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I've played 40k a fair bit over the years, but the tide seems to be shifting to Warmahordes so I decided to buy in.

Thus far I've purchased Kara Sloan, a Heavy Warjack, a Ranger Unit, and the Gun Mage UA. I plan to buy another Heavy 'Jack and the Gun Mages to go with the UA, but my FLGS only had what I purchased the night I was there. I plan to magnetize my jacks, so consider me to have 2 of any combo of Defenders, Cyclones, and Ironclads.

Thus far the list I'm thinking of running looks as follows.

Captain Kara Sloan (*6)
-Defender (9)
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages + Unit Attachment (8)
-Cyclone (9)
Rangers (5)

I'm also considering trying this.

Captain Kara Sloan (*6)
-Defender (9)
-Defender (9)
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages + Unit Attachment (8)
Rangers (5)

Any ideas on how these lists should play, and what else I might try with the models at hand or cheap (under $50) additions would be greatly appreciated.

Kara loves ranged jacks in her battlegroup. Use models like the Defender, the Hunter(for cracking 'Jacks ARM 16 and up) and the Minuteman(perfect for killing infantry and ARM 16 and below.)

Give her at least 2 ranged 'jacks and keep Firegroup up to give the entire battlegroup +2" range.

A lot of people just use her as an assassin and while she is good at that she's perfect for killing important solos and UAs. You can almost always kill a 5 box model per turn.

Also if you're going to be playing Kara Sloan you NEED to buy Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator, he's only $6. It allows you to shoot Spitfire twice per turn for just 1 point. Plus he works just as well with Siege. 95% of the time you're running Kara you should be running Reinholdt.

I'll be running Kara, a Defender and a Hunter for a Journeyman League starting this Friday. Adding Reinholdt, and a Minuteman to bring her up to 15 points for week two and I haven't decided what to do to bring the army up to 25 points yet.

Does that mean at 25pts. you like the second list better because it gives Kara the two defenders?

You could take a hunter instead of 2 defenders if you need the points for something else. Hunters crack warjacks and other med-lg based models just as well (or better?) as a defender. They lack the melee punch but you really want to avoid melee with kara anyways. Reinholdt should be in the list, it should be a law. Lets see, if you take a hunter instead of the defender, you would have 3 points? You could then fit reinholdt and arlan strangeways in the list. Heck, with two points, you should be looking at the massive list of mercs available to you - Gorman Di wolfe? Harlan Versh for those synergy buffers? The list of available mercs just goes on and on.

Before adding anything else for those two points you should get a Squire for the extra Focus.

KingKodo wrote:
You could take a hunter instead of 2 defenders if you need the points for something else. Hunters crack warjacks and other med-lg based models just as well (or better?) as a defender.

The Defender is better for ARM17 and below, they tie for ARM 18, and the Hunter is better for ARM19+.

The Hunter is POW 6 with AP, so ARM 16 is Dice minus 2, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 4.
The Defender is POW 15 so ARM 16 is dice minus 1, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 5.

KingKodo wrote:
Reinholdt should be in the list, it should be a law.

Quoted for truth.

Okay, I'd still like to have the two magnetized heavy jacks just for list variety reasons, but a squire, Reinholdt, and a Hunter can be added with little enough effort and outlay.

With those I'm guessing the list is:

Captain Kara Sloan (*6)
-Defender (9)
-Hunter (6)
-Squire (2)
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages + Unit Attachment (8)
Rangers (5)
Reinholdt (1)

 22cthulu wrote:

KingKodo wrote:
You could take a hunter instead of 2 defenders if you need the points for something else. Hunters crack warjacks and other med-lg based models just as well (or better?) as a defender.

The Defender is better for ARM17 and below, they tie for ARM 18, and the Hunter is better for ARM19+.

The Hunter is POW 6 with AP, so ARM 16 is Dice minus 2, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 4.
The Defender is POW 15 so ARM 16 is dice minus 1, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 5.

KingKodo wrote:
Reinholdt should be in the list, it should be a law.

Quoted for truth.

They tie at 19 as well, but yea this is accurate

One way to look at it is Every 2 ARM is +1 Pow

 Canadian 5th wrote:
Okay, I'd still like to have the two magnetized heavy jacks just for list variety reasons, but a squire, Reinholdt, and a Hunter can be added with little enough effort and outlay.

With those I'm guessing the list is:

Captain Kara Sloan (*6)
-Defender (9)
-Hunter (6)
-Squire (2)
Arcane Tempest Gun Mages + Unit Attachment (8)
Rangers (5)
Reinholdt (1)

That looks like a pretty good list for Kara.

 Talamare wrote:

 22cthulu wrote:

KingKodo wrote:
You could take a hunter instead of 2 defenders if you need the points for something else. Hunters crack warjacks and other med-lg based models just as well (or better?) as a defender.

The Defender is better for ARM17 and below, they tie for ARM 18, and the Hunter is better for ARM19+.

The Hunter is POW 6 with AP, so ARM 16 is Dice minus 2, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 4.
The Defender is POW 15 so ARM 16 is dice minus 1, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 5.

KingKodo wrote:
Reinholdt should be in the list, it should be a law.

Quoted for truth.

They tie at 19 as well, but yea this is accurate

One way to look at it is Every 2 ARM is +1 Pow

I don't think so. From what I understand when you use AP you round up on odd numbers so ARM 19 vs an AP shot counts as ARM10. At least that's the way we play it at my FLGS, and we have three pressgangers who play there regularly.

 22cthulu wrote:

 Talamare wrote:

 22cthulu wrote:

KingKodo wrote:
You could take a hunter instead of 2 defenders if you need the points for something else. Hunters crack warjacks and other med-lg based models just as well (or better?) as a defender.

The Defender is better for ARM17 and below, they tie for ARM 18, and the Hunter is better for ARM19+.

The Hunter is POW 6 with AP, so ARM 16 is Dice minus 2, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 4.
The Defender is POW 15 so ARM 16 is dice minus 1, ARM 18 is Dice minus 3, and ARM 20 is dice minus 5.

KingKodo wrote:
Reinholdt should be in the list, it should be a law.

Quoted for truth.

They tie at 19 as well, but yea this is accurate

One way to look at it is Every 2 ARM is +1 Pow

I don't think so. From what I understand when you use AP you round up on odd numbers so ARM 19 vs an AP shot counts as ARM10. At least that's the way we play it at my FLGS, and we have three pressgangers who play there regularly.

Yea you round up

17=9-6=3
18=9-6=3
19=10-6=4
20=10-6=4

17-15=2
18-15=3
19-15=4
20-15=5

Just an update, I've played the original version of the list with the Defender and Cyclone and thus far am 2-2 against my FLGS in thew two weeks I've been playing.. I'll give some mini batreps after learning the names of units and caster I fought against, but my wins came against warmachine lists and my losses came against hordes lists. My first game was terrible and I got owned, but it was a swamp pits anti-ranged shooting list. The next game was against a pigs list, and I was a defender shot away from winning the match.

I'm assuming the 'anti-ranged' list means Rask as a caster? That guarantees one useless turn if you have gone incredibly shooting heavy, and it probably also means bog trogs getting right up to you from ambush without taking significant damage.

I hate Rask.

If Rask runs a gator minion lists then that would be the guy. I tried to get some shots by charging my rangers into his units and then shooting the warbest that had my caster in his sites, but I forgot to feat and he didn't take enough damage and ate Kara with ease.

It's really important to note that the armor-piercing only works on medium bases and above. That makes Defenders /significantly/ better when attempting to kill most warlocks/warcasters.

That's why I'd trade the Cyclone out for one, even though I like the covering fire templates and the ability to throw the Gun Mage's special rounds down range with the Cyclone.

Wanted to pop in and say,welcome to WARMACHINE/HORDES!

Thanks for the advice and the warm welcomes, if i wasn't going to be traveling soon I'd start a weekly series of battle reports for you, but as it stands we'll have to see what kind of gaming I can get in while out of the country.

Doesn't look like anyone has mentioned it yet...

The cyclone with Kara carries a few good things. First of all, its 2d3 shots are great for ensuring you trigger all the extra shots from her feat (assuming it's in her battlegroup). Secondly, the dual covering fire templates can cut off roughly 7" of open ground and really control melee focused armies. Lastly, it does have two open fists, thus can double handed throw enemies if things are really going badly.

Thanks for that tip, not just for the idea, but also because I was playing Kara's feat wrong and thinking that all models in her control area generated extra shots to be taken by her battle group. It hasn't effected the outcome of any games yet, because my Defender and Kara haven't missed much and have generated extra shots for one another thus far.

Heh, that's one of the biggest thing I've found with Warmachine: read the cards carefully!

There are a few exceptions, but for the most part rules and abilities are worded pretty carefully and missing one word in an ability can change it from amazing to craptastic.

Her ability is still pretty amazing even with the correct reading, especially at 25pts. where screening a caster can be hard.

try 3 hunters, reinholdt, and a squire @ 15 points. hard to beat.

Banes would put the hurting on that triple hunter list. You'd kill maybe 2 a turn from when Kara hits range (as long as you aim), until you got your hunters within 5", then if you timed that and the feat right you might kill some more, and then they'd die to the banes.

forgive me while I ignore the banes and go for the necrosurgeon, while firing from the forests. . .

sorry. kneejerk reaction. no list is going to have an answer for everything. which is why it helps to have a GoTH plan.

 carldooley wrote:
forgive me while I ignore the banes and go for the necrosurgeon, while firing from the forests. . .

sorry. kneejerk reaction. no list is going to have an answer for everything. which is why it helps to have a GoTH plan.

No need to be rude. Banes are really common at my store with our Cryx players, they seem to prefer them to other lists, so its the first thing that popped into my mind as the sort of thing you would be almost guaranteed to come up against. However if your store ran lots of MoWs, or Cataphracts, or Warspears, or stuff like that at low points, then that list would be absolutely amazing. Similarly, MHSF, Satyxis, the WGDS, things like that, would really punch huge holes in it because it doesn't have any real anti-infantry stopping power. 2 POW 14s, 3 POW (effective) 8s, and Dust to Dust/Arcane Blast if you have 3 spare focus won't kill small based infantry off effectively at all, making this a pretty skew list to recommend to someone starting out with a caster.

I'd rather run an at least partially balanced list with more tools to deal with things than a list that can do one thing. Plus, I've been playing at 25pts. with some models borrowed from a friend and will be able to reach 35pts. once the models I need come in at my FLGS.

consider getting a Triumph upgrade sprue for one of your Defenders then. another platform with Arcane Precision that can throw off an AOE could answer some problems.

Also, consider running an Ironclad. knocking down any screening unit between your caster and theirs could setup a possible assassination run. I find Refuge to be more useful in such a situation.

Lastly, sorry motyak for the rude reply. My flgs is a lot more spread out when it comes to army choices. there are 2 cryx players yes, but there is a person running each other army as well, though I tend to play against more everblight than anything else.

He has Gun Mages w/ the UA... why is he worried about Bane Thralls again? If it's a big issue, give a Cyclone to the Gun Mage UA and have fun. Sure, it takes a warjack away from Kara, but that unit will kill Bane Thralls like no one's business.

Triumph is... eh. I'd rather play with the points a bit and get the Black 13th instead. Don't get an Ironclad. Get Ol' Rowdy. Best Cygnar Warjack.

Three solo's that really, really help Kara Sloan: Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator (extra shot), Gorman Di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (so much utility, but the main thing- can shut down any Colossal/Gargantuan), and finally Taryn di la Rovissi- enemy warcaster hiding behind something? Have Taryn shoot it with Shadow Fire. LoS Problem solved.

Believe it or not, but Kara works OK without the Squire. If you are hurting on points, this is one of the first things I'd cut.

Want something completely different? Run Storm Blades and Stormclads. You'll have a huge amount of melee capability, and it's a "blast" to throw Dead Eye on the SBs when they assault. And the Stormclad does have a ranged attack- albit a short one. In this list, Kara becomes more a Sniper then anything.

The best lists I've found with Kara are the balanced lists with only a little shooting. Her feat is great when you have a lot of shooting warjacks, but don't forget the other part of her feat- boosted ranged attacks. This is huge for units like Greygore Boomhowler & Co (just don't forget Captain Jonas Murdock), or Gun Mages and their critical brutal damage.

Oh, and another fun warjack for her to take: Thunderhead. Of course, the Stormwall also works very well with her.

Don't know about kara , but isn't it worth marshaling the hunter to the gun mages . The long range push or snipe and no worries about using focus helps a lot with low focus casters.