Dust Day League Play for Portland!

Thanks and intellectual credit for the template go to Aldarion, for the concept, and Wayward, for the design, from Radio Dust.

We will be looking to do an official DUST DAY during the summer somewhere in the Pacific Northwest for all players in the area to participate it. As I hear from more players I will be able to gauge the best place for everyone to meet and the size of the venue needed. Can't wait to gain more players! Good Gaming!!

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 4^th 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 8^th 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 1^st 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

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

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.

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!

November 2011

After a successful game night at Knightfall Games in Beaverton, OR, they will hopefully be hosting us as we start our monthly game nights. Hopefully, as new players join, this will become a weekly event, possibly held at different locations.

Check out the addition of the Unit Card section. I am working on a more efficient way of displaying all of these so it's not such a scrolling nightmare. As time becomes available I will perfect a better method and hopefully obtain copies or links to all unit cards released. I also plan to add links to rule books and as much other information as I can as things evolve.

http://portlanddusttactics.blogspot.com/p/unit-cards.html

As the beta campaign starts up I will be posting turn by turn updates. As we work on the kinks I will also be working on a campaign taking place in Iceland. Let's hope the Russians are released by then so I can make it as accurate as possible, as all the maps in the campaign books show that the ALLIED, AXIS, and SSU all have a claim staked on this island. Looking forward to the increase in playing time and the diversity of players.

RULE, UNITS, AND MORE!!!

          So the Revised Core Set is available. Zombies, Apes, Burst Weapons, Power Armour, and more! A growing variety of units for each player to choose from.  Such a wide variety that I believe we are ready for more factions to join in the war for control of the world. Soviets? Japanese? Vrill? I believe these are all integral parts of the world wide war (maybe not the Vrill, at least not quite yet). The Allies and Axis have enough to work with… Now it’s time for the rest of the countries to be made available for players to Enjoy. Until then, I can only reflect on what we currently have available to us.

          Seems as if the Revised Core Set really tipped the scales in favour of the Axis Army. Heavy Laser Grenadiers that will overkill any walker that runs across its path. Laser weapons with the ability to shrug off damage with the damage resilient power armour. Heavy Flak Grenadiers with a devastating Burst Weapon that virtually guarantees to eliminate any infantry unlucky enough to be within range and not in cover, also equipped with damage resilient power armour.  The Axis answer to the BBQ Rangers, The Sturmpioniere Grenadiers with a flame thrower, some STG 47’s, and a few Panzerfaust’s. The Hans with the ability to destroy any walker released to date with one shot and simultaneously cause massive damage to any squad within its limited range. Yes, many of these units are answers to some kick ass Allied units, but the Allied units with this set don’t really add too much to the Allied front lines, especially considering all the new Axis units with the Damage Resilience skill. Yes, the Hell Boys are quite devastating with their dual flamethrowers which can be aimed at different targets, as well as shotguns and fast ability. The Hammers are a decent enough unit to add since they are just as devastating in attacks as the Axis Gorillas. Especially considering that most Axis Armour 2 Infantry have no Close Combat Weapons that can retaliate. The Blackhawk looks like it can be quite devastating, but with a range of 2, who really knows. Also, the Heavy Flak Grenadiers kind of put the Blackhawk’s “All In One” ability to shame, since they basically have the same effect as long as they target a unit that hasn’t moved yet. Then the so called “Death Dealers”… Basically a joined Recon and Gunner Rangers squad. 3 M1 AR’s, 1 M-9 Bazooka, 1 Victory MG, and, of course, the standard Knife & Grenade. How exactly are these Rangers dealing death? No U.G.L.’s (and therefore no weapon that ignores cover), no abilities of any kind (having an element with the spotter ability would help with the dealing of death they boast), not even an updated Bazooka. Just the same old units with nothing added, and if anything, stripped of any real ability at all. And 23 points? 1 point more than the Bot Hunters that actually have a chance at destroying a walker in 1 action. A full squad of Heavy Flak Grenadiers can throw 18 dice against an armour 2 infantry unit as long as it hasn’t moved (9 if it has), so I ask again, how are these Rangers dealing death, especially against damage resilient enemies? The spotter ability would have been a wise addition to this squad of Rangers and made their moniker a bit more accurate to what they are capable of doing.

          Granted with the Grim Reapers and Tank Busters the Allies received a nice boost to its infantry. Statistically speaking, a full squad of Tank Busters should be killing any walker in a single attack action. A full squad of Grim Reapers will throw 15 dice at any armour 2 infantry unit, and 9 at any armour 3 infantry unit. With both of them having the Jump skill and a movement of 2, they are not to be taken lightly or used without care. Markus and his Apes are much more devastating than I had originally thought. The Charge ability that Markus has in addition with the Fast moving Apes allow them to move 3 spaces and attack with all weapons, EACH TURN. And once we get Totenmiester in a Hero Pack (or game night kit if I can ever find one of those fucking things) will make the Axis Zombies one hell of a force to be reckoned with. The damage resilience of both, devastating close combat weapons, Totenmiester’s ability to heal herself, and the fast movement of the zombies will make this combination quite possibly the deadliest pairing to date. OZZ 117’s Heroic Attack ability will come in handy when pairing with Tank Buster, Grim Reapers, or The Hammers, but that is once per game and more of a way to get a kill in before the Hero & Squad is taken out by enemy forces. Action Jackson (which I’ve only seen because of the Unit Card Upgrade Pack) looks like he is exactly what the Allies need to help bring some power back to their side of this conflict. Dual wielding Phaser Weapons look quite devastating. Though the Axis Hero Lara is a good answer in an Anti-Infantry manner, Action Jackson looks to be devastating to anything that gets within his range of fire. Too bad it looks as if we will have to wait for the Red Devil’s before he can be paired up with a squad, since Action Jackson lacks the Jump skill. Looking ahead to Operation Cerberus, I am very excited for the Allied Hero “The Cook”. Dual wielding flamethrowers? Hell yes…!!! If he is Armour 2, then teaming him up with the Hell Boys will allow for some serious short range devastation (4 Flamethrowers that can be aimed at separate targets? Yes please!). Not sure what to think of the Axis Hero in the same upcoming expansion, Angela. Looks fairly basic, but who knows how devastating of a shot she is and what kind of close combat and skills she will carry (if she’s anything like Sigrid, then we can expect a devastating close combat weapon and a skill that can be very effective when used wisely).

          Now for some Rules… 

          Artillery Fire ignoring cover? I have never read a rule that states this is the case. The FAQ suggest that Artillery Fire will ignore cover, yet no rule exists to back that claim up, and the example shown contradicts Line Of Sight, Terrain Square, Terrain Dot, and Cover rules. Plus a FAQ is just a gathering of information from existing sources that is most frequently sought after by those wishing to have that information, and not a rule set in and of itself. So, anybody with an idea of where this rule came from please send that information my way.

              

           Wiederbelebungsserum is another tricky one. As far as I can tell, Totenmiester must first suffer damage in a round of combat. Then in a following round, whatever she has lost previously is available to be healed, should she survive combat. Also, it is all very specifically singular to Totenmiester herself, and the rules do not state that she shares this ability with her squad. I would guess that she does not share this and her attacks need to be rolled separately to accurately track her damage for the purposes of healing. Here is an example I believe is a bit clearer than what we have seen up to date:

Example:
If TotenMeister engaged an enemy with full health and took 2 damage she cannot heal regardless of any hits scored. Engaging (or engaged by) the enemy again, she takes an additional hit taking her down to 1, but scores 3 hits on the enemy. Since only 2 health points were lost previously, she can regenerate those 2, but the hit taken this round must wait for another combat action to occur. She must also survive the combat action before healing any lost health points. (This skill is not shared with a squad.)

         

          Well, that’s about it for now. Still working on the Proof of Concept Campaign and will definitely keep a play by play when that starts up. Also working on a larger scale Beta Campaign that is more or less waiting for some of the concepts to be worked out in the P.O.C. Campaign. Looking forward to some long term play and adding an ever growing pool of units to my existing Allied Army.