In Search of Wisdom - My First Thoughts on the N4 Fireteam Update and RTF

IN SEARCH OF WISDOM - My First Thoughts on the N4 Fireteam Update and RTF

In this series I reflect on the game of Infinity, as well the place of Ramah Taskforce in it.

 

Corvus Belli just released the much anticipated N4 Fireteam update, as well as updates tn some of the units and unit profiles that are part of Ramah Taskforce. Obviously figuring out the effects of these changes will take time and there should be a marked shift in the Infinity Meta in the following months as people work to realize the potential of their Factions, as well as strive to counter the most dangerous combinations that will start taking to the battlefields of the Human Sphere. Nevertheless, I feel that a premilinary analysis on what the update could mean for RTF should be in order!

The Time of the Immortals Has Come!

As previously communicated to us by Corvus Belli, in the brave new post update world gaining the full Fireteam Bonuses will require formation of homogenious squads. After a premiliminary look through all the different Factions' Fireteam charts, it would seem that mixed squads capable of utilizing the full Bonuses through the deployment of "counts as" models seems to be quite a rarity these days. These changes seem to have taken something from certain Ramah Fireteams, while giving the world to others!

As of yesterday, what was once known as the "Ghulam Core" has morphed into the "Ramah Taskforce Fireteam" (RTFFT?), the main component of which should still be the stellar Ghulams. Like before, Naffatûns are allowed to join the squad while generating the full available bonuses, but from here on out the elite component of the Fireteam will not usually be the Khawarijs, but rather the Zhayedans! It cannot be over stated how huge this change is! Until this point, Ramah Taskforce has not had access to any Meta shaping units, and now it has two - a deadly tower ARO piece in the Zhayedan Missile Launcher and the potentially ultimate long range sweeper in the Zhayedan HMG! Thanks to Marksmanship and full Fireteam Bonuses, these Immortals will be hitting non-Mimetic targets on 18s in their optimal rangebands... Oh yes, ooooh yessssss... Lock and load; it's time to instill some fear in the enemies of Haqqislam!

The other important addition that the new main Fireteam option gives Ramah commanders is the ability to build dirt cheap Haris and Duo Fireteams by having cheap and highly effective Ghulam (Specialists) accompany solitary supersoldiers, Characters or Zhayedans. While this won't grant you the access to the full Bonuses available (the Zhayedans not withstanding), you won't be missing out on much in the cases of these smaller Teams anyway! Then again, +1 Burst on BS attacks and a couple of capable corner guards are just 22 points away... At this point the main thing restricting the number of Fireteams an RTF strike team can field is probably going to start being the 15 unit limit!

Admist all the changes there are also familiar Fireteams that have remained mostly the same. The Mukhtar Haris can still be formed almost the same as before, and while the "Armored Fireteam" now has more options to mix and match a Duo with, I don't think we'll be seeing many of them on the field even despite these changes in the future...

While Ramah Taskforce came hugely ahead when it comes to the Fireteam changes, there are also some who lost more than they gained. The main hit seems to have landed on the Janissaries, who can no longer gain the full Fireteam Bonuses without restricting themselves to just fielding Janissaries and Hortlak Janissaries. While the fruitsalad of a Fireteam that was a solitary Janissary accompanied by Hortlaks and a slew of Wildcards wasn't the most thematic thing to field, I fear that the prohibitive cost associated with a full Haqqislamite Heavy Infantry Core will put this option out of most people's competitive radars... Maybe there's something to be explored in the Janissary and Al Fasid Haris?

Another downgrade, and this time a more neccessary one, is the lessened role of the Wildcards in the Sectorial. If you want to enjoy the full Fireteam Bonuses, Leila Sharif can go with the Ghulams and Tarik Mansuri can lead the Khawarijs, but that's it! While this means that Ramah's Characters can still be formidable additions to smaller Fireteams, we should no longer be seeing Yara Haddad as a part of every single Fireteam Core, which is a nice change of pace - I imagine this intelligence officer has quite a few unspent vacation days from all the extra hours she's been putting in so far in N4!

Putting the "Super" Back on the Supersoldiers

To my pleasant surprise, the N4 Fireteam rules were accompanied by an update targeted at various units throughout the different Factions. Ramah Taskforce received quite a few changes, and pretty much all of them very much positive!

First, a few words on the Red Turbans. The Khawarijs and their fearsome leader received some much appreciated quality of life changes, with the former justifiably getting bumbed to MOV 6-2 (and thus also enhancing the tactical applications of their Super-Jump ability!), and the latter gaining a non-Lieutenant Tactical Awareness profile. While the Red Turbans lost the ability to "count as Ghulams" and the seldom (if ever) used Mk12 Forward Observer, Rifle/Light Shotgun Lieutenant and the Boarding Shotgun/Panzerfaust profiles were removed, I feel hopeful that these changes (along with the new Fireteam possibilities) will help the unit see a new renaissance! The addition of the new Tarik profile should make him a more viable choice in a non-LT role, and I'm curious if can find a place for the new Khawarij Forward Observer Lieutenant!

Speaking of supersoldiers, wow did the Namurrs get some sharper claws! I'm not going to lose sleep over the slight point increase on the Rifle profile, as not only did the feline fighters gain a point of BS and CC, they also shed No Wound Incapacitation and Bioimmunity in favor or an additional wound, +3 BTS and CC Attack (+1B)! That Rifle by the way is a Breaker Rifle now, and there's also a profile that effectively trades the E/Marat for Tactical Awareness - talk about upgrades! The newly reborn Namurrs have suddenly become a terrific threat against non-melee specialist models in close combat, and their status as Wildcards (and ones with access to Tactical Awareness no less) should probably see them take their rightfull place as the very tip of the spear for many RTF assaults!

Lastly, the fan favorite Hakims gained a slight upgrade to BS 12. While this change won't end up shaping the Meta as we know it, it's a nice nod to the unit and one that helps them further compete with the Nahabs for a Parachutist slot!

Back to the Drawing Board

A new leaf has well and truly been turned when it comes to playing the game of Infinity. I'm happy to say that Ramah Taskforce seems to be in the position to lead the way when it comes to shaping the future of the Human Sphere. For this humble scholar, the changes promise countless hours spent not only building lists and trying out new battlefield strategies, but also on updating the articles I've written for this blog. I'll take my time with the process (I've marked the pieces with an update pending), while grinning to myself like a madman; work doesn't feel like work when the changes that got us here seem to be so very spectacular for my beloved Sectorial! Tell all your friends, the Good Guys are still Wearing Orange, although from here on out with effectively BS 18 Burst 5 Shock HMGs!

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