Looking for suggestions for a ruleset (and maybe for some minis too)

[Longstrider]

EDIT: aaaaand of course after posting this I pay more attention; I'm reading the rules reference thread now, but I'm still open to recommendations, especially regarding points 3 and 6, and figures.

So I've gotten back into Infinity with 3rd edition in a big way, but in my view it is a fairly complex game with a lot of moving parts, and often doesn't lend itself well to just throwing a few minis down for a short dust-up with someone else who isn't already committed to learning how to play an intricate new game.

I'm looking for suggestions for something that:
1. Is infantry-centric - one or two vehicles maybe, or possibly more if it's just the equivalent of trucks and maybe halftracks - as long as the vehicles are vulnerable to things infantry can do
2. Deals reasonably well with, say, 8-30 figures a side
3. Makes a nod to the Space Opera type infowar that Infinity does
4. Has or is easy to write both assymetric or symmetric scenarios for
5. Has some kind of point system or force generator - I know things like Gruntz allow you to stat up your own figures, but that sort of thing often leaves me overwhelmed with choice, so I think I'd prefer something that has a bunch of pre-made statlines for different archetypes of model, or generic sci-fi trope army lists
6. Permits shell-games in moderate amounts - one of the things I like with Infinity is that between drop troops, impersonators, hidden deployment, camo markers, holoprojectors and who knows what else, there's a certain level of uncertainty that both players face that adds in a little bit of a fog of war element without requiring a game-master or extensive work
7. Prefer something other than IGOUGO

I'll be honest, I'm as likely to buy more minis as I am to just use the Infinity ones for other games - I'm open to suggestions for sci-fi miniatures that are... less complex than the Infinity models. They're great models (within the constraints of their cheesecake anime aesthetic) but both the assembly and the painting time for me are pretty high, and they are also quite pricey models. A lot of 15mm stuff looks nice too, but I've never painted in that scale (though I've actually got a few things from ArmiesArmy and 15mm.co.uk in storage across the atlantic).

Thanks all.

[tnjrp]

Defiance from Majestic 12 Games works for all of your points, being weakest at #3. If I was inclined I could argue it makes "a nod" towards infowar/EW but the rules that lean to that direction are really more @ #6. Also, you need the full rulebook (which isn't free) to get the real benefits from it, such as the very good and solid force creation tool. Furthermore, don't expect to find a lot of peeps intimately familiar with the game.

More at link below, including free previews etc.
http://www.mj12games.com/defiance/

[Longstrider]

Ooh, I hadn't even heard of Defiance. I think I like what I see. Thanks for the recommendation!

[shandy]

On the 8 figure side, you might want to consider Flying Lead by Ganesha Games (http://www.ganeshagames.net) - or one of their other rulesets, I guess you could easily adapt them to your needs. They are fast and have a great activation system. And Andrea has a new sci fi set in the works at the moment…

For the 30 figures side of things, there are my own Wandering Star. Be warned, they are extremely simplistic, but at least they are free https://wargamingraft.wordpress.com/wandering-star/

Figure wise I find 15mm a great size for skirmish games, especially if you are a bit short on space as I am. You can build lots of scenery and still store it without needing extensive dungeons! Painting them is easy, and companies like Khurasan offer a great variety of space-opera like figures.

Cheers
Shandy

[tnjrp]

Ooh, I hadn't even heard of Defiance

As I alluded above, not many have

A little more free stuff for it here:
http://heros.netai.net/html/DVG.html