New Dropfleet Rules!

With Resistance Monitors out today(!), I think it’s time to have a look at the full rules, and a few other things too…

It’s not just the Newton and Galileo that are seeing new rules today, it’s everyone!

Dropfleet Commander V1.2

That’s right, we have a new version of the Dropfleet Commander digital rulebook available to download now!

Click here to get them yourself for free!

As part of our 2020 advent calendar, we released an updated digital version of the Dropfleet Commander rules. Mostly it was simply copying rules over from the paperback, adding in some FAQ and errata changes, and a little bit of reformatting.

Well, since then we’ve been busy behind the scenes testing out some other changes. Some of these will be familiar to tournament players! We’ve also edited a few sections to be a bit more readable. While we’re not doing full patch notes, a quick rundown:

• Launch Asset section reworded – Fire Ships are now included (they now group their attacks together too).
• Torpedoes have been reworked (less swingy with more damage).
• A couple of special rules have been edited (Corruptor, Impel).
• Edited incongruencies between the digital and printed versions (Launch Assets going through scenery!).
• Tightened up wording throughout.

There’s a lot of little things in there that have been edited, but it’s mostly to avoid more FAQs and help it to be easier to understand.

Now, all this raises the question:

What’s the right version of the rules? Paperback or digital?

The answer is: yes.

The digital rulebook is the most up to date version of the rules, but the paperback is a perfectly valid version of the game too!

We’ll be continuing to update the digital rulebook every now and then to keep things fresh and make some changes to improve the gameplay, but that’s not to say that the paperback isn’t a good version as well.

So in answer to “which is the official version”, it’s really up to you and your gaming group. Personally we’ll be playing the latest digital version (in actual fact we usually play the next digital version to check everything), and any tournaments we’re running (remember tournaments? Remember getting together to play games not on Tabletop Simulator?) will use the digital rules too.

However, if you’re new to the game or introducing new players, it’s perfectly okay to just use the paperback. It’s all right there and easy to access, and it’s only when you’ve played a lot of games you’ll be pining for some changes. Decide amongst your own group what you like best. Heck, there are plenty of house rules floating around that we also like, but haven’t tested fully yet. You do you!

Resistance Newton & Galileo

In the Resources page you’ll also find some downloadable rules for the new Newton and Galileo.

We’ve already had a sneak peek at these ships this week, but there’s even more to see!

The Newton is a powerhouse of artillery, combining long range (at least by Resistance standards) with a colosally devastating mass driver. It does 3 damage and has Particle! Think of all the crits you’ll be doing.

The Galileo meanwhile is a supporting ship, using its telescope to put Major Spikes on enemies when using Active Scan (and Minor Spikes on Silent Running ships – no more hiding). It also has the added benefit of +1 to crit! That means that instead of needing 2 or more higher than your Lock to score a Critical, you only need 1 or more higher! A Lock 3+ weapon will crit the target on a 4+. That’s pretty amazing!

This is version 1.0 of the Monitors, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for feedback (particularly after games played – although that’s admittedly tricky at the moment).

Resistance Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins

We’re also publishing updated rules for the Resistance Destroyers today! While these aren’t yet available on the Fleet Builder, the resources section has you covered for now.

The version 2.0 of the rules sees the ships lose a point from their Armour, down to 3+. They were a bit too hardcore before!

The Aldrin has lost its Atmospheric special rule and seen a slight points increase. Atmospheric was a rule added to help it fit with the background lore (these massive ships land planetside on new systems), it made it waaaaaay too good – especially considering it can launch 2 Bulk Landers a turn!

Finally the Collins has seen a points reduction, which should help you fit some of these support ships into your fleet without having to make too many difficult choices over what to lose.

 

You can find all of these in the TTCombat webstore – the Dropfleet Resources section has everything you need. Head over there now, and don’t forget to pre-order your Newton Monitors this weekend too!