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Hi my friends and I are getting into Warmachine/Hordes and we are about to buy our first armies. Most are going for the starter boxes plus a few extras but I wanted to change it up a bit after reading some of the information on here and looking at the Cygnar forces book.

I am starting a 15 point army and was looking at

Captain Jeremiah Kaye
Lancer
Lancer
Centurion

The only week Jack I can see is the Centurion because of the speed and the fact that I have no real shooting to speak of. The other players at the moment will be Retribution, Khador Starter + something and Menoth starter + something. I really like the fact that Kaye turns all of my Jacks into cavalry and gives them the ability to move faster etc.

I am then thinking of expanding this force too:

Captain Jeremiah Kaye
Lancer
Lancer
Centurion
Black 13th Gun Mage
1 Gun Mage Unit
Mechaniks w/ 2 gobbos
Journeyman Warcaster
Charger

At 35 points. What do you think?

i think lancers are garbage with Kraye.

you want hunters, since they can pop armor from decent ranges and can move again after they shoot since they are light cav thanks to kraye.

the centurion is a popular choice for kraye. cast full tilt on him turn one and upkeep it all game. SPD 8 with reach is very nice. i prefer a stormclad, but thats just me.

for your 35 pointer i would get the squire in there for sure, since he is one of the best solos in the game. he gives you more focus and more control area. so i would go:

Captain Jeremiah Kraye
Hunter
Sentinel
Centurion
Squire
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages (Leader and 5 Grunts)
Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Officer
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team
Rangers
Journeyman Warcaster

so in the battlegroup we have a hunter, for ranged shots on armor, a sentinel, which is a solid choiuce to keep close to Kraye. shieldguard can take care of the occasional shot that comes kraye's way. His gatling gun can also be made really scary when kraye casts guided fire. The centurion is the beatstick you keep full tilt on. the squire is there becuase he is always there.

gun mages help against stealth, which helps kraye since he doesnt want to be casting mage sight alot, the UA really buffs the unit to a godly level. the rangers are a solid choice for getting close and getting your stuff an additional +2 on attack rolls at ranged. the idea is to run one up close to a model you want to hit and get the bonus, since its a passive ability it works even though you ran. black 13th cuz everyone loves them. and a jr warcaster for arcane shield. i would cast AS on kraye and upkeep it all game, but dont overlook the potential of a fully boosted handcannon shot as well.

Definitely drop the Lancers, Kraye lacks anything with a pressing need to be arced and they're rather poor melee warjacks. Hunters and Sentinels are the ideal replacements, with the Firefly a decent candidate as well. Less so the Charger, as Powerful Shot conflicts a bit with Guided Fire. Decent choice for Junior, of course.

Might consider replacing the Centurion with a Stormclad. Slightly less survivable, but it hits harder, and with Full Tilt and Kraye's Feat, it can pull off an assassination run from 17" away.

Finally, you might consider Kraye's tier list. It can be brutally effective, between the Black 13th, Rangers, and a plethora of 'Jacks with guns. Can't take Junior or a Squire, IIRC, but it's honestly not a bad trade for the benefits.

Fireflys need Stormsmiths. Stormclads are usually superior to Cents, but the gap isn't all that big without Stormblades and Full Tilt disallowing gun use.

I think more of the Charger than the Sentinel, but they are focus hungry. If you can't give it at least one per turn there isn't much point, and Kraye does synergize well with Sentinels. I think a Cyclone would be a better option, though.

Honestly, I'd usually rather have the two Sentinels over the Cyclone. They don't hit as hard, but Shield Guard and a higher volume of shots makes all the difference. That, and they're just as much of a pain to kill as the Cyclone due to their shield.

As for the Firefly, while it loses a bit without Stormsmiths on the table, it's still potentially a SPD 12 jack with a fairly powerful reach weapon. Under the feat and fully loaded, it's easily capable of killing most Warcasters.

Cyclone, on the other hand provides you with two Covering Fire 3" AoE's that are great tool to control single wound infantry. You can easily either protect objectives or create 7" wide "wall of death" to protect your models from being charged by infantry swarms.

Thanks guys I have changed my army list now and removed the lancers for hunters.

Although to be honest I have now been looking at the legion of everblight now, one of my mates is taking on this army.