Wotan Phase 1 - Thoughts from a new player

By: Forgotten

A little bit about my gaming history. I have played Warmachine and Hordes for several years so the basics of table top gaming is not new to me. I have a pretty good grasp of deploying and movement but the interaction on a players non active turn drew me to Infinity. I have recently played in a beginners Recon tournament where I came in second.

A couple years ago I bought some Nomad models and tried to get into Infinity but for reasons and life most of those models sat unpainted in a box until recently. Life has calmed down for me and I have been able to devote some time to painting and playing games again. I was excited to play in Wotan and try and influence the Infinity narrative in my own small way so when it started I joined the Nomad faction (The only faction I have models for). It was two weeks before I could get my first game. In that time my faction had an HQ team, then had infighting then had a new HQ team, with most of the same members. From a new player point of view this was a little confusing and disappointing as I don't know the players or the history and really had no idea what was going on. Things seem to have gotten better and the focus was back on games, battle reports, and making amusing propaganda.

My first game was against Aleph with my friend Dave (aka Doc). Doc is has a few more games of Infinity under his belt than I do... but not too many. We played the La Forja Military Harbor: Kill Cage. I liked the mission, we were both cautious about the center of the table as neither of us wanted to lose models to drones. In the end Doc's dice failed him as and I was victorious.

La Forja Phase 1
Strike Zone: Wotan

That weekend I wrote up my battle report and added my points to the faction to assist in defending La Forja. It was rated and Xp was gained. I enjoy the fact that their are many ways to gain Xp in this campaign. I am only able to play about once a week so having non-game achievements is a good way to keep me involved and interested. As far as the map went, nothing happened until the Combined Army took Sygtir-1 from Pan-O. There was some intense back and forth before Pan-O secured it again.

Then came the push for the La Forja Control Deck. Aleph and Ariadna both made a push to capture it. I hosted five of my friends on Thursday and everybody played on the Control Deck. I played John (aka Burns) and his Combined Army. I was successful in repelling the alien invaders.

That weekend, the last of Phase 1 the La Forja Control Deck deck had over 100 games logged at it's location. Aleph took it for a brief period but could not hold out against the massive pressure of the Nomad defenses. This is also where the second point of drama took place, a single Aleph player logged eight or nine reports all at the same time with duplicate photos. This caused an uproar and the taking up of torches and pitchforks as an assault on the fairness of the game was made and must be avenged. In the end enough people came forward to say that they played the games to make it seem like an honest mistake but for a time there it looked like cheating.

The result of all the fighting at La Froja.
The Nomads kept the station but they hold only ruins now. 

When it was looking like a player had cheated Beasts of War and Corvus Belli quickly investigated. They were able to reassure the community and ensure that no one was rewarded for unsportsmanlike conduct. This quick reaction to the community helped quiet the angry voices and allow the community to get back to the main purpose of the campaign - having a good time with friends and sharing experiences of the game we all enjoy.

The drama of the global Nomad nation has not dissuaded me but it may have others. I have enjoyed my games with my friends and I will continue to see it through to the end. Maybe if I keep playing long enough I will understand the what happened inside Nomad HQ.

Now Phase 2 has begun I look forward to seeing where the campaign goes and how this impacts the universe. The story and the world is one of the things that really attracted me to the game in the first place and I anticipate more adventures to come.