It just dawned on me that even though I have the rifle-armed Hassassin Farzan model from the new Bahram starter box, I very seldom use it, because I prefer the two other profiles, who uses boarding shotguns, and lacks models. And it really irks me when a model has the wrong weapon, so I always find myself using the boarding shotgun-armed Hassassin Fiday as a Farzan instead. (Plus, I love that model, and again I seldom use it because the rifle Fiday is much better...) How do you guys choose what models to use as proxies? Would you do like me, and use something else for a Farzan, or would you rather use the proper model albeit with the wrong weapon? (I bet the later would be preferred for ITS).
I usually start with the weapon and general unit type (light units to proxy light ones, HI to proxy HI). In MO most knights are interchangeable, people doesn't recognize them anyway. Some weapons, like Marksman and Sniper Rifles, or Rifles and Shotguns, are similar enough to sub for each other, too.
Weapon first, and general type of unit after that. for eg. i've had Margot standing in for Emily in recent games. More broadly, a HI with a big gun can stand in for a different HI with a different big gun, sometimes.
I try to follow WYSIWYG...maybe it's a holdover from playing a...different...minis game for 22 years... That is to say - if it's a HI with an HMG, I'll use a HI with an HMG. I try to pick guys that kind of look like the actual model - that sometimes leads to cross-faction stuff. For example, I've used Bagh Mari as Druze on a number of occasions and, either my opponent didn't notice, or didn't comment. The important thing is how you play it - I've had folks proxy the dismounted Maverick as an HVT in one game, and a Foxtrot in the next. If a model walks up expecting to doctor the HVT, and your opponent says "oh that's actually a unit that can shoot you" we are usually cool with takesbacksies to ameliorate the confusion.
While I'm also pretty heavy on WYSIWYG, I have two rules for proxying: 1) proxy should be of the same apparent armor level as the model it's pretending to be (HI should be big&bulky, LI can be without visible armor) 2) proxy should have the same apparent weapon as the model it's pretending to be (big gun = HMG, etc) The first rule is so that my opponents have an idea how hard something will be to kill. The second rule is so that I can remember what gun the damn thing has!
Priority from first to last Unit > Type* > Faction > Weapon** * The Jailbirds from Toughest Girls in the Galaxy generally qualify here under "Light Infantry" or "Skirmisher", depending on model, for example. ** In general I think weapons for Infinity are small enough that people won't actually be able to tell if it's a Boarding Shotgun or a Combi Rifle unless you've got another model from the same unit to compare with.
Really depends on what it is, for old style dakini, I had 2 combi and 1 hmg... if I wanted 2 hmg and 1 combi i'd just switch which is which because no one knows the weapons. Other than that, if i'm proxying I try and do like for like, but from different factions so it's clear it isn't what it looks like. E.g. proxy fusilier with combi with a ghulam with rifle, ORC with HMG with a Zu Yong with HMG TAG with... well any TAG to be fair. etc. etc. resilience/size then weapons
Nothing. Whatever. I'd even play against bases. It's more important to be able to play whatever list you like.
What can I say, other than I have walked into bars in various ports and said, I need to forget I'm in the Navy tonight.
Personally, I follow such a basis: Does the gun SUPERFICIALLY resemble the desired weapon? If so, good. Das a Combi or a Shotgun? I mean... if you squint enough, that combi could resemble a low-gauge semi-auto mag-fed shotgun. Red Fury, HMG or Spitfire? I mean, they're all long, bulky and big, so eh. Does the model look like it could have a similar ARM stat ( Bonus points if it's actually identical. )? If so, that's great. ( Examples for this would be how I plan on using Haqq Jannisaires as Wu Mings in my Ikari and that a local Haqq player of ours had the misfortune of buying the old tiny Al Fasid just before the new ones release, so I'll now get myself an Arslan. ). And another option I keep hold of sometimes: Does it have a cloak which I can use as an excuse to say ''Oh right, that MULTI-Rifle he has alongside his shotgun? It's under the cloak, ofcourse!'' And obviously the Silliuette has to match.
I try to have mine representative. More out of trying to be less confusing for me and any opponents than out of a slavish adherence to WYSIWYG. So I'll start with a weapons conversion with an actual unit model as a first move if I can. I'll use a faction model that I don't have access to in my army if it helps (I mostly play sectorials - JSA, QK, NCA, CJC). I've got Bagh Mari proxied up as spare Bolts (I play NCA and can't take BM, so no confusion there.). For example, I needed an MSR Keisotsu butai for my JSA but no model was ever released (and then uprising happened and took the option away completely) So I extended the barrel of a combi-rifle keisotsu and added a scope. Instant MSR KB. Also updated the HMG Keisotsu by taking a spare combi KB and grinding out the old weapon, then taking a more modern YJ HMG and modifying it a little to fit. Then that split happened and now the KB HMG uses a panO weapon. Newer model-wise, I needed a Missile launcher Ryuken unit-9 figure but converted a new Zhanshi ML for the task (as the only current one is only in the JSA army box. Buying a new army box for one model was overkill. (Shae does a great service, but I know my GS skills are up to the task). The hacker and HMG I sculpted hakama onto fit in with the JSA stuff. The MSR is still in the bits box. I converted my own shikami out of other YJ HI (got them in a bundle deal 2nd hand). I couldn't use a Zuyong or a hac-tao, so sculpted hakama onto them and gave them the hats (made from thumbtacks). Spare YJ combi and contender came from the bits box. (Then they released 2 shikami models). Now I have 4 of them. My PanO auxilia are newer fusiliers with headswaps (helmeted heads). I'm neither a fan of the old auxilia infantry models OR the beret wearing panO fusilier heads. So the fusis were going to get new heads anyway. The helmets are technically from a 25mm range (another company) model range, but they are oversized helmets and still fit in with 28mm infinity stuff. If I want to field 2 of a certain unit but there's only the one sculpt available, conversion or paint is the easiest option to differentiate them. Nisse looks enough like a hexa (long coat, helmet and big gun. check, check, check.) in NCA (can't use a nisse anyway). Want to field a Swiss guard hmg and don't have the beyond... figure, then it's the old tiny SG HMG in old female pattern armour or convert something. Paint job will hide a lot of smaller differences.
I try to get models that are consistent with the feeling I have of the unit, while at the same time I try to get cool minis. For example, I have Uxia (covert ops) as my female Proxy mk5, the Wu Ming HRL as my female proxy Mk4, the Kanren hacker as my second female Danavas hacker, or a converted Giraldez's Juana as my second Myrmidon Officer. Yeah, sometimes it's just looking for an excuse to use a cool model XD
A shame, I have the proxy1 box... (which is a waste, since you will use at best 2 models: the mk1 and the mk3. And the Mk3 is not that commonly used due to the SWC cost), what I look for is a female hacker in spandex with a shotgun XD (female sniper? Box, Hexa...)
What I've been considering for the Mk2 Assault Hacker is either a Hassassin Fiday w/BSG, or a CSU Corporate Security Unit. Neither are hackers, but the Fiday's aesthetic kinda fits with the Mk2 Sniper (if you're not replacing that) with the greaves and combat vest, and the CSU kinda fits with the Mk1s, while having a BSG closer to the newstyle Aleph ones.
That is tricky in the game that has Celestial Guard in full future armor having the same ARM value as jacket wearing Metros :P
It gets a lot easier once you try looking at proxying MI or HI. For example... the old ancient Al Fasid model. Looks pretty damn 3 ARM-ish to me. So... I use him as an Arslan.