Interested, Where to Start?

[Norrad]

First off, I love the look of this game! The figs are great and the table terrain is awesome. For me personally, it's all about the looks. The rule set comes second if the models are outstanding. I'm not a newbie by any means with games. I know to go with my gut feeling and go with the models that I like the look of best but there in is the problem. There all great! One thing that does worry me are the rules. They seem heavy. From the look of the online rules, there are a ton. I'm worried that the game will bog down in a minutia of nuisances, rules lawyering and arguing. Maybe the completeness and complexity curbs this problem?

So I guess where do I start? I really am leaning towards the US Ariadna. I love the wolves. Also, since I've been in the US military for over 28 yrs now I kinda like the look - naturally! Also, my heritage is Scottish so again it fits. I guess the only drawback to Ariadna are the Frenchies. Can't / Won't do them. The Rooskies are ok but the Frenchies no way! ???? Another drawback is the lack of remotes and TAGs.

So should I get the Ariadna box set and just download the rules online? Will I miss out on army lists that come in the store bought rule book? Are there armies to avoid for newbies? How's the Plastic Craft terrain as compared to the HDF/MDF terrain? Questions, questions, questions...

Thoughts?

[indytims]

Hiyas!

 

As many will say, 'buy what you think looks cool and go from there', but it seems like you've already got that line of thinking down pat. ;)

 

Faction choice really comes down to aesthetics and play-style. Each faction does seem to offer a variety of play-styles, though, and without a little experience on the table, it might take you a little time to find out which one really works best for you. That being said, you seem leaning toward USARF so far, and ain't nothin' wrong with that!

 

Each faction has it's overall army list that is fully available for free online, just like the rules. You won't 'miss' anything by not having a solid book (even though the book is very, very high quality and worth the $, in my opinion). The overall list is everything in the faction, typically called 'vanilla'. Then within each faction, you have 'sub factions' called Sectorials, which focuse on a specific theme/group. For Ariadna, those would be USARF (US), Merovingian (Frenchies), Kazaks (Russians) and Caledonia (Scotts). Sectorials drastically cut down what is available for use, but then going with one of them grants you other benefits like higher availability of certain models, the use of fireteams, etc. If you go with Ariadna, you won't typically be 'forced' to play with any of the figs you don't want to, so if you don't want to play Frenchies, you should never have to buy them.

 

Not having TAGs is not a serious drawback - Ariadna does just fine without them. ;) As for Remotes, Ariadna may not have the selection that the other factions have, but the ones they can take are pretty decent.

 

The rules are heavy. No joke. For the uninitiated it can look daunting. I know for me it came across that way when I started. I found a solid group, though, who 'trained' me with a handful of various games AND an Escalation league. I mixed that with studious reading of the rules, and now I know just enough to be dangerous. ;) Of course, in a game where you might have 3-20 figures, a large chunk of the special rules won't apply to you at any given time, and the basic mechanics are fairly streamlined. If you play some of the intro scenarios from Icestorm or the USARF boxed-set, I think you'll get those down pretty quickly. It really is the special rules that add enormous complexity to the game.

 

To be honest, I've yet to hear any arguments/rules-lawyering in the league nights or the tournament I've been apart of. Maybe I am just lucky so far. I am sure it happens (as it might in any game where rules must be interpreted), but really with the group in Portland I seriously doubt you'll have much of that, if any. Same goes if you're on the other side of the river up here with us Vancouver folk. I've felt nothing but awesome chemistry since hooking up with them.

 

The USARF boxed-set is a great buy IF you plan on playing USARF. :) Icestorm is great because it gives you two separate factions to start working with - if Nomads or Pan-O appeal to you at all.

 

I personally love the PlastCraft stuff and own a bunch of it. It's not quite as sturdy as MDF is, but sturdy enough if you aren't abusing it. They offer a small selection of 'pre colored' stuff, too, which I think looks great (and one of the main reasons I bought it). There are many options for terrain out there, and more popping up every month it seems. Feel free to check out:

 

https://waywardwarcor.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/where-to-buy-your-infinity-terrain/

 

And that's not even a 'complete' listing. :)

 

Just my 2 coppers, though.

 

Welcome to the game! :)

 

-Tim

[NakedPanda]

Where are you roughly? If you are in the bellevue/redmond area I would love to have some talk and games with ya!

 

The hardest part of the entire game, is learning the Orders cadence. Once you get that interaction clean, everything else just falls in to place.

 

The models and tables do look amazing when done up, and are always the eye catchers at the shop here.

 

Drop me a line if I can help!

[Norrad]

Where are you?

 

I live in the Portland area. Thanks for the reply. I think I might start with the US Ariadna box set and then add more dog faces and antipodes.

[rudra34]

A word of advice: get a few small games in before you start emptying your wallet on new units.  Rule of cool definitely trumps all, but you may find that the units you love to look at are not the ones you love to fight with.  USAriadna starter pack is an amazing set up for some early games, and it will give you a lot of things to think about for where you want to go after that. 

That being said, dog soldiers are awesome, useful, and look amazing.  I fully support their use whenever possible.

[Norrad]

How many points are in the US Ariadna box set?

[rudra34]

Between 139 and 210 depending on how you outfit the troops.  Enough to make a solid 175 point list.

[Norrad]

Does that make a good game? What is the min size game and max size game?

[rudra34]

Smallest games are normally around 100, the normal size for tournament systems is 300.   150-200 make for fast, fun skirmish games.  Here's a sample list that you could run at 175 with the starter kit.


USAriadna Ranger Force
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

Group 1 7 1 2
DEVIL DOG Heavy Shotgun, Smoke Grenades + 1 K-9 Antipode / AP CCW. (39)
K-9 ANTIPODE AP CCW. (7)
FOXTROT (Forward Observer) Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (18)
GRUNT Paramedic (MediKit) Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (12)
GRUNT (Marksmanship LX) Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18)
GRUNT HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 21)
MARAUDER (Multispectral Visor L1) Heavy Rocket Launcher / Assault Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 26)
MAVERICK (Forward Observer) Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 19)
MINUTEMAN Lieutenant Rifle, 2 Light Flamethrowers / Pistol, CCW. (22)

3.5 SWC | 175 Points

Open with Army 5


This gives you a few different things to work with and test out.  


For a first game you might want to go even lower and just bring some basic troops.   One heavy, well-armed lieutenant and some grunts.   You don't have many orders to work with, but you will quickly pick up the basic fundamentals and get an idea of how different units operate.  Keep in mind that there isn't really a "bad" unit in Infinity.  Everything can be used well, and even the lowliest soldier can take down a beefy, heavy infantry.
 

[Raindog]

GG,

 

There are a great deal of rules. That being said, everything is wiki-linked and easy to use. Mayanet is a great app. It can point out rules and act as an army builder as the same time. I bring out the IPad to games, so I can check out units and read rules.

 

The center pieces on the table closest to the door were the Plastcraft offerings. They are pre-painted and light weight. Exile has said they can be a bit finicky to assemble. I like the HDF offerings Jay is using the best. They look more realistic.

 

As to factions, there is no great inequity in armies. There are no stratification of forces. Sure Nomads Hack better, Adriana have Camo. Haqq have good doctors, Pan-O have toys and TAGs, but everything seems pretty balanced between SWC costs, points, and list availability.

 

Looking forward to playing games with you.

 

Cheers,

RD

[NakedPanda]

Lot of truth here, and these Oregon folk will be a great lot to jump in with!

 

They are coming up with new angles on the game, and bringing new challenges to the table. Great creative players!

I'm so *sniffle* proud~

[Norrad]

How often are people playing a 150pt game vs the larger 300pt games? On average how long does it take for each point lvl of game?

[rudra34]

Our group at WoW has been playing larger games recently because we are nearing the end of our escalation league.  After that, it will be a few months of free-play and then the 300 point Rampage in January.   Most people seem to enjoy playing at high and low point levels as they offer different things (more toys vs. small skirmishes).  I doubt you'll have a hard time finding people to play at lower points.

Games take longer when you are learning, but are still pretty short.  A 150ish point game could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half depending.  The usual tournament standard for 300point games allows for 90 minute rounds, but casual games may go as long as 2 hours or as short as 45 minutes.

[indytims]

Rudra's comments are pretty spot on for the group i am in as well. We do a lot of gabbing on casual nights so games have gone longer than 2 hours, and some of us (coughcough) are kinda slow anyway. :)

 

I think most of the folks i play with regularly prefer 300pt games, i enjoy them too, but have a little more fun around 200, but thats just me.

 

I definitely recommend starting small like the others have said... 100-125 makes for a good starting point.

[Norrad]

Been reading the rules...

Question: if a model does not react (ARO) against an enemy models fist short skill can it react to the 2nd skill If it can still draw LOF to the model? Or can only new models that can now draw LOF against the 2nd skill react?

[Exile]

ARO's are primarily a "use it or lose it" situation. If you can draw an ARO to the first short skill, and fail to do, you do not get a second chance. CH: Camo and TO Camo provide exceptions to this general rule, allowing you to delay to see if the model reveals. ONLY if the model reveals can you do something after the 2nd short.

 

It is important, and is something often skipped, for people (myself included) to 'rush' through the order process, declaring Move-Move, for example, where I should Move, wait for ARO's, then Move again. There is a cadence to Infinity which is quite different from other games I have played, and I truly enjoy it.

[Norrad]

Ok thanks. I thought I had read it and understood it correctly but needed confirmation. Having not played a game yet I'm trying to grasp the rules.

[rudra34]

ARO's are primarily a "use it or lose it" situation. If you can draw an ARO to the first short skill, and fail to do, you do not get a second chance. CH: Camo and TO Camo provide exceptions to this general rule, allowing you to delay to see if the model reveals. ONLY if the model reveals can you do something after the 2nd short.

 

It is important, and is something often skipped, for people (myself included) to 'rush' through the order process, declaring Move-Move, for example, where I should Move, wait for ARO's, then Move again. There is a cadence to Infinity which is quite different from other games I have played, and I truly enjoy it.

QFT.  This nails a very important issue about playing the game.  My gaming history tends to put me in a "let them know what you are doing" philosophy, so I always get ahead of myself and announce the full intent of my orders before realizing that I can do it one step at a time.  This is crucial to getting the most out of each order and for keeping your opponent on their toes.  So many times I have lost out on free movement because I declare move-dodge under the assumption that my opponent wants to take shots at me.  I also tend to get over excited when I have a plan in mind, so I get moving really quickly and blurt out move-move without thinking.

 

Keep your head on straight and take each order once step at a time.

[Norrad]

Is it necessary to have each model have a special skill such as hacker, medic, sniper, etc? What's wrong with the basic Joe dude with a gun? Or should each force have a nice mix of skills to deal with scenario special rules or to counter the enemies forces?

[rudra34]

Regular joes are just fine.  The reason that specialist troops such as hackers, doctors, and forward observers are important is that they can claim objectives in a lot of scenario systems.  Depending on what you play you might need them to do various tasks.  Other than that they are only better than regular models because of the skills they come with.  Regular cheap models are good for providing cheap orders for you more serious units, while providing ARO protection for your deployment zone.

[Norrad]

So my Morat Aggression Force of the Combined army has arrived. Going to start a new post!

[Norrad]

Are all of the infinity games on a 4x4 table? I'm thinking about picking up a game mat but the one I like is 4x6. Not that size matters! What does everyone think about the industrial fat mat. Too busy and not city like? I think it looks cool. I have a minds eye view of a huge tank farm with pipes, storage tanks, cat walks, shipping containers, toxic pools, etc!

[rudra34]

most games are 4x4, but you could certainly play on a bigger board.  Also keep in mind that you can still play 4x4 on a 4,x6 mat.   Just get the one you like and you should be fine.

[Norrad]

how do I post army lists from Infinity Army?

[Don't Panic]

there will be an export forums tab option under the army list.  select it.  C/P... it looks weird when you paste it but when you post it makes it look purty!