Updates and a look at Sniper Teams

MAO ZEDONG

IS-5 A SUPER HEAVY TANK (A/A)

Since our League day was canceled, I bring you this update. The Unit Cards section has been updated with the recent releases from Paolo Parente's Dust. I have also included a look at the Sniper Teams of each faction, both for Dust Tactics and Dust Warfare.

UNIT CARDS

The unit cards now include the following updates:

• Allies:
• The Choppers
• Devil's Own
• Legio Patria Nostra  
• Axis:
• Fledermaus III
• Jagdgrenadiere
• Laser-Jagdgrenadiere
• Otto
• Prinzluther
• Sturmprinz 
• SSU: 
• Red Command
• Red Storm
• Red Thunder
• Winter Child
• Babushka 
• Karl Marx
• Lavrentiy Beria 
• Mao Zedong
• Matrioshka
• Vladimir Lenin

SNIPER TEAMS

Sniper Teams have proven to be a very effective unit for all factions. The two man team gains a cover bonus, so they will always save on a blank when making any cover roll. The miniatures with the Sniper rifle are capable of choosing the miniature that takes the damage when firing at their target. This can be very effective in eliminating infantry units with a large amount of health points at a distance. One can either choose to finish of an injured Hero, or a Soldier miniature to decrease the amount of firepower the unit is able to produce, or aim for the Commissar when facing SSU units to decrease their effectiveness. A Sniper Team that includes a Spotter as the other half of the unit will gain the ability to reverse the results when rolling combat dice, meaning the rolling "hits" means the die misses and rolling "misses" means the die hits. The Sniper skill is limited to the miniature(s) equipped with Rifles, while the unit with the binoculars has use of the Spotter skill which is shared with all miniatures in the team, including any Hero or Commissar which have joined the unit. 

The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are identical, while the SSU Sniper Team has its own twist. The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are 2 miniature units, one with a Rifle and Sniper skill, and the other with a standard issue weapon with binoculars and Spotter skill. The SSU Sniper Team contains 2 miniatures both with high powered Widowmaker Rifles, which can damage light and medium sized walkers, and both also possess the Sniper skill.

• Pros:
• The Allied and Axis teams can make very good use of the Spotter ability. See the Heroes section of the review for more details on Hero Combinations and their potential effectiveness.
• The Allied and Axis teams also carry the Agile skill, which means all of their diagonal movement will only cost 1 movement point. While this may only be effective when the unit makes a move-move action, it can help them gain a better position for cover, or to retreat when the enemy is able to close the range gap. This skill is also effective with the introduction of structures tiles and buildings in Operations Seelöwe and Cyclone. Inside corners can cut movement effectiveness, and the ability to cut them with the Agility skill can help the speed of movement, and eliminate the line of sight enemy units may have.
• The Range provided by the Sniper miniatures are a great way to ensure that the unit will get a couple shots in before their targets can fight back. Though be wary of your enemies anti-infantry Walkers.
• All Sniper Teams will always save on a "miss" result when rolling cover saves.
• All miniatures with the Sniper skill can choose which miniature will absorb any damage they inflict. While this ability is not shared, this is a very good way of softening up incoming units, eliminate those annoying Commissars, and finish off those Heroes who think they can break your lines.
• My personal favorite is to whittle down incoming units by targeting the Soldiers over the Heroes. Each Soldier represents a series of weapon lines, and the fewer number of Soldiers mean less overall firepower. Taking out individual Zombies, Apes, Heavy Recon's, Sturmpioniere's, etc... is great to increase the survivability of any attack they attempt.
• Cons:
• As soon as the unit takes 1 hit it looses a great amount of effectiveness. The next hit will eliminate the unit, unless they are healed by a Command Squad.
• The Allies and Axis will loose either the Sniper or Spotter with the first hit that the unit absorbs.
• The SSU will loose effectiveness in their firepower, since both units firing in tandem secure an approximate 56% chance of scoring 1 - 2 hits with 2 dice. After suffering one hit the unit will then be reduced to the standard 33% chance with 1 die.
• Heroes:
  Remember that the Heroes will gain access to the Teams cover bonus, and in the case of the Allies and Axis, to the Spotter and Agile skill, so long as those miniatures are still a part of the unit.
• Allies
• Bazooka Joe is a nice option. An increase of 4 Health Points, which means the unit will be able to take 3 hits before any miniatures are removed. The Spotter will increase the effectiveness of Joe's Grenade Launcher, since it will ignore cover and score hits when rolling a "miss" on his combat dice rolls. This unit will also help Joe survive so the Allies can take advantage of the initiative advantage he provides.
• Rosie is a great choice as well. An increase of 4 Heath Points and the Spotter skill doubles her chances of eliminating enemy vehicles. She can stay back with the team and heal an injured Vehicle while keeping the enemies advancing walkers at bay, or hunt the enemies Vehicles with her M9-D Bazooka.
• The Chef is an interesting choice. An increase of 3 Health Points and the combination of his Flame weapon and the Spotter skill will mean his flamethrowers will surely devastate any incoming enemies. This could be very effective if you're trying to figure out a way to protect your Steel Rain from units that move within the minimum firing range, or to hunt down those Zombie and Ape units before they can reach your Vehicles and other vital units. In this case the opposite of my typical Sniper strategy would apply since the Sniper team could wear down Markus, Grenadier X, or Totenmeister so the enemy unit can hopefully stay at full capacity for Chef's flamethrowers and massive amounts of hits that the enemy Hero will hopefully not be able to absorb for the unit.
• Priest could work as well. An increase of 4 Health Points and the spotter skill will increase his chance of hitting an enemy walker with his powerful dynamite. Though the dual Agile skill will serve no purpose. Probably not the greatest combination, but still effective at close range
• Johnny One-Eye is another choice that could see some effectiveness. An increase of 4 Health Points and his Victory MG would be more effective against lighter armored enemy soldiers. The Badass skill would be put to waste, so this might not be a wise choice.
• Axis:
• Angela is the natural choice in this case. An increase of 3 Health Points and the stacked effectiveness of the Frenzy, Sniper, and Spotter skills makes this the deadliest combination in the game. Her Frenzy ability allows her to continually re-roll her dice that hit until they result in misses. She also carries the Sniper skill so she can choose where her hits are absorbed. Since the Spotter miniature will reverse the combat dice results, she can effectively eliminate entire units in a single attack. And all of this from a range of 6.
• Sigrid Von Thaler is another good choice. An increase of 4 Health Points and the stacked bonus of the Spotter skill and her Laser weapon. Before the time of Operation Cerberus and Angela, Sigrid was my favorite choice when I played as the Axis since the combination acts in a very similar manner. Sigrid can't choose where her damage is absorbed, but she still gets to re-roll her hits with her Laser Pistole-B until they miss on reversed die results. She can effectively eliminate entire units in a single attack at a range of 3. Also, the bonus of the Sniper's ability to start hitting units at a range of 6, and the Spotter at a range of 4 will ensure the unit will be eliminated once they reach the range of Sigrid's Laser weapon. Her Berserk skill will also assist in ensuring that her target will meet its end.
• Manfred brings potential. An increase of 5 Health Points and the Assault skill could really make use of the Agility skill. A Move-Move Action with Assault could see the unit move a full 4 diagonal squares, what would normally be 7 movement points. His effectiveness with the Panzerfaust is doubled with the Spotter skill and a great way to finish of damaged Vehicles. He also brings another STG 47 to the party.
• Stefan would be very effective with this unit. An increase of 4 Health Points, the Assault and Agile skill combination, and a Flamethrower that will ignore cover and reverse its combat dice results with the help of the Spotter. Much like the Chef, only half as effective against Infantry units. Not a bad overall combination for use against both Infantry and Vehicles.
• SSU:
• Red Yana would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower will be a welcome addition to keep enemy units at bay since her Auto Grenade Launcher can ignore cover. Her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter.
• Koshka would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower is a little weak and range is a little short, but her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter. She can stay with the team until they get eliminated, then hop in Grand'ma to keep her alive and the VP from your enemy, and possibly use still use her Fighting Spirit skill if is still unused.
• Yakov is an interesting choice. An additional 4 health points and the Legendary Tactician skill will stack with the Team's cover bonus to ensure that this unit will always benefit from cover saves. Though any skills and/or weapons that ignore cover will still get around this benefit.
• Nikolai might be considered a waste. He doesn't add much firepower but his Take Aim skill could be useful. He could potentially stay with the team to whittle down enemy forces, then hop in a Vehicle when the unit suffers enough hits and his skills are needed elsewhere.
• Commissars:
  The SSU faction is unique in their ability to use political influence when commanding their forces. Solo Commissars can be joined with any SSU unit, just like a Hero and with the same restrictions, however an SSU unit may have both a Solo Commissar and a Hero join them for battle.
• The Derzhavin and Sumarokov are identical Commissars. They both have the Badass skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Having one of these Commissars join the Sniper Team doesn't really add any benefit to either unit. Sure the U.G.L. is nice and will be unlimited, but it would only really see any combat when units closed the distance.
• The Fonvizin brings the Assault skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Combining the Fonvizin with the Sniper Team could help with mobility, but also doesn't add a whole lot else, outside of some close range firepower.
• The Karamzin carries a PTRS-47 Bazooka with a range of 3, and the standard Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. The Karamzin has no skills, just a specialized anti-Vehicle weapon. Since the Team already damages light to medium Vehicles, this could be a decent advantage, but still subject to standard combat die rolls.
•  The Trediakovsky carries a DPM MG with a range of 4, and the standard Knife; Greande Close Combat weapon. The Trediakovsky has no skills, just a specialized anti-Infantry weapon. A little Infantry killing power for those enemies that start to close the range gap on the unit. The weapon is very effective against lighter Infantry units.

Sniper Teams have proven to be a very effective unit for all factions. The two man team gains a cover bonus, so they will always gain the benefit of Hard Cover when cover applies to an enemies combat roll. All 3 factions Sniper Teams also have access to the Agile skill, which helps with Move Reactions. The miniatures with the Rifle and Sniper skill are capable of ignoring both cover and armor on their targets. This skill is shared will the entire unit, including any joined Hero and/or Commissar. The miniatures with the Spotter skill reverse the die rolls of any Attacks the unit makes. Of course these skills only apply as long as that miniature is alive.

The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are identical, while the SSU Sniper Team has its own twist. The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are 2 miniature units, one with a Rifle and Sniper skill, and the other with a standard issue weapon with binoculars and Spotter skill. The SSU Sniper Team contains 2 miniatures both with high powered Widowmaker Rifles, which can damage light and medium sized walkers, and both also possess the Sniper skill.

• Pros:
• The Allied and Axis teams can make very good use of the Sniper and Spotter abilities. See the Heroes section of the review for more details on Hero Combinations and their potential effectiveness.
• All the factions Sniper Teams also carry the Agile skill. When these units make a Move Reaction to an enemies Action, it can move an additional 6". Very effective when you need to gain some cover, or even move out of the enemies line of sight.
• The Allies and Axis have a range of 36" provided to their Sniper Teams. This is a great way to inflict hits on your enemy early in the game and suppress any vital enemy units. The combination of the Spotter will greatly increase the chance of the unit scoring a hit on their target. 
• The SSU Sniper Team has a range of 30" with their Widowmaker Rifles. However these Rifles are are also Penetrator weapons, which means that enemy Vehicles within a range of 24" will cut their armor rolls in half, rounded up. Since the Sniper skill eliminates cover and armor rolls, this will not really apply to any of their attack rolls, but is nice to note when fielding the SSU Rifle Squad.
• All Sniper Teams will always gain the advantage of Hard Cover as long as they are in any form of cover.
• Cons:
• As soon as the unit takes 1 hit it looses a great amount of effectiveness. The next hit will eliminate the unit, unless they are healed by a Medic.
• The Allies and Axis will loose either the Sniper or Spotter with the first hit that the unit absorbs.
• The SSU will loose effectiveness in their firepower, since both units firing in tandem secure an approximate 56% chance of scoring 1 - 2 hits with 2 dice. After suffering one hit the unit will then be reduced to the standard 33% chance with 1 die.
• Heroes:
  Remember that the Heroes will gain access to the Teams cover bonus, Agile skill, and in the case of the Allies and Axis, to the Spotter skill, so long as those miniatures are still a part of the unit.
• Allies
• Bazooka Joe brings an increase of 4 Health Points. The Spotter will increase the effectiveness of Joe's Grenade Launcher by reversing the combat die rolls, it will ignore cover due to the weapons nature, and ignore Armor with the Sniper skill. His Black Ops skill will also assist the unit in receiving a free order in the Command Phase, regardless of his range to the Command Section.
• Rosie brings an increase of 4 Heath Points and the Spotter skill doubles her chances of eliminating enemy vehicles. She can stay back with the team and help heal injured Vehicles while keeping the enemies advancing walkers at bay, or hunt the enemies Vehicles with her M9-D Bazooka. The ability of the Sniper skill to ignore cover and Armor will ensure that Rosie will damage even the most well protected enemy Vehicle.
• Priest brings an increase of 4 Health Points and the spotter skill will increase his chance of hitting an enemy Vehicle with his powerful dynamite, while the Sniper skill will ensure that it ignores the cover and Armor of the target. I don't really know how the dual Agile skills would work, but that could be a good clarification to ask in the future.
• Johnny One-Eye brings an increase of 4 Health Points and his Victory MG would be more effective against lighter armored enemy soldiers. The Badass skill would always ensure that the unit gets at least 1 action in the Unit Phase, while any attack made by the unit will always ignore cover and armor, making Johnny an even more effective Infantry killer.
• The Chef cannot join any unit in Warfare.
• Axis:
• Angela is the natural choice in this case. An increase of 3 Health Points and the stacked effectiveness of the Frenzy, Sniper, and Spotter skills makes this a deadly combination. Her Frenzy ability allows her to re-roll her dice that hit on the initial combat roll a single time. She also carries the Sniper skill so she can always ignore cover and Armor with any attack she or the Team makes, while reversing combat dice rolls with help of the Spotter. Her range with her 20mm Solothurn is 36", and she can damage up to Vehicle Armor 5.
• Sigrid Von Thaler brings an increase of 4 Health Points and the stacked bonus of the Spotter skill and her Laser weapon. Sigrid will get to re-roll her hits made with the initial combat roll with her Laser Pistole-B a single time while gaining the benefit of the Spotter skill to reverse combat die rolls. The addition of her Berserk skill can cause a great amount of devastation to her enemies, since it will stack with her Laser weapon.
• Manfred brings an increase of 5 Health Points and the Assault skill. A March Move Action with Assault could ensure that the unit moves into a vital position without triggering a reaction from the enemy at the end of the unit's movement. His effectiveness with the Panzerfaust is doubled with the Spotter skill and a great way to finish of damaged Vehicles since the Sniper skill ensures it will ignore both cover and Armor. He also brings another STG 47 to the party.
• Stefan brings an increase of 4 Health Points. The Assault skill will help to safely position the unit with a Move March action. His Flamethrower will ignore cover naturally, but now also ignore Armor with the help of the Sniper and reverse its combat dice results with the help of the Spotter.
• SSU:
• Red Yana would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower will be a welcome addition to keep enemy units at bay, and gain the advantage of ignoring the Armor of her targets. Her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter. If the unit should fall, Red Yana could then hop in a vehicle and make use of her skill, if it is still unused.
• Koshka would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower is a little weak, but her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter. She can stay with the team until they get eliminated, then hop in Grand'ma and possibly use still use her Fighting Spirit skill if it is still unused.
• Yakov is an interesting choice. An additional 4 health points and the Legendary Tactician skill could help the entire unit gain a cover bonus, if at least half of the miniatures are in cover. The ability to ignore both cover and Armor is a great advantage for his Acid Thrower.
• Nikolai might be considered a waste. He doesn't add much firepower but his Take Aim skill could be useful. He could potentially stay with the team to whittle down enemy forces, then hop in a Vehicle when the unit suffers enough hits and his skills are needed elsewhere.
• Commissars:
  The SSU faction is unique in their ability to use political influence when commanding their forces. Solo Commissars can be joined with any SSU unit, just like a Hero and with the same restrictions, however an SSU unit may have both a Solo Commissar and a Hero join them for battle. Solo Commissars can also combine 2 identical units; Essentially the SSU could potentially field a single unit that consists of 2 SSU Sniper Teams, 1 Commissar, and a Hero.
• The Derzhavin and Sumarokov are identical Commissars. They both have the Badass skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Having one of these Commissars join the Sniper Team would ensure that the unit would always gain at least 1 action in the Unit Phase, as long as it suffers from both Suppression and Reaction markers. The Sniper skill would allow their weapons to ignore both cover and Armor of it's targets.
• The Fonvizin brings the Assault skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Combining the Fonvizin with the Sniper Team could help the unit move into a vital position without triggering a reaction at the end of their movement. The Sniper skill would allow his weapons to ignore both cover and Armor of it's targets.
• The Karamzin carries a PTRS-47 Bazooka, and the standard Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. The Karamzin has no skills, just a specialized anti-Vehicle weapon, which now benefits from the Teams ability to ignore both cover and Armor when attacking.
•  The Trediakovsky carries a DPM MG with a range of 4, and the standard Knife; Grenade Close Combat weapon. The Trediakovsky has no skills, just a specialized anti-Infantry weapon, which now benefits from the Teams ability to ignore both cover and Armor when attacking.

A look at The Chef

One of the top spies for the Allied forces Guglielmo Zanicotti, a.k.a. “The Chef”, has been instrumental in keeping the Allied forces appraised of valuable information. Captain Joe Brown and Rosie have relied on Guglielmo to be their inside man on many of their operations, the most famous being Operation Red Lightning. His current whereabouts are thought to be in Berlin where he can hopefully obtain vital information regarding the Blutkreuz Korps and their VK experiments; however the events in Zverograd may need his attention before much longer.

One of The Chef’s greatest advantages is his dual Flamethrowers. He is also very well adept in Close Combat with his Kitchen Knife. He lacks any useful abilities in Dust Tactics, relying only on the ability to ignore cover that his primary weapon brings. The Chef can join units to benefit from their skills, such as the Fast ability from BBQ Rangers or Hell Boys. However, in Dust Warfare his ability “Whose side is he on?” is unparalleled. While The Chef cannot join a unit, he cannot be targeted with an Attack action or Reaction until he has declared an Attack action of his own. Once The Chef has declared a single Attack action, he may be targeted normally. A recent clarification from Fantasy Flight Games verified that The Chef may hold an objective in a Key Position scenario without ever revealing himself to the enemy.

The dual Flamethrowers are devastating to Soldier units and could roll up to 2 dice per Soldier unit. The short range means that The Chef must get up close and personal to his foes to cause any damage. This can be accomplished in Tactics by adding the Hero to a unit, and in Warfare he can just March Move to any vital unit on the board and declare his Attack, though this could also bring certain death if the rest of the Allied forces are not nearby to provide support.

• Pro’s:
• Attacking large groups can cause massive amounts of damage, and will always ignore cover.
• In Tactics the dual weapon lines allow The Chef to target 2 separate units, or focus both flamethrowers on a single target.
• In Warfare there is only 1 weapon line, but this will always guarantee a minimum of 2 dice per miniature when attacking.
• Very powerful against vehicles.
• In Tactics the weapon lines of The Chef’s Flamethrowers state that they each do 1/2 damage against a vehicle, regardless of armor rating. So the Chef could have a 33% chance at causing 2 hit against 2 separate vehicles, or he could target a single vehicle and have 44% chance of causing exactly 2 hits, and an 11% chance of causing 4 hits.
• In Warfare the Chef only has the 1 weapon line, and the stats have been adjusted to 1/4 damage against a vehicle, regardless of armor rating. This is now just a 33% chance to cause 4 hits against a vehicle. 
• Decent Close Combat damage:
• In Tactics he brings 4 dice to Close Combat when fighting armor 2 Soldiers, and 2 dice against armor 3 Soldiers.
• In Warfare he has been reduces to 2 dice for armor 2 and 1 die for armor 3 Soldiers, but can now damage armor 4 Soldiers with 1 die.
• His cost is only 20 points in Warfare and the advantage of his skill allows the Allied player to hold objectives on the board without ever engaging the enemy in combat. The Chef can also move on Command Sections to attack and cripple the enemies abilities to give proper orders and manage their forces.
• He will always ignore cover when Attacking with his Flame weapons and the nature of Close Combat.

• Con’s:
• Completely vulnerable and defenseless against Aircraft
• For Tactics, hopefully he is a part of a unit, or taking cover in a structure.
• For Warfare, he is immune to Attack actions, until revealed as an enemy. Unless there is proper support from other Allied units, he will surely be lost.
• The cost in Tactics of 22 points is a bit expensive for a Hero with only 3 hit points and no special abilities. Regardless of the weapons a Hero wields, they're Heroes and should bring a bit more to the battle. Fast, Assault (one use), Black Ops (which makes the most sense), are all very plausible skills to make this Hero worth his cost.
• 3 Hit points. Most Heroes have 4 Hit points, and that 1 point can make all the difference. The only other Hero with less than 4 Hit points is Angela, who also has a value of 3 Hit points.


• Units
• All of these tips apply only to Dust Tactics since The Chef cannot join any units in Dust Warfare.
• BBQ Rangers or the Hell Boys are an excellent choice. Their ability to move fast assists The Chef with mobility, and the additional Flamethrowers will only increase this combination's ability to cause massive amounts of damage. Since each Flamethrower is it's own weapon line, and the units also have Shotguns and possibly Demo Charges, this creates the potential of targeting and damaging a large amount of separate units, or focusing a majority of their fire to cripple a heavily armored vehicle and a supporting Soldier unit.
• The Crack Shots are also a decent unit to combine with The Chef. The ability of the Spotter will reverse the entire units attack rolls. This means the Dual Flamethrowers will both ignore cover, and hit when the combat die roll misses. The Agile skill adds a little flexibility and the additional cover bonus that the Special Ops team provides will help keep the unit alive much longer than normal, provided they can find any cover.
• The Gunners, Recon Boys, Death Dealers, and 13 Foxtrot are also available for The Chef to join. There is no real bonus past some serious damage at close range and 3 additional hits, which can be useful for 13 Foxtrot, but still only makes the entire unit worth 5 Hit points with a great cover value, but potentially leaves the bulk of the units firepower away from the front line.

We weren't able to get together for League play, so I though this update would be a good idea. We will be back next Sunday to continue our League and enjoy the world of Dust. We are also working on joining a possible tournament in Olympia before the end of the year! If you have any ideas or requests for a unit review such as this please email me at pdxdust@gmail.com. Good Gaming!!

October League Update!

League results are now up from our game night on September 30th. Justin dropped the ball in 3 of the 4 games he played and is no longer in the lead. Nicholas and Justin finished up Operation Cyclone and Justin and John had a go at the first mission of Operation Seelöwe. Enjoy!!

Mission 6: An Unwelcome Surprise

Date of Play: 09-30-2012

Justin v. Nicholas

The Attacker must escape the base! The Attacker scores points for eliminating enemy units and for each unit they successfully escape through the highlighted zone. The Defender scores points for each enemy unit that is eliminated. The Player who scores the most points by the end of Turn 8 wins the scenario. The scenario may end before Turn 8 if one Player is eliminated and/or the Attacker escapes all surviving units.

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 239 points
  OZZ-177 - Rhino - BBQ Squad - Grim Reapers - Grim Reapers - Tank Busters - Rattler- Cobra
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 237 points
  Lara - Beobachter - Beobachter - Heavy Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Heinrich - Heinrich - Ludwig - Ludwig

The game was rather quick and the action started immediately. The Allies were able to score a lot of points in Turn 1 when they escaped a lone unit of Grim Reapers as well as OZZ-117 and his Tank Busters, while Rhino and his unit of Grim Reapers were able to successfully eliminate a unit of Recon Grenadiers. However the Axis was able to score some points of their own when a Heinrich successfully eliminated a unit of BBQ Rangers, and a Ludwig made short work of the Allied Rattler. Turn 2 brought the end of the scenario. The Allied Cobra made a last ditch attempt to eliminate 2 Axis units; another unit of Recon Grenadiers fell with ease to the Walker’s Machine Guns, but the main Phaser weapon once again proved its ability to underperform and only scored 3 hits on the Axis Ludwig. The Ludwig returned fire on the Cobra and successfully eliminated the Allied unit, while the last unit of Recon Grenadiers was able to finish off Rhino and the Grim Reapers, who were taking fire from many Axis units both rounds.

• Victor: Axis

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 112 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 159 points 

The first roll of my brand new dice from Chessex, followed by the final roll of the game (where I needed to kill the Ludwig to close the point gap)

Mission 7: Rescue The General

Date of Play: 09-30-2012

Justin v. Nicholas

Each Player must bring an Armor 2 Command Squad, and must deploy the Command Squad through the highlighted square and in the Opponent’s deployment zone!! The objective is for each Player to keep their Command Squad alive, while eliminating the enemies Command Squad to gain the victory. The game is played for 8 Turns. If both Players have their Command Squad alive at the end of Turn 8, or if both players Command Squads are eliminated, the game ends in a draw. 4 Ammo Crates are available as cover to be placed in the highlighted area.

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 240 points
  Bazooka Joe - Johnny One-Eye - The Chef - BBQ Squad - Crack Shots - Recon Boys - The Boss - The Gunners
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 238 points
  Grenadier X - Lara - Markus -  Axis Gorillas - Axis Zombies - Heavy Recon Grenadiers - Kommandotrupp - Heinrich - Heinrich

Turn 1 saw a little action when Markus and his Gorillas Charged the Allied Mickey and tore the Walker to shreds with ease. Also, both players had units in prime position to eliminate each other’s Command Squad. Grenadier X and his Zombies made use of the Assault skill to get within one space of the Allied Command Squad, while Chef and his BBQ Rangers were in prime position to move in and fire on the Axis Kommandotrupp. The Allies won the initiative for Turn 2 and moved the Flamethrowers into position to score the kill on the Kommandotrupp. Grenadier X and his Zombies then made short work of the Allied Command Squad, ending the game in a draw.

• Victor: Draw

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 40 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 75 points

The roll that eliminated the Kommandotrupp from 3 flamethrowers

Mission 8: Das Boot

 Date of Play: 09-30-2012

Justin v. Nicholas

The final scenario was a tough one for the Allies. To win the scenario each Player totals the AP of the units that are occupying a square on the Submarine at the end of Turn 8. If no units are on the Submarine, or the AP totals are tied, the game ends in a draw. The Submarine is Armor 6 with a Health of 3. Any attack that includes a weapon that can damage Armor 6 Vehicles resolved against units occupying a Submarine tile which misses its target must then resolve the Attack against the Submarine. If a Player sinks the submarine they lose the game. 4 Ammo Crates are available for cover and may be placed anywhere on the map.

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 240 points
  Action Jackson - OZZ-177 - Crack Shots -  Grim Reapers - Red Devils - Honey - Pounder - Rattler-Amp - Wildfire
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 237 points
  Lara - Beobachter - Beobachter - Heavy Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Heinrich - Heinrich- Ludwig - Ludwig

The Axis brought quite a bit of heavy fire power, which threw the Allied strategy off a bit. Turn 1 brought plenty of destruction. The allied Rattler was able to eliminate a Heinrich, but the Axis was able to eliminate the Wildfire with another Heinrich, and the Pounder with a great shot from a Ludwig. The Honey was lost to another attack from the Axis Ludwig’s in Turn 2. The Rattler was able to eliminate a unit of Recon Grenadiers and Beobacthers in Turn 3, while OZZ and his Grim Reapers successfully eliminated the second unit of Beobacthers. Action Jackson and the Red Devils had a chance to shine in Turn 4, but the unreliability of the Phaser weapons only aided the unit in its undeniable ability to underperform with every attack. Instead both Ludwigs eliminated the Allied Rattler and Action Jackson and his Red Devils. Turn 5 brought the end of the game. The Grim Reapers focused their Dual Victory MGs on Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers while OZZ didn’t want to take any chances with the Ludwig, which now occupied a space on the submarine, and decided to use all the rocket punches and the flamethrower on the Walker, even though the flamethrower was sure to sink the submarine… And the flamethrower did just that to secure the victory for the Axis. However, Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers did fall to the fire from the Allied machine guns. The Allies could have scored a victory had they just stuck to the rocket punches and some creative movement to eliminate the enemy Heinrich, 2nd Ludwig, and take position on the Submarine since the combined total of 50 points (24 for OZZ and 26 for the Grim Reapers) would have outscored both Recon Grenadier units (16 x 2 for 32 points).

• Victor: Axis

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 139 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 180 points 

 

Mission 1: We're Here!

Date of Play: 09-30-2012

John v. Justin

The objective of this scenario was to reach, and hold, the Objective Square at the end of Turn 8. The game ends in a draw if neither Player occupied the Objective Square at the end of Turn 8. 4 Ammo Crates are available to place within the highlighted cover zone. It should also be noted that John requested that the game only be played with miniatures that were available as of Operation Seelöwe. The units available can be easily determined since Operation Seelöwe is the Expansion where the unit points were updated to the current system and the Rulebook contains all the units released up to date and their new point values.

• Attacker:
  John - Axis: 248 points
  Grenadier X - Markus - Sigrid - Stefan - Axis Gorillas - Axis Zombies - Laser Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Lothar
• Defender:
  Justin - Allies: 250 points
  Bazooka Joe - Johnny One-Eye - OZZ-177 - Rosie - The Priest  - 13 Foxtrot - 13 Foxtrot - BBQ Squad - BBQ Squad - Grim Reapers - The Gunners - Steel Rain

Turn 2 brought most of the action in the scenario. Grenadier X and his Zombies attacked OZZ and his Grim Reapers, severely injuring the Allied Hero, and eliminating the Grim Reapers. Markus and his Apes followed up to finish off the injured Allied Hero. However Priest and his BBQ Rangers were able to move in and get revenge by completely eliminating the Axis Blutkreuz Zombie Hero and unit. Rosie and her BBQ Rangers were also able to make good use of their resources by eliminating the Axis Ludwig and a unit of Recon Grenadiers; however Sigrid and her Laser Grenadiers moved in to attack and eliminated Rosie and her BBQ Rangers. The Axis used their initiative in Turn 3 to Ape Charge Johnny and his Gunner Rangers, but a successful reactive fire from the Allied unit brought enough firepower to eliminate the injured Markus and Blutkreuz Apes, keeping the Allied unit safe for a bit longer. Priest and his BBQ Rangers were hurt after the exchange with the Axis Zombies, and they fell in close combat against Stefan and his Recon Grenadiers, since the remaining miniatures didn’t have enough firepower to bring down the Axis Hero and unit. In fact, that unit of Recon Grenadiers would prove to be the MVP for the Axis forces. Turn 4 saw the Axis separate Stefan from his Recon Grenadiers so the Hero could eliminate a unit of 13 Foxtrot. An attack from Johnny and his Gunner Rangers brought the elimination of Stefan. Then Stefan’s unit of Recon Grenadiers made a retaliatory strike to successfully eliminate Johnny and his Gunner Rangers. That unit of Recon Grenadiers would also prove to be the MVP of the Axis forces in this scenario. They just wouldn’t die since the combinations of Soft and Hard cover provided within the structure kept them safe, and they also blocked any ability for the Allies to progress towards the Objective Square. Eventually, in Turn 7, the Steel Rain was able to get a good position in the structure to finally eliminate the Recon Grenadiers, but not before the Axis unit eliminated Joe and his unit of 13 Foxtrot . Unfortunately the Allied units couldn’t reach the Objective Square and have a chance to drive out the last unit of Recon Grenadiers who were holding before the end of Turn 8.

• Victor: Axis

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 185 points
• John - Axis: 212 points

We have more League play coming this Sunday, and I promise to get the update completed in a timelier manner! Good Gaming!

Full Warfare Battle Report!!

At long last the Full Warfare Battle Report arrives! This Game was played on July 29th, 2012 and marked the beginning of the 2nd 2012 PDX Dust League. We made sure to document command pools with results, command phase orders, unit phase orders, and all the nastiness in between to give those interested in Dust Warfare an in-depth look at the game and how it functions. I did my best to give information based off the perspective of one who was familiar with Table Top Games but new to, or curious about, Warfare. Feel free to comment with any questions or email us at pdxdust@gmail.com. The table size is 48" by 72". Enjoy!!

A few other things to note, especially for those unfamiliar with Dust Warfare. The Battle Report starts when the Platoon Table is shown, as that is the first step in a Dust Warfare game: 

• Each player counts their units on the board. The number of units equals the number of Command Pool Die. Heroes attached with a unit count as 1 unit. Each player rolls their Command Pool and totals up the "hits". Each hit is worth 1 order. The player with the fewest number of hits/orders goes first during each phase, and the other player goes second. Ties are rerolled until a determination can be made.
• Any player that has at least one unit in a command section with the Command Squad Special Ability gain 1 additional order during the Command Phase.
• Since each player has 2 Command Sections, and each section contains a Radioman, they can both give up to 2 orders outside of the normal command range.
• A unit gains a Reaction Marker when  issued a Take Action order in the Command Phase. This prevents the unit from reacting for the rest of the turn, and takes one action away from the unit during the Unit phase.
• At the end of each Turn all Reaction Markers and 1 Suppression Marker are removed from each unit.
• A unit that is suppressed may not make a reaction.
• When a unit activates during the Unit Phase they roll a die for each suppression marker. Remove 1 suppression marker for each "hit" result.
• If a Hero is with the unit then the die rolls are reversed and a suppression marker is removed for each "miss" result. 
• If a unit has more suppression markers than miniatures left they are in retreat and must spend all actions during the Unit phase to move towards the closest table edge. When the unit leaves the board it counts as an elimination for the enemy.
• Units with Heroes will never retreat.
• A Regroup Order may be issued during the Command Phase to remove all Suppression and Reaction markers, provided the command range is met, or a Radioman is available to negate the command range.  
• A unit that is both suppressed and has any reaction markers may not take any actions during the Unit Phase, unless all the Suppression Markers are removed via the die roll when activating said unit.
• A command section can only issue orders to units within 12" of the unit leader. 
• Each Radioman allows an order to be given to any friendly unit, regardless of range or line of sight. The Improved Command Platoon Upgrade allows a Radioman to be attached to a command section (in this case the Axis used this upgrade to place a Radioman with the Sturmpioniere's since they are a command section normally without a radioman.) This Upgrade could also be used to attach a second Radioman to a command section that already has a Radioman (such as the Ranger Command Squad, or the Kommandotrupp).
• Reactions are limited to 12"
• Anybody within range may react to a move action.
• Only the unit that is the target of an attack may react to the attack action. If the attack action is a Close Combat attack, then only Close Combat weapons may be used when reacting.
• A unit that reacts to an enemy gains a reaction marker and cannot react to any other unit for the remainder of the turn. 
• Any Attack action reactions are resolved simultaneously.
• Platoon Special Abilities (Command Phase only)
• The Axis' 1st Platoon has the Wiederbelbungsserum Failsafe ability. Once per Command Phase a non-Zombie unit is given the order and rolls 1 combat die for each miniature lost during the previous game turn. A new platoon is placed within 3" of the ordered unit and contains a number of Zombies equal to the number of "hit" results. These zombies are worth 0 AP and have Combat Knives (x2 each) instead of Panzer Gloves
• The Axis' 2nd Platoon has the ability to issue a Blitzkrieg Move to 1 unit during the Command Phase. This allows the unit to move 6" without gaining a Reaction Marker
• The Allied player has 2 platoons, but they are both Combat Platoons and have access to the same special order, which allows them to use the special order twice per Command Phase. Fire For Effect allows each Ranger Command Squad to issue the order to any unit with the Artillery Strike ability (including itself). The unit gains a Reaction Marker. Then roll as single Combat Die, and on a "hit" the ordered unit may resolve a 220mm Long Tom attack against up to two target units. Each target must be within 6" of each other.
  
• The Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad have the Rocket Punch Close Combat Weapon.
• Rocket Punches are designed to tear through armor to hit vital systems. They reverse combat die rolls and Hit on a "miss" and Miss on a "hit" against all units.
• Lara, the Heavy Recon Grenadier, the Heavy Flak Grenadiers, and the Heavy Laser Grenadiers have the Damage Resilience Special Ability.
• When making an Armor save the unit rolls an additional die. Since all these units are Armor 3, they all roll 4 dice for Armor saves (3 Armor + 1 for Damage Resilience).
• The Chef has the special ability "Whose side is he on?"
• The Chef may not be attached to any unit and he cannot be targeted by any enemy unit until he has declared an attack action of his own and reveals himself to the enemy. Once The Chef has declared an attack action he is susceptible to enemy attacks for the remainder of the game. After the date of this game a clarification verified that The Chef can hold an objective in a Key Position scenario and score points without ever having revealed himself to the enemy.
  

Each player created their forces using the required Platoon Builder before any aspects of the game were decided.

Player:	John	Nicholas
Faction:	Axis	Allies

1st Platoon

Command Section:	Sturmpionere	Ranger Command Squad
1st Section	Heavy Laser Grenadiers	Ranger Weapon Squad
2nd Section	Heavy Flak Grenadiers	Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka
3rd Section	Heavy Recon Grenadiers	Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad
4th Section	---	---
Hero	Lara	Rosie
Support Units	-Hans -Ludwig	-Steel Rain -Steel Rain -13 Foxtrot
Platoon Upgrade	Improved Command	Air Drop

2nd Platoon

Command Section:	Kommandotrupp	Ranger Command Squad
1st Section	Recon Grenadiers	Assault Ranger Squad
2nd Section	Battle Grenadiers	---
3rd Section	---	---
4th Section	---	---
Hero	---	The Chef
Support Units	-Hans	-13 Foxtrot
Platoon Upgrade	---	---
Point Totals:	299 points	298 points

The next step was to utilize the Tournament Scenario's Battle Builder to determine the Objective, Deployment, and Conditions for the game. Each player has 2 points to use in the Battle Builder and rolls 5 Combat Die. The player who rolls the fewest "hits" gets to spend their first point.

Nicholas rolled 0 hits and John rolled a single hit. Nicholas chose to place his first point into Deployment; John spent a point in Objectives; Nicholas spent his second point on Conditions; John spent his second point on Objectives, resulting in the following scenario:

• Objective: Key Positions
• Each player names 2 piece of terrain as their "objectives" after each force has been deployed, but before the beginning of the First turn. 
• Each objective is worth 1 Superiority Point. If the players choose the same piece of terrain as an objective it then becomes worth 2 Superiority Points.
• A player must have at least 1 Soldier unit with it's Unit Leader in base contact with the objective to earn the Superiority Point(s). Units from either side may simultaneously occupy the same objective and score points for their faction.
• Deployment: Force Collision
• The players will deploy 24" off the corner of their deployment zone.
• Condition: None

Now it is time to place the terrain for the game. 1/4 of the table is filled with terrain, and each player will alternate placement of each terrain piece. The player who places the first piece of terrain is determined in the exact same manner as the player who spent the first point in the Battle Builder (5 combat dice, lowest amount of hits places first). This time John won placed the first terrain piece. Once all the terrain was placed the results were as follows:

According the the rules for Force Collision, the player who spent the first Scenario point gets to deploy their army first. Nicholas' Allies deploy first since he spent the first scenario point and John's Axis deploy after Nicholas has finished.

Now that the terrain has been placed and each side has deployed their forces, it is time for the players to choose their objectives for the Key Positions of the scenario. They are as follows:

• Allies: Small Tower on hill & Ruined 2 story building near crater and rubble obstacle.
• Axis: Large 2 story building on hill & Large destroyed church in the middle.

 Setup with Objectives marked, but minus the units for better clarity

The standard turn limit for the Battle Builder is 5 turns. Calculate Superiority Points at the end of Turn 5 to determine the winner. 

A look at the table after Deployment

Before the start of the 1st Turn the Allied player names Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka as the unit with the Air Drop upgrade. They are kept off the table until the Allied player wishes to utilize them in the scenario. They must perform a March Move action during the Unit Phase and be placed no closer than 12" from an enemy unit when entering the table.

Turn 1

• Initiative: 
• Allied Command Pool: 10 dice
• Axis Command Pool: 10 dice
• Results:
• Allied: 3 hits for 3 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  4 orders in total
• Axis: 1 hit for 1 order + 1 Command Squad Order
  2 orders in total
• Command Phase:
• Axis:
• Radio Order: Ludwig moves 6" towards the ruined church
• Radio Order: Blitzkrieg move order on Lara and the Heavy Recon Grenadiers towards the crater near the Allied objective. (No Reaction Marker)
• Allies:
• Fire for Effect order using 1st Platoon's 13 Foxtrot, but the roll is unsuccessful
• Fire for Effect order using 1st Platoon's Ranger Command Squad, but the roll is unsuccessful
• Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad move order under 12" towards the ruined church.
• 2nd Platoon's 13 Foxtrot move order into the forest on the hill near the Allied Small Tower Objective.
• Unit Phase: 
• Axis:
• The 1st Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at 2nd Platoon's 13 Foxtrot in the forest on the hill.
• 1 Hit is scored
• Soft Cover reduces damage by 1.
• No damage dealt, but the Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker
• The 2nd Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at the Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad.
• 1 Hit is scored
• Armor fails to make any saves
• 1 miniature is lost and the unit gains a Suppression Marker
• Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers perform a March Move towards and into the cover of the crater.
• Sturmpionieres March Move to the cover of a barricade.
• Heavy Laser Grenadiers March Move with the Ludwig towards the ruined church
• Heavy Flak Grenadiers Move into the safety of the Bunker near the Axis deployment zone
• Allies: 
• The Chef March Moves towards the 2 story building on the hill near the Axis deployment zone.
• Assault Ranger Squad March Moves with the Fast ability into the ruined church.
• 1st Platoons 1st Steel Rain fires indirectly using the 4.2" Rocket System and line of sight from 2nd Platoons 13 Foxtrot in the trees at the enemy Ludwig.
• 3 Hits are scored
• Armor fails to make any saves
• The Ludwig takes 3 damage. Vehicle damage is rolled and the Ludwig is Blind.
• 1st Platoons 2nd Steel Rain fires in the exact same fashion with the 4.2" Rocket System as the 1st Steel Rain at the Axis Ludwig.
• 1 Hit is scored
• 1 Armor roll reduces 1 Hit.
• No further damage.
• Ranger Weapon Squad March Move towards the ruined 2 story building near the crater. (An Allied objective)
• 2nd Platoons Ranger Command Squad moves into the forest which contains 2nd Platoons 13 Foxtrot.
• Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad activates, but is unable to remove any suppression and cannot make any other actions due to both the Reaction and Suppression Markers.

Turn 2

• Initiative: 
• Allied Command Pool: 10 dice
• Axis Command Pool: 10 dice
• Results:
• Allied: 7 hits for 7 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  8 orders in total
• Axis: 5 hits for 5 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  6 orders in total
• Command Phase:
• Axis:
• Radio Order: Blitzkrieg move order on Lara and the Heavy Recon Grenadiers towards the ruined 2 story building near the crater (and unknowingly into an Allied objective). (No Reaction Marker gained)
• Radio Order: Ludwig moves order for 6" towards the ruined church.
• Recon Grenadiers move order to the top floor in the 2 story structure on the hill (An Axis objective)
• Allies:
• Fire for Effect order using 2nd Platoons 13 Foxtrot, but the roll is unsuccessful
• Fire for Effect order using 1st Platoons 13 Foxtrot, but the roll is unsuccessful
• Reload Order on the 1st Steel Rain
• Reload Order on the 2nd Steel Rain
• Ranger Weapon Squad move in towards the ruined 2 story building near the crater (an Allied objective)
• Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad moves back towards the forest near the Steel Rains.
• Unit Phase: 
• Axis:
• The Ludwig fires at the Allied 2nd Platoons 13 Foxtrot unit in the forest on the far hill with it's 8.8cm Doppel-FPK, and it's MG 44 at the Allied Assault Ranger Squad in the ruined church. (An Axis objective)
• 1 Hit is scored against 13 Foxtrot with the 8.8cm Doppel-FPK.
• Hard cover reduces damage by 2.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage deal. The Allied Team gains a Suppression Marker.
• 1 Hit is scored against Assault Ranger Squad with the MG 44.
• Hard Cover reduces damage by 2 for each unit.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage deal. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• The 1st Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at the Ranger Weapon Squad.
• 0 Hits are scored
• The 2nd Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at the Ranger Weapon Squad.
• 2 Hits are scored
• Hard Cover reduces damage by 2.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers perform a March Move with the Assault Special Ability towards and into the cover of the ruined 2 story building near the crater (An Allied objective)
• The Assault skill means that the end of the March Move may not trigger a reaction.
• Heavy Laser Grenadiers perform a Sustained Attack against the Assault Ranger Squad in the ruined church (An Axis objective).
• 2 Hits are scored with the Schwer Laser-Werfer
• Hard Cover reduces damage by 2.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Allies: 
• The Chef March Moves towards the 2 story building on the hill near the Axis deployment zone.
• Ranger Weapon Squad activate and are able to remove the Suppression Marker. They target Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers in the 2 story ruined building. Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers react to the attack.
• 11 Hits scored against the Ranger Weapon Squad with the 5 MG 44 Zwei's. 
• Ranger Weapon Squad successfully roll 1 Armor save.
• 10 hits get through and the Ranger Weapon Squad are eliminated from the battle.
• 1 Hit scored against Lara and her Heavy unit with the U.G.L. All other weapons miss.
• The use of U.G.L.'s by the Allies negate any cover bonus for the Axis.
• 1 Armor save is successful reducing 1 Hit.
• No damage dealt. The unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 1st Platoons Ranger Command Squad fails to heal the injured Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad.
• The 1st Steel Rain moves to get a better view around the ruined church.
• The 2nd Steel Rain moves from behind the trees to support the 1st Steel Rain.

Turn 3

• Initiative:
• Allied Command Pool: 9 dice
• Axis Command Pool: 10 dice
• Results:
• Allied: 4 hits for 4 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  5 orders in total
• Axis: 6 hits for 6 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  7 orders in total

• Command Phase:
• Allies:
• Fire for Effect order using 2nd Platoons 13 Foxtrot, but the roll is unsuccessful.
• Fire for Effect order using 1st Platoons 13 Foxtrot, with a successful roll. 
• The damaged, blind Ludwig along with the Heavy Laser Grenadiers are both with 6" of each other and well within line of sight. The 220mm Long Tom will be able to resolve a 5/1 attack on the Heavy Laser Grenadiers, and a 1/3 attack on the Ludwig
• The roll against the Ludwig is successful for 3 Hits.
• The Ludwig only rolls 2 successful armor saves, and 1 Hit gets through to finish off the Axis Walker.
• The roll against the Heavy Laser Grenadiers only manages 1 Hit.
• The Heavy Laser Grenadiers manage to roll 2 successful armor saves and only pick up a Suppression Marker.
• Radio Order: Regroup Order to the Assault Ranger Squad to remove all suppression and move unit miniatures within 6" of the unit leader (unit leader cannot move). (No Reaction Marker gained)
• Axis:
• Radio Order: Heavy Flack Grenadiers move off the Bunker towards the ruined church (an Axis objective).
• Radio Order: Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers Attack the Allied 2nd Platoon 13 Foxtrot in the forest on top of the hill.
• 9 Hits are scored with the 5 MG 44 Zwei's.
• Since 13 Foxtrot is an Observer Team with the Team Special Ability, they gain the bonus of Hard Cover in the forest, and 2 Hits are reduced against the Allied Team.
• Both Armor die roll successfully and 2 additional Hits are reduced.
• The remaining 5 Hits are more than enough to eliminate the 2 man unit.
• Unit Phase: 
• Allies:
• 1st Steel Rain fires the 4.2" Rocket System with a Sustained Direct Attack on Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers.
• 2 Hits are Scored.
• Hard Cover reduces 2 Hits.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Heavy Axis unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 2nd Steel Rain fires the 4.2" Rocket System with a Sustained Direct Attack on Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers.
• 2 Hits are Scored.
• Hard Cover reduces 2 Hits.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Heavy Axis unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 1st Platoons Ranger Command Squad fails to heal the injured Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad
• The Chef March Moves towards the 2 story building on the hill near the Axis deployment zone.
• The Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad Move Marches with their Jump skill into the 2 story ruined building that Lara and her Heavy unit occupies. (An Allied objective)
• 2nd Platoons Ranger Command Squad Moves and Attacks Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers.
• 1 hit is scored with the M1 AR.
• Hard Cover reduces 2 hits.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Heavy Axis unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Assault Ranger Squad March Moves with the Fast skill into the 2 story ruined building with both the Axis and Allied Heavy units. (An Allied objective)
• Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka March Move and Air Drop just outside of 12" of Lara and her Heavy unit inside the ruined 2 story building. (An Allied objective)
• Axis: 
• Heavy Laser Grenadiers Move towards the ruined church. (An Axis objective)
• Heavy Flak Grenadiers Move in behind the Heavy Laser Grenadiers to support the unit.
• 2nd Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka.
• 2 Hits are scored.
• Soft Cover reduces damage by 1 Hit.
• 1 Armor save is successful reducing 1 Hit.
• No damage. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 1st Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at  Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka.
• 4 Hits are scored.
• Soft Cover reduces damage by 1 Hit.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• 3 Hits are taken on Rosie.
• Lara and the Heavy Recon Grenadiers activate and only manage to remove 1 Suppression Marker and gets no Actions, since they also have a Reaction Marker from the Command Phase.

Turn 4

• Initiative:
• Allied Command Pool: 9 dice
• Axis Command Pool: 9 dice
• Results:
• Allied: 4 hits for 4 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  5 orders in total
• Axis: 3 hits for 3 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  4 orders in total

• Command Phase:
• Axis:
• Radio Order: Lara and the Heavy Recon Grenadiers Attack order against the Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad and the Assault Ranger Squad.
• Since all 3 units are in the same building, none of the units benefit from cover.
• 0 Hits are scored on the Assault Ranger Squad.
• 2 Hits are Scored on the Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad.
• 2 Armor saves are successful reducing 2 Hits.
• No damage dealt. The Allied Heavy unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Radio Order: Blutkriez Order to the Heavy Flak Grenadiers for a 6" move into the Rubble between the ruined 2 story building and the ruined church. (and Allied and Axis objective, respectively). (No Reaction Marker gained)
• Allies:
• Assault Ranger Squad Attack order against Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers.
• Since both units are in the same building, neither of them benefit from cover.
• 6 Hits scored.
• 1 Hit with the Flamethrower.
• 4 Hits with the Shotguns.
• 1 Hit with the Demo Charges.
• 2 Armor saves are successful reducing 2 Hits.
• 3 Hits are dealt to Lara, and 1 Heavy Recon Grenadier miniature is removed. The unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Radio Order: Tank Busters Attack order against Lara and the Heavy Recon Grenadiers. 
• Since both units are in the same building, neither of them benefit from cover.
• 2 Hits are scored 
• 0 Hits from the M10 Bazooka.
• 2 Hits from the Rocket Punches.
• 1 Armor save is successful reducing 1 Hit.
• 1 Heavy Recon Grenadier miniature is removed. The injured Heavy Axis unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Fire for Effect order using 1st Platoons 13 Foxtrot, but the roll is unsuccessful.
• Fire for Effect order using 2nd Platoons Ranger Command Squad, with a successful roll. 
• The 220mm Long Tom targets Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers in the ruined 2 story building. (An Allied objective).
• 3 Hits are scored.
• 2 Armor saves are successful reducing 2 Hits.
• The final Heavy Recon Grenadier is removed to eliminate the Heavy Soldier unit. However Lara is still alive, with a single hit remaining. All Suppression Markers are removed since Heroes do not suffer the effects of Suppression.
• Radio Order: Rosie and her Combat Rangers + Bazooka Attack order against Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers.
• The use of U.G.L.'s by the Allies negate any cover bonus for the Axis.
• 4 Hits are scored.
• Both M9 Bazookas Miss
• All 3 M1 AR's Miss
• 3 U.G.L.'s score 4 Hits.
• 1 Armor save is successful reducing 1 Hit.
• 3 Hits remain and are more than enough to eliminate the Axis Hero.
•  Unit Phase: 
• Axis:
• Heavy Flak Grenadiers utilize their Burst weapon for a Sustained Attack on the Assault Ranger Squad in the ruined 2 story building. (An Allied objective)
• The Fliegerfaust weapon may be fired as a Burst weapon, which negates any cover bonus' the target would normally receive, however an Out of Ammo Marker must then be placed on the unit and it must spend an action in the next Turn to reload it's weapon before it can fire again.
• 5 Hits are rolled by the Fliegerfaust.
• 1 Armor save is successful reducing 1 Hit
• 4 miniatures are removed, leaving only the Flamethrower. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 1st Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at the Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka.
• 1 Hit is scored.
• Soft Cover reduces damage by 1 Hit.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 2nd Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka.
• 1 Hit is scored.
• Soft Cover reduces damage by 1 Hit.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Heavy Laser Grenadiers March Move into the ruined church. (An Axis objective)
• Battle Grenadiers March Move out of the bunker towards the 2 story building on the hill. (An Axis objective)
• Recon Grenadiers March Move to the ground floor of the 2 story building on the hill. (An Axis objective)
• Allies: 
• The Chef March Moves into base contact with the 2 story building on the hill. (An Axis objective)
• 1st Steel Rain Reloads and Attacks the Heavy Flak Grenadiers in the rubble obstacle.
• 1 Hit is Scored
• Soft Cover reduces 1 Hit.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Heavy Axis unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 2nd Steel Rain Reloads and Attacks the Heavy Flak Grenadiers in the rubble obstacle.
• 0 Hits are Scored
• The Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad Attacks the Heavy Flak Grenadiers in the rubble obstacle.
• 0 Hits are Scored.
• Rosie and the Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka Activate and are able to remove both Suppression Markers.
• Assault Ranger Squad Activates and is able to remove 1 Suppression Marker and does not need to retreat.

Turn 5 

• Initiative:
• Allied Command Pool: 9 dice
• Axis Command Pool: 8 dice
• First roll each player rolled 2 hits. Re-roll Command Pool.
• Results:
• Allied: 4 hits for 4 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  5 orders in total
• Axis: 3 hits for 3 orders + 1 Command Squad Order
  4 orders in total

• Command Phase:
• Axis:
• Radio Order: Blutkriez Order to the Heavy Flak Grenadiers for a 6" Move from the rubble obstacle towards the ruined church. (An Axis objective) (No Reaction Marker gained)
• Allies:
• Radio Order: Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka Move order towards the ruined 2 story building. (An Allied objective)
• Fire for Effect order using 1st Platoons 13 Foxtrot, but the roll is unsuccessful.
• Fire for Effect order using 2nd Platoons Ranger Command Squad, but the roll is unsuccessful.
•  Unit Phase: 
• Axis:
• 1st Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at 2nd Platoons Ranger Command Squad.
• 1 Hit is scored.
• Soft Cover reduces damage by 1 Hit.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 2nd Platoon Hans uses the line of sight of the Kommandotrupp to fire the Granatwerfer indirectly at 2nd Platoons Ranger Command Squad.
• 1 Hit is scored.
• Soft Cover reduces damage by 1 Hit.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Allied unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• Heavy Flak Grenadiers Move from the rubble obstacle into the ruined church. (An Axis objective)
• Battle Grenadiers March Move into the 2 story building on the hill. (An Axis objective)
• Allies: 
• 1st Steel Rain Reloads and Attacks the Heavy Laser Grenadiers in the ruined church.
• 3 Hits are Scored.
• Petard Mortar Misses.
• 3 Hits from 4.2" Rocket System.
• Hard Cover reduces 2 Hits.
• 2 Armor saves are successful reducing 2 Hits.
• No damage dealt. The Heavy Axis unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• 2nd Steel Rain Reloads and Attacks the Heavy Flak Grenadiers in the rubble obstacle.
• 2 Hits are Scored.
• Petard Mortar Misses.
• 2 Hits from 4.2" Rocket System.
• Hard Cover reduces 2 Hits.
• 0 Armor saves are successful.
• No damage dealt. The Heavy Axis unit gains a Suppression Marker.
• The Chef Moves into the 2 story building on the hill and Attacks 1st Platoons Hans.(An Axis objective)
• 0 Hits are scored
• Rosie and the Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka Activate and are able to remove a Suppression Marker and move into the ruined 2 story building. (An Allied objective)

End of Game Results:

ALLIES ARE VICTORIOUS 

• Axis has 2 Superiority Points:
1. Heavy Laser Grenadiers and Heavy Flak Grenadiers hold the ruined Church for 1 Superiority Point.
2. 2nd Platoons Kommandotrupp, Recon Grenadiers, and Battle Grenadiers hold the 2 story building on the hill for 1 Superiority Point.
• Allies has 3 Superiority Points:
1. 1st Platoons 13 Foxtrot holds the small tower on the hill for 1 Superiority Point.
2. Heavy Ranger Tank Hunter Squad, Assault Ranger Squad, and Rosie and her Combat Ranger Squad + Bazooka hold the ruined 2 story building for 1 Superiority Point.
3. The Chef holds the 2 story building on the hill for 1 Superiority Point.

 

I hope you enjoyed the Battle Report, and I look forward to working on another one in the future. Perhaps a 3 player game if I can set aside enough time to play for 6 or so hours... The documenting and picture taking really prolongs the game time, which is why this report had no final pictures.

We will be updating with new League results soon from our League Play on September 30th. Also working on other updates for the blog. Stay tuned for more and Good Gaming!!