Infinity/N4 Tactics/Steel Phalanx

An overview for faction units and tactics in N4.

Why Play Steel Phalanx?

Certainly one of the choppier sectorials, the Steel Phalanx is the opposite of the Ops Subsection sectorial favouring glorious close combat with high-tech androids over fancy toys... with high-tech androids. This sectorial also sports a shitload of named characters that you can take and form into an unlimited amount of 4-person Core teams, what we used to call Enomotarchos in N3.

Faction Features

• Four's Company: though the word 'Enomotarchos' is no longer used, that's effectively what they are and you can take as many of them, Haris or duos as you please. The only drawback is that your Core team(s) are capped at a max of 4.
• This. Is. ALEPH! You better be ready to get your Greek on and this sectorial has lots of goodies for those that prefer a more close, personal touch to 24th century combat. EXP CCWs abound along with Smoke, Mims -6 and a whole bunch of CC enhancing rules. Not to mention that this list is crawling with special characters that are outright force multipliers.
• Pain is for the Weak: most of this army has dogged, NWI, shock immunity, Courage or Religious troop or some wild combo of them, helping provide you with some staying power.

Skills and Equipment

• Fireteams: you have unlimited fireteams, yes even core, although those are capped at 4. Keep note of who can form up with who and build appropriately.
• Mimetism: plenty of troopers have the classic ODD or as we call it now, Mimetism (-6). This includes all Myrmidons and Achilles. Others have Mims-3 instead.
• CC: Between the profusion of Martial Arts, Natural Born Warrior and other CC bonuses, there are few units in this list that don't have anything to offer in close combat. Even those that lack special rules usually have high CC stats and may pack a cool pistol or CCW.

Units Overview

Unit Identifier Steel Phalanx

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.

• Dactyls: Steel Phalanx doesn't get Sophotects so these are your engineers or doctors (not both, sorry). Comes with a +1B breaker pistol and an ADHL; engineers get the option to replace the latter with a Flammenspeer. Dactyls can form up with a lot of fireteams, notably Thorakitai
  • Acmon, Seargent of Dactys: Super engineer Dactyl with a higher WIP, Shock Immunity, Tactical Awareness and a Panzerfaust. He costs more than a dactyl engineer of course but goes wherever Dactyls go and does what they do, but better.

• Netrods: You can take up to two of these in this sectorial, granting you a regular order each that cannot be removed unless the Netrod is destroyed... which is unfortunately shockingly easy with 0 ARM and 3 BTS and pretty much no other stats. They can't move aside from when they combat jump in with PH12 only ever for combat jumping. Basically these got hella nerfed from N3 once CB figured out how useful they were.

• Thamirys the Aiodolos: RIP. Good night, sweet prince.

• Thyreos, Thyreophoroi Mobile Regiment: Basically a generic, cheaper Andromeda. Compared to her, they trade MA3 for NBW and CC (-3); they're also locked into an 8" forward deployment as opposed to her option to Infiltrate. Like her, they can pack a boarding shotgun or an SMG, but unlike her they also carry a mono CCW. Options for Hacker or Killer Hacker with E/M Mines or a Minelayer with shock mines.

• Pandora, Steel Phalanx's Iatromantis: Wildcard leet haxor character. Gets a Zero Pain upgrade to her hacking device and she puts your opponents attacks at -6 when she dodges them. She packs a +1B flash pulse and a pitcher with options for an SMG or +1B Viral pistols - and maybe a medkit for some reason.

• 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

• Agêma Marksmen: based snipers. MSV2, Surprise Attack -3 and hidden deployment combine very well with their weapons: a Multi-Marksman Rifle for 0 SWC or a Missile Launcher or Multi-Sniper for 1.5. Great generic ranged cover but vastly improved with the named characters.
  • Atalanta, Agêma's NCO: A violently good sniper: BS15, BS(Shock), Marksmanship, MSV2. She only gets a Multi-Sniper but also gets to re-roll discovery rolls so that's okay? She also gets the choice of keeping Hidden Deployment or having Total Reaction.
  • Teucer, Agêma Warrant Officer: BS(Shock) make Teucer an efficient solo gunfighter. Unlike other Agêma he only has MSV1 but he also has a bio visor. Gets either a K1 Sniper Rifle or a Feuerbach, which both are amazing threats to basically any unit in the game.

• Makhai: A generic NCO unit, super useful and can be added to Thorakitai fireteams. They pack some solid weapons which couple nicely with their MSV1. Pretty much auto-include if you have a Thorakitai team to use that Lt order on them.

• Drakios, Steel Phalanx's Sergeant: A competent murderer with access to Devabots for some extra heavy flamethrower-protection. This guy gets either a regular combi rifle or the Red Fury, which isn't a really amazing weapon this edition, BUT he's good at CC and with Berserk accessing an enemy unit gets way more deadly! He's also a specialist for extra versatility.

• Ekdromoi: What's more threatening than a Myrmidon charging your enemy's position? How about one that can fly. How about one that can also hack at WIP14? There - that's Ekdromoi in a nutshell. They have a fuck of a lot of special rules and some nice kit that makes them get into combat real fast and beat the shit out of anyone. Spitfire and hacker profiles are just the icing on the cake.
  • Diomedes, Ekdromoi Officer: Aw man, not another one. RIP.

• Scylla, Steel Phalanx's NCO: A hacker with a bonus on Trinity, and a Devabot with a heavy flamethrower to cover some extra angles. She also brings a pitcher to increase your cyber board control, so parking her next to a baggage bot isn't a bad idea. As a bonus she gets a (-3) for enemy hackers. There are also two FTO profiles, one without the Devabot and one where both her and the Devabot are FTOs; in the latter, the bot also trades Peripheral for Remote Presence so you can still attach Scylla to a link while the bot flies around doing bot things on its own time.

• Thorakitai: These are your range supports for your Myrmidons. Keep them in a link to keep them shooting so they don't get frenzied and break rank. Most profiles pack a nano template weapon of some kind except the LRL/SMG, which costs 0 SWC - nice! Weapon upgrades also include a Feuerbach or an HMG with options for a hacker, paramedic or FO.
  • Nesaie Alkeê, Thorakitai Warrant Officer: Spec-op with a 360-visor and some good weapons to go with it, namely a Multi-rifle with higher damage or a Spitfire. Also an NCO but the Spitfire profile gets the option to be your Lt, too.
  • Chandra Seargent Thrasymedes: Can either infiltrate with an SMG and a zapper or link up with Thorakitai, bringing an LRL with him. He's also a forward observer.

Heavy Infantry

• Hoplites: tankie, defensive HI. Sports okay armour, total immunity and NBW. Also have ECM (-3) against hax and their CC attacks do +2 damage. There's also an engineer's profile and these guys can form some interesting fireteams.

• Achilles: Basically unchanged from N3, except the Spitfire comes standard on this one along with the obligate 1.5 SWC. He's still horrifically lethal in close combat through a combination of MA4, EXP CCW and a bunch of 15's in his stat line, not to mention he's also one of the few units in the game with 3 wounds that isn't a TAG proper.
  • Achilles V2 (Corinthian Armour): Got a bit of an upgrade from N3. As above but with ARM and BTS 6 but mimetism gets reduced down to -3. He can also Forward Deploy 4" and gets the option for a multi-rifle and panzerfaust for no SWC or an AP spitfire for 1.5 SWC, all at +1 damage. Basically, that old charge of him being a TAG that can go to ground and take cover is far more accurate in this profile.

• Ajax the Great, Myrmidon Officer: Large S5 HI, hits like an absolute truck in CC hitting with 18 damage from an EXP CCW. Oh, and his BS attacks get +1 B and damage - neat. Can be forward deployed 8" or taken as an FTO and added to a Myrmidon fire team.

• Hector, Homerid Champion: Your epic wildcard leader. Take him as your Lt if you want to use his Strategos L1, and you'll get another Lt order out of him if you do. His gear is also pretty noteworthy, being one of a handful of troopers wielding a plasma rifle that isn't from the Combined Army.

• Patroclus, Myrmidon Special Officer: Rest in peace, little Greek angel.

Tactical Armor Gear

• Agememnon the Atreides: Oh what, you wanted an actual TAG instead of Achilles? Fine, you get this thing: remote presence, NBW, CC attack -3 and an ECM providing -6 to guided attacks and -3 to hacks. You get a +1B HFT and a DA CCW. Your options are either an HMG or an AP Spitfire, the latter of which can be your Lt. They can form Duos with Hoplites, too.

Remotes

• Rebots: These are the S3 Aleph bots.
  • Daleth Rebots: The combi rifle gunner with FO.
  • Lamedh Rebots: Flashbots.
  • Samekh Rebots: Guided missile bot.
  • Zayin Rebots: The TR HMG bot.

• Probots: The S4 Baggage bots. As always they come with an EVO option, and a Combi TR version.

• Yudbots: Alpeh Helperbots.

Warband

• Myrmidons: This is what you came here for, and Myrmidons do not disappoint. Smoke, Mims -6, MA3 and a nasty statline with equally mean gear make Myrmis an excellent choice only made better by taking them in fireteams.

• Myrmidon Officer:Naturally, these can be attached to your Myrmidon teams with either Chain of Command or as Lts themselves. They're also a little beefier than regular Myrmidons; if you're taking a link of them, include at least one Officer or one of the named officers below.
  • Eudoros, Myrmidon Officer: Brings MA4, Number 2, Spec Ops, NCO, a Mk12 and Eclipse grenades. Eudoros is a straight-up ass-kicking upgrade being effectively an HI conveniently located in the WB section, sporting way better armour and 2 STR instead of a single wound.
  • Hippolyta, Amazon Officer: A premium warband, without smoke but really good at CC thanks to MA L4 with an EXP CC weapon. Dodge (+2"), MIM (-6), Superjump and NWI make it easier for her to reach her targets. The Breaker Combi Rifle is a great general threat. WIP 14 on a Flash Pulse is no slouch either!
  • Machaon, Myrmidon Doctor-Officer: Super useful Myrmofficer because he's a doctor with a WIP 15 and Eclipse grenades. And he can be your Lt if you want.
  • Phoenix, Veteran Myrmidon Officer: A slight departure from other Myrmofficers in that he brings an HRL and smoke grenades.

• Penthelisea, Amazon Warioress: Bio-immune biker Amazon. Packs a mono CCW with CC-6, smoke grenades and spec ops.

Skirmishers

Steel Phalanx don't deal with that nonsense.