Dust Tactics. Impressions and overview of the rules of the gameВІ

 For me, Dust Tactics is a case where, after opening the box and playing the game, I got what I expected and even more what I was promised. Easy to learn, fast and dynamic game of soldiers.

 In DT, you can actually start playing about half an hour after opening the game. While one carefully adjusts cannons, machine guns and searchlights to robot walkers, removes soldiers from personal ziplocs and prepares the playing area, the other carefully reads the rules. The rules are explained in five minutes, and thoroughly fixed in the memory during the first game. In order to make the right decisions, it is important to know the characteristics of all the fighters represented on the field and to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as special tasks, but this can be learned in one or two fights.

 In terms of dynamics, perception of what is happening and passion, the game resembles hockey, behind which chess is hidden - with positional struggle, forks, sacrifices and exchange of pieces. In the first round, players take turns placing one figure on the field. For the next 2-3 rounds, the positional struggle and the convergence of troops continue - the players try to increase their chances of victory. Then comes the battle itself, in which everything is decided by the die, but based on the chances with which the players approached it, and regrouping if both sides managed to survive it. Since the basic set involves healing the wounded and the arrival of reinforcements, it is usually over in 5-6 rounds.

 All battles take 10-60 minutes depending on the scenario and the experience of the players. At the same time, the simplicity of the rules does not interfere with the depth of tactical possibilities provided by the variety of specialized combat units. But even though each figure is unique and the armies are asymmetrical, at least the base DT set is balanced.

 It's funny to realize, but in this game there is a place for dice. You have to throw them a lot, but usually the throw is accompanied by a surge of adrenaline and excitement, which is only a plus. In addition, part of the decisions that have to be made during the battle comes down to a game of probabilities. What is more effective - to concentrate the fire of all the weapons of a combat unit on one unit of the enemy to destroy it, or to disperse the fire and weaken the combat power of several of his units? What is better - to move to the enemy and open fire first or to give the right of first attack? The one who attacks second is usually weakened, but can make a strengthened attack that allows you to re-roll once for each mistake.

 Sometimes the dice bring surprises, but in the 9 games we played (and 6 and a half hours of pure game time), we encountered only two curious cases. Having left the lone grenadier with a laser alive and switched to a more serious goal, I could not even think that he would be able to turn my walker into a pile of useless scrap metal with one successful attack. Usually the laser doesn't have enough power to destroy a walker in 1 turn, but it has a sneaky ability - a success on the die allows you to re-roll the die, and so on until the first miss; all successes at the same time accumulate and turn into damage. On the next turn, the "laserman" passed away, but already a hero, although not the only one. Approaching the Axis infantry, the Allied rangers, armed with shotguns and flamethrowers, enveloped the enemy in a hail of shot and mixed fire. What was their surprise when the smoke cleared: the brave soldiers, who should have been in the best of worlds, decided to linger in the blood and ashes of the battlefield, and almost in full force. The dagger (which cannot be abandoned, since it was announced as a backup option to dice rolls), only proved that the "shotguns" connected with the wrong ones - all the dice of the frozen frits showed hits and led to the grave of four Allied soldiers.

 But I wouldn't call this kind of case a flaw in the game. This is the difference between Dust Tactics and chess - sometimes a piece performs a planned maneuver not quite as expected. I think there will be those who remember computer chess, in which the knight, for example, is also deliberately stronger than the pawn, but when he tries to eat it, a separate screen opens, where the battle between them takes place, and there is a small chance that that the pawn will emerge from it as a winner. Dust Tactics is exactly that. So the first impression that luck is more important than calculation in DT is misleading. The statistics I received after returning home only confirmed that the die in DT decides who wins, with a game of roughly equal players, when none of them made a mistake (trust me, it's a shame to realize that after a series of mutual exchanges you are left alone with the opponent's pawn, having only a squad of infantry in his hands, physically unable to harm him). Victory due to the will of chance is possible, but it is much rarer.

 To summarize the impression, I would like to emphasize that Dust Tactics is more of a board comic that lives by its own laws and has its own internal logic than a military game. DT is a soldier game, not a war game, but unlike Memoir '44, which I successfully parted ways with, I'm perfectly fine with it in this case. Well, I'll add a spoonful of tar: the Dust Tactics base kit is just the beginning, nice and exciting, but the beginning. And the continuation will be expensive for everyone who wants it. Judging by the already announced expansions, the set of one additional infantry unit will cost $15-20, and another walker, albeit with the possibility of "transformation" into different models, will cost $25. The price for the additional eight-scenario Operation Cyclone military campaign, flavored with two new heroes, as well as elements and terrain tiles, is $40. But it is pleasing that under the current model of distribution of the game, everyone decides for himself what to purchase additionally.

 It remains to illustrate the rules of Dust Tactics.

 The battle takes place on a caged field with impassable areas, ammunition crates and anti-tank hedgehogs scattered on it. The terrain is set in one of the eight scenarios included in the Dust Tactics core campaign, or according to the rules of the free scenario. In the second case, the players decide how rugged the terrain will be, and then take turns placing impassable areas and cover on the field, which is itself a struggle for future positions.

 The game lasts several rounds until one of the parties to the conflict is destroyed or the scenario's victory conditions are met. During the round, players take turns walking one of their idle combat units. When activated, a combat unit can either move and attack, or attack and move, or move double the distance, or attack with a single miss roll, or use a special ability that requires activation. Who starts the round is determined by a roll of dice: both players roll 3 dice each, and whoever gets more hits chooses who starts. In case of a tie, the dice are rolled over. While the Allied hero "Bazooka Joe" is in play, the Allies roll 4 instead of 3 when determining initiative.

 In the first round, players enter troops on the field in predetermined sectors, which is also part of the positional struggle. Combat units are introduced one at a time, the right of removal alternates between players. Once on the field, a combat unit can either move or attack, provided that an enemy is within range of its weapon.

 Determining the radius of movement and shooting range follows the same rules: a path is laid from the source to the target, while 1 cell horizontally is worth 1 point of movement or range, the first cell diagonally - 1 point, and each subsequent cell - 2 Thus , zones of possible movement and range are clumsy "circles". All base set miniatures have 1 movement point, giving 2 points when double movement. In addition, one of the Allied ranger units has the Fast trait, which allows you to gain +1 movement point. As for the Axis, the walker "Luther" due to the Charge quality is able to move one cell further, provided that it appears after that in a cell adjacent to the enemy. "Luther" then attacks with his "claw". The most common firing range is 3-4 points, but Axis Ludwig and Allied Pounder walkers are equipped with guns that have infinite range.

 Neither soldiers nor equipment can enter the impassable cage: walker A1 cannot go left, and infantry B4 can't go down. Soldiers can "go around" impassable cells diagonally (again, let's look at B4), and walkers - only at a right angle (A1). Both soldiers and equipment (A1 and A2) can enter cells with ammunition boxes, and the equipment can crush the box. Cells with anti-tank hedgehogs can be entered by soldiers, the way there is ordered for the equipment (A1, A2 and A4). Combat units that are unable to enter cells with the enemy. Soldiers can pass through cells with friendly troops, but cannot stop at them (A3). Walkers are afraid to crush or conquer their own, so they do not walk through occupied cells (B3). However, Allied walkers have the Jump trait, which allows them to cross an obstacle at the cost of double movement. No one can go diagonally in the direction of a corner, both sides of which are impassable (B4). The role of an impenetrable cell in this case can be played by the enemy (and in the case of equipment) squad.

 In order to shoot at a target, it is not enough that it be within range of fire. A continuous line of sight connecting the center of the shooter's cell with the center of his victim's cell is also required. Boxes with ammunition do not interrupt the line of sight (A2 and B1 can shoot each other). Anti-tank hedgehogs block line of sight only for soldiers who wish to open fire on soldiers (B4 and A2 do not fire at each other). Soldiers can also fire at enemy soldiers if their own or another combat unit is between them (B4 and A3, B1 and A3). Walkers block the line of sight of both soldiers and other walkers; but walkers can fire at soldiers over infantry, and even their "height" allows soldiers to respond in kind (B3 and A2 can shoot each other, as can B1 and A4). If a combat unit is around a corner, it cannot draw a line of sight from it to another combat unit that is also around the corner, but on the other side of the line of sight: B1 and A5 can fire one at a time, since their corners are adjacent to the line of sight with one side; A1 and B5 cannot. Sometimes combat units act as such angles: B2 is unable to fire on A3 — and under the cover of a walker.

 Let's move on to the attack. The attack can be made before, after, or without moving (in the latter case, the attack will be more prepared with miss rolls). All Dust Tactics combat units are equipped with a variety of weapons. For example, for an infantry squad, the layout is usually as follows: four soldiers are armed with "general" weapons, one is armed with a specialized weapon, and all five are armed with knives. Each weapon is represented on a combat unit card in a separate row, and during an attack, even all weapons can be used together. Moreover, each weapon can have its own target, the main thing is that it should be within the reach of this particular weapon, and there should be a clear line of sight to it. Weapons are distributed between targets before dice rolls, and once the first die is rolled, nothing can be changed!

 All combat units of Dust Tactics are divided into infantry, equipment and aviation. Each category has several armor levels. In the row of the weapon, after its name and range, there is a table in which, for each type of combat unit and its armor level, the number of dice that must be rolled to get the result of the attack is given. In the case of infantry, the number of dice indicated in the row is multiplied by the number of soldiers of the squad armed with the corresponding weapon and still alive. For example, a full squad of Assault Rangers will roll 12 dice (3 x 4) when firing shotguns at infantry of the second armor level. The number after the fraction indicates how many units of loss will pass in case of 1 hit. After rolling 12 dice and getting 3 hits, Assault Rangers will deal 3 damage to the enemy. In the case of soldiers, this is the loss of three fighters chosen by the affected party (miniatures must be removed wisely, since each fighter removed is the loss of a certain weapon)! The dash indicates that fire is impossible from this weapon for a combat unit of this category and armor level. If there is a cross after the fraction after the number of cubes, this is a special damage. The number of dice rolled is equal to the number of targets (if the enemy unit has 4 miniatures, 4 dice are rolled; if 1, then 1). A hit at the same time causes 1 unit of damage. If a skull is indicated after the shot, it is a weapon of mass destruction. In this case, the number of dice is also equal to the number of targets, but any hit leads to a complete loss of stability - the death of the squad or the explosion of equipment! Melee with knives (or grenades against tech) is the only attack that gets hit back. In addition, any cover is ignored during melee.

 Cover technique will not help in any case, heroes do not hide by definition, but soldiers hide a lot. Boxes and corners (including those created by machinery) provide poor cover. Two weak covers together make a strong cover. Anti-tank hedgehogs are also a strong cover. While behind cover, a combat unit rolls 1 die for each unit of damage taken. With weak cover, each hit taken takes 1 damage. In the case of strong cover, the absorption takes place on misses (the dice in DT are special: 2 faces of each are hits, and 4 are remaining misses). Squad B1 in the illustration is under the protection of strong cover from squad A2 (corner and box). But for walker A4, squad B1 is under the protection of only a box, that is, a weak cover. Squad B4 is under weak cover protection from walker A1 (due to walker B3 standing next to it). Squad A5 for squad B1 for weak cover and B1 for A5 for strong cover. Some weapons, like flamethrowers or grenade launchers, ignore the presence of cover. In addition, cover can be destroyed. At the same time, the box with ammunition is considered a technique of the third level of armor with 2 units of resistance, and the anti-tank hedgehog is a technique of the 5th level with 4 units of resistance.

 A squad's specialized weapons usually have a limited supply at their disposal. Therefore, weapons such as a Faust cartridge or an underbarrel grenade launcher should be used sparingly and only for the purpose.

 It remains to talk about the heroes. Heroes can start the game as a separate combat unit, and as part of an infantry unit if they are of the same armor level. During the game, the hero can leave the squad and start acting independently, but he will not be able to join back or to another squad. The unit and the hero attached to it move at the same time and are always within the same cell. The hero's weapon becomes available to the squad. As well as some of his abilities (for example, Berserk, which allows you to reroll 1 time per round and per game). In addition, the hero can work as a human shield for the squad and take damage units (the base heroes have 4 lives, 3 of which can be spent to save three infantry from death!). Instead, the hero benefits from cover with the squad.