Tarik Mansuri, Khawarij Amir, is one unit I hear a lot of people ask about, which is why I thought to write this article on the man who I have come to call Captain Haqqislam. The model itself is still one of the best Haqqislam models out there even with the newer stuff Corvus Belli has produced and he does have a great stat line on top of the awesome lore that makes him a compelling character within the Infinity universe. Just reading through the Haqqislam section of the N3 book, you stumble over a lot of his quotes that help characterize what Haqqislam is and how they make war. It is no wonder that a lot of people want to know how to use him on the table. He is an expensive unit but he puts those points to use. Now, let's dive into who Tarik is and why he is so important to Haqqislam.
Captain Haqqislam: The Living Ideals of Haqqislam
The similarities between Captain America (one of my favorite super heroes, by the way) and Tarik Mansuri isn't just in the fact that they both are super soliders and that both got huge after their transformation. Just like Captain America embodies the ideals of America in his character, Tarik does the same for Haqqislam. Just like Captain America, Tarik has become a symbol to his people, becoming something that everyone within the nation strives to be. The way he is characterized in the N3 Core Book from his description, and the couple of quotes found in it, he carries the Haqqislamite emphasis on the power of humanity over the reliance of machines and technology. To Tarik, the only way to truly win a war is through the courage and willpower of humanity. One quote attributed to him conveys the sentiment that you may have all the technology in the world, but if you don't have the courage and willpower of humanity, you don't have what it takes to truly win the war, which may or may not be a subtle jab at the Hyperpowers over-reliance on technology to do the work for them. Either way, just like Haqqislam, Tarik sees technology as useful tool for humanity to use, bu,t becoming too reliant on it can have a number of consequences, like laziness, and a lack of drive to actually fight. Tarik even goes so far as to lament the innovation of plastic weapons, because you lose the ability to properly bash an enemy in close quarters and, when you try to, you will more than likely shatter the weapon in the process. Although, that may just be something Tarik has to deal with because of his super strength.
By reading further into the N3 core book you will find that Tarik was one of the earliest participants of the Runihura program. He is also one of the most successful because the program turned him into the hulking beast of a man that he became. Prior to the procedure, Tarik was already quite well suited to receive the Runihura, because we are told that Tarik was not only in peak physical condition, but he also already had a superior metabolism, so he was seen as the ideal candidate. Tarik's results have never been repeated and from the way it is written, no one has quite figured out why. All that they know is that the process interacted uniquely with Tarik's body to produce the results that it did. Whether this has to do with Tarik's pre-conditions or something else is never disclosed, and with Tarik being the only one who responded as well as he did to the treatment, it's hard to nail down why Tarik's body reacted so well that it made him into a hulk of a man, able to stare down Ajax as a fellow S5 human without the benefit of power armor. The Runihura didn't just make Tarik into a colossus of a man either, it has also slowed down his aging and allowed him to stay in peak physical condition. He is an agile warrior, able to dispatch enemies quickly and efficiently.
Tarik's strengths don't just lie in his superior physical attributes either. Just like his fellow Khawarij, Tarik is well learned and a brilliant tactician. The Runihura, in addition to enhancing his physical abilities, was able to focus his mind as well. He is able to maintain a clear mind even in the most dire of situations and his senses are honed, allowing him to be an asset in the field and in the command tent. Between deployments, Tarik is often seen as an instructor for Haqqislam military training since he is the best that they have to offer. To say that Tarik is the most successful soldier of the Runihura is an understatement.
Tarik Tactics: Heavy Infantry Masquerading as Light Infantry
With a long list of accolades like that, you have to wonder if he performs that well in the actual game. Short answer? Yes. I often see many people asking how best to use Tarik in game. He's got an awesome model and an awesome stat line but people still sometimes come off confused exactly where he sits in the grand scheme of things, and whether the amount of points he takes is actually worth it. To start this off you have to realize one thing: Tarik is not actually Light Infantry. I know, you are going to say but Army lists him as Light Infantry! Yeah, and Army is lying to you. Look at his stat line and then compare it to other light infantry but then go take a look at Haqqislamite Heavy Infantry. You will discover that Tarik has way more in common with Heavy Infantry, despite what his Type is listed as. This is my first piece of advice for anyone wanting to use Tarik: Stop thinking of him as Light Infantry and start thinking of him as Non-Hackable Heavy Infantry because that is what he truly is. With that, let's jump into his stats and then break down the loadouts Tarik gets.
So, Tarik may be expensive, but at least you get a lot of good stuff for all those points. To start off, Tarik's statline is this: 6-4 MOV, CC 23, BS 13, PH 14, WIP 15, ARM 3, BTS 3, W 2, S 5 along with Martial Arts Level 1, Bioimmunity, Kinematika 1, Super Jump, Religious Troop and Poison. Before getting into the various weapon sets that Tarik has available let's just unpack everything right here first.
Right off the bat, that 6-4 movement is huge when it comes to moving Tarik up the board and getting him in range to do what Tarik does best, which is eliminating enemy opposition. In addition, it gives him a 6 inch cautious movement so it's a lot easier to get him up the board without taking AROs. Combine this with the fact that Martial Arts gives you Stealth along with all that and Tarik becomes quite scary for your opponent indeed. The biggest thing to watch about moving Tarik around the board though is his S5 profile. Be mindful of this so that you don't take unexpected AROs due to the bigger profile. It will take some practice in judging what gives full cover to Tarik, but once you get used to using him, his mobility is great at getting reliably into Tarik's threat range. Combine this with super jump (See my article on the Khawarij for super jump tips. Tarik has even better use of super jump because of stealth as well so take advantage of that!) and Tarik is one of the most mobile units in Infinity. If you take a reliable source of smoke, Tarik becomes quite dangerous to your opponent. (Mutts, Muyib and Al Fasid are all great options. The Al Fasid is my favorite to take with Tarik because of the hammer and anvil concept but it is expensive and the Muyib would save you on both points and SWC. Just remember though, this is for vanilla. Right now, the only smoke we know of in the Ramah Taskforce is the Al Fasid. The two in combo is expensive, but it is also a pain train.
Tarik's BS skill lines up with his fellow Khawarij so we know that he can hit what he shoots with that BS 13. Where Tarik gets better than your average Khawarij is that that he actually gets Martial Arts Level 1 along with a better CC of 23. Martial Arts adds +1 damage to Tarik's already impressive PH of 14 so when Tarik hits, he hits like a truck at damage 15, and that goes for his Poison as well. Add onto this that every profile of Tarik comes with a DA CCW. That means that if you are facing an enemy with wounds, they have to take a double hit to their armor but also a hit on the BTS all at damage 15...that is brutal. Tarik in close combat is a terror to behold and he can get there. I would not get stuck on only trying to get him into close combat, though, because he can shoot well enough and hit what he is shooting, but if the opportunity presents itself, do it and make your opponent pay for allowing him to get so close.
Unfortunately, Tarik doesn't get as much out of Bioimmunity as his smaller counterparts since he is both ARM and BTS 3 with 2 wounds but hey, only having to make one roll for viral ammunition is still pretty awesome. Kinematica 1 is nice for getting him up the board on your Reactive turn or getting him into safer places and having a PH 14, Tarik dodges pretty well when you need him to. Religious Troop is kind of invalidated by having Courage through Martial Arts but hey, it fits with the lore. Tarik also has a high WIP of 15 which only really comes in use if you decide to have Tarik as your LT. And that's it, Tarik has a lot to use just in his stats which is why I said he's not really Light Infantry, he has all the benefits of Heavy Infantry with none of the drawbacks like being Hackable.
Tarik's Weapons of War
In Army, it will show that Tarik has four different loadouts, but there are only two differences between the four. There are two different main weapons Tarik can take: AP Rifle + Light Shotgun, and a Spitfire. Each of those has an LT option, making the four loadouts. If you take the AP Rifle + Light Shotgun as an LT, you get +1 SWC which off the cuff may seem really useful, but Haqqislam has cheaper SWC costs compared to other armies. Not Ariadna cheap, but definitely not any reason to feel pressured to take this option. Honestly, I don't like taking Tarik as an LT option unless I have a Farzan with Chain of Command along too. Tarik is a high risk unit and if your opponent wants to take him down, they can. It’s not worth Loss of LT. I prefer the Spitfire version because it greatly extends the threat range of Tarik allowing you to use him as a toolbox of death to either shoot at a distance or take an enemy out in close quarters depending on how the match is going and Tarik's placement on the board. The only time I would take the AP Rifle version is for the LT version to get +1 SWC, but I have never felt the need for more SWC so Tarik is usually rocking a Spitfire. The AP Rifle is 0 SWC and 2 points less than the Spitfire, but if you are taking Tarik, he is there for one reason.
With the main weapon, Tarik gets a Nanopulser, Grenades, a Pistol and. as I pointed out before. a DA CCW. We already went over how devastating Tarik is at close combat. but what you need to remember are his Nanopulser and Grenades. With a PH 14, Tarik can reliably speculative fire grenades to take out units you can't see around corners. The Nanopulser is nice to help make your opponent make hard decisions by making them decide between wanting to shoot back or dodge if you confront an enemy in the range of the Nanopulser.
There is a lot that Tarik brings to the table and his job is the same as his fellow Khawarij; he is a hunter. As a hunter, he has tons of things that help him complete his job of hunting down pesky units that you want eliminated. To me, he is well worth his points and I have never regretted taking him. He lives up to his legend that is presented in the lore, Tarik "the Man" Mansuri is a badass who will terrorize your enemy because he is a durable unit with unbelievable killing power. If you haven't, take Captain Haqqislam out for a spin. Have him be that elite unit that you build a list around. I promise you won't be disappointed. Until next time, my friend, continue to seek knowledge.
