Painted Dropfleet Commander Scourge painted up (first kitbashes added 12/12)

[Hobby Services]

Yeah, as I mentioned in the Dropfleet Commander review thread, I'll almost certainly crack and buy ships, I was just hoping to get a couple of models to practice on before the hell that is Xmas engulfs us all.

Will probably get the UCM starter box , then I'm torn between the PHR and Shaltari as my second fleets.

If you're basing 2nd fleet decisions on gameplay rather than aesthetics (which isn't how I generally shop, but to each their own) I think I'd recommend the PHR.  They're much more forgiving than Shaltari, and if you enjoyed the way Battlefleet Gothic played the broadsides-in-space game you'll like PHR.  Shaltari can be effective and have more cute gimmicks and odd weapons, but they've got a steep learning curve and I'm not 100% convinced they were adequately playtested.

[Omac 247]

Thanks for that, that's really useful to know as the guys I'm playing it with will probably only know BFG

[Hobby Services]

Thanks for that, that's really useful to know as the guys I'm playing it with will probably only know BFG

That's arguably a good thing.  They will definitely find some familiar elements in DfC, especially with the PHR play style.  Can be a minor drawback too, for ex so many of the special orders are similar but just a little different there's a tendency to be betrayed by "muscle memory" on them.  Of course that's been an issue in other games too, such as the Call To Arms series which also stole heavily from BFG in spots.

[Omac 247]

Rulebook arrived, and the quick skim through I've had seems to have sealed the deal in favour of the UCM and PHR fleets.

Roll on payday and I'll order starter fleets for both, it's good to have a plan 

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Rulebook arrived, and the quick skim through I've had seems to have sealed the deal in favour of the UCM and PHR fleets.

Roll on payday and I'll order starter fleets for both, it's good to have a plan 

FWIW, I find the UCM fleets strengths to be:

1) Access to excellent firing arcs, making it easier to use "No Turn" special orders while still shooting effectively.
2) Many options for spiking enemy ships, from the obvious Lima support frigate and numerous Flash superlaser ships to the less-apparent Jakarta escort frigate (which are cheap, lose very little for Active Scanning, and can operate as single-ship groups, which is unusual for frigates).
3) Above average saves across the fleet.
4) Strong Burn-Through weapons on multiple platforms down to light cruisers, giving them a fairly reliable armor penetration capability when needed.

Weaknesses would be:

1) Below average speeds.
2) Battleships lack a truly strong single weapon for reliable ship-killing on orders other than Weapons Free.

The PHR strengths are:

1) Top-tier durability, with both strong armor saves and extra hull strength across the fleet.
2) Access to Burn-Through and Flash weapons all the way down to the frigate category.  Supernova lasers are weaker than the UCM versions (unless paired) but they're available on even more numerous ship classes.
3) Above average Scan ratings, extending their ranges and making close actions safer for them.
4) Battleships have Crippling weapons (and see above for the point about Scan ratings helping with using those neutron missiles on the Minos).
5) Top-tier bombers and loads of carrier options.  Toss-up as to whether the Scourge or PHR bombers are the best in the game, but it's certainly one of the two.

Weaknesses:

1) Slow, which is more problematic with them than the UCM since you want to get both those side arcs bearing on foes.
2) Broadside armament is harder to get mileage out of than forward guns are, although even a turn or two on Weapons Free with all guns firing can make up for a lot.
3) Troopships are expensive, as are all their frigate hulls.  Probably worth the cost, but you will tend to be outnumbered or outweighed.

[Omac 247]

I'm pretty sold on both fleets, as I do like the aesthetic of both of them, as well as  the broadsides vs forward arc play styles.
I've been looking at YouTube battle reports a lot this weekend, so am getting a feel for the kind of fleets to field and tactics to use.

It does strike me at first glance it might be possible to secure an easy win by simply concentrating of getting boots on the ground and controlling all the clusters, if you skewed your fleet composition far enough.

I'm assuming there are balancing mechanics in place to limit this though

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It does strike me at first glance it might be possible to secure an easy win by simply concentrating of getting boots on the ground and controlling all the clusters, if you skewed your fleet composition far enough.

I'm assuming there are balancing mechanics in place to limit this though

That's my concern as well, particularly with the Shaltari, who have the unique ability to move troops from one cluster to another during the game.  A troop-delivery skew with them looks degenerate to me, although it works best in scenarios with few or no space stations and critical locations.  It's possible that you mam be able to earn enough points off contesting the ground and winning critical locations to win against a super-lany force, though.  Still trying to get a feel for that.