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Hey guys!

Though a veteran WH40k player, I am new to dakka and particularly new to Warmachine. I decided to start a Protectorate army, the style and aesthetics are just so much to my liking, I can not express it with mere words. Being a HUGE WH40k Ecclesiarchy fan, I suppose that makes sense. Given how much I like the aesthetic, I wanted to buy Menoth minis to convert my existing 40k army of IG and Dreadnought SM army, but then it hit me. I could convert my minis in a way that could potentially make them playable in both systems. I can fuse IG infantry with Menoth infantry, Warjacks with Terminators and Dreads and the colossus with my Imperial Knight.

Now, please do not comment on how monumentally extensive and needlessly complex that task is, I like it that way

Instead, please help me to start up a decent Protectorate army. Kreoss or the Harbinger as warcaster speak to me, I like the control/denial abilities they brings. Are they a decent/competitive choice?
Also what infantry and warjacks would you recommend, that way I can buy the correct ones when converting.
By nature, I am not a subtle player but rather prefer to overwhelm the opponent through sheer force and synergy so hard hitters with decent support/enemy denial would be a thing, if that helps.

I am thankful for any and all input. That project means a lot to me seeing as I finally found the way I want to style my army (aesthetically, that is)

There are three versions of Kreoss:

* High Exemplar Kreoss (aka pKreoss, aka Kreoss1)
* Grand Exemplar Kreoss (aka eKreoss, aka Kreoss2)
* Intecessor Kreoss (aka eeKreoss, aka Kreoss3, aka Krehorse, aka iKreoss)

In chronological order of appearance. All three are solid casters, with Kreoss3 probably seeing the most tournament play currently.

Kreoss 1 is a staple warcaster with good spells and very powerful feat. His main drawback is he's been around so long and has such straightforward play a lot of people have learned to get around his game. Which isn't to say he's bad or weak at all, just that he has a harder time catching people with their pants down than he used to.

Kreoss 2 is more of a second-tier caster. He's still good, and still seems tournament level play. However he is narrow and trends twoards using his theme list, which requires you to buy a bunch of multiples of the Knights Exemplar units as an swarm. This works, often to devastating effect. On the other hand it's really predicable, has some trouble match ups and you're not likely to use that many knights elsewhere.

Kreoss 3 is the newest one. Like Kreoss 1, he is versatile and has good spells. His feat is much less powerful and he can't remove spells as reliably, but he also is a bit less predictable and a bit tougher, a bit faster, and has some unique tricks like giving 'Jacks extra movement. His versatility and mobility make him a popular choice these days.

Harbigner is probably protectorates "Strongest" caster. She has an amazing spell list, a good control feat, and lots of special abilities. Her signature ability is taking damage to save your warrior models (solos and unit grunts), which is better than it sounds at first. Flexible and powerful she's one of the most feared match ups in the game. Her FOCUS stat of 10 is the highest in the game, which gives her an unrivaled ability to leverage her spells, gain tactical information through pre-measuring and an edge when running 'Jacks. That said she's fragile and leveraging all these different advantages properly can be very hard for a new player.

Kreoss 1 is probably the best choice in the casters you like for a new Protectorate player.

You'll want your first picks after picking up the Battlebox to be a "Choir of Menoth" unit and two "Vassal of Mentoh" solos. They are key support pieces that form the baseline of the Protectorate 'Jack & Syngery game.

After that you'll want a combat unit, of which we have many fine choices but the "Holy Zealots" + Unit Attachment are probably the most versatile buy, that you can slot in with any caster as you expand and learn the game.

Finally, the "Reckoner" Warjack is just crazy versatile and powerful and the "Avatar of Menoth" delivers that overwhelming force you want and then some.

If you like control/denial take a look at the High Reclaimer warcaster. Whilst he isn't menoths strongest caster he brings some great denial, he can put out out 3" AoEs that block line of sight, offer concealment to your models, and give your enemies a to hit debuff. He can bring his models back to life, and if any enemy comes within 2" of him that take a point of damage automatically. Though the latter two abilities don't come up that often but when they do it can be devastating.

Plus he's one of the most grim dark 40k like models in the game, he got sent to hell, fought like a madman and came back.

Units wise you will definitely want zealots with ua, errants with ua and potentially temple flame guard. Jacks you will want are reckoner and the avatar. The avatar works great with harbinger. The other bits you will find useful are a vassal, wracks and a couple of mercenary solos like Gorman and Saxon orrick. Good luck modelling all that...

George