Your complaint has been noted, Citizen. You may bring it to your friendly neighbourhood Crane Agent's attention...
I'll be honest, I figured it was a second Hac Tao. The thing has upped its chunk factor in recent years (and even the original was notably beefier than most HI at the time) and the raised bits on the shoulders look like the, roll-bar dealies on the Hac Tao armour. You can also just barely make out the hint of a white mask (its pretty low res, but it is a slightly lighter black in roughly the same shape as the standard Hac Tao mask). I figure the extra bulk is likely down to stance and facing. The mid-field Hac Tao is at an angle to us, the one in the background is head on (and I think it may have an elbow cocked out to account for some of the upper-body width). All right, I've been noticed. I'm on my way (to a black site) now!
I can't quite make out what it is he say after "TAG", it doesn't sound like Guijia (kinda sounds like Ichiban!?). Hac Tao is also not mentioned and as people have pointed out, Hac Tao isn't part of the first line up but rather one of the first releases after CB changed Yu Jing away from the Light Infantry Spam faction. In either case, I'm hoping I am wrong simply because of the Zhanshi, I really would like a medium infantry with a bit more chunky armour for Invincible Army. That drop trooper, however, is likely the Shooting Star (I still can't remember the Chinese name for it! Gah!)
He says "TAGs like the 'Gee jia'" because he is not a Chinese speaker. Hac Tao has carried the white banner logo for years, across redesigns. It was one of the first things ever mentioned as being in white banner as one of the "white face" troops. Shooting star is Liuxing (流星), but I am curious if it would actually be Liuxing Invincible, which seems probable. I am fairly convinced that this is what is in that artwork.
With the talk of Zhanshi and Hac Tao and what sectorial they should belong to, keep in mind that not every unit is limited to one sectorial despite where they may thematically be from. Fusiliers are available in MO and NCA, Orcs are available in NCA, SA, and will also be for Varuna if it gets released. It also comes down to where they are assigned by governing forces. Ninjas are obviously a Japanese unit and work for the JSA, but they're also chief methods of gathering intelligence covertly and get assigned to work for the Imperial service. As for Zhanshi I expect them to be available for IA. It's unlikely CB wouldn't include some kind of cheap cheerleader choice, that absence would make building lists very difficult in filling out the last 10-20 points. Also Zhanshi Yisheng/Gongcheng are pretty much guaranteed to be showing up in this sectorial as the support choices, as much as I detest those old models (need to figure out some kind of conversions) because I highly doubt we're doing a HI army with no Engineers. So the core troopers coming along for the ride is likely too.
This Zhanshi Doctor/Paramedic became possible once I stuck all my Japanese traitors through a sausage grinder.
Thanks! All I know is that I want to use the Zhanshi HMG as a starting point for an engineer, because he has an open hand and a satchel. I have no idea what to do with his gun arm though.
In all honesty, I hope CB doesn't do this as it would be a mistake. Sectorials should, ideally, represent how the factions exist in the fluff. Zhanshi are literally troops of the banner, the light infantry regiments that the Invincible Army is made to replace. Kind of hard to sell the IA as an effective fighting force if they still need to fall back on the old, outmoded light trooper that they are purported to be replacing. The IA is meant to be a highly reactionary change to Yu Jing's old methods of warfare and out of all the troops Yu Jing have right now things like the Zhanshi are basically the antithesis of what they were made to do. This doesn't mean the IA can't have a cheap cheerleader in it, but there are a number of much better ideas that better fit the background than slapping in Zhanshi and calling it a day. We've seen clever use of "downsides" to create cheap but elite troops like the Thorakitai and Myrmidons. We've seen widespread use of cheap remote troops and beacons to act as an order base (Combined and Aleph which both do the elite force thing). We've even seen fairly non-standard line trooper profiles that allow for a strong order base while not feeling like normal line troopers (Grunts and Kuang Shi). Zhanshi don't make a lick of sense in IA, it would be like having an Imperial Agent in the JSA list or having a Kempeitai running alongside the ISS. Any IA force taking elements of the banner regiments is the kind of mixed force a vanilla army represents. Troops from different branches (or even organizations) coming together for a special mission (but losing out on a bit of coordination because they aren't as used to fighting alongside each other and are likely answering to a different command staff). Make no mistake, the IA need a cheap trooper, but short of a massive rewrite of how the Yu Jing army is modernizing, the Zhanshi makes zero sense in that role. Ideally, they come up with a cheap order provider that fits the theme of an elite, modern fighting force. I do think people forget just how many new units were created to form the original sectorials back when HS dropped in 2nd as well. While there are definitely existing profiles that make sense in various sectorials, CB need to be careful not to shoehorn them in where they don't fit lest the new sectorials feel like boring grab bags instead of something cohesive and well-themed. If sectorials just feel like CB are ticking off a "well, this hasn't been used yet" box on a list, then they'll be doing a disservice to the game.
This is why I think we are more likely to get a Sectorial army list based on locality rather than based on an ORBAT. Unless they give IA netrods, it's going to be an MO tier mess of concessions.
Thanks! Yep, some cutting and greenstuff required, but since these are my first metal conversions to make use of either, it can't be too challenging
Ah, of course! Didn't notice her there at the edge. Thanks! I have an old boarding shotty lying around from the Kuang Shi box that I'll try first, even though a combi is definitely more useful.
Don't get me wrong they could do some cheap ARM3 1 wound pseudo heavy infantry like USAriadna Grunt instead of the Zhanshi, but their release schedule with 5 sectorials plus non aligned armies seems way, waaay too crowded to do a whole bunch of cheap cheerleader replacements for IA. It's even more unlikely when we appear to be unearthing IA promo art that has Zhanshi front and center.
Though, we do have the old rumour (reliable rumour, but still rumour) that there's going to be 5 new units of which the Liuxing is one. Aside from I'd say at least two cheaper units (sub-30 and sub-15) and support regiments (Doctor/Engineer (which could be the sub-30)), I don't know what units are actually missing if Liuxing and Daofei takes on the role of skirmisher.
It isn't that old, tho. And not that rumour. Bostria himself said it at a seminar so it as as offcial as it gets. Granted, he also said that it wasn't likely until GenCon 2018. If anyone wants to rust off their spanish (or their Google transalate) this is the post: http://infinitytheforums.com/foro/t...da-ejercito-invencible/?page=7#comment-388551
Re: Zhanshi not making sense in IA. The IA is a state army sectorial. The Zhanshi are the basic light infantry of the State Army. That's reason enough for them to appear in the sectorial.
The thing is, the Invincible Army was made to replace the Zanshi, so why would they be a part of it? But they will probably be there, because reasons.
