Speed Infinity – Shake and Bake
So the last tournament had a bunch of long rounds, leading our group to think about how best to speed up play. We decided to start playing games on a chess timer, one hour per player, dividing time by turn to avoid too much confusion. To really ensure speedy games, we included deployment in the time. I’ve captured a few games here, with some commentary about my feelings about the game. For those looking for a clear definition of the rules we used:
- Each player has 1 hour on the clock (total of 2 hours per game).
- Each player’s clock is running during their active turn as well as their deployment phase.
- The clock is paused if one player leaves the table for any reason.
- The clock is not paused for looking up rules, analysis paralysis, etc. Don’t do it! The point is to speed up play!
- Running out of time results in owing the other player a beer or equivalent. A Standard Burrito Unit is also acceptable.
Note that spending a bunch of time deciding on what AROs you want to do is eating into your opponent’s time, so… don’t do that. They can always do the same to you if you’re looking for some incentive.
Game 1 – The Dogs Are Out!
Played against our Warcor, Adam, and his USARF. We basically were trying to go as fast as possible, so there are no pictures, sadly.
Overview
- Mission: ITS Capture and Protect
- Forces: Nomads versus US Ariadna Ranger Force (300)
- Deploy First: USARF
- First Turn: USARF
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/logo_501.png[/img][b] Bran Prowler[/b]
[b]GROUP 1 |[/b] [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]9 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]1
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_25.png[/img] [b]REVEREND CUSTODIER Hacker (Hacking Device Plus) Lieutenant[/b] Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]34[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_4.png[/img] [b]INTRUDER (X-Visor)[/b] MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | [b]43[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_37.png[/img] [b]BRAN DO CASTRO[/b] Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]33[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_33.png[/img] [b]LUNOKHOD[/b] Heavy Shotgun, Heavy Flamethrower, D-Charges, CrazyKoalas (2) / Electric Pulse. (0 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_30.png[/img] [b]MORAN (Forward Observer)[/b] Combi Rifle, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]22[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_9.png[/img] [b]BANDIT Hacker (Killer Hacking Device)[/b] Light Shotgun, Adhesive Launcher / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_10.png[/img] [b]ZERO Hacker (Assault Hacking Device)[/b] Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]24[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_26.png[/img] [b]PROWLER[/b] Spitfire, D-Charges / Pistol, CCW. (2 | [b]36[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_14.png[/img] [b]DAKTARI[/b] Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]14[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_34.png[/img] [b]ZONDBOT[/b] Electric Pulse. (0 | [b]3[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_24.png[/img] [b]TOMCAT Engineer[/b] Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]22[/b])[b]GROUP 2 |[/b] [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]1 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]1 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_impetuosa.png[/img]1
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_13.png[/img] [b]JAGUAR[/b] Adhesive Launcher, Panzerfaust / Pistol, DA CCW. (0.5 | [b]13[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_12.png[/img] [b]MORLOCK[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]6[/b])
[b] 5.5 SWC | 300 Points |[/b] Open in Infinity Army
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/logo_304.png[/img][b] USAriadna Ranger Force[/b]
[b]GROUP 1 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]10
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT (Marksmanship LX)[/b] Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]18[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT (Marksmanship LX)[/b] Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]18[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT[/b] HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | [b]21[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT[/b] Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]10[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT[/b] Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]10[/b])[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT (Inferior Infiltration)[/b] Heavy Flamethrower, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]11[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT (Inferior Infiltration)[/b] Heavy Flamethrower, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]11[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_1.png[/img] [b]GRUNT (Inferior Infiltration)[/b] Heavy Flamethrower, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]11[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_6.png[/img] [b]112[/b] Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW. (0 | [b]12[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_5.png[/img] [b]VAN ZANT[/b] AP Rifle / Heavy Pistol, AP CCW. (0 | [b]38[/b])[b]GROUP 2 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]5 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]3 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_impetuosa.png[/img]3
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_3.png[/img] [b]FOXTROT Lieutenant[/b] Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (2 | [b]17[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_3.png[/img] [b]FOXTROT (Forward Observer)[/b] Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]18[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_3.png[/img] [b]FOXTROT (Forward Observer)[/b] Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]18[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_3.png[/img] [b]FOXTROT[/b] Boarding Shotgun, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]19[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_10.png[/img] [b]MAVERICK[/b] Submachine Gun, Light Rocket Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]22[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_14.png[/img] [b]DESPERADO[/b] Submachine Gun, Smoke Grenades / 2 Heavy Pistols, CC Weapon. (0 | [b]13[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_12.png[/img] [b]DEVIL DOG[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades + 1 K-9 Antipode / AP Heavy Pistol, AP CCW. (0 | [b]30[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/sep.gif[/img] [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_12.png[/img] [b]K-9 ANTIPODE[/b] AP CCW. ([b]7[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/304/logo_9.png[/img] [b]WARCOR (Aerocam)[/b] Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]3[/b])
[b] 6 SWC | 300 Points |[/b] Open in Infinity Army
Deployment
He deploys first, and manages to stick a Grunt infiltrator right outside my deployment zone on the right, with the others failing their rolls and just hanging out in his backfield doing nothing for the rest of the game. Both bikes show up on my left, with the Devil Dog team on the right. The Grunt link team comes down atop a giant building, with everyone prone. The 112 is prone at the back of the building, ready to pick up some napping grunts.
He finishes up by deploying a string of Foxtrots across the centerline, one near each console with a foxtrot in the center. I get a little perturbed by the presence of a heavy flamethrower so close to my deployment zone, so I put my Lunokhod on the right and my Moran in the middle, covering the Grunt with their Crazy Koalas. My Jaguar covers the left console, backed up by the Daktari. The Bandit deploys on a bridge in the midfield, prone, within ADHL range of the Grunts and near the left console. The Zero sticks her landing across the centerline on the right, up high on a building. I tuck the Prowler almost at my board edge on the right, behind some cover. Bran fails he roll and ends up on my deployment zone edge. I put my Lieutenant up on a catwalk, facing backwards towards my deployment zone, watching for Van Zant. My Morlock stands next to my Intruder in the middle of my deployment zone and that’s that. At this point, we’ve both spent about 8 minutes deploying, so we’re 16 minutes into the game.
Turn 1
Top of Turn 1 – USARF
He activates the Grunt infiltrator, and it gets wrecked by some Crazy Koalas without doing anything, fortunately. The Devil Dogs run up, sensor my Zero, and Super-Jump/Chain Rifle it. They keep rushing up the board and end near my Lunokhod. The two bikes advance and trade some fire with my Moran, eventually taking him out. The Grunts shuffle into slightly better positions, and the two snipers and the HMG stand up. One of the Foxtrots pushes the left button, and the right Foxtrot drops a mine and scuttles into cover watching the right button.
Bottom of Turn 1 – Nomads
The Morlock throws smoke for the Intruder and gets blown off the board. The Intruder kills a Grunt Sniper and the Grunnt HMG, and drops the remaining Sniper prone. The Lunokhod attempts to set the Devil Dog and Antipode buddy on fire, but fails, going down to a chain rifle. I stand the Bandit up, still in camo, and he elects to hold, so I idle and just leave here there. I take a pot shot at the Foxtrot on the left, but fail with the Jaguar, and that’s my turn.
Turn 2
Top of Turn 2 – USARF
The Devil Dogs round the corner and my Lieutenant puts a wound on the Devil Dog. The bikes roll up but my Intruder and Bandit wipe them out. He tries to get the link team shuffled back into some semblance of a coherent force, but I glue them all down with the Bandit, one at at time. Not terribly helpful, as they still generate orders, but at least now I don’t have a Grunt sniper watching the board.
The Devil Dog attempts to chain rifle my Intruder, but I dodge successfully. He brings in Van Zant next to the Prowler and takes a spitfire to the face, but goes dogged. He buries Van Zant’s axe in the Prowler’s head, and runs Van Zant all the way up the building where the Intruder is lurking and chops the Intruder down like a sapling tree with his axe. The Devil Dog chain rifles my Custodier, who passes her dodge and slinks into the building the catwalk is connected to. He finishes Bran off with a pair of heavy pistol shots, and that’s that.
Bottom of Turn 2 – Nomads
I bring a Tomcat Engineer in on my deployment zone edge, pick the Lunokhod back up, and run them both up the board with a coordinated order to try to get to the objectives. I get a little too close to the mine placed by the Foxtrot on the right, and the Lunokhod goes down again. With my last order, I tuck the Tomcat into some cover.
Turn 3
Top of Turn 3 – USARF
This was a pretty clever move. The Devil Dog super jumps into base to base with my Daktari, traveling through the LoF of the Custodier. I dodge with the Daktari, and shoot with the Custodier, so he chain rifles the Custodier and kills her. D’oh! Well played, Adam! He kills the Daktari and faces off with the Jaguar, with nothing happening as a result. Since he’s flipped a console, he scurries a foxtrot into base to base with the beacon and makes off with my stuff! The jerk!
Bottom of Turn 3 – Nomads
I am in retreat and loss of lieutenant, so I stick out my hand and concede. The game was over in about an hour. We finished with 30 minutes and change on both our clocks.
8-0 USARF Victory!
Notes
- With regards to the time pressure, there were two major mistakes this game. He moved his bikes into LoF of the Intruder when he probably didn’t have to, and I moved my Lunokhod into range of the mine. A good learning experience, and it means the clock was doing the job we expected it to. I think at one point he gave me a good heavy flamethrower shot on the Devil Dog and Antipode, but they made their ARM rolls without breaking a sweat.
- I think the Grunt Infiltrator really messed with my deployment, and I deployed too conservatively to effectively engage the Devil Dog’s rambo run.
- I was pleased with the Lunokhod’s performance this game, his dice were just really hot.
- Really, this game was lost in deployment. Failing Bran’s roll sucked, and I didn’t exert a strong board presence during deployment.
- Probably the biggest setback due to time was rushing my deployment. I did a lot of shrugging and “good enough-ing” when I was placing units, to ensure I had a bunch of time on the clock. Deployment needs to be treated carefully, even under time pressure.
Game 2 – EVO Repeaters are Boss
Finally put together enough terrain to invite folks over to game at home! Here’s the inaugural game!
Overview
- Mission: ITS Decapitation
- Forces: Nomads versus Imperial Service (300)
- Deploy First: ISS
- First Turn: ISS
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/logo_501.png[/img][b] Impetuous Training[/b]
[b]GROUP 1 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]9 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]1
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_16.png[/img] [b]INTERVENTOR Hacker Lieutenant (Hacking Device Plus)[/b] Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_9.png[/img] [b]BANDIT Hacker (Killer Hacking Device)[/b] Light Shotgun, Adhesive Launcher / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_10.png[/img] [b]ZERO Hacker (Assault Hacking Device)[/b] Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]24[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_35.png[/img] [b]SALYUT Hacker (EVO Hacking Device)[/b] Electric Pulse. (0.5 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_30.png[/img] [b]MORAN (Forward Observer)[/b] Combi Rifle, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]22[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_33.png[/img] [b]LUNOKHOD[/b] Heavy Shotgun, Heavy Flamethrower, D-Charges, CrazyKoalas (2) / Electric Pulse. (0 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_17.png[/img] [b]STEMPLER ZOND[/b] Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | [b]17[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_5.png[/img] [b]REVEREND MOIRA[/b] MULTI Rifle + E/M Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Shock CCW. (1 | [b]34[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_4.png[/img] [b]INTRUDER (X-Visor)[/b] MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | [b]43[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_3.png[/img] [b]HELLCAT[/b] Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]21[/b])[b]GROUP 2 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]2 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]2 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_impetuosa.png[/img]3
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_48.png[/img] [b]KRAKOT RENEGADE[/b] 2 Chain Rifles, Grenades / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | [b]14[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_13.png[/img] [b]JAGUAR[/b] Adhesive Launcher, Panzerfaust / Pistol, DA CCW. (0.5 | [b]13[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_12.png[/img] [b]MORLOCK[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]6[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_12.png[/img] [b]MORLOCK[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]6[/b])
[b] 5 SWC | 300 Points |[/b] Open in Infinity Army
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/logo_202.png[/img][b] Imperial Service[/b]
[b]GROUP 1 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]10 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_impetuosa.png[/img]4
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_5.png[/img] [b]CRANE IMPERIAL AGENT Hacker (Assault Hacking Device)[/b] MULTI Rifle, 2 Nanopulsers / Pistol, DA CCW. (0.5 | [b]53[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_8.png[/img] [b]SÙ-JIÀN[/b] Spitfire, Light Flamethrower, Panzerfaust / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (2 | [b]59[/b])[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_1.png[/img] [b]CELESTIAL GUARD (Kuang Shi Control Device)[/b] Combi Rifle + Light Smoke Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]13[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_10.png[/img] [b]KUANG SHI[/b] Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]5[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_10.png[/img] [b]KUANG SHI[/b] Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]5[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_10.png[/img] [b]KUANG SHI[/b] Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]5[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_10.png[/img] [b]KUANG SHI[/b] Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]5[/b])[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_1.png[/img] [b]CELESTIAL GUARD Hacker (Hacking Device)[/b] Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]21[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_1.png[/img] [b]CELESTIAL GUARD (Forward Observer)[/b] Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]13[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_14.png[/img] [b]RUI SHI[/b] Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | [b]20[/b])[b]GROUP 2 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]3
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_23.png[/img] [b]SUN TZE Lieutenant (Advanced Command)[/b] MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser, Flash Pulse / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]57[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_4.png[/img] [b]PHEASANT IMPERIAL AGENT (Chain of Command)[/b] Red Fury / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (1 | [b]35[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/202/logo_19.png[/img] [b]CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng[/b] Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | [b]8[/b])
[b] 5.5 SWC | 299 Points |[/b] Open in Infinity Army
Deployment
The Kuang-Shi link came down first on my left, supported by the Crane AHD and a Celestial Guard FO. The Celestial Guard hacker was on the right on a building, guarding the approach to Sun Tze. The 8 point cheerleader bot hung out near Sun Tze, and the Rui Shi sat in his midfield.
I put my EVO bot in the back and castled up my Interventor Lt on the right, protected by Acid Burn the Zero AHD and my Lunokhod and its Koalas. The Stempler went down in the middle, ready to advance up the midfield. I put my Jaguar Panzerfaust prone on a building, which I found out later didn’t really have LoF to anything, and tucked my Intruder into total cover in the back left. Cereal Killer hung out on the left, ready to murdeR the Crane as it walked by (and also get my hack the HVT classified). The Morlocks went down on the flanks, ready to run up the board, with the Krakot in total cover in the middle. Since he had Sun Tze, I didn’t get to hold anything in reserve. The Su Jian came down in total cover on my right.
Turn 1
Top of Turn 1 – ISS
He advances the link team and the Rui Shi up the board, really locking down my left flank. Unfortunately, they’re now bunched up a bit. The Su Jian advances a little and covers the approach on my right flank. He runs the Zhanying into the middle and throws it int suppression, which completely locks down the center approach to his Lieutenant. He gives me a shot on the Celestial Guard hacker by moving it up, so the Intruder reveals and drops it.
Bottom of Turn 1 – Nomads
The Morlocks run up in total cover for their impetuous orders, and the Krakot goes down to a Kuang Shi but not before throwing a grenade and sending some of them dogged. I move the Reverend Moira up and spec-fire an E/M grenade on top of all of the Kuang Shi and the Rui Shi and land it with a crit! Good bye, Rui Shi! The Morlock on the left activates and lands a seriously amazing chain rifle shot, wiping out the entirety of the Kuang Shi link. Funnily enough, the Rui Shi passes its ARM roll.
Next, I do the obvious thing and drop in a Hellcat BSG since the roll is unopposed with the Celestial Guard hacker down. The Hellcat drops Sun Tze at point blank range.
I spent the next few orders setting up smoke to roll the Lunokhod up the right and exchange some fire with the Su Jian, successfully landing a wound on it. The Stempler manages to crit the Zhanying down, even in spite of suppression, bad range bands, and cover. I climb the Stempler up to cover the middle approach.
With my final order, I turn on EVO: Overlock and pass the turn.
Turn 2
Top of Turn 2 – ISS
The Su Jian breaks itself against my Lunokhod, in spite of having higher burst. Overlock is truly rude! He forms a new link with the Crane and remaining Celestial Guard, and advances them up the table. I attempt to redruM the Crane with Cereal Killer, but he encases her in Carbonite. Since he’s now safe for at least one order, he runs the Crane out of hacking range and sets up to push forward towards my midfield.
Bottom of Turn 2 – Nomads
I advance my remaining impetuous troops in cover, snipe down the Celestial Guard FO with my Intruder, and kill the 8 point bot with my Hellcat. The Crane takes a long range shot and kills the Hellcat with DA ammo. I spend the last few orders getting my classified-Cereal Killer flubs a few of her rolls.
Turn 3
Top of Turn 3 – ISS
He’s only got the Crane left. As it advances up the field, my Stempler and Intruder gun it down, and that’s game. I’ve killed more stuff and more lieutenants, have a classified, and am securing the HVT. I’ve run down my clock significantly, ending with only 8 minutes on the clock. He had something like 30 or so, but this was likely due me clearing out his order pool, shortening his turns. My momentum worked against me this game, as far as time was concerned, I think. I was more careful with my movement and my order expenditure, and spent more time checking LoF and the like in an effort to preserve my momentum. It paid off, as I won, but I think I still need to pick up the pace.
9-0 Nomad Victory!
Notes
- Well, I landed some pretty awesome templates this game, and most of the dice went my way.
- EVO: Overclock is super good. It’s basically like a single order, no command token suppression fire. Not as good as suppression fire, but it works on all weapons, so it’s… balanced?
- I think the time pressure was worse for my opponent this time. The only thing that I felt was rushed was trying to dislodge the Zhanying. I figured I’d attempt a shot, and if I survived, I could triangulate fire. It just so happened that I got lucky with a crit. I’ll take it, though.
- I need to be more careful when moving stuff, I missed the Crane’s ARO on my Hellcat. Didn’t matter, really, but still need to be more careful.
- Carbonite is rude. We forgot the surprise attack on my Bandit though.
- E/M LGL is quite useful against REMs and the like.
Game 3 – Ninja!
Okay. Let’s get started.
Facts:
- Ninjas are mammals.
- Ninjas fight ALL the time.
- The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people.
Err… hmm. That doesn’t seem right. Wrong website. Anyway, I took a small road trip to visit a friend and get some games in. We played two games, one on the clock (this one) and one off the clock, to get a sense for the difference.
Overview
- Mission: ITS Quadrant Control
- Forces: Nomads versus Yu Jing (300)
- Deploy First: Nomads
- First Turn: Nomads
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/logo_501.png[/img][b] Gecko[/b]
[b]GROUP 1 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]8 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]1
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_16.png[/img] [b]INTERVENTOR Hacker Lieutenant (Hacking Device Plus)[/b] Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_41.png[/img] [b]GECKO[/b] Mk12, Chain-colt, Blitzen / . (0.5 | [b]54[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/sep.gif[/img] [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_41.png[/img] [b]GECKO PILOT[/b] 2 Assault Pistols, Knife. ([b][/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_5.png[/img] [b]REVEREND MOIRA[/b] MULTI Rifle + E/M Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Shock CCW. (1 | [b]34[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_4.png[/img] [b]INTRUDER (X-Visor)[/b] MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | [b]43[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_9.png[/img] [b]BANDIT Hacker (Killer Hacking Device)[/b] Light Shotgun, Adhesive Launcher / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_30.png[/img] [b]MORAN (Forward Observer)[/b] Combi Rifle, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]22[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_26.png[/img] [b]PROWLER[/b] Spitfire, D-Charges / Pistol, CCW. (2 | [b]36[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_14.png[/img] [b]DAKTARI[/b] Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]14[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_3.png[/img] [b]HELLCAT[/b] Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]21[/b])[b]GROUP 2 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]1 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]2 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_impetuosa.png[/img]3
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_48.png[/img] [b]KRAKOT RENEGADE[/b] 2 Chain Rifles, Grenades / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | [b]14[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_12.png[/img] [b]MORLOCK[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]6[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/501/logo_12.png[/img] [b]MORLOCK[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | [b]6[/b])
[b] 6 SWC | 300 Points |[/b] Open in Infinity Army
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/logo_201.png[/img][b] Yu Jing[/b]
[b]GROUP 1 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_regular.png[/img]10
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_2.png[/img] [b]ZHÀNYING Lieutenant[/b] HMG / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (1 | [b]30[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_11.png[/img] [b]GŬILÁNG (Minelayer)[/b] Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]26[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_11.png[/img] [b]GŬILÁNG (Minelayer)[/b] Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]26[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_60.png[/img] [b]KNAUF[/b] MULTI Sniper / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | [b]32[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_61.png[/img] [b]MAJOR LUNAH[/b] Viral Sniper / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | [b]29[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_35.png[/img] [b]TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit)[/b] Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]14[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_38.png[/img] [b]YÁOZĂO[/b] Electric Pulse. (0 | [b]3[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_3.png[/img] [b]TIGER SOLDIER[/b] Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | [b]25[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_3.png[/img] [b]TIGER SOLDIER Hacker (Assault Hacking Device)[/b] Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | [b]33[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_12.png[/img] [b]NINJA[/b] Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CCW, Knife. (0 | [b]26[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_12.png[/img] [b]NINJA Hacker (Assault Hacking Device)[/b] Combi Rifle / Pistol, Shock CCW, Knife. (0.5 | [b]40[/b])[b]GROUP 2 | [/b][img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_irregular.png[/img]3 [img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/orden_impetuosa.png[/img]3
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_13.png[/img] [b]SHAOLIN[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | [b]5[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_13.png[/img] [b]SHAOLIN[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | [b]5[/b])
[img]https://assets.infinitythegame.net/infinityarmy/img/_logosweb/201/logo_13.png[/img] [b]SHAOLIN[/b] Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | [b]5[/b])
[b] 6 SWC | 299 Points |[/b] Open in Infinity Army
Deployment
I deployed first, with Zero Cool the Interventor on a building on the left, ready to prone crawl into a quadrant. The Intruder hung out on a rooftop in my midfield, with a Daktari and Morlock at his back. My armless Gecko was squarely in the midfield, ready to go in whatever direction was necessary. My Moira E/M LGL was a little further to the right, with the idea of grenading any pesky REMs or HI that might come down the middle. I put my Krakot and other Morlock on the right, with my Moran on the central building in the middle of the table, and the Bandit covering the approach on the left.
Major Lunah came down in his midfield as a camo token, with a bunch of billboards blocking her from my Intruder. His Doctor mirrored mine, standing at the base of the building where Lunah was. Two Shaolin monks were on my left, with a third on my right. He counter-deployed my Moran with a Guilang Minelayer, and covered the Morlock and Krakot’s approach on the right with the same. Knauf crawled into position, prone, on a building on my right behind the tall orange and blue one in the picture. He asked me to turn around while he set up some TO, and then I placed a Prowler atop the blue and orange building.
Turn 1
Top of Turn 1 – Nomads
The left Morlock runs up without provoking any AROs, as does the right one. I don’t want to run the Krakot out in front of the camo token on the right that could be the Guilang’s mine, so I cancel the impetuous order for the Krakot, and move the Morlock up under smoke cover. The mine goes off, but I pass my dodge. I activate the Prowler next, and gun down Knauf from above. I don’t have much in the way of additional targets for it, but I leave it there watching the Shaolin that was next to Knauf in case I decide to remove the Shaolin later. I could always attempt to shoot it in ARO during my reactive, I figured.
I attempt to throw smoke for the Intruder with the left Morlock, but do a truly shit job of placing the token. It sticks, but I don’t get the coverage I need. I activate the Intruder anyway, and get crit by the Guilang for my trouble as I maneuver to try and discover it. Intruder down! I spend a few orders shuffling some stuff around in my backfield aimlessly, trying to move some things up into quadrants, basically, and pass the turn. UGH, that did not go well.
Bottom of Turn 1 – Yu Jing
The Shaolin activate, and my Prowler misses his shot, or gets smoked out. I forget. Either way, the one on the right survives. The two on the left advance, provoking an ARO from my Interventor, who fails to wound the Shaolin. The Guilang near my Moran activates, setting off my Koalas and provoking a dodge out of the Moran to not get blown up by the mine. I pass my dodge for the mine, but he out dices me so the Moran goes unconscious, and the Guilang passes his ARM save. Stupid MSV1 infiltrators! Next, the Guilang tries to discover Cereal Killer, my Bandit. Rather than let him get a free shot, I shoot back with the shotgun. It works.
A Wild Ninja appears, and stabs my Prowler in the back! It was his reserve model, a Ninja AHD. Apparently he had placed it right next to my Prowler, right on the centerline, and was hoping I’d walk past him. D’oh! Lunah reveals herself and kills my Bandit and the Morlock on the left. She takes another shot at my Morlock on the right, but Colossus takes a page from the book of Batman and smoke bombs his way out of trouble. At the end of the turn, he’s got 2 quadrants to my one due to his nearby Ninja, so he gets 3 points.
Turn 2
Top of Turn 2 – Nomads
I run my last Morlock up the corridor where the Guilang’s mine was, and try to provoke an ARO from the Guilang that’s there, but he doesn’t bite. I advance the Krakot up the same corridor, but don’t poke him out. With the Guilang on the center building gone, thanks to my Bandit from earlier, the Daktari is now safe to climb up and pick up the Intruder, so that’s exactly what she does. The Intruder advances into cover along with the Daktari, Gecko, and Moira as part of a Coordinated Order. Hopefully I can pick up those darn Shaolin Monks as they come up my left side.
Lunah is still a threat, so I drop in my Hellcat BSG and gun her down from behind. I leave the Hellcat watching the Doctor that’s there, who missed all of his shots as the Hellcat did his dirty business. Huzzah! With that, I’m out of orders.
Bottom of Turn 2 – Yu Jing
The Shaolin Monks advance again, but between the Intruder, the Interventor, and my Daktari, I manage to drop one of them, leaving only one on each side now. The Ninja on the rooftop that killed my Prowler removes my Hellcat, and the Doctor crawls his way up onto the roof to pick up Lunah. He brings in a Tiger Soldier AHD on the same board edge as my Interventor, but my Sucker Punch roll fails! He doesn’t have enough orders to stand Lunah back up, and the turn passes back to me. I’ve got two quadrants to his one, since an Intruder and a Interventor are worth more than a Shaolin and a Tiger, so 3 points for me!
Turn 3
Top of Turn 3 – Nomads
My Morlock runs around the corner and chain rifles the Shaolin Monk on the right, dropping him. I move my Krakot up the field towards Lunah and her Doctor buddy, right into grenade range. It takes two spec-fired grenades to send them both unconscious, but I’ll take it! I spent my last Morlock’s irregular order to try and take out his Guilang on the right and the discover + shoot works. He’s got one more Shaolin on the left that I’d like to remove before it’s in chain rifle range of my Interventor, but I don’t have a shot unless I stand up. I figure the AHD isn’t a lethal threat, so I stand Zero Cool up and gun the Shaolin down. The Tiger fails his hacking roll, but the Ninja AHD across the board on the roof rolls a lucky crit. I move my Gecko up to contest the far right quadrant.
I’m out of orders now, basically, so with my last order I throw the Moira into suppression watching my right rear flank for another Tiger, just in case.
Bottom of Turn 3 – Yu Jing
As I predicted, another Tiger drops in on the right, but in total cover. He moves his Ninja on my left along with shuffling everybody around to get the maximum points and forfeits the rest of his orders.
Even with IntelCOM, I can only control 2 quadrants, and he’s securing my HVT, so the game ends, with him up by one! All in all we finished in about an hour and twenty minutes, with roughly equal time on our clocks. This game was pretty bloody, on both sides, so there wasn’t much in the way of ambiguous situations. Turns went pretty quickly.
5-4 Yu Jing Victory!
Notes
- Krakot performed as intended this game. Cancel his impetuous when it’s too dangerous, leverage it when advantageous. Spec-fired grenades were great, as usual.
- Morlocks did a reasonable job, but could’ve been better.
- Again, I need to place smoke by template and not by token. It’s easier to estimate range with the token, but the point of the template is to block LoF and if I’m not checking it I’m wasting an order whether I make the roll or not.
- Losing the Intruder due to rushing because of the clock was dumb. I don’t think I needed to move at all to get into cover, I could’ve just discovered and shot through the smoke, which would’ve been a better plan. He’d be shooting back at -6 if I managed to shoot. It’s not -9, but -6 is probably good enough. Certainly better than giving him a normal roll against my move+discover. Still learning the ways of camo tokens.
- Not sure I should’ve revealed the Bandit to take out the Guilang. I suppose I wanted the normal roll as well as he shot the Moran. Probably the right call, even accounting for the bias of me succeeding.
Overall Thoughts
Being on a clock for Game 1 definitely put me under a lot of time pressure. Adam is a significantly better player than I am, and he has an excellent command of USARF and Super Jump capable troopers. It was akin to playing tennis one-on-one (or choose your favorite sportsball equivalent) with a superior opponent. You have to rise to the challenge, tighten up your play, and making quicker decisions. I think both of us made some relatively minor mistakes, but nothing game-breaking.
Games 2 and 3 were different in tone–they both were in people’s homes and were played after a relaxing shoot-the-shit meal. Not to say that I’m blaming the itis for anyone’s performance, but more that the mindset was different. In the first game, I didn’t look at the clock often, but was painfully aware of its presence. In Games 2 and 3 it was there, I never checked it, and I mentally dismissed it because “we were just hanging out and trying being on the clock.” I think there needs to be some in-game pressure to be on the clock, i.e. if you run out of time you lose two objective points or something. I don’t think we’ll ever enforce such a thing in a tournament, but in friendly games where it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it would be a good check on the “hey let’s just relax” phenomenon.
I’ve played a few more games on the clock before finishing this batrep series, and I can say that in all of them I’m not really beholden to the clock’s time pressure except during deployment and the first turn. This shouldn’t be particularly surprising to anyone, if you’re trying to give yourself an incentive to do something, but ignore that incentive/punishment, it’s not really going to have much of an effect!
Having your opponent’s ARO decision time eat into your turn muddies the waters too. I’ve never seen anyone intentionally slow-play in Infinity before, but if your opponent is a careful player and wants to run the math and angles in their head before doing anything, it will definitely slow down your game. Similarly to having the discussion about how Infinity is played with an opponent instead of against an enemy, I think there needs to be a conversation at the beginning of a timed game about the expectation of snappy ARO declarations. Takebacks definitely should not be allowed either. Now that I’ve got something like 5-6 games on the clock under my belt, I think the revised clock rules should be something like this:
- Each player has 1 hour on the clock (total of 2 hours per game).
- Each player’s clock is running during their active turn as well as their deployment phase.
- The clock is paused if one player leaves the table for any reason.
- The clock is not paused for looking up rules, analysis paralysis, etc. Don’t do it! The point is to speed up play!
Running out of time results in owing the other player a beer or equivalent. A Standard Burrito Unit is also acceptable.- Running out of time results in a loss of 1 objective point. And probably beer.
- No takebacks, much like in chess. Once your hand leaves the model, you’re committed. Ask for LoF first.
- Discuss and request snappy AROs. If you miss an ARO, you miss it. Move on, that’s how you learn.
As far as some general guidelines to speed up your play:
- Ask for LoF first, play with intent, it will go more smoothly.
- Really really stick to the order structure. 1st short skill, ask for AROs, second short skill.
- Do stuff while your opponent is taking their turn or deploying. You can always do a rough sketch of your deployment as they set their models in place, and you reserve the right to move your models later. If they want to respond to your deployment as they’re deploying first, but you move that model later, tough. They should just be ignoring what you’re doing. This could be controversial, but the point is to go fast.
- Plan your turn out. Have a goal for each turn, as simple as “get someone here to watch that fireline.” This is what you should be doing while your opponent is taking their turn.
- Set up your order pool before hand, and remove orders as stuff dies. Sure, they get some info, but how much mind gaming do you really expect to do against a savvy opponent?
- Don’t forget the objective.
- Check the clock.
All in all, I like the experience of being on the clock. I personally need to do a better job of honoring the time pressure.
