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I already have Mercs and Khador, so I've got the whole steam powered side of the IK covered. The Iron Kingdoms started as a D&D campaign setting. A lot of the staples of a D&D campaign setting (generic fantasy) that were present in the RPG setting haven't really made their way to the Warmachine miniatures game.

So if I were to do an army of counts as miniatures, which faction to go with for generic fantasy? Regular human warriors with weapons and armour, regular human archers or crossbow men. Some war wizards? A golem?

Obviously I need a warcaster and jacks to have a legal army at all. Jacks are basically steam powered iron golems, so I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Another option is to go with a hordes army. The beasts could be magically controlled or summoned creatures.

Circle will give you wizards, men with crossbows and golems.

Circle also means you can use werewolves and giant goat things.

Trolls lets you use ogre sized monsers everywhere.

Legion means dragons with elves.

I'm thinking that it might be Circle. Either that or Cygnar.

I'm just contemplating painting up some fantasy stuff I have and putting it to use as another army available. I'd probably pick up some new stuff as well to fill gaps that I'm sure will come up.

My Legion is on my painting que right now, but I have a lot of free time over the next few months and was thinking another project would be nice.

One good thing about how ranged weapons are so abstracted in Warmachine is that nothing seems out of place if it's subbing in for a longer ranged weapon. For example, longgunners only shoot 14". Compared to the size of the miniatures, it's a range so short as to be silly. So if I have a couple lines of archers, shooting 14" isn't somehow crazy long range.

Yeah, profiling models in Warmachine and Hordes is more about recognizing base size and
model shapes. It's where a lot of the character in the game comes from and why I don't like
the idea of making the models any more customizable (in terms of game rules).

The only thing I wish PP would release is a Steelhead Riflemen unit. Just a nice simple cheap ranged unit that everyone could take. Like non-Khador specific winterguard without all the attachments and kovnik Joe and whatnot.

Why I'm thinking about Cygnar:

Fantasy warriors that are decently armoured with a hand weapon and a shield = Swordknights

Militaristic bow and crossbow wielders can be longgunners. Some would work as trenchers as well. Scout types could be rangers.

Anything with a polearm could be used for Steelhead Halbardiers.

Painting up any lance as being magical/electrical makes any heavy cavalry miniature work fine as cygnar cav. I guess polearm/pike wielders could also be sufficiently magicked up to be used as stormguard.

But what I really want are regular joes doing regular military stuff. Which is why I want there to be Steelhead Riflemen...


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When I first started playing I sort of didn't like the idea that I couldn't make my own characters and give them wargear, point by point. I got over that after I played a few games.

Trenchers are the grunts.

What you want is old school long gunners: one man to load, one man to fire.

Mercs would work well as a generic human faction I think.

The problem with mercs is the lack of ranged troopers that are not really specialized character units.

frozenwastes wrote:The problem with mercs is the lack of ranged troopers that are not really specialized character units.

Do one of the ones that lets you take Trenchers.

The problem is that while trenchers are the basic grunts, they are so loaded down with special rules and abilities that they are effectively specialized elite soldiers.

Now winterguard before you add all the attachments and whatnot. Now those are a nice basic grunt with a gun!

frozenwastes wrote:The problem is that while trenchers are the basic grunts, they are so loaded down with special rules and abilities that they are effectively specialized elite soldiers.

Now winterguard before you add all the attachments and whatnot. Now those are a nice basic grunt with a gun!

You think?

They're Taught to dig, they're taught to Smoke, they're taught to spear. I always
figured Assault was a function of a bayonets charge.

Sorry, you're right from a story stand point. I'm talking about how they function in the rules. They're 6/10 and are loaded with special rules. They may be the basic grunt in the story, but certainly not in the game.


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So I kept digging through my storage container of miniatures and found something else. Something wonderful.

Kroot.

I now vaguely recall picking them up off of ebay back when the Kroot Merc list came out for 3rd edition 40k but never getting around to building them.

They're just so easy to convert.

Muhahahaha!

Bird Men of Southern Immoren might just land in the Iron Kingdoms. I'm thinking Hordes is more likely than Warmachine, but I'll see what I come up with. My box of generic fantasy stuff can go back in the storage tote. I've got kroot!