Warmachine/Hordes: Learning the Game

Capnmoe Typing:

Makers and I got our second game of Warmachine in last night. We played 15 points and our main focus was learning how units function. Turns out, it is way different from the way Warhammer 40k units function. 

There's no need to maintain unit coherency beyond staying in the unit leaders command range, which for us was 9". And unit members don't all need to fire on the same target. 

We also learned about AOE cloud/terrain/lingering AOE damage effects. 

You can see those in the picture below represented by the metal rings.

My 15 point list was:

eHaley
Ironclad
Squire
Journeyman Warcaster
Charger
The Black 13th

Sadly I lost (I lost our first game as well) but it was a fun loss. I have a tendency to just run my units forward and run them into, or shoot at the first possible thing they can reach when learning a new game. Not always the best tactic but it makes for a good learning experience.

I'm really loving the game so far. Next week I think we're going to expand to 25 points and rely less on our teacher, Ryan. Speaking of Ryan I have a bat rep I'll be posting soon of my Cygnar vs his Legion of Everblight.

Makers Typing:
So I almost tabled Capnmoe last night.
It was great.

At 15 points I ran the following list:

Kaelyssa
Phoenix
Narn
Arcanist
6 man Mage Hunter Strike Force with Commander Upgrade

The first game we played I used Garryth who is more of an Assassin type Warcaster, or HQ for the Warhammer people. Kaelyssa is more of a buff/debuff type.

I'm not sure which one I like more so far, but both have their advantages.

So far I am enjoying the game alot. It seems to be faster paced and a lot more about strategy and planning ahead. For example, last night I used my Phoenix to see his Warjack on fire, then used Kaelyssa to immobilize it for a turn, causing him to take alot of damage on it. Then by using Narn (a "smaller" Garryth type character) I was able to kill his Journeyman Warcaster to all but remove his other one from the game as well thanks to a well placed Rift from Kaelyssa.

I also enjoy how the units work. You can spread them out to a great distance and each one acts independently, almost the same as 40k 2nd Edition, which tends to give each model more of a personalized feel, rather than just being one normal guy.

We are still learning and I think last night was just a rare occurence as Capnmoe's dice were extremely cold, and my Phoenix just kept recharging 5-6 shield points a turn.

Hopefully I can get in a good amount of painting this weekend on my guys and post some shots up next week.

Looking forward to next weeks game!