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Ikari Company Longevity

Discussion in 'Ikari Company' started by Steineriksen, Dec 6, 2018.

  1. Steineriksen

    Steineriksen Member

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    So now that Ikari Company has been out a while, how are you all finding its ability to be your main army and not get stale?

    I ask as lists I see tend to be far more similar to one another than a more etablished non NA2 faction. I.e most Ikari lists tend to have 4 Yuan Yuans, a tanko ML in a Harris or core, ninja KHD, etc; I'm sure there are more, but you get what I mean.

    Are Ikari limited in list diversity too much to allow them to remain your main army for long or does the limitations not affect your long term enjoyment?
     
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  2. Alphz

    Alphz Kuang Shi Vet. Retired.

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    Infinity is a game that encourages and rewards rotating factions. The way releases are done, only playing one faction can be a bit like a starvation diet.

    Ikari, like many of the NA2 forces seem more like reprieves for players that have been playing one faction for most of their infinity career. Think of Ikari as a form of list variety from playing JSA or Yu Jing. So if you start finding Ikari stale, maybe look to those factions for further variety.

    I do believe you should try playing the same list for as long as possible, with at most minor tweaks to improve as a player. Effectiveness of a lot of units depends quite largely on the application on the field.
     
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  3. colbrook

    colbrook Grenade Delivery Specialist

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    It was said by CB during the Uprising week on Beasts of War that Ikari and StarCo were created to allow players to dabble in a new Sectorial whilst using existing models from their collection. I'm not sure they were ever really designed for long term use as a player's sole faction. Druze are like this to a degree as well, but also there as a tie-in to tge comic book.
     
  4. TheDiceAbide

    TheDiceAbide Thank you for your compliance.
    Warcor

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    I think Ikari is a totally valid choice as a long-term, primary army, with a surprising amount of diversity. I think the reason you see a lot of lists looking the same (like piles of Yuan Yuan, or Tanko ML) is more the result of internet group-think than the army being reduced to a few number of optimized builds.

    At the same time, I think if you play Ikari, you should also play druze, since it only requires a small selection of additional minis, and provides yet a whole other way to play.
     
    #4 TheDiceAbide, Dec 6, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2018
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  5. atomicfryingpan

    atomicfryingpan Well-Known Member

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    Na2 armies definitely feel like they're meant to be for people who have minis from multiple factions or as a stepping stone into a new main faction. I'm fine with this lol and my wallet doesn't mind.
     
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  6. Golem2God

    Golem2God Just a Kooky Kumotail serving others.

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    I agree wholeheartedly. Group-think always sets in with any faction from any game system over time. Therefore, thinking outside of the box is beneficial and can bring fun or new insights into a faction's strengths & style.
     
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  7. Golem2God

    Golem2God Just a Kooky Kumotail serving others.

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    It certainly makes a good convincing argument for those on the fence or want to try something different. Less money spent means more money for other matters or escapades.
     
  8. Fire@Will

    Fire@Will Well-Known Member

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    For instance, there are good alternatives to the Tanko ML; a Brawler HRL comes with one extra burst, at only one less BS, and has an assault pistol for B5 within 8. And, a Clipper can be upgraded to ignore cover, and can take a direct fire SML which has no negative range bands, for even odds against models in cover...
     
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  9. sorniak

    sorniak Well-Known Member

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    I think it is true not only for Ikari, but for every faction... try to find competitive ariadna without volunteers 6pkt, spetznaz hmg and 1-2 chasseurs minelayers? Order optimal + efficiency is quite narrow in terms of army building I think...
     
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  10. Space Ranger

    Space Ranger Well-Known Member

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    I've been having a lot of fun with Ikari. I think you may just need to intentionally change things. Some things like YY are just too much fun to take lol. So now that you've taken them, and your opponent expects them, time to hit him with the right cross after multiple jabs!

    Things to do:
    Leave out the YY but still make one combat group short of 10. He will still set up thinking it's coming without it happening!
    I'm going to try 2 Karakuri just for the heck of it!
    Instead of Tanko ML with Keisotus, try a Haris of Tanko alone! They can be a move forward and assault type think. You can do a Haris with a Brawler specialist that comes up behind them.
    Leave the YY to be a biker gang! 2 Desperados and Yojimbo can be really fun.

    Now this is not a game play thing but finding minis you've always wanted to paint to use as a proxy can be fun too.

    This Acmon. He is Ikari as a Bounty Hunter/Brawler/Desperado. I need to come up with a name for him.

    [​IMG]

    Here's one of my Brawlers, (I name thee Death Gun!) Like Acmon I just loved this figure and had to use it!

    [​IMG]

    Bad Candy
    [​IMG]

    Red Baron
    [​IMG]

    Power Ranger Keisotsu
    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    And once ya have Ikari and Druze, it's a few short hops to land in Qapu and/or Haqq.
    Ya probably got the Hanzakuts, the Druze, the Bashi, Fasid and REMs already.
    At that point it's more or less a starter box away from Haqq.

    Which, on the topic of proxying...

    Is how Ikari has now become an excuse for me to ''Grab Haqq models/units that I think are pretty cool, but I just don't like the general character of the faction overall, so... now the Wu Ming have raided some random Qapu transport and made off with a few new Jannisarie suits and the Keisotsu look oddly like Ghulam for some odd contrived reason.''
     
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  12. Space Ranger

    Space Ranger Well-Known Member

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    I like to think of it that they are not actually those troops. Same look and ability but called something else. They could have made Ikari with all new stuff but they didn't need to. The Wu Ming are actually guys with similar training and Heavy Armor, etc.
     
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  13. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    That's also a way to go about it.

    The way I go about it is, and brace thineselves for immensely idiotic headcannoning and muhdoodsing...
    Some random company of Ikari dudes were hired by some Qapu to do a thing. Some thing.
    But when they did the thing.
    The Qapu did not pay up.
    So they just... took all the stuff they had for payment. Mostly equipment. Shiny new equipment to replace the old stuff they were already wearing. And a shiny new ship too.
    And they painted it all blue.
    Then just cue some accidents of ''Hey, that seems like a friendly Haqqislamite ship over yonder, let us hail th- WHY ARE THEY LAUNCHING BOARDING ASSAULTS?!'' to explain away the rest.

    And that is my made up excuse for why I might get Haqq models yet not ''explicitly'' play Haqq.
     
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  14. Space Ranger

    Space Ranger Well-Known Member

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    I think i learned some new words lol :grin:

    Also, again for me, I think of my guys as Pirates. They will wear and take what they can get. Sometimes even if it's bolted down! I'm going to at some point, Mix up my Wu Ming to include different faction HI. Janisaries, Mobile Brigada, etc. (Kicking myself for selling off my old Nomads!)
     
    #14 Space Ranger, Dec 6, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2018
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  15. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    More or less the same here, ultimately.
     
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  16. colbrook

    colbrook Grenade Delivery Specialist

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    They can also be fluffed as a bunch of renegade Wu-Ming who have "liberated" a few suits of Jannissary armour. Probably with the help of some Yuan Yuan (motto: anything not nailed down is ours anything we can prise off wasn't sufficiently nailed down and is also ours)
     
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  17. daszul

    daszul Well-Known Member

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    But the only Brawler with two 'Pistols' is the Doctor...
    :smiling_imp:
    Just don't mix up the guns!
    But yeah, he can kill with both guns (One for friends, one for foes...)
    (Who posted the old PanO-Comic about this just resently?)
     
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  18. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    Ya gotta get replacement suits SOMEHOW.

    I have more or less an idea for how to proxy most units in Ikari, excluding some I'd prefer kept as the intentionals and some I can't actually think of a proxy for.
     
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  19. Space Ranger

    Space Ranger Well-Known Member

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    He moonlights as a Bounty Hunter Sniper or Bash at times too!
     
  20. Cannon Fodder

    Cannon Fodder Well-Known Member

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    I've been playing Haqq for LONG time (i have original starter models), and have been considered single faction to have enough diversity to keep me interested most of the time. In N2 and early N3 there was a lot of overlap in factions, where each factions has access to most skills. But in N3.5 (or whatever we want to call the current version) with each sectoral having unique fireteams the draw of a single faction has diminished, since the available fireteams are now much more distinct.

    That being said I picked up the Druze sectoral since it let me expend into some fun remotes, but that sectoral was just to limited to keep my interest. 19 profiles is just not enough. Ikari has enough diversity to allow several play styles. I think 30 profiles is required to not feel limited. A friend is playing TAK and loves the main list but is having the same issue, 23 profiles does not offer enough diversity to keep his interests. He also feels a some of the models in TAK are redundant, making it effectively fewer profiles.

    I recall HB (pre-3.5) had the "list" which was the default people would play because it had all the basis covered. I recall going to a tournament and saw the open info of someone playing it and was able to map out his hidden models and LT in 3 seconds because it was that predictable. 5 Muyib(core), Fiday, barid, Farazan, Asawira, Lasiq. If playing a sectoral leans to a single list then the the replay comes down to its strength and only power players will play it (if its strong).

    I think CB is leaning towards mini-sectorals a lot more to drive player into getting more models. If you look at IA it has 23 profiles, it looks like a fun secondary sectoral, but would get boring as a primary. Its small enough that players may grab a couple models to play the fun stuff, then the collecting instinct will kick to finish the sectoral. Meanwhile the same player would not dabble in a new faction at all because its too much to collect.

    The sub-30 profile sectorals are trap. Which I fell for when I got Druze.
     
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