Thursday, July 9, 2015
Two Overlooked Rules of Dropzone Commander
There are often rules that are overlooked in games, and Dropzone is no different. Two of these rules that I rarely see used are regarding moving in from Readiness, and Forward Air Controllers. Both of these rules can be effectively used in many games, so getting a grip on how to use them can be vital.
Readiness.
Ok you got me... its not that hard to move in from off the board on round 1, which is what Readiness is. However, did you know that any squads in Readiness can be held to come on in Round 2? For the matter, even with direct deployment, you may leave part of a battlegroup in Readiness.
What can these be used for? Well I am sure there are several good reasons to do this, and tactically I will let you figure out your own. One to be aware of though, is that it is possible for Fast Moving Aircraft to active in Round 1 if a good reserve roll was made. This would be a good case for leaving vulnerable units in Readiness until your AA has established a landing and ready to fire.
Main Rulebook page 21
Forward Air Controllers
What is this rule? Never really seen it? Then you are like a lot of Dropzone players. Forward Air Controllers are a single nominated troop squad at the beginning of the game that are there to assist Fast Movers. In a Clash you get one squad, and in a Battle you get two. These don't cost any additional points to get, just nominate the troops squad. As long as this squad has line of sight to any (Any) enemy unit, all friendly fast movers gain a -1 modifier to the roll required to make an attack run or intercept. So yes... Attack Runs at 1+ (which is automatic) and intercepts on a 3+.
Every Faction gets this.
Reconquest: Phase 1 page 60