Why do we insist that a Sci Fi figure line must have heavy weapons at the squad and individual level? Afterall this is Sci Fi - I mean SCI FI - where that itty bitty energy pistol could potentially have the same firepower as a modern day SAW or even an Abrahms tank in plasma energy form.For me there are four reasons:
1) Tactical diversity. Especially if you play squad level games.
2) Figure diversity - 5 standy abouty figures with the same WTFIT firearm and only apparently different because they have differing degrees of tennis elbow doesn't pop my credit card.
3) Character diversity. The chopper gunner is alway the hard ass of the squad eg Blane (Predator) Drake and Vasquez (Aliens).
4) They are generally just frikkin cool. Admit it, you loved the stabilised M56 rapid fire support weapons when you first saw them on the screen in Aliens (back in 1986...ahem).
Of course, in the far future man carried squad support and heavy weapons may well take various other forms - robotics, heavy walkers, gun drones etc but it's safe to say that there will always be an eight tentacled accountant on Tharg or slimy blue skinned Minister of Defence on Planet Millibrand that will work out the cheapest way of upgunning their soldiers is to give some poor grunt in each squad/pod a bigger, meaner, heavier piece of killing hardware to carry
(supplied by the lowest bidder of course).
Khurasan Miniatures 15mm Sci FiFelid Heavy Battle Circle: TC1301
Critical Mass Games 15mm Sci FiLight Recon Support Weapon Greens
Cheers
Mark
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All I will say is a reasounding, "Yup".
ReplyDeleteWell, not to mention Fallout (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3314/3198785305_c23d2530de.jpg )!
ReplyDeleteYep, support weapons add quite a lot of diversity to each squad. I mean, if they come only with rifles they are less interesting than figures having SAWs, rocket-launchers, grenade-launchers, plasma-guns and flamers!
ReplyDeleteOne gripe I have with a lot of minis is that SAWs are by far the most common support weapon supplied with mini packs, as opposed to, for example, flamers and greande launchers. I want to vary my forces, so non-standard support weapons are always welcome.
My votes are for 1 and 4. Particularly 1. Sometimes you just need a higher rate of fire. :)
ReplyDeleteI'd favour your 4th reason.
ReplyDeleteIt just seems right. It's the tried and tested method.
Unless you wanted an uber-neo-communist army, where all were equal. But to be honest, that would make quite a boring game.
Hell, why not just make everything armoured. Again, boring. You need a bit of variation and you want some runts.
Agreed, with one caveat: I'm tired of the 'carry at waist level with both hands' style of SAW. Give me a bigger rifle with a bigger mag and a bipod, not something that can't be aimed, or controlled for recoil.
ReplyDelete