Today, I played two games (Tactics) and was completely decimated by the Axis Heavy Laser Grenadiers…to the point where either we weren't playing them right, or they're broken.  The unit consisted of three Grenadiers…against my Pounder and Steel Rain.  My opponent rolled three dice…each hit being a 3-point hit.  Is that correct?

These things cut through my walkers like they weren't even there.

Also…the Sturmpioniere flame thrower burnt down my tanks in one shot, then .  Is this correct?  One die…a hit equals 4 points?

I can see why everyone and his brother wants to play Axis.

MRex21 said:

Yep, all correct.  And those hits by the laser grenadiers can be rerolled for more hits.  As an allied player, I contest everyone and their brother wanting to play axis.  And the allies have the best and fastest multi hit weapons in the game, those are never as much of a problem for me.

MRex21 said:

That's where the Tactics part come in play with Dust Tactics.  If you see Heavy Laser Grenadiers then make sure you hit them first with long range fire or get them with infantry first.  The Allies have just as good weapons, what about the Steel Rains mortar that can destroy a heavy mech with one shot?  And yes, flamer are leathal against tanks, but it is a one in three chance.

 It sounds like your friends Heavy Laser Grenadiers roll better than mine. Mine are famous for missing. They almost always roll 3 blanks. As for the Sturmpionere's flamethrower, your Hell Boys have 2 flamers so there is balance in the game.

MRex21 said:

Correct. Moreover the Heavy Laser Grenadiers effectively make obsolete the poor Hermann Light Panzer Walker.

I've resorted to not using them at all, and plan to convert the trio to some custom unit as soon as the Axis weapon sprue becomes available.

The flamethrower "one hit wonder" is an old aquaintance since the OCS, so there's less complaining about its efficiency.

Major Mishap said:

I was playing with a Steel Rain and The Boss.  Let me say, they were very near useless and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside.  Also…the damage with the rockets and the Petard Mortar were like bee stings on an elephant.  We must have been playing them wrong.  

golem101 said:

What is 'OCS'?

 OCS = Original Core Set

MRex21 said:

Thats how it goes sometime, in theory Steel Rain should arrive on table, unleash 4 rockets and get a kill on a medium mech - boom, its already made its points up.  The mortar may or may not get a kill, depnds if the Axis player rates a 1 in 3 killer a target priority.

Get the Corps Officers to reload the Steel Rain, and BANG, another dead medium walker.

 Corps Officers may be the ticket.  I parcelled out the rockets.  Fired one…then two…then the final one.  Maybe I should have just fired them all and worked on my deployment better.

Really no reason to ever fire just a single rocket. Either go 2 by 2, if you manage to get a direct sustained attack in, or dump all 4 at once and get a virtually-guaranteed kill.

I've learn't to pretty much to never save limited ammo weapons for later as the unit rarely gets a second chance.  If possible unleash everything to guarantee (if the dice Gods allow) kill.

MRex21 said:

Original Core Set.

The Allied BBQ squad was the first to feature a flamethrower as the squad weapon. Then again, in the RCS (Revised Core Set) the Hell Boys - again, Allied forces - have two of them!

Yeah, flame weapons are powerful indeed.