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I'm a fairly new playing to Warmachine/Hordes, and after having a bit of trouble getting my Menoth off the ground I've decided to switch to Cygnar. I have only minimal experience actually playing the game (I've gone over a fair amount of theory but haven't had many opportunities to actually play). I'm looking for some input into whether or not the basic 25 point army I've worked out is any good. This is what I'm looking at right now:

pStriker (6)
Ironclad 7
Lancer 6
Squire 2

Journeyman 3
Charger 4

Gun Mages 6
UA 2

Total 24 (30-6)

For reference, this is, practically speaking, the Battlegroup plus Gun Mages w. UA, a Squire and a Journeyman. I guess my key questions are as follows:

Is the Battlegroup a good starting piece to get for Cygnar? Or does it contain too many duds that will rarely or never be used?
Does this list have enough cohesion to for a new player to learn about all of the aspects of the game?
Can you think of any substitutions that I should make instead of what is listed to stay at 25 points?

Frankly, you need more experience playing and less theory.

The units you mention are just fine and the starter box is called the starter box for a reason. IMO you should play just that for awhile, then slowly add to it. Eventually the other units you mentioned will be useful, but not early on.

Warmachine is a hard game to master. And if you are having trouble with Menoth then Cygnar tend to be even more complicated. Not always, but usually.

 Mordekiem wrote:
Frankly, you need more experience playing and less theory.

The units you mention are just fine and the starter box is called the starter box for a reason. IMO you should play just that for awhile, then slowly add to it. Eventually the other units you mentioned will be useful, but not early on.

Warmachine is a hard game to master. And if you are having trouble with Menoth then Cygnar tend to be even more complicated. Not always, but usually.

I've been wanting to play since about Christmas, however the main issue is that up until recently school, a lack of a car, a lack of money, and a horrible public transit has limited my opportunities to play greatly. I've had the time to get in about 3 or 4 games since starting solely because of time constraints (engineering degrees eat up a ton of time, particularly once you start getting project based courses). However, now that I'm on a year long coop term I have both time and income to spare, meaning that I should be able to start playing more regularly (hopefully). I agree that I need to get more games in, but truth be told as a student it is much easier to listen/watch a warmahordes video/podcast while studying than it is to devote a good 3+ hours to get a game in.

Additionally, my issue with the Proctectorate wasn't that I wasn't really picking them up, but that the 'feel' of the models, particularly that the aesthetics of most of the units don't do much for me. Truth be told I initially wanted to go with Cygnar but I ended up soliciting too many opinions and talked myself into taking Menoth instead. I'm much more fond of the design of most Cygnar units (I personally feel that Cygnar have the best looking warjacks of all the factions) and since I've only made a comparatively small investment in Menoth so far I've decided its worth the risk to try the switch.

Drop the Squire and the Lancer and pick up Ol'Rowdy

Honestly, I think you have a pretty good set-up for learning about the majority of the game. I can't vouch for the experience of others, but I still use my starter box as the core of many of my lists. The Ironclad is cheap and worth his points, the Lancer provides Stryker with a bit more range with which to safely cast his KD spell, and the Charger is a jerk in general if you're willing to pour the focus into him.

Of the things you are fielding, I would imagine the Squire to be the least integral, since Stryker is usually able to manage focus and such on his own. Still, it is an essential piece for many other 'casters and also just adds that much more power to Stryker's repertoire, so I wouldn't frown on buying and using it.

In My Opinion, you don't really need any specific unit or list to be successful with Warmachine. What you really need to do is find out how you want to play. Do you want to bring the pain at a distance, or do you want to be locked in combat? Once you decide how you like to play, then you can base your list around that.