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Quick question for y'all... I am just starting into Infinity, and wondered if it would be a good idea to get

1. Starter box (regular) and JSA and ISS starter boxes all at once... Are the units interchangeable?? Would I get enough of those 3 starter boxes to continue to build an army that would be competitive at 150/200/250

If not, which of the 3 is the best way to go and then what support units should I get from there?? I know everyones taste is different... So it is a pretty broad question. I tend to like HMG's and Sniper's , but I know SWC starts to add up...


Thanks for everyones help!!

As far as I know, for vanilla Yu Jing, you can run all the units that you would have. I don't know the ISS or JSA starters offhand, as I don't play Yu Jing primarily. The only thing you would have to watch out for is you Availability. You may get too many of one troop to use in a vanilla list. I do know offhand that you will have one extra Celestial Guard model, but proxying is allowed, so he could easily be another Zhanshi. You would have plenty of options to start out with, having all 18 of those models.

The best thing I've seen to do if you're just starting is to get the vanilla starter and the 2-pack blister of Tiger Soldiers. It gives you 2 good 150 point lists to learn with, and then you can expand from there. The Chain Rifle Domaru and Combi-Rifle Tiger have the same cost, both in points and SWC, so they're interchangable.

Personally, I would run 3x Zhanshi, Shang Ji Lt., Celestial Guard w/ Kuang Shi Control Device (for Smoke), Domaru, and Tiger Soldier w/ HMG. That's vanilla starter plus the HMG Tiger. Comes out at 150 / 2, and keeps enough orders on board to Rambo with the Domaru early in the game.

150 is a great point level to start at so you can learn the game without getting bogged down in too many special rules and such. Though with the above list you do get to learn a bit about smoke, AD, Frenzy(and therefore managing Impetuous models), Berserk, and a few others.

From there, pick up models you like. Seriously, it's hard to overstate, but pretty much every model in Infinity is viable on the tabletop. You won't be dealing with Kommandos, Ethereals, or Pyrovores here! In closing, welcome to the world of AROs, and I hope you have a lot of fun!

I just started as well, but the thing that I've heard more than anything else is "It's not the list, it's the player." Which means that you can generally pick the models you like best and play with them.

That said, there are some things to keep in mind. Yu Jing are a little bit better at close combat than other factions. And the JSA have a lot more close-quarter fighters than other sectorials. And like Sin said, the ISS box has 3 Celestial Guard (where their AVA is limited to 2 outside of the ISS sectorial army).

Ultimately, pick the starter box you like. I don't think you should get all three though. You will end up with too many bread-and-butter troops and not enough power. Not that this is bad, just bland. Once you have the starter, you can expand out. Tiger Soldiers are good (one of the best statted units we have). Ninjas (or an Oniwaban) are good if you want to try TO: Camo. And Guilang mine-layers are a lot of fun.

What did I do? (And keep in mind that I only just started.) I ordered the JSA box with Shinobu Kitsune (because I like foxes). I almost got the ISS box because the miniatures are amazing. I followed up with some Celestial Guard because I liked the minis, some Ninjas because I wanted a hacker I could throw out TO Style. And my next buy is going to be a Su-Jian because transformers are awesome. I've been tempted to a Hsien (for the 2 wounds and HMG) and a Crane or Pheasant Rank (because they are amazing models), or even Sun Tze 2.0. Miyamoto Musashi will follow at some point.

My choices are based solely on rule of cool though. And yours should be too. (Just keep in mind that if you're not careful you might not be able to field all of your models in one force; such as me being unable to field Shinobu with three Celestial Guard.)

Well for being new Foxtale have it down pretty well. So not much to add here. I can only say just start to play and see get a feel of what your play style is. Remember good CC is nice but difficult to pull off in this game.

Yu-Jing Starter Pack
Yu-Jing: Hsien (HMG)
Yu-Jing: Ninja (Sniper)
Yu-Jing: Tiger Soldiers with Combi Rifle & HMG (2)
Yu-Jing: Tokusetsu (Doctor /Engineer)

Again, with me being new, and getting ready to get into the game... basically trying to get 10 models for NOW... would this seem like a decent start? I am more of a casual player, not looking to win any tournaments or anything.. I know I have read it 100 times, its not the list, its the player, and i do believe that in this game.. But I just want to make sure I am coming into the game on the right foot...

Again, I thank all of you for your replies!

Houtex

Seems like a pretty decent start. It took me a game or two to get a feel for what models I want to get next, based on what I was missing in my force.

If you haven't already found it, Army Infinity (http://infinitythegame.com/dt_army/) is a free army builder which is very helpful.

 houtex73 wrote:
Yu-Jing Starter Pack
Yu-Jing: Hsien (HMG)
Yu-Jing: Ninja (Sniper)
Yu-Jing: Tiger Soldiers with Combi Rifle & HMG (2)
Yu-Jing: Tokusetsu (Doctor /Engineer)

Again, with me being new, and getting ready to get into the game... basically trying to get 10 models for NOW... would this seem like a decent start? I am more of a casual player, not looking to win any tournaments or anything.. I know I have read it 100 times, its not the list, its the player, and i do believe that in this game.. But I just want to make sure I am coming into the game on the right foot...

Again, I thank all of you for your replies!

Houtex

That looks like a great start. I would also like to add the Daofei HMG to the list. From what I hear, a TO camo'd infiltrating HMG is pretty good, even if he is pretty expensive in-game.

Too many SWC for a playable list it looks like to me. They're not bad models to have, you just won't get to use them all in a lower point game. Add another troop or two without a special weapon to that list and you'll have a lot of flexibility from the git go.

I think it's more of a list of what he has to choose from.

It's a good selection though. It looks like you are ready to kick butt.

Let us know how your first game goes. We would like know know what you think.

Melvin McSnatch wrote:
Too many SWC for a playable list it looks like to me. They're not bad models to have, you just won't get to use them all in a lower point game. Add another troop or two without a special weapon to that list and you'll have a lot of flexibility from the git go.

Actually, I am getting ready to buy those troops... So maybe a few more CG then to the order list??

That'll give you flexible small lists and a solid big list. Looks like a great start.

You'll love the Tiger and Hsien HMG, and they certainly make a great backbone to any list. But HMGs are awesome on just about everything. If you're like me, you'll have to control your urge to buy everything with an HMG until you fill out some other holes for broader selection. Multi-rifles and Boarding Shotguns are incredible non-SWC weapons, so don't discount those in your future selections.

Melvin McSnatch wrote:
That'll give you flexible small lists and a solid big list.

You'll love the Tiger and Hsien HMG, but HMGs are awesome on just about everything, so if you're like me, you'll have to control your urge to buy everything with an HMG until you fill out some other holes for broader selection. Multi-rifles and Boarding Shotguns are incredible non-SWC weapons, so don't discount those in your future selections.

I am at work right now, so I cant get to the wpns chart...

Boarding shotgun --- what is optimum range and damage? Honestly I have been over looking those thinking shot gun.....

Boarding shotguns fire like a normal weapon at an enemy, but when it hits it fragments into a template and can hit multiple targets.
0-8" / +3
8-16" / 0
16-24" / -3

They also do 14 dmg, so stronger than your average rifle.

Melvin McSnatch wrote:
Boarding shotguns fire like a normal weapon at an enemy, but when it hits it fragments into a template and can hit multiple targets.
0-8" / +3
8-16" / 0
16-24" / -3

They also do 14 dmg, so stronger than your average rifle.

I likey... I think I will look at adding a few, though 16" is not that far, but it is a shot gun after all....

a question though... If a model is in a prone position does it recieve any kind of cover save i.e. +3?

Not inherently, as in you don't get it for being prone. When you go prone, you count the mini's base as being the mini. So while you don't get any bonus for going prone in itself, something that did not provide cover before might give you cover now, or hide your mini altogether.
Worth noting is if you're prone and on a higher level than your opponent (on a higher house, a hill etc) you always counts as being in cover.

Another thing about the Boarding shotgun is that it can also do Armor Piercing ammo! Very handy at ST14. No template for that though. It also allows you to choose the type of ammo in ARO.

Yeah the Boarding Shotgun can be a handy little CQB tool that has a bunch of roles available. Handy to have when a TAG comes lumbering up to your lines and you just lost your dedicated anti-armour troops to bad rolls. And 16" can be long enough depending on the board. Not always my first choice in weapons but it has its uses and it is always a great, cheap option for a lot of units.