Thursday 15 August 2013

I just can't do it. No, wait it turns out I can!

I'm an admitted wargameaholic, it's not uncommon for me to look at three new systems or armies in a week and want to buy them all. This week while looking to buy some paints online I saw a retailer selling Dropzone Commander.


Like most people I was impressed with the models and like most people I was stunned when I saw the prices. I decided to give them a miss. However seeing them on the retailer's site peaked my interest again.

I had a look at reviews and some batreps and watched a long interview with the guy behind Hawk (seems like a nice guy). It looked like the rules had been well received and the armies and their abilities were well thought out. I was tempted. The rules seem to be good value at £12 and the 6'x4' Cityscape card terrain is great value at £24. (Prices from Total Wargamer)


I had a look on eBay and saw a starter set for £50, not bad. The starter sets, although playable, are only about 540pts and the recommended size of game is 1500-2000pts. So further outlay is required. I reckon about £150 will get you 1500pts or so. I watched some more videos to convince my self but it was then that I realized just how small the models were.

Photo by Nick Ellingworth from DakkaDakka

In the photo above the one on the right is a Bear £11 for a pack of two, the other is a Sabre £11 for a pack of three. A pack of four 15mm half tracks from Forged in Battle costs £13. Compare that to the two much smaller Bear APC's for £11. I don't want to get into an argument about quality or price as everyone has their own opinion. But seeing what you get for your money I just couldn't do it, I just couldn't justify buying a set. It's all about perceived value for money. I don't think the models are worth it whereas the rules and card terrain I think are value for money.

Update:
Bloody typical I do this post and then the same day Hawk announce that they are doing a two-player starter set for £60 which is great value. The bastards! Now I have no excuse not to buy one!


It looks like you get 2 starter armies (previously £68 each) plus all this for £60:

Starter Urban Battlefield:
- 2x Urban Streets Posters, will join together in 4 different ways to create a 48”x33” road layout
- Both posters feature stunning artwork on the reverse face!
- 10 x Pre-cut, pre-folded card buildings in 10 different designs

Rules and Accessories:
- Full sized Dropzone Commander 1.1 Core Rulebook (Usually £15)
- UCM and Scourge reference sheets with stats, army composition and quick reference tables
- Starter scenario and turn sequence prompt sheet
- 10x 14mm D6 black dice
- 1m/38” Hawk Wargames tape measure keyring
- Full set of card templates and Scenario Object tokens

4 comments:

  1. £60 for two starter armies (plus rules etc) is tempting. The main reason for the low price is that they are injection moulded plastic rather than resin.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah makes you wonder why they didn't do this in the first place.

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    2. Set up costs for plastic would have been too expensive at first I guess?

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    3. Yeah, maybe but the resin models aren't cheap so there must be some major costs there too. Anyway glad to see you're still alive ;-)

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