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
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