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Hi, I want to start warmachine and I like the cryx minis. I've made some posts on the official pp forums but they seem to have a low response rate!

Basically I was thinking of getting :

1 Deneghra
2 Deathrippers (1 Blister)
2 Nightwretches (1 Blister)
1 Slayer
6 Bile Thralls inc Leader (1 Box)
1 Skarlock
2 Pistol Wraiths
1 Withershadow Combine (3 minis)

In addition I will get a bane thrall box free (the retailer has an offer on) My choices were made from my vague knowledge and also the actual minis. I'm told warmachine is a bit more forgiving than 40k/warhammer in terms of army composition so I'm going more on what minis I think are the !

I can get 500/500 easily by using :

1 Deneghra
2 Deathrippers
1 Nightwretch
1 Slayer
1 Bile Thralls inc Leader (6 minis)
1 Skarlock
2 Pistol Wraiths
1 Withershadow Combine (3 minis)


my next question is which would be better - a canker worm or The Witch Coven of Gharlghast (giving me the option of a different warcaster) or something else around the same price ?

The cankerworm and bane thralls and extra nightwretch in addition to the above 500pts leave me at 700/750 but I still have only 1 war caster to choose from. [is this a big problem?] and in additon as I understand the cankerworm works better with asphyxious and corrosive abilities (like the defilers... which I wont have) Points wise its value for money but game wise it might not be.

I like both sets of models (cankerworm / witches). They cost the about same for me (£€$ - wise) and the witch coven are also warcasters but I cannot use both them and deneghra. Would I be better off getting something else like another solo ?

Final Question (Again) assuming that I get prime:remix , the rules for things like the pistol wraiths and combine included with those minatures on a card yes ? I just want to be 100% sure !!



Advice greatly appreciated

I'd avoid the Withershadow combine in 500 point games. Iron Lich Asphixious should be your second caster but if you're getting a box of Bane Thralls (not Bane Knights) free you should invest in Goreshade the Bastard ASAP.

Look around a bit before buying multiples of the same solo, there are a number of good options that cost about the same as a Pistol Wraith such as Gorman De Wolfe. A whole unit of six Mechanithralls is only a few more points than a Pistol Wraith. Incorporeal is much less powerful than it used to be.

Which is best Cankerworm or The Coven? Both are good, Cankerworm is especially good with Asphixious. The Coven will change the way you play, I'd go with Cankerworm first. All the miniatures for Warmachine come with almost all of their rules on their cards Prime:Remix has the rules for the game and rules for some of the older models in the game.

Prime: Remix have regular rules. All other rules come with the card or
mini. If you buy stuff and the card is missing, then you should email Privateer
Press.

The Slayer is optional. It probably works well with Deneghra, given her
focus and ability to debuff enemy things with her feat, but I'm not sure if
it's the best option. However if you can get 500 pts some way without
including the Slayer, then you have a model you can use in case anyone
lets your Withershadow Combine get close enough to scrap them and
turn them into a Slayer (probably not a normal occasion, but something
to look out for!).

Having two warcasters on hand is probably a good way to learn the game. If
you're not doing well with one Warcaster, then switching will help you try
something different so long as the two warcasters don't have different themes
going for them. Both Deneghra and the Witch Coven rely on spells, so having
four available arc nodes is not a bad idea.

Consider Bane Knights (expensive, model wise) or Mechanithralls (cheaper
both points and model wise). The former will give you a lot of flexibility and
the latter will give you a model to soak up incoming enemy units and heavies
to buy you time.

I'm not quite sure of the canker worm yet.

Instead of Slayer, if you want a heavy, consider the character Nightmare. It'll
have more survivability than a Slayer, and it has affinities with Deneghra.

I'm not too solid with Cryx yet. Still working on things.

well i'm sure I could put in the bane thralls in instead of the combine in 500 instead.

I just like the combine minis and the bane thralls were actually an after thought (high on list of 'what to get the next time'!) so with the free offer thing I will choose them and use them in 500 pts if it is better

Night mare is deneghra affinitied ? Interesting.

But the model is very pricey! Though dropping the slayer and cankerworm in leiu of it might be a better choice and price wise works out the same-ish. Would it be better to have a slayer and a canker worm or just a nightmare ?

A Defiler (from your starter set) and Bile Thralls will provide all the corrosion you need with Asphixious and Cankerworm. Deneghra's Venom spell causes corrosion, Cankerworm plays well with all casters including Goreshade the Bastard. If you take Goreshade the Bastard your Bane Thralls are free (0 points) and come on as Goreshade's Feat.

I forgot that the bile thralls cause corrosion... I might be able to use the nightwretches as defiler proxies (small chickeny undead robot with a spout in its mouth!) so perhaps the cankerworm wouldnt be a bad option then.

I think I will swap out a pistol wraith for the alchemist guy. He looks quite deranged !! Also it will be more variety as you have suggested rather than getting 2 pistol wraiths. (it was suggested to me by a non cryx friend you see so I rolled with it)

Drop the Slayer and buy Cankerworm instead. If points allow get an Ogrun Bokur for your army.

George Spiggott wrote:Drop the Slayer and buy Cankerworm instead. If points allow get an Ogrun Bokur for your army.

I didn't catch if he was getting them in singles or with a battle box starter first.

If you're not getting Deneghra in a battlebox, then it is definitely easy to skip
the Slayer. However, if you're buying the battlebox, then you'll have the slayer
anyway. I think the way the pricing goes, the warcaster ends up being "free".

I didnt think there's much point in the box as I dont want the defiler and I dont like the deneghra model. It looks a bit akward to store compared to the slimline version.

If I were to drop the slayer what to get instead ?

How about this?

Warwitch Deneghra
Cankerworm
Nightwrech
Nightwrech
Helldiver
8 Bile Thralls inc. lieutenant
6 Bane Thralls inc. lieutenant
Skarlock
Pistol Wraith
Gorman di Wolfe

495/500

I'd take Bane Knights over Bane Thralls but if you're getting them for free then it's a fair exchange. Although it doesn't have an Arc node the Helldiver is a powerful denial tool and a potential assassination tool against the unwary.

You could move onto a Goreshade the Bastard list from this like so: (new units in bold)

Goreshade the Bastard (inc. 6 Bane Thralls as his feat)
Cankerworm
Nightwrech
Helldiver
8 Bile Thralls inc. lieutenant
7 Bane Knights inc. lieutenant
Skarlock
Pistol Wraith
Gorman di Wolfe
Bane Lord Tartarus

500/500

Bane Knights, Tartarus and Bane thralls have lots of synergy and Goreshade doesn't need as many Arc nodes as Deneghra although one is useful for disposing of Manhunters, Eiryss and other pests.

Hmm hell diver... I like it I think I will go for one of them. I am going to meet an IRL friend this evening who knows more about warmachine AND plays cryx... but now I know a bit more. I will feedback with my final choice.

Honestly, I like the Leviathan with Deneghra, but I think most people will tell you otherwise.

The reasons I like him are simple.
Combined with Deneghra's awesome ability to de-buff enemy models' DEF and ARM, the Leviathan's ROF 3 cannon can do very impressive damage from a good distance away (13").
The critical effect on his Claw is one of the best in the game against Jacks.
He cannot be Knocked Down, and he has All Terrain. He's also aquatic, but that rarely comes into play.
For a Cryx jack, he has really good ARM combined with a good sized damage grid.
He's not a character jack, and everyone takes the character jacks, so he will often be underestimated by your opponent.

Problems with the Leviathan:
Its a pain to build.
Its expensive points-wise.
Its a bit slow at SPD 5.
It can definitely be a focus hog.


If you're not completely sold on which heavy jack you want at this point, you definitely don't need to take one with Deneghra. Take a handful of Arc Nodes and a good selection of troops and that's all you really need.

blue loki wrote:

Problems with the Leviathan:
Its a pain to build.

Spider leg anything in Cryx has this problem: Stalkers, Leviathan, Harrower...

For the Leviathan I just sat his mid section onto a raised base. Boo to skinny
spider legs.

I'm planning to pin anything larger than man sized. In addition I want to put a green LED in the nightmare/stalkers cowling to add some creepyness to it.

blue loki wrote:Problems with the Leviathan:
Its a pain to build.

A bit of brass rod up the arse is the answer to all your problems here.

I think I'll have to do that next time. Not just one brass rod, but three.

I'm special that way.

Phototoxin wrote:I'm planning to pin anything larger than man sized. In addition I want to put a green LED in the nightmare/stalkers cowling to add some creepyness to it.

I want pics of how this turns out. Seriously... I'd probably pay out the arse to have something like that done to my Nightmare if it comes out cool enough.

The13thExile wrote:

Phototoxin wrote:I'm planning to pin anything larger than man sized. In addition I want to put a green LED in the nightmare/stalkers cowling to add some creepyness to it.

I want pics of how this turns out. Seriously... I'd probably pay out the arse to have something like that done to my Nightmare if it comes out cool enough.

Well its only an idea. I had considered putting them in the little bonejacks but it would be WAAAAAY too much effort to hollow out the part where the green furnace is supposed to be. I had thought of the Nightmare/Slayers eyes but I think the head would be too small so if its in the cowling it will glow over the head and infront of the steam burner/reactor he has on the back. Also get one of those transistorrs that make it pulse... thy can be flat mounted and use a watch battery under the base...

Normally I'm a fast file-er, assembler and painter (though to a decent army standard ) but with warmachine, seeing as its more character driven and the squads are smaller I'm willing to take more time. I might buy a second lamp too as recently my painting area has changed and I've only gotten a desk and lighting!

But yeah I will maybe make a guide to doing it. Minis wont arrive until early next week and the nightmare won't be priority though. Probably one of the last things I assemble but I will endevour to remember to post it !!

That would be awesome. It would also go with your handle: light-poison

minis have arrived, are filed, pinned assembled based and undercoated. The thralls have a layer of skin on them as we speak. y mortenebra is being sent seperatly ad the slayer isn't being touched until I get the LED and stuff sorted.

Also phototoxins are actually substances that become toxic on contact with light! so yeah light-poison but its not posionous to the light.. (or is it ?)