Having Fun With WARMACHINE
Monday, November 24th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
WARMACHINE (yes, it’s supposed to be in all caps) is a table top miniatures war game made by Privateer Press. With anywhere from half a dozen to maybe 40 models in a typical game, though you can certainly have more than that if you want to, this is primarily a skirmish-level game. A powerful leader called a Warcaster is at the center of the game. This Warcaster can empower and manipulate the hulking Warjack steam-punk mecha. Helping this core battle group is a wide array of troops with anything from disciplined riflemen to fire bomb chucking zealots or even undead pirates.
The Rules
Game rules are well-written to be very clear and concise. Most of the rules you need are in the main rulebook, called Prime: Remix. Models also come with stat cards that give a rundown on all of their special rules and how they work, so it‘s easy to keep tabs on all your (and your opponent’s) cool tricks mid-battle. Privateer Press has also avoided doing one edition after another. Because of this, it makes it a very friendly game on the wallet since you aren’t forced to buy and re-buy a half-dozen rulebooks every few years. And since the new books are released annually with a little something for every faction, you’ll also never be left in the cold for years waiting and hoping for an army update.
Gameplay itself is very fast-paced and in-your-face, and definitely favors the aggressor. Since you don’t wind up with two sides facing off too scared to make a move all game, this fact makes the game much more interesting. You can execute a myriad display of nasty combos due the sequential unit activation setup of the game which also allows you to bring ULTIMATE PAIN to your unfortunate foes. It keeps each battle fresh and exciting since your opponents can do the very same thing to you. Victory can be, and often is, snatched from the jaws of defeat should the apparent victor leave an opening for the beleaguered underdog.
The game focus is also a lot less on list-building and more on mid-battle tactics. Since each model’s abilities are set in stone, list construction is simply a matter of putting the building blocks together. This doesn’t mean it’s simplistic though, since you need to account for each unit’s special abilities and how they’ll work with the rest of the army on the field. With nothing more than a change of the single warcaster model you have leading the army, you can change its entire dynamis, making it a simple matter to liven up your game with something new.
Hobby-wise you don’t see as much model conversion as in a lot of other games, mostly because anything you might need a model for either already has one, or will have one released within the year. Painting is big, with a lot of pro tips in the various source books. Terrain building, of course, is ever present as it is with any table top minatures war game.
WARMACHINE In A Nutshell
WARMACHINE is a fast-paced, in-your-face style game with a quirky steam punk / magical setting where you can pull off insanely broken moves of ULTIMATE PAIN on your opponent. Watch out though! Cause he can do the same to you when you least expect it, keeping the game fresh and fun to the climactic end.
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