Dropzone Commander Battle Report #25 – Shaltari Tribes vs United Colonies of Mankind

Welcome back to the Maelstrom! Today we’ve got another Dropzone Commander battle report, with the Shaltari and the UCM going to war in a frozen mountain range. We thought we would test out some house rules to reflect the unique nature of cave systems. See the video for a more in-depth discussion.

The Armies

Ubii Tribe War Party

Shaltari Tribes – 2,500

Wings of the Chieftain

Gaia Heavy Gate

Eden Medium Gate

Eden Medium Gate

Eden Medium Gate

Spirit Light Gate

Spirit Light Gate

Spirit Light Gate

Spirit Light Gate

Haven Terragate
Haven Terragate

Court of Elders

COMMAND – Coyote Warstrider with High Warchief (CV5)

HEAVY – 3x Caiman Heavy Grav-Tank

Shaltari Swordpoint

STANDARD – 3x Tomahawk Main Grav-Tank

STANDARD – 3x Tomahawk Main Grav-Tank

SUPPORT – 3x Kukri AA Grav-Tank

Shaltari Swordpoint

STANDARD – 2x Tarantula Battlestrider

STANDARD – 2x Tarantula Battlestrider

SUPPORT – 2x Birdeater Battlestrider

Shaltari Warrior Clan

TROOPS – 2x Braves

TROOPS – 2x Braves

Shaltari Warrior Clan

TROOPS – 2x Braves

SUPPORT – Flamedrake

Shaltari Warfist

HEAVY – 2x Jaguar Warstrider

SUPPORT - Dreamsnare

Shaltari Speartip

SCOUT – 4x Yari Light Grav-Tank with Light Ion Cannon

EXOTIC – 2x Firstborns

UCM Fleet Marine Security Force – TF-109

United Colonies of Mankind – 2,500

UCM Field Command

COMMAND – Kodiak ACV with Colonial General (CV5)

SUPPORT – Ferrum Drone Base

SCOUT – 4x Wolverine LAV Type-A

Colonial Armored Formation

STANDARD – 3x Sabre MBT

            -Condor Medium Dropship with Missile Pods

STANDARD – 3x Sabre MBT

            -Condor Medium Dropship with Missile Pods

SUPPORT – 3x Longbow Howitzer

            -3x Raven-B Light Dropship with Missile Pods

Colonial Armored Formation

STANDARD – 3x Sabre MBT

            -Condor Medium Dropship with Missile Pods

STANDARD – 3x Sabre MBT

            -Condor Medium Dropship with Missile Pods

SUPPORT – Eagle Gunship

Colonial Legionnaire Corps

TROOPS – 3x Colonial Legionnaires

            -Bear APC

TROOPS – 3x Colonial Legionnaires

            -Bear APC

            -Sharing Condor Medium Dropship with Missile Pods

SUPPORT – 3x Rapier AA Tank

            -Condor Medium Dropship with Missile Pods

Colonial Legionnaire Corps

TROOPS – 2x Colonial Legionnaires

            -Raven-A Light Dropship with Missile Pods

TROOPS – 2x Colonial Legionnaires

            -Raven-A Light Dropship with Missile Pods

SUPPORT – 3x Rapier AA Tank

            -Condor Medium Dropship with Missile Pods

UCM Expeditionary Group

EXOTIC – 2x Praetorians

            -Raven-A Light Dropship with Missile Pods

SCOUT – 4x Praetorian Snipers

            -Bear APC

Colonial Fleet Air Wing

AIR – Archangel

AIR - Archangel

After Action Review

That was actually quite a bit of fun, though I’m not sure my opponent could say the same! I enjoyed the feel of moving across an open battlefield, where the primary focus seemed to be more about destroying your opponent’s forces than it was about running after objectives. This happened in spite of the game still being objective oriented. I enjoy the objectives aspect of Dropzone Commander, but it was nice to feel a change for a bit.

The poor UCM armor was just made out of tissue paper for the first few turns. Toward the end I started having my normal difficulty in wrecking his vehicles, but it was only when there were a scant handful of A10 platforms still functional on the table. Given the rate his reduced armor was knocking out my own, I’m not sure my battle plan would have worked had the dice been a little more even.

His plan to rush the center was sound, and though it cost him two Sabres and a Condor to do it, I think it was worth the effort in the end. This allowed him to dump ten MBTs on the center of the table, leaving my Tomahawks and Caimans with little line of sight to even the numbers before we engaged. Yet even then, my dice to hit him through the obscuring cover were hot, and it seemed like every time a shot struck home a Sabre blew out in flames.

The UCM made a good show of things in spite of these losses, raking in nearly as many points as the Shaltari. Still, in the end the spiny boys were able to hold the lead and finish off strong.

The open table makes for a very interesting game, as you know that your Dropships are more vulnerable to incoming fire. I honestly think my opponent would have done better to start hitting my Gates with the surviving Rapiers, rather than pushing to the flank to engage my Yaris. Still, I was unable to move past the center of the table thanks to his aggressive advance, and it left me unable to get into his half of the table. Had more Sabres survived the initial engagements, I’m almost sure that I would have been giving ground for the rest of the game.

The indestructible caves were also interesting, as it immediately changed the role and functional purpose of the Infantry in some intangible way. They no longer had to fear Building demolition, allowing them to get into the fight earlier. It also meant that the Microwave weapons got more use, as the UCM started coming to the wall to affect the fighting. The winter table will most definitely work its way into our continued roster going forward.

Chime in, armchair generals! How could we have played it differently? Let us know in the comments below!