Where do the n00bs begin

[MexicanNinja]

Well, the title says it all.  I'm about to download the rules and do some reading.  I've been looking at the minis and if the rules look good the Nomads will be the models I buy.  It was the gecko squadron and those weird spider robot looking things.

 

So, my questions are these:

1) When not in quarantine, when and where do people play?

2) What's a good point value to start with?

3) Which rules should I focus on reading first?

At any rate, mechanics seem cool and i like the look of the battlefield.

[Exile]

Woo-hoo!  Hey Art man, welcome to Infinity!

 

1) when not in crazy time mode, Sunday afternoons we play at WoW, Thursdays sees play out at Glimpses in Sherwood, and also at Fate and Fury in Vancouver.  No telling how that may change, but it's out there.

2) honestly, if you can track down the PDF for one of the two-player starters, they have a sequence of games where you learn some basics - moving, face to face rolls, and the scenarios add new stuff as you go along, so you start with three Light Infantry dudes, then add a Heavy Infantry, then either some Camo, or Airborne Deploy, or some other special skill.  There's usually about 5 of these 'buildup scenarios', by the end of the 5, you are using the contents of your starter, and have base mechanical grasp of the ruleset.  After that, 200pt games are usually the size we use during RD's learning leagues.

 

3) Right now, at the start of this week, CB just dropped their Code One rules. Code One is a new ruleset designed to be easier to pickup and play, and easier to learn, resulting in quicker games, with the same Infinity cinematic tactical feel.  There are a few caveats:. There are only 4 armies right now -officially- supported (Pano, Yu Jing, Combined, and O12).  Other factions are on schedule to be added later in this year/early next.  There are already some fan-created rosters for the missing factions.  N4, the full Fourth edition of Infinity is launching at the end of Summer.

I would focus personally on the rules of Code One, as it is supposed to provide a springboard into N4 when it drops later this year. (Also important is that C1 presentation, rule design and book layout was designed to be easier to learn, and there are a few substantive changes to key things where you're not going to want to learn N3 habits this close to N4).

I'm gonna try to dig up that fan roster for C1.  I hope that these answers helped, if you have more questions, please ask!

[MexicanNinja]

@Exile

Yes, the above was extremely helpful.  I do have a few follow-up questions:

1) Should I stay away from Nomads since they they aren't supported in the new rules yet?

2) Is there an 'army builder' you use?

[dataentity]

@MexicanNinja

1) If you like the Nomads aesthetic, you can certainly still buy them. You are free to proxy things as much as you'd like so you can get your feet wet just calling your Nomad models Yu Jing or PanOceania, etc. so you can learn the rules. The fundamentals rules don't change from army to army. One thing that's super nice about Infinity is that proxy-ing is officially supported in the rules and you really can't model for advantage.

2) There's an official army builder. A webapp as well as mobile app for Android and Apple. The phone apps, when everything first launched last week, were a little less buggy but they all work. Just as a 'warning' they'll likely start you in metric (because Spanish company) for movement and distances, there's an option to switch it over to inches.

[MexicanNinja]

@dataentity

Thank you for those answers.

[Ish]

The thing that drives me bonkers whenever I look at buying Infinity figures is that certain weapon/equipment options either aren’t available at all or are only available on one figure that is part of a multipack of others.

 

[dataentity]

No problem.

 

And, I mean, again, you're free to proxy. As long as you're clear what loadout it has, no one really cares that the weapon isn't 100% accurate.

[MexicanNinja]

At this point, I'm confused as to what model can be in what force.  

Example: If im looking at this correctly.  Using Yu Jing, I cant take ninjas and monks in the same force due to them being in different subfactions, correct?

[Exile]

  Not exactly.

There are 'Vanilla' and 'Sectorial' armies.  Vanilla have a much wider selection of options, but lower total AVA of most every troop. Vanilla YJ allows you to take AVA 4 monks, and AVA 2 Ninjas. Sectorials offer a smaller list of choices, with certain ones with Higher AVA.  Sectorials also offer other benefits, most specifically the ability for like units to for a 'Fireteam' and activate together with one order expenditure.  There are restrictions on how they function, and they can be rather complex.  For now, I would suggest not worrying about Sectorials, they are not part of Code 1.  Better to focus on learning and understanding F2F rolls, skills like camouflage, range bands, and how they all interact.

 

 

[Exile]

Follow-up: Here is a link to that fan roster. Ignore the... Editorializing.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ToAumAf9s_3MFstXdAGPCRR94jWAgVfrpq9mVzFwwt8/edit?usp=sharing

[MexicanNinja]

@Exile

So, I'm at the point where I'm about to purchase some models.  I noticed the app army builder caps at 40.  

What's the equivalent from 200 points to the 5-40 point conversion?

[Exile]

16 minutes ago, MexicanNinja said:

@Exile

So, I'm at the point where I'm about to purchase some models.  I noticed the app army builder caps at 40.  

What's the equivalent from 200 points to the 5-40 point conversion?

20ish?  The individual Operation box halves (7 troopers) are 15, and their N3 point range varies depending on the box, but usually lands between 140 and 160, depending on weapon loadouts.

The 6-man faction boxes are gonna be a bit shy of 15, I got the Tunguska one to about 13.  So you can add 2-4 selections to hit 20.  Should be close to 200.

Code one's designed single combat group limit means that as you get above 20, you take fewer and fewer cheerleaders and more expensive active pieces.

 

[MexicanNinja]

@Exile

Perfect, thank you.  I'm about to purchase some models.

[WiseKensai]

www.bromadacademy.com/start is a little out of date, since it was written before Code One, but it says basically everything I would tell you.

Just substitute "Code One" every time I say "Recon+" in the article. I'll eventually get around to updating it...

[MexicanNinja]

How's this for starting out:

 

Zhanshi w/missile launcher x2

Zhanshi w/HMG x2

Zhanshi w/combi rifle x2

Zhanshi (hacking device, hacker) w/combi rifle

Zhanshi w/multi sniper

Zhanshi (lieutenant) w/combi rifle

Hac Tao w/HMG, nanopulser, pistol

Liang Kai w/chain rifle, combi rifle, pistol

 

Cost: 20

SWC: 8.5

 

It both starters with the two added in models at the bottom.  I have no idea what any of those things do (still reading the rules); however, i went off the army builder and looked at the models for what I liked.

[Exile]

So you're pretty SWC heavy there.  Army construction is limited to 1 SWC per 5 C1 points and per 50 N3 points.  One big point to consider about Infinity army construction is the focus on Objective play. Objectives are completed by Specialists: Engineer, Doctor, Hacker, Paramedic, and Specialist Operative in C1, and add Forward Observer to the list for N3.

This is not to say that big guns aren't important, you sometimes have to remove opponents from the Objective or overwatching positions before you send in your (usually) squishy specialist.

You also have 11 troops, C1 has a 10 troop limit, forming a single Combat Group. Infinity has no hard cap in core rules, but limitations on troop AVA effectively limit most armies to two combat groups of 10 or in some cases 10+5ish.  Models in one combat group cannot spend orders on models in another.

 

While order spam is seen as effective in certain metas, in others, due to player preference or terrain density/quality/layouts 10 order lists are common.

Some Code 1 YJ highlights of mine: 

 

Guilang Skirmishers: these guys start halfway up the board, and are camo hunting camo troopers, or specialists that start closer to the objective.

 

Daofei:  PanO and YJ usually battle in infinity for the 'Best HI' title, these are one of YJ's best entrants into the competition. Camo Infiltrating Heavy Infantry.  Much simplified hacking in C1 leaves them much less vulnerable than current late-stage N3.

 

Zhuyong Invincible: Cheap, durable HI, with good stat improvements over base LI.

 

Tiger Soldiers: Mimetism on AD troopers makes every single other faction jealous. Except CA, they stole one of yours.

 

Ultimately you will figure out what playstyle you enjoy the most. But don't double up on the Zhanshi SWC box.  I've got a 2nd Fusilier SWC box stashed somewhere in my closet of shame, and I haven't considered building it in years .

[MexicanNinja]

 @Exile

Thanks coach!

[MexicanNinja]

@Exile thanks for all of your help and guidance.

@WiseKensai thanks for posting that link.  I browsed the contents and its on my favorites bar.

[MexicanNinja]

Starting force V.2:

Zhanshi w/lieutenant, combi rifle

Zhanshi w/paramedic, medic, combi rifle

Zhanshi w/combi rifle x2

Hac Tao w/HMG

Ninja w/hacker, hacking device

Ninja w/SMG, ap cc weapon

Shang Ji w/specialist operator

Points: 20.    SWC:2

I have ninja in my name and i love all things ninja.  If I could have more ninjas I would.  I love the Hac Tao model and suppressive fire seems decent in a "kill lane".  The zhanshi look cool and i do like the box set for them. Specialist operator seems like a good swiss army knife.  

[Inquisitor66]

What's the normal g as me size for codeone?

[MexicanNinja]

9 minutes ago, Inquisitor66 said:

What's the normal g as me size for codeone?

I was told 20ish

[Exile]

Suggested game sizes in the rulebook are 15, 25, and 30.  I have a feeling that we will play a lot of 20.  It seems very close to 200pts of N3, which is what Rampages have been for several years.

[MexicanNinja]

@Exile I think I'm finally picking up what you've been putting down.  I was too focused on the entire starter box set and not mixing models to a cohesive strike force.

Force has been ordered and its completely different than V2.

The mechanics of this game are mind blowing.  Loving the ARO aspect.

[MexicanNinja]

Should I be reading full rules for N3 or code one?

[Inquisitor66]

I'd probably stick with code1, since n4 will be out soon and code1 is supposed to be entry for that.  No need to get n3 in your brain to confuse stuff with.