ok, a few basics. i'm assuming you want beyond the core set box (which has enough to play some of the scenarios in its rulebook, but not the "standard scenario") i suggest starting with that one, and expanding from there. if you already have, even better.
you have to field at least 2 Core Force cards(units) for a standard game. (Squads and special cards are attached to these)
and for every 150pts you field, you need at least one core force.
since core forces are often expensive enough you can't always fit more than one into 150pts, 200-300pts would be a fairly standard game size. 300pts seems to be the accepted standard so far.
starting with the UEDF side, and assuming a core box as a base, you can easily do something like this:
300pts
(core) VF-1 Valkyrie Squadron (3 VF-1A's, 1 VF-1J)
80pts(special) VF-1S Command Valkyrie
30pts**Roy Fokker
30pts(core) Area Denial Destroid Squadron (2 Tomahawks, 2 Defenders)
60pts**Defender Airburst Munitions
5pts**Command Destroid Upgrade
10pts**Freeman Davidoff
5pts(squad) Spartan Destroid Squad (2 Spartan Destroid)
30pts**Spartan GU-11 Gunpods 10pts
(squad) Phalanx Destroid Squad (2 Phalanx Destroid)
40ptswhich gives you 5 VF-1's, and 8 Destroids. two of which are command units for the extra command points. Roy Fokker is a determinator.. he's got better piloting and gunnery, can dodge a lot more, and may not even go down right away if killed. Davidoff gives basically an extra attack with his Defender, making that group a bit more lethal.
this only requires the
core box and an expansion box of
the spartans and phalanx'sthe downside to this is that you also need to make sure your using the eratta'd blast rules, otherwise the Phalanx destroid's missiles can be a bit overly powerful. even with the erratta, their missiles can be a challenge.
if you'd prefer to not buy an extra box, you can load up with more of the special pilots. replacing the Spartans and Phalanx's with a selection of pilots from Max and Miyria sterling, Rick Hunter, and Ben Dixon for example
for the zentraedi you will absolutely have to buy more boxes to get a full force. (sadly the core box is oversupplied on VF-1's, and under supplied on Zent battlepods)
295pts
(core) Regult recon Squadron (6 Regult battlepods, 1 Gluag officers pod, 1 Quel-regult recon pod)
70pts**Veteran Warriors
10pts**Khyron
10pts(special) Quel Gulnau Recovery pod
10pts(squad) Gluuhaug-Regult Squad (2 Gluuhaug-regult light artillery pods)
25pts(squad) Gluuhaug-Regult Squad (2 Gluuhaug-regult light artillery pods)
25pts(core) Regult Attrition Squadron (12 Regult Battlepods)
70pts**Veteran Warriors
25pts**Grell
5pts(squad) Regult Squad (6 Regult battlepods)
35pts**Veteran warriors
10pts24 battlepods, 4 light artillery pods, 1 recon pod, 1 recovery pod, 1 officers pod. of those 1 is a command unit, and 2 are 'command support' units that make the factions special ability work better. Grell makes a regular battlepod function like a gluag does for the factions special reinforcement rule, and Khyron is a better pilot. his backstabber rule can give the zents some extra command points, but the units he sacrifices to do it can't come back so use sparingly.
this zentreadi force requires you to purchase two
Regult Battlepod expansion, and one
Artillery pod expansion to add to what is in the core box.
it is very much geared to attrition. if your willing to buy more boxes, you could buy a Gluag command pack expansion and a 2nd regult expansion drop the veteran warriors and grell, and swap the attrition squadron for a 2nd recon squadron and a pair of added on regult squads. which would give you more command units (and more ability to bring dead pods back in reinforcement), but would reduce your total number of regular pods, which actually means fewer units that can be used to reinforce once dead.
you could also drop Khyron and Grell in this one in favor of Pirion Galarr, which if attached to the attrition squadron can make those 18 battlepods extra fast (they can boost their speed for free)