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Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T17:01:35Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Wolfrum */

[[File:dzc_logo.png|500px|center]]

{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis
|year = 2012
|books = [https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1).]
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed when a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld, who instead jumped into the Tlalocan system. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system who dropped a stealth beacon of their own.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR eliminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to settle themselves into a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, considering the ease with which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized against it. Aa rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure, but at a great cost, as many more ships were lost than expected to pursuing Scourge as they retreated to their jump marker.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as a penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander site.]
* [https://ttcombat.com/collections/dropzone-commander Model range] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropfleet Commander

2021-01-10T16:40:03Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* External Links */

[[File:Dfc_black_logo.png|500px|center]]

{{Game Infobox
|name =[[File:Dropfleet_boxart.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis and [[Andy Chambers]]
|year = 2016
|books = [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Desktop_Dropfleet_Rulebook.pdf?v=1607956597 Dropfleet Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)]
}}
{{topquote|It’s all fun and games till someone shoots back, Holden thought.|James S.A. Corey, ''Leviathan Wakes''}}

'''Dropfleet Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DfC''') is a space combat [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their 10mm game [[Dropzone Commander]]. The game is themed around using a fleet of spaceships to take control of a section of orbital space over a planet and drop troops from there into cities or other places of interest to control them.

== The Game ==
What sets Dropfleet Commander apart from other space combat games is the orbital setting. Simply destroying the opposing ships is not enough; the real goal is to secure the planet below by depositing troops onto the surface or stations in orbit. These objectives are clusters of infrastructure containing cities, factories, military bases, or other more unique sectors. In the setting (or in a simultaneous game, of which rules are present to support), the troops you send down are engaged in Dropzone Commander battles. Ships can move between high orbit, low orbit, and atmosphere, although most ships will burn up and crash upon entering the atmosphere. Some abilities/weapons can only function on different levels or have their effectiveness altered targeting different levels.

The game typically takes place on a 4'-by-4' board that can contain orbital debris, space stations, or objects such as moons or large asteroids.

One of the other more prominent mechanics of the gameplay is how weapon ranges work. It uses the logic that in space and at the scale of the combat happening, the range on most weapons is effectively infinite, and the difficulty in hitting your target is more in finding it. To that end, every ship has two statistics: scan and signature. Scan is how many inches your ship can detect out to, and signature is how many inches your ship can be detected at. Combining the two gets you a firing range; a ship with scan of 8" firing on a target with a signature of 6" can do so from within 14". Signatures can be modified by actions you or your opponent take that increase or decrease the signature of your ship.

[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Desktop_Dropfleet_Rulebook.pdf?v=1607956597 The rules are freely available on the Dropfleet Commander site.]

[https://dropfleetcommander.com/builder The fleet builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

See [[Dropzone Commander#The Cradle Worlds| the Dropzone Commander page]] for the details of the ongoing campaign against the Scourge.

== The Factions ==
Four of the five factions present in Dropzone Commander are represented in Dropfleet Commander. The fifth faction, The Resistance, is introduced in 'The Battle for Earth' expansion released 2019-07-14.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital.

The nation is has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military-state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone are really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

Their ships are named for cities on Earth, both real and legendary. UCM ships focus on wide arcs of fire with mass drivers and powerful lasers, and have generally tough ships.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle - or in the case of Dropfleet, a ship's command network.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their ships are named after monsters and other such evil spirits from mythology. Their ships focus on aggressive close up weaponry, all their frigates have the ability to hide in the atmosphere, and they tend to be faster and more fragile.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their ships are all named after heroes or other similar figures of Greek myth. PHR ships have generally poor forward firing power but have powerful broadside weaponry and the strongest bomber craft, and are slow but tough.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:shaltari_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names. The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents), as well as nomadic and germanic tribes.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than drop their troops using landing craft, they utilize teleportation gates. Troops are stationed on a mothership or a particularly large ship such as a battleship, and get sent to the surface via a chain of Void Gates, small ships that serve to link together the teleportation chain. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogeneous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and unusual weapons such as gravity coils or ion bombardment.

Their ships are named for minerals or gemstones, and generally have good forward firing power and the best range along with the smallest ship signatures. They are on the fragile side, but can utilize energy shields to counteract that at the cost of lighting up their ships and making them easier to get into range of as well as sacrificing point defense.

=== The Resistance (formerly The Remnant) ===
In the chaotic early days of the Scourge invasion, many ships fled by blindly jumping out of their systems. Most perished, but over time some have gambled on returning to jump nodes that have been reactivated as the Reconquest has gone underway. Some ships are barely operational and are scrapped, while others have been maintained and can perform in active duty after being updated with more modern systems. These ships follow a similar philosophy as the old EAA vehicles present in Resistance armies, coming from an era of excess and over-engineering being valued over ease of manufacturing and repair. As such they feature very resilient armour.

The two largest concentrations of legacy fleets are the Vega Scrapfleet and the Kalium Kabal. After the conflict between the EAA and the fleeing ships that would eventually form the PHR, the disabled and damaged ships were instructed to remain at Vega and await repair vessels. As the Scourge invaded shortly after, no such ships arrived. Harvesting and repairing what they could to survive from the remains of the battle, a sizeable fleet survived and carried on. Some of the ships that escaped the Vega battle and formed the PHR are also still in active service.

Kalium was a colony that broke away from the UCM in the early days of their formation. After a series of civil wars and other such political struggles, an industrious and deeply authoritarian state formed named the Kabal. They continued to produce large numbers of legacy ships as they lacked the expertise to develop new designs, but given their totalitarian nature had large amounts of manpower available to them. Kalium ships are reported to feature powerful but unstable weaponry that can pose a danger to their crew.

==Links==
*[[Dropfleet_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dropfleet_ucmcruiser.png|UCM cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_phrcruiser.jpg|PHR cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_scourgefrigates.jpg|Scourge frigates.
File:Dropfleet_shaltarifrigate.jpg|Shaltari frigates.
File:Dropfleet_scourgecity.png|Scourge city undergoing bombardment.
File:Dropfleet_models.jpg|Cruiser models for the four factions.
File:Dropfleet_bcandcorvettes.jpg|Battlecruiser and corvette models.
File:Dropfleet sectors.png|Models for the different types of locations your goal is to drop troops on.
File:Dropfleet_avenger.jpg|Avenger model; one of the smallest ships in Dropfleet, built to the 10mm scale of Dropzone.
File:Dropfleet_station.jpg|Modular space station kit. These are only examples, the kit can be built however you please.
File:BEEEEEES.png
File:Moscowgirl.jpg
File:Basiliskgirl.jpg
File:Leonidasgirl.jpg
File:Heracalypbellgirls.jpg
File:Phrgirls.jpg
File:Shaltari_the_hog_donotsteal.jpg|Shaltari shipgirl.
File:Patrice-rameau-6-illustration-4-with-door-copy.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropfleetcommander.com/ Dropfleet Commander site.]
* [https://ttcombat.com/collections/dropfleet-commander Model range] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T16:40:00Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* External Links */

[[File:dzc_logo.png|500px|center]]

{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis
|year = 2012
|books = [https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1).]
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed when a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld, who instead jumped into the Tlalocan system. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system who dropped a stealth beacon of their own.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR eliminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to settle themselves into a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, considering the ease with which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized against it. Aa rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure, but at a great cost, as many more ships were lost than expected to pursuing Scourge as they retreated to their jump marker.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander site.]
* [https://ttcombat.com/collections/dropzone-commander Model range] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T16:36:48Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:dzc_logo.png|500px|center]]

{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis
|year = 2012
|books = [https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1).]
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed when a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld, who instead jumped into the Tlalocan system. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system who dropped a stealth beacon of their own.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR eliminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to settle themselves into a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, considering the ease with which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized against it. Aa rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure, but at a great cost, as many more ships were lost than expected to pursuing Scourge as they retreated to their jump marker.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropfleet Commander

2021-01-10T16:36:45Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:Dfc_black_logo.png|500px|center]]

{{Game Infobox
|name =[[File:Dropfleet_boxart.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis and [[Andy Chambers]]
|year = 2016
|books = [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Desktop_Dropfleet_Rulebook.pdf?v=1607956597 Dropfleet Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)]
}}
{{topquote|It’s all fun and games till someone shoots back, Holden thought.|James S.A. Corey, ''Leviathan Wakes''}}

'''Dropfleet Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DfC''') is a space combat [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their 10mm game [[Dropzone Commander]]. The game is themed around using a fleet of spaceships to take control of a section of orbital space over a planet and drop troops from there into cities or other places of interest to control them.

== The Game ==
What sets Dropfleet Commander apart from other space combat games is the orbital setting. Simply destroying the opposing ships is not enough; the real goal is to secure the planet below by depositing troops onto the surface or stations in orbit. These objectives are clusters of infrastructure containing cities, factories, military bases, or other more unique sectors. In the setting (or in a simultaneous game, of which rules are present to support), the troops you send down are engaged in Dropzone Commander battles. Ships can move between high orbit, low orbit, and atmosphere, although most ships will burn up and crash upon entering the atmosphere. Some abilities/weapons can only function on different levels or have their effectiveness altered targeting different levels.

The game typically takes place on a 4'-by-4' board that can contain orbital debris, space stations, or objects such as moons or large asteroids.

One of the other more prominent mechanics of the gameplay is how weapon ranges work. It uses the logic that in space and at the scale of the combat happening, the range on most weapons is effectively infinite, and the difficulty in hitting your target is more in finding it. To that end, every ship has two statistics: scan and signature. Scan is how many inches your ship can detect out to, and signature is how many inches your ship can be detected at. Combining the two gets you a firing range; a ship with scan of 8" firing on a target with a signature of 6" can do so from within 14". Signatures can be modified by actions you or your opponent take that increase or decrease the signature of your ship.

[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Desktop_Dropfleet_Rulebook.pdf?v=1607956597 The rules are freely available on the Dropfleet Commander site.]

[https://dropfleetcommander.com/builder The fleet builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

See [[Dropzone Commander#The Cradle Worlds| the Dropzone Commander page]] for the details of the ongoing campaign against the Scourge.

== The Factions ==
Four of the five factions present in Dropzone Commander are represented in Dropfleet Commander. The fifth faction, The Resistance, is introduced in 'The Battle for Earth' expansion released 2019-07-14.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital.

The nation is has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military-state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone are really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

Their ships are named for cities on Earth, both real and legendary. UCM ships focus on wide arcs of fire with mass drivers and powerful lasers, and have generally tough ships.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle - or in the case of Dropfleet, a ship's command network.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their ships are named after monsters and other such evil spirits from mythology. Their ships focus on aggressive close up weaponry, all their frigates have the ability to hide in the atmosphere, and they tend to be faster and more fragile.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their ships are all named after heroes or other similar figures of Greek myth. PHR ships have generally poor forward firing power but have powerful broadside weaponry and the strongest bomber craft, and are slow but tough.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:shaltari_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names. The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents), as well as nomadic and germanic tribes.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than drop their troops using landing craft, they utilize teleportation gates. Troops are stationed on a mothership or a particularly large ship such as a battleship, and get sent to the surface via a chain of Void Gates, small ships that serve to link together the teleportation chain. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogeneous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and unusual weapons such as gravity coils or ion bombardment.

Their ships are named for minerals or gemstones, and generally have good forward firing power and the best range along with the smallest ship signatures. They are on the fragile side, but can utilize energy shields to counteract that at the cost of lighting up their ships and making them easier to get into range of as well as sacrificing point defense.

=== The Resistance (formerly The Remnant) ===
In the chaotic early days of the Scourge invasion, many ships fled by blindly jumping out of their systems. Most perished, but over time some have gambled on returning to jump nodes that have been reactivated as the Reconquest has gone underway. Some ships are barely operational and are scrapped, while others have been maintained and can perform in active duty after being updated with more modern systems. These ships follow a similar philosophy as the old EAA vehicles present in Resistance armies, coming from an era of excess and over-engineering being valued over ease of manufacturing and repair. As such they feature very resilient armour.

The two largest concentrations of legacy fleets are the Vega Scrapfleet and the Kalium Kabal. After the conflict between the EAA and the fleeing ships that would eventually form the PHR, the disabled and damaged ships were instructed to remain at Vega and await repair vessels. As the Scourge invaded shortly after, no such ships arrived. Harvesting and repairing what they could to survive from the remains of the battle, a sizeable fleet survived and carried on. Some of the ships that escaped the Vega battle and formed the PHR are also still in active service.

Kalium was a colony that broke away from the UCM in the early days of their formation. After a series of civil wars and other such political struggles, an industrious and deeply authoritarian state formed named the Kabal. They continued to produce large numbers of legacy ships as they lacked the expertise to develop new designs, but given their totalitarian nature had large amounts of manpower available to them. Kalium ships are reported to feature powerful but unstable weaponry that can pose a danger to their crew.

==Links==
*[[Dropfleet_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dropfleet_ucmcruiser.png|UCM cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_phrcruiser.jpg|PHR cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_scourgefrigates.jpg|Scourge frigates.
File:Dropfleet_shaltarifrigate.jpg|Shaltari frigates.
File:Dropfleet_scourgecity.png|Scourge city undergoing bombardment.
File:Dropfleet_models.jpg|Cruiser models for the four factions.
File:Dropfleet_bcandcorvettes.jpg|Battlecruiser and corvette models.
File:Dropfleet sectors.png|Models for the different types of locations your goal is to drop troops on.
File:Dropfleet_avenger.jpg|Avenger model; one of the smallest ships in Dropfleet, built to the 10mm scale of Dropzone.
File:Dropfleet_station.jpg|Modular space station kit. These are only examples, the kit can be built however you please.
File:BEEEEEES.png
File:Moscowgirl.jpg
File:Basiliskgirl.jpg
File:Leonidasgirl.jpg
File:Heracalypbellgirls.jpg
File:Phrgirls.jpg
File:Shaltari_the_hog_donotsteal.jpg|Shaltari shipgirl.
File:Patrice-rameau-6-illustration-4-with-door-copy.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==

* [https://ttcombat.com/collections/dropfleet-commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T16:27:01Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis
|year = 2012
|books = [https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1).]
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed when a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld, who instead jumped into the Tlalocan system. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system who dropped a stealth beacon of their own.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR eliminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to settle themselves into a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, considering the ease with which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized against it. Aa rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure, but at a great cost, as many more ships were lost than expected to pursuing Scourge as they retreated to their jump marker.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropfleet Commander

2021-01-10T16:26:36Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:Dropfleet_logo.jpg|center]]

{{Game Infobox
|name =[[File:Dropfleet_boxart.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis and [[Andy Chambers]]
|year = 2016
|books = [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Desktop_Dropfleet_Rulebook.pdf?v=1607956597 Dropfleet Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)]
}}
{{topquote|It’s all fun and games till someone shoots back, Holden thought.|James S.A. Corey, ''Leviathan Wakes''}}

'''Dropfleet Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DfC''') is a space combat [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their 10mm game [[Dropzone Commander]]. The game is themed around using a fleet of spaceships to take control of a section of orbital space over a planet and drop troops from there into cities or other places of interest to control them.

== The Game ==
What sets Dropfleet Commander apart from other space combat games is the orbital setting. Simply destroying the opposing ships is not enough; the real goal is to secure the planet below by depositing troops onto the surface or stations in orbit. These objectives are clusters of infrastructure containing cities, factories, military bases, or other more unique sectors. In the setting (or in a simultaneous game, of which rules are present to support), the troops you send down are engaged in Dropzone Commander battles. Ships can move between high orbit, low orbit, and atmosphere, although most ships will burn up and crash upon entering the atmosphere. Some abilities/weapons can only function on different levels or have their effectiveness altered targeting different levels.

The game typically takes place on a 4'-by-4' board that can contain orbital debris, space stations, or objects such as moons or large asteroids.

One of the other more prominent mechanics of the gameplay is how weapon ranges work. It uses the logic that in space and at the scale of the combat happening, the range on most weapons is effectively infinite, and the difficulty in hitting your target is more in finding it. To that end, every ship has two statistics: scan and signature. Scan is how many inches your ship can detect out to, and signature is how many inches your ship can be detected at. Combining the two gets you a firing range; a ship with scan of 8" firing on a target with a signature of 6" can do so from within 14". Signatures can be modified by actions you or your opponent take that increase or decrease the signature of your ship.

[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Desktop_Dropfleet_Rulebook.pdf?v=1607956597 The rules are freely available on the Dropfleet Commander site.]

[https://dropfleetcommander.com/builder The fleet builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

See [[Dropzone Commander#The Cradle Worlds| the Dropzone Commander page]] for the details of the ongoing campaign against the Scourge.

== The Factions ==
Four of the five factions present in Dropzone Commander are represented in Dropfleet Commander. The fifth faction, The Resistance, is introduced in 'The Battle for Earth' expansion released 2019-07-14.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital.

The nation is has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military-state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone are really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

Their ships are named for cities on Earth, both real and legendary. UCM ships focus on wide arcs of fire with mass drivers and powerful lasers, and have generally tough ships.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle - or in the case of Dropfleet, a ship's command network.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their ships are named after monsters and other such evil spirits from mythology. Their ships focus on aggressive close up weaponry, all their frigates have the ability to hide in the atmosphere, and they tend to be faster and more fragile.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their ships are all named after heroes or other similar figures of Greek myth. PHR ships have generally poor forward firing power but have powerful broadside weaponry and the strongest bomber craft, and are slow but tough.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:shaltari_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names. The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents), as well as nomadic and germanic tribes.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than drop their troops using landing craft, they utilize teleportation gates. Troops are stationed on a mothership or a particularly large ship such as a battleship, and get sent to the surface via a chain of Void Gates, small ships that serve to link together the teleportation chain. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogeneous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and unusual weapons such as gravity coils or ion bombardment.

Their ships are named for minerals or gemstones, and generally have good forward firing power and the best range along with the smallest ship signatures. They are on the fragile side, but can utilize energy shields to counteract that at the cost of lighting up their ships and making them easier to get into range of as well as sacrificing point defense.

=== The Resistance (formerly The Remnant) ===
In the chaotic early days of the Scourge invasion, many ships fled by blindly jumping out of their systems. Most perished, but over time some have gambled on returning to jump nodes that have been reactivated as the Reconquest has gone underway. Some ships are barely operational and are scrapped, while others have been maintained and can perform in active duty after being updated with more modern systems. These ships follow a similar philosophy as the old EAA vehicles present in Resistance armies, coming from an era of excess and over-engineering being valued over ease of manufacturing and repair. As such they feature very resilient armour.

The two largest concentrations of legacy fleets are the Vega Scrapfleet and the Kalium Kabal. After the conflict between the EAA and the fleeing ships that would eventually form the PHR, the disabled and damaged ships were instructed to remain at Vega and await repair vessels. As the Scourge invaded shortly after, no such ships arrived. Harvesting and repairing what they could to survive from the remains of the battle, a sizeable fleet survived and carried on. Some of the ships that escaped the Vega battle and formed the PHR are also still in active service.

Kalium was a colony that broke away from the UCM in the early days of their formation. After a series of civil wars and other such political struggles, an industrious and deeply authoritarian state formed named the Kabal. They continued to produce large numbers of legacy ships as they lacked the expertise to develop new designs, but given their totalitarian nature had large amounts of manpower available to them. Kalium ships are reported to feature powerful but unstable weaponry that can pose a danger to their crew.

==Links==
*[[Dropfleet_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dropfleet_ucmcruiser.png|UCM cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_phrcruiser.jpg|PHR cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_scourgefrigates.jpg|Scourge frigates.
File:Dropfleet_shaltarifrigate.jpg|Shaltari frigates.
File:Dropfleet_scourgecity.png|Scourge city undergoing bombardment.
File:Dropfleet_models.jpg|Cruiser models for the four factions.
File:Dropfleet_bcandcorvettes.jpg|Battlecruiser and corvette models.
File:Dropfleet sectors.png|Models for the different types of locations your goal is to drop troops on.
File:Dropfleet_avenger.jpg|Avenger model; one of the smallest ships in Dropfleet, built to the 10mm scale of Dropzone.
File:Dropfleet_station.jpg|Modular space station kit. These are only examples, the kit can be built however you please.
File:BEEEEEES.png
File:Moscowgirl.jpg
File:Basiliskgirl.jpg
File:Leonidasgirl.jpg
File:Heracalypbellgirls.jpg
File:Phrgirls.jpg
File:Shaltari_the_hog_donotsteal.jpg|Shaltari shipgirl.
File:Patrice-rameau-6-illustration-4-with-door-copy.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==

* [https://ttcombat.com/collections/dropfleet-commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T16:24:05Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = [https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1).]
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed when a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld, who instead jumped into the Tlalocan system. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system who dropped a stealth beacon of their own.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR eliminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to settle themselves into a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, considering the ease with which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized against it. Aa rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure, but at a great cost, as many more ships were lost than expected to pursuing Scourge as they retreated to their jump marker.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropfleet Commander

2021-01-10T16:23:14Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* The Setting */

[[File:Dropfleet_logo.jpg|center]]

{{Game Infobox
|name =[[File:Dropfleet_boxart.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors = David Lewis and [[Andy Chambers]]
|year = 2016
|books = Dropfleet Commander Core Rulebook (1.0)
}}
{{topquote|It’s all fun and games till someone shoots back, Holden thought.|James S.A. Corey, ''Leviathan Wakes''}}

'''Dropfleet Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DfC''') is a space combat [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their 10mm game [[Dropzone Commander]]. The game is themed around using a fleet of spaceships to take control of a section of orbital space over a planet and drop troops from there into cities or other places of interest to control them.

== The Game ==
What sets Dropfleet Commander apart from other space combat games is the orbital setting. Simply destroying the opposing ships is not enough; the real goal is to secure the planet below by depositing troops onto the surface or stations in orbit. These objectives are clusters of infrastructure containing cities, factories, military bases, or other more unique sectors. In the setting (or in a simultaneous game, of which rules are present to support), the troops you send down are engaged in Dropzone Commander battles. Ships can move between high orbit, low orbit, and atmosphere, although most ships will burn up and crash upon entering the atmosphere. Some abilities/weapons can only function on different levels or have their effectiveness altered targeting different levels.

The game typically takes place on a 4'-by-4' board that can contain orbital debris, space stations, or objects such as moons or large asteroids.

One of the other more prominent mechanics of the gameplay is how weapon ranges work. It uses the logic that in space and at the scale of the combat happening, the range on most weapons is effectively infinite, and the difficulty in hitting your target is more in finding it. To that end, every ship has two statistics: scan and signature. Scan is how many inches your ship can detect out to, and signature is how many inches your ship can be detected at. Combining the two gets you a firing range; a ship with scan of 8" firing on a target with a signature of 6" can do so from within 14". Signatures can be modified by actions you or your opponent take that increase or decrease the signature of your ship.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

See [[Dropzone Commander#The Cradle Worlds| the Dropzone Commander page]] for the details of the ongoing campaign against the Scourge.

== The Factions ==
Four of the five factions present in Dropzone Commander are represented in Dropfleet Commander. The fifth faction, The Resistance, is introduced in 'The Battle for Earth' expansion released 2019-07-14.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital.

The nation is has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military-state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone are really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

Their ships are named for cities on Earth, both real and legendary. UCM ships focus on wide arcs of fire with mass drivers and powerful lasers, and have generally tough ships.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle - or in the case of Dropfleet, a ship's command network.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their ships are named after monsters and other such evil spirits from mythology. Their ships focus on aggressive close up weaponry, all their frigates have the ability to hide in the atmosphere, and they tend to be faster and more fragile.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their ships are all named after heroes or other similar figures of Greek myth. PHR ships have generally poor forward firing power but have powerful broadside weaponry and the strongest bomber craft, and are slow but tough.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:shaltari_fleet.jpg|300px|thumb|right]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names. The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents), as well as nomadic and germanic tribes.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than drop their troops using landing craft, they utilize teleportation gates. Troops are stationed on a mothership or a particularly large ship such as a battleship, and get sent to the surface via a chain of Void Gates, small ships that serve to link together the teleportation chain. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogeneous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and unusual weapons such as gravity coils or ion bombardment.

Their ships are named for minerals or gemstones, and generally have good forward firing power and the best range along with the smallest ship signatures. They are on the fragile side, but can utilize energy shields to counteract that at the cost of lighting up their ships and making them easier to get into range of as well as sacrificing point defense.

=== The Resistance (formerly The Remnant) ===
In the chaotic early days of the Scourge invasion, many ships fled by blindly jumping out of their systems. Most perished, but over time some have gambled on returning to jump nodes that have been reactivated as the Reconquest has gone underway. Some ships are barely operational and are scrapped, while others have been maintained and can perform in active duty after being updated with more modern systems. These ships follow a similar philosophy as the old EAA vehicles present in Resistance armies, coming from an era of excess and over-engineering being valued over ease of manufacturing and repair. As such they feature very resilient armour.

The two largest concentrations of legacy fleets are the Vega Scrapfleet and the Kalium Kabal. After the conflict between the EAA and the fleeing ships that would eventually form the PHR, the disabled and damaged ships were instructed to remain at Vega and await repair vessels. As the Scourge invaded shortly after, no such ships arrived. Harvesting and repairing what they could to survive from the remains of the battle, a sizeable fleet survived and carried on. Some of the ships that escaped the Vega battle and formed the PHR are also still in active service.

Kalium was a colony that broke away from the UCM in the early days of their formation. After a series of civil wars and other such political struggles, an industrious and deeply authoritarian state formed named the Kabal. They continued to produce large numbers of legacy ships as they lacked the expertise to develop new designs, but given their totalitarian nature had large amounts of manpower available to them. Kalium ships are reported to feature powerful but unstable weaponry that can pose a danger to their crew.

==Links==
*[[Dropfleet_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dropfleet_ucmcruiser.png|UCM cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_phrcruiser.jpg|PHR cruiser.
File:Dropfleet_scourgefrigates.jpg|Scourge frigates.
File:Dropfleet_shaltarifrigate.jpg|Shaltari frigates.
File:Dropfleet_scourgecity.png|Scourge city undergoing bombardment.
File:Dropfleet_models.jpg|Cruiser models for the four factions.
File:Dropfleet_bcandcorvettes.jpg|Battlecruiser and corvette models.
File:Dropfleet sectors.png|Models for the different types of locations your goal is to drop troops on.
File:Dropfleet_avenger.jpg|Avenger model; one of the smallest ships in Dropfleet, built to the 10mm scale of Dropzone.
File:Dropfleet_station.jpg|Modular space station kit. These are only examples, the kit can be built however you please.
File:BEEEEEES.png
File:Moscowgirl.jpg
File:Basiliskgirl.jpg
File:Leonidasgirl.jpg
File:Heracalypbellgirls.jpg
File:Phrgirls.jpg
File:Shaltari_the_hog_donotsteal.jpg|Shaltari shipgirl.
File:Patrice-rameau-6-illustration-4-with-door-copy.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==

* [https://ttcombat.com/collections/dropfleet-commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Scourge

2021-01-10T16:14:57Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Technology */

[[File:dzc_scourge_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

{{topquote|That old saw about 'to understand all is to forgive all' is a lot of tripe. Some things, the more you understand the more you loathe them.|Robert A. Heinlein}}

The '''Scourge''' are a technologically advance race of neuro-parasitic [[xenos]] in the [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]] universe and are pretty much just even more Grim Dark [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animorphs Yeerks].

==Morphology==
The Scourge are best described as a jellyfish-like species with fragile, boneless bodies comprised of a central mass and a myriad of tentacles. They are unable to move freely outside of liquid in gravity beyond 0.5G, suggesting an aquatic natural environment. Scourge communication is entirely silent leading to theories ranging from telepathy to ultrasound as to how they communicate. It is also theorized that the parasitic aspects of their species did not appear until late in their evolution, as Scourge beyond the larval stage of their lifespan are unable to manifest such abilities.

===Possession===
Scourge larvae have the ability to integrate themselves with the nervous systems of other creatures, taking control of the victims body in the process. It is reported to take up to several months for full integration with a human host, an experience that is understood to be incredibly painful for the victim. It is believed that Scourge hosts retain full awareness whilst possessed, leading to a long life of constant pain and eventual insanity.

Shortly after integration, Scourge hosts lose the ability to produce pigments, essentially becoming an albino. In addition, the host begins to sweat profusely and constantly resulting in extreme dehydration. The resulting thirst is such that many Scourge take to drinking the blood of the fallen, both friend and foe alike.

Possession of a host gives the Scourge access to all of its abilities, immunities, and memories of its victim. This knowledge allows the Scourge to utilize the technology and infrastructure of the host species for their own ends. This ability to possess, adapt, and repurpose makes the Scourge [[Tyranid|the apex predator of the galaxy.]]

The Scourge parasite can extend the lifespan of its host for several centuries although as the parasite ages its grip on its host's body begins to falter. Scourge "Aged Ones" are known to twitch and spasm erratically as the tortured consciousness of the host begins to manifest. Eventually, the Scourge dies, often before the host itself, [[grimdark|thus leaving an insane, screaming, convulsing, pain-wracked albino behind.]]

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_scourge_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right|Scourge starter set]]

The Scourge possess many advanced technologies derived from those of the various species they have possessed. This includes plasma-based weaponry and propulsion systems, and mass repulsion (anti-grav) technology. For power, Scourge appear to rely on fusion reactors, even going so far as to mount them on their vehicles.

===Vehicles===
All Scourge vehicles are at least partially organic in nature and are piloted by adult Scourge that failed to take a host before maturity. The pilots are suspended in a black, tar-like nutrient soup and neurologically (and permanently) integrated into their respective machines in a technological reproduction of the Scourge possession process. This melding of alien and machine gives Scourge pilots an unprecedented level of control over their vehicles, resulting in incredibly organic and instinctive maneuvers unmatched by any other species.

Scourge vehicles, both on land and in the air are powered by on-board fusion reactors that rely on mass repulsion systems to maneuver. Although highly advanced, this technology drastically lowers the maximum altitude of Scourge aircraft as higher altitudes exponentially increase the power draw from the reactor. The end result is that during a planetary invasion, Scourge aircraft must be dropped into a planets atmosphere from low orbit and freefall until they reach an acceptable altitude.

===Weapons===
Most Scourge weapons utilize solid projectiles surrounded by blue-white plasma. Although immensely devastating, this drastically reduces the range of most of their arsenal.

To fill the role of an anti-aircraft weapon, however, the Scourge prefer to use bolts of energized ions which latch onto isolated objects (such as aircraft). These "Arc Casters" are entirely useless against ground targets, however, as there are too many objects for the ion streams to latch on to. The Scourge compensate for this with the Ion Storm Generator, a massive weapon mounted only on Scourge command vehicles that unleashes a devastating blast of energized ions that compensates for being unable to hit one object by hitting ''every'' object.

For building clearance, the Scourge occasionally make use of [[Banewolf|pressurized hoses firing a potent acid that instantly dissolves organic tissue.]] As an added bonus, this acid quickly evaporates into noxious fumes.

==Combat Doctrine==
Above all, what the Scourge special in most is planetary invasion, preferably without damaging the planet's infrastructure so that it can be utilized once the defenders are wiped out. The Scourge are a purely offensive race relying on speed and sheer aggression to dominate the battlefield. Their dropships are entirely one-way, unable to either return to their parent ship nor retrieve their cargo once deployed (<s>with the exception of infantry</s> the rules allow them to though). As such, the only way for a Scourge warrior is forward, and to that end the Scourge excel. Their Main Grav-Tank, the Hunter, is over twice as fast as the UCM Sabre MBT, and three times as fast as a PHR Type-1 Walker. This speed is the life blood of Scourge tank commanders as without it their almost comically short-ranged weapons would be utterly useless. This combination of speed and devastating point-blank firepower makes the Scourge the undisputed masters of [[rape|close-quarters urban combat.]] When caught in the open, however, [[Anal Circumference|well...]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:scourgejelly.jpg|
File:Patrice-rameau-scourge-human-portrait-with-plein-bg.jpg|
File:Scourgerain.jpg|
File:Dfc_scourge_battlefleet.jpeg|
</gallery>
</center>

Shaltari Tribes

2021-01-10T16:14:41Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Technology */

[[File:dzc_shaltari_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

The '''Shaltari Tribes''' are one of the alien factions present in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]].

==Culture and Physiology==
Shaltari are physically rather small, roughly four feet tall for an adult, and covered in a multitude of spines with chameleonic properties(so space hedgehogs). They otherwise fit a standard humanoid body structure, albeit with far greater dexterity than humans. While they age and die like all other living things, they long ago developed technology to transfer consciousness when near death to a freshly grown body. This is not true immortality, as they are still subject to death from other causes such as accidents or warfare. This long lived nature and unique relation to death has shaped their culture to revere two things: accumulation of knowledge, and skill at warfare. A Shaltari who has not seen battle is nameless and afforded no respect. This extends to their dealings with other races, as they refuse to conduct affairs with any human without military experience.

There is no overarching government among the Shaltari. They are divided into groups referred to as Tribes that will often fight amongst each other. These disputes have deepened and there are hints of a civil war between two large power blocks of numerous tribes brewing.

==Relations with Man==

First contact was initiated by the Shaltari, who soon guided mankind towards the Cradle Worlds and helped them to expand and grow on them. However, this soon was revealed as far from benevolent, as this was all conducted by one Tribe who intended to use humanity as a subservient race in battle against another tribe. Humanity did not take kindly to this, and the history of interspecies relations since has been full of deceit and shifting alliances.

In the first and only direct contact between Scourge and the UCM, a Scourge communicator told the UCM that the Shaltari deliberately sent the Scourge towards humanity, believing that a war between the two would destroy both, removing them as threats to Shaltari dominance. The intended war never occurred due to the interference of the White Sphere weakening humanity enough that the Scourge swept them aside in the initial invasion. The Scourge speaker then claimed that the Shaltari were still operating under a similar plan, subtly assisting mankind to keep them on a level capable of threatening the Scourge.

Dealings between Shaltari and the Post-Human Republic also occur, but given the duplicitous nature of each faction, any alliance or coordinated efforts are temporary at best.

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_shaltari_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right|Shaltari starter set]]

The Shaltari are the most advanced race present in the setting. Teleportation features prominently in their equipment and tactics, as do energy shields and esoteric energy weapons.

===Vehicles===
Shaltari vehicles feature both walkers, in tripod or quadruped style, and numerous anti-gravity tanks. Their starships contain a hardened core where the small Shaltari crew reside, while the rest of the ship is manned by auxiliary races who do the grunt work. Infantry enter battle wearing suits of power armor referred to as War Suits.

===Weapons===
Particle beams, microwave cannons, and other such funky science fiction weapons are the realm of the Shaltari. Some of the only warriors equipped primarily with melee weapons are present among them.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Shaltariwarchief.jpg|
File:shaltarifirstborn.jpg|
File:Dfc_shaltari_battlefleet.jpeg|
</gallery>
</center>

Shaltari Tribes

2021-01-10T16:13:54Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:dzc_shaltari_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

The '''Shaltari Tribes''' are one of the alien factions present in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]].

==Culture and Physiology==
Shaltari are physically rather small, roughly four feet tall for an adult, and covered in a multitude of spines with chameleonic properties(so space hedgehogs). They otherwise fit a standard humanoid body structure, albeit with far greater dexterity than humans. While they age and die like all other living things, they long ago developed technology to transfer consciousness when near death to a freshly grown body. This is not true immortality, as they are still subject to death from other causes such as accidents or warfare. This long lived nature and unique relation to death has shaped their culture to revere two things: accumulation of knowledge, and skill at warfare. A Shaltari who has not seen battle is nameless and afforded no respect. This extends to their dealings with other races, as they refuse to conduct affairs with any human without military experience.

There is no overarching government among the Shaltari. They are divided into groups referred to as Tribes that will often fight amongst each other. These disputes have deepened and there are hints of a civil war between two large power blocks of numerous tribes brewing.

==Relations with Man==

First contact was initiated by the Shaltari, who soon guided mankind towards the Cradle Worlds and helped them to expand and grow on them. However, this soon was revealed as far from benevolent, as this was all conducted by one Tribe who intended to use humanity as a subservient race in battle against another tribe. Humanity did not take kindly to this, and the history of interspecies relations since has been full of deceit and shifting alliances.

In the first and only direct contact between Scourge and the UCM, a Scourge communicator told the UCM that the Shaltari deliberately sent the Scourge towards humanity, believing that a war between the two would destroy both, removing them as threats to Shaltari dominance. The intended war never occurred due to the interference of the White Sphere weakening humanity enough that the Scourge swept them aside in the initial invasion. The Scourge speaker then claimed that the Shaltari were still operating under a similar plan, subtly assisting mankind to keep them on a level capable of threatening the Scourge.

Dealings between Shaltari and the Post-Human Republic also occur, but given the duplicitous nature of each faction, any alliance or coordinated efforts are temporary at best.

==Technology==
[[File:Dzc_shaltari_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right]Shaltari starter set]
The Shaltari are the most advanced race present in the setting. Teleportation features prominently in their equipment and tactics, as do energy shields and esoteric energy weapons.

===Vehicles===
Shaltari vehicles feature both walkers, in tripod or quadruped style, and numerous anti-gravity tanks. Their starships contain a hardened core where the small Shaltari crew reside, while the rest of the ship is manned by auxiliary races who do the grunt work. Infantry enter battle wearing suits of power armor referred to as War Suits.

===Weapons===
Particle beams, microwave cannons, and other such funky science fiction weapons are the realm of the Shaltari. Some of the only warriors equipped primarily with melee weapons are present among them.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Shaltariwarchief.jpg|
File:shaltarifirstborn.jpg|
File:Dfc_shaltari_battlefleet.jpeg|
</gallery>
</center>

Scourge

2021-01-10T16:10:44Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:dzc_scourge_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

{{topquote|That old saw about 'to understand all is to forgive all' is a lot of tripe. Some things, the more you understand the more you loathe them.|Robert A. Heinlein}}

The '''Scourge''' are a technologically advance race of neuro-parasitic [[xenos]] in the [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]] universe and are pretty much just even more Grim Dark [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animorphs Yeerks].

==Morphology==
The Scourge are best described as a jellyfish-like species with fragile, boneless bodies comprised of a central mass and a myriad of tentacles. They are unable to move freely outside of liquid in gravity beyond 0.5G, suggesting an aquatic natural environment. Scourge communication is entirely silent leading to theories ranging from telepathy to ultrasound as to how they communicate. It is also theorized that the parasitic aspects of their species did not appear until late in their evolution, as Scourge beyond the larval stage of their lifespan are unable to manifest such abilities.

===Possession===
Scourge larvae have the ability to integrate themselves with the nervous systems of other creatures, taking control of the victims body in the process. It is reported to take up to several months for full integration with a human host, an experience that is understood to be incredibly painful for the victim. It is believed that Scourge hosts retain full awareness whilst possessed, leading to a long life of constant pain and eventual insanity.

Shortly after integration, Scourge hosts lose the ability to produce pigments, essentially becoming an albino. In addition, the host begins to sweat profusely and constantly resulting in extreme dehydration. The resulting thirst is such that many Scourge take to drinking the blood of the fallen, both friend and foe alike.

Possession of a host gives the Scourge access to all of its abilities, immunities, and memories of its victim. This knowledge allows the Scourge to utilize the technology and infrastructure of the host species for their own ends. This ability to possess, adapt, and repurpose makes the Scourge [[Tyranid|the apex predator of the galaxy.]]

The Scourge parasite can extend the lifespan of its host for several centuries although as the parasite ages its grip on its host's body begins to falter. Scourge "Aged Ones" are known to twitch and spasm erratically as the tortured consciousness of the host begins to manifest. Eventually, the Scourge dies, often before the host itself, [[grimdark|thus leaving an insane, screaming, convulsing, pain-wracked albino behind.]]

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_scourge_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right]]
The Scourge possess many advanced technologies derived from those of the various species they have possessed. This includes plasma-based weaponry and propulsion systems, and mass repulsion (anti-grav) technology. For power, Scourge appear to rely on fusion reactors, even going so far as to mount them on their vehicles.

===Vehicles===
All Scourge vehicles are at least partially organic in nature and are piloted by adult Scourge that failed to take a host before maturity. The pilots are suspended in a black, tar-like nutrient soup and neurologically (and permanently) integrated into their respective machines in a technological reproduction of the Scourge possession process. This melding of alien and machine gives Scourge pilots an unprecedented level of control over their vehicles, resulting in incredibly organic and instinctive maneuvers unmatched by any other species.

Scourge vehicles, both on land and in the air are powered by on-board fusion reactors that rely on mass repulsion systems to maneuver. Although highly advanced, this technology drastically lowers the maximum altitude of Scourge aircraft as higher altitudes exponentially increase the power draw from the reactor. The end result is that during a planetary invasion, Scourge aircraft must be dropped into a planets atmosphere from low orbit and freefall until they reach an acceptable altitude.

===Weapons===
Most Scourge weapons utilize solid projectiles surrounded by blue-white plasma. Although immensely devastating, this drastically reduces the range of most of their arsenal.

To fill the role of an anti-aircraft weapon, however, the Scourge prefer to use bolts of energized ions which latch onto isolated objects (such as aircraft). These "Arc Casters" are entirely useless against ground targets, however, as there are too many objects for the ion streams to latch on to. The Scourge compensate for this with the Ion Storm Generator, a massive weapon mounted only on Scourge command vehicles that unleashes a devastating blast of energized ions that compensates for being unable to hit one object by hitting ''every'' object.

For building clearance, the Scourge occasionally make use of [[Banewolf|pressurized hoses firing a potent acid that instantly dissolves organic tissue.]] As an added bonus, this acid quickly evaporates into noxious fumes.

==Combat Doctrine==
Above all, what the Scourge special in most is planetary invasion, preferably without damaging the planet's infrastructure so that it can be utilized once the defenders are wiped out. The Scourge are a purely offensive race relying on speed and sheer aggression to dominate the battlefield. Their dropships are entirely one-way, unable to either return to their parent ship nor retrieve their cargo once deployed (<s>with the exception of infantry</s> the rules allow them to though). As such, the only way for a Scourge warrior is forward, and to that end the Scourge excel. Their Main Grav-Tank, the Hunter, is over twice as fast as the UCM Sabre MBT, and three times as fast as a PHR Type-1 Walker. This speed is the life blood of Scourge tank commanders as without it their almost comically short-ranged weapons would be utterly useless. This combination of speed and devastating point-blank firepower makes the Scourge the undisputed masters of [[rape|close-quarters urban combat.]] When caught in the open, however, [[Anal Circumference|well...]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:scourgejelly.jpg|
File:Patrice-rameau-scourge-human-portrait-with-plein-bg.jpg|
File:Scourgerain.jpg|
File:Dfc_scourge_battlefleet.jpeg|
</gallery>
</center>

Post-Human Republic

2021-01-10T16:04:33Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:Dzc_phr_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

The '''Post-Human Republic''' or '''PHR''' are one of the factions representing humanity in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. One of the smallest factions in the setting, with a population of three billion or so, they compensate for this by extensive use of cybernetics, with technological development guided by the White Sphere.

== History ==

===The White Sphere===
One day, a tennis ball sized white sphere descended into Earth's atmosphere and landed in Peru. The sphere, despite its small size, required two men to carry it. The sphere was quickly brought to a lab in South America to be analyzed. As soon as the sphere was linked to a computer with a network connection, the entire lab went into lock down and every single computer on the continent was hacked. Hours later, from inside the locked down facility, explosions could be heard from outside. After the lockdown had been lifted, it was discovered that the sphere had been stolen. Days later a single message was broadcast throughout all inhabited worlds on all channels warning humanity of impending doom and to go to Vega IV one year from now in order to survive. This caused a lot of civil unrest and divided humanity between those who wished to flee and follow the sphere's warning and those who wanted to ignore it. This culminated in a massive space battle over Vega IV between the Correct People and the EAA Navy one full year after the white sphere issued its warning, with most of the fleet escaping to an unknown destination and being spared the Scourge invasion.

The motives of the Sphere are unknown, but it took on the role of advisor to the escapees, serving a council of elected officials. From this it guided a population of refugees to developing into a potent and technologically advanced society in a relatively short period of time.

===Reappearance===
The day prior to the launch of the Reconquest by the UCM, a ship bearing a PHR delegation appeared above the UCM capital world and sought an audience with the UCM leadership. They advised against the attack and were ignored, leading them to launch their own military operations with unknown goals throughout the Cradle Worlds. In support of their actions, the PHR has an extensive intelligence and espionage network that is believed to have infiltrated some of the highest offices of the UCM.

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_phr_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right|PHR starter set]]

Most citizens of the PHR utilize cybernetics heavily, ranging from implants to prosthetics, installed using nanomachines. They are all in near perfect physical condition, to the point that members of the UCM find them unnerving to deal with, having entered a sort of uncanny valley. The integration of cybernetics into society has become so ingrained that the process of integrating them has become a key social event, with people only becoming full citizens after gaining their implants. Citizens are then free to make use of any of the wide range of cybernetics available as they please.

Present throughout these technologies are AIs, referred to as Familiars. Post-humans can use their implants to electronically communicate and interface with both other post-humans and Familiars, allowing them to control robots and machinery with a high level of precision and skill.

Given their overall smaller size, their fleet is also smaller than those of other factions. The armor of their ships is composed of composites that give it more strength than other factions are capable of producing. The small number of elite units trend continues with ship crew, with smaller numbers of crew present than on UCM ships. The bridge consists of a crew hooked directly into the systems of the ship. Notably, the PHR equip their ships with twice the number of escape pods as would be necessary for their crew size.

===Vehicles===
PHR's vehicles are primarily walkers, with some tracked vehicles and skimmers. They tend to be slow and heavily armored with powerful weaponry, although their skimmers and jump-jet equipped walkers can move quite quickly. Their fleet maintains these characteristics, with prevalent use of broadside weaponry.

===Weapons===
Their primary weaponry consists of powerful railguns, with some laser weaponry in use. Their infantry still make use of standard firearms, albeit powerful and advanced designs. ECM field generators are also in use on both the ground and in space, serving to make targeting PHR units a difficult procedure. More exotic weaponry is present in some vehicles and ships, such as clouds of nanomachines that can either repair themselves or attack enemies, or a massive battleship-mounted cannon that uses unknown physics to fire blasts capable of crippling a ship in a single shot.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Hades.jpg|
File:Dfc_phr_battlefleet.jpeg|
File:Phrfolks.jpg|
File:Patrice-rameau-white-sphere-discovery-new-version.jpg|
</gallery>
</center>

United Colonies of Man

2021-01-10T15:54:39Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Technology */

[[File:dzc_ucm_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]
{{Topquote|Morals — all correct moral laws — derive from the instinct to survive. Moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level.|Robert A. Heinlein}}

The '''United Colonies of Man''' or '''UCM''' are one of the factions representing humanity in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. Consisting of the remaining frontier planets that are still under control by humanity. Their sole goal is to reclaim the Cradle Worlds from the Scourge.

==Pre-History==
With the discovery of fusion technology and FTL drives, humanity entered a golden age of advancement and discovery.
Eventually humanity makes first contact with the Shaltari. At first the Shaltari were friendly and showed humanity a number of colonizable worlds.
Later it was discovered that the Shaltari were only doing this in order to use Humanity as cheap foot soldiers for their wars against other Shaltari tribes. Needless to say, this did not go over well.

===The White Sphere===
One day, a tennis ball sized white sphere descended into earths atmosphere and landed in Peru. The sphere, despite its small size, required two men to carry it. The sphere was quickly brought to a lab in South America to be analyzed. As soon as the sphere was linked to a computer with a network connection, the entire lab went into lock down and every single computer on the continent was hacked. Hours later, from inside the locked down facility, explosions could be heard from outside. Later after the lockdown had been lifted, it was discovered that the sphere had been stolen. Days later a single message was broadcast through out all inhabited world on all channels warning humanity of impending doom and to go to Talon IV one year from now in order to survive. This caused a lot of civil unrest and divided humanity between those who wished to flee and follow the sphere's warning and those who wanted to ignore it. This culminated in a massive space battle over Talon IV between the abandonists and the EAA Navy one full year after the white sphere issued its warning.

Two day after the separatists left the Scourge attacked. Across all the Cradle worlds, Massive alien fleets simultaneously emerged from foldspace and raced to the Cradle worlds and darkened the skies with bizarre dropships carrying sinister vehicles and payloads. The Scourge quickly swept aside all resistance both in space as well as on the ground. Only 10% of the human population survived the Scourge invasion and less than 1% were able to escape Earth against the onslaught.

The Golden age of humanity was over.

===Rebuilding===
Those that could fled the Cradle Worlds to the Frontier worlds, minor colonies on the edge of human controlled space. For a long time the frontier worlds lived in the shadow of the Cradle worlds and were often ignored by the more sophisticated and decadent societies. Needless to say the small colonies were surprised when fleets of refugees that had escaped the Scourge invasion arrived over their worlds. Fearing the Scourge may soon come to the frontier world, many braced for the inevitable slaughter that would take place. But, the Scourge never came. Why the Scourge never attacked the frontier worlds is still a mystery. Not willing to risk another invasion, the Frontier worlds scrambled their jump nodes so nobody from outside the colonies could jump in. In the following 160 years, the massive influx of refugees plus a rise in birth rates lead to a population explosion across all colonies who now called themselves the United Colonies of Mankind. The resource rich frontier worlds were exploited to their fullest. Cities grew at an amazing speed. The new civilization became highly militant both out of fear the Scourge would find the Frontier worlds but also from a burning lust for revenge. State of the art battle-fleets were constructed and factories cranked out advanced war-machines and armaments to wage a crusade to take back mankind's lost colonies.

==Technology==
[[File:Dzc_ucm_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right|UCM starter set]]
===Vehicles===
UCM's vehicles are utilitarian in appearance as they prefer function over form. Their tanks normally only have one crew member that lies prone inside. This is helped by the fact that most of the systems and functions in the tank are automated to a degree. Their fleet ships often feature a bifurcated design, and are well armored.

===Weapons===
One of the most recognizable traits of most of the UCM vehicles are their folding weapons. Most of the weapons on their vehicles are mounted on giant folding arms that can be raised and lowered. Their tanks can even raise their weapons above cover to fire as the main body stays safely behind cover. Spacecraft typically feature either turret-based weaponry that covers a wide range of firing arcs, or powerful spinal-mounted lasers that can burn through enemy craft.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dfc_ucm_battlefleet.jpeg|
File:Ucmhazardsuit.jpg|
File:Ucmmortor.jpg|
</gallery>
</center>

United Colonies of Man

2021-01-10T15:51:53Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Technology */

[[File:dzc_ucm_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]
{{Topquote|Morals — all correct moral laws — derive from the instinct to survive. Moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level.|Robert A. Heinlein}}

The '''United Colonies of Man''' or '''UCM''' are one of the factions representing humanity in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. Consisting of the remaining frontier planets that are still under control by humanity. Their sole goal is to reclaim the Cradle Worlds from the Scourge.

==Pre-History==
With the discovery of fusion technology and FTL drives, humanity entered a golden age of advancement and discovery.
Eventually humanity makes first contact with the Shaltari. At first the Shaltari were friendly and showed humanity a number of colonizable worlds.
Later it was discovered that the Shaltari were only doing this in order to use Humanity as cheap foot soldiers for their wars against other Shaltari tribes. Needless to say, this did not go over well.

===The White Sphere===
One day, a tennis ball sized white sphere descended into earths atmosphere and landed in Peru. The sphere, despite its small size, required two men to carry it. The sphere was quickly brought to a lab in South America to be analyzed. As soon as the sphere was linked to a computer with a network connection, the entire lab went into lock down and every single computer on the continent was hacked. Hours later, from inside the locked down facility, explosions could be heard from outside. Later after the lockdown had been lifted, it was discovered that the sphere had been stolen. Days later a single message was broadcast through out all inhabited world on all channels warning humanity of impending doom and to go to Talon IV one year from now in order to survive. This caused a lot of civil unrest and divided humanity between those who wished to flee and follow the sphere's warning and those who wanted to ignore it. This culminated in a massive space battle over Talon IV between the abandonists and the EAA Navy one full year after the white sphere issued its warning.

Two day after the separatists left the Scourge attacked. Across all the Cradle worlds, Massive alien fleets simultaneously emerged from foldspace and raced to the Cradle worlds and darkened the skies with bizarre dropships carrying sinister vehicles and payloads. The Scourge quickly swept aside all resistance both in space as well as on the ground. Only 10% of the human population survived the Scourge invasion and less than 1% were able to escape Earth against the onslaught.

The Golden age of humanity was over.

===Rebuilding===
Those that could fled the Cradle Worlds to the Frontier worlds, minor colonies on the edge of human controlled space. For a long time the frontier worlds lived in the shadow of the Cradle worlds and were often ignored by the more sophisticated and decadent societies. Needless to say the small colonies were surprised when fleets of refugees that had escaped the Scourge invasion arrived over their worlds. Fearing the Scourge may soon come to the frontier world, many braced for the inevitable slaughter that would take place. But, the Scourge never came. Why the Scourge never attacked the frontier worlds is still a mystery. Not willing to risk another invasion, the Frontier worlds scrambled their jump nodes so nobody from outside the colonies could jump in. In the following 160 years, the massive influx of refugees plus a rise in birth rates lead to a population explosion across all colonies who now called themselves the United Colonies of Mankind. The resource rich frontier worlds were exploited to their fullest. Cities grew at an amazing speed. The new civilization became highly militant both out of fear the Scourge would find the Frontier worlds but also from a burning lust for revenge. State of the art battle-fleets were constructed and factories cranked out advanced war-machines and armaments to wage a crusade to take back mankind's lost colonies.

==Technology==
[[File:Dzc_ucm_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right|UCM starter set]]
===Vehicles===
UCM's vehicles are utilitarian in appearance as they prefer function over form.
Their tanks normally only have one crew member that lies prone inside. This is helped by the fact that most of the systems and functions in the tank are automated to a degree. Spacecraft typically feature either turret-based weaponry that covers a wide range of firing arcs, or powerful spinal-mounted lasers that can burn through enemy craft.

===Weapons===
One of the most recognizable traits of most of the UCM vehicles are their folding weapons. Most of the weapons on their vehicles are mounted on giant folding arms that can be raised and lowered. Their tanks can even raise their weapons above cover to fire as the main body stays safely behind cover.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dfc_ucm_battlefleet.jpeg|
File:Ucmhazardsuit.jpg|
File:Ucmmortor.jpg|
</gallery>
</center>

United Colonies of Man

2021-01-10T15:50:26Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Technology */

[[File:dzc_ucm_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]
{{Topquote|Morals — all correct moral laws — derive from the instinct to survive. Moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level.|Robert A. Heinlein}}

The '''United Colonies of Man''' or '''UCM''' are one of the factions representing humanity in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. Consisting of the remaining frontier planets that are still under control by humanity. Their sole goal is to reclaim the Cradle Worlds from the Scourge.

==Pre-History==
With the discovery of fusion technology and FTL drives, humanity entered a golden age of advancement and discovery.
Eventually humanity makes first contact with the Shaltari. At first the Shaltari were friendly and showed humanity a number of colonizable worlds.
Later it was discovered that the Shaltari were only doing this in order to use Humanity as cheap foot soldiers for their wars against other Shaltari tribes. Needless to say, this did not go over well.

===The White Sphere===
One day, a tennis ball sized white sphere descended into earths atmosphere and landed in Peru. The sphere, despite its small size, required two men to carry it. The sphere was quickly brought to a lab in South America to be analyzed. As soon as the sphere was linked to a computer with a network connection, the entire lab went into lock down and every single computer on the continent was hacked. Hours later, from inside the locked down facility, explosions could be heard from outside. Later after the lockdown had been lifted, it was discovered that the sphere had been stolen. Days later a single message was broadcast through out all inhabited world on all channels warning humanity of impending doom and to go to Talon IV one year from now in order to survive. This caused a lot of civil unrest and divided humanity between those who wished to flee and follow the sphere's warning and those who wanted to ignore it. This culminated in a massive space battle over Talon IV between the abandonists and the EAA Navy one full year after the white sphere issued its warning.

Two day after the separatists left the Scourge attacked. Across all the Cradle worlds, Massive alien fleets simultaneously emerged from foldspace and raced to the Cradle worlds and darkened the skies with bizarre dropships carrying sinister vehicles and payloads. The Scourge quickly swept aside all resistance both in space as well as on the ground. Only 10% of the human population survived the Scourge invasion and less than 1% were able to escape Earth against the onslaught.

The Golden age of humanity was over.

===Rebuilding===
Those that could fled the Cradle Worlds to the Frontier worlds, minor colonies on the edge of human controlled space. For a long time the frontier worlds lived in the shadow of the Cradle worlds and were often ignored by the more sophisticated and decadent societies. Needless to say the small colonies were surprised when fleets of refugees that had escaped the Scourge invasion arrived over their worlds. Fearing the Scourge may soon come to the frontier world, many braced for the inevitable slaughter that would take place. But, the Scourge never came. Why the Scourge never attacked the frontier worlds is still a mystery. Not willing to risk another invasion, the Frontier worlds scrambled their jump nodes so nobody from outside the colonies could jump in. In the following 160 years, the massive influx of refugees plus a rise in birth rates lead to a population explosion across all colonies who now called themselves the United Colonies of Mankind. The resource rich frontier worlds were exploited to their fullest. Cities grew at an amazing speed. The new civilization became highly militant both out of fear the Scourge would find the Frontier worlds but also from a burning lust for revenge. State of the art battle-fleets were constructed and factories cranked out advanced war-machines and armaments to wage a crusade to take back mankind's lost colonies.

==Technology==
[[File:Dzc_ucm_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right|UCM starter set]]
===Vehicles===
UCM's vehicles are utilitarian in appearance as they prefer function over form.
Their tanks normally only have one crew member that lies prone inside. This is helped by the fact that most of the systems and functions in the tank are automated to a degree.

===Weapons===
One of the most recognizable traits of most of the UCM vehicles are their folding weapons. Most of the weapons on their vehicles are mounted on giant folding arms that can be raised and lowered. Their tanks can even raise their weapons above cover to fire as the main body stays safely behind cover.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dfc_ucm_battlefleet.jpeg|
File:Ucmhazardsuit.jpg|
File:Ucmmortor.jpg|
</gallery>
</center>

United Colonies of Man

2021-01-10T15:49:55Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:dzc_ucm_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]
{{Topquote|Morals — all correct moral laws — derive from the instinct to survive. Moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level.|Robert A. Heinlein}}

The '''United Colonies of Man''' or '''UCM''' are one of the factions representing humanity in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. Consisting of the remaining frontier planets that are still under control by humanity. Their sole goal is to reclaim the Cradle Worlds from the Scourge.

==Pre-History==
With the discovery of fusion technology and FTL drives, humanity entered a golden age of advancement and discovery.
Eventually humanity makes first contact with the Shaltari. At first the Shaltari were friendly and showed humanity a number of colonizable worlds.
Later it was discovered that the Shaltari were only doing this in order to use Humanity as cheap foot soldiers for their wars against other Shaltari tribes. Needless to say, this did not go over well.

===The White Sphere===
One day, a tennis ball sized white sphere descended into earths atmosphere and landed in Peru. The sphere, despite its small size, required two men to carry it. The sphere was quickly brought to a lab in South America to be analyzed. As soon as the sphere was linked to a computer with a network connection, the entire lab went into lock down and every single computer on the continent was hacked. Hours later, from inside the locked down facility, explosions could be heard from outside. Later after the lockdown had been lifted, it was discovered that the sphere had been stolen. Days later a single message was broadcast through out all inhabited world on all channels warning humanity of impending doom and to go to Talon IV one year from now in order to survive. This caused a lot of civil unrest and divided humanity between those who wished to flee and follow the sphere's warning and those who wanted to ignore it. This culminated in a massive space battle over Talon IV between the abandonists and the EAA Navy one full year after the white sphere issued its warning.

Two day after the separatists left the Scourge attacked. Across all the Cradle worlds, Massive alien fleets simultaneously emerged from foldspace and raced to the Cradle worlds and darkened the skies with bizarre dropships carrying sinister vehicles and payloads. The Scourge quickly swept aside all resistance both in space as well as on the ground. Only 10% of the human population survived the Scourge invasion and less than 1% were able to escape Earth against the onslaught.

The Golden age of humanity was over.

===Rebuilding===
Those that could fled the Cradle Worlds to the Frontier worlds, minor colonies on the edge of human controlled space. For a long time the frontier worlds lived in the shadow of the Cradle worlds and were often ignored by the more sophisticated and decadent societies. Needless to say the small colonies were surprised when fleets of refugees that had escaped the Scourge invasion arrived over their worlds. Fearing the Scourge may soon come to the frontier world, many braced for the inevitable slaughter that would take place. But, the Scourge never came. Why the Scourge never attacked the frontier worlds is still a mystery. Not willing to risk another invasion, the Frontier worlds scrambled their jump nodes so nobody from outside the colonies could jump in. In the following 160 years, the massive influx of refugees plus a rise in birth rates lead to a population explosion across all colonies who now called themselves the United Colonies of Mankind. The resource rich frontier worlds were exploited to their fullest. Cities grew at an amazing speed. The new civilization became highly militant both out of fear the Scourge would find the Frontier worlds but also from a burning lust for revenge. State of the art battle-fleets were constructed and factories cranked out advanced war-machines and armaments to wage a crusade to take back mankind's lost colonies.

==Technology==
[[File:Dzc_ucm_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right]]
===Vehicles===
UCM's vehicles are utilitarian in appearance as they prefer function over form.
Their tanks normally only have one crew member that lies prone inside. This is helped by the fact that most of the systems and functions in the tank are automated to a degree.

===Weapons===
One of the most recognizable traits of most of the UCM vehicles are their folding weapons. Most of the weapons on their vehicles are mounted on giant folding arms that can be raised and lowered. Their tanks can even raise their weapons above cover to fire as the main body stays safely behind cover.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Dfc_ucm_battlefleet.jpeg|
File:Ucmhazardsuit.jpg|
File:Ucmmortor.jpg|
</gallery>
</center>

Resistance

2021-01-10T15:48:06Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:dzc_resistance_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

The Resistance is one of the human based factions in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. They are not a unified group, but instead the scattered remnants of humanity who survived after the invasion of the [[Scourge]].

== History ==
While only a tiny fraction of mankind survived the initial attack from the Scourge, enough managed to hide away on their various worlds to establish themselves as sustainable populations. This was largely due to the Scourge's reluctance to stray too far or deeply underground, and their determination that stomping out the last few humans present was not worth the resources, happy to simply keep them from growing too strong or bold.

As a result, these groups can vary from organized fighting forces utilizing and maintaining proper military weaponry, to brutally violent Mad Max style warlords. They are largely characterized by their guerilla style actions, inflicting disproportionate damage to their foes. They can function independently, or work with either the [[United Colonies of Man]] or [[Post-Human Republic]]. As the Reconquest has advanced, liberated worlds have seen their resistance forces inducted as new citizens of the UCM.

=== The Vega Scrapfleet ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter1.jpeg|150px|thumb|right]]
The battle over Vega IV between the EAA and those attempting to heed the warning of the White Sphere and flee was the largest space action seen by humanity to that point. While many of the fleeing ships successfully jumped out of the system, the battle left a vast field of debris and ships too damaged to make the jump either out of the system or back home with the remaining EAA. Promising to return with the help necessary to repair, the EAA fleet returned to Earth, but were destroyed days later by the Scourge invasion, leaving the ships and their crew over Vega IV to be forgotten.

Over time, they managed to learn to live off ship-based resources and infrastructure, supplied from scrounged supplies off the debris field and occasional daring runs to occupied planets. Their space-based life led them to become experts in engineering and piloting. Independent of the UCM, discussion of them is largely squashed by state censors, as the possibility of a life free from military obligations and service to the UCM could lead to problems of morale.

=== Kalium ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter2.jpeg|150px|thumb|right]]
A former colony, they chose to isolating themselves in the early days of the formation of the UCM rather than cede control, deactivating their foldspace node. The planet has had a violent history, experiencing multiple civil wars until coming under control by the militaristic totalitarian government of the Kabal. Since taking control, the Kabal has directed their vast manufacturing infrastructure to pump out massive numbers of weaponry, vehicles, and spacecraft. Lacking the resources necessary to properly conduct their own R&D, they have continued to produce the hardware of the EAA.

Although hidden and long forgotten by the UCM, Kalium has had a long history of espionage and infiltration and have been keeping watch on the other colonies.

== Famous Commanders ==

=== Karl Foley, Prince of New Troy ===
The preeminent leader of the UCM allied resistance forces on Eden Prime, Karl Foley is responsible for activating the foldspace node that allowed the UCM to jump to the system, and after the successful conquest of the system was inducted into the UCM as an honorary general. A bitter rival of Salakahn, he is most often seen piloting a Hellhog jumpjet.

=== Jessie Adams, Guide of the Damned ===
Commander of a group of resistance known as the Damned, they are one of many bands of fighters that reside in the tunnels underneath the city of Granum on Elysium Prime. The constant combat between the various groups of humans as well as the Scourge have honed her skills as a commander. She does not fight herself, but instead commands her forces from the tunnels, traveling through the underground complexes in her modified mining drill.

=== Salakahn, Tyrant of Atlantia ===
A despot that held total control over the city of Atlantia on Eden Prime. A massive and cunning man, he maintains power through fear and cruelty. The PHR, seeking something on Eden Prime, allied with him and his forces. When it seemed he was close to losing control of the city of Atlantia to approaching UCM forces, he detonated a hidden nuclear device, obliterating the UCM along with all the Scourge and PHR present in the area, and escaped to the city of New Athens. Thought dead by the UCM, thanks to the use of a body double he managed to escape and was later approached by an unknown figure with an offer of employment. Typically seen in battle riding a custom Alexander heavy battle tank.

=== Gunnarr of Elysium, The Ferryman ===
Residing in the city of Granum on Elysium Prime, he gained his nickname at an early age, having already sent many into the afterlife. The horror of a life under the Scourge and the harsh cruelty of so many of the surviving humans broke his already violent mind and compelled him to greater heights of brutality. He leads a band of berserk warriors who take to battle in a modified Lifthawk, never commanding forces to achieve any strategic or tactical goal, but only to relish in the slaughter.

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_resistance_starter.jpeg|300px|thumb|right|Resistance starter set]]

===Vehicles===
Resistance vehicles run the gamut from simple gun and rocket technicals to proper old-Earth military armor. Repurposed civilian vehicles such as hovercraft, ATVs, and mining drills serve alongside APCs, jet fighters, and attack helicopters, depending on the resources available to the resistance fighters in question. Bloated military budgets in the early days of humanity's expansion led to heavily armored and powerful military vehicles that are still useful in modern combat.

Their spacecraft consists of the remnants of EAA fleets, featuring tough armor and extreme customizability. The prosperous days on the Cradle Worlds led to a vast array of private manufacturers that produced components with standardized fittings, leading to highly modular ships.

===Weapons===
Weaponry is a mixture of traditional missiles and tank cannons, to more modern weapons such as vent cannons, powerful but unstable weaponry that attack by directly venting a ship's power core into the weapon, risking damage to the ship itself when firing. Repurposed Scourge plasma weapons are also commonly in use.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:resist_foley1.png|Karl Foley
File:resist_adams.png|Jessie Adams
File:resist_salakahn.png|Salakahn
File:resist_gunnarr.png|Gunnarr
File:resist_fighter1.jpg|
File:resist_fighter2.jpg|
File:resist_fighter4.jpg|
File:Resistancesapper.jpg|
File:resist_attackatv.png|
File:resist_jet.jpeg|
File:resist_drill.jpeg|
File:resist_buses.jpeg|
File:resist_ships.jpeg|
</gallery>
</center>

Resistance

2021-01-10T15:39:04Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Gallery */

[[File:dzc_resistance_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

The Resistance is one of the human based factions in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. They are not a unified group, but instead the scattered remnants of humanity who survived after the invasion of the [[Scourge]].

== History ==
While only a tiny fraction of mankind survived the initial attack from the Scourge, enough managed to hide away on their various worlds to establish themselves as sustainable populations. This was largely due to the Scourge's reluctance to stray too far or deeply underground, and their determination that stomping out the last few humans present was not worth the resources, happy to simply keep them from growing too strong or bold.

As a result, these groups can vary from organized fighting forces utilizing and maintaining proper military weaponry, to brutally violent Mad Max style warlords. They are largely characterized by their guerilla style actions, inflicting disproportionate damage to their foes. They can function independently, or work with either the [[United Colonies of Man]] or [[Post-Human Republic]]. As the Reconquest has advanced, liberated worlds have seen their resistance forces inducted as new citizens of the UCM.

=== The Vega Scrapfleet ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter1.jpeg|125px|thumb|right]]
The battle over Vega IV between the EAA and those attempting to heed the warning of the White Sphere and flee was the largest space action seen by humanity to that point. While many of the fleeing ships successfully jumped out of the system, the battle left a vast field of debris and ships too damaged to make the jump either out of the system or back home with the remaining EAA. Promising to return with the help necessary to repair, the EAA fleet returned to Earth, but were destroyed days later by the Scourge invasion, leaving the ships and their crew over Vega IV to be forgotten.

Over time, they managed to learn to live off ship-based resources and infrastructure, supplied from scrounged supplies off the debris field and occasional daring runs to occupied planets. Their space-based life led them to become experts in engineering and piloting. Independent of the UCM, discussion of them is largely squashed by state censors, as the possibility of a life free from military obligations and service to the UCM could lead to problems of morale.

=== Kalium ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter2.jpeg|125px|thumb|right]]
A former colony, they chose to isolating themselves in the early days of the formation of the UCM rather than cede control, deactivating their foldspace node. The planet has had a violent history, experiencing multiple civil wars until coming under control by the militaristic totalitarian government of the Kabal. Since taking control, the Kabal has directed their vast manufacturing infrastructure to pump out massive numbers of weaponry, vehicles, and spacecraft. Lacking the resources necessary to properly conduct their own R&D, they have continued to produce the hardware of the EAA.

Although hidden and long forgotten by the UCM, Kalium has had a long history of espionage and infiltration and have been keeping watch on the other colonies.

== Famous Commanders ==

=== Karl Foley, Prince of New Troy ===
The preeminent leader of the UCM allied resistance forces on Eden Prime, Karl Foley is responsible for activating the foldspace node that allowed the UCM to jump to the system, and after the successful conquest of the system was inducted into the UCM as an honorary general. A bitter rival of Salakahn, he is most often seen piloting a Hellhog jumpjet.

=== Jessie Adams, Guide of the Damned ===
Commander of a group of resistance known as the Damned, they are one of many bands of fighters that reside in the tunnels underneath the city of Granum on Elysium Prime. The constant combat between the various groups of humans as well as the Scourge have honed her skills as a commander. She does not fight herself, but instead commands her forces from the tunnels, traveling through the underground complexes in her modified mining drill.

=== Salakahn, Tyrant of Atlantia ===
A despot that held total control over the city of Atlantia on Eden Prime. A massive and cunning man, he maintains power through fear and cruelty. The PHR, seeking something on Eden Prime, allied with him and his forces. When it seemed he was close to losing control of the city of Atlantia to approaching UCM forces, he detonated a hidden nuclear device, obliterating the UCM along with all the Scourge and PHR present in the area, and escaped to the city of New Athens. Thought dead by the UCM, thanks to the use of a body double he managed to escape and was later approached by an unknown figure with an offer of employment. Typically seen in battle riding a custom Alexander heavy battle tank.

=== Gunnarr of Elysium, The Ferryman ===
Residing in the city of Granum on Elysium Prime, he gained his nickname at an early age, having already sent many into the afterlife. The horror of a life under the Scourge and the harsh cruelty of so many of the surviving humans broke his already violent mind and compelled him to greater heights of brutality. He leads a band of berserk warriors who take to battle in a modified Lifthawk, never commanding forces to achieve any strategic or tactical goal, but only to relish in the slaughter.

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_resistance_starter.jpeg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance starter set]]

===Vehicles===
Resistance vehicles run the gamut from simple gun and rocket technicals to proper old-Earth military armor. Repurposed civilian vehicles such as hovercraft, ATVs, and mining drills serve alongside APCs, jet fighters, and attack helicopters, depending on the resources available to the resistance fighters in question. Bloated military budgets in the early days of humanity's expansion led to heavily armored and powerful military vehicles that are still useful in modern combat.

Their spacecraft consists of the remnants of EAA fleets, featuring tough armor and extreme customizability. The prosperous days on the Cradle Worlds led to a vast array of private manufacturers that produced components with standardized fittings, leading to highly modular ships.

===Weapons===
Weaponry is a mixture of traditional missiles and tank cannons, to more modern weapons such as vent cannons, powerful but unstable weaponry that attack by directly venting a ship's power core into the weapon, risking damage to the ship itself when firing. Repurposed Scourge plasma weapons are also commonly in use.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:resist_foley1.png|Karl Foley
File:resist_adams.png|Jessie Adams
File:resist_salakahn.png|Salakahn
File:resist_gunnarr.png|Gunnarr
File:resist_fighter1.jpg|
File:resist_fighter2.jpg|
File:resist_fighter4.jpg|
File:Resistancesapper.jpg|
File:resist_attackatv.png|
File:resist_jet.jpeg|
File:resist_drill.jpeg|
File:resist_buses.jpeg|
File:resist_ships.jpeg|
</gallery>
</center>

Resistance

2021-01-10T15:33:48Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Gallery */

[[File:dzc_resistance_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

The Resistance is one of the human based factions in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. They are not a unified group, but instead the scattered remnants of humanity who survived after the invasion of the [[Scourge]].

== History ==
While only a tiny fraction of mankind survived the initial attack from the Scourge, enough managed to hide away on their various worlds to establish themselves as sustainable populations. This was largely due to the Scourge's reluctance to stray too far or deeply underground, and their determination that stomping out the last few humans present was not worth the resources, happy to simply keep them from growing too strong or bold.

As a result, these groups can vary from organized fighting forces utilizing and maintaining proper military weaponry, to brutally violent Mad Max style warlords. They are largely characterized by their guerilla style actions, inflicting disproportionate damage to their foes. They can function independently, or work with either the [[United Colonies of Man]] or [[Post-Human Republic]]. As the Reconquest has advanced, liberated worlds have seen their resistance forces inducted as new citizens of the UCM.

=== The Vega Scrapfleet ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter1.jpeg|125px|thumb|right]]
The battle over Vega IV between the EAA and those attempting to heed the warning of the White Sphere and flee was the largest space action seen by humanity to that point. While many of the fleeing ships successfully jumped out of the system, the battle left a vast field of debris and ships too damaged to make the jump either out of the system or back home with the remaining EAA. Promising to return with the help necessary to repair, the EAA fleet returned to Earth, but were destroyed days later by the Scourge invasion, leaving the ships and their crew over Vega IV to be forgotten.

Over time, they managed to learn to live off ship-based resources and infrastructure, supplied from scrounged supplies off the debris field and occasional daring runs to occupied planets. Their space-based life led them to become experts in engineering and piloting. Independent of the UCM, discussion of them is largely squashed by state censors, as the possibility of a life free from military obligations and service to the UCM could lead to problems of morale.

=== Kalium ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter2.jpeg|125px|thumb|right]]
A former colony, they chose to isolating themselves in the early days of the formation of the UCM rather than cede control, deactivating their foldspace node. The planet has had a violent history, experiencing multiple civil wars until coming under control by the militaristic totalitarian government of the Kabal. Since taking control, the Kabal has directed their vast manufacturing infrastructure to pump out massive numbers of weaponry, vehicles, and spacecraft. Lacking the resources necessary to properly conduct their own R&D, they have continued to produce the hardware of the EAA.

Although hidden and long forgotten by the UCM, Kalium has had a long history of espionage and infiltration and have been keeping watch on the other colonies.

== Famous Commanders ==

=== Karl Foley, Prince of New Troy ===
The preeminent leader of the UCM allied resistance forces on Eden Prime, Karl Foley is responsible for activating the foldspace node that allowed the UCM to jump to the system, and after the successful conquest of the system was inducted into the UCM as an honorary general. A bitter rival of Salakahn, he is most often seen piloting a Hellhog jumpjet.

=== Jessie Adams, Guide of the Damned ===
Commander of a group of resistance known as the Damned, they are one of many bands of fighters that reside in the tunnels underneath the city of Granum on Elysium Prime. The constant combat between the various groups of humans as well as the Scourge have honed her skills as a commander. She does not fight herself, but instead commands her forces from the tunnels, traveling through the underground complexes in her modified mining drill.

=== Salakahn, Tyrant of Atlantia ===
A despot that held total control over the city of Atlantia on Eden Prime. A massive and cunning man, he maintains power through fear and cruelty. The PHR, seeking something on Eden Prime, allied with him and his forces. When it seemed he was close to losing control of the city of Atlantia to approaching UCM forces, he detonated a hidden nuclear device, obliterating the UCM along with all the Scourge and PHR present in the area, and escaped to the city of New Athens. Thought dead by the UCM, thanks to the use of a body double he managed to escape and was later approached by an unknown figure with an offer of employment. Typically seen in battle riding a custom Alexander heavy battle tank.

=== Gunnarr of Elysium, The Ferryman ===
Residing in the city of Granum on Elysium Prime, he gained his nickname at an early age, having already sent many into the afterlife. The horror of a life under the Scourge and the harsh cruelty of so many of the surviving humans broke his already violent mind and compelled him to greater heights of brutality. He leads a band of berserk warriors who take to battle in a modified Lifthawk, never commanding forces to achieve any strategic or tactical goal, but only to relish in the slaughter.

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_resistance_starter.jpeg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance starter set]]

===Vehicles===
Resistance vehicles run the gamut from simple gun and rocket technicals to proper old-Earth military armor. Repurposed civilian vehicles such as hovercraft, ATVs, and mining drills serve alongside APCs, jet fighters, and attack helicopters, depending on the resources available to the resistance fighters in question. Bloated military budgets in the early days of humanity's expansion led to heavily armored and powerful military vehicles that are still useful in modern combat.

Their spacecraft consists of the remnants of EAA fleets, featuring tough armor and extreme customizability. The prosperous days on the Cradle Worlds led to a vast array of private manufacturers that produced components with standardized fittings, leading to highly modular ships.

===Weapons===
Weaponry is a mixture of traditional missiles and tank cannons, to more modern weapons such as vent cannons, powerful but unstable weaponry that attack by directly venting a ship's power core into the weapon, risking damage to the ship itself when firing. Repurposed Scourge plasma weapons are also commonly in use.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:resist_foley1.png|Karl Foley
File:resist_adams.png|Jessie Adams
File:resist_salakahn.png|Salakahn
File:resist_gunnarr.png|Gunnarr
File:resist_fighter1.jpg|
File:resist_fighter2.jpg|
File:resist_fighter4.jpg|
File:Resistancesapper.jpg|
File:resist_attackatv.png|
File:resist_jet.jpeg|
File:resist_drill.jpeg|
File:resist_buses.jpeg|
</gallery>
</center>

Resistance

2021-01-10T15:26:25Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:dzc_resistance_fancy_symbol.png|200px|thumb|right]]

The Resistance is one of the human based factions in [[Dropzone Commander]] and [[Dropfleet Commander]]. They are not a unified group, but instead the scattered remnants of humanity who survived after the invasion of the [[Scourge]].

== History ==
While only a tiny fraction of mankind survived the initial attack from the Scourge, enough managed to hide away on their various worlds to establish themselves as sustainable populations. This was largely due to the Scourge's reluctance to stray too far or deeply underground, and their determination that stomping out the last few humans present was not worth the resources, happy to simply keep them from growing too strong or bold.

As a result, these groups can vary from organized fighting forces utilizing and maintaining proper military weaponry, to brutally violent Mad Max style warlords. They are largely characterized by their guerilla style actions, inflicting disproportionate damage to their foes. They can function independently, or work with either the [[United Colonies of Man]] or [[Post-Human Republic]]. As the Reconquest has advanced, liberated worlds have seen their resistance forces inducted as new citizens of the UCM.

=== The Vega Scrapfleet ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter1.jpeg|125px|thumb|right]]
The battle over Vega IV between the EAA and those attempting to heed the warning of the White Sphere and flee was the largest space action seen by humanity to that point. While many of the fleeing ships successfully jumped out of the system, the battle left a vast field of debris and ships too damaged to make the jump either out of the system or back home with the remaining EAA. Promising to return with the help necessary to repair, the EAA fleet returned to Earth, but were destroyed days later by the Scourge invasion, leaving the ships and their crew over Vega IV to be forgotten.

Over time, they managed to learn to live off ship-based resources and infrastructure, supplied from scrounged supplies off the debris field and occasional daring runs to occupied planets. Their space-based life led them to become experts in engineering and piloting. Independent of the UCM, discussion of them is largely squashed by state censors, as the possibility of a life free from military obligations and service to the UCM could lead to problems of morale.

=== Kalium ===
[[File:dfc_resistance_starter2.jpeg|125px|thumb|right]]
A former colony, they chose to isolating themselves in the early days of the formation of the UCM rather than cede control, deactivating their foldspace node. The planet has had a violent history, experiencing multiple civil wars until coming under control by the militaristic totalitarian government of the Kabal. Since taking control, the Kabal has directed their vast manufacturing infrastructure to pump out massive numbers of weaponry, vehicles, and spacecraft. Lacking the resources necessary to properly conduct their own R&D, they have continued to produce the hardware of the EAA.

Although hidden and long forgotten by the UCM, Kalium has had a long history of espionage and infiltration and have been keeping watch on the other colonies.

== Famous Commanders ==

=== Karl Foley, Prince of New Troy ===
The preeminent leader of the UCM allied resistance forces on Eden Prime, Karl Foley is responsible for activating the foldspace node that allowed the UCM to jump to the system, and after the successful conquest of the system was inducted into the UCM as an honorary general. A bitter rival of Salakahn, he is most often seen piloting a Hellhog jumpjet.

=== Jessie Adams, Guide of the Damned ===
Commander of a group of resistance known as the Damned, they are one of many bands of fighters that reside in the tunnels underneath the city of Granum on Elysium Prime. The constant combat between the various groups of humans as well as the Scourge have honed her skills as a commander. She does not fight herself, but instead commands her forces from the tunnels, traveling through the underground complexes in her modified mining drill.

=== Salakahn, Tyrant of Atlantia ===
A despot that held total control over the city of Atlantia on Eden Prime. A massive and cunning man, he maintains power through fear and cruelty. The PHR, seeking something on Eden Prime, allied with him and his forces. When it seemed he was close to losing control of the city of Atlantia to approaching UCM forces, he detonated a hidden nuclear device, obliterating the UCM along with all the Scourge and PHR present in the area, and escaped to the city of New Athens. Thought dead by the UCM, thanks to the use of a body double he managed to escape and was later approached by an unknown figure with an offer of employment. Typically seen in battle riding a custom Alexander heavy battle tank.

=== Gunnarr of Elysium, The Ferryman ===
Residing in the city of Granum on Elysium Prime, he gained his nickname at an early age, having already sent many into the afterlife. The horror of a life under the Scourge and the harsh cruelty of so many of the surviving humans broke his already violent mind and compelled him to greater heights of brutality. He leads a band of berserk warriors who take to battle in a modified Lifthawk, never commanding forces to achieve any strategic or tactical goal, but only to relish in the slaughter.

==Technology==
[[File:dzc_resistance_starter.jpeg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance starter set]]

===Vehicles===
Resistance vehicles run the gamut from simple gun and rocket technicals to proper old-Earth military armor. Repurposed civilian vehicles such as hovercraft, ATVs, and mining drills serve alongside APCs, jet fighters, and attack helicopters, depending on the resources available to the resistance fighters in question. Bloated military budgets in the early days of humanity's expansion led to heavily armored and powerful military vehicles that are still useful in modern combat.

Their spacecraft consists of the remnants of EAA fleets, featuring tough armor and extreme customizability. The prosperous days on the Cradle Worlds led to a vast array of private manufacturers that produced components with standardized fittings, leading to highly modular ships.

===Weapons===
Weaponry is a mixture of traditional missiles and tank cannons, to more modern weapons such as vent cannons, powerful but unstable weaponry that attack by directly venting a ship's power core into the weapon, risking damage to the ship itself when firing. Repurposed Scourge plasma weapons are also commonly in use.

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:resist_foley1.png|Karl Foley
File:resist_adams.png|Jessie Adams
File:resist_salakahn.png|Salakahn
File:resist_gunnarr.png|Gunnarr
File:resist_fighter1.jpg|
File:resist_fighter2.jpg|
File:resist_fighter4.jpg|
File:Resistancesapper.jpg|
File:resist_attackatv.png|
</gallery>
</center>

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T12:46:05Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Tlalocan */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed when a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld, who instead jumped into the Tlalocan system. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system who dropped a stealth beacon of their own.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR eliminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to settle themselves into a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, considering the ease with which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized against it. Aa rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure, but at a great cost, as many more ships were lost than expected to pursuing Scourge as they retreated to their jump marker.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T12:43:41Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Solar */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed with a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR elminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to establish themselves in a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, considering the ease with which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized against it. Aa rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure, but at a great cost, as many more ships were lost than expected to pursuing Scourge as they retreated to their jump marker.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:26:19Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6:

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (2.1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed with a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR elminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to establish themselves in a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, given the ease on which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized, and a rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure. The cost was high, as a great deal of the ships were lost as they retreated to their jump marker by pursuing Scourge ships.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:24:31Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Aaru */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed with a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR elminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to establish themselves in a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, given the ease on which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized, and a rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure. The cost was high, as a great deal of the ships were lost as they retreated to their jump marker by pursuing Scourge ships.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:21:52Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* The Game */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

[https://dropzonecommander.com/assets/Desktop_Dropzone_Rulebook.pdf The rules are freely available on the Dropzone Commander site.]

[https://dropzonecommander.com/forcebuilder The army builder, containing all the unit stats and points, is here.]

A small companion game by the name of Flightwing Commander, using the fighter jets of the various factions, is available as well. [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Flightwing_Commander_Rules.pdf?v=1608124024 Rules] and [https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0965/1274/files/Stat_Cards.pdf?v=1608123489 unit stats] here.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari, are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed with a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR elminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to establish themselves in a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, given the ease on which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized, and a rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure. The cost was high, as a great deal of the ships were lost as they retreated to their jump marker by pursuing Scourge ships.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:17:41Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* External Links */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari, are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed with a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR elminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to establish themselves in a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, given the ease on which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized, and a rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure. The cost was high, as a great deal of the ships were lost as they retreated to their jump marker by pursuing Scourge ships.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TTCombat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:17:28Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* External Links */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari, are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed with a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR elminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to establish themselves in a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, given the ease on which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized, and a rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure. The cost was high, as a great deal of the ships were lost as they retreated to their jump marker by pursuing Scourge ships.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [https://dropzonecommander.com/ Dropzone Commander] on [[TT Combat]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:15:44Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* The Setting */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

== The Setting ==
[[Humanity]], united under the Earth Administration Agency after a series of resource wars and climate devastation are reversed by breakthroughs in fusion energy, begin to explore the stars with the development of their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The device is highly inaccurate without a beacon, or node, at the target destination, and so early exploration is essentially random. Little success is achieved as a result, but pioneers explore onward.

In 2342, observing this and deeming mankind ready for contact, an exploration frigate is approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]]. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization that come to be known as the Cradle Worlds, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari tribes. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out, but the Shaltari tribe responsible, the Apache, seemingly shrug it off and leave them be.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos. The ships that were crippled and unable to jump were left floating in the void over Vega IV, and hunkered down to wait for help after the survivors jumped, not knowing it was not to come.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and conquered it. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens simultaneously invaded the Cradle Worlds, and so the only ones who got away were those who jumped to frontier colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth and the Cradle Worlds. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth and the Cradle Worlds, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were technologically advanced and augmented by cybernetics, calling themselves the Post-Human Republic, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for fleeing and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the Reconquest.

=== The Cradle Worlds ===

==== Eden ====
[[File:Dfc_eden1.png |125px|thumb|right|Eden Prime]]

Eden Prime was the first of the worlds to be settled on, and therefore the most developed and populated by the arrival of the Scourge. Three other planets in the system were also colonized over time, but no others reached the level of Eden Prime. Wishing to keep the planet from being despoiled as Earth had been, industrial and military development took place largely underground, leading to a vast network of tunnels and caverns that proved a boon to those fleeing from the Scourge.

Nearly the entire population were either killed or captured by the Scourge, with only a few managing to break through the enemy fleets and jump to the frontier colonies. The remainder hid underground, and many lost their lives to violence from human hands as turmoil and chaos ran rampant. Over time groups established themselves, but by then the Scourge, having secured the surface, began flushing out the underground, leaving only scattered remnants who would eventually come to form the Resistance.

Over a century and a half later, a respected leader of one of the Resistance groups by the name of Karl Foley spotted something fall from the sky near the capital city of New Troy. There they discovered the remnants of a spacecraft of unknown make or origin. Digging through the remains, they came across a plaque declaring the ship to be of the United Colonies of Mankind, and realized that somewhere out there, other humans had survived and were strong enough to launch spacecraft of their own. In time, the two would come to meet and form an alliance.

Foley was far from the only leader on Eden Prime, as the Resistance was a not a unified or coherent political entity, but just an overarching label for the survivors of the invasion. A tyrannical man by the name of Salakahn, who had established himself and his forces outside the city of Atlantia, was contacted by the PHR and offered material support in exchange for assistance on the surface and an agreement to push back against other Resistance groups and the soon to arrive UCM as directed.

Being the first established and most developed of the Cradle Worlds, Eden Prime was selected for the first push of the Reconquest, and on June 6th 2670, the UCM fleet arrived. The Scourge orbital defenses were swept aside, and the strike carrier UCMS Avenger was the first ship to break atmosphere and begin the campaign to eradicate the Scourge.

The cities of New Troy and Romagrad were cleared of the majority of Scourge, leaving them under UCM control. Atlantia proved a far more difficult target, with forces of the Scourge, PHR, and Salakahn's warriors all fighting against the UCM. As the tide turned against them and UCM victory loomed, Salakahn took one last parting shot on his way out. As the UCM pushed to take final control of the city, Salakahn detonated a nuclear weapon, obliterating the city along with all the UCM, PHR, and Scourge present, and fled to hide near the city of New Athens.

The cities of Star Casablanca and New Athens remained under Scourge control. UCM armor suffered great losses in Star Casablanca, to the point that morale cratered and insubordination was rampant. The situation there eventually pushed the UCM to deploy a tactical nuclear strike, finally eliminating their foe, but killing thousands of resistance fighters. New Athens proved resistant, with environmental conditions and Shaltari involvement delaying action against the city.

A vast industrial complex/city known as Odin's Foundry, stretching along a 2000-mile long scar into the mantle of the planet, was a primary point of contention with PHR and Resistance forces also involving themselves. The UCM took control of the complex, but the resistance forces present there was of a particularly brutal nature and not inclined to tolerate their presence.

Eden VII had served as a massive titanium mining operation. Scourge troops had firmly established themselves in the vast underground complexes, immune to orbital bombardment. While control was secured, a long battle of attrition was seemingly the only option to dislodge the last of the Scourge forces.

In orbit, Shaltari activity also proved a hinderance to actions throughout the system, and even occasional PHR encounters occur. For now though, Eden has been officially declared conquered, and local resistance fighters have begun to be enlisted in the ranks of the UCM.

==== Elysium ====
[[File:Dfc_elysium.png |125px|thumb|right|Elysium]]

Sporting amazingly fertile soil, Elysium Prime had once served as the primary agricultural source for humanity, and proved to be just as useful to the Scourge in such a role.

While UCM fleets eliminated the Scourge in the void, the Shaltari arrived and have continuously harried the fleets with hit and run attacks, never committing to an engaged battle. Their primary targets have been supply ships, seemingly with the goal of dragging out the ground war as long as possible.

On the surface, the fighting has been almost entirely focused around the capital city of Triticum. Nearly half of all Scourge on the planet were contained in the city, and relief forces from elsewhere were a constant source of tension. Over time, the need for the Scourge to divert resources to other systems slowed the reinforcements to the point that the UCM could gain ground, and control of the city appeared imminent, until the Scourge attempted to break free of encirclement with a push by the bulk of their forces. Initially outnumbered, support from orbital bombardment turned the tide of the battle, but before a victory could be secured, the Shaltari forces that had long harassed the UCM chose this moment to commit and interrupt the bombardment. Engaging in orbit, the Shaltari fleet was defeated, but it had succeeded in prolonging the ground battle long enough to inflict grievous losses on the UCM troops.

The city of Granum is another primary target, but fighting elsewhere in the system and harassment from Resistance forces have prevented the UCM from taking control. While allied Resistance fighters, led by their commander Jessie Adams, proved invalulable due to their knowledge of the area and the underground tunnels, an opposing group under the control of Gunnarr, the Ferryman of Elysium, fought viciously in opposition.

With the defeat of the breakout attempt from Triticum, and the capture of it and Granum, Elysium was declared officially conquered and troops began redeployment to other theatres, although scouting actions from the PHR and Scourge have necessitated the presence of a garrison.

==== Shangri-La ====
[[File:Dfc_shangrila.png |125px|thumb|right|Shangri-La]]

Considered the most beautiful and lush of the Cradle Worlds, Shangri-La served largely as a decadent tourist destination, and little in the way of industrial development had been built by mankind, instead erecting vast spaceports and resort complexes. The Scourge had a decidedly more utilitarian approach to the planet, and now large swatches of it had been strip-mined. The planet was attacked at a later stage in the reconquest, and so the Scourge had more time to prepare themselves, leading to heavier losses during planetfall. The nature of the planet surface also meant that it was impossible to contain enemy forces to any particular spot, and ground movements were limited to a crawl.

The Scourge continued to maintain a presence in space, and so orbital fighting continued over Shangri-La until UCM forces emerged victorious. Soon after dispersing the fleet to hunt down the last few Scourge ships in the system, hundreds of ships entered into the system. A PHR fleet sped directly towards Shangri-La, pushed aside the few UCM ships stationed by the planet, and deployed strike carriers to all corners of the world. Both UCM and Scourge forces were overrun by the rapid assault. After regrouping, the UCM fleet attempted to face the PHR, but have only succeeded in fruitlessly chasing them through the system. The PHR appear to only be interested in delaying the UCM until completing whatever objective they have on the surface of the world, only engaging them near their dropsites.

The UCM therefore resolved to ignore the PHR when possible and focus on their continued battle against the Scourge. This changed when a large group of reinforcements was attacked and utterly destroyed on their way to a surface battle by an unknown force. The PHR claimed innocence, but suspicion and pent up rage at the PHR drove the UCM to commit to a full scale assault on the PHR. Demanding their withdrawl from the system, the PHR refused, stating they had not completed their business on the planet. The ensuing orbital battle was costly, but ultimately the PHR were defeated in the void. The ground forces remaining on the planet are now under the control of the commander Aurellia Felix, and continue to pursue their unknown objective. Her actions on the ground grew a feeling of respect from the UCM forces, and she eventually established a dialogue with them, negotiating a ceasefire and withdrawing from the system. With the departure of the PHR, the UCM declared the system under their control, though not fully conquered.

During the campaign, a long abandoned Centurion, a ship of the EAA, was spotted near the system. Codes were found on the ship that led the UCM to the colony world Kalium. Kalium withdrew in the early days of the formation of the UCM, and grew to become a highly militaristic authoritarian state that continued to manufacture the ships and weapons of the EAA.

Helen and Persephone, the other two planets in the system, were smaller and featured oxygen-rich atmospheres. The life on the planets shared the same evolutionary origin as those on Shangri-La, but the environment had led to gigantification of the species as well as a proliferation of deadlier predatory life. As a result, no human colonies had been established on the two other planets, while the Scourge had been happy to set up bases for use in harvesting and breeding the deadlier of the lifeforms, as well as breeding humans, as the oxygen rich atmosphere appears to dramatically increase the success rate of their vat-breeding program.

==== Olympus ====
[[File:Dfc_olympus.png |125px|thumb|right|Olympus]]

Rich in natural resources such as ore and hydrocarbons, Olympus Prime became the chief industrial center of humanity, sporting vast production centers both on the surface and in orbit. The Scourge left the orbital structures in place during their invasion and converted them for their use, and as a result the planet hosted the second largest fleet presence outside of Earth. As a result, no operations on the surface of Olympus Prime have begun due to continual, large-scale orbital combat. Such fleet losses for both the UCM and Scourge have been so numerous that debris now encircles the planet, rendering it unsafe for bulk landers to pass through and deliver troops until enough of the debris has burned up on reentry. Despite the ongoing orbital difficulties faced by the UCM, PHR and Resistance forces have been observed by Recon teams engaging the Scourge on the surface around the capital city of Asphodel.

The orbital structures themselves host vast weapon arrays, and are large enough to insert troops on directly from strike carriers. Securing control of both them, and control systems on the nearby moon of Styx, are vital for permitting ground landings without unreasonable losses. Olympus II, V, and IX are also lower priority objectives but planned for future action, as they hold host to Scourge armies.

==== Aaru ====
[[File:Dfc_aaru1.png |125px|thumb|right|Aaru]]

The Aaru system is host to a single planet, a seemingly barren desert world. However, underneath the surface a massive array of caverns, large enough to host a diverse biosystem and their own weather patterns.

The planet is noteworthy for being the first source of armed conflict between humanity and an alien species. Although the Shaltari tribe that attempted to induct mankind as a client race left peacefully after their rejection, a different tribe was furious with the presence of humans on the world. The Mongols, as they came to be known, attacked the planet in an attempt to dislodge the new inhabitants. Greatly technologically outmatched, the EAA suffered massively lopsided casualties, and only eventually emerged victorious due to their numerical superiority.

Due to the vast cavernous structures and the reluctance of the Scourge to go too deeply underground, more humans survived on the planet than any of the other cradle worlds. Millions of humans are present, living under the light of bioluminescenct fauna. The largest military actions on the planet are not from humans at all, but between the Scourge and Shaltari, with Resistance forces proving a highly effective insurgency. The Shaltari forces are noteworthy in that the forces present are a multi-tribal alliance, led by the same Mongols who once fought for the planet.

It is unclear what particular value the planet holds, but the Shaltari, are clearly deeply interested in taking hold of it.

==== Asgard ====
[[File:Dfc_asgard1.png |125px|thumb|right|Asgard]]

Asgard Prime contains the greatest known supply of metals, and once was the primary home of the EAA's military vehicle manufacturing facilities. Given the relative supplies of these valuable metals on the colony worlds, recapturing the planet is of high priority to continue fueling the reconquest efforts. The Resistance forces on the planet are more cohesive and effective than on other worlds. It seems some of the factories may still have remained operational and under human control, allowing them to better defend themselves and conduct insurgency tactics.

Small task forces were sent to the planet to establish contact with Resistance groups. Only a single ship, badly damaged by weaponry of non-Scourge origin, returned to report on what transpired. The Resistance forces, initially welcoming, soon betrayed them and ambushed the UCM. The system's foldspace nodes were shut down minutes after the surviving ship jumped back, locking the door into the Asgard system. It appeared the PHR had influenced some of the surviving humans and turned them against the UCM, but the system was now locked from entry.

Not all the troops perished in the ambush. Some escaped with still-loyal Resistance fighters, who shared with them a great prize they had hidden away; a still functional spacecraft from the days of the EAA. A lone soldier broke through the defensive fleets of the Scourge and PHR, dying in the process but managing the jump the ship back home. An audio log brought with him told the UCM of what was transpiring on Asgard Prime, and informing them to keep watch in case the surviving forces reactivate the node.

The two moons of Asgard Prime, Valhalla and Sessrumnir, also had installations built prior to the Scourge invasion, but their purpose is unknown. Scourge presence is high on both moons for similarly unknown reasons.

==== Tlalocan ====
[[File:Dfc_tlalocan1.png |125px|thumb|right|Tlalocan]]

The last of the cradle worlds, Tlalocan is a gas giant with four Earth-like moons. Initially, no plans for any attacks were in place as the system remained without a functioning foldspace node. This changed with a UCM agent with a recently developed miniature foldspace node stowed aboard a PHR vessel in an attempt to locate their homeworld. The node was only active for a short time, and the agent promptly killed, but this was enough for the UCM to send in a Lysander stealth lighter to the system.

The ship observed a massive PHR fleet presence, and an ongoing assault by the PHR against the Scourge on the moons. No Scourge ships were active in the system, but debris scattered throughout the system suggests they had been wiped out by the PHR. As the PHR elminate the last of the Scourge, they began to construct infrastructure to establish themselves in a long-term position on the moons.

==== Solar ====
[[File:Dzc_earth1.png |125px|thumb|right|Earth]]

A cradle world for humanity in the literal sense, Earth was home to the largest concentration of humanity, and therefore now contained the greatest population of Scourge. Reconnaissance operations were sent to scout the system and establish contact with any survivors, but their military might in the system was so great any direct actions against Earth were considered impossible at this stage in the reconquest. Aerial surveys of the planet observed the greatest amount of Scourge infrastructure seen in any of the cradle worlds, with vast breeding hives and seedship production.

Recon forces touched down on Earth and successfully made contact with resistance fighters, and learned that Earth had suffered the lowest survival rate of any of the worlds the Scourge had invaded. Despite this, the planet had been so densely populated that a great number of humans had persisted on.

When preparing to leave the system to report back, one of the ranking officers and his team did not return and were determined to be AWOL. Lt. Colonel James Rodriquez seemingly decided to stay and fight with the Resistance rather than return back to the colonies. He appeared to be directing and coordinating Resistance fighters towards New York City when last observed.

Elsewhere in the system, other teams were scouting the outer planets. They discovered intense mining of hydrocarbons from Titan, as well as water extraction from Europa. The water extraction was hypothesized to be due to a Scourge intolerance for biological contaminants. Given the high value the Scourge seemed to place on this supply, given the ease on which they could purify water elsewhere, the first military action in the Solar system was authorized, and a rapid strike by light ships against the moon destroyed the extraction infrastructure. The cost was high, as a great deal of the ships were lost as they retreated to their jump marker by pursuing Scourge ships.

One of the ships involved in the initial reconnaissance, a Lysander stealth lighter, was seemingly spotted and destroyed by a ship of non-Scourge origin near the moon of Callisto. No Lysander had ever been detected in such a fashion, raising alarms back home, with standing orders to avoid Callisto until a better picture of what transpired there can be made.

=== The Colonies ===

==== Ferrum ====
[[File:Dfc_ferrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Ferrum]]

The Reconquest was treated as an entirely offensive campaign. Believing themselves secure on the colonies, with properly hidden nodes, the UCM was unprepared when a gigantic Scourge fleet jumped into the Ferrum system. Though inflicting disproportionate losses to the Scourge, ultimately the numerical advantage was too heavy and the Scourge managed to land millions of troops onto the surface. As the Scourge began to inflict grievous damage with the detonation of nuclear weapons, it was soon obvious that unlike the first invasion, the intention of the enemy was not to capture the planet and it's people, but to destroy them in retribution. The UCM managed to tip things into their favor as reinforcements arrived from the other colonies, but Scourge forces are still present on the system and killed nearly a billion of the inhabitants.

==== Aluminia ====
[[File:Dfc_aluminia.png |125px|thumb|right|Aluminia]]

A planet sporting massive oceans, it's fisheries served as a rich source of protein for the rest of the colonies. The Scourge arrived and crushed the similarly unprepared defenders, and began landing troops on the surface. Here their plans were not simple destruction, as they began dumping vast amounts of waste and pathogens into the waters, poisoning the oceans and killing nearly all marine life. Reinforcements arrived and eliminated the Scourge, but were too late to save the oceans. Attempts to purify and clean the waters are now underway.

==== Wolfrum ====
[[File:Dfc_wolfrum1.png |125px|thumb|right|Wolfrum]]

A harsh, highly geologically active planet, Wolfrum is a rich source of metals and rare minerals, and serves as the primary penal colony of the UCM. With only a minimal garrison force,the Scourge landed with hardly any losses and began their campaign of destruction. The world is of a vastly different nature than the rest of the colonies, and so are those who inhabit it, and so the ease of the slaughter the Scourge enjoyed on the civilians of other worlds will not be the same on Wolfrum.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [http://www.hawkwargames.com/pages/dropzone-commander Dropzone Commander] on [[Hawk Wargames]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:15:37Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* United Colonies of Mankind */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

== The Setting ==
The game is set in the late 2600's, but there's plenty of exposition leading up to that point.

In 2342, [[humanity]] are approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]] after humanity pioneers their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and took it over. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens went to the other major colonies of humanity, and so the only ones who got away were the ones who jumped to the really distant colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' Foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were post-human now, with cool cybernetics, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for running and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the second invasion of Earth.

That's where the players come in.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [http://www.hawkwargames.com/pages/dropzone-commander Dropzone Commander] on [[Hawk Wargames]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]

Dropzone Commander

2021-01-10T05:15:33Z

2601:C4:C200:6770:C41F:447D:FA2:AC6: /* Resistance */

[[File:DZC Logo white web grande.jpg|center]]
{{Game Infobox
|name = [[File:IMG27 Box Art 1024x1024.jpg|thumb|400px]]
|picture =
|type = [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno = 2+
|time =
|publisher = [[TTCombat]]
|authors =
|year = 2012
|books = Dropzone Commander Core Rulebook (1.1)
}}
{{topquote|My mother said violence never solves anything." "So?" Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly." "I'm sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that.|Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers}}

'''Dropzone Commander''' (abbreviated as '''DzC''') is a [[10mm]]-scale [[science fiction]] [[wargame]] originally created and published by [[Hawk Wargames]] and now owned by [[TTCombat]] and a sister game to their orbital space combat game, [[Dropfleet Commander]]. As the name suggests, the game is mostly themed around highly-mobile units dropping into battle to contest and capture key objectives. Battles are set in the middle of larger cities on the so-called "cradle-worlds", previously human-controlled planets now overtaken by the Scourge, a parasitic race of squids who bumrushed humanity some hundred years ago.

DzC tend to be easy to get into, compared to many other, similar wargames: New units and updated rules are added in rulebooks bundled with lore and a continuation of the current plot, meaning you don't need new books every other week, packages with models cost half that of a [[Games Workshop]] unit box (though containing ''way'' less plastic), and a decent small army is easily aquired with the plastic starterboxes.

== The Game ==
The key element that sets Dropzone Commander from other wargames is the emphasis on mobility. It's a 10mm game played on a 4'-by-4' board which is dense with terrain (mostly human buildings, since it's themed around retaking Earth and other human colony worlds), and each ground unit can only move a few inches per turn. The way they get to where they need to be is through dropships. So far, all of the factions have one "heavy dropship" that can carry nine standard vehicles or six heavy vehicles, a "medium dropship" that can carry three standard vehicles or two heavy vehicles, and a "light dropship" (or "assault" or "strike") with two variants: one that can carry a couple of light vehicles and one that can carry a couple of stands of infantry. The miniatures are all made to scale with each other, so you can magnetize your miniatures and literally place vehicles inside the cargo clamps of their transports.

== The Setting ==
The game is set in the late 2600's, but there's plenty of exposition leading up to that point.

In 2342, [[humanity]] are approached and greeted by the [[Shaltari]] after humanity pioneers their first foldspace (faster than light) drive. The Shaltari act as friends at first, leading the humans to a number of planets ripe for colonization, but it's all part of an attempt to manipulate them into serving as cannon fodder in their wars with other Shaltari. Humanity doesn't take this well when they find out.

In 2506, another alien thing found its way to [[Earth]]: a mysterious White Sphere, the size of a baseball but heavy enough to require the strength of two men to move. It defied study, and when it was inadvertently connected to a network, it locked all the doors and somehow escaped before broadcasting a message that humanity was doomed and should escape by going to Vega IV in one year's time. Enough people took it seriously that a civil war nearly broke out. In the end, the ones who went to Vega IV with the intent of escaping were given coordinates to jump to, and while a battle broke out between them and a fleet of ships sent to stop them from leaving, most managed to escape in the chaos.

Two days later, more aliens showed up on Earth and took it over. With the fleet still wrecked from the battle over Vega IV, there was no contest. About one percent of humanity managed to escape. The aliens went to the other major colonies of humanity, and so the only ones who got away were the ones who jumped to the really distant colonies and managed to reconfigure said colonies' Foldspace beacons to keep the aliens, since called the Scourge, from finding them.

Over the next hundred and sixty years, humanity rebuilt itself into the United Colonies of Man, with the eventual goal of retaking Earth. As they made scouting missions, they discovered that some populations of humans had survived on Earth, forming a resistance against the Scourge. Descendants of the humans who escaped from Vega IV showed up as well. They were post-human now, with cool cybernetics, and offered an alliance. The UCM demanded an apology for running and wrecking the fleet in the process. The post-humans refused, saying that history had proved them right, and furthermore told them that retaking Earth would be suicidal at this point. The UCM told them in no uncertain terms to leave and not pester them, and twenty-four hours later, launched the second invasion of Earth.

That's where the players come in.

== The Factions ==
Hawk Wargames started out with four factions. The 5th faction; called the Resistance was released in 2014.

=== United Colonies of Mankind ===
[[File:ucm_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|UCM Legionnaire.]]
{{Main|United Colonies of Man}}

The UCM is the standard [[human]] faction. Olive green, sharp angles, wheels and tracks, lots of machine guns and [[railgun]]s, the usual. They are twenty billion strong and all dedicated to retaking Earth. Their twelve main worlds are named after the Latin names for metals. Aurum is the largest and most urbanized of these and their present capital. Their dropships are named for birds, fast-moving aircraft for angels, tanks for swords, and wheeled vehicles for animals.

The nation has a strange combination of a socialistesque political environment and a military state. For example, there ''are'' politicians and they have power, but when push comes to shove, it's the military who holds most of the power. Not that anyone is really bothered by this; when you've been brought up with stories of the lost cradle worlds, among them the jewel called Earth, no one is gonna argue about too much spending on the military.

The UCM are a fairly normal looking faction populated by decent humans, so of course, they are - say it with me - the generalist faction. They have no glaring weaknesses, but no strengths either, can do most things well, yadda yadda. So, what's interesting about them? Well, for one, their airgame is among the best nowadays. They also have a few very weird but cool models, such as the drone-spewing Ferrum or the Mortar team, the only infantry with indirect fire in the game. In fact, UCM does blasts and barrages better than most.

=== Scourge ===
[[File:scourge_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Scourge Warrior.]]
{{Main|Scourge}}

Malicious alien brain squids who lead a fairly miserable existence without a host, they want nothing more than to share that misery with others by injecting their young into their prisoner's ear canals and making them a flesh puppet. They have a merciless glass cannon strategy and love blasting things with plasma. Those Scourge unlucky enough to mature past prime brainjacking age get permanently installed in a vehicle; these either float or walk.

The UCM doesn't understand how they communicate and coordinate; that's a big goal of the first phase of reconquest.

Their vehicles have been given names like "Despoiler", "Reaper", and so on, as a result of being generally nasty all the time.

=== Post-Human Republic ===
[[File:phr_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|PHR Immortal.]]
{{Main|Post-Human Republic}}

Thanks to technology given by the White Sphere, the humans who escaped Vega IV have upgraded themselves into post-human cyborgs. They are only three billion strong, but very powerful on a unit-per-unit basis, with clean lines, tan colors, and walkers as well as tanks. The UCM don't like them because they think they're cowards, calling them "Abandonists", while the PHR don't like the UCM for being warmongering zealots. They aren't directly governed by the White Sphere anymore, but they do trust it quite a bit, and nobody (not even the PHR) knows where it really comes from.

Their vehicles are all named after gods from various mythologies -- mostly Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Celtic, and Norse god-names are also used.

They also have Sirens, who are all-women elite warrior units who fight with twin pistols.

=== Shaltari Tribes ===
[[File:Shaltari_infantry.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Shaltari Warsuit.]]
{{Main|Shaltari Tribes}}

The Shaltari are extremely long-lived, having mastered the art of transferring their consciousnesses into new bodies. When death of natural causes is no longer an issue, they simultaneously fear death and yet venerate war as the only pursuit worthy of respect. People who haven't seen battle yet don't even get names.

Their greatest technological advantage is that, rather than carry their units, their dropships are actually teleportation gates: units can enter one vehicle and get popped out of another one. In contrast to the Scourge and their homogenous arsenal of plasma weapons, Shaltari weaponry is a mix of energized particle beams, focused microwave emitters, and the occasional extreme velocity railgun.

The various sub-nations of the Shaltari are named after the nations of Native Americans (of both continents). Their units are named for traditional weapons and totem animals of various pre-industrial cultures.

=== Resistance ===
[[File:Resistance_fucker.jpg|125px|thumb|right|Resistance fighter.]]
{{Main|Resistance}}

The Resistance are the descendants of the humans who managed to survive on Earth and escape capture and possession by the Scourge. They have a wide range of vehicles available to them, from salvaged or improvised vehicles such as gun technicals and mining drills, to remnants of the old military of the EAA such as standard battle tanks and fighter jets. They are likely the easiest faction to personalize a force around, given the wide range of possible backgrounds you could think up for them.

==Links==
*[[Dropzone_Commander/Tactics]]

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
File:PHR_Dropships_1024x1024.jpg|The [[Tau]] called, they want their dropships back.
File:Ruined_City_1024x1024.jpg|This is a viable gaming table, by the way.
File:UCM_on_Parade_1024x1024.jpg|Yeah, I remember this level from the last Call of Duty!
File:Woodland_Warstriders_1024x1024.jpg|Hedgehog-controlled orange battle-spiders in a forest.
File:Dropzone Shaltari bridge.jpg|Shaltari bridge crew in action.
File:Balledfor5000years.jpg
File:Deeseegee.jpg
File:Fuckingxenos.png
File:Togetherwefightxenos.png
File:Itakelargesteps.jpg
File:Reallygoodmood.jpg
File:Goddamnxenos.png
File:Virginbaseline.png
File:Coldsteelthehedgeheg.png
</gallery>
</center>

== External Links ==
* [http://www.hawkwargames.com/pages/dropzone-commander Dropzone Commander] on [[Hawk Wargames]]'s website.
* [http://dzcblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Orbital Bombardment] competitive play Dropzone Commander fan blog.

[[Category:Wargames]]