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