On the goonhammer blog there was an article: Infinity Faction Focus: Imperial Service. https://www.goonhammer.com/infinity-faction-focus-imperial-service-2/
One of the signs of a great faction is that it allows people to have vastly different thoughts on what units are the best. It was interesting to see how much @RobertShepherd and Goonhammer disagreed about specific units, but both saw ISS a strong and well designed. I look forward to other maligned sectorials getting this treatment. Yujing is doing pretty well in N5.
I like the look of the Wu Ming and Zhanying. I just wish I didn't have the old ones. It's hard to buy new and cool when you have old and cool enough. I of course will be getting the new troops when they eventually come out.
I hate the Nu Ming. They're absolutely hideous. Get that Nomad-looking shit out of here. Zhangying looks amazing. They just took the old Zhanying, increased the detail while fixing proportions, and made a few small aesthetic updates. Which is good. The old ISS aesthetic was perfect as it was. No one in the last six years has said 'man, I really love how cohesive and complete ISS plays as a faction, but what they really need is a complete departure from their aesthetic design direction'
Yes. Removing the helmet basically ruins the new design for me. Edit: What I am considering doing is painting the faces to be more like armor. So it's more like a faceless human metallic mask than an actual human face.
This is an interesting idea (we've seen it in Torchlight after all), however they would look like having really small real heads. In the end if I have no option but to buy the new wuming, I'll either decapitate them or try to sculpt a helmet. Frankly, I find the braid in one of them a mockery of those of us who miss the long braids in the armor; better placed, yes, but an out-of-touch with your own product design.
I could do a thin layer of modeling over the existing head. Give it a little bit more bulk and still do the same general idea. Didn't think about that.
On one of the new sculpts it does look like ( or at least can be painted like) a mask or a half face mask. But yeah, I am looking to buy the old box. This new armour design does not look Yu Jing at all. I like the pose of the new Zhanying but the armour makes no sense. What is the use of that chest piece jutting out? It blocks the view so you can't see your feet so you'd be tripping over pebbles. Non-functional armour parts like that are my pet peeve. It's a pass for me.
It's more than just the faces, which are definitely part of the problem. For a unit of troopers forcefully stripped of their identities, they're rocking quite the eclectic selection of highly customized facial features... The old helmets also just looked cool. The one guy from the old set with his mask off worked as an exception that made him stand out from the rest. With the mask in his hand, it added a sense of pent up frustration and rage. But now that it's the standard, that emphasis is lost. They're also just kind of lanky. Honestly, my first thought when I saw them was that they were Riot Grrl or Mobile Brigada resculpts.
Yeah, I have to agree that the priority of releases for IS is a little strange. New versions of Celestial Guard, Wu Ming, Crane, Zhanying and Pheasants which all have fantastic existing designs and models doesn't inspire me to buy the boxes. I'm not seeing enough here to warrant the expense of the set when there's realistically only a handful of models I want in it. I hope people making that call doesn't lead to CB moving on from IS early due to low sales. I am keen to see the new units, especially the design of the Jinwei given they're s2 rems. Bao still have really old minis and could do with a resculpt given their more attractive profiles now.
Let's be honest. The priority of releases is OK. This expansion box is very solid as the Haris of wuming and Zhanying hacker is almost a staple for most lists. It is a box with three units any ISS player wants to have. And the choice of the engineer box is another priority in list building too. It is just that for players with an already colection of ISS they are bummer choices. But for players starting or that want to renovate their old minis, it is a very solid start. I am also in the same train of people wanting to see new designs. But KFC and Shinden Butai as well as flyers stole the show. But at least they are done. Those armies got all their units released and with exception of maybe a last expansion box, we will stop hearing about them and move onto the next batch of armies.
Even I am tempted to buy them. But yeah I have first edition WM and the Zhan hacker. So it might be a while. I'm hoping the next one will be 2 Jinwei and 1 vanguard. Sadly, knowing CB that's all we see of new YJ for a long time after. I just wish that they would do alternative weapons! But hey we could be surprised. They are doing another Yamahushi for some stupid reason. We could possibly see another Koga this decade. Adding that the three in this alpha set are three I take almost every time.
In the interest of getting people to post! What has been your "Go To" Fireteam and Troop so far in N5? Here's my haris i've been taking almost every game so far. WÚ MÍNG Boarding Shotgun ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Boarding Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22) WÚ MÍNG AP Heavy Machine Gun / Boarding Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 33) ZHÀNYING (Hacker, Hacking Device [UPGRADE: Zero Pain]) Breaker Combi Rifle, Pitcher, D-Charges ( ) / Boarding Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0.5 | 25) 2 SWC | 80 Points Open in Infinity Army
Optically everything about it makes it feel like a perfect Haris and I agree it makes into any list I can squeeze it into lol. The Jinwei/celestial guard fireteam also has made it into more than a few of my lists.
This is coming up for me. Long Wang + Shenji Notice I took the Shenji with Deployable cover. He stays behind the LW until he can then pop out and give the LW cover as needed. I don't know why I didn't think of this before but the LW is going to be fantastic in suppressive fire! the enemy is -3 cover, -3 for the SF, -3 for the BS Attack skill, then possibly bad ranges too. And MSV will not help. OR go with the VF cover giving him +6 to his ARM saves. Max of 12. It's going to take some practice to pull it off. This is what you use when going up against enemy with Marksmanship. If they are going to take away the -3 for cover I might as well add to ARM! LÓNGWÁNG (NCO) Heavy Machine Gun, Adhesive Launcher Rifle, Light Riotstopper(+1B) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1.5 | 74) SHÀNGDIÀO . (- | 3) SHÉNJI Thunderbolt(AP), Light Shotgun, D-Charges(PS=5) ( | Deployable Cover) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 20) 1.5 SWC | 94 Points Open in Infinity Army
