The Mothball Incident - Frostbyte - 300 pts - N5 - Hassassin Bahram Vs Vanilla Aleph

You can also  check the video battle report at the link below

Intro

Batth'o Ubelin did not like the cold. As he stared at the empty space extending outside the window of his cabin on the Flying Carpet, he thought about the transcript of a conversation sniffed from the crew of CJC boarding shuttle Mandillo, "[...] an ideal, pitch black heat sink ready to squeeze every Wh out of you to fizzle it into entropy along its relentless race towards 0°K [...]". It was just an irrelevant Nomads engineers trash talk but he kept thinking about it. Same as the Nomad shuttle and many other vessels in the area, the Flying Carpet was racing towards the Rigoletto cargo ship. He was officially after a silk shipment of his and all the others also had equally good official reasons to be there. In reality, everybody was there for the Mothball.

He closed his eyes and tried to bring back the feeling of the scorching hot Burak sun on his face, then the door opened and Lt. Presh Inse'ah got into the cabin.

- We are ready to start boarding operations Captain - she said.

- Lieutenant, we got confirmation that all life support systems on the Rigoletto are out of service. It is cold down there. I am giving you all the armor a humble silk trader can afford...- he paused for a moment to give the Ghulam officer a meaningful look - but please, please keep yourself and your team warm and in one piece. There will be more work to do, this is just early game and we are in for the long run...-          

Operation Edgelord - Head hunters - 300 pts - Tunguska Vs Operation Subsection of the SSS

 

Intro

Tara's eyes fluttered open, the hazy aftereffects of cryostasis making her sluggish as she stepped out of the immersion tank. The room was cold and sterile, its pale light illuminating faint disturbances that hinted someone else had been here recently, not to mention the Kiiutan imposter lying lifeless on the floor. The holodisk was missing: Erin. Tara’s mind flitted to her briefly, but she had no time to follow the thought. Suddenly, she became conscious of the blaring alarm, its shrill cadence cutting through her disorientation. Peeking outside the rooms curtain, she saw the hulking silhouette of the Steindrage tearing into the edges of Averroes.

The camp was under siege. Haqqislam forces were rushing in to intercept, supported by a Tunguskan Rapid Intervention Team but tactical chaos was evident even from her distant vantage. Instinct told her to run, to flee before the battle reached her. She reached for her gear, a practiced routine, but as she moved, a new thought took root. She wasn’t just a survivor; she was a strategist. If she played this right, she could turn the situation to her advantage.

Tara rapidly hacked her way to a live feed of the battlefield. Aleph forces were concentrated near the fusion reactor, fighting not just to repel the Steindrage but to protect the critical energy source. Without hesitation, Tara made her decision. She broadcasted her position to the Eye of Hipparchus, virtually raising her hand — a signal of truce. The Aleph operatives hesitated, but ultimately allowed her to approach.

"I can help you," Tara said, her voice steady despite the tension. "You’re fighting to protect the reactor, but you’ll need more than brute force to hold the site. I know the weaknesses of that beast. Let me assist you."

Uncle Pentium studied her, inscrutable thoughs chasing each other in the depth of its potassium tank. Little records were held about Tara O'Neil, and Uncle Pentium knew little records always ment big trouble. After a moment, it replied. "We accept. For now."

“We may have more in common than you think,” she hinted cryptically. "You want to secure our future. So do I."

Her thoughts abruptly returned to Erin. What she had entrusted to her was no game: its shadow loomed large in her mind as she rushed to the battlefield, her mind already focused on slaying the monster and secure Aleph's tentative trust.

Operation Edgelord - Engineering Deck - 300 pts - Hassassin Bahram Vs Operation Subsection of the SSS

 

If you are more into video content do not miss the YouTube version of the batrep!

Intro

Human Edge

Homeric Belt

Batth'o Ubelin inc. Operative Center 

 

Batth'o Ubelin, estimeed silk trader, half-smuggler half-business man, well introduced into Haqqislam politics and allegedly a Hassassin Bahram undercover agent walked toward Erin O'Nealz in a middle eastern smart casual attire to greet her.

Despite her impressive track record and covering of Operation Hungry Walrus, Batth'o had always been mildly suspicious about the independent journalist. She did pass all biometric scans but in a couple of circumstances with just sufficient scores and once with a minority report. On the other hand, he liked her a lot. 

- Lady warcor, welcome to my humble abode. It is a pleasant surprise to acknowledge your arrival in the Homeric Belt. -

- I go wherever there are good stories and truth to be told. - replied the Sixth Sense News reporter with a smile. 

- I will be pleased to support you. We will be soon heading to the Averroes Hospital Compound to run some business. I will be pleased to have you part of my entourage, the Human Sphere needs to know from independent sources what the situation is really like here, beyond all propaganda. -

Batth'o had been informed Erin was closely watched by Aleph, her Comlog and cyberware most probably infested by malicious and spy software. This was the AI attempt to fool Haqqislam or escalate the conflict. Either way, they were forcing the issue.

This might even be related to what those people from Adeq Greenspaces were cooking, definitely a good opportunity to learn something new. Acquiring information about their operation was proving more challenging than expected and considering this was his primary task in the Belt, his stakeholders were starting to be impatient...

The Averroes complex was full with undercover Hassassin Barham operatives, hidden or mixed to the civilian and technical personnel. A small official security detail escorted Batth'o and Erin as they toured the complex. The distress of the Ariadnan workers was evident as also evident was the armed presence of all Hyperpowers. It clearly was the hospital of a war zone, not of an Ammonia mining facility... 

Erin didn't even have the time to target her cyberoptics toward the sudden threat as DA rifle shot put her down. 

- Removing inconvenient pawns is always a good way to start an operation. - Thought Batth'o. 

Then a metallic voice, a classic Uncle Pentium's quirk, echoed in the Haqqislamites' comlogs.

- Security data extraction in progress. Do not resist or you will be prosecuted. -        

ITS 15 The Armory - 300 pts - Tunguska Jurisdictional Command Vs Shasvastii Expeditionary Force

Intro

Velma logged into the sector's Arachne node and went through the area scan reports. The sector had been evacuated with a fake radiation alert and the Tunguska Security team had just deployed to investigate into some suspicious readings from the surveillance system. The Interventor had seen action before and she did not like the situation, nothing was clearly wrong as you would expect from common criminal activities and yet not masked in a way you would expect from human sphere super powers.

Velma kept close to her fireteam, the back up of  trusted marksmen and cold blooded hacker made her more at ease, remotes and cyber-psychopaths were for sure valuable (and expendable) assets but she would have never come to fully trust them...

Suddenly, all alarms went blipping, smoke and white noise interference appeared and few moments later she heard the doors of the safe room opening with a hiss. There were no doubts, they were under attack and once again she had to do the dirty job to protect secrets of people who would have traded her life without thinking twice if they had considered it convenient. 

Now that she thought about it, this whole operation might just be a rigged game...  

PanOceania Tikbalang and Neoterra Bolts

During this summer I found the time to paint some juicy models to enrich my PanO army.

After a very long search I've finally managed to put my hands on Tikbalang model (and Uhlan too...), one of the most wanted OOP miniature of Panoceania, which is experiencing a second youth in N4 edition. If you want to read more about my Tikbalang debut on the gaming table, dont' miss Episode #8 of  "Operation Neon Tiger" narrative campaign.

Painting this model was quite challanging, due to the huge number of details if compared to the most recent TAGs which provides bigger and smoother surfaces. After defining volumes and lights with airbrush, I spent more or less nine hours to paint the details, adding some NMM parts and attempting my first "chipping". A final little effort to sculpt some green stuff around the base of the model to embed the metal base (trunk and roots) with the plastic 4omm base.

The result was definitely worth the effort! I leave you some pics to enjoy.

Talking about OOP miniatures - SWC Neoterra Bolts in this case - I've done my best to convert some spare fusiliers and one Akalis in order to bring four Bolts out of them. Some head/arm/backpack swap and the job was done!

I expected a faster painting, but the number of details and the slenderness of the female models forced me to slow down the process (approx. 3 hours per model).

 Scroll down for a group shot!

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 08

Intro

- Commander Fashas'di, may I show you something?
The Casta Diva was preparing to leave the planet, enjoying the last rays of Varuna's sun on its hull before facing the nameless cold of interstellar void. The voice of Mentor Quish Lo'rr had a hint of apprenshion and curiosity; he opened up a holoscreen to show close up records of the artifact they had recovered on Hlökk Station. Nanobots swirled and curled under the watchful eyes of the two Shasvastii.

- Interesting. A minor signal, what is your opinion; Quish Lo'rr?

Over time, Fashas'di had bonded with his crew. They executed his orders fast and efficientely. He trusted the Mentor and, he hoped, the feeling was mutual.

-It could be eggs, embryios, maybe a wounded creature. We still don't know much about the Neon Tiger. Much are deductions based on the Steindrage, a creature we believe shares common ancestors with it. The signal is low and we don't know as much as we would like about these artifacts either: the source could also be shielded.

Fashas'di nodded, anxious.

- What about its whereabouts? Have you triangulated this new position?

Quish opened a new screen, showing an imposing construction towering above a marine harbour.

- Fortress-monastery of Zamek. A military Order complex here on Varuna. Our intelligence suggests it is also used as a detention facility for our comrades captured in Cameliard; an high security location.

Being a commander was no easy task. Fashas'di felt this was what made him bond with the crew: it wasn't something he did, but something they understood. Regardless of his acquaintances and his reccomendations, he was still the one taking the shots for the glory or the disgrace of Shasvastii. There was no shortcut that would have helped him in making the right choice: it was up to him. Mentor Quish Lo'rr remained silent, waiting for Fashas'di orders.

- Transfer the main location coordinates to our closest cruiser, they will find the Neon Tiger. We'll storm Zamek with a biotech bomb and infiltrate.

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 07

Intro

Fashas'di stepped outside, under the hot rays of Varuna's sun. The beach was warm, inviting. "How fascinating - he thought - we and the humans have the same idea of paradise." An artificial reef isolated the Trillionaire Varuna Beach Resort from the depths of the planet's oceans, while lush vegetation imported from Concilium and Paradiso surrounded the buildings. Apparently, the plant selection was dictated by the original patron of the Resort himself: Batth'o Ubelin. 

Shasvastii intelligence had advised Fashas'di that the resort wouldn't be heavily guarded, making it the perfect stop for the Casta Diva to refuel and prepare for the long journey following the xeno archeotech's indications. What the intel didn't know was that a Tunguska intervention team had been sent in advance to welcome the Casta Diva and its occupants: it was a bold move to make such an intrusion on PanOceanian soil but, after what had happened to Módulo Satélite, Philomena was ready to cross any line to repel the aliens. 

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 06

 Intro 

- Making business with you is a pleasure: my affiliates have just informed me that they have been granted access to the Casta Diva. 

The smuggler smiled back. 

- The pleasure is mine, Lely Ohw. These are trying times for business at Hlökk Station: first those Minescorp goons, now the aliens...I guess faces come and go but war never changes. Anyway, this deal is really something to celebrate with a toast: to the Casta Diva, the most beautiful ship on this side of the Brísingamen’s rim. 

Lely Ohw lifted his glass full of cloudy Nomad's liquor, distillated somewhere in the depths of space by wandering scalpers. Suddenly, Fashas'di's voice broke into his communication device: 

- The Nomads are on us! We have to engage them immediately and wipe them out without a trace: no one must know we're leaving Hlökk Station on board of the Casta Diva. Close our transaction, fast!

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 05

Intro

It wasn't difficult for Brother Hermann to obtain the necessary information from Koseacasomov. He certainly did not lack means of persuasion, even if not perfectly in line with the procedures of the Concilium.
After that, brother Hermann retired to his cabin in the Uluru, to record the information snatched from Koseacasomov into his personal log.

"That thing is an xeno archeotech artifact that allows to track down a place, but its technology is still shrouded in mystery. Koseacasomov was unable to explain how it works, but he was certain of one thing: that the artifact only works in right hands. "

Hermann has rarely found himself groping in the dark in his life. Uncertainty is not part of his person. Yet this time he feels he is out of step with his enemies. It is an unpleasant, burning sensation, especially considering the quality of the troops he has moved for this mission.

"If I have to stay behind - thought Hermann - at least those in front of me had to feel my pressure."

Thanks to this thought, he found a little determination, just enough to make a decision. 

He exited the cabin and headed for the Uluru control deck. Since the Sahs had disappeared from the Pano tracking systems, he gave the order to intercept and follow the Nomads ship . 

To Hermann's utter astonishment, the Quetzal was tracked down to a nearby spaceport. If itwas there, very likely, the Shas would be around too.

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 04

Intro 

Emergency! Emergency! Please leave Terminal Benbow. Hlökk Station and its subsidiaries deny any responsability for damage to people or property if you don't comply immediately

...the alert went on, as the whole terminal turned to emergency mode, lighting up red lights all around the Sonic Blues and all the other docked ships. 

PanOceanian elite forces took position within the terminal, urging all personel to leave and be biometrically scanned. While unaware of the alien's ship nor of their real intentions, the intelligence gathered by battleship Uluru was clear: the Shasvastii had already reached the station, and Terminal Bembow was the only one who had recieved ships in the last cycles.

Expecting heavy armored resistance and sly infiltrators, specialists from every sectorial were summoned to face the alien threat.

The air lock of his containment pod snapped and Anton took a deep breath of the station's metallic breeze: his mind went back in time for twenty years, to the night when he found a strange artifact in the ore rubble of that very same mining facility...

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 03

Intro

Fashas'di walked down the isle, watching his troops checking their gears and weapons. Knowing his bitter reputation of being a freshly appointed hothead lieutenant with friends in high places, he knew he had to say something to boost the crew's morale, and his too.

"My beloved brothers, lost heirs of our Mother Planet: rejoice! Tonight we leave this snowball to make good use of the information provided by the interrogation of the human Koseacasomov. But before we do that, we'll take the chance to spoil these alien supplies and cripple the logistic line of those monkeys, unworthy of the EI's enlightenment. For all our lost brothers, for the sake of freedom and vengeance: tonight we fight!" Hearing the screeches outside his containment pod, Anton shivered in fear. He thought the Shasvastii had kidnapped him because of his military knowledge, but they only cared about something else, something about his youth on Hlökk Station...

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 02

Intro

- They've intercepted our communications. They now know we've entered the orbit of CB-22... - said Uluru's communications operator.
- We have located the Quetzal. Sector 04, quadrant 02 - added the tracking and control systems officer. 
Brother Hermann gave the order to land in Quadrant 02, not far from the Quetzal. Only a handful of administration buildings would separate them from the enemy crew. With no surprise effect, there was no reason to try to go unnoticed. 
- Without surprise, speed of action is everything - Hermann whispered. 
Uluru's thrusters landed her gently and one of the loading platforms opened quickly.
- Let's intercept those treacherous Nomads and transmit as much information as we can back to HQ, once we understand what they're up to - Hermann exclaimed to the small PanO squad he had personally selected for this operation.

5 reasons why I am in love with Infinity

I have now been into Infinity for some time and I feel to share the FIVE THINGS that I love most about this game!

Operation Neon Tiger - episode 01

Intro

The Quetzal, a Corregidor transport corvette is being chased by PanO battleship Uluru. According to available intelligence the Nomad corvette is transporting Anton Koseacasomov, a weapon systems designer who betrayed Ariadna to work for Yu Jing. Fleeing from its chasers the Nomad spaceship lands on CB-22, one of Svalarheima's breadbasket-moons. To the surprise of the the Nomad crew, their passenger is actually a Shasvastii impersonator who is met by an extraction force tasked to remove it from the Nomads captivity. 

What happened to the true Anton and what is happening on CB-22...?

Infinity Mission Focus: Frostbyte or how I learned to stop worrying and love the meta

Welcome to another episode of this series focusing on Infinity Missions!
Today we delve into one of the more characteristic missions of ITS 13 aka Frozen Roads: Frostbyte.

BUT, before going through the mission, let me take the chance to have a look at this series and its scope.
For all those who are just interested in the Mission Focus, you can skip the part below to where pictures start.

Nomads Szalamandra Squadron TAG for Infinity the Game

 

The TAGs of Tunguska receive their name of Szalamandra because of their similarity to the mythical salamander that could live in the midst of fire and who could also spit fire.

Its heavy armor allows it to withstand the toughest of punishments, just as its Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon can neutralize any type of opposition. The required heavy support for your Nomad Army!

Inspired by the beautiful works of my fellow gaming buddies on the PanO Cutter and the Aleph Marut I finally committed to complete my Nomad TAG, the gorgeous Szalamandra.

Panoceania Cutter: my best painting effort so far.

“Nemo nos effugit” (Nobody escapes from us), motto of the Naval Chasseurs Regiment

"The Cutter is the Remote Presence tactical armored gear (TAG) model used by the Varuna Chasseurs Regiment of the Rapid Intervention Division. It was conceived for undercover operations and amphibious or underwater operations. Its design includes sound-suppressing equipment and an environment-adaptive skin capable of changing its reflective, radiative, and electrical properties at will, effectively canceling its optical and thermal output.
Cutter units are also used by the armored division of the “Blue Sea” anti-terrorism project. They are responsible for undercover insertions in highly volatile areas, but their operational remit also includes punitive actions and control of operational perimeters to avoid target withdrawal."

Operation Golden Ratio: episode 07 (season finale)

Intro 

Time passed. Despite working effortlessly on the remains of Patroclus, Nomads technicians got nothing but a glimpse of Laocoön and its meaning. However, back on Concilium, heads rolled for what had happened on Space Station Donacimiento. Aleph went paranoid at the idea of further Laocoön anomalies now that Nomads had case zero and issued a full scale update program on all Aspects and recreations to limitate and ward off any inconvenience. The damage in terms of delays and subsequent litigations was considerable, especially adding the fine paid to Varuna for what was later dubbed "The Donacimiento Incident". 

But after some time under apparently cold ashes, the flame of Project Laocoon started burning again. The OSS had been monitoring Batth'o Ubelin, the silk trader whose luxury ship's wreckage had been used by Tunguska as a base for infiltration on the Space Station. On his leisure world recreating the Old West, Ovestland, the attractions re-enacting Pat Garrett and his posse had started to malfunction, forcing extraordinary maintenance. The OSS figured out the malfunctioning was due to parts of Project Laocoön hidden into the attraction's software. Even if it meant to blow up Aleph's cover on Ovestland, the legacy of Project Laocoön had to be destroyed... 

Getting into a new Infinity army: the way I have done it

Ciao!

I started with Infinity back in N3 splitting the Icestorm box with my game and blog buddy Uopo. I got the Nomads part and not digging too much the fluff and the look and feel of Corregidor and Bakunin I learned the game playing mainly vanilla. Then Tunguska sectorial was released and its all concept and background really resonated with me and my love for cyberpunk. It was love at first sight. Being quite a casual player I did not feel any lack of variety, the options available within the sectorial were enough for me. 

From time to time I have been scanning the Infinity Army and the store looking at the many gorgeous models and cool profiles available across all different factions. Still, it was not enough to trigger a real interest and a purchase. Then a few things happened:

Dune remake movie was released. I was already a fan of the book and the David Lynch movie and this sparked my interest again. 

About shadows, tactical rocks and the end of Infinity

Hey everyone! It's been a while since my last post and despite life had effectively and pleasantly limited the amount of time I can spend with my toy soldiers I didn't sit idle and managed to paint these three caballeros from Combined Army Booster Pack Alpha.

This post is less focused on Infinity as a game, leaving further tactic considerations to the upcoming Misson Focus posts, its intention being to deepen some thoughts that roamed free in the back of my head as I painted these miniatures. So, without further adue, let's start with...