Dust Tactics in Heroscape

[Wheelockian]

I've recently started playing Dust Tactics. I actually enjoy the game much more than I thought I would! But after painting up the squads and heroes (yes, you do have to paint them, though they at least come primed) I realized how much they look like Heroscape figures. Same scale, similar bases, though the sculpts are a bit higher quality in terms of detail. It has a great theme--WWII with a touch of sci-fi and even horror blended in. There are a lot of expansions for the game now--FFG seems pretty invested--with all kinds of different squads and heroes available for relatively decent prices.

So I was wondering if anyone has made any conversions for using DT minis in Heroscape? The oversized bases on the beautifully detailed Mechs would probably rule them out for 3D Heroscape boards, but otherwise there seems to be a rich source of Heroscape-ready units for the making if you're willing to do a little painting. (Plus, I've always felt like that particular genre was a bit underrepresented in the game.)

[Robotech Master]

Originally Posted by Wheelockian

I've recently started playing Dust Tactics. I actually enjoy the game much more than I thought I would! But after painting up the squads and heroes (yes, you do have to paint them, though they at least come primed) I realized how much they look like Heroscape figures. Same scale, similar bases, though the sculpts are a bit higher quality in terms of detail. It has a great theme--WWII with a touch of sci-fi and even horror blended in. There are a lot of expansions for the game now--FFG seems pretty invested--with all kinds of different squads and heroes available for relatively decent prices.

So I was wondering if anyone has made any conversions for using DT minis in Heroscape? The oversized bases on the beautifully detailed Mechs would probably rule them out for 3D Heroscape boards, but otherwise there seems to be a rich source of Heroscape-ready units for the making if you're willing to do a little painting. (Plus, I've always felt like that particular genre was a bit underrepresented in the game.)

Heroscape's scale is one of the most common in miniature gaming (25mm to 30mm range, HS being closer to 30mm). There are quite a few miniatures games that could be used for conversions, aside from some need for rebasing. Depends on whether you think the conversions are worth it though. I have a bunch of painted Warmachine and Hordes minis that are also of a similar scale to Heroscape, but I'd rather just play Heroscape or Warmahordes instead of bothering to mix the two.

You can look in the customs section to see what kind of stuff people have done.

[IndustrialOkie]

I agree. Dust Tactics is becoming my new favorite board/light-mini wargame. I also love Heroscape, but sometimes its best to just enjoy the two entities as they are. Combining them would be like trying to meld a chocolate and peanut butter treat into one package with two wafers.

[Mythic]

Can anyone give more details on how Dust Tactics game play/mechanics compares to Heroscape? I know it is more like a wargame...but I have also heard it is on the simple end as far as wargames go.

I want to go "one notch up" from Heroscape and I'm wondering if DT is the way to go.

Thx!

[Robotech Master]

Originally Posted by EyeOfSauron

Can anyone give more details on how Dust Tactics game play/mechanics compares to Heroscape? I know it is more like a wargame...but I have also heard it is on the simple end as far as wargames go.

I want to go "one notch up" from Heroscape and I'm wondering if DT is the way to go.

Thx!

When a wargame is called "simple" compared to most of the others, most of that refers to its movement mechanic, and LOS mechanics. If a game uses LOS for your own turn, but your 'facing' doesn't matter later (for instance, backstabbing, bonuses to hit in the back, etc), its a bit more simplistic. If you move on hexes, grids, or whatever, it's usually considered more simple than omnidirectional measurement based.

And really it works both ways: "simple" games aren't as devoid of options and interesting mechanics as some hardcore gamers think, and hardcore wargames aren't as complex as some lighter gamers imagine. That "one notch" is likely nothing difficult at all.

Dust Tactics is very similar to Heroscape, but is likely to contain more rules for how you damage your enemies, facing and direction, etc. Movement is grid based. It's definitely a lighter game though; that's why they are making a sister game called Dust Warfare which is going to use the DT miniatures with more rules as a tabletop game.

[RobWeaver]

I spent the better part of the day looking at Dust Tactics products and reviews. It really looks like a promising up-and-coming game. That said, it's not one I'm going to buy into. I've been doing Weird WWII stuff for quite a while with HS both official and custom, and for myself, I just can't justify sinking that much money into another game.

[ozzy-scaper]

Wheelockian - back to your original question re making custom HS cards for DT - somewhere on this site there used to be someone doing custom cards for AT-43 figures.AT-43 was a great game based on designs and ideas by the designer/creator of Dust, Paolo Parente (I think that's the spelling of his name). The AT-43 figures are also pre-painted.They also make great filler for your DT armies - you just need to make custom DT cards for them.

But I have tosay that mashing the two games together (DT and HS) just doesn't work for me. The quality of DT figs leaves HS for dead - and they also make the HS terrain look bad, too. HS has it's own look. Personally, the only non-HS figs that I think work well visualy are the Heroclix ones.

G.

[mac122]

I've made some customs for Heroscape with AT-43 figures. They work well as the future soldiers/space marine type figures that Scape never got around to.

I haven't painted them or made cards yet, but I have purchased some Dust figures. At first I was hoping to use them as WWII customs, but too many have futuristic weapons to go along with the backstory of Dust. While the detail of the figures is greater, IMO, they'll work fine as Scape customs. I paint in Scape style - base coat the colors and add a wash for the details. I think they'll blend in nicely. I'm rebasing them as well which I think will help them blend in.

For the mechs, the two I've seen from the Dust Tactics Core set looked like they would work on a large peanut base, with a little toe overhang.

[Purplebeard]

Oh, I don't know. I think with the proper setting in HS, Dust Tactics mechs and figures blend well......

But seriously it's a great game, and yes, the mechanics are very similar to HS. Not much tweaking is required to throw them in the mix. I had a rules adapation I made last winter, I'll dig around and post it in here.

[Wheelockian]

Nice to see this thread come back to life! Thanks for the responses and suggestions. I've expanded my DT collection since posting the thread and have come to really appreciate the game's simple but rich play. There are some very interesting units to work with.

DT has a lot in common with HS. I much prefer games like these that have players taking turns with units rather than the wargame standard where one player moves ALL his units, then makes ALL his attacks before the other player takes a turn.

One big difference is that there's no order markers in DT, which seems great at first coming from HS, but actually can make decisions more agonizing. With HS, once you assign your order markers, a lot of the major decisions have been made. (I know--bit of an over-simplification, but the you get the point.)

Despite the straightforward rules, Dust Tactics can be a bit of a brain burner at times, with lots of tough calls. It's also horribly brutal. Whole squads can get wiped out very quickly. But, like Heroscape, things can turn around pretty quickly--I've seen some surprising turnarounds where I think I've got my opponent on the ropes only to have him come back and win. (And vice versa!)

The board is a little odd. I miss the 3D aspect of HS.

All in all, DT has really impressed me with its incredibly detailed figures, interesting units, and simple but deceptively deep game play. Heroscape will always be my first love, but it's worth giving this game a shot if you're looking for something new.

[Wheelockian]

Originally Posted by IndustrialOkie

I agree. Dust Tactics is becoming my new favorite board/light-mini wargame. I also love Heroscape, but sometimes its best to just enjoy the two entities as they are. Combining them would be like trying to meld a chocolate and peanut butter treat into one package with two wafers.

The more I play Dust Tactics, the more I realize the sense of this. Both great games--probably no need to mix the two.

[RobWeaver]

The figs are really nice, but I agree that the board is underwhelming. I'd love to see some custom cards. The one thing my W WWII games is short on is outrageous characters.