beginner JSA ARMY

If you really want to try that list, one small piece of advice: "downgrade" the Ninja to a Killer Hacker Ninja.
It's be cheaper, so you can add one more body (a lonely Keisotsu) to the list to get to 10 Orders. At the same time, the Killer Hacker will be good for killing those enemy hackers that will aim at your vulnerable IP's (they only have BTS 3).

 

Hi there :)

I'd strongly advise to start at much smaller point level to learn the basics. Make a 150 pts list, play a few games until you're comfortable with it, add 50 pts and play some more, repeat until getting to 300. It's a good way to get some experience and learn your army. Starting with a 300 pts list is a good way to get burned, especially against an experienced player.

There are few basic guidelines to making a good list. First, orders; they're the lifeblood of your army. You need at least 8 regular, non-hidden troops in your main combat group. At 300 pts it often grows to 14-15 orders, or even an19-20 model strong horde list. But for now keeping those 8-9 orders in mind is enough.

Next, heavy weapons. Good list needs to be able to deal with enemies across all ranges. Good baseline is to have one stron long range weapon, like a sniper rifle or missile launcher; 1 HMG, for active turn long range firefights; 1-2 Spitfires/Red Furies for your assault troops; some template weapons and shotguns for troops likely to end up in close quarters battle. Heavy weapons usually have SWC (Support Weapon Cost) cost attached; you get 1 SWC for each 50 pts of your list, so if you're creating a 300 pts list like the one you've posted (it doesn't matter if its a few point short, you still get the SWC). It's usually a good idea to max out your SWC.

Additionally, sectorial armies - like JSA - can use Fireteams, a squad of troops that can move and fight together. They have some pretty advanced rules, and it's good to start learning about them quickly to get the most out of your army.

Infinity is mainly a shooting game, and while close combat can be powerful it also requires a lot of orders and is usually a plan B, instead of plan A. Your list could have problems dealing with some good long range units overlooking long fire lanes. You'll want to have some long range weapons of your own, to clear the way for assault troops.

 

Also you need some heavy weapons! With a list like this, a well placed sniper or missile could keep you in your deployment zone for the whole game.

 

Had some time to think about some basic lists ;)

One note about the missions; once you'll get through the basic "kill'em all" scenario we all start at, you'll see that most mission systems - official ITS, fan-made 20x20 or TAKOS - require specialists to deal with mission objectives; opening crates, turning on terminals, controlling antennas, etc. Those specialists are usually hackers, doctors, engineers, paramedics, etc. Don't worry about them for now, aside from their obvious functionality (hacker can disrupt enemy Heavy Infantry or protect your HIs from enemy hackers, doc can heal wounded troops, and so on.

At 150 pts most your lists will start with Keisotsu fireteam, with additional units depending on what you'll like to do with that list. Keisotsu aren't the best shooters, but they're cheap, have good heavy weapons, and can be a good fire support base regardless if you're playing at 150, 200, or 300 pts. Their fireteam can include up to two Kempeitai, secret police agents with some different weapons and better abilities.

Japanese Secessionist Army
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8 1
DAIYŌKAI Red Fury, Panzerfaust / Pistol, DA CC Weapon, AP CC Weapon. (1 | 49)
DOMARU Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 26)
ARAGOTO Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 22)
KEISOTSU Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 14)
KEISOTSU Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 11)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)

2.5 SWC | 149 Points

Open in Infinity Army

Here's a cheap and cheerful defensive Keisotsu fireteam, designed to stand its ground and threaten anything between 24-40" with Missile Launcher fire. Daiyokai/Domaru Duo are the heavy hitters, with Daiyokai being the core assault unit, as Domaru is your Lieutenant and shouldn't be risked without a good reason. Aragoto is a biker, and as such can cover ground quickly, flanking enemy units and making them focus on him instead of your heavy infantry or Keisotsu.


Japanese Secessionist Army
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8
SHINOBU Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Monofilament CCW. (0.5 | 47)
RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (0.5 | 24)
KEMPEI (Multispectral Visor L2) Shock Marksman Rifle / Pistol, CCW, Electric Pulse. (1 | 25)
KEISOTSU Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 9)
KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)
TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)

3 SWC | 150 Points

Open in Infinity Army

Here's something completely different; your active unit is the Kempeitai with a visor and Marksman Rifle; Shinobu provides smoke screen Kempeitai can shoot through (thanks to the visor), while Ryuken provides some forward screen.


Japanese Secessionist Army
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10
DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39)
OYAMA Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Breaker Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0 | 28)
DOMARU (Fireteam: Haris) Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0.5 | 27)
NINJA Combi Rifle / Pistol, AP CCW, Knife. (0 | 34)
KEMPEI (Chain of Command) Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, CCW, Electric Pulse. (0 | 21)
KEISOTSU Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 14)
KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9)

4 SWC | 200 Points

Open in Infinity Army

This is something you can do at 200 pts level; Domaru Haris as your assault component, Keisotsu again on defence, Ninja to support your Heavy Infantry.


Japanese Secessionist Army
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9 3
DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39)
OYAMA Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Breaker Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0 | 28)
TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
TANKŌ Flammenspeer, Contender / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
TANKŌ Blitzen, Submachine Gun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (0.5 | 24)
KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

4 SWC | 199 Points

Open in Infinity Army

Of course at 200 pts you can already take advantage of low price of Japanese HI and field whole fireteam of power armoured Samurai ;)

Bottom line is that you should approach list building with a rough idea what you want to field and why; what's your battle plan, what units will you need to accomplish it, and what are your options and backup plans for when things go wrong - and they will, you opponent will have his own plan after all. That's why starting at low points is so important - so you'll get the grasp of what do you need to look for in the game, and what your units can do.

 

If you've come from Warmachine/Hordes, you know the tagline "play like you got a pair"?

Well, Infinity is best thought of as "play like you got a plan"

300 points in Infinity is about as complex as 3000 points in 40k. You don't want to start out there.

Start at about 150 points, or better yet, work through the Op: Icestorm/Red Veil/Cold Front starter missions.

Close Combat really takes some major planning. Even a Ninja carries a combirifle here. What was the most fun for me was putting on a Learning N3: Close Combat game. Basic kill-em-all, but no weapons that cost Support Weapons Cost (SWC). Get up close and CC people! I played against 300 points of Steel Phalanx, it was way too much fun EMing Ajax and Achilles.