Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hello All,

Been lurking for awhile now and decided to take the plunge. But.........Trying to decide which faction play is hard. I play tau in 40k, so which faction is high tech/not so good melee lol? Pan Oceanic? Any thoughts our selling pints on the factions would be much appreciated. I am reading as many threads as I can to get an idea as well.

Well welcome to the Infinity forum

And you nailed it on the head with Pan O, they are high tech, however the Military Order isn't to shabby at melee. But CC is not really what you strive for in this game 99% of your battles will involve shooting.

Anyways I am sure the more seasoned players will come along in a moment to give some sound advice

Is there anyone in Infinity who isn't the 'shooty' guys?

Melee just isn't really that big a part of the game from what little experience I have. That in mind though I believe Pan O does have a rep for good shooting and good tech.

It is difficult to start Infinity as everything looks so good - however I'd pick a couple of models you really like and make that the start of your army. If you're going to invest time and money you want something you WANT to paint and use.

After that you can pick the rest of the force depending on how you want to play, pretty much every faction now had a reasonable selection of long range / close combat / tech troops so you can configure your force to suit your needs. There are a fair few threads on here that'll point you in the direction of other players lists.

If you want non shooty - you can go for Ariadna Highlanders etc, Yu-jing or even Combined Army

If you are getting into HtH, you're doing it wrong, or so it seems. This is a very shooty game, with very few CC types. High tech is either Pan-O or Combined Army (the voodoo tech), and also ALEPH. But the differences in tech don't really mean much in game. So, pick the faction that has the minis you like the best, and go from there. It will work out for you.
This method has worked for everybody I know who plays

Ive only recently started going along the same lines as you. I went for Pan-O which chose to be good choice, some of their elite units are very shooty as well as having very good armour and some cool gadgets (Neoterrans). In the end it depends on which models and fluff you like the best, there isn' a "bad" choice out of any of the factions (though as I understand some will be far more unforgiving on new players).

Am I the only one who sees the parallels between Tohaa and Tau?

Semi-friendly-but-for-the-Tohaas-benefit race assimilation? Alien high tech but not in a weird way? Very professional army that works in small, close supporting groups? Emphasis on mobility in combat?

Just saying 'I want a shooty faction' doesn't help in Infinity, as every faction is a shooty faction, but actually drawing parallels I'd say Tohaa are pretty close.

 -Loki- wrote:
Am I the only one who sees the parallels between Tohaa and Tau?

Semi-friendly-but-for-the-Tohaas-benefit race assimilation? Alien high tech but not in a weird way? Very professional army that works in small, close supporting groups? Emphasis on mobility in combat?

Just saying 'I want a shooty faction' doesn't help in Infinity, as every faction is a shooty faction, but actually drawing parallels I'd say Tohaa are pretty close.

I see more relations between eldar than tau for the tohaa....especially when you get into their shady politics....


Pan oceania play style is VERY tau, tons of units get "drones" in the form of auxbots and such.

The only part that fits Eldar is the whole 'manipulating humanity' angle and the fact that they're an old race. The rest perfectly fits Tau.

 -Loki- wrote:
The only part that fits Eldar is the whole 'manipulating humanity' angle and the fact that they're an old race. The rest perfectly fits Tau.

Not really, even their tech i vastly different. Hell they are closer to the Kroot, both have Bio-pets (Kroothound) and spiky hair.

The only Kroot parallel I see is the Chaksa. A primitive race given technology (and in the case of the Chaksa, enhanced intelligence) and 'asked' to fight for them.

Which again draws a parallel between the Tohaa and Tau, with both of them having auxiliary races that they 'recruit'.

The Tohaa are said to be elves but wit sinister and manipulative side of vampires. Apart from diplomacy, manipulation, they also share similar approach to technology. Eldar technology is said to be partially living, same with Tohaa. Any comparison isn't quite fitting to any franchise, since Warhammer is a fantasy tale set in cosmos.

I'll advise Aleph, Nomads and Combined Army. Those armies have high number of gadgets in their arsenal.

I can't stand Tau, but more than once I've called my Tohaa Tau or Tauhaa.

This army is pretty close range orientated, I'd say that rules them out as the Tau of 40k. Pan O seem the most Tau-like to me, but my Combined Army have also been called Infinity's Tau which pisses me off to no end...

Tohaa don't really fall into the glass cannon archetype of Tau or Elves. 3 wound HI and 2 wound LI/MI with the majority of the army linked is anything but frail. Also wouldn't consider them "High Tech" either since Tohaa hacking is laughable, they lack Monofilament, Multi ammunition and MSV3s. They can definitely shoot since the links can be very toolboxy with the variety of weapon load outs and the HMG Ectros is a pain to deal with.

Fluff has some parallels, but mysterious aliens with a secret sinister plan are a staple of Sci Fi. On the table Tohaa seem to rely more on brute force rather than technological finesse to get their way.

@OP Don't fall into the trap that new players are wont to believe; that because Infinity is a shooting game, PanO is "the" shooting army because they have +1 BS. Yes it's nice but as you play you'll learn that winning FtF leans heavily on reducing your opponent's to Hit modifiers and out rolling them. Access to Camo and high burst weapons are more powerful than +1 BS.

But hey, +1 BS does help!

I think to respond best to OP, you just have to look at the models that are out there, and see what floats your boat. What do you want to play, what is going to be fun to paint, what looks cool? Read the fluff, what sounds badass that you can't live without?

The only people that are decidedly Low-Tech after all are the Ariadna folks. And even then, they're more advanced then our current tech level. The beauty of Infinity is that pretty much every Faction can do everything. Some may have a couple quirks that give them an edge one way or another, but for the most part, there are enough similar loadouts where you can adapt playstyles based on the miniatures and vice versa.

Have fun with it, look at the models and read the fluff. Don't try to meta-game... even if you've played other miniature games... don't think your knowledge is going to transition over. It is a very different game with very different styles of play. Its going to be a learning experience for a bit.

 4rgfvsw6p wrote:
Tohaa don't really fall into the glass cannon archetype of Tau or Elves. 3 wound HI and 2 wound LI/MI with the majority of the army linked is anything but frail. Also wouldn't consider them "High Tech" either since Tohaa hacking is laughable, they lack Monofilament, Multi ammunition and MSV3s. They can definitely shoot since the links can be very toolboxy with the variety of weapon load outs and the HMG Ectros is a pain to deal with.

Fluff has some parallels, but mysterious aliens with a secret sinister plan are a staple of Sci Fi. On the table Tohaa seem to rely more on brute force rather than technological finesse to get their way.

@OP Don't fall into the trap that new players are wont to believe; that because Infinity is a shooting game, PanO is "the" shooting army because they have +1 BS. Yes it's nice but as you play you'll learn that winning FtF leans heavily on reducing your opponent's to Hit modifiers and out rolling them. Access to Camo and high burst weapons are more powerful than +1 BS.

I believe the designers said in the interview that they wanted to capture the elegance of the elves with the dread of a vampire, the reference was aimed at the aesthetics. As mentioned, cross referencing the franchises isn't my cup of tea. My PanOceania has been called Space Marines, however lately people on the internet also started calling them Tau. Suffice to say that I find very little truth or humour in such labels.

I quite agree on the thought of Infinity system rewarding players that are not playing fair. Avoiding the enemy, sending cheap sacrificial unit with AoE, cheap camouflage for first strike and so on.

Sorry, posted then couldn't make it back right away!


Well..............I think I am going Pan'O. The Aquila and Swiss Guard sold me to be honest. And if Alpharius sees this thread...well I like how the Jotum looks too. My only thing is, I don't like faces, only helmets. So the fusileers are a bit eh in my book

I felt the same way about the Fusiliers initially. But they are really useful as a cheap infantry choice, and honestly once you get some paint on them and make them yours you'll like them more.

At least thats how it was for me.

I gave most of my fusiliers helmets.
(I found some that fit with the scale infinity uses).

They don't look as bad anymore (I just don't like berets as part of a combat kit. Deniable shadow op or otherwise.)

 Chemical Cutthroat wrote:
I felt the same way about the Fusiliers initially. But they are really useful as a cheap infantry choice, and honestly once you get some paint on them and make them yours you'll like them more.

At least thats how it was for me.

Yeah I like the points cost, but any ideas suggestions on a head swap?

The PanO Indigo Spec Ops comes with a helmeted head and a beret head. You can probably find a few people with a spare helmet.

You could use Kamau or Auxilia as Fusiliers. Order Sgt. work if you're alright with the skirts, or just to head swap them.

You can also pick up the new Neo-Terra starter; it already has the Swiss Miss and an Aquila Guard. Use the Bolts as Fusiliers or for head swaps.

 4rgfvsw6p wrote:
The PanO Indigo Spec Ops comes with a helmeted head and a beret head. You can probably find a few people with a spare helmet.

You could use Kamau or Auxilia as Fusiliers. Order Sgt. work if you're alright with the skirts, or just to head swap them.

You can also pick up the new Neo-Terra starter; it already has the Swiss Miss and an Aquila Guard. Use the Bolts as Fusiliers or for head swaps.

I was actually just looking at the Neo-Terran starter pack. Think I will get it and then the Morat Aggression Force set. That way I can rope some of my friends into trying out Infinity over 40k

That Morat starter set is bloody awesome, think the best box set release that has come out yet.

My two starting lists for 150 and 200

Panoceania | 6 models
________________________________________________________

Fusilier Lt (10|0)
Fusilier Combi (10|0)
Fusilier Hacker (22|0.5)
Aquila HMG (60|2)
Bulleteer Spitfire (29|1)
Auxilia (14|0)
Auxbot
________________________________________________________

145/300 points | 3.5/6 swc
open with Aleph Toolbox : direct link



And here is the other list......


Panoceania | 6 models
________________________________________________________

Fusilier Combi (10|0)
Fusilier Lt (10|0)
Fusilier Hacker (22|0.5)
Aquila HMG (60|2)
Swiss Guard Missile (74|2)
Pathfinder Dronbot (21|0)
________________________________________________________

197/300 points | 4.5/6 swc
open with Aleph Toolbox : http://goo.gl/J1pOhC

For that first list...

If you pick up the Auxilia, they come in a box set where you get to Aux and two Drones. I would drop the Fusilier with Combi/Rifle and just take two Auxilia... since for 4 points more you get a little deathbot with a Heavy Flamethrower to ruin people's day.

AND you'll still be under 150pts.

Both lists are 0.5 SWC over the limit, though (1 SWC per 50 pts or part thereof).

Besides that I'm not sure whether an ML SG is a good idea a 200 - I'd say the HMG is better at that level.

Best to ditch the 40k mindset all together with infinity it will get you nowhere. (unconcious at best

For good close combat there are a huge variety of units that can be useful. Though i would recommend not going overboard with close combat themed lists. (especially considering that ITS is so focused on specialists now and that means considering doctors, engineers, hackers).

Close combat can be very rewarding if you can manage it in this game. I mostly play CA and TOHAA of which CA has a few really nice units:

daturazi witch soldiers are martial arts level 4. They are also impetuous which i consider a good thing with a bit of planning and smoke grenades they can be a lot of fun).

speculo killer: impersonation and martial arts level 3 and a monofilament weapon is also very good close combat unit.

Do you like ninjas or fighting monks? Yu Jing is full of martial arts L3 units.

Also this game involves more thinking than just 40k style: target selection/focus fire. But once you get the hang of it 40k will seem like a game for small children!

 elfpainter wrote:
Best to ditch the 40k mindset all together with infinity it will get you nowhere. (unconcious at best

For good close combat there are a huge variety of units that can be useful. Though i would recommend not going overboard with close combat themed lists. (especially considering that ITS is so focused on specialists now and that means considering doctors, engineers, hackers).

Close combat can be very rewarding if you can manage it in this game. I mostly play CA and TOHAA of which CA has a few really nice units:

daturazi witch soldiers are martial arts level 4. They are also impetuous which i consider a good thing with a bit of planning and smoke grenades they can be a lot of fun).

speculo killer: impersonation and martial arts level 3 and a monofilament weapon is also very good close combat unit.

Do you like ninjas or fighting monks? Yu Jing is full of martial arts L3 units.

Also this game involves more thinking than just 40k style: target selection/focus fire. But once you get the hang of it 40k will seem like a game for small children!

Yeah, verymuch this. Not to belittle 40K, but they are very different games. Having experience from other games (Warhammer and Warmachine for example) is great, because newcomers tend to have an appreciation for the models. But I think the gameplay experience actually hinders newcomers, as the game is so radically different.

It's funny, when demoing Infinity to different people I've found that in some cases people with no experience of 40k, or some other large-scale games, actually understand the nature of the game a bit more quickly. When they're running their guys forward, they've played enough computer games or watched enough (non-1980's) action films to know that guy needs to get into cover, or perhaps have a guy covering them with the HMG. An enemy is 50yards down the street pointing his gun at me, I'm not going to run up and try and stab him with my sword! I think the game lends itself well to logical decision making, the rules are detailed enough that your guy can fling himself flat on the ground and out of sight, and there is less abstraction.

I was actually pretty guilty of this myself, my first few games consisted of shovelling my men forward to die in the open to the enemy guns, and people randomly facing walls (as though they had been misbehaving and told of by teacher!) to get machine-gunned in the back by enemy soldiers who had out-flanked them. You soon learn!

I'm getting drawn into the look of this game, I know absolutely nothing about it, but I'm liking the look of the Aleph models, specifically the Amazonian biker.