If you had to re-design, revamp, or re-imagine the Tohaa army for N5, what would you do? What ideas, suggestions, new units, or fireteam compositions and weapon profiles would you implement? I know CB doesn't like the Tohaa and will never read or listen to us here, but let’s at least dream and discuss our beloved artichokes.
I would bring back some of the weird tools that made the faction unique: Swarm Grenades, Symbiobugs, Nullifiers... Also, considering the background of the Faction (bioengineers), it would be interesting to have more troops with Metachemistry, or new troops that made use of the Transmutation rule in a different way than "Symbiont Armour alive" -> "Symbiont Armour dead".
First, I would go with the Sygmaa sectorial for CA, because that's a popular faction and it's a way to ease the Tohaa in without having to build a base from nothing. Secondly, I would try to avoid as much as possible the addition of new mechanics. By adding them as part of the CA, they can be regular hackers, so it's possible to add just a few unique parts that aren't as hard to integrate for both players and designers as a whole faction with its own idiosincrasies. Thirdly, I would go freaky-er than Bakunin, we are talking about population that has gone from "keep in line or the EI will eat you, obey us we will keep you safe" to "the EI has come and very few things were imposed, you can live as you may as long as you don't cross these lines here, btw we have this wonderful package for war if you want to enlist and break the horns of those trinomial hypocrites". Troops with Metachemistry modifications without the roll, regeneration, specific inmunities, etc... and a focus on viral and k1 weapons could serve to paint a differenciated faction without straying too hard from mainstream CA. Some "HI" would be 2 wounds, no symbiote, no hackable units because they are not donning the symbiote but fusing with it. Even Protheion is on the table due to Deti Bolotnika. Finally, the RPG has several pages with Sygmaa options that could be integrated, at least at the style level, and gives some unit options (biohackers, for example, as a doctor/engineer/hacker troop, just not all at the same time).
I would prefer to keep them as a separate army and not integrate them into CA. Honestly, CA already has a lot going on and doesn’t need more power (and I say this as an Onyx player). I really like the idea of giving them a distinct identity, something like Biohackers or Bioengineers, to set them apart. They could easily have EVO(Evolution ) and (Bio)Hacking Device programs with similar bonuses, but targeted specifically at troops with VITA. That way, it wouldn’t require too many new rules. Some balancing drawbacks could be added, like a -3 to rolls, requiring LoF or ZoC, or making them face-to-face against the target’s PH. Certain programs, like Total Control, could be excluded if they seem too overpowered (though Endgame is already very strong and still in the game). They could also limit the valid targets for EVO programs. A refresh of the sculpts, the addition of a few new units (like a Biohacker/Bioengineer and a named character), and more fireteam options (even just something like a Kiel-Saan Duo with someone else) would definitely give them a boost and help with sales. From a lore perspective, I’d love to see them more involved and impactful. People are really into the “survivor” alien vibe fighting to avoid extinction is a strong narrative hook.
I'd axe Bakunin and its furry crap entirely from the game and let Tohaa have the "weird biomod" space.
While I'd love to reduce the human armies to make space for the Tohaa, narratively Bakunin is very good as a counterpart to Aleph. I mean, you have the two oposing routes for human "evolution": heavily modify your DNA on one hand, upload your consciouseness to the electronic world on the other. Just like the great Hyperion book series (or the old "Total Annihilation" videogame).
The problem is that Bakunin, as a whole, isn't that. The whole "modify your DNA" thing is more Praxis than Bakunin. And even in Bakunin, Praxis' stuff is skirting the line of acceptability. Which goes to show that we do not need whole units of furries. Tohaa as the premier biomod faction would be far, far more interesting than constantly seeing what new drek the CB developers will put out to keep pushing Bakunin as the "shocking rebels" faction.
