Exactly. Plus, as flexible as Shas are about 'habitable planets', that gives what you'd call 'ecumenical colony systems' a good idea for in-system trade. Shas could inhabit Venus or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, conduct mining and whatnot there, and trade that for stuff from Earth or whatever. Gives a reason for the humans to want to trade with the Shas instead of shoot them.
So, we're going to have a very upsetting event happening autumn next year. I have a theory. Hear me out. 300 point army box of Tohaa with only new sculpts. Can you imagine anything more upsetting and meta defining than that?
There are two quite realistic options for "new aliens". One is the Fenrig Imperium who the Tohaa fought so hard for so long, who could contact humanity (perhaps after, themselves, being attacked by the EI?). But the other is an entirely separate group of Shasvastii. The background material for the Shas is SUPER clear that they really don't know what happened to any of the other groups who fled their original galaxy, so an entirely separate group joining the "other side" of the struggle between the Human Sphere and the EI isn't totally implausible, or us simply making contact with totally independent Shas.
The short answer is most probably not. If you focus on one sectorial it will not matter if it splits off though. Note that the JSA Uprising was forewarned and CB checked how much JSA and Yu Jing overlap there was before the split and said as much. Most players had predominately one or the other. On discontinued lines and products. ALEPH got new sculpts, so more of an update than a discontinuation. The other discontinued lines were the least popular in faction (again CB has data and checked) and still have rules, which get updates. We have every reason to believe that you'll be able to play the mini's you own even if they are no longer produced, going forward (i.e. CB learnt their lesson and will not repeat Exrah). Firstly, I think Infinity is balanced enough for that not to be an issue. Unless you have serious holes in your list (like not covering a rangeband or not bringing specialists). Secondly, fuck off. If you want to go WAAC don't drag the rest of us with you and don't pretend it's the norm.
I generally saw people lose some pretty crucial pieces. One of the new players in my playgroup quit the game over this, as he had just bought Red Veil, some other models, and Kitsune and a Shikami.
Bostria here says "enjoy your armies while they are still alive" after promising something Uprising-like but bigger in March (around 6:50 in the video). It's really making me not wanna buy any more Infinity stuff in the near future.
Yeah, for the guy whose forum title is 'Brand Ambassador', Bostria's diplomacy sucks ass. I may not even buy 3rd Offensive till April at this point.
Or, again, if there will be overreaction and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth no matter what you do, you'll do whatever seems most enjoyable... just a thought... and there's all sorts of diplomacy, some pleasant, some not.
Basic economics will tell you that uncertainty in the market will have people restrain themselves from spending money... people will never get hype for having things taken away. CB seems to fail to understand this (fairly basic) point, with the negative-sum game of B4ckd00r being a fairly basic example in how not to make things fun.
Crucial pieces? As in lynchpin models? In Infinity? Infinity is a game where you're supposed to bring a list depending on mission. CB changes things up to generate hype, as part of the enjoyment of Infinity is solving problems and delving into rules (I get amped from figuring out new lists and I'd bet I'm not the only one). Also, "it's not your list it's you". So, don't see the issue with change, make a new list.
Crucial might not be the right word, but some of the models removed from Yu Jing were potentially playstyle-defining and lacking even remote replacements. Oniwaban and Shikami definitely fall into that category. I certainly hope that the JSA split was a one-time deal and more armies don't get shuffled around in the near future.
One of the big issues is that YJ lost all of its Superior Infiltrators as well as its cheap specialists with Valor (who could therefore act during Retreat.) At that point, it's not a matter of sidegrades, it's a matter of losing the capability entirely. If they took all of the Impersonation models out of Haqq it might have a similar effect.
Playstyle defining or even "crutch" units would be a fair description, Oniwaban was definately a crutch for some people, much the same as the intruder sniper is one for @Solar or the HMG spetznas for others (mine is Kerr nau at the moment), pieces you take regardless and build a list around as a lynchpin.
Listening to Bostria isn't making me hyped, actually the opposite. Maybe it's just me but I'm not excited for the future.
How dare you, I definitely don't cry a little inside every time I make a list that can't take Intruders... Also the Oniwiban was a game design constraint for YJ. Everything had to be made with it in mind. It's a crazy good troop that cut into their development options for the future. YJ players should celebrate that they're now going to be a lot more open as a faction.
There's nothing that occupies that slot that we've seen so far. Nothing that would, when combined with the Oniwaban, create degeneracy. So I don't think you have a basis for your statement.
It is Intruder (the developer) who's celebrating, not the players. The players can only celebrate what they have, not what they might have.
You're missing the point. It's not that something does its job, it's that you need to consider the existence of an Oniwaban and/or Kitsune when designing anything for YJ because they are so powerful and precise. Look at JSA. It's a very carefully balanced force, hugely limited in proper long range firepower, starved for SWC. That's okay because it has Oniwabans etc. That's the internal balance.