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40k has all but died in my area and Warmachine looks to be taking its place. I got some advice from friends on what would be a good fit for me and everybody seems to settle on Cryx.
I have no idea what I need to pick up though. I did look through the warcasters and I'm torn between Skarre and Deneghra. I tend to be a high risk high reward kind of player.
What one would be better for that and what would be good starting troops and warjacks? Thanks for any assistance.

Do you have a preference as to which Skarre or Denny? Both have a prime and epic version with different rules. Did your mates explain how all that worked?

To start with, grab the battle-box which comes with pDenegrah and a bunch of jacks. It's a good starting place, and a good way to learn the game generally, how to handle your battle-group and caster which are at the center of how the game works.

After that, build up, grab some Bane Thralls with their officer, perhaps another unit of something (Mechanithralls with Brute Thralls or Satyxis Raiders with Sea Witch are good for starters), a few solos (Scarlock, Pistol Wraith and Machine Wraith all good starters) and another caster. Jacks wize, Cryx doesn't usually run too many of them, but perhaps get a Levithan multi-jack kit, and/or the Deathjack.

This is a game that, I think, is best played with Variety - don't think you have to stick to a single caster, style or plan for an army, there's no reason you can't play both Skarre and Denegrah, even as you start Once you start getting better at the game and understand it more, you start getting the more specialized pieces that can work well in a certain role, or with a certain caster and really branch out, but start with the basics, learn the game, and everything else will start to fall into place.

 Maddermax wrote:
To start with, grab the battle-box which comes with pDenegrah and a bunch of jacks. It's a good starting place, and a good way to learn the game generally, how to handle your battle-group and caster which are at the center of how the game works.

After that, build up, grab some Bane Thralls with their officer, perhaps another unit of something (Mechanithralls with Brute Thralls or Satyxis Raiders with Sea Witch are good for starters), a few solos (Scarlock, Pistol Wraith and Machine Wraith all good starters) and another caster. Jacks wize, Cryx doesn't usually run too many of them, but perhaps get a Levithan multi-jack kit, and/or the Deathjack.

This is a game that, I think, is best played with Variety - don't think you have to stick to a single caster, style or plan for an army, there's no reason you can't play both Skarre and Denegrah, even as you start Once you start getting better at the game and understand it more, you start getting the more specialized pieces that can work well in a certain role, or with a certain caster and really branch out, but start with the basics, learn the game, and everything else will start to fall into place.

This.

I also think the new plastic bane thralls are an excellent buy. The great majority of Cryx players buy Bane thralls pretty early on anyways, and a full unit of plastic is much cheaper price-wise. But be sure to grab the UA as well. And consider Bane Lord Tartarus as one of your earlier pickups.

I don't really have a preference but it sounds like I should pick up both. I don't know the difference of prime and epic. I plan on trading my excess 40k stuff to help get things after I get an inventory and pictures to help get the army going. Thanks for the heads up on starter units to make sure to get.

Another great source for army info is BattleCollege.com. Shows you the different factions and can be a big help.

rocklord2004 wrote:I don't really have a preference but it sounds like I should pick up both. I don't know the difference of prime and epic. I plan on trading my excess 40k stuff to help get things after I get an inventory and pictures to help get the army going. Thanks for the heads up on starter units to make sure to get.

Prime and epic just refer to different incarnations of a caster, at different points in time. For instance Denegrah has her prime form as a war witch, and her epic form is after she's been killed by Haley and ressurected as a wraith in the story line. In game terms they're no different, with the stipulation that they can't be taken together in multi-caster games.

thesilverback wrote:Another great source for army info is BattleCollege.com. Shows you the different factions and can be a big help.

It's a great resource, though being a wiki, some of the tactical advice can be a bit dodgy beware buying things on the recommendation of a battlecollege page, is all I'm saying.

I absolutely agree that you should grab the battlebox. Your first steps into the game, and you can learn most of it with that first investment. You're the new guy on the block, and settling with pDeneghra from the battlebox will take you for quite a distance before expanding. Then expand your army before getting another caster. You wanna know what each part of your army can do before changing the entire aspect of it (which is essentially what changing the caster will do).

Don't bother with the book. It's useful, but not necessary. Mostly it's just fluff and "How to Paint" crap filler. Unless that's your thing, in which case it's gold.

I'd check out the Privateer Press website and see what types of free resources they have available. Their is a free set of quick-starter rules available for PDF download that is also included in the battlebox, but is great if you want to start reading before your purchase. There's also a set of free PDF downloadable starter cards (from 4 of the warmachine factions, cryx starter box included). If your friends are cool with it, proxy a game or 2 to learn before your purchase. Just grab some 40k models with the same base sizes and you're good. My buddy is proxying Cygnar atm, because he's just starting fresh as well.

1 last thing I might suggest, would be to test play with a friends army before purchase. I mean, you're about to buy a bunch of minis that you're not entirely sure you're going to like, and you're still not sure what is what at the moment. Having a good test play with some friends that won't mind showing you the ropes will help you get so much further. That way, you can make a slightly more informed decision. You may prefer a different army altogether, even though your friends suggested Cryx.

And you mentioned Warmachine was the meta in your area now, without any mention of Hordes. I might suggest looking into it. It's a different take on the same game really, so you won't be left out because you're not playing the same thing. My buddy plays Legion of Everblight, and another runs Trolls! These are 2 people we started recruited with test games and Khador in their hands. And, just the same, their is free PDF resources at the Privateer Press website, and have the same value Battleboxes that Warmachine has (which I would still suggest you purchase, if you choose any route).

Good luck.