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Hello all,
This game keeps coming up more and more in the forums I read, so I thought I would ask for some honest, imparial feedback: How is this game? I currently play 40k right now and the models for Infinity just keep catching my eye.

Thanks!

It's hard to be impartial and to give feedback on a game - I've played it and I like it a lot, so that's my partiality declared anyway

Small number of minis involved makes it a lot cheaper to get into that 40K or Warmachine - the two other larger systems I've played. It's more like the malifaux entry cost.

Miniatures are the best sci-fi minis there are imo - they've also won TTG sci-fi mini of the year the last two years running so that's a widely held view it seems.

Rules are good with an excellent faq and responsive devs. I particularly like the ability to respond to actions you see during your reactive turn, it keeps the game interesting and removes the boredom you sometimes have in other games, especially if your opponent is slow.

Very cinematic as you have a small number of important troops who will duck and dodge through cover, up over walls etc while they run and gun. Weapons are realistically deadly. If a sniper rifle can see you and you're not a heavy infantry then you're odds-on to die. I like this, it keeps the games tense and snappy.

Tension and cinema is also added by the fact that as you work your way across the battlefield you don't know if an invisible (not even on the board, just location written down) sniper will decloak and shoot you, or an invisible ninja will appear behind you and stab you in the back, or a drop troop land behind you and shoot you down. So you need to work your way forward while covering your guys and watching your back. I find that fun.

Lots of skills to use, like climb, throw grenades, duck, jump, dodge, supression fire, speculative shot, hacking etc. Gives you a lot of tactical possibilities but the game flows quickly - friend and I typically have one hour long 300 point (most common size I think) games. This is partially due to the viciousness of the weapons though, you can wipe a complete army in a turn if your opponent is really silly.

Negatives: Not enough official scenarios, fan made ones are ok but I would like official ones. Apparently due out this year as part of a campaign book.

Works better with lots of terrrain. This is actually a positive imo, as terrain is fun and the game is so much better for the ability to climb it, jump between it, duck behind it, but you need a lot of terrain. Terrain doesn't need to be anything special just as long as you break up long shooting alleys and provide cover. It'll play fine with a table full of paper back books. It will NOT play fine with 40K style gothic ruins. You will have LOS everywhere and people won't be able to do anything other than turtle up for fear of being blown away the second they move.

Never as easy to get a game of it as it would be to get a game of 40k or WHFB as there's a million players of those systems available to game with on any given day.

As a competitive 40k player and a newer Infinity player (5 games under my belt) I have to say the game is amazing. Check out the free rules and army builder from their site.

So is it scenario based or can it be played like 40k annihilation games?

The default is straight up kill each other battle but it is better with scenarios imo.

There are only two official scenarios but plenty of community ones and there will be an official scenario/campaign book this year. I don't know when this year, I missed that if it was announced.

Infinity is a highly-detailed skirmish game. In appearance, it's gorgeous. Gameplay for new players can get very quickly bogged down in detail and playing against experienced players who know the ins and outs of the tactics will see newbies quickly plastered.

However, the guys at Beasts of War have recently had an Infinity Week, producing loads of videos to introduce the game, plus a set of Quick Start rules that are free to download (just like the main rules, albeit without the cool background).

If you've ever player a high-detail skirmish game like Inquisitor, then you'll find the gameplay familiar (albeit with mechanics distinctly different to Inquisitor!). Don't expect it to be like Necromunda, though - it's a much more tactical game!

Also, the minis are fabulous but very tricky to assemble. These are not minis for novices. If you aren't comfortable with pinning, greenstuff and other such advanced assembly techniques, you might want to play with substitute models to start with. Plus, painting-wise, the minis reward skill and are poorly-suited to speed-painting techniques like drybrushing and dipping. Not to say that you can't use those techniques, but you'll find that they don't bring out the details and qualities of the miniatures, which are very finely sculpted.

R.

I really like the models but have never played the game.

As someone with 6 month old twins I'd have to disagree that the models don't suit speed painting

You are wasting their potential to look really amazing but the fine detail works wonderfully with inks and washes in my opinion. Even base coating with a paint watered down with acrylic paint thinner added gives a nice effect. Certainly for the time involved.

I agree with everything else though!

The firefights can be fast and vicious and often pyrrhic (your heavy might just gun down those three LI threatening him, but that flamethrower might also toast him in return - and 3 LI are often cheaper than 1 heavy.

You can (if unlucky, badly deployed, or just inexperienced) get wiped out in turn 1 of your opponent's active turn (I have, several times at a tournament. Meant I could go shopping or have a beer.).

Nothing beats the gotcha! moments though. Like when your hidden ninja ganks your opponent's lieutenant.
(such cc moments are rare, though).

I'm a noob at this game and fully expect to lose quite a few more tourney games the same way. I don't care. I don't even care about an ITS ranking, it just means that those players ranked higher than me (all of them) won't get as many points for beating me as they would from someone else. hah.)

Hey guys.

Qucik question - would it be possible to proxy the game with, oh, say, a couple of squads of Guardsmen (properly marked), just to test it out?

That's exactly how I played my first game. I selected the forces out of the starter boxes and proxied Eldar and Marine/IG figs for the two sides.

I know it was mentioned that the game works better with lots of terrain. That's an understatement. Lots of terrain is a must if you want to have any chance of survival. The two players I demoed the game with said they didn't want the clutter. I said okay but the game would be short. It was. 3 turns to be exact (and with only 5 guys a side turns were not that long.)

The best/worst scene of the game was when the sniper (probably the most deadly fig on the table), who waited all game to do anything, lines up the opposing army commander, fires, fumbles the roll and is immediately plinked in the face with a critical hit from reaction fire from his target.

Download the rules and proxy away. It's worth the effort.

Excellent! I'll probably start with the new Beasts of War quick start rules, since they present 3 model 'squads' for each faction that have been relatively simplified.

I was first interested by the PanOceania faction, but then got my eyes on the Ariadna. Scots/Frenchmen of the future? Score!

The game is certainly well designed to allow for cinematic drama in a way that 40k and other larger-scale combat tabletop games aren't (but which is highly reminiscent of Inquisitor).

R.

One last question -

Where do you get your models? At the moment, it seems like the Warstore would be the place to go for some discounts.

Warstore or Maelstrom games

I really like the game and the mini's.
Man I even like the rules a lot, the only thing what bothers me are all those extra single miniature rules/options/abbilities.
Thats what makes the rules really hard to play (IMHO) if you only played 40K before.....

Maelstrom, although I jolly nearly ordered an army starter box last week during the 50% off sale that Corvus Belli did on direct orders.

Sadly, it's the end of the tax year and I need to pay my bills.

R.

Method wrote:I really like the game and the mini's.
Man I even like the rules a lot, the only thing what bothers me are all those extra single miniature rules/options/abbilities.
Thats what makes the rules really hard to play (IMHO) if you only played 40K before.....

Once you have a couple games under your belt it is easy to handle. When you area only dealing with ~10 enemy models and usually only one is moving at a time, you learn fast.

@Method - I thought the same thing. Starting with the Quick Start rules produced by Beasts of War helps you get to grips with the core rules and basic tactics without being overwhelmed by all the special rules, which you can then add in as your confidence grows.

R.

Downloaded and printed the quick start rules...
I'm giving it a try with basic troopers only to get the basic rules and gameflow feeling.

Then when I'm familiar with the basic rules I put in more "Difficult" miniatures...

Man I really love those models...

precinctomega wrote:Infinity is a highly-detailed skirmish game. In appearance, it's gorgeous. Gameplay for new players can get very quickly bogged down in detail and playing against experienced players who know the ins and outs of the tactics will see newbies quickly plastered.

However, the guys at Beasts of War have recently had an Infinity Week, producing loads of videos to introduce the game, plus a set of Quick Start rules that are free to download (just like the main rules, albeit without the cool background).

If you've ever player a high-detail skirmish game like Inquisitor, then you'll find the gameplay familiar (albeit with mechanics distinctly different to Inquisitor!). Don't expect it to be like Necromunda, though - it's a much more tactical game!

Also, the minis are fabulous but very tricky to assemble. These are not minis for novices. If you aren't comfortable with pinning, greenstuff and other such advanced assembly techniques, you might want to play with substitute models to start with. Plus, painting-wise, the minis reward skill and are poorly-suited to speed-painting techniques like drybrushing and dipping. Not to say that you can't use those techniques, but you'll find that they don't bring out the details and qualities of the miniatures, which are very finely sculpted.

R.

So putting the minis together is somewhat difficult in comparison to 40K?

Yep, the miniatures are definitely more difficult to assemble than 40K ones.

The models are much more finely detailed, the poses less blocky and the pieces themselves are finer so it is definitely trickier. Except compared to the old metal tyranid gargoyles. Nothing I have ever assembled has been lamer to put together than those damn things.

I don't have great difficulties with Infinity minis although there is the odd swear word. You're not assembling more than a couple of them at a time and I've got a few years practice of 40K, Warmahordes and blood bowl minis to prepare me.

Yeah the models are a bit trickier then most. They are metal with a lot of little detailed pieces, but when they come together they are totally worth it.

Played three games now (6 with the quickstart rules, added in more normal guys to try stuff out with friends), 250 points Yu Jing.
As many has described, small game, fun. You can get bogged down by the rules sometimes, but if you keep it simple it will be simple. If you want it advanced, you can have it advanced.

I really enjoy that there is almost a Beginner, Medium and Advanced split up in the rules. We are playing on a medium level and haven't dived into the more advanced parts (like Linked troops, special army compositions etc).

We've proxyd allot of our games, prolly gonna order some next month :3

Easy to start, medium dificult to get further into it. But we are still reading the rules to understand it all, but the PDF for it are odd. They are trying to cram in soooooooooo long examples of stuff, but they want to be specific and be clear.

Great game!

What would you guys recommend?

If I would start with the rules (quickstart) and then after a few games (with proxys) put in more rules to get the feeling and the basics down.

Should I buy some standard starterpacks or is it ok to buy the Sectorial packs?

I like those minis a lot more.....

Buy what you like the look of would be the single most important piece of advice I'd give about Infinity.

Obviously limiting it to one faction, not single models from many! (Let's ignore merc lists).

It's very well balanced and you can use pretty much anything you like, with a caveat that you will struggle to use the super-expensive TAGs in a 200 point list. I wouldn't use them until 300 points.

Some Sectorials are somewhat more complicated for a beginner (like the almost all camo Shasvastii) but it's not that much of a difference and if you like the models then get them and you'll learn quickly enough.

Start off at lower points like 100 and keep it to basic troopers and basic guns for the first game.

Then add in a nasty gun per side, HMG or spitfire while moving up to 150 points.

Then add in a basic camo or basic drop-troop (not HMG/Spitfire) guy per side.

Then add in TO models, hacking, TAGs, whatever.

That's how I try and teach people the game. You can go all out from the start but it's a lot to learn.

Thx quozl, thats some great advice.

So what would you advice

Starter Pack Ariadna OR the Caledonian Highlander Army (Ariadna Sectorial Starter Pack)

and

Haqqislam Starter Pack (version 2010) OR Hassassin Bahram (Haqqislam Sectorial Starter Pack)

But I guess I take both of the Standard starter to start out with so I have some standard like the Line Kazaks and some Ghulam Infantry to learn the basic rules.

I am going to have to look and see if there are any local players in my area. I would love to see a game of this played out. Right now, 40k just dominates the miniature games played here.

Method wrote:
Starter Pack Ariadna OR the Caledonian Highlander Army (Ariadna Sectorial Starter Pack)

Whichever you like the look of more, there's nothing confusing in either of those imo.

Haqqislam Starter Pack (version 2010) OR Hassassin Bahram (Haqqislam Sectorial Starter Pack)

Again, which do you prefer the look of?

If you prefer the Bahram starter then get it and just proxy the two Daylami infantry as Ghulams. The reason I'd proxy them is that they're irregular and won't provide orders to your pool, so you'd want a few more regular models to use them alongside. The Ragik is a drop trooper, so with 2 of the 6 being irregular, and 1 being off the board, you would only have 3 regular orders. This problem goes away when you have a few more models and a Daylami is a cheap point filler.

The rest of the minis in both those boxes have no particular caveats to watch out for - Hunzakut in the main Haqq box is also irregular but he's only one of 6 so it's fine .

Method wrote:But I guess I take both of the Standard starter to start out with so I have some standard like the Line Kazaks and some Ghulam Infantry to learn the basic rules.

I'd go that route. Sectorials are strong with their link troops, but it adds even more complexity to the mix.

40k dominates here too, buy two starters and find someone who wnats to give it a shot with ya. After one match most people will crave the game, if played right.