Janissairies need to be looked at. The bump to BS 14 and BTS 6 was unexpected in N4, but did not make them more used. Their pricing also seems off. Why is the AP rifle, light shotgun more expensive than the Boarding Shotgun? That is not the case for other models like the Asawira or Sekban? I hope if they fix that and shave a couple of points like they did the N5 Orc so they will be in a good/ok place. The Horlak Janissary is one of Haqqislam's best raw shooting profiles (BS 13, MSV 1, Mim -3, BS Attack (+1 Damage)), but not only has limited weapons to maximize that ability but also they still haven't released the sniper model. It really is a tease as such stats feel wasted on a SMG. Please give it some more weapon options (Like an AP Marksman Rifle or a Redfury) and release the associated models. Finally, I want my Janissary Doctor to once again have a choice between Doctor +3 or Doctor 2 wounds. Without Doctor +3, they have become one of haqqislam's worse doctors for single wound models. If that is not possible for ARMY, just make them the super doctor with both combined and make the points change as required. Basically, all this could be solved with a New Janissary Box
CB said they wanted to touch on the existence of certain factions, with mergers or even disappearances, rationing because “43 armies is an absurd number”, wouldn't it make sense for Qapu Khalqi to disappear as a sectorial? To be remounted as a vanilla and give the vanilla faction its specificity, a transfer from sectorial to vanilla. Spoiler: source https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...de-98-MetaTalk---N5-Bostria-Interview-e2nlb93
Or maybe use QK as a Sort of merc list. Druze list y similar to QK one, at a point of a lot of people suggest uzing druze heavy list with QK instead of DBS. Cheers
Given QK was chosen as the Reinforcements faction for Haqq, I think it would require CB to walk back quite a few paces. From my experience with them, they definitely don't like to walk back, the prefer to escape by running forward. Which, true, has caused them many, many problems over the years. So maybe they are about to change their approach. ...but I doubt it.
If CB would include Brawler into QK (Linkable with Druze and Arslan) and up Rafiqs to AVA 2-3 - that would make DBS obsolete to me.
Oh, DBS were poorly designed from the beginning, and slapping various units as patches did little to help that. Well, we'll see what happens. so far, CB aren't doing a very good job communicating their plans. But I kinda got used to it.
I feel the same happens in QK with some of their options, mainly nomads ones. They need to form a nomad firetime of saome sort or maybe go out (i have the models, but never use in n4). For tag, instead of lizard, gecko, wichi is made for space fighting has more sense. If CB cut nomads from QK, can put other merc tag like Iguana o Triphammer, like they did in DBS. Olders sectorials need a complete overhawl, because all the previus patches make them a little odd. I think korsan can work in reinforcements but can't in normal games. Here is my 2 cents. Cheers.
Until CB communicates clearly what do they intend for specific N4-playable armies in N5 (DBS being a good example), we can but theoretize. I think I have said it somewhere already - true, 43 armies (curretly in game, presumably 45, if we add the already announced vanilla JSA and new JSA sectorial) is a lot. And it doesn't surprise me at all that CB decided this model to be unsustainable. Leading to a conclusion that some armies would need to be discontinued, model-wise and, probably, rules-wise. At the same time, they have to be aware of how royally would they piss off players (i.e. existing customer base) by invalidating their extensive miniature collections (or the sole sectorial somebody plays). From where I stand, that's two mutually exclusive things. And I can only hope CB had the wisdom to find a solution that will make an acceptable compromise. As one book put it, how to make water and fire get along for the benefit of us all? Well, we need to find a cooking pot! ...so, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for CB's search for said pot.
A not-so-bad solution would be to allow everything to be still playable but to stop updates for the factions they want to get rid of, and maybe put them in a separate section of Infinity Army. Everyone could keep playing but mechanically, these sectorials would slowly disappear (because that's what happen when you have no updates, no new miniatures, when you're left behind in terms of power, etc...). It would be the smoothest way of dealing with this IMHO. An extra step (that would be to much for some) would be to make the armies they want to get rid of unplayable in official tournaments.
In both cases - you are leaving people who do play these factions (and thus have models) pretty pissed. Case to the point: Tohaa. Apart from occasional merc slap-patch, when were they really being updated? The models (except for the recent limited re-release) haven't been in-catalog for years. And yet there still are people who do play Tohaa. Despite them being officially discontinued last year in all the models.
Druze are usually doing their own business, but due too the lore they are part of Haqq world, as I know. I hope Kaplans would get a proper place too. For now they are helping me to proxy here and there where they are needed. BUT I really like their story. And want to have a reason to get them sometime in the list.
Well, the thing is it's absolutely impossible to stop supporting factions and have no one pissed off... People will be pissed off. It's a matter of limiting this amount and softening the blow, not making everyone happy. Also, I'll state something obvious but CB is a company and some of its choices are not driven by what the customer wants but by what the company needs. If CB thinks having 43 factions to support is very detrimental and this number needs to be cut down, well, too bad for the players... Some won't care, some will be pissed for a moment and get over it, some will just leave. Most probably the vast majority of the players will be in the two first categories. And after some of their armies will be discontinued and some time has passed, most of these players will start a new sectorial. You're cutting down the number of factions and you're boosting your sales. Win-win. As sad as it may sound, a few people leaving and a bunch of temporarily pissed off other ones is a small price to pay.
Kaplan seems to suffer the MI issue: A lot of equipment on a single wound. They also unfortunately are the worst doctors in Haqqislam. Hopefully, CB continues to make tweaks to the formula in N5 to make MI more competitive. Look at this comparison: Kaplan versus Burkut ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 2 KAPLAN (Engineer, Deactivator) Combi Rifle, Adhesive Launcher, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 27) BURKUT Submachine Gun, AP Mines, D-Charges, E/Marat(+1B) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 27) 0 SWC | 54 Points Open in Infinity Army This is really not a fair comparison and while the Kaplan has long range weaponry, this is hard to see. I know what you are saying, but as someone who lived through Uprising, it was a nightmare and I am not sure the community could handle that again.
You're still playing the game and I'm pretty sure you bought quite a lot of miniatures after Uprising. It rather proves my point. People get pissed (legitimately) but then they calm down and adapt, because Infinity is a great game in the end. Also, Uprising only affected a minority of players (15%? 10%?), so for most people, it won't be "a second Uprising". CB made a calculation. - "Ok guys, people love JSA, how about we make them an actual faction?" - "Sure, but some people will be mad..." - "Yeah, a minority of our players will be mad. But it'll boost our sales and they'll get over it." As simple as that. It'll probably be the same about this coming trimming of factions.
But I am a Haqqislam player, not a Yujing Player. And I distinctly remember the absolute insanity that hit these forums and the angry response from from the community. These forums were much more lively and populated prior to Uprising. And since, have been much quieter. Now it could have been unrelated, but man, it was bad. I can definitely see them transitioning or merging armies to get that faction count lower. But I would not be surprised if they do it carefully.
They have ties to PanOceania and Haqqislam, more so because they have build their own Caravanserai in the second Burak wormhole than been aligned to Haqquislam's noble ideology or values. They are an independent minor faction and not a Haqqislam offshoot, Kaplans on the other hand are directly tied to Haqqislam as they are owned by one of the Silk Moguls, their humanitarian fluff reflects that.
These forums are not "the community". We should not mistake the opinion of a noisy minority with the global opinion, which is something that I unfortunately see happening A LOT around here. I don't see why it would be the case, and if it is, it's unrelated IMHO. I litterally know no one who definitively stopped the game because of Uprising.
Just pull enough shit and people will start to loose faith in the company and abandon the game. Uprising wasnt even the culling of a faction and already bad.