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Heavy Metal

Guest Writer Jeremiah Terry Previews the Upcoming Axis Units

In August, we announced the upcoming Heavy Antitank Grenadiers for the Axis forces. These heavily armed and armored units are able to be deployed with incredible speed and can leverage a great deal of damage to those who would stand against the Axis. Next week, these formidable forces will go on sale, and today Dust Tactics enthusiast and guest writer Jeremiah Terry discusses some interesting and innovative ways to get the most out of these heavy hitters.

Heavy Metal and Heavy Weapons…

The Axis forces of Dust Tactics are the first to receive a new type of unit made up of three men on a single base. Having troops in this configuration gives you some of the advantages of a hero character, while still maintaining the lower point cost and cover options of a standard unit. These new units provide an array of new tactical options for Axis players as they possess good anti armor ability for nearly half the cost of a larger armored walker like the Wotan.

A Burning Light

The Laser-Jagdgrenadiere are armed with the massive Laser Kanone which deals as much as six damage per roll. As with all laser weapons, when you have a successful roll, you can keep rerolling that die for extra damage, giving this unit the chance to bring down even the most heavily armored vehicles. This makes the Laser-Jagdgrenadiere an excellent choice to build a laser army around. Below is an example of a laser based army that can take down even the heaviest enemy armor. This build also has enough anti-air support to hold its own against even the most diverse Allied or SSU forces.

   
       
           
       
   

The Laser Korps

   
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
   

Unit	Point Cost
Sigrid	20
Laser Grenadier	27
Heavy Laser Grenadiers	30
Heavy Laser-Jagdgrenadiere	28
Lara	21
Woltan	58
Henrich	26
Strumkonig	87
Total	297

The above table is an example of how a nearly all laser army can be constructed. This team has massive firepower, and the addition of a couple of anti-air units means those pesky SSU copters will be held at bay. The only thing sacrificed is an unlimited range weapon. If that’s really an issue for your play style, you can try a setup like this:

   
       
           
       
   

The Laser Korps

   
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
   

Unit	Point Cost
Sigrid	20
Laser Grenadier	27
Heavy Laser Grenadiers	30
Heavy Laser-Jagdgrenadiere	28
Ludwig	40
Lothar	36
Heinrich	26
Strumkonig	87
Beobatcher	5
Total	299

This army gives up a little bit of anti-air power that was gained by including Lara, but adds a Ludwig and the heavy artillery firepower of Lothar.

Hot Lead and Cold Steel

If lasers aren’t your cup of tea you’ll find the more traditionally armed Jagdgrenadiere just as impressive, and slightly cheaper. These soldier 3 armor units are very similar to their laser-armed compatriots, but are equipped with a 7.5cm Caseless PAK gun. This weapon sports not only as much firepower as some tanks, but also has an unlimited range. Their range and power makes them an ideal addition to almost any army, and are also a great compliment to the Axis’ existing heavy infantry. An army like the one below will be tough for any enemy to take on, having nearly all soldier 3 armor units:

   
       
           
       
   

Axis Heavy Infantry Battalion

   
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
   

Unit	Point Cost
Lara	21
Heavy Kommandotrupp	35
Heavy Flak Grenadiers	25
Heavy Laser Grenadiers	30
Heavy Recon Grenadiers	26
Ludwig	40
Jagdgrenadiere	25
Strumkonig	87
Sniper Grenadiers	10
Total	299

While an army like the one above is a bit on the small side if you look at the raw numbers, it has the advantage of having all “Damage Resilient” troops. This means that, although they are fewer in numbers, these units should be able to last longer in the fight than their more numerous but more lightly armored counterparts. Being soldier 3 units, they are nearly impervious to some of the lighter infantry weapons that only roll 1/1 against them.

In the above army, the massive Strumkonig provides a great deal of anti-air support. If you know you won’t be facing off against any enemy airpower, you can free up 87 points for more infantry or lighter walkers. In the army list below, the Strumkonig has been dropped in favor of more infantry:

   
       
           
       
   

Axis Heavy Infantry Battalion

   
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
       
           
           
       
   

Unit	Point Cost
Lara	21
Heavy Kommandotrupp	35
Heavy Flak Grenadiers	25
Heavy Laser Grenadiers	30
Heavy Recon Grenadiers	26
Ludwig	40
Luther	35
Sigrid	20
Laser Grenadiers	27
Recon Grenadiers	16
Jagdgrenadiere	25
Total	300

As you can see from just these four army lists these two new units can make a great addition to a variety of Axis forces. The possibilities when building your army are nearly endless and these are just a few examples.

Bring These Troops to Battle Soon

Special thanks to Jeremiah Terry for his insights on some innovative ways to utilize these powerful Axis units. The Heavy Antitank Grenadiers go on sale next week, so make sure to visit your local retailer and add these troops to the battlefield in Dust Tactics! Look for these great units to go on sale next week!

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Source: Heavy Metal