Bakunin Overview and Purchase Guide

Welcome new Bakunian! You’ve decided to join the Free Folk and be part of the Heart of the Nomad Nation. Good for you! Be yourself, stand out from the crowd, and fight for self-expression and against oppression in all its forms.

This is going to be a general overview of Bakunin with some ideas about what a unit can be used for. At the end, I’ll include some suggestions for what to buy and in what order to get started, but really, the most important thing in Infinity is that you like your models. Go with the rule of cool, and if you need to try or play something else you can always proxy. Depending on which way you want to play it, the purchase order is going to change, but there’s some staples as well.

There’s a bunch of different tactics you can take with Bakunin, though in general, you’re probably not going to want to go for a straight up gunfight (with a few exceptions). You can play the camo shell game using Zeroes and Prowlers; throw up an amazing hacking and repeater network and target and immobilize anything that moves; launch an attack with anarcha-feminists backed by brutish taskmasters (taskmistresses?); or make a robotic army led by cyborgs. Likely, you’ll do a little bit of all of it in your list: diversity is the spice of Bakunin! I’d advise going with whatever strategy sounds most appealing but go ahead and experiment and find what works best for you.

First Steps

“Bakunin is kinda like a bubble. It’s not like the rest of the ‘Sphere. It exists in its own little world. I wonder what that’s like?” — Señor Massacre, explaining the dynamics of Nomad Motherships mid-firefight. Ariadnan Commercial Conflicts.

What is Bakunin Good at?

Bakunin is best at being diverse, both in lore and in gameplay. If you’re looking for a straightforward force, this isn’t it. They have all of the Nomad’s core pieces built in, so they’re a toolbox army with good hacking and good REMs. You have one of the most unified thematic forces (by being completely un-unified). Your core troops are cheap, you have arguably the best (or at least most point efficient and coolest) heavy infantry in the game with Riot Grrls, and you’re full of flavorful characters that are good at what they do. Not to mention you have some of the strongest warbands in the furries and Morlocks. Your base camo units (Zeros) are super cheap, and you can field 3 of them if you want to. You can pretty much field an entire army of women, too, so that’s awesome. You have a few strong ARO pieces that let you set up defensively, and with a properly made hacking network you can ARO everything that moves. Your specialists can get where they need to easily, and you have just enough firepower in the right places to punch the enemy when it counts…

What is Bakunin Bad at?

…But that’s only when it really counts. The firepower in Bakunin is fairly standard, and with a force that’s made up mostly of 1 wound models you don’t have as much staying power as you may want. Taking a straight-up fight isn’t where you’re going to excel; instead work to get engagements that favor you. A lot of things have decent Mimetism, but most don’t have much armor, so when you take a hit, it hurts. Only your Riot Grrls have MSV (and only 1), so you definitely have some visibility limitations. Smoke can be to your detriment. Your lieutenant choices aren’t great, and you have nothing to mitigate loss of lieutenant like chain of command, so if they go down you’re in trouble. All of this can be overcome, though! Pick your fights, use your excellent movement and tricks, and bring individuality to your opponent bullet by bullet, sword by sword, and claw by claw.

Where to Begin?

The Bakunin Starter Pack is a good place to… well, start. It has a little bit of everything. 2 moderators act as your core line troops which you’ll most likely need some of in some capacity. They’re both the default 9-point combi-rifle model, but you can always proxy them for any of the others. Plus, what’s more Bakunin than a bunny girl? The Morlock is super cheap points-wise (starting at 6!) and good in a bunch of different ways, and the Riot Grrl actually packs something of a punch and is really useful as an attack piece. The other two, the Reverend Moira and Sin-Eater Observant, are part of a specific group in Bakunin called the Observance. Both have their places, but I wouldn’t necessarily suggest using them to start.

Core Links – Building the Backbone

“You never know what to expect when you arrest someone. This is Bakunin. You go out to patrol through the public areas. You approach a guy in a corner… and you have no idea what you are going to find. You cannot imagine the things we have seen. Here, you have to be continuously ready for everything…” Moderator Otto Gryc, interview for “Urban Pulse” Arachne street program.

If you’re considering using a core link, you have a few options. The two that make most sense are Moderators and Riot Grrls, for different reasons. There’s also Reverend Moiras, but we’ll discuss them more when we get to the Observance. Core links can be useful for order efficiency and buffing the units in them. Sometimes they can be unwieldly, and because there’s 5 members that need to be in coherency, it can be tough to deploy them well – especially for new players! Try to keep in mind templates when deploying; you don’t want a rocket or boarding shotgun taking out all your troops at once.

Moderators

If you want to go the cheaper, line troop route, using the bulk of the core to buff other units, you can go with the Moderators. In addition to the ones that come in the starter pack, they have their own special weapon box. That gives you sculpts for a sniper, spitfire, pitcher, and hacker. You might (and probably shouldn’t…) use all those different profiles, but you can always use them to fill in the link since the starter pack only gives two. Other than the bunny girl, the moderators are designed to be characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, so that can be a plus or a minus depending on how you feel about it. That being said, the Combi Rifle + Pitcher/Gamora model is wonderful (and is so fun to use to set up a repeater network). Do keep in mind there isn’t a paramedic model, so you’ll have to proxy that one.

Moderators are your core line troops. They are exceedingly average as a unit, though they do have perks. First of all, they’re cheap! It’s 9 points for a base model with a combi-rifle, 1 more point for a pitcher, and only 11 for a paramedic. They also have 3 BTS which is an exciting plus that not everyone gets. Their WIP 13 makes the hacker fine, though not as standout with some of your other options. The pitcher works great in a link team with +3 BS. If you’re going to be taking a lot of hacking, it’s not a bad idea to bring 1 (or 2…). The sniper and spitfire sure are there. There’s not much reason to take them.

Riot Grrls

Your other good option for a core link is your Riot Grrls. Riot Grrls are a strong choice all around and would be a great place to start. They have above average BS for Bakunin, a great dodge stat, decent armor and BTS, and two wounds. They also have access to good guns and +1 damage on their BS attacks. That all means they pack something of a punch and are more survivable than the rest of your units. The missile launcher profile is often taken in a core link as an ARO piece, and with that +3 to hit and +1 burst you can blow up almost anything. The spitfire profile gives you a gun that can do some damage, and with the extra damage buff it hits hard. You can even take a specialist operative if you want something with a little survivability to tag buttons (though you probably have better options).

All of this put together means Riot Grrls are amazing and especially thematic for Bakunin. One important thing to note is that they can be part of a fireteam with Moderators, so you’re often not taking a full link of them but rather filling out the rest of a Moderator link. You can also link them with Taskmasters, and if you take the TinBot Boarding Shotgun profile it gives your entire link the -6 to be hacked. Couple that with a clockmaker or Avicenna (also linkable), and you’ve got a force to be reckoned with.

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Now You See Me…

“Everything’s legal on Bakunin.” —Technically untrue (though close) Nomad proverb.

One of the strengths of Bakunin is its mid board control, and your infiltrating camo units are a big part of that. Camo keeps your opponents guessing, and Hidden Deployment is an even bigger surprise. Infiltration means you’re starting at least halfway up the table (you can roll to get them starting on your opponent’s half, but if you fail the roll it’s a big disadvantage of the unit). One word of caution – people are starting to get wise to Bakunin’s tricks. Zeroes are very common to take as a camo unit, so someone who has knowledge of Bakunin will likely be able to guess what they are. Prowlers are really strong in N4, so people who are good at estimating the points you have deployed can see that coming, too. That doesn’t mean they’re not good, you might just lose your opponent being completely in the dark.

Zeros

Zeros are the heroes of camouflage! They’re barebones and cheap, as well as AVA 3, so it’s easy to get a bunch of them running around waiting to (not be) discovered. The deployable repeater profile can really up your hacking game, and there’s a few different specialists for pushing buttons. That means you can start pretty much right next to an objective and tag it turn one.

For what they do they’re very cheap, but while they have Mimetism (-3) they have no armor so they’re a bit squishy. Use that camo to avoid getting killed! They’re now sold in a 2 pack, so why not try taking both? There’s also an older girl sculpt which I like a lot (though the others are fairly androgynous so you can’t really lose).

Prowler

The equivalent of a beefed up Zero is the Prowler. It does everything a zero does (minus the deployable repeater) but better. They have hidden deployment, which means they start without even being present on the board – perfect for appearing out of nowhere when your opponent least expects it. Combine that with infiltrate and you can really set up some nasty tricks. A spitfire or boarding shotgun appearing out of nowhere can really mess up your opponent’s day. They’re all specialist operatives so they can always tag an objective with no need to take specific profiles. Most have D-Charges which helps with a lot of objectives, and they have the armor and BTS that zeroes lack. Personally, I don’t make a Bakunin list without taking one.

Bran do Castro

There’s also Bran do Castro ready to throw a monkey wrench into things. I definitely wouldn’t advise using him as a beginner, but he’s a Zero with good close combat and a +6 to his infiltration, which makes it really easy to start on your opponent’s half of the table. Being a monkey, he’s good at getting around. Climbing Plus and Super Jump mean he can swing across the table to where your opponent won’t expect him. He has some other perks, but he’s also much more expensive and is still just as squishy as a zero. Better to build up to strategies using him.

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Medic! … and Engineer!

“Oh, it’s completely unreasonable. We’re in agreement there. No reasonable person would allow these mad scientists to experiment on them. My mission is not reasonable. The risks are not reasonable. And my opposition refuses to listen to reason. When faced with an unreasonable task, you need an unreasonable solution. For those, I come to Bakunin.” — Lieutenant Paula Whitaker, Hexas agent. Hexahedron expense review, undisclosed location.

You’re going to need some form of support troops, and when purchasing them they usually come bundled as a doctor and engineer with zondbot helpers. Your support keeps your troops alive and repaired and can be required (or at least beneficial) for some missions. There’s a new pack about to come out which looks much more current and comes with an amazing demon girl clockmaker. There’s also the older pack, which I think has a cuter Daktari, and if you’re feeling really adventurous there’s a catgirl Daktari that’s usually expensive and hard to find.

Nomad Support Pack

Clockmakers are your engineers. They have WIP 15, so they’re good at what they do, and also come equipped with a deactivator, D-charges, and a Gizmokit (+1 Burst). Most notably, they’re able to join fireteams of Moderators and Riot Grrls, and the Riot Grrl choice in particular can be useful for getting them unhacked. If you’re going with a lot of remotes or heavy infantry, it’s definitely worth investing the points for one.

Daktaris are, honestly, kind of expensive for what they do. They’re only 14 points, but they can’t link with anything and only have WIP 13. If you need the Doctor ability rather than Paramedic, they’re cheaper than Avicenna, but they lose a lot of the utility. Personally, I end up taking Moderator Paramedics (3 points less and linked in a core link) instead, but if you need a doctor, it’s probably worth the splurge to go with Avicenna.

Zoe ad Pi-Well

I love Zoe and Pi-Well. They’re a character pack that fills the roles of multiple specialists. They’re expensive in points (44), but they’re great at what they do! Zoe is a hacker and engineer with 15 WIP, which is the max you can get in Bakunin. Pi-Well, on the other hand is a forward observer and repeater with sensor which makes him great at discovering camo units. He also has Mimetism (-6) and is Silhouette 1, so he’s easy to hide and hard to hit.

In addition, who doesn’t need a cute cyborg girl with her horrible, creepy baby? Just a note – you have to take both of them, you can’t pick and choose between them. They’re still worth it, and personally, I almost always bring them along.

 

Avicenna

There’s also Avicenna, the (kinda…?) trans girl doctor. She’s expensive, but she has NWI and doctor +3 as well as being able to link with Riot Grrls and Moderators. She can keep up your haris of hard-hitting troops if needed, and she moves at the above average 6-2 so she can get around decently. I still wouldn’t bring her as a beginner, but she’s definitely good. Keep in mind her trick of going NWI and then healing herself back to normal. 

Fiddler

As a last note on support units, Fiddler is now in Bakunin, as well. Everyone’s favorite ex-toymaker monkey (actual) trans girl is poised to become an amazing engineer character. With immunity to critical hits and shock, NWI, and +3 to dodge, she looks incredibly survivable (even if her armor and BTS are low). She’s got climbing plus, so her and her little unicycle can get around the map.

Maybe most importantly, though, she can take JackBots. Synchronized Vulcan shotguns with climbing plus and explode (!!) are really nasty. She was just added to the game this week, so we’ll have to see how she plays as time goes on. Also, her model is only available in ITS (and AGL) Tournament packs, so it’s going to be tough to get her for a while.

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 Warbands, Huh? What are they Good for?

Adrenaline. Sex. Danger. The streets of VaudeVille are positively dripping with possibilities. It’s an adventure with every step! To live in Bakunin is to live in overdrive. And I love it!” Go-Go Marlene, interactive trendwatching Mayacast. Only on Oxyd!

I strongly suggest getting some warbands. They’re useful for a ton of things and really cheap for what they do. They also tend to be the freaks that most people know Bakunin for.

Morlocks

Morlocks are indispensable. In game they’re good for trading up in points, and they’re almost auto-include in lists. Most cost only 6 points, which is a steal for what they do.They’re above average at close-combat (though not against close-combat specialists), they bring smoke to help you move around the field, they get a random buff from metachemistry, and can bring DA CC weapons for destroying servers and other tech. As a note, you only have Riot Grrls for MSV, so the smoke blocks a lot of your own troops, but used effectively, it can give the rest of your army space to maneuver.

The assault pistol profile lets you take quite a few short-range shots for cheap, and I have an above average track record at using it to take pot shots and getting a random kill. I’ve traded up in points with them so many times it’s ridiculous. They are irregular and impetuous… That makes them a little harder to figure out how to use in the beginning effectively, but once you get the hang of it, they’re great. Despite having to figure out the extra movement rules, I’d take one no matter what. Their current box of minis is the DC Suicide Squad complete with Harley Quinn, but you can also find some good older sculpts that have elves and tentacle-headed aliens.

Uberfallkommando

Uberfallkommando are your furries, an iconic Bakunin unit. I’ve heard them described as a furry guided-missile, and that’s pretty accurate. The Chimera in particular is a close combat beast! She’ll rip through strong units if you manage to get them to your opponent. She’s got Natural Born Warrior, so she nullifies the Martial Arts of other close combat specialists. Even better, the whole group has Total Immunity, so they ignore so many pesky effects. The Pupniks dodge on a ridiculous 19 so they’re great for clearing minefields. Surrounding an opponent with the Pupniks and engaging with the Chimera means a whole lot of Close Combat attacks. The whole unit has to stay in coherency, but they have a lot of move and climbing plus so they can do all sorts of crazy things.

They always scare opponents when they show up on the board, which can draw a lot of attention their way, but they have a bunch of tricks to avoid getting destroyed as they run up to shred through them. The chimera has eclipse smoke which blocks line of sight AND MSV which is amazing for being able to sneak by those nasty snipers. Do keep in mind that the Chimera has structure and not wounds – that means she needs an engineer to fix her rather than a medic to heal her. The pupniks can be healed, but if the Chimera goes down, they all go null, so make sure to keep her alive.

The Revolution Will be Mechanized

“Basically, it is a kind of semi-autonomous robotic porter, a high-tech beast of burden. It can free a soldier’s back from some weight on campaign, suffer the rigors of the battlefield, and support the activities of the ground elements of the Nomad Military Forces, reinforcing their communication and cybercombat nets.” “Ultimate Gears” Program of the Nomad channel Connectia. Available in Maya and Arachne.

Remotes are amazing in Bakunin and fill a bunch of different roles. You have a ton of repeaters among the group, so they almost all up your hacking game, and with the right profiles you can get strong ARO or attack pieces. There’s also a few tricks you can pull with our only air drop troop or up your board control game with crazy koalas. Just a note on the standard Zond Bots box itself – it comes with 2 bots and there’s 4 profiles. You’d have to buy 2 boxes to build all of them. There’s also new sculpts of them coming out at the end of November, so if you want to wait, you’ll get the updated sculpts.

Utility Zonds

First, there’s the Transductor Zond, a standard flash pulse bot, which is a cheap way to get orders. It also causes stun which prevents your enemy from shooting back. Use it to fill in those last few points if you don’t want to take an irregular Morlock.

Reaktion Zonds are your heavy machine gun total reaction bot, which is a standard ARO piece with a big gun. It has a 360 visor to see all around it as well as Total Reaction so it shoots back on full burst. It also has climbing plus if you need to get it in weird places. It’s relatively cheap compared to some of your other ARO pieces, but it also has lower BS and almost no frills beyond its HMG.

You have a Stempler Zond that’s a forward observer with a deactivator and climbing plus to let it crawl all over the board. It carries a combi rifle so you can take some shots with it, but more importantly it has sensor to help it discover camo units around it. Keep in mind its also a repeater, so it can be used as something of a defensive piece to sensor camo units coming in and then hack them as they get close. A little bit expensive for that, but the possibility does exist. 

And you have the Vertigo Zond, my favorite of the standard Zond pack, a guided missile bot ready to rain down hell on the enemy. If you put together a strong repeater network (something Bakunin is great at) you can basically target and blow up anything. Watch out for opponents being salty, though. Just cast spotlight on your enemies as they get in range of your repeaters, and you’re all set to start hitting them hard. Keep in mind, you can only fire 5 guided missiles a turn, so don’t expect to completely table someone in one go. 

Attack Sputniks

My personal favorite remote is the Tsyklon Sputnik. It’s got a 360 visor to see all around it, a spitfire or Feuerbach so you can decide to go mid or long range and is a repeater with a pitcher. It’s a wildcard link, so throw it in a core link and you can get +3 to your pitcher shots at any range (and since it has an X-visor, no penalties for shooting outside of your range zone). It works well as an ARO piece in a core with the Feuerbach (15 BS and +1 burst on a full link!), though fights the Riot Grrl missile launcher for that role. It’s a handy way to get your repeater network going early in the game while not losing other utility. If you pair it with an EVO Hacker (Salyut Zond) you can get Marksmanship to shoot through partial cover and reload your pitcher when you need even more repeater coverage.

Lunokhod Sputniks have crazy koalas, perimeter weapons that will run at enemies if they get within 8 inches of them. Accordingly, they’re decent at setting up a mine field to help control your side of the board. If you creep them forward you can also throw out koalas to control the mid board.  I haven’t actually used them much, so no real recommendations here – sorry! 

Last but definitely not least is the Vostok Sputnik. It only comes in the Beyond Crimson Stone pack, which is a big investment for only one model that works in Bakunin of the six in the pack. There’s been a lot of chatter online about how strong the Vostok is because of its Mimetism (-6), Mk12 (+1 damage), Repeater ability, and maybe most importantly, the ability to wildcard into any fireteam. If you opt to not put it in a fireteam, you can take a red fury or missile launcher, each with +1 burst. You also gain Albedo. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to use it efficiently (mine always die!). That being said, there’s definitely potential here for someone more attack minded. 

Support and Meteor Zonds

Salyut Zonds are your baggage bots and EVO hackers. In general, they buff your other bots if they’re hackers or refill pitchers and mines if they’re only baggage. As mentioned before, Marksmanship lets you shoot through partial cover with no penalties, and you can take Fairy Dust if you want to give a firewall to your REMs, Heavy Infantry, or TAG. The standard deactivator/repeater profile is pretty cheap at 8 points and can still be used to get extra victory points in control missions.

The EVO bot also has the ability to buff our one airdrop troop: 

The Meteor Zond! Airdrop troops are great for showing up where your opponents don’t want them. It’s relatively cheap at 21 points and acts as a repeater with a gun. It’s also a forward observer so it can be a specialist and drop in to tag things if you need it to. Keep in mind, it has no armor, so it’s pretty squishy. Deploying it in the right place at the right time is key.

It’s guns are pretty standard, though a boarding shotgun from behind can hurt! It has sensor, so it’s good at discovering things, and is a deactivator if you need to clear some mines. Lastly, it has triangulated fire if you really need to make a hard shot. Don’t sleep on the Parachutist ability, either. Oftentimes it’s more advantageous to just walk on from a board edge in a good spot rather than risk a drop to place it perfectly. 

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Shoot it Dead!

“Power to the People: even if they don’t know what to do with it.” — Quantronic graffiti: Sunset Boulevard: Promenade Layer.

Straight up overpowering your opponent isn’t really what Bakunin is about. It doesn’t mean we don’t have firepower, but we’re usually winning games from a different direction. If you really want to insist on going for the big guns, you have a few choices.

Taskmaster

The Taskmaster is an S5 brute that carries a big gun. It’s above average in close combat, but it’s more important that it can carry an HMG or heavy rocket launcher. There’s also the heavy shotgun and red fury profiles which aren’t slouches either. You can get them with Tinbots to make them harder to hack, and they have 5 armor and 6 BTS which already makes them hard to take down. Add 2 wounds and you’ve got something that packs a punch. They come with mines or (more importantly) crazy koalas and minelayer, so you start the game with some forms of board control already.

If you need a lieutenant that’s not going to die right away, a Taskmaster isn’t a bad choice. More importantly, though, they can link with Riot Grrls. That means you can do something like take a Riot Grrl with a Tinbot (Firewall: -6) and make them nigh unhackable. Throw Avicenna in there and you have a powerful link that’s hard to hack and has a doctor ready to go. If you’d prefer a different Riot Grrl, you could take a Clockmaker to clear their states, or a Vostok to make it super killy. Having a haris of 3 means you’re getting an extra burst on a big gun, and if you go crazy and put it in a Riot Grrl core you can get +3 to its BS value, getting you up to 16! Do keep in mind they’re expensive. It’s possible to take a duo of them, but I really wouldn’t advise it.

Lizard

Another big gun option and your only TAG is the Lizard. Poor Lizard sculpt, you’re way out of date. That being said, it still looks pretty endearing! Lizards are the biggest gun you have in your force with the MULTI Heavy Machine Gun, but like all TAGs it drastically changes the playstyle and makeup of your lists.

It can be hard to properly incorporate a TAG until you get the hang of the game some as it’s a lot of points to take (and lose) if you misplay it. You can take a profile with a grenade launcher (+1 damage) though, and that can let you do some speculative fire template shenanigans if you’re feeling silly.

Wolfgang

Wolfgang Amadeus Wolff is sadly neither a composer nor a wolf. Fortunately, he has a bunch of features that make him attractive. First, his MULTI-Rifle comes with +1 burst, so you’re already at an advantage when shooting. He has Martial Arts L3 and 22 CC, as well as Berserk, so he can close in and then close combat well. He dodges better than average at +2” and +3, he has 3 armor and 3 BTS so he has some survivability. He also has 2 wounds which you don’t get much of in Bakunin. Frenzy means he can become impetuous and get you an extra action with him (though watch out for the loss of cover when it happens!).

He also has Terrain (Zero-G) and Climbing Plus so he can attack from weird directions. Lastly, he’s a wildcard fireteam option, so you can throw him wherever you need him. In a core link, it gives him the ability to get up to 5 burst with his MULTI-Rifle, which can be really nasty! He was only a preorder for the Crimson Stone box, though, so you’ll have to either wait for the general release sculpt, proxy, or hit eBay to get him.

The Observance of Saint Mary of the Knife, Our Lady of Mercy

“God is merciful and kind. Unfortunately for you, I am not God but a Reverend.” Reverend Healer Irene Chalkias. Defense of the orbital module Babelya-9. Human Edge. Critical stage of the NeoColonial Wars.

 “We have to bring this ship to safety. We have to kill them all, except for one, to make him talk. We are going to find out who they are and for whom they work, and we’ll make sure they are not going to hurt us ever again. Because that’s what the Observance is for. That’s what we are for.” Reverend Kusanagi, transmitted by intercom, Violent Intermission.

Which brings us to the Observance. Fully titled The Observance of Saint Mary of the Knife, Our Lady of Mercy, the Observance is an (almost) all female radical branch of Catholicism. Full of cis and trans women (along with a few really, really subby men), they “see power in the feminine divine: males simply cannot achieve purity or enlightenment, making them entirely unsuitable for membership in their sacred Sisterhood.” They fanatically hate ALEPH and are some of the coolest and most notable models in the Bakunin line.

Don’t start with the Observance. The general thought at the moment is that they’re overcosted for what they do, and they can be kinda squishy beyond that despite the fact they all have Mimetism. In the lore, they’re an integral part of Bakunin’s defense, but on the table, they’re anything but. They have their places, but for a newcomer they’re pretty tough to use.

Reverend Moiras

Reverend Moiras are the standard Observance troop, and while battle nuns are always cool, they’re lackluster for their points. They can form a core link if you’re so inclined, and they have profiles that with a wide range of weapons (and a hacker). But their BS isn’t super high at 12, and again, they’re expensive! You generally pay more for each Moira than you would for a Riot Grrl, and your Grrls have staying power and can do damage.

The Moiras do have Mimetism (-6) to help them stay alive along with 3 armor, so they have that going for them. They’re also your only source of NCO in the army, so you could always use a lieutenant order to get free moves for one of them. They also have Number 2, but again, why would you be taking a link of them? They can form a link with Custodiers, Healers, and Kusanagi, but you’re still paying out the nose for points better spent elsewhere.

Reverend Custodiers

Reverend Custodiers are the only members of the Observance I take regularly. Not only do their models look amazing, they’re pretty good hackers with armor 3, BTS 3, and Mimetism (-6) so they have at least a little staying power. You can also get a Hacking Device + that can give them CyberMask to basically put them in camo. Keep in mind Mimetism turns off when you’re in CyberMask, though. With their HD+ you get White Noise, which is helpful against MSV units, and they can have a pitcher to get a repeater network going. That means you can start to cast White Noise farther out and block snipers and other nasties from using their MSV.

They’re not a terrible choice for your lieutenant, but they’re one of your few choices so your opponents may see it coming. Unfortunately, like all Observance, they’re expensive. They have the ability to join a fireteam of Moiras, but that would mean you would have to have a fireteam of Moiras. We already talked about why you’re not doing that. If you do take one, it’s probably best to take her solo.

Reverend Healers

Reverend Healers are too expensive for what they do. Only Mimetism (-3) as compared to the others’ (-6), they’re a doctor without the +3 of Avicenna (and more expensive!) Their weapons are very standard for Bakunin, and in the end are nothing special. They can fireteam with Reverend Moiras, but that’s still supposing you have a link of Moiras. It’s really too bad they have such great models. If you want someone to rez your team, take a Moderator paramedic, and if you need a doctor, take Avicenna.

Sin-Eater Observants

Sin-Eater Observants are the only men in the Observance, and the only part I might recommend to new players. (Which is really unfortunate!) They’re strictly an ARO piece – their Neurocinetics makes them shoot only burst 1 on their active turn but full burst in ARO. They can get an HMG or sniper rifle, so if you want something for a little defense you could go in that route. BS 13 isn’t bad but watch out for their Mimetism at only (-3). One comes in the Starter Pack, though, so if you do go that route no need to buy one separately. They unfortunately fight with Riot Grrls, Tsyklons, and Reaktion Zonds for the ARO spot, all of which have their own benefits. If you’re a fan of subservient men (or just the way they look), you could make one work.

Cassandra Kusanagi

Cassandra Kusanagi is the character version of the Reverends and is pretty decent. She’s expensive at around 40 points, but neither her MULTI Rifle or Spitfire are particularly bad. BS 14 is better than almost anything you get in Bakunin, and she does have Mimetism (-6) even if her armor is only 3. She’s squishy with 1 wound, but she does have NWI so that functions as a second. As a lieutenant, she can give you +1 SWC for your army which is handy, but you probably won’t be hitting the SWC cap anyway. She can fireteam with anyone in the Observance, so if you really decide you want a nun fireteam you could throw her in there. She’s probably better on her own, though, just keep in mind if you do go for that you shouldn’t just run ahead guns blazing. She’s an attractive target for the enemy, and she’ll get taken down fairly quickly.

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Who Let These Guys in Here?

There’s two other units you can take in Bakunin: Warcors and Chaksa Longarms. Most armies have access to Warcors, and the Chaksa are fairly new to the list. I’m not really well versed in either of them, though I will say that a 3-point 360 visor Warcor with flash pulse isn’t a bad thing if you have a few points sitting around. Depending on the mission, it may be more advantageous to take a Zondbot, though.

What to Buy and When?

 “Looking for the neon bazaar? My friend, you’re on Bakunin. You’re already here.” — A local, giving reliably Bakunian directions to a tourist. Overheard in VaudeVille.

 So, now you have a summary of Bakunin’s units and what they do. At this point, the question is ‘Where do I jump in?’ I’m going to give a standard list of staples that everyone should probably pick up, followed by a few lists of suggestions for different playstyles. The specialized lists suppose you have at least most of the beginning list, and definitely the Bakunin Jurisdictional Command (Nomads Sectorial Starter Pack). If something’s repeated in the latter lists, it doesn’t mean pick up two of them, just that they go along with the playstyle well (and in case you skip them in the Standard Package). I’ve noted where a second set is helpful. I’ve included links to the Corvus Belli store to show what the boxes look like, but you should always support your FLGS if you can. (You can also definitely find them for cheaper elsewhere…). If they’re not available on CB’s store any longer, I’ve linked to somewhere else.

Just to reiterate what was said at the beginning, though, Infinity is all about the rule of cool. Pick what you think looks good and you’ll have fun seeing on the table. You can always proxy them as something else, and the game is so much more fun if you actually enjoy your miniatures.

Standard Beginner Package:

1. Bakunin Jurisdictional Command (Nomads Sectorial Starter Pack)
2. Riot Grrls (AND Riot Grrls (Spitfire))
3. Zeros (Combi Rifle/Hacker)
4. Bakunin ϋberfallkommando
5. Zonds Remotes
6. Nomads Support Pack
7. Die Morlock Gruppe
8. Prowlers
9. Taskmaster, Bakunin SWAST Team

DE-FENSE *Clap Clap* DE-FENSE

1. Moderators from Bakunin (to flesh out a cheap core link and support ARO pieces)
2. Riot Grrls
3. Tsyklon Sputniks
4. Zonds Remotes
5. Nomads Support Pack
6. Zoe and Π-Well, Special Clockmakers Team (Engineer and Remote)
7. Sin-Eater Observants (Sniper)
8. Avicenna, Mercenary Doctor
9. Zonds Remotes

I want to Hack and Slash

1. Bakunin ϋberfallkommando
2. Die Morlock Gruppe
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Wolff
4. (Another) Bakunin ϋberfallkommando

I want to .Hack and /

1. Zoe and Π-Well, Special Clockmakers Team (Engineer and Remote)
2. Reverend Custodier (Hacker, Combi Rifle + Marker) (or this one, but the model with the pitcher is preferred)
3. Moderators from Bakunin (for the pitcher and hacker)
4. Tsyklon Sputniks (for the pitcher)
5. Zonds Remotes (Particularly the Vertigo Zond though repeater bots work great, too)
6. Zeros (Combi Rifle/Hacker) (Hacker, Killer Hacker, and Deployable Repeater)
7. Meteor Zond (for the repeater)
8. Prowlers (If you want buff Killer Hackers)

I want to Disappear (and then Reappear Where the Enemy Doesn’t Want Me)

1. Zeros (Combi Rifle/Hacker)
2. Prowlers
3. Bran Do Castro
4. Meteor Zond (Note – Not Camo, but a good piece from coming at the enemy from weird angles)

Controlling the Mid Board is (Literally) Where it’s at

1. Zeros (Combi Rifle/Hacker)
2. Prowlers
3. Die Morlock Gruppe
4. Bakunin ϋberfallkommando
5. (Another) Zero; Either Zeros (Combi Rifle/Hacker) (which will result in 1 extra), the E/Mauler Sculpt, or proxy
6. Taskmaster, Bakunin SWAST Team
7. Lunokhod Sputniks
8. Bran Do Castro

AI Rights are Uh… Human(?) Rights!

1. Zoe and Π-Well, Special Clockmakers Team (Engineer and Remote)
2. Zonds Remotes
3. Salyut Zonds (EVO Repeater, Combi Rifle)
4. Beyond Operation Crimson Stone (Only for the Vostok Sputnik, probably better to proxy with a Tsyklon from the Tsyklon box)
5. Tsyklon Sputniks
6. Nomads Support Pack
7. Zonds Remotes
8. Meteor Zond
9. Lunokhod Sputniks

Hail Mary of the Knife, Full of Grace…

1. Reverend Custodier (Hacker, Combi Rifle + Marker) (or this one, but the model with the pitcher is preferred)
2. Cassandra Kusanagi (Spitfire)
3. Reverend Moiras
4. Sin-Eater Observants (Sniper)
5. Reverend Healer (Boarding Shotgun)

I Want to Hit Them Hard!!!

1. Taskmaster, Bakunin SWAST Team (Could substitute this one, but make sure you have Crazy Koalas)
2. Riot Grrls (AND Riot Grrls (Spitfire))
3. Avicenna, Mercenary Doctor
4. Lizard Squadron (TAG) (and if you’re feeling cheeky, Lizard Pilot; Otherwise just proxy with a different unit)