So new player here. New to JSA but also to infinity. I finally made the jump into infinity because of the relaunch of the JSA. Now that I have the army pack I was wondering how to increase my forces to 300 pts. So I already ordered some Domaru as it is one of our core link teams and they look awsome. Also I ordered Miyamoto Mushashi because Miyamoto. So this is in the army pack JSA Army pack ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 9 1 KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) KEMPEI (Chain of Command) Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, CCW, Electric Pulse. (0 | 21) KUROSHI RIDER Lieutenant Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower / Breaker Pistol, AP + Shock CCW. (0 | 33) RYŪKEN (CH: Limited Camouflage) Heavy Rocket Launcher, Antipersonnel Mines / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 23) RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 24) DAIYŌKAI MULTI Marksman Rifle, Panzerfaust / Pistol, DA CC Weapon, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 52) ONIWABAN Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Monofilament CCW. (0 | 41) 2 SWC | 221 Points Open in Infinity Army And with the domaru you can get to a 300 list JSA Army pack + Domaru ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 1 KEISOTSU Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 11) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) KEMPEI (Chain of Command) Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, CCW, Electric Pulse. (0 | 21) KUROSHI RIDER Lieutenant Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower / Breaker Pistol, AP + Shock CCW. (0 | 33) DOMARU (Fireteam: Haris) Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0.5 | 27) DAIYŌKAI MULTI Marksman Rifle, Panzerfaust / Pistol, DA CC Weapon, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 52) DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39) ONIWABAN Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Monofilament CCW. (0 | 41) GROUP 2 2 RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 24) RYŪKEN (CH: Limited Camouflage) Heavy Rocket Launcher, Antipersonnel Mines / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 23) 4.5 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army where I use the Kaizoku as a normal Keisotsu. I know that it is light of hackers and the like. How would you expand on the army pack? Would you use the Kaizoku as a proxy? If so what for?(Yuriko Oda, Keisotsu's, ...)
From the current catalogue (and taking into account that we've got Tanko on the horizon somewhere, plus I wouldn't be surprised to see a keisotsu swc pack within a year, but I have no hard data on that. Regardless, I'd snap those up when they become available.) I'd say must haves are an aragoto box, a ninja, and yojimbo. Behind them the rui shi/ lu duan box and the JSA support pack. After that I think things open up a lot more based on what sort of play style you're going to gravitate to.
There are currently two new boxes scheduled for JSA: - In May, Tanko - In June, Keisotsu And Bostria indeed mentioned the Aragoto box, but without giving a date. I think that, apart from the Domaru, Support Box and Ninja, the characters play an important role in the JSA: Miyamoto as a cheap Tanko Fireteam enabler, Kitsune for killing anything (+ Smoke), Jojimbo for Smoke + perimetral defense, Saito as a multipurpose box (killing, scoring, smoking)... A couple of boxes and characters will give you several combinations for your lists.
I've been using the Kaizoku as a Kempetai MSV2. Thematically appropriate (great looking embedded special forces with extra gear and ability) and the Kempetai MSV2 is a great, great unit on the tabletop. Definitely pick up the Keisotsu box when it comes out in a couple of months too. Yojimbo is also a pretty critical purchase. All JSA troops benefit from smoke, but Domaru and Oniwaban especially like having it.
Tankos are out end of May (Angel has posted pics on his Facebook). I'd grab them and Kitsune pack next (you could use the old Oniwaban as a proxy for Saito if you don't like Saito's sculpt). I would definitely hold off on the Aragoto until the resculpts show up (apparently, they're getting the same bike as Kuroshi).
Since this seems the place to ask, I have a yaokong husong, tokusetsu and yaozao, and have the core army on order. Curious what people would recommend as the next step? What might be 'critical' units?
Domaru Box/Oyama blister is probably the next most important now, since they're around so much (Daiyokai duo and Haris, Domaru Duo, Domaru Haris, Domaru + Karakuri Haris, Domaru + Tanko, Domaru + Kempei + Keisotsu, Domaru core if you're weird.) Yojimbo, Saito or Kitsune are all pretty good since they have smoke. I take Yojimbo the most out of the three. Ninja blister because that's your midfield specialist.
With what is available, I'd suggest the Ninja pack for the hacker. Followed by that, you want the Rui Shi/Lu Duan box then. Both of those will get you up to options for 300 pts fairly quickly. Then these next purchases are to diversify your list a bit more. The first tier of this is getting Yojimbo/Saito Togan/Shinobu Kitsune. It is recommended you get all three if you can, but Yojimbo is the cheapest one to use point-wise and is quite good in throwing down smoke. Then I'd get Tankos to both the Samurai link team and forming a Haris with Musashi at some point (which this one you have to wait on). If you do not mind the wait, I suggest the Keisotsu box might be one of your first purchases. More than likely it is going to come with an HMG, ML, hacker and maybe either an extra plain soldier or paramedic.
I have the red Veil ninja, so I have that covered for now. I guess I just don't get how to use Domaru, every time I look at the profile I feel 'meh'. The chain rifle just doesn't impress me.
The Domaru provides Close Combat protection and very dangerous E/M Grenades to mixed Fireteams (Tanko, Dayokai, Karakuri...). You can use them to escort your Specialists. They work like a "Heavy Warband". Also, coming from Tohaa, a BS 12, Burst 5 (Fireteam Bonus) Spitfire is not bad at all.
Berserker hitting at 28? 29? So it always hits, and crits with 12+ or 11+... place him in front of an enemy HI or TAG. Sure, depending on what you face the Tank will explode, but he's so cheap you don't care... you just fragged a 100+ TAG, or an Achilles or a Hac Tao...
CC23 MA 3 Berserker If all of them can combine (not sure about this), you can get to CC 32, so you Crit on 8+. There is no kill like overkill.
Yes, you can combine AM and Berserker... (and Natural born warrior, for those who have both too...) Assume CC23 + 6 from berserker, because most targets will be able to impose a -3 (AM1 or AM3), and dodge is irrelevant (because it won't avoid the roll being normal!). So 29, crit on 11+ on 1d20. So, 45% of going directly to Isolated and (if HI) IMM2... good luck with that, dear MO knights, Aleph HI, or similar. And HI without melee, like the Brigadas or Swiss guard? 1d20+12 normal roll, for Isolated with 8+ (60% chance!)
I guess I just dunno how to get them into CC. Usually my stuff dies when it leaves cover and tries to advance - unless it's something like a Hac Tao which is a bloody monster in face to face shooting rolls.
That's where you need Yojimbo to put down those lovely smoke templates and eventually Kitsune to remove those pesky long range treath. BTW, if you REALLY struggle to even advance, maybe you are playing with way less scenery than needed. Or maybe you just need to lure your opponent troops near them... Try to park a Domaru+Tanko Fireteam near an objective and let your opponent deal with them!
Coming from Tohaa (Eclipse Smoke), I've never had this problem: if I want to get into CC, I get into CC, I only need to spend enough Orders. The main reason I'm going to start collecting (and playing) JSA is because ther playstile is so different. As I see it right now (theorycrafting, consider that I haven't played with JSA yet), you use the Domaru to escort your shooters as they advance to midfield. Then, IF something gets close it will have to face that Very Dangerous Domaru that can tank a wound and risk shooting you with a Burst 2 Chain Rifle (or whatever weapon it chooses) or Engage you in Close Combat. It's more like a threat, some kind of shining "you better not come close" alert sign. And if something juicy is close enought to the Domaru during your turn, Assault is an awesome tool (CC 23 +3 from AM3 -7 from Assault = 20).
My current thought is to get 2 domaru so I can do a Daiyokai haris with an FO, so the combination can both push buttons and murder things.
Same thing I'll try. But also consider the Domaru Haris + 2 Karakuri: they are less resilent and a little less Firepower (MK12 instead of Red Fury, less ARM and Dogged instead of NWI), but all Karakuri are Specialist and they are harder to hack. The cost is very simmilar.
You have Assault for the last 8 inches, and you're ARM3 with 2 wounds and stealth. Once you and your opponent have units in the midfield, your Domaru can do his job pretty easily, in my experience .