Infinity/N3 Tactics/Shasvastii Expeditionary Force

Why Play Shasvastii

Let's be frank - this isn't an easy army to play, much less master. Basically, this is the army for you if you like a very slim, straight-forward list that's geared totally towards marker-state fuckery.

Faction Features

• The Flesh is Strong: Along with the Shasvastii rules and seed soldiers, there are multiple levels of Striga available, automedkits and a whole lot else to keep your evil flesh-monsters alive. Add to that the fact that all your trooper choices are regular and you have some very efficient infantry.

• Coming out of the Damn Walls: Marker state troops (including Camo, TO and Impersonation) are regularly available, along with various levels of infiltration to get your guys where you need them.

• Choice is Limited: There's not a lot of stuff to choose from in this list; some find it helps make unit selection easier.

Special Skills and Equipment

• Shasvastii and Seed-Soldiers: Arguably the list's hallmark, your guys can either start out the game in camo state with better armour. Also, if your guys go down, they won't count against your total for determining retreat nor are they counted as kills for your opponent. This can be a real PITA, especially the latter for certain scenarios.

• Camo and TO Camo: This is one of a number of camo-infiltrator lists (the others belonging to Ariadna).

• Striga: Both Protheion and Morpho-Scan can be found in this list, the former available on multiple units.

• Fireteam Core: Only one fireteam is available and both choices are MI.

Unit Overview

Light Infantry

• Seed Soldiers: With AVA total in this list, these guys here are your cheerleaders; they start the game as ARM 2 BTS 3 limited camo markers and develop into a fairly underwhelming soldier. There are options for an LGL, FO and Paramedic and of those, the FO would be the only one possibly worth taking. The WIP 13 on the developed shape is pretty dece for spotting and objectives.

• Cadmus: These guys can be a real nightmare because of Morpho-Scan, allowing them to copy MOV, CC, BS and PH attributes of anything within their ZoC once per battle; even worse, if they scan anything that's unconscious and in base contact, they can swipe a weapon off the guy! Combined with the fact that they deploy via combat jump as a seed-soldier and you can really dick with your opponent by wearing his favourite guy's skin and wielding its gun.
  • Cadmus Naish Agent Sheskiin: In an army list of literal monsters, Sheskiin is a monster amongst monsters. Her stat-line is astoundingly beefy with a 6-4 MOV and multiple values at 15 (including PH). She then trades Morpho-Scan for K2, Free Agent, Protheion 3, NWI and can hop into any Core team in the list. Finally, she packs a nanoscreen, DA CCW, pistol, D-charges, pulzar and either a multi rifle or red fury. Hitch a ride with some Gwailos and then ditch those slo-mos to go on a rampage!

• Aswangs: Get your giggles out, yes it has a funny name. Okay, good? Great - Aswangs are not to be fucked with. Camo, Protheion 2 and a very healthy stat-line are only boosted by an ADHL or if you want, a spitfire. With the former, you ought to be freezing TAGs and sneaking up on and devouring soft targets; the spitfire gives you a nice 4B surprise shot. They can also be your lieutenant.

• Haiduks: Cover-camping bastards. They have sapper and your choice of either a Multi Sniper or a SMART Multi Sniper, a particularly rare and expensive weapon. The latter is best taken if you have a lot of FO infiltrators... you did take lots of FO infiltrators, yes?

• Noctifers: Dogged, TO camo dude not to be underestimated. Here, you'll be wanting to take either the spitfire or the ML/assault pistol combo because it's a great lethal at all ranges combo; either pair well with surprise shot 2. There's also an EI hacking device or lieutenant option, which are not bad either. Keep in mind if you need a multi-purpose hacker, you will be taking either this guy or an E-Drone as your hacker.

• Med-Tech Obsidon Medchanoids: They are your doctors AND your engineers, fast as hell and with a great WIP. You can take one and maybe a slave drone or two just to ensure that it isn't exposed. Surprisingly, due to the abundance of automedkits, the Doctor isn't a necessity for the Shasvastii.

Medium Infantry

• Gwailos: Decently armed with multi rifles or (more ostensibly) boarding shotguns, the draw of the Gwailos is they all have nanoscreens. There are also options for an EI AHD, spitfire, lieutenant and an HRL with an X-visor, which is really good. However, the main reason for taking Gwailos is that they are one of two Core teams available in this list.
  • Fireteam Core: Arguably the one you want if you want to build a maxed-out core team, especially with that X-visor HRL. However, this isn't a team you want for cheerleading... and neither is the other one!

• Sabotage and Destruction Unit Caliban: Hard as fuck MIs, packing some sweet toys. They all sport automedkits, most have d-charges and nanopulsers and those with boarding shotguns also have assault pistols, too. There are also options for a Feuerbach, engineer or assault hacker as well as inferior infiltrators in seed-soldier form. Also, if you decided to take them in their developed shape, they can form a Core team.
  • Fireteam Core: They do make for a decidedly hardy fireteam and a great entourage for an engineer. However, if you wanted to play the camo infiltrator shell game, you may want to consider Gwailos as a substitute.

• Corax Hasht: a fairly milquetoast character, he's basically a buffed up combination of a Gwailo and a Caliban, sporting a nanoscreen, NWI and a spitfire. The main perk of this guy is that he can core up with either Gwailos or Caliban.
  • Fireteam Core: he's either a very durable Gwailo or a very shooty Caliban, either way, he brings something to either team. Play him aggressively in either squad.

Heavy Infantry

Sorry, not in this list.

Tactical Armored Gear

• Sphinx: TO camo TAG with a really quick 6-6 MOV, Multiterrain and Climbing Plus. Its armaments are a tad disappointing at range with a spitfire as its only ranged weapon but it has two HFTs and an EXP CCW. This TAG is also rather pricey taking out over a third of your army's budget so maybe the points are better spent elsewhere... unless of course you're fighting against someone else who abuses the shit out of marker states. The two HFTs come into their own in this list as fully NONE of your guys above have MSVs of any level, meaning your only recourse for countering that shit is a good dollop of fire.
  • Scindron Remote Ancillary Unit: Sphinxes can eject a Scindron which is very similar to a Staldron, just with worse WIP. A bit of a downer considering they're a specialist, too.

Remotes

• Combined Army Basic REMs:
  • M-Drones: The M-Drone is the standard toolbox REM.
  • Q-Drones: The Q-Drone is different from all other basic TR bots because they have Mimetism and two weapon options: HMG or Plasma Rifle. Both are solid choices which one you may need more will depend on the composition. Otherwise the stats are the same as other TR bots.
  • T-Drones: T-Drones are standard Smart Missile Launcher REM.
  • R-Drones: Basic Flash Pulse bot, but with Mimetism.
  • E-Drones: The CA does not have a baggage bots with EVO option. Instead the EVO Hacker is on the basic Drone chasis, thus making it faster. It is upgraded with Exile and Goodnight. This is a great buy for making sure your Cadmus lands where it needs to.

• Slave Drones: Little Nurse Worms for Dr Worm. Use them to keep either Dr Worm or Caliban Engineer safe.

• Ikadron Batroids: The Ikadron is is a fast little baggage bot armed with 2 LFTs. It also has Flash Pulse with WIP13. They're only 9pts and only AVA2. Ikadrons are good for order filler, mid ranged Flash Pulse overwatch, and making a mad dash to light a dude up with the 2 LFTs. They're also excellent support for resupplying D-charges or mines.

Skirmishers

• The Shrouded: Camo infiltrator, comes with an automedkit and your choice of mines or a MULTI-sniper; you also get the option of a boarding shotgun to replace your combi-rifle or an EIAHD.

• Malignos: Malignos are a straight upgrade over the Shrouded. They have all the same options as Shrouded but with the added benefit of antipersonnel or monofilament fines covered over with TO Camo instead of regular camo. Basically, if you were going to load up a Shrouded, consider a maligno instead.

• Speculo Killers: People that play against the Hassassins often talk about run-ins with Fidays and their impersonation shenanigans. Speculo Killers take that shit to the next level - they can impersonate anything. They also pack an automedkit, mono CCW, smoke grenades and martial arts 3, just to make sure they slice what needs slicing. They are fairly pricey however these are pretty much the unit Shasvastii players consider auto-take.

Warband

That's basically your skirmishers; otherwise like HI, not in this list.

Building Your Army

As with most sectorials, there is a starter pack and a whole bunch more available for purchase. The first thing you will want to figure out is what kind of list do you want to play: do you want to cheerlead some nasty surprises or do you want to build it around a core team? It is very difficult to do both with this list as your guys aren't particularly cheap. Or maybe you wanted to play CA with some other stuff; either way, the first step is to figure out what you want to end up with.

Then, build accordingly: if you want a fireteam, do you want Gwailos or Caliban? Do you want to add special characters to either of them? If you're cheerleading something, what is it you intend to cheerlead? Perhaps a bunch of infiltrators? A Sphinx perhaps? Again, it's a good idea to figure this stuff out first before you start dropping cash.

Strategies and Hints

As has been mentioned before, this isn't an easy list to play nor master, but it all comes down to using the Shasvastii's unique combination of skills and abilities. First and foremost is to understand how to get the most out of spawn embryo; granted it relieves you of a lot of risk considering retreat, but it doesn't make you invincible, what you should be doing is using spawn embryos as a means to draw out opponents into a trap from the other well noted Shasvastii skill - the marker troopers! Careful use of camo markers and infiltrators as well as your own movements are key; you should be making your opponent second guess whether or not to move somewhere lest there be a hidden surprise for him.

Tactics

• The Lure: This will require camo and TO camo troops, particularly infiltrators. Basically, place your infiltrators as best you can somewhere that your opponents troops can easily access them and then hid your TO camo troops somewhere that they can easily shoot at them. Like say a bunch a seed soldiers being guarded by a sphinx or a shrouded being watched over by a noctifer, etc.

• Where's that goddamn lieutenant?!: An understated bonus of some TO Camo lieutenants is that they will protect your army from LoL and the Shasvastii are no exception. Consider Lieutenant options for some of the TO camo troops in this list.