Infinity : New Seraph Model Heading to the Battlefield Soon

http://www.beastsofwar.com/infinity/sneak-peek-pano-seraph-tag/


I saw this over at Beasts of War and of course it caught my eye since it is a nice new Infinity model that will be coming out soon . I did get a Pan O starter army with my Icestorm box and my buddy traded me his for my Nomads so I have a decent sized force to mess around with. This might be a purchase for me when I get done with Ariadna and move on to my Pan O.

I also like the Dragoes and I know that the two are different but still powerful TAGS. From my understanding TAGS got a little easier to kill in 3rd edition but they still look great and can do some damage. One thing I have learned being a new player is that with this game it is how you use your units as opposed to what can kill them. Meaning that this is more about developing tactics based on some fundamentals of small unit tactics. That is another article though and there is a nice video that is attached to this from Beasts of War that shows some still shots of the new Seraph along with the Auxbot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0jbde7SlPk&feature=player_embedded


I have not used a TAG yet since my only games with Pan O were my very first using the contents of the Icestorm box. I would love to hear from some of you out there on your experience. Good weapons and good armor are always a combat multiplier though. Checking out the profile on the current Army Builder it has a Spitfire, EXP CC plus a synchronized Auxbot with a Heavy Flamethrower. Not to mention the ECM special equipment and Religious Troop skill. At 83 points and an AVA of 2 its not too bad with ARM 7 and BS 14 it can really dish out some firepower. I do not know if two of these would be feasible considering how many points and orders that would eat up. I  look forward to this unit and we will do a review when it comes out.

 

Infinity the Game: Ariadna starter set

     So I was at my local store called Frontline Games they have really boosted their Infinity products lately and it seems like the group is growing. So I caught up with the owner and we talked about some terrain from companies like Bandua, Microart and Plascraft. He already carries some Bandua products so I think he is going with this. We were both talking about 4Grounds recent venture into the pre painted terrain realm and once he gets some stuff in we will do an article on terrain for Infinity since there are a lot of options.


So I got tempted and purchased the Ariadna starter set. I was actually trying to order some line Kazaks and a T2 rifle Veteran Kazak anyway so I spent the extra money and got a Chasseur and a Highlander Grey Rifle.

 

 

 

For those of you that might be new to Infinity the basic starter packs contain five models and I think they average around 120 points. Give or take of course depending on how you choose your options. This basic set includes three line Kazaks, one Veteran Kazak, a Highlander Grey Rifle and a Chasseur. The units break down like this

 

1. Line Kazaks (3)- Basic line troops that are low cost and lack a lot if any skills or abilities. Their strength lies in generating orders, low cost Special Weapons and relying on that lucky Critical hit.

2. Chasseur -  A specialist trained troop who has some very cool abilities that allow infiltrating during deployment, using the all important Camo token and Camo rules, just being a specialist is an important part for some missions. And this guy also has mines and a light flamethrower besides his rifle, so for pretty low points he is not a bad choice.

3. 3rd Highlander Grey Rifles - I have focused on the Kazaks and U.S. Ariadna since that was the main theme of my army but getting this starter box has allowed me to try out some of the Caledonian units. I am really looking forward to using this guy. He has a variety of weapons and grenades to choose from including the T2 rifle. Add on that he generates a regular order and an irregular order. Plus ARM 3. He is starting to sound like a very good option at high 20s to low 30s.

4. Veteran Kazak - I have an AP HMG version of this guy and he can really tear it up. I wanted the rifle version so I can have some options. I really like the model for one,  but this guy can be a beast. ARM 4 plus mimetism is just a great combo. One of my favorite units especially for being the in the mid to high 30s for a non AP HMG version. I also love the No Wound Incapacitation which really helps him stay alive on the battlefield.

I know there are a lot of in depth unit reviews out there but this is just a quick breakdown of what is in the basic box set. I am glad I picked it up and I have already assembled the entire box. I will be painting soon and hopefully get them on the battlefield next weekend. Overall for the price I think this set is really good at either starting an army or in my case adding to an existing one.

 

Done with 40k moving on to Infinity !!!!

Well it has been a while since I have posted and I got pretty turned off from table top miniatures for a while. I tried to get back into 40k and without writing a long drawn out reason why we stopped, I can say that it was lacking what I was looking for and fell short of my expectations yet again. I have moved on and now I am stuck in with Infinity the Game.

We really lucked out and a few months ago miniature market had a sale of the Operation Icestorm Starter set for $50. So two of us bought a box each and went all in. We played one game and just fell in love with it. We used the box set and we had everything we needed for a good sized game.

Since then we have played three more times and it has become our favorite game. 25 years of gaming starting with Battle Masters and Heroquest and I can say that Infinity has really captivated me. It has a lot of elements that I have come to love with other games. There are of course drawbacks but I am not talking about those now. I have already purchased my next army after the starter set and begun painting them.

The U.S. Ariadna starter box was such a good point for me to start out. I am a former paratrooper and infantryman so the feel and look of this box just won me over. I also picked up some more Ariadna troops to back up my U.S. forces. My other friend grabbed the might ALEPH.

These guys rock and are very tough if you haven't played against them before. I really like their Greek references and if he didn't get them I would have. He has his entire army painted up and we have a third member who just purchased Combined Army.

Look forward to future posts and pictures of our units and some battle reports.

Tactics and Strategy : Tau Part 1

Tactics and Strategy: Tau Part 1

 

 

The Tau are one of the armies of 40k that are somewhat singular in terms of strengths when a player first looks at them  as a possible army they may want to play. When you take a closer look you may find that they also have maneuverability which helps their shooting greatly. If you are a seasoned player or new to the game this series of articles will examine some basic strategy and tactics that I have learned playing games with my Tau and hearing from other player experiences. I am by no means an expert and I am barely getting back into the game of 40k after a three year break. With the Tau codex getting redone and my excitement about playing with them again I decided to remind myself of their strengths and tactics when I play with this formidable army.

Tau Tenants

1.       Target Priority

2.       Marker Light Importance

3.       Maneuver

4.       Unit and Weapon Redundancy

5.       Defensive and Misdirection Options

 

These tenants are not the only ideas that help a Tau player but they are always on my mind when I play with my Tau and they are constant factors that help me keep winning.

 

1.       Target Priority

This is a huge factor for any army when starting a game. Before you even deploy most players are looking at their opponent’s list or models and deciding which unit is their “death star” unit or their point heavy unit that will carry the game for them. For Tau players target priority is a key to victory and it helps the Tau player achieve a psychological as well as in game victory. I do not always go for that point heavy unit but what I do is look at how mobile the enemy is. I tend to find that most armies have limited mobility. In some cases the entire army is mobile and I am sure some of you that are reading this can think of a few right off the top of your head that you have faced. Those armies tend to be very hard for us to fight since they close that gap so quickly. Fortunately most armies are not designed that way or they purposely leave back units to guard objectives which in turn piece meals the army and allow us to filter some of our target priority.

 

                So finding the maneuver and mobile elements of the enemy are a key factor because most of the time they also incorporate the close combat specialists of the army which is the bane of any Tau army. Some of you may be asking the question about drop pods and that will be addressed when we cover Defensive and Misdirection Options. With enough firepower the mobile elements should be slowed on turn one and possibly destroyed by turn 2. It is quite possible for enemies to assault by turn 2 and it is also quite possible for us to destroy those mobile targets first.

 

                If there is a Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield Terminator squad or equivalent in a Land Raider, we destroy or immobilize the Land Raider and let the squad foot slog. We move onto something else that has a priority in terms of mobility. Always remember that targets such as Land Raiders or AV14 vehicles require a lot of shooting and simply removing their Hull Points by turn 2 might be enough to stop them. This of course will require some marker light use which will also be covered later.

               

                So what is next after mobile units? I typically start picking off units that a threat to might heavy units at this point. This would be Devastator squads, Weapon Teams, Autocannon Dreadnoughts and similar units that are dishing out anything Str. 7 and up that can start laying the hurt on me. Once I have taken them out, the foot slogging guys are usually getting close to my lines. Keep in mind if you blew up some of those transports your target priority might change as the enemy may be too close to you. Always assess what got out of the transport and is it an immediate threat. Meaning is it going to kill something of yours in one to two turns?

                Target Priority:

1.       Mobile Units

a.       Troop Transports

b.      Jump and Jet Pack Infantry

c.       Cavalry

d.      Fleet

2.       Disembarked Units

a.       Units that have disembarked from transports that are close to your lines

3.       Shooting Units

a.       Units that are firing Str. 7 or higher weapons

b.      Units that are designed to sit back and shoot

4.       Scoring Units

a.       Troops

b.      Fast units that can claim objectives

 

So these factors come into play when I start rolling the dice. The trick is that once you destroy one unit you need to stop and assess again what your priority is. Then destroy it, don’t stop until its dead, because you designated it a priority so don’t feel that you’re wasting shots or its taking too long. As a Tau player we need to be able to identify threats and destroy them. Later on we will cover how to ensure that this happens. Hope this helps and feel free to leave comments and corrections.

Warhmmer 40k Thunder Wolves

I apologize for poor picture quality it was a rushed thing.

We are getting back into 40k and the two armies I play are Tau and you guessed it Space Wolves. So I have watched quite a few reviews and battle reports from both armies. I always loved the Thunder Wolf Cavalry and they were always a powerful unit for me. It took years for the models to come out so I bought the Mr. Dandy resin models and I really like them. I am looking forward to trying out GW's Thunder Wolves and they should be here soon so I can convert them and get them on the table.

These wolves have served me well and with the new Space Wolf Codex Thunder Wolves are cheaper overall with the same damage output. I have even heard there is a supplement that gives them +1 WS which is even better, Add in Harald Deathwolf and its game on. Typically I use two squads one with a Thunder Hammer and the other with a Power Fist. This will most likely hold true for the new edition and I can say that I am really excited to see how these guys do. The best part is that Stormshields are 15 points cheaper so I will be running Stormshields on every model. So the plan is for two five man squads with a leader whether it be Harald Deathwolf or a Wolf Lord that I customize. This should really provide me with the hammer portion of my strike company.

Recently I put some spears/halberds on my wolves to give them more of a "cavalry" feel. I used the Grey Knights halberds and did some filing to get rid of the second hand holding two of the halberds. These models represent my basic close combat weapon armed Thunder Wolves.

So here they are and there should be reinforcements on the way. I really think these guys will be tough on the board and they can even outflank with Harald which just gives some options that weren't really available before.

Getting Back Into Warhammer 40k

Well after almost three years of taking a break I have decided to get back into Warhammer 40k. First off let me list some reason why I stopped playing.

1. My best friend sold off his Chaos Space Marine Army and he and I started playing almost 20 years ago.

2. Our local gaming store closed and I had to drive two hours to play a game.

3. The cost seemed to increase quite a bit with the release of 6th edition.

4. I started playing alternate games like DUST Tactics and X-Wing.

I think these are some of the top reasons that I left for a while and number one still holds true. So now I will list some reasons that I am back.

1. We have a two local gaming stores now with 12 tables between the two and a pretty consistent group of gamers.

2. Although the cost is still a factor I do not plan on starting any new armies just updating my existing armies. I have also noticed cost going up everywhere for the most part. I was surprised at Battlefront's price increase with DUST Tactics models and a little disappointed. X-Wing has stayed the same but they also have larger kits and Star Wars Armada is coming out soon which is priced fair but still another game with entry costs.

3. So far watching battle reports and seeing how 7th edition is played I think there have been some really good changes to the system.

4. I have two painted armies just collecting dust so I might as well play with them.

So there it is, my reasoning , well at least some of it. I play Tau and Space Wolves and my buddy Austin plays Orks. We are going to try and play this weekend if we can find the new Ork codex and the new rulebook in stock. Be prepared for more posts and I will start featuring my Tau units soon since they are my primary army.

DUST Babylon Premium Pics

I got a nice surprise for Christmas and it was the USMC Babylon Task Force. This set is just very well done and I love the paint scheme. I am trying to find a way to incorporate more of these units into my list so I can show them off. I really like the Barking Dog (light) which is only 14 points to field. Here are some pictures and our annual DUST event is Saturday so we will have plenty of pics and battle reports soon.