This is the Wartrader, all your Remotes are immobilised to us...

Catch Up On Part One Here

Assault Hackers

Assault Hackers have a very specific set of skills. They *will* find you and they *will* kill you in the world of Infinity.

Well actually, that's the problem - Assault Hacking Devices don't have any programs that cause damage. Unlike some of the other HDs there's no Brain Burst or Sucker Punch program to wound enemy Hackers. Most of the effects of an AHD are temporary, but they're very good at inflicting those temporary states.

AHDs, TAGs, Possession and Expel

TAGs are the natural prey of Assault Hackers. Total Control is one of the scariest things a TAG can face, with a very good chance of Possessing the TAG so that it becomes controlled by the enemy.

Now, this is one of those temporary states - the TAG can be freed by it's fellow Hackers who can exorcise the possession or the player can use a Command Token to automatically cancel Possession - however if you've got a bunch of Orders left in your Order Pool they can be spent on the TAG before then.

For example you could gun down the rest of the enemy force with it's guns, to move it into a vulnerable position where your troops can shoot it once it clears the possession or simply to jump it off a cliff or the top of a tall building.

Expel is another scary prospect for manned TAGs - suddenly the Pilot gets pushed out of the TAG and the protection of all it's armour and weapons. Sure, once it's their turn the Pilot can get back into the TAG but that involves needing to survive the intervening time...

Isolation

The Oblivion program, on the other hand, inflicts the Isolated state. This is permanent until fixed by an Engineer which relies on your opponent not just having an Engineer but also having the Orders to get the Engineer to the Isolated trooper.

Isolated state effectively separates the trooper from the force's tactical web - the trooper becomes Irregular so it's Order can't be used by anyone else and your opponent can no longer spend Regular Orders on it. This limits the trooper to a single Order in their own turn but has no effect on reactions, so this is a good option to semi-cripple an enemy trooper for the rest of the game but a bad choice when you need to bypass that trooper, for example to get to an objective or to shoot it unopposed.

Immobilisation

Now back to temporary states. Immobilisation level 1 (IMM-1) state can be removed by any successful Reset roll, so it can be got rid of in the owner's turn or any time it gets a reaction, such as when the Hacker that just hacked the trooper walks round the corner to get to an objective.

Even worse, the IMM-1 state inflicted by Hacking Programs only lasts until the end of the current player turn or the end of the following player turn, depending on the program.

So IMM-1 is the most temporary of the states. It is a way to temporarily put someone out of action - either in their own turn to help prevent your opponent pushing forwards with at trooper or in your turn...

However IMM-1 state can be used as part of a tactic to get rid of a trooper more permanently - the first step being to immobilise the trooper using Basilisk or Carbonite depending on preference and situation, then using another trooper (or potentially the Hacker themselves) to shoot the immobilised trooper - this will usually give them a chance to Reset but that won't stop the incoming bullets.

This works particularly well with Adhesive Launchers (think high-powered paintball guns filled with Superglue instead of paint) which are generally poor active turn weapons due to low Burst. A successful hit (and failed PH-6 roll by the target) will put the target into full-blown IMM-2 state which requires fixing by an Engineer rather than by a simple Reset roll.

Summary

So, Assault Hackers are very good at slowing down enemy hackable targets like Remotes and Heavy Infantry, frankly terrifying to enemy TAGs but not so scary too enemy Hackers.

How do you use yours?

Ian Wood aka @wartrader

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