Infinity/N4 Tactics/Starmada

An overview for faction units and tactics in N4. WIP

Why Play Starmada?

Because you like the idea of spacecops and linkable O-12 units.

Faction Features

• The Team of Many Wounds: Starmada can combine incredibly tanky Heavy Infantry options with a wildcard that can heal and repair all of them. While it's a pricey option, seeing a Fireteam like that on the board is sure to make anyone panic.
• Anti-Armor: Enjoy a nice array of armor-cracking options which can attack from any angle.
• Wildcards: The wildcards Starmada does have are all highly effective and definitely worth using.

Special Skills

• Climbing Plus: You get various infantry and REM options that can climb walls without it being an entire order. Useful for creating shortcuts or angles when needed.
• Combat Jump/Parachutist: Make your opponent sweat with the looming threat of your strong flankers. Bully the backline with a Santiago/Nyoka or nuke a target with the Crusher.
• Immunity: There are quite a few light units with Immunity (Shock), and the dreaded Bronzes with their Immunity (Total).

Weapons and Equipment

• 360º Visor: With the addition of the Santiago Knights and Tian Gou, you get 6 units that can watch all around them. Useful for guarding objectives and avoiding being flanked.
• Killer Hacking Device: Starmada offers solid KHD options to protect your Heavy Infantry. Don't let the enemy hack for free.
• Holomask: Between Cho and the Tian Gou, you can turn your Lieutenant into a brutal guessing game. Nobody will want to risk wasting orders assassinating the wrong target.

Units Overview

Unit Identifier Starmada

Light Infantry

• Andromeda, Sophistes of the Steel Phalanx: The forward deploying S4 CC-nightmare of Aleph- with guard, so nothing within ZoC stays safe. Take the midfield with her and let your doggo blow up anything dumb enough to move close to her, as she's packing D-Charges. If you're not using the explosives to murder they also make a good use for completing objectives- which she also can do as a specialist.

• Bluecoats, Naval Security Detachments: The anti-Impersonators, each one is equipped with a Biometric Visor and +3 Discover. Paired with natural Sixth Sense and Natural Born Warrior, you get a solid Lieutenant option that can turn most assassination attempts into a coinflip. Let your opponents wonder why their Shinobu is somehow rolling worse than your Bluecoat in CC with that Para (-6) CCW.

• Casanova, NOC Operative: This suave spy is as deadly as he is charming. His Submachine Gun, Mimetism (-6) and No Wound Incapacitation make him an effective skirmisher, and he's no slouch in Close Combat either. With Martial Arts and a Monofilament Weapon, any unassuming target will end up straight-up dead.

• Cyberghosts, Quantronic Intervention Unit: With a Pitcher, high BTS and Stealth, either profile is worth using. Use the Hacking Device Plus option to protect your units from those pesky Multispectral Visor-wielding AROs.

• Kappa Unit: The Kappa are your cheaper Line Troops, but they are on the upper end of effectiveness. A BS of 12 and WIP of 13 make them stronger shooters and hackers/button pushers than other order fillers. They also have the luxury of being cheaper hackers as they carry Submachine Guns, and can survive being instant killed with Shock Immunity.

• Lawkeepers, Badlands Patrol: This biker unit is quite versatile, wielding weapons for most targets and extra damage to make them hurt more. Choose the specialist for some button-pushing sweeps or the Red Fury for what is essentially a shock Spitfire. Adding the Sidebot is also worth the points, as it adds another defensive piece that can also threaten those more heavily armored targets.

• Nyoka Assault Troops: While a bit pricier than the Kappa, the Nyokas offer a useful assortment of skills to help secure the kills. Climbing Plus and +1 Damage make their weapons a serious threat, and they are all equipped with template weapons as well. Also comes with some solid Parachutist options to burst down unsuspecting targets. Comes with the option to Haris if you want to focus a bit more into another core.

• PSI-Cops: You'll find yourself using these troopers quite a bit, as they are an incredible wildcard option. Use the MSV1 option for a strong midrange shooter or the hacker options to synergize with your Heavy Infantry links, giving them extra protection. And if you can get them closer with a Fireteam, they can unleash a B3 Nanopulser.

• • Ensign Katherine Cho, Psi Unit: The Character cop, she trades the skirmishing potential of the regular Psi-Cops with a higher WIP and Holomask, making her a strong Lieutenant or Chain of Command option. Whatever the profile, use that Holomask to make your opponent work extra hard for the Lieutenant kill.

• Specialized Support Unit Lambda: Your cheaper Doctor/Engineer option and both are useful. Use the Engineer to help your HI recover from E/M ammo or Comms attacks, and use the Doctor to keep them alive.

• Tian Gou, Orbital Activity Squad: These guys are wildcard units with a 360 visor and Holomask. Add them to a link from time to time and bait with a seemingly poorly positioned disguise, and your opponents will learn to not trust your 'mistakes' anymore. Other players that expect this unit will still have to play the guessing game. Pair with Cho to turn any Lieutenant into 3 of them.

Mercenaries

• Parvati, Circle League Star: Is a potent Doctor AND Engineer at WIP15. One of the few doctors actually patching up two wounds at once. 6-2 MOV makes her zoom around really fast, 2 STR, 2 ARM 6 BTS and remote presence make her really resilient, letting you patch up fallen HI even in dangerous areas. She gets to be a Wildcard too!

• Shona Carano, Special Instructor and Aristeia! Swordmaster: Hits like a brick with her (+1Dam, AP) CC attack on 26s, and wields a EXP CC weapon on top. Good look trying to hit her as she dodges on 17s. She's a Wildcard so take her as the CC expert into your offensive link.

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

Medium Infantry

• Crushers, Special Naval Demolition Team: Truly part of the demolition team, this unit's profiles all carry multiple ways to isolate or destroy those heavier targets. They get added survivability with Mimetism (3) and No Wound Incapacitation, and all are Forward Observers. Use the Forward Deployment (+8") profiles for button pushing and the Parachutist/Combat Jumping profile to get the sweet flank on that TAG.

• Epsilon Unit: A straightforward, anti-Mimetism gunfighter. Use the Multi Sniper to outrange and pick off the pesky Warband units, or burst down the harder-to-hit targets with the HMG. The HMG and SMR profiles can be put into Suppressive Fire at the start of the match if going second for some added defense.

• Saladin, Naval Liason Officer: Saladin has one purpose and he does it well by being a WIP 16 Strategos L1 Lieutenant. No Wound Incapacitation ensures he can take a hit, and the repeater enables some cheeky hacking by your friendly Cyberghost. Utilize Cho's and the Tian Gou's Holomask to turn this obvious LT into a guessing game.

Mercenaries

• Chaksa Longarms: Ever felt the urge to field a DMG 16 portable autocannon? These guys got your back. The Longarms get BS Attack (+1Dam) on their overall rather potent weapon choices. The cheapest profile brings E/M grenades which is worth mentioning. The ML profile is quite solid as an ARO pick. Bioimmunity makes them a tad more sturdy. They can form a Fireteam: Haris or Duo.

Heavy Infantry

• Betatroopers, Remote Activity Unit:

• Bronzes, Deep Space Peacemaker Corps:

• Hector, Homerid Champion:

• Knights of Santiago: The 360 visor knights. 1 SWC Spitfire on a BS 14 troop with 360 visor makes for a scary mid-field unit. Martial Arts let him creep up the board between repeaters. Frenzy can be a boon for him, since it gives him an extra move and Santiago wants to be up close. Don't forget, these guys come with Nanopulsers and E/M grenades. The former is a nice close range deterrent and the latter a great tool when faced with HI or REMs. They are also all Specialists for good measure, with the KHD equipped with a TinBot for protection. This unit really shines in MO though. A fun new profile is the Hacker with Combat Jump.
  • Fireteams: These guys can Duo up with a Bronze.

• Raptor Boarding Squad:

Tactical Armor Gear

• Zeta Unit:

Remotes

• Fuzzbots: Classic S4 Baggage bots with an EVO profile, aswell as a combi TR option.

• Copperbots: Typical for S3 remotes these coppers come in a bunch of flavors.
  • Kyttä: The Flashbot.
  • Millicent: Guided missile launcher.
  • Oko: The FO combi rifle gunner bot. Comes with sensor.
  • Peeler: Peels the opponent with their TR HMG.

• Yudbots: Alpeh Helperbots.

Warband

• Varangian Guard: Viking warbands with classic warband traits as they come, but with Dogged for that extra bit of resilience!

Skirmishers

No skirmishers for Starmada :(

Building Your Army

One to two short paragraphs on list building.

Tactics

• Shoot Enemy, Don't Die:
• Don't Die:
• Play the Objective: