Getting my friends and I started with Warmachine & Hordes! :D

[Archetype-]

Hey, everyone. It's been a long time since my last post, but that was my introductory post so that doesn't really count.

Anywho, I'm taking it upon myself to convince my 40k friends that they should pick up Warmachine or Hordes. Most of them are college students, so they won't have much money to spare to begin with. This is where I'll tell them that an army in either game is quite cheap (you can field a starting army with just the battlegroup box, right?) with the low model count and faction card decks.

Another big selling point I can get them on is that the two games are designed to be played together. I know a friend of mine is at least very tempted to pick up a Circle of Orobos force, and one of his first questions was if he could pit his army against my Khadorans. Beasts or 'jacks, I'm very certain I'll be able to find a Warmahordes faction for everybody (even if it's "just" Mercenaries/Minions).

The only thing I can think to ask of you all initially is a brief breakdown of roughly how each faction plays. Then I can at least suggest a couple factions for them to try out with the card & proxies. We're a casual group, and we like trying a lot of new funky stuff out. It's always good for a laugh at least.

Once we all get rolling, I'll be more than happy to post some photos of our forces and the occasional battle report. Should be much fun for all!

-Archetype

[notoriousFAT]

i recommend playing better games like WFB or 40k. You will only be bored to death with that one dimensional game. Trust me it has plagued my LGS as well.

[scadugenga]

I'll disagree with you whole-heartedly, FAT. I find the game to be immensely fun to play, and so do my group--even the ones who've sworn off 40k.

Quick rundown:

Cygnar: "Good" guys. (if a faction could be considered good...) Tech-heavy army--higher on the defense/mobility,less so on the withstanding damage side of things. Electricity heavy on the special effects/elemental side of things. Look for lots of ranged combat, where they tend to excel.

Khador: Basically the antithesis of Cygnar--slow, heavy hitting in melee, not so much range, no light jacks (unless you consider men-o-war...) and ridiculously hard to put down for the count with the new jack rules in mk 2. Awesome cavalry. Elemental affinity: Ice

Menoth: Menoth tends to favor your horde-type infantry. Religious fanatics with an overappreciation for setting things ablaze. Elemental affinity: Fire Lots and lots of models on the field with Menoth. Has lots of good synergy potential.

Cryx: The evil "undead" faction. They have bone jacks and helljacks instead of warjacks. Tend towards fast, hard hitting agile melee models that are fairly fragile. Some of the scariest warcasters in the game. High on the ick factor. (bloat thralls...) If they have "elemental affinities" it would be Soulpower (yup, stealing the souls of the slain to fuel their magic) and acid (corrosion).

Mercenaries: Truly the Jack-of-all-trades faction with 4 separate sub-factions (charters). Mercs tend to be dirty-tricks kinds of folks, and if they have a specialty, it's to keep wrong-footing your opponent until you kill him. You can go ranged or slug-fest depending on your charter/caster loadout. No elemental affinities.

Retribution: The newest Faction for WM, the elves. They have jacks, but not really. It's different in an elven way. If they have a playstyle, to my (admittedly limited experience with them) it's very assassination oriented. Very high def, low armor, with medium-to-hard hitting capability. Only jacks who have a regenerating "force field" to absorb incoming damage.

I'll touch on Hordes later, if someone doesn't beat me to it. The wife, she is calling.

G'luck, and welcome to the mayhem!

[lordbubonicus]

i recommend playing better games like WFB or 40k. You will only be bored to death with that one dimensional game. Trust me it has plagued my LGS as well.

That's not really helpful now is it. They should try the game and form their own opinions on it. Just because you think it's one dimensional and less fun than 40K or Fantasy doesn't mean that everyone will do.

[thetallest]

Right off the bat, my apologies on the O/T post, but with the ignorant post above courtesy of FAT, I felt inclined to post.

My take on the Privateer Press vs Games Workshop debate:

With the GW systems, it is very possible to create an army that is both powerful and easy to play. There are very few surprises, as the games are designed to be quite straight-forward. Both systems are very easy to learn and very easy to play. Please note I am not saying that skill isn't a factor, nor that there isn't depth to the systems - They are easy to pick up and learn, and you can be competent quite quickly. Once you have been playing for a while, not much will surprise you, which makes the games reasonably tactically sound. The biggest issues I have with GW (as a player) is that the company tends towards powercreep, so my gaming circle has to be careful who we play against, as we tend more towards the casual games. My experience with Games Workshop products is that the skill of the player has a measurable impact on the likelyhood of success or failure on the battlefield, but due to the way the game is designed there are always armies which provide a distinct advantage regardless of skill level.

Privateer Press, on the other hand, has created a much more complex game. Again, the learning curve makes the game relatively easy to pick up, but significantly harder to master. The reason for this is that the game is like chess - in any scenario, there are multiple routes to victory beyond simply wiping out the enemy force or meeting the conditions of the scenario. As a result, even seasoned players can be surprised by the tactics employed by their opponents. From my experience, there isn't an army head and shoulders above the rest - the system is fairly balanced, but skill and experience plays a much larger role in determining the victor. If you can seize the element of surprise - and your gambit succeeds - you will win games.

I have found that my opponents have a more significant impact on my enjoyment of the game in Privateer Press games than for GW games. I can show up at my local GW store and play most players and have a good time. Although I prefer playing Warmachine/Hordes against my friends over GW games, I WILL NOT play the people who play at my local FLGS when it comes to PP games.

Anyways, /OT.

[Porty1119]

WarmaHordes looks pretty cool to me...thinking about Khador or Menoth...FIRE!!!! XD

[Archetype-]

Thank you scadugenga for your rundown on the faction. That will be quite helpful indeed when I speak with my gaming buddies. Convincing them will be a lot easier once they see a game or two. To that end, I've already picked up Vladimir (the epic mini, but I can use it for the prime version of him in a pinch) and a couple of the plastic Khador heavy warjack kits (whose arms I intend to magnetize), along with the 2010 Faction deck and some tokens. All I'm missing is paint (thinking Vallejo), infantry, and an opponent.

Hrm... Just had a funny thought. What if I also made a second force for learning purposes? The local club already has a house army of Space Wolves for that purpose, so a house Warmahordes army would make sense.

We're a pretty open-minded group, so we like experimenting with different systems. I myself am of the opinion that if it's not absurdly dangerous and/or illegal, it's worth trying out.

Thanks again, everyone! I'll have pictures for you as soon as I can get them.

-Archetype

[mazgier]

Hrm... Just had a funny thought. What if I also made a second force for learning purposes? The local club already has a house army of Space Wolves for that purpose, so a house Warmahordes army would make sense.

If you decide to do so, you may then consider to volunteer as PP Pressganger as well. Privateer Press does a realy nice job when it comes to support tournament/league play - various kind of prize sets (the basic one is free!), great tournament format, seasonal leagues etc. And an active Pressganger in the area really helps to attract new players.

P.S. @notoriousFAT - within a month after I discovered Warmachine I totally dumped over 12 years of playing that "better game" of WH40K. And you know what? I'm soooo happy with that "one dimensional game" that never, ever bored me and doesn't look it ever will

[FastEd]

Mazgier raises a good idea. Having a second army for demos is not only a good idea, but is the base tool for being one of the PP volunteers (Press Gangers).

Although I prefer playing Warmachine/Hordes against my friends over GW games, I WILL NOT play the people who play at my local FLGS when it comes to PP games.

I suspect this has more to do with the group at your local FLGS, not the game. If they are hanging on to the old "Page 5" attitude, have them read the new one, it has an important change. Alternatively, you could just start playing on the regular WM/H day with your buddies and see if their attitudes change. Either way, I hope they grow out of it, the old attitude was never meant to be taken as far as it was, and really just hurts the game.


And my final note: Seriously, drop the notoriousFAT thing. It was clearly him trolling, whether or not it was intentional.

[Archetype-]

Well, I've done a bit of research on the Press Ganger details. In all honesty, it sounds like something worth pursuing. I've pretty much made up my mind to make a second army for demos, and donate it along the Mk II Prime and Primal rules to the local club. Heck, I'll also throw in the 2010 Faction decks just in case people want to proxy.

The club is actually run through the local college, and every year we have a gaming convention. I do believe that an annual Warmachine/Hordes tournament would be an excellent contribution to it.

My first priority is obviously getting a hold of a couple battlegroup boxes. I think that the flexible Mercs would be an ideal house army, and I could always use a different warcaster and some heavy 'jacks for my Khadorans. After I get those build and painted, I can get the core rules and whatnot soon afterward.

Thank you mazgier and FastEd for your suggestion. I very much look forward to this project!

-Archetype