Infinity/N4 Tactics/Hassassin Bahram

An overview for Hassassin Bahram, a Sectorial for Haqqislam WIP

Why Play Hassassin Bahram?

You like superhuman super-spy gun-fighters with a middle-eastern flair. Hassassins give you a ton of options for board control and allow you to surgically delete cheerleaders and ARO pieces while you can muster stronger units to beat down or disable tougher units like enemy REMs, TAGs and HI.

Faction Features

• Strike From the Shadows: the list gives you a lot of advanced deployment options coupled with mimetism and surprise attack.
• Fuck your Armour: Hassassins have access to loads of AP, breaker and Viral ammunition ensuring you find your enemy's weakpoint... unless they have total immunity.
• The Will of Allah: Almost every trooper in the list has Religious Troop, with others having Courage, Veteran, Dogged or NWI on top of that. Your troops will be in the thick of things instead of cowering behind cover because they took a hit.

Special Skills

• Religious Troops: No surprises, almost every Hassassin trooper has Religious Troop, meaning you have to take a guts roll to cower behind cover. Usually a plus, but can be detrimental.
• Terrain: Desert or Total on most troopers, naturally. Grants a +1 MOV when moving through that terrain type, which is useful.
• Forward Deployment: Lots of Forward Deployment or Infiltration, coupled with mimetism or hidden deployment. Perfect for area denial!

Weapons and Equipment

• Viral Ammunition: This army does horrible things to light and medium infantry and scares some heavy infantry too. Viral ammunition does DA and Shock against BTS. Ariadnan Dog/Bear monsters are especially, literally vulnerable against them.
• Rifle/Light Shotgun: The standard issue line infantry combo for low-tech armies. Hassassins modify this with providing players with AP, Breaker and Viral ammunition.
• Mines: along with mine layers, mines of every flavour including viral mines (but not mono mines).

Units Overview

Unit Identifier Hassassin Bahram

Light Infantry

• Daylami Infantry The profile with single use camouflage and a panzerfaust is a very common inclusion in Haqq lists. The camouflage gives the troop a layer of protection, whilst the panzerfaust is an extremely potent weapon. This 8 point profile can punch well above its weight, and demands respect from your opponent. Sometimes it will achieve little, but sometimes it could take out the centrepiece of your opponent's list. And for 8 points that's a very inexpensive gamble to take.

• Ghulam Infantry: The Ghulam Infantry is the basic trooper of the Haqqislam nation. However, compared to most other factions, the Ghulam have a wide selection of loadouts including multiple Lieutenant options. The most notable are the Doctor Plus and the Forward Observer. Both are WIP14 specialists. The Doctor can confidently patch up unconscious troopers on a WIP17, and the Forward Observer can fire his Flash Pulse at WIP14. They're linkable Core and can bring Barids and Avicenna.

• Hassassin Barids: Barids are exceptional cut-price hackers. Each profile carries pitchers which let you project your hacking threat across the board. This, combined with their WIP score of 14 and a BTS score of 3, make the Barid a very cost-effective solution if you want to play the hacking game. They can join a Ghulam Core for that sweet Sixth Sense bonus!

• Hassassin Husam Yasbir: A real bastard of a character. MA2 with a Viral CCW is dank and BS Attack (+1 Damage) with a +1B LSG is neat. Has two profiles: the FTO sports drop bears and a holomask for sneaking him into a link team, where he counts as either a Ghulam or a Bahram. Or as an infiltrator with Surprise Attack -3, a holoprojector and smoke grenades. Real bastard, this guy.
  • Husam Operative Leila Sharif: Less of a bastard than the above, but rocks a KHD, breaker pistol, E/M Mines and shock marksman rifle adding some specialized punch to a Ghulam or Bahram link.

• Hassassin Lasiqs: Viral snipers, absolutely terrifying for anyone with low or no BTS, especially Ariadnans and doubly so their dogfaces (bearfaces if Kosmoflot). Basic loadouts pack a Viral Rifle and light shotgun with either an X-visor or Forward Observer with a Flash Pulse; the former gets +1 damage. For 1 SWC, you can instead take a Viral marksman rifle or a Viral sniper rifle for 1.5, both with +1 damage. All profiles have shock immunity and -3 mimetism and they can all attach themselves to a fireteam with Govads and/or Muyibs.

• Hassassin Nadhir: The Hassassin Nadhir is quickly rising to prominence in Haqqislam lists despite being a new profile because it combines some extremely powerful rules. The 24 point profile with the flammenspeer and the 26 point profile with the panzerfaust are both noteworthy for carrying weapons that are well-suited for AROs (burst 1 with high damage potential). The Nadhir also boasts hidden deployment which means no model is placed when you deploy it (you write a note describing where it is and reveal it as a surprise). Therefore the Nadhir can make extremely lethal surprise AROs, which might unravel your opponent's plans. A very good reactive piece. Outside of AROs, the AP marksman rifle profiles combo nicely with their BS Attack (shock), Forward and Hidden deployment and surprise attack -3, allowing you to brutalize anything up to a TAG with disgustingly punishing shooting at a surprisingly long range.

• Muttawi'ah: Not the monster they once were, N4 split its profile up along different lines. Still good, but they're a tighter profile in N4 now that orders are limited to 15 and you'll be running a slightly more elite list. You won't be taking 4 anymore. The 5 point profile with smoke grenades is a staple if you just want a way to avoid irritating ARO pieces. The 6 point profile with the jammer gives you good zone control because that weapon does not need line of fire to shoot. And finally the 9 point profile with the e/marat is popular because its nasty template can take out very expensive heavy infantry and TAGs.

• Najjarun Engineers: They are your engineers but in this sectorial, they aren't your only engineers. They are however your cheap engineers.

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 beg for any risky moves with her. MOV 6-2 make her more order efficient in what she's supposed to do. She can join Ghulams in a 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

• Hassassin Govads: That wonderful combo of Veteran and Religious Troop, that ensures these guys will never run away for any reason. They also have MSV1 and carry breaker pistols. Options for HMG, sniper rifle and regular/Killer hackers with boarding shotguns; standout selections are the Missile Launcher which also has +1B on its breaker pistol and an Engineer profile with BS Attack (AP). They can make fireteams with Muyibs, too.

• Hassassin Muyibs: Bioimmunity works somewhat differently in N4 but Dogged, Number 2 and Religious Troop still carry over the same. Muyibs still pack a shitload of explosives and retain their Doctor (+3) option. Spitfire with X-visor and BS13 is amazing, especially in a link team with Govads and Lasiqs.

• Hassassin Ragiks: Deep striker with a very high WIP, basically made for their hacker profile. If you don't want to take a Barid, consider one of these instead. Can also take a Spitfire for 1.5 SWC.

• Yara Haddad, Intel Ops Mutafawiq Officer: Hassassin super-spy! MSV2 and AP Marksman rifle is great, but her profiles with strategic deployment are fucking amazing! And who doesn't like forward deploying with an entire link team?

Heavy Infantry

• Asawira Regiment: Asawira are still the fast moving, tough-as-nails door-busters that they were in N3. Their statline has a jaw-dropping amount of 14s and outrageously high BTS 9 gives them proof against hacking and E/M weaponry; coupled with Regeneration, PH14 and ARM4 gives them a ton of staying power. Offensively, Asawira are just as brutal: all their primary guns have AP (boarding shotgun, AP rifle and for 1.5 SWC, an AP spitfire) and you can expect to have a good hit with their BS14. And then there's their CC23, MA2 and Berserk +3! Asawira are straight-up dangerous at every range but they will be gunning to get up close to plunge a shock or DA CCW into anyone. They are fireteam wildcards and have a Doctor +3 profile, which is great with their WIP (you guessed it) 14.

• Hassassin Áyyār: The Áyyār has seen a growth in its profile in N4, giving you three choices for Hidden deployment (like a limited TO camo from N3) or two with Forward Deployment. They still pack that Holoprojector and +1B Viral Pistols as standard; Surprise Attack -6 is now standard across all their profiles. Gone is the sniper rifle option (which also didn't benefit from surprise attack -6); both forward and hidden deployment profiles can choose between either a Shock marksman rifle or a breaker rifle, panzerfaust and zapper but forward deployment profiles get drop bears too. The third hidden deployment profile gets to take the classic Rifle and E/Mitter combo while the rifle gets +1B... and a panzerfaust, just in case. A great ARO/hunter with a wide array of selections depending on how you want to surprise your opponent.

• Hassassin Bohktar: A new HI for N4, they sport MSV1, +3 and +2" dodge, Super Jump and pack a viral pistol. They can either be taken as a paramedic with a viral rifle (or +1B boarding shotgun if an NCO parachutist) or for 1.5 SWC, a red fury. Their real draw is either as an NCO with parachutist or as an FTO with tactical awareness that can join Govad/Muyyib link teams. You should absolutely attach one to a link team, BTW but with the profusion of Doctors (with +3 no less) in this list means you should give the paramedic a miss.

• Sunduqbut, Covert Heavy Support Unit: This thing should really be in the REM section, but its here and that's fine, I guess. They're a single use camo ARO piece with an 8" forward deployment, Decoy (1) and BS Attack (+1 Damage). That last one is nasty considering the weapons this thing sports with Surprise Attack no less: 0.5 SWC gets you a viral and a chain rifle, each with +1B and either a Minelayer or Neurocinetics. Another SWC gets you either a Feuerbach or an AP Spitfire and a light shotgun, also with an option for Neurocinetics for more points. Given this thing's ARO role, you should certainly pony up for the Neurocinetics.

Tactical Armor Gear

• Shakush Light Armored Unit: A cheap, standard, light TAG. No frills for a TAG. 60pts - serviceable, cheap, and straightforward. A diet N3 Maggie - people seem to like them.

Remotes

• Fanous: The generic 7pts Flash Pulse bot.

• Kameel: S4 baggage bots, with an EVO-option

• Nasmat: S1 helper bot peripherals.

• Rafiq: The combat FO remote. Haqq gets a Red Fury version!

• Shaytaniyah: Guided missile remote.

• Shibab: The TR HMG-bot.

Warband

• McMurrough, Mercenary Dog-Warrior: Probably a good bet for McMurrough to tag along with these guys because it means it's less likely he'll get hit with any of their viral weapons. Comes with the usual dog-warrior perks, like being a giant werewolf with berserk and total immunity/viral vulnerability. Yes, and - he has MA3 and an AP+DA CCW. Great for facing down a stubborn enemy TAG with more armour than sense. His smoke grenades ensure he won't be shot at and his regular grenades and chain rifles make sure the weedier speedbumps don't stay in your way for too long.

Skirmishers

• Hassassin Farzans: Farzans struggle to find a niche in N4 outside of area denial having lost their Marksman profile from N3. Their 3 remaining profiles are highly targeted for either area denial with a minelayer, chain of command (very useful for a CC LT), or a forward observer with a rifle, flash pulse and d-charges. Not critical, but not totally useless either; the Nadhir, Shujae and Áyyār do the job of advanced deployment gun-fighters now.

• Hassassin Fiday: Arguably the reason why someone wants to play Hassassins, the Fiday is well known for terrorizing the human sphere and N4 gave their impersonation skills an upgrade! One of the few units that can get close enough to your opponents units on turn 1 to fuck them up - just watch out for biometric visors! Still, MA3 and impersonation makes them straight-up murderers.
  • Hussein Al-Djabel: Oh boy, the special character Fiday. This one gets MA4, a viral CCW and continuous damage BS Attacks (lol).

• Hassassin Shujae: You are going to immediately compare these guys to Nadhir because of just how similar they are. You could say the Shujae are Nadhir with all the goodies stripped out and that's probably fair. However, Shujae have one trick up their sleeves that Nadhir don't - SpecOps! Couples nicely with their Mimetism -6 and 8" forward deployment. Their BS13 is also good with options for an AP Rifle/LSG, BSG or SMG and Flammenspeer; each of these profiles also packs explosives, with D-charges, shock mines or E/M mines respectively.

Building Your Army

One to two short paragraphs on list building.

Tactics

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