Creating a list, how do YOU do it?

I guess it depends what kind of player you are. Are you planning to build a list that performs well at tournaments or are you playing mostly friendlies between non-optimized lists? Will this list determine your first couple of purchases?

I usually go for the models I like best and make all necessary compromises to field them. Mabe you have some general concept for your list in mind, revolving around certain units or tactics, or you want to go for a specific sectorial, which already narrows your list building down immensely.

Is there any miniature/sectorial you like in particular?

 

In that case you have a solid starting point :)

Have you used Infinity army before?

Just head over to https://army.infinitythegame.com/ and start building your list with the models you already have.

Standard point limit is 300 Points with 6 SWC.

You can then export the lsit to the forum and people can chime in with suggestions and comments.

 

Ok, I'm going to start from first principles here so please let me know if I'm teaching you to suck eggs.

Generally speaking there are two approaches to Infinity list building, "ITS Style" and "By the Book". The former is the most commonly as it matches the tournament and competitive game style, while the latter is actually how Infinity is designed to be played.

I'll briefly explain "By the Book" design, then move on to "ITS Style" in detail because it's by far the most common approach and is how people usually build lists for pickup and casual games as well as tournaments and formal ITS reported competitive games. Technically the Infinity rules assume that you don't have a pre-written list, but instead meet, agree to a mission, draw classified objectives, discover your opponents Faction/Sectorial and THEN write a list. This is an awesome way to play but is time consuming and is ill-suited to any kind of time pressured or competitive environment.

"ITS Style" means using pre-written lists, usually with the assumption that limited information is available about the opponent and classified objectives but with knowledge of the mission. This comes out of the ITS tournament structure where players engage unknown opponents with unknown classified objectives but known missions using one of two different pre-written lists from which they select after drawing classified objectives and learning the Faction/Sectorial which is being played by their opponent.

When preparing lists for this style of game I begin by considering the mission. ITS missions tend to reward three things, specialist activated objectives, captured positions (sometimes with points, sometimes with specialists) and survival/elimination of the enemy (putting a premium on durability and "up-trading" capability). Approaching each mission therefore requires very different optional units and order counts. Many Specialist only activated objectives basically demands order efficiency (so speed and deployment advantage) on specialist units as well as large numbers of orders as a hedge against "luck". Some such missions restrict deployment through the use of "Exclusion Zones" (reducing the value of Infiltration and Airborne Deployment) while still requiring specialist units to activate objectives (massively increasing the value of highly mobile specialists) or add "Difficult Terrain" which adds value to different mobility options.

Location capture missions add massive value to mobility, positioning and Camo. All three elements add significantly to the ability of a list to complete these kinds of missions (Camo to chew through enemy orders and prevent elimination of your units, positioning to reduce the order cost of occupying locations and mobility to switch locations to counter enemy movement) while sometimes requiring specialists as well (over and above what may be necessary for Classified Objectives). Lastly durability and mobility/trading potential are the most valuable capabilities in missions where killing the enemy and surviving are considered. Remember that Camo (especially Hidden Deployment) is more cost efficient (and more effective) than Armour or additional Wounds (both of which have massive cost beyond their in-game value included). Warbands and low-cost high mobility attack units (such as Remotes) become especially effective as "fire-and-forget" trading pieces which you expect to lose but not before killing far more than their points cost in enemy units.

Once the primary mission has been covered Classified Objectives (if present) demand consideration for basic coverage at least. I don't go into games in which Classified Objectives are worth more than 1 pt with less than one Doctor, Engineer, Forward Observer and Hacker. The cost of such units is low enough, and their overall utility high enough, that I find their inclusion to be trivial in terms of list construction but this is not true of all forces so missing one is probably worth the risk of failing to provide for all Classified Objective choices. Of course in the current ITS season many missions require a Data Tracker instead and selecting a unit which performs well in the specific role expected of this unit (which varies, but can never involve being in a Marker State) becomes a substitute requirement for list construction.

With the mission taken into consideration there are offensive, defensive and rangeband considerations for weaponry. Defensive considerations are the simplest so I'll cover those first. Defensively there needs to be sufficient Direct Template Weapon capacity within the list to allow coverage of the full frontage of the Deployment Zone (or, at least, that part of it which you are using) to prevent enemy Warbands or fast attack pieces passing through unharmed to attack the back line. The Sixth Sense ability on these units is invaluable (but seldom possible with the exception of forces with easy access to DTWs in 4+ trooper Fireteams) but not essential as long as they can be positioned over 4" from where the enemy can provoke Zone of Control AROs. In addition consideration should be given to long range ARO options, with cheap and disposable choices (Sniper Rifles are ideal, with Missile Launchers also excellent) being particularly good, especially if they can bring Fireteam advantages (burst being the most important here). The deployment flexibility of Sapper is worth considering here, especially in order to really exploit rangeband advantages (getting +3 on enemy attack pieces from beyond 32" after their initial move out of the deployment zone is invaluable). Hidden Deployment is the ultimate defensive ARO tool, allowing for a variety of traps to be set up, but this is often expensive and can involve investment beyond what it is worth on the table.

Offensively a force needs at least 2 Burst 4+ units with the range to engage targets in the enemy deployment zone from within or just outside your own (HMGs or Spitfires) or the positioning and mobility advantages (Infiltration, Mechanised Deployment or Airborne Deployment) to be able to close without risk to engagement range. These will be the primary attack pieces which are used for the engagement and elimination of enemy ARO threats and key enemy pieces (which varies depending on the mission). High mobility on these units is extremely valuable, as is positioning advantage. Durability can help prevent bad luck outright crippling your offensive (Crits happen) and to further leverage offensive potential (so both additional Wounds and vision modifiers such as Mimetism and Camo are valuable here). Don't overlook the immense synergy of attack Remotes with HMGs or Spitfires with Hackers who can provide Supportware for cheap and effective offensive options.

The ability to deal with particular terrain densities and types (especially playable building interiors and extensive woods or other low-viz/saturation zones), as well as MSV/Sensor capability for managing enemy Camo are other things to keep in mind. While it's common to build lists for different missions some players prefer to build a list for every mission they have to take on, and then a variant which is more effective on lighter/denser tables (short vs long range weapons) or one which specialises in managing Camo (with Sensor and MSV aplenty). Thus table or matchup can sometimes be important to list design instead of or in addition to mission.

Last I'll consider the mix of rangebands which I'm bringing on my weapons, checking that I'm covering close engagement (which might include CC focused options), medium range firepower (including Spitfires and Fireteams with Mk 12's or Marksman Rifles) and long range options (Sniper Rifles and Missile Launchers). I'll think about how I intend to remove common threats such as Snipers in good position and TR HMG remotes, what I'll do in response to Camo, Fireteams and other offensive threats.

At this point I'll usually be looking at what I have to cut out, and that usually starts with things I added for offensive or defensive reasons which don't directly respond to the specific needs of the mission.

...

So, that's list writing for me.

Well, when I'm doing it the "usual way" rather than letting a stylistic choice or historical inspiration guide me.

 

Hi, @Awash. Welcome to Infinity and PanO ;)

Some basic guidelines for lists (unless we're talking training games at 100/150 pts level): have at least 8 Regular orders in your main combat group (units in AD or Hidden Deployment do not count), be able to cover all ranges with your weapons, have weapons for both active and reactive turns, and for full range of targets. In general high burst weapons like HMGs or Spitfires (and various rifles) are meant to shine in Active Turn, while weapons with lower burst but high damage (Missile Launchers, Sniper Rifles) are well suited for AROs (the latter can be deadly if in fireteam, though).

When creating the list first thing that matters is the mission system. If I'm playing ITS and know the mission(s) I go through them to find out which units fits mission profiles the best. Are there any Exclusion Zones? Other restrictions for troops with AD/HD/Iinfiltration/etc? How many objectives are there and how big area I'll have to cover? How many specialists will I need for that? Is there anything in the missions that'll favor particular stats, skills, or unit types? Then I'm choosing a list concept. Do I want to go for an alpha strike, hammer&anvil, favor flank attacks, or forward deployment? HI link or TAG and support? Horde? Remote-heavy? Once I establish that I'm moving to the proper list creation stage. When playing 20x20 I won't know which mission I'll play, so I skip the planning, just choose the concept and start to put it all together.

Let's take an example: I was creating an SAA list around the hammer&anvil concept, and consisting mostly of light units; strong defensive position, with Remotes and infiltrators positioned to take advantage of enemy getting slowed down or outright stopped by my roadblock. I've started by choosing my defenders - Regular fireteam - and gearing them up for static defence:

REGULAR (Sapper) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 22)
REGULAR (Sapper) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 22)
REGULAR (Minelayer, Sensor) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 14)
REGULAR Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
REGULAR Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

3.5 SWC | 78 Points

Two snipers able to start game in Foxholes, Minelayer for additional layer of protection should someone get too close. This fireteam will probably stay stationary the whole game, but I might throw in a backup Specialist - like Paramedic - later, if I'll have the points. If I'll deploy them correctly enemy will have to deal with snipers first - not that easy - leaving him open for my counterattack. Speaking of which:

PEACEMAKER Heavy Shotgun + AUXBOT_3 / Electric Pulse. (0 | 21)
AUXBOT_3 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4)
BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23)
BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23)

2 SWC | 67 Points

Two Bulleteers will be deadly in Active Turn - I can push them up the flanks using Coordinated Orders, kill something, then leave them in Suppressive Fire to further slow enemy down. Peacemaker is a great speed bump, and if I'll get the first turn I can use it as a kamikaze to strike at bunched up troops, fireteams, and so on. It performs great.

This means I have both my hammer and anvil, but no specialists. Since I already have a Peacemaker to operate in the midfield it makes sense to get him some company:

NAGA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 30)
NAGA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 28)

0 SWC | 58 Points

This gives me two infiltrating specialists, one of which can also hunt down enemy hackers. Time to add some anti-camo tools:

PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)

0 SWC | 40 Points

Pathfinder/Fugazi are a multitool. The former is a fast specialist, can reveal Camo over wide area, and can mark targets for my other troops. The latter have Sniffers that can be deployed to increase the size of my camo reveal net, Repeaters that increase the coverage of my KHD Naga, and Flash Pulse for AROs - stunning a heavy assault unit can cost oponent the game.

What's left is some support:

MULEBOT Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25)
MACHINIST Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
TRAUMA-DOC Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
PALBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)

0.5 SWC | 57 Points

EVO Hacker is a very, very powerful unit. It meshes well with Remote-heavy list. I can use Supportware to boost my assault Bulleteers or Peacemakers, or - if going second - use Overclock to give Bulleteers, Peacemakers, Pathfinder and Fugazis Burst 2 in ARO. It's an extremely potent combination. Machinist is mandatory in any list with lots of Remotes, HIs, or a TAG. Doctor is there to keep my fireteam in shape, and gets a Palbot to increase her coverage - I can deploy the Doc near my snipers, while Palbot goes on the other side of the table ready to move in should I need to heal my Nagas. Also, all these three are different Specialists.

Together it shapes up to something like this:

Shock Army of Acontecimento
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

GROUP 1 10
NAGA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 30)
NAGA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 28)
BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23)
BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23)
REGULAR (Sapper) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 22)
REGULAR (Sapper) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 22)
REGULAR (Minelayer, Sensor) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 14)
REGULAR Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
REGULAR Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
MACHINIST Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)

GROUP 2 7
PEACEMAKER Heavy Shotgun + AUXBOT_3 / Electric Pulse. (0 | 21)
AUXBOT_3 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4)
MULEBOT Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25)
PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
TRAUMA-DOC Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
PALBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)

6 SWC | 300 Points

Open in Infinity Army

Nagas and Bulleteers go together into the first group: They'll need lots of orders (provided courtesy of the Regular fireteam), and I can use Coordinated Order on all four of them to maneuver. Machinist also goes here, because he'll need more orders than Doc to get to his targets, and has no Palbot to increase his coverage. He can take part in Coordinated Orders as well.

Pathfinder will be Coordinated with Fugazis, so they'll all go into second group together. Peacemaker as well - it starts up the field, so won't require as many orders to get in range, and should it die in defence it won't hurt my main combat group's order pool. EVO and Trauma Doc land here as well, they'll use very few orders and provide them for Peacemaker and Pathfinder instead.

This list's weakness are units with TO Camo or ODD; I have no MSV, so that modifiers might hurt. I also have few things that might hurt a TAG, save for Multi Sniper Rifles and Heavy Shotgun. But these are SAA weaknesses in general.

 

Welcome to Infinity!

Infinity is a game where you almost always know the mission before you walk into the game. Keeping that in mind, I almost always try and cater my list to the mission (Lots of buttons? bring lots of specialists. Lots of killing to do? Bring the big guns). Outside of this, I usually have a couple of boxes I like to check off with every list:

- An Active turn killer
- A rock solid ARO piece
- some cheer leaders
- Those 8 point bots
- Warcor/ Techbee
- specialists

In addition to this, sometime theres a model I really like or feel like using so I try and form the list around them - while this may not be the most competitive, it makes a win that much more satisfying.

 

Have a gaming formula

first put 2 or 3 things on your strategy (main troops) based on the mission
then have choices to things that protect the main strategy (like snipers)
dont forget specialist, since most mission they do it.
dont focus on few miniatures but have around 12 to 15 miniatures
Warcor and tech bee are good cheap fillers.

 

I take a handful of units i want to play with. Usually to a particular theme.
Then i build the rest of the list around supporting those units

 

Icestorm+beyond allow you to play vanilla PanO or Neoterra sectorial.

If you want to play with sectorial, then take orders+ARO and main attacker.

Neoterran Capitaline Army
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
5
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
MULEBOT (Minesweeper, Repeater) Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
MULEBOT (Minesweeper, Repeater) Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
0 SWC | 40 Points

Bots are our cheapest orders and Fugazi are very good as ARO.(+warcor sometimes)

Defencive link is much easier in use than offencive.
Neoterran Capitaline Army
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
5
FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)
FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15)
1.5 SWC | 55 Points

This simle example could be upgraded up to 2 AROs, specialists(Hacker for example) or Multisnipers. Also it's not bad idea to take 6 fusiliers(one ARO and one HMG) to go forward after death of ARO.

I like to play with main strong attacker rather than many cheaper variants. So I take Squalo or Swiss HMG(Aquila is rare choice, because Swiss is better in most cases)
And a specialist for support: always doctor for link and with palbot for Swiss and engineer for Squalo (and maybe for REMs, but I don't like to waste orders to repair them)

For Neoterra and vanilla it's also very good to take auxilia FO(or 2), because it is a cheap specialist with great offencive potential and Peacemaker as most balanced unit in the game.