PDX DUST IN 2013

PDX Dust will be undergoing some revisions in the New Year. I am busy with school, but am learning a lot that I can apply to the blog and look forward to updating the look and adding more articles in the very near future. For now enjoy these updates:

Awards:
World league update with picture.

Links:
Dust Warfare added

PDX Dust League:
Nicholas took the victory in the last PDX Dust League, becoming the PDX Dust Warlord of 2012.

Clarifications:
We've all had some questions to send into FFG to get a better understanding of these games we love so much. There is now a Tactics and Warfare Clarification section. Please send any information you wish to see posted to pdxdust@gmail.com.

Documents:
It is still undergoing revision, but I have add new point values that have been released, rearranged the layout to allow more room for vehicles, Commissars have been added to the SSU sheet in the Heroes section.

Info:
General information about the blog
Contact information

Unit Cards:
Maksim, Marlem, Melor, and Mikhail added for SSU; Leathernecks added for Allies.

Still working on a few Articles from back in October. We'll be heading to the Olympia tournament tomorrow and I will be updating with those results soon! Good Gaming!

PDX Dust League November 2012 Update!

At long last we have an update! I have been busy with school and getting other things in order, but we have been busy playing games for the PDX DUST League, and I am still working on some more articles to post in December. I just received Operation Hades and look forward to many of the new units arriving for each faction! Stay tuned for more and Good Gaming!!

Apologies for the lack of pictures and the quick write-ups. I am having some issues with online photo storage and just don't have the time to put as much into each write-up as I have in the past. I will definitely still be doing Battle Reports from time to time, and promise to stay on top of things so that I can deliver the quality with which you are accustomed.

Also, John Sisk took the victory at the tournament today that was held in Olympia Washington at Olympic Cards and Comics! Nicholas Gyore took 2nd place, securing the top two spots for PDX DUST! We congratulate both of you and thank you for Representing PDX well!

First Aid

 Play-test

Date of Play: 11-04-2012

Justin v. Nicholas

The full rules can be found in the previous play-test, but basically there are 7 objectives placed within the objective, and the first player to return an objective to of their rubble tiles wins the scenario. It costs one action to pick up or drop an objective. Players gain 20 points of reinforcements starting in Turn 8.

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 350 pointsBazooka Joe - OZZ-177 - Rhino - The Chef - The Priest - BBQ Squad - Crack Shots - Grim Reapers - Grim Reapers - Hell Boys  Recon Boys - Recon Boys - The Gunners - The Gunners - The Hammers - Wildfire
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 347 points
  Angela - Grenadier X - Lara - Markus - Sigrid - Stefan - Totenmeister - Axis Gorillas - Axis Zombies - Axis Zombies - Heavy Recon Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers -Flamm-Luther  

The Grim Reapers fell to Totenmeister and her Zombies in Turn 2. Turn 3 brought the end of Priest and his BBQ Rangers at the hand of Lara and her Heavy Recon Grenadiers, and the Wildfire finally fell to the attacks of Angela with her Sniper Grenadiers. Turn 4 brought the end of the game. Joe and his Crack Shots  attempted to finish off Totenmeister and her Zombies, but instead fell to the undead in close combat. The Undead unit then followed up with finishing off the Recon Boys. The Gunner Rangers were able to get some revenge on the Axis by eliminating Totenmeister and her Zombies, but then fell to the Flamm-Luther. The Axis had 4 objectives in each objective space, where the Allies only had 2 objective spaces filled, and the Axis took the victory.

• Objective Points
• Justin - Allies: 2 
• Nicholas - Axis: 4 
• Victor: Nicholas - Axis

Ambush

The full rules can be found in the previous play-test. The Attacker will score points for eliminating enemy units. The Defender will score points for each unit that escapes the Ambush. The player with the most points wins, and the Attacker wins in the case of a tie.

Play-test 1

Date of Play: 11-04-2012

Justin v. John

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 175 points
  Johnny One-Eye - The Chef - Hell Boys - Recon Boys - The Gunners - The Gunners - Wildfire - Wildfire
• Defender:
  John - SSU: 246 points
  Turn 1: Grand'ma - Natasha - Natasha
  Turn 2: Natasha
  Turn 3: Fakyeli - Yakov - Derzhavin
  Turn 4: Trediakovsky - Ohotniki - Ohotniki

The Fakyeli were chosen as the SSU's Objective Unit (worth double points if killed/escaped). Chef and the Hell Boys destroyed a Natasha in Turn 2, but the other 2 SSU Natasha's were able to wreak more havoc on the Allied forces by eliminated Johnny and both units of Gunner Rangers. In Turn 3 Grand'ma eliminated the Allied Hell Boys. The Allied Wildfire's were the focus of attention in Turn 4. The Trediakovsky and a unit of Ohotniki were eliminated by the Allied Light Assault Walker, however the 2nd unit of Ohotniki and a Natasha eliminated both Wildfires before the end of the turn. Turn 6 brought the end of the Recon Boys at the hands of a Natasha, while Grand'ma finished off Chef, the Allies last unit, with Reactive Fire. From here the SSU were able to escape unhindered and managed to get both Natasha's, Grand'ma, the Ohotniki, Fakyeli, Derzhavin, and Red Yana.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 61 points
• John - SSU: 178 points
• Victor: John - SSU

The next 2 play-tests had a few changes. First, the Attacker's Deployment Zone has been modified to reflect a bottle-neck more typical in Ambush Scenarios. Second, The Attacker has different army restrictions, as follows:

• Option 1:
• Armor 1 & 2 Infantry units
• Maximum of 2 Heroes
• 1 Armor 4 Vehicle
• 1 Armor 1, 2, or 3 Vehicle
• Option 2:
• Armor 1 & 2 Infantry units
• Maximum of 2 Heroes
• 1 Armor 1, 2, 3, or 4 Vehicle
• 1 Armor 3 Infantry unit
• No Aircraft

Play-test 2
Date of Play: 11-25-2012
Justin v. John

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 176 points
  Johnny One-Eye - The Chef - Hell Boys - Recon Boys - The Gunners - Blackhawk - Cobra
• Defender:
  John - SSU: 246 points
  Turn 1: Grand'ma - Natasha - Natasha
  Turn 2: Fakyeli - Red Yana
  Turn 3: Chinese Volunteers - Fonvizin
  Turn 4: Nina - Ohotniki - Red Thunder

Red Yana was chosen as the SSU's Objective Unit (worth double points if killed/escaped). Turn 1 saw some fortune for the Allied Ambush; A Natasha was eliminated by combined fire from Chef with his Hell Boys and Johnny with his Gunner Rangers, Grand'ma took 3 damage from the Cobra, and the other Natasha took 2 damage from the Blackhawk. The Blackhawk immediately fell in Turn 2 when the SSU won the initiative and activated their surviving Natasha. Grand'ma, along with Red Yana and the Fakyeli eliminated Chef and his Hell Boys. The Cobra took some revenge for the Allies when it finished off the Natasha it had previously wounded. Red Yana and her Fakyeli were eliminated in Turn 3 from Sustained Fire from Johnny and his Gunner Rangers to secure the kill on the SSU Objective Unit, while the Fonvizin fell when the Recon Boys attacked the Ohotniki. All was not lost for the SSU since Grand'ma was able to Assault Move into position against the Cobra and successfully eliminate it with her Sulfur Jet. Turn 6 saw Grand'ma escape the Ambush, but the Chinese Volunteers feel to Johnny and his Gunner Rangers. The Red Thunder unit escaped in Turn 7. The Ohotniki were eliminated by Johnny and his Gunners, and the Nina escaped (with only 1 hit remaining after an earlier hit from the bazooka) to finish off Turn 8 and end the scenario.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 175 points
• John - SSU: 92 points
• Victor: Justin - Allies

Play-test 3
Date of Play: 11-25-2012
Justin v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 176 points
  Johnny One-Eye - Rhino - BBQ Squad - Recon Boys - The Gunners - The Hammers - Cobra
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 249 points
  Turn 1: Sturmkönig - Sniper Grenadiers
  Turn 2: Markus - Axis Gorillas
  Turn 3: Recon Grenadiers - Angela - Sniper Grenadiers
  Turn 4: Grenadier X - Axis Zombies

The Axis Zombies that were paired with Grenadier X were chosen as the Axis Objective Unit (worth double points if killed/escaped). The Allies focused their fire on the Sturmkönig in the first Turn. The Gunners, Rhino with The Hammers, and the Cobra took 6 hits off the Axis Heavy Walker. Turn 2 saw the Allies finish off the Heavy Walker when the Gunners hit with their M9 Bazooka during a Sustained Attack. The Recon Boys were also able to take out a unit of Sniper Grenadiers in Turn 4. Otherwise, the Axis dominated this scenario. The Axis won the Turn 2 initiative and successfully eliminated the Allied Cobra, while Markus Charged in with his Axis Gorillas against Johnny and his BBQ Squad. The Allied squad was successful with their attempt at Reactive Fire, but were eliminated during Close Combat after they failed to do much damage. The Gunner Rangers fell in Turn 4 to fire from a unit of Sniper Grenadiers. Turn 5 brought the end of 2 units at the hands of Markus and his Axis Gorillas; First Rhino and his Hammers jumped in and failed to do much damage, but were completely eliminated in the retaliation strike, then Markus Charged in on the Recon Boys to eliminate the helpless, and final, Allied unit. Grenadier X and his Axis Zombies escaped in Turn 6 securing the Axis Objective Unit and the double points. By Turn 8 Markus with his Axis Gorillas, Recon Grenadiers, and Angela with her Sniper Grenadiers all escaped the Ambush.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 97 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 183 points
• Victor: Nicholas - Axis

 

The next two scenarios are play-tests for Nicholas' custom Campaign. I'll stick to the quick version of the scenario until we progress it further. There are 2 Sturmkönigs that need to be eliminated. Your force must land, secure the beach, then rush ahead and take those guns. This is a 3 part scenario with the Beach Landing, the Advance, then the Final attack against the Axis Heavy units. The Attacking force has 300 points to build an army and use through all three scenarios. At the end of each scenario the Attacker notes the state of his army; All wounds, partial units, spent ammunition, etc... which will be carried over into the next scenario, but all Skills will reset for each scenario. Beach Head Part 2 is the Advance and forces a continuing the attack in the city. In both of the play-tests the Attacker must eliminate all enemy units and move at least 1 unit off of the opposite end of the map before the end of Turn 12. We have not had a chance to play-test the final scenario as of yet, but will update as soon as we do!

The first play-test saw just the main force rush through. The Axis units were deployed in advance.

The second play-test saw a unit of Tank Busters reinforce the Allied forces (reinforcements from the now secured beach). Axis units could deploy into buildings, and any outside space adjacent to an exit, while the Hans deploys off the Defender's map edge.

The third play-test was a thrown together SSU force matching close to the points of the Allied forces in the previous tests.

Beach Head

Play-test 1

Date of Play: 11-09-2012

Justin v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 298 points
  Pounder - Rattler-Amp - Wildfire - The Chef - Hell Boys - Boss Squad - OZZ-177 - Tank Busters - Rhino - Grim Reapers
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 146 points
  Lothar - Lothar - Beobachters - Beobacthers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers

Turn 1 brought the immediate end to the Rattler by Indirect Fire, but the Allies were able to eliminate one unit of Beobacthers with their Pounder. In Turn 3 an injured OZZ and his Grim Reapers attacked a unit of Recon Grenadiers, but the Allied unit fell when the combat came down to Close Combat. Rhino and his Grim Reapers fell to more Recon Grenadiers in Turn 4. Turn 5 saw more points for the Allies when Chef and his Hell Boys took out a unit of Recon Grenadiers, but the Allies lost their Wildfire to a unit of Recon Grenadiers and the Pounder to Indirect Fire. The Allies lost the initiative for Turn 6, and with it Chef and his Hell Boys, though a Revived Rattler was able to eliminate the other unit of Beobacthers. Turn 7 brought the end of the Allied units when the Lothar's eliminated both the Rattler and Boss Squad.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 26 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 334 points
• Victor: Nicholas - Axis

Play-test 2

Date of Play: 11-09-2012

John v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  John - Allies: 298 points
  Steel Rain - Pounder - Grim Reapers - Tank Busters - Rhino - The Hammers - Boss Squad - The Chef - Hell Boys - Recon Boys - 13 Foxtrot
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 146 points
  Lothar - Lothar - Beobachters - Beobacthers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers

The Allies saw much victory in Turn 2. The Steel Rain was able to eliminate a unit of Beobacthers, the Pounder took another unit of Beobachters, and then the Reactivated Pounder destroyed a Lothar that stepped out of cover. The Recon Grenadiers eliminated the Grim Reapers in Turn 3. In Turn 4 Chef and his Hell Boys eliminated a unit of Recon Grenadiers, then the Allies lost Rhino, The Hammers, and The Tank Busters to Recon Grenadiers and the Pounder fell to the other Lothar. The Pounder was Revived by the Boss Squad and eliminated the Lothar in it's first shot at the beginning of Turn 5! Then Chef and the Hell Boys and a unit of Recon Grenadiers eliminated each other in close combat. Turn 8 saw 13 Foxtrot fall to Recon Grenadiers, which were then immediately eliminated by the Pounder, finishing off the last of the Axis forces. The Steel Rain was able to be the first unit to move off the map at the end of Turn 12, securing victory for the Allies.

• Victory Points:
• John- Allies: 146 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 205 points
• Victor: John - Allies

Play-test 3

Date of Play: 11-09-2012

Justin v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 300 points
  Rattler - Steel Rain - Pounder - Action Jackson - Red Devils - OZZ-177 - Grim Reapers - Johnny One-Eye - BBQ Rangers - Boss Squad
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 146 points
  Lothar - Lothar - Beobachters - Beobacthers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers

The Rattler was eliminated by Indirect Fire in Turn 1. The Steel Rain were able to eliminate both units of Beobacthers in Turn 1 and 2. Turn 3 brought the end of the Pounder at the hands of a Lothar, and Action Jackson and his Red Devils were able to take a unit of Recon Grenadiers. Action Jackson and his Red Devils followed up in Turn 4 by eliminating another unit of Recon Grenadiers, but then fell to combined fire from another Recon Grenadier unit and a Lothar. OZZ and his Grim Reapers were able to take a unit of Recon Grenadiers before the end of the turn. Turn 6 saw the Axis gain the upper hand when the final unit of Recon Grenadiers took out OZZ and his Grim Reapers and a Lothar took out the Allied Steel Rain. In Turn 7 the Recon Grenadiers finished off Johnny and his BBQ Rangers, and Turn 8 saw the end of the game when the Lothar finished off the Allied Boss Squad.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 58 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 300 points
• Victor: Nicholas - Axis

Play-test 4
Date of Play: 11-25-2012
Justin v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 300 points
  OZZ-177 - Rhino - Corps Officers - Crack Shots - Crack Shots - Grim Reapers - Grim Reapers - Boss Squad - Mickey - Steel Rain - Rattler
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 146 points
  Lothar - Lothar - Beobachters - Beobacthers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers - Recon Grenadiers

The Rattler was destroyed in Turn 1 by Indirect Fire. Turn 3 brought the end of the Steel Rain via Indirect Fire, and Rhino and his Grim Reapers eliminated a unit of Recon Grenadiers. Turn 4 brought the end of 2 more units of Recon Grenadiers at the hands of Rhino and OZZ with their respective units of Grim Reapers, though the Allied Mickey had been wearing down the Axis units with constant fire. Turn 5 brought the end of the Mickey when an Axis Lothar stepped out and took a shot, however the Corps Officers Stim Packed OZZ and his Grim Reapers, who then jumped up to the edge of the map and positioned themselves between the Axis Artillery units, well within the minimum range allocated to Artillery units. Rhino and the Grim Reapers took out the last unit of Recon Grenadiers in Turn 6. In Turn 7 a Lothar was eliminated by OZZ and his Grim Reapers, while Rhino and his Grim Reapers took out a unit of  Beobacthers. In Turn 8 Rhino and his Grim Reapers finished off the last unit of Beobacthers. In Turn 9 OZZ and his Grim Reapers took a shot at the Lothar, the final Axis unit, and destroyed it with a successful hit with OZZ's Flamethrower. They then moved off the map to secure the victory for the Allies.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 146 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 107 points
• Victor: Justin - Allies

Beach Head Part 2

Play-test 1
Date of Play: 11-30-2012
Justin v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 261 points
  OZZ-177 - Rhino - Corps Officers - Crack Shots - Crack Shots - Grim Reapers - Grim Reapers - Boss Squad - Steel Rain
  OZZ and Rhino only have 2 hit points.
  Boss Squad is missing Heavy Weapons and Medic miniatures
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 137 points
  Kommandotrupp - Hans - Recon Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Laser Grenadiers

Turn 1 saw many units exchange fire and take damage, but nothing was fully eliminated. The Steel Rain fell in Turn 2 to the Laser Grenadiers after the Axis won initiative, but the Crack Shots were able to finish off the Axis unit. Turn 3 saw the Kommandotrupp successfully revived the Laser Grenadiers who wreaked havoc by eliminating the Crack Shots and Rhino with his Grim Reapers, however the newly revived Laser Grenadiers fell again to fire from the Allied units which culminated in the kill going to the 2nd unit of Crack Shots. The Recon Grenadiers also fell to a Stim Packed Rhino and Grim Reapers. In Turn 4 OZZ was able to destroy the Hans with a successful hit from his Flamethrower. The 3 units of Axis Sniper Grenadiers were able to finish off the injured OZZ, Grim Reapers, and Boss Squad. The Allied Crack Shots eliminated a unit of Sniper Grenadiers in Turn 6, but also lost the Corps Officers to another unit of Sniper Grenadiers. Turn 7 brought the end of the Allied assault when a unit of Sniper Grenadiers finished off the Crack Shots.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 104 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 231 points
• Victor: Nicholas - Axis

Play-test 2
Date of Play: 11-30-2012
Justin v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  Justin - Allies: 291 points
  OZZ-177 - Rhino - Corps Officers - Crack Shots - Crack Shots - Grim Reapers - Grim Reapers - Boss Squad - Tank Busters - Steel Rain
  OZZ and Rhino only have 2 hit points.
  Boss Squad is missing Heavy Weapons and Medic miniatures
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 137 points
  Kommandotrupp - Hans - Recon Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Laser Grenadiers

Turn 1 brought the end of a unit of Sniper Grenadiers at the hands of Rhino and his Grim Reapers. Turn 2 brought the end of the Steel Rain at the hands of the Laser Grenadiers and a couple of lucky rolls. OZZ survived an attack from the Recon Grenadiers, but lost his unit of Grim Reapers. The Corps Officers were able to heal 2 Grim Reapers back to OZZ in the next 2 Turns. In Turn 3 The Allies lost a unit of Crack Shots to the Laser Grenadiers, but the Allies were able to retaliate when the Tank Busters eliminated the Hans, the Crack Shots eliminated the last of the Recon Grenadiers, Rhino and his Grim Reapers eliminated the Recon Grenadiers, and a reactivated OZZ and Grim Reapers eliminated a unit of Sniper Grenadiers with 2 hits, both of which made it through Hard Cover! Turn 4 saw OZZ and his Grim Reapers fall, for good, this time around at the hands of a Revived Recon Grenadiers unit. Those Recon Grenadiers immediately fell again when Rhino and his Grim Reapers took a shot after the Allies won the initiative in Turn 5. Turn 6 saw a Revived Hans fall to the Tank Busters, again. The Allies were able to successfully Revive the Steel Rain before the end of the Turn. The final unit of Sniper Grenadiers were eliminated in Turn 7 by Rhino and his Grim Reapers. The Allies won the initiative in Turn 8 and were able to Sustain an Attack against the Kommandotrupp who were safe inside the large structure, and Rhino decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use his Berserk Skill. The combined Sustained Berserk Attack brought a total of 13 hits against the Axis Command Squad, out of a total of 15 dice! Hard Cover only blocked 4 of the hits, allowing 9 to get through and finish off the Axis in this Scenario. Instead of moving off the board in Turn 8 the Allies decided to Heal up their Crack Shots and bring the Spotter back, while Reloading the Steel Rain to ensure it would have it's full compliment for the next scenario. In the end the Allies had the Boss Squad, in the same shape it was at the beginning, Rhino with only 2 Health Points remaining and his full unit of Grim Reapers, The Corps Officers with only the Medic and Mechanic, a full unit of Crack Shots, 1 Tank Buster, and a fully stocked and healthy Steel Rain.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - Allies: 177 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 60 points
• Victor: Justin - Allies

Play-test 3
Date of Play: 11-30-2012
Justin v. Nicholas

• Attacker:
  Justin - SSU: 258 points
  Koshka - Red Yana - Winter Child - Derzhavin - Fonvizin - Fakyeli - Nabludatyel - Grand'ma - Natasha - Nikita
  OZZ and Rhino only have 2 hit points.
  Boss Squad is missing Heavy Weapons and Medic miniatures
• Defender:
  Nicholas - Axis: 137 points
  Kommandotrupp - Hans - Recon Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Sniper Grenadiers - Laser Grenadiers

This battle was 100% SSU, partially because the Army was designed that way, but also because of the awesome might of Winter Child and the SSU's abilities to ignore cover. Turn 1 saw the Natasha and Nikita both eliminate units of Sniper Grenadiers, while Winter Child took a shot at some Laser Grenadiers in the front tower. Winter Child had 20 dice to roll against the unit, hitting with 9 dice, and the Laser Grenadiers failed 7 of their Hard Cover Saves. In Turn 3 The Hans fell to Winter Child after he scored 7 hits on the Axis Light Walker. The Kommandotrupp revived the Laser Grenadiers, only to have them immediately fall to the Natasha, which used it's All in One skill to score 11 hits on the Axis Lasers. The final unit of Sniper Grenadiers fell to fire from Grand'ma. However, the Axis were able to successfully revive it's Hans Light Panzer Walker. Turn 5 brought the last of the action. The Kommandotrupp fell to fire from Red Yana with the Derzhavin and Fakyeli when they mustered their Fighting Spirit with the Sulfur Thrower, Auto Grenade Launcher, and single U.G.L. and scored 6 cover free hits. The Recon Grenadiers moved in on Winter Child to see if Close Combat would hurt the SSU Superhuman, but instead fell in the wake of his Retaliation. The new Hans then fell to fire from Natasha, to finish off the Axis units. The SSU were able to move off the table in Turn 7.

• Victory Points:
• Justin - SSU: 188 points
• Nicholas - Axis: 0 points
• Victor: Justin - SSU

PDX CUSTOM ARMY SHEETS - BETA VERSION

I've been working on some new sheets for creating army lists in Dust Tactics. I took a similar look from the current Tournament Sheets provided by FFG that include units up until Operation Cerberus. These custom sheets include space for unofficial and custom vehicles to be included if so desired. They can be written in, or you can download the Excel version and add them to the sheets yourself. The Excel version also contains formulas so that all you have to do is fill in the quantity you are looking for and it will do the math from there. These will be easily accessable through the Documents section. Enjoy and look for another Article and League update in the very near future!

PDX ARMY SHEET - PDF VERSION

PDX ARMY SHEET - EXCEL VERSION

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.