The Warning, Warmachine

Ladies and some gentlemen who aren't interested in my nerdistry, heed my call. In past times, I have made blogs about Games and Gaming Stuff. From now on in, I'm making posts and giving you your warnings.

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Todays blog is about Warmachine MKII (Pron: Mark Two). The release was of a few days ago and the book is a good thick read, featuring many of the basic figures across the range to begin someone's endeavour into this tabletop gaming range.
The art is amazing, the stories are entertaining, and generally it's a very clean. My only problem is with the front cover, which has Victoria Haley standing very much so in the foreground and somewhat ruining the presence. I was commented on about it with a "You wouldn't say the same if it was Irusk, would you?" to which I retorted with "If it was just as bad, actually I would". It's mostly that it distracts away from the scene at hand, which is two giant flippin' robots attacking each other in the midst of an all out war!
Oh, and Mikael Kreoss in the middle of the fight rather than being a glamour whore (Now THAT is my bias shining through).
I've been saying to Privateer Press to do a scene like that on their covers for a few years now, and this is very VERY close to what I have really wanted to see. WM: Escalation, WM: Apotheosis and Hordes: Primal are perfect examples of what I want to see more of. Alas, that may not be the way, but I don't mind. The game itself is good fun.

Speaking of the game itself, it has changed. A lot of little things have disappeared, like the Juggernaut and Marauder losing their headspikes, which is a darned shame while also making sense (Anyone who has played long enough will remember how many times they've never used it), which also caused the Berserker to lose it's headspike, which was used to great effect at the end of every chain attack it made (“I hit you wit' axe, den I hit you wit' udder axe, and den I give you a Khardic Kiss wit' my pointy forehead.”). The streamlining of the rules and general balance caused it to be eliminated from the warjacks repetoire.

But with the changes in repetoire came a reincarnation of certain warjacks. A particular favourite of mine is the Sentinel who now has a bigger role than “Spray and Pray”. Now he takes on a defensive position with figures and jumps in the road of those ranged attacks that would otherwise worry your warcaster.
Within Khador, the Kodiak has decided to give a better bear hug than his previous incarnation. To start, his weapons have improved in power. This is a great little bonus. His previous incarnation had trouble dealing substantial damage to other warjacks, which contradicts an aspect of the faction it's in that has a very large theme of excessive damage output. The system layout of the figure pretty much broke down to utility and disruption without death.

But the other thing is that his chain attack has changed. Instead of knocking them down and dealing a set amount of damage (six is the highest I can think of to particular warjacks), he can knock them down by headbutting them, or it could throw them at someone, or play tug-o-war with one of their weapons. All those were choices that were available, but much more expensive choice than a player would frankly prefer.


To celebrate the new edition of the game, Privateer have decided to contribute to everyone's options as well by providing a new warjack. The Cygnaran Cyclone, the Protectorate Templar, the Khadoran Decimator and the Cryxian Corruptor.
Each warjack gives a very entertaining bonus in their own ways. The Templar stands as a High Armoured warjack swinging around a ball on the end of a chain that beats figures all about the place. The Decimator throws people about as well but he uses his gun instead. And when he's close enough, he starts up his buzz saw and tries some carpentry with someones body.

The two most entertaining are the Cyclone and the Corruptor.
The Cyclone is funny by running around with two chain guns attached to the underside of it's forearms. It's quote is the most entertaining part: “The Metal Storm can rotate through its barrels nearly once per second, giving it a maximum firing rate in excess of two hundred rounds per minute. The Cyclone has two of them”. With this, the cyclone has two choices: Spray and Pray, firing off 2d3 shots a turn if it isn't engaged; or Covering fire, placing two AOE's within 10” of the figure, preventing most, if not all, single wound infantry from approaching safely.

The Corruptor has weapons which inject an alchemical component into the carcass of the poor sod who it kills, whether it's simply causing the body to violently erupt, restoring health to the Warcaster (It's an oddity that one) or using it as a conduit for spells to be cast. It has fantastic applications, especially with their spell-slinging Warcasters.

Side note: Holy crap shooting monkeys. The Berserker has base Def 11. Irusk Superiority + Berserker = Pseudo Cryx Jack. (Spd 6, Mat 7, Def 13 with bonus anti-Knockdown).

Now everything that is in the Warmachine model range is not entirely available in this book. It covers some of the basic different units that the armies make available. Within the coming months, "Forces of Warmachine" books will be released and will not only cover the figures missing in the range, but will also be providing us with more units and another Warcaster. The next couple of months are going to drain me of a few hundred dollars, I know, but it'll be good.

The last thing I want to cover in Prime is the story. Doug Seacat writes fantastically and his character descripts are fantastic. The book has a small story within it, to give the reader something to salivate over rather than a bunch of back history on the Iron Kingdoms. A fantasticly entertaining story I must say. Doug does his job well again.

That's all I really wanted to cover about Warmachine. Anything else, I'll put up in another Game Warning. Overall, this is great and the surprise about the Berserker has me giddy now.