Mixed fleets

[Charbe86]

When I started Dystopian Wars we were playing with an early rule book, 1.0 or 1.5, and it read as if mixing and matching models from various fleets was fine and acceptable, even encouraged.  I decided to try and get back into dystopian wars last week, and I thought I'd brush up on the rules while I look for a game and get ready to paint, but the option to mix fleets seem to have become much more rigid.  Am I reading 2.0 right, can I no longer use my "captured" british cruisers with my EotBS?

[Ruckdog]

I don't have my old books handy, and I can't recall what the mix and match options were under them. For sure, the rules are a bit more restrictive than what it sounds like you were used to doing. However, as with a lot of things, it comes down to what your opponent is ok with. If was me, I'd be fine with you running a KoB detachment with your EotBS fleet (or vice versa) using the Factional Allies rules on page 134 of the digital book. Granted, EotBS is Imperial Bond and KoB is Grand Alliance, but I think the restrictions for the employment of Factional Allies will still keep it fairly balanced. From a narrative perspective, you could always rationalize such a mix by saying the other factions were captured as you say, or even that they have defected or struck out on their own as mercenaries .

[Charbe86]

The way I read the eddition we played with, it basically said to pick the models you like and give them some appropriate rules, make up back story if you can.  I'm working away at the moment, but I'll see if I can find it when I get home

[McKInstry]

From a pure 2.0 standard, mixing forces between opposite sides for other than the minors in alliance or mercenaries would probably not fly in a tournament but among friends, pretty much anything should go.

2.5 should be out soon along with the Kickstarter stuff but it is a clean up and streamlining and will not likely change the allied forces rules.

[Ruckdog]

Don't be so sure...when Spartan put up their initial blog post announcing DW 2.5 they had this to say about allies:

Allies – When we originally wrote the 2.0 rulebook the focus was on the creation of Battle Groups to give retailers and players a fixed purchase point for their gaming. Of course, this method has advantages for everyone (retailers know what to stock, customers get everything they need in one box, etc.) but moving forwards as Spartan embraces blisters as a flexible delivery method for Squadrons, it is important to make the taking of Allies a very flexible exercise to reflect our new purchase method.

Allies still come out of your non-Core allowance, but the restrictions on creating a Battle Group with those allies has been relaxed. All other stipulations still apply and there is a penalty for taking models with the Strategic Value MAR (…as the owning Faction is normally unwilling to let these elements out of their sight without proper compensation!) All in all, the new Allies system gives players even more of a reason to take Allies now, freeing up their narratives to develop them as they see fit.

It still seems likely that there will still will not be an "official" way to mix IB and GA units in a single fleet, though.