Of Heroes, Mechs, and Monsters: A Konflikt ’47 Tactical Primer – Part 1

What Makes a Hero?

In Konflikt ’47, Heroes (or villains, if you prefer) form the beating heart of your force. While each nation has its own named Heroes, this article focuses on the officers and command teams that lead your platoons into action. These are your Platoon Commanders and other HQ teams, the essential core that drives every army.

What separates these individuals from the rank and file isn’t just their officer bonuses, their improved morale, or their ability to issue multiple orders with Snap to Action! In Konflikt ’47, they bring far more to the table.

Their access to Guts, Luck, and Rift Mastery can define how they play and how your entire army behaves on the tabletop. Each is a limited resource that can be spent during the game for decisive, sometimes game-changing moments.

Each nation’s officers have access to these traits in different combinations, giving every force a distinct flavour and a set of tactical priorities.

Guts – Courage Under Fire

Often seen as a United States specialty thanks to the Tough as Nails national rule, Guts represents sheer determination to get the job done. Whether through unshakable resolve, rousing leadership, or sheer physical prowess, a Hero with Guts is one who refuses to quit.

Each point of Guts can be used in one of the following ways:

• When the Hero is removed as a casualty, roll a D6 and add their remaining Guts points. On a total of 7 or more, the Hero stays in play and loses one point of Guts instead.
• Modify a single die roll made by or against the Hero by +1 or -1.
• Return an Order Die from the Hero or a friendly unit within 6″ to the Dice Bag.

That first ability is easy to underestimate. A Hero with multiple points of Guts can be maddeningly difficult to kill, but even a single use can keep your key officer alive when you need them most. The ability to modify a dice result after rolling can turn a miss into a hit or save an order test when morale is tight.

The tactical power of Guts, however, often lies in returning Order Dice to the bag. This can let elite units act again in a single turn, allowing you to reposition, counterattack, or press an advantage. Used well, Guts rewards aggressive, confident play.

Luck – Fortune Favours the Bold

Some commanders seem to have everything go their way. Luck represents that intangible quality of always being in the right place at the right time, whether by Rift-born power or sheer chance.

Each point of Luck can be used in one of two ways:

• If the Hero would be removed as a casualty, spend one point of Luck to ignore it and remain in play.

• Reroll any single die (even one that has already been rerolled).

While it overlaps slightly with Guts, Luck is broader in scope. The reroll doesn’t have to affect the Hero spending it, making it a flexible resource to swing critical moments anywhere on the battlefield. A single point of Luck can make the difference between victory and disaster, and a Hero who holds onto one can take incredible risks late in the game.

Luck adds drama to the tabletop, it feels cinematic, and used well, Luck rewards daring play, letting you gamble on the impossible and walk away grinning when fate turns your way.

Rift Mastery – Tapping the Unknown

If Guts is the realm of the Americans, then Rift Mastery is the domain of the Axis. The Hand of the Green Vault rule embodies their ability to harness strange Rift energies to terrifying effect.

At the start of the game, place one additional Rift Die beside the Hero for each point of Rift Mastery they possess. These dice can be manipulated in the following ways:

• At any time, expend one point of Rift Mastery to combine two active Rift Dice into one Surging Rift Die.

• When executing an Order, expend one point of Rift Mastery to allocate one of the Hero’s Rift Dice to a Rift unit within 6″. That die now belongs to that unit for the rest of the game.

Rift Mastery might seem straightforward, but it rewards planning. Your Rift Mastery level determines how many of these actions you can perform, not the number of dice themselves. A Hero with one level of Rift Mastery must choose between combining dice or empowering a nearby unit, while one with two levels can do both in a single activation.

For example, an Axis Artillery Platoon could field an officer with Rift Mastery and a Schwerefeld Projektor Team. By giving that officer a second level of Rift Mastery through Hand of the Green Vault, they can Snap to Action! on turn one, combine their Rift Dice into a single surging die, and then assign it to the Projektor Team. The result? Full-powered salvoes from the very first activation of the game.

Used creatively, Rift Mastery turns your officers into dangerous support pieces capable of fuelling the most unstable weapons in Konflikt ’47. It demands careful planning and precise timing, but always carries the risk of losing control to the chaos of the Dice Bag.

On the Tabletop

The combination of Guts, Luck, and Rift Mastery available to each nation’s officers can dramatically shape how their armies feel and play. While named Heroes like Slammer Samuels can bring all three traits in one model, most officers only have access to a single one. Choosing where these appear across your force will define its rhythm and playstyle.

• United States: Tough as Nails! grants a free point of Guts, with access to extra Guts or Luck.
• Axis: Typically choose between Guts and Rift Mastery, with one officer benefiting from Hand of the Green Vault.
• Soviet Bloc: Any unit gets access to Guts through the Heroes of the Soviet Bloc rule; officers can select Guts or Luck.
• British Commonwealth: Access to Guts or Rift Mastery.
• Empire of Japan: Choose between Guts or Luck.
  

Across every faction, these traits don’t just define your Heroes, they define your army’s personality. Whether it’s bravery, chance, or dark science that drives your leaders, each path brings a distinct flavour to the battlefield.

This concludes the first part of Of Heroes, Mechs, and Monsters. Next time, we’ll turn our attention to the Mechs, the mechanical giants that stride through the battlefields of Konflikt ’47. And, just in time for Halloween, we’ll close the series with the horrors unleashed by Rift experimentation: the Monsters.

Until then, keep your courage steady, your luck close, and your Rift energies contained!