Infinity really is *that* good. It's the best wargame I have ever played, and at this point I play
WH40k,
WHFB, Warmachine, and Hordes.
As for ALEPH - that's my faction, too. Here's my wisdom:
Firstly, we do so have tachikomas! We have the Rebots, who are four-legged spider-critters who fill a variety of support rolls. Check 'em out:
Secondly, I'd actually avoid the Posthumans for now. Their rules are quiet weird. I'd say start with the starter box and play a few games. The ALEPH starter box can easily play up to 200 points. From there, I'd recommend more of the basics: a second Naga (the sniper!), a second Asura (she's basically a light tank, and although she's expensive to field, you can afford to put two on the table if you want to), and maybe even a spitfire Deva (ALEPH's cheapest access to a sees-through-smoke visor). From there? Well, by then you'll have a better idea of what you're into. You might want some Myrmidons and Achilles. You might want more 'bots. You might want it all, like me.
It's really true that nothing in this game is a "bad" buy. If it matches your style, or you can think of a fun way to use it, or a powerful synergy, it's a potentially useful model. However, there are a few + and - examples to consider:
1) ALEPH has access to three models with the powerful Multispectral Visor: the Deva with Spitfire, all kinds of Asura, and our
TAG, the Marut. We also have access to an entire species of soldier with smoke grenades - the Myrmidons. This is a great combo. The smoke from the grenade protects the visor-wearing model from reprisal while it fires away with impunity.
2) "Guided" weapons aren't very useful without a spotter of some kind to mark targets. If you buy the Rebots box, don't assemble one as a Samech (the one with a Guided Missile Launcher) unless you also plan to buy a Dasyu (super invisible camo-guy who can be fielded as a Forward Observer), or more Rebots to make into Daleth Rebots (a kind of Rebot who is a Forward Observer), or learn how to use Hacking+ Devices to mark targets in that way (another set of rules - not too complicated, but worth looking into).
3) Nagas and Devas are a good buy early on. ALEPH suffers from a lack of organic line troops - unlike every other faction, our cheapest soldiers are robots. To field robots, you also need to field a hacker. In your first learning games, however, you probably won't have much use for your hacker. A good teaching opponent will avoid using the hacking rules for a while, because they're kind of abstract and a little complicated for beginners. Getting another Deva, another Naga, and another Asura reduces your reliance on robots, which will let you field more versatile armies in lower points learning games. Of course, once you learn how to use hackers (or get a Marut), you'll definitely go back to using robots. Some of our robots are awesome.
4) Speaking of Devas, some Devas come with flamethrower-wielding robots, called Devabots. The box that includes two Devas and two Devabots was just announced and hasn't been released, yet. Devabots are about as tall as ALEPH's standard soldiers and stand on 25mm bases. You can probably proxy in a space marine or some such and nobody will blink. The new Deva box looks awesome, though, and you'll probably want to grab one ASAP. I know I do.
I'm sorry that my responses are so scattered and bizarre. I'm about to turn in. I'll watch this thread and do my best to continue to be helpful.
The 12th Dat'ya Expeditionary Cadre
