Yeah, looking at the whole pile it's pretty extremely geared up. So there might be some mix&match between gear to stack some things pointswise. Or it could be that the points would creep up because of rounding on our examples (I think there are some times that an ADHL is +1 point and other times it's +0, for example). Since the Nullifier is a Deployable Equipment, it could be fun to make one Miko a 'minelayer' profile, where she'd deploy one Nullifier before the game starts. Might add a profile with a Pitcher or Deployable Repeater, since there's a lot of "looking through the eyes/casting a spell through a spirit servant" in parts of Shinto (well, more Onmyodo, but still). @MikeTheScrivener : Technically, I think this would be more a Skirmisher than a warband, most warbands are Impetuous and this one isn't. But one of the foundational things for the Miko would be to have a profile that you're going to spend one order on every turn because it's just that useful. Saves a couple points due to Irregular, but doesn't impact gameplay.
I think we're in a good place without warbands. I'm new to USA, but the lack of cheap suicidal rambos is what makes the bushido code feel present. How about an aramaki ryuken? Lieutenant, strategos 1 or 2, pistol, unlinkable. Design goal would be a ryuken cheap cheerleader with a bullseye on his back. You could use him as bait and quickly let chain of command fall on the kempetai or get two orders and a strong deployment phase for ~20 pts. It's hard to make this work. I keep comparing him to saladin and you can shave a few points off with dropping weapons and strategos l3 but functionally I can't imagine it being cheap enough to be worth it.
I like the idea! I also agree that it'd be hard to get the points down low enough to make it worth it. Think we'd have to get Aramaki down to ~25 points or less to make it work.
I think it's absolutely clear that JSA is just a sectorial and not a "real" faction, so it might not get new stuff. For now. But if the "plan" isn't to see how that goes, maybe throw some gradual creep of new minis at it, and if that turns out well turn it into a "real" faction then the plan is crazy. If the whole point of uprising wasn't to create a new, full size "real" Japanese themed faction, eventually, then the plan is stupid. Mind you, if things don't go so well, it is currently "just" a sectorial, all nice and ready to completely abandon...
What do you guys think about the new ITS season? It seems like we might get Kuraimori back if JSA does well in it....that could definitely result in some new stuff for JSA in the future as "lost" Ten no Bushi projects could maybe be retriefed from hidden staches or whatnot....and it would give a brutal economic boost to JSA from a fluff standpoint. It'd obviously be another blow in the nuts for Yu Jing, but I really like it from a JSA standpoint :-P
I'm really torn. I really like the YJ army and profiles and want to like YJ, but the other YJ players have made me totally want another blow in the nuts for Yu Jing. We'll see how I like JSA when I can finally get them on the table, because could be I'm trying to take kuraimori.
I actually prefer the Ryuken as is. It's a solid fighter piece and let's other units focus on pressing buttons. At least, that's how I see it.
It's interesting because if you compare it to Minelayer Guilangs and Zeros those units suffer from the fact that their specialist profiles compete with their defensive profiles. Whereas Ryuken and Ninjas don't cannibalise each other's AVA.
Back to new profiles. Assuming that we're still using Section 9 as character/profile inspiration for Unit-9, we need Boma and Pazu (I'm assuming that the MSV2 Kempeitai is going to be Saito, and Togusa and Ishikawa are Keisotsu models). Boma is another big guy like Batou, but Boma is a combat engineer in addition to heavy weapons guy and hacker. So, Engineer with a spitfire and D-Charges. Pazu is a close combat monster, an undercover Military Policeman according to Arise. Might even just use him as an Oniwaban SMG.
While it would be amazing to field a whole section 9 team with the Ryuken. But the AVA of 3 kinda prevents that happening. I'm quite skeptical if we'll get an 3rd sculpt for them. Though a sculpt outside the starter box would make sense I guess? Another submachine gun one?
That could work, and then we just need Ishakawa as some specialist (don't think that keisotsu sculpt looks much like him) and Boma as some heavy hitter, or maybe even some engineer with a bunch of D-charges/mines and the like.
Every time I would play with my Guilang back when they were AVA1 in N2, them being an FO was just icing on the cake. They could push buttons, but more often than not I was busting heads at close range against heavy weapons and putting a -9 mod on them. They weren't gonna giv down more armored dudes, but they were great for hunting cheerleaders and glasscannon shooters.
Sorry for blasting from the past. Strategos isn't all that expensive. What's expensive on Saladin is NWI and the abnormally high WIP (plus the over all really good stats for an MI). If you lower all stats to Ryuken level and remove the combi you'd be left with a model in the sub-20 level. Unless you're planning on also having ODD on it, this profile would likely need a proper gun and maybe even a second skill to further set it apart from Mr Rocketman and Major. Having Strategos on a barebones model is also counter to design, they are always slightly over-geared for a reason, so even if Aramaki might not have had a gun in GITS you'll probably end up with one in Infinity - just look at Sforza where they added both a Viral Rifle and an Adhesive Launcher (staying true to the original character, he'd only have had a Heavy Pistol or possibly a Combi Rifle)
Well, the Kempeitai MSV2 Sharksman Rifle doesn't look anything like Saito, so there's a chance for a Limited Camo sniper in Ryuken-9. Possibly with a bigass gun, since Saito uses something on par with an Autocannon or Feuerbach to shoot up that runaway tank in GitS Standalone Complex, and a different bigass gun to shoot the Arm Suit.
I dunno if they're as dedicated to the reference game as us, but if so, that'd be interesting. I dunno if I would run a feuerbach over an HRL. Hrm.
Bought that about as soon as it came out. Also have Teucer and a converted Tankhunter. But if Ryuken-9 is the deliberate Public Security Section 9 expy, it's short a couple models (technically, at least 5, but we could make an argument about them being the ODD-SMG). I admit, I was quite surprised that the Kempeitai Sharksman Rifle wasn't Saito.
