Airship Dragoon – An After Action Report
Airship Dragoon is a steampunk themed, turn-based. squad tactics game with procedurally generated strategic campaigns, similar in style to the early work of Julian Gollop (UFO/X-Com, Laser Squad, etc). Troops are unique individuals based on six separate classes. Disclaimer: the author is the developer.
by Steve Acaster, 1 May 2014
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Campaign Overview: Dreadnought On The Starboard Bow
Playing as the British Royalists (one of six playable factions), the early part of the main campaign was spent expanding territory rapidly before returning close to my main base to the clear remaining resistance from the indigenous pirates. This early expansion had brought me into contact with the shadowy “People’s Collective”, who soon started eating away at my newly acquired lands far to the south. Though I had managed to check their advance during a previous battle, it was only a matter of time before they returned, and so I swung my lone Dreadnought class heavy airship around and headed on to find it’s opposite number. Someone was going to lose their prize dirigible.
Sure enough we made contact close to where I suspected their main garrison to be, and I intercepted their own heavy dirigible over a mountain range. A victory in ground combat would later allow me the chance to assault their the headquarters and kick them out of the war all together, a defeat would see my forces trapped far to the north, waiting for construction of a new airship whilst the Collective plundered my territories.
Preparing For Battle: There Is No Such Thing As Too Much Ammo
With both regimes using a Dreadnought class airship, the numerical strength of each side would be equal, though after my previous battles I expected that the quality of my troops would be better. I had little idea how technologically advanced the enemy would be but expected us to be fairly matched.
The battle was to take place in the cold mountains (-20% Action Points to those not wearing a layer of armour for extra warmth), visibility would be medium and the randomised objective was to capture the enemies flag. The exact layout of the battlefield would only be determined when the battle started. Continue reading
