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Ha - you and me brother!

What factions are you running?

I've got the Combined Army starter kit, the PanOceania starter kit, and Ariadna(Ariadna however is my baby )

Ariadna, Combined, Haqqislam and Nomads for me.

Nomads an Ariadna are #1 and #2 for me, though the other 2 are close behind...

I'm betting that the Aleph faction is going to get awesome quick too!

Yeah, Nomads look pretty cool.

I'll be running PanO and Aleph (mainly because the HS lists for PO allow some Aleph units but also because the sculpts for the Aleph stuff are awesome).

chromedog wrote:I'll be running PanO and Aleph (mainly because the HS lists for PO allow some Aleph units but also because the sculpts for the Aleph stuff are awesome).

I've been skimming the HUMAN SPHERE book... and came across the ACHILLES entry for ALEPH.

Never mind the rest of their entries - cool stuff in there!

I knew I'd be picking them up eventually!

I just wish they'd hurry up with some multi-part/weapon Chasseur and other multi-weapon option kits.

Me too!

But Corvus Belli/Infinity and 'hurry up' don't seem to go together...

Kanluwen wrote:I've got the Combined Army starter kit, the PanOceania starter kit, and Ariadna(Ariadna however is my baby )

I've started collecting some of these models. I feel I must get a hold of this rule book to help me out.

You can download the rules for free from their website, but I'm old school in that I prefer to have the actual rulebook too.

Alpharius wrote:You can download the rules for free from their website, but I'm old school in that I prefer to have the actual rulebook too.

agreed!

I did download the rules a while ago (October last, I think), but I'm with you guys who also prefer the feel (and probably smell of the ink and treatments on the paper ) of a book in my hands.

Besides, the book weighs less than my laptop.

chromedog wrote:I did download the rules a while ago (October last, I think), but I'm with you guys who also prefer the feel (and probably smell of the ink and treatments on the paper ) of a book in my hands.

Besides, the book weighs less than my laptop.

Agreed on all counts!

I do wish I could find someone in the New England area to run a demo or two for me though.

The game does have quite a few interesting wrinkles to it...

Alpharius wrote:

chromedog wrote:I did download the rules a while ago (October last, I think), but I'm with you guys who also prefer the feel (and probably smell of the ink and treatments on the paper ) of a book in my hands.

Besides, the book weighs less than my laptop.

Agreed on all counts!

I do wish I could find someone in the New England area to run a demo or two for me though.

The game does have quite a few interesting wrinkles to it...

Let me figure it out and I'm in with you!

I'll add an Infinity force to my painting queue, maybe Nomads, and then we'll have to get together and figure it all out...

Alpharius wrote:I do wish I could find someone in the New England area to run a demo or two for me though.

The game does have quite a few interesting wrinkles to it...

Unfortunately, I'm out on the west coast, but I managed to get a small group started out here. The game mechanics are extremely fun to play but hard to master. It really is an excellent skirmish game. Feel free to post any rules questions here, and I will do what I can to answer them. Another great resource is the official Infinity forum, the community is extremely helpful.

Before you start running demos, please be sure that you have enough terrain! This is by far the biggest mistakes people have when starting Infinity. Best terrain in Infinity contains a variety of heights, density, alleys, and a few hiding spots. Click here for some samples of what "enough" terrain looks like. People often complain about terrain in Infinity, but there's so much free stuff out there for the game that it's almost a silly argument at this point. All those cargo cubes are color printouts of free downloadable content onto card-stock. Cost some ink and ~$10 for 100 sheets at your local office supply shop. Of course if you want to go completely overboard, here's a link to someone's Infinity table project. Yes, this guy's a professional, can you tell?

The fundamentals of the game is quite simple, I can probably do a quick write up of it if people are interested. I wrote an Infinity review awhile back, and it should give you some flavor on the game if you haven't already read it. Link here


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ariadna models are really sweet, but the PanO Cutter is still by far one of my favorite models. Although the new CA TAG is quite impressive too. Way too many cool looking minis in this game!

Salisar - hello!

And yes, anything you can do to help us (me!) get started will be greatly appreciated.

A quick (ha!) writeup of the rules and fundamentals sounds like a great thing to me...

And that new CA TAG (The Anathematic, right?) is the reason I just bought a Combined Army force!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
A quick question!

Is there a good place to download all the various counter images for all the counters that are needed in the game?

I've seen some that look like they've been printed out and glued to 25mm bases, but can't locate the proper images online yet...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
OK, thanks to your excellent review/reiteup in the link you posted, I was able to find the markers I was looking for:

http://www.mayasphere.net/infinity_ENG/images/stories/downloads/pdf/061124105033_temp_markerseng.pdf

So, thanks!

Good to see another INFINITY fan on here, and I look forward to many conversations about the game.

The 'official' forums can be a bit intimidating for a noob as the regulars love to use abbreviations and acronyms with little to no explanation as to what they're talking about!

Alpharius wrote:
A quick (ha!) writeup of the rules and fundamentals sounds like a great thing to me...

Yeah, good point... It'll be hard to make this quick, heh... I'll piece meal it, so it won't get too confusing. Here are the fundamentals of the game.

GAME FUNDAMENTALS

Basic Skill Checks
In order to succeed on a skill check you must roll below the model’s stat number including all modifiers. If the roll is exactly the number you need to roll, then you scored a critical success! (e.g. If your character has a Will Power of 13, and you rolled a 13 on your will power check, then you scored a critical success)

Face-to-Face Rolls
Think of a good old fashioned western movie. Two enemies reach for the guns as shots ring out. One of them falls to the ground as their last breath escapes. Face-to-Face rolls represents battle of wills, wits, and physical prowess. Face-to-Face rolls can be used for shootouts to battle of wills to see which player gets to go first.

(Simple Example Face-to-Face): Before the game begins each player secretly chooses a Lieutenant. Two players’ Lieutenants now must make a Will Power (WIP) face-to-face roll. The winner decides whether they want to deploy first and go first, or choose the starting table edge. Here are all the possible outcomes of the WIP face-to-face:
1. If both players fail the skill (WIP) check. (for beginning of the game simply reroll)
2. Player #1 succeeds and Player #2 one fails, then player #1 wins the face-to-face.
3. Both players succeeded their WIP check. The player with the higher success roll wins!
4. Player #1 makes the skill check, but Player #2 scores a critical, then the critical wins.
5. If both players score a critical, then the player with the higher skill wins (including modifiers, if any)

That's it, these concepts are what the game is based on. I will systematically explain other game mechanics, but everything is essentially based off skill checks and face-to-face rolls. If you understand these two concepts then you are well on your to playing Infinity!

Could you give any tips for people that are still new to the game? I've played a few times at a friend's house, so I have a decent(ish) grasp of the rules, but any general tips on what to do/avoid would be very welcome. For what it's worth, I'm going for a Yu Jing army, my friend is going to play Haqqislam, and our third player is interested in PanO.

Paladin Blake wrote:Could you give any tips for people that are still new to the game? I've played a few times at a friend's house, so I have a decent(ish) grasp of the rules, but any general tips on what to do/avoid would be very welcome. For what it's worth, I'm going for a Yu Jing army, my friend is going to play Haqqislam, and our third player is interested in PanO.

That's a nice mix of forces!

I've managed to pick up a few at good prices, so I've got a Nomad, Ariadna, Haqqislam and a Combined Army... all in the works!

Of course, to the best of my knowledge, I've no other players in my area, but I hope to change that and I'm willing to travel a bit too - so I'm sure I can find something in the greater Boston area!

And Salisar, thanks for the write-ups!

I'm just starting to delve into the rules now, and I'm sure I'll have questions...

For instance:

Salisar wrote:

(Simple Example Face-to-Face): Before the game begins each player secretly chooses a Lieutenant. Two players’ Lieutenants now must make a Will Power (WIP) face-to-face roll. The winner decides whether they want to deploy first and go first, or choose the starting table edge. Here are all the possible outcomes of the WIP face-to-face:
1. If both players fail the skill (WIP) check. (for beginning of the game simply reroll)

So... what happens then?

If both fail the WIP check, does the one with the highest roll then win?

Alpharius wrote:
That's a nice mix of forces!

I've managed to pick up a few at good prices, so I've got a Nomad, Ariadna, Haqqislam and a Combined Army... all in the works!

Of course, to the best of my knowledge, I've no other players in my area, but I hope to change that and I'm willing to travel a bit too - so I'm sure I can find something in the greater Boston area!

I know that feeling well. So far, the only Infinity players I know outside of the internet are people I play RPGs with. Once I get home from school for the summer and actually get some money to buy and paint up some minis, we think we're going to hit up the LGS and see if we can recruit some new players. Infinity is really a good game. The primary issue with it is the fact that the market is so dominated by GW and (to a much lesser extent) PP, many people have never heard of it. The good thing is that the game actually sells itself once you start playing it.

As for the FoF deployment issue, I've always played it so that you re-roll if both players fail. I don't know if that's actually right, though, and I'm interested to know as well.

Paladin Blake wrote:Could you give any tips for people that are still new to the game? I've played a few times at a friend's house, so I have a decent(ish) grasp of the rules, but any general tips on what to do/avoid would be very welcome. For what it's worth, I'm going for a Yu Jing army, my friend is going to play Haqqislam, and our third player is interested in PanO.

As you get into Infinity the Rambo syndrome will seem overpowering initially. Rambo = All the army's orders' are poured into a single powerful unit as it rampages around the table. The power of Rambo can be simply mitigated by proper table setup and deployment. Resist the urge to bunch up all of your units into a tight area, spread out units unless they are linked. A squad of 5-linked units can take out just about any Rambo with ARO. Do not get discouraged by Rambo, as they will seem crazy powerful during the first few games, especially if the table is not setup properly! As you gain more experience you will notice that Rambo's are effective, but not overwhelming as you originally thought.

Alpharius wrote:

Salisar wrote:

(Simple Example Face-to-Face): Before the game begins each player secretly chooses a Lieutenant. Two players’ Lieutenants now must make a Will Power (WIP) face-to-face roll. The winner decides whether they want to deploy first and go first, or choose the starting table edge. Here are all the possible outcomes of the WIP face-to-face:
1. If both players fail the skill (WIP) check. (for beginning of the game simply reroll)

So... what happens then?

If both fail the WIP check, does the one with the highest roll then win?

Neither side "wins" a face-to-face if both sides fail the face-to-face roll. Basically, nothing happened. Think about the Storm-Troopers versus the brown coats in Star Wars. Yes, both sides shoot like crazy and there's blaster fire everywhere, but no one is ever hit. Before the game actually begins, to determine who goes first, both players can simply perform another face-to-face if both players failed WIP check. However during the game if both players fail a check then nothing happens and the order is still spent.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here's the next concept:

MODIFIERS:
Certain unit types and equipment will give your unit stat modifiers to their base abilities. The standard rifle for example is most effective at medium range which is between 8-16". At this range, the weapon will give the shooter a bonus of +3 to BS. However, units with "mimetism" and "camouflage" are difficult to hit, hence targeting them with shooting will cause a penalty of -3, while units with thermo-optic camouflage (TO Camo) (think Predator's cloaking ability) are even harder to hit, so shooting a model with TO Camo will have a modifier of -6. If a model is in base-to-base to cover, then they will get a bonus of +3 armor and -3 to the shooters BS.

(Complex Example A - Modifiers):
Line Kazak = BS11... If a Line Kazak shoots his rifle into the back of a PanO Croc Man with TO Camo who is 14" away then:

BS11 + 3 (medium range bonus on rifle) - 6 (Croc Man's TO Camo) = 8

So if you manage the Line Kazak rolls 1-7 then he will score a hit on the unsuspecting CrocMan, and a roll of 8 will score a critical hit. If the Line Kazak rolls 9-20 then the shot(s) will miss. Since it is Ariadna player's active turn then the Line Kazak will get the full burst (B) value of his shots, so after declaring his attack, the player can roll 3d20.


(Complex Example B - Modifiers):
Line Kazak = BS11... If a Line Kazak shoots his rifle into the back of a PanO Croc Man with TO Camo who is 32" away in cover then:

BS11 - 6 (maximum range penalty on rifle) - 6 (Croc Man's TO Camo) - 3 (Cover) = -4

This is an impossible shot for the Line Kazak. The order is wasted, no dice is rolled.

Salisar wrote:
As you get into Infinity the Rambo syndrome will seem overpowering initially. Rambo = All the army's orders' are poured into a single powerful unit as it rampages around the table. The power of Rambo can be simply mitigated by proper table setup and deployment. Resist the urge to bunch up all of your units into a tight area, spread out units unless they are linked. A squad of 5-linked units can take out just about any Rambo with ARO. Do not get discouraged by Rambo, as they will seem crazy powerful during the first few games, especially if the table is not setup properly! As you gain more experience you will notice that Rambo's are effective, but not overwhelming as you originally thought.

Not trying to annoy you or anything, but what do you mean by "proper table setup and deployment?" I get that high terrain is massively advantageous and that fire lanes that are too long can mess balance up a lot, but do you have any other tips? I keep hearing (from numerous people) that table setup is important, but I'm not entirely sure what that means...

I think, mostly, that it means a LOT of terrain.

And by that, terrain that blocks line of sight, creates hiding places, and doesn't allow snipers to absolutely dominate.

It looks like a major problem is that a lot of 40K players give INFINITY a try using a setup not that much more dense that a game of 40K.
And if you've seen some 40K terrain setups over in the Battle Reports forum, you'll realize that's not going to get it done. At least, not in anyway that's going to be fun.

Isn't there something in the rulebook about keeping terrain no more that 10" away from each other? Or something like that?

Paladin Blake wrote:Not trying to annoy you or anything, but what do you mean by "proper table setup and deployment?" I get that high terrain is massively advantageous and that fire lanes that are too long can mess balance up a lot, but do you have any other tips? I keep hearing (from numerous people) that table setup is important, but I'm not entirely sure what that means...

That's a very fair point actually, let me see if I can clarify.

As Alpharius said:

Alpharius wrote:I think, mostly, that it means a LOT of terrain.

Lots of terrain is a good rule of thumb. but be sure that buildings have a variety of heights. In areas with little or no cover, such as city streets, feel free to add little pieces like phone booths, garbage cans, crates & boxes, etc. so you will have lots of places to use as cover, so don't be shy about dropping a random piece of terrain at places for no reason.

A good way to prevent players from rampaging across the board is to put buildings in physical contact with one another to create solid blocks of terrain similar to city blocks and town centers. Be especially careful about putting tall "sniper's nest" in deployment zones or near table edges where they can see the entire table.

Alpharius wrote:Isn't there something in the rulebook about keeping terrain no more that 10" away from each other? Or something like that?

Sounds just about right, I tend to keep most terrain anywhere from 0 to 4-6" away, and 10" for stuff like city streets and the such. Terrain setup is really just something you need to experiment with and learn. If your entire army gets dominated by a single model on a perch with a sniper rifle, then consider your table setup. On the other hand, if a heavy infantry gets into your deployment zone and starts shooting your squad on the first turn then you should block off more alleys. It doesn't hurt to almost setup mazes to add a little travel time for units.

If games seem to end on the first or second turn then there's probably some issues with terrain setup. Don't get too discouraged, move terrain around and tryagain. Experiment and have fun with the game!

Very nice summary of actions there!

Much appreciated!

Speaking of 'one man army' and 'Rambo' types, I'm betting that ALEPH's Achilles and Patroclus are going to be something along those lines...

Not really; one man armies will only really work once. They're only super-effective if they can get the drop (Cutter with TO Camo, etc). Otherwise you have a chance to prepare for them.

Every army contains plenty to make their lives hard (AP Mines, Monofilamental weapons, ADHLs). Trust me, good infinity armies are all about combined arms. Not cheerleaders and Rambos!

Well, this is good to know!

The 'one man army' complaint is usually the first thing out of the box for the Infinity haters...

Alpharius wrote:Speaking of 'one man army' and 'Rambo' types,

I bet when Infinity gets a rules update, allowing cheap units to feed unlimited actions to a single model goes away. Probably max of 1 bonus short action.

Actually, they've kinda already done that the opposite way, instead allowing Cheap troops in the sectorials the 'Link' ability that allows all link troops (including specialist) to do the same order but only consuming one. Think of it as a cheap Combined Order (only generates 1 ARO). It actually makes taking these models much more attractive.

I think everyone who plays infinity on the wrong board and without missions (and caveat emptor.... you'll need to create both these things yourself!) misses out on how cool a system it is. It is totally un-fun if you play it any other way.