Dropzone Commander - A Not-So-Quick Overview of the Fluff

So I now have all four starter box armies painted up and ready to rock. The start box armies provide between 500-600 points each, and are all set up basically the same. Each one has two battlegroups - one armored, and one infantry. Each armored battlegroup contains a squad of anti-armor vehicles and a squad of anti-aircraft vehicles, each either their own medium dropships. Each infantry battlegroup contains two squads of basic infantry with two APCs and a medium dropship.

For demo purposes, I am adding a third battlegroup to each army - a command battleground with a command unit and one other option (scouts for UCM, PHR, and Shaltari, and AA tanks for Scourge). Expect to see those units painted up by the end of next weekend so I can start hosting demo events at the end of the month into December.

A stout observer will notice the missing UCM APCs!

So a quick overview of the fluff. In my next post, I'll put up a description of the armies and how the play.

 The story starts in the 22nd century, and mankind has pretty much ravaged Earth. Nations and politics fell by the wayside as mankind united for survival of their planet.  As great leaps are made in energy discoveries, mankind gains the ability to warp in space (albeit very poorly) by the 24th century. 

Warping through space and forming colonies farther and farther away from Earth, mankind first encounters the Shaltari, an alien race using technologies not even fathomable my mankind. The Shaltari were peaceful, and helped guide mankind to awesome places to inhabit (called Cradle Worlds) and improve upon their space travel tech. Over time, thought, mankind became to understand that the Shaltari were manipulating them, placing them between rival Shaltari tribes and such. The bond between the two races, while not reaching the levels of war, quickly deteriorated.

The Shaltari starter

In the 26th century, a sphere fell from the heavens onto Earth. A sphere with properties incomprehensible to mankind and any technology they had. Researches spent months working to figure out what it was. Once they had it connected to a computer, it shut down all the computer systems and sent a message that basically summarized an enemy is coming to Earth that you cannot beat. You have 50 years to come to planet Vega IV and meet us, or you'll all die. 

Tensions rose over the 50 years and civil wars broke out. One the eve of the date of the warning, several fleets of rebels warped off to Vega IV, sparking a huge in-fight among the humans. The rebels all received a coordinate to warp to, and the surviving rebels disappeared into deep space. The next day, like clockwork, an alien race, later designated the Scourge, descended upon Earth and completely owned mankind on the planet. There were few human survivors, but those who did escaped to the Cradle Worlds.

The Scourge starter

The humans on the Cradle Worlds formed the United Colonies of Mankind, and started a militaristic buildup like never seen before, intent on getting revenge against the Scourge. Were they sent by the Shaltari? Were the Shaltari behind the sphere that fell to Earth? Is it a completely separate, unrelated Alien race? 

The UCM starter

Overtime, the UCM scouted out Earth and planned an invasion to reclaim their home world. A date was set and fleets were prepared. On the Eve of the invasion, a foreign fleet came down to the lead Cradle World. They seemed to have come peacefully and met with the UCM diplomats. They introduced themselves as the rebels that escaped on the eve of the invasion - now known as the Post Human Republic. They warned against the dangers of the invasion and offered assistance, but the UCM was still spiteful of the rebel's actions, and sent them back on their way.

The PHR starter

So the day of the invasion arrives, the UCM start their fleets and prepare to warp off to Earth, and that's where the story leaves you for your games of Dropzone Commander!