Cygnar

[Grailkeeper]

I was thinking of getting into warmachine. I was wondering if you could tell me two things

1.the fluff behind cygnar
2. Are cygnar the ultramarines of warmachine ie looked down on as a noob army, played by beginners who soon leave the hobby (and conicidentally blue and the closest thing to good guys?)

[Image]

I just got into Warmachine and one of my gaming buddies picked up Cygnar. I don't know the fluff behind them - or even the world - all that well yet, but I would not consider them a "noob" army. The few games I've had against them have been challenging, yet compelling - as Warmachine mostly seems to be to me. The way my friend plays reminds me a lot of an Empire army, taking advantage of shooting before closing in with the advantage. Instead of comparing them to marines, I'd liken them to an Empire fantasy army as they seem to be an everyman kind of army.

Honestly, I'd recommend checking out privateer press' website for the gallery and seeing if the models are compelling to you while also checking out the insights on Battle College to see if the thoughts and tactics fit your play style.

Lastly, I'll say this, in the previous month of playing Warmachine, it's been a long time since I've been so excited about a game. It truly is a well-made game with a lot of depth presented in simple rules. If you decide to pursue it, definitely grab a starter box first and have a couple of games. It's not a huge investment considering it's only $50 or so and building up to a 35 point army is really easy and relatively inexpensive compared to 40k.

I hope you enjoy it!

[Bentron]

Grailkeeper,

I happen to be that "buddy" of Image who just got into Warmachine along with him and some others in our gaming group. I've also have never really been so excited about a modeling game (...except maybe Mordheim?) before, and believe it or not, but I've actually painted up all of my Starter Box models already. It's a first for me to have a fully painted army, and they actually look great painted up on the field. (especially given that I'm probably the biggest painting nOOb in our group)

So far, Cygnar has been the "ranged army" of our group even though the other factions are fully capable of bringing shooting as well. I would definitely say that if you're beginning the game, Cygnar may seem quite powerful, but once your friends/gaming group manage to get a solid grasp of the game, Cygnar quickly loses its edge and becomes quite balanced. They definitely are not the Ultramarines, instead, I would say that no faction are the Ultramarines of Warmachine. If you want to try Cygnar, you need to love 3 things. Lightning, Goggles, and tactical flexibility. [Although, to be fair, all factions are quite flexible due to the unique qualities of Warcasters]

I would totally second Image's idea to purchase the Battle box of your favourite faction (be it Cygnar or otherwise) and give it a solid go. I haven't regretted it at all, and I've even recently expanded my force to the 18pt mark. I'm sure I'll be continuing to the 25 point mark within a month or so, and finally 35pts before the summer hits. Can't wait!

[FastEd]

As somebody who's been playing 40k for over a decade, and Warmachine (and Hordes once it came out) for, if memory serves, six years, there isn't really an equivalent to Marines in the way that they are pervasively everywhere, everyone has some. Some groups may tend toward having a few more of one faction or another, but that's just how things are.

I also wouldn't say there is a newbie faction, since people are drawn to so many different armies. With new players, both when teaching or when just playing against them, there seems to just be a playstyle difference as they are a little more reserved or conservative in their choices.

It's hard to call anybody in Warmachine/Hordes 'the good guys'.As far as Cygnar's background, they would very much so like to be the benevolent monarchy, however it's difficult because of various wealthy and noble families who threaten to pull support so they can get their way (which has caused both internal and external conflict in the past, notably being the reason that the Trollbloods hate Cygnar). Really, it's hard to sum everything up, but here's a bit from the wikipedia entry (faster then trying to type the history of Cygnar):

Cygnar is the most prosperous and most technologically advanced nation of the Iron Kingdoms. Of all the human factions it could also be considered the most benevolent, although that has begun to change with recent events. Cygnar's ballistic technology is unsurpassed, and the Cygnaran specialty, arcane electrical energy, can fry opposing warjacks' cortices, rendering them far less effective in combat.

Here's [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnar"]the rest of the article[/URL], which has links to the other faction's articles as well.

[Grailkeeper]

Thanks I just put down a bid on some stuff on ebay- its kinda of a random grab bag

Is it true that Warmachine is very balanced and that every unit is basically as good, for its points, as any other?

[Bentron]

Yes and no.

Yes, in that each unit has a purpose, and yes each unit can excel at certain things. Each unit seems to be quite balanced, and worth its points. Yes also in that each unit has various complements that render it even more effective until they can become a solid core of your victory strategy.

No, in that not all units are equal. No also in that randomly combining any units isn't as effective as methodically choosing and selecting which units to bring to a match. No also in that if you don't select units that are synergetic with your Warcaster then they become dead weight.

... essentially each faction has numerous interesting and powerful Warcasters. I would venture so far as to say each faction will have at least one that both fits your play style and you'll enjoy. If you like a Warcaster, you can choose units that complement and bring the best out of them. Likewise, if you like a unit, you can choose a Warcaster that enhances them and makes them the effective unit you want them to be. Really, the options are endless.

[scadugenga]

Grail: Pretty much what the other's have said.

There's a bit of elemental affinity in the WM side of things:

Cygnar: Lightning
Menoth: Fire
Khador: Ice
Cryx: Soul? Acid? Icky stuff.

Cygnar does play very ranged oriented with a lot of synergistic units. They tend to be the most "technologically advanced" of the four main factions. They seem on surface to be "the good guys" but as you'll find out reading the fluff--there really is no "good guy" in the world politico system. I'd say it's all shades of gray--but Cryx is about as black as black can get. Eeeeevil.

Menoth is your horde army. Nothing is really outstanding in and of itself, but as (I believe?) Stalin once said--quantity has a quality all it's own. Religious zealotry in all it's...um, fiery wrath.

Khador is very obviously drawn from Russia, from the accents to the different peoples, etc. Khador is primarily an in-your-face melee oriented army. (Yes, they have ranged ability, but it's really sub par, comparatively.) The only faction with no light jacks, their heavies are the most resilient, and hard-hitting, of all the factions. No arc nodes (outside the Old Witch) means that their caster's have to get closer in to deal damage with their offensive spells.

Cryx: Evil undead bone and hell jacks. Iron liches. Bizarro horned sadistic pirate queens and more undead than you can shake a stick at. Cryx is the speediest of the factions, and the most fragile (when they do get hit.) Unlike other factions, almost every one of their light jacks is an arc node (which allows warcasters to cast spells further than normal) and their helljacks are scary. Lots of sick damage potential with Cryx, but they are really the "glass cannon" of WM. Cryxian warcasters on average have more focus than their living counterparts.

Mercenaries have come into their own as a "faction" over the recent years. They don't have any elemental affinity, nothing really shines as above-the-rest in terms of troops, etc. But what they do have is the ability to do just about everything well, considering your force makeup. I would say Mercs probably have the steepest learning curve of the factions, but offer a lot of fun play-style wise.

Retribution is the newest faction, and the reigning "kings" of the advanced warjack technology. They have force fields. 'nuff said. I've not played with Ret yet, and only against a few times. They are tricksy and tend to specialize in the caster assassination game. Be wary of playing a Ret player until you're more experienced in the game.

[Grailkeeper]

Thanks for all that, was out bid on ebay

I normally pick a faction by fluff and looks rather than ability. I didn't want a particularly religious faction so that ruled out menoth (my marines are a particularly devout chapter and I want something new)

The Cygnar models were the ones I liked best- particularly gun mages.

Thanks Scad man- I'll be avoiding retribution anyway as I hate elves and apple computers (possibly teh nerdiest thing I'll ever say), and seeing the two combined is a downer

[Grailkeeper]

I'm also finding it hard to find the fluff on special characters- as they are more essential in this game than GW games thats a bit of a flaw on PP's part. Just a brief description would be enough to decide if i like their flavour

[lordbubonicus]

I'm also finding it hard to find the fluff on special characters- as they are more essential in this game than GW games thats a bit of a flaw on PP's part. Just a brief description would be enough to decide if i like their flavour

Where are you looking, and what specifically are you looking for? History, background, character traits, current involvement, or all of the above?

Prime MK2 has fluff entries for a number of the units, but only everything that was in the original Prime. That's by no means all that each of the factions has to offer, so I'd recommend the Forces of Warmachine book. That has a fluff blurb/summary for every unit released for the faction so far.

Other than that, pretty much the entire story revolves around the warcasters and characters. Any piece of fiction in most of the books involves them.