O-12 Torchlight Brigade Guide

In Infinity, the sci-fi wargame from Corvus Belli, keeping everyone in check are O-12, the space police. Evolved from the UN, they keep the peace and protect the smaller communities who can't protect themselves. But the Human Sphere is huge, and it's not easy policing such a vast area, and so the Torchlight Brigade was born, elite sleeper agents spread around the galaxy, willing to stand up when the need arises. In this article, we'll have a look at the Torchlight Brigade and the brand-new Torchlight Brigade Action Pack for Infinity.

If you're new to Infinity, check out our Infinity N4 preview, or learn about the ideal entry point into Infinity, with our Infinity CodeOne Guide. 

What's The Difference Between A Vanilla And Sectorial Army List?

When choosing an Infinity faction to play, players will refer to 2 different types of armies. Vanilla and Sectorial.

Vanilla

Vanilla armies are the core forces of Infinity. There are eight of them including O-12. Playing a vanilla force gives you access to the full range of that faction's units.

Sectorial

Sectorial forces are themed forces, like the Torchlight Brigade under the O-12. They have limited troop choices and generally include some interesting choices from outside the standard faction options. They also have access to Fireteams, which allow you to link up units and move them with a single activation, along with giving them bonuses to attacks.

Who Are the Torchlight Brigade?

The Torchlight Brigade is a group of sleeper agents, spread around the galaxy, and activating when a threat arises that O-12 can't respond to as they would like to. Because the Torchlight Brigade could be operating without support for some time on the extreme boundaries of the Human Sphere, they are made up of elite, hard-hitting, heavily armed troops that can function solo, or in small groups for extended periods of time.

Why Play The Torchlight Brigade?

The Torchlight Brigade is the heavily armed gauntlet of O-12. Like Military Orders for PanOceania and the Invincible Army for Yu Jing, the Torchlight Brigade features a large number of Heavy Infantry (HI) troops, with solid armor values that come at a cost. If you want to bring the hand of justice down on your opponents and have the armor to take the return fire, then the Torchlight Birgade is for you.

Where Should I Start With The Torchlight Brigade?

Corvus Belli makes it incredibly easy to start with any faction in Infinity. Factions are usually available first in Operation 2-player starter packs and then released in Army Packs which combine the forces from the Operation and Beyond packs. The rest are released in their own Action Packs, like the new Torchlight Brigade Action Pack, which contains 9 miniatures to build the core of your army.

The Torchlight Brigade Action Pack contains:

• Strider (SMG) - The Striders are the Torchlight Brigade's stealth unit, although just as armored and durable as the rest of the team. They have Camoflague, Stealth, Forward Deployment +8 inches, and Surprise Attack -3. The SMG profile also comes with shock mines and d-charges, or d-charges and a deployable repeater. 2 profiles also come with the Minelayer skill for early mine deployment.
• Nimrod (AP Marksman Rifle) - The Nimrod is the sniper of the unit, slightly lighter armored than the rest of the team with ARM 2. The AP Marksman Rifle helps bring targets down and Mimetism -3 keeps them safe from return fire. 6-2 movement and Super Jump allows them to position or reposition easily to keep the pressure on your opponent's units.
• Yellowjacket (SMG) - An armored drop trooper that can land on objectives, and either go on the offensive or defensive with their Stealth and Mimetism -3 skills. The SMG profile can also be a hacker, or the cheaper specialist operative for those mission objectives.
• Silverstar Rover (Paramedic with Combi Rifle / MULTI Rifle / HMG) - The Silverstar Rovers are the not-so-basic basic line troopers for the Torchlight Brigade. The Action Pack comes with 3 different profiles. The Paramedic specialist, the MULTI Rifle profile which can also be taken as your Lieutenant, and the pricey HMG profile that has Tactical Awareness that gives them an additional order token. Several other profiles are available that don't have miniatures yet, but they all come with 6-2 movement, ARM 3, and Dodge +1 inch.
• Hellblazer (SMG / Light Shotgun) - The Hellblazer comes with 2 different profiles in the Action Pack, but both of them want to get in close with their EXP Close Combat weapon (that means your opponent has to make 3 saving throws against their damage). They're impetuous and have 6-2 movement to help them close the distance with your enemy, and ARM 3 and Dodge +2 inch protect them while they do, to bring the pain to your opponents.
• Silverstar Prime (HMG) - The monster of the Brigade. ARM 5 to protect them, 6-2 movement and Tactical Awareness for the extra order, and then your choice of the +1 damage HMG at range, or close combat +1 damage if you're in your opponent's face.

What Products Are Available For The Torchlight Brigade And Where Should I Go Next?

Releasing alongside the Torchlight Brigade is the O-12 Pack Alpha, which has some great additional units for them, but your first purchase should be the Raveneye Officer, who serves as an amazing Lieutenant for the unit. Officially releasing later this year, one was made available as part of the preorder package for the Raveneye book, but you may be able to pick one up if you look online.

O-12 Pack Alpha - Gladius Team

The first O-12 Reinforcement pack comes with 6 miniatures:

• Jackboot (Spitfire / SMG / Combi Rifle) - This pack contains 3 different and all the current Jaackboot profiles, each with a different specialist. Either the solid ARO piece with the Spitfire as an NCO, the +1 damage SMG as a paramedic, or the +1 damage Combi Rifle as a forward observer. All have ARM 3 so they're as protected as the rest of the Torchlight Brigade while doing their work. 
• Vidocq (Boarding Shotgun / Marksman Rifle) - The Vidocq comes with 2 armaments split between 4 profiles. The standard Boarding Shotgun, the Doctor and Medkit upgrade, the Marksman Rifle, or the Suprise Attack -3 and camouflage variant. All come with Stealth and Mimetism -3 as standard but have ARM 1 so they aren't as durable as the rest of the Brigade, but are cheaper to help fill some roles.
• Ment (Light Shotgun) - The Ment Agent, like the Vidocq has ARM 1, and can either come with the light shotgun or upgrade to take a hacking device. They've got close combat 17, and a -3 Para close combat weapon and Stealth to help them get close, while your opponent focuses on your more heavily armed units.

The release roadmap for the Torchlight Brigade can be seen in the image above. Starting out with the action pack will allow you to see how they play and give you time to access what you'd like to add to your force and the different profile available until their release.

I'm personally very exited to add the Nightshades, who according to the roadmap, look like the next O-12 release.

The copy of the Infinity Products used to produce this guide were provided by Corvus Belli.