Thursday 30 April 2009

Project Grey Sky

I shall start today's blog with a quick retelling of my Tuesday game against Jim: Jim rolls crap dice, he feats with eSkarre to make everything invulnerable (or effectively so), I feat with eMagnus to make sure his invulnerable stuff can't move, we have a big punch up in the middle of the board, I get distracted by the realisation that I could set the Slayer on fire with Lord Rockbottom (WHILE I was moving Lord Rockbottom to stop Magnus from getting killed), then Magnus dies.

There was a point when eSkarre was within my Mangler's threat range, and she'd already taken 5 damage from using her feat - unfortunately I'd missed that part out or else I'd just have gone for it, a single good whack would have killed her. I probably should have just gone for the attack anyway. This was also my test run with running only a single Renegade, which was a new experience. Jim engaged it pretty early on so it didn't get to do all that much other than... no it didn't get to do all that much. I think I might try swapping out the Steelhead Cavalry for a Nomad and keeping the two Renegades next, that should free up about 5-7 points to put elsewhere (since I drop the support solos for the Steelheads).

Now, onto Project Grey Sky. This is me delving into Cygnar, or at least painting the little Cygnar stuff I have at the moment. Perhaps most importantly for this project is my eStryker conversion, which I have done a little resculpting on and have spend an entire night creating a nice base for. I have also been working on coming up with a solid colour scheme that isn't the signature Cygnar blue - I've opted to go for grey, white, silver, and gold as my base colours, with electric blue for appropriate pieces of technology. Once Rising Conflict is done I'll start shopping around to either sell or trade my Mercenaries - wonderful though they have been.

Of course this all takes a back seat to the work I have to get done for Rising Conflict and for Iain's Pyre Troll (base constructed and model has been cleaned and pinned, it should be done just after Rising Conflict).

Update - wow, painting eStryker is a real bitch. I can't seem to get some sort of flow going with this miniature. Still, the base looks amazing, definitely something to remember for future models (*cough* eMagnus MKii *cough*).

Monday 27 April 2009

The Home Stretch

As we enter the final week of the MKii Field Test Dacarnix has posted the next set of potential changes we might see. Fans of Terminus will rejoice, in fact Cryx players in general will rejoice - both the shooting bonejacks may be getting some nice bonuses, the Defiler may even get the spray everyone thought it had.

I expect I'll keep on playing MKii as my dominant game, though I'll still plug away at MKi if my opponent plays Hordes and the like - or it's Jim and he wants some practice before the Masters.

I've also been thinking of giving up the Mercenaries and picking up Cygnar recently, maybe if I use some proxies first to see if I like the way they play. I'll also scout around to see if there's anyone who really wants to buy some Mercenaries, no point in counting my chickens before they're hatched.

In other news, iBodger has been updated to version 1.1 - it includes MKii support. To make the switch, touch the information button (the small black circle with the i in it) in the bottom right corner of the main menu. From there you can switch to the MKii version.

Sunday 26 April 2009

Cats and Sacks

The cat appears to be eeking its way out of the bag in typical Privateer Press fashion. It looks like the Retribution will be available for purchase at GenCon this year - though when it will be available for those of us in the UK is up for speculation.

I'll need to come up with some filler text, this post looks weird...

Come on people, more voting to be done to the right there.

Tuesday 21 April 2009

Dance Like Butterfly, Hit Like Truck

Today's scheduled game against Dermot was much like my game against Iain. Dermot is an avid Grim Angus fan and brought a solo heavy list that looked fairly mobile when he whipped it out on the table; it would prove rather less mobile than anticipated however as I was stuck in killing things very quickly. Once again I let my opponent choose my warcaster - as Dermot has only really played against Magnus he opted for Ashlynn.

Everything except for Grim and his warbeasts (Dire Troll Mauler and an Impaler) promptly died to my rampaging Steelheads - though by the time I got around to killing Grim I'd lost the majority of my army, except for the all important stabby things - Ashlynn, the odd Steelhead and cavalryman, Gorman etc. I almost administered the coup de grace using the Piper of Ord, but thought I'd better hedge my bets by shooting Grim with Ashlynn's hand cannon first; rather unfortunately it killed him. There would have been something poetic about killing a warlock or warcaster with a solo most people forget has a melee weapon.

Jim played against Iain tonight, with Iain using Khador and Jim bringing Cryx. The game was a lot closer than it should have been - we didn't have a copy of Apotheosis on us and no one thought to check Prime: Remix (and my copy is with my flatmate who has expressed an interest in starting Warmachine or Hordes). Having a copy of neither meant Iain got to apply Blood Legacy to a whole raft of character models - Great Bears, Fenris, whatever else. It wasn't pretty. However, Jim managed to pull it out of the bag in the end with a rather convoluted series of combinations to knock eVlad over, then teleport him 3 inches away so Darragh Wrathe and the remaining Soul Hunter could charge in.

Next week returns us to the usual schedule of a game against Jim, though it was unclear if he wanted to play a MKi 750 point game or a MKii game (probably 35 points if so). I'm sure we'll get in contact with each other before then. It would be nice to get my MKii rules back off him too, I'll need to go through the booklet and add in all the corrections.

There will also be some 15 point MKii duels going on at Static Games this Saturday. I won't be attending however as I'll be up north in Aberdeen for a stag party.

Sunday 19 April 2009

It's My Birthday and I'll Smite if I Want To

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday... I'm totally going back to bed, smiting will commence when I leave my cave-like dwelling for birthday salubrious libations and the consumption of noodles.

edit: Happy birthday to you too Shanks. You still smell of goatse.

Smiting was done, noodles were consumed, Hannah made me a cake that she left in Dundee. Alas my birthday presents did not include the winning lottery ticket (curses!). All in all it was a good birthday. Except for the lack of cake.

Saturday 18 April 2009

The Cycle of Life

Yet another year goes by and now I'm another year older (or I will be tomorrow). Who'd have thought that Boomhowler & Co would actually make their way into my army list? Strange though it may seem they have indeed wormed their way into my army and even as I type I am waiting on some of the bases to dry so that I can undercoat them and begin the painting. Unfortunately the box I bought was purchased in 2003 and I have since used several of the arms and weapons to convert other Trollkin models. This has meant I'm two grunts short of a minimum unit, but we'll see what I get for my Birthday tomorrow - three blisters of Trollkin mercenaries would be handy... So would copious amounts of cash... or a house... maybe a car or two. You know, just the essentials.

I might also start work on my first actual commission piece for Iain this coming week, though the Pyre Troll he wants will have to wait until I've done the remnants of my Magnus 500 point list so I can play in the next Rising Conflict tournament. He wants it painted in the Carston's Gulch colour scheme as seen in NQ23, which actually looks quite easy, I'll just have to use my handy colour matching chart to equate Citadel paints to their P3 equivalent.

Wednesday 15 April 2009

Fatality

The time and place of Iain's challenge have come and gone now, and battle we did. In a slight surprise Iain opted to play his Trollbloods and to set the game at 500 points. I was really expecting a game of 750 points against Sorscha. I wasn't sure which warcaster to play so I let Iain pick, and since he's never played against Ashlynn she was chosen over good old Magnus.

Usually Ashlynn against Grim Angus isn't the best of match ups, if Grim Angus aims, he can usually plug away at Ashlynn until she dies horribly from having a craptastic armour. It is said that 'knowing is half the battle' and knowing how to protect Ashlynn from said shooting certainly helped - namely by either having Stannis Brocker standing directly between her and Grim, or having a wall of three Steelheads in base-to-base in front of her. It was a bit of a white wash however, as I killed ALL the champions on turn two. Once they were out of the way it was pretty much two or three turns of poking Grim until all his beasts died from transfers and Ashlynn stepped in to finish the job.

In MKii news, more good news for Mercenaries. The Mangler now has Chain Weapon and Croe's Two Handed Sword has +1 POW (making the P+S on Croe's card correct). Nothing else new for the other factions alas.

Monday 13 April 2009

Tables and Charts

I typed up a rather large table so that I could see how various things across the factions compare in cost to one another, and here is the end result for other people to use. It is a sad, sad life I lead. If only the NQaG were here to occupy my time instead.

Pieces of Eight

Many of us Warmachine players don't buy full units. Indeed, certain units like Storm Blades and Knights Exemplar only came in units of 6. In MKii these units have been expanded to allow a full 10 soldiers; luckily for those people who were worried about getting enough figures to fill up their new MKii unit there are plans in the works for you. It's not very specific, but still, knowing Privateer Press plan on doing something about it is comforting much like having a warm duvet.

I was around at Adam's house this last weekend trying out more MKii games with eMagnus and friends, but at a reduced 25 points instead of what I regard as the norm of 35. Having been there with two other Andy's I think I'll just stick with my first name, it saves us all much time and hassle. Playing 25 points however afforded me the opportunity to test out and witness some new tactics and toys in MKii.

Boomhowler & Co:
They make an astounding tar pit for things like warjacks to wade through. I made the mistake of moving them into combat with Mechanithralls around Deneghra in my game against Andy Schneider (sp?) and so they all died horribly to multiple attacks. I should also remember they have guns. They still feel a little too expensive to me, but I think they might be worth their point cost once I've really sat down to figure out some tactics with them. I think they work best when not engaging things with multiple attacks or for bogging down warjacks. I used the latter in my game against Andrew Paul to tie up both his heavy warjacks while I swept around the back and jumped on Reznik with my Mangler.

Warwitch Deneghra:
NOTHING has changed. She drops your ARM or DEF, and then her army kills you. To me it feels exactly like playing against her in MKi. I made a lot of mistakes playing against Andy Schneider, the most important one was when I engaged a whole bunch of stuff with the Mangler despite having my feat up. I should have moved into position for a charge on Deneghra the following turn, oh well.

Wroughthammer Rockram:
BIG improvement on the old version. Giving certain warjacks Assault means they have the ability to dish out a LOT of damage now.

New Things to Remember:
Knocked down models still have a facing. When they stand up they do NOT change their facing now.
Gorman's rust bomb is now an AOE 3 effect.
I hate Pistol Wraiths so much.
Boomhowler & Co have guns. I should really use them to shoot things I can't charge.

There were a few more observations, but they were mainly that many models and units play exactly like they did before. Overall however, I still prefer 35 points, 25 points feels slightly too small. The core concepts of the game are still in place, though assassination feels a lot more viable now against attrition lists. More experiments to follow, I may even take Ashlynn out for a spin.

Sunday 12 April 2009

MKii Movement Formation Rules Explained

Every now and then when trawling through the sewage filled mire that is the Privateer Press forums one comes across a tiny filth-encrusted diamond of wisdom or useful information. It is from one such precious gem that I found this very handy explanation of the new MKii formation rules concerning movement. You can now safely ignore all that waffle about moving the unit commander first. There's also a comment about what happens when your trooper flees due to being out of formation. Definitely worth a quick read if you were confused by the first iteration of the MKii rules.

Saturday 11 April 2009

MKii Field Test Update

The field test rules and stat cards have been updated to correct many of the errors found. You'll have to go to the field test website to download the updated files. Alas, Master Holt and the Ugly Ampersand have vanished from our midst. They will be missed.

Friday 10 April 2009

And Now for Some Fun

I've added a link to Brute Fight for anyone who wants to make one and have a punch up. It's strangely entertaining and completely unrelated to Warmachine.

Thursday 9 April 2009

MKii Cards Sneak Preview

The Privateer Press website is showing a preview of the upcoming stat cards for MKii. Alas, the cards have no icons on them so we don't know how prevalent or obvious those are going to be - will they be in colour, black and white, different symbols?

Hopefully Commander, Officer, Fearless and 'Jack Marshall will all get some new icons that don't all look like each other.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Thoughts on MKii

It's still Warmachine.

While there are many rules and spells that are common across Factions, the game feels much the same. The layers of complexity are still present, though I will admit eMagnus has had a massive boost and now feels like a very strong assassination warcaster. I'm not entirely sure about the other factions since I've only had the one game against Jim so far and he was using Mortenebra and thus had no infantry at all to test against.
Warjacks are as tough as coffin nails now, if you don't destroy it utterly you're going to pay for it. I'm going to have to experiment with having the odd mechanic running around after my heavy warjacks - that means I'll probably have to pick up Dirty Meg.
I do feel the changes to warjacks may lead to the end of the high DEF warcaster, but I'll have to give Ashlynn a go and see how she holds up against the new higher MAT warjacks.

Monday 6 April 2009

Field Test Active

The MKii site is now ONLINE. Go register and activate your user accounts to download the beta rules. Be warned however, it is very slow at the moment.

Sunday 5 April 2009

Power Levels Over 1500?!?!

In a shocking change of venues (due to the QMU being closed over the Easter holidays) a great many of us invaded Static Games on Saturday. Thomas (the Khador/Circle player who's possibly going to be the new PG in Glasgow) was running demo games but the rest of us opted to attempt a 1500 mixed game. On one side was Jim, Ryan, and Murray. On my side was Penguin and Thomas (Merc one). Jim's team were all Cryx, my team was Khador (Penguin), Privateers (Thomas), and Mercenaries (me).

While we didn't get to complete the game, it was fun and very entertaining. I got Bartolo Montador (Thomas' warcaster) killed very early by telling Thomas he should be safe where he was. Instead he ate a couple of Stygian Abyss spells from the Witch Coven (Murray). He did survive long enough to use his feat and buy us a turn however before he got Corroded and then croaked it. We lost the Old Witch (Penguin - who didn't use her feat - I blame Penguin) when Nightmare was Soul Gated next to her. If he's remembered to use his feat then he would have been able to at least abuse a significant portion of Goreshade's (Ryan) infantry horde.

In retaliation I dropped an Obliterator Rocket on Goreshade (leaving him on 3 health) and then First Mate Hawk ripped him to shreds. Alas poor eMagnus couldn't chase after the Witch Coven and eSkarre (Jim) fast enough, though he was starting to make his way down field camping all the focus I had spare, with Misdirection up to shunt damage to the nearest inert warjack I could find.

Some entertaining moments included me parking eEiryss next to the Deathjack during eSkarre's feat to deny it focus allocation, my Steelheads killing all the Bane Knights with very little hassle, me telling Murray to shut it and then me getting proven wrong, the Satyxis fleeing after their first turn, and Penguin placing all the Kayazy assassins in a tight group directly in front of a Bloat Thrall (gg nr). I promptly corrected Penguin's terrible placement, how people put their troops in those formations without Shield Wall defies me.

A very enjoyable game for everyone. Mass carnage all over the board, though I do feel having a very mixed force weakens the army structure and planning, playing with such a handicap is natural for Mercenary players! We have ultra-cool things like... Renegades.

It was also Murray's 18th Birthday party today (I feel sooo old now) and the gauntlet has been thrown down. Iain has challenged me to a 750 point game at G3 on the 14th. Bring it on mofo!

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Ding 100!

Shockingly there have been over a hundred unique views (or three people using a lot of different computers) on the blog now. I have no idea who reads this and all my efforts so far to find out have failed miserably; but still, this makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I had planned to start a new colour scheme for my Mercenaries but the required painting techniques are just too advanced for me at this time. If I make a mistake I have no idea how to correct it without starting whole patches of the model from scratch. So Catachan Green will be staying for now, though Boomhowler & Co will probably be painted in a happy medium between the two schemes.

Oh yes, don't forget today is April's Fools people, be prepared for the worst!