Space Werewolves: How I learned to stop worrying and love Infinity
Like most of you guys, I really started my wargaming journey in the Games Workshop ecosystem, and for good reason. It is the reigning champion of of international wargames, with people all over the globe participating in their flagship games.
That being said, their games weren't really scratching the itch anymore. Warhammer 40,0000 was just too big from both a model count, and rules density perspective. Kill Team was significantly closer to what I was looking for, as the being able to collect and paint a small amount of each faction was appealing. But KT18 was too much rolling just to have nothing happen, and then KT21 and the newest edition have such convoluted cover rules that even experienced gamers need a flowchart. Not ideal.
One fateful evening a local friend suggested that I try out this little game called Infinity, and damn him for it!
For those of you who are unfamiliar Infinity is a sci-fi skirmish game set in a near-future in which Humanity has slipped the surly bonds of Earth, to live amongst the stars. To varying success.
The backstory is delightfully weird. The colonists from what used to be the United States are huddled together for survival on the planet of Dawn, scraping by with basic technology, fighting off space werewolves and jealous guarding the recipe for Coca-Cola (really). On the other end of the spectrum there is ALEPH; the theoretically friendly AI that runs most of Humanity's affairs, solved death, and created its own versions of Achilles, Mark Twain, and Joan of Arc.
As for the game itself, there is much to recommend it to the average wargamer. You can have a maximum of 15 models* in your list at a time, all your models can react to your opponent as long as they are close enough or in line of sight, and the d20 based dice mechanics encourage innovative list building, and reward skillful players for maximizing their odds on every roll.
*You won't ever collect just 15 models. I can stop any time I want, I promise!
All this combines to make a game with the sort of depth and skill expression that I have been unable to find anywhere else. There are absolutely list archetypes, but at the top tables you will often find lists considered subpar or off-meta because those individual players have practiced so much and have a playstyle so distinct that the common wisdom just doesn't apply.
To top it all off the system encourages playing on unique boards, so I have found that the community puts a premium on making their own terrain with tournaments often having a prize for the participant who brought the best one. Not an L-shaped ruin in sight!
Unfortunately there are a few hurdles to diving deep into Infinity. The first is that most of the models are metal, and as production of those has fallen out of favor over the years it can be a hurdle for people not used to working with the material. That being said, a little patience, a pin vise, and superglue can absolutely solve that problem.
I have no idea how I made it this far without mentioning that the full rules are always free on Corvus Belli's website, and their army builder app is second to none, but the downside is that they can be incredibly dense. The basic systems itself is simplicity itself, but the absolute mountain of skills and equipment and how exactly they work in each situation can be opaque for newer players, meaning your first full game can feel like there are a ton of 'gotcha' moments.
However, once you get over the hurdle what you are presented with is a plethora of meaningful options, that mean even when Plan A, B and F are distant memories you still have a chance to pull it off; even if it's only a small one.
It's the end of 2025, almost two years after I started and I'm still energized to paint and play Infinity! Have you guys ever tried Infinity? What did you think? Are you willing to give it a go?
