w00t. I haz TAG.

I had been waiting for more than a year for the Nomads to get their Iguana so that my Qapu Khalqi could finally steal it and have a TAG of their own. Then GenCon happened this summer and Corvus Belli released Joe "Scarface" Turner and his sister Cordelia as a limited edition model, and later announced that this new TAG would be allowed in my Qapu Khalqi force. Sadly, Scarface quickly sold out at GenCon and I had to continue to wait before he and his sister would join my army.

And, finally, after months of waiting the two of them were released to the general public last month. He may not be the best TAG in the game, in fact, he may be the worst TAG in the game (seriously, there are heavy infantry with better stats), but he is packed with tons of personality. I am so excited to have him on my team, and even though he did nothing in my first game with him last night, his sister Cordelia managed to grab the main objective in Scenario 101 for me.

Incidentally, and perhaps even more exciting, I finally got my new camera today. So, starting soon I will finally have better art to post with my battle reports!

Missing Ingredient: More Evil

I originally designed my new Infinity army as a group of comedic villains. They were criminals involved in smuggling and security operations, not particularly bloodthirsty, and always ready with a snappy comeback. It was fun to win with them, but it was also fun to lose because it was always amusing to root against them as they got beat up.

Our current campaign needs something a lot more evil though. Zac's Combined Army will make fantastic villains, but as the alien menace they are the natural enemies of all the other factions. What I want to bring to the campaign is a more insidious and human evil.

To ratchet up my evil quotient I'll be adding Joe "Scarface" Turner and his sister Cordellia, as well as several of their friends from the Druze Crime Syndicate. Combined with my new favorite unit, the Sekban naval marines (pictured above), I'll have a whole new way to play my army. Joe and the Druze are most famous for their work with MagnaOrba, a mining corporation involved in the Ariadnan commercial conflicts.

I expect Joel and Scottie will get a kick out of this: while working for MagnaOrba, Joe and the Druze kidnapped and murdered numerous Aridnan civilians, burned Caledonian villages to the ground, and committed dozens of other terrible war crimes. Also, I like to think that they helped destroy a certain Corregidor trade delegation with a small antimatter device at the end of our first campaign.

It's time to do some evil!

Spec-Ops Options

This is the expanded list of Spec-Ops models available for the Infinity Campaign relaunch. 

I wanted to expand the options for every army so that everyone can have a Spec-Op who is a badass beatstick, a tech specialist, or a cheap and cheerful soldier.

I made a couple of changes to this list since I sent it out to everyone in the campaign. I made a couple of changes to try to limit the points cost of Spec-Ops to 50, and to stick to the most basic weapon profiles.

Generic PanO:

Fusiliers (C 10) Combi Rifle

ORC Troop (C 40) MULTI Rifle

Bagh-Mari (C 22) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Kamau (C 16) Combi Rifle

Nisses (C 31) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Military Orders:

Fusiliers (C 10) Combi Rifle

Order Sergeants (C 13) Combi Rifle

Knights of the Order

-Knights Hospitaler (C 48) MULTI Rifle

-Knights of Santiago (C 44) Boarding Shotgun

-Knights of Montessa (C 46) Combi Rifle

-Knights of the Holy Sepulchre (C 52) Combi Rifle, D.E.P.

-Knights of the Teutonic Order (C 42) Combi Rifle, Panzerfaust

Neoterran Capitaline Army:

Fusiliers (C 10) Combi Rifle

Deva Functionary (C 23) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser

Shock Army of Acontecimento:

Acontecimento Regulars (C 10) Combi Rifle

Bagh-Mari (C 22) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Knights of Montessa (C 46) Combi Rifle

Generic Yu-Jing:

Zhanshi (C 11) Combi Rifle

Bao Troops (C 29) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Invincibles (C 42) MULTI Rifle

Japanese Sectorial Army:

Keisotsu Butai (C 9) Combi Rifle

Kempeitai (C 17) Combi Rifle

Domaru Butai (C 27) Chain Rifle, E/M CCW

Haramaki Zensenbutai (C 28) Blitzen, Contender, AP CCW

Imperial Service:

Celestial Guard (C 13) Combi Rifle

Bao Troops (C 29) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Wu-Ming (47) MULTI Rifle

Generic Ariadnan Army:

Caledonian Volunteer Militia (C 8) Rifle

Metro Militia (C 8) Rifle

Kazaks (C 9) Rifle

Veteran Kazaks (C 47) Mimetism, AP Rifle

Loup Garou (C 21) Viral Rifle

6^th Scots Guards (C 18) 2 Submachine Guns, D.E.P.

5^th Minutemen (C 28) Rifle, Light Shotgun

Merovingian Rapid Response Army:

Metro Militia (C 8) Rifle

Loup Garou (C 21) Viral Rifle

Briscards (C 24) Marksman Rifle

Moblots (C 28) Rifle, Light Shotgun

Caledonian Highlander Army:

Caledonian Volunteer Militia (C 8) Rifle

6^th Scots Guards (C 18) 2 Submachine Guns, D.E.P.

3^rd Grey Rifles (C 30) Rifle, 2 Shotguns

Generic Haqqislam Army:

Ghulam Infantry (C 13) Rifle + Light Shotgun

Hafza (C 17) Rifle + Light Shotgun

Djanbazan (C 28) Rifle + Light Shotgun

Hassassin Muyib (C 25) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Viral Mines

Qapu Khalqi:

Ghulam Infantry (C 13) Rifle + Light Shotgun

Hafza (C 17) Rifle + Light Shotgun

Sekban (C 25) AP Rifle, Chain-colt

Djanbazan (C 28) Rifle + Light Shotgun

Hassassin Bahram:

Ghulam Infantry (C 13) Rifle + Light Shotgun

Hassassin Farzan (C 25) Forward Observer, Rifle + Light Shotgun

Hassassin Muyib (C 25) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Viral Mines

Generic Nomad Army:

Alguaciles (C 10) Combi Rifle

Moderators (C 9) Combi Rifle

Securitate (C 23) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Wild Cats (C 19) Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower, D-Charges

Mobile Brigada (C 43) MULTI Rifle + Light Flamethrower

Corregidor Jurisdictional Command:

Alguaciles (C 10) Combi Rifle

Wild Cats (C 19) Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower, D-Charges

Mobile Brigada (C 43) MULTI Rifle + Light Flamethrower

Bakunin Jurisdictional Command:

Moderators (C 9) Combi Rifle

Reverend Moiras (C 38) MULTI Rifle

Riot Grrls (C 31) Combi Rifle, Blitzen, Flash Grenades

Generic Combined Army:

Morat Vanguard (C 16) Combi Rifle

Shasvastii Seed Soldiers (C 14) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Yaogat Infantry (C 30) Combi Rifle, Grenades

Shasvastii Aswang (C 25) Combi Rifle, Adhesive Launcher

Morat Aggression Force:

Morat Vanguard (C 16) Combi Rifle

Yaogat Infantry (C 30) Combi Rifle, Grenades

Oznat Hunting Regiment (C 21) Combi Rifle, Light Smoke Grenade Launcher

Shasvastii Expeditionary Force:

Shasvastii Seed Soldiers (C 14) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun

Shasvastii Cadmus (C 23) Combi Rifle

Shasvastii Aswang (C 25) Combi Rifle, Adhesive Launcher

Shasvastii Caliban (C 23, Evolved Form Only) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, D-Charges

Tohaa Trident:

Kamael Infantry (C 12) Combi Rifle

Sakiel Infantry (C 20) Combi Rifle, Swarm Grenades

Gao-Rael (C 32) Combi Rifle, Adhesive Launcher

Generic ALEPH:

Deva Functionary (C 23) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser

Thorakitai (C 16) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser

Myrmidon (C 25) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, AP CCW

S.S.S. Assault Subsection:

Thorakitai (C 16) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser

Myrmidon (C 25) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, AP CCW

Agema (C 28, SWC .5) Mk 12

Infinity Campaign 11/3

Sorry about the lack of articles lately. I've been working on terrain and other games while I eagerly awaited the arrival of my copy of Infinity: Paradiso.

My book is here now, and its game time! The campaign begins 11/3 at the Matrix, and I hope to see everyone there!

Check out A Light in the Grimdark for news, updates, and fluff as the day of destiny approaches.

Army Lists

Here are the army lists from the latest Infinity battle report on A Light in the Grimdark.



 DOMINION, EI PERSONALITY ASPECT
───────────────────────────────────────

 GROUP 1 (Regs: 6/Irrs: 0):

  CHARONTID Lieutenant  Plasma Rifle, Nanopulser
       Pistol, Monofilament CCW (81)
    MOV:4-2  CC:15  BS:13  PH:14  WIP:16  ARM:5  BTS:-6  W:2
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Mnemonica
    V: No Wound Incapacitation, Lieutenant, Multispectral Visor L3

  SHROUDED MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife (38 | 1.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:12  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Shasvastii
    AutoMedikit, CH: Camouflage, Infiltration

  SPECULO KILLER Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Monofilament CCW (39 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:12  PH:12  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Shasvastii
    Martial Arts L3, AutoMedikit, Impersonation Plus

  3x SEED-SOLDIER Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife (14)
    MOV:-  CC:-  BS:-  PH:-  WIP:-  ARM:2  BTS:-3  W:1
   
    CH: Limited Camouflage, Seed-Embryo

    DEVELOPED SHAPE
    MOV:4-4  CC:12  BS:11  PH:9  WIP:13  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Shasvastii
    Seed-Embryo

 200 Points | SWC: 2.5



 MIRAGE TEAM 5, F.O.B. SECURITY TEAM
───────────────────────────────────────

 GROUP 1 (Regs: 9/Irrs: 0):

  ZOUAVE Lieutenant Rifle, D.E.P. / Assault Pistol, Knife (20 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:10  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Mechanized Deployment, V: Courage, Lieutenant

  LOUP-GAROU Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife (24 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    V: Courage, X Visor

  LOUP-GAROU Boarding Shotgun, Adhesive Launcher, Flash Grenades / Pistol, Knife (19)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    V: Courage, X Visor

  2x LOUP-GAROU Viral Rifle, Flash Grenades / Pistol, Knife (21)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    V: Courage, X Visor

  LOUP-GAROU Viral Rifle, Flash Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Knife (22 | 1.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    V: Courage, X Visor

  112 Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (12)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:12  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Doctor, V: Courage

  PARA-COMMANDO  Rifle / Pistol, Knife (23)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Mimetism, AD: Parachutist, Forward Observer

  PARA-COMMANDO HMG / Pistol, Knife (32 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Mimetism, AD: Parachutist

 194 Points | SWC: 4

Upcoming Infinity Events

Next Infinity Night will be Friday at the Armory, 9/21. I'll be running demos, and hopefully enrolling the last few players for the Infinity Campaign.

For those who still want to play in the campaign time is running out! Please come find me at the Armory Friday night so I can get you set up.

The next weekend, 9/28 and 9/29, I will not be running an Infinity night due to a conflict with my work schedule. However, I will still try to make it out one night to play some Infinity, and maybe even some Warmachine. I'm hoping that one of the other Infinity veterans in the group will be willing to take the reins and organize some Infinity free play or scenarios one of these nights.

The following weekend I will be flying down to Orlando to kick off the holiday retail season with a week of business meetings, but when I get back the Infinity campaign will be starting up. Before I can finalize plans I need to talk to the organizers of some other upcoming game events, and of course I also need to wait for the campaign book to be released. If everything works out the Infinity Campaign will finally begin on Staurday, October 13th, at the Matrix!

Hello Again, My Old Friend.

After a 2 year hiatus I finally pulled all of my Warmachine off the shelf and started thinking of getting back into the game. The gentle nudging of Scott and Gramut finally won me over, and now that I have more free time for gaming, I've finally caught the Warmachine bug again.

What originally got me into Warmachine those many years ago was my love for the Iron Kingdoms RPG. Now that the new IK RPG is just around the corner warm thoughts of gears, steam and coal dust have begun to prance through my head once again.

I've reinvented my army for this new era of Warmachine. In the past my army consisted of the Highborn Covenant, and was led by Ashlynn D'Elyse, Broadsides Bart, and Gorten Grundback.

My new army will be a little different, this time it will be built around Ashlynn, Captain Damiano, Constance Blaize, and occasionally Drake MacBain. I'm going to be adding some new units as well, like Precursor Knights and more Steelheads. My goal is to create a 200 point War army that runs all four casters at the same time. So far I've got about 110 points, so there is a lot left for me to add. As I build up my massive Mercenary dream army I will occasionally document my journey here.

Know Your Enemy- Part 2

Jack

Operation Group Hera is a clandestine assault team from Bakunin. It is made up primarily from members of the Holy Observance of Saint Mary of the Knife. This rogue sect of the Catholic church preaches both the divinity of women as well as the inherent evil of AI. Having mastered advanced computer and weapons technology, the members of the sect now take their fight to the ultimate AI, Aleph. Sect members consider Aleph to be the literal incarnation of Satan, and belive (with good reason) that humanity's AI overlord is leading the entire race to damnation. In their fight against Aleph, the Observance has sent Operation Group Hera to Paradiso in pursuit of a posthuman known only as "Karpos". Having evolved beyond the need for a physical body, Karpos has proved to be an extremely elusive, and nearly invincible foe. However, the members of Operation Group Hera will stop at nothing in their holy quest to destroy their nemesis.

Operation Group Hera is lead by Alexis, a Reverend Custodier who has spent her entire adult life mastering the advanced computer systems that Aleph inhabits. The group is advised by Kardon Jac, a Vortex Operative who aids the team in their mission in exchange for their help accomplishing objectives for the Black Hand. Offensively the team relies on technological trickery and advanced weapons systems, while Alexis's Sin-Eater bodyguards provide a solid defensive wall. The rest of the team is rounded out by Bakunin mercenaries, some of which are loyal followers of the Observance, while others are just guns for hire working for the Black Hand.

Seth

The Asyut assassin den operates out of the only Haqqislam city left on Paradiso that is not under direct threat from the Combined Army. From this position they are able to move about the planet as needed to achieve their objectives. However, as fighting with the Combined Army has intensified, the members of the Asyut den spend less time on intelligence missions, and more and more time defending Haqqislam territory. The den has been slowly forced to transform themselves from a sword into a shield to protect Haqqislam citizens and places of learning.

The master of the Asyut den is Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, a Hassassin Farzan of advanced years who has served on several different planets in the Human sphere. His seconds are Ahmad Sofian, a Fiday assassin, and Malik al Sayf, a Husam agent who has only recently arrived from Bourak. Currently the den also hosts the infamous Hussein al Djabel, who is using the den as a safe haven while he performs secret missions for the Old Man in the Mountain. The majority of the den is made up of Hassassin Muyib, young assassins who are still in training under the guidance of Altair.

Lost Post Armies

Here are the army lists from the Lost Post battle report on A Light in the Grimdark.

 LOGAN CLAN RAIDING PARTY

──────────────────────────────────────

 GROUP 1 (Regs: 6/Irrs: 2):

  VOLUNTEER Lieutenant Rifle / Pistol, Knife (8)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:10  PH:11  WIP:12  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Lieutenant

  VOLUNTEER Rifle / Pistol, Knife (8)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:10  PH:11  WIP:12  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain,

  VOLUNTEER Chain Rifle, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife (6)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:10  PH:11  WIP:12  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain,

  2x VOLUNTEER HMG / Pistol, Knife (20 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:10  PH:11  WIP:12  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain,

  HIGHLANDER Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW (6)
    MOV:4-4  CC:18  BS:10  PH:14  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    Berserk, V: Dogged

  S.A.S. Chain Rifle, Grenades / Assault Pistol, AP CCW (23)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:11  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Martial Arts L2, CH: Camouflage, Infiltration

  CAMERONIAN 2 Chain Rifles, Grenades, Smoke Grenades / AP CCW (22)
    MOV:6-4  CC:18  BS:10  PH:16  WIP:12  ARM:3  BTS:0  W:2
    Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube
    V: Courage, Total Immunity, Super-Jump

 GROUP 2 (Regs: 5/Irrs: 1):

  VOLUNTEER  Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife (11)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:10  PH:11  WIP:12  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, CH: Limited Camouflage, Inferior Infiltration

  WULVER Mk12, Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW (38)
    MOV:4-4  CC:18  BS:12  PH:14  WIP:13  ARM:3  BTS:0  W:2
    Regular, Frenzy, No Cube, Linkable
    Berserk, Natural Born Warrior, Climbing Plus

  CATERAN T2 Sniper Rifle / Pistol, AP CCW (29 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:12  PH:13  WIP:12  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Irregular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Limited Camouflage, CH: Mimetism, Climbing Plus

  112 Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (12)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:12  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Doctor, V: Courage

  DOZER Rifle, Akrylat-Kanone / Pistol, Knife (19)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:11  WIP:13  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    V: Courage, Engineer


  VALERYA GROMOZ Hacker  Combi Rifle + Marker / Pistol, Knife (26 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:10  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    Hacking Device


 248 Points | SWC: 2


 MIRAGE TEAM 5 SECURITY PATROL
──────────────────────────────────────

 GROUP 1 (Regs: 9/Irrs: 0):

  MÉTRO Lieutenant Rifle / Pistol, Knife (8)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:10  PH:11  WIP:12  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Lieutenant

  MARGOT AP Rifle + Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Knife (75 | 2)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:14  PH:12  WIP:13  ARM:3  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    AD: Airborne Infiltration, Shock Immunity, Multiterrain

      DUROC 2 Chain Rifles, Grenades, Smoke Grenades / AP CCW
        MOV:6-4  CC:19  BS:10  PH:16  WIP:13  ARM:3  BTS:0  W:2
        Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube
        Martial Arts L2, AD: Airborne Infiltration, Total Immunity, Super-Jump

  PARA-COMMANDO  Rifle / Pistol, Knife (23)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Mimetism, AD: Parachutist, Forward Observer

  PARA-COMMANDO HMG / Pistol, Knife (32 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Mimetism, AD: Parachutist

  CHASSEUR AP Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife (31 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:11  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Camouflage, Infiltration, Sixth Sense L1

  ZOUAVE  Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife (28 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:10  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Mechanized Deployment, V: Courage, Sapper

  ALGUACIL Hacker  Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife (22 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:10  WIP:13  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Hacking Device

  DOZER Rifle, Akrylat-Kanone / Pistol, Knife (19)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:11  WIP:13  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    V: Courage, Engineer

  112 Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (12)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:12  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Doctor, V: Courage


 250 Points | SWC: 5



 CELSTIAL CROW LANDING PARTY
──────────────────────────────────────

 GROUP 1 (Regs: 7/Irrs: 2):

  HAFZA Lieutenant Spitfire / Pistol, Knife (23 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:10  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Holoprojector L1, Lieutenant

  DJANBAZAN Doctor Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (32)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2, Doctor

  DJANBAZAN Hacker  Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (40 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2, Hacking Device

  DJANBAZAN Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CCW (33 | 1)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2

  DJANBAZAN HMG / Pistol, CCW (36 | 1.5)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2

  NASMAT Electric Pulse (3)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:8  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Servant
    CH: Mimetism

  HAWWA' Hacker  Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife (33 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Camouflage, Infiltration, Hacking Device

  YUAN YUAN Boarding Shotgun, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW (19)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:9  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube
    Booty, AD: Combat Jump

  YUAN YUAN Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW (11)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:9  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1
    Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube
    Booty, AD: Combat Jump

  NAJJARUN Engineer Rifle + Light Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife (17)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:10  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    Engineer


 247 Points | SWC: 4.5

Know Your Enemy- Part 1

This will be the first of several articles leading up to the Infinity campaign about the different armies joining in the fight. As people make their final decisions on their armies and work out their fluff and back story I will post new articles.

Jon

The Celestial Crow is a corsair ship crewed by a menagerie of scum from across the Human Sphere. The majority of the crew are former soldiers who served in the security forces of the Sultanate of Haqqislam. The crew maintains a close relationship with the Sultanate, working primarily as privateers and security escorts for the Haqqislam navy. When they are not working for the Sultan the crew fills their time with acts of piracy and mercenary work. The crew also has close ties with the Druze Mafia, who provide them with the majority of their criminal work.

The captain, Hakim Zuabi, is a former Hafza officer dishonorably discharged for embezzling war material from the Sword of Allah. Hakim is protected by a small cabal of Oadilisque bodyguards and other former Hafza. The backbone of the crew's fighting force is made up of former members of the Djanbazan regiments whose genetic tailoring make them perfect pirates. The rest of the crew are made up of a mix of disgraced former Haqqislam soldiers, Druze enforcers, Yuan Yuan scavengers, and outlaw Nomads. 

Joel

The Logan Clan are a band of renegade warriors from the Caledonian province of Ariadna. These proud and brutal fighters were exiled from their homeworld of Dawn for acts of violence committed against representatives of O-12 and the nations of PanOceania and Yu-Jing. Hunted by the security forces of O-12 and Aleph, as well as the military of their own homeland, the Logans have been forced to travel from world to world as nomadic mercenaries. Despite their unfortunate circumstances the Logans have adhered to their belief in winning independence for the nation that shunned them. The Logans participate in direct action attacks throughout the Human Sphere, assassinating diplomats and military officers from other nations.

The head of the Logan Clan, Robert Logan, is a ferocious fighter and charismatic leader. Robert has close ties to the AriaDNA terrorist organization, who compensate the Logans very well for their violent acts. The Logan Clan has evolved into a mercenary company throughout their years of hardship. All of the members of the family are expected to be able to fight and fill a variety of combat roles. The elite members of the Clan are former professional soldiers from the Grey Rifles, Scot Guards, and SAS of the Aridnan military. The Clan also has a large group of Dog Faces and Wulvers thanks to generations of openly accepting these mutations into their family.

Scott

The Mirage Teams are special units of small size, created originally by the Merovingian Army to perform military operations denoted as “surgical”: fast, very tough and spectacular, in which stealth is not important. The missions of Mirage Teams see a high risk level and elevated casualty count.

Mirage Team 5 is made up of two distinct elements. The first element is the Security element, made up of Loup Garou SWAT and Metro Enforcement officers. The Security element is led by Achille Deveruex, a Major from the Stavka Intelligence Department, who also directs the actions of the entire team. The Assault element is led by Margot Berthier who executes orders determined by Achille and the Intelligence Department. The Assault element is made up of Zouaves, Chasseurs, and an elite cadre of Para-Commandos hand picked by Margot.

Infinity Night

There's a good chance that my meetings in Sacramento will wrap up in time for me too be back in Redding by 8. As long as nothing gets in the way I'll be down at the Armory sometime Friday night with demo armies for anyone interested in trying Infinity.

Also, I am hoping to get a 4-player game of "Lost Post" going to write the next pre-campaign battle report. I hope to see everyone there!

Infinity: Tactica

"It's not your list, it's you." If you are a veteran player, or you frequent any of the Infinity forums, it is only a matter of time before you come across these words. The reason this slogan is so common is that Infinity has much more to do with tactics than army list.

Every wargame has a different way of playing out. For example, success in Warhammer 40k is based mostly on building a great army list and then deploying your army intelligently. Warmachine, on the other hand depends on building an army of complimentary models and managing resources like focus and activation order. In Infinity there are no "must have" or "auto include" models and the only resource you need to manage during a game are your activation orders. What wins games of Infinity are tactics, putting your army in the best possible position while denying your enemy any advantage.

Unfortunately this makes Infinity a hard game for new players, because a veteran will usually win, and keep winning, until a new player discovers their own killer tactics. The best way to get good at Infinity is to practice, but reading the book and reading about other people's tactics will also get you there. From time to time I'll be posting articles about tactics I've learned to help new players find their feet quickly and start taking veteran players down.

For this first tactica article I'm going to lay out three of the simplest offensive killer tactics for Infinity, as well as one defensive tactic. This article is meant to give new players an edge, so these tactics will probably seem like common sense to veteran players. In the future I will be writing more tactica articles about other more advanced techniques.

Outflank

The importance of cover cannot be overstated in Infinity. Cover provides a model with a +3 bonus to ARM, and models attacking them suffer a -3 penalty to BS. Consider this example: a Keisotsu Butai is one of the weakest models in the game but only costs 9 points. On the other hand a Nomad Mobile Brigada is a fairly powerful unit designed for heavy assault, but costs more than 4 times as much as the Butai at 43 points. However, if the Butai is in cover and the Brigada is not then suddenly both models have a BS of 10 and an ARM of 4 when facing each other. This example is a bit of an oversimplification (it doesn't account for number of wounds and weapons), but illustrates that an attacking army should be approximately 3-4 times more expensive than a defending army in order to have an even chance of victory.

Obviously then, the simplest offensive strategy is to deny your enemy the benefit of cover by attacking him from all sides so that there is nothing to hide behind. It is foolish to confront your enemy head on in Infinity, unless you have some genius tactic that supports such a move. Unfortunately for new players, the strategy of attacking an enemy head on is the primary strategy taught by 40k and Warmachine, and is a difficult habit to break.

Denying your enemy cover is easier said than done. The easiest way to do this is to split your army into two parts, and send each half around your enemy's defensive lines in a different direction to surround them. However, if you take to long to execute this tactic it is easy to defend against.

The best way to execute an outflank tactic is with shock and awe. For best effect an entire army should participate in this tactic. A forward element made up of models with the Infiltrate and Mechanical Deployment skills can pin the enemy down, while a flanking element made up of models with the Aerial Deployment and Impersonation skills attack the enemy from behind.

This is a tactic that almost any army in the game can pull off to some degree, but it is a specialty of the Hassassin Bahram (Haqqislam), Corregidor (Nomad), and Merovingia (Ariadna). The Acontecimento Shock Army (PanO), Shasvastii (Combined), Morat (Combined), and Gapu Khalqi (Haqqislam) can all manage this tactic as well, but not quite as effectively.

The other way to achieve this tactic is to field an army with a huge number of orders so that you can surround the enemy in a single turn without using special deployment tricks. Aleph and the Combined can both achieve this trick to a limited degree by using AI Beacons, but the Imperial Service (Yu-Jing) and Caledonians (Ariadna) are the best thanks to having incredibly cheap Regulars with very high AVA.

Assault from Cover

This is a simple and aggressive tactic that can be performed by almost any army in the game. This tactic is also easy to learn and similar to tactics used in games like 40k, so it is a great technique for both new and veteran players.

This tactic requires 2 things: models equipped with powerful short range weapons or close combat weapons, and models that can use smoke grenades. The idea is simple: lay down a thick smoke screen and then advance on your enemy, dropping more smoke grenades as you move until your are close enough to hit your opponent with overwhelming force.
This tactic can be a double-edged sword against strong defensive armies, especially if your opponent uses Multispectral visors to see through your smoke screen. Ideally you want to get close to the enemy, make an opening volley of attacks using direct template weapons, and then charge into close combat.

The S3 Assault Subsection (Aleph), Morat (Combined), and Caledonians (Ariadna) are the masters of this tactic. Almost any other army has a way of pulling off this tactic as well, making it a good first technique to master. The Imperial Service (Yu-Jing) are also good at this thanks to Smoke Grenade Launchers and the huge amount of Orders provided by their Kuang-Shi.

The Gapu Khalqi (Haqqislam) and Mercenaries have an advanced version of this tactic thanks to the skills of the Yuan Yuan pirates. Instead of creating a moving screen of smoke, Yuan Yuan can use Aerial Deployment to drop behind an enemy and hit their troops directly with smoke grenades. With the enemy trapped in a cloud of smoke the rest of the army can safely advance. The Morat can also do this, but even better. The Morat Rasyat unit can deploy behind the enemy, and then drop Zero-V smoke grenades, completely blinding the enemy.

The PanO army is the only force that does not use this tactic, due to an almost complete lack of smoke grenades in their army. However, the Acontecimento Shock Army can perform an advanced version of this tactic thanks to the Zero-V Smoke Grenade Launchers of their Guarda de Assaulto. Zero-V smoke cannot be penetrated by Multispectral Visors, allowing the Acontecimento to advance in total safety.

Although it is technically a completely different tactic, there is a very powerful modified version of this technique that is worth mentioning. The problem with smoke grenades is that Multispectral Visors can see through them, but this is also one of the best things about smoke grenades. Instead of using a mix of units with smoke grenades and short range weapons, a player can make an army with a mix of units with smoke grenades and units with Multispectral Visors. By doing this your army can shoot through their own smoke screen, which will severely limit your opponent's ability to respond. Model's reacting to an attack through a smoke screen can only return fire if they survive, and suffer a -6 penalty to their BS. By choosing targets cautiously you can pick off enemies one at a time from relative safety.

This modified technique works best for Gapu Khalqi (Haqqislam), Morat (Combined), and Imperial Service (Yu-Jing). All three of these armies have units with Multispectral Visors who can use powerful long range weapons and form link teams.

Ambush

This tactic is easy to understand and execute, and relies on the ability of models with the Camouflage skill to perform surprise attacks. This tactic only requires a few models with the Camouflage skill working together, but is more effective the more models participate. Models with Impersonation are also very useful in this strategy, attacking opponents from within their own deployment zone.

When a camouflaged or hidden model makes an attack they make a normal roll and the reactive player can only perform his ARO's after the results of the attack. By carefully positioning camouflaged troops, and carefully choosing targets, a stealthy attack force can carefully pick off the enemy one at a time without any risk to his own models.
It is difficult to impossible to defend against surprise attacks, so even a skilled opponent cannot do anything to resist this tactic. However, the success of a surprise attack depends completely on the skill of the attacking model, and an enemy with a strong defensive tactic will be able to quickly kill off your ambushers.

Success with this tactic requires a player to be very calculating and cautious. Being too aggressive and exposing your ambushers to too many defenders will allow your opponent to rally and halt your attack. It is always best to take out isolated targets first, then use careful manuevering and stealth to eliminate the enemy one at a time. If this is done right it will give you breathing room to reactivate your camouflage skills

Most of the armies in the game have models with Camouflage or TO Camouflage to perform this tactic to one degree or another, but some armies are better than others. PanO and Yu-Jing are both very good at this strategy, but strangely most of their sectorial armies are not. The best armies for this strategy are the Bakunin (Nomad), Merovingian (Ariadna), and Japanese (Yu-Jing). However, the true masters of this technique are the Shasvastii (Combined).

Defensive Line

One of the hardest lessons for a new player from 40k or Warmachine to learn about Infinity is that some of the best armies are designed purely to defend. The main reason that tactics like the three mentioned above are so important is because they are all designed to defeat a defensive army. Without a good attack plan a powerful defensive army will win almost every time.

There is, of course, one fatal flaw with a defensive tactic: it only works if your enemy is foolish enough to attack you. When two armies designed for defense square off against each other the battle will often become a game of chicken, where the loser is the one that attacks first.

Most armies can develop powerful defensive strategies. The key to a good defense is being able to pour huge amounts of firepower into an attacking enemy. The easiest, and often the most effective way, to do this is to field large link teams of soldiers with powerful long-range weapons. A 5 man link team of even the worst troops in the game is formidable if it has a sniper rifle, heavy machine gun, or missile launcher and is deployed behind good cover. For example, a link team of 5 Keisotsu Butai with a Missile Launcher and HMG is only 70 points, but can easily beat almost any model in the game. More expensive link teams, like Djanbazan, Hassassin Muyib, Haramaki Zensenbutai, Yaogat, Bagh Mari, Grey Rifles, and others are even more effective and usually have some nasty tricks to boot.

Campaign Prologues

Take a moment to check these out, all of the prologue games we do before the campaign will either be one of these three scenarios, or will just be a straight up game of Infinity for victory points. I'd like everyone in the campaign to get to play at least one of these scenarios before the campaign starts, and I'd like everyone to have a chance to be in at least one prologue battle report. For prologue battles you can use any army you like, you don't have to stick with one army until the campaign starts.

Also, a word of warning to new Infinity players involved in the campaign: As you are buying your first models for your army there are a few things you will be kicking yourself if you don't add. You will want at least one model with the Engineer skill, at least one Hacker (if they are allowed in your army), and at least one model with the Baggage skill. Some of the upcoming campaign scenarios will require you to have one or more models with these skills in order to achieve certain scenario objectives.

Prisoner P-09

Prisoner P-09 will still be playable for anyone who wants to give it a go. This is the same scenario from my first Light in the Grimdark  campaign battle report, so anyone who liked that story can take a crack at playing the same scenario with a different outcome.

Prisoner P-09 requires two army lists:
Attacker: 300 points, which should include at least one (prefferably many) AD troop or Infiltrator. One model in the Attacker's force can be upgraded to a Specialist (see below) at no additional cost.
Defender: 300 points, plus an additional combat group of up to 20 points worth of Line Troops or Garrison Troops.

This scenario uses Specialists, who are the only troops that can achieve certain game objectives. Specialists include any model with the Liuetenant skill, Chain of Command skill, or Engineer Skill, as well as any model equipped with a Forward Observer or Hacking Device. It is highly recommended to have at least one (preferably several) models that can be Specialists in your army list.

The Lost Post

The Lost Post scenario is one of the oldest scenarios written for Infinity, so I've made a small change to fit with the upcoming campaign. The first objective in the mission is to download data from a black box. Originally, only a Hacker could download the data, but now any Specialist (see below) can download the data. The second objective, to upload the Vortex virus into the black box, can still only be achieved by a Hacker. Finally, while retreating with the black box data, if the model carrying the data is killed then only another Specialist can pick up the data.

This scenario can be played by either 2 players or by 4 players.

Each army gets 250 points. Every army must have at least one Engineer and one Hacker in the army list. All armies gain access to any Mercenary Hacker they want, even if these Hacker's are normally not part of their army list (I will have my Druze Hacker and Valerya Gromoz with me to loan anyone who wants them. I'm looking at you, Joel, I know none of your Caledonians have figured out how to use the power switch on a computer yet.) All armies also get +1 AVA to all of the non-character Engineers in their army list.

This scenario uses Specialists, who are the only troops that can achieve certain game objectives. Specialists include any model with the Liuetenant skill, Chain of Command skill, or Engineer Skill, as well as any model equipped with a Forward Observer or Hacking Device. It is highly recommended to have at least one (preferably several) models that can be Specialists in your army list.

Beach Head

The Beach Head scenario was the first official scenario written for Infinity, and it's one I've always been fascinated by. It's the only Infinity scenario I've ever seen that is played on a 6 foot table, and it is also designed to be played with unbalanced army lists. If anyone has a killer attack strategy they want to test out then this scenario is the ultimate proving ground!

There are no special rules or requirements for making an army list for Beach Head. There are two armies in this scenario:

Attacker: 300 points
Defender: 250 points

Infinity Battle Report Supplemental

I just finished filing a battle report on A Light in the Grimdark for our latest battle, and for our prequel to the upcoming campaign. For anyone who's interested these are the army lists we used for the battle, as well as some more information for the upcoming campaign.

First of all, before I get to the army lists, here is the current campaign roster:

Me, Jon, playing my Gapu Kalqi pirates
Scotty, Ariadnans of Merovingia
Earl, Nomads of Corregidor
Zac, Shasvastii of the Combined
David, Japanese of Yu-Jing
Seth, Aleph (or maybe the Hassassin Bahram of Haqqislam)
Joel, Ariadnans of Caledonia
Matt, Aleph
David, Undecided

First of all for the campaign I'd like everyone to make an army badge that can be posted on our leader board and at the start of any battle reports. If you want a generic badge I recommend heading over to the Corvus Belli Store and snatching one of their jpegs from the army pins. On the other hand, feel free to make your own army pin, and if you need help just let me know, I'm a fair hand with photoshop.

Without further ado, the army lists from the Prisoner P-09:

 ALEPH- Station Security Team
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 GROUP 1 (Regs: 10/Irrs: 0):
  Sara (ASURA Lieutenant) MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, AP CCW (73)
    MOV:4-4  CC:16  BS:14  PH:14  WIP:15  ARM:5  BTS:-6  W:2 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    V: No Wound Incapacitation, Multispectral Visor L3, Lieutenant
  Tara (ASURA) Spitfire, Nanopulser / Pistol, AP CCW (72 | 2)
    MOV:4-4  CC:16  BS:14  PH:14  WIP:15  ARM:5  BTS:-6  W:2 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    V: No Wound Incapacitation, Multispectral Visor L3
  April (NAGA) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife (39 | 1.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:12  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    CH: Camouflage, Infiltration, V: Dogged
  Ysa (DASYU Hacker ) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife (46 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:12  PH:13  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    CH: TO Camouflage, Infiltration, V: No Wound Incapacitation, Hacking Device
  0547-1 (DAKINI Tacbot) Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse (13)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:11  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Remote Presence
    CH: Mimetism
  0547-2 (DAKINI Tacbot) Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse (13)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:11  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Remote Presence
    CH: Mimetism
  0547-3 (DAKINI Tacbot) Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse (13)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:11  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Remote Presence
    CH: Mimetism
  2x NETROD Electric Pulse (4)
    MOV:-  CC:-  BS:-  PH:12  WIP:-  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous
    AD: Combat Jump, AI Beacon
  Lisa (DEVA) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife (23)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:15  ARM:2  BTS:-3  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    V: No Wound Incapacitation

 GROUP 2 (Regs: 1/Irrs: 0):
  0546-1 (DAKINI Tacbot) Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse (13)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:11  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Remote Presence
    CH: Mimetism

 313 Points | SWC: 4


 QAPU KHALQI- Celestial Crow Boarding Party
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 GROUP 1 (Regs: 6/Irrs: 0):
  Fahad (DJANBAZAN Lieutenant) Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (28 | 1)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2, Lieutenant
  Rashid (DJANBAZAN Doctor) Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (32)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2, Doctor
  Sabayah (DJANBAZAN Hacker ) Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW (40 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2, Hacking Device
  Aban (DJANBAZAN) Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CCW (33 | 1)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2
  Imad (DJANBAZAN) HMG / Pistol, CCW (36 | 1.5)
    MOV:4-2  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube, Linkable
    Multiterrain, Regeneration, Multispectral Visor L2
  NASMAT Electric Pulse (3)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:8  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Servant
    CH: Mimetism
  Tiala (ALGUACIL ) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife (14)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:10  WIP:13  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater

 GROUP 2 (Regs: 2/Irrs: 3):
  Fatina (HAWWA') Sniper Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife (29 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Camouflage, Infiltration
  Abdullah (HAWWA' Hacker ) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife (33 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:13  BS:11  PH:11  WIP:14  ARM:1  BTS:0  W:1 
    Regular, Not Impetuous, No Cube
    CH: Camouflage, Infiltration, Hacking Device
  Ashur (YUAN YUAN) Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW (17)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:9  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1 
    Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube
    Booty, AD: Combat Jump
  Sabeen (YUAN YUAN) Boarding Shotgun, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW (19)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:9  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1 
    Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube
    Booty, AD: Combat Jump
  Iraina (YUAN YUAN) Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW (11)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:9  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:0  W:1 
    Irregular, Impetuous, No Cube
    Booty, AD: Combat Jump

 295 Points | SWC: 5

More Campaign Details

Some new information about the upcoming Infinity book has been circulating on the web. In particular, a great interview with one of Corvus Belli's lead designers, Carlos, on Beasts of War.

This new information has given me a chance to do a lot more planning for our upcoming campaign. If anyone has questions, I will be down at the Armory this Friday at 6 PM to do Infinity demos and recruit for the campaign.

The campaign is designed for a maximum of 8 players, and is designed to take about 3 to 6 months for a group of 8 players to complete if they get together and play one game each week. As a result I am going to try to limit the field to 8 people. Please don't let this discourage you, however, if you want to join the campaign. We have about 5 regular Infinity players in our group right now, and I would love to invite 3 more new players to join the campaign. Also, if there is overwhelming interest in the campaign then I am not above rewriting the rules to accommodate a larger group.

Armies for the campaign start at 300 points and can be any number of combat groups. There are also special skills that can be gained by your army over time that will allow them to increase their size or gain extra models. Armies can also change from one mission to another, so you don't need a set army list. The only model that stays the same from one mission to the next is your Spec-Ops avatar, the model that represents you personally on the table.

I will be running this campaign in "hard core mode". This means that when a model dies it is dead forever. Some models will have a chance to survive even if they are taken out of action during a mission, and models with Cubes will have a chance to be resurrected, but for all models there is a very real possibility of death. Unique models and special characters who die, including your Spec-Ops character, cannot be used again until the campaign is over.

I highly recommend checking out the new information at Beasts of War and on Infinity's website. I would also like to ask everyone to start brining their favorite 300 point army lists down to the Armory and Matrix to start getting in some practice games before the campaign. I hope to see you all at the Armory on Friday!

Paradiso Campaign

Infinity made their official announcement today for the Paradiso campaign book. It looks like the book will be coming out at the end of September, which means I'll be starting the Infinity Campaign at the beginning of October. Corvus Belli is starting preorders for the book this week, so I'll be placing my order Friday.

I have a new work schedule which will free me up to run more Infinity demos and the campaign. From now on I will be running Infinity every other Saturday at Matrix, as well as every alternating Friday night at the Armory. As usual, my schedule will become very fluid as the holidays approach, but with luck there will be some form of Infinity going on every weekend for the foreseeable future. I'll post a calendar soon so everyone can see what nights I'll be at what stores.

Anyone interested in playing in the Infinity campaign should get in touch with me sometime between now and the end of September. I'd like to put together a list of players before we start.

The cover of the book features pictures of several Spec-Ops models. The 4 male models from front to back are: Nomad Vortex Operative, Ariadnan Intel, Yu-Jing Gui-Feng, and PanO Indigo Agent. The woman on the left is an Aleph Chandra agent, pictured here for the first time.

As a special bonus, everyone who preorders the new book will get a limited edition Go-Go Marlene miniature. Go-Go Marlene is the most famous roving reporter for MayaNet, and host of the popular Go-Go in Paradiso news program on the Oxyd channel. The other night Seth was watching me run a demo game for someone and made a joke that he was like a news reporter making commentary on the game. That got me thinking, the perfect perspective for me to write battle reports for the upcoming campaign is in the form of news reports. And now here comes Go-Go Marlene, our intrepid reporter and the POV for the upcoming campaign!

Spec Ops Models

As I was sitting and quietly nerding out about the changes to Infinity last night I set about to do some research. The most exciting new feature for me are the new Spec-Ops avatars.

Each player gets one Spec-Ops model in their army that represents them on the battlefield. In a way Spec-Ops models are like player characters in an RPG. Just like in a RPG these characters gain experience and can learn to use new skills, weapons and equipment.

Every army in the game will be getting at least one Spec-Ops model, which will each be able to be customized to fit into any of the sectorial armies. From what I have been able to tell, every Spec-Ops model will come with at least 2 heads, and at least 2 sets of arms. It appears that the arm sets will either attach at the forearms or elbows, making them easy to detach or magnetize. From the pictures I've seen and articles I've read most of the Spec-Ops models will have neutral poses that will make them easier to convert.






The Spec-Ops models confirmed so far are:

Indigo Agents (PanO)

Intel (Ariadna)- Pictured above.

Gui Feng (Yu Jing)- I think this translates as either "Wind Soldier" or "Ghost Wind", but I don't speak Chinese. Also pictured here.

Husam (Haqqislam)- Arabic for "Sword".

Vortex Operative (Nomads)

Treitak (Morat)

Corax Agent (Shasvastii)- Latin for "Crow".

Chandra (Aleph)- Chandra is the Hindu god of the moon, and in Vedic stories is the god of the mind and emotions.

Kaplan Tactical Services (Mercenary)- I'm not sure about this one yet, this is just a rumor. This model will definitely exist, but it may just be a new unit and not a Spec-op.

The last photo here shows off some of the alternate heads and weapon arms that will be available for the Intel and Gui-Feng.

Tohaa!

Drop whatever you are doing, sit down, and go to Beasts of War right now. I'll wait.

How awesome was that? I'm so excited right now!

For those that don't know, the Tohaa are the native humanoid race of Paradiso. These enigmatic aliens are peaceful and friendly, but not very forthcoming with useful information. It has been suspected that they were not orginally native to Paradiso, and may be an alien race. Well, it looks like we have our answer now!

So many great new things that have been rumors, but that are now confirmed! A campaign system with experience progression, a full mission system, customizable Spec-Ops player characters, a new army, and at least one new sectorial army. This is almost everything I was hoping for in a new book, I just hope we don't have to wait long for it.

Tournament Rules Recap

During the Infinity Tournament there were many times when I had to be called over for a rules clarification. Obviously, this is the job of a Tournament Organizer, and is to be expected for a game with so many new players. However, there were a couple of times that I was confused by multiple people asking me questions at the same time or I had to make a snap decision about a rule that I actually did not know.

Mistakes are a great opportunity to learn, however, so this is a good time for me clear up any that I might have made. Of course, any calls that were made during the tournament still stand, this is just an opportunity to make sure we do things right in the future.

1. Models have a minimum movement of 2-2. This means that a model crawling prone through difficult terrain can still move 2 inches as a short movement skill.

2. If the modifiers on a roll results in a penalty that is greater than the attribute being used by a model then the skill being used fails automatically and the order is lost. For example, if a model uses his BS attribute of 12 to perform a Shoot Skill, and his penalties from range and visibility result in a -15 modifier, then his attack automatically fails with no die roll and the order is lost.

3. A Light Shotgun x2 is actually a special weapon in its own right. Rather than adding the Burst value of both weapons together, this weapon has a Burst of 3. Currently shotguns are the only weapons that can be used in this manner, although there are very strong rumors that the new book will have official rules for dual-wielding weapons.

4. The only difference between an AutoMedikit and the Regeneration skill is that the AutoMedikit is a piece of equipment, and can therefore be affected by things like E/M ammunition and the Booty skill.

5. When a model attempts to lock a target using a Hacking Device Plus the target may attempt to use a Dodge skill as an ARO like he would against any other lock attempt, even if he doesn't have line of sight to the Hacker.

6. A model may attempt to shoot a target in close combat, but suffers a -6 penalty to BS for each friendly model involved in the combat. If the attacker fails to hit his target, and his failure category is equal to or less than his penalty, then he hits a friendly model. For example, a model shooting into a close combat involving one ally needs a 6 to hit, but rolls a 9; in this case the shooter hits his ally by mistake. If there are multiple friendly models in the combat then determine the victim randomly.

My "New" Army

With Norcon behind us, and my work load now completely clear of terrain, it's time to start working on a new army. And my new army? My old army!

I've been painting my Qapu Khalqi army for years in traditional Haqqislam beige and green, and in all that time I've only finished 3 models. Embarrasingly my only fully painted Infinity armies are either demo armies or armies that I have sold. Haqqislam is by far my favorite force, and the one I play most often, yet I've never given them the attention they deserve.

That all changes now. I'm rebuilding my army from the ground up and finally painting them. The models will be mounted on resin bases, and will be on a magnetic display board (inspired by Seth's cool display for his JSA at Norcon.) I've been toying with different paint schemes and ended up with red and black as my final decision. To avoid ending up with an army that looks like Nomads I'll also be adding some yellow and purple accents to highlight certain models.

As I usually do, I'm slowly developing a story line in my mind for the army, as well as names for all of my fighters. All of the fighters in my army represent members of the crew of the Celestial Raven, a pirate ship that has become a privateer vessel "loyal" to the Haqqislam Sultinate. To start I'll be working on my Djanbazan link team, the backbone of my army. I'll start posting photos as my work progresses.

Norcon XII Recap

 Norcon XII is behind us, and it was a great time this year. The Apocalypse 40k game was bigger than ever, plenty of players got to try out new games like Dystopian Wars, and this year Norcon added a huge new Magic Card Game event.

Infinity had a solid turnout as well. Plenty of new players got to check out the game and we did several demo games to teach new players.

The Infinity Tournament had a good turnout as well, including a couple of new players competing in their first Infinity event. The winners were both new players, Jack and Jacob. Jack, the first place winner, won using a brutal defensive Bakunin list. Jacob came in second with a balanced Imperial Service army. Seth and Joel tied for the player's choice award, with Japanese Sectorial and Caledonian armies respectively.

Norcon XII Part 12- Finished Tables 3

Except for a few finishing touches on some of the smaller pieces and objective markers, I am done. The only major thing I really have left to do is to finish painting my Imperial Service demo army, which I have half a day left to do.

The final two tables for Norcon, not counting the beautiful Japanese Village table that Joel made, are the Apartment Complex and Spaceport Warehouse Offices.

I expect that the Apartment Complex will probably be the most popular table of the six for Norcon. Personally I am more excited about the Starship and Beach tables, but the Apartment complex features a lot of really great terrain pieces from Micro Art Studio. This polish studio makes the official terrain for the game of Infinity, and it fits the game perfectly. Complimenting these pieces are a few fantastic bits from Antenocitis Workshop, including the cars and phone booth I reviewed in an earlier post. Finally, the civilian objective marker is represented by a model from Reaper Miniatures.

I decided not to throw any pictures of the warehouse terrain up here because, frankly, that's the one table I am disappointed with. I saved it to last, and ended up doing almost no detailing on it. Compound that with a boring color scheme and the nicest thing I can say about it is: at least it will be fun to play on. Fortunately, David is painting half the terrain for the warehouse table. I haven't seen his efforts yet, but if they are up to his usual caliber it should manage to save the table.


Also pictured here is one more shot from the Beach table, showing off the completed jungle area.

Beach Table Difficult Terrain Rules

For anyone who was worried about their troop movement on the Beach table, here is the movement chart for difficult terrain that will be included in the scenario pack. As you can see, some troops won't even be affected by this terrain. Each area of the table will impose its own special effects as well, for example the jungle imposes a -3 penalty on all BS attacks and Discover rolls, while the deep water prevents some types of deployment completely.

Remember also, troops with a terrain skill consider that type of terrain to be one category lower. Therefore, a PanO Cutter TAG would be able to move through shallow water at half speed.

Area	Terrain Type	Class	No Penalty	Half Movement	No Movement	Combat Jump/Mechanized Deployment OK?	Visibility
Shallow Water	Aquatic	Very Difficult	SK	LI, MI, HI, WB	TAG, REM, Motorcycles/Vehicles	Yes	Clear
Deep Water	Aquatic	Impassable		LI, SK, WB	TAG, REM, MI, HI, Motorcycles/Vehicles	NO	Clear
Beach Dunes	Desert	Difficult	LI, SK, WB	TAG, REM, MI, HI, Motorcycles/Vehicles		Yes	Clear
Jungle	Jungle	Very Difficult	SK	LI, MI, HI, WB	TAG, REM, Motorcycles/Vehicles	Yes	Low Visibility
Boulders	Mountain	Very Difficult	SK	LI, MI, HI, WB	TAG, REM, Motorcycles/Vehicles	Yes	Clear
Docks	Open	Open	All Types			Yes	Clear