Guessing the new Sectorials

By: Dozer

Sorry folks I've been busy in BC for work and being the lead contributor to the site makes it hard to update as often as I'd like. Recently I've visited a few local shops out here in Victoria and I have posts on them for the Local Game Stores series of posts. Two are in the breach ready to go but I need to clean them up and move the images over. 

Next on the docket are some updates with Infinity. Corvus Belli has just started their season of presentations that last until GENCON. As the year moves forward the presentation gets updated and we see more of what's to come. Last year the GENCON presentation was the surprise announcement of the new sculpts for the Avatar and the Szalamandra. This year the Los Vegas Open has the first round of new info and it's got some heavy information.

The big take away for many folks was the slide below.

When N3 was launched, two sectorial armies were cut until Corvus Belli re-worked them. The French themed Merovingiennesof Ariadna and the bug alien Shavastii of the Combined Army. The two sectorials were made compatible to play with N3 (aka Infinity 3rd Edition) but they did lack the same level of reworking that most of the unit listings received. You could play them but you were warned - major updates were coming down the pipe.

Since then we've seen two new sectorial armies land in the empty spaces; Onyx Contact Force and USAriadna Ranger Force. Infinity players have been waiting for the return of these two factions to get their full update into N3. This compounded the fact that players since N2 have been waiting for the long promised sectorials for each of the major factions. PanO players are waiting for two of the Hyperpower's colonial sectorials to be launched, Svalarheima and Veruna. Nomads have been waiting for Tunguska. Ariadna players have been hoping for the Kazaks to show up. There are some major sectorial injects that we've been waiting for since before N3 was even launched. It's even been mentioned by Carlos that launching N3 and the new direction has slowed down the released of these long awaited factions.

Last year at GENCON 50 we were given a heads up that new sectorials would not wait for the release of a new book but instead would be published in the same manner as the USAriadna Ranger Force and with some of the specific new releases folks have been guessing a new faction is due. Tunguska is my favorite to be released next with all the love it's gotten with the last set of releases for the Nomad faction. The Szalamandra was the last of the original TAGs to be resculpted and the new Kriza Boracs seem to make folks think the last of the Nomad ships will finally get it's due.

So when Corvus Belli says we're getting up five new factions one is allowed to wonder what is due to come out.

First on my list is Tunguska. I'm a Nomad player but as I've mentioned before with all the new minis I feel they will be the next sectorial with a box release. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on some new Securitate sculpts and even an update to their rules.

Second on my list is the Veruna sectorial from PanO. It's the sectorial that most folks have been expecting and the one that Corvus Belli has been willing to talk about since N3 launched.

Third on my list is the Caliphate sectorial for Haqqislam. This is mostly thanks in part to the release of the Maghariba Guard and some other units like the Al Fasid (‘The Corrupted’) Regiment, who've been released over the last two years that have not fit in the current sectorial lists.

Fourth is a shot in the dark but I think it will be an easy release for Corvus Belli. I think they will generate a second NA2 faction similar to the release of the Druze Bayram Security. They only need to take from the already released minis and add in few new units. It's not a lot of work logistically to release another mercenary faction.

My last guess will be the Tohaa getting their first sectorial. There was some Tohaa art pushed out at the Los Vegas Open presentation and in doing so I'm going to take a shot at the second alien faction will be getting a bump that will finally give them that sectorial option.

With the five sectorials guessed at, I'm going to guess at the box set for my top pick. First off we're looking at three (probably two) new sculpts for the Securitate to fill in the obligatory line unit. Then I would follow it up with a new sculpt for the Grenzer. Right now all we have is the sniper sculpt and no other loadout represented. I'm also picking the Grenzer because they just re-packedge the two Spektrs and there is a third in the Nomads Starter Pack.

The Interventors are still too new to update the sculpt but I would not be surprised if Corvus Belli made a third mini. Instead I think they will come up with two new units for the sectorial. There are as of now only six specific units for Tunguska: Szalamandra, Interventor, Spektrs, Grenzer, Securitate, and new Kriza Borac. Expecting some new units is not a long shot.

Last is the extra stuff in the box. Using the USAriadna Army Pack as an example we can expect another three minis in the box.

A second Kriza Borac would be an easy thing for Corvus Belli to whip up it. After that I think we're in new unit territory. Again the sectorial is shy on individual minis and I think this would be a great time to drop a sectorial specific remote for Tunguska. This would be in flavor of the sectorial and I would not say no to another remote. Its really hard to guess what's next with the sectorial and what the Nomads will be getting next - you can't ignore the faction as a whole since everything Tunguska gets the Nomads get...unless you're talking Mercs.

I think Tunguska will have an inject of Merc units similar to the Qapu Kalqi sectorial for Haqqislam. Miranda Ashcroft is listed in the Nomad catalogue and she is not on the other two sectorial lists. It also feels like Tunguska would instead of forming up a slew of individual units for their missions, they have access to the Nomad faction as a whole for deployable assets. I feel if they were working independently they would rely on their massive wealth to buy the units on an ad hoc basis. Also NA2, or Merc units, are now something Corvus Belli is working on and adding Merc units to the sectorial would also save them time and effort and they could focus on balance.

I'm really looking forward to the next set of sectorials for Infinity and I really am looking forward to seeing what they have for Rumble and GENCON. 

- Cheers

First Look - Twilight Imperium

By: Dozer

This post is very late - the holiday season and the run up to a new calendar year of work have prevented me from putting anything up. 

So I was able to play some Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition, and it was awesome.

Doc, Ontos, Wolf, Longsword, and myself pulled into Doc's flat and started setting up. By the time everyone was in the room, it was 1020. Ontos has spilled Longsword's Tim Horton's coffee (a sin in Canada to some) and we slowly took our time setting up ensuring that we would not miss a step while building the game. We got into the first round by the time it was 1050. Passing out snacks, familiarising yourself to the pieces, and picking a race were the longest part of the setup. The game played very well. We could had finished the game around 1640.

I played a second game two weeks later. With Burns and three other awesome players. We were delayed with life and puppies but in the end we still played a five player game in about 6 and a half hours. Four of the five players had not yet played this edition of the game and two of them had never played any edition of Twilight Imperium, and we still had to pull pin early but by only a round.

First Impressions - 

The box is big and bright. The updated art is top shelf even though I miss some of the more iconic pieces from the last edition. The pieces look chintzy until you compare them to the older pieces and then you can see the augmented level of detail and quality per piece.

Full of detail as Burns looses his home system

Components -

The player boards and the accompanying technology cards are easy to navigate and plan your races development and advancement. Little details like the reference chart which also includes the rules for the various anomalies in space very handy. The tiles are clear and the different coloured backs are awesome for set up.

The player boards can be played left or right of the race board. A nice touch and a small one that few companies fail to think about. The sinister players will feel welcome here.

Rules -

I have to say this is Twilight Imperium but you spend more time within the game, playing it instead of hashing through the rules. The streamlined rules are all awesome and very well laid out. The new alphabetical heading format for larger rulesets is very well suited here.

I like small things where there is no longer any confusion on stages of combat and pre-combat abilities. I love the new Agenda Phase that only becomes available once a player takes Metacol Rex. I also love the feel of having to use influence instead of military might to unlock the former center of the Imperium.

The technology upgrades is the best change to the game. The new systems removes the flow chart of technology in favour of a simple prerequisite mechanic. It also seems to be easier to get technology in this edition.

The changes to the strategy cards are refreshing. Construction was a large change but it became quickly clear why building PDS and Space Docks are a strategic action and not part of a simple build. The Imperial card is a breath of fresh air and supports the new feel that surrounds the taking of Metacol Rex and claiming secret objectives.

L-R: Wolf, Longsword, Ontos, and Doc
Plotting my end

Lastly the new objective claiming rules are much simpler and very well designed. I found myself picking harder to claim objectives instead of working on the easy ones that I also qualified for because I had the number of required technology. 

Gameplay -


"One of my best games of Twilight Imperium and it was the first with this edition. This has set the bar high for future games. This edition was needed and it was well done."
- Burns

Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition has a new flow to it. I've had every player who's played the last edition summarise their feelings and they each give a similar answer; smoother.

The rules support this new flow of game. I spent more time playing the game instead of looking up rules and that even with the first game where we had to look up a lot of rules.

The gameplay makes sense and that common sense pushes rule questions aside and avoids stepping away from the game. I was never bored waiting for my turn.

I do miss the Distance Suns optional rules where you discover a thing at each planet. Yet my first game we all agreed that because it was missing we were playing a faster paced game without a turn or two to build up an exploration fleet. Turn one was gobble up those nearby systems. I hope it shows up with some changes in the next expansion. They can take a few examples from Scythe or Star Trek: Ascendancy regarding exploration and narrative cards that would bump Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition into something even better.

Final Thoughts - 

This is now my favorite game.

This felt more like a strategy game. It was without things like generals, admirals, and diplomats but I would like to see with this new look and feel to Twilight Imperium if those types of rules could be included. Some sort of racial tech that required an influence cost and gave passive racial abilities.

I would also like to see the races have a bit more diverse technology but I feel that this could be a slippery slope for some of the races. Each race was there and unique but I wanted more of a difference between each one. This feeling is a very minor one but it's still there and it's from years of living in this setting playing now three editions of this game.

Lastly I was familiar with many of the systems in the game and I found myself looking for some of the systems that came out in the last edition. I really hope they bring more of them out with the next expansion.

Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition is a great game. I'm looking forward to my next game.

- Cheers

My plans for 2018's Table - Dozer

By: Dozer

With the new year upon us I've asked the rest of the contributors about their plans for the table in 2018. 

For me 2018 will be a big year of change and working on things that worked out over the last couple of years. My job is changing, my other job is evolving, my family has grown with another nephew, and I still have about 3-4 months of travel due. I have a new house on the way and all the joy that comes with it. We also can't forget all the new games that will be released and played.

Makes 2018 a year of hope for a guy like me.

It will be busy but it also looks awesome.