After years of playing Infinity I started to focus more on a tournament side of things and got a bit disconnected from the storytelling side of the game, which I always liked the most. I understood that and started looking for a faction to rekindle my passion. Short list included going back to the roots (Bahram or Vanilla Haqq), trying new blend in Ramah, going full social credit with Invincibles, continue to destroy everybody with morats, or giving a chance to TAK. But then my mother-in-law gifted me the one and only USAriadna action pack for my birthday and my fate was sealed (for some time at least). I spent a lot of time thinking about the paint scheme for my guys and discussing it with an artist who paints all my miniatures and I really like the result. So here are The Grunts! Hope these guys get some love in N5. Crazy buffs like MOV 4-4 might be a bit too much to ask, but who knows! :P I just hope my best friend won't stop playing because some of his armies will be banned in N5 and these guys will see some action in the coming months :(
Those look great, buffs would be great, while i've had no actual Complaints about USARF i've always been wanting just a little more out of them. I wouldn't worry about your buddy either, if he's still got playable armies he'll want to check out the new edition. and the list is just for the start of N5 even if they're otherwise left in stasis i'm sure the rest will be updated to be playable.
I'm actually a little excited for USARF in N5, mostly because of Duos getting B1.5 Duo'd Mavericks: racing around (or racing up to get into cover and go suppressive for a net BS -9), but now I can leave them in a Duo in Active to get a MSV1 B5 AP Spitfire (one of those shots was going to miss anyway)... sweet And I used to Haris two Blackjacks (one of each) along with a (mostly) useless 112 Doc, but now I can just Duo the Blackjacks and use the Haris for something else (Marauder sniper team maybe)... Seems like there might be some cool options opening up
The 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) or Unit Galahad was a United States Army long range penetration special operations jungle warfare unit, which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater. It was famous for its deep-penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Japanese forces superior in number. War correspondents of the time came up with "Merrill's Marauders" nickname for the unit and that name stuck. Hundreds of years later the descendants of the American colonists on planet Dawn remembered that story when they needed a name for their own long range penetration special operations unit. Ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome! The Marauders.
Love the Marauders. For me, the best infantry of USARF in design terms. Would like to use them more, but the core of Grunts is much more cheaper. I have to try the Haris with sniper, but I usually leave the Haris to UKR + Rosie.
I agree. Their suffer greatly from the fact that Rosie, 112 and Bill are not "counts as marauders". But the thing is one of the reasons for me starting USAriadna was that I rated this army pretty low in terms of "competition power". I thought it's full of mediocre to bad choices and that it forces you to adapt and overcome. You know, like playing on hard mode. Also I wanted to move a bit away from tournament oriented playstyle that I've acquired with my morats. What USAriadna turned out to be is a pretty solid army with an very effective and cheap core link with Unknown Ranger, amazing Desperados, great dog with heavy shotgun, crazy Van Zant, etc. Also I started to get lucky with dices and winning games left and right with these supposedly weak guys :) Won a game (and a tournament) against one of the best local players after dogged Rosie managed to pass 14 saves in a row ))) That said I believe USAriadna is already buffed by changes in N5 (weaker links) and I can't wait to see their N5 profiles. Really hope CB will make grunts, marauders and minuteman into something really cool. We'll see soon enough :)
What are your thoughts on a Minutemen glow up? It is a modest one, but a nice one. The addition of T2 to their rifles makes them deadly to anyone who does not posess Immunity (arm), and 6-2 mov propells them that extra bit farther. Combat Instincts are an ok skill, but nothing spectacular.
Pretty much as you said, it's a nice change but in a vacuum it still leaves them as feeling a little "less than" other HI in a similar vein. NWI or Dogged plus an extra ARM or two would be perfect. Though I will admit the 6-2 makes them very attractive in the usually slow USARF.
I feel that being on par with othen HI will detract from their Ariadna feel and from Rangers in general. I myself have the full roster of USARF troops, minus Desperadoes, so I very much like the fact that Minutemen are just that - men. In the human term of the word, they have neither 2 wounds or extra arm. They are just men in combat armour with really big guns. Honestly what I really want from them - to either move to MI or to get Immunity (Imm-B). They are not in powered armoured suits. They should not get stunlocked by E/M.
I was always fine with Ariadna HI. I assumed they had a light exoskeleton that helped mobility. For Minutemen, that is at least now shown with the 6-2 movement.
Yes, but they do not show it on the model. I know that rules change and all that, but they are just humans in camo clothes who strapped what looks like a high-tech equivalent of bulletproof vest, helmet, arm and leg guards. Even compared to MO Crosiers, their armour looks less sophisticated. And it is, because it is Ariadna. You can not hack an AK-74 or a knife. Or a rocket launcher. They are non hackable also. Yup. I am not raging or anything, and I played them vulnerable to e/m for whole of 4th edition - I will do that again no problem. Just to me, they do not have anything armour or looks vise, which diffirentiates them from Grunts or Marauders. They are even non-hackable. They have bts 0. But due to being HI, they are getting Isolated and Imm-b'ed by any ammount of e/m ammunition, which they can not resist at all. If, on Marauders and Grunts the worse ir can do is just Isolate them - okay, they turn Irregular. But Minutemen not only turn Irregular, they are paralized and can not do anything. And having wip 12, they can not undo this state by themselves, because the penalties stack.
I actually love the USAriadna buffs! Minuteman now are one of the few units who ignore the surprise shots which is pretty nice and adds power to any ARO fireteam with them! I love the 6-2 and T2. That said -- it would be great if these guys could get just a bit more love ) Immunity to hacking would be really cool and totally in line with their background. Also it'd be great to see Armor 4 and Wip 14 (these guys are based of the Unit/Delta force, who are some of the smartest military people on the planet after all)! In my opinion all these buffs are balanced by them being just a 1 wound expensive guys, which I am OK with .
They are organized in squadrons like mythical “Delta Force”. They are named after the first American militiaman (and also after a badass intercontinental ballistic missile). They are fulfilling a role of the heavy infantry in the reconnaissance army. They are the Minuteman.
The Stavka Intelligence Department was created on Dawn after the Ariadna Commercial Conflicts. Here, Ariadna's best fighters are selected, regardless of their branch of service or country of origin. USAriadna grunts, Caledonian SAS, Cossack spetsnaz - anyone who can withstand grueling tests and an even more grueling course of special training afterwards can become an operator of the Stavka Intelligence Department. There are few such people. Rosalind 'Rosie' Munroe is a prime example. She has a background as a 'riveter' (a worker in the factories of the USAriadna). After a harsh youth, she enlisted in a unit of grunts, where she gained a reputation as an “iron” soldier, as well as experience with demolition and rocket launchers. After years of service, she was court-martialed for beating up her commanding officer (rumor is he was a really rare kind of asshole). She was released from custody by Roger Van Zant personally and sent to the Stavka Intelligence Department, where she quickly gained a reputation as an exceptionally competent specialist. Stavka Intelligence Department operators and 'Rosie' Munroe.
