[Zac]

Played our first game today. Was not good at all.  Points system is bizarrely unbalanced, way too many fiddly random modifiers and non-random modifiers. Assaults rules are far too unwieldy.

The system is a touch disorganised. It is a more complex system than Bolt Action since it adds a lot more tech, weapons and armour. It does take a bit of work to get the rules sorted out but I think it is worth the effort since it is a fun system.

What part of the points system did you think was unbalanced?

[Zac]

No blog post but here is a photo of my targeting probes

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[Zac]

And the second unit of Privateers are now done.

Second Privateer unit finished

[Zac]

I do not. I was going to wait until I had the entire force painted and then do a group shot

[Zac]

And all of my drones are now done

Drones done

The Privateer army has limited options for drones so these three are the limit to what I can add. In fact I can only ever take one of the Plasma drones and a Subverter maximum.

[Zac]

And a unit of Privateers are now done.

Freeborn Privateers finished

I also finished basing the other models that I painted previously.

[Zac]

And the first Boromite Weapon team is done

Boromite Weapon team finished

The basing isn’t finished yet as I want to do the basing in a large batch instead of a few figures at a time.

[Zac]

And here are the first set of probes that I have painted.

Probes painted

They are not based yet as tend to do basing in batches of 20 or 30 minis at a time

[Zac]

All of the initial models that I will be using are now built

Building more Freeborn

[Zac]

I think Litko sells a product very similar to the Dropzone Commander parts

LITKO Standard Flight Stand Peg Toppers, Clear (20)

[Zac]

I believe that they will be resin and not plastic. There are rumours of a few additional types of troops as well

[Zac]

The Tsan Ra are being resculpted for the next edition of Antares. I am not sure but I suspect that Warlord will not be restocking them until the new models are available.

[Zac]

Are Ghar Empire / Ghar Rebels equal in difficulty to master or is one easier than the other?

They both have their issues. The Empire will have fewer activations until they start to use their Amplifiers. The Rebels have fewer suits and more activations but their troops are squishier.

[Zac]

Which starter do you guys recommend? And why?

If I was to get one of the current starters it would be the Strike on Kar’A Nine starter. I don’t think that the original one was very balanced or really that much fun. I would actually look at getting one or more of the army boxes. They cost more but you get a better selection of models and you can then pick which forces you want.

I read that the first starter is very imbalanced?

I wouldn’t say very but it wasn’t a lot of fun.

Is it worth doubling up on the 2nd starter box pitting Algoryn vs Concord?

You do need a few standard units for the basis of an army so it works from that perspective but the army boxes usually have two infantry units as well as a support weapon and a skimmer or something similar. They build better armies.

About the initial purchases.

The army boxes have the goodies you want already. I would also like to add that a new version of Antares is in the works. Covid 19 has certainly slowed down or delayed the release but at this point I wouldn’t invest in print copies of the rulebook.

The dice. The starters both come with action dice. I presume I’ll need to buy a seperate faction dice pack if I add to either army from any of the starter boxes?

Yes. The dice are the same ones as they use in Bolt Action and Warlords of Erehwon so any dice for those games or from a BOlt Action starter set will work as well.

I love campaigns, background, fluffy scenario’s. For Ghar and Algoryn are there any expansion books that give a lot of ‘bang for your buck’ in that regard?

All of the expansion books for Antares have been written to include all of the factions. They all have a lot of fiction in them and the scenarios are written to be part of the campaign narrative. The Battle for Xilos book does have the Ghar Rebel army in it as well as a bit of fluff for it. I don’t know if Warlord is currently selling the older expansions though

How interesting is Ghar Empire vs Ghar Outcast?

The Ghar Rebels have a rule called “Fifth Column” that you can use to allow for the Rebel forces to take control of Ghar Empire units that fail activation rolls. Both sides are pretty much immune to the effects of Plasma disruption though so while the games can be fun you miss out on some of the impact of the Ghar Disruptor tech.

And what purchases would you guys recommend for a balanced 750 pts on each side?

While I am not sure if they build 750 point forces, I would suggest getting one of each of the army boxes and a set of dice. Plus a digital copy of the rulebook. I’ve not really had any balance issues with the game except at lower point values.

If you want a ‘fluffy’ game then go with the Algoryn and the Ghar Empire or Rebels. I have a fondness for the Rebels myself since I love the Black Guard infantry and the support weapon platforms. The Algoryn have been fighting the Ghar for centuries and were the first faction to run into them so battle between them fit into the background very well

[Zac]

It probably isn’t that big a deal at 500 points and with a Freeborn army.

A Command Squad typically supplied you with a few things. First, a higher Command rating for your troops to use in tests. The Command unit has the Command ability which allows units within 10″ to use their Command for checks. This can be a life-saver in some situations. The same applies to the Init stat and the Hero ability.

Command units also have the Follow ability that can let you activate multiple units at one time. So you can position troops around the Command unit and then get them to Follow to put out a lot of fire or move a large part of your force at once.

Some Command Squads are mandatory if you want multiple of some special unit types. So if you want two Skyraider Squads you need a Skyraider Command Squad.

So they are not required in general but they are quite useful

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