With all the excitement around about Infinity I figured I would start with one of my favorite topics- Hacking. This is really what initially drew me into the game as it remains the clearest example that Infinity isn't just about killing models. Hackers are important to infinity as they provide robust defense against certain units (TAGs, Heavy Infantry, and Remotes) and can be used without putting themselves in much danger. Additionally they are considered specialists and so can claim objectives in ITS scenarios. So don't leave home without your hacker (unless you are Ariadna).
How Hacking Works
Offensive Mode
Offensive mode reflects the hacker reaching outward and actively attacking enemy units with the intent to damage, corrupt, or take control of their systems. Hacking TAGS, Heavy Infantry, Remotes, and attacking other hackers all fall within this area of activity.
Hacking TAGs
There are two different actions that can be attempted when hacking TAGs: Immobilization and Possession.
Hacking TAGs is pretty simple in theory. The actual process for this is pretty simple. Choose a TAG that is within the hackers ZoC or within the ZoC of a repeater. Declare whether you are attempting an Immobilization or a Possession attempt. Then make a WIP roll modified by the BTS of the TAG. If successful and you declared an immobilization then the TAG is immobilized and no further hacking attempts may be performed. If a possess was declared and you made the immobilization roll, then make another WIP roll. If successful the TAG is yours and can be allocated orders. If you fail than the TAG is free from both possession and immobilization and any marks made by hacking are also removed.
In order for the TAG to become mobile again they must perform a Reset action in their next Active turn.
Hacking HI & Remotes
Hacking Heavy Infantry or remotes works the exact same way as TAGs except the hacker can only ever attempt to immobilize these units. Possession is not allowed.
Anti-Hacker Protocols
Thise method of attack allows hackers to attack another hacker within their ZoC or within range of a repeater. Be careful though as this can have disastrous effects on those involved. Also be aware that an immobilized hacker cannot defend themselves from anti-hacker protocols.
Typically Anti-hacker protocols will end up with a Face-To-Face roll between the two hackers with their WIPs modified by the enemy hacker's BTS. The loser of this roll passes straight to unconscious.
Now here is the part I foreshadowed above. If a critical success occurs than the loser passes straight to dead, their brain fried and even if they survived they are in a vegetative state. Also, any repeaters used by the loser are automatically destroyed as well (straight to dead).
Anti-Hacker protocols can also be used to perform a coup-de-gras against an unconscious hacker. Use this when the enemy hacker has fallen but you can't get close without running through lines of fire. Simply get within 8" and then make a successful WIP check.
Defensive Mode
Defensive Mode reflects a reactionary state where hackers react to the actions of enemy hackers or they hack into enemy battlefield systems to subvert communications and tactical systems.
Hacking Airborne Deployment
This is probably the most difficult of all the hacking actions. It represents the hacker gaining control of the communication networks of the enemy and forcing them to launch assets early and in an unorganized manner. Note that unlike other hacking actions, hacking Airborne Deployment is a Long Skill and like most long skills, cannot be an ARO.
This represents a bit of a gamble. You have to attempt to hack airborne deployment before AD:Combat Jump troops enter the board for this to really have it's full effect. So you have to look at your opponents forces on the table and decide whether they might have any AD troops. Look for missing points, missing SWC, and/or missing models. If the enemy only has 5 models on the board than they either have a lot of TO Camo or they have some Airborne Deployment.
To attempt an Airborne Deployment hack the hacker spends a full order (Remember? Long Skill). Make a WIP check modified by the BTS of the dropship (-9 is standard). If successful then all of the opponents Combat Jump troops must enter the board immediately. A sole point of the table will be established by the owner of the AD troops and than a PH roll with a modifier of -9 will be made for each troop to determine dispersion. EVO Repeaters allow the owner of the hacker to determine where those models land.
Hacking Guided Ammunition
Hacking guided ammunition can prove beneficial for shutting down certain strategies like the Nomads Hacking Plus + Vertigo Zond. Whenever the guided ammo is fired than the defending player may attempt to hack the shot. They do not need to be within LoS of the target or the firing model.
The hacker makes a WIP roll modified by -3 for the BTS of the projectile. If successful then the projectile is deactivated and rendered inert.
An important note here is that you can make a single roll for EACH hacker you have on teh board. Have 3 hackers? Then you can make 3 rolls to try and hack the guided ammo. This is really what balances out guided ammo so well. Getting through 2 WIP checks with a decent WIP score of 13 or 14 (or even a single WIP of 15) is incredibly tough.
Hacking Defensively
When an enemy declares that they will make a hacking attempt against one of your models you may chose to hack defensively with your hacker. They do not need LoS to the target or the hacker and a defensive attempt may be made for each hacker in the defending army. The target of the model does not have to be a hacker.
The main advantage here is that it makes what is usually a normal roll a face-to-face roll. Obviously the WIP scores are modified by the BTS of the opposing model. If the attacker wins then they successfully hack their target. If the defender wins then the attack was stopped. If a critical was achieved by either party then the opposing hackers hacking device is disabled and needs an engineer to repair it before they can use it again.
Coordinated Hacking
THis is simply a special type of a coordinated order and follows many of the same mechanisms for coordinated orders. Up to four hackers may coordinate a hacking attempt. The target must be within the ZoC of one of the hackers.
Just like coordinated orders, only a single ARO is generated from this action and that can only be directed at a single hacker within the ZoC (whichever the controlling model declares the coordinated hacking attempt with). Tricky, but useful when taking advantage of multiple hackers trying to perform the same task as it limits the number of AROs from enemy hackers.
Important Stats
WIP
Willpower is important because it is the stat that you roll against when hacking. The higher the value, the greater the likelihood of success. Unlike other stats, Willpower is useful for both defensive and offensive hacking.
BTS
Bio-toxin shield indicates the level of defense against certain attacks like hacking. This stat is displayed as a straight modifier, usually negative, to opposing roles and is used most frequently in defensive hacking (but also figures into Anti-Hacker Protocols).
ARM
The armor stat plays no actual role in hacking other than keeping the hacker alive from other, non-hacking, sources. The higher the armor, the more survivable the hacker against incoming hits. This certainly doesn't mitigate luck but based on pure odds there is a significant different between needing a 14 to overcome a combi-rifle hit and needing an 11 (35% versus 50% respectively).
MOV
Movement is important in Infinity and only novices will tell you otherwise. I've included movement due to ITS missions where a hacker is a specialist that can claim objectives and perform classified objectives. If a model moves slowly they are less likely to get to the objective. Remember that in ITS missions you only have 3 turns which means roughly 30 orders depending on your list.
Important Gear
Hacking Device
Clearly this bit of gear is important. So what do you get with a hacking device? Well for starters the hacker can actually perform the hacking skill. Without this device a hacker is pretty useless although they are still a specialist for completing objectives. Secondly, and something many people forget, Hacking Devices count as repeaters. So as long as you have a functioning hacking device, hackers can treat each other as repeaters. The last note is that hacking devices are vulnerable to EM damage. If they are hit by an e-mauler, EM grenade, etc then the device will be shut down unless an Engineer repairs it.
Hacking Device Plus
This is a hacking device as above with all the same uses, limitations, and vulnerabilities. IN addition to the normal uses it allows the user to function as a forward observer. This means you can mark targets for speculative shot and guided missiles without being in LOS. As long as the target is within range of the hackers ZoC or within range of a repeater, mark away. Another item to remember, which is commonly forgotten, is that the hacking device plus allows the use of Flash Pulse. This nifty device DOES require LoS but acts to blind opponents and limits their actions to only movement skills and short skills which do not require LoS.
Repeater
Repeaters are devices or models that extend the range of the hacker. They come in two forms, deployable repeaters and model repeaters. Models that have the repeater skill, like a Moran Masai contain a repeater and it moves around with them. Deployable repeaters are more like mines. The model carrying them has three repeaters and they are deployed in a similar fashion, albeit without the benefit of camo. Careful with repeaters though. If your opponent scores a critical on you during Anti-Hacker protocols then the repeater is removed. Yes, the entire repeater. So try and use deployables where possible for Anti-Hacker protocols.
EVO Repeater
The EVO Repeater is a special type of repeater. It functions as a normal repeater but also allows the hackers on the board access to special programs.
These special programs can only be used in the active turn, must be declared when the hacker issues a hacking skill, and cannot be combined even if multiple EVO Repeaters are on the board.
Icebreaker. This program halves the BTS of any hacking target rounding up.
Capture. This allows the hacker to possess a TAG after only a single successful hacking order. Although it does not work against the Combined Army.
Support Hacking. Up to three hackers can assist in the hacking roll of the active hacker. This involves spending an order per assisting hacker but each one grants a +3 bonus to the hacking check.
Trajectory Assistance. The hacker can spend an order to grant a +3 bonus to the PH roll of a model (or models) entering the board via AD: Combat Jump.
In addition to the above support programs the EVO Repeater offers other advantages. When hacking Guided Ammunition defensively a successful hacking roll means that the not only did the guided missile fail to hit but the mark created by the Forward Observer is also removed. This means the Guided Missile cannot successfully fire again until another Forward Observer successfully marks a new target. Additionally when hacking Airborne Deployment it allows the hacker to chose the initial spot on the board from where the AD:Combat Jump models will disperse.
Given its special nature and the added flexibility it grants most hackers I'd highly recommend not using the repeater function on these models unless absolutely necessary.
Markers
Markers are essentially deployable repeaters that can be deployed (i.e. shot) from a distance. They also allow for speculative shots. They unfortunately only contain two shots but are infinitely useful for keeping your hackers out of LOS of enemy models. Also very useful for getting that repeater next to that lone model hiding in the corner of the board.
Considerations
Remotes
Your list has to contain a hacker (or a TAG) in order to take remotes. The remotes stay active even after the death of the hacker. You simply need a hacker to purchase the remotes for the army. Given that remotes for most armies offer up some pretty interesting load-outs that assist hacking.
Hacking with CH:Camo/TO Camo
It is important to note that any hacking attempt will cause a hacker in TO Camo to reveal themselves. Additionally any hacking attempt will reveal camouflaged models. So, in short, if you are a camo marker and plan to hack, make certain you are in cover BEFORE you issue an order to hack.
Guided Ammunition
One of the more common hacker tricks is to use a hacker device plus with guided ammunition. Send repeaters up the board or infiltrate them onto the board and then tag enemy models through the repeaters without necessitating LoF. Then fire guided missiles to your hearts content. This method is very order intensive but can be incredibly effective as enemy models can't dodge the mark of the Forward Observer since they do not have LoF.
Hacking in Link Teams
Link teams operate very differently from individual models. If you have a hacker in a link team, the only way to allow him to hack is to have the hacker as the link leader. Defensively I'm pretty sure you can still declare defensive hacking with a link member but it may drop him out of the link. Make certain you read the rules for link teams real careful.
In the future I will cover some advanced hacking tips as well as hacking with Nomads. Originally I wanted to cover that in this article but I figured I better explain the basics behind hacking first. So next time, expect an article about nothing more than hacking with my beloved Nomads. Which hackers are excellent for anything, which hackers are best for defensive hacking, and which hackers you should simply never put on the board. Until next time!