Post by Precinct Omega on Jun 10, 2017 14:30:02 GMT
I've got a few bits and pieces I'm thinking of including in the rules, but I'm not 100% sure. They don't quite fit with my vision for the game and I don't feel like they're missing anything by not having these, but I'm aware that some people might like or expect them to have a place.
First, motorbikes.
There are some nice minis with motorbikes. Special Forces types have a long history of using motorbikes for long-range missions within enemy lines. Motorbikes and the post-apocalypse have a long thematic association. But to my mind, the teams that participate in the game would have left their motorbikes at the RVP. They are noisy and, even assuming silent electric motors, awkward to manoeuvre at low speeds over uncertain terrain compared to the Mark 1 Human Foot.
Second, dogs.
Now, I love military dogs for all sorts of reasons. They are now increasingly being used in close support, snatch and search missions that have a place in the Zero Dark canon. Thematically, they struggle a bit. Dogs never made it to Venus or Mars at all. They were too unpredictable. Cats are popular on ships, where they keep the inevitable vermin populations under control, but that tends to be it for pets beyond Earth. So in the setting, dogs would need to be rescued and trained by the rescue missions - something they would have little to no skill in doing. The "dog" role is well fulfilled by the remote upgrade.
So do you think I should make the effort to shoehorn in bikes and dogs?
My inclination, for now, is to keep dogs in the back pocket for when I get to work on the Horizon Wars faction guide, which will introduce bespoke rules for Martian, Venusian and Terran Survivor factions in the game. Dogs would be a much better fit for the Terran faction than for the off-worlders. Those who desperately want to include dogs can just run them as remotes that can be medic'd by docs instead of sappers, I think.
Meanwhile, my gut says "no" to bikes, even as my heart says "yes". I've never felt they fitted well in the Infinity skirmish game, despite looking awesome. I think Zero Dark is a game for infantry fighters only.
But I'd love to hear your opinions, or even suggestions about other concepts, options and upgrades I should be including.
EDIT - I knew there was something else!
Jet-packs
Or jump-packs or drop-packs or whatever. Currently, there are no rules to let heroes make assisted leaps, fly through the air or drop into a battle from on-high. Again, those games that include these features have always felt a bit contrived in their execution to me. Whilst jump assists, like in Titanfall, make sense in the context of an active urban battlefield (for a given value of "sense"), Zero Dark is not that. It's a "behind enemy lines"/covert insertion style of game. But I do love a good bit of combat parkour and a jump-assist type of jet pack would certainly achieve that.
What do you think? Should we have parachutists? Jet-pack flying? Or jump-assist devices?
First, motorbikes.
There are some nice minis with motorbikes. Special Forces types have a long history of using motorbikes for long-range missions within enemy lines. Motorbikes and the post-apocalypse have a long thematic association. But to my mind, the teams that participate in the game would have left their motorbikes at the RVP. They are noisy and, even assuming silent electric motors, awkward to manoeuvre at low speeds over uncertain terrain compared to the Mark 1 Human Foot.
Second, dogs.
Now, I love military dogs for all sorts of reasons. They are now increasingly being used in close support, snatch and search missions that have a place in the Zero Dark canon. Thematically, they struggle a bit. Dogs never made it to Venus or Mars at all. They were too unpredictable. Cats are popular on ships, where they keep the inevitable vermin populations under control, but that tends to be it for pets beyond Earth. So in the setting, dogs would need to be rescued and trained by the rescue missions - something they would have little to no skill in doing. The "dog" role is well fulfilled by the remote upgrade.
So do you think I should make the effort to shoehorn in bikes and dogs?
My inclination, for now, is to keep dogs in the back pocket for when I get to work on the Horizon Wars faction guide, which will introduce bespoke rules for Martian, Venusian and Terran Survivor factions in the game. Dogs would be a much better fit for the Terran faction than for the off-worlders. Those who desperately want to include dogs can just run them as remotes that can be medic'd by docs instead of sappers, I think.
Meanwhile, my gut says "no" to bikes, even as my heart says "yes". I've never felt they fitted well in the Infinity skirmish game, despite looking awesome. I think Zero Dark is a game for infantry fighters only.
But I'd love to hear your opinions, or even suggestions about other concepts, options and upgrades I should be including.
EDIT - I knew there was something else!
Jet-packs
Or jump-packs or drop-packs or whatever. Currently, there are no rules to let heroes make assisted leaps, fly through the air or drop into a battle from on-high. Again, those games that include these features have always felt a bit contrived in their execution to me. Whilst jump assists, like in Titanfall, make sense in the context of an active urban battlefield (for a given value of "sense"), Zero Dark is not that. It's a "behind enemy lines"/covert insertion style of game. But I do love a good bit of combat parkour and a jump-assist type of jet pack would certainly achieve that.
What do you think? Should we have parachutists? Jet-pack flying? Or jump-assist devices?