General Gameplay

Objectives
The most important thing to remember in a game of Dropfleet Commander is that the game is won and lost based on objective points, and not always on the damage done to the enemy fleet. Many games have been lost in which a player focused on destroying their opponent's fleet, even as their opponent snuck past their lines and achieved the scenario objectives.

Always keep in mind which targets pose the biggest threat to your fleet's game objectives and try to prioritise dealing with them, instead of the ship placed closest to you as bait. Ships that have already activated can also be dealt with later in the turn sequence, as they cannot act again and therefore have less threat than ships that haven't activated yet.

Keep in mind where you plan to engage the enemy, and what each group and battlegroup in your fleet is built to do. We go into more detail in the Fleet Construction section.

Movement
An important aspect to keep in mind is that unless a ship is placed on station keeping orders, it will always move at least half its Thrust characteristic. A ship can use this to its advantage and either slip past an enemy’s firing arcs before they can open up, or allow an enemy vessel to close before moving into range.

While moving your groups, consider the facing of each ship and where its firing arcs will be in relation to the enemy fleet. Planning at least one turn ahead will let you direct and predict your opponent’s maneuvering in relation to yours, setting up their ships to be square in your sights while your ships are safely out of the firing arcs of the most dangerous enemy weapons. Not keeping the angles of movement of your groups and battlegroups in mind can lead to the ships bunched up together or too far apart. Too close and the group becomes susceptible to chain reactions of ships blowing up due to catastrophic damage, but too far apart and the group cannot receive special orders, limiting your ability to react to your opponent.

Another important subject is ordering your battlegroups in your strategy deck. The battlegroup with the lowest Strategy Rating can choose whether to act first or second, which makes it able to dictate the flow of battle better. That said, putting battlegroups with high Strategy Ratings deeper in your strategy deck will force your opponent to make more moves before it comes up, letting you decide when and where that group can strike. If you want to ensure your Dreadnought is in range, you might want to choose to activate it later in the turn to force your opponent's hand, while your frigates might want to activate first so they can hit their targets before they get hit themselves.

Range
One of the unique aspects of the game is the variable weapons ranges determined by Scan, Signatures and spikes. Active Scanning special orders are one way to increase the spikes on a vessel hidden further back by your opponent. Keep in mind which ships you use to scan with - a major spike on an expendable frigate matters less than one on an important battlecruiser that the entire enemy fleet can suddenly target.

Attacks with the Flash special rule can also be used to add spikes to their target, even if they do not do much individual damage.

The range bands are:


 * Long - Outside of your scan and your opponent’s signature. To target vessels in this band, you will need some way to add spikes to your targets so you can lock on. Most launch assets can also operate at this range due to ignoring Signature limitations.
 * Middle - Inside the combined total of your Scan range and your opponent’s Signature range. This is where most of the action takes place.
 * Close - Inside your Scan range. This is where you can bring all of your ship's weaponry, including close action weapons, to bear.

Scenery
Debris fields are primarily used to reduce the Scan range of ships with or without spikes. Larger vessels can use this to their advantage and ambush the enemy by going through the field. Cruisers and larger vessels can usually take the potential damage of moving through a debris field, while smaller ships will often be unable to sustain it.

Furthermore, keep in mind that launch assets and light ships such as frigates and corvettes are also potentially destroyed when moving through a debris field. This can be an effective way to thin out launch assets launched beyond their Thrust range before they attack or to get rid of torpedoes.

Use orbital layers to your advantage. It costs 4” of movement when moving up an orbital layer, which can be used on slower ships to keep them where you need them without issuing a station keeping special order. Ships with the Atmospheric special rule can hide in atmosphere, which forces all Lock values to 6+ to try and hit them. Offensively-minded ships can use this safety to force your opponent to dislodge them before they rise up to strike, while more defensive ships will enjoy the added protection. Atmosphere-capable ships can also dive into atmo to shake enemy launch assets if necessary.

Drop capability
Finally, we come to the drop capability of your fleet. Your troopships and strike carriers are key to deliver your troops to the objectives and hold them, which is generally how you accumulate enough VPs to win a scenario.

When deciding between infantry and armour assets, examine your opponent’s fleet. If they have numerous Bombardment-capable vessels, infantry units make the most sense due to taking less damage from orbital bombardments. On the other hand, if your opponent mostly invested in carrirees with dropships, they can deploy armour units that will make quick work of your infantry. In this scenario, responding with armour units of your own is a good counter.

Remember that it is harder to dislodge an enemy from a sector already under their control than it is to capture an unowned sector. Bombardment can help soften up an enemy-held sector before you drop your troops, however.

Experienced opponents will attempt to neutralise your troopships and strike carriers before you are able to capture or recapture an objective. Use the rest of your fleet to engage the opponent, allowing your strike carriers to slip through.