As a miniatures game, I like Infinity. I do find it hard to commit to Infinity, though. The idea of painting the miniatures and the never getting to actually use then due to a lack of local players is somewhat of a chilling factor.
In addition to the gorgeous miniatures, I actually quite like much of the setting. It’s interesting, and I like the interaction between the different factions. I especially like the constituent subfactions that make up each of the major factions.
A few years back, Modiphius put out a role-playing game based on Infinity. It uses their well-established 2D20 system. I think this is especially fitting, given that Infinity is, I believe, the only major miniatures game to use the D20 as their standard dice. The RPG also acts to more fully flesh out the background of the setting, delving far deeper into the Human Sphere than we previously had done.
Bundle of Holding currently has a pair of Infinity Bundles on offer. There’s a republication of their 2019 Infinity bundle, and then a new Infinity Factions bundle featuring more recent book in the line.
Infinity Bundle
Newcomers to the Infinity Roleplaying Game should definitely start with this bundle this should be considered the core bundle, on which the second one builds.
There are, as is usual for Bundle of Holding bundles, two tiers to this bundle. Here’s what you’ll find In the first tier ($14.95):
Now, clearly the most important item in this bundle is the core book. It has the rules for thr game, both in terms of the core 2D20 system, and the individual tweaks, changes and other bits and bobs for this particular title. This is compulsory for play.
Also in this tier, you’ll find the Adventures in the Human Sphere book. This is a book of adventures to use with your group. As such, this book is really aimed more at the GM than the players. I think that for Amy system that you’re coming to as a new GM, adventure books can be useful in a couple of ways. First of all, used as-is, they make for a great way to get the game to the table. You follow the adventure, tweak on the fly, and fun will be had. Fantastic. You can also use them as a gauge of tone. What sort of adventures can you run in this setting? What’s happening in the Human Sphere than you can tap into? This is a great use for such a book, especially when you’re essentially getting it for free with the core book in a undle like this.
Tier 2 is priced on a threshold. At the time of writing, tier 2 will set you back $26.05 and get you a few more titles:
Three of these books are pretty self-explanatory. Most obviously, the Gamemaster Guide is a guide… for the gamemaster. It gives evaluation some new, advanced rules, such as for vehicular and space combat, and for leading a larger force into battle. It gives lots of advice on different parts of the setting, and it stats out a number of key figures within the setting.
The Haqqislam and Ariadna books are faction books. They delve deeper into the two titular factions, giving lifepaths for different character types (notably including the dog-people from the Ariadna and the Haqqislan Hassassins), new items, adversaries, and more. As a fan of the miniatures game, I’m interested in the uncle just the the background material in these books!
Finally, there’s also Quadtronic Heat, a mini-campaign. Again, it’s up to you as the potential GM whether it’s something you want to use, adapt, lift specific bits from, or just ignore altogether.
Infinity Factions Bundle
First up, let’s put our cards on the table. If you are new to the game and are only getting one of these bundles, this is not the one to get. I say this simply because it does not include the core rules. If you already have the core rules, or if you are considering getting both bundles, then read on.
The first tier of this bundle will, at the price of $14.95, get you the following content:
Let’s start with the least interesting part of the tier. Shadow Affairs and Cost of Greed are a pair of campaign books. Again, use them as-is, cut bits out… whatever. It’s up to you. They’re nice to have, but they are likely not what will convince you to purchase this bundle.
The most exciting parts of this tier are the two faction books. This time, we’re looking at Yu Jing and PanOceania. Both are factions that I really like from the miniatures game (what factions don’t I like?) and it’s great to have them fleshed out a bit. As above, there’s a ton of content in these books about subfacrions, characters, and the like. I think PanO will be particularly interesting, given their dominant presence in the Human Sphere. I especially like their religious order of Knights.
The last book in this tier is Paradiso, a setting book. Paradiso has been a major plot point in the story of the miniatures game, so it’s natural that it now gets explored in the RPG. A jungle planet, Paradiso is not only rich in resources, but is also an important an important strategic location. It is the bulwark against the alien forces of the Combined Intelligence. This is a great place to set adventures that focus on treasure hunting, reconnaissance, combat, or exploration.
As usual, the second tier is price on a threshold. At the time of writing this theshold is sitting at $26.55 and contains the following items:
This is actually my favourite tier across any of these bundles. Every title is cool. Every title is flavourful, usable, and interesting. It’s just good.
Let’s start with the Combined Army sourcebook. The Combined Army are often presented as antagonists in the Infinity setting. The are a range of alien species unified under the control of the Combined Intelligence, a powerful AI bent on expansion and conquest. This book is useful in a couple of ways. Firstly, it lets you run a game in which your players are playing as these would-be antagonists, approaching the war for the previously-mentioned Paradiso from the other side. Secondly, it’s a good tool for a GM wishing to include the Combined Army as antagonists, fleshing out the details of that force in the same way as the other faction books do for their respective factions.
The three faction books in this tier are for the Nomads, the Tohaa, and ALPEH. These fulfil the same functions as the other faction books in these bundles. The most interesting of these factions to me is ALEPH. This is the AI that controls day to day functions in the Human Sphere. Its something of an opposite number to the Combined Intelligence, though whether ALEPH is genuinely a friend to humanity is open to debate. This makes ALEPH, and the forces it deploys, really interesting.
The final book in this bundle is the Mercenaries sourcebook. This is pretty much the faction book for mercs. As usual, you get a selection of lifepaths for player characters and a ton of background. The most interesting part of this for me is an overview of 6 famous (or perhaps infamous) mercenary companies and some independent units.
Final Thoughts
This is a really cool pair of bundles. If you are at all interested in the setting, getting all of the content is well worth the $52ish that it would cost you. As usual, the first tier of the first bundle is the most crucial item, with the core book for the game. That is absolutely the minimum you need.
In terms of interesting books, the second bundle is great. The Combined Army, ALEPH, PanOceania, and Paradiso books make this a really strong collection of fascinating background information.
Clearly, I’d recommend the lot. I can also voucher the quality of these books. This is partly based on the fact that they’re from my beloved Modiphius, but also because I do own a few of the books myself, including the core one. They’re gorgeous. You
You can click here to visit the Infinity Bundle page, or you can click here to see Infinity Factions, both on the Bundle of Holding website.
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