Playing Infinity N4: a before/after match analysis

Checking out blogs, video battle reports and Reddit discussions on the topic, I didn’t find many before/after the game reports. 

There are lots of beautiful battle reports out there, but only few of them offer insights on what the player was expecting, apart from the list he or she came up with. 

Therefore, here are my BEFORE THE GAME comments on a 200-points game of Infinity N4. 

I will once again line up my Aleph OSS against my brother’s Tunguska’s Nomads. 

The mission is Domination, straight from the N4 rulebook. 

You score objective points each round by dominating quadrants and by having hacked consoles at the end of the match.  

Since being a hacker gives a +3 WIP bonus when hacking consoles, I can expect to face lots of capable Tunguska hackers. I have hackable High Infantry and Remotes so I definitely need something to retaliate. This way, I can also exploit the hacking bonus myself. 

Asura - 69 points - Lieutenant +1 order, Hacking Device Plus

The Asura is going to be my Swiss Army knife for this mission: costs a lot of points so she can dominate quadrants alone, is a hacker so she can hack consoles and last but not least she is a good hacker-hunter with UPGRADE: Trinity (+2 Damage). I expect a lot of resistance but the two lieutenants order she provides will help. I am probably going to use her at the end of my turn, to set up my reacting turn. 

Naga - 32 points - Hacking Device

With Infiltrate, this should grant me an hacked console with my first order. I evaluated spending less points to use the Forward Observer profile in order to avoid being hacked and still control the console, but I would be losing the opportunity to intercept early hackers running through the board. 

Deva - 28 points - Hacking Device 

When I started listing, everything pivoted around this Deva with her Multispectral Visor L2 profile. The more I thought about it, the less it convinced me. I could see White Noise popping up everywhere, cancelling my bonus. This Deva will be in Fireteam: Core with the three Dakinis and the CSU, to get that sweet +3 BS bonus. 

3 Dakini + 1 CSU - 62 points - Paramedic/Paramedic/HMG/Specialist Operative

Three models capable of scoring objectives and a support gun. I could also line up the MULTI Sniper Rifle profile but I thought this should be a close quarter clash. The CSU is a very easy to proxy model so I can’t deny this drove part of the choice, however this CSU profile is also featured in lots of Sectorial building analysis so it seemed convenient to have it. 

2 Netrods - 8 points - Combat Jump

Not enough points to secure quadrants yet I could use their Combat Jump deployment to score some easy points on the first round, forcing the enemy to advance. This way I may end up losing their orders, so their deployment position will depend on turn order and map layout.

Match day has come and passed, so here are my AFTER THE GAME comments.

We played via Tabletop Simulator due to the pandemic: it's a great tool but I prefer real minis.

First win! Luck was on my side so Aleph's operation to retaliate against the set up of a new Arachne node by Tunguska was a success.

My major takeouts, this time, are two:

Going first is difficult. 

While in I-go-you-go games likes chess going first is usually considered an advantage, it's not as simple in Infinity. I can see why players may be willing to spend a command token to posticipate the positioning of an important piece, and it's closely related to the next point. Also, this scenario allowed console stealing so the second player (me) had some sort of advantage here.

Deployment is key.

Everything comes from here and it's not just about having a good Line of Fire and being able to deliver effective AROs. Global order efficiency is affected as well: you can always rectify your positioning during the game, but you're going to spend a lot of orders.

Next, some post-games comments on my list:

Asura - 69 points - Lieutenant +1 order, Hacking Device Plus

Absorbed a lot of damage from hackers using repeaters. I had to revive her twice with my paramedic so she stalled my fire team's capability in second and third turn. Her two lieutenant orders provided all the actions she needed, despite revealing her as my Lieutenant quite soon.

Naga - 32 points - Hacking Device

Deployed too close to Mary Problems to really be effective and ultimately died by her hacking. Good thing Nomads had a slow paced advance so he could hack a console in first turn and deploy a strategically positioned mine. I noticed it's really difficult for me to keep a Naga still since it offers lots of tempting alternatives: I should be more careful with it.

Deva - 28 points - Hacking Device 

Didn't do much but led his fireteam to hack a console and hold it. MSV L2 would have been very useful against Mary and Perseus, but I really focused on the objective this time. I was worried about White Noise, but I should have thought of smoke granades too. Luckily enough, I had the Sixth Sense bonus provided by the fireteam as failsafe.

3 Dakini + 1 CSU - 62 points - Paramedic/Paramedic/HMG/Specialist Operative

So glad I bought that HMG with me! The paramedics saved my Asura twice, but I had to go base to base to maximize my chances and that took away many orders. I tried to use the CSU to get rid of Mary Problems without being hacked, but it didn't work. 

2 Netrods - 8 points - Combat Jump

I played it safe and deployed them on my border. Trying to deploy them in a safe spot, I ended up placing them close to each other and that was a mistake. If my opponent had had a model with Parachutist it could have destroyed them both with one shot of a template weapon.

I can't wait to play my first 300 points game now! 

Playing Infinity N4: considerations of a novice

During the last months, with the advent of Infinity: Code One and the pandemic in progress, I finally found the time and dedication to complete painting my 2015's Aleph Starter Pack, assembled for me by my beloved brother.

As I finished my paintjob N4 rules came out, so we seized the opportunity and gave it a shot.

I am enthusiast about this game.
Everyone with an interest not only in wargames but in boardgames in general should try it, for its complexity gives you the opportunity to build combos both when preparing your army and while playing, a rare quality well worth to be traded for its little amount of complicated dynamics, namely fireteams and command tokens.

There are many rules, yet you don't have to remember them all at once: every action is packed with thrill, but everything is streamlined to make it easy for both players to check their options and evaluate what to do. In this perspective, using the mobile app is a must to have all stats, skills and equipments of your list at a glance.

Below are my takeouts from this match, dedicated to anyone approaching Infinity N4 for the first time:

• Don't fear AROs: players coming from "traditional" skirmishes may be scared by the opportunity given to the other team. Just remember that the active player generally shoots better. Statistics, luck apart, are on your side;
  
  
• Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you have to: most games force players to a limited number of options for the sake of clarity. Infinity works differently but remember that not all opportunities have to be exploited. Some examples? Infiltrating the enemy's side, spending too many orders on a single model just because it's performing well, leaving a good spot to take a last shot...;
  
  
• Remember what you have: this is a sort of caveat or corollary on the previous point. Always consider all your weapons when declaring an attack: some weapons are better when reacting, some are better when you're close to your enemy, all are valid depending on the boundary conditions: don't sit on your choices. 

Our match ended with a sound victory for Tunguska's Nomads against my Aleph OSS: 7-4. 

It was great fun and I can't wait to play again!