Deadzone Faction Focus: Asterians
10th Aug 2018
Dave
The Deadzone Summer Campaign is nearly upon us! To help you get set up, we're going to focus on each faction you'll be able to take in the campaign including background, tactics from the rules committee, and more! Today, we risk a look at the elusive Asterians.
Aloof, and in some ways utterly inscrutable to humans, the Asterians tend on the whole to have as little as possible to do with other races. Where the Forge Fathers tend to be insular with regards to their culture and customs, they mix well enough with others as dictated by their trade. The Asterians suffer no such engagement with the ‘younger races’ and are especially disdainful of humanity, whom they view as akin to children, scattering through the universe heedless of its order or the chaos that they leave behind them.
The Asterians venerate the pursuit of universal balance above all else, their very society based around this concept. Their disdain of warfare and violence has led to the development of technology which allows their finest warriors to fight on the battlefield without physical risk, piloting sophisticated remote drones from orbit known as Cyphers which are as nimble and capable as a living being, with the added bonuses of far superior speed, strength and endurance. It was the Asterians who first warned humanity of the dangers posed by the Death Arc and tried to deter them from disturbing what lay there. That humanity ignored these warnings was disappointing, if unsurprising.
The Asterian people seldom find purpose to venture into GCPS territory, but they are often reported around Deadzones, though their purpose is unclear. Certainly it would seem that they are most often encountered where an outbreak of Plague or the discovery of one of the ancient alien artefacts which heralds it have occurred. Beyond that, none can say, for they appear from nowhere, as ghosts and disappear as quickly, with no explanation. Attempts to communicate with them are ignored, and attempts to stop them are futile.
The reclusive Asterians may seem cold and impersonal and that’s because they are, even when you aren’t talking to one of their host piloted cypher robots. They may be perceived as weak due to their small and nimble frames but they have a mental core of solid steal.
Boasting THE best shots in the whole of Deadzone - and that's not just limited to the Cyphers. Everyone is pretty handy when it comes to shooting. Along with one of the best melee units in their Kalyshi, who can take down pretty much anything. The Asterians are not to be trifled with.
Your models are fragile though and in general you should keep the enemy at arm’s length to maximise your shooting prowess and invest in shields, lots of shields. Did we mention you should take shields? YOU SHOULD TAKE SHIELDS.
Bring balance to the galaxy with the Asterian Faction Starter! This great set includes everything you will need for your first Strike Teams, including 5 Marionettes, an elite Black Talon, 10 Marionettes (with Grenade Launchers, Sniper Rifles and Flamethrowers) and 2 Support Drones. There's also an Overseer to lead your force. Although they may not be the most numerous, this Faction Starter is large enough for either a Strike Team or full Campaign Army!
The Asterians aren't fond of risking their own in combat. Instead they rely on artificial constructs like Weapons Drones. This set includes two hovering drone platforms with loads of powerful weapons to choose from. You can field either the Plasma Vortex, Fission Beamer, Pulse Bombard, or the Shield Generator. The fitting for the weapons means that you don't have to glue them in place - so you can swap out weapons between games and tailor your force to suit your foe.