Grymkin: The Wicked Harvest

Hey everyone! I know I haven’t written a lot lately but, I’m back in the action. I want to let you all know that my good friends over at The RPG Academy have once again been nominated for an ENnie Award for Best Podcast! You would make me the happiest bearded guy if you’d saunter on over and throw a vote their way. Here’s where to go and VOTE. Under each option are the numbers 1-5, be sure to mark The RPG Academy number 1 before voting! While you are there please also consider a vote for Spirit of 77 — A Very Special Episode: Masterpiece 77 under Best Electronic Book as well. Lastly, in the absence of my own blog, sadly no nomination this year, I’d gladly recommend Gnome Stew as an option :). Now, on to my review of the excellent Grymkin line of Hordes! 

Privateer Press has given us some new toys. That’s right, the new Hordes faction that has been teased at conventions and online has finally come to fruition and I have to say it’s grabbed my interest. The characters in the Grymkin line look ripped from the darker recesses of nursery rhyme lore, a child leading a beast named “Dolly”, pigs astride wasted men, and a carriage cart adorned with ringing bells. Yeah, this stuff is pretty dark!

One thing Privateer Press does, that I feel overshadows any other tabletop wargame, is carefully address the lore of their world. Everything has immense backstory, and it all fits well in the world without getting too wildly out of place. When I first saw the package that had arrived at my door, with these strange looking models and the Forces of Hordes book with dark fantasy artwork adorning its pages, it took me a moment to realize it was a Hordes faction. I was kind of concerned, I thought it looked a mite out of place for the Iron Kingdoms. Once I dove into the source material though, my fears were immediately assuaged.

Cast down to the hells of Urcaen by Menoth long ago, the Defiers and their grymkin armies have risen again to punish the wicked across all of Immoren. Freed by the Old Witch, Zevanna Agha, the Defiers now work toward their own ends. Each is a self-made godlike being who wields uncanny power to reap what is due from the corrupted denizens of Caen. The harvest of the damned will not end so long as the hearts of humankind remain tainted and debased.

Basically what the smart folks at Privateer Press have done is to weave a living nursery rhyme into their world. Perhaps cautionary tales the small folk of the Iron Kingdoms told their children at night to teach them lessons about disobedience. I especially love the mention of how people would issue worship to these Defiers in order to hopefully appease them into leaving them be. So in the end I find myself loving the lore as much as I always have.

In any event, as much as I can find myself enjoying the well written backstories of these models the main question comes to mind, how well do they stand on the battlefield? Thanks to the new Card Database I can look up every unit (currently availiable) now, not just the models given to me for review! One of the biggest changes people will notice comes from the fact that Grymkin Warlocks (the Defiers) do not come with Feats. Instead they have what are called Arcana. Each Warlock is issued three Arcana at the start of the game, one must be an Arcana unique to them while the other two are chosen from a list of available ones. With rare exception Arcana is something triggered by an event on the enemy turn and are typically less powerful effects than Feats, but you get three. I like this variant of the Feat because it gives some variety that you don’t always see with Warlocks and Warcasters.

The units, solos and warbeasts are not just cool looking nursery rhyme horrors that want to scoop your eyes out with spoons, they also pack a punch on the table! I was personally handed two Grymkin model sets. The Hollowmen & Lantern Man and a lil’ ol’ Glimmer Imp.

First up, the Glimmer Imp

So fresh off the floor that Privateer Press doesn’t even have a blurb about them yet. The Glimmer Imp is very scary in theme, I mean he scoops eyes out with spoons (and you thought I was joking above). This solo has a pretty good Def and four boxes of health but it’s not really meant to be around for long. It has a Paralyzing Gaze that gives enemy units in its command range a -2 to Def and when successful on attacks the debuffs granted by Eye Thief are nasty. It gives the model Blind for one round. With only a MAT of 5 the chances of hitting someone is somewhat slim, add in a PC of 4 and I’m not entirely sure how often you would field this model but jamming it into the ranks of a high Def unit to lower their Def by 2 might just be worth it.

Next up, Hollowmen & Lantern Man

Available as of 07/19/2017

MP $49.99

From Privateer Press’ site:

Cowards who flee their posts in war their comrades do betray. Lured by golden lantern light, they die while off astray.

Deserters often follow the alluring glow of a strange lantern as they stumble through the dark—and perish. They rise again as empty husks, stripped of hate and fear. Now they bear rifles and march beneath that lantern in the ranks of the Hollowmen.

This unit and its commander are an interesting lot. I’m wondering if Grymkin are going to thrive on mostly cool abilities over high MATs and RATs, remains to be seen as I haven’t delved into every card just yet. Our Hollowmen have a low MAT of 5 but do get to make use of Apparition to get them 2″ closer to their prey and Brutal Charge to give them that +2 to damage rolls after using a much needed charge. The addition of the Lantern Man, who of course also packs Apparition, is where they get interesting though. He grants his unit a special effect called Blood-Bound that essentially allows for destroyed models in that unit a chance to come back into the fray if they star killing off enemy models. The Lantern Man can also use his Ghost Light special magical attack from up to 10″ away to take control of a living model (non-warcaster\warlock) for the turn and even move it up to 3″ before doing whatever nastiness is intended. To top things off the Lantern Man can keep using Obscuring Mist to conceal the unit until the moment they want to strike, ensuring they aren’t immediately the targets of ranged fire before they can close in. Certainly a unit to worry yourself over if it’s up against you. The only thing about this unit that scares me personally (someone who still crumbles under timed turns at times) is using Apparition, moving an entire unit 2″ in my Control phase seems a mite daunting.

I love this faction, love it so much I might abandon my plans to make my Hordes faction be Legion of Everblight. Though, I must admit at this point my love might be pure shininess of a new toy and admiration of the lore. I need to take a deeper dive to see if the way these guys play will be my style or not. I have no doubt they will slip into play easily alongside the other factions available. Kudos Privateer Press, your new faction looks great!

-Melvs

Find all your new Grymkin products at Miniature Market (located in my hometown of St. Louis!) and if you want to buy me the Army Box just let them know I can pick it up in person ;P

 

 

Fresh To War: Uboxing the Warmachine New Releases for May 2017

Privateer Press has a new batch of fightin’ bastards to liven up the ranks of numerous factions! This month’s offerings hail from not one, not two, but four warring coalitions from the Warmachine line. All solos too. As always I’ve linked each new selection to their corresponding page on the Miniture Market webpage, my personal favorite shopping spot for all things Warmachine & Hordes. So pull up a stool, because your old pal Uncle Grumps is going to bend your ear for a moment or two and give you his thoughts on these combatants. – Melvs

What’s up, Jerks?  Your friendly neighborhood Uncle Grumps is back with another quick look at some new releases from Privateer Press.  We have a varied selection of solos to scope out so let’s get started!

First up, we have the Deliverer Arms Master:  

From Privateer Press’s website:

“Few deliverers survive long enough to gain true mastery of the weapons they wield, but those who do can earn the distinguished title of arms master, directing their charges in combat from the back lines. Tasked with the upkeep and repair of Skyhammer rockets and Sunburst artillery, they also train the faithful in the use of these devastating weapons.”

The Deliverer Arms Master has a similar stat line to the Deliverer Skyhammer unit.  His MAT, RAT, DEF, and ARM are 1 point higher and his CMD is 2 higher.  He also has the Tough ability.  The Master is armed with a short range, POW 12 fire bomb that causes the Fire continuous effect on a crit.  He also has a POW 7 sword, but if you’re using this something has most likely gone terribly wrong.  The Arms Master has two special ability actions.  The first is Combat Coordination [Deliverer] which allows a Deliverer model in the Master’s command range to re-roll one attack or damage roll.  The other is High-Angle Fire which gives a friendly Faction model’s ranged, AoE weapons Arcing Fire.  (Arcing Fire allows a model to ignore intervening models further than an inch away when attacking.)  The Arms Master also has the Veteran Leader [Deliverer] ability which grants +1 to attack for other Deliverer models in this command range.  

The Deliverer Arms Master greatly increases the effectiveness of several of the Protectorate of Menoth’s ranged options.  The most obvious is the Deliverer Skyhammer unit.  Combat Coordination allows the primary attacker in a Combined Ranged Attack to re-roll his attack or damage as necessary.  Additionally, the +1 to attack rolls helps offset the -4 penalty from Inaccurate.  Keep in mind that these abilities can also be applied to the Deliverer Suburst Crew unit.  Veteran High-Angle Fire can help your models with AoE ranged attacks reach vulnerable parts of your opponent’s army.  Keep in mind that High Angle Fire will work on any friendly Faction model.  The Judicator, Revelator, and Vanquisher could all greatly benefit from Arcing Fire.  The Deliverer Arms Master is a solid support solo and an auto-include for anyone who wants to get the most out of Deliverers.  

Next up is the Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan:

From Privateer Press’ website:

“The artillery kapitans of the Winter Guard understand the true strength of Khadoran artillery. Under their command, crews lay down fearsome barrages just ahead of their advancing troops, decimating enemy lines while creating a chaotic environment that Khadoran forces can turn to their advantage. Often friendly troops are caught in these blasts, but a kapitan knows such losses are a necessary price of victory.”

The Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan has the same stat line at the members of the Winter Guard Infantry with the exception of 1 additional point of STR, MAT, RAT, and CMD.  He is armed with the traditional Winter Guard Blunderbuss and Axe.  He also has the tough ability.  The Artillery Kapitan has access to three special action abilities.  The first is Artillerist which gives a friendly Faction model in his command range +2 RAT on its next ranged AoE attack.  The model affected is also able re-roll the direction or distance if the attack doesn’t directly hit and deviates.  The Close Fire action gives a friendly Faction weapon crew unit the Clear! Ability.  Clear! causes ranged attacks from the affected model to automatically miss friendly models.  (And before you ask, yes the exclamation point is absolutely necessary when discussing Clear!)  Finally we have Fire & Displace which gives a friendly Faction weapon crew Reposition [2″].  

The Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan brings an interesting mix of abilities to the table.  Fire & Displace greatly increases the mobility of both the Winter Guard Mortar Crew and the Winter Guard Field Gun.  Reposition [2”] can help these units line up a shot for next turn or keep some distance between them and the enemy.  Artillerist is an extremely powerful ability that can help any of Khador’s ranged options.  Putting Artillerist on a Victor will partially eliminate the Inaccurate penalty of the Siege Mortar, and if you do miss, the re-roll on the deviation will help ensure that the 5” AoE lands where you need it.  The Conquest, Destroyer, and Mortar Crew all benefit from Artillerist in similar ways.  The Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan is a powerful support solo that will give you plenty of bang for your buck.  (I couldn’t resist)

The next solo that we’ll be looking at is the Venator Dakar:

From Privateer Press’ website:

“With exaltation a remote hope at best, the ruthless warriors of the Venator caste take to the field for survival and victory instead. Relentless and cunning, Venator dakars are stern leaders with exacting standards. Under the watchful eye of a dakar, other Venators march quickly and take precise aim, proving they are every bit as skilled in dealing death as the more respected warriors of the skorne.”

The Venator Dakar has a similar stat block as a Venator Reiver with the only differences being his higher RAT and CMD.  The Dakar is armed with the standard Reiver and Sword but the Weapon Master ability on his Reiver means he can dish out more damage than a standard Venator.  The Dakar has two special action abilities.  The first is Combat Coordination [Venator].  The ability works just like the Deliverer Arms Master’s Combat Coordination but it affects Venators instead of Deliverers.  The second special action is Desperate Pace [Faction Weapon Crew].  This ability grants +2” of movement to a friendly Faction weapon crew in the Dakar’s command range.  The Venator Dakar also has the Veteran Leader [Venator] ability which gives friendly Venator models in the Dakar’s command range +1 to attack rolls.  

Just like our previous two entries, the Venator Dakar is a ranged support solo.  Combat Coordination can help you Venator Reivers land an important combined ranged attack.  It’s also handy for increasing the accuracy or damage of the Venator Catapult Crew and the Venator Flayer Cannon Crew.  The Venator weapon crews also greatly benefit from Desperate Pace.  An extra 2” of movement may not seem like much but the added threat range can take your opponent by surprise.  Veteran Leader provides a +1 to hit for every Venator within nine inches of the Dakar.  This includes the two weapon crews, the Reivers, and the Venator Slingers.  I highly recommend bringing a Venator Dakar if you want to get the most out of the Skorne’s Venator units.  

Last, but not least, we have the Hellslinger Phantom: 

From Privateer Press’ website:

“A malevolent specter born of Cryxian magic, the Hellslinger Phantom bears a striking resemblance to the Cygnaran warcaster Allister Caine, and rumors suggest it was made from a sliver of his very soul. The Hellslinger Phantom mimics Caine’s style on the battlefield, firing runeshots akin to the ones employed by gun mages. First spotted in a remote town in northern Cygnar, the phantom slaughtered a large number of innocent civilians, and now every day it roams free, the body count grows.”

It looks like Caine has been moonlighting as a pistol wraith.  Speaking of pistol wraiths, the Hellsinger Phantom has the same stat line as a standard wraith but with +1 RAT, DEF, and ARM.  The Phantom also shares the pistol wraiths’ Undead, Incorporeal, and Gunfighter abilities in addition to Soul Taker: Body Count which allows the Hellsinger to claim enemy souls and Strength of Death which allows it to spend soul tokens to boast attack and damage rolls.  The Hellsinger Phantom also has the ability Swift Hunter which lets it move 2” after destroying an enemy model with a ranged attack.  The Phantom is armed with two Wraithstorm Pistols.  These mid-ranged, POW 12 guns have three different attack types to choose from when making an attack: Critical Grievous Wounds which causes models that are hit to lose tough and the ability to be healed on a crit, Ghost Shot which ignores line of sight, concealment & cover, and Incendiary which changes the damage type to fire sets models hit ablaze.  On top of all this, the Pistols also have Reload [1].  This allows the Phantom to make 1 additional ranged with each pistol per soul token spent.  

The Hellsinger Phantom excels at hunting down enemy infantry.  The Phantom’s first order of business should be to gather souls to make the most of Reload and Strength of Death.   Just be careful after attacking.  The Phantom loses Incorporeal after making an attack leaving it open to retaliation.  Swift Hunter can help keep you safe by allowing you to re-position after destroying an enemy.  This combination of powerful abilities makes the Hellsinger Phantom one mean combat solo.  

Well folks, Old Man Melvin is tapping his foot and glaring at his pocket-watch* which means it’s time for me to wrap things up.  ‘Til next time!

– Uncle Grumps

*Melvin does not own a Pocket Watch but now wants one.

Fresh To War: Uboxing the Warmachine & Hordes New Releases for March 2017

*March has not been a friend to me, but I am back in action folks. Hope you all didn’t miss me too much! Though it may be a bit tardy, here are some of the recent offerings from our friends at Privateer Press!

I’m excited about this month’s review items because I have long considered obtaining a Hordes faction and Legion of Everblight happens to be the one I’ve decide to go with. I’ve done plenty of research into how this faction works but, I’ll admit,  I’m also a little nervous approaching this review. We’ll see just how well I have a handle on things as I give you my thoughts on my first two Legion pieces eh?

First up: Fyanna, Torment of Everblight

Available as of 03/22/2017

MP $17.99

From Privateer Press’ website:

Fyanna, Torment of Everblight is one of Legion’s fiercest forward commanders. She leads small strike forces of blighted Nyss against key targets deep in enemy territory to make way for more substantial Legion forces. Having received the ultimate gift in the form of a shard Everblight’s athanc, Fyanna combines her skill as a formidable assassin with the power of the dragon’s deadly spawn.

Fyanna, Torment of Everblight began life as a combat solo. From everything I’ve read Fyanna1 was a bit overpriced, and pretty much mediocre at best. As a Warlock though, Fyanna2 strikes me as a pretty solid, forward pushing, force to be reckoned with. Looking at her stats alone she stands out as a solid front line fighter. High speed, strength, and Mat mixed with Dodge, Overtake, and a range of 4 inches with her barbed chain makes her very deadly on her own. Fyanna2 isn’t a combat solo anymore though so she comes with plenty of ways to add potency to the beasts, units, and solos that take the field with her.

The Torment of Everblight packs some truly nasty spells, namely Fury and Iron Flesh. Fury is overwhelmingly good for Legion because, as far as I can see, Legion’s Heavy Warbeasts come with low DEF anyway making for the offset of -1 DEF for the additional 3 STR hardly anything to concern yourself with. Not to mention it’s very cheap, at only 2 fury, and it’s an Upkeep. Iron Flesh could serve to pad up the Warbeast or, better yet, beef up an entire unit with its additional +2 ARM and a very helpful immunity to blast damage. I can see a great jamming unit come from this mixture. Her Feat is all about beefing up your units’ inability to get hit, adding +3 DEF and Dodge, for that deep forward push into the enemies’ ranks. Considering she also brings Overtake for herself, and as a Field Marshal, your forces can get very close and personal quickly, and with minimal casualties.

The only potential shortcoming I can see for Fyanna2 I can see come from the mixture of low Fury and excellent upkeep spells. Also, on a personal note, I had one Hell of a time putting this model together. Tons of small pieces, that require very fine dexterity to glue together. I feel I did a pretty OK job in the end though, with only minimal profanities thrown about. 

Next up: Azreal, Legion Nephilim Heavy Warbeast

Available as of 03/22/2017

MP $59.99

From Privateer Press’ website:

A marriage of blighted blood and Nyss flesh, Azrael is the personal warbeast of Kryssa, Conviction of Everblight and manifests the greatest qualities of the nephilim. He possesses a cunning intellect and wields more power than most of his kin. A muscular, serpentine body and full, leathery wings propel Azrael through the sky, and his ash and flame scour the battlefield of all who would oppose the Legion of Everblight.

From what I can see Azrael is a pretty standard Heavy Warebeast stat-wise, and is actually kind of expensive. There is one extremely potent addition to this winged beast though, it’s Thrown Spear attack. This thing really packs a wallop! Azrael’s good SPD and power of flight will get it within its range of 10″ quickly. Azrael has eyeless sight, thus avoiding most concealment from its ranged attack. The Thrown Spear itself has a huge POW of 17 and carries with it the additional benefit of having the “Thrown” rule making it possible to actually beef up the damage from this ranged attack by increasing Azrael’s strength.  To add icing to the cake Thrown Spear also includes a Critical Smite that can push enemies away on a Crit and lastly we add in Reload1 allowing for another throw!

Azrael comes with a number of other useful tools, a Bond with Warlock Kryssa, the “It Burns!” rule to alight melee attackers with the Fire Continuous effect, and has the Serpentine Rule to protect it from knock down. This beast seems like a potent ally on the field of battle, if you can afford that 21PC that is. It was also a blast to put together!

Lastly: The Forces of HORDES: Legion of Everblight Command Rulebook

Available as of 03/22/2017

MP – Softcover $34.99

MP – Hardcover $44.99

These books continue to be solid investments for those who wish to field their armies. Honestly, the details on the Privateer Press page spell the offerings out immensely well.

Hailing from the frozen northern wastes, the Legion of Everblight represents many different races gathered and corrupted by the insidious power of the dragon Everblight. Led by preternaturally potent warlocks, each of whom holds within her breast a shard of the dragon’s own essence, endless ranks of blighted Nyss and ogrun march forth to spread the dragon’s corruption to the farthest reaches of Immoren and beyond. This formidable army is backed by twisted and terrifying dragonspawn born from the very blood of Everblight’s generals and shaped by his own nightmarish imagination.

Forces of HORDES: Legion of Everblight Command provides the foundation you need to unleash the destructive will of the dragon upon your foes with:

• • Complete rules and profiles for the blighted warlocks and terrible warbeasts of the Legion of Everblight, including two new warlocks and a new character warbeast.
• • Detailed history and background information, including an in-depth look at Legion warlocks and warbeasts.
• • A painting guide full of tips and inspiration to help you create an army as individual as you are.
• • Three new theme forces that allow you to create specialized Legion of Everblight armies with specific benefits.

EMBRACE THE POWER OF A DRAGON!

That’s all for this month folks! Hopefully I generate some steam here and get a few more articles churning out!

-Melvs

Fresh To War: Uboxing the Warmachine & Hordes New Releases for February 2017

*Another month, another lineup of excellent miniatures from Privateer Press to showcase. This time hailing from those dark druidic denizens of the forest, the Circle of Orboros! As has become something of a monthly tradition I shall step aside and let Uncle Grumps chime in and tell you what’s what!*  – Melvs

What’s up, Jerks?  Uncle Grumps here again with another quick look at some new releases from Privateer Press.  Today we’ll be focusing on the Circle of Orboros.

First up is Una the Skyhunter

Available as of 02/22/2017

MP $16.99

From Privateer Press’ website:

“During her time tending the far-flung griffon roosts of the Circle, Una developed an unparalleled affinity with the winged beasts and now employs them to cut down opponents without mercy. Having refined her arcane command over the elements, she is able to call upon the howling gales and updrafts of the highest mountain peaks to shape the flow of battle.”

Una the Skyhunter is the epic version of Una the Falconer, Circle’s character lesser warlock.  Through her transition to a full-fledged warlock, Una has kept her affinity for the flying Warbeasts of the Circle.  Una’s statline is fairly average for a Warlock with the exception of her lower that average MAT of 5.  She also boasts a Fury 7, 15 hitboxes, and 29 Warbeast points.  Una’s main weapon is her Wind Strike, a magical attack with decent range and POW.  Wind Strike has 3 attack types  you can chose from when making an attack.  Black Penny allows Una to ignore the penalty for attacking a target in melee, Snipe gives her attack +4 RNG, and Thunderbolt pushes models directly away from Una.  Wind Stike also has Reload [2] which allows Una to spend Fury to make up to 2 additional attacks.  (I don’t know how someone would go about reloading a magic staff but apparently it’s no problem for the Skyhunter).  Rounding out her weapons is Talonstrike, a magical, 2” reach melee weapon with a low POW.  Una’s abilities include Bird of Prey which gives griffon Warbeasts in her control range Flank with other griffon’s in her battlegroup and Hawker which gives Sprint to Warbeasts with Flight in her Command range.  Between the extra damage die from Flank and the movement shenanigans possible with Sprint, you’ll want to load up Una with as many griffon Warbeasts as possible.

Una has access to four spells.  The first is Hand of Fate, a low cost upkeep that lets a Faction model/unit roll an additional die for attack and damage rolls and then discard the lowest.  Mirage grants a Faction model/unit Apparition, which allows a model to be placed 2” from its current location during the Control Phase.  Twister is a low cost offensive spell that creates a 3” AOE cloud effect for one round.  Finally, Wind Wall is a moderately priced spell that causes non-magical ranged attacks to automatically miss the caster and any models completely with 3” of the caster.  Additionally, models affected by Wind Wall cannot make ranged attacks.  Una’s feat, From on High, gives Faction models with Flight in her control range +2 SPD and prevents friendly light Warbeasts from being targeted by melee attacks for one turn.

Scarsfell, Rotterhorn, and Razorwing Griffons all shine with Una.  On her feat turn, these light Warbeasts can threaten huge parts of the board.  Including a Gorax Rager for its Primal animus will allow you to buff your Griffons to even more ridiculous levels.  Keep in mind that Una’s Warbeasts must be within 8” of her to benefit from Hawker.  This can leave her vulnerable to a counterattack if you aren’t careful with your placement.  Use Wind Wall to keep her safe from shooting and Twister to block line of sight.  Una the Skyhunter brings an interesting bag of tricks to the table.  She’ll have your opponents warily watching the skies for the whole game.

The next model we’ll be looking at is Kaya the Wildheart

Available as of 02/08/2017

MP $29.99

From Privateer’s website:

“Atop her moon-white wolf Laris, Kaya the Wildheart rides at the head of swift forces fighting with fang and claw. She and Laris operate as one, Kaya skewering foes with her spear while the great wolf’s jaws clamp down on exposed throats. Any pack of beasts under Kaya’s command strikes with stunning speed and power, rendering the opposition incapable of counterattack.”

Apparently, Kaya is no longer content to just use Laris as a “barknode” and has decided to ride the poor doggo around the battlefield.  Kaya 3 has the similar stats to her two previous incarnations.  She has lost a point of DEF and gained +2 ARM.  Kaya’s weapon of choice is Mistral, a moderately powerful magical spear with 2” reach.  She also has a moderately powerful mount attack courtesy of Laris.  Kaya has the Pathfinder ability which allows her to ignore movement penalties from rough terrain and Reposition [3”] which allows her to advance 3” at the end of an activation in which she didn’t run or fail a charge.  On top of all that, she has Field Marshall Reposition [3”] which gives all Warbeasts in her battlegroup Repostion.

Kaya 3 has four spells to work with.  The first is Blood Spiller, an inexpensive, moderately power offensive spell that allows Warbeasts in Kaya’s battlegroup to charge or slam the model hit without being forced.  Next we have Fog of War, a moderately expensive upkeep that gives concealment to all models in Kaya’s control range.  Note that this includes enemy models.  Soothing Song is a dirt cheap spell that allows Kaya to remove 1 point of fury from each living Warbeast in her control range.  Kaya can only cast Soothing Song once per activation.  Finally we have Synergy.  This spell gives models in Kaya’s battlegroup a cumulative +1 bonus to melee attack and damage rolls (limited to +3)for each other model in her battlegroup that hit an enemy with a melee attack while in her control range.  Kaya’s feat, Moon Shadow, gives friendly Faction models +2 DEF, lets them ignore free strikes, and allows them to move through enemy models for one round.

Just like her other incarnations, Kaya 3 is a warlock that wants plenty of Warbeasts in her battlegroup.  Synergy is an extremely powerful spell.  A Warpwolf Stalker that has warped strength and has the Synergy bonus is effectively MAT 9 and hits at POW 21.  Fog of War can help your melee beasts get into combat without getting shot up.  Soothing Song allows Kaya to take more living Warbeasts and lets her push those Warbeasts harder without fear of frenzy checks.  Any Circle melee Warbeast is going to work well in a Kaya 3 list.  Consider bringing a Gorax Rager or a Feral Warpwolf for the always useful Primal animus.  A unit of Shifting Stones can help with fury management and help keep you Warbeasts in the fight.  Kaya only has 6 fury to work with so bringing a Druid Wilder for the free upkeep might be a good investment.  Kaya the Wildheart brings a powerful set of abilities to the battlefield and she stands ready to lead your beasts to victory!

The last release we’ll be looking at today is the Circle of Orboros Command Book

Available as of 02/08/2017

MP – Softcover $31.99

MP – Hardcover $41.99

Like the other two Command books that have been released, the Circle book contains the rules for the majority of the released models in the faction.  This book also contains a plethora of useful information about how the enigmatic Circle is structured and how its members wage war.  The Command book includes two new Theme Forces: The Bones of Orboros which focuses on the construct Warbeasts of the Circle, and The Wild Hunt which grants bonuses for bringing Wolf Sworn models and units.  The back of the book contains guides for how to recreate the look of the studio Circle paint scheme and guides for two amazing variant schemes.  I’d recommend this book to anyone who plays Circle or even has a passing interest in the Faction.

That’s all I’ve got for today.  As always, feel free to post any comments or questions you might have.  ‘Til next time, folks!

-Uncle Grumps

Meatfist’s Painting Panel – Featuring Madrak 3

Today we have a very special treat. “Meatfist” Mike, most famous for the pictures of his work in my Warmachine\Hordes Gallery, has taken pains to document the painting of his latest project, one of the newest additions to the Trollbloods Hordes line, Madrak, Great Cheiftan (a.k.a. Madrak 3). I’ll not spend too much time setting the post up though, let’s jump straight into the meat…of the article (I’m not sorry for that). Enjoy!

Hey everyone, I’m getting ready to paint another Hordes model from Privateer Press. This time, instead of just posting the final results, I am going to do things a little differently. I have decided to make a series of posts detailing the process as I paint Madrak, Great Chieftain (Madrak 3)!

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Put him together,

After assessing all the pieces, I make sure they are all present. For a smaller model like this one it’s typically as easy as laying them all out (pictured above). Once I feel I’m not missing anything I’ll use a super glue to bond the pieces together. Personally I prefer to use Gorilla Glue brand super glue.

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Begin with a layer of Primer,

Most of the time I use black primer, specifically Formula P3, on my Hordes minis.

I use black for my Hordes minis because I don’t want their colors as bright as my Warmachine unit (Khador). Plus, if I miss some deep recessed parts while painting they missed portions are less visible. If you do want a brighter pop to your miniatures a white primer is a must.

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Let the painting begin

I start out slow, and then pick up steam (no apologies for the Warmachine joke).

I painted the rock and stone part of the shield Ironhull Grey. The inside of his mouth and eyes are Skorne Red. I used Necrotite Green on the runes on his shield and gauntlet to get a bright, “glowy” effect. Hopefully I can navigate around the smaller runes well enough to preserve them on later steps.

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For the next part I made the leather parts of his boots and pants Bootstrap Leather, his teeth ‘Jack Bone, and his skin Trollblood Highlight since Madrak is an albino.

The part that was difficult was his face behind the shield. The challenge in these situations is to figure out the correct angle to approach with the brush.\

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This next part I focused on Madrak’s lower body. I used more Ironhull Grey for the rune stones that hang from his armor. I used Iosan Green on his Quitari Cloth, painting a Tartan Pattern free hand is beyond my abilities. For the metal parts I break my brand loyalty and use Citadel paints. I use Runefang Steel and Sycorax Bronze.

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Didn’t paint a whole lot this time. Just hit the bits of leather padding poking out of his armor, and finished up his Quitari Cloth. Most trollkin wear their Quitari like a sash, but Madrak always seems to like to wrap himself up in it.

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Added a couple more colors, Rucksack Tan for the scroll and Beast Hide for the leather straps.

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Lots done here, even if it was mostly intricate parts. I finished up the scrolls and painted his quiver. I started on the right gauntlet. I needed to leave the spears in the quiver for last since I tend to hold the model there. If you look closely you will notice that some of the primer has worn away as a result.

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Painted Madrak’s right gauntlet and spear. Managed to preserve the runes.

Next step will be his shield. Painting the inside of a shield is a pain, so that’s where I will start.

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Finished Madrak’s shield and quivered spears.

With this the base paint job is done other than some small touch ups.

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Time for the home stretch

It’s not a great picture but I finally finished my touch-ups and applied a wash. I once again dipped into the Citadel paint line and used a brown wash called Agrax Earthshade. It makes some of the small details “pop” and makes the model appear somewhat dirtied.

If you’re ever in need of a wash but haven’t actually purchased one simply choose the color you’d like and thin it with water. This will create a very thin colored water that allows the color to seep into nooks and crannies. There are tons of opinions on what makes a good wash out there. Find one that makes sense to you!

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Just painting the base in this last step to make the front and back halves easy to identify. Made the front Trollblood Base and the back Thamar Black. I made the little template under the base in the picture, to help with facing, using the witchcraft known as “math“.

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Finishing the base means Madrak is officially painted, thanks for following along with me! I put a layer of watered down glue and sprinkled on some fine ballast, the kind of stuff that would be used on a model train set. Then, I put down some more glue and add some meadow blend flock.

I hope you enjoyed my step by step painting guide, and the final outcome for that matter. I also hope you learned a thing or two. If you feel you have a better appraoch to one or more of the steps I’d love to hear from you. Just hit me up below. Now, nothing left to do but move on to the next model, after a bit of a break of course. See you next time!

-Meatfist

The 2017 Geekery New Year’s Address!

Welcome 2017! Also, welcome back to the Geekery. I’ve been absent for quite some time, I know, but I feel refreshed and ready to bring you all the gaming news, reviews, and tidbits from my day to day gaming you desire. There are plenty of things in the pipe for this year for potential changes to the site, I’ll get to those in a moment.

GIFTS!

I hope all my fellow gamers, who celebrate the holidays with gift giving, received gifts as cool as what I received. I figured I’d do a little bragging about these right up front, this is my blog and all.

Dungeonology

This book is an interesting little bird (big thanks to my awesome sis in law for getting it for me!). Obviously it’s more for beginners or collectors of cool D&D books than for the use of a seasoned Dungeon Master, but it has some really cool features on the inside that bring me back to the days when the concepts of D&D were shiny and new. I’ll be giving this book a more thorough run down in a later post but it’s certainly a fun book to own. A great way to introduce new players to the concepts and challenges of a good dungeon delve.

Board Games!

Sarah and I love them, and you can never have too many. This year we received two and an expansion to one. Sarah made out huge in the board game arena, Machi Koro is one of her all time favs and as much as we both love Smash Up she typically has the edge on me so our good buddy Jake got her the Pretty Pretty Expansion. We also received Forbidden Island, which if you’ve never tried it it’s a great game for introducing others to the newer generation of games, especially because it’s cooperative.

Chessex Gaming Mat!

Thanks go to Uncle Grumps for this bad boy. My old mat was tiny, and stained to Hell. We’ve been using a dry erase board for a while now. Awesome to have this now.

Dice and Dice Bags

So my sister in law and my mother in law teamed up here. My mother in law is an enormously talented crafter, who actually has a crafting business now that she has retired. Well, she took some time to make me a bunch of dice bags and then they got me a Big Bag of Dice so I can put together some dice bags to hand out to the kids in my Library games who don’t have dice yet! Giving me the ability to gift to others makes this probably one of the best gifts I received this year.

Cool Notebook

I saw this cool little journal in a hole in the wall bookstore that Sarah and I love to visit near our church. I mentioned offhandedly that someone could use such a thing to keep notes on gaming campaigns, and look nerdily cool whilst doing so. She bought the thing right under my nose. I tried to take a pic of the note she wrote me but It’s hard to get it in focus. It reads:

Kevin,

With love and admiration, I give you this journel to keep your adventures, creativity, and words of a world full of wonder! Best wishes on all your journeys beyond our realms.

Love,

Your wife Sarah

I’m a lucky guy ♥.

Secret Gift

There’s one gift I’m not going to picture just yet but will at a later date. Suffice it to say it’s my favorite and I hope to premier it at Gen Con 50. May have tipped you off with that last sentence though ;P.

IN GAMING NEWS

I haven’t spent much time talking about it but I’ve been running a game of Storm King’s Thunder for my group. It’s been a pretty fun experience so far, even if we have been plagued by the inability to truly string together consistent play time (people have lives apparently 😛). Despite our issues getting together we’ve moved along at a decent clip, just now beginning the gargantuan chapter three. It’ll be a challenging portion of the game, for a pre-made, there’s a lot of information for the would-be Dungeon Master to digest and organize for the players but, it’ll also be the most sandbox portion of the adventure and my players will certainly dig that. After all, it took a lot of convincing to get them to take a ride in Zephryos’ Tower (and after they were aboard they mentioned if they’d know about the wizard hat that crowned the thing they would have flat out refused on principle lol).

A couple of cool things about this campaign in general is that one of my players, Nick (you may know him as Uncle Grumps from his previous contribution efforts), is running a descendant from a game we played together back in our High School days. In fact the way I got their party to board Zephryos’ flying tower was by having my old character (still alive because..elf) be already aboard and waiting to meet the grandson of Rizzen the Great. Another cool aspect of the game is the return of an old friend to our gaming group who’s been out of state for a long time as he is in the Navy. Somehow he landed a recruitment position here in Missouri and we are all very thankful to have him back with us.

I continue to run my once a month game at the local library for teens interested in learning about D&D and I’m happy to say that, despite the fact I still run the game for about 10-15 kids at a time, the legacy players are getting really adept at the game and are very capable of assisting newcomers. There were a number of times in the recent past I couldn’t make it to a session and they had no issue picking up the slack and running a game themselves. I’m now entering my third year of doing this and I’m happy to report that I’m probably not even necessary at this point. Still, I love going and the kids are enjoying my run through of Hoard of the Dragon Queen so I’ll keep at it! Now that I have some extra Dice Bags to hand out I can’t wait to see the kids again.

COMING SOON IN 2017

There are so many cool things coming this year that I’ll likely forget a bunch while putting them to print here. I’ll give it a go though.

CONS

Right off the bat I feel I need to mention Geekway to the West 2017. The 13th Annual Geekway to the West is set for May 18-21, 2017 at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, Missouri. If you love Board Games I can’t name a better convention to attend. They’ve only got a little over 400 badges remaining though, and considering badges went on sale on January 2nd they will sell out, and fast. For $60 you can attend the con all four days, you receive a random free board game (a quality one at that, twice now the game I received had a Market Price that matched my badge fee), and so much more. Seriously check out the site, make the trip and visit me in Missouri.

Gen Con 50 folks. I fully intend to be there this year and, with a  little pressure and luck, I might bring a few buddies with me this time (buddies beyond what twitter and the blog have helped me garner that is).

Really, Acadecon is one of the best little big cons out there. I truly wish I’d of been able to make it to Acadecon 2016, but I wasn’t going to miss the wedding of a good friend. Two of my best friends are getting married to some awesome gals in the fall of 2017, one wedding is in late October and then the other takes place the week after Acadecon 2017 so chances might be thin I can make it but I’m sure going to try! I love the good folks of the RPG Academy Network and the other attendees of this Con are fantastic as well. Here’s hoping!

GAMERSTABLE PODCAST COMING TO A CLOSE

After years of podcasting, and 300 episodes, the Gamerstable Podcast is ending its run. Back when I first started really getting into the world of folks gabbing about tabletop RPGs on social media it seemed crazy to me that regular folks were coming together and podcasting about this game I love so much. First it was the Monkey in the Cage podcast who really welcomed me into the fold (I will always have a special place in my heart for Matt, Robert, Karen, and Ramses) but soon to follow was a crazy group of gamers who I was surprised to find lived just across the river in Illinois. Matt Fuller introduced me to them, and they didn’t have to give me the time of day. Instead they became close friends.

The Gamerstable Podcast has put forth some of the coolest content over its run. Frankly I find their style of taking actual play content and editing it to sound like a radio drama to be the best in the business. That’s beyond the discussion roundtable style they cut their teeth on though, and you can find a ton of great gaming advice throughout their many episodes. Plus, I’ve always enjoyed their bite sized chunks (most eps. are about 30 mins in length). Feel free to catch their last episode here, and when you’re done check the rest of the site.

I’d be remiss if I failed to mention that this won’t be the complete disappearance of what I call the “Gamerstable Crew”. Eric Austley, the initiator and leader for Gamerstable, is going to pour more of his energy into his newest project that builds on the success of the Actual Plays put out by Gamerstable. Openly Gamer Theater currently houses a ton of great content and will more than likely feature many of the voices you heard over the years on Gamerstable too! Also, OGT is a yet another proud member of the RPG Academy Network, so you know it’s quality.

STUFF FOR MY SITE

So I need to pull this article to a close and nothing fits better than detailing a few things about the site!

In late 2016 Privateer Press increased its level of involvement with my site for review of their materials and this means I will hopefully have even more Warmachine\Hordes models and products to review going into 2017. To help with this Nick, a.k.a. Uncle Grumps, has made mention of the desire to continue writing pieces on various items associated with WarmaHordes, and hopes to even run something big for our group of players. Also, if you’ve paid attention to the photo gallery on my Warmachine\Hordes page on the site you will have likely seen some of Mike “The Meatfist” Bortz’s excellent work painting his miniatures. Not only will he continue to send me photos of his art but he has promised me a step by step painting guide of one of the newer models to come out for the Trollbloods hordes unit, Madrak, Great Chieftain (Madrak 3). I hope to unveil this soon! Lastly, Topher has been talking about throwing a post or two on here about board games, an excellent candidate for such a thing. I hope he can get around to it (he is getting married this year, me might be somewhat busy).

Here’s to some great gaming in 2017! If you feel I missed some news, hit me up in the Comments. What are you excited about this year?

-Melvs

Fresh To War: Uboxing the Warmachine & Hordes New Releases for November 2016

*Hey everyone, I’m pleased to announce the debut article from a good friend of mine, Nick, a.k.a. Uncle Grumps. The guy simply knows more than I do about Warmachine/Hordes. He’s the guy who introduced me and he’s a driving force for why I still play. I think I even beat him once. So whether he’s Krushing you with Khador, Mincing you with Mercs or Minions, PLASTERING you with Protectorate of Meno… you know what… just please enjoy his article. – Melv

What’s up, Jerks? This is Uncle Grumps and I’m here to talk about Warmachine/Hordes.

First of all, an introduction is in order.  I’ve known Melvin since grade school, and yes, I do have an endless amount of embarrassing stories I could divulge.  I started playing Warmachine/Hordes in 2009 and immediately fell in love.  My main factions are Khador, Mercenaries, and Minions.  I also have a small smattering of Protectorate of Menoth and Cryx.  I would consider myself to be a casual player, although I have played in my fair share of local tournaments.  Since I’m a bit more knowledgeable about WarmaHordes than Melvin, I’ve agreed to help him out with a series of articles to showcase the game.  In other words, I’ve hijacked Mel’s website and he’s not getting it back.

Today, I want to take a quick look at two recently released solos.  First up is Major Harrison Gibbs, a mercenary model that works only for Cygnar and is a Partisan for that faction.  From Privateer Press’ website:

Available as of 11/09/2016

MP $14.99

 “A natural survivor and ruthless pragmatist, the man known as Gibbs is as capable on the battlefield as any professional soldier. As a cook in a Cygnaran trencher company, Gibbs was stranded behind enemy lines and was forced to adapt to survive.  Wearing the uniform of a dead officer, he introduced himself not as a cook but as Trencher Major Harrison Gibbs and has become a vital member of the Llaelese Resistance.”

Quite a backstory, eh?  Major Gibbs’ model is full of small, characterful details that reflect this background, such as the frying pan and spatula tied to his pack or the holes worn in his scavenged overcoat.

A glance at the front of Gibbs’ card reveals a stat line that is thoroughly average.  His speed, MAT, RAT, defense, armor, and command are all middle of the road.  Gibbs wields a standard military rifle with one notable exception.  When you make an attack with his rifle you can choose one of two attack types: a standard rifle shot or an AOE 3 POW 10 grenade shot.  Gibbs is also packing a club with middling range and damage but crit brutal damage for a bit of extra oomph.  Top it off with Assault and Tough, and you have a solo that isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.

The back of Gibbs’ card contains a plethora of useful abilities.  Dodge allows him to advance 2” after an enemy attack misses him.  Feign Death means he cannot be targeted by ranged or magic attacks while he is knocked down.  Gibbs also has Reposition (3”) which allows him to advance 3” after an activation in which he did not run or charge.  His Leadership (Llaelese) ability grants Feign Death and Reposition (3”) to any Llaelese warrior models in Gibbs’ command range.  For now, the only models with the Llaelese keyword are Ashlynn d’Elyse, Anastasia di Bray, Gastone Cross, Groman Di Wulfe, Ragman, Sgt Nicolas Verendrye, the Thorn Gun Mages and Gibbs himself.  However this is likely to change once Privateer releases a Highborn Covenant-style Llaelese theme force.  Last, but certainly not least, is the Hot Meal ability.  This ability allows Gibbs fully heal all friendly, living, Faction, warrior models in his command range once per game.  Yes, this includes your Warcaster.

Major Gibbs is an interesting collection of survival and buffing abilities.  His synergy with Ashlynn is obvious.  Giving the speedy Warcaster Feign Death, Reposition (3”) and the option to fully heal once per game is huge.  He can also grant these abilities to key Llaelese support solos like Gorman or Ragman.  As great as his buffing potential is, you shouldn’t discount his combat prowess.  His ability to throw out 3” POW 10 AOE’s and then Reposition out of harms way can be devastating to clumped groups of warrior models.  As of right now, Gibbs has more to offer a Mercenary army than a Cygnaran force, but I foresee that changing in the future.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Privateer released a Cygnaran Trencher theme force that features Gibbs.

A placeholder as Grumps paints

 

The other solo we’ll be taking a look at today is the Blighted Nyss Warlord from the Legion of Everblight.  From Privateer Press’ website:

Available as of 11/09/2016

MP $14.99

“The warlords of Everblight’s Legion enter combat armed with the double-bladed claymore – a weapon requiring remarkable dexterity and coordination to wield. With it, a blighted Nyss warlord scythes through enemy ranks, severing heads and limbs alike with blinding strikes.”

The Warlord is a melee combat monster.  His stat line is average for a solo except for his low RAT and exceptional MAT.  His double claymore boasts the same range and damage as the swords of the Blighted Nyss Swordsmen along with the Weapon Master ability.  The back of the card is where things really start to get interesting.  The Warlord’s first listed ability is Blade Shield which gives him +2 DEF against ranged attacks.  This provides a slight increase in survivability but a concentrated effort can still take them down at range.  Next up is Cleave which grants the Warlord one additional attack if he destroys an enemy model with a melee attack.  When this is combined with Overtake, which lets the Warlord advance 1” after destroying an enemy model, it gives the Warlord to strike multiple targets at unexpected angles.  The Warlord also has Precision Strike which allows his controller to choose the column or branch damaged when attacking warjacks or warbeasts.  He also grants Blighted Nyss Swordsmen in his command range Precision Strike thanks to his Leadership ability.  Finally, the Warlord’s double claymore has the Decapitation ability.  This doubles any damage that exceeds the ARM of the target.  All of this combines to make the Blighted Nyss Warlord a veritable killing machine.

You’d hard pressed to find a Legion army that couldn’t benefit from a Warlord or two.  Thagrosh, the Messiah can empower Warlords to hit harder and more accurately with Manifest Destiny.  The extra attack and placement from Rhyas, Sigil of Everblight’s feat can help a Warlord to get even more out of Overtake.  You may find it challenging to deliver the Warlord into melee, especially after your opponent sees the havoc it can wreak on his or her models.  A Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew can help ensure the Warlord arrives intact and ready to rock.

A placeholder as Grumps paints.

 

That’s all I’ve got for today.  I’m moving Gibbs and the Warlord to the front of my painting queue.  Hopefully I’ll have some photos to share soon.  Feel free to post any comments or questions you may have.  Complaints can go straight to Melvin.  ‘Til next time, folks!

– Uncle Grumps

Fresh To War: Uboxing the Warmachine & Hordes New Releases for September & October 2016

Here are some of the fall releases for the tabletop skirmishes wargame Warmachine and Hordes from Privateer Press!

RETRIBUTION OF SCYRAH

LYS HEALER

Available as of 09/07/2016

MP $11.99

Love it when I can get a little love for Retribution! On first look the Lys Healer doesn’t really shine as a must have unit, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be very effective in the right circumstances. A very temperamental solo to say the least. Her Power of Faith ability will help against knockdown effects and we Retribution fellows tend to hate those. A feature I tend to like is her Move to Assist, this gives her a ton of movement range on the field and can possibly get her right in the thick of a spot where she’s needed. She’s going to be burden to some lists but unless you need her she’s a bit of a point soak.

 comes with the following abilities:

• Heal
• MAGIC ABILITIES
  • Power of Faith (*Action)
  • Purifying Prayer (*Action)
• Move to Assist
• Soul Ward

TROLLBLOODS

NORTHKIN SHAMAN

Available as of 09/07/2016

MP $23.99

The Northkin Shaman seems like a interesting beast. The longer I look at this unit, and I’m not a Trollblood guy, I’m seeing the most useful feature being its Freak Storm magic ability that not only allows for a cloud effect of a sizeable margin but also allows for the Northkin Shaman to teleport a distance away from where it stood upon casting the effect. If you have the faction allotted amount of two of these you can really wreck up some line of sight. Having a decent ARM and a fair number of boxes may give it some sustainability unless someone gets serious about taking it down.

If you do find yourself not churning out AoE cloud effects every turn the Northkin Shaman can pack a decent punch with the magical ability Frostbite or can control the board a bit by lowering defense with Cold Snap, a magical ability that gives enemies the Chiller effect.

The Northkin Shaman has the following abilities:

• Battle Wizard
• MAGIC ABILITIES
  • Cold Snap (*Action)
  • Freak Storm (*Action)
  • Frostbite (*Action)

CRYX

SATYXIS GUNSLINGERS

Available as of 10/12/2016

MP $24.99

Now here are some nasty ladies. Stats are all average, even for their double Magelock Pistols, but their abilities are where they really begin to shine. One especially nasty ability is their Blood Mist attack. If I recall correctly Blood Mist, an attack type that turns boxed enemies into a sizable cloud effect AoE, used to only work against living units. I noticed on this card though it now effects living or undead models. Not sure if you put two and two together but I can see a few shots being taken against some of your own units if it proves more favorable to put them down for a cloud effect! The group also houses the Black Penny as an attack type, always a nice feature for any ranged unit to ignore that melee DEF Bonus.

If this group finds itself in a melee situation, not advised, they aren’t without tricks. Using their horns, and an average MAT, they can do a bit of damage. What you are really hoping for is the critical because they pack a Critical Knockdown ability as well.

The Satyxis Gunslingers have the following abilities:

• MAGELOCK PISTOL
  •  Black Penny
  • Blood Mist
  • Feedback
• HORNS
  • Critical Knockdown

That’s all for now folks! be sure to visit my Warmachine and Hordes page to find photos of painted figures and other posts about this great game and the spinoff roleplaying games Iron Kingdoms and Unleashed.

-Melvs

 

 

Gen Con 2016

Just like that the thunderous rolling of thousands of dice has finally ceased as the 49th Gen Con has come to a close. Once again I had the privilege of attending, and once again I more than enjoyed myself as I dabbled in old traditions and fresh wonders. Every year has its reasons to be memorable, and maybe it’s simply because I am fresh from attending but this one feels like it may go down as one of the best ever, well… for me at least. I’ll try to unpack everything as best I can but to be honest, with so much having occurred, I’m certain to leave a few things out.

WEDNESDAY

Once again I had the pleasure of hooking up with the gang from the Gamerstable Podcast (whom I understand will be ending their podcast run in roughly 20 episodes WHAT!?) for some shared driving, room, and board. After a lengthy goodbye to my wife and two lovely kids (I missed them terribly all con), I made the trek to Illinois for the carpool. We left mid-morning and made Indianapolis in good time and the first thing we noticed was dear sweet Drowzee was Indy a hotbed for Pokestops and ‘mons! After a quick check in at the Sheraton we were off to The Ram!

The Ram has become the go to watering hole for the yearly Gamerstable meetup, and historically I’ve always had something else to do that night. This year I was free and clear to join the festivities though and I’m certainly glad to have done so. Getting the chance to catch up with the guys and gals of Gamerstable was a highlight for me the entire convention. I live within and hour or two of most of them but typically during the year life gets in the way of spending all that much together. I spent the night meeting up with old friends and made a number of new ones. Highlights include having the entire Of Dreams and Magic (ODAM) team come by to pay a visit, meeting Pete Petrusha in person finally, and Toju…TOJU my awesome buddy, and fellow Vagabond Gamer, from Australia that I finally met in person as well!

The Ram was highlighting the new EATdition from Privateer Press this year! ;P

The Ram was an awesome hangout spot but that was the only place I needed to stop by Wednesday night. So I took a leisurely walk down to the Union Station Ballroom to catch up with Michael Ross from The RPG Academy. It felt like I was walking into a pocket plane wherein AcadeCon lay within Gen Con. I happened to walk into numerous games already in progress and, not seeing an opening anytime soon, I made due with some brief “nice to see-yas” and made my way back to The Ram to finish the night. I had kind of ditched the ODAM team anyway, so I wanted to get back and resume chatting with them, and others.

The night ended with a glance at the Will Call line and a hearty “Hell no I ain’t standing in that!”. I made my way back to the hotel and collapsed, ready to awaken in like 4-5 more hours to jump in the Press line!

THURSDAY

Thursday morning came real early for me. I woke at 5 a.m. and quietly stole from my hotel room into the dark morning. This year someone made the decision to limit press access to the con floor to just the first 90 press badge holders to jump in line that morning at the press room and I wanted that early access. As I was walking to the line I noticed there was an absence of a line for Will Call so I walked up and got my tickets in less than five mins (looks like skipping it the night before was the right call). I was fortunate to get in line as the number 29th line guy and Michael Ross was number 27! He willingly slid back a spot in line so we could chat about our excitement for the convention. The press line is always a fun time, I get to see a lot of familiar faces. Later on a few other buddies showed up further down the line so Michael and I had some fun tweeting back and forth with Rohit from Gamersplane and Bryce. Bryce made a crack about my beardless face & it hurt me deeply.

Press Badge in hand I realized I left my camera back at the room (I’m really good at this “reporting thing”) so I hoofed it back to the hotel. The trip back and forth from the hotel clocked in at .6 of a mile one way. Perfect distance in my opinion, just far enough away to dissuade me from spending too much time there but close enough for a walk.

The early access line(s)

After grabbing my camera I made it back to the early access line just in time to discover the snafu that had occurred regarding it. Two lines had formed, I had no way of discerning which was the “true line” so I made the call to just sit near a wall outlet and charge my phone figuring I’d get in early no matter what line I was in. This marks the only time at the convention I ever noticed people actually seeming frustrated enough to cast aspersions on others. I totally got it too, see most of the early access folks were VIG’s (Very Important Gamers), they had paid good money for the privilege of early access and they wanted to ensure they got to the booths they were interested in in order to buy the games they feared were limited. So this two line business meant that effectively many were cutting in front of others. I wanted no part in that, had no interest in buying things right away anyhow.

As and aside, and I’ve struggled with whether or not to even bring this up, I feel Gen Con has an issue with the various access levels that they give Press. Now, being a member of the press pool at Gen Con it may seem like I’m complaining from a bit of a “first world standing” but hear me out. Right now the best access the press has to those on the exhibit room floor is the one hour early access on day one of the Con. We are given the same one hour that the VIG’s and various other specialty groups are given, and this year only 90 of us were even given that. The VIG’s are there to shop, they are going to storm the doors and fill up lines and time with the biggest names out there the second they get through those doors. While I have no qualms talking with some of the smaller groups out there, this is an impediment to our ability to catch some of the bigger fish ad hoc. We are certainly capable of setting up our own interview times, mine you, but it just feels like we should have a bit more access. In my opinion Press should be allowed in an hour early or an hour later on some other day. Give the VIG’s their initial day and let press have a day all their own. Maybe even one hour early on Sunday. Right now, other than the novelty (though I really love and appreciate that novelty!), there isn’t a lot of reason for press to be in there with the horde of VIG’s.

So lovely

Moving on. That first hour on the floor was nice, if not particularly useful. I got to take in the sights without the crush of people you usually run into. I also noticed immediately that the fine folks of Gen Con made huge efforts to lower the crowds with a large increase in exhibit hall space! Later on in the con weekend I noticed the extra space made for a much more open exhibit floor.  I did get to speak with the creators of one particularly interesting game I’d never seen before. Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok has actually been around in some way since 1993 but it’s most current edition originates in 2005 and now has a second edition that came out in 2012. The books are gorgeous and the mechanics rely on the pulling of runes rather than die rolls, this style is called the “Runic Game System” or RGS. Looks like they were there repping their new book FotN:Ragnarok: Denizens of the North on top of their older, core books. Man these books looked very cool and I wish I’d been able to lay down cash right then and there!

The early access hour evaporated very quickly and after watching the hordes descend onto the con floor I grabbed some lunch, headed back to the hotel to chill for a bit, and then grabbed my Orc Stomp 5k packet! I’m always excited about the 5k, despite some thinking I’m nuts for even doing it. It’s fun just chatting with others getting ready for it too, so packet pickup is a nice easy going experience. After that I hit the exhibit hall floor for just a little longer and then it was back to the hotel yet again to get myself all dressed up for the annual Gamerstable Award Dinner at St. Elmos Steakhouse.

Eric presenting Monte Cook the coveted Gamerstable Award

This year’s award recipient was Monte Cook, and his plus one was none other than Shanna Germain. I am consistently impressed by the ability Eric Austley has to draw in big names for this award, his recipients all deserve the accolades too. Monte and Shanna were excellent dinner table companions, despite the fact Monte convinced Shanna and I to try a Sichuan Button.  Don’t get me wrong, I like trying new things but… let’s just say it was not for me, not big into “electrocuting” my tongue. There were numerous folks I enjoyed chatting with in attendance as well. I got to meet Chris Hussey, in fact I sat next to him having a pleasurable conversation for about an hour before I finally realized who he was! I was able to catch up with my buddy Scott, The Angry GM. Running back into Michael Ross & Pete Petrusha was great too. Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this was the prime spot to run into Eric (and of course most of the Gamerstable crew; Shannon, Jayson, Mike, Dan, etc.) who was apparently super busy all con because he disappeared like a ghost after that night!

In the afterglow of the dinner I offered to run a pickup game of Savage Worlds: Sundered Skies for a group of us in attendance and I had a blast doing so. I witnessed a new friend of mine, Jason Butz, roll up one of the biggest exploding die continuations ever. His sorcerer meant to just freeze a railing in order to bust it and the grappling hooks attached to it but ended up freezing the entire side of the ship! They lost the cannons on that side of the airship but the pirates who were after them lost 3/4 of the men attempting to board. It was crazy!

Realizing it was midnight and Shannon and I both had to be up at 5 a.m. to run a 5k we called it a night.

FRIDAY

A mere 4-5 hours after going to sleep I found my eyes creaking open and somehow willed myself from my bed to get out the door and head to the Orc Stomp 5k. The second I was out in the cool morning air I found myself waking up instantly, it was a damn fine morning. As with every other time I walked to and from the hotel I casually had Pokemon Go running to grab stops and the myriad of Pokemon that crawled across the city streets of Indy. Many feel like you can’t truly enjoy your surroundings while playing the game but I find I can easily glance at the game off and on while taking in the sites quite well. not to mention I was made aware of some cool historical markers in Downtown Indy that I would have never paid any mind to before. Somehow I wasn’t even aware the Capitol building was right there near the convention center but, I know now!

The Orc Stomp 5k was held, once again, along the White River Trail. Honestly this is one of the most gorgeous 5k runs I do every year. I met up with a fellow blogger friend of mine, Rob, who two years ago introduced me to the race by letting me run it under one of the free passes obtained by his sponsorship of the run. It was great catching up with him while we all prepped for the race. We had a few laughs about the last time I ran, where I overslept, drove frantically to the race, and then posted my best 5k time ever (something like 27 mins) just trying to finish the already started race! I enjoyed all the costumes immensely and reminded myself I’d like to dress up one year, I then found out that one of the costumed groups actually had a role in the run itself. The “Raptors” were associated with Exile Game Studio, specifically their game Hallow Earth Expeditions. As you can see in the image they dressed up like Raptors and “chased” us throughout the race. Essentially there were two main raptor types, fast and not as fast. If you beat the faster raptor you’d get a gold ribbon, and if you beat the next fastest you’d get a green ribbon. I loved this concept because I’m never going to win a 5k but I can sure beat at least one of them raptors!

Waiting for the race to start was pretty fun. We discovered the starting line camped two Pokestops and we made use of them while chatting with fellow racers. I never got the name of the racer wielding the giant mallet, but I learned the next day after speaking with my buddies at Dog Might Games that the mallet was theirs, it was pretty damn heavy, and the guy who held it through the entire race had won the 5k the year before. Needless to say he didn’t win this year but man what an achievement to run 3.1 miles carrying that monstrous thing! Soon, the race was off. I made the mistake of running the thing as if I were actually in shape and earned myself a pulled calf muscle for my hubris. Still, I clocked a time of 33 mins, only three mins longer than my average. I was a blast and I even earned myself a green ribbon! I stuck around for the rest of my buddies finishing the race and then we headed back to the hotel.

I was very fortunate to have plenty of time to shower and ready myself for a very exciting portion of my day, the RPG Academy Network Panel.We had a decent crop of network folks at the con so Michael had decided to set up an open panel. It was a lot of fun, the podcasters fielded the majority of the questions early on because, let’s face it, podcasting is sexy as hell. Later in the session though we started delving into some blog, game mastering, advocacy, and regular old gaming questions that I was more than happy to jump in on. Little pleases me more than chatting with others who hold a reverence for this hobby and I enjoyed every moment of it (finally got to meet @theworstDM in person too!). Not to mention after the panel we got to get a little bit of gaming in as Senda and Emily introduced us to their 5 min RPG concept, and by “introduced” I mean slaughtering us mercilessly one after another…in 5 mins or less! This was recorded so you might later hear our downfalls.

Left to right: Chris, Lucas, Senda, Michael, Emily, Myself

After lunch I stopped by the press room to debate drinking coffee or going back to the hotel for some sleep. While there I ran into Michael Long from Tribality and had a nice chat, then saw Rob Stith in the hall. By then the general lack of sleep had finally caught up to me and I trudged back to the hotel for a nap. Sadly this meant I ended up sleeping through the Phoenix Dawn Command & Shes’s a Super Geek panels that I wanted to attend but I know I needed it!

I did make it to one of the panels I scheduled that day though. Privateer Press put on a development panel regarding Warmachine and Hordes. In years past I’ve attended panels by these folks regarding new upcoming products so it was interesting to listen in on one that comes on the heels of the major release of the third edition of the game. Many in the crowd, myself included, were hoping for a reveal of the newest faction that has been teased for some time now but we were left wanting. The majority of the panel consisted of some discussion regarding the way they go about creating a concept and the various channels it then goes through before becoming a retail piece. I could tell the room wanted to know more about upcoming items but frankly they didn’t have a ton to show off. If you recall two years ago, in the Unleashed panel, they had computer issues and luckily were able to use my computer to show off their images and such. Well, they had computer issues again and this time I did not bring my own so i couldn’t save the day. One tease we got for the new faction was that they intend to have them use feats completely differently from the other factions, but this is all still in development.  I asked about the Roleplaying Game (because of course I did) and I learned they want to expand on Piracy some more, which sounds fantastic!

One thing I knew I had to do at Gen Con this year was visit with my friends behind Trapdoor Technologies and the Playbook app. In case you are unaware they have now aligned themselves with Paizo and Pathfinder (their app is even more polished  now than ever before). They were holed away in the Sagamore Ballroom with the rest of the massive Pathfinder realm. The place was truly daunting in size. It was great catching up with Chris and

The last scheduled event I had for the night was the big one for me, the ENnies. If you are a regular reader you know this but this year I had the esteemed pleasure of actually being nominated for the Best Website category. I was pretty damn certain I wasn’t going to win even the Silver ENnie but I knew I needed to go to the event if only to see my site’s banner flash across the big screen in the front (which I totally neglected to get a photo of… luckily someone else did)! The best part for me was when my site popped up on the screen Kevin Kulp made the comment that my banner was the “Happiest he’d ever seen”, high praise to Wes of Nameless PC’s! Well folks, I didn’t win anything but I am certainly excited that I’ll forever be an ENnie nominated writer. Can’t take that from me eh? I sat there just long enough to see if Michael won Best Podcast for The RPG Academy (sadly he did not), and decided to catch the rest of my group at Giorgio’s Pizza for some excellent deep dish.

We finished the night with a pick up game of ad-hoc Pathfinder run by Mike Bridges, of Gamerstable fame, where I was so slap happy tired that I ran a rogue modeled loosely after Emperor Norton , the first and last Emperor of these United States. His name was Vernon Lundman, he dressed in the finest of rags, knew everyone, and even minted his own currency known as the “Lundmark”. It was an awesome ending to a crazy day.

SATURDAY

Saturday was much more laid back than the previous two days. I spent most of my time running into friends and chatting a bit. Forgive me if you’re one of those I ran into and you aren’t getting a mention! I really had nothing planned until early afternoon. I ate an awesome Gyro from the Ali Baba’s food truck, which is starting to become a tradition for me. Then I spent some time in the park near the JW Marriott catching Cubones on Pokemon Go until I could evolve to a Marowak, as one does. Soon it was time for me to head to my scheduled game run by none other than Chris Hussman!

Michael claimed this guy looked like Freddie Mercury

I was joined by Michael Ross and one of his podcast’s faculty members Brad. It ende dup being just the three of us as we weaved our way through a story filled with heartache, high adventure, and good old fashioned “end of days” stopping. I don’t want to go into too much detail, just in case some of you have the chance to ever play in this specific game. I really wouldn’t want to ruin it’s many twists. Suffice it to say it was my favorite game of the con. Michael, Brad, and I played really well off one another and in the end Chris even had some high praise for our roleplay and decisions throughout. I really got into character and loved every moment of it. Reminded me of why I love these games in the first place.

After the game we ran through a playtest of a neat game concept Michael is working on and I went looking for my crew for dinner. At this point, basking in the glow of completing all my scheduled fun I got to be a bit homesick if I’m to be honest. I missed my family a ton but knew I still had some fun times in store.

Dinner was fun, we sat with the incredible Anna Myers at Champs where she had hung up her massive map of Greyhawk that she had crafted on her own. She is truly a master Cartographer. It was at dinner I where I was convinced to go to the Gencon dance, namely because Toju was going and I hadn’t spent nearly enough time with him. It was one Hell of a way to end the day, I’ll tell you that. The Union Station was filled to the brim with scores of us nerds just dancing (and drinking) the night away. Tons of fun, I only wish my wife could have been there, some of the most fun we have together is hitting the dance floor!

The dance ended and I hit the hotel, instead of going to sleep I sat up with a number of my roommates. Shannon’s boyfriend Brandon and I chatted about how Goku is kind of a jerk among other awesome anime talk. After that it was lights out.

SUNDAY

Hard to believe the con ever really came to a close. I wandered around aimlessly with Shannon, Brandon, and Jason B. for a bit, then tracked down Michael at his Post Con deal where I ran into Dani and John. We sent a little love via snapchat to our buddy Pierce, who should have been at Gen Con running a Ravenloft game for us (had some weak excuse about buying a house). I then headed back to the con floor to debate once more if I’d make my one purchase of a Hirst Arts Mold but decided against it as I figured I’d spent plenty that weekend already. Thus, I made it through all of Gen Con purchasing nothing but food and lodging.

Lastly the gang and I met up with Toju, where we quietly chatted in the back of the exhibit hall until they shut the thing down signaling the end of another great year. After that the car ride home seemed to take forever as I yearned to get back to my family. Man, what a great time though.

Last thought? Sure wish Wizards of the Coast had been there this year…

Feel free to share Gen Con stories in the comments! Also, if you’ve got a hankering for another con, check out AcadeCon (meet me there!)! There are still passes availiable

-Melvs

PICTURES!

So there were a number of things I now realize I forgot to mention, namely because I can’t recall what day they occurred! I’m going to be lazy and simply put the pictures up with some blurbs.

 

Meta Arcade teamed with Tunnels and Trolls for a cool app I’ll explain in detail later

The Porkchop Express was in town for the event

Some cool cats eh? Left to right The Carpe DM, myself and Rohit from Gamersplane

Always awesome catching up with author Hans Cummings

The RPG Academy Podcast pre-con meetup

Finally worked up the nerve to shake Jolly Blackburn’s hand

The ODAM team drops by The Ram

TOJU! We look eerily similar in the face in this picture.

Toju and Shannon

More shots of the Gamerstable meetup at The Ram

One of many fine brews I had the pleasure of sampling

Dan and Mike strike a cool pose

Pete and Jayson.

Shannon and Rob

Be proud of carrying that thing man!

THE RAPTORS!

The Pathfinder room was HUGE

Got to the ENnies early enough to get a picture of the empty hall

Had great fun with this crowd all weekend

I witnessed the CarpeDM win a goblet scoop of dice from these guys

Dogmight Games always has me salivating over their products

My actual roll at the Crit for Success booth

Cardhalla

Anna Myers’ full map!

Brandi & Toju

The dance was most excellent

Toju & Mike

Shannon and Babs got to meet Andy Looney!

Shannon’s Ash Ketchum was great!

COSPLAY PICS

Here are some great cosplay pictures that Shannon’s cousin Brandon was more than happy to pass my way.

Warmachine & Hordes 3rd Edition Opens Strong

A quick sidebar before the review. Melvin Smif’s Geekery has been nominated for an ENnie for Best Website! Voting is set to run July 11th through July 21st. I’d be very grateful for any votes received. While you’re there you may notice that one of my fellow network affiliates, The RPG Academy Podcast, was also nominated for Best Podcast. Please consider throwing them a vote as well! I’m already wildly excited and humbled to have been nominated. Thanks to all my readers for continuing to give me a reason to write. Now, on to the excellence that is WarmaHordes’ new edition! 

Back in April I informed you of the impending release of the newest edition of Warmachine and Hordes. Well, just the other day I received a package on my doorstep, and a press release in my email, from the fine folks at Privateer Press hallmarking its arrival! I spent time in my last post describing many of the changes in play that we would be seeing (adding the ability to pre-measure ranged shots, changes to balance units, etc.), so let’s spend a little time just reveling in the beauty of the finished product shall we?

For my review material, no expense was spared. I received the following items;

• Warmachine: Prime Core Rulebook
• Hordes: Primal Core Rulebook
• Cygnar Battlegroup
• Cygnar Faction Deck
• Skorne Battlegroup
• Skorne Faction Deck

 

 

 

Now, the first thing I did with my veritable horde of new gaming supplies was call up my buddy who plays those filthy, magic wielding, god killing Cygnar humans to see if he’d be interested in some trading because… well, a man has to get his hands on his Elves baby!

I’d like to formally welcome Warcaster Magister Helynna to my army.

Old card

New card. Look at the way it pops off the card!

The new edition didn’t only revise some of the rules, one of my favorite changes comes from the look of each Miniature(s)’ stat card. I’m posting a side by side below. I really adore the way they expanded the area covered in the artwork. I feel in a heated, timed, game it might really help me spot the unit I’m trying to get information from. Not to mention, it just makes the cards look all the much better.

THE NEW FACTION DECKS

Veterans have to update their faction’s stat cards for the new edition. Each box contains at least one redesigned stat card per model or unit and in the case of most Warjacks\Warbeast you’ll get multiple stat cards.

The Faction Decks have an MSRP of $19.99 but I have seen many online going for roughly $17.95. A must have for veterans.

THE BOOKS

In recent years I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a number of books from Privateer Press, they’ve all received high accolades from me. Great artwork, excellent binding, and chock full of information. The two core rule-books presented for this edition are no exceptions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each book comes in well over 300 pages. In the first third of each book (after a lengthy history of their respective parts of the world of Immoren) you find detailed instructions on everything you’d need to know in order to play the game. From a macro understanding of basic rules and combat to intricate details like specific scenarios and terrain. The remaining bulk of the books are mostly dedicated to vast introductions to the factions you may wish to field, followed by some useful appendixes that help explain some final peices of information needed for specific faction rules, how to play Warmachine v. Hordes, etc.

Table of Contents in Warmachine: Prime

Easily my favorite thing about these books lies with the extensive lore written for every faction. There is something unique about the world of the Iron Kingdoms, and its primal neighbors, that makes reading their histories so satisfying. You know I’ve lauded the worldbuilding present in this company’s roleplaying games (Iron Kingdoms & Unleashed), well these books here will give you the full scope of every major faction in the world. So if for some reason you aren’t into the the tabletop skirmish game, there is still something here for you. Pages and pages of juicy steampunk fantasy lore about a world at war.

Each faction is detailed by it’s history, as mentioned above, and then has an extensive list of units touched on to give the reader a decent accounting of what the faction may play like. Obviously they couldn’t place every unit in a faction on page but I did notice that there appears to be an attempt to add a good amount of the new units out there, namely the new Warcasters and Warlocks present in the new 3rd Edition Battlegroups. The artwork remains impressive, litters the books, and often times takes up entire pages. It is some really great stuff.

Each book runs at an MSRP of $59.99, and thus far that’s been about the price I’ve seen on the various shopping options. I’d say they are worth it to the diehards. If you are just getting into the game, start with a Battlegroup. They come with everything you need to get started, in fact. speaking about the new Battlegroups…

 

THE NEW BATTLEGROUPS

Along with the new edition, we get some new starter Battlegroups. Like I mentioned earlier I worked out a deal with my Cygnar playing friend\sworn enemy to obtain my own Battlegroup for the elves of the Retribution of Scyrah. Every one of these starter sets comes with a Warcaster (Warmachine) or Warlock (Hordes) that is exclusive to this third edition of the game, and adds in either Warjacks or Warbeasts to round out the small army. Beyond that, you are given all the tools needed to play the game with the only exception being glue to piece your new miniatures together. Each box includes:

• • The Highly Detailed, Single-colored Plastic Miniatures w\ Stat Cards
• • Basic Training Tutorial Guide
• • Battle Map
• • Introductory Guide
• • WARMACHINE: Prime Rules Digest
• • 18” Ruler
• • 4 Six-sided Dice
• • 10 Focus Tokens
• • 3 Spell Tokens
• • Obstacle Card

Everything in the box is of high quality with the one exception being the ruler but honestly, you likely have a tape measurer lying around somewhere. As mentioned above the only additional items you may need to provide yourself would be some kind of super glue to piece together your miniatures and you’ll likely want to invest in some paint at some point to add your own style to your pieces.

Veteran players are going to buy these starter sets for one reason, the new Warcaster\Warlock. Which leads me to my only real complaint about the sets. I really wish they would have switched up what Warjacks\Warbeasts came in the new Battlegroups. From what I can tell, with little deviation, most Battlegroups remain completely unchanged, excepting the Warcaster\Warlock of course, from their mkII counterparts. This means that the veteran players who are buying this item are typically only doing so for one miniature. I’m not saying PP needed to craft entirely new Warjacks\Warbeasts for this release but maybe they could have just switched a few out for different models. There’s no way to be certain you wouldn’t also land on some items a veteran player might have already had but at least there’s a chance that way. However, using the same models in this edition as the last ensures that a we receive the same pieces we got the last time we bought a starter set.

The Battleboxes have an MSRP of $39.99 and are the be all end all way to get started in this hobby (at least until the Two Player Battle Boxes come out in August). Pick a faction you’d like to play as, grab a Battlebox, and go to war!

-Melvs

P.S. When searching for any Warmachine or Hordes battlegroup be absolutely certain you are purchasing the third edition item of the game. Things look very similar when compared to the 2nd edition. Look for descriptors mentioning that the item was produced AFTER June 1st 2016, or that it is part of the third edition of the game.