Everyone keeps saying that hacking has to play a major role in Vedic, but look at the prior releases: Icestorm is PanO vs. Nomads. No hackers at all. Haqq vs. Yu Jing, the Ninja is usually run as a killer hacker but isn't listed as such. This jives with CB's prior statements that they want to keep hacking out of starter boxes. Vedic will need a Hacker (or a TAG I guess) to run the Remotes (Dakinis, Garudas, etc.). That said, there is a huge assumption that the utility of the hacker is only there if TAK has hackable units. I disagree - using a Hacker to boost your REMs is a nice beginner-friendly way to introduce hacking without making it game-breaking or overly complicated.
There's also an assumption that the starter boxes have to be legal ITS lists, which we've seen before isn't the case. Those Dakini may well come without a hacker.
Mostly where starters don't have a model capable of being LT with the weapons they come with. Think there's been two of them, the Shasvasti and one more. Also have the HMG->Spitfire proxy for the Daofei in Red Veil newbie rules.
Bostria definitely said in the Adepticon video, that there will be a "2 player Battle Pack". And this seems quite likely, when you think about it, how much effort 2 Army Packs would be to produce for CB.
Indications are that Invincible Army will be released end of year or early next year. You know, the whole "rough year" comment and all.
Yeah, IA are getting a closed beta list, probably in the middle of or right before the campaign kicks off...
I really hope for TAK vs Varuna ... this way I know I will buy the box (TAK for me and Varuna for my buddy) if it's TAK vs. Vedic I will have to find someone to buy the Vedic-side of the box from me ...
Given the last "lore explaination document" from CB https://www.infinitythegame.com/blo...scovering-secrets-an-infinity-narrative-guide TAK vs Shasvastii don't seem so far fetched. But I think maybe next year?
The pdf says it's Onyx that have snuck their way through to Dawn. Process of elimination, and the hints @Bostria has dropped about which sectorials are coming would also seem to put the kibosh on that: The tohaa and Shasvastii (probably all the Combined Army but the questions have always been answered very specifically as Shasvastii...)are not even started as they will require a lot more up-front design work on the base models of the species before anything else. PanO, nomads, Haqqislam and YuJing all already have operation adjective noun boxes, unless icestorm is being rotated out, which means that the nomads still aren't an option because they just got tunguska. NA2 are extra ways of using existing models, so won't be in a 2 player starter box. That leaves Ariadna and Aleph, who coincidentally both have vanilla starter boxes from back in the N2 days, the Ariadna one in particular is showing it's age next to the sectorials, and the Aleph one isn't much better. PanO are bobbing about in the background if icestorm is pulled, and Varuna is pretty much confirmed, but the stuff we know now says Ariadna vs Aleph is the smart bet, Ariadna or Aleph vs CA with a new sectorial is an outside chance, and Ariadna vs PanO is the wildcard if Icestorm isn't in the mix. TLDR version: No Shasvastii in 2018, and probably No two player boxes in 2019...
Id imagine that 2019 will be the beyond box for this years 2 player starter rather than a full 2 player wouldn't surprise me if 2019 gencon is the release date of the next book. Overall my theory is This year JSA+NA2 Tunguska vedic vs Kazak Varuna Next year Terracotta bois (first models at end of this year) feb-march ish New Haqq sectorial reveal roughly around this time next year Shasvastii revamp (army box) + 2 beyond boxes + new book at gencon New book would likely have info on new Tohaa and the frenchies who will be back end of the year project for 2019
It won’t be Varuna while PanO are in Icestorm, and I don’t see them getting rid of Icestom when Beyond Icestorm is just a year old.
My big guess is TAK vs "New Combined Sectorial". And my guess for that Combined Sectorial is: EI So I'm almost certain to be wrong! But this does have me wondering...
The only couple that makes sense to me in a new starter box are Vedic & Russians, just 'cause their respective sraters are quite old and need a resculpt, besides, virtually could create many new players.
Yeah it would fit in the game balance (EI has a bunch of sepsistors that would be useless to offset the extra points they'd have over any list with 3 line kazaks, they'd have to waste points on a hacker to bring batroids etc) the current situation on Dawn seems to be the OCF has failed their Stealth checks and presumably the EI would now be forced to deal with the throwback humans that caused them problems on Paradiso in a more hands on method... But Aleph are definitely in greater need of a new starter set than CA...
We got an updated Charontid, too. The wisdom of the crowd is likely right (TAK. vs. Vedic), but I also went with TAK vs. "new CA sectorial." I guess the question would be, is that just EI aspects with unidrons, and if so, is that sufficiently distinct from OCF? Or would it something really weird, like a Charontid leading a core of sepsitorized fusiliers/alguaciles and hanging out with Ko Dali? The biggest knock against is the anticipated SEF update. Re: batroids, they do have autotool, so no need for a hacker as long as you have a mnemonica unit.
How likely is to CB make a surprise move on us. Releasing something unexpected ? Taking previous releases in to count.
It's possible that CB will be releasing an all S1 goblin army in multipart kits. Not likely but it is technically possible... And that's where we are now: we have 5 sectorials coming, 2 are 100% and 3 more are very firmly penciled in... CB will be working very hard to meet the expectations they've already set, if they can do more than that it will be astounding...
