The future for Dust Warfare looking brighter and brighter!

Well, as a guy behind the game, Zach Tewalthomas is a busy guy. With a new expansion on its way, he still found the time to answer some questions for us here at Dust-War.com.

Things seem on the up-and-up for Dust Warfare as the next expansion seems imminent and lots of newsflashes from FFG keep teasing us with tidbits with regularity.

So, lets see what I could pry from Zach, shall we?

OldHat: What can we expect for Dust Warfare and FFG with Mack Martin’s departure?

Zach Tewalthomas: As one of the game’s original designers, Mack has been a huge influence on the world of Dust Warfare. Though he will certainly be missed, I believe he has created a solid foundation from which to launch future Warfare expansions that will complement, rather than corrupt, the core rules. My goal is to remain true to his vision for Dust Warfare while exploring new possibilities with each expansion.

OH: How long have you been working on Dust Tactics/Warfare? Do you play? If so, which faction do you like the best?

ZT: I have been working in the world of Dust since January 9th, 2012. And I certainly do play. Dust Tactics is fast, furious and fun, and Dust Warfare’s mechanics for unit activation, suppression and reactions make for a truly unique tabletop gaming experience. They have quickly become my all-time favorite miniatures games (and I’m not just saying that because I work on them!).

As for factions, I mostly play the SSU. I started working on Dust when the SSU faction was in its early stages of development; there is an element of pride there in watching my first major project come to life and make its way out into the world. There’s also a nostalgic element to the faction which is brought on by my experiences growing up in Eastern Europe.

OH: Any information on a fourth faction? How about the next book after Hades? (I always try folks, always! – OH)

ZT: No comment as to a fourth faction. As for the book after Hades, let’s just say the sky’s the limit. ;)

OH: What level will FFG be supporting Dust Warfare nationally? Should we expect an official tournament circuit? Leagues?

ZT: I think that this question could best be answered by Stuart Wilson, our organized play professional. Take it away, Stuart!

Outlook for Dust looking good!

Stuart Wilson: “There’s an exciting schedule for Dust Warfare coming up! Over the next year, we will release periodic Game Night Kits designed to support either a single night event or an ongoing Dust Warfare league.

As for an official circuit, we will launch Regional Championship tournaments for Dust Warfare this spring. Stores worldwide will have the opportunity to run large sanctioned tournaments with the best players in the area. Following regionals, we will host the North American Championship at Gen Con and then cap things off at World Championship Weekend near our offices in Roseville, MN.

World Championship Weekend is coming up this November 9-11 and registration is still open! We will be hosting the first ever Dust Warfare World Championship and will also announce details on the 2013 Regional Championship season.”

OH: Has FFG had any plans to release the Heroes available in only Dust Tactics boxes for Warfare players (similar to existing Hero boxes)?

ZT: Currently, there aren’t any plans to do special hero packs for the expansion-exclusive heroes. But definitely keep an eye on the FFG news page for any updates on new products.

OH: Will FFG start carrying decal/upgrade/bits/conversion packs of their own? Or are players limited to what is available through Dust-Models.com?

ZT: I currently have no information regarding whether FFG will start carrying those items. At the moment, Dust-Models.com is the place to go for any sorts of decals or conversion bits for your units.

OH: What do you think of the player-made cards for Dust Warfare? Do you think FFG will make any official ones? How about tokens/markers?

ZT: Personally, I really like what Warfare fans have done in terms of unit reference cards. Many of them look great and even keep to the game’s visual style. I am constantly being impressed by the creativity of Dust fans and the ingenuity they exhibit as they explore new ways to approach the game (for both Tactics and Warfare). As for an official FFG unit reference, sheets listing the necessary information for each unit can be downloaded for free from our support page. I have no comment on if/when we will be producing official tokens or markers for Dust Warfare, but it is an idea that has been bouncing around over here for a while now. That said, the FFG news page is still the place to go for new product updates.

OH: Where do you want to see Dust Warfare in the next few years?

Looking forward to Hades and beyond!

ZT: I would like to see Dust Warfare continue to grow. Considering the richness of Paolo Parente’s world of Dust and the ever-expanding Tactics line, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. However, I’d like to see Dust Warfare not only grow, but endure as a staple of miniatures gaming. My hope is that Warfare will still be played and supported five (dare I say ten? twenty? one hundred?) years from now, that its presence within the miniatures gaming community continues to grow, and that it continues to help introduce new players to that community. Dust Warfare is a great game, and I think it has what it takes to stand the test of time.

So, lots of positive stuff for the future for us Dust folks. Seems Zach will be keeping to the vision of the game design and further expanding on its virtues instead of taking it in any new, possibly bad, directions. Very reassuring. Also, “the sky’s the limit” is pretty clear that the recent interview on FFG with Paolo Parente concerning new aircraft will be coming along after Hades.

The only disappointment for me was that we shouldn’t be expecting any Hero boxes for the currently Dust Tactics expansion exclusive ones. However, Dust-Models.com did just recently do re-releases of Sigrid and Joe, so who knows what we can expect from them in regards to models like Markus and Rosie (including possibly new sculpts!).

Anyhow, keep an eye out for more interviews with Zach in the future, as I think we can expect some awesome stuff from him and the entire Dust Warfare team at FFG.