I see that these awesome models will not see the light of day at a tournament. 

I know that tournaments are not the be-all and end-all of miniature wargaming, but it is what is most written about and talked about on blogs and podcasts. 3 Shots in an entire game and for 75 points. Suddenly the Retaliator is looking great value for money! They really look great but they are the same cost as a gun wagon.......seriously Hawk?? Either the Gun Wagon is underpriced or these are overpriced (personally I think a little of both).

The weapon itself is actually great, and very useful, high demo, blast and decent energy. 

This is going to sound harsh, but I think the unit needs scrapping and a redesign is needed. The model lends itself to the rules, but that is not what is needed in the game. 

I would have a wagon with the missile on it (as it is now), and the wagon would have a trailer with another 2 missiles on. 

Rules would then be similar, but it would have 3 shots in a game, but has to spend a turn loading the next missile, so shoots on 2, 4 and 6. I would also have a drawback too. If the Thunderwagon is destroyed with 1 or more missile left to shoot then they blow up on the spot where destroyed. 

Blunder Wagons (by Dan)

Where in the name of Karl Foley did the Resistance find scud missiles?! As cool as the models are (and they are real gnarly) these wagons have high-fantasy edge which, personally, I don't like for Zone. As far as rules go, these Wagons could end up gathering dust in the same hanger as the Storm Wagon. A potential 8 dp to a building a turn is tempting, and an E10 template which can reach more or less the whole table also seems pretty nice. The drawback is however that you can only use one per turn, and in reality they are very expensive; 75 points for 3 E10 shots a game? I think I'd rather find the extra 45 points for another Cyclone.

Let us know your thoughts on the new units, we really do care (well maybe not Dan)