The SSU has more heroes in vehicles coming. The rule plans for the future.

The upcoming SSU tanks and this discussion motivated me to search the Squadron Shop's site for 1/48 scale tank kits. Found a mess of Sherman variants and Russian models for $13 apiece! Chinese-made kits, which means lesser detail (i.e., not Tamiya, which is the bulk of the kits), but perfect for Dust modding. I eagerly await the new IS model so that I've got an idea of how the game officially treats tanks, so that I can make home rules to account for actual wartime models…after all, the comic shows a 251 halftrack and an M5 Stuart (meaning the two-part Dust comic miniseries by Parente); normal tanks are still being used (advantages include higher speeds than walkers, as well as greater shell capacity - which means HE for Germans!).

Just saw the blurb for the new models. The three-man heavy weapons teams for the Germans are darn near what I wished for some months ago: Crew-served weapons! And I have to get the IS; I love tanks!!

I love the fact that Dust Studios is finally bringing out tanks.

I see what you mean. I would have been much happier sticking with the canon material (although the fixed landing gear is pure bunk). Also, I don't think the Allies got stiffed so much. They already have some of the best walkers, they have the best troops hands down, and they have the best overall AAA rating (anti-aircraft artillery for you greenies), with so many M2HBs running around. In the air, beware! Browning has something for you… (Not to mention the Rattler and the Honey.)

Alright, Shadow4ce, here's a question I haven't been able to locate an answer to: If you take Cpt. Koshka, and make her a platoon leader, then put her Gra'Ma, what then? Also, can someone answer what happens to a passenger when the vehicle being ridden is destroyed? Yes, this is another Koshka question, really.

Check out the Aradeo (sp) bomber, as well as the Me163. There's your for'ard antecendents.

Re: The non-noted Premium pricing: FFG doesn't seem to have its **** together when it comes to marketing minis games, Dust in particular. They need to learn the market.

Hmm. I see some Me 163 in that, as well as some of the Aradeo (sp?) design. THAT thing (THOSE things) aren't going to be spending much time on a board the represents a little rinky-tink patch of ground…end up with the same problem as Korean air support, on steroids: Jets don't loiter over ground well. Props do it better; helis do it best. (It does not help that I'm listening to Stokowski's interpretation of Mars, Bringer of War, while I write this…)

Crap. I want them all. $$$$$.

Just so; the defender chooses the casualty. I shall remember that.

'Experimental units?' Please elucidate.

Ah. And so it is once per game. Hmm. I shall spend some time re-thinking my strategy.

I've discovered the evil tactic built into the SSU forces: The Commissar squad's special order. For those who don't know, the squad can issue a special order during the Command Phase that removes the Reaction marker from every friendly unit in 12" of the command commissar. This, of course, simply encourages SSU lists to be chock-full of cheap units, because you WANT to get more special orders and go second. That way, you can have units fire at the enemy during the Command Phase, use the normal command squad's special command to double the suppression thus created on a single unit, and then the commissar squad removes the Reaction markers from all those squads that just acted. I really have to compliment this, and give whoever designed this combination credit, because this encourages the creation of army lists that include more and more units, in order to generate more special orders each turn and suck up the fire directed at them from longer range, in order to close on the enemy and overwhelm them with, essentially, bravado. Very, very Russian/Chinese horde tactics. Well done, whoever came up with this!

I had forgotten the butt-headed Martians from Mars Attacks! Aack! Aack! Aack!

Using Rosie with snipers is a really neat, nasty, Grinchy idea. I'll use that in the future…

I do have this to say in favor of the SSU models: First, the base primer color is a dead match for the historical Russian color that I mixed up years ago. And second, I notice they're carrying their field gear. At first, I was annoyed at having to paint it, until I recalled that while the Americans, Brits, and Germans would have their foot troops leave behind their bedrolls, etc., and have them brought up by support elements, the Russians did not (what are support elements?). As a matter of fact, given that, the SSU troops are a bit under-encumbered…

Hmm. Yes, not a bad idea, but not really fitting my original idea, which was no helicopters….my bad; I didn't specify that I wasn't going to have choppers at all. As it stands, I'm leaning in the direction of, eventually, multiple small platoons (Cpt. Koshka makes a wonderful platoon leader, in Gran'Ma), so I can field two sets of snipers.

Just so long that some pointy-haired idiot from a corner office doesn't take over dictating retardation into the game. I'm so annoyed at the retard rules in 40K 6th that I'm afraid I'm hitching my minis wagon to Warfare's star; you can see why I'm leery of their decisions. Already we are seriously lacking support for the SSU; the minis drop was a bit half-hearted (translation: Without the airmobile KVs and the attack chopper, they don't stand up very well against the sort of armor-heavy German force I usually employ).

Eliciting commentary from all! Looking for suggestions of how an SSU force can handle enemy armor without buying an attack helicopter. That's right, without an attack helicopter!

That would be a nice change from the usual Euro-co. boardroom behavior… Only time will tell.

Yes. Tactics excited me at first, until the movement and fire (range) limitations of the troops became apparent, as well as the actual tactical limitations of the scenario terrain set-ups. A 'Pounder' could cheerfully destroy any and all infantry facing it, and a Ludwig wasn't far behind in that ability. As for Dust Studios carefully watching sales figures and altering their behavior accordingly, I am dubious. After decades of dealing with Games Workshop, and years watching and dealing with other extra-US companies, I have arrived at the conclusion that Euro companies do not function/'think' in the same terms as US companies. I'd bet good money that there's more than a little frustration at Dust Studios in some of the offices at FFG (sucker bet).

Pity that. Actual communication is really nice, and not only promotes forum use, but can help sales. Alas, too many companies are internet-shy, due to the lack of respect a lot of people show. And then there's the Games Workshop model, which dictates a moratorium on all comms…

The USD question caught me off guard. I'm rather surprised FFG didn't catch that detail themselves. But since they're a US company, I guess they just went ahead and listed everything in USD as a matter of course.

It's not the Bauhaus Grizzly from Warzone (crew of 23…and over 35cm x 20cm x 20cm model). So what happens to their massive walker with the twin guns and the skis?