Dropzone Commander Battle Report #4 – Shaltari Tribes vs UCM

With the 7^th edition of Warhammer coming out this past month, we’ve been mostly exploring the nuances of its new rules. However, we took a break this past weekend to run another Dropzone Commander game, with the Shaltari Tribes and the United Colonies of Man squaring off in a Black Hawk Down-esque mission!

The pristine city was marred by a single column of coiling black smoke. Reaping Hand knew it would soon be joined by others.

The Warspear fighters had already reported the presence of human assailants, moving in to recover the wounded pilot from the Firedrake. The pilot activated his distress transponder ten minutes before, giving Reaping Hand plenty of time to maneuver his forces into position. The fleet elements had quickly triangulated teleportation parameters and delivered them safely to their landing zone.

Reaping Hand could hear the screaming engines of the oncoming humans, their primitive craft giving away their approach as surely as any war cry. No doubt the Firstborns were singing of their mighty battle prowess. Reaping Hand smiled, remembering the first time his own energy sword carried the blood of an enemy. That had been long, long centuries ago…

Reverie would come later. For now, there was the business of a war to conduct.

The Armies

Ubii Tribe Recovery Party

Shaltari Tribes – 2,500

Wings of the Chieftain (Gate Pool)

Gaia Heavy Gate

3x Eden Medium Gate

2x Spirit Light Gate

4x Haven Terragate

Court of Elders

COMMAND – Coyote Warstrider – High Warchief

HEAVY – 2x Ocelot Warstrider

EXOTIC – 2x Firstborns

Shaltari Swordpoint

STANDARD – 6x Tomahawk Main Grav-Tank

SUPPORT – 3x Kukri AA Grav-Tank

Shaltari Swordpoint

STANDARD – 4x Tarantula Battle Strider

Shaltari Warrior Clan

TROOPS – 2x Braves

TROOPS – 2x Braves

TROOPS – 2x Braves

SUPPORT – Totem Warspire

Shaltari Warfist

HEAVY – Caiman Heavy Grav-Tank

HEAVY – Caiman Heavy Grav-Tank

SUPPORT – 3x Kukri AA Grav-Tank

Shaltari Arrowhead

AIR – Warspear Heavy Fighter

AIR – Warspear Heavy Fighter

Shaltari Speartip

SCOUT – 5x Yari Light Grav-Tank with Light Ion Cannon

EXOTIC – 2x Firstborns

UCM Fleet Security Force TF-109

United Colonies of Man – 2,500

UCM Field Command

COMMAND – Kodiak ACV – Colonial General

SCOUT – 4x Wolverine LAV Type A

SUPPORT – Ferrum Class Drone Base

Colonial Armored Formation

STANDARD – 9x Sabre MBTs

-Albatross Dropship

SUPPORT – 2x Longbow Howitzer

-2x Raven Light Dropship – Type B

Colonial Legionnaire Corps

TROOPS – 2x3 Colonial Legionnaire Squad

-2x Bear APC

-Condor Medium Dropship

SUPPORT – 3x Rapier AA Tank

-Condor Medium Dropship

Colonial Legionnaire Corps

TROOPS – 2x3 Colonial Legionnaire Squad

-2x Bear APC

-Condor Medium Dropship

SUPPORT – 3x Rapier AA Tank

-Condor Medium Dropship

UCM Special Ordnance Section

HEAVY – 4x Gladius HBT Section

HEAVY – 2x Scimitar Tank Destroyer Battery

UCM Expeditionary Group

SCOUT – 2x Praetorian Sniper Team

-Raven Light Dropship – Type A

EXOTIC – 2x Praetorian Team

-Raven Light Dropship – Type A

EXOTIC – 2x Praetorian Team

-Raven Light Dropship – Type A

After-Action Review

I need more Spirit Gates, and fewer Haven Terragates.

In the early turns of this one I was doing well, quickly moving from marker to marker in a bid to strip them from my Deployment Zone. However, I was having difficulty maneuvering forward in the later turns, giving me less time to properly deploy into the enemy’s table half. I do believe that another pair of Spirits would make for a good investment. This will double my potential landing fields, and it will also make it simpler to weather casualties.

I don’t think I mentioned it in the video, but it was also fun to finally hit someone with an energy sword! The attack is next to useless, even when it does go off, but it is a fun story to tell that I was able to smack two Infantry dead with an energized blade.

The specialized versions of the missions are a lot of fun; if you aren’t trying them out, be sure to give them a chance in the near future. There is a great potential for narrative there, just waiting to be explored.