Updates and a look at Sniper Teams

MAO ZEDONG

IS-5 A SUPER HEAVY TANK (A/A)

Since our League day was canceled, I bring you this update. The Unit Cards section has been updated with the recent releases from Paolo Parente's Dust. I have also included a look at the Sniper Teams of each faction, both for Dust Tactics and Dust Warfare.

UNIT CARDS

The unit cards now include the following updates:

• Allies:
• The Choppers
• Devil's Own
• Legio Patria Nostra  
• Axis:
• Fledermaus III
• Jagdgrenadiere
• Laser-Jagdgrenadiere
• Otto
• Prinzluther
• Sturmprinz 
• SSU: 
• Red Command
• Red Storm
• Red Thunder
• Winter Child
• Babushka 
• Karl Marx
• Lavrentiy Beria 
• Mao Zedong
• Matrioshka
• Vladimir Lenin

SNIPER TEAMS

Sniper Teams have proven to be a very effective unit for all factions. The two man team gains a cover bonus, so they will always save on a blank when making any cover roll. The miniatures with the Sniper rifle are capable of choosing the miniature that takes the damage when firing at their target. This can be very effective in eliminating infantry units with a large amount of health points at a distance. One can either choose to finish of an injured Hero, or a Soldier miniature to decrease the amount of firepower the unit is able to produce, or aim for the Commissar when facing SSU units to decrease their effectiveness. A Sniper Team that includes a Spotter as the other half of the unit will gain the ability to reverse the results when rolling combat dice, meaning the rolling "hits" means the die misses and rolling "misses" means the die hits. The Sniper skill is limited to the miniature(s) equipped with Rifles, while the unit with the binoculars has use of the Spotter skill which is shared with all miniatures in the team, including any Hero or Commissar which have joined the unit. 

The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are identical, while the SSU Sniper Team has its own twist. The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are 2 miniature units, one with a Rifle and Sniper skill, and the other with a standard issue weapon with binoculars and Spotter skill. The SSU Sniper Team contains 2 miniatures both with high powered Widowmaker Rifles, which can damage light and medium sized walkers, and both also possess the Sniper skill.

• Pros:
• The Allied and Axis teams can make very good use of the Spotter ability. See the Heroes section of the review for more details on Hero Combinations and their potential effectiveness.
• The Allied and Axis teams also carry the Agile skill, which means all of their diagonal movement will only cost 1 movement point. While this may only be effective when the unit makes a move-move action, it can help them gain a better position for cover, or to retreat when the enemy is able to close the range gap. This skill is also effective with the introduction of structures tiles and buildings in Operations Seelöwe and Cyclone. Inside corners can cut movement effectiveness, and the ability to cut them with the Agility skill can help the speed of movement, and eliminate the line of sight enemy units may have.
• The Range provided by the Sniper miniatures are a great way to ensure that the unit will get a couple shots in before their targets can fight back. Though be wary of your enemies anti-infantry Walkers.
• All Sniper Teams will always save on a "miss" result when rolling cover saves.
• All miniatures with the Sniper skill can choose which miniature will absorb any damage they inflict. While this ability is not shared, this is a very good way of softening up incoming units, eliminate those annoying Commissars, and finish off those Heroes who think they can break your lines.
• My personal favorite is to whittle down incoming units by targeting the Soldiers over the Heroes. Each Soldier represents a series of weapon lines, and the fewer number of Soldiers mean less overall firepower. Taking out individual Zombies, Apes, Heavy Recon's, Sturmpioniere's, etc... is great to increase the survivability of any attack they attempt.
• Cons:
• As soon as the unit takes 1 hit it looses a great amount of effectiveness. The next hit will eliminate the unit, unless they are healed by a Command Squad.
• The Allies and Axis will loose either the Sniper or Spotter with the first hit that the unit absorbs.
• The SSU will loose effectiveness in their firepower, since both units firing in tandem secure an approximate 56% chance of scoring 1 - 2 hits with 2 dice. After suffering one hit the unit will then be reduced to the standard 33% chance with 1 die.
• Heroes:
  Remember that the Heroes will gain access to the Teams cover bonus, and in the case of the Allies and Axis, to the Spotter and Agile skill, so long as those miniatures are still a part of the unit.
• Allies
• Bazooka Joe is a nice option. An increase of 4 Health Points, which means the unit will be able to take 3 hits before any miniatures are removed. The Spotter will increase the effectiveness of Joe's Grenade Launcher, since it will ignore cover and score hits when rolling a "miss" on his combat dice rolls. This unit will also help Joe survive so the Allies can take advantage of the initiative advantage he provides.
• Rosie is a great choice as well. An increase of 4 Heath Points and the Spotter skill doubles her chances of eliminating enemy vehicles. She can stay back with the team and heal an injured Vehicle while keeping the enemies advancing walkers at bay, or hunt the enemies Vehicles with her M9-D Bazooka.
• The Chef is an interesting choice. An increase of 3 Health Points and the combination of his Flame weapon and the Spotter skill will mean his flamethrowers will surely devastate any incoming enemies. This could be very effective if you're trying to figure out a way to protect your Steel Rain from units that move within the minimum firing range, or to hunt down those Zombie and Ape units before they can reach your Vehicles and other vital units. In this case the opposite of my typical Sniper strategy would apply since the Sniper team could wear down Markus, Grenadier X, or Totenmeister so the enemy unit can hopefully stay at full capacity for Chef's flamethrowers and massive amounts of hits that the enemy Hero will hopefully not be able to absorb for the unit.
• Priest could work as well. An increase of 4 Health Points and the spotter skill will increase his chance of hitting an enemy walker with his powerful dynamite. Though the dual Agile skill will serve no purpose. Probably not the greatest combination, but still effective at close range
• Johnny One-Eye is another choice that could see some effectiveness. An increase of 4 Health Points and his Victory MG would be more effective against lighter armored enemy soldiers. The Badass skill would be put to waste, so this might not be a wise choice.
• Axis:
• Angela is the natural choice in this case. An increase of 3 Health Points and the stacked effectiveness of the Frenzy, Sniper, and Spotter skills makes this the deadliest combination in the game. Her Frenzy ability allows her to continually re-roll her dice that hit until they result in misses. She also carries the Sniper skill so she can choose where her hits are absorbed. Since the Spotter miniature will reverse the combat dice results, she can effectively eliminate entire units in a single attack. And all of this from a range of 6.
• Sigrid Von Thaler is another good choice. An increase of 4 Health Points and the stacked bonus of the Spotter skill and her Laser weapon. Before the time of Operation Cerberus and Angela, Sigrid was my favorite choice when I played as the Axis since the combination acts in a very similar manner. Sigrid can't choose where her damage is absorbed, but she still gets to re-roll her hits with her Laser Pistole-B until they miss on reversed die results. She can effectively eliminate entire units in a single attack at a range of 3. Also, the bonus of the Sniper's ability to start hitting units at a range of 6, and the Spotter at a range of 4 will ensure the unit will be eliminated once they reach the range of Sigrid's Laser weapon. Her Berserk skill will also assist in ensuring that her target will meet its end.
• Manfred brings potential. An increase of 5 Health Points and the Assault skill could really make use of the Agility skill. A Move-Move Action with Assault could see the unit move a full 4 diagonal squares, what would normally be 7 movement points. His effectiveness with the Panzerfaust is doubled with the Spotter skill and a great way to finish of damaged Vehicles. He also brings another STG 47 to the party.
• Stefan would be very effective with this unit. An increase of 4 Health Points, the Assault and Agile skill combination, and a Flamethrower that will ignore cover and reverse its combat dice results with the help of the Spotter. Much like the Chef, only half as effective against Infantry units. Not a bad overall combination for use against both Infantry and Vehicles.
• SSU:
• Red Yana would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower will be a welcome addition to keep enemy units at bay since her Auto Grenade Launcher can ignore cover. Her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter.
• Koshka would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower is a little weak and range is a little short, but her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter. She can stay with the team until they get eliminated, then hop in Grand'ma to keep her alive and the VP from your enemy, and possibly use still use her Fighting Spirit skill if is still unused.
• Yakov is an interesting choice. An additional 4 health points and the Legendary Tactician skill will stack with the Team's cover bonus to ensure that this unit will always benefit from cover saves. Though any skills and/or weapons that ignore cover will still get around this benefit.
• Nikolai might be considered a waste. He doesn't add much firepower but his Take Aim skill could be useful. He could potentially stay with the team to whittle down enemy forces, then hop in a Vehicle when the unit suffers enough hits and his skills are needed elsewhere.
• Commissars:
  The SSU faction is unique in their ability to use political influence when commanding their forces. Solo Commissars can be joined with any SSU unit, just like a Hero and with the same restrictions, however an SSU unit may have both a Solo Commissar and a Hero join them for battle.
• The Derzhavin and Sumarokov are identical Commissars. They both have the Badass skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Having one of these Commissars join the Sniper Team doesn't really add any benefit to either unit. Sure the U.G.L. is nice and will be unlimited, but it would only really see any combat when units closed the distance.
• The Fonvizin brings the Assault skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Combining the Fonvizin with the Sniper Team could help with mobility, but also doesn't add a whole lot else, outside of some close range firepower.
• The Karamzin carries a PTRS-47 Bazooka with a range of 3, and the standard Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. The Karamzin has no skills, just a specialized anti-Vehicle weapon. Since the Team already damages light to medium Vehicles, this could be a decent advantage, but still subject to standard combat die rolls.
•  The Trediakovsky carries a DPM MG with a range of 4, and the standard Knife; Greande Close Combat weapon. The Trediakovsky has no skills, just a specialized anti-Infantry weapon. A little Infantry killing power for those enemies that start to close the range gap on the unit. The weapon is very effective against lighter Infantry units.

Sniper Teams have proven to be a very effective unit for all factions. The two man team gains a cover bonus, so they will always gain the benefit of Hard Cover when cover applies to an enemies combat roll. All 3 factions Sniper Teams also have access to the Agile skill, which helps with Move Reactions. The miniatures with the Rifle and Sniper skill are capable of ignoring both cover and armor on their targets. This skill is shared will the entire unit, including any joined Hero and/or Commissar. The miniatures with the Spotter skill reverse the die rolls of any Attacks the unit makes. Of course these skills only apply as long as that miniature is alive.

The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are identical, while the SSU Sniper Team has its own twist. The Axis and Allied Sniper Teams are 2 miniature units, one with a Rifle and Sniper skill, and the other with a standard issue weapon with binoculars and Spotter skill. The SSU Sniper Team contains 2 miniatures both with high powered Widowmaker Rifles, which can damage light and medium sized walkers, and both also possess the Sniper skill.

• Pros:
• The Allied and Axis teams can make very good use of the Sniper and Spotter abilities. See the Heroes section of the review for more details on Hero Combinations and their potential effectiveness.
• All the factions Sniper Teams also carry the Agile skill. When these units make a Move Reaction to an enemies Action, it can move an additional 6". Very effective when you need to gain some cover, or even move out of the enemies line of sight.
• The Allies and Axis have a range of 36" provided to their Sniper Teams. This is a great way to inflict hits on your enemy early in the game and suppress any vital enemy units. The combination of the Spotter will greatly increase the chance of the unit scoring a hit on their target. 
• The SSU Sniper Team has a range of 30" with their Widowmaker Rifles. However these Rifles are are also Penetrator weapons, which means that enemy Vehicles within a range of 24" will cut their armor rolls in half, rounded up. Since the Sniper skill eliminates cover and armor rolls, this will not really apply to any of their attack rolls, but is nice to note when fielding the SSU Rifle Squad.
• All Sniper Teams will always gain the advantage of Hard Cover as long as they are in any form of cover.
• Cons:
• As soon as the unit takes 1 hit it looses a great amount of effectiveness. The next hit will eliminate the unit, unless they are healed by a Medic.
• The Allies and Axis will loose either the Sniper or Spotter with the first hit that the unit absorbs.
• The SSU will loose effectiveness in their firepower, since both units firing in tandem secure an approximate 56% chance of scoring 1 - 2 hits with 2 dice. After suffering one hit the unit will then be reduced to the standard 33% chance with 1 die.
• Heroes:
  Remember that the Heroes will gain access to the Teams cover bonus, Agile skill, and in the case of the Allies and Axis, to the Spotter skill, so long as those miniatures are still a part of the unit.
• Allies
• Bazooka Joe brings an increase of 4 Health Points. The Spotter will increase the effectiveness of Joe's Grenade Launcher by reversing the combat die rolls, it will ignore cover due to the weapons nature, and ignore Armor with the Sniper skill. His Black Ops skill will also assist the unit in receiving a free order in the Command Phase, regardless of his range to the Command Section.
• Rosie brings an increase of 4 Heath Points and the Spotter skill doubles her chances of eliminating enemy vehicles. She can stay back with the team and help heal injured Vehicles while keeping the enemies advancing walkers at bay, or hunt the enemies Vehicles with her M9-D Bazooka. The ability of the Sniper skill to ignore cover and Armor will ensure that Rosie will damage even the most well protected enemy Vehicle.
• Priest brings an increase of 4 Health Points and the spotter skill will increase his chance of hitting an enemy Vehicle with his powerful dynamite, while the Sniper skill will ensure that it ignores the cover and Armor of the target. I don't really know how the dual Agile skills would work, but that could be a good clarification to ask in the future.
• Johnny One-Eye brings an increase of 4 Health Points and his Victory MG would be more effective against lighter armored enemy soldiers. The Badass skill would always ensure that the unit gets at least 1 action in the Unit Phase, while any attack made by the unit will always ignore cover and armor, making Johnny an even more effective Infantry killer.
• The Chef cannot join any unit in Warfare.
• Axis:
• Angela is the natural choice in this case. An increase of 3 Health Points and the stacked effectiveness of the Frenzy, Sniper, and Spotter skills makes this a deadly combination. Her Frenzy ability allows her to re-roll her dice that hit on the initial combat roll a single time. She also carries the Sniper skill so she can always ignore cover and Armor with any attack she or the Team makes, while reversing combat dice rolls with help of the Spotter. Her range with her 20mm Solothurn is 36", and she can damage up to Vehicle Armor 5.
• Sigrid Von Thaler brings an increase of 4 Health Points and the stacked bonus of the Spotter skill and her Laser weapon. Sigrid will get to re-roll her hits made with the initial combat roll with her Laser Pistole-B a single time while gaining the benefit of the Spotter skill to reverse combat die rolls. The addition of her Berserk skill can cause a great amount of devastation to her enemies, since it will stack with her Laser weapon.
• Manfred brings an increase of 5 Health Points and the Assault skill. A March Move Action with Assault could ensure that the unit moves into a vital position without triggering a reaction from the enemy at the end of the unit's movement. His effectiveness with the Panzerfaust is doubled with the Spotter skill and a great way to finish of damaged Vehicles since the Sniper skill ensures it will ignore both cover and Armor. He also brings another STG 47 to the party.
• Stefan brings an increase of 4 Health Points. The Assault skill will help to safely position the unit with a Move March action. His Flamethrower will ignore cover naturally, but now also ignore Armor with the help of the Sniper and reverse its combat dice results with the help of the Spotter.
• SSU:
• Red Yana would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower will be a welcome addition to keep enemy units at bay, and gain the advantage of ignoring the Armor of her targets. Her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter. If the unit should fall, Red Yana could then hop in a vehicle and make use of her skill, if it is still unused.
• Koshka would add 4 Health Points and her Fighting Spirit skill. Her firepower is a little weak, but her Fighting Spirit skill will help the team since they do not benefit from a Spotter. She can stay with the team until they get eliminated, then hop in Grand'ma and possibly use still use her Fighting Spirit skill if it is still unused.
• Yakov is an interesting choice. An additional 4 health points and the Legendary Tactician skill could help the entire unit gain a cover bonus, if at least half of the miniatures are in cover. The ability to ignore both cover and Armor is a great advantage for his Acid Thrower.
• Nikolai might be considered a waste. He doesn't add much firepower but his Take Aim skill could be useful. He could potentially stay with the team to whittle down enemy forces, then hop in a Vehicle when the unit suffers enough hits and his skills are needed elsewhere.
• Commissars:
  The SSU faction is unique in their ability to use political influence when commanding their forces. Solo Commissars can be joined with any SSU unit, just like a Hero and with the same restrictions, however an SSU unit may have both a Solo Commissar and a Hero join them for battle. Solo Commissars can also combine 2 identical units; Essentially the SSU could potentially field a single unit that consists of 2 SSU Sniper Teams, 1 Commissar, and a Hero.
• The Derzhavin and Sumarokov are identical Commissars. They both have the Badass skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Having one of these Commissars join the Sniper Team would ensure that the unit would always gain at least 1 action in the Unit Phase, as long as it suffers from both Suppression and Reaction markers. The Sniper skill would allow their weapons to ignore both cover and Armor of it's targets.
• The Fonvizin brings the Assault skill, 1 U.G.L., 1 PPSh-48, and a Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. Combining the Fonvizin with the Sniper Team could help the unit move into a vital position without triggering a reaction at the end of their movement. The Sniper skill would allow his weapons to ignore both cover and Armor of it's targets.
• The Karamzin carries a PTRS-47 Bazooka, and the standard Knife & Grenade Close Combat weapon. The Karamzin has no skills, just a specialized anti-Vehicle weapon, which now benefits from the Teams ability to ignore both cover and Armor when attacking.
•  The Trediakovsky carries a DPM MG with a range of 4, and the standard Knife; Grenade Close Combat weapon. The Trediakovsky has no skills, just a specialized anti-Infantry weapon, which now benefits from the Teams ability to ignore both cover and Armor when attacking.