3 Maxims to Immediately Improve Your Game

If you're new to Infinity and you're looking for a fast way to immediatley improve, then you need to memorize these three maxims. This is secretly what every experienced, veteran player does even if they do not realize it or cannot communicate what you did wrong.  And if you're starting in a group, please share this information. You don't want to be the only guy winning as that can kill your play group. Losing is part of competition.

1. Shoot in Range
Repeat after me: There is no shot at -3.  You want +3 Range Band because there are already enough ways to reduce your model's BS. Mimetism, Smoke, Low-Visibility Zones, ODD and even Cover drops your model's ability to inflict harm. Oh trust me, I understand the joys of practically unlimited range. I think it is splendid that the game allows a model to take a shot. The standard weapon, a Rifle, has a range out to 48" which is further than the table while Sniper Rifles go as far as nine feet.  I played Warmachine, so I understand that this seems like heady stuff - instead of Stealth or Range making you flat out fail, you can still try with only a little penalty.

That's the problem with firing your gun all willy nilly. Infinity is a game about stacking and removing modifiers. The main reason why Spitfires and HMGs got nerfed in N3 is not because of high Burst or high Damage. Hell, it is easy to get Burst 4 or 5 if you're willing to set it up with Link Teams and/or Dual Wielding Weapons. And Damage can go as high as 15 when a TAG gets into melee or any of Ariadna's wildlife.

The reason why HMGs and Spitfires are powerful is because of their range. They maintain a +3 bonus for the majority of engagements. If you look at the changes in N3, they stripped and changed those weapons Ranges, not their Burst or Damage. So while HMGs and Spitfires are great for the ease of which they get +3 Range, this can be accomplished with any weapon and it is something you should accomplish. If you are on the ARO, I understand that Shooting is important but if you're the Active Player, wipe every other Range Band out of your mind.

First modifier to stack: +3 Range Band.

2. Have Cover
This maxim is drilled into every player's head but not for the reasons that you think. Having Cover isn't to make your models more safe, it is to make your enemies model's more vulnerable.  Cover does give +3 ARM to a model that is protected from incoming fire. That is a slight reason for models to use Cover. I am more interested in the -3 BS penalty than then +3 ARM bonus. When you reduce your opponent's BS, you are reducing their odds of hitting your model which consequentially improves your odds of killing theirs. "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."

Using the Infinity Math app, a model with +5 ARM has the same odds as a model with Mimetism. That -3 to your opponent's BS is as valuable as the ARM on a light TAG.  You could plan on only using light TAGs or models with Mimetism, or you could just grab Cover. Though I would not fault you if that means you happen to be using a light TAG or Mimetism model. Cover also stacks on top of heavier ARM and/or TO Camouflage/ODD.

The real reason why you want Cover is that due to Infinity's Critical mechanic, all the armor in the world cannot save a model from taking a Wound. That is why that +5 ARM is still less valuable in my eyes than Mimetism. If you are taking an ARM save, you have already messed up. If you are influencing your opponent's BS, then you are on your path to victory. After all, this is what allowed Endalyon to win his original David vs. Goliath scenario of Avatar vs. Keisotsu: Part One and Part Two.

Second modifier to stack: -3 BS to your opponent

Flank, Plank; what's the difference?

3. Deny Cover
You want victory? Your opponent isn't going to give it away. I just extolled the virtues of having Cover. If you're going to make his models die, you need to take their Cover.

The trickiest part of stealing Cover from your opponent is when the turn switches back to them and suddenly they're trying to steal your Cover. Here's the thing: you can't stop them, just like they couldn't stop you. The only thing you can do is to make is so cost prohibitive that they decide that shooting at you with your Cover is a better solution than spending a lot of Orders to grab that flank. That is the only defense.

This also means that when you go about your turn, you need to decide if just by spending an extra Order or two, you can deny Cover from your opponent. If it is more costly than that, look at other model's positions in relative to your target. The other aspect is have models that already begin with the capability to deny Cover, such as Infiltrators and Airborne Deployment models that begin within such strike ranges.

It doesn't mean that you need to use these models but that is where their power lies. If you can master using models without such capabilities to accomplish the same goals, then you have mastered Cover denial.

Third Modifier to stack: Remove penalties.

With these maxims, your opponent's models will go the way of the Exrah

As you gain more experience with the game, you can know when to push your luck and ignore these maxims. Sometimes you do not care for a particular modifier due to your plans and you can ignore that as you move to your next play. Hopefully, ignoring the maxims isn't due to your back against the wall and letting Lady Luck play, as previously discussed. These three maxims also will identify important skills and equipment that do the same. Marksmanship and Speculative Fire to ignore Cover, ODD and TO to give penalties, Multi-Spectral Visors and X-Visors to ignore penalties. Keep an eye open for anything that builds on these maxims as they are the core mechanics in Infinity. The truly wonderful times is when it will not matter because you've outmaneuvered your opponent utterly. Until that day comes, here are the three tactics to influence your outcome.

Infinity Math: http://infinity-math.appspot.com/