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What can I do to lure people into infinity?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic English' started by Belgrim, Dec 2, 2017.

  1. Belgrim

    Belgrim Well-Known Member

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    I have been playing infinity with a friend of mine for a year and a half now and 2 other guys that play one match every 3 months so they are not really active players. We need to travel to the nearest city to find other infinity players. I managed to convince another guy to buy the onyx contact force (he likes evil alien guys) this Black Friday and I bought operation red veil + exp for myself and I’m now trying to sell the Haqqislam half of it to another guy that expressed interest for Haqqislam in the past.
    I’m really struggling to convince warhammer guys to invest into infinity in my hometown. They look at it as unknown B rate skirmish game probably because it does not have “epic” miniatures style and is not an army game.
    How do I convince them to give it a try? It’s such a low cost initial investment game with such a great gameplay as you progress. Maybe I should start talking about it’s lore and stuff. Any ideas?

    Ps: I have already a mat and enough terrain for a game table and enough minis (though most are unpainted) for test games (and also my friend’s PanO minis). The thing is how do I convince them to play in the first place.
     
  2. xagroth

    xagroth Mournful Echo

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    A sale's first point of attack are the eyes. If your Warhafriends have painted miniatures, and detailed to booth, you will need to paint yours, to at least a basic level that lets them show how many details (if you ask me, some have too many, which can be intimidating to some painters). Onyx is quite good in that regard, and your friend got almost 3x1 cost box, meaning he can go and buy some extra stuff (Ikadron + Imetron x2, Dr Worm, and a TAG). If you are going to play Generic, the new Avatar will sell itself to any workshaddict, and if not, the Xeodrons are good options (you can use the EC remotes extra pieces to assemble a magentized Missile Launcher for a Xeodron, turning it into an Overdron... the Drones that you will assemble will be the Total Reaction and the EVO anyway).
    Oh, and paint the terrain!

    Second, talk their language. Infinity does not play "a la Warhammer 40.000 points of miniatures", it is instead an exercise on ingame economics, good faith (no "rules lawyer", just enjoy), and colaborative effort (both players check AROs). Also, listbuilding is exceedingly fast and easy thanks to the Army, and hacking becomes easy once you control the Repeater stuff thanks to several online support (I use Captain Spud's hacking helper).

    Third, infiltrate and infect. The Shasvastii know it better than anyone, asides from the Hassassin. Now that Necromunda has come to town, if they want to play go and join them, but use Infinity miniatures if you can manage. The non-basic version, with measurements, heights and tons of scenography (the old version, to say the truth) is quite similar to Infinity to the eye: small number of units, run a lot, punch buttons, get the spoils. Granted, Infinity is not about streetbands, nor does it have (at this moment) a current, evolving and balanced campaign system, but the idea is to get the game inside their confort zone.

    Fourth: it is no effort at all (blatant lies). Few miniatures, easy with the proxying, all rules online, the Army web support... You can sell them the lie that they only need to buy some miniatures they like, paint them, and go play. The lie is that Infinty rewards inmensely those who play all the time, check different ways to play, and train their eye to measure distances. Also, the rules are a little too heavy, but on the plus side there are really few "faction exclusive" rules (mainly on Tohaa and the Fiday/Speculo two levels Impersonation).

    Be patient, and try to teach them instead of showing them the game. And try to lose when you explain things, so they feel good, instead of feeling like you are doing this to pummel them down!.

    Finally, Mayacast.
     
  3. Belgrim

    Belgrim Well-Known Member

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    Working on it. I have painted about 14 minis from 71 total :p. 81 actually if you count the unselled Haqqislam
    Barely attempted this. Have a look: https://forum.corvusbelli.com/threads/help-me-paint-terrain-without-an-airbrush.407/ :edit: I just saw you already responded to this :tongueclosed:
    I have been using this candy on everyone I have met so far :tearsofjoy:.
    Elaborate please.
    Yes I must do that after I get them to play but there are people that get offended if you let them win. They expect from me to do my best even if they know nothing about the game rules. Freaking warhammer try hards :D. But you are right.

    Thanks for the advice. I will wait for some more advice and next weekend I will try to organize an infinity newbdom event.
     
    #3 Belgrim, Dec 3, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2017
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  4. xagroth

    xagroth Mournful Echo

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    Ok, it is a fine distinction. It implies to "play" situations with them, instead of playing a game and seeing what happens. Choosing some sticky situations and showing how to solve them, like for example a Total Reaction (or two) and showing how different factions can deal with it (smoke combo, hacking, TO Surprise Shot at close range, Fiday/Speculo at melee inside of smoke, etc...) or a heavy TAG (AD troop killing cheerleaders, K1 weapons, hacking, "boxing it" with a hacker, a melee trooper and/or shooting AROs, etc...), trying to appeal to their "strategic excelence".

    It is faster than playing games, and ilustrates a lot of situations that can happen or be forced. It also shows all mechanics, and exhibits the terrain and miniatures, even if you are proxying!
     
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  5. saint

    saint Charming, but irrational

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    So what i found works in the long term is being a constant presence and having a (fairly) regular schedule. people know that i'll be showing up on Thursday evenings at the local store to do... something, painting, playing a game, just hanging out, I'll be there and generally I'll have my Infinity stuff with me to talk about show to people, explain the game and how cool the models are etc.

    short term its best to play a game where other people can watch how everything goes down, and then show them all of the really cool stuff that this game has to offer. and for the 40K guys specifically point out the price difference, a starter set for Infinity is the same as or less than a tank or ten (or five, things are getting ridiculous) man infantry squad roughly $150 and you have more than enough toys to get a good feel for Infinity and have alot of variety of play.
     
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  6. xagroth

    xagroth Mournful Echo

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    Also, point them to the factions with what they might want... Players who love tanks will gravitate to PanO or EC and their TAGs (the Maghariba is quite... unique, in a lot of senses), while others who love powered armors should go for YJ, etc...
     
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  7. taylor

    taylor Well-Known Member
    Warcor

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    One thing I've found effective is to make comparisons with stuff they are familiar with. I've had a lot of success when comparing 40k to "Call of Duty" and Infinity to "Counter-Strike". I'm not saying anything is wrong with either game, but gamers know there is a lot more tactical acumen required in Counter-strike. It's also something they can see when infinity is played with a relatively low model count in comparison.

    I hope that helps you out!
     
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  8. Section9

    Section9 Well-Known Member

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    Having some drop-dead gorgeous table terrain helps, too.

    When I was starting to pitch Infinity, we'd literally stop 40k games in progress as we built our tables (we also ended up buying about another 100 trees for the store, because at first we used every tree in the store for one table! I later added about another 100 trees for my own collection).

    Another useful comparison is XCom: small units, very tactically demanding.

    With Shadow War: Armageddon and Necromunda, you have some relatively stiff competition for the 40k guys. When I was pitching Infinity, it was long before Necromunda or Armageddon. So it was easier to get people into a low model count skirmish.

    "Buy whatever models you think look coolest, it will work as an army!" is actually true here!
     
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  9. Nenyx

    Nenyx Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, if they are old Necromunda fans, that could work. Infinity is a skirmish game, it's a far smaller scale than what 40K aims at. It's basically a far better skirmish game, with far better miniatures (not that Necromunda minis were bad, it's just, they are really old now).

    But of course, if they are the kind of people who just want to align tons of big vehicles with even bigger guns ... it might be a little harder :p
     
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  10. Wildgit

    Wildgit Member

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    Reminder that the formers are basically dead, and latter are still filled with AoS esque muscle men and shemales. They still not muster enought interest as far as i see, maybe except necromunda soon if they actually introduce a custom gang system.

    Personally i still didn't feel any stiffness coming from them, but still, better watch them out in the future.
     
    #10 Wildgit, Dec 22, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2017
  11. Harlekin

    Harlekin Catgirl Supporter since 2007

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    In the old days (Infinity 1st edition) I usually explained the game to interested 40kers by comparing it to Necromunda. It worked pretty good.
    In general, the key to getting people into Infinity is making the game seen. If people recognize that Infinity is played regularly in your FLGS or club chances are much higher that they will have a closer look.

    For guys aiming to push hordes of tanks, infantry or anything across the board, Infinity might not be their cup of tea, anyways. I'd focus on the more painter type of players.
    A lot of players in my area I got into the game started with buying a starter or a few single miniatures just to paint them... quite some of them already own 2, 3 or even 4 armies, now.

    Also, Infinity can be very attractive for the competitive players. Not so much for the deck builders but the actual gamers.
    Same is true for more RPG oriented players. Infinity is full of heroic moments.
    If you have a few the chance to spend some casual time with those guys, grandiose stories about achieving victory with the last order or being whiped out and still winning the game because the oppoent didn't pay attention and other things might attract both types of gamers.
     
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  12. Nenyx

    Nenyx Well-Known Member

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    You never know, I was a tank player in 40K (Eldar with lot of tanks with jetbikes as infantry when we could take 50% army points in vehicles, typical fielded army was 5-6 tanks, 10+ jetbikes, some hawks ...), and i now play Infinity, so i may not be the only one ^^ What brought my friends and i to the game was the miniatures. Infinity has some very nice minis with a lot of diversity. 40K tends to have many bulky models, infinity has more sleek, thiner models, even for some heavies and TAGs.
     
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  13. n21lv

    n21lv SymbioHate

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    Found this old thread and decided to share some findings of mine, because new players are needed in every community.

    I demonstrated Infinity a few times, and what seems to catch the people's attention the most are the miniatures, especially if they are well-painted. So, make sure you have tried to do if not your best, then at least above your average.

    Second thing is, whenever I explain what Infinity is, I ask the potential neophyte "Have you ever played XCOM?". If the answer is affirmative, the second I mention: "It's a lot like XCOM, just with miniatures", they are 80% sold.

    Third, make your demo games quick and don't spend too much time on explaining the rules. That player came to you to play the game, not to listen to you explaining the rules for half an hour. I've ended up explaining the very basics: roll types, valid order declarations, cover mechanics and how weapon distances work. Everything else (going prone, guts rolls, hits, saves etc) I explain on the fly, because most people are really eager to play the game. If they are able to move the dolls and roll some dice, and see how their decisions impact the outcomes, they feel involved and more often than not they will come again.

    Finally, having some handouts could help. I've made one for our group, but feel free to copy it and modify to fit your needs.

    NB: The brochure is designed to be printed on ISO A4 paper and fold along the grey lines that separate the text columns, so Infinity logo, our community and FLGS logo are on the front page, and QR codes are on the back.
     
    #13 n21lv, Nov 29, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2018
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  14. Koin-Koin

    Koin-Koin Well-Known Member

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    Great job.
     
  15. Pen-dragon

    Pen-dragon Deva

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    I have to reiterate what others have said about the miniatures and table, catch their eye first.

    If they start asking about the game play be sure to mention the ARO mechanic, it really stands infinity apart. Don't go into too much detail, but explain that in a way it is always their turn, they don't have to wait an hour for an opponent to finish all their moves, if their trooper sees your trooper dart across the alleyway, their trooper gets to take a shot.
     
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  16. chromedog

    chromedog Less than significant minion

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    I first saw Infinity at a con - one of the tournaments being run (1st ed). The terrain on the tables attracted me. Then the miniatures caught my eye.

    It's a miniatures game, the miniature SHOULD attract them.
    Show the game, play the game, teach the game. This should be enough. Preserve the illusion of free will. Let it be "their" choice to play.
    (In Australia, we don't really go for the "hard sell" - the more you push, the more we tend to step back - so let the game do the heavy lifting for you.)
    If they come in, welcome them. If they don't, then that's fine, too. Some people like the miniatures for a painting challenge (painting without gaming with the figures is an entire hobby unto itself).
    Above all, gaming is cyclic and gamers are a fickle bunch. There's ALWAYS going to be a new shiny that catches their attention when it wanders, as it will.
    Don't sweat it. There's no commandment about "having no games above this one", and even if there were, one can enjoy multiple games beside each other (no kings, just "princes among equals" )
     
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  17. Belgrim

    Belgrim Well-Known Member

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    I just wanted to update this thread.

    Now we are 4 regular players in our small community and there are 2 guys orbiting but i havent managed to fully get their attention yet.
    In time though i will.
     
  18. FireFangs

    FireFangs Space Oni

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    I just wanted to comment the title is creepy. Luring people is creepy! Also WH40k fans are kinda pricks.

    Anyway, although I don't play the game itself, I agree that what brought me to Infinity is the look of it all. The minis look great and the terrain is far more interesting that army games with a mostly flat field. So to attract people, attract their eyes.

    Once you got their eyes, let them try playing. Either lend them an army or let them use their WH minis. Having to buy a full army right from the bat to play can be a turn off as they'll get in with a negative opinion right away. But if you ease them in first, they'll buy new armies on their own soon enough.
     
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  19. DrunkCorsair

    DrunkCorsair Well-Known Member

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    Now i feel offended a bit. I like the grim dork future and i am still doing a Horus Heresy Army for bigger games and dice rolling madness.
    So you are in for alot of offensive french jokes :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

    Personly my go to was pulling out some miniatures in our painting sessions and playing the missions from the starter set.
    The next step is going to use Defiance when the Kickstarter arrives.
     
  20. Stuffist

    Stuffist Well-Known Member

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    Ok, ok, you win. We surrender.
     
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