Some Dust on March 4th

In the interest of looking for new players for the league we set up a day to play at another location in Portland. Guardian Games is a wonderful place to play, with lots of space and selections of games being played any given time, and the only downside being a complete and utter lack of parking. This was also my first opportunity to use Operation Cerberus, the Allied Hero Pack, Red Devils, Allied Heavy Walker, so I was very excited to use as many of these miniatures as I possibly could.

Only myself and Jiltedtoo were able to attend. The first game we played was the first scenario from Operation Cerberus. The Allies nearly had the victory, but the Axis were able to counter the strategy and eliminate the entire Allied unit before the end of the 5th turn.

Before we finished this game we had a Father and son express interest and we ran through the scenario again with them both. Allies picked up a narrow victory, thanks to that wonderful Jump skill :) After exchanging information we hope to add a few new players to the league.

The birthday boy, left, (yes it was his birthday) looking over his options

 The moment before Rhino and The Grim Reapers jump off the building with the objective, and off the map for the win

From this point our new friends had their own event to participate in, so Jiltedtoo and I continued with Cerberus. This time the second scenario, which looked like it could go either way until the Allies entered the building, and I realized that the Machine guns on the Fireball were still effective in eliminating units in, and on top of the building, since Jiltedtoo pretty much kept his units on the roof and top floor. Within about 6 turns the Allies were able to eliminate the entire Axis force by keeping the Fireball close to one side of the building while advancing infantry through the other side of the building. The Chef and Crackshots weren't too bad of a combination, but by the time they made it to the front line the battle was all but won. Really disappointed that the Chef has no real purpose for all those points other than some minor close range damage. Not even Assault? Really?

Allied Army: Fireball - Rosie & Crackshos - Chef & Crackshots - Rhino & Grim Reapers - Ozz 117 & Grim Reapers - Action Jackson & Red Devils - Johnny & Gunners - Priest & Hell Boys - Bazooka Joe
400 Points

Axis Army: Beobachter - Lara & Heavy Laser Grenadiers - Tank Killers - Angela & Sniper Grenadiers - Kommandotrupp - Manfred & Sturmpionere

200 Points

Both end of game photo's. Chef & Crackshots on the roof after scoring the game winning kill, and their only attack of the game. Rosie (with her Crackshots) and Action Jackson (with 1 Red Devil) on the top floor. Johnny (and his full squad of Gunner Rangers) on the second floor. Bazooka Joe on the bottom floor.
(We kept the Hero on the half-tile and the rest of the units off the board for ease of play with the structures)

Our last game was the 4th scenario from Cerberus, and while the Allied forces still had double the points of the Axis army, the range factor, and game-breaking combination of Angela with the Sniper Grenadiers made approaching the building nearly impossible. Angela accounted for 7 of the 9 hits required to eliminate Johnny and the Gunner Rangers (the other two came from the Sniper Grenadiers) all in one attack action. By turn 4 the Allied forces had the Punisher, Bazooka Joe with Crackshots, and Priest with the Hell Boys left to try and take out a nearly untouched Axis foe.

How the hell am I going to approach this building after loosing the Wildfire, Ozz/Grim Reapers & Rhino/Grim Reapers??

All in all a very fun time and great learning experience (I do have to say that Rosie is so much more valuable with the Heavy Tanks in the game. Both games she brought them back from the brink of destruction). I look forward to our League Night this coming Sunday and getting ready for Dust Day in Olympia!

I have to admit, without hesitation, that I love this game and hope to continue playing it for years to come, but unfortunately the balance is without a doubt in heavy favor of the Axis. With "fast" moving zombies (as ridiculous as sparkling vampires, and the only Armor 3 unit with 5 miniatures), Unlimited Range on nearly every walker, Totenmeister, and now Angela with her deadly abilities and combo potential, I have little hope as an Allied player to pull a victory without relying mainly on how the die rolls, because strategy becomes irrelevant when the die rolls the wrong way. Now with the SSU having "speedy" units I am starting to feel the one main edge the Allies had, quick movement, will become irrelevant in time as more and more units are released with these abilities for all the factions (I mean really... Half the Axis Heroes have Assault vs. 1 Allied Hero (**cough cough** Chef too?? **cough cough** would make his 22 points worth something **cough cough**), And the SSU "Hero Walker", "Grand'ma", already has Assault). Now my small gripe is over.

Good Gaming!!

Operation Ghostlight

Our friends from Radio Dust, and the first ever DUST DAY in Argentina, created a custom campaign which many of you may have heard about. Operation Ghostlight is now available for download on the Documents page. An undercover investigation from the Axis into the possible existence of a secret alien facility in the Neutral country of Argentina has stirred both the SSU and Allied forces in control of that region of the globe. Who will be the first to locate the Ghostlight and discover the alien facility?

Thanks again to Aldarion, Pablo, and Loophole Master for a fantastic campaign and the addition of new terrain tiles, which I hope to incorporate into my games and custom campaign.

Good Gaming!

Dust Tactics Game Night! 02-26-2012

We are slowly but surely generating more interest in the Portland Area! Every week we are finding more and more people watching us out of the corner of their eye, and so far at least one person has approached us and inquired about the game. Our next game night is March 11^th, and I hope that we have some new players join our group.

Unfortunately I was unable to stay for the entire event. The two games I am blogging about are related to an “Ambush” scenario I am play testing for my custom campaign.

Special Thanks to Aldarion and Wayward from Radio Dust! Your Forest Tiles from Operation Ghostlight are fantastic and have come in handy when looking for new ways to create a battlefield!

First Play Test of “Ambush” scenario:

- Structure Tile

 - Objective (defender)

- Forest Tile (click here for details)

Rules:

• No turn limit 
•  No Cover Elements

            Attacker:

• Attacker has approximately half the Army Points of the Defender. 
•  Limited to only armor 1 or 2 Infantry and armor 1, 2 or 3 Vehicle. 
• Attacker is already deployed in “secret” and waiting to spring their trap. The Attacker may wait until they are ready to spring their trap, unless spotted by the Defender  beforehand: 
• Any infantry unit in a square that provides cover (i.e., Tank Traps, Ammo Crates, Forest tiles, Rubble, Structures, etc…) cannot be spotted unless the enemy moves to an adjacent square. Corner cover does not apply to this rule. 
• Any Vehicle in a structure cannot be spotted unless the enemy moves a unit to an adjacent square.
• Any unit on a normal “Square with a dot” that is not located inside a structure be spotted using normal LOS rules. 
• Any unit spotted by the Defender must activate immediately after the Defender’s current activation. If multiple units are spotted at once, the Attacker will choose which unit is activated first, and the other unit(s) will be activated per normal combat rules.
  
• The Attacker does not have to activate any units, as long as all units are still hidden. 
• Once a unit has been activated by the Attacker or, spotted by the Defender, the ambush is revealed and play begins normally starting on the next turn, and for the remainder of the current turn the Attacker and Defender will trade off activations normally. The Attacker must activate all their units in the turn the ambush is revealed. 
•  Note: This could very well lead to the Attacker activating all of their units after the Defender has finished activating their last unit. The first/second/third/etc… turn could end with the Defender finishing their last activation/placement, and the Attacker could then decide the Ambush is ready and activate all of their units and attack while the Defender has no more units to activate until the Attacker finishes and a new turn beings, as an example.
  
•  The Attacker may retreat units off any map edge that coincides with the Attacker’s deployment zone. Moving to the edge is not enough to leave the map. The unit must have enough movement points available to move off the map.

            Defender:

• Defender will always go first while the Attacker’s army is hidden. Normal combat and initiative rolls will be in effect in the turn after the Ambush is revealed. 
• Determining the Victor: Whoever has the most points at the end of the scenario wins!

Victory Conditions:

• Attacker: Destroy as many units as possible! Double points awarded for all kills. 
•  Defender: Get your army through the ambush to the designated objective tiles and move off the map. Moving to the edge is not enough to leave the map. The unit must have enough movement points available to move off the map. Double points awarded for all units that successfully make it off the board. No points awarded for kills. 
•  Determining the Victor: Whoever has the most points at the end of the scenario wins!

DATE PLAYED : 02/26/2012

AXIS Player: Major Headcase

Attacker

ALLIES Player: Justin

Defender

AXIS Army:

Heinrich Light Panzer Walker

Hans Light Panzer Walker

Angela

Laser Grenadiers

Recon Grenadiers

Total Points: 120

ALLIES Army:

Mickey Medium Assault Walker

The Boss Squad

Rhino

Grim Reapers

Gunner Rangers

Hell Boys

Death Dealers

Total Points: 200

TURN 1 : INITIATIVE : ALLIES

• The Gunner Rangers immediately spot the Heinrich Light Walker.
• Heinrich Light Walker activates immediately after the Gunner Rangers and performs a Attack-Move on the Gunner Rangers:
• 2cm FlakVierling scores 2 hits
• Angela and her Laser Grenadiers activate and perform a Sustained Attack on Rhino and the Grim Reapers.
• 20mm Solothurn scores 1 hit on Rhino
• Laser Werfer misses
• Recon Grenadiers perform a Sustained Attack on the Hell Boys
• STG 47’s score 2 hits
• MG 48 scores 2 hits
• Mickey Medium Assault Walker performs a Move/Fast-Attack on the Recon Grenadiers in a Forest Tile.
• 75 mm Howitzer scores 4 hits, but 3 shots are absorbed by cover
• .50 Cal MG scores 1 hit
• .30 Cal MG misses

TURN 2 : INITIATIVE : AXIS

• Hans Light Panzer Walker performs a Move-Attack on Rhino and the Grim Reapers
• Granate Werfer scores 2 hits on Rhino
• Panzer Werfer scores 1 hit on Rhino
• Rhino and the Grim Reapers perform a Move-Attack on the Recon Grenadiers in the Forest Tile, and the Hans Light Panzer Walker.
• Victory MG Dual’s score 9 hits, and 3 are absorbed by cover, and eliminate the Squad.
• Rhino’s Heavy Rocket Punches and the Grim Reapers Rocket Punches score 4 hits on the Hans, eliminating the unit.
• Angela and the Laser Grenadiers perform an Attack-Move on The Mickey Medium Assault Walker, Hell Boys, and Gunner Rangers
• 20mm Solothurn scores 1 hit on the Mickey
• Laser Werfer scores 2 hit on the Mickey
• Laser Gewehr scores 3 hits on the Gunner Rangers for the kill
• Close Combat:
• Angela and the Laser Grenadiers eliminate the remaining Hell Boy
• 1 hit scored on Angela
• Mickey Medium Assault Walker performs Attack-Move/Fast on Angela and the Laser Grenadiers
• 75 mm Howitzer scores 3 hits
• .50 Cal MG scores 1 hit
• .30 Cal MG scores 1 hit
• Mickey Medium Assault Walker uses Self-Repair to restore 1 health point

TURN 3 : INITIATIVE : ALLIES

• Angela and the Laser Grenadiers perform a Sustained Attack on the Mickey Medium Assault Walker
• 20mm Solothurn scores 1 hit
• Laser Werfer misses
• Death Dealers perform a Sustained Attack on the Heinrich Light Panzer Walker
• M9 Bazooka scores a hit for 3 damage and the kill
• Mickey performs an Attack-Move/Fast on Angela and the Laser Grenadiers
• 75mm Howitzer scores 2 hits
• .50 Cal MG scores 1 hit to eliminate the Laser Grenadiers
• .30 Cal MG scores 1 hit to eliminate Angela

SCENARIO WINNER :

AXIS

Technically, according to the rules of the scenario, the Axis gained the victory. None of the Allied units moved off the board, and therefore the Allies scored no points. The Axis player was able to eliminate the Gunner Rangers and Hell Boys, for a normal score of 54, but doubled to a total of 108. Definitely need to change a few things up to eliminate the hack and slash that the game turned into. The second run through of this scenario was done with a few changes.

Second Play Test of “Ambush” scenario:

- Structure Tile

 - Objective (defender)

- Forest Tile (click here for details)

 

Rules:

• No turn limit
• No Cover Elements 
•  Attacker and Defender have an equal number of points for their army

            Attacker:

• Limited to only armor 1 or 2 Infantry and armor 1, 2 or 3 Vehicle. 
•  Attacker is already deployed in “secret” and waiting to spring their trap. The Attacker may wait until they are ready to spring their trap, unless spotted by the Defender beforehand.
•  Any infantry unit in a square that provides cover (i.e., Tank Traps, Ammo Crates, Forest tiles, Rubble, Structures, etc…) cannot be spotted unless the enemy moves to an adjacent square. Corner cover does not apply to this rule. 
•  Any Vehicle in a structure cannot be spotted unless the enemy moves a unit to an adjacent square. 
•  Any unit on a normal “Square with a dot” that is not located inside a structure be spotted using normal LOS rules. 
•  Any unit spotted by the Defender must activate immediately after the Defender’s current activation. If multiple units are spotted at once, the Attacker will choose which unit is activated first, and the other unit(s) will be activated per normal combat rules. 
•  The Attacker does not have to activate any units, as long as all units are still hidden. 
• Once a unit has been activated by the Attacker or, spotted by the Defender, the ambush is revealed and play begins normally starting on the next turn, and for the remainder of the current turn the Attacker and Defender will trade off activations normally. The Attacker must activate all their units in the turn the ambush is revealed. 
• Note: This could very well lead to the Attacker activating all of their units after the Defender has finished activating their last unit. The first/second/third/etc… turn could end with the Defender finishing their last activation/placement, and the Attacker could then decide the Ambush is ready and activate all of their units and attack while the Defender has no more units to activate until the Attacker finishes and a new turn beings, as an example. 
  
•  The Attacker may retreat units off any map edge that coincides with the Attacker’s deployment zone. Moving to the edge is not enough to leave the map. The unit must have enough movement points available to move off the map.

            Defender:

•  Defender will always go first while the Attacker’s army is hidden. Normal combat and initiative rolls will be in effect in the turn after the Ambush is revealed. 
•  The Defender must perform at least 1 move action in the direction of the objective in each unit’s activation (It doesn’t matter if it’s the first or second action, as long as 1 of them is a move in the direction of the objective). 
•  Defender uses standard entry (First action puts the unit on the map, second action available to use)

Victory Conditions:

• Attacker: Destroy as many units as possible! Double points awarded for all kills. 
• Defender: Get your army through the ambush to the designated objective tiles and move off the map. Moving to the edge is not enough to leave the map. The unit must have enough movement points available to move off the map. Double points awarded for all units that successfully make it off the board. No points awarded for kills. 
• Determining the Victor: Whoever has the most points at the end of the scenario wins!

DATE PLAYED : 02/26/2012

AXIS Player: Jiltedtoo

Defender

ALLIES Player: Justin

Attacker

AXIS Army:

Lothar Medium Panzer Walker

Grenadier X

Totenmeister

Axis Zombies x2

Markus

Axis Gorillas

Beobachter x2

Total Points: 200

ALLIES Army:

Wildfire Light Assault Walker

Honey Light Assault Walker

Rosie

Bazooka Joe

Crack shots x2

Gunner Rangers

BBQ Rangers

Dead Dealers

Recon Rangers

Total Points: 200

TURN 1 : INITIATIVE : AXIS

• Beobacthers place and move to reveal Rosie and her Crack Shot’s and the Death Dealers!
• Death Dealers perform a sustained attack on Beobachers in a Forest tile
• M1 AR scores 2 hits, but 1 hit is absorbed by cover
• Victory MG scores 2 hits, but both are absorbed by cover
• Markus and the Gorillas charge Rosie and her Crack Shot’s
• Panzer Gloves score 5 hits, eliminating Rosie and the spotter.
• The Crack Shot’s perform a Sustained Attack on Markus and the Gorillas
• Sniper Rifle misses
• Recon Rangers use their U.G.L.’s to eliminate the remaining Beobacther in the Forest tile.
• Grenadier X and the Axis Zombies perform a Move-Attack on the Death Dealers
• Circular Saw scores 2 hits
• Panzer Glove scores 5 hits to eliminate the Death Dealers
• BBQ Rangers perform a Move/Fast-Attack on Grenadier X and the Axis Zombies
• Flamethrower scores 1 hit on Grenadier X
• Shotguns score 1 hit on Grenadier X

TURN 2 : INITIATIVE : ALLIES

• BBQ Rangers perform a Sustained Attack on Grenadier X and the Axis Zombies
• Flamethrower scores 4 hits
• Shotguns score 6 hits to eliminate Grenadier X and his Zombies
• Lothar Pazner Walker performs a Move-Attack on the Recon Rangers in a Forest Tile
• MG 44 scores 2 hits, which are absorbed by cover
• Nebelwerfer 42 scores 2 hits
• Honey Light Assault Walker performs a Move/Fast-Attack on the Lothar Medium Panzer Walker and misses
• Wildfire Light Assault Walker performs a Move/Fast-Attack on Totenmeister and the Axis Zombies
• Quad .50 Cal MG scores 2 hits
• Markus and the Axis Gorillas perform a Charge on The Recon Rangers and BBQ Rangers
• Markus’ Panzer Glove scores 2 hits on the Recon Rangers
• Axis Gorillas Panzer Gloves score 1 hit on the BBQ Rangers
• Recon Rangers perform a Sustained Attack on Markus and the Axis Gorillas
• M1 AR score 1 hit
• Victory MG misses
• Gunner Rangers perform a Move-Attack on Totenmeister and the Axis Zomibes
• M1 AR scores 2 hits
• M9 Bazooka scores 1 hit

TURN 3 : INITIATIVE : ALLIES

• BBQ Rangers perform a Sustained Attack on Markus and the Axis Gorillas
• Flamethrower scores 4 hits
• Shotguns score 3 hits to eliminate the Axis Gorillas
• Totenmeister and the Axis Zombies perform a Move/Fast-Attack on the Gunner Rangers
• Blut Kreuz scores 2 hits
• Panzer Gloves scores 3 more hits to eliminate the Gunner Rangers
• Honey Light Assault Walker performs a Sustained Attack on the Lothar Medium Panzer Walker and misses
• Markus engages the BBQ Rangers in combat
• Panzer Glove scores 2 hits
• Knife & Grenade score 1 hit to eliminate Markus
• Wildfire Light Assault Walker performs a Sustained Attack on Totenmeister and the Axis Zombies
• Qaud .50 Cal MG scores 1 hit
• Recon Rangers perform a Sustained Attack on the Beobacthers
• M1 AR scores 1 hit
• Victory MG scores 2 hits for the elimination

TURN 4 : INITIATIVE : AXIS

• Totenmeister and the Axis Zombies perform an Attack-Move/Fast and eliminate the Honey Light Walker
• Recon Rangers perform a Sustained Attack on Totenmeister and the Axis Zombies
• M1 AR scores 1 hit
• Victory MG misses
• Lothar Medium Panzer Walker performs a Move-Attack on the Wildfire Light Assault Walker and Recon Rangers
• MG 44 misses the Recon Rangers
• Nebelwerfer 42 scores 2 hits on the Wildfire
• Wildfire performs a Sustained Attack on Totenmeister and the Axis Zombies
• Quad .50 Cal MG scores 3 hits, eliminating the Axis Zombies

TURN 5 : INITIATIVE : AXIS

• Totenmeister performs a Move-Attack on the Wildfire Light Assault Walker
• Blut Kreuz scores 2 hits to eliminate the unit
• BBQ Rangers perform a Move/Fast-Attack on the Lothar Medium Panzer Walker
• Flamethrower misses
• 2 Demo Charges score a hit for the elimination
• Bazooka Joe and the Crack Shot’s perform a Move-Attack on Totenmeister
• Grenadelauncher scores 1 hit
• Recon Rangers perform a Sustained Attack on Totenmeister
• M1 AR scores 1 hit
• Victory MG scores 1 hit for the elimination

SCENARIO WINNER :

ALLIES

So, quite a different experience this time around. Like last game, the Defender was not able to score any points by a lack of moving any of their units off the board. The Attacker was able to completely eliminate the force, scoring a base of 200 points, but doubled for a total of 400 points. Definitely need to remove the “Defender must perform 1 move action toward the objective rule.” That pretty much crippled the Defender’s ability to function properly. Going to discuss this scenario more with the group and give it another try on our March 11^th game day. Please feel free to add your comment and suggestions as I would love for this scenario to work better and have more of a balance. I will probably go back to a smaller Attack force, allowing limited points for kills scored by the Defender, and different deployment zones. Stay tuned as we perfect this scenario and start play testing others.

At this point in the game day I had to leave due to prior obligations, but was able to get some pictures from my group from their run through of the first 2 scenarios of Victory Bridge. We will also be picking up the scenario books starting with Operation Cyclone later in the month as we try and generate more interest and gain new players for our group. 

Good Gaming everyone!!

Hero packs released!

The Axis and Allied Hero Packs are available for purchase!!

Premium Model information available here.

Good Gaming!!

League Play Image

I have been working on this generic image and wanted to share it with fellow DUST fans! We will be working on a more "local" image for League Play, but think this is a good start. I hope this inspires other players to make and/or use these banners for their local DUST leagues! Keep coming back for our bi-monthly game updates and progress on our league and custom scenario's and campaigns. Good Gaming!

Action Jackson and Stefan Preview

FFG has posted a preview of these two Heroes in the soon to be release Allied Hero Pack and Axis Hero Pack! I have been looking forward to seeing Stefan in action ever since his first release in the first Dust Tactics Game Night Kit that was released around the same time as the Operation Cyclone expansion. And Action Jackson saw his first release with Totenmeister in the Summer 2011 Game Night Kit. I look forward to adding the Allied Heroes to my existing army and facing off against the new Axis Heroes!! Good Gaming!

Dust Warfare: Campaign Book Zverograd

Looks like DUST WARFARE is going to be adding more the the world of DUST. Hopefully DUST WARFARE will be released before the Campaign expansion. I look forward to seeing these new units and getting some experience with a 3rd faction. This summer looks like it will be a great time for DUST! Good Gaming!

Click here for the FFG news!
Click here for the full release on the official Dust Warfare site! (note: SSU release is at the bottom of the page)