Andromeda — ?
I initially set out to prove that Andromeda was useful. I was hoping to be the one to say “Yes, this is what Corvus Belli intended!” Turns out the answer is more complicated than a simple yes/no on whether you should be taking her in your lists.
I’m also taking it as a reminder: while I’m starting to get a feel for this game a year and a half in, there’s just so much to know and play with that it’s dangerous to get up and speak in absolutes. I think it was on either Mayacast or White Noise that they said “No one actually knows how to play Infinity.” Trying to keep that in mind is an important part of my outlook on this wonderful game.
Andromeda herself
So why is it such a hard question? Mostly because Andromeda is such a weird profile. She’s got some great perks, but also some major drawbacks. In a game where risk weaves in and out of everything, she has ways of mitigating those risks. In a game full of counters, she has weaknesses that can be exploited by many other opposing profiles.
Get Cbb’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Let’s look first at the Pros of Andromeda:
- V:NWI, Specialist Operative, and Stealth
- Can start up the board (and has an option for Superior Infiltration in OSS)
- Only DA CCW in OSS
- Mimetism
- Multiple ammo types
While recognizing her flaws:
- S4 (has some advantages, but big silhouettes are usually a disadvantage)
- Short range weapons, but starting near the Deployment Zone, despite ‘feeling’ like a forward-deploying assassin
- Wip13, despite being an Aleph character
- Overpays for Forward Deployment lvl1
But probably the biggest factor in her struggle to find a place in an Aleph list is her price. She’s not overly expensive (~30 points is fair for good profiles in Aleph that aren’t Achilles), but she competes against some units that are held up as exemplars of Aleph’s tactics:
- MSV2/Spitfire Deva
- Dasyu
- Myrmidon Spitfire
- Scylla
A 300 point list only has so much room for 30 point attack pieces. You need to reserve points for support pieces (skirmishers, Post-humans, doctors/engineers), orders (dakini, remotes, etc…), and for a primary attack vector (Achilles, Teucer, Rudras, etc…).
Should you take Andromeda?
Does it make sense to fit in Andromeda instead of a Dasyu and a Spitfire Deva? Instead of Scylla, or a myrmidon officer? Drop Achilles down to Teucer, or Ajax in order to pick up Andromeda?
This is where the vast majority of players would say “No”.
I have to say that I agree with them, at least if you’re building a competitive list to take to a tournament. Even in OSS where she can be a superior infiltrator, the risk (and loss if you fail the LT or Infiltration roll) is huge.
She can be worth it, if you’re in it for fun
The best place for Andromeda is in a fluffy, fun list that you take to a local gaming group. She adds a fun bit of randomness and risk into an Aleph list, has a great backstory, and a fantastic model (so much so that I use her to proxy many other profiles in OSS).
Just don’t think of her as a game-winning piece or one that can counter best-of-breed opposing pieces.
