I've been searching for a ruleset that I liked that allowed my to take any of the minis I have and stat them up and use them in my games. Unfortunately I've not really been able to find any, so I set to writing my own - Crimson Dust. Now after almost 4 years, they're close to finished and Toren (Phoenukuz) came over the other evening to give them a shot.
Crimson Dust uses a dice pool mechanic - i.e. you roll a number of D6s according to your model's skill and equipment. Typically those dice that roll 4 or more are passed (though some things like being stunned can affect this) and the total number of passed dice is compared to your opponents dice. Crimson Dust also features a very customiable force list to accomdate the model's you wish to use and you can give them a selection of weaponry and equipment from an extensive armoury. Focusing on small skirmish games of typically between 5 and 15 models is a fast paced game, that's intuitive, nauced and has tactial and strategic depth.
I planned the forces to show a number of the dynamics of the game, but keep some of the more complex rules and pieces of equipment out. Here was the table after setup. Torben played a ragtag band of smugglers, who'd been off loading their ship for wares and then enjoying a well earned drink in the town just off the table. I played a group of bounty hunters/mecenaries out to capture their smugglers shuttle to shut down their operation at the behest of the local Lord. Meanwhile the smugglers are trying to get to it and fly off.
I had an infiltrator in my band (all coloured yellow) who's sneaked forwards to hide behind the smugglers truck. I also had a sniper on a hill covering the centrepart of the table, a gunfighter to my righthand flank and two others covering the left flank, one of which was the leader. Torben set up his forces mainly in two groups. The leader to his right with a heavy rapid repeating (HRF) laser equiped powered armoured model and couple of others. Whilst on his left a heroic model with a few lowlife scum. Two fo which were Durus archetypes which are tough and strong, but rather graceless models. All models are chosen from different archetypes rather than races, representing the evolutionary process involved in getting them to where they are now.
A gunfight starts in the centre of the table between my infiltrator and Torben's righthand group. The infiltrator quickly takes down a smuggler who dared stand in the open, but unfortunately she exposes herself a little too much and then gets shot by Bel'el the smuggler leader.
Here is the infiltrator down and bleeding, with Bel'el in the distanced between the two buildings
The smugglers left flank surges forwards. I'd only got my gunfighter here, the shuttle blocked line of sight for the sniper, whilst Torben could move almost unopposed whilst tried to bring the gunfighter round and keep him as best as possible out of harms way.
Meanwhile my leftflank stalled as the other two on that flank got wounded. The sniper kept performed incradibly well, taking down three smugglers. Forcing Torben to bring his hero into the middle.
Together the hero and leader kept the mercenaries at bay, whilst the HRF laser equipped model started trading shots with the sniper. each unable to really better the other.
Meanwhile on my right flank the gunfighter got attacked by the two Durus. Though better quality than the two Durus, that they outnumbered him and were somewhat tougher and built of melee meant that he got slowly beaten back.
Then suddenly one of the durus pulled an incredible stunt off, with his first action the killed the gunfighter with his second he moved forwards and with his bolt SMG took a shot from the hip at the sniper and killed her too!
Winning Torben and his smugglers the game. I had two models left, each so badly wounded they were now crippled and with only one action each per turn it could only go downhill.
Duncan
20 April 2009, 10:21:36 PM
