We’ve already been bombarded with questions about the Kickstarter, and we want to answer a few before the campaign kicks off so that backers know what’s going on. More will be added during the campaign, but here’s a few we have been asked a few times...
Will you be doing other races, like the Shaltari, the PHR and the Resistance, in starter boxes?
We do plan on doing other races; one of our initial stretch goal unlocks is (as above) the Shaltari, and the PHR hopefully might not be too far behind them... A Resistance faction is harder to create in terms of the background and character of the universe, however they will have some involvement in some form at a later date.
What are the stretch goals all about?
Stretch goals allow us to create even more units and elements to the game on launch, and pass the benefits and possibilities on to you. Ultimately, the more we achieve, the more we are able to put into plastic, and this is the key to this Kickstarter campaign. The Stretch goals also contain a range of things, from free add-ons for all backers to exclusive content that you can add to your pledge. A select number of these Add-ons are only (and will only ever be) available for backers on this Kickstarter, so you’ll be one of the few to have access to them, as well as getting some free things with your existing pledge!
How will this game interact with Dropzone Commander?
Dropfleet Commander is very much about the invasion of the Cradle Worlds on a planetary scale; each ground combat in the game is the equivalent of several ‘Clash’ and ‘Battle’ sized games of Dropzone Commander. However, the Dropfleet Commander rulebook will include directions and tips on combined campaigns, with a specific section including campaign structure, as well as information on how your Dropfleet Commander games could affect Dropzone Commander battles. We will be releasing future campaigns and curating campaign weekends as well, so that players who wish to can enjoy both games side by side.
How many ships will I need? How big is a ‘Standard’ game?
Dropfleet Commander is designed to be scalable, so that you can play from small skirmishes up to epic fleet games. The system uses alternate activation and the battlegroup system, much like in Dropzone Commander, and also has customisable force organisation in the same way. With this in place, the standard game size should be around 1500 points, with approximately 14-18 ships consisting of several groups of smaller craft, such as Frigates and Cruisers, and a few larger spaceships, such as Battleships and Dreadnoughts.
How does it differ from other space games, past and present?
With Dropfleet Commander we have been very keen to ensure that the gameplay is central to the concept. We don’t want to take an existing game and just add different looking models, nor do we want to produce a thinly veiled copy of an old game. By focusing on the interaction with planets and introducing a brand new mechanic in terms of ranges and weapons fire, we believe we have married incredible models with innovative gameplay to create something entirely new. Andy Chambers brings an experience of spaceship based games to this project that very few others can rival, and working alongside David J Lewis, we hope the game reflects the best of the old school and the new school of game design and development.
Hawk Wargames are an established company - Why are you Kickstarting this game?
Although we have covered this in a few places, it is important that we are clear about this point. Put simply, we want to bring this game to you in the most versatile, detailed and user friendly way possible, which we feel means plastic models. While we are a growing company, the capital outlay for moulds for everything we’d like to achieve is very high. We hope that Kickstarter will enable us to fund some of this cost and give fans of the Dropzone universe a chance to help be a part of the future of Hawk Wargames. We are also committed to manufacturing the tools and the models in the UK, to continue with our previous business ethics of supporting high quality UK manufacturers.
I’ve backed other Kickstarters and I’ve still yet to receive my goods, in some cases when the products are already in the shops to buy. What stops this happening with this Kickstarter?
We’re committed to this not happening. As far as is humanly possible we will confirm that each backer has received their pledge before the game and supporting products hits stores. We also aim to allow some time between the delivery of the pledges and the products being on general release. We are very near to completing the development of the rules system and are at the beta test stage. We have sprue layouts planned, and costings have been worked out – we have had experience in some of this through our previously created 2 Player Starter Set for Dropzone Commander. If the Kickstarter is successful, we will be able to commence manufacturing the plastic tools quickly, whilst also finalising design elements and expanding on background and artwork. Manufacturing in the UK also means that once manufacturing is complete, our delivery time is much shorter.
What happens next? When do I get the game?
We are preparing everything we’ll need to get the game to backers as soon as possible once the Kickstarter Campaign finishes in early December. The first step after the campaign is for each backer to fill out their survey, letting us know there delivery information and add-on preferences. If we are successful in our funding, this should go out a few weeks after the Kickstarter has completed.
From there we will begin with production. This stage requires the most time, and we have built in some buffer time to allow for any reworking that is required. Having manufactured a large volume of plastic starter sets before we are expecting to deliver rewards to backers around mid-June 2016. (If we can deliver before this, we will.) What we can promise is that we will keep backers regularly updated with news and visual information about the progress of the production and delivery.
I’m not pledging from the UK – is this ok?
Kickstarter takes pledges from anywhere in the world – see their FAQ for more information on this. All you will need is a Major credit card. While we would like to be able to take pledges by PayPal or Cheque, Kickstarter is currently unable to support this. Hawk Wargames has experience in shipping worldwide – we would ask that if you have any questions, that you do email us or use the comments section on the campaign to ask about delivery.
How much is the postage?
Postage will vary depending upon the region you are in. However, we are committed to getting this game out there and played, and giving a bit more for those who support this game at this stage, and as such are offering reduced shipping rates on postage (from our normal direct shipping rates). This means that the postage will be as follows:
There will be more to come soon, but in the mean time, here's another sneak peek:
