The sniper is like the finger of death and feared by every soldier no matter which bloc they fight for. Chances are a sniper will kill many more men than common soldier with their precision, long-ranged shots. When it comes to the Allies and Axis forces, their sniper teams are mechanically they same. For this reason, this Unit Inspection with look at both at the same time.
Weapons:
As mentioned before, the only difference in Dust Warfare between the weaponry of the Allies “Crack Shots” Sniper Team and the Axis Sniper Grenadier Team is the name each block gives to their firearms. Both the Allies Sniper Rifle and the Axis Sniper Gweher PSG1 have a range of 36″ and and damage the same soldier and vehicle types. They same can even be said about the team’s spotters who each wield their bloc’s most common infantry weapon. Both teams are also armed with knives and grenades as well.
Special Abilities and Notes:
Both the Allies and Axis sniper teams have the following special abilities: Agile, Sniper, Spotter, and Team. Agile and Team allow you to easy keep the them from being destroyed by finding better cover or quickly retreating when the enemy get to close. Where as the Sniper and Spotter special abilities make sure is much harder to miss a unit that hit. Additionally, both units are avaible to be purchased as a Command Support section for many of their bloc’s platoons.
Useful Upgrades:
Rat Fighters (Unit, Hades): This single Army Point upgrade is very handy for snipers who like to perch themselves in high building found on the battlefield. It can also be useful in moving to a better position once the fighting has died down their part of the battlefield, or even to flee an enemy that has come too close for comfort.
Defenses (Platoon, Core Rules for Axis/Icarus for Allies): This upgrade can be useful to be placed on a sniper team you don’t expect to have to move during the game. Since you don’t have to declare which soldier unit is receiving it, you can also opt to get it to another squad if the sniper team isn’t the best choice.
Allies Useful Upgrades:
Sock and Tar (Unit, Hades): Not really useful more than possible. If you have your sniper team throwing grenades chances are something has gone wrong. If you have them throwing grenades at vehicles, chance are something has gone horribly wrong.
Axis Useful Upgrades:
Potato Mashers (Platoon, Icarus): If have already have a number of units that have grenades you might have purchased this upgrade. The Sniper Grenadier Team can benefit from it just by being in the platoon as well. It just might be the edge to remove an extra soldier from the battlefield. Thanks to ItsUncertainWho, the Spotter special ability already gives the mechanic to the snipers. So Potato Mashers would only take effect if the team loses that model from the team.
Allies Heroes:
Bazooka Joe: He is cheap and will give the sniper team some extra Damage Capacity. In addition, the team can make use of his Black Ops special ability allowing them to strike out away from the Command Section. Joes weapons will help if the enemy gets too close as well. Still, it feels like a bit of a waste to attach him to a sniper team.
Rosie: Her M9-D Bazooka and the Spotter special ability make for a strange, in not, powerful combination. Having her join a Sniper Team changes how they operate quite a bit by having them move closer to the enemy than usual (sometimes with in 6″ to get use out of all those grenades), but in doing make the squad capable of targeting even heavy armored vehicles.
Priest: He doesn’t really offer anything to the Crack Shots as all this weapons are 6″ range. Even his special abilities, Medal of Honor and Agile wasted as one is already on the Sniper Team and the sniper rifle’s range should limit the need for the other.
Johnny One-Eye: While not as bad as Priest, he also doesn’t really add enough to the Crack Shots to make it worth joining them. Like Medal of Honor with Priest, his Badass special ability shouldn’t be that necessary for the Sniper Team.
LtCol Joe Brown: He is a little more expensive and has the Badass special ability. Great for join many of the Allies Soldier 2 squads not the Crack Shots. The special ability they will benefit from the most, Black Ops, is already one his younger self posses and at a less expensive cost.
Axis Heroes:
Attaching heroes to sniper teams can be a good quick way to make a small commando style team. The hero’s weapons can benefit from the Spotter special ability make them much more likely to succeed on their attack. Since the Axis can take the Sniper Grenadier Team as a Command Support choice for many of their platoons, makes very easy to accomplish.
Sigrid Von Thaler: She is one the weaker heroes to attach to the Sniper Grenadier Team as laser pistol doesn’t have much range. However, her Berserk special ability means she is highly unlikely to miss when combined with the Spotter special ability.
Manfred: He can benefit greatly from the Spotter special ability on his Panzerfaust normally is pretty unreliable damage rolling only one die on most targets.
Angela: This really should be the only hero you join to the Sniper Grenadier Team. Or at very least, the first hero to one of the teams if you decide to have multiple. She has the Sniper special ability herself as well as Frenzy to add even more damage. Her sniper rifle, 20mm Solothurn has the same range as the team but can harm Soldier 4 and up to Vehicle 5 units making her with a spotter a frightening thing as she can possibly one shot a light walker.
Stefan: If is possible to take Stefan and join him with the Sniper Grenadier Team how ever he is slightly less worst than Klaus to do so only because he can offer them the Assault special ability and lesser Army Point cost.
Klaus: He offers the Sniper Grenadier Team nothing but Damage Capacity at the high cost of 28 Army Points. Do not join him to the snipers.
Generalmajor Sigrid von Thaler : She dramatically increases the damage potential of what ever squad she joins, and the Sniper Grenadiers are no exception. She will dramatically increase the sniper’s ability to attack vehicles, though only at 16″ range or less. Like Rosie, she benefits greatly from the Spotter special ability as well.
Tactics:
The Allies and Axis Sniper teams work best as you would think. Tucked in cover, far from enemy where they have a clear view of as much of the battlefield as possible such as in a high tower or the top of a building ruin. The actual biggest threat to them is another sniper team who gets their turn before them.
Army Lists:
Allies “Duck Hunt”
Combat Platoon (143)
Command: The Boss (25)
1st: Grim Reapers (30)
2nd: The Gunners (17)+3 Bazooka upgrade (aka Bot Hunters)
3rd: Tank Busters (35)
Command Support: Crack Shots (12)
Support: Crack Shots (12)
Support: Crack Shots (12)
This old name for this style of platoon that focuses on getting as many snipers as possible. It is written to be a fully functional army, even without the use of vehicles, though; it could make a decent second platoon for a larger point game.. It uses the Grim Reapers for anti-air and the Tank Buster as well as the Bot Hunters to counter any armor the opposition may have. The Crack shots themselves are intended to slow and whittle down the enemy infantry or keep them suppressed so another squad can get in close and finish them.
Axis “Invincible Fortress”
Schwer Platoon (152)
Command: Heavy Kommandotrupp (35)
1st: Heavy Flak Grenadiers (26)
2nd: Laser-Jagdhgrenadiere (25)
3rd: Recon Grenadiers (17)
Command Support: Sniper Grenadier Team (12)
Support: Bunker (25)
Support: Sniper Grenadier Team (12)
Upgrade: Defenses (5)
Heroes: Angela (30)
Place the attach Angela to one of the sniper teams and place both teams within the bunker. This leaves you 7 soldiers you can put into the the bunker if need be. The Laser-Jagdhgrenadiere more likely your best choice for the Defenses upgrade which you could use to protect the rear of the bunker if you chose to place it on the forward edge of you deployment area.
Rating:
Just like snipers during World War II, these snipers will kill more Army Points worth of models than the twelve they cost. Because they are so easy to place on an army list because they can be taken in the Command Support Section of many of their respective Bloc’s platoon they are very to unit to have around. They are not essential by any means, but you won’t regret having them in your army. They are an excellent unit and come highly recommended.
Clash at Zverograd 