Enhance Dust with these Special Rules

Here are the special rules that were developed over years to make our favourite game better. We strongly encourage their use as we believe it will make your games more fun and exciting. However, it is your game, feel free to ignore any or all of them, in consultation with your opponent. Always remember, a great game experience for both you and your opponnent is the primary goal!

Unified Saves Rules

Please refer to the Unified Saves Rules for how Saves work in this campaign. For example, Steel Guards can now benefit from Smoke as it confers an Evade Save rather than a Cover Save.

Scout

Units with Scout may deploy up to March Move distance before Game Turn 1, after any terrain placement. If so, they do not get to use the Scout ability in Turn 1. Regardless of how many units in your Force has Scout, no more than 3 units may deploy in this manner. The rest will use Scout as per normal.

Pass Tokens

In conjunction with the rules on Pass Tokens, the following rules applies as well.

  1. After a Unit has been activated as a result of attempting a Reactive Attack, player receives 1 Pass token.

  2. When a Unit activates another unit (such as when an observer unit activates an artillery unit to Attack), player receives 1 Pass token. Does not apply to reactivations.

Damage Resilient

All Vehicles (all classes) and Infantry class 3 and 4 gain Damage Resilient against CC Attacks.

If a Hit does [DEATH] damage, Damage Resilient only applies to half the damage rounded up. For example, a KV-47 is Hit by a weapon that does [DEATH], instead of rolling for Damage Resilient against all 5 damage, it rolls only 3 (half rounded up).

Suppression Rules

This replaces Suppression in the rulebook and allows the possibility of removing Stunned by Rallying.

A Unit can be in one of 3 Suppression states; the default is None (no suppression), Suppressed, and Pinned. Only Infantry class 1 and 2 can have a Pinned state, all other units including all Vehicles and Aircrafts ignore a Pinned result. All Heroes, by themselves, ignore a Pinned result as well. However, if joined to Infantry 1 or 2 unit it can be pinned as per the unit.

When a target unit is hit, roll 2 dice. For each [BLOC] rolled, move up to the next Suppression state, i.e. None to Suppressed, Suppressed to Pinned.

Rallying for a unit is conducted as usual. Roll 2 dice at the start of a unit’s Activation. For each [BLOC] rolled, lower the Unit’s Suppression state by one, e.g. Pinned becomes Suppressed, Suppressed becomes None.

All Heroes (including those joined to a Unit), Vehicles and Aircrafts, may choose to re-roll each Rally attempt. They must re-roll all dice and they must accept the second result, even if it is worse than the first.

Rallying from Stunned

In addition when Rallying, if 2 [BLOC] are rolled and no [SHIELD] is showing, Stunned is removed as well, before the first Action of the unit.

If a unit is still Suppressed or Pinned after Rallying, the first Action must be a Nothing Action. In addition, if a Unit is Pinned, it cannot attempt a Reactive Attack, and it loses any ability that grants them a third Action.

All units can attempt to Rally as a Special Action.

Some weapons may give an automatic Suppressed state if hit by it. Apply the Suppressed state before rolling to Suppress.

Initiative

Before the first Game Turn roll 3 dice for Initiative as usual. If a player has less Units (count Heroes joined to a Unit as 1) than his opponent, he rolls an extra die. The side that rolls the most [BLOC] wins Initiative. The Attacker of the scenario/mission breaks ties.

The winner of the Initiative decides who goes first in the first Game Turn. Keep the same order for Turn 2.

Starting from Turn 3, roll for Initiative at the start of each Turn. The player with less Units rolls an extra die. Again, the Attacker breaks ties.

Terrain and Fortifications

Zverograd, despite being a city, has very varied terrain. Some places like Memorial Park or the Zoo have been reclaimed by the wilderness (or worse)! When setting up your battlefield bear in mind, smooth roads are rare, rubbles are common. Create terrain mats/boards where walkers can have a movement advantage over tracked/wheeled vehicles. Many locations will have fortifications.

Fortress Zverograd is aptly named, the various blocs have dug-in and built reinforced structures that makes it difficult to dislodge them.

Here are some additional terrain types you add to your game, and where applicable can substitute them for ammo crates and tank traps:

Barbed Wires

Cheap and effective, barbed wire can considerably slows down the enemy infantry advance towards defensive positions.

  • When Infantry Units of class 1 and 2 cross or enter a barbed wire square, each square of barbed wire costs an additional movement point. In addition, each time it enters a barbed wire square, roll 1 die. On a [TARGET] the unit is Suppressed (if applicable) and must stop movement immediately.
  • Infantry Units of class 3 and 4 are unaffected by the barbed wires.
  • Wheeled Vehicles when entering a barbed wire square, roll 1 die. On a [TARGET] the wires gets entangled with the Vehicle and it must stop movement immediately. The barbed wire is destroyed and the Vehicle can move normally when it next activates.
  • All other Vehicles destroys Barbed Wires when they enter and are otherwise unaffected.

Rubble

Rubble do not block line of sight but provide Cover for Infantry Units within the rubble. Infantry, Walkers and Tracked Vehicles can move through a Rubble, but only Infantry Units can occupy a Rubble. Rubble affects movement of Vehicles. If a Vehicle moves through Rubble, its Move/March Move for that Activation is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1). When a Tracked Vehicle goes through rubble, roll a die. On a [TARGET] the Vehicle finishes its movement, gains a Stunned token and ends its Activation immediately (even if it has Actions left). Wheeled Vehicles cannot enter Rubble terrain.

Trenches

Another staple of modern warfare are trenches. Defensive positions designed to protect the infantry from direct fire and artillery fire, trenches are often the infantry’s only means of staying alive. It’s also the quickest and cheapest way of fortifying an area (if you have a shovel of course) and as such is favored by soldiers and their commanders alike. On the field there’s no better use of your time than to dig-in for the coming battle.

Trenches should be made available to the Defender at the start of a Mission. A two square trench terrain is equivalent to 2 pieces of cover (ammo crate/tank-trap) It should not be placed within range 3 of the Defender deployment zone. Always use common sense and consult your opponent on placement of terrain.

  • Trenches do not block Line of Sight. They are treated as range 1 below Ground Level. Height Advantage rules applies
  • Infantry units can enter trenches. When they do so, they gain Cover Save and Camouflage.
  • trenches reduce Infantry Move/March by 1.
  • Units in trenches only have LoS up to range 2.
  • Trenches are very effective counter against Artillery weapons. They gain Improved Structural Save against Artillery weapon. reminder: Saves of the same type do not stack
  • Walkers and Tracked Vehicles can move through trenches but may not stop on a trench. Wheeled Vehicles cannot cross a trench and if forced into one will become immobilised for the rest of the game.

Strongpoints and Bunkers

The Defender in a mission might be given the option to add an Strongpoint (10AP) or Bunker (15AP) to his list. They do not count as Bloc or Faction units, and if the player wishes to get his Faction Bonus must still meet the 75% requirement. The placement of the Strongpoint/Bunker should never prevent your opponent from reaching any objectives. Common sense should prevail, the Attacker in the scenario should not have a bunker/strongpoint as part of their force.

Strongpoints and Bunkers are costed to reflect their versatility and advantage when defending, if your opponent overruns you, the structure is now in their hands…

  • When deploying a Strongpoint/Bunker it must be the first terrain piece placed and be within range 4 of the deployment table edge. The back of the strongpoint and bunker must be accessible to infantry units by normal movement, thus can never be placed right up against the table edge.
  • The Infantry/Cover Save re-rolls from the rulebook are replaced by Structural Save and Improved Structural Save for Strongpoints and Bunkers respectively. To be clear, you apply Infantry/Cover Saves followed by the Structural Saves.
  • It is difficult for most weapons to fire into the front slit of the Bunker as it is so narrow, you can only draw LoS to them if you are within Range 3 and their front arc. Railguns, Teslas and Phasers are exempt from this rule.
  • It is difficult to engage in Close Combat through the front slit of a Bunker. Only C range weapon with a [Blast] symbol as its stats can engage in CC through the front.

Height Advantage

This replaces the Height Advantage rule from the rulebook and FAQ.
If you are Higher than your target unit by Range 1 or more, your target must re-roll Infantry and Cover Saves (Structural Saves are not affected). If you are Lower by Range 1 or more, your target gains Cover Save.

Height Difference and Close Combat

Normally units on different height levels (Range 1 or greater) cannot Close Combat Attack (CC) each other. This can lead to a situation where Units can never CC a Unit at a different elevation due to lack of space on the same level.

Units can still CC by taking a Move Action to attempt to move into the target area (square) and taking an Attack/Sustained Attack Action for Close Combat only.

If the attacking unit destroys the target Unit/s (the square is now unoccupied), they must enter and occupy the target area. If they did not, they fall back into the adjacent area (square) they attacked from. They are always considered at different Height levels until CC is resolved.

a) The Move Action can be a March Move provided the Attacking Unit can engage in CC after the March Move, for example, using Charge skill or having 3 Actions.

b) The Move Action must have enough Range to move the Attacking Unit into the Target square from where they are at the start of the Unit’s Activation. The Move Action must be a legal move and terrain restrictions still apply.

c) I Have the High Ground Defending Unit at a higher elevation in CC gains First Strike. Does not apply if the attacking Unit has Flying. If the attacking Unit also has First Strike, both First Strike skills cancel out.

Aircraft and passengers

Refer to the latest rules errata on Aircraft. Also take note of the limitation to what weapons can be used by Passengers. Due to the unstable platform and height the aircraft is at, the range of all Passengers' weapons are halved, rounded down. If the weapon now has Range 0 it cannot be used. Special Weapons of the following type cannot be used: Flamer, Laser, Phaser, Rail, Tesla. In addition, if the Aircraft Moved, all successful Hits must be re-rolled, hitting on BLOC and TARGET. This is the final re-roll, after all other applicable re-rolls are made, for example if using the Lucky Skill.