Tactics Tuesday: Using the new GCPS

In this week's Tactics Tuesday, Andrew Sharp takes you through using the brand-new GCPS in games of Deadzone!

Faction Overview

The Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere (GCPS) is sold as an idyllic society where multitudinous civilisations live in peace, prospering from free trade and advanced technology. The truth is far more complicated. The Rulers of the GCPS ‘The Council of Seven’ maintain an economic and political hegemony that ensures the GCPS is maintained and protected for the security of its human population alone. This decision has always been inherent in human culture, but was reinforced by the events of the Mandrake rebellion, which brought the fledgling GCPS to its very knees. From that day on the forces of the GCPS contain only humans, with only very careful use of other races likes Marauders. Everyone else must agree to be ruled or face the consequences.

Strengths

Guns, guns and more guns, pure and simple. Fortunately the GCPS are perfectly designed to perform this role. Their shooting is not as good as the Enforcers, Forge Fathers or Asterians but you have many more models and all of them can shoot well enough.

There are lots of weapon options as stock or as additional purchases, which gives a huge range of tactical variation. This is demonstrated well by the weapons teams which have 4 heavy weapon choices, more than any other faction.

Weaknesses

The GCPS army is composed entirely of humans, which means they are weak and small compared to many models in other Deadzone factions. Therefore you can’t go toe-to-toe in combat. You will be fully reliant on getting good shots off and using your numbers to your advantage in order to win games. Fights should be avoided at all costs, unless you are sacrificially trying to lock down a powerful model. Not only can it be very difficult to win a Fight it can be dangerous to Break Away from one too, meaning you can’t use a tactic Enforcers or Forge Fathers may use by leaving a cube and firing back into it.

Model Synopsis

Leaders

Major General: Let’s be honest you’re bringing this guy for his Tactician dice. However, he does have a great 'splat' allowing models to attack from distance and providing more Frag options. If you take a model such as a ranger with a commlink you will make it even easier to hit those models hiding on the back of the board too.

Corporation Marine Sergeant: A pretty stock in trade stat line with tactician (1) but an interesting splat that allows you a final chance to shoot an enemy before they attack you. For size 1 models this could mean no fight occurs or if it does you now gain a dice for them being wounded. An effect not to be sniffed at when you are a puny human.

Ranger Sergeant: A good shoot stat, aerial deployment and tactician (1) what’s not to like? Well nothing really. Add to that an excellent splat if you have the right faction build. The ability to reroll grenade and indirect rolls could be immense if you bring mortars or grenade launchers and if you have a commlink on a model or two as well you’re almost guaranteed to always hit with your models.

Troops

Corporation Recruit: Cheap, cheap, cheap at 6pts. Not great at shooting or fighting but useful if you want to get as many models down as possible or want to go specialist heavy.

Corporation Marine: Mr/Mrs Average across the board. Not going to set the world alight but a good shoot stat means that with careful positioning to gain dice for height and clear shot they can do some damage. When you take a good number they can create killing zones to take out pretty much any other size 1 model with ease.

Corporation Veteran: a better fight stat than the normal marines but don’t rely upon that, they will still die quickly in combat. These guys bring their value with their gun, the laser carbine. Shoot on 5+ and weight of fire (1) might not seem much but for 11pts and a troop they are hard to resist.

Specialists

Heavy Weapons Squad: Size 3 makes these very durable although beware of gaining Slow Reload when wounded. Four weapon options allows a huge ability to tailor your force with anti-infantry (suppression and frag), anti-tank (AP3) and indirect (4) options available. Never leave home without one or two or three!

Ranger: the most expensive infantry models in the faction at 16pts and 2VPs but so versatile. Aerial deployment means they must be deployed on the highest level in a cube, always good, and will be able to control areas of the map from the get go. Adding Holo-sights or sniper rifles makes them very expensive but is likely to allow a good shot or 2 early in the game. Beware though they will be vulnerable to fast infantry and return shooting so may not last long if you put them too far forward. Weapon options include flamethrower, thermal rifle and a range of great weapons.

Marine Specialist: Lots of weapon options with the grenade launcher and flame thrower. Good versatile weapons to affect whole cubes. Thermal rifle, sniper rifle and Heavy Laser Rifle (Accutek LR-AM) with Holo-sight attached also give great weapon options for cheap.

Corporation Engineer: Allows access to the sentry gun and synergises with the Tripmine to stay safe even when other models may detonate it, which allows for control of cubes on the map.

Corporation Medic: All but one of the GCPS models can take just 1 wound, so the medic is principally going to be of use if you take one or more weapons teams, as healing them not only keeps them alive but also allows you to remove the slow reload they gain when injured, keeping them shooting every turn.

Vehicles

Strider: Tough and steady. Will stick around all game. May be better with the Heavy Burst Laser option which negates the average shoot stat, although the Genling option allows you to really threaten other Striders. Provides your only heavy and durable support in the GCPS.

New Weapons/equipment

Tripmine: a fun little item that can lock down a cube, as to enter it will cause a Frag (3) to go off. Allows you to limit access to objectives etc. obviously if you have an engineer he can just ignore it as he knows how to disarm, or at least not set off the device.

Heavy Laser Rifle (Accutek LR-AM): giving a Holo-sight built in to the gun itself. You can’t transfer it between models but it increases your access to such powerful weapons beyond normal item restrictions.

Commlink: allowing grenade or indirect weapons to count as seeing the target using the eyes of the model with the commlink. A fantastic little effect to get early mortar or grenade strikes in.

Summary

The GCPS are a fun faction with lots of weapon options, allowing you to play in a number of different styles. They will never be good in combat so you have to rely on shooting and numbers to keep your enemy away from your better models. Fortunately that’s exactly what this list gives you, lots of good and cheap models to shoot the hell out of anyone who dares to defy the GCPS.

Remember you can pre-order the new GCPS from our website, or from your local retailer, with their full rules included for free in the box!