The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
[Game-On] WARMACHINE and HORDES Mk II - First VASSAL tournament soon fellow STALKERs!
OtakuD00D
Can I hit the exploding rocks?San DiegoRegistered User regular
Can I hit the exploding rocks?San DiegoRegistered User regular
LEAGUE SPREADSHEET IS HERE!
Past threads can be found at:
Thread 1.
Thread 2.
Brand spanking Mk II OP to reflect the coming of Mk II! Times are a-changing!
WARMACHINE Mk II
is upon us!
What are WARMACHINE and HORDES?
WARMACHINE is a game of steam, blood, and magic. HORDES is a game of guts, blood, and magic.
Steam, you say?
The most noticeable aspect of Warmachine is that while it is most definitely a fantasy game, it incorporates things called Warjacks. Warjacks are steam-powered mechs. They make things die. It's pretty cool. You'll see a few later. This is full-metal fantasy. Not steampunk. Not JRR's fantasy. It's something wholly different, and badass.
Blood? This intrigues!
Warmachine is set within the world of Caen, on the continent of Western Immoren. More specifically, it takes place within the Iron Kingdoms, which are four in number. They all hit each other with swords and shoot each other and blow each other up. Hence, blood.
MAGIC!? FIREBALLS! BOOM!
Magic pops up in a variety of ways in WARMACHINE, but the most noticeable way is the inclusion of Warcasters. These are the leaders of your army, capable of casting mighty spells and pulling off a special game-changing Feat every match. It is these Warcasters which control the mighty and hella-awesome Warjacks I mentioned earlier.
So, yeah. They're pretty important.
The Skinny
Here's a good rundown of the basics of both games.
WARMACHINE/HORDES is relatively cheap to get into. The $50 starter kit boxes will roughly fit you into the 15-point game bracket. 15 points, you say? YES! With the release of Mk II, point sizes have been cut down into simple, easy to track numbers. What was once a 500 pt game will roughly match 35 pts. 50 for 750, and 75 is around 1000.
A decent, well balanced force for a 35 point game should net you between 100 to 150 bucks. This would consist of a Warcaster and his battlegroup of 1-3 warjacks, plus units and a solo or two. Each Warcaster has a certain amount of Warjack Points- these are free points meant solely to be spent on Warjacks he/she will personally control. Spend them wisely, you can end up getting what amounts to a free Warjack.
Interested in the game? Go to your local gaming store (LGS) and see if and when people get together to play it. Get to know the players. Try and see if you can get a few demo games down. They'd be more than happy to get new blood in. Specifically, ask for the Press Ganger if there is one. They're Privateer's community volunteers/con bitches.
You play the game on a 4' by 4' table with terrain pieces placed around in a fair fashion (IE. Don't be a dick. If your army can negate terrain like no one else can [IE you're playing Circle!], don't cover your end of the field with a crap ton of forests). Terrain is usually just Styrofoam painted or modeled to look like mountains and such. No Quarter Magazine has some neat terrain making articles. Better yet, if you have access to die-cutting machinery....
Its a really really fun set of games, with all kinds of tactical nuance that drives you to plan and direct your troops rather then "everyone fires/everyone dies".
WARMACHINE is a game of resource management, where as HORDES is a game of risk management. In WM you can allocate your "Focus" to direct and power up your machines, put to much into them and you can't cast spells or defend yourself properly. Too little and you might not kill what you wanted to kill, and are left with an angry opponent ready to beat your face in.
In HORDES, you gather resources from forcing your beasts to perform actions. Too little, and you can't cast your spells, fight well with your leader (warlock), or heal if needed. Too much and your beasts might go nuts, and you will lose control of them... perhaps they will even attack your own troops!
Beasts are just as powerful as Warjacks, and a HORDES warlock can mitigate damage to himself by transferring it onto one of his beasts. A Warcaster (WM leader) can increase his armor by retaining focus, but he can not transfer it.
Its a game of tactics and proper planning.
CYGNAR
Cygnar are the technological innovators of the Iron Kingdoms. Their prowess at developing new weaponry in addition to their highly trained troops have ensured their place as a major power in the world. If words like "Gun Mage", "Chain Lightning", "Rapid Fire", and "Storm Glaive" make you sexually excited, you might be a Cygnar player in your heart of hearts. They are a very well rounded faction that edges out the others in ranged combat in particular. They are also experts at anti-warjack combat.
MENOTH
The Protectorate of Menoth was formed due to a religious conflict in the aforementioned kingdom of Cygnar. The devotees of Morrow were the majority, and got to keep their nice cushy kingdom. The disciples of Menoth were given a piece of crappy land to placate them and made into an independent nation. They found oil, built up some military forces which don't technically exist as such, and now they're fond of making their heathen enemies explode and die. Nice people, all around. They favor slow, methodical games of attrition, synergizing the shit out of their armies and heavily denying the other army. Also. fire.
KHADOR
The Russia-er, Khador is a massive and cold land inhabited by a fiercely independent people. They're rather expansionistic which leads them to a great deal of conflict with their neighbors. Mainly Cygnar. The armies of Khador are bolstered by ponderous warjacks that could punch your head through your ass if they weren't careful while shaking your hand. Khador excels at melee combat, heavy armor, and promote heavy use of AOE-based ranged weaponry.
CRYX
So, there's this island, right? It's a pretty sweet little island, all happy and stuff. Then Toruk, Unholy Father of All Dragons, lands there. It's less happy now. A haven for abominations, Cryx is ruled by Toruk and his 13 Lich Lords. Two of these, Lich Lord Terminus and Lich Lord Asphyxious (known as the Iron Lich prior to his promotion), are well known in the Iron Kingdom due to their propensity for leading armies to pillage and destroy. They're good at what they do. Heavy magic use. Cheap, undead swarms. Dirty tricks abound. Cryx players make it their mission in unlife to piss you off.
RETRIBUTION OF SCYRAH
The Retribution of Scyrah is WARMACHINE's newest faction. Formerly a fringe radical group hailing from the secluded elven nation of Ios, the Retribution has recently gained heavy political ground and acceptance in its homeland. They now have access to and support from some of Ios's greaet Military Houses, including the ranks of the fearsome Dawnguard and the power of Myrmidon Warjacks. They are technologically advanced. They have force fields. They hate you.
They're out for blood and revenge. They are fighting the good fight for the survival of their species. Their last remaining Gods are dying, and they blame human magic use for it. They are damn good at what they do.
Solid units. Some absurdly powerful solos. Well-rounded if focus-hungry Warjacks. The Retribution plays differently and can be rather rewarding for those willing to put some effort into them. They shoot harder than most factions though aren't necessarily as accurate. They are potent in melee, but lack Warcaster support to the degrees most other factions enjoy. Their Warjacks are few in variety but can all do their task well. Take care of them, because they crumple like paper once their force fields are gone. Did I mention mage hunters? Oh yes. Mage hunters.
[tiny]Roh, Roh, Fight the Powah![/tiny]
MERCENARIES
This is a world where conflict rules and wars are always ready to flare up. What kind of moron could pass up a chance to make a buck? Mercenaries come in all shapes and sizes. Some are exiles from their own land, called traitors by those they once called brother. Some are pirates sailing on the high seas. Others are dwarves fighting to protect their business interests. Others are freedom fighters working to free their ruined nation. What do YOU fight for?
Others are short beardless fellows who like money.
It takes all kinds, right?
Warmachine information can be found in thesebooks:
Mk II:
Warmachine: Prime Mk II.
Forces of Warmachine: Retribution of Scyrah.
Coming soon for Mk II-
Forces of Warmachine: Khador
Forces of Warmachine: Protectorate of Menoth
Forces of Warmachine: Cryx
Forces of Warmachine: Mercenaries
Hordes: Primal Mk II
Forces of Hordes: Skorne
Forces of Hordes: Trollbloods
Forces of Hordes: Legion of Everblight
Forces of Hordes: Circle Orboros
Forces of Hordes: Minions
Old Mk I stuff:
Warmachine: Prime Remix
Warmachine: Escalation
Warmachine: Apotheosis
Warmachine: Superiority
Forces of Warmachine: Pirates of the Broken Coast
Warmachine: Legends
Prime Mk II is the new hotness, just released this month (January 2010). It is an update of the old Prime corebook complete with updated rules, new fluff recaps, pretty pictures, and the new Warjacks from the core Warjack plastic kits of each faction. Every month after will see the release of the Faction books of each faction! These are NOT CODEXES. They exist to collect fluff and model info on everything that has been released for each faction up to that point, plus a bunch of new goodies. After which, we will be seeing the next major expansion book. It's to help organize everything. 2010 will be a busy year for Privateer Press.
Also coming in January: Updated faction decks for each faction, containing stat cards for all existing models up to Legends, including the new Warjacks from Prime Mk II. Sorry, no Faction Book models here.
Reccommended purchases for starters: Get your battlebox. Play with it. If you don't like it, trade with friends until you get one you like the feel of, then go and get Prime: Remix and your faction's faction deck. Faction decks contain all your faction's stat cards up until Superiority. This will help you figure out a good army to use. You might want to get the Mercenary deck too, unless you're Cryx because hardly anyone likes working for them. ( :P )
Play like you've got a pair.
Past threads can be found at:
Thread 1.
Thread 2.
Brand spanking Mk II OP to reflect the coming of Mk II! Times are a-changing!
WARMACHINE Mk II
is upon us!
What are WARMACHINE and HORDES?
WARMACHINE is a game of steam, blood, and magic. HORDES is a game of guts, blood, and magic.
Steam, you say?
The most noticeable aspect of Warmachine is that while it is most definitely a fantasy game, it incorporates things called Warjacks. Warjacks are steam-powered mechs. They make things die. It's pretty cool. You'll see a few later. This is full-metal fantasy. Not steampunk. Not JRR's fantasy. It's something wholly different, and badass.
Blood? This intrigues!
Warmachine is set within the world of Caen, on the continent of Western Immoren. More specifically, it takes place within the Iron Kingdoms, which are four in number. They all hit each other with swords and shoot each other and blow each other up. Hence, blood.
MAGIC!? FIREBALLS! BOOM!
Magic pops up in a variety of ways in WARMACHINE, but the most noticeable way is the inclusion of Warcasters. These are the leaders of your army, capable of casting mighty spells and pulling off a special game-changing Feat every match. It is these Warcasters which control the mighty and hella-awesome Warjacks I mentioned earlier.
So, yeah. They're pretty important.
The Skinny
Here's a good rundown of the basics of both games.
WARMACHINE/HORDES is relatively cheap to get into. The $50 starter kit boxes will roughly fit you into the 15-point game bracket. 15 points, you say? YES! With the release of Mk II, point sizes have been cut down into simple, easy to track numbers. What was once a 500 pt game will roughly match 35 pts. 50 for 750, and 75 is around 1000.
A decent, well balanced force for a 35 point game should net you between 100 to 150 bucks. This would consist of a Warcaster and his battlegroup of 1-3 warjacks, plus units and a solo or two. Each Warcaster has a certain amount of Warjack Points- these are free points meant solely to be spent on Warjacks he/she will personally control. Spend them wisely, you can end up getting what amounts to a free Warjack.
Interested in the game? Go to your local gaming store (LGS) and see if and when people get together to play it. Get to know the players. Try and see if you can get a few demo games down. They'd be more than happy to get new blood in. Specifically, ask for the Press Ganger if there is one. They're Privateer's community volunteers/con bitches.
You play the game on a 4' by 4' table with terrain pieces placed around in a fair fashion (IE. Don't be a dick. If your army can negate terrain like no one else can [IE you're playing Circle!], don't cover your end of the field with a crap ton of forests). Terrain is usually just Styrofoam painted or modeled to look like mountains and such. No Quarter Magazine has some neat terrain making articles. Better yet, if you have access to die-cutting machinery....
Its a really really fun set of games, with all kinds of tactical nuance that drives you to plan and direct your troops rather then "everyone fires/everyone dies".
WARMACHINE is a game of resource management, where as HORDES is a game of risk management. In WM you can allocate your "Focus" to direct and power up your machines, put to much into them and you can't cast spells or defend yourself properly. Too little and you might not kill what you wanted to kill, and are left with an angry opponent ready to beat your face in.
In HORDES, you gather resources from forcing your beasts to perform actions. Too little, and you can't cast your spells, fight well with your leader (warlock), or heal if needed. Too much and your beasts might go nuts, and you will lose control of them... perhaps they will even attack your own troops!
Beasts are just as powerful as Warjacks, and a HORDES warlock can mitigate damage to himself by transferring it onto one of his beasts. A Warcaster (WM leader) can increase his armor by retaining focus, but he can not transfer it.
Its a game of tactics and proper planning.
CYGNAR
Cygnar are the technological innovators of the Iron Kingdoms. Their prowess at developing new weaponry in addition to their highly trained troops have ensured their place as a major power in the world. If words like "Gun Mage", "Chain Lightning", "Rapid Fire", and "Storm Glaive" make you sexually excited, you might be a Cygnar player in your heart of hearts. They are a very well rounded faction that edges out the others in ranged combat in particular. They are also experts at anti-warjack combat.
MENOTH
The Protectorate of Menoth was formed due to a religious conflict in the aforementioned kingdom of Cygnar. The devotees of Morrow were the majority, and got to keep their nice cushy kingdom. The disciples of Menoth were given a piece of crappy land to placate them and made into an independent nation. They found oil, built up some military forces which don't technically exist as such, and now they're fond of making their heathen enemies explode and die. Nice people, all around. They favor slow, methodical games of attrition, synergizing the shit out of their armies and heavily denying the other army. Also. fire.
KHADOR
The Russia-er, Khador is a massive and cold land inhabited by a fiercely independent people. They're rather expansionistic which leads them to a great deal of conflict with their neighbors. Mainly Cygnar. The armies of Khador are bolstered by ponderous warjacks that could punch your head through your ass if they weren't careful while shaking your hand. Khador excels at melee combat, heavy armor, and promote heavy use of AOE-based ranged weaponry.
CRYX
So, there's this island, right? It's a pretty sweet little island, all happy and stuff. Then Toruk, Unholy Father of All Dragons, lands there. It's less happy now. A haven for abominations, Cryx is ruled by Toruk and his 13 Lich Lords. Two of these, Lich Lord Terminus and Lich Lord Asphyxious (known as the Iron Lich prior to his promotion), are well known in the Iron Kingdom due to their propensity for leading armies to pillage and destroy. They're good at what they do. Heavy magic use. Cheap, undead swarms. Dirty tricks abound. Cryx players make it their mission in unlife to piss you off.
RETRIBUTION OF SCYRAH
The Retribution of Scyrah is WARMACHINE's newest faction. Formerly a fringe radical group hailing from the secluded elven nation of Ios, the Retribution has recently gained heavy political ground and acceptance in its homeland. They now have access to and support from some of Ios's greaet Military Houses, including the ranks of the fearsome Dawnguard and the power of Myrmidon Warjacks. They are technologically advanced. They have force fields. They hate you.
They're out for blood and revenge. They are fighting the good fight for the survival of their species. Their last remaining Gods are dying, and they blame human magic use for it. They are damn good at what they do.
Solid units. Some absurdly powerful solos. Well-rounded if focus-hungry Warjacks. The Retribution plays differently and can be rather rewarding for those willing to put some effort into them. They shoot harder than most factions though aren't necessarily as accurate. They are potent in melee, but lack Warcaster support to the degrees most other factions enjoy. Their Warjacks are few in variety but can all do their task well. Take care of them, because they crumple like paper once their force fields are gone. Did I mention mage hunters? Oh yes. Mage hunters.
[tiny]Roh, Roh, Fight the Powah![/tiny]
MERCENARIES
This is a world where conflict rules and wars are always ready to flare up. What kind of moron could pass up a chance to make a buck? Mercenaries come in all shapes and sizes. Some are exiles from their own land, called traitors by those they once called brother. Some are pirates sailing on the high seas. Others are dwarves fighting to protect their business interests. Others are freedom fighters working to free their ruined nation. What do YOU fight for?
Others are short beardless fellows who like money.
It takes all kinds, right?
Warmachine information can be found in thesebooks:
Mk II:
Warmachine: Prime Mk II.
Forces of Warmachine: Retribution of Scyrah.
Coming soon for Mk II-
Forces of Warmachine: Khador
Forces of Warmachine: Protectorate of Menoth
Forces of Warmachine: Cryx
Forces of Warmachine: Mercenaries
Hordes: Primal Mk II
Forces of Hordes: Skorne
Forces of Hordes: Trollbloods
Forces of Hordes: Legion of Everblight
Forces of Hordes: Circle Orboros
Forces of Hordes: Minions
Old Mk I stuff:
Warmachine: Prime Remix
Warmachine: Escalation
Warmachine: Apotheosis
Warmachine: Superiority
Forces of Warmachine: Pirates of the Broken Coast
Warmachine: Legends
Prime Mk II is the new hotness, just released this month (January 2010). It is an update of the old Prime corebook complete with updated rules, new fluff recaps, pretty pictures, and the new Warjacks from the core Warjack plastic kits of each faction. Every month after will see the release of the Faction books of each faction! These are NOT CODEXES. They exist to collect fluff and model info on everything that has been released for each faction up to that point, plus a bunch of new goodies. After which, we will be seeing the next major expansion book. It's to help organize everything. 2010 will be a busy year for Privateer Press.
Also coming in January: Updated faction decks for each faction, containing stat cards for all existing models up to Legends, including the new Warjacks from Prime Mk II. Sorry, no Faction Book models here.
Reccommended purchases for starters: Get your battlebox. Play with it. If you don't like it, trade with friends until you get one you like the feel of, then go and get Prime: Remix and your faction's faction deck. Faction decks contain all your faction's stat cards up until Superiority. This will help you figure out a good army to use. You might want to get the Mercenary deck too, unless you're Cryx because hardly anyone likes working for them. ( :P )
Play like you've got a pair.
OtakuD00D on
0
Posts
RELEVANT LINKS
Tabletop Commander: A really good WM/Hordes army builder.
Armies of Immoren: The other army builder. Site is currently down now, I think.
The Warstore: Awesome online store for all your Warmchine needs. Flat 5 buck shipping, solid selection, great prices. Neal is a cool guy and doesn't afraid of anything.
The Battle College: A really comprehensive Wiki to get you started. No actual stats, but in-depth info of just about everything released so far to give you an idea of what does what.
Vassal!
Vassal is a really awesome java-based Tabletop gaming sim. It provides a generic token/damage box/measuring/die roll system. You make modules for it for whatever miniature game you want. In this case, there's a Warmachine one. You can play it against other people! It's really fun for when you aren't able to go to the game store.
Get it here.
Get the Warmachine module here.
GAME STORE LIST
So you moved or you want to start playing? Maybe one of us plays at a game store near your area and you don't even know it. Here's a few, for example.
California
San Diego: Game Empire - Sundays and Mondays from 4PM ish until closing.
Players: OtakuD00D (Cygnar, Circle)
Idaho
Boise: All About Games - Thursday from 3PM until closing.
Players: Anon the Falcon (Trollbloods)
Speaking of which, I just got Strangewayes. The man has a fantastic model.
A random internet person validates what you have done.
Clearly.
We were previously gonna play 40k and she liked the chaos deamons because they looked evil, so im thinking cryx or legion, which would u think is more newb friendly? As for me i was thinking either Skorne because they look badass or retribution because if i've read right mage hunters are like super ninjas.... or something.
i also at one time liked the protectorate but i hear thers alot to keep up with when u play them so they kinda fell off. Any info on which would be easier for us to dive into would be great.
Crovax.436 Steam: Crovaxan
Currently, I'm thinking to field only models that I actually own, which limits me a bit.
My stuff -
Heavies: Hammersmith, Ironclad, Defender, hopefully a Cyclone if the plastic kits come in.
Lights: Lancer, Charger, Hunter, Thorn
Units: Min Sword Knights, ATGM w/UA
Solos: GMCA, Stormsmiths, JMWC, Arlan
My list -
pNemo (+6)
Hammersmith -8
Ironclad -7
Lancer -6
Journeyman Warcaster -3
Defender -9
Sword Knights - 4
Strangewayes - 2
Stormsmiths x2 - 2
The general plan is a slow advance, with the Sword Knights taking advantage of Deflection and Jr's Arcane Shield to get some serious defense. Jr. and Arlan hit spells/magic ability every turn to power Arcane Accumulator. The Hammersmith gets Disruption Field to buff its chain attack, and the Ironclad gets Supercharge for a combined rampage turn or two. Defender sits on Jr. popping off shots and guarding the casters, while the Lancer edges around for channeling. It's not an assassination list, but I think it can hold its own.
Honestly, all the armies are about as equally easy to 'learn,' they just have different playstyles. It's not like Menoth has a tag on it saying 'for advanced players only.' I do strongly suggest that you both start with either Hordes or Warmachine, and don't start mixing yet. It'll make learning the rules quite a bit easier for you.
For your GF, if she likes Chaos, she should probably enjoy Everblight. They've got lots of mutations etc going on, and they're wicked-fast and deadly. Cryx is similar, but to less of an extreme, and they've got a big undead vibe.
For you, I would recommend against Retribution only because they don't have an actual battlebox to start with, and they require a separate book to play. Skorne is totally badass, and the Protectorate is one of the strongest armies in the opinion of the professional tourney asshole players, so they're not a bad choice either.
I would choose Cryx over Legion for newb-friendliness. Both are fast and hard-hitting, but squishy, which makes both of them somewhat unsuitable for newbies. However, Cryx punches its opponent's in the face so hard their heads come off, whereas Legion dance around and poke them to death. One of these is harder than the other.
At the moment, Skorne has some competitiveness issues, so if you're concerned about high level play, I would wait until the final release of the Hordes rules to pick Skorne. Otherwise, they're pretty awesome. Retribution is solid, nothing to worry about there. I'm not sure what you're saying about Protectorate though. :P
Crovax.436 Steam: Crovaxan
It's true. Both their 'jack-heavy and infantry-heavy lists are defined by synergies. Hooowever, all factions rely on synergy between their units, solos, 'jacks, and casters; Menoth just makes it much more obvious.
As for Mage Hunters, Retribution has access to an interesting array of them. There's two flavors of Eiryss (Normal and Epic. She's a character), her mentor Narn, an entire unit of them who ignore every +Arm/Def buff in the book on top of camped focus, and universal Weapon Attachments who reduce the range of most spells flung at the unit they're in.
Oh, and a character solo who fucks your casters up if he's killed within 8 inches of them. Good stuff.
And another who also ignores every buff on the book, on top of having a 4 inch reach (the only one who can do this) and is capable of doubling any damage she does on you. Provided she hits you.
Did I mention that there's no way to make the Retribution more accurate in melee outside of knockdown (A couple things have a flanking bonus ability, but they're all right), and no ranged buffs besides aiming bonuses and ONE Warcaster's once-a-game feat? Yeah. Retribution has problems with that, but it's something you can get around, I'm sure.
thiiiisssssssss
I am apparently a less kind PG than Nemo is.
he might just keep playing :d
I am likely gonna pick up the book today and was just wondering if I should be expecting to read all of it or just the rules stuff since I have read the fluff in prime remix a few times.
Front
Back
Power Booster isn't that great, since Cryx has no 'jack marshals. It still helps a bit with their focus efficiency, and being able to pull Disruption off their arc nodes will probably be the main use of it. Seduction and Venom are both going to be a bitch to deal with in quantity, though. It looks like my GMCA is getting another solo to hunt!
EDIT: Oh god huge
I actually use Power Booster more than I'd think with my Arcanists. Think of it this way, there might be a 'jack that you only want to allocate one focus to (a target that's going to get wiped out with the initial attacks, f'erex). That's one more that'll go on a different 'jack that'll need it or on the caster still for spellcastdooming.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Here's the text from the last MK2 PDF...
Currently painting: Slowly [flickr]