July 2010 Notable Toys — Action Games

In Dust, 2 to 6 players command vast armies of technologically advanced tanks, submarines, aircraft and “mechs” (massive piloted robots), all produced at factories which can be purchased and placed. To win, players must take territory through dice-based combat, controlling the most “power centers” in order to finance the expansion of their forces. By controlling the most of these power centers, along with the most capitals, players score victory points. The first player to score a set number of victory points claims the win. The game includes two variant rulebooks (quick-playing “Premium” rules and grand “Epic” rules), a puzzle-cut game board, more than 800 plastic figures, 45 lavishly-illustrated cards, 10 custom battle dice, 25 game tokens and three player reference sheets. Fantasy Flight Games Sales Associate Rick Nauertz told TDmonthly, "A few unique mechanics keep Dust somewhat shorter than other epic games of global conquest. In each player’s turn, for example, there is a cap on the amount of building, moving, and attacking allowed."