RULE, UNITS, AND MORE!!!

          So the Revised Core Set is available. Zombies, Apes, Burst Weapons, Power Armour, and more! A growing variety of units for each player to choose from.  Such a wide variety that I believe we are ready for more factions to join in the war for control of the world. Soviets? Japanese? Vrill? I believe these are all integral parts of the world wide war (maybe not the Vrill, at least not quite yet). The Allies and Axis have enough to work with… Now it’s time for the rest of the countries to be made available for players to Enjoy. Until then, I can only reflect on what we currently have available to us.

          Seems as if the Revised Core Set really tipped the scales in favour of the Axis Army. Heavy Laser Grenadiers that will overkill any walker that runs across its path. Laser weapons with the ability to shrug off damage with the damage resilient power armour. Heavy Flak Grenadiers with a devastating Burst Weapon that virtually guarantees to eliminate any infantry unlucky enough to be within range and not in cover, also equipped with damage resilient power armour.  The Axis answer to the BBQ Rangers, The Sturmpioniere Grenadiers with a flame thrower, some STG 47’s, and a few Panzerfaust’s. The Hans with the ability to destroy any walker released to date with one shot and simultaneously cause massive damage to any squad within its limited range. Yes, many of these units are answers to some kick ass Allied units, but the Allied units with this set don’t really add too much to the Allied front lines, especially considering all the new Axis units with the Damage Resilience skill. Yes, the Hell Boys are quite devastating with their dual flamethrowers which can be aimed at different targets, as well as shotguns and fast ability. The Hammers are a decent enough unit to add since they are just as devastating in attacks as the Axis Gorillas. Especially considering that most Axis Armour 2 Infantry have no Close Combat Weapons that can retaliate. The Blackhawk looks like it can be quite devastating, but with a range of 2, who really knows. Also, the Heavy Flak Grenadiers kind of put the Blackhawk’s “All In One” ability to shame, since they basically have the same effect as long as they target a unit that hasn’t moved yet. Then the so called “Death Dealers”… Basically a joined Recon and Gunner Rangers squad. 3 M1 AR’s, 1 M-9 Bazooka, 1 Victory MG, and, of course, the standard Knife & Grenade. How exactly are these Rangers dealing death? No U.G.L.’s (and therefore no weapon that ignores cover), no abilities of any kind (having an element with the spotter ability would help with the dealing of death they boast), not even an updated Bazooka. Just the same old units with nothing added, and if anything, stripped of any real ability at all. And 23 points? 1 point more than the Bot Hunters that actually have a chance at destroying a walker in 1 action. A full squad of Heavy Flak Grenadiers can throw 18 dice against an armour 2 infantry unit as long as it hasn’t moved (9 if it has), so I ask again, how are these Rangers dealing death, especially against damage resilient enemies? The spotter ability would have been a wise addition to this squad of Rangers and made their moniker a bit more accurate to what they are capable of doing.

          Granted with the Grim Reapers and Tank Busters the Allies received a nice boost to its infantry. Statistically speaking, a full squad of Tank Busters should be killing any walker in a single attack action. A full squad of Grim Reapers will throw 15 dice at any armour 2 infantry unit, and 9 at any armour 3 infantry unit. With both of them having the Jump skill and a movement of 2, they are not to be taken lightly or used without care. Markus and his Apes are much more devastating than I had originally thought. The Charge ability that Markus has in addition with the Fast moving Apes allow them to move 3 spaces and attack with all weapons, EACH TURN. And once we get Totenmiester in a Hero Pack (or game night kit if I can ever find one of those fucking things) will make the Axis Zombies one hell of a force to be reckoned with. The damage resilience of both, devastating close combat weapons, Totenmiester’s ability to heal herself, and the fast movement of the zombies will make this combination quite possibly the deadliest pairing to date. OZZ 117’s Heroic Attack ability will come in handy when pairing with Tank Buster, Grim Reapers, or The Hammers, but that is once per game and more of a way to get a kill in before the Hero & Squad is taken out by enemy forces. Action Jackson (which I’ve only seen because of the Unit Card Upgrade Pack) looks like he is exactly what the Allies need to help bring some power back to their side of this conflict. Dual wielding Phaser Weapons look quite devastating. Though the Axis Hero Lara is a good answer in an Anti-Infantry manner, Action Jackson looks to be devastating to anything that gets within his range of fire. Too bad it looks as if we will have to wait for the Red Devil’s before he can be paired up with a squad, since Action Jackson lacks the Jump skill. Looking ahead to Operation Cerberus, I am very excited for the Allied Hero “The Cook”. Dual wielding flamethrowers? Hell yes…!!! If he is Armour 2, then teaming him up with the Hell Boys will allow for some serious short range devastation (4 Flamethrowers that can be aimed at separate targets? Yes please!). Not sure what to think of the Axis Hero in the same upcoming expansion, Angela. Looks fairly basic, but who knows how devastating of a shot she is and what kind of close combat and skills she will carry (if she’s anything like Sigrid, then we can expect a devastating close combat weapon and a skill that can be very effective when used wisely).

          Now for some Rules… 

          Artillery Fire ignoring cover? I have never read a rule that states this is the case. The FAQ suggest that Artillery Fire will ignore cover, yet no rule exists to back that claim up, and the example shown contradicts Line Of Sight, Terrain Square, Terrain Dot, and Cover rules. Plus a FAQ is just a gathering of information from existing sources that is most frequently sought after by those wishing to have that information, and not a rule set in and of itself. So, anybody with an idea of where this rule came from please send that information my way.

              

           Wiederbelebungsserum is another tricky one. As far as I can tell, Totenmiester must first suffer damage in a round of combat. Then in a following round, whatever she has lost previously is available to be healed, should she survive combat. Also, it is all very specifically singular to Totenmiester herself, and the rules do not state that she shares this ability with her squad. I would guess that she does not share this and her attacks need to be rolled separately to accurately track her damage for the purposes of healing. Here is an example I believe is a bit clearer than what we have seen up to date:

Example:
If TotenMeister engaged an enemy with full health and took 2 damage she cannot heal regardless of any hits scored. Engaging (or engaged by) the enemy again, she takes an additional hit taking her down to 1, but scores 3 hits on the enemy. Since only 2 health points were lost previously, she can regenerate those 2, but the hit taken this round must wait for another combat action to occur. She must also survive the combat action before healing any lost health points. (This skill is not shared with a squad.)

         

          Well, that’s about it for now. Still working on the Proof of Concept Campaign and will definitely keep a play by play when that starts up. Also working on a larger scale Beta Campaign that is more or less waiting for some of the concepts to be worked out in the P.O.C. Campaign. Looking forward to some long term play and adding an ever growing pool of units to my existing Allied Army.