This ignores the context of N4 out-of-catalog sectorials being removed from infinity with N5. And as you said previously, it is because new players would be confused that they can't buy those factions. So out-of-catalog, especially by surprise and without comment from Corvus Belli, means USARF will not be receiving support and will be phased out with the next edition.
Also, both Medikit and Gizmokit have suffered an "indirect nerf" due to the removal of burst to the fireteam bonuses, it's now equally easy to hit (roll 2+ dice) but since you don't "keep" the dice from fireteam bonus...
If that was the case, why would they bother to put them there in the first place and not remove them with the edition change?
How the hell am I supposed to pick a fight with someone so reasonable?? Seriously though, hope you're right and I'm wrong but if, as a SEF player, you've ever been on the receiving end of a group-2 tac-aware sensor bot just casually stripping your midfield camo, it is a brutal experience. Played two tournaments in ITS 14 with SEF and lord it was hard work, those tachimotos were in every list I faced. Rindaks are top tier sensor users, but that's fair, your opponent has to spec in to them, whereas sensorbots are low hanging fruit. As are Helots and Fennecs. Having said all this, SEF are leaning away from camo-heavy builds now I think, with Calibans getting a bit worse, and small fireteams getting better.
I do not think Calibans are getting really worse, or better said less essential, but yes, Sensor bots are something rarely seen and yet essential for gameplay, ITS 14 gave them some prominence but people stopped using them after that, I am not sure if the new more expensive option with tactical awareness will place them again on the map.
That’s exactly what happened to FRRM. Went OOP at end of n3, survived n4, essentially unchanged and killed for n5. USARF OOP at day one of n5, with minimal adjustments for n5. Still not even up to n4 level. They also wanted to keep everyone to 3 sectorials, thus having to keep USARF. The creation of barsuks for TAK/vanilla also points to killing USARF off as they are almost carbon copies of grunts. Additionally, QK was NOT kept OOP. Expecting USARF to be killed is a very reasonable expectation with everything considered. At this point I have limited faith that CB will do anything but kill them off. If CB would actually COMMUNICATE their intent, it would go a long way to mollifying people. Zero communication breeds resentment and drives people out of the game. I’m pretty close to being one of those.
I don't know if you've noticed this, but the release of N5 has been extremely fluid while Corvus Belli itself has been extremely opaque about their plans. Beacuse USARF was not Out-Of-Catalog in the lead up to N5, I assume they didn't want to rug plug USARF players by cutting launch rules for N5. It could also be they originally intended to keep USARF, but decided last minute they weren't the direction Corvus Belli wanted to go in. Whatever the reason a faction going Out-of-Catalog is a very clear signal that CB intends to cut a faction.* Either way I wanted to reply to your comment: I don't think you intended it, it could lead more naive or new players to hang on to their USARF models or buy them second hand. You should consider that your position as moderator of the official company owned infinity forum, might weight how people read your thoughts here. If we are lucky and USARF stays, then its not worth keeping your models anyway, as we have seen with other recent reboots like Morats, the entire line of existing models would be resculpted anyway. And in some cases the loadouts, appearance, and numbers of those models could change in a way that makes the existing not function the same. Honestly USARF has a same-y-ness problem anyway, there is not a lot that differentiates Grunts, Marauders, and Minutemen, I would expect those to be redsigned heavily by CB's design team if a USARF does come back. If you are a USA player now, my advice would be to expect them to leave or at best change. If you like the models and think you have a suitable way to proxy them, obviously keep them. I personally have quite a lot of proxies with N5 so I feel the pull to sell them. (Btw, this also applies Tohaa, in both cases, make sure you are aware of how tenuous both factions are before getting into them.) *See: Spiral Corps, Merovingian Response Force, Caledonia, Shock Army of Aconcimento and Neocaptaline Army
personally, I've never reduced the amount of doctors/engineers in my lists (depending on faction and availability, for example the only reason to add engineers to my greek lists would have been the removal of IMM-A state, or after the upgrade in N4, healing Eudoros). To me, this change wouldn't be enough to discourage Paramedics(gizmokitters over Doctors/engineers, simply because there aren't so many of the latter available in the first place for each sectorial (or linkable, too), and how high the demand for Command Tokens have become over the last 3-4 years. I find it possible that we will see a reduction in healing during the battle, and the engineers will go back to remove states to high priority units (something the servant bots can help them, too), leaving aside the troops with Medikit +1B. This idea opens the possibility for USARf being kept just as a number filler until a "new" Ariadnan sectorial is launched. Possibly, in a shocking turn of events, we will see the colonial/industrial security forces of the YJ/PanO Corps from the other parts of the planet, since all the political parties would be all there. I can imagine using Starship Troopers units, Helldivers, and other franchises' models as proxies at home at least!
Oooh you could be right at the USers. I mean I think it'll be similar to kosmoflop and a tweak that brings in a change/ new sectorial. I mean I would welcome that. I don't personally care about any of the dirt peasants from ariadna but us has always been particularly...dumb. with the exception of the short lived horde and medium infantry rush they have never been compelling at all.
I did not reduce the usage of Doctors and Engineers either, but I have seen linked Medikits and Gizmokits been favored over the proper skill.
Agreed. Again, better communication would help temper expectations. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not a fan of offloading models I like because I’m speculating their possible (likely?) obsolescence. I get attached to my minis. To each, his own, though.
In some options it was, I'd say, for lack of options, or/and because the Medikit +1B, I bet. For example, in greeks, Pandora gave a second "doctor" for Myrmidon use, I'm happy Dactyls can join Myrmidon groups now (I think they should be wyldcard 0-1, but that would imbalance others anyways), and since Machaon lost his Eclipse smoke its now possible we will see lists without him at last. On an unrelated topic, I'd like to ask you if there is a thread for discrepancies between spanish and english translation/wording? I've noticed the Speedball - Vitapack and Autorepair rule is quite different between the two: As you can see, the spanish version allows to remove 1 wound or cancel Unconscious State, while the English version works like a virtual Wound, forcing you to remove one wound suffered during that order. This generates the option to "touch oneself" with half order and heal one, for example Achilles may go from having suffered a wound before, to grab the vita and heal himself (or have someone touch him to heal him too), while in English you are forced to carry the Vitapack before suffering the wound. Also in Spanish you can apply the "remove 1 wound" to other units, which in english you cannot (being limited to only the Remove Unconscious state) EDIT: Personally I'd prefer if the structure of the rules for the VitaPack and Autorepair was the same as for the Switch On, where the effects are stated first, then a second part stating it will automatically activate if certain conditions are met, and then says it can be used on allies (it'd be great if, for those two that have 2 effects, it would state it can apply either to allies too). Also a clarification for the situation of a troop going from 2 wounds to Unconscious in the same order while having a VitaPack can twist stuff to get back from Unconscious to 1 wound and then get the "remove 1 wound" effect, thus being topped again.
I am hoping that now that the vacations are over there subjects along with quite a few clarifications will start to be addressed, I unfortunately do not have an ETA at the moment.
