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Alright, so after I build up a good amount of Menoth to have it Tournament ready or so (i.e total of 3-4 Warcastsers, 3-4 units with UAs and 5-7 Solos), I am going to plan to start a Hordes faction. Legion was out of the question for me because everyone (Well a good majority) at my FLGS plays them and it gets kind of repetitive seeing the same thing over and over there, and Circle Orboros looked kind of interesting, but I liked Trollbloods and Skorne more. So between that two-way tie, I thought I could do something that no-one plays to be different, so I am going to go with Skorne.

My plan is to get:

Skorne Battlebox set
Primal MKII rulebook
Paingivers Beast Handlers
Mortitheurge Willbreaker

This is at least to start up at 15 points. Also, would it really be necessary to get the Primal Rulebook (still kind of plan to get it for the lore and that), or not really since it has almost has the same rules as Warmachine for Infantry and that?

The only difference between warmachine & hordes is the focus vs fury system and animi, and beast spirals. Anyone who has touched the hordes system can go over the differences for you in about 3 minutes.

Everything else identical. For all practical purposes Warmachine & Hordes are the exact same game. They're only kept as separate "games" for the purposes of product management. Basically PP likes having having two separate product groups for licensing and other business concerns. The distinction is utterly irrelevant from a gamers perspective.

Of which would make a lot of sense in a business perspective so the customer has the ease of finding the product they want to find. Granted I played a couple Battlebox games with Skorne with being proxied with some models I have already, so I have some familiarity with the fury system a bit.

Solid start when heading to 25 add a bronzeback, maybe do up one of those savages as a brute.

Hargus56 wrote:
Solid start when heading to 25 add a bronzeback, maybe do up one of those savages as a brute.

Bronzeback I heard is a must have. Problem with that it seems Fury management is going to be a bit of a problem, although that is solved with beast handlers and Agonizers. Although I should plan to get an Infantry unit as well.

pMorghoul with PGBH should have little problem with fury management. I've run as many as 7 beasts with him and been fine.

You've got a solid shopping list there. Although personally I would get the Agonizer before the Moritheurge.


And the battlebox comes with the quick-start rules. Which is all you will really need to learn Fury if you are already familiar with the rest of the rules.


I did exactly what you are doing now. Started with Menoth and then picked up Skorne.

One thing I have found is that sometimes you can afford to let a beast frenzy. A Cyclops that you've run into the enemy line on a suicide mission is ok for Frenzy, he's probably dead anyway. You just need to keep the important beasts under control.

A Bronzeback can actually help as he prevents non-bronzeback Titans from Frenzying in his cmd range.

 Grey Templar wrote:
pMorghoul with PGBH should have little problem with fury management. I've run as many as 7 beasts with him and been fine.

You've got a solid shopping list there. Although personally I would get the Agonizer before the Moritheurge.


And the battlebox comes with the quick-start rules. Which is all you will really need to learn Fury if you are already familiar with the rest of the rules.


I did exactly what you are doing now. Started with Menoth and then picked up Skorne.

One thing I have found is that sometimes you can afford to let a beast frenzy. A Cyclops that you've run into the enemy line on a suicide mission is ok for Frenzy, he's probably dead anyway. You just need to keep the important beasts under control.

A Bronzeback can actually help as he prevents non-bronzeback Titans from Frenzying in his cmd range.

My guess that it is due to the agonizers being able to bank fury and screw with Warbeast and/or Warjacks? Granted I can get another attack with the Moritheugre, but the Agonizers might up with the fury management as well.

Watched a game (skorne vs menoth ironically) that was just a massive jack vs titan bash-fest. That agonizer aura of "nope, you can't allocate focus" really messed with the warmachine player, especially since the agonizer had a pile of fury tokens next to it about the same height as the model. I bet it would do even worse things to a hordes player, since they can't pull fury off their beasts to use their powers.

Agonizers don't have the same effects that they have vs Jacks as opposed to beasts.
They have 3 options vs beasts and can only use 1 on any given turn.
1)-2 to the beast's damage rolls,
2)beasts get -2 to their fury threshold or
3)beasts lose their animus (so the warlock loses his ability to use the animus as well).

Leo_the_Rat wrote:
Agonizers don't have the same effects that they have vs Jacks as opposed to beasts.
They have 3 options vs beasts and can only use 1 on any given turn.
1)-2 to the beast's damage rolls,
2)beasts get -2 to their fury threshold or
3)beasts lose their animus (so the warlock loses his ability to use the animus as well).

I thought one of them is that Warjacks cannot be allocated focus? I could be wrong.

It can do that. It's part of the third option. I was just pointing out what the agonizer can and can not do to beasts (re: dementedwombat's comment above mine).

Huh, I honestly didn't know because I only saw them vs warmachine. Interesting how they decide that "can not allocate focus" is an equal penalty to "-2 to fury threshold" or "no animus".

I suppose it might be because they have several effects that target beasts but only one that messes with warjacks, so they make it a very good one.

 Tanakosyke22 wrote:

Hargus56 wrote:
Solid start when heading to 25 add a bronzeback, maybe do up one of those savages as a brute.

Bronzeback I heard is a must have. Problem with that it seems Fury management is going to be a bit of a problem, although that is solved with beast handlers and Agonizers. Although I should plan to get an Infantry unit as well.

As GT stated the BronzeBack helps as he due to his Leadership rule non bronzeback titans auto pass thresh tests. So lets walk through this:

Turn 2-3ish... activate pain giver beast handlers move them ahead of the titans have them turn and face the titans and enrage. Titans are then activated and charge.

Next turn.... pMorg pulls the max 5 fury off the bronzeback, because of his leadership titans all auto pass their thresh tests, their 4 fury or whatever stay on them though. Activate beast handlers and move them up condition the non-bronzeback titans removing their fury. Activate titans and continue their destruction all with their empty fury tanks so they can cause mass destruction.

This is what makes beast handlers so damn good and how Skorne, IMO, allows the player to bring the big cool stuff and make them work. From providing cheap souls to running our beasts PGBH may be hands down the best unit in the game.

ALright, sorry I misread it on my part.

Basically the Agonizer has 2 agonies that are good against Beasts and 1 that's good against Warjacks.

Spiritual Affliction is situational against beasts. Losing the Animus may or may not be a problem for your opponent. Its usually more useful to do the damage debuff.

The debuff to threshold is also situational. It can be good combined with Morghoul and the PGBH using their ability to give enemy beasts more Fury and lock down the enemy battlegroup for a turn.

Hargus56 wrote:
maybe do up one of those savages as a brute.

Just got the box as a present for my brother, and thought on getting spares for what you're suggesting, but I can get a full Brute from most UK sellers for about the same price...

You know, seeing the kickstarter code and seeing the Battlebox set for 30 USD, I am really tempted to get that with my paycheck....

 Tanakosyke22 wrote:
You know, seeing the kickstarter code and seeing the Battlebox set for 30 USD, I am really tempted to get that with my paycheck....

hows shipping from the PP site anyway?

 Grundz wrote:

 Tanakosyke22 wrote:
You know, seeing the kickstarter code and seeing the Battlebox set for 30 USD, I am really tempted to get that with my paycheck....

hows shipping from the PP site anyway?

Around $5 or $6 USD if you are using USPS I think,

Man, and they dont have cyriss up yet =(

 dementedwombat wrote:
Watched a game (skorne vs menoth ironically) that was just a massive jack vs titan bash-fest. That agonizer aura of "nope, you can't allocate focus" really messed with the warmachine player, especially since the agonizer had a pile of fury tokens next to it about the same height as the model. I bet it would do even worse things to a hordes player, since they can't pull fury off their beasts to use their powers.

The key to fighting Skorne effectively is to have a way to pick off their support. Most players who know what an Agoniser can do will make it a high priority target right out the gate.

Yup.

its the first target for a boosted Reckoner shot.