Miniature games come and go with near startling regularity.
While some games you quickly get the feeling may be short-lived, but even top games such as MERCs can disappear almost overnight.
Then there are the elite games from top-drawer companies that just go on and on producing high-quality miniatures, expanding their rulesets, and simply staying fresh for their fans.
One such company is Corvus Belli and the game is Infinity.
While at its heart Infinity is a skirmish game, so a limited number of minis are required.
Infinity, which launched back in 2005, has a rather diverse range of character miniatures for the various factions, so players have tons of options.
Since Corvus Belli designs minis with as good a detail as the hobby allows, with amazing action poses, it’s hard not to want them all, even if you only need a small force to play.
Since the game has been out for some 15-years, there have been changes along the way.
There is something of a natural evolution that mini battle games and role-playing games share. A ruleset launches and once it has been in the hands of a broader audience of players, the rulebook needs to be updated as players identify flaws and make use of previously unseen loopholes.
After V.2 the game goes along for a time but as new characters are added, new rules, new factions, a V.3 is generally needed.
And, if the game lasts V.4, which is where Infinity is with the release of what it calls N4, a two-book set, one the Core Book with tonnes of background and fluff on the Infinity universe and the rulebook with the latest version of the ruleset.
So from the rulebook; “Infinity N4 is a 28 mm metal miniatures game simulating special operations and skirmishes in a high technology sci-fi universe. Infinity N4 recreates direct action operations, which are quick, lethal, and very risky. The player assumes command of a small group of elite troopers engaging in undercover and clandestine operations. Infinity N4 is an innovative game system, dynamic and entertaining, which allows all players to participate during the entire gaming sequence. It possesses a great amount of realism and flexibility, providing players with a wide variety of tactical and strategic maneuvers to employ during the game.
“Infinity N4 is a competitive game that pits two rival armies against each other in a struggle to complete a series of tactical objectives. The game lasts three rounds, or until all a player’s units are eliminated. Mission details and the different end-game modes that determine the winner are described further below.
“Once the table is set, the players start the game by deploying their miniatures and markers on the gaming table. The game is organized through a series of game rounds, and in each round, each player has their own active turn. During their active turn, each player assigns orders to the troopers to activate and play with them, moving them about the table, attacking enemy troopers and accomplishing the scenario objectives. At the same time, the opponent is also playing, by reacting to the actions made by the player who has the active turn, thanks to Automatic Reaction Orders (ARO). During the game, the rounds continue until the end-game conditions are met, which ends the game. Once the game has finished, the players check their objective points and their victory points to determine who the winner is.”
The two books are, to begin with gorgeous. They are both full colour with loads of art, photos, and graphs, all served up on glossy paper. This is as nice as rulebooks can be.
The books are softcover, but while that might seem a bit of a letdown, the two books come in a box slipcover, so they are well protected between game sessions and look great on the bookshelf too.
If you like miniature games, Infinity is about as good as it gets.
If you have always wanted to try a mini skirmish game, well N4 is an ideal jumping-in spot for Infinity, and you can be rather confident Infinity will be around for years to come.
Check it out at www.corvusbelli.com
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Assistant Editor of Yorkton This Week, with more than 25-years in the newspaper business. He has numerous Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Assoc. awards, various other honours for writing, and has freelanced stories around the world. He has also authored eight books to-date.
Calvin’s Commentaries: Infinity
While some games you quickly get the feeling may be short-lived, but even top games such as MERCs can disappear almost overnight.
Then there are the elite games from top-drawer companies that just go on and on producing high-quality miniatures, expanding their rulesets, and simply staying fresh for their fans.
One such company is Corvus Belli and the game is Infinity.
While at its heart Infinity is a skirmish game, so a limited number of minis are required.
Infinity, which launched back in 2005, has a rather diverse range of character miniatures for the various factions, so players have tons of options.
Since Corvus Belli designs minis with as good a detail as the hobby allows, with amazing action poses, it’s hard not to want them all, even if you only need a small force to play.
Since the game has been out for some 15-years, there have been changes along the way.
There is something of a natural evolution that mini battle games and role-playing games share. A ruleset launches and once it has been in the hands of a broader audience of players, the rulebook needs to be updated as players identify flaws and make use of previously unseen loopholes.
After V.2 the game goes along for a time but as new characters are added, new rules, new factions, a V.3 is generally needed.
And, if the game lasts V.4, which is where Infinity is with the release of what it calls N4, a two-book set, one the Core Book with tonnes of background and fluff on the Infinity universe and the rulebook with the latest version of the ruleset.
So from the rulebook; “Infinity N4 is a 28 mm metal miniatures game simulating special operations and skirmishes in a high technology sci-fi universe. Infinity N4 recreates direct action operations, which are quick, lethal, and very risky. The player assumes command of a small group of elite troopers engaging in undercover and clandestine operations. Infinity N4 is an innovative game system, dynamic and entertaining, which allows all players to participate during the entire gaming sequence. It possesses a great amount of realism and flexibility, providing players with a wide variety of tactical and strategic maneuvers to employ during the game.
“Infinity N4 is a competitive game that pits two rival armies against each other in a struggle to complete a series of tactical objectives. The game lasts three rounds, or until all a player’s units are eliminated. Mission details and the different end-game modes that determine the winner are described further below.
“Once the table is set, the players start the game by deploying their miniatures and markers on the gaming table. The game is organized through a series of game rounds, and in each round, each player has their own active turn. During their active turn, each player assigns orders to the troopers to activate and play with them, moving them about the table, attacking enemy troopers and accomplishing the scenario objectives. At the same time, the opponent is also playing, by reacting to the actions made by the player who has the active turn, thanks to Automatic Reaction Orders (ARO). During the game, the rounds continue until the end-game conditions are met, which ends the game. Once the game has finished, the players check their objective points and their victory points to determine who the winner is.”
The two books are, to begin with gorgeous. They are both full colour with loads of art, photos, and graphs, all served up on glossy paper. This is as nice as rulebooks can be.
The books are softcover, but while that might seem a bit of a letdown, the two books come in a box slipcover, so they are well protected between game sessions and look great on the bookshelf too.
If you like miniature games, Infinity is about as good as it gets.
If you have always wanted to try a mini skirmish game, well N4 is an ideal jumping-in spot for Infinity, and you can be rather confident Infinity will be around for years to come.
Check it out at www.corvusbelli.com
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Assistant Editor of Yorkton This Week, with more than 25-years in the newspaper business. He has numerous Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Assoc. awards, various other honours for writing, and has freelanced stories around the world. He has also authored eight books to-date.
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