Read on if you hate trust and want your positive tournament experiences ruined forever. Note this a guide on how to protect yourself against cheating, not how to cheat. The examples of cheating are specific to INFINITY, they do not cover things like loaded dice, deliberately bumping models and terrain, etc. HIDDEN DEPLOYMENT Hidden deployment is the most easily exploitable mechanic in Infinity, relying 100% on your opponents integrity, unless you subject them to a level of scrutiny that will make you yourself look bad. But in today’s global meta, it’s your own fault for not asking. Always confirm HD the moment your enemy reveals their location. Perfect counter-deployment every time in the absence of photographic evidence This technique allows a cheater to effectively position all his/her troops who are in hidden deployment after the enemy has deployed, or even after you have started spending orders if the cheater is particularly bold. It is only practicable in “no photo” metas where the concealing the presence of HD troops is prioritised. In these metas, the location of HD troopers is normally scrawled onto a crude map, at the same time as noting which holoecho contains the troop and which of several duplicate models is the LT. The later the cheater adds the hidden model to the map, the harder it is for them to achieve without arousing suspicion. The cheater can deflect suspicion earlier by stating that they are merely noting other private information, even appearing open and generous for example by claiming to be “just noting which of these fusiliers is my LT” when the two basic fusiliers were the only possible LT on the table. In actuality, the Swiss Miss has just been placed directly opposite your aggressive link. To protect yourself against this kind of cheater, you should insist that no notes are made outside of your opponent’s deployment, and keep your opponent in sight at all times. A canny cheater may privately forge new deployment information under the guise of using the lavatory (the use of which should be banned outright by TOs). Deployment notes should be placed on the table and never touched. If you are the kind of player who wanders off to take a shit, call your wife or socialize during your opponent’s deployment, there is no way to prove this technique has been used against you and you should forfeit any game vs CA, OCF, SEF, PanO, NCA and ALEPH. Multiple choice Hidden Deployment with photographic evidence Multiple choice deployment is a technique that cheaters can apply in “photo” metas, those in which the location of hidden deployment is recorded on a phone or tablet. The cheater simply takes photos of their HD trooper in multiple locations on the table and choses the best when he/she wishes to deploy. “Photo” HD players appear more honest because they willingly volunteer the presence of HD troops in their list. To protect yourself from this kind of cheater, you must ensure a judge with integrity watches them place their hidden deployment. In the absence of a judge with integrity, you should insist the potential cheater swipe through their phone gallery in both directions of the photo, even if this would reveal their dick pics and wife’s nudes. The canny cheater will have probably deleted photos as it becomes more obvious which of his/her preselected locations is most favourable, but you can never be too safe! If both no judge was available, and the cheater is clever with their deletions, there is no protection from this technique. OTHER TECHNIQUES Multiple Choice AD1 AD1 is the only level for which cheating is beneficial for a cheater, and even then, all that can be achieved is a free upgrade to AD2. To get the free upgrade, the cheater comes to the game with all possible AD1 selections already made on separate notes, and choses the most favourable when they wish to deploy the troop. Alternatively, the decision is made during the game when you are distracted by something else. At the table, this is most likely to be when you are checking LOF from the models perspective. To protect yourself against this kind of cheater, you should insist that no notes are made outside of your opponent’s deployment, and keep your opponent in sight at all times. You should also lobby TOs to bar Ariadna from their tournaments. Multiple Choice HP2 Using this technique, the cheaters troops in the Holoprojector 2 state are never hit by non-template AROs. The cheater simply starts the game with all 3 possibilities on different sheets of paper, and places them into different pockets. This is a minor advantage as most players without impact templates delay against Holoechoes as of HSN3 anyway. Even still, it is your responsibility to rapidly identify and provide evidence of cheating, therefore you should demand that the opponent turn all pockets of all clothing they have worn during the game inside out. The models-in-view list-switcheroo With this technique, the cheater chooses or changes their army list after they have seen your models, either because you have taken them from your figure case prematurely, or more brazenly, after your deployment. Aside from allowing them to choose the lists with the greatest counters to yours, it may even allow them to win an LT roll they may otherwise have lost. The cheater relies on you both lax list submission requirements and you being unable to prove their guilt in a short time without making a big fuss (they only have to make it to the podium). To protect against this kind of cheating, and especially before the LT roll, you should ask which list they have chosen, and it must be described using the same name as appears on the printed list, which you must confirm then and there. If the cheater was silly enough to name their list "Double HD ninja”, tough shit. If the lists are not named, call a random organizer to protest. CONCLUSION Set a good example. Always comply with the anti-cheating countermeasures set forward in this guide. Keep your hands raised, where they can be seen at all times during a game and place your phone in the microwave. Only ever bring one list. Abstain from taking factions with private information (such as PanO, Yu Jing, Nomads, Haqqislam, Combined Army, Ariadna, ALEPH, Tohaa Non aligned armies and all their sectorial army lists) to tournaments.
Actually the photo one is something I've worried about. Hence, I always mark down my hidden deployment units on my army list, defining them in some unambiguous manner, typically by using x and y coordinates in inches, treating the left corner on my side of the table as the origin.
Got a good laugh. I would have preferred a different image, though... something like memes of "the Aquila Guard is looking at you!!!" or "The Black Friar KNOWS!!!!" I mean, YJ is soooo last week... ;)
A very good response to Spanish Inquisition which is happening around the topic. Two forum threads, facebook comments as well, were closed by the moderators to stop questioning the actions of the Spain's player no.1 . As soon as someone ACTAULLY asked about accusation, the last topic got closed. Again, you wouldn't be the first one on ITS if you would make silly mistakes. No one believes the top player does not remember his list by heart; no one believes you really forget 80pts. But these questions cannot be raised as the moderators close the discussions, (also, no one would like to get into any hard personal feelings) therefore we go around - instead of having some mechanism to deter cheating, we are resorting to DEFENDING OURSELVES FROM CHEATING. A great topic, @the huanglong. I hope this open discussion will do both things: a) Make players aware of cheating methods; b) Force the cheaters to refrain from using these methods. I am so sad many have the stance "your opponent's mistakes are your problem". Not the kind of sportsmanship I am used to and definitely not a one I would like to play along.
I think you are missing the point, and this kind of attitude will make the moderators close this thread aswell. People is not defending Leibarg, but stating a simple fact: the tournament was done. The organization's only two interactions with this clusterfuck were when the results were delivered, and when the offended player approached them long after everything was done. Now, facts: Leibarg would have earn nothing from cheating. He was already listed as having a position in the Interplanetario, for instance, and the calculations show he could have had 109 points of live troops (110 were for retreat), so that could have been the list he had until the tournament proper, thus explaining his mistake. Incidentally, both players' mistakes are the problem of both players. You make a mess? We both suffer. Finally, this thread is humorous in nature, and I doubt you gave it the read it deserves.
Regarding hidden deployment, you can always give it on a folded piece of paper to your opponent if you only have one or two hidden deployment models. I find I almost always deploy things on the corners of buildings, it's quite easy to write "on my side of the table, as far as possible on the roof on the furtherest left corner of the purple building" and have it be completely clear, and as your opponent has the information there can never be any allegations of being anything less than completely kosher.
I jumble around my holo echoes like that three ball and a cup shell game, that not even I know which one's the real one, and then we're both at a disadvantage and not cheating.
