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Hello All,
We are a couple that got into 40K for the hobby, and are struggling to learn to actually play the game... Wishing I'd have listened to the WM players and went that route... but it was right before MKII and I wanted minis to paint last winter... LOL
Warmachine seems to fit our space, and the time we have to play mostly... looks fast paced and fun and easy to pick up the basics....
We make time to game with friends once a week or so, and travel to a newarby town 1.5hrs when we can on Sundays. But we would love to play 5-10 models a side for about an hour when kids nap and such...
We've been watching videos, reading and stuff... and We've decided to get a MKII softcover book, a Cygnar Battle Group, and another Battle Group. We don't like Cryx and the Magnus box for Mercs. isn't avail. any more... so what other faction?

As soon as we can decide Khador or Menoth... we can order our Warmachine

Thanks again Dakka!!!

I suggest you go with which faction's models you like at this early stage. In terms of game play:

Khador's all about very durable, and mostly self reliant hard hitting stuff. The light infantry is generally fast, but their warjacks and power armors (Man-O-Wars) are very slow.

Menoth's units are comparatively lackluster, but different units have a lot of overlapping synergies. When combined right, the army is very competitive.

Good luck. WM is a great system and I enjoy it a lot.

Thank you...
I'm looking at the galleries I can find and I'm going to try to pick the ones I wanna paint ... We have the PDF from privateer, and a set of rules that I think is what comes with the
Battle Groups. It has the cards for the battlegruoup minis'

I think we might try a proxy game or two with 40K bases roughly the size... Dreads or flying bases as heavies, termies as lights, and 25mm minis for casters... Close enough...

That should give us an idea...

Thanks again...

axelsfolks wrote:Thank you...
I'm looking at the galleries I can find and I'm going to try to pick the ones I wanna paint ... We have the PDF from privateer, and a set of rules that I think is what comes with the
Battle Groups. It has the cards for the battlegruoup minis'

I think we might try a proxy game or two with 40K bases roughly the size... Dreads or flying bases as heavies, termies as lights, and 25mm minis for casters... Close enough...

That should give us an idea...

Thanks again...

You'll want to make sure you use the PDF, as the physical rules from the current battle groups are out of date by an edition or so. Alternately, wait a week and grab the new plastic battle groups that are coming out.

Also, while you're leaving out all the Hordes factions as potential choices(the two games are technically one system, and balanced against each other), I'd suggest sticking with Warmachine. Trying to learn a completely different mechanic from the person you're playing against becomes an exercise in insanity surprisingly quickly.

I like the Trollbloods, but agree that learning Warmachine is enough right now... we're already strugling with 40K and all the stats and charts... this is supposed to give us a fun, easy, pick-up game, to do when we cant find time to 40K... no need to make it harder.....

I like Mercs, and Cygnar, and I think our second faction will be Khador, as I'm opposed to organized religion (PoM), and the Magnus battle group is no longer available anywhere I see....

We have MKII test rules as well as the new quick start rules in .PDF but thanks for making sure we didn't start out learning MKI, that would have sucked... This game seems to be what we need... seems like way less to remember/stop and look up... and more fun brawling...

Is it OK to paint your armies in different colors, like a different blue... or even Purple Cygnar? (purple was often seen as a color of royalty) or Khador that weren't red??? I'd like to see PoM done like Templar Marines from 40K, with a Legion of the Damned touch... Black with red, orange, & yellow flames, and white cross logos...

Heh. Given that Privateer typically doesn't require paint in their events at all, you're safe with painting them in whatever color you like. ^.^ While most of mine are studio scheme (I like red >.> ), my Cygnar have a primarily grey paint job.

Of course its ok to pick your own paint scheme, Khador painted in russian green seems to be popular for some reason, I've seen some black and white PoM and cygnar can be found in every color also.

My group just went to warmachine a few weeks ago..

Things youll noticed first off.

*Alot of units Feel overpowerd - in a way that makes the game fun and balanced.

*Unlike 40k.. the rules mean what they actually say

*All armies are good, pick the ones that you like the models of and enjoy.. you dont have to worry about a new army coming out and being complely OP in terms of balance like in 40k.




We proxied with 40k models also and it worked out fine.

One word about 40k proxies:

Keep in mind that due to the way that LOS and melee works in Warmachine, base sizes DO matter. You'll get less frontage blocking from the 25mm infantry bases that 40k uses (Warmachine uses 30mm bases) and too much frontage blocking from the 60mm dreadnought bases (Warmachine uses 50mm bases).

While I've seen people use proxied 40k armies vs Warmachine - these small details make a pretty huge difference in game play.

Spyder68 wrote:Unlike 40k.. the rules mean what they actually say

If you get into the game, I highly recommend the main rulebook. We have had very few rules disputes which weren't immediately clarified by refering to the rulebook. The index is detailed and well laid out.

Yea there is a good difference, but were still learning the game and how it all works.

Were starting at 25 pts so it doesnt take many models, out of 5 of us, 3 have full armies now, and 2 of us swaped armies after starting.. So playtesting to have a clue before we start dropping $$.

And yea, rulebooks are great to have, the index really is very helpful to find stuff fast.

Thank you all for the replies...

We've looked at lots of pics and vids now, and are doing a couple proxy games tonight, but we're leaning towards Cygnar, and Khador... we like that Sorscha, a girl , is one of the commanders...

Thanks again, I'll post when we're ready for our next step into 40K...

Isaiah and Val

Every faction has a pretty fair distribution of casters by gender, if that's a deciding factor for you...

Thagrosh and his harem beg to disagree. Immoren's horniest ogryn...

@Mastershake: The horniness appears to be an unavoidable side effect of being blighted. You get covered in horns.

So...Thagrosh is drooling over eSkarre's great rack and her army of Hornie Women with whips and Hornie Women with larger busts...
edit:...the hornie hag if he's into that and the hornie Captain Chick that makes everybody take it standing up.

As for gaming in general, as it was suggested to me, play scenarios. It adds so much more balance.

Always ask, do not assume. The game is built on transparency, if you want to know something about what a model does (etc), ask.
Losing the game because you didn't ask or the opponent didn't tell is not productive and will likely leave a bad taste afterwards.

Though I'm not talking about what combos or what sort of plan the opponent asks, but I'm talking about model statistics, special abilities, spells, is that an AOE, anything removes models from the board, and stuff like that.

I really like discussing after the game.

Sometimes it helps me understand other models when I hear my opponent tell their thoughts.

Like how you may have used a unit if X didn't happen, or what other moves they may have made if I had moved here, etc.

Likewise, sometimes telling them what I might have done will make me realize why it would have been a bad idea, just by saying it out loud.

@Sanctjud: I could stand to be knocked down by Skarre's "Great Rack".

Epic or Prime Skarre?

WM is Awesome!!!!

We''ve got Prime MKII on the way, as well as a Cygnar Battle Group, and a Khador one... What else should I get fr my second WM order?

Thanks again guys... I'm sure I'll have some technical/rules or strategy questions soon... the basics are fairly easy to grasp unlike 40K, and then it seems it just tactics on what to have do what, who to attack first with who, and managing focus...

Keep rolling sixes,
Isaiah

axelsfolks wrote:Thanks again guys... I'm sure I'll have some technical/rules or strategy questions soon... the basics are fairly easy to grasp unlike 40K, and then it seems it just tactics on what to have do what, who to attack first with who, and managing focus...

Ayep, that's pretty much the entirety of the game right there. Figure out how to do that properly, and you're pretty much set.

Hear, hear!

We''ve got Prime MKII on the way, as well as a Cygnar Battle Group, and a Khador one... What else should I get fr my second WM order?

Once you've got the hang of the battle box, you might consider trying out a unit, like Khador's Doom Reavers or Cygnar's Trenchers, so you get the rules for them down pat. Alternatively, switching warcasters is a great way to change how an army plays entirely on the cheap, and warjacks are easily switched around as well. Vlad is also a great one for beginners (although your opponent will learn to hate Blood of Kings), and the Nemos are among Cygnar's best warjack casters.

The stat decks and/or faction books are a great way to figure out what you're interested in inside your factions. Likewise, the merc deck/book can help if you're checking out using mercenaries to bolster your forces *cough*Eiryss*cough*.

Oh, and you're in the Seattle area(ish), right? If you ever stop by the Privateer building (they're in Bellevue), tell DC that Laughing Man says hi, and that he should give you a tour, and that it's the least he can do for taking away Iron Curtain.

axelsfolks wrote:WM is Awesome!!!!

We''ve got Prime MKII on the way, as well as a Cygnar Battle Group, and a Khador one... What else should I get fr my second WM order?

Thanks again guys... I'm sure I'll have some technical/rules or strategy questions soon... the basics are fairly easy to grasp unlike 40K, and then it seems it just tactics on what to have do what, who to attack first with who, and managing focus...

Keep rolling sixes,
Isaiah

If you want some generalist advice, here's some "can't go wrong" ideas for Khador and Cygnar. All of them can be used to good effect with any caster and generally see competitive play.

Khador
-War Dog: He gives your caster extra DEF vs melee, counter charges, returns after charging, has a solid stat line and tough. For 1 point that's nearly impossible to beat. Any caster loves to have this guy at their side

-Winterguard Mortar: Really good range, a good sized template and high POW make this a staple in many Khador lists. The ridiculous range means even faster moving Khador builds can still benefit from the fire support it provides. Just run first turn to get in position and bombard away, a great buy at 3 pts.

-Winterguard Infantry with Officer and Standard and Kovnik Joseph: A little more complicated than previous entries, but a solid and fairly inexpensive unit point-wise. The Winterguard on their own aren't stellar, but when combined with the Bob and Weave order and Joe giving them Tough, they become pretty resilient. Then have Joe give them boosted attack rolls and go to town with sprays or Combined Ranged Attacks when you get close enough. I think even at full size with the Officer and Standard and Joe, it only comes out to 10 pts, maybe 11. A solid brick infantry unit that can put out damage when it needs to.

Cygnar
-Journeyman Warcaster: He's an extra warcaster basically. He's got enough focus to run a jack and gives your army an extra Arcane Shield, a great defensive buff. There isn't a single Cygnar army that can't be helped by adding a great upkeep and 3 extra focus to the table.

-Stormblades with Officer and Standard: They hit like trucks, have good MAT and RAT and the Assault order. Nothing not to like, but it doesn't have the option for a 10xman unit. This can be curbed somewhat by adding the Weapon Attachments and the Officer and Standard. They're best used with Arcane Shield and Deadeye spells.

Mercenaries
-Eiryss: Both versions are solid, but Epic Eiryss does more. A solid and versatile solo with a great statline. She works for both Cygnar and Khador

-Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord: He provides solid unit buffs from tough, to extra DEF to Pathfinder. I don't think he works for Khador, but they've got Kovnik Joe. Have him give the Stormblades Tough and throw an Arcane Shield on from a Journeyman and you have a solid brick.

-Gorman di Wulfe: He has a great toolbox of grenades to use in varying situations that can blind enemies, clear infantry or weaken ARM. Always a good investment and he works for darn near everyone.


You can't go wrong with any of the afforementioned models/units and they're great places to start learning the game.

-Stormblades with Officer and Standard: They hit like trucks, have good MAT and RAT and the Assault order. Nothing not to like, but it doesn't have the option for a 10xman unit.

Technically you do, what with the Storm Thrower WA. 11, even.

How come you dont like CRYX?

Cause some people don't like to look like they are cheating I guess. .

We do not cheat, we bend rules and overrule others, just like every armie... We just do it more openly

^ More like this:

"There is a fine line between cheating and playing by the rules. Cryx walks it like a pro."

paraphased from someone on the PP forums

Meh, cryx has good tricks, but for my money the closest thing to cheating remains the Mage Hunter Strike Force

"What do you ignore?"

"Cover, Concealment (and by extension camouflage), spell buffs, focus camping and LoS"

"What do you ignore ignore for LoS purposes?"

"Haha, that's cute. The entire LoS section of the rulebook"

Mastershake wrote:Meh, cryx has good tricks, but for my money the closest thing to cheating remains the Mage Hunter Strike Force

"What do you ignore?"

"Cover, Concealment (and by extension camouflage), spell buffs, focus camping and LoS"

"What do you ignore ignore for LoS purposes?"

"Haha, that's cute. The entire LoS section of the rulebook"

More like "Hey, you know that rulebook you have?" "Yeah..?" "Well forget about it, I use MHSF."