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O.K., let me say that I think just about everything that Privateer Press touches is gold...their minis, their books, their rules, their player support and consideration. They are "spot on" as a miniature gaming company 99% of the time! There's one thing I don't get, however, the look of the Retribution forces, especially the Warjacks.

When I look at every other faction from WM and Hordes, I see models that their setting and seem "fitting". When I see the Retribution stuff, it just looks like a different era, a different level of technology to me. I even like the look of the Retribution elves themselves- the faces, the "Jak"(from Jak and Daxter)-like atypical elven ears, but the armor- what?

There's a primitive feel to every other faction's warjacks that is grimy and "fiddly"- but the Retrubution 'jacks have a style that looks 1,000 years ahead to me. I do understand that the Iosians are high tech, but their armor and 'jacks are so much so that they don't seem to fit with all the other stuff to me.

Now I want to be wrong, I want you to explain to me how I'm seeing it all wrong- and I will read responses with open eyes and an open mind.

What am I missing?

From what i have gotten from the fluff thats the idea.

The Elves are usually nothing more than legend with a few of their race on rare occasion entering human cities. Part of that legend is that their war jacks are far more Magikly based than the human jacks are. While human jacks are fueled by steam the Elves are power by arkane cores or something like that (I don't have their book with me atm).

As always the Elven craftsmanship makes human and Dwarf work look almost child like and I think thats what they were going for. Hope that helps.

Edited for derp mistakes

I've felt that if they didn't make the Iosan 'jacks so different, they suffer from "samey" as opposed
to "future tech".

malfred wrote:I've felt that if they didn't make the Iosan 'jacks so different, they suffer from "samey" as opposed
to "future tech".

I think he is referring to the fact that the Retribution Myrmidons are smooth and clean while all the rest are covered in pipes and bolts.

I think PP would be glad to hear you felt the elves didn't fit in; they're not supposed to. They're supposed to be foreign and alien and atypical because they are all of these things in the fluff as well. While I do feel the studio paint scheme to be a little too 'iWarmachine' for my personal tastes, I think it was overall an acceptable style choice.

Consider that Ios has been closed off from the outside world since they settled there and that that nation never had any trade or technology exchange with any foreign power until they reverse engineered the cortex.
The technology and culture of Ios may as well be alien to the rest of western immoren and their heavier armor and jacks show that more than anything. The jacks lack pistons and boilers so they have an inherently less clunky machine look to their internal workings and the exterior armor dosent look that far removed from something cryx would make (if they werent obsessed with making every square inch of their jacks lethal).
I agree it is a huge jump stylistically but i think that is supposed to be symbolic of the culture gap between Ios and the rest of the world. In the end its not so much that the are 1,000 years ahead but more that they have taken a divergent path for 10,000 years.

EDIT: not sure if this will help at all but this is Chris Walton's diagram of a heavy myr if some havent seen it already.
http://cwalton73.deviantart.com/art/Myrmidon-Manticore-128097522

As someone who recently started Warmachine I gotta say I was drawn a good bit more to the aesthetic of the Retribution. While I had previous had something of an interest, the looks of the factions simply didn't appeal as it was almost universally steampunk with a few flavor variations. It wasn't "bad", but none of the factions offered a departure from clunky and improbable steam-based tech. Having an aesthetic that doesn't line up with everything else isn't a bad or out-of-place feature in a game, it broadens the appeal and pool of potential players.

Fluff-wise, the vastly different technology makes a good bit of sense. When humans in the Warmachine world were in the hunter-gatherer phase, the Elves had already built a bridge opening a portal to their gods (Didn't end so hot, but humanity is still centuries from even attempting an equivalent feat).

Thanks all for the replies. I am feeling a bit more comfortable with the stylistic approach now. I still don't know if I'll ever get around to building a Retr. army, because as proficient as a painter I'd like to think myself- all that white with light blue inset detailing looks very unforgiving and I'd worry about it coming out right.

Gareson wrote:Thanks all for the replies. I am feeling a bit more comfortable with the stylistic approach now. I still don't know if I'll ever get around to building a Retr. army, because as proficient as a painter I'd like to think myself- all that white with light blue inset detailing looks very unforgiving and I'd worry about it coming out right.

White is unforgiving period, I have seen some killer paint scheme done with darker colors like blues and greens and they look just incredible with the right glow effects and light sourcing.

Gareson wrote:O.K., let me say that I think just about everything that Privateer Press touches is gold...their minis, their books, their rules, their player support and consideration.

Havent been follow the skorne playtest, have you? I wouldnt say gold there.

http://pokeminiatures.blogspot.com/2009/09/retribution-of-scyrah-battleboxes-as.html

carmachu wrote:

Gareson wrote:O.K., let me say that I think just about everything that Privateer Press touches is gold...their minis, their books, their rules, their player support and consideration.

Havent been follow the skorne playtest, have you? I wouldnt say gold there.

I haven't been following it. Care to elaborate or point me to an explanation of this juicy bit of gossip?

I think it's been a roller coaster ride for Skorne. They seem to be trying different things and
some of the changes leave the players kind of scratching their heads.

malfred wrote:I think it's been a roller coaster ride for Skorne. They seem to be trying different things and
some of the changes leave the players kind of scratching their heads.

At least they are working on it, unlike GW's typical response "wait for the next codex".

I chose Retribution as my second army because they were so different and noone else at the club but myself liked the models.

The Retribution are to Warmachine as the Tau are to 40K.

Tau got similar reactions when they first appeared.

I in fact rather hated them and their "anime" vibe, though they have grown on me.

A few people by me play Retribution and I dont know if it's the way they play them or not but nothing makes me go "WOW did they just do that" Do you think they are or will be a top tournament army?