Officer Training School - RTF Fireteams 101

OFFICER TRAINING SCHOOL - RTF Fireteams 101 (OUT OF DATE)

In this series I'll be focusing on subjects that are specially geared towards new players starting with Ramah Taskforce.

 

One of the advantages (some would say the main advantage) of playing a Sectorial Army in Infinity is the fact that they can form a multitude of Fireteams - groups of soldiers that work as one, thanks to their special training and tactical doctrine. If you're starting with Ramah Taskforce (and especially if you're new to the game), you've probably come here for the supersoldiers and the elite operatives, not so much for the diverse Fireteams that can combine a wide variety of different units! All this hastle with what can go where, and how, can feel intimidating, but fear not! This article is supposed to help ease you into the RTF Fireteams!

So, How Do Fireteams Play?

If (and when) you decide to play with Fireteams, you should head out to the Infinity N4 Rules Annex that describes their rules fully. Here's a short recap for beginners, though I can't stress enough how important it is to read and learn the actual rules!

• Fireteams can be formed when deploying your models for the battle (for free), or at any time during your active turn (by spending a Command Token). A Fireteam can be disbanded at any time for no cost.
• A Fireteam must comply with the composition requirements of the Sectorial Chart (=armylist) when formed, but the team stays operational even if casualties or other circumstances cause the Team to lose members.
• Each Fireteam must have a Leader at all times, all the other members must remain within the Leader's Zone of Control to remain in the Team - the Coherency is checked at the beginning and at end of any Order (or ARO) used to activate the Fireteam.
  
• An RTF force can only have a single Fireteam Core and a single Haris active at any given time, as well as any number of Duos! Some Sectorials have their allocations of the various types of Fireteams, but this is the "standard" model.
  
• When a Fireteam activates, all of the Team's members active, thus generating AROs for each of them.
• In the active turn, you spend an Order to act with the entire Fireteam. Only the Leader (chosen at the beginning of each new Order spent) gets to excute "attack" and "Specialist" skills (such as BS Attack or Doctor for example), while the rest perform Idle instead (thus being sitting ducks!). If a defensive skill is declared (such as Dodge or Reset), every member of the Team gets to roll and and act separately. Everybody gets to move if a Move is declared.
  
• In the reactive turn, every member of the Fireteam gets their own AROs, though members that declare an ARO different from the Team Leader (or the majority of the models reacting if the Leader doesn't get and ARO) will immediately be kicked out of the Team (thus impacting the Fireteam Bonuses for that ARO).
• Any models that left the Fireteam automatically rejoin it at the beginning of their turn, if they're capable of doing so.
• If the Team Leader is Isolated or enters a Null State (such as Unconcious or Dead), the Team is disbanded.
• If a member of the Team becomes the Team Leader to use the skills NCO or Tactical Awereness, they can use this Order to activate the Fireteam. The Lieutenant Order can't be used to activate a Fireteam.
• A model entering the Suppressive Fire state leaves the Fireteam.
• A new Fireteam can be formed at anytime during the active turn by using a Command Token - this can allow for members that have left the Team to rejoin.
• Fireteams offer bonuses to all the Team's members as follows: Two Members - models activate together, but no additional bonuses are gained; Three Members - +1 Burst of BS Attacks for both the active and the reactive turn; Four Members - the Team's members gain Sixth Sense; Five Members - +1 Attack Mod for BS Attacks for all members. If the Fireteam is "pure" (ie. all the Troopers in the unit are of the kind - say Ghulams - or they "count as" Troopers of the same kind), they will ALSO enjoy the following Bonuses: Three Members - +3 to Discover Rolls, Four Members - +1 Attack Mod for BS Attacks for all members, Five Members - yet another +1 Attack Mod for BS Attacks for all members. All the bonuses are cumulative, and thus they fully stack with one another. 

So What Can Fireteam With What?

Finding out what can form a Fireteam with what (and if it's a good idea to form one) can be a bit tricky to figure out to begin with. The easiset place to find this information is at the Infinity ARMY app (see the picture). I've also tried to compile the different Fireteam options below, and I've included a short description on what to expect from each type of Fireteam, and some ways how I personally prefer to play them. The elements that you'll find below are:

• Must Include: What models the Fireteam has to include to be legal. "1+ Janissaries" for example means that the Team has to include atleast a single Janissary to be legal to form.
• May Include: What additional models the Team can include, observing the maximum amount of models that a Fireteam of the type can have (for example up to five total models in a Fireteam Core), as well as the maximum AVA of the type of unit in the list.
• In a Nutshell. What to expect from this Team or how to use it.
• Example Fireteam(s). Some example way(s) on how to field this type Fireteam.
  

Remember that Wildcards can join any Fireteams in the Sectorial, but their "counts as" tags are rather limited. If you're looking for a more indept look at the units and Fireteams presented below, head out to my Unit Focus articles where you can find out more!

THE LIST OF FIRETEAMS

RAMAH TASKFORCE FIRETEAMS (Core and/or Haris)

Must Include: 1+ Ghulams OR Nâffatuns OR Zhayedans OR Khawarijs OR Namurrs.

 

May Include: Up to 5 Ghulams, up to 5 Nâffatuns, up to 5 Zhayedans, up to 5 Khawarijs, up to 2 Namurrs, up to 1 Besthunter FTO and/or Fiddler FTO.

 

In a Nutshell: Oh boy... The apply named RTFFT is THE Fireteam Core to field when playing Ramah Taskforce. Ghulams and Nâffatuns provide the Team with cheap Rifles, Shotguns and Flamethrowers, and (in the case of the former unit) a whole slew of Specialist functions, while Zhayedans (who, like the Naffatûns) "count as" Ghulams for the purposes of Fireteam Bonuses, should take the role of the squad leaders with their heavy weapons. As things stand as of right now, you really have to actively be on the lookout for reasons not to employ such a Fireteam Core - such is their cost/power ratio!

When it comes to the Haris, this is your cheap and easy way to include some more exotic pieces in a Fireteam, as all you're losing by not taking a "pure" squad is the +3 mod for Discover Rolls. While it's totally feasible to band three elite models together to form your Haris, the best return for your money probably lies in having a couple Ghulams provide support for a Khawarij, Zhayedan or a Namurr. Fiddler seems like an interesting addition too, but the loss of her Jackbots when fielding the FTO version is quite a price to pay...

When it comes to Wildcards, Leila Sharif "counts as" a Ghulam for Fireteam purposes, so she makes for an excellent Specialist and a secondary gun in a Core Fireteam, while Yara Haddad's home should probably be in a Haris due to her lack of a "counts as" status. The other Wildcards are probably much less usefull with the RTFFT.

Example Fireteam(s):

- As a Core: Zhaeydan Sniper or Heavy Machine Gun, Leila Sharif, Ghulam Doctor, Ghulam Lieutenent, Ghulam Rifle/Light Shotgun. This squad sports an alpha gunfighter in the Zhayedan, a secondary gunner/Specialist in Leila, a Doctor for medical attention as well the Lieutenant and their decay - and all this for a very affordable price!

- As a Haris: Khawarij Heavy Rocket Launcher/Light Shotgun, Ghulam Doctor, Ghulam NCO. The HRL armed Khawarij has tremendeous damage potential at HMG rangebands, but he can also put down foes at close ranges with his Shotgun and even in melee with his AP + Shock Close Combat Weapon! The Ghulams support the supersoldier by providing healing, and extra Order via NCO and the possibility of ganging up on enemies for those sweet close combat Burst bonuses! The team can also deploy Smoke for the benefit of the rest of the force, and if there's nothing else to do, just Speculative Attack away with the Grenade Launcher!

MUKHTAR FIRETEAMS (Haris and/or Duo)

Must Include: 1+ Mukhtars.

May Include: Any number of Mukhtars.

In a Nuthshell: If you're looking for an extremely aggressive Haris or a Duo, call out to your vengeful supersoldiers! The Mukhtars can dash their way through the table, mercilessly gunning down (lightly armored) foes and achieving all kinds of Mission Objectives and Classified Cards as they go! Sadly though, if the Opponent gets hold of your Haris, they'll in all the likelyhood be gone - low(ish) PH and ARM 1 will only see them survive for so long, even despite No Wound Incapacitation and Mimestim (-3)! With 6-2 MOV and Forward Deployment (+4'') Wildcards can struggle to keep up with these supersoldiers, so weight heavily whether you want to bring any! The most commonly sighted companion to the Mukhtars is the (Tactical Awareness) Namurr, who not only helps defend the squad at closer ranges, but also diversifies their offensive profile.

Example Fireteam(s):

- As a Haris: Mukhtar Redfury MSV L2, Mukhtar Hacker, Namurr Tactical Awereness. This triple threat of a Haris can gunfight extremely well, threat Hacking, it's fast and it even has some melee game to fall back to. The Fireteam is mighty expensive though, so remember to support it accordingly!

- As a Duo: Mukhtar Redfury MSV L2, Mukhtar Hacker. Firepower, Hacking potential, D-Charges, and a whole lot of keywords for Classified Card hunting... Why not?

JANISSARY FIRETEAMS (Core and/or Haris)

Must Include: 1+ Janissaries.

 

Can Include: Up to 5 Janissaries, up to 2 Hortlak Janissaries, up to 1 Al Fasid, and/or Wild Bill.

 

In a Nutshell: If you're looking for a "Deathstar" Fireteam Core build, here you go! A full Janissary squad can boast awesome firepower, excellent durability, and diverse weapon loadouts, albeit at a steep price. The fact that you can only gain the full "pure" Fireteam Bonuses by limiting yourself to Janissaries and Hortlak Janissaries means that under most circumstances the squad won't be able to earn back it's cost in enemies killed, but then again, sometimes just surviving can be enough (looking at you ITS13 Annihilation and Frostbyte)!

The Haris offers up interesting possibilites, not least of which is the chance to combine Cubed two wound models with the famous Janissary Doctor (2W)! Anyone feel like throwing an Al Fasid in for some Burst 4(!) Heavy Rocket launcher action?

 

Example Fireteam(s):

- As a Core: Janissary HMG, Janissary Tinbot (-3), Janissary Doctor (2W), Hortlak Janissary AP Sniper, Hortlak Janissary Chain of Command. Well, it really can't get any more expensive than this! This colossus of a Fireteam has amazing durability and fantastic firepower, but it's vulnerable to melee attacks and it's really hard to maneuver around the battlefield. I've mainly had success with tactical components like this one in (ITS13) Missions such as Panic Room and The Armory!

- As a Haris: Janissary Doctor (2W), Al Fasid Heavy Rocket Launcher, Namurr Tactical Awareness. This Haris has quite a bit of everything with it's excellent firepower, plentiful durability and a nice variety of positve range bands, but as above, the excessive cost is a major problem to overcome!

 

ARMORED ASSAULT FIRETEAM

Must Include: 1+ Al Fasids OR  Shakushs OR Maghariba Guards OR Rafiq FTOs.

May Include: Up ro 2 Al Fasids, up to 2 Shakushs, up to 2 Maghariba Guards, up to 2 Rafiq Remote FTOs and/or up to 1 Zhayedan.

In a Nuthshell: This Duo very much revolves around a formidable gunfighter stomping around the battlefield engaging the enemy force up with their heavy weapons, while the Duo's other half gets dragged along for when they're needed. As such, you should probably turn to pairs of units that can offer mutual support and thus justify combining them into a single tactical element! I have to point out how weird the idea of having a Zhayedan in this Duo is; so you want to accompany your great ranged attack piece with... Another great ranged attack piece? The only Specialist that the immortals can offer is the (somewhat expensive) Doctor (+3), but only the Al Fasid can actually make use of their medical abilities!

Example Fireteam(s):

- Shakush HMG, Yara Haddad. What are the things Shakush Light Armored Units don't want to deal with head on? That's right; heavy armor and Mimetic targets. What does Yara excel against? Exactly! I've had a ton of fun with this Duo; the Shakush can motor the pair around the battlefield while gunning down enemies foolish enough to poke their heads out, while the Mutafiq Officer can (in addition to her aforementioned fortes) defend the pair at close ranges and even engage Hackers and/or Repeaters looking to bog the Duo down!

- Rafiq Redfury, Namurr Tactical Awereness. Here the Rafiq can act as a midrange gunfighter, while the Namurr moves the Duo with her extra Order and gets ready to shred anyone she can get her claws on!

So Where Do I Start?

If you're a brand new player who's starting Infinity with Ramah Taskforce, Fireteams can feel a bit overwhelming to begin with, but that's okay! You're going to make mistakes (both tactical and rules related), but you're going to learn from them, and the only way to gain experience is to... Well, experiment!

Forums (as well as my articles!) are full of mixed Fireteams that you can try out because somebody else thinks they're subjectively good, but if you're just starting, I would suggest you find your own way! Build Core, Haris and/or Duo Fireteams from just the "standard type" units to begin with - this way you only have to learn a single profile to get going, and there's less mental load as you try to maneuver your squad across the battlefield. Most of the mixed Fireteams are created in order to migitate innate weaknesses of the single troop Teams, or to add tactical abilities to them. By just playing the likes of "pure Ghulam" or "pure Janissary" squads to start, you can find out what you feel you need to add in order to get the best mileage out of your Fireteams (as well as what models you can afford to replace!) - there are no "right" or "wrong" compositions after all!

Once you get the hang on some of the Fireteams that you enjoy playing and/or get good results with, it's okay to default to them for a while as you start to improve other parts of your RTF game! Just keep in mind, that if things start to get stale, or you run into a situation/unit/Opponent you can't seem to solve, your best bet often is to revisit your Fireteam composition(s)/role(s), and try out something new! Many a time I've found myself struggling, only to find the answer to be scratching my favorite "counts as Ghulam Core" in favor of something (wildly) new and tactically unique! Just the other day I saw my friend play an Ikari Company mixed Core of Wu Mings, a Brawler and a Clipper to great effect! Now I plan on trying to recreate the magic with two Ghulams, two Khawarijs and a Namurr...

The Squad's Good to Go, Just Give the Word Sir!

Fireteams are one the things that make Ramah Taskforce both a fun and competitive Sectorial to play, though luckily for us, the Faction does not live and die by them! As you face your foes and gain experience as the leader of the Haqqislam's finest, if you find that Fireteams are an integral part of how you want to build your lists and game plans, you can have them take the centre stage! If on the other hand, you find that you prefer powerful individual pieces instead of Fireteams, you aren't shooting yourself in the foot by not relying on them (though even in this case, I'd recommend bringing a "Ghulam" Core to provide you with a couple of long range AROs, Sixth Sense for your Lieutenant, and potential Shotgun rush for the late game). Now assemble your Fireteam(s) and get out there!

Until the next time - I wish you the very best in leading the Swift and Deadly Spear of the Haqqislamite Army to Victory!