You can either take the "Karl Marx" (pictured above), which is a nightmare for enemy infantry with it's Heavy Tesla Gun and multiple machine guns...


Or the "Lavrentiy Beria" (pictured above), which sports a 152mm ML205 anti-tank gun for taking out enemy walkers, two machine guns, and a front mounted APO-45 flame thrower for dealing with enemy infantry that gets to close.

Composition: The IS-48 tanks can be taken as a support choice for a SSU Defensive Platoon, or as a third section choice by a SSU Red Platoon.  Each tank variant excels in one combat role.  The "Karl Marx" is the most expensive model currently available to the SSU army.  The reason for this is that it is armed with the most advanced and deadly anti-infantry weapon currently in the SSU arsenal, the Heavy Tesla cannon. The Heavy Tesla cannon is a long ranged weapon that allows you to attack two units within six inches of each other simultaneously. When attacking the Heavy Tesla cannon rolls 2 attack dice for each model in the target unit and only one of the two units targeted needs to be in range in order to make the attacks.  Add on it's two turret machine guns and additional front mounted machine gun, and you have a nasty anti infantry weapon.


The "Lavrentiy Beria" on the other hand is a slightly cheaper long range anti tank choice. It features one of longest ranged weapons in the game, the 152mm ML205 anti-tank gun, but really shines while it is with in 24 inches of it's target.  The ML205 has the Tank Killer special rule, which halves the number of armor save dice an enemy unit can roll against the number of successful hits made against them.  The "Lavrentiy Beria" also rolls more dice against tanks then any other SSU model; except for SSU KV-3 walker which has a pair of 152mm ML205 anti-tank guns.


To defend itself against enemy infantry, the "Lavrentiy Beria" has 2 turret mounted machine guns, and a front mounted APO-45 flame thrower.  Flame throwers in Dust are very powerful weapons because they always allow you to roll 1 attack die per model in the enemy unit and come with the Burst special rules.  When attacking an enemy unit, if at least one weapon has the Burst special rule, then the target unit may not use soft or heavy cover to reduce the number of successes rolled against them, during that attack.

Deployment & Tactics: The IS-48 has multiple tactical options at it's disposal.  My favorite tactic with the IS-48 is as a front line screening option for my units.  The IS -48 excels at this with it 7 armor save dice and 8 wounds. I especially like this tactic when using the  "Lavrentiy Beria", as it allows you to move up closer to take advantage of the Tank Killer special rule, while supported by infantry and other units in your army. The draw back to this tactic is that it is a Tracked vehicle, so requires you to roll 1 die when entering, moving through, or exiting any difficult terrain during each action.  If a success is rolled on the die, the movement immediately ends and the tank may not move again this turn. You also need to be careful when facing Allied armies that include Phaser weapons, as Phaser weapons ignore armor saves.


I have also used the "Lavrentiy Beria" to dominate major fire lanes and to cover the advance of my infantry and walkers. This keeps shorter range enemy walkers from attacking my infantry or else risk exposing themselves to the "Lavrentiy Beria main gun.  This also works very well with the "Karl Marx" but in a slightly different way.  Instead of acting as a deterrent for walkers, it acts as a deterrent again enemy infantry and allows you to suppress multiple enemy units.  This stops them from being able to react when you move your infantry up to engage them.
Both variants of the IS-48 super-heavy tank are some of the most resilient and deadly options available to SSU and well worth the AP.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Powell is a long time Hobbiest, Gamer, and occasional Podcaster that has over 20+ years of experience in the hobby. Jay has worked for Games Workshop and Hobbytown USA in the past, and has run many leagues, campaigns, and tournaments over the years as a Privateer Pressganger, GW Outrider, and game clubs member. Jay was the original co-host of The Gamers Lounge Podcast and has appeared on many podcasts as a guest host from around the world.  You can current find Jay, when not writing new articles for the WWPD Network, playing games at Huzzah Hobbies in Ashburn, VA or on his personal blog 24 Hour Gamer Geek.

Hey guys, Jay here with part 2 of an Intro to Dust Warfare. (Click here to see Part One) Today we are going to talk about the phases of each round and the basic game mechanics.  I am also going to share with you some pics of some of the cool models for Dust Warfare that I own.  In the future I will be posting articles introducing models and units from all 3 of the factions (Yeah I own armies for all 3).  These articles will include pics of the models (sometime including pre-paint, work in progress, and/or finished paint jobs) in my collection.  I will also try to include some battle reports for both Dust Tactics (I will be playing in a 6 week league starting in late January) and Dust Warfare.  Now lets get on with the good stuff.


How do I play Dust Warfare?

Dust Warfare is played using a special set of Six Sided Dice (D6) that have a success marking on 2 sides and then 4 blank sides.  Some players just use regular D6, but treat 1-4 as a blank result, and 5-6 as a success result.  Each games lasts between 5 and 7 rounds, in which each player will have a turn during the Command, Action, and the End phase of each round.  At the beginning of a round, each player rolls a number of dice equal to the total number of units, heroes, vehicles, and flyers they have on the table.  The total number of successes each player rolls define the initiative of each player and how many orders each player can give during the Command Phase.  Starting with the player with the least number of successes, each player issues all of the orders they want to issue to their army.  Each time an model or unit is ordered to do something during the Command Phase, it receives a Reaction Marker.  Units may only have one Reaction Marker at a time and a model or unit with a Reaction Marker can only activate once in it's turn during the Action Phase, and cannot react to enemy models or units.  The Command phase is important however, because enemy units cannot react to your unit's actions.

After the first player finished all of his or her orders, then the player that rolled the next least amount of successes at the beginning of the round takes their turn during the Command Phase, and so on until everyone has issued their orders.  Then following the same order as was used in the Command Phase, players take turns activating their models and units during the Action Phase.  The big difference between the Command and Action Phases is that enemy models can react to what you do during your turn.  Your models must either begin or end their movement, or be attacking from 12 inches or closer (you can always pre-measure in Dust) away from the reacting enemy model or unit, and the reacting unit cannot have a Reaction or Suppression Marker on it in order to react. Assuming all of those conditions are met; the reacting unit can choose to move towards, away from, or attack your active unit.  Once your opponent has completed the reaction the reacting unit receives a Reaction Marker and your unit's activation continues as normal.

It is important to know that at the beginning of each model or unit's action phase they have 2 actions.  The first thing that you do is check to see if the activating model or unit has any Suppression Markers on it.  If they do, then you first roll one D6 for each Suppression Marker on the model or unit.  For each success rolled, remove one Suppression Marker.  Now you compare the total number of Suppression Markers to the total number of models left alive on the model or squad.  If there are more Suppression Markers then models, the unit must flee as far as way from the enemy as possible.  If the number of Suppression Markers on the unit does not out number the number of models, then the unit does not break. If any number of Suppression Markers remain the unit loses one action that activation.

If the unit also has a Reaction Marker, either from receiving an order during the Command Phase or reacting to an enemy unit, it also loses an action for the Reaction Marker. This would mean that the model or unit would lose both their actions for the turn.  If a model or unit starts their Activation without any Reaction Markers and does not have any Suppression Markers after rolling to remove any they might have started with, then that model or unit received both their actions this round, even if their first action cause them to receive a Suppression Marker.

Once all three players have completed their Action phases the turn moves into the the End Phase.  In the End phase one Reaction Marker and one Suppression Marker is removed from each unit that has one or more of either on the table.  This is also when any effects determined by the mission to happen during the end phase also take effect.  Once the End phase has been completed players count up the number of units, heroes, vehicles, and flyers they have and roll for initiative for the next round.



Each unit, team, hero, or vehicle/walker has a point value (that is used to build armies) and a stat line that demonstrates how effective they are verse Infantry, Vehicles, and Flyers.  Each type of model (Infantry, Vehicle, or Flyer) has a level of quality assigned to it that allows you to figure out how many shots a model gets when shooting at it.  Infantry can be between level 1 to 4, Vehicles can be from level 1 to 7, and Flyers can be from level 1 to 3.

A level 1 Infantry model would be a peasant or untrained militiaman, level 2 would be you standard trained infantrymen, level 3 would be your elite troops, and level 4 is for extremely powerful models.  Currently the only level 4 Infantry mini available in the game is an SSU Hero called Winter Child.  Think of Winter Child as a Russian Superman wearing Ironman Armor.  He flies, has super strength, is hard to kill, and can shoot laser beams from his eyes.

Level 1 and 2 vehicles are things like jeeps and motorcycles, level 3 vehicles are armored light vehicles and light walkers.  Level 4 and 5 are for medium walkers, armored personal carriers, and light tanks.  Level 6 and 7 are for heavy tanks and walkers.  Flyers at level 1 are for unarmored gliders and non military flying vehicles.  Level 2 is for military flyers including helicopters and fighter/bombers.  Level 3 flyers are things like heavy bomber or flying fortresses.

Not every level of Infantry, Vehicle, and Flyer have available models; and while their are rules for walker, tracked, and wheeled vehicles in the main rulebook, only the SSU has tanks and no one as wheeled vehicles yet.  The majority of vehicles available are walkers.

Currently all armies have level 2 and 3 infantry, with the SSU being the only one with a level 4 infantry model.  Axis and Allies both have three different level 3 walkers each.  The Axis also has four level 4 walkers, a level 5 walker, a walker that can be configures as level 5 or level 6, and one level 7 heavy walker.  The allies have six level 4 medium walker variants and one level 7 heavy walker.  The SSU have two variant level 4 walker designs, each with 3 different weapon configurations.  SSU is also the first to have a character walker (called Grand'Ma), heavy tanks (level 7), and helicopters (level 2).


 When rolling to attack first you check range to see if all the weapons in the squad are in range of your target.  Then you look at the stat line of each weapon (See Below) and find the section for the type of model or squad you are shooting at.  Then you look at the level of the target model or squad you are shooting at.  The First number is how many D6 rolled per guy against that type of model.  The second number is the number of points of damage you do to the target for each success you roll.


 It is important to note that some models have special abilities that allow them to re-roll missed attacks, roll additional attacks for each success rolled, and even some that let you succeed when rolling blanks instead of successes.  After the total number of success are calculated, the player controlling the model or squad that was targeted needs to roll armor saves and check for hard or soft cover.  Soft cover (things like bushes, trees, and shallow craters) subtract one success from the total number of success rolled to hit the target model or squad.  Heavy cover (things like buildings, stone walls, trenches, and wrecked vehicles) subtract two successes from the total number of successes rolled to hit the target model or unit.  Models cannot have both soft and heavy cover.

For armor saves, a number of dice is rolled equal to the level of quality of the target Infantry, Vehicle, or Aircraft model or unit.  The number of successes rolled is subtracted from the total number of success rolled to hit the target model or squad.

Any remaining successes are now applied to the target model or unit as points of damage.  Most Infantry models have just one wound so you would remove one model for each remaining success until all the models in the unit are removed.  For models with multiple wounds and vehicles, each success causes one wound.  If the total number of success cause the model to reach its maximum amount of wounds possible, then that models is removed.  Infantry models and/or units that are not destroyed receive a Suppression Marker. Suppression Markers can be both good and bad for a unit.  Units with one or more Suppression Markers always have soft cover (to represent the unit going to ground and finding cover) but cannot react to enemy units in return.


I have found Dust Warfare to be a fun and fast tactical game that excels at keeping both players involved in the action as the game goes one.  Also it allows me to scratch both the science fiction and historical itches as the game is full of historic World War 2 designs mixed with a classic science fiction feel.  Oh and did I mention that you also get to play with lasers, phasers, tesla coils, super smart gorillas, and zombies?

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Powell is a long time Hobbiest, Gamer, and occasional Podcaster that has over 20+ years of experience in the hobby. Jay has worked for Games Workshop and Hobbytown USA in the past, and has run many leagues, campaigns, and tournaments over the years as a Privateer Pressganger, GW Outrider, and game clubs member. Jay was the original co-host of The Gamers Lounge Podcast and has appeared on many podcasts as a guest host from around the world.  You can current find Jay, when not writing new articles for the WWPD Network, playing games at Huzzah Hobbies in Ashburn, VA or on his personal blog 24 Hour Gamer Geek.

Hey guys and welcome to my first post here on the WWPD Network.  My name is Jay Powell but some of you may know me as HuronBH on the WWPD Forum or from around the web.  Starting with this post and moving on into the future I will be sharing with you insights and cool models, from the large variety of games that I play.  While the majority of my posts will show up here on Outpost Zero; I do also play Saga, Bolt Action, and occasionally Flames of War; so you may see posts from me occasionally in those sections as well.  Enough about me, now on to the topic at hand: DUST WARFARE!

What is Dust Warfare?

Dust Warfare is a conflict level game (my term for games with armies sized between skirmish and mass combat), set in a science fiction take on World War 2, produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It is based on a comic book series created by French Artist Paolo Parente. In Dust Warfare you build armies made up of several 3-5 man squads, weapons teams, heroes, large walkers, tanks, and other vehicles using the miniatures from the popular 1/48th scale board game, Dust Tactics. Dust Warfare moves the miniatures from the board tiles onto a more traditional war games play mat and provides rules for things like moving, shooting, assault and terrain features such as barbwire, minefields, trees, and buildings.

Dust takes place in 1947. Thanks to a mysterious substance known as VK Ore and the discovery of crashed alien technology, the world has been divided into a battleground by 3 major factions; the Allies, the Axis, and the SSU.  National identity has fallen away, as powerful new weapons have been introduced at increasing speed forcing the governments of the world to band together to create the ruling bodies of the 3 major blocks.  The Allies are formed from troops from North America, the British Isles, the Free French, and Australia. They control most of North America, Brazil, a large portion of Africa, sections of the Middle East, India, and most of Australia.

The Axis, having killed off Hitler in 1943 and the Nazi party with him; are formed from Germany, Italy, and Japan.  They control all of their home countries, most of continental Europe, Scandinavia, Libya, sections of China, Manchuria, the East Indie islands, and Australia.  At the end of 1943 the Axis and Allies met in secret peace talks (that prove to be indecisive) in order to discuss a peace on the Western Front.  Upon learning of the peace talks, Stalin, in a fit of rage pulled Russia out of the Allies and in 1944 along with China forms the SSU. The SSU currently control most of Eastern Europe, Siberia, Asia, and South America.  They also have taken over the coast of Alaska, Cuba, the southern tip of Florida, Madagascar, parts of Africa, and a few islands in the East Indies.

Currently only Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey have managed to stay neutral in a conflict that now spans the entire world.


What do I need to play Dust Warfare?

You will need an army made up of Dust Tactics minis.  Currently there are models available for three factions; Allies, Axis, and SSU.  In addition, you will need The Dust Warfare main rulebook:


Inside you will find all the rules you need to play the game along with force organizations and rules for multiple units, walkers, and heroes for the Axis and Allied armies.  In addition to the basic rules (of which an overview is provided in Part 2 of this article, coming soon), and the rules for the Axis and Allied armies, you are also provided with a very well thought out scenario builder for playing pickup and tournament games, and a series of themed missions for you to play as well.

Also available are 2 campaign books.  The first is called Operation Zveograd, and it includes new expansion rules that let you to included Flyers into your games:


In addition to the new flyer rules, this book also introduces two new walker types for both that Axis and the Allied armies. But most importantly, it includes all the rules you need to play SSU Defensive and Commissar Platoons.  Included with the SSU rules are new special rules for heroes to pilot walkers and other vehicles.  The SSU are also the first to receive flyers and have 3 types of helicopters including an infantry transport helicopter, a walker transport helicopter, and a ground attack helicopter (which has 4 different variations).

Also included in Operations Zveograd is a series of three player missions allowing players from all 3 factions to play in one game.  The Second Campaign book is called Operation Hades:


Operation Hades includes additional new models for all 3 factions, including the first Super Hero character, Winter Child for the SSU.  Also there is a 3rd platoon type for the SSU (bringing the total for each faction up to 3 different platoon types), the Red Guard.  Another cool feature of the SSU expansion is the inclusion of the 4 tracked vehicles in the game, 4 heavy tanks (one of which is pictured on the cover of the expansion). These heavy tanks provide a heavy support element for all 3 SSU Platoon types.

Early next year we will be seeing the next expansion for Dust Warfare released.  It is called Operation Icarus:


It promises to add flyers to the game for both the Axis and Allies, along with additional weapons teams, heroes (including an Allied Super Hero), and units for all the factions.

Part 2 of my Intro to Dust Warfare will include an overview of the unique structure of the phases in each round of the game and a synopsis of the basic game play mechanics.  See you next time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Powell is a long time Hobbiest, Gamer, and occasional Podcaster that has over 20+ years of experience in the hobby. Jay has worked for Games Workshop and Hobbytown USA in the past, and has run many leagues, campaigns, and tournaments over the years as a Privateer Pressganger, GW Outrider, and game clubs member. Jay was the original co-host of The Gamers Lounge Podcast and has appeared on many podcasts as a guest host from around the world.  You can currently find Jay, when not writing new articles for the WWPD Network, playing games at Huzzah Hobbies in Ashburn, VA or on his personal blog 24 Hour Gamer Geek.