Infinity/N4 Tactics/Qapu Khalqi

An overview for Qapu Khalqi, a Sectorial for Haqqislam

Why Play Qapu Khalqi?

That's a really good question! In an edition of the game filled with fearsome TAGs and incredible Warbands, awesome alien hackers, and deadly invisible ninjas what does Qapu Khalqi offer the interested player? The short answer is: challenge.

The longer answer requires a very short Infinity history lesson: QK was the first faction to receive the Haris fireteam rule, way back in N2, and as such it had some pretty cool and unique ways to play. However the heydays of N2 are now a distant memory and unfortunately the rules for "The Men of the Gate" have not remained in lock step with more recent developments in the game. Therefore, playing QK can at times be painful and victories hard won. As with all sectorial armies, the unit selection is limited, but it is also old, with some essential profiles OOP, and others that may appear lacklustre compared to more recently designed factions.

As a Haqqislam player you might look across at your brothers and sisters playing Ramah Task Force and Hassassin Bahram and start to question your life choices, but wait! There is reward on the path less taken, and some uncommon joys.

So who are Qapu Khalqi, and how should you approach playing them?

The background to the faction is that they are the defacto Navy of the Haqqislam nation, primarly tasked with protecting the Silk routes from pirates, ne'er-do-wells and other factions who wish to bypass the Haqqislamite monopoly on the Silk trade. They also protect travellers, or whatever.

The catch to this otherwise seemingly very lucrative job is that the Sultan likes to keep as much of his wealth to himself, and Haqqislam doesn't have the industrial might of the likes of PanO and Yu Jing, so they hire in mercenaries and pirates, endowing them with the status of privateers, to fight for them.

On the table this makes QK something of a patchwork faction (often thought of as NA2 before NA2 was a thing) containing a mix of Haqqislam, Nomad, and non-aligned mercenary units. This unique mix, coupled with quite high unit costs for some of the faction staples, make Qapu Khalqi something of an unsolved faction. This means that it is possible to build a list that can competently take on any one opponent, but there is very little in the way of indispensable units that are always useful and effective, and nothing approaching an all-comers type of list that can address any threat.

In this way QK can be whatever you make of it. It's possible to pack the midfield with camo, it's possible to make a list seemingly filled with HI, or with two TAGs, it's possible to take seven AD troopers for a collective total of 15 apparent models dropping in from the side of the table, or via Combat Jump. All these things are possible, and more, but whatever you do you will be forced to make hard choices and leave notable gaps in your setup that you will have to account for - or pay the price.

So why should you play Qapu Khalqi, then? It's a cool, older faction, with some really nice and tricky to find OOP models, it has a variety of ways to play and build lists that will keep you endlessly experimenting, and entertained, but it also has some distinct shortcomings that a good general will have to be aware of, and do their best to mitigate.

If you like the idea of a rag-tag band of pirates and roughy-toughy marines on speed teaming up to protect the profits of a cadre of unimaginably rich and powerful oligarchs (and who doesn't love that?!) then maybe QK is the faction for you!

Faction Features

• Features 1:

Flexible fireteams. There is a lot of potential variety in QK fireteams, a good number of character wildcards and even a couple of generic units that can wildcard into any fireteam. This means you can take some heavy hitting units, like the Azra'il and Janissary ML, and not pay a massive tax to give them fireteam benefits, like extra burst, sixth sense and higher ballistic skill.

• Features 2:

Punishing firepower. Remember the Azra'il and Janissary ML from feature 1? They hit hard. The Azra'il in particular is an incredibly powerful shooter and when it hits the target it takes some very lucky dice to not lose wounds or go straight to dead.

• Features 3:

Mercs. Mercenaries are a key feature of Qapu Khalqi, whether it is Druze for the all important fireteam linked pitchers, or the wild and unpredictable Yuan Yuan dropping in to wreck shop, you will want to run at least a few, which give the faction a very different feel from the other Haqqislam sectorials.

Special Skills

• Skills 1:

Minelayer. There are only two units in QK that have minelayer, but you need to know how to use them both. Qapu Khalqi does not like going second, it wants to move up, take up space and hit hard to keep the enemy off balance. If you are forced to go second you need to have a plan for how to deal with early Rambo runs, impersonators and camo attacks. Mines can help with this.

• Skills 2:

Terrain. There are a few key units that have terrain (total) or (Zero-G) and exploiting these two rules to the maximum is necessary to get the most out of your army. In the ITS rules there are often terrain rules that grant benefits or drawbacks depending on your units terrain skills. Remember earlier about QK wanting to be aggressive? Well that is all good and well, but a lot of your units are slow as shit, so take those terrain skill guys and gals and pick up that +1 inch MOV, or Super-Jump, or whatever, and use it every chance you get.

• Skills 3:

Parachutist/Combat Jump. QK has two types of AD troops and both of them can serve you well in threatening you opponent's DZ and messing up their plans. The Yuan Yuan is the commonest pick, but its Combat Jump is very unreliable. Non-the-less it is an 8 point threat that cannot be ignored. Similarly, the Bashi Bazouks are great disruptors. More pricey and therefore more difficult to fit into a list, they still can put the serious hurt on your opponent's backline and should not be discounted. You are playing the Navy and Pirates faction, AD troops are your friends.

Weapons and Equipment

• Equipment 1:

Holomask. Holomask is a key piece of equipment in QK. It is present on only two units, the Bashi Bazouk and Hafza, but is central to making the faction work. The Hafza specifically uses it a lot and will be a heavy presence in most QK lists. How you use your Holomasking troops is of vital importance and picking what to holomask as can be the difference between being in Loss of Lieutenant or not, at the start of your next turn.

• Equipment 2:

HMG. QK has access to a lot of HMGs much more than the rest of Haqqislam. If you were so imclined you could fill out your whole SWC allowance with HMGs and nothing else. Druze, Djanbazan, Ghulam, Alguaciles, 2 x Shihab, Janissaries, Mobile Brigada and Iguana can all take HMGs to the party and the Azra'il and Scarface can take the AP version for extra punch. This makes QK the punchiest Haqqislam sectorial, in terms of firepower. You won't have the best shooters in the game, but you sure can stack those dice numbers in your favour.

• Equipment 3:

Visors. QK has access to almost the whole gamut of visor types in Infinity. MSV1, MSV2, X-Visor and 360 Visor are all available in high quantities in the faction and getting to know and use them to their best effect will be to your advantage, you certainly wont have many others.

Units Overview

Unit Identifier Qapu Khalqi

Light Infantry

• Bashi Bazouks:

This unit has a unique combination of equipment and skills which make them ideal disruption units. Holoprojector, Holomask, and Parachutist provide the Bashi Bazouk with the tools to both confuse and deceive your opponent, however, their particular skill set, and that they are irregular troops, means they require some foresight and finesse to use well. Whereas in previous editions you could throw one or two of these into a list without too much concern, the 15 order cap of N4 means you have to consider carefully what they will do for you. Their best function is to come in from off the table in turn 2 or 3, but this means you will lack those orders from the start; that is a manageable risk of course, but you also have the option of taking the Yuan Yuan, which is cheaper, does the same job, and carries the always useful smoke grenades. That said, there is nothing quite like the Bashi Bazouk, and with practice they will reward you. Popular profiles include the cheapest version carrying an SMG and Chain Colt, Combi rifle and E/M Mines, and the Specialist Operative with an AP-Rifle and Light Shotgun.

• Beasthunter Freeguild:

This unit was introduced with the launch of Corvus Belli's Infinity themed boardgame, TAG Raid. Ostensibly the Beasthunters work to kill the deadly mega fauna of the planet Dawn, home of the Ariadna faction. How they found their way into Qapu Khalqi is unclear, but you should be happy about it anyway because they bring qualities that are rare in the faction.

Beasthunters fit into the broad QK pattern of unconventional CC specialists. They have CC21, Natural Born Warrior, CC Attack (+2 DAM) on a PH of 13, and a DA CCW. This means that although they don't boast Martial Arts, they have the ability to mix it with the best CC specialists and have a chance of coming out on top. Add to this Forward Deployment +8", camouflage, mimetism (-3), Super-Jump, Terrain (total), and Surprise Attack (-3) and they can wreak havoc in the opposition lines, if given half a chance.

When it comes to shooting there are a two flavours: Heavy Flamethrower/Panzerfaust and Heavy Flamethrower/Tactical Bow, both of which suggest close quarters fighting is a priority for the Beasthunter, especially when paired with the AP mines that all profiles get. Speaking of which, there is also a non-camo minelayer version, for when you really need to protect your DZ with templates. And did I mention that they are cheap as chips, thanks to being irregular? All in all the only problem with the Beasthunter is that you can't habe more than the AVA of 1.

• Corregidor Alguaciles:

These are the most basic units in the game, they are in fact the bare chassis that all other profiles and units are derived from. They fill the flexible line troop slot, with specialists and SWC weapons, and they have a LT option which comes at 1SWC, which is frankly worse than useless in Qapu Khalqi. They used to count as Ghulam, which was nice for getting a pure fireteam linked Multi Sniper Rifle into your army, but since the 2022 fireteam rules update Alquaciles lost the one thing that made them worth taking, which was their ability to benefit from full core fireteam bonuses. Now they are just less good Ghulam, and nobody wants that.

• Fiddler Aristea!'s ex-toymaker:

A new addition to Qapu Khalqi as of ITS Season 13, Fiddler immediately became an important unit for the faction. For starters she is a very solid WIP14 Engineer, which is useful in a faction with plenty of HI and REMs that might get hacked, but Fiddler is so much more than that. Like with many QK units her stats are not stellar, though there are a few stand outs: MOV6-4, CC18, BS12, PH12, the aforementioned WIP14, ARM1 BTS3 and W1 bespeak her specialist status, but her Skills and equipment elevate her to the peak of what QK can do.

Firstly she is shock and crit immune, which goes nicely with her No Wound Incapacitation, and means she can take a hit. In addition to Dodge (+3) and (+1") she has an FTO profile (sadly not usable in any QK fireteams) with Super Jump, or two solo variants with Climbing Plus. This makes her extremely mobile, so she can reach objectives quickly and via unexpected vectors, and speaking of unexpected vectors, you might be wondering if she can kill stuff too - of course she can! Fiddler gets to take up to 2 peripheral Jackbots (she can also take 2 Nasmat as well, if you want) that are just as fast and maneuverable as she is and they are equpped with Vulcan Shotguns and the Explode rule. It can be trivially easy to roll them up a wall and blast a hiding skirmisher or fireteam and if they lose the face to face, or simply don't kill as much as you wanted, they will explode, taking any survivors with them.

If all that wasn't enough Fiddler comes with a Contender (+1B) from her days in Aristea! D-Charges, a Breaker Pistol and Drop Bears. Fiddler has forks on forks on forks on forks and she is even good in Close Combat. CC18 is respectable, but it also comes with CC Attack (+1B) and you can ride your Jackbots into CC for support giving you the rarely seen Burst4 in active turn CC. Tasty!

• Ghulam Infantry:

The Ghulam Infantry is the basic trooper of the Haqqislam nation. However, compared to most other factions, the Ghulam have a wide selection of loadouts, multiple Lieutenant options, and superior Specialist profiles, thanks to universal WIP14. The most notable are the Doctor (+3) and NCO. The Doctor can confidently patch up unconscious troopers on a WIP17, and the NCO can use your LT order to poot grenades and smoke grenades across the board from his grenade launcher, very useful. Other notable specialist include a Number 2 with Panzerfaust and FO and hacker profiles that both benefit from the strong WIP14 of all Ghulam; an honourable mention also goes to the E/M mines and Deployable Repeater profile. All in all you could not wish for a better basic LI trooper and if you are leaning into some of the more expensive individual pieces that QK can take, then you could do worse than 3-5 Ghulam to back them up.

• Hafza Unit:

This unit is the glue that holds QK together, without the Hafza the faction does not work. On the face of it the Hafza are pretty basic. MOV4-4 BS12, PH10, WIP14, ARM2, BTS0, W1, are not stats that inspire confidence, and yet they are AVA4, what's going on? Well, they have three things going for them: 1) They are cheap, the most expensive version with a Spitfire clocks in at just 22 points and 1SWC, you can get a very natty HRL and Assault Pistol profile for just 17 points and 1.5 SWC, and there is an LT option for just 15 points. 2) They have Holomask, so can appear as if they are any S2 unit. 3) They can be part of any fireteam in the faction, and crucially "count as" for all Haqqislam fireteams.

What this amounts to is that they act as makeweights for any one of the expensive fireteams you will want to take in QK. Do you want a pure Janissary core fireteam, but doing so means you can't afford anything else? Well jettison 2 of those Janissaries and replace them with Hafza and hey presto! You save points and nobody is any the wiser. Know or suspect your're gong to come up against some serious mimetic threats and need MSV2, but can't afford 5 Djanbazan and all the other stuff you want? Chuck out two of those speedfreaks and take a couple of Hafza instead. You get the idea. What's more they let you hide your LT quite nicely. It's probably in your core fireteam, right? But it could be anywhere!! Is it that core linked hacker you haven't used yet? Or is it the Odalsique you have hanging out with your Azra'il to dissuade CC threats? Who knows!! As if that wasn't enough, there is a tidy 17 point Forward Observer profile with deployable repeater that can be a hidden specialist in a haris team.

Hafza are there for you as a QK general, you need them and they are ready to do what it takes to get the job done. They're like the Infinity equivalent of a puffer fish, making themselves look bigger and more threatening than they are in the hopes that you think twice and don't skewer them. It's a very risky play in QK, but that's what you are as a QK general: A risk taker, a deep sea explorer, putting yourself out there, doing the needful thing and challenging the universe to stop you.

• Husam Operative Leila Sharif:

We know her, we love her, it's Leila Sharif. Available in all flavours of Haqqislam, She is 20 points of thick curls, peachy butt, and the kind of equipment any specialist would sell their left leg to have on a mission. She's a character, she's a Killer Hacker, she's got E/M mines, she's got D-Charges, she's got a Shock Marksman Rifle and a Breaker Pistol, she's got BS12, WIP14, ARM1, BTS3 and she is here to complete. Your. Mission.

As far as fireteams go she's a Wildcard, but she also counts as a Ghulam, so you can rock her with Sixth Sense and BS15 and never even leave your own DZ. The only drawback she really has is that she is a Religious Troop, so finding cover after an unsuccessful face to face roll is not always a given, but WIP14 means that most of the time she does the smart thing.

Point for point she is one of the best specialist in the game and if you're not taking her you need to ask yourself: "what the hell is wrong with me?"

• Medical Specialist Rahman Rouhani:

If you need to absolutely, definitely, 100% of the time (actually only 90% of the time) heal a trooper, then Doctor Rouhani is your man. For 21 points you get a WIP 15 doctor (+3) with Courage and No Wound Incapacitation.

That alone is worth the price of admission, but he also totes an SMG and a Flashpulse for short and long range, and inexplicably has BTS6, so Nanopulsers are not as much of an issue as you might imagine. The rest of his stats are nothing to write home about, MOV4-4, CC15, BS11, PH11, ARM1, W1, but his fighting prowess is not why you take him.

He's one of the best doctors in the game, his Flashpulse game is very strong, he pushes buttons like there's no tomorrow, and when you wildcard him into a haris fireteam, which you are definitely doing, he does all that stuff even better. Like with Leila, if you're not taking him then there is something deficient in your character and I hope we never meet.

• Najjarun Engineers:

The basic engineer for Haqqislam, available in all flavours therein, the Najjarun is fine. A WIP14 Specialist with, rifle, light shotgun, D-Charges, Courage, and not a lot else, the only reason you would really want to take him is if you can't afford Fiddler and feel the need to support your HI and REMs vs isolation and death respectively. At that job he performs better than the average for his unit type across all factions, but really you need at least 1 Nasmat to make him worth it, so for this limited package you're ultimately paying 18 points, which is not a lot, but which never-the-less can be covered off better by either Fiddler or Cordelia. He does a job and sometimes you need that job doing cheaply. What more is there to say?

• Odasliques:

A more kinda cool, but weird, but also problematic and nonsensical unit you will not find in Infinity. The Odalisque concept is based upon the horny misunderstandings of Western European travellers to the court of the Ottoman Empire. Generations of aristocrats and diplomats imagined that the Odalisques they heard of were secret, sexy/sex slave, bodyguards of the Sultan and his harem of wives, but they were in actual fact simple washer women.

Fastforward 180 years and Corvus Belli are looking for cool things to put in their Islamic Golden age sci-fi faction and they fail utterly at their due diligence (or they just didn't care) and decide the sexy Ottoman lady bodyguards need to be in their game.

Odalisque are members of a specially trained cadre of people (men can be one too now, you guys - equality!) who are both medically enhanced and trained in the ways of being sexy/deadly concubines/companions who are hired out to offer a more refined/sexy type of protection to the wealthy and important of the Human Sphere. Why they are in the Haqqislam navy is unclear.

While this failure is regrettable, the unit is mostly not. We're looking at a tough CC specialist that lacks almost all of the usual features of CC specialists in Infinity. MOV4-4, CC18, BS12, PH10, WIP14, ARM2, BTS0, W1 doesn't scream "deadly combatant" in anyway, however, each Odalisque also has CC Attack (-9), Courage, Now Wound Incapacitation and Immunity (Shock). They also get their pick of either Sixth Sense or 360 Visor and all get a MULTI Pistol, and a PARA CCW, which causes a save against PH (-6). You can take a budget gunfighter in the Spitfire/Nanopulser variant for 30 points and 1SWC, that can also fight in CC. But if you want some cheap-ish filler that will dissuade CC charges (which is basically what they're for) then the 22 point option with SMG,Nanopulser and Flashpulse (+1B) is the way to go.

Odalisques are as close as you get in Infinity to a CC tarpit. Against a proper CC specialist the Odalisques target number will usually be 15. Awful. But, the CC specialist will probably be on 16 or less, so they turn any CC engagement into a pathetic slap-fight. But at least your other units are not dying to a CC monster, hopefully.

• Warcors:

3pts for an irregular Flashpulse ARO. Fit them into your list whenever you got the slot and points, they're well worth it.

• Wild Bill, Legendary Gunslinger:

He's fast at MOV 6-2, got (+1Dam) and shock on his BS attacks, and he's got Marksmanship and NWI. Neither the rifle nor the contender he can take as a main armament have the rangebands you wish he had, but with the MULTI pistol he's got a positive rangeband from 0-16", which overall makes him an potent close-range fighter. He can join Kaplan and Janissary fireteams, who can fill in for his deficiencies and help turn his rifle into a sawn off Spitfire, which is nice.

Medium Infantry

• Djanbazan Tactical Group:

The Djanbazans are an iconic QK unit. Their background paints them as semi-mercenary Haqqislam space-marines (not to be confused with the other type), hopped up on speedballs and black-market regenerative drugs, operating in the grey zone between official Haqqislam operations and private military contracts.

In practice they are one of the units you will want to build your core fireteam with. They live, as all MI do, with the Medium Infantry curse, under which they are both expensive and relatively easy to kill. Fortunately for Djanbazan they are harder to kill than most MI, thanks to their ARM3, shock immunity, and regeneration (PH=13) which insulates them somewhat against single unlucky AROs.

On the attacking side they have BS12, which is not amazing, but that gets dragged up to 15 in a core fireteam and at that point it doesn't get any lower thanks to across the board MSV2. For your ARO piece there is an AP (Shock) Sniper rifle, not the best ARO weapon, but it is relatively flexible, and if you are able to put down smoke in smart places you have a decent chance of putting down even an Avatar in your active turn. That said the most common Djanbazan is the HMG profile; AP is nice, but big machine gun go brrr. Everyone else gets the standard rifle/lsg loadout common to Haqq units, barring a notable Shock Marksmanship Rifle profile for a discount point man if needed. They also get Terrain (total) for a nice movement boost in certain ITS missions, and can take along a hacker or doctor specialist depending on need.

Although they tend to be thought of as a core fireteam unit the particular tool set of the Djanbazans marks them out as hunters, and as such a haris fireteam might be a better way to go with them. A Djanbazan hacker has the opportunity to employ the rarely seen three pronged fork to midfield camo skirmishers, which is nice to have in your proverbial locker. Djanbazans are good, you will probably use them plenty.

• Druze Shock Teams:

Your standard Druze packs a combi-rifle, chain colt, X Visor, and a viral pistol with Veteran and BS Attack (+1 Dam). Druze specialist in QK are a regular hacker and a killer hacker, both equipped with the standard Druze loadout and Pitchers. They can also take an HMG, and a shock marksmanship rifle, but the spiciest profile adds a normal grenade launcher as well as an E/M grenade launcher. The EM/Regular Grenade launcher when combined with the X Visor allows you to roll the dice and potentially cause your opponent to have a very bad time (tm). Since Druze got their own faction the motivation to runt them in QK dropped considerably - if you like and want to run them why not take them in their own faction? However, if you want to make Guided missiles a core part of your strategy then a core team of Druze are essential for pooting repeaters all over the place to quickly and effectively build your repeater net. +1DAM and X-Visor on all their weapons is a neat gimmick, but Druze fold like origami paper to anything resembling a serious gun fighter.

• KTS, Kaplan Security Units:

Kaplans are in a tough spot in QK. In the other factions they are part of they offer useful WIP14 specialists on a relatively competent gun-fighting platform, but in Haqqislam, where there WIP14 specialists are the rule not the exception, all Kaplans really offer are some interesting weapons and relatively competent gun-fighting platform. While competent gun-fighting is nice, BS12, Mimetism (-3) and shock immunity with access to HRL, Spitfire and MSR, Kaplans too suffer from the MI curse. They are not as tough and dangerous as HI fireteams, nor as cheap and flexible as LI fireteams, sitting in a slightly uncomfortable price bracket that restricts your other list building options. All that said, a Kaplan haris with Wild Bill, HRL and specialist of your choice can do work for you, just don't expect them to withstand too much punishment.

• Sekban, Naval Special Unit:

Sekban are another iconic QK MI unit, and they suffer the same fate as the other medium armoured units in the faction. Their background is pretty cool, starting out as a sort of volunteer militia guarding the good folk of the Caravanserai, then they went to war and got a shoeing, and what was left of them went home and decided to take this soldiering more seriously, getting better armour and training to make themselves a slick fighting machine. On the surface they have a lot going for them: they are decent gun-fighters with BS13, extra mobile in some ITS seasons with Terrain (Zero-G), they bring order efficiency with NCO, and they have the defensive perk of 360 visor, so you need never worry about facing with them. Perhaps their best feature is that they are wildcards, so you can drop one into a fireteam and see to it that you never let that LT order go to waste. However, with ARM3 and BTS3, they are only as survivable as Druze and less survivable than Kaplans and Djanbazan, lacking as they do immunity (shock). They are able to form a Qapu Khalqi fireteam with Odalisques, but they lack a common keyword and so lose out on the big fireteam benefits.

Heavy Infantry

• Janissaires:

The basic Heavy Infantry option from Haqqislam. Since the release of the Asawira and the Bokhtar, these fine warriors have been supplanted as the HI of choice for vanilla Haqqislam, but in QK we lack such potent new units and so Janissaries can often end up forming the backbone of your list.

Not as dynamic as their more recently developed Haqq HI compatriots, they make up for their slow 4-4 MOV with superior stats in almost all other categories. BS, PH and WIP are all 14, they get Dodge +1" and with a healthy ARM of 4 and a hearty BTS of 6, they can take some punishment. They come equipped with the big guns you expect of HI, but replace the usual Multi Rifle arrangement of other faction HI with an AP rifle/Light Shotgun loadout, which is arguably better. Don't forget your Tinbot -3 to back up your TAG tough BTS score!

However, drawbacks include the Religious Troop rule, which is more of a double edged sword, and only one specialist, a doctor (2W) ("an HI 2W doctor!" I hear you cry, but wait, there's a catch.) That would be really nice, but he gains the ability to heal two wounds at the expense of doctor +3, which all other Haqqislam doctors get, and to add insult to injury Janissaries do not get cubes and so lose the all important ability to re-roll failed healing attempts. This makes the Janissary doctor the most dangerous doctor in Haqqislam - for your own troops. 30% of the time you will fail your doctor roll and simply kill your downed trooper, with no ability to try again. This is a very good rate compared to other factions, but for Haqq it is poor, and coupled with ample, cheaper, wildcard doctor options in QK, sadly the Janissary doctor rarely sees the table.

• Mobile Brigada:

The basic Heavy Infantry option from Corregidor. What sets these apart from other factions basic HI is that they have arm 5 and Courage which is an important perk that lets you pick whether you want to Guts into cover or not. Mobile Brigada can take both the long and medium range weaponry you expect of standard HI, and the basic MULTI Rifle option also has the ever useful Light Flamethrower, and while you're at it why not take a tinbot -6 for much needed hacking protection, available both for gunfighting and hacking profiles.

The drawbacks in Mobile Brigada are the middling WIP of 13, which diminishes their hacker profile a bit, in comparison to other Haqqislam hackers where WIP14 comes as standard, and a merely good BS of 13, which means you're probably not taking any of the heavy weapon options when the BS14 Janissary is right there. The other drawbacks of the mighty MB is an AVA of only 1, and they are not fireteam linkable. This means that all together you really only have 2 options for Mobile Brigada in Qapu Khalqi: The hacker, and the MULTI rifle with tinbot -6. One is a fast, tough, specialist which QK lacks, and the other is a flexible, tough, midfield striker. Both do a good job in their respective roles, but they cost a pretty penny both, so make sure you are not leaving too many gaps elsewhere in your list.

• Special Deterrance Group Azra'il:

The reason you play Qapu Khalqi. The Azra'il is one of the most dangerous units in all of Infinity, though a quick glance at their stats does not hint at the threat lurking in this chonky and slow S5 HI. The relevant stats here are MOV4-4, BS13, PH14 (though dodging on 11,) ARM5, BTS3, W2, Immunity (Shock), so far so mediocre, but the skills and equipment are where the Azra'il comes into his own.

Toting either an AP HMG or a Feuerbach(+1B) and a Heavy Pistol sidearm, he combines those weighty armaments with BS Attack +1DAM and BS Attack (Continuous Damage) and the ability to form a Haris fireteam. This unique combination of skills means that if you take the Feuerbach version you will be enjoying an active turn that delivers B4, DAM15, AP DA (Continuous Damage) shots to your target of choice, and in ARO two DAM15 EXP (Continuous Damage) shots. The AP HMG is only slightly less dangerous thanks to its more limited range bands, but with B5, DAM16 AP (Continuous Damage) respect is still very much due. He may only be BS13 with no vis mods to speak of, but he always has a chance to hit his target, and with ARM5 and hopefully in cover, he has the ability tank a hit from any weapon.

Make no mistake, a serious gun fighting platform will be able to make short work of the Azra'il, especially if they can employ smoke and MSV2, but for the most part all targets are valid, and your opponent has to ask themself: Do I feel lucky? Because if they're not then their prize piece is going to be deleted.

Tactical Armor Gear

• Iguana Squadron:

The largest light TAG in the game, the Iguana’s claim to fame is it paltry 2 STR and Ejection System which, on the destruction of the TAG, drops a smoke template on itself and releases a BS12 2 wound HI Operator, toting a basic HMG. Basically Iguana is not designed to last, but to sprint forward take up space in the midfield and lay down the hurt using it's very good BS14, DAM16 HMG and Heavy Flamethrower, before in its reactive turn inviting midfield hackers to take a shot which at it, with AROs through its onboard Repeater waiting to strike.

A great idea in principle, unfortunately like so many QK units the Iguana is tuned to a different age of the game. In reality 2 STR and S7 means that it is relatively easiy for good gunfighters to take it on, and nowadays the prevalence of pitchers and deployable repeaters mean that hackers do not need to risk going into ARO range of the Iguana to take it out with a comms attack. It has all the other kit you might expect of a good TAG, high ARM and BTS of 6, ECM: guided (-6) and ECM: Hacker (-3) all mean that it is not trivially easy to kill, but with only 2 wounds it lacks the staying power of other TAGs. Fortunately it is not overly expensive at 65 points, but it still sits in a bracket that means you more often than not end up building around it, which is not great for such a disposable unit.

• Scarface And Cordelia:

They're still around and are still doing what they do best: kicking asses. Scarface throws down with an array of shooting options: Mk12(+1B) and an Heavy Rocket Launcher(+1B), AP HMG and Panzerfaust, or an AP Spitfire(+1B) and Panzerfaust, all with +1DAM and teamed with a DA CCW. This big guy gets all the usual TAG defences you should expect, ECM Hacker (-3), ECM: Guided (-6), ARM7, BTS6, STR3, though his relatively low BS of 13 is a drawback, but really shooting is what you are doing incidentally while on your way to exercising a close combat bloodlust unrivalled for a model of his size.

On a platform that boasts MOV 6-4, CC22 and PH16, Scarface also gets CC Attack (-3) and Berserk (+3) which means on the turn that he uses Berserk he is hitting unopposed on CC25, and if you come up against someone with Martial Arts they suffer an unmodifiable -3 to their CC stat, which levels the playing field against all but the very best CC specialist. So Scarface is the original CC bad boy of the TAG world and still does a mean job of laying down DAM16 DA hits in Close Combat.

Incredibly, when he is inevitably forced to bailout of his smoking wreck of a TAG, he gets to keep his BS Attack +1DAM, CC22, CC Attack (-3) and Berserk (+3) and pulls out a Boarding Shotgun, for good measure. Unfortunately he trades his DACCW for a shock version, but he also becomes a WIP13 Specialist Operative, for when everyone is dead and you still really need to push a button.

All in all, Scarface is designed to get in your face and make a mess of your best laid plans, and he does it well. There is no TAG quite like him in the game, and none of the other six main human factions can take him - hell, the only other factions that can are the NA2 Druze and Ikari Company. Use him, love him, he is the fly in the ointment, the boot on the neck of your opponent, and when they see you are playing a Haqqislam sectorial they will never imagine Scarface is coming along for the ride.

On top of all that danger, when you take Scarface you are obliged to also take his sister, Cordelia. Fortunately she is a well equipped Engineer with -3 mimetism, WIP 13, a combi rifle, chaincolt and d-charges. Together these two are good value, despite a maximum cost of 85 points and 1.5 SWC (though you can take one of two 81 point version) for which you get 2 order generating units, a stone cold killer and a decent specialist.

Remotes

• Fanous: The generic 7pts Flash Pulse bot.

• Kameel: S4 baggage bots, with an EVO Hacker option, nice for making sure your Yuan Yuan stick their landings.

• Nasmat: S1 helper bot peripherals.

• Rafiq: The combat FO remote. Equipped with either a rifle/lsg, or the delightful Red Fury FTO version, it is worth taking all by itself, but why not link it in a Haris with the Az'rail? Close fire support, some hacking protection and camo discovery duty thanks to their Sensor skill. It's good, try to fit it in your lists.

• Shaytaniyah: Guided missile remote.

Warband

• Yuan Yuan: Very cheap, impetuous space pirates, with parachutist and combat jump (PH=11), they are your go to guys for disrupting your opponent's plans - what's not to love here? They have Booty for reasons of flavor, though less than 50% of the options are useful to them, and come at 8 pts for their cheapest loadouts. They roll into your opponent's lines with templates, DACCWs, smoke grenades and a hand dandy CC22 on PH14, meaning they can mulch through a soft underbelly if given the chance. Using them to combat jump is a gamble, but they're otherwise dirt cheap templates and smoke that can also defend your DZ in a pinch, and importantly they are a ton of fun to play with. You will never forget successfully trading your Yuan Yuan against some expensive active turn gunner that one game. Yuan Yuan are one of the few auto picks in QK, take two, you won't regret it.

Skirmishers

• Al Hawwa' Unit: Until the arrival of the Beasthunter, the Al Hawwa were the only camo unit in QK and as such were, and are, a key part of any Qapu Khalqi army. There are three flavours: Hacker, Forward Observer, and Minelaying Sniper. At AVA3 you can take one of each if you so chose, or just three snipers for 6 total camo markers in the midfield. Not sure why you would do that, but you can. The Hawwa is your classic infiltrating camo specialist: 4-4MOV, Terrain(total), Mimetism (-3), surprise attack (-3) and Stealth all as standard, with D-charges and BSG for the specialists. These nice skills are coupled with BS11 (good luck hitting the target with your sniper) ARM1 and BTS0 meaning you really want to stay in camo if at all possible. That said, they give you a much needed midfield presence and the specialists are WIP14, so you can trust them to get the button pushing job done. In missions without exclusions zones you should take at least one, hell, even if there is an exclusion zone you should take one, they do the missions.

Building Your Army

List building in QK is part of the challenge that is Qapu Khalqi. You have all the tools to take the fight to your opponent, but not the unit slots or points and SWC to fit them all in the same list. Therefore you must think carefully about mission, potential enemies, and your own play style.

Do you expect to face mimetism? Then Djanbazans and/or Arslan are essential. However, if you take too many Djans, a full core fireteam for example, then you will not be able to afford other important or powerful pieces. But take too few and they might not be effective. In an ITS format you have to leverage as much variety into your two lists as you can, because there is good chance you will find yourself in difficulties if you try to take just one "all comers" list.

Tactics

• Be aggressive, be, be, agressive, be aggressive!:

QK has many long range shooting tools at its disposal. Feuerbachs, HMGS, Missle Launchers, Sniper rifles of all kinds, but it also lacks good ways to protect those tools from incoming close range and CC units. If you can, move up early and pin your opponent back. You have the capacity to be somewhat oppressive with your Azra'il, Janissaries, and TAGs, but not if you sit back and let your opponent come to you. Much of your list is soft and squishy and you need you heavy units to not only shoot and drive forward, but to shield your soft underbelly from being gutted.

• Death from above:

As a sectorial you have limited units to choose from, but two of them, the Bashi Bazouk and the Yuan Yuan, drive much of your ability to interfere with your opponent's plans. Hassassins have Fiday and a whole lot of other stuff (wtf CB? Why do they get all the good stuff?!) Ramah Taskforce have speedy units to take the fight to the enemy, QK has drop troops to close the gap between your half of the table and your opponent's DZ. Get to know them, use them and like a true Haqqislam general, have your wiley irregulars show up the more expensive, more well trained, troops of the bigger factions.

• Play the Objective:

You need specialists, right? Well, you have two, and they are both in the same unit. That's not entirely accurate, there are other specialist, but the two that matter are the Al Hawwa Hacker and Forward Observer. Both WIP14, both got camo etc. If AD troops and big guns are how you kill, Al Hawwa are how you win. Everyone will know what they are after a game or two, but that doesn't matter, get them up there, push some buttons and get the job done.