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Aleph has a lot of perks, although the units in general are more expensive than most factions. With rumors that they are getting a sectorial army list, thus giving them linked teams and new unit AVA do you think Aleph is at the top of the heap that will keep appearing at FLGS game tables?

Yes, i have seen lots of aleph lately but i don't think they will dominate yet...

Infinity isn't 40k. No one faction dominates the game. I can think of much nastier combos usable by other armies than anything Aleph gets. Those combos are also very beatable if you know what you're doing on the table. Infinity is all about what's happening on the table, not your faction or your list.

I doubt you will see more players start playing Aleph just because they might get a new sectorial. You'll probably just see some Aleph players switch to that sectorial.

Also keep in mind that it's possible other factions are getting new sectorials as well.

Aleph just has the cool-new army effect. It's a lot of older players' second/third faction and many newcomers' first faction.

Yes I think the amazing model range helps as well.. some of the detail even on the standard guys is just stunning.

Pacific wrote:Yes I think the amazing model range helps as well.. some of the detail even on the standard guys is just stunning.

And that's different to the rest of the infinity range how?

Well, I mean in the sense that they are all new sculpts - I think a lot of the stuff coming out these days is better than 3-4 years ago when Infinity first appeared (although yes I agree, there are very few models in the range that I wouldn't want to own and paint!)

Yes there will be more Aleph winning just because there's more people playing Aleph. Infinity is one of the most balanced games I've seen. So it's not the force that makes a diference.

Aleph keeps showing up at tables because people like the models, not because they're an OP faction rules wise. If you look at IT'S rankings ALEPH is actually one of the least-winningest factions currently. Maybe with a new sectorial and more CA ports they'll see more success competitively, but I can't say for sure yet. There are a lot of ALEPH players, especially here in the US, so we'll see how the new link teams they get work out for them. The only army of mine I'm really worried about facing them with is my ASA because they don't get visors. Everything else is pretty easily dealt with.

Newer sculpts just look better. Compare Aleph starter box against some ugly ing Fusilers. No wonder they're so popular.

I bought Aleph as my 1st army 'cos they're pretty.

I find my Ariadna (2nd army) easier to win with though, unless I get Achilles in my Aleph list.

Achilles and Myrms is pretty difficult to deal with, yes. ALEPH TAGS are solid as well. BUt I think most everyone here is on the right track--its the models. There is a HUGE difference in sculpting from the beginning days to today.

As far as sectionals, I don;t think that's the draw. Besides, I think each for is going to get its own new sectional. Russians are happening for sure, as is the third Nomad ship. I'm more interested in the idea of who the 3rd CA will be than I am in the well-known Greek ALEPH sectorial.

drazz wrote:
As far as sectionals, I don;t think that's the draw. Besides, I think each for is going to get its own new sectional. Russians are happening for sure, as is the third Nomad ship. I'm more interested in the idea of who the 3rd CA will be than I am in the well-known Greek ALEPH sectorial.

Sure there be more sectorial, but not until the forth book. There stated plan is ALEPH Greek and to fell out the rest of the current sectional first.

Well.. as long as a steady release of nice new models come I will be happy. To be honest, I'm having trouble keeping up with the stuff I want to buy as it is, I don't want to get overwhelmed! Although I guess that is a nice problem to have...

I started covetting Aleph nearly a year ago when I was first introduced to Infinity. I have waited very patiently to be able to buy all the models I wanted to make a legal list. Yes I buy armies based on what I think looks good, and so I have maybe not the best units of an army, but the ones I like the look of. Eldar, Slaanesh Daemons, Menoth, Vikkies, Aleph.

So yes it is my first army, I was thinking Yu Jing at first, but already a few people got them in my local play group. That seems to be the popular one around here.

I only got aleph as I liked the minis. The other factions are a bit poo!

aleph may be popular from their obvious anime theme (even more so that the other factions).

in my opinion, aleph is one of the least powerful factions. they have high-tech toys, but are usually vastly outnumbered.

they currently do not have a HMG on a non-REM platform. they also need to include a TAG or a hacker in order to take many of their core options. their TAG is good, but is quite a few more points than those in most other armies. and in my opinion, it does not trump the power of a cutter, jotums, caskuda, or sphinx; all of which are cheaper. also, they have a lack of flame weapons. the asura is armed with a spitfire instead of an HMG which makes her largely unable to set up a fire lane early in the game.

on the good sides, they have the best cheap order giver there is. their 'filler' unit is somewhat expensive, but really has no downside other than the cost. achilles is good in most situations and is very durable. devas are cheap for what they can do. their doctor/engineer is fast and durable. their infiltrating TO camo model has no wound incap.

They may not have flame weapons but the Nanopulsar is devastating! And almost all the figs have it.

Sounds like your tables are a bit open if the lack of HMGs is that big an issue. My definition of a well-balanced table is one where HMGs, Sniper Rifles and Spitfires all have roughly equal utility.

Also, they may lack flamethrowers outside of the Devabots but pretty well every unit in the faction carries a Nanopulser...

it's not for the auto hit template, i meant lack of flame for the camo subduing capability.

we use a good amount of terrain, but most of us can easily eyeball 24" and make the spitfire equipped units pay if we lane them properly with an HMG.

a nanopulser only works in close combat though right?

 Shadowseer_Kim wrote:
a nanopulser only works in close combat though right?

Umm... the Nanopulser CAN NOT be used in CC.

Eh, a particular "faction to beat" goes under the same heading as "Yu Jing melee tax"; I just haven't seen anything in my time playing that leads me to believe they actually exist in any practical form. Aleph has some nasty tricks, but they come with their own set of downsides. Combined is in a similar boat for a lot of the same reasons and they have never really been the faction to beat. In the end all armies have a bag of tricks a mile wide that can be used to win them games. The trick is simply being better at leveraging your tricks than your opponent is. If you are the type of player that meshes well with their army's play style then you will be hard to beat.

I remember seeing the year's infinity tournament results somewhere and the most common army at the top was PanO. Aleph was IIRC the only army NOT represented in the top 10.

With the proviso that infinity is excellently balanced, two very minor influences I believe exist:

Breadth of unit selection: among really good players, having your opponent not be able to predict your units (camo, ad etc) is very useful. I think this is why top players often use general faction lists, despite the enormous strength of linked teams. Aleph, being the newest, has significantly narrower unit selection than the other factions. (PanO has the biggest selection, but not much more than other factions).

Stat changes: since they are on 20 sided dice, stats in infinity are very incremental. Nonetheless PanO's +1BS for free, on most units, is a big deal. It's being 5% better at shooting than your opponent. It won't show up over a few games, and it is very minor compared to unit matchups, player skill/tactics, and blind luck. But over hundreds of games between players of very similar skill, it should (and apparently does) produce an imbalance.
I know some of the other factions get stat changes, but cc is almost meaningless on most models, and even willpower is not used nearly as much as BS.

heckler wrote:
it's not for the auto hit template, i meant lack of flame for the camo subduing capability.

we use a good amount of terrain, but most of us can easily eyeball 24" and make the spitfire equipped units pay if we lane them properly with an HMG.

I'm curious, if you use a "good" amount of terrain how many 24"+ fire lanes do you usually have?