Back in the Human Sphere

I've been focussing a lot on my 40k lately but I've always kept Inifnity in the back of my mind. This is a game I really like, as a sci-fi fan, and this one is simply put the best sci-fi tabletop game out there.
 One thing I've always said about this game is that the rules are quite complex, with a steep learning curve, but this complexity is just perfect as it reflects the high-tech style of the game. I played a lot during N2, the second iteration of the rules, played the Paradiso campaign with a closed group and had a ball with my Aleph before aquiring a Merovingian force to try a different style of play. Life being what it is, living in this golden age of gaming, I've put Infinity on hold for some time and, with the arrival some time ago of the 3rd edition of the game, it's time for me to get back into the human sphere! I've wrote about Inifnity before, on the club Chaos's blog mostly. To get back into it smoothly, here is a little article about my personal views on this great game.

A main aspect of the game that really set this one apart is its unique black op style. Most are played under 3 turns by small detachments of 10 models on average, although depending on the technological level or raw power of the models, some will have up to 20 models and some will have even less than 10. the game is all about the missions, in opposition to the all-out war we see in the most popular brands of tabletop miniature games. Of course, anihilating your ennemy still works fine, but the more you play the game the more you realize all the possibilities and tend to focus more on the objectives, stealth and cunning instead of brute force. Of course some armies will be more leaning towards this playstyle, like the combined army's Morats, a race of belligerent  symian-like aliens with a strong military tradition looking only to bash faces.

The very military Morats looking for trouble!

I play two armies that are at the opposite ends of the technological aspect spectrum, namely Aleph and the Merovingians, a sub-group of the Ariadnans. Aleph is the name of the single Artificial Intelligence that oversees the data network of the Human Sphere, humanity's realm in space, and most major international technological systems. It controls all sorts of synthetic beings to fullfil its different roles, from deva functionnaries to the armed branch of the steel phalanx and have access to some if not the best technologies available. On the other side, the Merovingians, along with the rest of the Ariadna community, have been secluded from the human sphere until being rediscovered recently and missed a beat or two of the technological evolution. They are not that far from what we know right now in 2016 and good ol' rifles are a common sight on Ariadna.

A matter of dice!

Now as good as the game is, it have its downsides. We mentioned the learning curve and complex rules, but another thing that often comes up is the use of d20s. For players that are used to roll a ton of  D6 and get closer to the average stat by rolling a ton of dice, a single d20 offers a slightly more random result. some players simply refuse to play the game because of the d20 thing. Personnally I just don't care, and I actually like rolling d20s, even if sometimes you feel very lonely when the fate of the universe relies only on that single roll... now some will beg to differ, namely the GW haters, but eh, whatever floats your boat!

 Now this is the time for me to make the switch to N3, the latest edition. I've played about 3 games so far since the new rules are available but to be honest I didn't play enough to see much of a difference with the previous version, except for the hacking abilities and devices, which are more numerous and can now really be compared to spellcasting in other settings. I'm currently reading the Core book before the rulebook, as I like to really plunge into the universe before delving into the rules. So far, about 20 pages in and I can safely say that this is not a complete rehaul; some art have been seen in previous edition's books and even some of the text is quite similar. Of course it is the same game and same setting so it would have been surprising otherwise. The books are gorgeous though and the new art is simply amazing, not to mention the painted miniature pics.

Giraldez's Penthesilea, amazon warrioress. Nice work to say the least...

Talking about the miniatures, Infinity offers the best sci-fi miniatures out there; they are simply amazing. On top of this, Angel giraldez, one of the best painters out there, is the house artist for Infinity and even got his own Infinity painting technique book released; he uses an hybrid form, using the airbrush and classic technique to out-of-this-world results. Closer to us, Yaum la machine did some of the best-painted nomads I've ever seen on a table. You can see his work here: http://www.yaumlamachine.com/p/gallerie.html
Scroll down for a while and you'll eventually get to the Nomads. Try not drooling on your keyboard.

I plan to work on my Infinity a lot in the following weeks, either by painting or getting my ass kicked by veterans and mastermind players (Jv?!). So far I managed to finish  painting a Loup-Garou sniper I started about a year ago and speed paint Sergent Duroc, an angry dogface from the Mirage-5 paratroop duo, which logically leads me to paint the other half of the squad, Margot.

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress and hopefully bring you a batrep worth mentioning soon, until then keep your combi loaded and your blade sharp !