Infinity Basics: Face to Face Rolls
Today, we have a guest article by one of the better Infinity players I know, Nate, or NateTehAggresar on the Infinity Forums. It addresses one of the most difficult concepts for beginners, and one that even some veteran players get confused about, yet it happens many time every turn, "what makes a roll face to face?"
What is Face to Face?
Infinity has a number of unique mechanics for a table top miniature game. One of which is having two different types of rolls to determine success, normal rolls and face to face rolls. Normal rolls simply mean you need to roll equal to or under a stat, while in face to face rolls you need to compare your rolls to your opponents rolls.
One of the more confusing aspects for new infinity players is determining when rolls are face to face, or when they are normal. If I hack, and my opponent shoots is it face to face? The key to understanding how to determine what type of roll to use is in the red call out box for face to face rolls.
For actions to be resolved with a face to face roll, both troops must affect each other directly. If either actions does not affect the outcome of the other, use normal rolls instead.
For a roll to be face to face, model A must be doing something to model B, AND model B must be doing something to model A. It doesn’t matter what skills are being declared, the key is that they are trying to affect each other, its is the relationship between the acting models!
First Example
Interventor Morgana runs up to a console (move short skill), on her way to the console Fusileer Angus draws a bead on Morgana and tries to shoot her down before she can activate the objective! (ARO BS attack) As a hail of bullets fly out in an attempt to gun down Morgana before she can accomplish her objective, she hits a button on the console (interact short skill).
How is this situation resolved? Fusileer Angus is attempted to affect Morgana, he is attempting to wound her, and place her in the unconscious or dead state. So model A is attempting to affect model B. Morgana is not attempting to do anything to Angus. In this scenario Model A is NOT affecting model B. The actions would be resolved as two normal rolls, Angus with his BS, and Morgana with her WIP.
Second Example
Interventor Morgana runs up to a console (move short skill), on her way to the console Fusileer Angus draws a bead on Morgana and tries to shoot her down before she can activate the objective! (ARO BS attack) Morgana noticing fusilier Angus for the first time panics and attempts to mark Angus so her fire support can take him out (Hacking – Spotlight).
This changes the face to face calculus. Angus is still attempting to wound Morgana, so model A is attempting to affect model B. Now Morgana is trying to place Angus in the targeted state, Model B is attempting to affect model A. The conditions to make a roll face to face have been met. The roll would be resolved Angus’s BS with applicable mods versus Morgana’s WIP with applicable mods.
Third Example
Interventor Morgana runs up to a console (move short skill), on her way to the console Fusileer Angus draws a bead on Morgana and tries to shoot her down before she can activate the objective! (ARO BS attack) Morgana noticing fusilier Angus for the first time leaps forward and attempts to avoid the incoming hail of bullets (Dodge Short Skill).
Fusileer Angus is still again the blood thirsty one, trying to wound poor Morgana. Morgana is NOT attempting to do anything to Angus though so this would be two normal rolls? We all know that they should be opposed though...
The key is in the dodge skill, one of the effects is to make the dodge roll face to face against enemy attacks. Dodge, is an exception to the general rule.
In a similar manner, Reset has a clause allowing for you to face to face versus comms attacks. Reset is a comms attack “Dodge.”
Conclusion
Hopefully that sheds some light on how to determine whether your rolls are normal or face to face.
Adam: I know it took me a while to figure it out, and if you're new, it can seem a bit confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, determining face-to-face actually becomes pretty intuitive.