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 Dust is a world where WW2 didn't end, and instead all of the forces found a mysterious material called VK. They used this to power various secret projects, and accelerated the technological advances at the end of the war. It's created by Paolo Parente and for the longest time was distributed by Fantasy Flight Games. Recently it's swapped hands to Battlefront games, who are coming out with a new version of both the tactics and warfare rules. The World In the world of Dust, WW2 never ended and the current year is 1947. After VK was discovered in Antarctica, all of the world's forces scrambled to try to take control of it and make use of it (this iks the original campaign released with the first 2-player starter set). The discovery of VK and an alien spacecraft led to the development of combat walkers and all sorts of advanced weaponry (mostly by the Germans). After a few years of additional fighting, the old alliances shattered and there are now three forces spread across the globe, vying for control. The Allies, the Axis, and the SSU (Soviet Union and China). The Game(s) You can play in this world in one of three ways, depending on the scale you want to play at: Dust (2007)  I don't know a lot about this game, but it is a strategy-level game that takes place in this world. If anyone has anything to add about this particular version, let me know and I'll be happy to toss it here. Dust Tactics  This one I know a bit more about! It's a 28mm (more or less) game for 2-4 players, each side having a force consisting of troopers and walkers. The interesting part of Tactics is that it is played on a grid, so there is no measuring (except in terms of squares) and movement/cover is abstracted a little. It started out as a release of a 2-player starter set walking the players through a small-scale battle for an Antarctic lab held by the Axis (which turned out to have some fun missions). Since the entire game is played on a grid, a system of terrain cards is provided for use and cover is placed within squares. The units you buy/paint for Dust Tactics are completely compatible with Dust Warfare with a small tweak to some of the stats (explained below). Many of the missions have a predetermined force you can use, but there are also rules for creating your own battle force (points based, like many other miniatures games). However for really free form games most people seem to play Dust Warfare instead. Dust tactics was expanded by a series of campaigns over the years, adding new information about the war and extending the gameplay by introducing new concepts (artillery, aircraft, superheroes, zombies)/ Dust Warfare/Battlefield  Originally released as a supplemental rule system for Dust Tactics, to allow people to play with larger armies and use tabletop instead of squares, Dust Warfare has become a bit more popular with the tabletop miniatures crowd. I've not played this version as much as I've played Tactics (I find Tactics easier to teach) but the large difference seems to be the use of inches rather than squares, larger battles, and different missions and objectives. Want a quick overview of how the game plays? Take a look at the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNGQFr4lcNQ Want to hear someone else talk about the basic differences? Watch this. Note that Battlefield is the next version of Warfare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3rUlNA7TEQ The Forces The Allies  The Allies have concentrated on mobility and armor, with many of their units either able to fly or simply move much quicker than normally. They're still made up of the US and Britain mostly, with some help from the Free French with the latest Kickstarter release (power-armored Foreign Legion troopers). Additionally, their heavy weapons can consist of more "normal" units such as mortar crews and heavy machinegun crews. In expansions they added some interesting things like a superhero who can fly, artillery based on the Sherman, and units with jumpjets and massively powerful punches. The Axis  The Axis definitely went full-on Wolfenstein in this world. The more normal units field lasers, panzershreks, and assault rifles. Their power lies in the variety of the special rules and units, with many excelling in close combat or shooting. For example, one of their more standard walkers (pictured above) has twin 8.8cm howitzers, making it quite the walker/tank killer. Other units range from Zombies (who have bombs and gas tanks strapped to them, turning them into suicide troops) to Gorillas (who are intelligent and can operate firearms) and many lasers. The SSU  The SSU is a conglomeration of the Soviet Union and China. They came into the game after the original release, and definitely have a lower tech feel than either of the two original factions. For example, they have limited walkers and their heavier units are still derivatives of tracked tanks. Instead of jet-powered flyers they use a heavier helicopter, and they have a lot of lower tech weapons (like molotov cocktails). Why should I care about this game instead of Warmachine/Warhammer/Infinity/Mercs/Deadzone/Warpath/Whatever The reason I like it so much is that it's an interesting theme: Weird World War 2, with as much focus on Mechs as the occult. Additionally, the models are not expensive to buy in terms of money or time. They come preassembled (for the most part, you might have to snap some of the vehicles together) and preprimed with some decals on the vehicles. So they're basically ready to play right out of the box. Additionally, when the game plays out it tends to be quite a bloody affair. While there are cover saves, they don't seem to be as effective as other systems I've played and most gun battles end up with one side or the other removing models pretty quickly.
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Jul 5, 2014 21:57
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If no one else has given you love, I will. While your post was good, I don't think you sold the advantages of Dust Tactics over some of the other systems out there. What is nice is that if feels like a miniature game: you build armies, have cool looking toys, take cover, use line of sight etc. But it is played on a grid. The nice thing about the grid is that movement, cover, and positions are all discrete and the state space is well defined. This means no arguments and fast play. It is easy to get a few games in one night. As for miniatures the casting on infantry isn't great, but the sculptors are top notch so the poses and proportions are strong. Also, it is fun to play a game with real-ish looking guns. Or course the mechs are pretty sweet, they speak for themselves. All in all I like how they combined fantasy and history into a nice miniature line.
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Jul 11, 2014 02:42
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