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Hello again,
Trying to get a friend to start Infinity w/ me and Haqqislam has caught his eye. But with the infinity site/forum acting up I was wondering if any veteran Haqq. players here could provide a rundown of the units & the armies strengths?
Got some great feedback on Aleph & hope I can get the same for Haqq. as always any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,DM

I've got bookmarks to some good tactica for Haqqislam, unfortunately, they're linked to threads in the CB Infinity forums. Look for the ones by "maru". Not a native english speaker, so his grammar and spelling can be a struggle, to say the least, but his tactical analysis is spot on. There's also another one by "Tevesh" with a more aggressive slant to his tactical recommendations.

Here are the links for maru's, but unfortunately, with the CB forums acting up, might be a while before you can bring them up.

An Enlightened Treatise of Haqqislam Warfare
Hassassin Bahram
Qapu Khalki: Guardians of the Silk Road

If the links are still acting up, I can try to put up some unit reviews based on my own limited experience.

I only played a few games with my Haqq unit ....as I only have a single sparring partner here...also a Haqq player.

but there is the occassional PanO.

So based on our games this is what I can share.

Same as with any faction you can go with the models you like and your army can work. Just be cautious about your orders, irregular troops, or airborne deployment troops.

Haqq has high WIP...which make it good for doctors, hacking, start of the game F-to-F roll, and scenario applications.

My last list didn't have a doc...but my opponent used his doc very effectively (along with nasmat remotes)... giving me a headache by bringing back troops that I had to exert effort just to take down.

We have good flexible basic infantry with a note going to the Naffatun who is armed with a flamethrower a very useful and nasty weapon.

My Janissary has proven itself time and time again...it being religious allowed me to still cause some casualties even though I was already on retreat.

Haqq also has Hassassins (assassins) whose roles vary....want a sniper who will lock down areas (Lasiq).... an impersonator who will get in close slit enemies' throats (Fiday)...etc.

Heavy infantry is nothing compared to the ones of the higher tech factions like Aleph...that is why the gameplay tends to be using small point units to take down enemy unit of higher points or carefully using. or...using a good fig to take down several enemies.

Another guy told me he uses his Haqq via brutal assault using light infantry....i guess if you have cheap LI running around with flamethrowers or chain rifles, you could do that.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
BTW phelanwolf...was the guy i was referring to whose doc and nasmats...made his key figure rise up from the ground and work over time....hahaha.

Thanks, for the replys & links. (looks like the infinity site is still down)

Well, since the CB Infinity forums are still down, I may as well do a quick run through of faction traits and units of note. Take with a little bit of salt, as I don't have an incredible amount of experience. Comments, crits, would be great, and would love to hear other people's opinions on units that I'm not able to tackle due to lack of experience.

HAQQISLAM (WIP)

The armed forces of Bourak are known for their excellent light infantry and superb morale. While Haqqislam units don't get as many high-tech toys to play with when compared to other factions, many Haqqislam units have access to unusual super-soldier style enhancements like Regeneration, Super-Jump, as well as the Relgious Troop troop trait. Conversely, Haqqislam's heavy infantry tend to be relatively average compared to other high tech factions. Haqqislam's dedication to medical science also means that the faction has the best availability of the doctor skill, allowing you to keep your forces in top condition. The higher than average willpower scores also mean that Haqq players have a higher chance of gaining the initiative and better chances of revealing enemy camouflage markers and impersonators.

While light infantry are comparatively fragile, they have a lot of offensive potential, allowing Haqq forces to play very aggressively, attempting to generate assymetrical trades whenever possible. Get it into your head that you're probably going to loose troops, and try to make sure that the other guy pays through the nose for each model that you lose. Frontline doctors (and medical remotes) can allow you to keep up the pressure, or you can save those points and use them instead on heavier weapons.

+Good Willpower & doctors
+Good light infantry
-less high-tech tricks

UNIT REVIEWS
These are based generally on units that I've used, proxied, or played against so it won't cover everything.

Basic cheerleaders

-NAFFATN
The Naffatn is an excellent example of the lethality of Haqq LI. The most commonly used variant is the 12 point Rifle+Heavy Flamer loadout, as the Str 14 large Fire template is ridiculously killy. The cascading nature of fire damage and the sure hit template (with a -6 dodge penalty) means that if you get the drop on a target, you're very likely to maul it. As an added bonus, Fire damage shuts down a lot of funky electronics like ODD. As a basic order generating unit, Naffatns beat Ghulams hands down, being much more lethal, and cheaper. The 10 point Light Flamethrower loadout is much rarer to find in action, but if those extra points might get you an HMG or other improvement elsewhere in your force, it might be worth considering. The Lt. option is not recommended as you have to pay 2 SWC for it. Consider only if you really want to hide your Lt., and you don't want/need to spend those points elsewhere in your list.

-GHULAM
The other common cheerleader for the Haqq army, the baseline Ghulam comes in at 13 pts, armed with a Rifle+Light Shotgun combo. Less deadly than the Nafftn and more expensive, they don't seem awesome until you consider the options and upgrades that Ghulam can field. Firstly, Ghulams are the cheapest Lt. option for Haqqislam, at 13pts/0 SWC, and their 14 willpower is already superior or equivalent to the willpower of good Lt options in other factions. Of course, if you bring a Ghulam as your Lt, it makes sense to field one or two others as decoys and order monkeys. Ghulams are also a budget option for doctors and hackers, allowing you to field these specialists on the cheap, though a lack of BTS on the Ghulam means it doesn't really shine as a defensive hacker. They're also a decent platform for special weapons, though their low-average BS 11 means they won't shine as heavy weapon troopers. Still, a Ghulam with a panzerfaust covering an ally is going to make even the hardiest HI or TAG take stock before daring to provoke an ARO. Where the Naffatn are aggressive, look on the Ghulams more as a toolkit, either providing cheap orders and LT decoys, cheap specialists, or nasty AROs.

Workhorse units

-DJANBAZAN
A very effective workhorse unit, the Djanbazan is Haqqislam's sole platform for MSV 2, allowing it to spot and shoot camouflaged units with ease. Regeneration also gives the Djanbazan some durability, with a ~55% chance of him getting back up if the opponent doesn't use an order to finish him off. As if they weren't nasty enough, you can also give them Sniper Rifles or HMGs, making them serious threats on the board. They're also durable platforms for the Hacker or Doctor skills, though with their 4-2 movement, they might be left behind by more aggressive forward units. Also an LT option for 1 SWC. Also, on a modelling note, the Djan sniper looks awesome, though YMMV.

-HASSASSIN LASIQ
People hate these guys with good reason. Lasiqs are Haqqislam's main vector for viral ammunition, which rips through light infantry with ridiculous ease, and can disable special abilities such as V: Dogged or No-Wound Incapacitation, and the shapeshifting of Ariadna's Dog-Warriors. Though they move at a sub-par 4-2, their Climbing Plus allows them to scale walls and buildings. In a map with multi-level urban terrain, Lasiqs really shine as they can quickly seize commanding viewpoints. CH:Mimetism gives them some protection in a shootout, and the X-Visor allows them to reduce range penalties.The Religious Troop trait almost seems an afterthought, but still useful in a close fight. The Viral Sniper Rifle and Viral Rifle loadouts are both nasty, with the rifle more suited to getting into the middle of the board, while the VSR really shines if it can control an entire fire lane.

-HASSASSIN MUYIB
The Muyibs are pretty much the poster boys of "deadly Haqqislam light infantry". An explosive toolkit of options, good stats, and the V: Dogged skill allows them to threaten just about anything on the board. V: Dogged allows a Muyib the potential to go on a rampage during the active turn ignoring its first wound (and then dropping dead at end of turn if still wounded). Just about every configuration fields some sort of explosive, whether it be the humble DEP, mines, panzerfausts, or D-Charges. Enemy TAG? Bring out a panzerfaust or DEP. Enemy skirmishers? Lay down some viral mines. Clumps of infantry? Pop off a few shots with the grenade launcher, or send in a spitfire. The key of course is having the right configuration for the job. Also a decent platform for Lieutenants or a frontline Doctor with anti-armor capability. A Muyib Doctor can even enter a rampage using Vogged, and then, before the end of his turn, can attempt to heal himself.


Heavies
-JANISSARY
Solid, reliable heavy infantry, built like a brick, and with the religious trait. Unlike the MultiRifles of other factions, the Janissaries carry AP Rifles+Light Shotguns, which sacrifice the versatility of the Multi option for a higher AP burst fire. Makes for a very durable Lt. or frontline doctor. Not as flashy as other the other factions' heavies, but they do their job well.

-AZ'RAIL
Another explosive toolkit. Not as heavily armored as Janissaries, Az'rails instead pack a plethora of weapons. The baseline Azrail packs an AP Rifle + Light Flamethrower and a Panzerfaust, giving him an option against just about anything. The Az'rail Feuerbach is also carries a nasty anti-armor and ARO weapon, and if the enemy gets too close for comfort, can whip out a surprisingly deadly assault pistol. Haven't tried the Spitfire Az'rail, but it doesn't seem to be impressive as the utility of the other loadouts.

-ASAWIRA
Lightning-fast, regenerating heavy infantry. High speed and regeneration allows you to be very aggressive with this HI. AP Rifles can put a dent on enemy TAGs or HI and nanopulsers can bust up clumps of enemies or allow for speculative shots. Upgrading to a spitfire sacrifices AP for higher strength damage and a larger burst. Another good platform for a frontline doctor or lieutenant, and especially notable as an Lt, as its high speed and regeneration allow you to make the most out of its extra order. However, if possible, hide it during your passive turn, as your opponent is likely to throw a lot of fire in its direction, and you cannot regenerate during your reactive turn.

Special purpose (to follow)

-HASSASSIN RAGIK
Airdrop goodness. What sets the Ragik apart from other airdropped units is the V: Dogged skill. While an airdrop behind the lines can be devastating to an enemy, all it takes is one lucky ARO to bring down most drop infantry. The Ragik's Dogged trait makes it that much harder to put down, increasing the odds of a successful rampage through the enemy lines. For this role, people seem to swear by the HMG Ragik, but it is pricy, and I still haven't tried to proxy the beast in.

-GHAZI MUTTAWIAH
At a mere 5 points each, these aggressive little warband units can be deadly to light and medium infantry, and irritating to heavy infantry, TAGs, and remotes. Irregular and Impetuous, these guys will throw themselves at the enemy at the first chance they get. Luckily they're armed to deal some damage, with a Chain Rifle, and the E/Marat, an EMP weapon that can disable enemy tech and immobilize HI and TAGs. Another Haqq unit that actively hunts for asymmetric trades, Ghazis will surge forward, and if they can bag even just a cheerleader, you're probably already ahead. With sufficient terrain for Ghazis to maneuver through, don't be surprised if one of these can bag 5 times its weight in dead enemy points, and if they flame out and deal minimal damage, you've only lost a 5 point berserker who wasn't even adding to your normal order pool.

-HASSASSIN FIDAY
-TUAREG
-AL'HAWWA

I'd be glad to give you a rundown of Haqqislam. I'll go through descending order of what I consider usefullness, with the stuff I use most at the top.

Saladin:
Saladin is one of the best Lieutenant options in the game, with a high WIP to win the roll, and Strategos to play shenanigans, not to mention the extra order he provides to your combat group. That being said, he's also a very obvious Lt, and your opponent is going to go after him (losing your Lt. puts you into the undesirable situation of choosing between using two orders for your entire combat group, or electing a new Lieutenant). Thankfully, he's no slouch, can take two wounds before dropping, and has good equipment for protecting himself. He is a classic Lieutenant, one who leads from the back, either tucked in a corner or surrounded by body guards.

Ghulam:
The Ghulam is Haqqislam's standard infantry. These guys have average stats, but a slightly above-average cost because of their light shotguns. There are much more cost-effective units in Haqqislam. That being said, these guys are our best support units: they make the cheapest doctors, hackers, Lieutenants, and HMG-toters and Panzerfaust-carriers. They also make the cheapest link-team. So while they're pretty mediocre on their basic form, they still can kick ass when the situation is right. If you choose to have a Ghulam be your Lieutenant, you're going to want to give him another basic profile to sit in the back and play paddy-cake with. Not only will the second Ghulam offer some protection in the form of another gun, he'll force your opponent to choose between your Ghulams when trying to figure out who your Lieutenant is.

Naffatun:
These are Ghulams with flamethrowers. They're cheaper and better, but lose out on all the support options. They are one of the most versatile units we have, able to to flame camo units with an Intuitive Attack, burn off other camouflage such as ODD (Optical disruptive device -- lowers attacking model's ballistic skill by six), disintegrate link-teams (the large template should catch at least three guys), or just provide a nasty ARO (Automatic Response Order -- your reaction when you see a dude). The heavy flamethrower is the right option, but if you're trying to cram in an extra order, then taking the light variant is tolerable.

Lasiq:
These guys are ridiculously dangerous. They're snipers with every ability that helps them, and no taxation from paying for things that don't help in their role as snipers. Both versions are incredibly powerful, with climbing-plus to reach vantage points, and viral ammo to put down MI (medium infantry) and LI (light infantry) down. The rifle variant is more aggressive, considering his shortened range band, and is less effective against HI (heavy infantry), but is more likely to win the FtF (face-to-face) roll at close range. The sniper is more dangerous at range, where she can make it stacked in her favor with range, camo, and cover. As well, she does fifteen damage, which seals the deal for most LI and MI, and can even down HI (heavy infantry).

Djanzaban:
A lot of people swear by these guys, but I can't say I'm as large a fan. I don't really like their models, and I'd rather take on camo or other modifiers with other methods. That being said, they are our only access to MSV2 (multispectral visor: level two), which is pretty powerful, and can save you from camo swarms or Myrmidon swarms. I put them here because I recommend them, even if I don't particularly like them.

Odalisque:
These ladies are dangerous. They can be used defensively or offensively with their SS2 (sixth sense: level two), NWI (No wound incapacition), and weapon variety. They're effectively light-HI, without having to worry about being hacked. They are very beginner friendly, and utilitarian in their abilities. I'd recommend trying out the spitfire.

Okay, more to come, but I have some work at the moment.

Well, I've only been up against Haqqislam and I can tell you their main strength is in numbers. You should always, always always, outnumber your foe. They have a lot of really good light to medium infantry and should make up most of a force I think.

Naffatun are really effective against camouflaged or units with that optical illusion that creates duplicates of them...forget what it's called.

I've also found that my odalisques with a boarding shotgun is a real mean girl who kills a lot and takes some heavy damage and keeps fighting. The one with the spitfire looks awesome.

Ooooh looks like good advice here. Must read!

sub'd

They have another good lieutenant; the Hafza. It's basically a Ghulam with +1 to BS and ARM, but they can disguise as any other troop in your army. They sinergize surprisingly well with Naffatuns, for their only Lt option costs 2 SWC. Disguise as Naffatun and hide amogst them, and your opponent will usually not bother trying to find him. If he does however, he can expect a nice faceful of flame from the real Nafts.

Hafza work well with Saladin too. They 'holoproject' as Saladin and confuse you opponent as to which is the real Saladin. Makes head-hunting more difficult.

The strength of Haqq is unit variety; there is a little bit of everything in this faction. You'lll never be bored playing Haqq. Unless you want to play TAGs. The Maghariba Guard is a cool TAG, but it requires a 75mm/3" base. Way too large :(

And never forget the doctors. Best in the game. And effective in so many ways. Especially at reviving the naffatun who fall so easily. Totally demoralizes your opponent to see the naffatun flame half his link team and end up unconscious, only to have a doctor revive the naffatun for further mayhem.

My main issue with Hafza if they can inflate the models you need to paint. If I want to confuse my opponent by having a Spitfire Hafza doubling as Saladin for a surprise, I've not only got to paint a Spitfire Hafza but a second Saladin.

I prefer to use them as a way to insert FO specialists or Spitfires into Link Teams, or simply imitate models I already naturally have doubles of. My QK list I'm working on, for example, has a Hafza FO in a Druze link, to give it 2 specialists (since there's a hacker in there too) and also bring the link to 5 models. While I'll need a 5th Druze, I'm hoping CB eventually decide to release the Spitfire model. I won't finish this list off until then.

Sneaky CB sales trickery...

I'm kind of put of the Hafza as I don't really like the miniatures! The problem is in Qapu Khalqi you have the Kaplan, Druze and now Sekban (I think some of the coolest miniatures in any range) and, other than the guy with his arms crossed who is making a good Saladin parody, I don't think the models are anything like as good when you have so much cool stuff to choose from.

Red Harvest - The Maghariba is just so iconic, and in friendly games I think most people use a kind of 'if it looks like it could fit through there' rule. In fact, someone pointed out to me the other day that the 'base size' rule actually isn't even in the rulebook?!

While I actively dislike the Druze and am not that bothered about the Kaplans. Sekbans are gorgeous though.

Yes, there is no base rule in Infinity, there are even some FAQs that infer that it's only limited by where the person/robot etc. could actually fit.

Wide and narrow gate markers are specific to Paradiso and ITS missions.

Pacific, I think the base size is in the errata or somewhere... but y'know, it is a great looking TAG, and if it could be placed on a 60mm base I would play it in an instant. But the tables I play on are a bit crowded... Hmmm, maybe some home made base extenders... Love that SWC for a TAG too.

We go with CBs recommendation of about 8" between terrain, so a 3" base isn't going to cause massive problems.

And besides, we're house-ruling that if you have scatter terrain and it's less than half the model's height, it can move over it without penalty. So this row of barrels... well, we suppose the Maghariba can just lift one leg a bit!