Bostria’s Challenge: Red Veil Haqqislam

By now most of the content from the upcoming Starter Boxed set Red Veil will be available through Beasts of War or the forums. It’s time to take Bostria’s challenge and apply it to the Haqqislam side of the set.

As you know, the Bostria Challenge is a challenge set by Bostria himself. He wanted Data Sphere to come up with a 300pts army lists, ITS effective, with existing good looking miniatures, no proxys and no model from a box left over.

That’s a good challenge to apply to the brand new Red Veil boxed set. What would be a good way to expand your army without buying too much stuff and using everything you buy? Let’s find out!

Profiles in Red Veil

First of all, let’s have a look at the new profile of the Al Fasid Regiment (take note of the new name).
According to our source inside CB, this juggernaut will cost 53 points and 2 SWC. It will come equipped with a HMG and a Light Grenade Launcher, able to launch Smoke or Normal Grenades. It comes with a Heavy Pistol and has a bunch of Antipersonnel mines to protect himself and his brothers and sisters. Last but not least, it comes with a Knife. But we know that Infinity is a game where ‘bringing a knife to a gunfight’ takes balls and has serious consequences.
 Now to some of the best parts of the Al Fasid: its skills.
It’s a Minelayer, meaning that it can set up a Mine during its deployment, in a 8″ radius around the model. Not bad, not bad. That definitely helps out against some Alpha strike in the back.

Next, it has Sixth Sense Lv1. This allows to model to react to attacks against it that take place inside its Zone of Control. It ignores Surprise Shots or shots from Zero Visibility Zones (inside its ZoC) and Negative Close Combat mods.
It also allows the model to delay its ARO until the active unit has spend its second order.
It ignores the negative modifier from Direct template weaponry.
Last but not least, the Al Fasid is a Veteran Lv1. This means the Al Fasid can continue fighting in a Regular state even when all else fails. The unit ignores Retreat, Isolation and Loss of Lieutenant.

The Al Fasid is the definition of Badass. Their name means the Doomed and seeing how they fight, I think I found the reason why. These guys press on, even when the mission is lost. Loving it!

Continuing with the Khawarij

The Khawarij is one of those profiles that reminds you of the fact that Haqqislam is considered the Light Infantry faction. This is one of the elite Light Infantry Haqqislam has at its disposal; a superjumping religious troop with BioImmunity and Poison.

Sumper-Jump makes the Khawarij one of the most mobile units in the game. He’s able to vault terrain with a Movement skill and vault over terrain that is his height. They can also jump and shoot over terrain of around 4″ in height. Also, they treat jumping as a short skill, instead of a entire order. The Khawarij is able to outflank you with ease, and hit you from areas that you didn’t expect.
Religious allows the Khawarij to ignore retreat, although it becomes irregular during Loss of Lieutenant and Retreat. It also can become Isolated (different from Veteran Lv1). Religious forces the Khawarij to ignore Guts check. You can choose to roll a Guts Check to get Cover or go Prone after surviving an attack, but only if you succeed in your check. Otherwise it will holds its position and continue the fight.

BioImmunity allows the Khawarij to ignore any effects from Bio-munition, Shock and Viral, treating them as Normal Ammo instead. On top of that, the unit can choose to roll these ammo types on either ARM or BTS values, giving you some flexibility when shot. With an ARM of 1 and an BTS of 3, it’s clear which would be the preferable choose against Shock, for example. 😉

Poison forces the target to roll and extra BTS save during Close combat. The Damage of the BTS roll is based on the PH of the Khawarij, which is an above average 13. A critical still forces the Target to roll the extra BTS. These Khawarij are a deadly Close Combat fighter with high CC stats, high PH stats, and applying two saves (ARM & BTS) on their targets. This is a nightmare for Heavy Infantry.

The Khawarij are an odd-duck, with a lot of tools that don’t necessarily work together. It’s a great flanker, and can be a big annoyance in the eyes of your opponent. Get it in close (which you can do thanks to its mobility) and the Khawarij becomes a terror for everyone).

Next up; the Zhayedan

Another elite Light Infantry, the Zhayedan has a extremely lethal combination of skills. Some rules interact in a surprising way, making the Zhayedan the bane of any one-wound model.

The combination of Breaker Ammo and Marksmanship forces the target to roll one save on halved BTS and one save on his ARM. Missing on of them means its a hit. Marksmanship applies Shock-effect to the hit, ignoring everything that could save a one-wound model. No-Wound Incapacitation? Don’t care. Going into Unconscious state? Nope, you’re dead. Regeneration actually counters the Shock effects, as par the Regeneration Rule.
Marksmanship Lv2 also ignores the partial cover modifier when hitting the target, meaning that you do not have that pesky -3 mod on your BTS because the target is behind a tiny wall.
It’s a must-have to get rid of some ‘annoyances’ that obstruct Haqqislam on their road to the Truth.

But that’s not all. The Zhayedan is another Veteran Lv1 profile in this list, meaning that if you lose your Lt, you’ll have two tough and determined fighters continuing the fight for you. Having to regular orders left during LoL could prove decisive and win you the game.
It also has an Automedikit. While there is some debat about how useful this equipment can be, it can turn out to be really valuable. The Automedikit allows the Zhayedan to spend an entire order to recover from his Null-state. It saved me the model in two games, allowing it to come back up and put some pressure on the enemy when they thought they finally dislodged the little lethal dude.

Another example of the elite Light Infantry Haqqislam is known for!

Out of the shadows comes the Tuareg

The Tuareg is a silent killer. The only place where the relatively low-tech faction of Haqqislam has access to the powerful Thermo-Optic Camouflage. Equipped with a Sniper Rifle and Antipersonnel mines, this is a solid unit. The Tuareg can lock down a path from a sniper position and can be very hard to dislodge with her -6 TO Camo mod, stacked with a regular cover modification.
The Tuareg also has Infiltration, meaning that she can be deployed anywhere on your half on the table, or on the opponents half (except Deployment Zone) giving you a bit more freedom when choosing her firelane. This can come in handy.

The Multiterrain rule is handy, but the terrain rules aren’t universally used by players. Also you have to wonder if it’s the best thing on a sniper, that usually camps in a little sniper nest. Still, it comes in handy if you need to relocate your sniper and it can get their quicker by ignoring all terrain rules.

Last but not least, we have three Ghilim

The Ghilim are the backbone of any Haqqislam Army. They’re a basic line infantry and they are unique because they are available to every sectorial the army has to date. They also carry a wide range of weaponry and are among the most flexible line infantry of the game, with several Lt options and a load of specialist options (among them a Doctor plus!). Their high Willpower (average for Haqqislam mind you) makes them very effective in a wide range of skills, like Discover, Hacking and claiming objectives.
The Ghilim shine in another department; basic equipment. Every Ghulam in the boxed set is equipped with a Rifle and a Light Shotgun, giving the Ghilim a mid-range as well as a close range effectiveness.
Haqqislam’s elite Light Infantry shines again!

This is a tough and deadly backbone of your Haqqislamic Army. A determined force, with deadly skill.

Expanding Red Veil

Lets have a look at how to expand this Red Veil starter into a nice, 300 points, ITS ready list.
Haqqislam
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GROUP 1 8 2
GHULAM Lieutenant Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
GHULAM Doctor Plus (MediKit) Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16)
GHULAM (Forward Observer) Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
KHAWARIJ Rifle + Light Shotgun, Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW. (0 | 27)
ZHAYEDAN (Marksmanship L2) Breaker Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 31)
 AL FASID REGIMENT HMG + Light Grenade Launcher, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 53)
BASHI BAZOUK Submachine Gun, Chain-colt / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
HUNZAKUT (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18)
HAWWA’ Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 26)
FANOUS REMOTE Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)

GROUP 2 3
TUAREG Sniper Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 33)
LASIQ Viral Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 25)
SHIHAB REMOTE HMG / Electric Pulse. (1 | 25)

5.5 SWC | 299 Points

Open in Infinity Army

This list checks all the right boxes for a ITS 2016 game; Lieutenant, Specialists and a good amount of heavy weaponry. This list uses all the models from the Red Veil Boxed Set, and adds to it the following boxes and blisters;

• Al Hawwa’ (hacker)
• Bashi Bazouk (Boarding Shotgun)
• Lasiq (Viral Sniper Rifle)
• Remotes Boxed Set

This list uses all the models that you have when expanding the Red Veil set. No left overs.
Is it the most newbie-friendly list out there? No. Probably not. Haqqislam suffers from a lot of units in boxed sets. The clausule to have no models left over forced us to disregard a lot of solid Haqqislam units, as they usually came in a four-man boxed set, which would leave two or three models out of the list.
The list has a couple of Haqqislam’s characteristic rules, like Irregular orders, Infiltration and many Light Infantry or Skirmishers. If you’re going to be a Warrior of the Prophet, the best way to learn is to get accustomed to the unique aspects and characteristics of a Haqqislam Army!

What does this expansion bring me?

That’s the right question! Let’s have a look at all the shiny Haqqislam units you get at your disposal!

First, my personal favourite: Al Hawwa’

The Al Hawwa’ never lets me down. It only shines in different levels of brightness. 😉 The Al Hawwa is a Skirmisher (like the Tuareg) and has the Infiltration rule as well. This means you can put this model anywhere on your side of the table.
It also comes with Camouflage, allowing you to deploy it as a Camo-marker instead of a regular model. The Camo marker has to be discovered by your opponent before he can attack it. On top of that, this rule keeps a -3 Modifier on all BS shots targeted at the unit after being discovered. The Al Hawwa’ also has Multiterrain.

This model comes with a Boarding Shotgun and an Assault Hacking Device. The Boarding Shotgun on a Infiltrator is always a good option. The Al Hawwa’ has the ability to come up close with ease and is able to dish out some hard damage within the 8″ radius + Surprise Shot from under its Camo Marker. It also comes with D-charges, allowing the Al Hawwa’ to destroy buildings or damage TAGs.
The Assault Hacking Device gives the Al Hawwa’ the ability to deal with Heavy Infantry, TAGs, Remotes and of course the Comms Equipment of every other unit on the table.
Definitely a versatile unit, and a real killer. Personally, I tend to lose him during a game. But not before he earned his cost back.

Next up, another shining Haqqislam Skirmisher; the Hunzakut!

The Hunzakut is a characteristic Haqqislam unit. Irregular, Infiltrated, Camouflaged, the Hunzakut is extremely effective in what they do. Which is grabbing objectives.
Another Specialist option that can Infiltrate. This allows the Hunzakut to start the game so much closer to her targets. The fact that the Hunzakut is Irregular means that you, as a player, are unable to spend the order generated by her on other models. This means that the Hunzakut is a designated front-runner, the first in your army to run towards the objectives. With Anti Personnel Mines, she can really ruin your opponent’s day, deploying them around an objective. She also has access to a Deployable repeater, allowing for some synergy with the Al Hawwa’ hacker. A repeater expands the range of the Hacking device with a 8″ radius around the Repeater. This means that the Assault Hacker can lock down two lanes for Heavy Infantry, Remotes and TAGs.

Another lethal Sniper on the battlefield; The Lasiq

The Lasiq is a feared model on the table, and your opponent is right to fear it. Equipped with a Viral Sniper Rifle, this Hassassin is able to despatch almost any target. Viral ammo forces your opponent to roll two BTS saves for every hit. Ouch!
But that’s not all; the Lasiq comes with a X-Visor, allowing her to ignore the -3 range modifiers. This means she has BS12 across the board with a BS15 from from 16″ to 48″. You have to play very ballsy sticking your head out of cover with a Lasiq perched on the rooftops.
The Lasiq has Mimetism, which works like Camouflage, without the Marker State. She forces a -3 modifier on any BS attack directed at her. This makes a Lasiq in cover very hard to dislodge.

The Lasiq has Climbing Plus, allowing it to treat Climbing as a Short Skill and able to run up vertical spaces as if they were horizontal. She has the ability to shoot while hanging on a wall, allowing her to create some weird angle shots and AROs. Perfect for an unexpected kill.
She’s a Religious Troop, like the Khawarij.

After all these lethal Blades of the Prophet, we’re off to some fringe space Piracy:

The Bashi Bazouk

We can argue that this is the only proxy in the list; the Bashi model comes with a Boarding Shotgun, but in order to fit it in the list, the Submachine Gun was the better option (it’s also one of the favourite load outs).
The Submachine Gun has two ammo options: Shock and Armour Piercing. This means the Bashi can choose which effect it applies to its BS attacks. Shock kills one-wound models outright, ignoring all rules like NWI, Unconsciousness or Dogged. The Armour Piercing forces ARM saves of the target on half their ARM value. The Bashi is a versatile killer, able to claim low armoured one-wound soldiers up to heavily armoured heavy infantry. He also comes with a Chain-Colt, giving the Bashi the option to ignore cover mods of its targets and to be able to deal with enemy Camo-markers.

But that’s not all the Bashi has to offer. It’s a Parachutist, allowing the model to drop onto the battlefield from airplanes, helicopters or landingcrafts. The Parachustist can enter the battlefield from any side of the table (except your opponent’s Deployment Zone).
It also comes with a Holoprojector Lv2, meaning that your opponent will see three Bashi Bazouks, with only one being the real one. He is forced to choose where to allocate his AROs, having a 2/3rd chance of missing completely. The Holoprojector grants the Bashi Surprise Shot, as the enemy isn’t sure which one is the real one. This allows the Bashi to get the upper hand in most firefights, meanwhile defending himself with holographic projections of himself. Combine this with the versatility of the Submachine Gun and your enemy is in for a nasty surprise!

At last we take a look at Haqqislam’s support tools; Remotes

What would an army of Light Infantry be without some solid back-up from their robotic helpers? The Haqqislam remotes are very distinct  due to their Chicken-Bot appearance.

First off, the Fanous Remote. A cheap and affordable Remote, it’s in many ways a cheap order. But do not let its lack of deadly weaponry fool you. The Fanous comes with its own repeater, expanding the range of the Assault Hacker again. It also has solid Discovery-tool in the Sniffer; a Repeater for the Sensor ability. Unfortunately, this specific list does not run the Rafiq remote (Haqq’s only Sensor), so the Sniffer in this list is mostly lost.
The Fanous has a Flash Pulse, which can stun targets, and is able to Discover Camo tokens on its own. That’s an affordable discover tool. It’s 6-6 MOV value allows it to quickly gain the right modifiers for Discovering.

Last but not least the Shihab Remote; Haqq’s Total Reaction Remote.
Total Reaction allows the Shihab Remote to shoot his full Burst value during its Reactive Phase. This is a very deadly unit, and usually has a high priority for your opponent to disable.
It also has a 360 Visor, meaning that it can shoot and react to every angle that your opponent tries to sneak up on it.
The Shihab shares its second Combat Group with both snipers for maximum effect. These three models are there for AROs and to lock down fire lanes. Have both snipers cover each other’s blind spots and have the Shihab cover the Lasiq Sniper on a good location in cover inside your Deployment Zone.
Your opponent will have a hard time dislodging the Lasiq + Shihab combination without losing valuable troopers himself, not to mention the Tuareg that takes shots at him from another angle. Definitely a dangerous and effective combination. Just keep in mind, dice are feeble and can always screw you over.

Inshallah, that the dice be in your favour!

We think this is a solid way for all these new Haqqislam players to expand their Red Veil Starter Set to a full-flung, 300 points ITS ready list. Enjoy the hobby and happy gaming!