Dust

Dust
Sent in Paolo Parente’s World of Dust where WW2 has taken a technological twist, due to the discovery of Alien artefacts in the Antarctic, Dust the Boardgame portrays the conflict between world superpowers over areas of vital VK energy centres.
Each player chooses a capital city to call their own, then places units in turn on neutral areas on the map (like Risk). The game round begins with the play of a card from a hand of five.
Cards play a big part of the game and each comes rendered with a lovely piece of Paolo’s fantastic artwork. This art work is functional as it depicts a special ability that can be used during the turn, from super Nazi Re-rolling all failed hits, to Rocket powered devastation, choosing the right time to unleash your card’s power can be very decisive. Cards also determine: Turn Order, how many times you units move, how much you produce and how many times you may attack during a turn.
The turn is devided into Initiative, Player and Victory Point phases.
Intiative is decided by the highest attack value, with players going in sequence, rather than the usual ‘clockwise from the leader’.
Player Turns start with production. Each VK energy source and production centre are paired to produce construction points. Bonus points are awarded from the card played and each capital controlled. Points are then used to build the variety of units that come with the game. These range from cannon-fodder tanks, to versatile Mechs, Subs, Bombers, Fighters and essential Production centres. Military units can only be placed on existing production centres, so you must be certain to have enough movement and a clear route to get them into action, during the movement phase.
Movement points are dictated by your card play. Land movement consists of tracing a line through your friendly territories to the place where you want to go. Units can also be moved coast-to-coast across sea areas occupied by subs. Bombers can move to any friendly area on the map, without having to trace a line of movement, this can make for some unexpected surprises and ‘Blitz-like tactics. Subs cannot move through enemy subs, but they can move to any friendly or unoccupied sea area.
Combat is resolved using special six-sided dice, with hits on two of the faces. Tactical superiority is declared by the side with the most tactical points, this is where Mechs and Airpower come into their own, providing hefty bonuses. The player with tactical superiority shoots first and chooses which enemy units to remove, before their opponent can fight back. A cease fire is declared if no side hits three times in a row.
The game is played to a number of Victory points. Victory points are earned for each VK energy centre controlled, each capital controlled, Land, Sea and production superiority.
Dust comes with two rule books, an Epic version and the Premium. Premium Dust allows for a quick game, that doesn’t last more than a few hours. Epic Dust has a more strategic feel to it, with each player starting out as a newly expanding empire, slowly consolidating power and territory to take over the world.
Game art is exceptional, it’s just a pity there is so little of it. The board and cards look great. Plastic pieces are very functional, with the Mechs standing out as the most striking unit.
Having two games in one, gives dust good replayability and allows you to choose the type of game to fit your group. Dust feesl like a hybrid of Risk and Allies and Axis, but without their shortcomings. Card choice and sound tactics are the order of the day. Table top bargaining and diplomacy can make for a very involving game, particularly if you have six players in the mix.
With quick, bloody combat, card based secret weapons and plenty of plastic, Dust is a great game at a great price.