DropFleet Commander Kickstarter

The DropFleet Commander Kickstarter is finally underway.  Within 24 hours the kickstarter was fully funded and exceeded the expectations of Hawk Wargames.  Within the first hour all admiral level pledges were taken so they opened up an additional 50 which were taken in 1 hour after announcement.  The was sad to say I was not able to pledge at the Admiral level :( unfortunately.

Andy Chambers and David Lewis bring us an exciting ship to ship combat game set in the back drop of Drop Zone Commander. I am a PHR player so I will be waiting in excitement for this fleet to be revealed.  I am super impressed by the miniature pictures that have been posted on the KickStarter site.  I can't wait to see they have in store.

The Kickstarter is focuses primarily on getting the two player starter set into production, which includes a UCM and Scourge Fleet.

Valley of The Sun Gaming Stores

While on vacation today in the Phoenix Metro area I decided to check out 5 of the areas gaming stores. I will list them in order from best to good.

1. Imperial Outpost Games
2. Empire Games
3. Game Depot
4. Desert Sky Games
5. Play or Draw

Each gaming store has its pros and cons and I will try to elaborate on my experience. The prices at each store is about the same so one is not better than the other for prices.

Imperial Outpost Games

4920 W Thunderbird Rd, Glendale, AZ 85306

Outpost Games by far had the largest selection of games and tables to play your various board games, card games, and skirmish battles.  The store is enormous; it actually as two shops one for board games and table top games and another for card games separated by their gaming tables.  The staff was very helpful, friendly, and ready to help you find anything you need.  I will definitely be calling this store my new second home.

Empire Games

1766 S Greenfield Rd, Mesa, AZ 85206

This store was my next favorite store.  They have a large following for Spartan Games Firestorm Armada and Plaentfall.  They staff was very friendly and eager to help.  They have about 20-25 gaming tables and card table for you needs.  This store has the largest selection of WarHammer supplies that I saw in any of the stores.  Even though I don't play at all.

Game Depot

3136 S McClintock Dr #11, Tempe, AZ 85282

Patty at game depot was very helpful and friendly.  They have a good selection of gaming supplies.  This was the only store where I was able to find Flames of War supplies.  It also has a large gaming group called Arizona Desert Rats FOW gaming group that calls this place home.  They do rotating tournament called Shifting Sands.

Desert Sky Games

2531 S Gilbert Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85295

This was the last store that I visited today.  It had a good mix of gaming supplies and some comics for good measure.  There are several tables to play here too.  The guy running the store while I was here was very helpful and friendly.

Play or Draw

965 E Van Buren St #116, Avondale, AZ 85323

This was my least favorite store.  They had very little gaming supplies that I play and all of it was locked up in cabinets and no one could find the key when I asked to look at an item.  They were not very helpful and were more interested in playing with their cards than trying to help out a customer that was going to drop almost $200 in Star Wars Armada stuff.  This store is more dedicated to card games such as Magic or Pokemon.  There are several tables to play here too.

Star Wars Armada Wave II

On 6 April 2015 Wave 2 was announced, offering additional fighter squadrons and ships including the first ships on "large" bases for both factions.  Wave II includes the following expansion packs for the core game.

• Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack
• MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack
• Home One Expansion Pack
• Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack
• Imperial Raider Expansion Pack

The Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack brings this behemoth battleship to your games of Armada with one pre-painted miniature, two ship cards, three command dials, eighteen upgrades, and all requisite tokens.

The MC30c frigate expansion pack contains two command dials and ten upgrade cards, along with all the tokens you need to bring this Rebel ship to battle. Of course, as with other Armada expansion packs, the MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack also comes with two ship cards that let you field your MC30c as either the MC30c Scout Frigate or MC30c Torpedo Frigate.

Admiral Ackbar flagship star cruiser, Home One, features one large-size, pre-painted miniature MC80 star cruiser, two ship cards, three command dials, and fourteen upgrades.

The Imperial Raider expansion pack comes with a command dial, speed dial, and all the tokens you need to enter the fray.

The Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack features Han Solo, Boba Fett, and a handful of the galaxy's most notorious rogues and villains.

These five expansion packs of Star Wars Armada Wave II are scheduled to arrive in the third quarter of 2015!  Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Fantasy Flight Games: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2015/4/6/here-they-come/

Hawk Wargames: Dropfleet

Recently Hawk Wargames just announced they are working on a new space combat game called DropFleet.  Their latest newsletter gave us a sneak peek at the UCM Fleet.  Check it out!

The newsletter revealed...

Dropfleet will be an Orbital Combat game in which the vast majority of your games will take place in orbit above a planet’s surface. The game has been designed for this from the ground up by Andy Chambers and is an entirely new and unique ruleset. A typical gaming table is 4′x4′ and will show the surface of a planet rather than the more typical ‘starfield’ style space combat table. The area covered will be around the size of a large European country/US State. Delivering your troops to targets on the surface will be crucial for victory and most missions will be tactical and objective focused. Space stations, static defences, ground troops, cities and other scenery play an integral part in the game.
Three altitude layers (High Orbit, Low Orbit and Atmosphere) are present in games and have various effects. Only certain ships (such as Strike Carriers) can go atmospheric and each layer has advantages and disadvantages in different tactical situations. Weapons range is neither absolute nor fixed. It can change based on the power of your ship’s scanners, the enemy ship’s signature and the enemy’s actions (firing several weapons greatly increases a ships signature for example). Stealth is frequently crucial! A framework for linking games of Dropfleet and Dropzone will be present in the rulebook, opening up many exciting possibilities for campaigns and narrative settings.

Firefly: The Game

In Firefly: The Game, players captain their own Firefly-class transport ship, traveling the ‘Verse with a handpicked crew of fighters, mechanics and other travelers. As a captain desperate for work, players are compelled to take on any job -- so long as it pays. Double-dealing employers, heavy-handed Alliance patrols and marauding Reavers are all in a day’s work for a ship’s captain at the edge of the ‘Verse.

Gale Force 9 has now release miniatures associated with this game that look pretty cool. A set of six resin ships for the basic game. Four Firefly class ships, a Reaver vessel and Alliance Cruiser.

Here is a really good review of the game by Starlit Citadel: https://youtu.be/mtXHf4dAfCw

Halo: Fleet Battles, The Fall of Reach

The Halo: Fleet Battles, The Fall of Reach two player battle box is the ultimate way for fans of the Halo Universe to recreate pivotal space battles between the stalwart forces of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the relentless Covenant armada. Developed in close cooperation with 343 Industries, The Fall of Reach puts you at the centre of the most pivotal naval conflict of the long Human-Covenant War, commanding massive fleets of deadly warships as they clash above the fortified human colony of Reach. Take humanity's last stand to the gaming table!

The Fall of Reach box contents include:

• A full colour 100-page rulebook packed full of images and examples
• Fall of Reach campaign guide
• 49 highly-detailed plastic ship models
• 25 custom Halo Dice
• Fleet Commander Data Sheets
• Flight Stands and Overlay Cards
• Punch-out Scenery and Token sheets
• Quick Guide reference sheets

Halo: Fleet Battles delivers an easy to learn, lore-infused, tactically-rich gaming experience that appeals both to experienced wargamers and fans of the Halo Universe.