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View Full Version : Help Me Pick a Faction!



ElectricPaladin
03-14-2014, 12:26 AM
I'm pretty sure I want to start DPZ - my reservations about starting two epic-scale sci-fi games (this and Planetfall, if/when it appears) have been largely blown away by the fact that DPZ is enormous at both my FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store) and my FNSLGS (Friendly Not So Local Gaming Store) - but that still leaves the quandary of which faction to get into. I'm going to be participating in a DPZ demo night at my FLGS on Tuesday, and I'd like to have an idea of which faction I'm focusing on.

Here are the factions I already play in other games, so you have data on what I like:
• WH 40k: Blood Angels, Sisters of Battle, Tau, Eldar
• WH Fantasy: Lizardmen, Vampire Counts
• WarmaHordes: Khador, Everblight
• Firestorm Armada: Aquan Prime, Directorate
• Infinity: ALEPH

In general, I think I like speed and mobility over all. I really enjoy the miniatures in a miniatures wargame, and I like the idea of those minis and their placement being front and center. Mobility, speed, and movement shenanigans - like teleportation or forcing enemy models to move - tend to keep me entertained. However, I also tend to prefer factions that can do "smart aggression." I don't like factions that stand back and shoot exclusively, although "close combat" isn't necessarily my preference - close range firefights are cool, too. I like factions that are durable and can afford to play aggressively, though I would rather have to pick my engagements carefully (the "smart") than play a no-finesse army.

In general, I prefer heroic elite armies to horde armies.

I tend to like special effects, be it magic or psychic powers or hacking. I like shenanigans. As much as I enjoy moving my models around the table in unexpected ways, I like to be able to pull dirty tricks once I get there.

I like buffing myself more than debuffing my opponent... but it is fun.

When it comes to model style, I'm currently caught between the Shaltari Tribes and the Posthuman Republic. My wife thinks - and I agree - that the sleek and ornate Shaltari models will be more fun to paint, but I really dig the PHR walkers, especially the Janus scout walkers - they're so cute! By way of muddling the matter further, I'm still not sure how I feel about the Shaltari models that have jointed "necks." It feels weird on a war machine to have a cockpit that can sway from side to side... not necessarily "bad weird," but I'm not sure if it's "good weird," either.

From what I've read so far, the Shaltari have both speed and electronic countermeasures on their side, and the way that you can use the gates to teleport models in - and, it seems, teleport them around the battlefield - seem to hit my "speed" and "maneuverability" and "shenanigans" preferences. On the other hand, though, the PHR seems much more about durability and close-ranged firefights, and it seems that they do speed and mobility as well.

So, what do you think?

Nightwolf
03-16-2014, 06:18 AM
It sounds to me like what you want are Shaltari. Being able to teleport allows you to control the ebb and flow of the battle. You are capable of punishing the enemy for poor deployment while being able to react to surprises. You also have a wide array of play-styles available to focus on when building your army. In that you can primarily make a walker list, a skimmer list, or you can pick a middle ground.

PHR are fun, but in the slow implacable way. They tend to pick their section of board, hold on to it, and rain down on the enemy with terrifyingly powerful weaponry. Their electronic warfare tricks are also fun (and I think down your alley), but from what you describe I imagine it would not necessarily be worth the lack of mobility.