There's a lot out there talking about things that they don't like about the game and things that would scare people away from buying this game so let's talk about the plus sides to the game. I'll start off by naming ten things that I can think off simply off the initial read of the book. I've only had my book less than 24 hours so forgive me if there are things that should have jumped out at me that I haven't mentioned.

1. The Platoon structure makes you, for the most part, think about your units and how you'll structure your army. There's no spam, there's no obvious cheese that you have to worry about because of the limitations in the points and platoon structure. (Example, I'll take two troop choices for my Space Wolves and then my 3 units of Long Fangs all with missile launchers and THEN fill out the rest of my army.)

2. Despite some of the Hero's being awesome, the game doesn't appear that a single Hero can win the entire game for you. On that matter, it also appears there isn't a single unit that does that either.

3. The rules are relatively simple, they appear to be the type that you can just jump into. Some of the things in the book are rather vague but, they give you examples unlike a certain company that is rather ambiguous with the idea of… If you can't agree flip a coin!!! I shouldn't HAVE to agree it should be a rule.

4. The miniatures are pre-primed, pre-assembled and yet pliable enough that if I want to convert them and if I want to paint them I can. Even better, if I suck at painting they offer the minis painted for a bit more money. How cool is that!!!

5. The game appears to be cheap enough to actually get into and not feel like you can't afford to eat for having done it, and with the beautiful full color book and artwork it makes you want to see more from this game.

6. German Zombies, Smart gorillas, Hitler's dead, suits of incredible armor and walking tanks, should I keep going?

7. They've all ready announced flyers, and rules for flyers. It took Games-Workshop 25 years to get Flyers (rumoured with 6th edition this July). It took Dust Warfare the first year and we'll see them soon.

8. There is so much synergy between the battle field, the platoons, the units, the heros, the factions, and then specials you can buy it really tests the player and not the miniatures. It almost ensures no 2 battles will be the same.

9. They're about to come out with their 3rd faction, the Sino Soviet Union and there's been a lot of talk that aliens will be after that.

10. ALL THE MINIATURES ARE BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE TO USE IN DUST TACTICS. Imagine using your Chaos Daemons in Fantasy and 40k? Oh… that's right, different bases… and some models only work in that realm. Well what about Hordes… Warmachine… oh that's right they're not both on the 2nd edition… But the minis here are fully compatible with each version of Dust!!!

What do you guys like about the game?!

My biggest plus is the phases and suppression interaction. In the 3 games I've played, you play such a mind war with yourself on what to activate during your command phase, what to wait until the unit phase for, hoping to god that you will still have those units to activate in the unit phase, etc. The tactics required to navigate those phases are incredible.

So far, in our area of players that have played Tactics for a year and a half now, Warfare is a complete win.

CSMason26 said:

Oh come on, this one is just unfair. They are completely different settings. A more accurate example would be fantasy/Mordheim and 40K/Spacehulk.

I love how every time I figure out how to kill my friend, he figures out a strategy to counter. Then I counter that, and he counters that… it goes on and on. Sometimes it happens during the game! The strategies aren't even about armies, often it's just a new trick in the unit phase, or knowing when to take risks. We are just learning the game so that won't go forever, but we find the game is really nuanced.

a good question.

So far the flow of reaction and command has been scratching an itch of mine in war gaming for some time. A game where i have to watch my opponant at all times is far more entertaining then one where i simply roll armor saves.

Also, the move reaction has made my evening - Having the choice to sacrifice my attacks in the unit phase to get men out of the way is something ive wanted for a while - it makes paper thin but fast units work in a way i appreciate.

I have to echo what blkdymnd said - phases combined with the reaction and suppression mechanics really do create a lot of interesting choices that are missing in most game. It's not a simple matter of moving your guys into range and then blasting away. When playing, we commented a lot about how you get into that chess mindset. You really have to plan your actions ahead of time and anticipate what your opponent might do. I can't think of any mini game which creates the same sort of options and challenges.

I also love the idea that I can go in, but a squad for $15, and play with them right away. I do like painting, but I also like playing. And the price is right, especially compared to other similar games.

i was a big fan of AT-43 for the player reaction of "overwatch", constant back and forth of player activity, and the realistic rules of "the closer you are the easier it is to hit you with my gun"

as sad as i was when it died out i was really excited when i heard about Dust and how it might be taking on that similar feel. i've read the book and reviewed tactics with people and i personally think it can bring back that same excitment that i once had before for AT-43.

Yes, despite my reservations and eventually turning in the book for an exchange for BSG the boardgame (something we will DEFINITELY make use of), I'm by no means giving up on the game entirely. I'm just going from "fully committed" to "reserved and waiting to see if people pick it up here". Or alternatively, waiting a bit to see the rules mature a bit with new releases.

The setting and style are really cool, and I truly wish for the game to become successful and get (even?) better rules. So go out and try it, especially if you care more about the setting and the style as well as the nice turn structure, than the nitty-gritty of rules.

2 things:

1 I would avoid comparing Dust Warfare to other games by name. It's just bad etiquette and often alienates players from those games.

2 I love the concepts of the game. The only things that I feel are really off are the editing and format the book was presented in. There are lots of errors and the format has you flipping back and forth quite a bit. I'd pay an extra $10 on the price if they had published the full description of the special rules for the units without having to look at anouther special rule to understand the one I'm currently reading. A nice Glossary that works as an index would be great and printable cards like what dust tactics has for the units would be super as well. There's lots of good potential there it just needs better organization.

Tequila Sousa said:

I have to agree with this and was feeling the very same thing!

Cheers Gordon

I like that in Dust Warfare, compared to Dust Tactics, they've reduced some of the huge craziness that can happen if someone gets some really lucky rolls. For instance, now that lasers is reduced to just one reroll, my wife will no longer be able to kill my entire army just with Sigrid (yes, she somehow rolls that luckily for laser rolls!)

I'm also pretty excited about the Battle Builder - having board set up and scenario creation as part of the game itself is just awesome.

felkor said:

I agree that the battle builder is a great addition to the game, love the concept.

Overall I am impressed with the rules, they are enough to keep you thinking tactically while keeping the game simple enough for new players to pick up… especially how to maximise your use of orders to supress opponents so your hard hitting troops can move into range un-opposed.

Good stuff!

New England AT-43! (Alternate Timeline 1943) said:

Thanks man, a few of us at the store i play at still feel after all the errata and such they had to put out, AT-43 was still the best tabletop combat system to date. and i think this one may be up there

Harliquine said:

Well said!

I too am put off by the poor editing and formatting -- seems to be the norm nowadays, and nobody (customers/gamers, which is weird since most seem to be well educated and somewhat OCD) really cares so it won't change.

As far as what I like about the game, I am reserving judgement until I can play a few games; then I'll decide whether to play it, stay exclusively with DT, or use Nuts! which already has a port for it in their rule set.

I agree the potential is here, and I hope the game does well and continues to grow.

Cheers!

Just a reminder that this is the "What do you LIKE about Dust Warfare?" thread. There's another thread about issues.

Another thing I like is that, from the looks of it, DW will play fast, and I'll be able to get a game of Dust Warfare in, in about the same amount of time it takes to play a game of Dust Tactics, which is quite impressive as that's already a fast paced game. The main reason people I know don't want to try Dust Warfare is because they're boardgamers and think DW will be slow and fiddly, and it sounds like that won't be the case.

mariettabrit said:

Another vote for battle builder. The give and take is awesome.

I wasn't sure originally what to think of the new armor / cover system, but now I really like it, and it works in a way that I believe is a bit more realistic than Dust Tactics.

In Dust Tactics, no matter what armor or cover your opponent has, each additinal combat die adds the exact same odds of an additional hit (1/3 for most weapons.)

In Dust Warfare, your odds go up exponentially. So if the defending unit is in hard cover, your first couple dice give you no increased chance of a hit, then additional combat dice increase the odds slightly, but as you add more dice and the possibility increases of first getting more hits than cover saves, and then getting more hits than the average armor saves, and then getting more hits than your opponent gets armor rolls at all, each dice adds better odds to the attack than the previous one.

It makes weak units that can only really do potshots (like an observer squad) weaker than in Dust Tactics (and realistically they should only be able to suppress an enemy in hard cover), but makes powerful units (Lara + Heavy Recon Grenadiers) more powerful than in Dust Tactics.

I like this - the more overwhelming the firepower is, it becomes much more devastating.

It also makes sustained attack actually better than 2 attacks, one after the other, as far as actually dealing damage goes.

Anyway, the system is definitely a bit more complex than Dust Tactics, but it also makes the game play totally differently, and I'm glad that Dust Warfare is a very different game than Dust Tactics (as much as I love Dust Tactics.)

The miniatures are just so simply amazing… and outstandingly detailed for the price I just… I can't believe it at times. I must have stared at this one recon grenadier all day just humbled by even the fact he has buttons on him. I don't need to be able to place the gun and arms a certain way and to customize everything about it to feel like I've got a quality product here.

Gobbo said:

I will second all of these. I'd like to add I really enjoy the Init and order system. Not knowing if you are going to be able to go first or second each round combined with being able to "manage" some threats you are worried about at the beginning of your turn by sacrificing potential actions later in the turn is really nice. It adds some flexibility in list construction and chance to the game that so many miniatures games that use the: setup, side one goes, side two goes, then repeat; really lacks. I also like that both players, if they chose to be, can do things in almost every phase of each turn. I am really enjoying the game so far.

-jay

I like that I now have two completely different ways to play with the same miniatures. I love Dust Tactics, and, as far as my experience so far goes, I love Dust Warfare too. Dust miniatures are relatively inexpensive as it is, but add in that each time you buy one, you're getting double the bang for your buck because they work in two different games, and it makes this about the most affordable miniatures gaming experience out there.

I'll add again to the list - HEAVY WALKERS. They kind of kick ass, look awesome, and I like how in Dust Warfare, unlike Dust Tactics, they are even quite useful in smaller armies.

Um, I don't understand the issue raised about the editing and format…obviously, there are other Warhammer sufferers here as well. Hail met, fellows; want to join me in a chorus of comparing the edting, layout, and format issues of Warhammer - any Warhammer - to Dust Warfare? Las Vegas won't set odds on that match; it's Dust Warfare in a single punch.

A lot of folks here have already noted a lot of features that I really like about this game so far, so I'll just add one a lot of people don't seem to have noticed: The rules are, by and large, unambiguous. With excellent explanations and well-illustrated examples. Again, I'm a Warhammer sufferer (for over 20 years now), and I really appreciate the lack of ambiguity. Yes, there are a few things which could have used a small bit of extra explanation (the Grenatewerfer can really reach the whole board when used as an Artillery weapon? Really? Cool!), and I fervently wish there were set Overwatch rules to allow reaction at full range (for snipers, MG squads, and anti-tank units - you know, the sit-and-wait area denial people), but overall, I am going to concentrate on Dust Warfare in lieu of my 40K armies for quite a while.

I have friends who are asking where the pen-and-paper role-playing game for this is, and how much it is… (Yes, I know there isn't one. But there should be. There should be.)

Warboss Krag said:

I like how different units have their uses, its like rock paper scissors, and sometimes its better to back off and try to get a better position with different units rather than going relentlesly forward with all you've got. The core concepts are nice, but poorly executed.

Battle builder is a neat feature.

I like that dust tactics introduced many people into wargaming that wouldn't even try it. FFG quite quickly released armies so we were enjoying new things every month (ssu now have to catch up, but at least axis and allies are deep now), quality is good, plastic is acceptable (harder would be better) and the prices were ok, it start to get a bit more expensive than it used to be and I can't see a reason why FFG is not selling army boxes, I was happy when first picked original box and next revised, good value, and the variety

I like that the squads are defined so you can't bend the rules, or find a cheese, and that they still use the same structure as in tactics so I don't have to buy couple of boxes to be able to field something, what a shame the cards are no longer valid, I loved them, and how easy it was to keep track of everything in Tactics.

Simplicity, weapon charts works great, armor saves are not neccessary, if you want to make rear arch weaker add a modifier.

Movement is horrible. Fix it please.

I hope I will have a lot more things to write here after errata.