Here’s the third section of the Dust Rats background. If you missed the first two you can find them here:

1. Landfall

2. Lockdown

3. One Small Step

In time the readings showed that it might be safe for brief scouting of the outside. Those who ventured forth had been born on the base, as had their parents, with no concept of “outside”, beyond the words of the few remaining elders. The five who stepped out did so in heavy protective suits, half-blind by the bright daylight, with excitement and fear in their hearts. Only a few minutes passed before they returned and their clothing was destroyed immediately, but their survival created incredible hope for the future.

The excitement was somewhat short-lived as excursions remained short as the risks were not unsubstantial, but over time the lockdown began to be lifted. With this new facility it became possible to finally examine and attempt repairs on the exterior damage the crash had created, with the exception of the comms centre. The entire section and the equipment that had been there was destroyed, decayed, or irradiated. Salvage and research were now the only options.

Inevitably the track that had once been the only entrance and exit to the base became a priority and clearing it in full protective gear was a painfully slow task. However, after over a year of hard labour a path was cut through the rock and wreckage, just wide enough for a man. Stepping through and surveying the landscape made it evident that the crash had left a lasting impression on the surface of Angelis. Where there had been hills there were now valleys, sitting between new peaks. The Base had full mapping data for a thousand miles surrounding their valley, but very little of it was still accurate. Without bearings in a barren wasteland, expeditions were necessarily risky to find their way out from the maze of identical canyons. The hope was that perhaps part of the Eternal Vigilance had survived with intact or salvageable communications equipment, but finding it would be challenging to say the least.

Reconnaissance teams were assembled, equipped with mapping devices and hazard suits, they were sent out into the desert to bring back vital data. It was during one of these mapping missions that the world changed for the 534th. On an open plateaux a relative distance from the base, one team encountered survivors and they were unfortunately just the first. These poor souls were the descendants of those who had lived through the fall of the Eternal Vigilance, but at a great cost. Their features were twisted, their bodies abominable affronts to the purity the Emperor demanded. Thinking it an act of mercy the team fired on the creatures as they slunk back to the shadows in fear. This would be the first and only outside contact for decades, but a rifle became part of the standard mission pack for anyone venturing outside. If those things had survived, then there could well be far worse monstrosities out there.

Mapping efforts proceeded but the distance became increasingly problematic. No sooner had a field team reached its designated region before needing to begin the arduous journey back. There was considerable deliberation before it was decided that an outpost would be required. The engineering and logistics corps were tasked with making it a reality, a job they were more than capable of, given time. Large concrete sections were created and dragged by groups of men under the planet's two blazing suns for miles at a time, before being assembled onsite. Construction took the best part of a year, but upon completion the new outpost was able to provide safe shelter, provisions, and where required, protective suit repairs.

Life continued without event for several months until one slow afternoon when all hell broke loose. The sound of alarms and weapons firing could be heard from miles around the outpost. All who defended their base in the siege were loyal to The Emperor, but all were cut down. To their credit the defenders at the outpost did kill a few of the attackers, but ultimately they were not the victors. A returning recon group discovered the grisly scene and managed to extract a few last words from one of their dying comrades – “greenskins”.

Hey folks, sorry about the delay, here’s the rules for the Dust Rat vehicles, as promised. You can find the rest of the mob listing here.

Dust Rat Vehicles

Bike

There is a list of standard deployment gear given for all kinds of scenarios that the Imperium has built up over years of computer simulations and accumulated tactical data. As a result, when the original deployment to Angelis was undertaken, previous data suggested that in order to facilitate rapid reconnaissance a particular bike-type was ideal for the environment. The DR-170C or "Dust Rat" motorcycle, manufactured on Tigrus, a forge world several systems away is a light, durable and exceptionally fast motorcycle designed to cope with harsh desert landscapes and shifting sand dunes. Given adequate training, a Rat can cover a massive amount of ground solo without compromising his ability to escape danger should he happen across it. Coveted by many of the younger members of the military corps, officers have been known to keep these bikes for the entirety of their active service life, giving them loving maintenance and care.

This bike also inspired the informal nickname that the units have for themselves as whole. Given the feeling that many soldiers spend their lives speeding around the desert, being hunted like vermin by the greenskins, it seemed like the natural choice to describe anyone who headed out into the field.

Bike movement works in precisely the same way as an Ork bike, i.e. 6" of movement under gas engines and 6" using thrusters, the first thrust does not require a test (see pg. 33 of Da Roolz). However, unlike an Ork Bike, Dust Rat Bikes ignore difficult terrain and treat very difficult terrain as difficult ground.

The hit location damage work in precisely the same way as an Ork Bike (see pg. 64 of Da Roolz), except the armour values are listed below.

Light Recce Vehicle

The Imperium of Man has a large repertoire of vehicles adapted to a huge number of differing terrains. As a result, the basis for most of their vehicles is an incredibly tough chassis that's designed to keep rolling whether its moving through snow, sand or across the crust of a recently cooled lava lake. However the Imperium's strategy of using soldiers en masse means that these vehicles aren't deeply committed to keeping their occupants alive. While they soak up small arms fire like a sponge, they fall apart when presented with anything bigger than a rifle.

Several hundred years later the working stock of LRVs are mostly copies of the originals mixed with cannibalised parts, leaving them in an even more precarious position as spare parts run low and Ork weaponry gets more deadly. The boys in motor pool do their best and strictly off the books have come up with a number of useful enhancements that make them a bit safer, a bit quicker and a little more efficient at reducing the Greenskins to a pile of twitching goo.

LRV movement works in precisely the same way as an Ork trukk, i.e. 6" of movement under gas engines and 6" using thrusters. The hit location damage work in precisely the same way as an Ork trukk (see pg. 62 of Da Roolz), except the armour values are listed below.

Support and Salvage Vehicle

As a part of the Paleo-Team who were set to dig into the pyramids, a large fleet of transport battlefield salvage pattern trucks were deployed to the base in order to carry the hopefully large quantity of salvage and artefacts back to the base for extraction. As the hulk crashed through the atmosphere and knocked the Eternal Vigilance earthwards they had yet to be deployed as the excavation was still in its early stages, resulting in the entire fleet of trucks being sealed in deep storage.

The boys in motor pool have added additional armour and modified the trucks to make them useful for backing up the high speed LRVs and allowing units to have greatly extended mission durations and ranges by carrying extra supplies, water and ammunition with them. However, these trucks are several tonnes of steering resistant metal and as a result, are much more difficult to control at speed, something made no easier by the extra armouring and weaponry bolted onto to these repurposed behemoths.

These large vehicles are almost as large as an Ork trukk, often exceeding them in length. Their heavy armour makes driving them quite a skill and it takes them some time to get up to speed. Once moving at speed it becomes increasingly difficult to slow them down and even the most experienced drivers sometimes have trouble regaining control.

Dust Rat SSVs count as Ork trukks for all rules except movement, as detailed under SSV Movement. The hit location damage work in precisely the same way as an Ork trukk (see pg. 62 of Da Roolz), except the armour values are listed below.

SSV Movement

SSVs have two kinds of movements, just like Ork vehicles - gas engines and thrusters. The term "thrusters" here does not necessarily mean the vehicle has an actual booster system, merely higher gears that can be reached by sustained acceleration, but any damage to thrusters occurs just as it would for an Ork vehicle.

Under gas engines an SSV may move up to 4" and make two 45° turns (see pg. 31 of Da Roolz).
Thrusting works as follows - the first successful thrust is up to 3", the second up to 4", and the third (and any subsequent thrusts) up to 5".

Once the vehicle is up to full speed it becomes difficult to slow down again, represented in-game by the fact that if an SSV thrusts it must move at least 2" next turn before it can move as normal (so it could then turn or move the rest of its gas engines move, i.e. 2").

The driver may attempt to regain control before then by passing a leadership test, which will allow the SSV to move as normal. Should he fail the leadership test the SSV will move forward D6" and swerve, ending the vehicle's movement automatically.

Yesterday we provided the first part of the Dust Rat background, today we’ve got part two. For those of you more interested in the practical side of things, that’s coming too.

2. Lockdown

Within the command centre of Base Station Angelis the first sign that something was amiss came when the communications line spewed garbled static nonsense from the Eternal Vigilance. The comms officer on duty, Lieutenant Fielding, had sent a junior engineer outside to check the relays before the full magnitude of the problem hit him. Whilst there was silence from the heavens, sub-orbital sensors were going supernova. Saying a silent prayer to the Emperor, Fielding notified command.

The commander was faced with one of the hardest decisions of his career – attempt a rescue of the paleo-team with failing communications, a half trained platoon and the wrong equipment for the operation or institute a total lockdown, and watch the planet burn as the static turned to screams. Perhaps out of personal attachment to his own skin he ordered Protocol 8 to be initiated. As everyone headed to ground the Hulk broke the upper atmosphere, charring the sky a choking, toxic black. A bright blue fireball marked the heavens as a massive piece of the Eternal Vigilance tore a hole in the sky as it made its way earthward, leaving other pieces hanging limply in the sky. With the occupants safely inside, the deadbolts engaged, and the base was sealed.

Even in this secured state large sections of the base were reduced to wreckage as the force of the impact hit. Mountains shifted and buckled under the blast, penning the base in, although this was the least of the 534th’s problems. The Hulk brought with it millions of tons of chemical waste, much of it extremely radioactive, hurling it into the atmosphere and blighting the surface and sky alike. A planet that had been an arid wasteland had somehow become even more hostile.

It was expected that the dust would settle and thus the lockdown lifted quickly, but as the sensors slowly came back online it became clear that this would not be the case. Portions of the base had endured the cataclysm more or less intact but in other areas there was extensive damage, most critically in the communications centre, almost swallowed up the quaking terrain. The huge antenna array had been wrenched free of its supports and crushed the rest of the section, exposing it to the full horror of the planet's elements. Isolated and lacking the facilities to rebuild or repair their uplink, the 534th were truly alone.

Having assessed the worst of the damage, attentions were turned to the situation outside. At first the readings seemed unbelievable; the surface was so contaminated that it would be generations before the outside would be habitable. High Command was incredulous, unwilling to accept the state of affairs and so probes were dispatched to provide definitive data.

The return of the probes was awaited with bated breath and once they were safely inside engineers pored over them. As it turned out, this was the last mistake they would make; the toxicity of the outside was such that the exterior of the probes were more radioactive than anyone could've thought, slowly killing all that came into contact with them over a period of several days.

Faced with such a bleak situation, command did what it could, maintaining discipline and routine to prevent a breakdown in morale. As the weeks passed into months it became clear that plans needed to be made for the long term and so construction work began. Larger spaces were excavated in the rock below the base; hot springs were discovered allowing farming and geothermal power. Isolated sections of the base rejoined the rest of it and brief respite was found from the despair. Months became years and years became decades and a new generation was born with a society growing around the base’s different communities according to their individual specialty.

Here’s the basic mob listing for the Dust Rats. The equipment list will be available tomorrow (we’re having some technical issues that are both infuriating and boring). The vehicle rules will also be released in a separate post, otherwise this one is going to become far too long.

Troops for Deployment

It’s time to recruit your Dust Rat unit. The listings below should give you the details you need. If you’re confused at all, have a look at “Mob for Hire” on pg. 24 of Da Uvver Book.

It’s probably worth reminding you that your models need to reflect the weapons and equipment you’ve chosen. It may seem pointless busy work to some players, but battles run considerably more smoothly if there aren’t constant interruptions to check what your opponent or your own warriors are armed with. By having models with appropriate weapons clearly visible it just takes a glance to know what you’re up against, plus they look pretty damn cool too!

Disposition of Forces

As mentioned earlier, you start with 100 teef and can spend them on whatever you like, as long as you stay within the rules (see below). You are not required to spend all your teef, you may save as many as you wish and add them to your Teef Hoard for use whenever you see fit.

Enlisted Men

Minimum 3 Warriors. A mob must have at least 3 warriors including its Commanding Officer.
Commanding Officer. Your mob must include a Commanding Officer to lead your unit.
Veterans. If you wish, you may recruit one Veteran.
Grunts. There's no limit on Grunts, include as many as you wish.
Planks. Up to 33% of your warriors can be made up of Planks.
Bikes, LRVs, and SSVs. Your unit needs enough transport to carry all its members, but there is no limit on how many vehicles you may include.

COMMANDING OFFICER
Cost to recruit: 10 teef

To those who show themselves to be a little stronger, a little faster and a little smarter than the average meatshield out on the battlefield, Field Command selects them for a programme instructing them in advanced tactics, the subtler arts of war and a heapin' pile of responsibility. Charged with keeping as many young lives safe as possible, the COs are often more grim than the lower ranks of the mob, but even more determined in combat.

Weapons: Commanding Officers are assumed to be armed with a knife and can be equipped with anything from the Hand to Hand, Gunz, Armour, Grenades, and Veterans lists in the Dust Rats armoury.
Leadership: Your leader only becomes a fully fledged Commanding Officer once he has won a fight or survived two battles. His Leadership then rises to 8 automatically.

VETERAN 0 – 1
Cost to recruit: 9 teef

Veterans come from a variety of moulds. There's the soldier who still lives for the rush of surviving on his wits and guts, the career soldier working his way to officerhood and the consummate survivor who's determined not to let any more of those damnfool kids get themselves killed than is absolutely necessary. You may include one veteran in your mob.

Weapons: Veterans are assumed to be armed with a knife and can be equipped with anything from the Hand to Hand, Gunz, Armour, Grenades, and Veterans lists in the Dust Rats armoury.

GRUNTS
Cost to recruit: 5 teef

Having seen some actual combat and probably well into their mandatory tour of duty, these jarheads are the bread and butter of any Dust Rat unit. Their increased access to the armoury has given them time to hone their shooting skills to make even a small group an effective fire team.

Weapons: Grunts are assumed to be armed with a knife and can be equipped with anything from the Hand to Hand, Gunz, Armour, and Grenades lists in the Dust Rats armoury.

PLANKS
Cost to recruit: 2 teef
These rookies are fresh out of basic and still wet behind the ears. However a hard program of pushups, rifle drilling, formation marching, more pushups and field excercises have left them at least able to follow orders.

Weapons: Planks are assumed to be armed with a knife and can be equipped with anything from the Hand to Hand, and Gunz lists in the Dust Rats armoury.

Vehicles

Bike - 8 Teef
Light Recce Vehicle - 15 Teef
Support and Salvage Vehicle - 20 Teef

Equipping Your Unit

When first deployed into the field, a Dust Rat CO can't just requisition anything he likes, first he has to prove that his squad can get the job done with the bare minimum. Field Command will then authorise some of the bigger, louder and more destructive toys for his boys to get their hands on. As a result, you cannot have any Kustom Jobs or Gubbinz fitted to your weapons and vehicles or buy anything from the Equipment List until you return from your first mission and the list below reflects this. There is no need for you to have been successful, merely to return alive.
Certain items carry a level of prestige and are only issued to NCOs (and anyone higher). This is reflected in the list below as a few items are in italics, these may only be equipped by warriors with 81+ experience points (i.e. Sergeant level).

Vehicle Armaments LRVs and SSVs can be fitted with a weapon from the Big Gunz listing only. The Dust Rat Engineering Corps does not fit twin-linked weaponry to vehicles considering it pointless busywork. Bikes cannot be armed with anything.

Drivers and Gunners The drivers and gunners for vehicles must be nominated when the vehicle is first acquired and are then permanent unless ousted by a challenger (detailed under the “Dust Rats In Campaign” Rules). Should a driver or gunner be unavailable (such a due to physical therapy, capture, or an old battle wound) then another member of the unit may take the position permanently without a struggle.

Dust Rats Special Rules

WEEDY OOMANS

Dust Rats are not fortunate enough to have the leathery hides Orks have, nor the ability to consider the loss of an arm a minor inconvenience for that matter. As a result of this Dust Rats are subject to precisely the same rules of Pinning as Diggas (see pg. 20 of Da Roolz and pg. 12 of Digganob).

DUST RAT WEAPONS

Dust Rats use their own weapons and will never use any other faction's equipment and equally their gear cannot be used by any other side. Should Dust Rat weapons be captured they may be sold for half their purchase cost.

Enlisting for service

Creating a Dust Rat mob (or “unit”) isn’t hard but there are a few rules that must be adhered to. Firstly, there must be at least three warriors in the unit, although that may include the leader. Secondly, no more than a third of the unit may consist of Planks. Thirdly, they must have enough vehicles to transport them all – this doesn’t mean they have to have specific vehicles, just as long as they can all get around. Lastly, Dust Rat mobs have 100 teef to spend initially, just like all the other mob types.

There’s four kinds of Dust Rat warriors available for hire: Commanding Officers, Veterans, Grunts, and Planks. In terms of transport there are three vehicle types: Bikes, Light Recon Vehicles (LRVs), Support and Salvage Vehicles (SSVs).

Commanding Officer

All Dust Rat units must be lead by a Commanding Officer (“CO”). With a firm knowledge of command through a strict education in leadership and tactics, Commanding Officers have a lot to live up to. A Dust Rat mob can only have one Commanding Officer.

Veterans

Veterans are seasoned fighters who are not drawn to command, instead preferring to specialise in their field and leave the decisions to the Sergeant. Veterans are invaluable for providing support for the unit although their methods and armament varies. A mob can have a maximum of one Veteran.

Grunts

Grunts are ordinary Dust Rat warriors, either in their final year of mandatory service, or having chosen to re-enlist. Grunts are sturdy and dependable and usually form the core of any Dust Rat unit.

Planks

At the age of eighteen all able-bodied Dust Rats are required to enter military service for three years. They may choose (up to a point) which unit they are to join, drawing adventurous spirits to the more active and aggressive units. Whilst they lack experience and grit, they are eager to prove themselves and earn the respect of the unit. No more than a third of a Dust Rats mob can be made up of Planks.

Bikes

Dust Rat bikes differ from Ork and Digga bikes in that they have two wheels rather than a wheel and a track. Most are fitted out to handle very rough terrain at high speed but they are considerably more fragile than anything the greenskins put together.

Light Recce Vehicles

LRVs, or "Recces", are weakly armoured wheeled vehicles used primarily for their manoeuvrability. Usually able to carry four to six Dust Rat warriors, these small trucks are excellent for quickly recovering scrap from the desert due to their light weight, unfortunately this does mean they are highly vulnerable to both enemy fire and ramming.

Support and Salvage Vehicles

SSVs are large wheeled or tracked vehicles used by Dust Rats to carry the majority of the scrap they find, provide transport, and lend supporting fire should it be required. Whilst better armoured than the Light Recce Vehicles, they are not built for speed. If possible Dust Rat units start off with an SSV, although some prefer to acquire one later in their career and spend the savings on equipment.

Dog Tags and Callsigns

Dust Rat units are made up of warriors with names and it's up to you to name your guys. We've included a list to get you started, but you can of course name them whatever you like. Similarly vehicles often have nicknames and the unit itself is going to need a name too. Have a good think about what you're going to call your guys - the characters that emerge from the ranks over the course of a campaign are one of the best bits! Unit names can be anything from simple designations like the original Whiskey Delta 4 or drawn from old movies and military ops like Able Company or Easy Company. Units occasionally start with a designation and gain a unique nickname. For example a group may start with a simplistic name like Sierra Romeo Three but as they become specialised in perhaps destroying vehicles they go up against they might gain a nickname relating to that.