The variation in missions has always been a important part of the Dropzone games. When the first ed came out people were mind blown by the missions as they tended to lean towards objectives instead of killing the opponent's models. Later on the focus became a little more on slaughter. Version 2 changed the missions quite a bit, both by the rules changes but also how you will need to handle the objectives with the new ed.
There are only a few missions in the rulebook as it is now but it is very easy to change them while keeping the balance but still give a very good variation.
To start I think we need to go through the main missions: Targets of opportunities, Bunker assault, Survey objectives and Kill points.
Targets of Opportunities was one mission that changed a lot with the new ed. There were several aspects that became quite off. From being the token mission to a mission that actually didn't work well with the changes and the new rules. I think it was very strange that this mission changed so much. It was "The Mission" and could be used with endless variation.
TT changed the game so that it was much faster to reach the center buildings and much faster search and find the objectives. It was actually quite bad. In theory you could enter the center building, search and find the objective and get it out of the building in turn one. Without the opponent being able to stop you. It was a bit stupid, but possible. They later changed it so that it takes 2 actions to search and while you can search the same turn you enter a building (as long as it is the flying transport that disembark your infantry directly into the building) they can not get the objective away the same turn unless another unit started the turn in the same building.
Another factor that makes objective searching faster is that you (1) can search even if you were not the first one into the building and (2) you roll a die and add the turn number and if the total is 7 or more then you will find the objective. +1 if you have a APC outside the building helping out and -1 if you have an enemy in the same building.
The result is a much weaker mission. I wouldn't recommend using this mission as you will play 4 turns and then just will not bother finishing the game. Use instead a combination of objectives where this type of objectives are much better. Targets for the first 4 turns or the game. Some kind of focal points for the last two turns.
The removal to old focal points were a bit strange as well though I don't think it matters so much. Instead we got the Bunker assault mission. First you need to take objectives and secondly you need to have units within 6" (including aircrafts) at the end of the game. Using the term of Focal points or critical location would work fine and I kind of miss the old different term. TT has chosen to make the term objectives in combination of something (mobile or hidden for instance) to give the impression of different missions. But I think they could have gone with different names all in all. For instance to keep the term "Focal point".
Either way, I would have preferred that Focal points would change into this instead: It is a objective that can not be moved. It is not hidden. If one of your models have the objective the player is awarded 1 VP at the end of turn 3 and then you check again for another VP at the end of turn 6. The player with the most VP within 6" of the objective get another VP at the end of turn 6. Thus you battle it out in several turns. Some of this is an inspiration from the Critical locations from V1.
It is a humble complaint of mine because it is very easy to just make your own missions in DZC that works really well. So if we call it "objectives" or "focal points" doesn't matter.
Survey and Control is a continuation from the old mission "Recon" but only has one objective in each building. Whereas both players could find objectives in the old Recon. Funny note - I have assumed that you remove the objectives after rolling on the chart in this mission but perhaps you let them be and leave the objective behind for the other player to find it?
Either way I do like this mission as it keeps the game active in all turns. But it is a bit unclear as how it should work (as it was with first Recon as well). First you search like heck for those markers in the buildings. Then you try to protect any critical location you or your opponent find. I think this is the best mission for new DZC as it keeps the game alive all turns. It is a little strange that you can let a transport disembark infantry inside a building, let it roll for the objective and then go out again from the building. If the transport has landed then you can enter it again (though the transport then stay landed). I think I remember some rule stating you may not leave a building you just entered but seem not to be able to find that rule.
The fact that I discuss things with rules "I can't find" just shows how little competence you need to blog. So the bar is pretty low - so start your own blog! The most important rule is "post often!". WE all need to read more about DZC.
A good variation to this mission is to have two markers in each building - one for each player. Each player can only search their objective and roll for the chart. A Search is a single action. The chart should change to:
1. Bomb. The building and the infantry unit searching takes D3 damage (only roll once) without any save of any kind allowed (I suggest you start using basic infantry to search instead if you are afraid your elite infantry will die). If the opponent has a marker left in the building it is now removed. The player searching still get a VP though. The infantry searching may not use any more actions and thus have to stay in the building until their next turn.
2-5 1 VP. Remove your marker.
6. Focal point. Remove the opponent's marker. No point is awarded. Instead the player that holds the objective at the end of the game get 1VP and the player with the most KP within 6" of the building/marker also get 1 VP. Units are only adding their KP to the Focal point that is the closest (so units can never add their points to 2 focal points).
This is still a pretty heavy point wise mission but tend to give the player that focus more on movement and stopping their opponent's movement the advantage instead of the player that kills the most.
A good variation is to have a mobile objective instead of the Focal point. Then the player that carries the objective need to decide to either remove the objective off the table for 2 points or keep the unit on the table and continue searching and risk giving the opponent the objective. In this case a squad can hold a mobile objective and still get VP from the 1-5 results. But it sucks finding another mobile objective as they can not pick them up. No point would have been awarding for finding the mobile objective, instead you only get one if you hold it at the end or two points if you have gotten it off the table.
Then we have Kill points. I don't like play only KP. But each to their own. It works best, in my opinion, as a tie breaker in a tournament or as a small part of the entire point spectra in tournaments.
Conclusion
My experience is that the combination of missions are much better as missions in DZC 2. Where I argued quite heavily for "pure" missions in the first eddition of DZC, I don't think that works in version 2. Mostly because Targets of opportunities is pretty weak as a mission.
In the next part I will give several tournament-worthy-missions that are inspired from the available missions that I think are really suitable for DZC as a whole and will improve of the experience. The last part will contain the awesomeness that is the Swedish Search - my favorite mission in the DZC universe.
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