Infinity/N4 Tactics/Jurisdictional Command of Bakunin

One of the three motherships of the Nomad Nation. Bakunin is all about individuality - it's a place where people take body modification and push it to the extreme. It also has religious fanatics. And it has a strict rule of coexistence in peace since blowing each other up on a spaceship doesn't end well. That's why their militia looks like a weird mixture of things, and it actually is exactly that.

Bakunin, the Nomads' soul.

Why Play Bakunin?

You either like weird mutant deviants or have a cyberpunk nun fetish. Either way, Bakunin is a strong close range army allowing you to field some surprisingly hardy beatsticks backed up by solid fire support from some of meanest ladies in the Sphere - and that applies equally to Riot Grrls and Moiras.

Faction Features

• Sancti-mommy: The Observance has been fleshed out to what's effectively a sectorial within a sectorial. They all pack mimetism of some level and most are either straight-up CC beat sticks or can handle themselves up close.
• Smoke and Mutants: Morlocks and Chimera pack smoke grenades and Eclipse grenades respectively, helping them dash up the board to close in CC where they will beat the absolute shit out of whatever they touch. Morlocks can also be accompanied by a Taskmaster to keep them in line.
• Limited MSV: Bakunin have only one option for MSV2 so are vulnerable to and Mimetism and Visibility Zone modifiers (which means smoke is still useful against this sectorial). However, Morlocks and Überfallkommando more than make up for that.

Special Skills

• Doctor: Not Haqqislamite-levels, but Bakunin is the Nomad sectorial with more Doctors. Avicenna can join Moderators or Riot Grrls in a Fireteam while Reverend Healers can join Moiras. Bakunin takes care of its people.
• Hacker: Having access to 3 WIP 14 and 1 WIP 15 hackers (and they have nifty special abilities), Bakunin is well-poised to kick ass in the infowar.
• Religious Troop: Bakunin units from the Reverend Order (and Chaksa Longarms) stand defiant against overwhelming odds. They won't buckle under enemy fire (which can be disadvantageous in some situations).

Weapons and Equipment

• DA CC Weapon/E/M CC Weapon/Viral CC Weapon: Bakunin has a strong fist - Bran do Castro, Morlocks, Taskmasters, Überfallkommando and Wolff have access to DA CC Weapons. Morlocks can have an E/M CC Weapon for just 6p, while the Überfallkommando has a Viral CC Weapon (the only thing that makes Antipodes sweat).
• Spitfire: The sectorial with the widest access to this weapon, Bakunin sports 6 of them. Prowlers can use HD to fire at people's backs and Riot Grrls are fast and tough.
• Equipment 3:

Units Overview

Unit Identifier Bakunin

Light Infantry

• Clockmakers: A Clockmaker is a premium Engineer, able to use her WIP 15 and Burst 2 GizmoKit to very easily fix models that have STR or have suffered the indignity of having states such as Isolated applied to them. The Clockmakers are only really engineers though, so you may find the other engineers in faction more interesting for your list. She is also a devil waifu, so. Bakunin gives the Clockmaker the possibility of joining Moderators or Riot Grrrls (the latter is highly advisable since Riot Grrls can be hacked).

• Daktaris: He is a very basic doctor, only taking the bare necessities. Which makes him pretty good if you want the choice to be able to revive key models and fight a war of attrition or sustain a bout of bad luck.

• Moderators from Bakunin: The cheapest of the Nomads Line Troopers, these guys and gals are mainly there to generate orders. A notable profile is the Hacker, which is a cheap specialist with BTS 3. They also bring an LT option. Although they have a 0.5 SWC Spitfire profile, their BS10 hinders any serious firefight prospect.

• Zoe & П-Well: Zoe is a Hacker AND an Engineer, making her a two-in-one package with an excellent WIP of 15. Her HD has Zero Pain, her GizmoKit gets an extra Burst and she's bringing D-Charges to the party. She also got Bioimmunity and Immunity (Shock), making her better at not dying. For 19 points extra, she can bring П-Well - who has a built-in Repeater, Sensor and Mimetism (-6).

Medium Infantry

• Reverend Agents: The main Bakunin combat force, the Reverends here are Medium Infantry with ARM 3 and Mimetism, designed to fit specific combat roles - but all of them aggressive. Slow and 1-wound, but effective. Variants include:
  • Reverend Custodiers: Come with their own Pitcher, which is always a good thing. All of the profiles are hackers and they bring one LT option. They can form a Haris and/or join Moiras in their link.
  • Reverend Healer: Or Healer-Killer as fluff would have it, Healers have a +1B Medkit and a high CC skill, but their EXP CCW got downgraded to Shock CCW only. Her main use is putting one in a link of Moiras and you absolutely should! Can take a Boarding shotgun or combi rifle on the cheap; the latter comes with a nanopulser or you can upgrade the combi to a MULTI for more points. That's not super necessary considering she'll be hanging out in a link team with quite a few MULTI rifles.
  • Reverend Moiras: Moiras are a gunfighting unit that uses Mimetism (-6) to put the enemy on poor odds. Barebones Moiras pack MULTI rifles and Zappers with options for an E/M GL for an SWC or HMG or Multi Sniper Rifle in place of their MULTI rifles for 1.5 SWC. They all have NCO, letting them use the LT order which is quite nice; however, they as a group are quite expensive. The LT has an SWC tax for whatever reason. All the other Reverend Agents can join their Fireteam, which keeps their cost down and their versatility up.
  • Reverend Superior Cassandra Kusanagi: The head nun is a little package of hurt. BS14 Spitfire paired with Mimetism (-6) lets her win most firefights and NWI is there for those she loses - Shock Immunity makes sure she can get up again, too. With a Specialist Operative skill and two LT choices on top (one of them GRANTING 1 extra SWC!), Cassandra is a very decent pick for a Reverend Haris.
  • Reverend Mother Healer Agatha Wabara: quite the mouthful of a name for a new reverend character. In contrast to her sisters, she is both strong and tough - PH13, CC22, MA2, NWI, BTS6 and shock immunity. She hits like a truck with her EXP CCW and for ranged combat brings either a Vulkan Shotgun or a BCR and Pulzar. Oh, and as her long name implies, she's a doctor (+3).

• Prowlers: This is an interesting unit with Infiltration, Camouflage and Hidden Deployment. Hidden Deployment allows them to be very safe until you choose to have them reveal themselves. The unit is quite good at scoring objectives in ITS due to Specialist Operative, D-Charges on three of its profiles and its unit type and classification. The Spitfire is very interesting as a midfield specialist that's packing a serious gun that can pop out of nowhere thanks to Hidden Deployment; same goes for their ADHL, great for slathering problem units (like TAGs) in industrial future space superglue. The Combi Rifle + Flamethrower is fun with the concept of getting an ARO flamethrower on clumps of passing enemy troopers. The KHD benefits from the beefy BTS 6.

• Observance Agents: Brand new in N4, these are Observance units that aren't Reverends, nor are they limited to MI anymore but these are the ones that are in MI. Like
  • Initiated: The oddball pseudo-infiltrator of the Observance, can either Parachutist with a boarding shotgun and maybe a KHD and demo charges. If that's not your taste, they can also infiltrate with single-use camo and surprise attack, again with a boarding shotgun or an SMG and a deployable repeater, which is super useful for a custodier.
  • Orphans: The lowest rank of the Observance, literally comprised of actual orphans. Decent wildcard unit packing an SMG and Mimetism -3 with options for an Engineer, with or without a repeater and E/M mines, or an MSV2, the only one in all of Bakunin, and a MMR.
  • Sin-Eaters: Sin-Eaters could actually be a nice unit if it weren't for the fact Neurocinetics isn't really a nice thing to have in N4 - at least not on a unit in this price category. Still, they make a good ARO piece, especially on the MSR with Marksmanship, which is a nasty combo.

Mercenaries

• Avicenna, Mercenary Doctor: A premium Doctor to bring if you really want to get your gunslingers back up again - with WIP15 and Doctor (+3), she will take care of that. NWI and Bioimmunity allow her to risk taking a hit, but neither her BS nor her PH really begs for any risky moves with her. MOV 6-2 makes her more order efficient in what she's supposed to do. She can join Riot Grrls or Moderators in a link.

• Chaksa Longarms: Ever felt the urge to field a DMG 16 Portable Autocannon? These guys got your back. The Longarms get BS Attack (+1 Dam) on their overall rather potent weapon choices. The cheapest profile brings E/M Grenades which is worth mentioning. The Missile Launcher profile is quite solid as an ARO pick. Bioimmunity makes them a tad more sturdy. They can form a Fireteam: Haris or Duo. Terrain (Total) allows them to avoid most of ITS terrain hazards.

• Fiddler, Aristeia!'s ex-toymaker: The Aristea Trans-Monkey on wheels now has an N4 profile, and it’s sweet as hell! Fiddler is an engineer with insane mobility and can bring peripheral Jackbots (which are Vulkan Shotguns on wheels!). These little fellas give her great utility; however, with Clockmakers able to join links and Zoe being a staple in Bakunin lists, she's might not be that cost-effective. Make sure you actually need her on your list.

• Robin Hook, Outlaw AI: A wildcard HI with some solid shooting, loads of weapons, and a lot of special rules. She can either be forward deployed or bound with a fireteam. Just make sure she doesn't get into CC or she's toast!

• Warcors, War Correspondents: 3pts for an irregular Flashpulse ARO. Fit them into your list whenever you got the slot and points, they're well worth it.

Heavy Infantry

• Riot Grrls: The bane of shitlords everywhere, the Grrls are a cheap Frenzy HI unit with some cracking close range guns and the spicy Missile Launcher. What makes them is that MSV1 is very useful at wiping enemy skirmishers and warbands out of existence. They have +1 Damage on all their weapons, which makes them just that bit more likely to terminate whatever they're shooting at. The Missile Launcher is an interesting ARO piece due to its low cost, durability and the ability of MSV1 to see through smoke and it can be used well in Coordinated Orders to break especially difficult hard AROs. They have Fireteam: Haris, Core and Duo and can take Clockmakers, Taskmasters and Avicenna with them. Alternatively, Riot Grrls can join Moderators in a link.

• Taskmasters: The S 5 HI of Bakunin brings Minelayer with CrazyKoalas and MA L1 to the table, making it efficient at protecting the backfield. The plain profile comes with a Heavy Shotgun, other options are the HRL, a Red Fury or an HMG (which swaps CrazyKoalas for Shock Mines, what a bummer). They have an LT option on the Red Fury and can join Riot Grrls or Morlocks in a link.

• Observance:As noted above, the Observance has units outside of MI and there are three of them here, both for Reverends and the wider Observance.
  • Penitent Observants: the other S5 HI in this sectorial. Not as pricey as Taskmasters but also not as directly resilient. They do have Mimetism and an ECM that provides a -3 to hax. Note that all of their profiles will set you back 1.5 SWC as they pack either a Red Fury and an either an E/Marat or E/M grenade launcher or the more expensive option, an AP Spitfire. Notable for forming a defensive fireteam with Orphans.
  • Reverend Cenobites: No, you didn't accidentally follow a link to the Sister's tactica. Like their Moira kin, they retain their -6 mimetism but they also pack a higher CC, a DA CCW, Heavy Pistol and MA3. Their ranged weaponry options get truncated to their Pistol(s), flash pulses, light or boarding shotguns and chain rifles. Or for 1.5 SWC, you can grab an HRL with your LSG. Obviously, these were built to be snuck into a fireteam with their Moira sisters and they offer some enhanced protection against any melee threats that somehow got through your firing lines.
  • Daemonist Observants: CHAOS CONSUME US! A bizarre CC HI packing a Vulkan Shotgun, DA CCW, MA2 and Guard, which works totally differently in N4: it gives your CC attacks an 8" range by way of allowing you to hit anyone in its ZOC without being in Silhouette contact. They have a smattering of other exotic skills and equipment like a biometric visor, -3 to hacking attacks, Counterintelligence and Decoy. Critically, their Lieutenant profile sports a bonus LT order, which is fucking awesome considering Moiras are NCOs. Pretty much auto-include if you have a Moira link team.

Tactical Armor Gear

• Lizard Squad: Lizard is a no-nonsense frontline TAG: BS 14, ARM 8, armed with a MULTI HMG and a choice of Heavy Flamethrower or a Heavy Grenade Launcher. Speculative shot anyone? With the amount of engineers and hackers to keep it alive and cheap cheerleaders in form of Moderators, it is easy to build a list around this thing. Not to mention it has the single sexiest pilot model in the range.
  • The Lizard Pilot now carries a Submachine Gun on her supple ass, making her a lot more dangerous than before, especially with the ability to use Suppressive Fire. And is also a Specialist Operative.

• Stigmata of the Observance: Oh hey, the Observance now has a TAG - and a remote TAG, too! More specifically, a remote TAG with an upgraded hacking device, which has +2 damage for Carbonite, making it easier to crucify HI, REMs and other TAGs. As for weapons, it packs a HFT and HRL, both with +1B, and an E/M CCW. It's also a smaller TAG at S6 and cheaper at only 58 points.

Remotes

• Zond Remotes: Standard issue S 3 Remotes, but with a twist here and there.
  • Meteor: Unique to Nomads, a Forward Observer Remote like the Stempler, but with AD: Combat Jump and Parachutist. This is awesome and hilarious.
  • Reaktion: The HMG Total Reaction Remote. A good ARO piece and cheerleader for your aggressive troops. Climbing Plus lets you reposition it easier.
  • Stempler: The Forward Observer Remote. A fast and cheap specialist and a mobile Repeater. Sensor makes it good for Camouflage hunting. Also Climbing Plus.
  • Transductor: The Repeater/Flash Pulse Remote. Very good to have for increasing your hacking area. An absolute bargain at 7 points.
  • Vertigo: This thing can be very strong in a list that utilizes the faction strengths in spreading Repeaters and taking good hackers. By threatening a guided missile strike after spotlighting an enemy model that wonders through your Repeater area you can discourage them from passing through that area, denying it to the enemy. Furthermore, in the active turn you can get a Repeater within range of a target, Spotlight them and then destroy them with the missiles. The Missile Launcher in direct fire can be a good hard aro denying areas parallel with your table edge, or later in the game watching your opponent's models.

• Lunokhod Sputniks: Nomad-specific, come with Heavy Shotguns, D-Charges and Crazy Koalas, as well as Minelayer with a Repeater on top. Lunokhods guard your Deployment Zone from enemy Infiltrators, clear out mines and can make a good push to mid-field if needed thanks to their high speed. Unlike most remotes they have both high ARM and BTS values. Mostly a board control unit.

• Salyut Zonds: Standard issue S 4 Baggage Remotes. Come with Deactivator, EVO Hacker and TR Combi Rifle profiles. EVO Hacker is nice if you run a lot of HI/REMS.

• Tsyklon Sputniks: Also Nomad-specific, these are long range combat Remotes for both offense and defense. The X-Visor is mostly useful at long bomb pitchers into the enemy. These have a spitfire for medium range gunfighting or a Feuerbach for long range. Unlike most remotes, they have both high ARM and BTS. BJC gives them wildcard.

• Vostok Sputniks: A bit of a tank, these have two wounds and very heavy firepower. Most of the profiles have albedo, which prevents MSV units from seeing them on the first battle round. One of the MK12 profiles can choose to give up Albedo for Mimetism (-6), which makes it a fiendish gunner. The Red Fury is notable for having Burst 5, and the Missile Launcher is interesting being Burst 2; both are at only 1 SWC each. As is the norm with Nomad remotes, they have Climbing Plus, which makes them very mobile combined with their 6-4 MOV. For best results, take an EVO hacker for supportware. The FTO version is a wildcard.

Skirmishers

• Zeros: Zeros are Mimetism (-3) Camouflage Infiltrators with a bunch of useful profiles. They're not really good at shooting, but their WIP 13 makes them excellent button-pushers if you pick either one of the hackers, the FO or the minelayer.
  • Bran do Castro, Triple Zero: Is a specialist on both his profiles and pays extra for Super-jump, Climbing Plus, Infiltration (+6) and Martial Arts L3, making him more versatile than normal Zeros.

Warband

• Bakunin Überfall Kommando:The so-called furry guided missile. The Chimera of the group is silly dangerous with a Viral CCW, Eclipse Grenades, Natural Born Warrior, Martial Arts lv2, Total Immunity, CC Attack (-3) and Climbing Plus. On top of that, she can bring 1-3 Pupniks that are synchronized with Dodge (+6) (perfect for soaking up AROs), Climbing Plus and DA CCWs. Just don't let them get caught in the open with their frenzying (use those Eclipse Grenades). Although she can't take a hit, she can Dodge and a gaggle of ultra-cheap Pupniks is dangerous to anything in the game.

• Die Morlock Gruppe: An old classic. These will rip apart enemy armor with their E/M CCW. Furthermore, they're very good at destroying enemy skirmishers in the middle of the table by using their WIP 14 to discover or attempt intuitive attacks with their Chain Rifle. The smoke they provide is invaluable and they pad the list out very well when you're taking heavy infantry, remotes and tags. The Morlock with DA CCW is a good choice in missions where anti-materiel is relevant. The Assault Pistol Morlock is great fun at putting Burst 4 into targets. But the E/M CCW is generally preferred due to the ease it annihilates amour.

• Wolfgang Amadeus Wolff: One of Bakunin's wildcard options, but he's also very capable of going solo. He's got a MULTI Rifle (+1B) which is nice, but he really wants to get up close; Berserk (+3), MA L3 and a PARA CC Weapon (-6) are probably the meanest combination of things you can bring into CC in this sectorial. To finish the enemy unit off for good he's also bringing a DA CC Weapon.

Building Your Army

One to two short paragraphs on list building.

Tactics

• Unless you're playing a purely Observance army, you will have to get a handle on how to use smoke grenades. Thankfully, the troopers armed with them have PH13 meaning for how far you need to move to get covered, you need a 16 to pass. On top of that, Überfallkommando Chimeras have those rare eclipse grenades which deny LOF to MSVs. Remember that both of those units are Impetuous and their impetuous orders have to be spent during the command phase. This could be a tactical problem especially if you miss a throw although there's a few things to help you out with them:
  • Morlocks can form a Haris or Duo with a Taskmaster, which will cancel their impetuousness as well as grant them some formidable fire support. Sadly you lose their order and the smoke may interfere with the Taskmaster's shooting, but the Morlocks are kept in line. It is thus advisable that if you're building this fireteam to not put too many points into the Taskmaster's gun.
  • Überfallkommando are a bit more tricky because a missed eclipse grenade throw can spell doom for your furry missile. Fortunately they have a very high MOV value and climing plus on the Chimera and her Pupniks so you have the option of taking alternate paths that hopefully don't open her and them up to AROs.

• The other thing to remember about smoke is not to block the shooting attacks of your other units. This is something that you should probably think about during deployment, try to figure out where you want your mutants to rush and what might be behind them as well as who you're trying to obscure in front of you (ie, what enemy shooting are you trying to block). Obviously, regular smoke is useless against MSVs, especially levels 2 and 3, which applies to both your and your opponents troops. So if you have Riot Grrls or that one Orphan, you can have them follow behind a Morlock link - just as long as you're throwing them against troopers that can't see through the smokescreen.
  • There is a weird option available to Morlocks: for twice the regular price and an SWC, you can have a Morlock with a smoke grenade launcher. Compared to grenades, it's harder for Morlocks to hit with them (on 11s without any long range band penalties) but the main advantage is that it allows you to drop smoke 24" away.
• Überfallkommando are more of a solo operator - never put any dedicated range unit behind them unless you want to waste the points you paid for them. Do however throw them at something that you just don't want to shoot and you will be a major problem for your opponent unless and until they break out the intuitive attack weapons.