Sunday, January 29, 2012

Dust Tactics Game Day


First Game:

DATE PLAYED : 01/22/2012

AXIS Players : Jiltedtoo & Major Headcase
ALLIES Player : Justin

AXIS Army :
Major Headcase: 150 points
Ludwig Panzer Walker
Beobachter
Heavy Laser Grenadiers
Lara
Heavy Recon Grenadiers
Sturmpioniere

Jiltedtoo: 152 points
Grenadier X
Axis Zombies
Markus
Axis Gorillas
Heavy Recon Grenadiers
Sturmpioniere

Total Points: 302
 
ALLIES Army :
Mickey Assault Walker
Wildfire Light Assault Walker
The Boss Squad
BBQ Rangers
Bot Hunters
Ozz 117
Grim Reapers
Rhino
The Hammers
Bazooka Joe
Hell Boys

Total Points: 301

This was a King of the Hill style game played for 10 turns. There was an objective tile containing a counter for AXIS and a counter for ALLIES. At the end of each turn, whichever side occupied the objective space gained 1 point on their counter.

This game was over way too quick. It didn’t even last until the end of the 4th round. Ha ha! The Allies rushed the objective with Rhino and The Hammers. Poor placement by the Allied player didn’t allow for other fast moving Allied units to support their brothers in the objective square. By the end of turn 1 the Allies already scored a point on their objective counter, but it would be at the cost of Rhino and The Hammers. Things only got worse for the Allies from there. The Ludwig made short work of the Wildfire. The Mickey tried and tried to be effective, but the map terrain was just not Walker friendly, and was eliminated in the fourth round. The Axis did a terrific job of moving into the objective space and securing the surrounding area and scored points in both the second and third round. By the fourth round the Allies were completely decimated. Ozz 117 and the Grim Reapers did some damage to the Axis, but Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers made short work of their advance. The Allies just didn’t get the roles needed to make effective use of their flame weapons, so the BBQ Rangers, Hell Boys, and Joe tried their best, but it just wasn’t good enough. However, the BBQ Rangers were able to get revenge on the Ludwig with their Demo Charges.

All in all a good game. The biggest mistake was that the Allied army brought in 2 Walkers. 59 points that could have gone to infantry units which would have made all the difference in the world on this map.

SCENARIO WINNER :
AXIS Army: Jiltedtoo & Major Headcase

Second Game:

 
DATE PLAYED : 01/22/2012

AXIS Player 1: Jiltedtoo
AXIS Player 2: Major Headcase
ALLIES Player: Justin

AXIS Army 1:
Heinrich Light Panzer Walker x2
Kommandotrupp
Sniper Grenadiers
Total Points: 102

AXIS Army 2:
Lara
Heavy Recon Grenadiers
Sigrid Von Thaler
Sturmpioniere
Heavy Laser Grenadiers
Laser Grenadiers x2
Tank Killers
Total Points: 200

 ALLIES Army :
Bazooka Joe
BBQ Rangers
The Priest
Hell Boys
Ozz 117
Tank Busters
Grim Reapers
Gunner Rangers
Total Points: 200

This was an interesting 1v1v1 10 round game that Jiltedtoo came up with. The objective was inside of a 2x2 building tile. In the objective building there was a counter die. The objective to have Jiltedtoo defend the objective from both players, while either player attempted to enter the building, roll for the objective, then once obtained, move it off of their side of the map. The rules for the objective are as follows:
  • The counter must reach 3 for the objective to “drop.” This is a cumulative amount that both attacking players roll towards.
  • It costs one action to roll for the objective. Rolling for the objective consists of rolling a single combat die. On a “hit” result, the player would add 1 to the counter. A player may use both actions in their activation to roll for the objective.
  • It costs one action to pick up the objective.
  • If the unit carrying the objective is eliminated, the objective drops on that square and is available to be picked up by either side, at the cost of 1 action.
  • A player must have enough movement points to move the unit holding the objective off of the map. Moving to the edge is not enough.
 Game board Setup with Jiltedtoo's army in palce:


The Allied player was very effective in making short work of Jiltedtoo’s Axis army, and eliminated the Kommandotrupp, Sniper Grenadiers, and one Heinrich Light Panzer Walker by the end of turn 3. However this came at the very expensive cost of Joe and The BBQ Rangers, and loosing that extra initiative die did the Allies no favors. Major Headcase was very effective in eliminating the other Heinrich Light Panzer Walker early in the game as well.

It became a nasty fight once Jiltedtoo’s Axis army was eliminated. Major Headcase’s combination of Sigrid and the Sturmpioniere squad made short work of The Priest and his Hell Boys as well as the Grim Reapers. Ozz 117 and his Tank Busters were able to get some revenge by eliminating Sigrid and the Sturmpioniere, but the damage was already done. Ozz 117 and the Tank Busters did their best to capture the football, and even split up to allow for more attempts at rolling for the objective. Unfortunately this was not enough to secure an Allied victory. While Ozz 117 and the Tank Busters were able to eliminate the Heavy Laser Grenadiers, the remaining combination of Lara and the Heavy Recon Grenadiers, and both Laser Grenadiers, was just too much to overcome.

Sigrid and the Sturnpioniere just before the eliminate a charging 
Priest and his Hell Boys, followed by the Grim Reapers

One of the Laser Grenadiers slugging it out with the Gunner Rangers
in soft cover protection of the trees.

By the end of the 8th round the objective counter had only reached 2 and it was looking grim for the Allies. Major Headcase was able to finish off the Allied army, but did not have enough actions in the remaining turn to gain a technical victory. However victory was still awarded as he was the last man standing in a very intense and fun game!

A special shout out to Major Headcase for incorporating 3D terrain from other game sets. They fit perfectly on the tiles and really helped to add some style to the game.

SCENARIO WINNER :
AXIS Player 2: Major Headcase

Victory Point Break Down:
AXIS Player 1: Jiltedtoo: 48 points
AXIS Player 2: Major Headcase: 178 points
ALLIES Player: Justin: 153 points


 Third Game:


DATE PLAYED : 01/22/2012

AXIS Players : Jiltedtoo
ALLIES Player : Justin

AXIS Army :
Ludwig Panzer Walker x2
Kommandotrupp
Markus
Axis Gorillas
Axis Zombies
Beobachter
Total Points: 200
 
ALLIES Army :
Steel Rain Assault Walker
Wildfire Light Assault Walker
The Priest
Hell Boys
Bazooka Joe
13 Foxtrot
Death Dealers
Total Points: 200

A simple destroy your enemy scenario. No buildings, limited cover elements, and plenty of blocking tiles.

The Allies came out of the gate strong and were perhaps a little too overzealous by having Joe and 13 Foxtrot use indirect artillery fire to eliminate one of the Ludwig Panzer Walkers. The Steel Rain fired all 4 shots, but only 2 were needed for the kill so the others went to waste. A learning experience for the Allied player. Markus and the Axis Gorillas made their advance and were able to eliminate the Wildfire Light Assault Walker before being eliminated by The Priest and his Hell Boys. In fact, The Priest and his Hell Boys get the MVP award for this game. By the end of the game they had single-handedly eliminated the Ludwig Panzer Walker and Beobachter in one activation, Markus and the Axis Gorillas in another, the Kommandotrupp in another, and finally gained the win by eliminating the Axis Zombies. The Axis Zombies get 1st runner up for MVP in this game. Before they were eliminated they were able to score kills on the Death Dealers, Bazooka Joe and 13 Foxtrot, and another Wildfire that the Allies were able to bring back with their Boss Squad.

The Boss Squad with The Priest and Hell Boys were pretty much what won this game for the Allies. The agility that The Priest adds to the game allowed for multiple points where they could retreat and heal for a round or two, then get back out onto the map and do more damage. It seems that the immediate destruction of the first Ludwig Panzer Walker threw the Axis game plan off and allowed for more maneuverability across the map for the Allied units. The Kommandotrupp just wasn’t getting the rolls that the Axis player needed for them to be effective, where The Boss Squad was successful in nearly every roll and action they attempted. This was a great contrast for players observing the game who haven’t had much experience with Command Squads to see how well they work and valuable and frustrating they can be depending on the rolls one gets.

All in all a good game and decisive win for the Allies. The Priest and his Hell Boys had one hell of a time (no pun intended) chasing the Axis Zombies down to gain the victory. The Fast ability associated with the Hell Boys and Agility ability associated with The Priest is an insane combination that allowed the gap to be closed fairly quickly, and The Boss Squad lent their assistance by bringing back the Wildfire Light Assault Walker as a distraction for the Axis Zombies so that the Allied units could finally catch up and finish those pesky Zombies off.

SCENARIO WINNER :
ALLIES Player : Justin

Victory Point Break Down:
AXIS Player: Jiltedtoo: 94 points
ALLIES Player: Justin: 200 points


Thursday, January 26, 2012

NCO Command Squads



NCO Command Squads are for sale! The Ammo Dump is a godsend for the Allies' Steel Rain Medium Assault Walker. I look forward to the insane combo's that a good strategist will display with the Stimulant Kit. And the Smoke Mortar will be very beneficial to get past those pesky unlimited range Walkers.

Read more!
Buy me!! ALLIED - AXIS

Monday, January 16, 2012

SSU Coming Soon!



At long last, the Sino-Soviet Union is on it's way! The first flying unit available (w/ auxiliary units), the first Hero/Walker Combination, and more! Can't wait for second quarter 2012 (April - June).

Click here for the release information!
Click here for the information at the official DUST FFG website.

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Years Day at Knightfall Games

A great way to start out the New Year! Three of us were able to meet up and play a couple games at what we hope to be the future sight for our bi-monthly league we wish to start. Chris at Knightfall Games in Beaverton has been very helpful in allowing us a location to play and an offer to spread the word through their website, and Facebook groups, to help generate more interest and players. Many thanks to Chris! We are hoping to get at least 10 different players together for our league in the next month. If anybody knows people in the Portland, Oregon Metro Area who is either interested, or already a player, please send them our way! Thanks to John and Nick for attending our gaming session. John's miniatures were wonderfully painted and even had some modified and painted Tank Traps and Ammo Crates.

We were able to get two games played in a about 3 hours. I don't have my typical in-depth play by play, as I was really wanting to enjoy the time to experience more gaming. Below I have some point details, then some highlights form both games.

The First Game was Scenario 3 from the Victory Bridge campaign, "Forward, Men!"


AXIS Player : John
ALLIES Player : Justin

AXIS Army :
Recon Grenadiers x2
Battle Grenadiers x2
Sigrid Von Thaler
Luther Panzer Walker
Total Points :: 129

ALLIES Army :
Ozz 117
Grim Reapers
Rhino
The Hammers
Honey Light Walker
Total Points :: 126


Very straightforward scenario. The Allies had to get at least 1 miniature into the enemy deployment zone and and survive by the end of turn 8 for victory. The basic strategy for the Allies was to run the Honey up the bridge, while the infantry used them to block the LOS of the Luther. Once the Infantry was close enough, they made their assault to enter the enemies deployment zone. The Honey worked as perfect bait to draw the fire of the Luther and Battle Grenadiers. Ozz 117 & The Grim Reapers made short work of Siggy and her squad of Battle Grenadiers. Rhino & The Hammers also did a great job of doing some damage and eliminating the lone squad of Battle Grenadiers, then hunkered down while Ozz 117 & The Grim Reapers kept the rest of the Axis forces busy. In the end, the Allies were able to gain victory with Rhino & The Hammers holding their position in the Axis deployment zone until turn 8.

 SCENARIO WINNER : ALLIES

Victory Points
Axis – John:: 78
Allies – Justin :: 94

The second game was Scenario 4 from the Blue Thunder campaign, "Counterattack."

AXIS Player : Nick
AXIS Player : John

Nick's AXIS Army :
Kommandotrupp
Sigrid Von Thaler
Laser Greandiers
Tank Killers
Ludwig Panzer Walker (Turn 4)
Heavy Recon Grenadiers (Turn 5)
Sniper Grenadiers (Turn 5)
Hans Light Walker (Turn 6)
Recon Grenadiers (Turn 6)
Axis Gorrillas (Turn 7)
Recon Grenadiers (Turn 7)
Ludwig Panzer Walker (Turn 8)
Total Points :: 305
 
John's AXIS Army :
 Sigrid Von Thaler
Sturmpioniere
Heavy Laser Grenadiers
Ludwig Panzer Walker
Recon Grenadiers
Battle Greanadiers
Beobachter
Total Points :: 159



 Nicks' combination of Siggy & The Laser Grenadiers were able to eliminate the Heavy Laser Grenadiers by turn 2. However, John's combination of Sigrid Von Thaler & the Sturmpioniere Grenadiers was quite devastating, as they were able to eliminate Nick's Siggy & Laser Grenadiers in turn 2, then Nick's Tank Killers in turn 3, and were able to destroy Nick's Ludwig Panzer Walker in turn 5. Nick was finally able to shut them down when he brought the Heavy Recon Grenadiers in turn 5, though the Heavy Recon Grenadiers were eliminated immediately afterwards by John's Recon Grenadiers. Things continued to be real bloody. After Nick brought the Hans into play, it was immediately eliminated, then brought back by the Kommandotrupp, and immediately eliminated again. John's Recon Grenadiers, Battle Grenadiers, and Beobacther were able to dig themselves into the Tank Traps and keep Nick's army at bay. Eventually the Battle Grenadiers were eliminated in turn 8, but the Recon Grenadiers and Beobachter were able to last, giving John the victory.


SCENARIO WINNER : John's AXIS ARMY

Victory Points
Axis – John:: 233
Axis – Nick:: 138

Enjoy the picture of John's painted Axis units. I hope to get more once we have some larger scale games in the near future. We are looking forward to getting more players and getting a league going. I will continue to update as we progress in this quest!