Let’s talk about Aleph’s situation in N5.

That's exactly my point! The Smurfs have it on cheerleaders. We have robots that can only see in the visible spectrum? Check out the high tech on Aleph! Also the Deva has it on Spitfire not even AP (29pts, 1SWC pretty pricey to me) and Dart... don't get me started on Dart...

Apsara should have at least a Hacking device or HDP to make it worth. The point cost is sufficiently low on the hacker loadout and it has deployable repeater (pitcher would be better)... thing is: no special skills, no bonus programs, no bonus on hacking... terribly bland! The rem driver ability should definitely be switchable and should result at least in a bonus (on standard trooper BS11, so apsara BS14) that equals the Assisted Fire (that is switchable, by bonus I intend the "negate cover" as an effectively +3 to shooting behind cover)

 

Consider that remdrive has the limitation of the specific trooper that you need to add that does nothing else, while the EVO hacker has quite a number of usages, including the assisted deployment of paratroopers and still it gives you a "Marksmanship" bonus which is limited to units in cover, but having somebody in the open is more of a gambit you play when you can't do otherwise.

The tech level of Aleph compared to other factions is undeniable: it's called the high tech, high skill faction in the lore, but this doesn't have a real counterpart in game terms. I said it many times that having an AI that monitors communications in the HS (effectively better than the intelligence from the 5-eyes combined in today's terms) should result in a pro-action rather than a re-action when new troopers gets added to any of the other factions. Your list is a part and quite significant one at that, but I could say also transformable units are another aspect (only Yu Jing and Nomads have them), impersonations are another example together with decoy, not to talk about mimetism which is present sparingly. In general I would rather talk about adaptability and replayability as the main aspects missing in Aleph-whichever-flavor. Certain units are auto-include (and for Posthumans I wouldn't change it, it's the most distinctive unit in the game...), but that limits playstyle and it turns into a one-trick pony.

 

Apparently Bostria, during what looked like a Q&A, asked for patience. He said Aleph will be reworked. Let's see if it's "talk and a badge" or something real and tangible. I would like to believe the latter.

 

I now think, as a faction, Aleph should have ECM Hacker (-3) for most of it's force. Tinbots are good and all, but they only effective for the one that owns it or in a fireteam with them. ECM should be on all their remotes. Not just the Risksha. Then also on other troops. For non-hackers it would help fight Spotlight.

They do have good hackers themselves but I think most of them are on par, not better, than other factions. Haqq Barid for example, I think is much better for cost and ability. The Asura is only on par with the Anathematic or Chrontid.

We are talking about a faction made from the Human AI after all. You'd think they would have things like this. The argument could be said for the EI as well but the Charontid does have ECM -3 and Unidrons have Tinbot -3. Also, the enemy that hates them the most, Nomads, have some of the best hackers in the game.

 

Aleph should be definitly better in hacking. Better hacking network. Better hacking units. Better resilence against hacking.
I know hacking is somehow the trademark of Nomads, but here we are Nomads and Aleph are arch enemys and then we have the EI vs the AI so even archer enemys

Aleph has already some good hacking units (Asura, Danavas) but the lack some protection and the are old units lacking the new excessive opitmise formular. With a sidelook to Torchlight which boost very high BTS on a lot of profiles (because they are the shock troops that have to venture into the unknown) I would like to see something similar at Aleph. Older profiles like Naga, Dasyu or Proxy MK2 have no BTS at all. Units with artifical bodys that are controlled by the biggest AI of the HS should have more.

For example the Danavs as a pure hacking unit should be at BTS 6 (hello Waverider) while the skirmishers should offer at least BTS 3.

For repeater coverage add some pitchers and some deployable reapeaters for exampel to Naga or Dasyu minlayers. A repeater version of Garuda and/or fast pandas on non-hacking units would also be neat.

While ECM is also nice it would make standard troop REM like Dakini too expensive. Here a tinbot profile would be enough.

 

Not sure about the Dakini becoming more expensive. Riksha already have it along with better BS, ARM, Terrain, and dodge +2" and they are not that much more expensive.

 

Archon and Space ranger I concur in principle for OSS. OSS should be the hacking scalpel, SP is the CC specialist (and needs delivery systems on top of smoke and Eclypse grenades) and then along should come the shooting sectorial to cover all aspects (shooting sectorial may have Riksha taking the place of Dakini with many more profiles). When it gets to vAleph the combination of the 3 sectorials should come evident at that stage. Increase midfield presence to taste.

I agree with the BTS consideration on older skirmishers that also crave profiles like crazy.

 

Good point. Indeed I thought more about OSS. SPs hacking abilities are already good - in some cases better then current OSS.

I do not see a "shooting" sectorial. Vanilla can have MSV/Smoke but lacks a lot of fireteam options. Shooting is not enough fuel for a 3rd sectorial. Aleph´s keyword in general is Elite. But its totaly possible that CB will come up with a 3rd sectorial. Maybe Posthuman focused.

 

I'm sorry, I don't agree. When there is a faction with MSV1 on cheerleaders... that's a shooting faction. Also ancillary units like Drumbots have a plethora of heavy weapons (HRMC, Multi heavy machine gun, Feuerbach) and the auxbots have Heavy flamethrowers (on Devabots... that so happens to be in Neoterra...). So there is the need for a shooting sectorial...

 

I still believe Next Wave IS the 3rd Aleph faction. But of course, they thought they’d sell more if it’s branded as CA instead.

I don’t see Aleph as having a “shooty” faction or even adding much more shooting. I think of them having a few VERY good shooters but not across the board. As mentioned, they are an elite faction and I think would have a few low AVA, very good troops. For example, in vAleph I almost always take Knauf. But they also have Agema and Hawkwood.

It’s OSSS that needs some help with shooting. I would be happy if they just add some AP to existing troops like Yadu HMG, Arjuna Spitfire (and change shock marksman to Multi), some more K1 would make sense too. Right now, there’s only the Rudras, Artalis, and Hawkwood with K1. Even better if they also give troops with its BS Attack (shock). I also think they should have access to Plasma. If O12 and JSA can have it, then Aleph certainly should!

I also think OSSS should have more flexible fireteams and more “Counts as” troops. We are talking about troops that are all aspects of Aleph. If there are any troops that should work the best as a team, it should be them! Especially troops such as the Deva, Asura, and Shukra. Yadu and Shakti count as Asura but man that’s an expensive group. Deva count as Dakini but nothing else. Why not Riksha? They are robots that should be able to "link" together. A Riksha, counting as Dakini, in a 5-man team is not as OP as some other teams. True it can be buffed but you need to spend orders to do that. The same can be said for the Dawon. It's not like it's cheaper than a regular Dakini either.

As far as higher BTS, I don’t think that’s the way to go. Because BTS applies to things other than hacking. It’s also used for EM, Viral, Breaker, and Phero. I think Aleph should have defense against hacking specifically. That’s why I thought of ECM Hacking (-3). But now I’m also thinking it would be only for OSSS troops.

 

I am sorry I see a contradiction: Aleph is an elite faction (which needs proving, because so far I'd say it's an urban legend) and so shouldn't have a shooty sectorial? Where is the link?

Aleph is missing 1 sectorial to be brough to par with other factions. Is it Elite? Let's assume it is (it's missing weapons and equipment, but let's assume for a moment) so it needs the Delta force equivalent. It doesn't matter if one can manage to make it work (somehow, but dice do impact) in vAleph... vAleph has limited link team capabilities. That is already a limiting factor. Additionally Aleph has fewer profiles than other factions and less models, this turns the faction into a 1 trick pony that becomes complex on 1st encounter (it's not very frequent faction so there aren't many 1st encounters), on the 2nd the match is already uphill.

Knauf and Hawkwood? Don't get me wrong: having the possibility is better than not having it at all, but if I removed those models from Aleph roster, what would you put? The mercs are an opportunity: I would like to change play so I pick mercs to lower cost and field some other, more costly, options. Aleph has no option of its own as you say it yourself. Sforza is another one (Aleph has no impersonation/holoecho). Plus SP has (nearly) no merc option... that's not really good in my opinion.

Sure people may say that Dakini are the best cheerleaders (opinable, but granted... they lack a plethora of profiles...) or that the Marut is the best TAG out there (it is... but you darn pay for it). A faction is not made of singularities, it's made of puzzle pieces that join together to make Elite. Otherwise it's like having Ronaldo forward field, the spring of a small Italian town football club and my brother as goalkeeper: you're never gonna win and you're not gonna win even if you play a football match with 5 Ronaldo-like players because... elite...

Bottom line: options, options and more options so I'm sorry, before I will play again in these conditions I will WELCOME whatever sectorial it may come (why not shooty) so before say "nah, not shooty" try to turn the sentence positive like: I'd rather like <whatever sectorial>... the more the merrier!

 

No, I’m saying it should be elite. Sorry I didn’t describe it that way. The background seems to present them that way. Unfortunately, there’s not many elite or vet in OSSS. SP doesn’t have many, but it makes up for it with characters.

I’m not thinking about a 3rd sectoral right now. It would be nice if they did but I don’t see it happening any time soon.

I agree they need better than what they have right now, and not mercs. I’m just personally not wanting to see a shooty Aleph. Infinity already has that with PanO. I’d like them to win by other means. Having very good specialists, many of them, with a variety of weapons and skills. The hackers they have are good. But I want better than good.

 

It seems we have very different opinions about Aleph. I also want to underline, that Aleph is an elite faction. They always were and I guess they will be. Elite means that you have troops like the Deva that bring NWI or "line" troops like the Dakini, that feature mimitsm. Skirmishers with ODD and NWI. Everyone and their grandma has a nanopulser (fun fact you not have one, when you want to use one) or BS14 MSV NWI HI like the Asura. All that came with a price.

At the moment Vanilla is a mix between OSS and SP sprinkled with Mercs. Aleph has plasma in form of Samsa or Hector. I personaly would use mercs in Aleph but I do not like them here. You want a sniper? Use Knauf. Burst, Mimitism, MSV - alround good package. Dakini? Mimitsm and buffable, which is order expensive. Post Human - mimitism, surprise and disposable - nice, but Knauf has higher burst. Agema? MSV2 but ... Knauf has 1 and higher burst.

Anyway if we get a new sectorial which is more shooty like OSS is we will get a Kestrel² like. Is Kestrel the shooty sectorial in Pan O? New Wave also have a lot of shooty options but also brings CC to the table. If shooty means "shooty but you don´t risk orders", than it can be a thing. Posthumans, Puppetbots, Auxbots, high mim, high BS, BS-3, marksmanship ... at the moment vanilla and the sectorials all have their way to be shooty, but SP has also high CC abilitys. What is lacking, especialy in OSS is a strong hacking network.

 

It is exactly the point: is Aleph Elite? I'm sorry it's not in the facts. If it was Elite than it would do what others do... but better. So is Kestrel the shooting standard? Aleph is missing the "better than Kestrel". What you say about Knauf is the living proof: you'd pick that over the most iconic unit Aleph has in terms of play AND background: Posthumans. Let's say JSA is the CC standard? Well I'd say SP is getting really close to being "JSA but better" (for one SP has smoke/eclypse/discoball and JSA doesn't in the same measure...). The standard for hacking is Nomads? I am sorry OSS falls dramatically short (I think even Tunguska does better than OSS, not to talk about CA...).

So the analysis needs to start in the background (hence my discourse on the fact that an AI that monitors communication in the HS is the biggest intelligence asset and should be pro-active and not re-active). What follows is an obvious consideration on options that make always a game more interesting (in profiles and in sectorials). In this I don't think that comments like "Oh no, we don't need..." or "Oh no, it's not gonna happen..." helps in sending a clear message (and it seems obvious to me that everybody would like new minis, new concepts and to go back to the start of the paragraph: even new background). So at the moment it is very interesting that there are options, but every time we have to resort to those options (Knauf, Samsa etc.) let's all try to think about the fact that they should have Aleph operative counterpart... only better. You'll see that it doesn't take long to make another sectorial ;).

 

Unfortunately CB has already proven that story does not match game play.

 

What do you mean? Pano is the Hyperpower!
(It just took 5 editions to actually represent it on the table..)

But overall, the October 2025 update showed that CB was willing to make large changes to the game. Combined is still powerful, but it much more manageable. I look forward to when Haqqislam and ALEPH get their major updates.

 

I concur, but if you don't like that behaviour you need to say it. In my opinion nothing will change dramatically while somebody says "Oh well... all in all I can find a way... I'm kind of ok, I just need 1 detail". Sorry but the North American natives said it all:

"If you want to hit the eagle and you aim at the eagle, you're going to miss... you gotta aim at the Moon and then you will hit the eagle"

There will always be a measure of "mellowing" or "corner smoothing" and if we already start from the bear minimum only 0 we should expect. The drama of it all is that it's the game that is going to pay for it: PanO players will always play (because they cry very loud) and CA players will do the same (every hero needs a villain)... but the other factions? Sure for now they can go on with what they get, but if factions start to be removed for lack of play (playable, but out of production and development) it won't be long...

So do I and I have high expectations and so should any Aleph player! And we should not cry... but definitely beat the fists on the table for the lack of options in the most cyberpunk faction in a cyberpunk game...

MAGA: Make Aleph Great Again!

 

I think it might because they write background before the rules. Then they find out what was written is too powerful or too weak for game balance. I hope they can get that balance.

I'd love a more cyberpunk feel to them. That's why I'd like some human operatives like Dart and Hawkwood. More Posthumans for sure. I mean just more Mk 6-8 would be good though. Not changing AVA.