I am a man of many interests, so much so at times that I have at least a dozen of them tugging at me from multiple directions. A few of my favorite interests include WWII history, sci-fi/fantasy, and tabletop games. With so many interests it can be difficult to find the time to satisfy all of them. However, every once in a while a clever book, idea, or game comes along that mixes 
several ideas together just right allowing us to satiate multiple interests at the same time, and Dust:Tactics does just that.
World War II was a complex and interesting time that has affected all of our lives and tugged at both the hearts and imaginations of millions. There are a plethora of books, movies, and games that have been inspired by the era, and for good reason, as it is full of stories both believable and unbelievable ranging from heroic and uplifting to tragic and somber, and that is without ever stepping beyond reality. Countless more books and games have been written which include subtle hints or blatant displays of secret weapons, mysterious technology, or diabolical experiments being unleashed into the fray.
Dust: Tactics is set in this space bringing the gritty look and feel of WWII to a tabletop strategy game while combining it with the mystery and excitement of science fiction. According to the game, WWII is still raging on perpetuated by the discovery of a rare and mysterious element, VK. This discovery enabled the creation of fantastic weapons, like laser guns, and awesome mobile vehicles, in the form of walkers. Let’s be honest who doesn’t like lasers and walking war machines? Still maintained, with only slight variations, are the giant global powers duking it out in order to facilitate their individual agendas and the gritty look and feel of WWII that so many of us “love”.
Dust: Tactics Look and Feel
While normally I might start with gameplay I have to comment on what most excited me about Dust: Tactics and the whole Dust line; the miniatures. At GenCon I had the opportunity to play Dust:Tactics with their premier line of miniatures, or rather their fully painted and detailed out of the box miniatures. Now I would guess that many of you, familiar with other pre-painted miniatures out there, brought to mind the clickable out of the box super rubbery miniatures that or more or less dipped, washed, and dry brushed. These are not those miniatures.
While I may not have a precious metal fiend sitting on a shelf, I am an avid miniature painter and hobbyist, who has been known to upset his friends when asked for feedback on their painting skills, yet I was amazed at the level of detail these miniatures offered. Camouflage cloaks, battle damage, weathering, decals, and carbon deposits around exhaust ports just to name a few.
Of course, the paint job isn’t the only thing these miniatures have going for them. The look and feel, or sculpt, of the miniatures is also top notch. Probably most impressive is the way that many sculpts bring a new strange weapon to the battlefield while still maintaining WWII roots. Imagine the curves of a Sherman tank turret and chassis mounted on articulating armored steel legs rather than tracks, or the menacing look of a rocket toting boxy German half track stepping over a hedge to get at its target. The walker are not the only high tech toys out there though, mixed in with units and weapons that you would expect on a WWII field are also armored German shock troopers with heavy weapon lasers, and gritty GI paratroopers with jet packs and rocket fists rather than parachutes and Thompsons.
