The final expansions for 2011 have finally been announced , in the shape of the Axis and Allies Hero Packs.
I think these are really great packs, and to help the discussion on them, here are all the units cards:
Hero Packs
So, a stick of dynamite is more powerful than a bazooka, really
Major Mishap said:
So, a stick of dynamite is more powerful than a bazooka, really
Well, considering it's being carefully attached by a saboteur at point-blank range, probably at a structural weak-spot, I think that's pretty reasonable.
I have more problems with a human-scale circular saw that does as much damage as a walker's Kampfzange.
Loophole Master said:
I have more problems with a human-scale circular saw that does as much damage as a walker's Kampfzange.
I think it makes sense - a soldier with a saw like that could take out a walker leg quite easily. The Kampfzange can't go for the legs quite so easily.
Then again, it's a zombie with a giant circular saw on the end of a stick. There's only so far one can go in debates about realism at this point.
Even in the fluff, there can be logical consistency.
You have to wonder what the purpose of the huge back tank is for the weapon. A chainsaw could run quite a while on a fuel tank that would fit the core weapon, while something special with VK could add a lot to the weapon's abilities.
As noted, someone attacking a walker's legs is attacking a walker's weakest point, and all of them have exposed parts they need for movement. Allowing a 4 dice attack in close combat against a walker's weak points with a power tool isn't a bad option.
The Priest actually seems pretty cool to me. Combine him with Hell Boys or BBQ Squad, and not only is it quite powerful, it can move 2 diagonals and then attack (with Agile and Fast combined), something that no other unit can do.
I'm really liking the Priest. He was interesting in the comic, but will be a lot of fun in the wargame. Medal of Honor also makes his anti-tank attack much more potent. The Hell Boys or BBQ squad do look like nice fits.
Hehe, fair enough.
So, what do you think the best combos for these heroes are?
- Stefan. You could attach him to the Sturmpioniere to create a sort of Hellboys equivalent, with added mobility from Assault.
- Totenmeister and Grenadier X - Well, not much choice there, they have to go with the Axis Zombies. And frankly they are almost the exact same figure, just trading the W-Serum for Assault. As such I guess I'd go with the Totenmeister first.
- Action Jackson - He's obviously meant to go with the British Paratroopers, and you can't really join him to any other squad, since all other Armor 3 units currently available have Jump, and he doesn't.
- The Priest - This guy could be a terrible addition to either BBQ or the Hellboys. Like them, he only has Range 1 and C weapons, and he's almost assured to kill a medium walker with that dynamite and a reroll from Medal of Honor. His Agile skill will also make these squads even more mobile.
- Johnny One-Eye. I don't think I'd use him unless I absolutely had to. He's just a heavy weapons Recon Boy with extra health and unlimited ammo. If I had to use him I guess the best match would be The Gunners, which would then be able to use their 4 UGLs multiple times, and would become a bit more effective against infantry.
Come to think of it, the heroes in this pack are very limited in terms of who you can attach them to. You only really have a choice with 3 of the 6 figures.
The Priest is amazing and I can not wait for this pack to come out! The Gobbo Wants!!!
The Priest isn't quite an assured medium walker kill, as the re-roll only gives him an effective ~55% chance of a kill each turn, but that's a lot better than 33%. His Agility certainly works best with the Fast units, though, as nobody else gains as much from it.
Johnny One-Eye is actually a really great fit with the Gunners. Badass gives them 10 attack dice to range 3 against Armor 2 or 3 infantry every turn, as well as giving the unit extra wounds for survivability.
Gimp said:
You have to wonder what the purpose of the huge back tank is for the weapon. A chainsaw could run quite a while on a fuel tank that would fit the core weapon, while something special with VK could add a lot to the weapon's abilities.
Oh that's easy to explain. When we first had the idea of giving weapons to zombies we had a hard time teaching them how to reload them. Eventually we came up with the idea of strapping on a huge gas tank and dropping them into the middle of a battle. The tank is large enough to keep them fighting for several days, much longer than the typical battle.
Grauenwolf said:
Gimp said:
You have to wonder what the purpose of the huge back tank is for the weapon. A chainsaw could run quite a while on a fuel tank that would fit the core weapon, while something special with VK could add a lot to the weapon's abilities.
Oh that's easy to explain. When we first had the idea of giving weapons to zombies we had a hard time teaching them how to reload them. Eventually we came up with the idea of strapping on a huge gas tank and dropping them into the middle of a battle. The tank is large enough to keep them fighting for several days, much longer than the typical battle.
Grenadier-X is one of the special, smarter zombies. He can still speak, retains more of his living capabilities, and can function without direct support.
He does have a problem with large calibre rounds to the back of the head, but you can't have everything...
Gimp said:
Grauenwolf said:
Gimp said:
You have to wonder what the purpose of the huge back tank is for the weapon. A chainsaw could run quite a while on a fuel tank that would fit the core weapon, while something special with VK could add a lot to the weapon's abilities.
Oh that's easy to explain. When we first had the idea of giving weapons to zombies we had a hard time teaching them how to reload them. Eventually we came up with the idea of strapping on a huge gas tank and dropping them into the middle of a battle. The tank is large enough to keep them fighting for several days, much longer than the typical battle.
Grenadier-X is one of the special, smarter zombies. He can still speak, retains more of his living capabilities, and can function without direct support.
He does have a problem with large calibre rounds to the back of the head, but you can't have everything...
It was blowing his brains out that zombiefied him in the first place, it was a flamethrower in the mouth that finished him off. Just another massive plot hole in the comic
Loophole Master said:
Major Mishap said:
So, a stick of dynamite is more powerful than a bazooka, really
Well, considering it's being carefully attached by a saboteur at point-blank range, probably at a structural weak-spot, I think that's pretty reasonable.
I doubt that is at all possible when the vehicle is probably moving or shooting at you. Saboteuring can only be done against unaware objects. And besides, why can't a well placed panzerschreck round at point blank range do the same thing? I think this is my big beef with DT, the amount of one-shot, one-kill weapons the Allies have.
Major Mishap said:
Gimp said:
Grauenwolf said:
Gimp said:
You have to wonder what the purpose of the huge back tank is for the weapon. A chainsaw could run quite a while on a fuel tank that would fit the core weapon, while something special with VK could add a lot to the weapon's abilities.
Oh that's easy to explain. When we first had the idea of giving weapons to zombies we had a hard time teaching them how to reload them. Eventually we came up with the idea of strapping on a huge gas tank and dropping them into the middle of a battle. The tank is large enough to keep them fighting for several days, much longer than the typical battle.
Grenadier-X is one of the special, smarter zombies. He can still speak, retains more of his living capabilities, and can function without direct support.
He does have a problem with large calibre rounds to the back of the head, but you can't have everything...
It was blowing his brains out that zombiefied him in the first place, it was a flamethrower in the mouth that finished him off. Just another massive plot hole in the comic
The cook got one, but the one with the buzz saw Joe took out. Admittedly, both acted like more than dumb brutes, and neither was named, so we can pretend neither one was actualy Grenadier-X.
I thought they were the same zombie as the one cook fried already had the same injury and looks the same as the one Ingrid shot.....I'll go and get me comic
Major Mishap said:
Loophole Master said:
Major Mishap said:
So, a stick of dynamite is more powerful than a bazooka, really
Well, considering it's being carefully attached by a saboteur at point-blank range, probably at a structural weak-spot, I think that's pretty reasonable.
I doubt that is at all possible when the vehicle is probably moving or shooting at you. Saboteuring can only be done against unaware objects. And besides, why can't a well placed panzerschreck round at point blank range do the same thing? I think this is my big beef with DT, the amount of one-shot, one-kill weapons the Allies have.
Major Mishap said:
Loophole Master said:
Major Mishap said:
So, a stick of dynamite is more powerful than a bazooka, really
Well, considering it's being carefully attached by a saboteur at point-blank range, probably at a structural weak-spot, I think that's pretty reasonable.
I doubt that is at all possible when the vehicle is probably moving or shooting at you. Saboteuring can only be done against unaware objects. And besides, why can't a well placed panzerschreck round at point blank range do the same thing? I think this is my big beef with DT, the amount of one-shot, one-kill weapons the Allies have.
The problem with point blank shots from a bazooka or panzerschrek is both weapons have a minimum arming range that keeps them from being pinpoint accuracy weapons, even if you add extra guidance tech to them. Explosive ordnance is not your friend if it blows up right after (or before) leaving the launcher.
While sabotage suggests hidden attacks against unaware targets, a demo charge thrown or attached to a moving vehicle was a standard tactic for WW2. Soldiers were trained to go for certain areas to maximize the mayhem from the charge.
A saboteur like the Priest could be very good at putting a bomb where it would do the most good when moving in close to a moving vehicle. He is a comic book hero, after all.
Major Mishap said:
I thought they were the same zombie as the one cook fried already had the same injury and looks the same as the one Ingrid shot.....I'll go and get me comic
Yup, same character. Same hair (or lack of it style), same straggly beard, same broken nose and the same entry and exit wounds. So it looks like you don't need a brain to talk and be an Axis leader
Gimp said:
He is a comic book hero, after all.
I'll give it to you on that
The worst hero in the bunch? Action Jackson, hands down.
Why? Because of some gakking moron in the miniatures department thinks that stupid pose looks good. Instant surgery required. Given the price of these minis, my such stupid poses. I admit, not quite as bad as some of the new Axis IA3 minis, but really. If you were running like that you would be about a second away from eating dirt or turning it into a flailing stumble to get your balance.
Major Mishap said:
Major Mishap said:
I thought they were the same zombie as the one cook fried already had the same injury and looks the same as the one Ingrid shot.....I'll go and get me comic
Yup, same character. Same hair (or lack of it style), same straggly beard, same broken nose and the same entry and exit wounds. So it looks like you don't need a brain to talk and be an Axis leader
Methinks they must just be similar zombies.
The Chef fries one before Joe meets the other.
Chef's has scraggly hair, and perhaps a mustache, but Joe's looks bald and clean shaven in my book.
Perhaps Joe's is Grenadier-X, and the Chef's simply shows us why he's still functioning. Joe just temporarily inconvenienced him.
That would fit with Markus losing in a fight, but still being around. He got chewed up, but as a comic book heroic villain, he might have looked dead, but he got better.
Algesan said:
The worst hero in the bunch? Action Jackson, hands down.
Why? Because of some gakking moron in the miniatures department thinks that stupid pose looks good. Instant surgery required. Given the price of these minis, my such stupid poses. I admit, not quite as bad as some of the new Axis IA3 minis, but really. If you were running like that you would be about a second away from eating dirt or turning it into a flailing stumble to get your balance.
Running, or for that matter, even walking, is a controlled fall. I don't think the pose is that unreasonable for someone running with armor on.
Of course, any miniature that starts as multiple pieces could end up looking different than the cards. My Bazooka Joe is going after aircraft with his grenade launcher. How Action Jackson will look may vary quite a bit.
Gimp said:
Major Mishap said:
Major Mishap said:
I thought they were the same zombie as the one cook fried already had the same injury and looks the same as the one Ingrid shot.....I'll go and get me comic
Yup, same character. Same hair (or lack of it style), same straggly beard, same broken nose and the same entry and exit wounds. So it looks like you don't need a brain to talk and be an Axis leader
Methinks they must just be similar zombies.
The Chef fries one before Joe meets the other.
Chef's has scraggly hair, and perhaps a mustache, but Joe's looks bald and clean shaven in my book.
Perhaps Joe's is Grenadier-X, and the Chef's simply shows us why he's still functioning. Joe just temporarily inconvenienced him.
That would fit with Markus losing in a fight, but still being around. He got chewed up, but as a comic book heroic villain, he might have looked dead, but he got better.
Sorry I'm not talking about Joe or GrenX, talking about Sigrids (think we are talking cross purposses, I'm trying to say that Dust zombies lose no function for not having a brain) . She shoots the professor through the head, he becomes a Zombie a short time later with no loss of function who the cook then flames. Looking through the book again, there appears to be several zombies who act as if they are not 'mindless' zombies.
I see what you meant, now, though I hadn't considered that to be the professor. I'd first read the Operation Seelowe account where he injected himself before being shot, but thought he had become something other than a zombie from it. It might be him, though I don't think he'd be too interested in passing on the menu request to the Cef after she shot him. There are a few other physical inconsistencies, though, like ear shape, amount of beard, and uniform, that still make me wnoder.
Hopefully, we can get more comics or books telling us more back story. Not the part I'm most interested in, but I'd be happy to get more on anything.
Your point about brains obviously not being a requirement holds, regardless. Even moreso if the professor is someone different, as that would give us one intelligent Zombie operating in the comics, and the professor operating after the comics, with similar injuries (with the possible addition of Grenadier-X, as well, thanks to Joe).