Post Human Republic - The Pretty Faction IMHO

When my local wargaming club started to get into Drop Zone Commander (DZC) I must be honest I wasn't blown away by the game or the models. My fondness for 40K means it takes a lot for my eye to be turned by other gaming systems and the cardboard scenery, small scale of models and the limited scratchbuilding possibilities in DZC didn't really do it for me.

The club have now become a bit of a thing in the DZC world (see the Orbital Bombardment Blog and Podcast), and to avoid being 'Billy no mates' I decided to join in with the fun. So what army to choose? As with most of my decisions it was based on the look (yes, I am that shallow), and I decided upon the Post Human Republic whose models took my fancy and what's not to like about walking tanks! Actually, the choice was also based on my initial views on the other factions; Shaltari - models which appear to have passing resemblance to bear traps (I will never ever understand how gates work!). The Scourge - aliens with multi-story car parks for dropships and skimmer tanks that are a little too flat and look like road kill. UCM - the models are fine, but quiet generic, and I cannot get excited about them - sorry. And when I took the plunged into the game the Resistance were only a glint in the games designer's eye. I do like the curves on the Resistance flyers and bigger tanks, but I am afraid that the buses knock it on the head for me. Oh and another thing, how on earth are the buses 4DPs? How has a passenger bus had enough armoured plates bolted on to it to become twice as resilent as a purpose built main tank (Hannibal)?

So PHR it was, and below is my current 1500 point army. (This is the army prior to the recent points changes announced by Hawk Wargames).

Things learnt whilst using PHR:

1. Your army is likely to be smaller in number than the opposition. The casualties you take early on will have a greater effect on your abilities later on in the game. Don't yet your army become unsupported. Odins are tough as old boots, but don't take them for granted, they will die if you leave
them with their bottoms hanging out in the wind.

2. For an army which is much slower in comparison to other armies, make use of redeployment. Yes you will not have the opportunity to shoot, but, the enemy will be caught off guard by the sudden and unexpected appearance of your models. And for focal point games this tactic will give you a fighting chance.

3. The Athena will frustrate you more often than not. Not coming on from reserve or rolling the dreaded 1 when seeing if it comes on each turn. (Please see the rules for Forward Observers to try and resolve this). But, when the it arrives and does its party piece; shooting down small drop ships, and stopping objectives being removed from the table, it will win you those tight games.

4. Helios, Helios, Helios. What a fantastic piece of kit. Never has there been a more obvious auto-take.

So here is my army list for the army pictured above (I can make no promises on the accuracy of the point calculations) - this before the recent point changes.

Hand of the Sphere
Command Squad: Zeus (Battle Vizier), Odin, Neptune - 281
Mercury Scout Squad: 4x Mercury, 2x Triton + A2 Missiles - 100
Sirens: 2x Sirens, Triton, Stealth Missiles, Miniguns - 150

Battle Pantheon
Support Squad 2x Phobos, Neptune -171

Immortals
Immortals: 2x Immortals, Triton, Miniguns - 107
Immortals: 2x Immortals, Triton,  Miniguns - 107

Immortals
Immortals: 2x Immortals, Triton,  Miniguns - 107

Heavy Pantheon
Heavy Squad: 2x Odin, Neptune - 175
Helios Squad: 2x Helios, Neptune - 165

Air Wing
Athena Squad: Athena - 135

Total Points - 1498

Here is the full family portrait:

I have been using a version of a PHR army since I started DZC, but I am now considering a second army, and the Scourge is the way I am going to go. It's all to do with the speed. It must be so liberating to go charging around the Wargaming table. Such a difference to the poor old plodding PHR.