May Releases for Infinity!

It's the end of the month and what do we get at the end of the month? Infinity releases! Weee! There's some old stuff and some new stuff and some really new stuff in the May releases, some of which we've seen as concept art in the seminar a few weeks ago. Let's have a look...

Let's start out with the Yu Jing Raiden Seibutai with heavy rocket launcher. Although I didn't dislike the first Raiden I wasn't overly impressed either, it looked cool enough but it didn't really click for me. For some reason this second one is different. It's still the same design, so I don't know why, but something about the pose and the way he holds the rocket launcher really makes it work! When I first picked up Yu Jing I had this idea to start out that way but work my way into JSA eventually. I never did go down that way (yet) and with the Invincible sectorial on the horizon that's probably where I'll end up in the end. However, I do think this is a solid choice for JSA players who want some decent firepower that can survive the first couple of turns intact. For vanilla Yu Jing I'm not so sure but I think there's a place for him in JSA.

Then we have a taste of things to come for Ariadna in the Kazak Spetsnazs. Here's a guy I really like! You can immediately tell it's a Kazak but the added webbing, equipment and beret tells you this is something out of the ordinary! Great mini with superb detailing and very cool looking scope/mask. We don't really know what he can do yet, except that he has Ambush Camo(?) and Marksman L2 which is a new skill that give your attack the effect of Shock Ammo and can remove the penalty for shooting a target behind cover. Pretty neat! More info on Marksman at BoW. This certainly seems like it could be a scary alpha strike kind of unit and shock ammo effect should make sure that those pesky No Wound Incapacitation guys and gals will go down properly.

Now we'll take a quick break from all the guns and have a look at the O-12 High Commisioner. I really liked the concept art for the commisioner and the model doesn't disappoint! Good lines, nice flow of the cloak and a commanding presence. I imagine this guy just ignoring the chaos of the battlefield around him as he needs to get on his transport, or update his top secret O-12 twitter account. Unfazed by what goes on around him! It's also good to have a civilian available outside of one of the Dire Foes boxes.

 Next up is a box of PanO Knights of Santiago. This is a mix of the two older Santiago knights and two new ones, namely the one with Boardnig Shotgun and the one AP CCW. I'm not a particularly big fan of the whole knight thing that PanO has going, these are an exception though. And it's all thanks to the sheer amount of movement displayed in their metal bodies! I also think it's great how well the old and new sculpts go together, the old ones don't stand out at all (like in the new Neoterra Starter). My only niggle is that the combirifle knight totes the old version of the gun. Had that been updated as well, this would have been a perfect box! They are pretty scary on the tabletop - not quite as close combat oriented as many other knights they have a great BS of 14 and with a 360 visor they're a tough nut to crack even in the active turn. They are slow, but with Frenzy you could get some more speed out of them after their first kill! Oh, and the two new ones will be released separately as a blister for a limited time, so go and get them now if you already have the old pair.



Last but not least we have the new Nomad Tunguska Intervetors! To these I can only say, yes please and hurry up and bring me more! As far as I'm concerned the old Nomad range is by far the one in most need of resculpts so I'm always happy to see things like these! The new Moiras were a great step up and so are the new Interventors. Speaking of the Moiras there's some similarities in the uniform which is nice. The goggles are still there although they've been scaled down a little. Them being labeled as Tunguska Interventors is kind of interesting as it might imply that vanilla ones won't get access to the new nifty looking Fast-Pandas. Who, by the way, look really cool and nothing like the more whimsical drop cat we saw a couple of months ago (although I liked that). These Interventors also have a much more militaristic, Tunguskan look to them so maybe we'll actually end up with regular and Tunguskan Interventors in the future...


A solid month! I think my favourites are the Interventors followed by the Spetsnaz... with the knights very close behind. I'm excited to see units from the new book(s) already and can't wait to see the new Invicibles!

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Mutant: Year Zero

Second day. Yorgos managed to put together a decent fireplace for us using some large metal tubes he scavenged, but the night was still bitter cold and if all eight of us hadn't huddled together I don't think we would have made it. Still, it was a good place to stop at - the Rot didn't seem to be as strong in this sector.  

After a quick breakfast we made our way to what Pommax said was sector H15. We had seen the great tower from the old times all the way back from the Ark and were all eager to have a look at it up close. Me, Milix and a couple of the others stayed behind while Pommax, Yorgos and Lorentz scouted ahead. They went into the tower and were gone for a long time. When Yorgos finally returned and called us he talked about some robed strangers they had seen leaving something inside! That means there are others out there! Like us perhaps? 

Still the greatest prize was yet to come. Pommax and Lorentz stood looking at something lying on a table. We had planned this expedition to find technology from the old time. Things that we might use to survive and understand more of our surroundings, yet what we had found was far greater than this. On the table lay something I had never seen before - a baby.

-Astrina, Ark Chronicler

I've covered a number of roleplaying games here in the past, but I don't think I've talked about any Swedish games. Not all that surprising seeing as this is an international blog after all, and it has been many years since I played a Swedish rpg (although I grew up on a healthy diet of them!). Still, this month saw the release of the new rebooted version of the classic Swedish post-apocalyptic roleplaying game Mutant, now rebranded as Mutant: År Noll (Mutant: Year Zero) and created by Fria Ligan. The original, and its sequals, took place several hundred(?) years after a great apocalypse and the setting was fairly optimistic with the civilization slowly rebuilding itself. The technology level was roughly 19th century with the odd artefact from the old time lying around in one of the radiation ridden Forbidden Zones.

In Mutant: Year Zero (or simply M:0) you play in the very aftermath of the great apocalypse. Humanity has been decimated by plague and warfare and there is almost nothing left. Almost. You play as a mutated member of the Ark; a community of similarly aged people, all mutants, who have stayed hidden for as long as they can remember. Up until now the Elder have been the community leader and told them what to do, he's always been the heart of the Ark. But the Elder is dying, and food is starting to become a problem. The huge stockpiles of canned and powdered goods are finally starting to run dry and it has become clear that some exploration of the outside world has become a necessity.

The chapter on character creation.

This is where you start playing. You create your mutant, decide her job in the Ark and her relationship to the other characters and community members. Then you sit down with the entire group and create the Ark. Where is it located? What kind of Ark is it? A subway station that survived the blasts? A beached passenger liner? Or simply a collection of junk huts? The game also encourages you to play in your town and your own neighborhood. Just take a map of the area you live in, draw a grid on it and you're ready to go! We are, of course, playing in the post-apocalyptical remnants of Stockholm and the Ark is inside the old Pripps brewery in the northwest part of the city.

The characters we have are Yorgos who's a Junkhead and can fix or invent all kinds of useful stuff. You need a lamp or something to protect you against the Rot (radiation)? Or perhaps get that moped you found running on moonshine? Yorgos is your man. Then there's Lorentz, a great big brute who might not be the smartest of the bunch but someone that instills respect and know how to dish it out if it comes to that. Finally there's Pommax the Stalker. He's one of the few who has actually ventured outside the Ark for longer periods of time and knows some of the dangers out in the Zone. Pommax is the pathfinder and guide for everything Zone related.

With the characters and the Ark sorted we cranked up the mood music - the excellent retro soundtrack Krater by Christian Gabel (put it on as you continue reading for added atmosphere) - and got to playing!

At the start of every session the People of the Ark get together for a large public meeting where they try to decide on how to improve the state of the Ark. This is the players stepping out of their characters and taking more of a meta look at the situation and where they should commit their resources. The four categories you have to work with are Food, Culture, Technology and Defence and there are many different projects you can undertake to improve upon them. After some discussion they decided on trying to start growing some edible fungus and beets in the Ark to make sure everyone would be able to eat. But they were also eager to get the Technology level up so prepared to start an expedition out into the Zone - to an ancient building that the Elder thought might once have been a school.

Before they could head out though a loud boom and a crash was heard and they ran into the interior of the Ark to find a great hole in the floor! This event came from the Threat card that you also draw at the start of every session. These cards usually have some kind of threat to the Ark that needs sorting out one way or another, and can either be drawn randomly or chosen by the GM. This time it was a great hole that opened up in the Ark.

Yorgos quickly put together a kind of winch which allowed Lorentz and Pommax to easily get down into the gaping hole. Once they reached the bottom they realized that they were in a great man-made tunnel and that some kind of explosion had taken place which made the roof cave in. Pommax lit his lamp and they started to explore. To the west was another cave in so a dead end and when they went the other way they came across some organic looking weave that covered the walls. As they went further it became harder and harder to get through as the weave was everywhere. Lorentz got the urge to touch it and discovered his hand was stuck and as he pulled it off, loosing some skin, the thread vibrated wildly and they could hear... things moving further down in the dark! Not waiting to find out what, Pommax used his mutation to let out a great gout of flame, engulfing the entire area of the tunnel and burning the weave. They ran back to the winch and
just made it up as a large pale spider, the size of a bulldog, came creeping towards them.

Once out of the hole it was quickly decided that they needed to block it somehow and people were scrambling looking for suitable junk. In the meantime the characters watched the hole and had to battle a few spiders who made their way up. They had the advantage of height though and soon the hole could be blocked with planks of wood, parts of an old fence and quite a lot of rubble. There we go, no more horrible mutated spiders. Out of sight, out of mind! I'm sure that won't come back and bite us in the ass.

Having dealt with the spider problems the configuration of the Zone expedition was sorted out. Besides the three characters there were a number of other mutants who joined them. Some were simply curious of the world outside, like the Chronicler Astrina, while others went as representatives of the different Bosses who held sway in the Ark. The Crusher Buppe and the Fixer Milix represented the Boss Marlotte while the dog handler Leffo was known for running errands for Johammed. All in all seven of them started out, heading toward what might once have been a great school.

Moving through the Zone.

When you move through the Zone in M:0 you use the gridded map of the area you play in and when scouting a new sector the GM rolls a number of dice to decide what the it looks like, what kind of threats might be lurking and if there's any artefacts from the old tim there (also available as a web app). Naturally the more dangerous a sector might be the higher is the chance that there's still something valuable in it. Exploring the Zone like this is also what the Stalker does best and she has a special skill called Lead the Way that allows her to scout out a sector about to be entered to try and spot dangers and Rot level as well as scavenge for food, water and bullets. Which leads me into talking a little bit about the resource management aspect of the game...

There are four vital resources in the game: Mutation Points, Grub, Water and Bullets. Mutation Points are used for triggering your mutations and more often than not these will a character's strongest weapon, so keep them close! You earn more by Pushing a roll. You roll a dicepool and need sixes to succeed and if you want you can Push and re-roll them once, except if you do you will take damage from each hazard symbol rolled, but each will also net you a Mutation Point. Basically your mutant strain herself more than her body or mind can handle, but this kind of strain also fuels her mutations! Grub and Water is just that - food and drink - both which are needed to heal injuries and stress. You also need to eat and drink every day not to take damage. Finally there are the bullets that work both as ammunition and as currency in the game. You rarely have more than 4~5 of any of these resources and managing them wisely when out in the Zone is very important.

The box contents. Notice the special dice and the markers for Mutation Points, Grub, Water and Bullets.

As Pommax moved ahead and acted as the guide through the sectors ahead, the rest of the group looked around with equal parts fear and excitement, they'd never been this far away from the Ark before! The ruined landscape was a mixture of death and life - buildings smashed to bits by the terrible weapons of the old times but also trees and shrubs pushing their way through the cracks in the concrete to retake their old domain. To the immediate north they passed some huge cisterns, most of them in ruins but one or two still whole enough for Pommax to use as a makeshift lookout position. "There's a lot more standing buildings in the next sector!" he called down, "There's a big building with a clock on it that looks interesting...".

Closer to the clock building the others agreed that it looked promising. From a distant it looked like all the doors into the west wing were intact - a good sign said Pommax. On the other hand, the doors of the east wing were broken into pieces and there were many large, strange tracks coming and going from it. Had something made the building its lair? Not seeing anything for quite some time Lorentz, Pommax and Yorgos decided to try and sneak up to the west wing to try and make their way inside. As they came to the locked door a dark lumbering shape made it's way out of the hole at the other end of the building. It raised its shaggy head to the sky and seemed to sniff. While it first moved slowly, almost lazily, towards the mutants it soon picked up speed and what looked like two tonnes of muscles and fangs didn't make it any easier for Yorgos to try and pick the lock! He got it just in time and they could make their way inside and started throwing debris and old junk at the door as a makeshift barricade.

The thing outside seemed to give up after a few minutes and the trio continued to look around among the rubble. Most everything was junk, but Lorentz did find a corpse wearing some funny looking yellow suit. He simply laughed at it but after Yorgos explained that it might be something to ward of the Rot he looked at it more seriously and discovered that it could fit even his massive frame. Not finding anything else of value they decided to jump out a broken window in the back to avoid the thing outside. Meeting up with Astrina and the others they pushed on to the next sector.

Unless your Stalker use her Lead the Way skill to make it quicker, the normal time to make it through (and search!) a Zone sector is four hours. So by the time the group made it to the third sector, a ruined landscape but with a semi-standing police house, they decided it was as good a place as any to make camp. This was in early spring and nights were cold so Yorgos used some parts he found lying around to juryrig a chimney of sorts so they could light a fire inside. The early morning was bitter cold, but at least they were all still alive! The Rot did take its toll though and only Lorentz, who insisted on sleeping in his new yellow suit, seemed unaffected.

The next sector didn't have any standing buildings but consisted simply of a huge field of rubble. At least Pommax had found some drinkable water. Crossing the field Buppe was attacked by something coming out of the sand! Luckily Yorgos was walking right behind him and the shock of the attack triggered his Beast mutation and as the carnivorous sandworm came for it he broke it's jaws off and beat it to death with it. Yes, mutations are powerful, and they better be as you're going to be hit by every bad thing there is while out in the zone. The Rot in this sector was also unusually powerful and several of the mutants could feel it eating away at both their bodies and their minds!

They passed through another couple of sectors until they made it to one of the tall towers that can be seen far and wide in the Zone. There are four of them and this was the most northerly one. Again, the group split into and half of them went inside. For the first time they saw other... humans? Mutants? Humanoids? move about inside. They wore long dark robes and moved slowly through the ruined tower. Not daring to talk to them Yorgos, Pommax, Lorentz and Leffo simply kept quiet and watched them. The robed strangers lingered for a while around a large desk and then moved out through a side door. They had left something on the table though and as the mutants approached they were stunned to see the tiny shape of a baby, sleepily moving about in its blanket. This was of course huge news as none of the mutants in the Ark could bear children!

After having talked to the others it was decided that half the group should take the child with them back to the Ark while the rest pressed on as the school was very close now. Astrina and Leffo went back with the child. Passing through another sector of partially standing but overgrown ruins the group finally arrived at their destination, except what they were looking at certainly didn't look like any school they'd ever seen in the picture books the Elder had shown them. It looked more like some kind of strange factory, with many snaking pipes going in and out of different buildings. Still... it certainly looked like there could be some old technology inside.

Of course, beyond the first room the insides of the complex was pitch black. Yorgos had to pull out his lamp and they all stuck close together as they explored further inside. The stairs both up and down were blocked, but there were two large shafts next to them that seemed like they could be used for descending into the sublevels. Pulling down some wire from a fallen over post outside Yorgos attached it to a door handle and started climbing down to the floor below. After some discussion Buppe and Milix were posted at the top so no weird creature or hooded individuals came and released their only way up of the shaft.

Pommax, Lorentz and Yorgos continued on sublevel 1 and looked through the rooms in search for artefacts. Pommax did find something, a piece of flabby but tough cloth that could be inflated and made into a makeshift bed. Very comfortable! However it wasn't until they came to the end of a corridor and another short stairway down that they found the kind of technology they really were after. It was a large round room with a number of square consoles with screens on them. Sure, most of them were smashed or simply broken, but still. They started looking around when a loud bang was heard as the door was slammed shut behind them!

Raspy voices were heard and the sound of feet on the metal catwalk above them. Yorgos aimed his lamp up and saw that they were surrounded by a dozen stunted but vicious looking creatures! Humanoids dressed in rags and horrifying masks who readied their weapons and levelled them at the intruders. "Zone spooks", Pommax muttered as he ducked into cover behind one of the consoles.

What followed was a desparate battle of survival against the spooks in the cramped quarters of the computer room and it was only by using all their remaining Mutation Points and skills to the limit that allowed them to survive. Even so, by the end of the fight Pommax lay bleading on the floor with a jagged piece of carved metal in his side. Yorgos and Lorentz did the best they could and at least managed to get him on his feet but they knew they needed to get out and make a proper camp for Pommax to rest in. They took whatever parts and artefacts they could carry and with the help of Buppe and Milix made it outside.

They made their way back to the tower in the neighbouring sector where they spent the night. While mutant physiology is volatile and upredictable they at least also able to recover quickly! Having eaten most of their Grub the group felt ready to go home. Going back through already explored sectors is a lot faster and usually doesn't take more than 30 minutes so they could make it back by sundown (making sure to avoid the beast in the clock bulding!). Everyone was happy to see their safe return and that they brought with them technology from the old times, but what everyone was really interested in was the baby that Astrina and Leffo had carried home! Things were about to change in the Ark!


Here ended our first session. The Zone expedition was a success (barely) and they found a baby to boot! Except... who were those guys who left it there? And why? After having raised the Technology level of the Ark a little bit through handing in artefacts we doled out some Experience Points and called it a night. I'm very happy to say that we all had a great time, the players really couldn't stop going on about how fun they had and how well M:0 captured the core themes of the original Mutant while dressing it in a new grittier setting and giving it a lot more focus. The random way of generating sectors might seem a little, well... random at first glance, but it's actually very liberating for me as a GM. And of course, there's nothing saying I can't throw in some encounters or environments of my own here and there if I feel like it. Also, I modified the Zone map you get in the box to show the sectors the mutants have explored and which have stronger Rot than usual, and which are free from it. Here's what it looks like so far:

The cross to the left is the location of the Ark and they made their way west to their goal in sector H16.

I wanted to use the original image as a background in a spreadsheet made in Google docs and then use the cells as sectors so I could fill in information about them as the mutants moved through the zone, but that didn't work unfortunately. Might have better luck with Open Office. Anyway...

Certainly a great experience and we were all eager for more! The coming session reports won't be as detailed as this one, but I wanted to start out giving you a decent sense of what can happen during a session (we usually play about four, maybe five hours when we get together. Oh, and if you think this sounds like fun and you'd like to explore your own city as a group of mutants after the great apocalypse, get in touch with Fria Ligan and tell them! They did make translated quick start rules for their first roleplaying game Svavelvinter so perhaps we could see something similar for M:0 as well.

EDIT: Ok guys, perhaps it was those of you who got in touch with Fria Ligan or perhaps it was the plan all along, either way Mutant: Year Zero is being released in English by Modiphius this fall! You can read more about it and our next session report here.

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April Releases for Infinity!

With all the hoopla of the new edition I kind of forgot about posting about the actual new releases! They were also revealed a little later than usual, which might have been a factor as well. Anyway, let's have a quick look before the May releases hits us!

First out is another boxed set of Neoterra Bolts for PanO. This time we  get the different special weapons the Bolts can equip and I'm impressed. I like these guys and girls before, but these new redesigned guns really make them that much better! I especially like the MULTI sniper rifle and boarding shotgun. In game they're still a bit meh, but an updated stat line has been hinted at when 3rd ed. is released later this year. In my best Jeremy voice: Should I start a Neoterra army? Is that a good idea?

Next up is the Tohaa Clipsos Infiltrator. Quite a nice looking model. Good flow in the coat and although I didn't like Tohaa guns from the start I've come around big time on that and their sniper rifles are some of my favourites now. I also really like the face on this guy; he looks nice and sinister! In game the Clipsos is pretty much your bog standard infiltrating skirmisher except he has the option to bring the interesting Swarm grenade or a Nullifier. Hmm... perhaps not that bog standard after all!

Well, well, well... a couple of years(?) after the release of the original boxed set we finally get a Druze spitfire to complete their loadout! I love the look of the Druze and the Yu Jing spitfire is probably the best looking out out there so they should combine into an awesome model! And it does look cool, it's just that I feel the pose is slightly awkward. I'm really being picky here but, hey, Infinity miniatures are of such a high standard that you need to be extra critical of them to see any faults. Anyway, it's still a model I will pick up as part of my Druze Shock Team sometime in the future...

Now for the resculpt of the Haqqislam Kum Motorized Troops and their new bases. First off, I shouldn't really call this a resculpt as that implies an updated and refined design. This is more like a remake/reboot/reimagining of the Kum and I both like and dislike them. The models are brilliant! CB have nailed the biker look and the machines themselves look great. What I don't quite like is that the (relatively) original idea of the monobikes of the first Kum felt a lot more sci-fi and exotic than the simple Hells Angel in space that we got now. I agree that they needed an update (I've never seen anyone use them) but couldn't they have been made equally cool looking but keeping the one wheel design? We'll never know but although I think these are beautiful I'm sad to see the old ones go. Still, I'm sure we'll see a lot more Kum actually in play which is always a good thing!

Last but certainly not least is the Morat Vanguard equivalent to the Neoterra box above. A second box of Morat infantry, this one with all the special weapons you need. The redesigned Morat look great, although bordering on too big, and I love their updateded weaponry! Big, boxy and utalitarian looking. My only gripe with this set is that I would have prefered to have one set of bodies in a slightly more dynamic pose. Still, I'm not complaining. The new Morat really are a great step up from the old ones. Also I like this new way of releaseing line infantry - two boxes and you're pretty much set for any loadout you want. I have yet to pick up any Keisotsu Butai for example, and I'd love to be able to get them like this. Hopefully after a nice bit of resculpting. Hehe!


This month CB also released three size packs of bases: 25mm, 40mm and 55mm. I'm sure you've heard by now that there have been some changes to how models will be based in the future. Basically all TAGs, bikes and remotes will now be on the larger 55mm base. Still you won't have to rebase your old models as the 3rd ed of Infinity will use the silhouette rule so basing shouldn't be all that important anyway. I think the 55mm bases will make for much better looking TAGs at the very least, and probably remotes as well. On the other hand, my Guija is actually quite small (TAGs have grown!) and fits perfectly on its 40mm base so I'll probably just leave it as is. Oh, and finish painting it!


That's it for April! We'll be back here again very soon though as the May releases are just around the corner. This months winner to me is the Bolts. I always get inspired by new releases to start a new army and the Bolts are no exception. Then again, I need to spend my time and money budgets wisely. There are many games and models out there!

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Review of Systema Gaming Habitat Unit 2

Systema Gaming Base-0 Habitat Unit 2.

Alright, the container was a nice, solid bit of terrain. But I think we're all eager to get a look at the larger pieces! So let's take a look at the Base-0 Habitat Unit 2 from Systema Gaming.

As you can see there are quite a bunch more parts, three sheets to be exact, but even without instructions I had no trouble putting it together. Again, these are not complex constructions which help reinforce their utalitarian nature. The base plates (and the roof of the square building) are all constructed the same way with a number of girders underneath which lift them off the ground a bit and also allows you to stack them.

Top building.

Removable roof of course. The windows you could either keep covered or pop them open as you please.

Most of the the parts have only two sprue connecting points so come off quickly and they don't take a long time to clean up. Detailing is simple but decent enough. There is barely any interior detailing and these simply don't have the same level of detail as, say, the MicroArt buildings or the upcoming stuff from Antenociti but that really doesn't bother me all that much. The industrial design works and you could likely get a table full of Systema stuff before filling half with some more detailed alternatives.

Bottom building with the little patio. The railings and ramp are all removable so you can customize the look.

You can see the underside of the roof and the girders and tabs that keep it in place. Ladder is of course removable.

The modularity is also a big plus as you can easily change your battlefield depending on mood or scenario. That's actually the main reason I haven't invested in any of the MicroArt buildings yet - very nice looking, but they're simply a bit too big and... static for my taste. It seems as if the entire range has been well designed to allow you all manner of combinations. For example, you could put the larger building above on top of the Communications Unit that I'll be reviewing next. Combined with some catwalks I really think this has a lot of potential!

Building high...

...or building low.

The handrails are easily movable, just like the ladders and the roofs. In fact they are almost too loose, but I suppose that is better than being stuck on too hard so you'd damage the paint when moving them. That's pretty much it I guess.

Next up will be the Communications Unit!

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Infininity 3rd Ed. English Seminar Summarised

So here is Carlos talking about the new edtion and basically going through everything that was said in the Spanish seminar. I made some quick notes while watching so those of you who don't have time to view all 44 minutes of it, read on...

The Rulebook

First off, Infinity will be "resculpted" in a similar way to how new models get new sculpts. The rules will be updated and the translation will be redone and improved. The fluff texts will be re-written and re-translated, but will stay pretty much the same as it is now - there will be no setting changes in the 3rd edition rulebook. Basically it is meant to fit into the chronology of the published Infinity books meaning it won't cover stuff that happens in Human Sphere or Paradiso. As Carlos put it, it's simply meant to replace the 2nd edition rulebook, not any of the other books. In fact he was very clear in telling us that the new book will be compatible with the expansion books published this far. Which is great news of course!

Carlos demonstrates that the current lineup of books is still valid, only the core rulebooks is getting replaced.

So fluff-wise it will stay pretty much the same, the rules will be updated here and there and there will be a number of new troop profiles in the new book that can be used for the generic armies. These troops will then be expanded upon and find their own sectorial in Acheron Falls. Speaking of Acheron Falls, it will be more like Human Sphere and will be "duplicating" (doubling? Surely not) the number of sectorials.

ALEPH and Tohaa will not be in 3rd edition as they are introduced, fluff-wise, in Human Sphere and Paradiso respectively so wouldn't make much sense for a new player of the game. Of course, the new troop profiles introduced will be downloadable from the website. As will the entire new rulebook when it's done (minus art and fluff).

Rules will change to make the game "more solid". The old book had many grey areas and holes that needed FAQing and CB wants to change this. Carlos talked about how they wanted to make the rules black and white - perfectly clear in every situation, which sounds good. One part of this will be the new LoF rules where you use silhouettes to see what you can see. Every troop type will have its silhouette listed so you can replace the miniature with it if LoF is uncertain. This should make things a lot easier (although I know a number of people in my community who have played this wrong)! This also goes hand in hand with the new base sizes. Regarding this Carlos said that how you base your miniatures really doesn't matter all that much with the introduction of silhouettes, so make your miniatures beautiful first and foremost!

There will, of course, be more information doled out during the year and new troops, new rules, new artwork and resculpts of old minis will be revealed!

The Miniatures

I won't provide pictures here, just simple bullet points as the information was short but sweet.

• Interventors - New profile and sculpt released next month, with combi rifle and boarding shotgun. Also included will be two Fast Pandas. Tunguska will be in Acheron Falls.
• Zúyong Invincibles - Entirely new troops. Will be in Acheron Falls but also in 3rd ed. Low class heavy infantry, line infantry for the Invicible sectorial. Sculpt base on new Sun Tze. Unfortunately we didn't get to see more of the heavy support troops with the giant shoulder cannons.
• Kazak Spetsnaz - Kazak army in acheron Falls but new profiles for generic Ariadna in 3rd ed. Two troop profiles: Ambush and para-trooper.
• Kum Bikers - There will be a second box (with the female biker) coming later this year.
• Muttawu'ah - Resculpt with new profile. Carries an EM-pulse.
• Neoterra Bolts - 3D sculpting make things easier and they want to follow the Bolt/Morat pattern of releasing line troops. Meaning we're likely to see two boxes of line troop for every faction - one with basic troops and one with special weapons. Bolts will make more sense in 3rd ed rules. It sounded like they will become Religious or something analogous to it (won't retreat).
• Nikoul - Tohaa ambush unit.Won't be in 3rd ed, but available for download. Viral sniper. Sapper. Mines.
• O-12 - Are mostly political, like the UN. But will probably turn up as an army some time in the future (further down the line it seemed like). This mini will work as civilia/VIP for scenarios.
• Squalo - Nice new sculpt. More emphasis on the heavy grenade launcher.
• Sun Tze - Will get a new profile. Armour works as base for new Yu Jing sculpts.
• Tank hunters - New design, but still similar to the old. Autocannon version very popular model!
• Unidron Batroide - New Combined Army troops. Similar to Dakini Tacbots but for EI. Line troop for new generic Combined Army starter pack that might come later this year.
• Warcors - Will come as regular model but also a special version for people in the Warcor program.
• Assault pack - Controller and three antipodes. They are much more wolf like now and Carlos referred to them as a heat seeking missile that will almost certainly take out whatever they target. Will come in summer, probably.

I think that's mostly it when it comes to new information! Lots to look forward to. For me personally the new Invincible (terracotta) sectorial is veyr high on the list! Of couse, the Kazak sectorial might sway me...

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