DEADZONE FACTION FOCUS: MARAUDERS
14th Aug 2018
Rob Burman
The Deadzone Summer Campaign starts on August 20th! 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, it's time to go marauding.
Since their earliest encounters with Orcs, humans have consistently underestimated their kind. Brutish and bestial in appearance, with tough hide, sloping brows and oversized teeth, it is tempting to dismiss them as simple barbarian savages. In actual fact, Orcs are possessed of a cunning intelligence, able to learn new skills quickly and adapt their tactics dependent on the foe they faced. The first Corporate encounter with them on one of their many homeworlds ended in massacre. Ever pragmatic, the Council elected to make use of these creatures for its own ends, offering them the opportunity to work for the GCPS as mercenaries. The Orcs, for their part, were happy enough to fight anyone at all if there was a reward in it for them, and thus the Marauders came to be.
Since the cataclysmic event known as the Mandrake Rebellion, Marauders have been replaced in the employ of the Council by the Enforcers. The Mandrake wars caused the Marauders to scatter to distant corners of the galaxy, gathering in small bands to operate as mercenary rogues, a tradition they continue to this day.
Whether the Marauders encountered in the present day are the same ones who fought for the Council in days gone by, or their descendants, or simply Orcs trained as mercenaries, nobody knows for sure. As ever, they are happy to fight for everyone, from aliens to less ethical corporations and occasionally just themselves. Some of them will be in a Deadzone for the loot, some on commission from a Corp looking to steal a march on its rivals, and some just for the heck of it. Whatever their reasoning, underestimating them is generally the first and last mistake that any enemy is given the opportunity to make.
Green is Mean! And these guys are the meanest! Led by a combat beast in the Warlord, a tactical genius in the commando captain or keep your troops alive with the Sergeant.
Some say the Marauders are an easy faction to play with and they’d be right if you want to smash your enemies into pulp with everything you have! However take a moment to look at the range of models they have and you’ll see that they have an answer for everything with fast units in the mawbeast and skyscraper able to grab objectives or get into advantageous positions.
The commandos are no slouches with a good shoot and fight, plus a great survive. Cheaper meat shields come in the form of the Goran Auxiliaries (a new unit introduced in Outbreak) who can open up your specialist options and boy do you have some options!
Ripper Rainmakers are your Swiss army knife with an answer to everything the enemy can throw at you. Their close combat brethren, the Mauler, can deal out some serious damage. For pure killing power though you need look no further than the Hulk with a Strider-sized HEW Cannon.
Marauders aren't subtle but that doesn’t mean they aren’t one of the best, I mean are you going to tell them otherwise?
If you like the sound of the hard hitting Marauders, then the perfect place to start is, of course, the faction starter. This provides a fantastic foundation on which to build your Strike Team. Along with the core units, you've also got the option of three Goblin Snipers and four Mawbeasts (the Marauders' deadly house trained killing machine). Also, with the Ripper Rainmaker and Mauler, you'll be able to hear your opponent's knees knocking before you enter the room.
If you want the mighty Hulk, then you'll need to pick up the Marauder Faction Booster, which also comes with some extra Rippers... because you can never have enough Rippers.