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Made in us
PanOceaniac Hacking Specialist Sergeant





Youngstown, Ohio

So I have been considering making the move to WM, but I have a few questions about the game and thought this would be a good place to start. I am current 40k player, so that may explain some of my questions. Also, none of the LGS stock WM, so there is virtually no player base that I am aware of.

Are the rules systems easy to learn?

Are the factions balanced?

How long are typical games?

Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?

Thanks all!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/05 02:36:44


# of Unpainted/Unassembled > # of Painted models.  
   
Made in us
Nigel Stillman





Seattle WA

Yes, I thought so at any rate.

So I've been told.

An hour, maybe two, depends on the size of the armies but its more of a skirmish game with a low model count (compared to 40k)

Yes, kinda sorta.


I don't really know that much about warmahordes to be honest. Hopefully someone else will weigh in soon.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/05 02:51:43



See more on Know Your Meme 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Not as Good as a Minion






Brisbane

 Havok210 wrote:


Are the rules systems easy to learn?


I found it very easy to learn, and the guys I play with (who have been at it way longer than me) still seem to learn new things game to game, so it seems to have a good amount of depth.

 Havok210 wrote:
Are the factions balanced?


At the high levels things seem to be biased a wee bit towards a few factions from memory, and there are some bad matchups you can end up with, but overall it seems quite balanced.

 Havok210 wrote:
How long are typical games?


I tend to play 35 points and they are usually over in an hour or two if one of us is really dragging our feat (couldn't help myself).

 Havok210 wrote:
Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?


You can come across some really harsh lists, like eLylyth, 2 Ravagores, a shepherd and 2 deathstalkers at 20 points (or something along those lines, feat turn is brutal with that list). I still haven't managed to kill that off, but the guy who took that against me did it because it was part of a league and he knew I'm not the kind to get all arced up over facing something like that.

But I'm in a similar boat to Master Fett, I'm still relatively new to all this

I wish I had time for all the game systems I own, let alone want to own... 
   
Made in us
Nigel Stillman





Seattle WA

Resources!*


http://battlecollege.wikispaces.com/


*say out loud like they say "ricola" in those commercials and people will think you're nuts.


See more on Know Your Meme 
   
Made in us
Drone without a Controller



California

 Havok210 wrote:
So I have been considering making the move to WM, but I have a few questions about the game and thought this would be a good place to start. I am current 40k player, so that may explain some of my questions. Also, none of the LGS stock WM, so there is virtually no player base that I am aware of.


I'm putting the cart before the horse a bit here, but if you're really interested, you can look to see if there's a Press Ganger in your area here. (Press Gangers being people who volunteer to organize Warmahorde communities and help new players get into the game.)

Are the rules systems easy to learn?


Easy to learn, hard to master, as the saying goes. The core concepts are pretty simple, but there are lots of little components that can be trick to remember and figure out--and even trickier to figure out how to use to your advantage. Compared to 40k, each model does more and is more inherently complicated, which is a big part of why smaller games are favored. The basics are pretty easy to figure out if you start small, though.

Are the factions balanced?


Yes. There are always quibbles and argument and counterarguments and wild claims, but for the most part, yes, factions are balanced. (Well, Mercenaries and Minions are a bit trickier to do well with; their models are designed to be used by other factions, not as their own thing, which leads to some weirdness, and Minions don't have a wide selection of different things they can use compared to the 'main' factions. But the main nine factions are pretty well balanced with each other.)

How long are typical games?


Because 'kill all enemy casters' is always a valid victory condition, some games can go very quickly regardless of the point scale if someone pulls off a skilled/lucky assassination run early on. But in general: 15 points takes 45-60 minutes, 25 points takes 60-90 minutes, 35 points (the most common level) takes 90-120 minutes, and 50 points games can be more in the 120-180 range. Again, some games are cut off early by a quick 'caster kill, while others can drag on a bit if some cat-and-mouse shenanigans are happening. I once played two 35 point games in the time it took for the guys next to me to play one, because their 'casters kept hiding. In general, more terrain equals longer games.

Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?


...Kind of? The first thing that comes to mind is the Winter Guard Death Star, which combines some cheapish support models with a cheapish, mediocre infantry unit to create a big ball of "HOW DO I KILL ALL OF THEM AAAAAGH"

The key thing, I think, is that every Warmahordes faction is built so that all of them have ridiculous, awesome, broken stuff. And because everything is broken, nothing is broken. Any given model, any given combo, and any given army list will have a number of combos that mess it up pretty nastily (for example, those Winter Guard mentioned before don't like it when you assassinate their support, nor do they like blasts or chain-lightning effects). Much of the strategy of the game is ensuring you have the right tools to break whatever madness comes your way, while throwing out some of your own. Things are helped enormously by the ability to bring two or three army lists to most tournaments. "I suspect my opponent will be using an infantry spam army. Time to put away my armor-cracker list and pull out the 'BOMBS EVERYWHERE' list." It makes for an interesting and constantly-evolving metagame.

There are no automatic win-button lists, if that's what you're asking. Everything can be countered, and even tournament-winning lists are going to absolutely suck in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use them, as player skill is rather important. List building is an important part of the game, but in no way is it the most important part.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/05 03:07:19


 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





 Havok210 wrote:


Are the rules systems easy to learn?


The basics mechanics & turn flow are extremely simple. There are are however a lot of interactions, and models have very different special rules. This means while you'll be able to point any given army at an enemy and attack them without much learning curve, getting to the point where you can leverage all your abilties & syngeries while looking out for the same on your opponents side will take much longer.

Are the factions balanced?


Yes. Every faction has showings at major tournaments. That isn't to say there is no power curve, but it isn't extreme and who is doing just a bit better changes back & forth over time. Releases are done in bunches for multiple factions at once so the meta really shifts and one has that sort of "New Codex" edge ever, even though the meta isn't static.

How long are typical games?


Hard to say. It depends on your playstyle & experience. Some people can bang out a 35pt game in under an hour, other people will take 3hours. Experience and model count are the two biggest influences. Your games will take a while when you're new, because you have so many things to track.

Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?


"Cheese" really doesn't carry any meaning in WM/H at least not the way it does in GW games. While certainly Death Stars do exist (large units stacked with buffs that pack a huge portion of points into a single army element), the game has checks & balances.

There are a lot of "Ball Busting" sort of combos and interactions in the game, where you can feel on top of the world and suddenly get blown out of the water. However there are elements in the game that keep all these in check. While certainly there are a lot of things that are just flat out hard to deal with I wouldn't really say too much stands out as a Degenerate Element.

It's important to remember that this really is a game about interactions, and game states kind have very wide swings very quickly.
   
Made in ca
Bane Lord Tartar Sauce




To reinforce what others have said, Warmachine is easy to learn, hard to master. The basic rules are no more difficult to pick up than 40k's, but the advanced rules are much more in-depth. For example, there are several different types of power attacks available to warjacks, each with their own effects, limitations, and uses. Those special rules can be a lot to pick up, but as long as you start small and work your way up you shouldn't get overwhelmed .

As for balance, I would say yes, the factions are balanced, particularly when you compare it to 40k. Some people will argue that some faction or another is over-powered, but every faction wins tournaments with some frequency. Generally speaking the better player with a deeper understanding of both their and their opponent's force will win, and a player can do well with every faction.

The factions are also internally balanced. There is a saying that every single unit in Warmahordes can be good. However, that doesn't mean that you can just take a random mesh of units and casters/locks and expect to win. The power in the game comes more from the synergy between pieces than from any individual piece itself, and as a result you really need to take into account what units work well with each other in order to succeed.

Also, even though everything is more or less balanced, you will still encounter bad matchups. Certain list types, casters, and even factions can result in some lists facing an up-hill battle. While most tournaments allow you to bring two lists in order to help players avoid being stuck against a hard-counter list, when you are starting out and have few options available to you just be aware that you might run into the rock to your scissors.

For game length, pretty much what other posters have said. 1 to 2 hours for most games, typically going longer when you are learning or facing two attrition style lists.

Yes, there are some deathstar units in the game, but they aren't unbalancing to the game. The most well known deathstar is the Khador Winterguard Deathstar, but it is far from unbeatable. As for cheese, I would say not really. Yes, there are powerful, synergistic combinations, but that is what the game is built around. Speaking from personal experience, the players who cry cheese in warmahordes are either sore losers or guys who like to be the 'big fish in a small pond' (ie, they aren't very good players, and think that everyone should be brought down to their level rather than that they should have to work up to their opponents level).
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





I want to make something clear, While "DeathStars" exist. They are not nearly as powerful as 40k DeathStars

Every single one of them can be easily beat by every faction if you know how they work


6+ = 6/36 | Reroll 1s = 7/36 | Reroll Misses = 11/36 ||||||| 5+ = 12/36 | Reroll 1s 14/36 | Reroll Misses = 20/36 ||||||| 4+ = 18/36 | Reroll 1s 21/36 | Reroll Misses = 27/36
3+ = 24/36 | Reroll 1s 28/36 | Reroll Misses = 32/36 ||||||| 2+ = 30/36 | Reroll 1s 35/36 ||||||| Highest of 2d6 = 4.47
 
   
Made in us
Big Fat Gospel of Menoth





The other side of the internet

 Talamare wrote:
I want to make something clear, While "DeathStars" exist. They are not nearly as powerful as 40k DeathStars

Every single one of them can be easily beat by every faction if you know how they work


^This. In Warmachine, things die.

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

RAGE

Be sure to use logic! Avoid fallacies whenever possible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies 
   
Made in us
Mortitheurge Experiment




 Havok210 wrote:
So I have been considering making the move to WM, but I have a few questions about the game and thought this would be a good place to start. I am current 40k player, so that may explain some of my questions. Also, none of the LGS stock WM, so there is virtually no player base that I am aware of.

Are the rules systems easy to learn?

Are the factions balanced?

How long are typical games?

Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?

Thanks all!



In order of your questions.

1) The rules have a bit of a learning curve to them but if you actually put some effort into learning them you'll do fine. I work with alot of new players who play WM/H as their 6th game and keep getting it confused with 40K and Fantasy.

2) the factions are balanced, not perfectly of course, that would be impossible. But most of the time they are so close that its like comparing 1 to 1a to 1b to 1b again and so on.

3) Games take from 1 hour to 2 hours.

4) there are "Deathstar" units but they are considerably different that in 40K and Fantasy. I'm not too familiar with how 40K works so I can't really create a comparrison.

I would suggest avoiding BattleCollege. The website is a joke ultimately. It is maintained by some players who played in Mark I and compare what models do now to what they did in Mark I rather than actually give valid help or experiance. Most of the site is whining or theorycrafting with no substance.

PG for the NW Denver Area.

Warmachine/Hordes Organizer for Feast of Blades.

Feel free to PM me any questions you have. 
   
Made in us
Nihilistic Necron Lord






Fairly easy to learn, as its knowing what your stuff does. Difficult to master as that's knowing what your Opponents stuff does and is capable of.

The factions are fairly balanced, though not perfectly. Most imbalances are inner faction. Ex, why use unit A when unit A+ exists.

Hour or two at the tournament level I'd say for a round.

Deathstars do exist. One, run by Khador, is Known as The Deathstar. They all still have counters though and no one thing dominates the game.

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Note, an important rule in this game is that if your commander dies, you automatically lose

because of this, you will often find that many lists will blob a bit around their casters in order to protect them

This looks like some 40k Deathstars, but they aren't

Also there are some lists called Bricks, who tries to fight old Spartan style, using a powerful front line shield wall, trying their best to absorb as much damage as possible before striking back

but its important to remember that things die a lot easier in in this game


6+ = 6/36 | Reroll 1s = 7/36 | Reroll Misses = 11/36 ||||||| 5+ = 12/36 | Reroll 1s 14/36 | Reroll Misses = 20/36 ||||||| 4+ = 18/36 | Reroll 1s 21/36 | Reroll Misses = 27/36
3+ = 24/36 | Reroll 1s 28/36 | Reroll Misses = 32/36 ||||||| 2+ = 30/36 | Reroll 1s 35/36 ||||||| Highest of 2d6 = 4.47
 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Not as Good as a Minion






Brisbane

 Talamare wrote:


Also there are some lists called Bricks, who tries to fight old Spartan style, using a powerful front line shield wall, trying their best to absorb as much damage as possible before striking back


And unless your brick is somehow immune to slams, Skorne will hurt.

I wish I had time for all the game systems I own, let alone want to own... 
   
Made in us
Nihilistic Necron Lord






Troll Brick is the only brick that's really all that durable. Most anything else goes down easy.

 
   
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Painlord Titan Princeps of Slaanesh




Try this article:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/A_Beginner%27s_Guide_to_Privateer_Press_by_Mr._Grey
   
Made in us
Terrifying Wraith






Just go for it!

I made the switch and I can say it was well worth it and very refreshing to see a company who seems to make rules first then develop minis to fit those rules as opposed to making minis and then try and write rules for them.

Rules are very black and white which makes it a step ahead of Warhammer products from the start.

I am glad I made the jump and I imagine you will too.

 
   
Made in us
The Conquerer






Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios

 Havok210 wrote:
So I have been considering making the move to WM, but I have a few questions about the game and thought this would be a good place to start. I am current 40k player, so that may explain some of my questions. Also, none of the LGS stock WM, so there is virtually no player base that I am aware of.

1) Are the rules systems easy to learn?

2) Are the factions balanced?

3) How long are typical games?

4) Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?

Thanks all!



1) Its fairly easy to get a grasp of how to play, but there are a few things that can be tough to grasp. especially coming from a Warhammer background. The biggest issue is actually how to read a rule. The specific wording is very important, they mean exactly what the rule says.

2) Compared to every other game out there, yes. Some factions have a slight advantage but its very minor and skill is the most important. Note that not all lists will be balanced and there can be bad matchups. Running a Kaya Stealth list isn't going to do squat against a list with no shooting, or Legion of Everblight as they all have Eyeless Sight.

3) Once you have the basic rules down, you can get a 35 point game done in maybe 45 minutes. Thats just a rough estimate, a 50 point game could be over in half hour if some crazy schenanagins happen.

4) No.


Just to let you know, Warmachnine is a competitive game and is designed to be played as such. Even a casual game is still intended to be a cuttthroat competition. And the way the rules are written can sometimes seem Rules Lawery, especially when someone is explaining the rules.

Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines

Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.

MURICA!!! IN SPESS!!! 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Professional





St.Joseph MO

Id like to start with.. yes the factions are balanced, everyone has strong units and casters.

Now.. with saying every faction is balanced.

This does not mean every caster is good.

Some casters bring more to the table then others, and some have bad matchups that counter their abilities.

Hence tourneys let you bring 2-3 lists and chooose per game.


There are Death Star units, but nothing like 40k.
The Winter Guard death star my have extremly high defence..

But what you look at is a units weekness.. which is low armor.. and AoE's will take them out with easy.


It all comes down to a balanced list, mix of melee/ranged/aoe's/magic. With Synergy to back it up.

-Warmahordes-
Mercenaries


Menoth 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Havok210 wrote:
So I have been considering making the move to WM, but I have a few questions about the game and thought this would be a good place to start. I am current 40k player, so that may explain some of my questions. Also, none of the LGS stock WM, so there is virtually no player base that I am aware of.



check out the PP forums then and search out your local pressganger. chances are, if you're going to a GW-focused shop, and playing with a GW-focussed community, all you will know and experience will be based around GW. who knows - there might be a group of players around, but you wont know about them. its one thing that surprised me a bit when i moved to scotland. A lot of my gamer buddies got into the hobby through other games aside from GW ones, and had never played GW games, or stepped foot into a GW store. So yeah, if all your experience is from a limited circle, you wont know what else is out there outside of that circle. So first thing i'd recommend is a holler on the PP boards. see whats in your area.

 Havok210 wrote:

Are the rules systems easy to learn?


its like chess. easy to learn, but with the sheer depth of options, synnergies and combos, mastery is a mythical beast few will attain! there is always something new to learn, some new synnergy or combo you've never experienced. nothing stays still in warmahordes - the meta is liquid, and is constantly evolving, shifting and changing. it will forever keep you on your toes and offer new challenges to deal with, along with new synnergies to exploit.

 Havok210 wrote:

Are the factions balanced?


yes. or as close to "yes" as you can get. I'd say its upwards of 95% balanced. there are some outliers, but nothing that truly dominates in a ridiculous way (like, say, iron warriors in 4th ed 40k, or grey knights in late 5th ed 40k). Due to the nature of the game, everything has its hard counter. So while some things steamroll other things, they'l get steamrolled in turn by something else. the system balances itself on a faction/faction level, even if individual match ups might be less than ideal, but even in this situation, the two-list format of the PP tournament system exists to mitigate this bad match up.

 Havok210 wrote:

How long are typical games?


depends really. most games are 4-5 turns long, and the steamroller format stipulates 7-minute turns for 35pt games (your 1000pt equivelant) , 10minute turns for 50pt games (your 1500+pt equivelant) so under tournament conditions, you play hard, and you play fast. Casually, it depends on what kind of army you have, and what kind of skill level you have. but average games. 1-2hrs, plus or minus a bit.

 Havok210 wrote:

Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?


Cheese is in the eye of the 40k player. first thing you need to do is forget everything you think you know about gaming, as taught to you by 40k. 40k brings nothing but baggage. 40k player sees/gets stomped by something powerful. typical reaction:"thats broken! thats cheese! NERF IT!!!". warmachine player sees/gets stomped by something powerful. typical reaction - (1) self analysis. "doing this got me into this position. if i had moved there/cast that spell/ engaged that threat, i wouldnt be in this position - ie i lost because i made a mistake. but i could have dealt with it.". (2). "Right. how do i kill/deal with that thing, now that i've seen what it can do." warmachine player goes off to examine options and synnergies available.

Warmachine favours a relatively assertive and competitive mindset. its on you, essentially. how you won, or why you lost. its not because the other guy took X. Unfortunately, the attitude in the 40k community very much has the perspective iof the latter, very much in part to the nature of the game - extremely shoddy internal and internal balance etc. you can lose in that game to something that you simply cant deal with. But its simply not the case in warmachine. Essentially, So for those folks, everything in WMH is a cheeseball build with a deathstar unit. to a warmachine player, its a smart synnergy. perspective.

Now, i'll tell you something. When you start this game, you will lose. You will lose a lot. And i mean, a LOT. dont expect to win your first dozen games. first few times against any faction, you will probably lose to a combination you did not see coming. it will take a while to start seeing the board like a WM player, instead of a 40k player. it will take you a while to start seeing your options, synnergies and combos, and actually thinking like a warmachine player. it'll come. its part of the "blooding". and when you finally start to get it, boy, is it a moment. you feel great. because its you winning. its you playing hard. Not the list you took. But until that moment, leave your 40k behind. When you get curbstomped, and see your favourite jkack smashed to bits in 2 hits from a couple of weapon master grunts, dont just reach for the 40k players mantra of "BUT THATS BROKEN!!! THATS CHEESE!!!". Analyse it. see why you lost. what mistakes did you make/ learn from it. see what you can do next time. can you kill it? can you tarpit it? can you shut it down in some way? Nothing is cheese, because you have the options and strategies you need to take it out. but the answer will never be as simple as "this army list". It comes down to you playing smart and using your brain to play the best game you have. "cheese", essentially, as understood by 40k players really is irrelevant to a warmachine player. to us, its another challenge to face on, take down, and make a trophy out of it.

Page 5. live it, breathe it, think it, love it and embrace it. it'll change your life.



This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2013/04/05 18:34:41


 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





How long are typical games?

In my opinion 35 pts feels about the same as 1500 pt games and 50 pts feels about the same as 1850 or 1999+1 games

In both size and time

Tho there is a key difference, a game of WM/H can end at any time with a caster death


6+ = 6/36 | Reroll 1s = 7/36 | Reroll Misses = 11/36 ||||||| 5+ = 12/36 | Reroll 1s 14/36 | Reroll Misses = 20/36 ||||||| 4+ = 18/36 | Reroll 1s 21/36 | Reroll Misses = 27/36
3+ = 24/36 | Reroll 1s 28/36 | Reroll Misses = 32/36 ||||||| 2+ = 30/36 | Reroll 1s 35/36 ||||||| Highest of 2d6 = 4.47
 
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Hmmm the rules are pretty easy to learn, i dont run into too many problems that the rulebook couldnt fix.
yes every faction is pretty evenly balanced, not perfectly balanced but privateer press has done a good job in making it as even as possible.
just like 40k, games are as long as you make them 15pts last about 20 - 30 mins, 25pts are around 45mins. 35pts can be 1hr or so, 50pt games can last 2hrs, and 100pt games can last 4+ hours easy.
in any game you play wheather its 40k. fantasy, warmachine, starcraft, ect, you will always run into cheesey builds, and deathstar units, in warmachine it can be hard to beat these kind of builds if you dont know what your doing, generally any death star set up can be picked apart generally your warcaster/warlock will change the flow, one thing about warmachine/hordes is that the game can completely turn around in the matter of a single turn.
as for your player base, i would suggest asking a few friends to join you first, it can be pretty boring if there is no one to play with obviously
   
Made in us
Sniping Hexa





Some small city in nowhere, Illinois,United States

 Havok210 wrote:
So I have been considering making the move to WM, but I have a few questions about the game and thought this would be a good place to start. I am current 40k player, so that may explain some of my questions. Also, none of the LGS stock WM, so there is virtually no player base that I am aware of.

Are the rules systems easy to learn?

Are the factions balanced?

How long are typical games?

Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?

Thanks all!



I am going to try my best to answer this as an new player to this, so I can relate to you I guess:

1) The rules themselves are pretty easy to understand. Mastering them is a whole new matter itself, as there is a considerable learning curve to it and which army you want to play.

2) From what I have seen, the factions are mostly balanced I have seen in any miniwargame so far.

3) Lower points games (like stuff out of the battle box for each faction for example) take about 20-30 minutes depending if your Warcaster dies quickly or not, and from what I have seen in Larger point games, about longer and depending on the Warcaster.

4) For the most part not really, but there are some things that can do a lot of damage, but makes up in something as well that the opponent can exploit.

I for one, as both a player of 40k like you, and a relatively newcomer to Warmachine, love to play it since it is much more faster pace and aggressive than 40k is. But, it is a hard game to master, so do be expecting your ass to be handed to you, and a lot a mean since you are most likely going to lose your first games at first, but not at all is it cheese, so do not be turned off by it and what Deadnight says as the 40k Mantra. It requires you to analyse about the situation,how you won and lost, what you can do better against a certain thing, etc.

Get a few friends into it, buy the battleboxes for which faction you want to play (both Warmachine and hordes can be played with each other, just a difference on how magic works in both systems from what I have seen), if you like it, get the rulebook and read the rules and enjoy!

I am glad I did not sell my Menoth I had when I was trying to get into it when I was younger, because I am glad I got into Warmachine now and that! ^_^

My personal blog. Aimed at the hobby and other things of interest to me

The obligatory non-40K/non-Warmahordes player in the forum.
Hobby Goals and Resolution of 2017: Paint at least 95% of my collection (even if getting new items). Buy small items only at 70% complete.
 
   
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Shrieking Traitor Sentinel Pilot




New Bedford, MA

Deadnight wrote:
...

 Havok210 wrote:

Are their Death Star units/cheesy army builds in the game?


Cheese is in the eye of the 40k player. first thing you need to do is forget everything you think you know about gaming, as taught to you by 40k. 40k brings nothing but baggage. 40k player sees/gets stomped by something powerful. typical reaction:"thats broken! thats cheese! NERF IT!!!". warmachine player sees/gets stomped by something powerful. typical reaction - (1) self analysis. "doing this got me into this position. if i had moved there/cast that spell/ engaged that threat, i wouldnt be in this position - ie i lost because i made a mistake. but i could have dealt with it.". (2). "Right. how do i kill/deal with that thing, now that i've seen what it can do." warmachine player goes off to examine options and synnergies available.

Warmachine favours a relatively assertive and competitive mindset. its on you, essentially. how you won, or why you lost. its not because the other guy took X. Unfortunately, the attitude in the 40k community very much has the perspective iof the latter, very much in part to the nature of the game - extremely shoddy internal and internal balance etc. you can lose in that game to something that you simply cant deal with. But its simply not the case in warmachine. Essentially, So for those folks, everything in WMH is a cheeseball build with a deathstar unit. to a warmachine player, its a smart synnergy. perspective.

Now, i'll tell you something. When you start this game, you will lose. You will lose a lot. And i mean, a LOT. dont expect to win your first dozen games. first few times against any faction, you will probably lose to a combination you did not see coming. it will take a while to start seeing the board like a WM player, instead of a 40k player. it will take you a while to start seeing your options, synnergies and combos, and actually thinking like a warmachine player. it'll come. its part of the "blooding". and when you finally start to get it, boy, is it a moment. you feel great. because its you winning. its you playing hard. Not the list you took. But until that moment, leave your 40k behind. When you get curbstomped, and see your favourite jkack smashed to bits in 2 hits from a couple of weapon master grunts, dont just reach for the 40k players mantra of "BUT THATS BROKEN!!! THATS CHEESE!!!". Analyse it. see why you lost. what mistakes did you make/ learn from it. see what you can do next time. can you kill it? can you tarpit it? can you shut it down in some way? Nothing is cheese, because you have the options and strategies you need to take it out. but the answer will never be as simple as "this army list". It comes down to you playing smart and using your brain to play the best game you have. "cheese", essentially, as understood by 40k players really is irrelevant to a warmachine player. to us, its another challenge to face on, take down, and make a trophy out of it.

Page 5. live it, breathe it, think it, love it and embrace it. it'll change your life.


That is a great post. Exalted!

I notice my posts seem to bring threads to a screeching halt. Considering the content of most threads on dakka, you're welcome. 
   
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Runnin up on ya.

If you don't mind me piggybacking OP.

What factions are recommended for beginners? You mentioned that some factions need a bit more finesse than others.

I'm looking at Trollbloods; I have a WHF Ogre army like the models. Alternatively, I'm looking at Khador and Everblight as well.

Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it; Refusing to set aside trivial preferences; Neglecting development and refinement of the mind; Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do 
   
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The Conquerer






Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios

Any faction will do. The only real reccomendations are to stay away from certain casters as their playstyle may be poor or just difficult for beginners.

If I had to make a broad faction statement, I wouldn't go for Circle, Retribution, Mercs, and Minions. They tend to be a little less direct in terms of playstyle or simply arn't completely balanced. Mercs and Minions can be good enough on their own, but many units are designed to be used along with a mainstream faction and so a beginner whose just picking units he likes may have some gaming difficulties.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/15 01:57:34


Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines

Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.

MURICA!!! IN SPESS!!! 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Not as Good as a Minion






Brisbane

Cygnar can be pretty simple, we have arguably the most vanilla caster in the game (pStryker) who conveniently comes in the battle box, as well as some quite straightforwards jacks and units.

And when you get into it more, you get casters who have more depth (Kraye is a good example).

I wish I had time for all the game systems I own, let alone want to own... 
   
Made in us
The Conquerer






Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios

 agnosto wrote:
If you don't mind me piggybacking OP.

What factions are recommended for beginners? You mentioned that some factions need a bit more finesse than others.

I'm looking at Trollbloods; I have a WHF Ogre army like the models. Alternatively, I'm looking at Khador and Everblight as well.


All 3 can be quite strong and have some excellent casters.

for trolls you have either version of Madrak, one of which comes in the battlebox, that are ok starter casters.

Khador's best casters are going to be either of the Sorsha's or any of the Vlads. look up Wargamer Girl on youtube for some very well put together batreps involving Khador. One of the few batrep channels for warmachine that has actual tactics and clear explaination of whats going on, its not just some dumb bunnies screwing around like most channels are(even the "professional" ones)

Everblight also has amazing casters but I'm less familiar with them.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/04/15 02:07:13


Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines

Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.

MURICA!!! IN SPESS!!! 
   
Made in ca
Bane Lord Tartar Sauce




In response to which is the best 'beginner' faction, I would say just go with whatever faction is most appealing to you. None of them are significantly more difficult to learn than the other, and each caster requires a different skillset to use properly. You will get more enjoyment out of the game if you pick a faction which is appealing to you than if you pick one that is easy to learn or marginally more powerful. Realistically, I would suggest that new players avoid Mercs and Minions because playing 'pure' mercs or minions greatly reduces your adaptability. This is because of two reasons, the fact that they are both designed to play with units from other factions, and that they both have limited lines compared to the rest of the armies, meaning that when playing pure mercenaries or minions you may often find yourself struggling adapt to certain enemy units or lists.
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





Runnin up on ya.

Thanks for the info. It helps when making the jump to a new game to know which factions might be more forgiving to rookie mistakes than others, especially with battle box contents because I plan to start there and then expand as I learn.

Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century: Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others; Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected; Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it; Refusing to set aside trivial preferences; Neglecting development and refinement of the mind; Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





 agnosto wrote:
Thanks for the info. It helps when making the jump to a new game to know which factions might be more forgiving to rookie mistakes than others, especially with battle box contents because I plan to start there and then expand as I learn.


The only real warning is this: Khador is not a 'Jack faction. If you are in any/way shape or form attracted to this faction because of the idea of a big, stomp army of red robots avoid it like the plague. You'll be let down in a big way.
   
 
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