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

• Security Fireteams: With the recent Fireteam changes, Starmada can make a cheap and pure core link that can include a variety of options. An excellent shooting platform that can also hide your Lieutenant options.
• Anti-Armor: Between their multitude of MULTI-weapons, submachine guns, riotstoppers and now mines, Starmada is loaded with ways to make their opponents think twice before getting aggressive with their Heavy Infantry or TAG rambo units.
• Corner Checking: Many of Starmada's units come with template weapons, which are varied enough to deal with any opponent. Burn away targets with some flamethrowers or bypass armor with the newly-added E/Marats.

Special Skills

• Climbing Plus: Starmada has an impressive 7 units with Climbing Plus, some being able to form fireteams and one being a TAG. They can use this skill to create shortcuts through the map and create optimal angles for shooting. Some ITS missions also reward those with the skill with a bonus to their MOV value. That one extra inch can be crucial to claiming victory.
• Combat Jump/Parachutist: Make your opponent sweat with the looming threat of Starmada's strong flankers. Bully the backline with a Santiago/Nyoka or nuke a target with the Crusher's panzerfaust. Keep in mind, however, that these options are a bit pricey, making their initial absence a bit obvious.
• Immunity: Starmada has quite a few light units with Immunity (Shock) and the dreaded Bronzes with their Immunity (Total), making it all the more possible to pick them back up after being shot down. Use the Bronze's immunity to force some extra orders out of the opponent as they struggle to chunk through both wounds.
• Mimetism: Starmada's strong gunfighters utilize Mimetism, making it harder for the opponent to contest in Face to Face rolls. Some are also linkable, widening the gap further. This won't save them from templates, so be careful not to place the forward-deploying units too aggressively, just to be eaten by them.
• Minelayer: Between the Raveneye units, Tian Gou and Casanova, Starmada can very much dissuade the opponent from running into your deployment zone. While none of these can outright kill what triggers them, they are effective enough to put any unit to a sudden halt or set them up for certain doom.
• Remote Presence: The Betatroopers, Zeta TAG and Parvati have the ability to go into a second level of unconsciousness, making it harder to remove them and easier to repair them as you can also spend Command Tokens to reroll failed Engineer attempts.

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: Your speedy HI with Mimetism (-3), Dodge (+3) and Climbing Plus can rush down the enemy's deployment zone with little resistance. Remote Presence helps them survive long enough to be repaired. Pair their tinbot options with the Killer Hacking Devices to add protection and threats against enemy hackers. Wildcard Parvati with them and you get an engineer that can keep up with the 6 inch moves. They lack long range weapons but make up for it with a strong aggression and plenty of templates.

• Bronzes, Deep Space Peacemaker Corps: Two Wounds, Arm 4, BTS 6 and Total Immunity make this unit incredibly hard to remove, and you can have 3 of them! Alone they can Duo, but take them with Nyokas or Betatroopers and you get a hefty pain train that can drop the Bronzes off on objectives. Martial Arts with a Para (-6) CCW also makes them a fearsome foe in Close Combat.

• Hector, Homerid Champion: The ultimate warrior Starmada has, Hector makes a frightening addition to Nyoka or Betatrooper Fireteams. The Fireteam boosting makes his Plasma Rifle truly a dangerous weapon, and he provides his own tinbot to help his HI friends with enemy hacking. Take his Lieutenant option and you get a model that generates 3 regular orders, but it does make his status obvious. Keep Parvati close to him to keep his effective 3 wounds healed up.

• 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: Another 360 Visor option that excels at locking down close engagements. Throw them into a room with their Devabots and watch your opponent struggle to get past several Flamethrowers and and the Raptor's armor-cracking weaponry. NCO gives them some nice order efficiency and the 6-2 MOV helps ensure a fast setup. The KHD option can help protect them from enemy hacking, or take the Spitfire for maximum bursting.

Tactical Armor Gear

• Zeta Unit: One of the few TAGs that can be an NCO. Has a strong kit with the HRMC and Heavy Riotstopper, and Climbing Plus allows it to make its own path. Interestingly, it also has a slightly better ECM: Guided than other TAGs with a -8 instead of a -6. A strong option for some longer-ranged destruction.

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. Note the Climbing Plus.
  • Peeler: Peels the opponent with their TR HMG. Note the Climbing Plus.

• 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 :(

Purchasing and Building Your Army

When it comes to acquiring the models, start with the Starmada Action Pack. As of now you'll need the O-12 Action Pack in order to get the Epsilon and Betatrooper but that's all it gets you. Then, get the Booster Packs (Alpha gets you Psi-Cop and Beta gets you Cho and Crusher, which is not as necessary given Cho is always holomasked and the action pack gets you 2 crushers). Then, make sure to grab Parvati, some Varangian Guard, a Cyberghost, Shona, Nyoka pack, Raptor pack and the Copperbot Remote pack. Keep in mind that you can always proxy as well.

As for listbuilding, Starmada's strength mainly lies in its Haris and Core teams. Building a Fireteam: Core with Bronzes, Hector and Parvati may sound juicy but it costs a premium, and losing that link will almost certainly spell doom for you. Back those HI up with tinbots and some Killer Hacking Devices to help deter enemy hacking, and Parvati can always repair them out of States.

When planning for aro's, focus less on finding long-range aro's as you don't have many options, and instead look to rely on your crazy amount of templates and hacking/killer hacking devices to deter the enemy from rushing you.

The Varangian Guard will be crucial in providing cheaper regular orders that can also add smoke and great defensive pressure with their templates. They pair excellently with the Epsilon and the MSV1 Psi-Cops can template enemies through smoke as well.

Consider a Betatrooper Core or Haris to rush down the enemy when going first or as a counter-attack. Their high speed also helps them get to button-pushing faster so they are a massive help.

And finally, no matter what link you make, find a way to wildcard either the Psi-Cops or Parvati into it, or both if needed. Parvati is pretty much necessary for any HI link you take and the Psi-Cops are just too nice to ignore.

Tactics

• Kill Those Hackers: Your main concern should be enemy hackers, as they pose the strongest threat to your heavy hitters. Use your strong KHD options to take them out if going first or defend your big troops.
• Climb Those Walls: If you are going first, it's likely that your opponent will be hiding further back or behind walls to prevent easy pickings. If that's the case, utilize the Climbing Plus skill to get your troopers into more advantageous angles and blast them from above.
• Sweep Those Objectives: Starmada offers multiple fast specialists to button push with in the late game. Use your Betatroopers, Parvati, Lawkeepers and Raptors to quickly complete objectives while on their way to destroy, or use your last turn to get them onto an obj with your last orders. Use the tankier units with 360 Visors and heavier armor to lock the objectives down.