ScrapYard Armory

Last Patrol

Hesperus opens up with a slow bit of fiction that introduces us to the hot and tropical climate of Hesperus II.  This is one of the least action packed opening fictions in any Turning Point pdf I’ve yet reviewed.  But what it lacks in action it makes up for with a slow build up of tension before the final reveal.

Joshua Perian makes a repeat appearance in the writers seat for this adventure deep within the Word of Blake Jihad.  Will experience prove effective in this next installment in the series?

Hesperus II

This section describes the planet of Hesperus II in short detail that is half history and half geographical.  Mapsheet lists are provided that represent the varied terrain on the planets several land masses and covers the gamut from harsh jungles to barren mountains and hills. Special rules and terrain modifications come exclusively from Tactical Operations.

So far par for the course when compared to other Turning Point pdfs.

The Battle for Hesperus II

This section gives a play by play account of the Blakists assault, sabotage, and capture of Hesperus in a bid to cripple the Lyran military machine.

After four years of occupation a combined force of Comstar, Wolf, and Delvin Stone came to the rescue and over months of heavy losses the last of the Blakist forces were eliminated.

I’m impressed with the scale of this battle.  Sure we have seen this before in earlier Turning Points but it is still nice to see such a robust battle covering multiple years, multiple factions, and dripping with enough personality to excite the fan boy in all of us.

RAT

RAT tables cover only ‘Mechs for the four factions involved.  Those wanting to spice up their battles should consult vehicle and infantry RATs found elsewhere online and in other Turning Point offerings.

I liked the fact that they specifically mentioned generating pilot abilities using the Total Warfare tables.  I fully endorse such a recommendation.

Lots of usual suspects on the list.  I find it interesting that the Word of Blake Celestials are not as common in the Shadow Division than I would have expected.  Also there are a few Clan Omni Mechs available to the Word of Blake in the 12 slot.  I wonder how they managed to score those Prime Omnis?

Combatants

This section opens up with some excellent detail on advanced RAT options, using Total War and other resources to their greatest effect.  Each covered unit includes information on their commanding officer, experience level, appropriate RAT tables, unit abilities, and notes.  The notes section is often my favorite due to the extra nuggets of storyline that helps tie the battle together.  Three pages are needed to cover the major players in this battle.

The Lyrans special abilities section may as well been called their inabilities.  They have mostly negative impacts to deal with.  Luckily (unluckily?) they are wiped out rather early in the campaign.

There seems to be an over reliance on initiative linked abilities for all combatants.  Not much imagination in play here.  Other abilities are related to impacting the RAT table or apply stock Tactical Operations bonuses like Overrun and Bank the Initiative.

The BattleCorps Legion unit makes an appearance in this battle. Always interesting to see this force in play.

Tracks

The tracks section is by far my most favorite section in any Turning Points PDF.  Hesperus II delivers a nine tracks spread between three distinct periods of the assault and eventual liberation of the planet.

Overall I felt underwhelmed by the selection of optional bonuses and objectives.  There was not a lot there beyond the standard “Go kill the other guy” objectives, paired with “Oh by the Way its Dark Out”environmental based optional bonuses.  The tracks keep the story line going and allow the battles to be retold but there is not a lot of unique concepts or synergies at work.

If anything the sheer quantity of tracks helps out.  You may not be getting a lot of quality scenarios out of the deal but at least you can take solace in the quantity.

Don’t get me wrong, this PDF and those like it in the series are always an amazing deal.  At only $5 you really can’t go wrong.

Unique Units

Two custom record sheets are included in this section.  The first is actually a generic conventional vehicle that was in production at Defiance Industries.  This is possibly used in one of the later tracks which allows reinforcements that roll off the assembly line while the battle progresses.

The second is the custom ride of Demi-Precentor Delta Laodices, a Galahad loaded with PPCs of various sizes, backed up with a Light Gauss Rifle.  The armor load out seems a bit light considering the heavy frame but there is an excellent complement of electronic warfare equipment to play a role in certain scenarios.

Map

Last but not least there are four pages of planetary assault maps with hex delineation.  With the upcoming printing of Interstellar Operations these maps along with all those in the rest of the Turning Points series is likely to see new avenues for use.

The map looks gorgeous and begs to be played on.

Final Thoughts

Hesperus II provides a full nine tracks and all the assorted accompaniment seen in other entries in the series.  It fails to break any new ground or provide compelling force abilities, objectives, or optional bonuses to set it apart from the crowd.  Instead it relies on tried and true formulas that set the scene and then let the players blast each other to bits.

While not the best in the series it is well worth the price of entry.  For the low cost of entry you are sure to get a lot of play time out of it.  Collectors should not hesitate to pick up Hesperus.  For those new to the series, I would recommend other PDFs to be your first purchase.