Model Review: Star Wars Legion – DSD1 Dwarf Spider Droid
Over the past few months, a ton of new stuff has been released for Star Wars: Legion. It doesn't matter if these are completely new units or reissues of old ones with new cards: players of all factions have a huge choice. Having just completed my Separatist starter pack, I was looking forward to expanding my army. Honestly, while the extra droids sounded tempting, I was more interested in something bigger, be it vehicles or larger droids. And then the dwarf spider droid DSD1 appeared.
The price of £29.99 isn't too bad compared to some other models, but it only comes with one model. While you have to pay double the price for some models, you also get eight droid models - unfortunately, they're a bit smaller. The models to real money ratio was a little confusing to me, but I wasn't going to make a judgment until I built the droid and saw it in life size for comparison. It looked really cool, so without thinking too much, I opened the box to see what was inside.
As you'd expect, the kit included a handy booklet with building instructions, tokens, cards (in several languages), as well as a sprue and stand for the model itself. I usually always build the model first, but withLegionI find it's much better to look at the cards first and figure out what weapons or attachments are needed before picking up the wire cutters and glue.
For one droid, of course, there are several upgrade cards - six in total. Taking the droid by itself, it costs fifty points and only has a melee kick as a weapon.While I'm sure it makes sense to leave this droid completely unarmed, I don't think it's justified from a cost standpoint, this droid needs a weapon upgrade. He has six health units, but his defense is determined only by white dice. Self Destruct 3 feels like a very carefully calculated risk where you can sacrifice a droid to damage surrounding models. In the right cases this can be very useful. Although defense is only determined by the white dice, Armor 3 will really frustrate your opponent when he tries to destroy this droid. Climbing Machine allows the Spider Droid to move like a soldier, and Expert Climber improves this ability even further. "Programmed" means that the droid must receive a programming upgrade. The kit includes three droids, but including the weapon, this means that the cost of this droid will be much higher than the original fifty.
So, what are the weapon upgrades? There are three of them: two cost fifteen points each, and one costs thirty, which is equal to the sum of the cost of these two. Before we get to the expensive option, let's look at two cheaper ones. The first is a flamethrower that rolls one red and one white die. Keywords: Fixed: Explosion and Spray. Burst helps reduce cover (if there is any) and Spray means you can add a lot of dice to your pool if used correctly. Very handy, but with a range of one die, this is a melee weapon. My opponent will probably have time to either destroy the droid or, well, run away! Another cheaper alternative is the laser cannon, which gives one red, one white and three black dice. Combined with Critical Damage 1, this seems pretty handy, especially with a range of three dice. As much as I'd love to use the flamethrower, it's very situational, easier for the enemy to get around, and I just don't think it'll do the damage I'm hoping for. The thirty point weapon, the Ion Blaster, has a range of two to four, three white and three black dice, 1 critical damage and 1 impact damage, but perhaps more importantly, 1 ion damage.Why is this important? Because while this droid is designed for a droid army, and I don't expect to see many droids, the same can't be said for the vehicles. If I improve my starting set, then my opponents will probably do the same. It would seem to be a convenient all-purpose weapon... except for its cost. The weapon costs more than half the price of the droid, and with two extra points (and wemustadd in the programming upgrade as well) that's eighty points. That's more than two squads of battle droids. This is a large part of the point distribution. For me, the choice is between a laser cannon and an ion blaster. The laser cannon costs sixty-five points, and with programming it's probably enough power to power almost two squads of droids, and it does a very similar job. The ion blaster - despite its high cost - can hit troops and equipment, as well as occupy more advantageous positions. I'm sorry, but I think the ion cannon is what I'll build my spider droid with.
But that's not all. The droidneedsa programming update; There are three of them in the box. One is quite cheap, costing three points, the other two costing eight. Luckily, not too expensive, but I see the cost of this droid keep going up! The cheapest upgrade is "Combat Protocols", which gives the droid AI: Attack, Move. Now my plan is to keep this expensive spider droid in the rear, taking out those pesky enemies. At that price point in glasses, I don't want to scratch his paint! For three points it's not too bad, but when I look at the other two upgrades, which cost eight each, they all have an AI component. Attack and movement seem good, but not quite my style. The other two updates are Defense Protocols and Attack Protocols. The first gives you AI: Evasion, and the second gives you AI: Aim. They also include a few keywords: Defense with Dexterity and Outwit, and Attack with Accuracy 2. While I think both are good, the attack protocol is better for the ion cannon.I think Defense Protocol pairs well with a flamethrower, but I think something for anti-vehicle use would be much more useful. Although, considering how many points were spent, I was already gritting my teeth with impatience!
Judging by the cards, I like the variety of ways to equip this droid, and they all seem to work well in different combinations. While I'm agonizing over my options, everything will, of course, depend on the game, my opponent and, in general, my financial capabilities. The reason I worry so much about weapon choice has to do with the model itself; I'll come back to this a little later. This droid can either fill a potential gap in your roster, or simply add to the horde of droids wreaking even more havoc. Since I've just started my journey with the Separatists, I think having a versatile droid that can handle anything can be very helpful.
After studying the maps, I began assembling the model. The reason I was trying to decide on a weapon is because the model needs to be built with one of the specific weapons. Of course, my opponent won't mind if I want to change the weapons in my list, but I'd rather have a model that matches the weapons I'll be using most often. Unlike some other builds, this one doesn't allow you to easily attach weapons using magnets, so weapon choice is really a matter of taste. Using the QR code to go to the website ofAtomic Mass Games (AMG), I downloaded the instructions and got to work. While there are several weapon options to choose from, there is also an alternative build with legs. I think thatAMGis counting on players to have several of these models! It's hard to tell the difference from the instructions, but the alternative assembly appears to have a pair of legs off the ground. While I like this design and I'm sure if I get another spider droid I'll make one like this, I really wanted to ensure that the droid was as stable as possible against the base. Knowing what legs and weapons I need, it's time to bring it all to life.
I have to say, this is one of the most relaxing and easy builds I've ever done.Everything is extremely simple, and even the most inexperienced player will not have any problems. The attention to detail is fantastic. The mechanism that allows the head to rotate within the game universe is simulated, although the spider droid's head completely obscures it! For conversions or creating action scenes this is absolutely amazing and adds a whole new level to the model. I started and finished building the model very quickly and was very pleased with it. The large stand makes it a good size and I think the price is justified, especially considering the additional options that are included.
The Star Wars Legion: DSD1 Dwarf Spider Droid set from Atomic Mass Games retails at £29.99. It is available now in brick-and-mortar board game stores and online retailers including Amazon UK and Amazon US.
I fell in love with this set. This is just one model that offers many options for both building and army listings. The price is relatively low compared to some of the other units this set can upgrade to, and I think it's a good way to try your hand at one addition to your starter set. I'm looking forward to playing with him, I really hope that he will pleasantly surprise me with his effectiveness. Stay tuned, I'll be testing out the Battle Droid and a few other unit sets soon to see how they perform!