Thanks, Kranky. I found issue 1 and 2 on eBay . . . they're . . . odd . . . I wouldn't really spend the $10 if I had to do over again. At least the story in the hard copies makes sense. It's a very basic and uninspired (and short) story arc, but it makes sense. Unlike the iPad version, which has random pages cut out of it (but not the explicit pages), rendering the story completely unfathomable . . . how/why did the Americans show up at the castle in that version again? The hardcopy loses the explicit pages but keeps the pages that explain the actual plot (OH! It's a JOINT OPERATION! . . I get is . . . sort of . . . ).

And Dust Wars 1 actually came with the original core set . . . so I have that . . . which is similar . . .

Still love the game, though!

As for the SSU first wave . . . I haven't heard back from any of my guys, but I'll poke them again and see. I'm running a Dystopian Wars tournament there this afternoon, so I'll know for sure myself later on.

If I hear anything I'll let you know as soon as I can!

~Craig

Just received confirmation: The first wave included the Infantry 2 command squad, the helicopter transport with Chinese volunteer squad, close combat squad, and battle squad. Op Zverograd also came out, with the hero and her medium walker.

So, no medium walker box and no rulebook

Yeah. Warstore's "shipping now" vs "pre-order now" info coincides with your sources.

Hopefully, as Dust Warfare takes off FFG'll get the release schedule (and model availability outside of $30-40 boxes) sorted to be more friendly to the Warfare crowd. Dare we hope in time for faction #4?

Our sources have said that we won't HAVE a 4th Faction by GenCon . . . and they can't SAY there will be a 4th Faction . . . but we'll know what it will be by GenCon . . .

I'm hoping it will be Japanese as the Paolo Dust site has the walkers already available, our group is ordering from them soon and hope to get both the walkers and the scenery oh and the extra dice kits….

Craig in NH said:

Which iPad version do you have? Initially, the first one had the complete story. Then the app had an update, and poof, missing pages. I'm glad I read it once prior to the disappearing pages, but it's value is diminished now which is infuriatingly within the old, "better to have loved and lost…" conundrum.

I believe there are a couple more apps which have it, but I'm reluctant to risk the purchase price (yet again) to get an incomplete story.

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

The Japanese are already part of the Axis faction. They would merely be additional walkers and units for a faction that already exists unless there was some kind of storyline schism (which I don't like the idea of). The fourth faction would most likely be the Vrill, which I now Paolo is working on per the Dust facebook group. I think the addition of Aliens will be awesome to the game play. Armor 4 infantry

I'm not sure How I feel about aliens yet for this game, so I'll wait to see , both the allies and axis side could use nation specific forces to get more factions Id like to see British and Japan forces , Am also hoping this does not mirror AT-43 to closely, You start mentioning aliens and the COG race from AT-43 come to mind so I may be jaded by that some. Just some random thoughts here anything they come out with will get me very excited as a huge fan of this stuff.

I was hoping something along the lines of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" aka Jules Verne for inspiration for another faction aliens from "inner space" would be fun and pulp fiction themed idea…

Cheers Gordon

I am looking forward to some sort of aliens. I didn't think the COG was too bad, they just have the unfortunate association of heralding the demise of AT-43 (or was that the ONI?). I'm talking about the last demise of AT-43 (and Rackham), for those keeping track, not the other demises.

Regardless, I am looking forward to seeing how Paulo and crew can push the Dust world.

Someone mentioned that the system has some notable white spaces, like type 1 and 4 infantry. I don't have any expectation of this, but I would love to see the 4th faction fill in these gaps to create a totally unique force. I'm imagining something like the aliens in the ill fated show "Falling Skies". They basically had a bunch of smaller "skitter" creatures that would patrol aloing side of large armored mecha suits. It would be cool to have a swarm of type 1 infantry that works along side with some huge type 4.

Can't wait for GenCon, when they… uh, won't show it?

Well, if this Hecaton garage kit is anything to go by the Vrill will be less COG and more crazy insectile alien robots. Which I think is awesome! There aren't a lot of this kind of weird, almost bio-mechanical looking robots available in 28mm gaming so I'm looking forward to them. And there are clear hints at them having armour 4 infantry in the book.

Man . . . that model looks great, Poe!

I think Aliens could work quite well, and in fact most of the fluff in the book pionts firmly in that direction. Look at this timeline:

Axis find a crashed space ship with a live alien

Alien and/or ship are returned to Germany

Axis starts to field cool new toys at the same time they kill Hitler, disband SS, and dismantle Nazis

Axis tries to stop the war and make peace, but after the early war period no one trusts them

Axis reinvigorates their war effort, now in the name of 'unifying the world' against a looming, un-named threat.

THAT is a pretty damned cool plot line, in my mind. Very similar to Harry Turtledove's Alt. WWII series . . .

It's a spectacular looking model I think! It's from 2008 so things might have changed, but since most of Paolo's other designs have stayed pretty much the same I hope the Vrill will actually look like this when they're finally previewed… at Gencon… hopefully.

And I agree, the storyline is great!

Do you think Vrill would be something like the Geth from Mass effect …cause that would make me VERY PUMPED! I love that race!

I'm not sure at all what they'd look like, Gordon. All I have to go on are the images I've seen here or there, like the one Poe posted above. Is there any info about them anywhere else? I'd love to know more . . .

There's a shot of the actual Vril being in the comics, can't remember where I saw it online. They are very 'greys' in the comic

I'd like to second the, "Falling Skies" type of concept. Except I'd reverse the armor so the skitters were Infantry 4, with the, "mind-controlled masses" Infantry 1, and low autonomous thought, perhaps only activating in the Command Phase. Then, the actual heroes be Infantry 2-3 types. Just a thought. Probably way too late to effect any concept changes, but I think it'd be cool.