Infinity/N3 Tactics/Druze Bayram Security

Why Play Druze?

They're the first of the non-aligned armies to be released and largely combine some great units from Haqq, PanO and mercenaries. Basically, you want cool little Fireteam combos for maximum efficiency that until the other non-aligned armies were released, weren't available elsewhere. Druze feel a bit overshadowed since the other two Mercenary companies have been released but this list still has some finer points to it.

Faction Features

• Soldiers of Fortune: as well as the titular Druze, you get access to Brawlers, Bounty Hunters and even PanO REMs!
• Shock Teams: Let's talk a bit about the Druze themselves, because they are exceptional infantry comparable to Neoterran Bolts but without the skub. The big draw in this list is they can form fireteams with themselves and other units.

Special Skills & Equipment

• Fireteams: You can't talk about this list and not talk about Fireteam composition, but we'll get to that in a moment. Duo, Haris and Core are available herein.
• Druze: They have a lot of cool shit, definitely worth taking as some kind of Fireteam.
• REMs: You get access to REMs mostly from PanO except for your baggage and servant REMs which are Haqq.

Unit Overview

Light Infantry

• Authorized Bounty Hunters: you may not get character bounty hunters like in the ISS, but you can take these guys as regular troops. The upgraded weapons are great, especially the Sniper/double Breaker pistol combo. And even better? You can make little Fireteams out of them.
  • Fireteam: Duo: It's hard not to like these, especially a Sniper + Red Fury duo. Awesome if you can fit the points and SWC.

• Bashi Bazouks:Bashi Bazouks have both Holoprojector L2 and Parachutist, an incredible combination. They are a great disruption unit. However, AD:Parachutist requires some foresight. They are irregulars, but dirt cheap - low investment and losing them does not hurt the order pool. Popular profiles are the SMG+Chain Colt, Combi+E/Mauler but the SpecOp and AP-Rifle are appealing too. Remember that Holoprojector 2 and Supressive Fire has an peculiar rule-interaction which adds value to the Bashi-Bazouk

• Brawlers: a new unit with not a lot of info, these guys and gals can fill a variety of roles in your army. Decent shots with good armour for LI, you can trade their Rifle and Light Shotgun for a MULTI Sniper and MSV2, a Submachine gun and AHD or their primary weapon and pistol for an HRL and assault pistol. They can also be your engineer, doctor or Lieutenant and can compose three different Fireteams!
  • Fireteam: Duo: A great combo for lieutenant and support, but otherwise overshadowed by the other two options.
  • Fireteam: Haris: intended more as a small gun platform team for the HRL or MULTI sniper.
  • Special Fireteam: Core: up to three brawlers can join a Druze Core, and that's awesome. Best for adding a Doctor and/or the MSV2.

• Valerya Gromoz, Mercenary Hacker: An inexpensive WIP 14 multipurpose Hacker. Comes with a Pitcher. She's the only one with a regular hacking device in this list so it's a toss-up between her and a Kameel for toolbox hacking. The real upside to her however is that she can join any of the fireteams of DBS, reducing costs, adding specialists, hacker support or filling holes in fireteams with recently deceased team-members.

• WarCor: 3 pts Irregular Flash Pulse ARO piece with 360 visor. Not very useful, but if you have 3 spare points and all your Doctors and Engineers already have G: Servants, why not.

Medium Infantry

• Armand 'Le Muet,' Freelance Killer: Poor old Armand can't remember which side he's on. He brings an irritating ARO piece made difficult by his ODD. He also comes with the option for either an antipersonnel minelayer to protect his zone or an MSV1; considering a Brawler has an MSV2 for less, the former might be a better choice.

• Druze Shock Teams: this is it, the reason why you're playing this army. As infantry, Druze are seriously kickass and way different than when they tag along with the sultanate. Your standard Druze packs a combi-rifle, chain colt, X-visor and viral pistol with Veteran and Fatality 1. Options for a paramedic, lieutenant or a panzerfaust. They can trade their X-visor and combi for an HMG or MULTI-sniper with mimetism; can drop the chain colt for a nimbus and E/M grenade launcher; switch just the combi for a shock Marksman Rifle or the X-visor alone for either an AHD or KHD. A dizzying array of options no doubt, but it gets even better once you start building fireteams with them...
  • Fireteam: Duo: very barebones, best used for a hacker and some support.
  • Fireteam: Haris: Much like the Brawlers, a very compact and efficient gun platform for an HMG, sniper or marksman.
  • Fireteam: Core and Special Core: taking 5 of these is a bit like taking 5 Bolts - you're only really doing it to run some sort of aggressive lieutenant. Unfortunately, you don't really have options for those in this list. However, you have two special core options: there's the option of up to three brawlers from above or a brawler and a Clipper dronbot, which is just crazy!
  • Security Chief Arslan: Compared to other Druze, he gets better CC/BS, an MSV1, Hyperdynamics and NWI. He's best taken in a Duo with another Druze.

Heavy Infantry

Not in this list.

Tactical Armoured Gear

• Anaconda: The toughest fire support you can field in the army and a decent, cheap light TAG. ITS Season 9 decided to give TAGs a +1 to their damage so this thing's spitfire hits as hard as an HMG, not to mention the HFT and panzerfaust. Oh, and they can take an actual HMG and chain colt, replacing the Spitfire and LFT respectively. Druze won't become irregular in LoL, making them decent cheerleaders for a TAG - worth considering.
  • Pilot: Bad news is that she's not a SpecOp; good news is that she's got a decent ARM and BTS (by Merovigian standards) and retains the spitfire from bailing out of her TAG... which she might survive as well.

• Scarface And Cordelia: They're still around, doing what they do best - kicking asses. Scarface's TAG throws down with 2 Mk12's, an HRL and an AP CCW with assault. Not bad considering his high CC, PH and MOV. When he bails, he gets a boarding shotgun and becomes a Spec Op. His sister meanwhile comes with him in a Duo and fixes the TAG when it takes damage. Surprisingly shooty considering the low point and SWC cost. Together Cordelia and Scarface can form a Fireteam: Duo which keeps Scarface out of Frenzy/Impetous and also lets you move a specialist up the board. Remember that you can swap out Cordelia for Valerya if you want a bit more utility for Cordelia such as adding a nasmat to her so she can do more things than just chase Scarface around

Remotes

• Dronbots: Standard issue S3 Remotes, PanOceanian ones are not special in any way.
  • Clipper: The Smart ML/ ML Remote. It can be included in a (special) Fireteam-Core with Druze giving it the bonuses of fireteams and likely the only reason for bringing it. Adding supportware to it while in the fireteam is just extra icing, which makes it a vicious ARO-threat (ML with SSL2, +1Burst, +3BS and MML2 has serious bite): Unlike standard PanO the DBS variant of Clipper has option for regular ML instead of Smart ML for one point less
  • Fugazi: The Repeater/Flash Pulse Remote. Cheap Regular Order and a mobile Repeater. Nice filler or Flash Pulse ARO.
  • Pathfinder: The Forward Observer Remote. Mobile Repeater, armed, specialist, for 16 pts. It is one of two choices for Forward Observer available to DBS.
  • Sierra: The HMG Total Reaction Remote. Just park it where it can cause your opponent the most trouble moving around.

• Peacemaker Armbots: Druze don't get access to the Bulleteer, but it comes with a Repeater and a Heavy Shotgun and Spitfire options and all have mechanized deployment meaning that they start further up the board. All profiles come with a HFT-Auxbot, making it fit more for clearing out infiltrators. Can be used to fill a blind spot, arguably better due to its two-in-one nature. For this role the Shotgun is preferable.

• Kameels: Standard Baggage REMs with an EVO Hacker option. These are arguably your best toolbox hacker considering the extras you get out of EVO hacking devices.
• Nasmat: Nasmats keep your doctors and engineers safe from harm and extend their range, but then they can't join fireteams. This is a serious setback - generally pass.

Skirmishers

• Hunzakuts: Irregular, but inexpensive. They are a fairly decent Camo Infiltrator (the only one available in DBS) and they all come with Antipersonnel Mines. The Forward Observer benefits from Haqqislam's strong WIP14 for either Objective grabbing or Flash Pulse. No other infiltrating unit have Deployable Repeaters, so if you want to extend your hackers' influence, Hunzakuts can easily plant Repeaters further up the board. The Light Grenade Launcher option is also pretty solid, because she can deploy further up the board and Speculative Fire. It's possible to impose a -6MOD with Suprise Shot L1 and dodging templates without LoF.

• Saito Togan: Saito is a TO Infiltrating ninja mercenary. He's 2pts cheaper than a generic oniwaban because he wields a EXP CCW instead of monofilament. However, he's still very capable in close combat and even brings his own Smoke Grenades. For an extra point, you can have him as a Specialist.

Building Your Army

A key feature of these mercenary company lists is that a lot of them can be cobbled together out of leftovers and cast-offs from other lists. Druze shock teams however do have a set and that's usually a good starting point for this list. Unfortunately, you're going to have to convert your own Brawlers for the moment as they don't have any models; the rest are easily bought.

Tactics

• Druze Artillery: Core team of Druze with a brawler and a Sierra with an SML. Take as many Hunzakuts and/or pathfinders as you can along with an EVO Kameel for support ware. Now you have one outrageous weapon platform!