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CAMPAIGN BOOK: HADES

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DUST WARFARE GAME DESIGNANDY CHAMBERS AND MACK MARTIN

PRODUCERZACH TEWALTHOMAS

CONTENT DEVELOPMENTMACK MARTIN

ADDITIONAL WRITINGMICHAEL GERNES

EDITING & PROOFREADINGADAM BAKER, ALESSIO CAVATORE,

AND DAVID HANSEN

GRAPHIC DESIGNSHAUN BOYKE

INTERIOR ARTDAVIDE FABBRI, MATHIEU HARLAUT, MATTHIAS HADDAD, KARL KOPINSKI, LAURENT LECOCQ, DOMENICO NEZITI, ALESSIA ZAMBONIN, AND

PAOLO PARENTE

TERRAIN AND TABLESBEXLEY ANDRAJACK

PHOTOGRAPHYRYAN THOMPSON

PRODUCTION MANAGERERIC KNIGHT

LICENSING COORDINATORDEB BECK

EXECUTIVE GAME DESIGNERCOREY KONIECZKA

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERMICHAEL HURLEY

PUBLISHERCHRISTIAN T. PETERSEN

DUST STUDIOEXECUTIVE PRODUCER

PAOLO PARENTE

GAME DESIGN & CONTINUITYOLIVIER ZAMFIRESCU

ART DIRECTION & ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

VINCENT FONTAINE

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENTCHAN YUK

LICENSING & CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

DAVID PRETI

DUST CREATED BY PAOLO PARENTE

The miniatures depicted herein were designed and created by DUST STUDIO LTD. DUST TACTICS, DUST STUDIO LTD, DUST STUDIO logo and DUST TACTICS logo are trademarks of DUST STUDIO, LTD, all rights reserved. All photos, illustrations, characters, and text are © 2012 DUST STUDIO

LTD and are used under license by Fantasy Flight Games. No portion hereof may be copied without the express permission of DUST STUDIO, LTD. Fantasy Flight Games and the FFG logo are ™ or ® of Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-61661-467-6 Product Code: DWF03 Print ID: 1538OCT12

Printed in the USA

For more information about Dust Warfare visit us online at

www.FantasyFlightGames.com

TM Fantasy Flight Games1975 West County Road B2

Roseville, MN 55113USA

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INTRODUCTION

General von Hermann,

I arrived in Zverograd on 21 April. On 22 April, I observed an advance against

enemy forces defending the tractor factory from 06:00-08:30. Oberst Mueller’s

assault force was reinforced by elements of Schwerbattalion 51. Local Blutkreuz

command contributed additional Untertoten support.

The attack proceeded successfully, with acceptable casualties, until 08:35. At

that time, target “Winter” was spotted over the Parks District and descended to

intervene. All Untertoten units were destroyed in less than five minutes, as well as

two MPW-III D‘s that threatened to overwhelm the enemy trench line. The assault

failed, and the target escaped before our forces could respond.

My men were able to record the included film of the incident. Respectfully, I

am aware of no capability to counter this threat. I am personally skeptical of

Blutkreuz assurances regarding the forthcoming “improvements” to their serum.

There are now reports of an Allied ubersoldat, as well. Does the Reich have a

response to this?

Oberst Fischer

I arrived in Zverograd on 21 April. On 22 April, I observed an advance against

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALESSIO CAVATORE, CHRISTOPHER SEEFELD, AND OUR PLAYTESTERS!Cameron Akers, Dave Ankarlo, Andy Coffman, James Cupelli, Thomas Deuell, Andrew Fischer, Tim Flanders, Alex Friedrich, Josh Howell, Samuel Geer, Chris Gerber, Donovan Goertzen, Benjamin T. Grosek, Levi Hill, Josef Krier, Julian McPherson, Jay Paul, Tyler, Petersen, Drew Peterson, Wade Piche, Simon Radecki, Jake Richards, Matt Root, Matt Running, Christopher Seefeld, Jeremy Stomberg, Scott Syverson, Ken Thomas, Joe Veen, and Dennis Walter

NKS TO ALESSIO CAVATORE, EEFELD,

YTESTERS!

am aware of no capability to counter this threat. I am personally skeptical of

Blutkreuz assurances regarding the forthcoming “improvements” to their serum.

There are now reports of an Allied ubersoldat, as well. Does the Reich have a

Oberst Fischer

TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION .....................4THE BATTLE FOR ZVEROGRAD ........................ 5

THE ASSAULT BEGINS ..................................... 5

RISE OF THE SUPERHUMANS .......................... 8

CHAPTER 1: ADDITIONAL RULES .............. 10NEW SPECIAL ABILITIES .................................11

NEW SPECIAL WEAPON ABILITIES .................12

UNIT UPGRADES ............................................12

CHAPTER 2: REINFORCEMENTS .............. 18ALLIED UNITS ....................................................19

AXIS UNITS ................................................... 20

CHAPTER 3: THE SSU ............. 23LEADERS ........................................................ 24

THE SECRET OF ZVEROGRAD ........................ 24

ARMED FORCES ............................................. 25

SSU ARMY ...................................................... 25

SSU WEAPONS .............................................. 26

PLATOONS .................................................... 30

PLATOON UPGRADES ....................................31

RED PLATOON ............................................... 32

SSU INFANTRY .............................................. 34

IS-5 HEAVY TANKS ....................................... 35

IS-48 SUPER-HEAVY TANKS ......................... 36

KV-3 HEAVY WALKER ....................................37

“WINTER CHILD” ........................................... 38

CHAPTER 4: THE HADES CAMPAIGN .......................... 40SETUP .............................................................41

PLAYING THE CAMPAIGN ............................. 42

HADES CAMPAIGN BATTLE BUILDER .............47

DISTRICT OVERVIEWS ................................... 50

PLATOON TRACKING SHEET ......................... 58

HADES CAMPAIGN TRACKING SHEET .......... 59

APPENDIX ......................................................62

Oberst FischerOberst Fischer

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INTRODUCTION

"Yes, Mr. Murrow. I've heard what they say about my...abilities. I've heard some of what the German papers say, too. You know, I used to play a little poker in the barracks. One night I took home three months' pay. I learned a couple things. Don't show your cards, but don't act like you care too much if the other guy catches a glimpse."

—Sgt. Victory

Welcome to Campaign: Hades, the second campaign book for Dust Warfare. This volume details the fighting in Zverograd that took place during the Hades operation. The fierce combat (often referred to as Rattenkrieg, or "rat fighting") that took place in the close quarters of the city's streets, metro lines and sewers turned many an inexperienced young soldier into a hardened veteran of the war.

This book contains new units for the Allies, Axis, and SSU forces, enhancing each armory as the war rolls onward. In addition, Campaign: Hades introduces the first Superhuman: the powerful Winter Child!

The rules and units presented in Campaign: Hades can be used with those presented in other campaign books. However, no additional campaign books are needed to use the rules and units presented in Campaign: Hades.

CAMPAIGN BOOKSDust Warfare campaign books provide rules and background for Dust Warfare as the game expands and updates. Each one will present players with new scenarios, rules, and Dust history to keep Dust Warfare up to date with the ever-expanding selection of Dust Miniatures.

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INTRODUCTION

THE BATTLE FOR ZVEROGRADIt is 1947, and the armies of the three great blocs have collided in a small city along the Caspian Sea; a city that lies, appropriately enough, at the divide of continents, and at the confluence of battle lines. It is a city named Zverograd.

The vast conflict that has raged since 1939, heralded by brushfire wars in Spain and Finland, was once a struggle between the totalitarian ideologies of the East and the representative democracies of the West. That geopolitical situation has long dissolved, and the war is now a more grim and savage matter of national survival for the citizens of the three blocs.

However, the men of power, hidden in war rooms and privy to the deepest secrets, know of a shadow war, long waged in darkness and silence.

Since the Kreuzer Expedition in 1938, the Axis have launched countless covert recovery operations in search of Vrill artifacts. Their motive has always been the acquisition of knowledge and technology that will give them an edge in the bloody World War.

Only a few Axis investigations have found anything substantive. Most of the Vrill sites discovered by the Axis were cleverly protected by explosive VK devices which frequently immolated seekers and secrets alike.

However, in late 1946 the top Axis spy network in the SSU learned of a massive alien structure below the city of Zverograd. Not only was it the largest discovery of its kind but wartime concerns prevented the SSU from mounting anything more than a cursory investigation of the site.

This intelligence came just ahead of the Axis’ planned global offensive. Within days, new orders were relayed to the Caspian sector: take Zverograd at any cost. To the operational planners in Berlin, the city seemed tantalizingly close, lying just over 30 kilometers behind a stable, unsuspecting front.

Unfortunately, Axis High Command did not anticipate the toughness of SSU resistance, nor did they consider an Allied response. Having learned of the Kremlin’s secret Vrill hoard, Allied leaders planned to join the fray once the Axis and SSU had sufficiently wearied one another with a war of mutual attrition. With forces stationed in friendly territory along the Caspian’s southern shore, the possibility of Allied involvement was quickly becoming a reality.

The assault on Zverograd was intended as a lightning thrust to secure a technological objective at the periphery of a much greater Axis effort to win the war. To the soldiers involved on all sides, it was a grim struggle to be endured. A precious few realized that the campaign had quickly become central to the fate of the world.

THE ASSAULT BEGINSThe first Battle of Zverograd, codenamed Operation “Hades,” began on the 1st of January, 1947. During the night of December 31st, 1946, Sturmpioniere units advanced beyond Axis lines to begin clearing a path through the minefields guarding the approaches to the city. Their mission was to open the way for shock units to race toward Zverograd, blasting through SSU lines. A similar scene was unfolding simultaneously on battlefronts as diverse as North Africa, Iceland, and Asia. As the SSU and the Allies would soon discover, the Axis global offensive had begun.

Before the Axis launched their offensive, the front to the west of Zverograd had been stable for nearly a year, with both sides occupying well-entrenched positions. In the final days of December, SSU troops on the front lines were the first to become aware of the presence of new Axis formations. When Operation “Hades” began, it was these units’ junior officers who first reported aggressive enemy action and roused local HQ’s, which then quickly mobilized second and third lines.then quickly mobilized second and third lines.

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Despite this sudden awareness, at 4:00 a.m. on January 1st hundreds of German Nebelwerfers began firing their rockets into the frozen ground of the SSU entrenchments. Despite the early warning signs of the attack, SSU forces could not prepare an effective defense until it was too late. The sudden bombardment inflicted massive casualties among SSU ranks. The SSU counter-battery started half an hour later, targeting presumed concentrations of Axis troops.

At 5:30 a.m., the Axis assault started. The initial push from the north was made by the solid armored formations of the 33rd Special Duty Panzer Division, “NachtJäger.” At its spearhead were the heavy E-100s of the Schwer Panzer Abteilung 515, each one accompanied by Tiger II tanks or JagdLuther 75 walkers to guard their flanks.

From the south, the 2nd FußPanzer Grenadier Division, “Leibstandarte Erwin Rommel,” made its initial thrust using an elite combined force of Sturmgrenadiere units and Panzer KampfLäufers. After the initial shock, the 4th Blutkreuz Korps Kommando leapt into action, cutting off supplies and communications from behind enemy lines. The morale-eroding effect of squads of Zombies in a frontal assault again proved catastrophic to SSU defenders, and squads of Axis Gorillas crushed SSU strongpoints and destroyed artillery weapons.

Realizing that a full-scale assault was underway, the HQ of the 13th Red Banner Army informed the Stavka of the situation and proceeded to mobilize all of its reserves. The 1st Red Guards Motor Rifle Division was rushed to the front, their tanks carrying most of the soldiers of the 10th SSU Rifle Division. However, to protect them from artillery fire, these elite forces had been placed some 20 kilometers east of Zverograd, and were therefore

almost 40 kilometers from the action when it started. The hope was to engage Axis forces in open terrain, well beyond the city’s outskirts, but they would arrive too late to prevent the attackers from reaching the city.

As Axis forces approached Zverograd, SSU troops guarding its airfield were ordered to detonate explosives with the intent of crippling the landing strip, rendering it unusable without heavy repairs. Before they could act, they were slaughtered in their barracks by several squads of Axis Gorillas that had managed to infiltrate the airfield during the night. Reports of an enemy U-Boat lurking near the shoreline just before the incident remained unconfirmed.

On the northern flank, the “NachtJäger” quickly occupied Zverograd’s harbor and rushed toward North Bridge. Gaining access to the city’s east side, and then its center, was of the utmost importance to the Axis forces, as was taking Red Bridge to the south–without this bridge the assault would be stopped naturally by the Caspian Sea.

At the first light of dawn, the Luftwaffe launched waves of assault aircraft toward the city. Zverograd’s defenders were massed west of the city center, most of them routed, waiting for the first units of the 13th Red Army to arrive before launching a counteroffensive. As the first Stukas and Hortens started bombing the city, SSU soldiers looked to the sky: where was the 2nd SSU Air Fleet? At the regional HQ of the Air Fleet, 60 kilometers north of Zverograd, SSU staff had committed one of the worst blunders of the battle. In the chaos following the news of the Axis advance, a miscommunication had sent most of the SSU’s air support to another theatre, far from Zverograd.

20 kilometers east of Zverograd, and were therefore

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