Historical Turning Point New Dallas Review
Historical Turning Point New Dallas takes us into not one but three historical eras. This Turning Point PDF spans three different eras, the Star League, the Succession Wars and the Jihad. If memory serves me right this is indeed a first for a Turning Point product.
Joshua Perian is at the helm for this adventure. Let’s see if he can work some magic in this multi-era addition to the Turning Points series.
Parting Shots
The opening fiction is a bitter heart wrenching affair seen all too often in BattleTech fiction. The hopeless odds. The grim reality of war. There is no Hollywood ending here. The damned are indeed damned and no last minute rescue is coming. No hero to save the day. In the end, there is only war.
I enjoyed the opening salvo from New Dallas. In a way it reminded me of the Last Day of Zeta, another bit of fiction that exemplifies the harsh realities of war in the 31st century.
New Dallas and the Hegemony Memory Core
The overview section paints a picture of a scarred and battle weary landscape. New Dallas has seen the worst side of the Succession Wars over the years including nuclear and orbital bombardment. Despite these calamities there seems to be a lot of potential in the planet given it’s natural and artificial resources.
Terrain tables are provided as well as Tactical Operations special terrain and weather rules as is expected from all Turning Point PDFs.
The next section covers the planet history from a slightly different spin covering the fabled Hegemony Memory Core and the conflicts revolving around it.
RAT
The RAT tables are fairly standard fare including only ‘Mech selections for four different factions involved in fighting over the years. There are some very interesting selections included including many Star League era ‘Mechs and even some primitives.
Commanders
Four commanders covering the swath of involved forces are presented with a quick back story followed by A Time of War sample bio. While not a complete character sheet, the most important details are given for an game master to flesh out for an encounter using either A Time of War or the basic tabletop BattleTech rules.
The commander special abilities are standard fare and don’t trend far from expected A Time of War abilities.
Combatants
In this section the dreaded reference to page XX rears its ugly head. These are an unfortunate annoyance which occurs far too often in BattleTech books dating back even to the FanPro era. A distraction at worst.
Moving on, the combatants section is a brief one page entry covering the range of Outworlds and Marik forces involved in conflict on New Dallas.
The selection of special force abilities was the predictable assortment of RAT modifications, initiative bonuses, and stock Tactical Operations abilities. Nothing special to write home about here. Perhaps the most notable item I saw was the commander of the New Dallas Militia. Would you be able to keep a straight face when being commanded by General Dinwoodie? I can already imagine several comical battle field radio exchanges…
Tracks
New Dallas features nine tracks in three different eras making this installment in the Turning Points series much more of a scenario pack than a contiguous campaign. Each sequence of three tracks is billed as a mini-campaign but I see these being picked out for single battles.
On the whole the tracks in New Dallas follow a predictable formula with a few notable exceptions.
There is a space battle track for aerospace enthusiasts. For those looking for a reason to break out strategic operations, this battle will make the PDF a must buy. My one complaint is the apparent requirement to use units only featured in Jihad Hot Spots Terra (Defender is composed on ONLY Mk. 39 Voidseeker drones). I think it would have been good form to include a record sheet for this particular unit when the track makes a specific request.
There is ample cross-promotion in the early tracks with Liberation of Terra and in the later tracks with Tactical Operations and Strategic Operations. Fatigue rules pop up in a few tracks.
After a few interesting game setups the track objectives turn to safe predictable stand-bys most will be familiar with. Kill the other guy. Breakthrough. Rinse. Repeat. Optional bonuses tend to be environmental related (rain, wind, moonless night). Using the commander ‘Mechs is even an optional bonus in one track and not made part of the track special rules.
Record Sheets
Only two record sheets are provided in the last section of the PDF. The first is a New Dallas SLDF commanders Rifleman II sporting paired large pulse lasers in one arm and a single gauss rifle in the other making for an interesting asymmetric load out for a member of the Rifleman family.
The second is a Amaris Dragoon commanders Rampage. This 4/6 assault ‘Mech is bristling with weapons covering all ranges and combat situations. I like the Swiss army knife design which could lead to it being outclassed by heavier specialists. A very interesting design to throw into your battles. It almost reminds me of the Marik Albatross.
The Final Word
New Dallas treads on familiar ground and while it has it’s gems, fails to innovate or take significant risks with regard to abilities, objectives, and bonuses. Considering the big picture, I feel that New Dallas fits squarely in the middle of the road when compared to other entries in the series. That isn’t bad considering the vast collection of Turning Points PDFs so far released.
New Dallas is still worth the $5 price of entry but not one I’d recommend to someone discovering the Turning Points PDFs for the first time. For completionists and aerospace buffs I don’t need to provide any other motivation to buy this installment.
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