ACW Gamer: The Ezine Issue 1, October 2014

ACW Gamer: The Ezine Issue 1:

An electronic magazine for fighting the American Civil War on your table top! Miniatures, Scenarios, Reviews and more!

A skirmish-level scenario for Pohick Church, 1861
An interview with Chris Hughes, owner/sculptor of Sash and Saber Castings
A unit sketch of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
Crucible of Valor: an unofficial ACW variant for Warlord Games' Black Powder

ACW Gamer

Terran Alliance Core Helix

With a Terran Core Helix Commanders will find themselves able to field a strong, durable force, capable of withstanding much of the punishment that other forces can dish out, before closing to the optimal range for their unforgiving weapons!

The Vidar Heavy Tank exemplifies this strategy with a combination of M205 ‘Magellan’ Cannon and Hammerstrike Missile Systems. The Heavy Tank engages the enemy at range using its missiles until within optimum range to deliver the knockout blow with the M205 – a weapon known to strike terror in the enemies facing it.

The Heimdahl Medium Tank continues the theme acting as a support element, using its M127 ‘Drake’ Cannons to ‘Clear the Road’ for the other members of the Helix.

Supporting these elements are the Ullr Specialist Tanks. These come in 2 ‘marks’:

The Mk I acts as an Anti-Air Defence squadron, using powerful Shrike Rotor Guns to bring down enemy flyers with corrosive radio-active shells.

The Mk II is more unusual in that it can be attached to friendly armoured squadrons and strengthens the shielding harmonics of their parent squadron, greatly increasing the survivability of the force!

Close behind the main advance come the Sinir Armoured Transports with their Hirdmen Light Infantry on-board. These medium support vehicles deliver their cargo deep into the teeth of the enemy and then continue to support their charges with a powerful close quarter battle presence.

‘Terran Alliance forces are the stalwarts of the battlefield – soaking up enemy weapons fire before reaching their objective…’

Finally, the Terrans make extensive use of their own form of the Valkyrie Light Recon Vehicle, a small wheeled vehicle that packs a solid punch using its Raptor Grenade Launchers!

Whilst not the fastest force on the battlefield, the durability and rugged determination of Terran Alliance forces are often the undoing of many a complacent enemy Commander.

Spartan Games 

Sorylian Collective Core Helix

The Sorylian Collective marshal their resources carefully only to expend them when maximum force can be delivered with mathematical precision.

As the undisputed masters of long range weaponry and artillery, the Sorylians deliver punishment from afar, before closing in to unleash their Light and Heavy Infantry upon their shattered foes.

Leading the line is the Hul’Ka Battle Walker armed with a terrifying Kor’Nak Heavy Cannon and Vaan Scatter Cannons. This hulking brute acts as an artillery platform as well as line breaker within a Sorylian Core Helix.

On the battlefield this brutal engine of war is a sight to behold, and many an enemy Commander has painfully learnt how truly devastating this Battle Walker is.

In support, the force utilises Bor’Ka Medium Walkers. These unusually shaped battle walkers are designed for up close and deadly combat with powerful Vann Scatter Cannons, providing the Walker with debilitating close quarter battle capabilities.

Supporting these heavy hitters are the Ka’Kun Recon Skimmers – a light, single-man craft used by the Sorylians to take and hold ground prior to the arrival of their infantry cadres.

‘The combination of mathematical genius and brute strength is something that makes the Sorylians a most tricky enemy to deal with…’

In terms of infantry, the Sorylians are rightly feared across the galaxy, with infantry strikes that target (and destroy) enemy lines like a hammer!

With the Kul’Vok Heavy Infantry (often deployed into battle from the back of a Hul’Ka Heavy Tank!) through to the adaptive Mul’Kat Light Infantry, who travel right into the firefight on specially adapted Bol’Vak Transport Skiffs, these kill teams mix overwhelming firepower with unparalleled aggression to shred their enemies.

The Bol’Vak is jokingly referenced to as ‘shooting troops into combat’ due to its speed of delivery. The result of which can be devastating when Kul’Vok Heavy Infantry disembark from it…

Spartan Games 

The Relthoza Core Helix

The Relthoza have a noble tradition of blooding their younger warriors on the battlefields of the Firestorm Galaxy. The honour driven society demands acts of heroism and, most of all, victory! Only the strongest survive and defeat ends in death.

With a Core Helix, a Relthozan Commander has access to a powerful combination of superior numbers and specialised Cloaking Technology.

Leading the line is the Visith Heavy Tank – a strong bulwark of a vehicle housing a Relthozan warrior psy-linked into the machine to provide a powerful commanding presence on the battlefield. Armed with Chrysalis Shard Cannons that fire kinetic projectiles towards the enemy at prodigious rate and Chelicerae Missiles that excel at forcing targets out of cover and into the open, a Visith is a ‘living vehicle’ to be feared.

In support of the heavy elements are a pair of Salamas Battle Walkers. These rugged battle engines house a fully developed Relthozan warrior and provide strong close support to the lighter elements using their ability to fire on different targets to their partner. Armed with an Aurelia Shard Cannon and some of the strongest close quarter battle capability on the battlefield, the battle walker is rightly feared across the Firestorm Galaxy.

‘The Relthoza are THE army for Commanders who like to play with hordes…’

In support of the Visith and Salamas is the Varic Support Walker. This engine has a smaller Relthozan warrior ensconced within, one genetically bred with a natural gift for calculation and battlefield awareness, and as such has been gifted with complex implants capable of linking the warrior to the higher command within Relthozan battle groups. This link allows for Yayiss Spires bristling with Jabri Drone Swarms to be delivered by Sky Drop deep into battlefield hotspots, allowing critical objectives to be rapidly captured.

Finally the Talamis Light Recon Walkers give the Relthozans a mobile reserve they can rely on to support their forces or break apart light formations that have suffered under the relentless barrage of the Relthozan gunnery and mandible attacks!

Spartan Games 

Latest Pre-Orders Available From Spartan Games

SHIPPING FROM DECEMBER 10TH!

Following the exciting launch of Firestorm Planetfall, headlined by the excellent Battle for Proteus Prime 2 Player Battle Box, Spartan Games is pleased to announce our final release of the year. The December release includes new additions for Firestorm Planetfall, Firestorm Armada, Dystopian Legions and Dystopian Wars, so there’s something for everyone this holiday season!

The Dindrenzi Federation, Terran Alliance, Sorylian Collective and Relthoza join the battle in Firestorm Planetfall as we make the Core Helix for each of these major races available, giving you the perfect way to begin building your force. You may also wish to consider hiring the services of either the Ba’Kash or Hawker Industries, the latest allied forces to bring havoc to your battlefield.

Don’t miss out on the Commander Pack – a great way to pick up the rulebook, TAC cards and many other useful items for your games of Firestorm Planetfall.

To place your pre-orders and find out more about these much-anticipated new releases click on the images below.

Spartan Games

Ready for Planetfall?

Have you given Spartan Games a ‘Like’ on Facebook? Those that have were treated to a first look at our painted Sorylian and Relthoza fleets. And that’s not all we revealed last weekend!

Deliberate tacticians who use battlefield control and predetermined fire patterns to pin their enemies in place while their Heavy and Light Infantry Cadres move forwards to capture critical objectives – the Sorylian Collective are masters of the Long Game.

The Sorylian Collective use a lot of Artillery to create areas of denial for their enemies, and powerful cannons to pound their enemies apart at a distance. As a result they have the longest ranged weapons of all races in Planetfall. The models are a mix between slow ground pounding gun tanks and faster skiff vehicles, the latter designed to transport their infantry at high-speed into firefights where their brutish nature is needed.

Relthozan culture uses warfare to accelerate and hone the intense pupation cycles of their race. Or to put it another way – the strong really do survive, and then prosper and grow. In ground combat they rely on Spire Nodal Points (launched into the surface from low-orbit) to bolster their command and control, and as masters of Cloaking technology this race deems their shadow-carapace to be one of their most important military assets. Close quarter combat plays a big part of Relthozan methodology, with units eager to use speed to close the ground between them and the enemy, punishing them with their projective Shard Cannons and of course, rending them limb from limb for good measure!

Blessed with thick armour and access to powerful shielding technology, the Terrans are all about moving deliberately through the battlefield, laying down fire on forward elements of the enemy and then bringing their numbers to bear.

Terrans utilise shorter range weapon systems when compared to other races, but have the survivability to reach their objectives, coupled with the flexibility of multiple turret weapons to give them protection from all sides, to aid them in winning the day. In addition, Terran Commanders make extensive use of a wide array of weapon types ranging from corrosive Hammerstrike Missile Systems, to pinpoint G-43 Lasers and their punishing Magellan Cannons mounted on specialist vehicles designed to fulfil the roles the main battle tanks cannot.

The team have just been finishing up some testing of a new Directorate unit. It can launch from its tracked chassis and perform a Cyberattack on an enemy unit. But the best bit is the Flyer and its chassis is attached to the new Directorate Tank Killer unit we have designed. Quite a nasty pairing up.

You can see the terrain is designed to be modular and will flex to meet the needs of gamers from small boards to full-on cityscapes. The skyscraper is stacked three high here, towering over the landing pad. It’s missing the logo pack and walkways and mezzanine floors that can interconnect buildings, but it gives an idea of how flexible the system is.

If you want to be the first to get these kind of updates then head on over to our Facebook page and ‘Like’ us.

Spartan Games