Warcasters are the stars of Warmachine, and Cryx has no shortage of powerful and fun-to-play warcasters. Today, I’m taking a look at Goreshade, Lord of Ruin.
IN SHORT: With two ways to inflict Stationary, some excellent buff spells, and a cheap way to bring back undead models, Goreshade is a force to be reckoned with. Did I mention he’s got a horse now too?
STRENGTHS: Where to begin with this guy?
How about, he’s a warcaster with Ghostly and cavalry rules. What does this mean? Well, for starters, no one’s getting free strikes against him, even if he misses impact attacks or performs a ride-by attack. That’s a chocolate and peanut butter combo if I ever saw one.
He’s also Tall in the Saddle, so he can ignore small and medium bases when making melee attacks. So forget about typical Shield Wall units preventing line of sight to a vulnerable warcaster when declaring a melee attack.
And while we’re on it, what a melee attack! His sword Voass is P+S 15 with Reach and Stationary. Even better, he’s effective MAT 9 when he charges (again because of those delicious cavalry rules). And after he’s hit once, every extra attack hits automatically.
So, a quick recap. No one gets free strikes against him. He can trample through enemy models. He hits like a truck, freezes enemies solid, and then is free to dish out hit after hit with impunity. That is an assassination vector opponents MUST respect!
But Goreshade is far from a one trick undead horse. He comes with a whole host of ways to support his army. Infernal Machine buffs one of his warjacks. +2 SPD and MAT on a Kraken anyone? Occultation gives out Stealth to units or models (potentially to himself for added safety). And Scything Touch enhances melee damage by +2, again to units or models.
For his feat, Winter’s Grasp, he can explode his own warrior models into 3” AOEs. And what do these AOEs do? Well, they inflict Stationary! He can literally freeze an enemy army dead in its tracks.
But the real gem in his spell list is Mockery of Life. For the cheap price of 2 Focus, Goreshade can bring back a friendly Faction Undead Grunt. Now, Cryx infantry does not lack for ways to increase its numbers. When combined with Goreshade’s new spell, this can get outright silly. Be sure to bring extra models!
He can even cast a spell for free once per turn if a living enemy model casts a spell in his control area. That gives him 4 potential Mockery of Life casts! I mean, seriously, even his basic magic attack spell is snazzy. With Siphon Bolt, he can strip 1 Focus or 1 Fury off models hit and add 1 Focus to his own pool, kind of making this a 1 Focus attack spell. Yikes!
Rounding out the package, Goreshade’s basic stats are solid. With DEF 14, ARM 17, Focus 7, and 17 hit boxes, so he can take a solid beating before going down.
Yeah, Goreshade comes fully loaded.
WEAKNESSES: Goreshade is sitting on a large base, which automatically makes him difficult to protect. He also has three upkeep spells and Mockery of Life vying for his Focus pool. Put those two together, and it’s easy to splurge and leave him vulnerable.
Ghostly and SPD 8 do help him use terrain to his advantage, and he can slap Stealth on himself for added protection, but the problem definitely exists.
Goreshade also lacks the conventional assortment of Cryx debuffs. While Scything Touch does aid damage output, Goreshade has very limited options when it comes to making Cryx models hit better. This mostly revolves around using his feat to inflict Stationary. Models that like DEF debuffs for more accurate attacks won’t find much support from this warcaster.
SYNERGIES: Goreshade loves undead infantry so he can bring them back with Mockery of Life, and that synergy is even better if those models can already add to their numbers. And if those models are self-sufficient, it gets even better.
For all of the above, Bane Thralls or Bane Knights with Tartarus provide an excellent option. For most of the above, Mechanithralls supported by Necrosurgeons do the trick.
Blackbane’s Raiders are also a potent choice. They’re undead and they can reanimate their enemies as long as Blackbane is around. But they’re also incorporeal with SPD 7, which allows them to race through the enemy lines and be detonated by Goreshade Stationary-inflicting AOEs. For this same reason, Machine Wraiths are an excellent vector for delivering Goreshade’s feat to enemy models.
Bane Riders are another choice with plenty of promise. They may lack a way to add more Riders, but they are highly self-sufficient when it comes to hitting their targets hard and accurately, plus each Rider that Goreshade revives packs considerable punch. Better than bringing Mechanithralls back for 2 Focus a model, right? Their large bases also provide a means to block line of sight to Goreshade.
JUST FOR FUN: It’s the Mechanithrall two-for-one sale! Enemy gun lines getting you down? Mechanithralls lying around in pieces? Well, have no fear!
With both Necrosurgeons and Goreshade on hand, each blown up Mechanithrall can come back not once, but TWICE! That’s because the Necrosurgeons and Goreshade both use a different resource to add models (a corpse token versus a destroyed status).
So yeah. Double-dip till your heart’s content. Even blow up some of your own Mechanithralls to get the process started.
Enjoy!
SUMMARY: Goreshade is back and comes loaded with cool tricks and abilities. He’s a powerful assassin all by himself, and he can play a downright demoralizing attrition game with Mockery of Life. Plus, it’s a steampunk undead dark elf on a steampunk undead horse! Do I really need to say anything else?
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine
Warmachine Vengeance Review: Cryx
IN SHORT: Warmachine Vengeance has arrived. Let’s dig in. As with previous releases, every Warmachine army gets a healthy heaping of awesome, this time with an emphasis on speed with exciting cavalry units and mobile warcasters. It also ushers in an interesting cast of journeymen warcasters. The book is printed in stellar full color with plenty of gorgeous new artwork.
Let’s take a look at the new Cryx models.
GORESHADE, LORD OF RUIN: Goreshade’s back and he’s on a horse! Of course, that puts him on a large base, but he’s well equipped to handle that. DEF 14, ARM 17, Focus 7, 17 hit boxes. Plenty of raw defensive power there. He also has access to Occultation to give a model or unit Stealth, including himself. Ghostly lets him ignore terrain and free strikes. And, of course, Cryx has no shortage of arc nodes at its disposal if he wants to hang back a bit.
Goreshade doesn’t have any debuffs, but that’s okay. He comes with two excellent buffs in the way of Scything Touch (+2 melee damage for a model or unit) and Infernal Machine (+2 MAT, +2 SPD, and Terror for a battlegroup warjack). Both are excellent spells. Still, he’s going to favor units that are self-sufficient when it comes to hitting their targets, since he lacks a DEF debuff.
For getting into melee, he has an impressive linear threat range. SPD 8 plus Reach lets him stab targets 13” away. And when he is stabbing, it’s with a P+S 15 sword that inflicts Stationary. He also can cause Stationary with his feat, Winter’s Grasp. Friendly warriors in his control area can be made to explode into 3” AOEs that freeze enemy models not immune to cold. And after he’s spent models in this manner, he can bring them back with Mockery of Life.
Goreshade also comes with two abilities that help with Focus efficiency. Spell Vortex lets him cast a spell for free if a living enemy model casts a spell in his control area last turn. His attack spell, Siphon Bolt, can strip Focus or Fury off the target one point per hit and give Goreshade a point of Focus in return.
All in all, a very exciting and flexible new caster. Can’t wait to try him out.
INFLICTOR: Do my eyes deceive me? A Cryxian heavy with Shield Guard and ARM 19 thanks to its shield? Wow! At 8 points, the Inflictor is an excellent option for many Cryx warcasters. On average, our warcasters can be quite greedy with their Focus. But, they also have these warjack points we need to spend. Well, have no fear! Put those points towards an Inflictor, and let it tank hits meant for the warcaster or squishy solos.
Its stinger may only be P+S 16, but that’s plenty of punch for Cryx since we have so many options for stripping ARM off our targets. And it even comes with a Soul Drive to give it one point of Focus for free every turn. Awesome. Just awesome.
BANE RIDERS: ARM 18 heavy cavalry? Yes, please!
Don’t let the lack of Weapon Master deceive you. These banes hit hard! With base P+S 13 and Brutal Charge, they slam home with 15+3d6 on the charge. Their mounts are also a hefty POW 12, great for impact attacks. They may not be as fast as some of the other cavalry in this rulebook. But when you combine SPD 7, Ghostly for ignoring terrain, Curse for an extra 2”, and Reach on their melee attacks, their natural threat range is nothing to ignore.
They’re also very self-sufficient. Per cavalry rules, they automatically get +2 to their attack rolls on the charge. Toss in Curse, and suddenly they’re at effective MAT 10! Yikes! Bane Riders definitely operate at their peak when charging.
And let me just say we finally have a unit worthy of putting Death Ward on. ARM 20 banes on horses anyone?
SKARLOCK COMMANDER: Here’s a unit attachment for Mechanithralls or Bile Thralls. For only one point, this guy is not bad at all. It’s always annoying when my Mechanithralls get hit with a nasty debuff. It doesn’t happen super often (I’m normally the one doing the debuffing, not my foe), but spending one point on an attachment that can clear those debuffs is handy. The extra bit of CMD is also a nice boon, though the model doesn’t have any rules to help keep him safe.
Still, The Skarlock Commander has a decent set of offensive abilities with Dark Fire, Battle Wizard, and Soul Taker. These can combine for a surprisingly powerful offense. First soak up some souls with kills from the attached unit. Then stab something in melee (boosting with souls if needed), then cast Dark Fire for free thanks to Battle Wizard (again, boosting with souls).
For only one point? Yeah. Not too bad.
AIAKOS, SCOURGE OF THE MEREDIUS: The Cryx journeyman warcasters comes loaded down with awesome sauce. First, he’s going to be hard to pin down with Stealth, DEF 14, and ARM 19 if he’s camping with Escort active. Second, he’s fast with SPD 6 and Jump for an additional 5” placement. Escort also gives +2” to his warjack, which is just lovely when added to the already speedy Cryxian warjacks.
And he also comes with the Deathbringers spell, which allows Aiakos and his battlegroup to ignore Tough and damage transfers. Against Hordes, that’s brutal!
But wait! There’s more! He also comes with Drag to reel in enemies. His harpoon may only have RAT 5, 6” RNG, and POW 10, but he’s got the Focus to boost those rolls when needed. There are plenty of exciting combos with this guy. Too many to count.
Aiakos, ladies and gentlemen. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a few more warjacks in Cryxian lists thanks to this guy. Finally!
Time to dust off my Leviathan.
SUMMARY: Privateer Press continues to release new and exciting models for each of its factions, ensuring that whichever army you play, you keep getting new options to bring to the tabletop. All in all, Vengeance is great release for a game that keeps getting better.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Vengeance Review: Cygnar
IN SHORT: Warmachine Vengeance has arrived. Let’s dig in. As with previous releases, every Warmachine army gets a healthy heaping of awesome, this time with an emphasis on speed with exciting cavalry units and mobile warcasters. It also ushers in an interesting cast of journeymen warcasters. The book is printed in stellar full color with plenty of gorgeous new artwork.
Let’s take a look at the new Cygnar models.
LORD GENERAL COLEMAN STRYKER: Stryker got himself a horse, and now he’s all about the alpha strike. He gives Storm Lances Reform (a 3” move after their actions), and his feat, Lightning Charge, basically begs for some horses in his army. When activated, all charge attacks and mount attacks automatically hit and gain an additional die for damage rolls. Ouch! Stryker’s horse also comes with Thunderous Impact, which zaps d3 nearby models when an impact attack lands. Nasty!
Warjacks can tag along too. With Escort, he gives them +2” movement to help them keep up. Throw in Field Marshal [Assault], and those warjacks are still shooting when they charge in. And when all of these models come crashing into the enemy’s lines, Fury gives a select model or unit +3 to their melee damage rolls.
Now do note that Stryker is a large base. This makes him a large target, but he won’t go down easily. With Escort up and a warjack nearby, he can camp at ARM 25. Add in DEF 15 and 18 hit points, and he’s no pushover. He also zaps anyone who hits him in melee.
With Stryker, hit first and hit hard. He certainly has the rules and stats to get the job done.
RELIANT: Here’s another electricity themed heavy warjack. It can fire an electrical 3” AOE that stays in play for a round, allowing it to help out with area denial tactics. It comes with a P+S 17 melee attack with Critical Thunderclap. On a critical hit, place a 4” AOE over the target. Models hit, friend or foe without Immunity: Electricity, become Stationary. And yes, bear in mind that is both friend and foe. Fortunately, Cygnar has a wide selection of models with the necessary immunity.
All this for only 8 points? Not too bad. Critical abilities are always a bit of a gamble, but area effect Stationary is nothing to scoff at.
TEMPEST BLAZERS: A lot of Warmachine involves using the right tool or trick in the right place. The Tempest Blazers (basically gun mages on horseback) bring three attack types to the table, Brutal Damage to hitting harder, Blessed for bypassing defensive buffs, and Electro Leap for taking out fodder.
With SPD 9 and light cavalry rules, they are highly mobile gun platforms, and their DEF 15 is no joke. Solid ranged support cavalry.
STORMBLADE CAPTAIN: What’s better than Storm Knights? Storm Knights with Relentless Charge, that’s what! The Stormblade Captain is worth 2 points for that ability alone. Stormblades in particular are only SPD 5 and don’t have Reach on their weapons. Getting stuck in a rough terrain quagmire or traipsing around it can be a real pain. He also comes with a P+S 13 Weapon Master melee attack with Reach, and thanks to Quick Work, can fire off a shot if he kills anything.
Oh, and he’s a ‘Jack Marshal too, and gives Storm Knights Tactician so they can ignore each other for LOS purposes. This solo is definitely worth the cost when supporting Storm Knight units.
LIEUTENANT ALLISON JAKES: And now let’s take a look at Cygnar’s new journeyman warcaster. 3 points gets you a 4 Focus mini-warcaster. That alone is a very exciting deal.
With only 5 hit boxes and ARM 13, Jakes can’t take much of a beating. And you should expect some hurt to come her way, especially if she has a warjack her battlegroup. Fortunately, she comes with some rules to help keep her safe. DEF 15 can be increased to DEF 17 with Sidekick and a nearby battlegroup warjack. This also grants her immunity to knock down, among other effects. Power Field let’s her camp Focus for ARM 17. Parry gives her immunity to free strikes, and Sprint lets her dash away from the front lines if she destroys something in melee.
Jakes can also give her battlegroup (including herself) a bit of extra speed with Energizer. All of this leads me to view her as a harassing model that nips at the enemy’s flanks, moving in and out to take out high value targets. Squishy, but mobile and hard to pin down.
SUMMARY: Privateer Press continues to release new and exciting models for each of its factions, ensuring that whichever army you play, you keep getting new options to bring to the tabletop. All in all, Vengeance is great release for a game that keeps getting better.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Vengeance Review: Retribution
IN SHORT: Warmachine Vengeance has arrived. Let’s dig in. As with previous releases, every Warmachine army gets a healthy heaping of awesome, this time with an emphasis on speed with exciting cavalry units and mobile warcasters. It also ushers in an interesting cast of journeymen warcasters. The book is printed in stellar full color with plenty of gorgeous new artwork.
Let’s take a look at the new Retribution models.
ISSYRIA, SIBYL OF DAWN: This warcaster has no offensive abilities of any kind, be they weapons or spells. She depends entirely on her army to get the job done. Fortunately, she brings a whole host of support to said army along with 8 Focus to play with.
Offensively, Issyria can grant +2” charges in her control area and give a warjack a free attack each round. Her feat can be used by just about any model in Retribution. It lets them ignore concealment, Camouflage, and Stealth while granting them an additional die on attack and damage rolls. Very potent for a powerful alpha strike, be it melee or ranged or a combined approach.
Defensively, she also has an impressive toolkit. She comes with a +2 ARM buff, can negate enemy spells with Arcane Vortex, and can keep a key model safe with Admonition. Her only offensive spell, Blinding Light, serves a dual purpose. It strips enemy warrior models or units of 2 DEF and prevents them from making ranged or magic attacks. This can potentially shut down your opponent’s alpha strike before it gets off the ground, so she’ll want an arc node or two for that.
With so many support options and a powerful feat, Issyria can lead a wide variety of builds. First impressions are a tricky but potentially rewarding warcaster to play. If the key models in her army get wrecked, she’s done. Fortunately with an ARM buff, Admonition, and Arcane Vortex, she has the tools to keep those models safe until it’s time to strike.
IMPERATUS: Retribution gets a high level character warjack. Based on the Phoenix, the Imperatus comes with a shocking suite of rules and an equally shocking price tag of 12 points. First, this warjack is tough to kill. With DEF 13, ARM 18, and a 12-point field that regenerates d6 points in the maintenance phase, it’s sticking around. Even better, if it does get totaled, it just gets right back up with a full power field and one box repaired in each system.
It also hits hard with two P+S 17 thermal blades that set enemies on fire. Its POW 14 gun makes enemies explode into flames, setting their neighbors on fire. Yes, I think Privateer Press took the whole Phoenix thing quite literally with this one.
And it’s fast too. With SPD 6, Side Step, and Reach on its blades, it can potentially get to targets 15” away. Fast, hard-hitting, and tough to kill. It’s what a really expensive character warjack should be.
HOUSEGUARD THANE: This model brings a number of bonuses to Houseguard units. With Desperate Pace, a select Houseguard unit gains +2” movement. That’s a basic useful bonus to those units. But the most exciting rule is Firing Solution [Houseguard]. With this, the target unit ignores Camouflage and Stealth.
Retribution tends to struggle against Stealth. Well, guess what? Houseguard Thane plus Houseguard Riflemen can chew models relying on Stealth to keep them safe. A very nice addition to the Retribution arsenal.
MAGE HUNTER INFILTRATORS: What can I say? These guys live up to their name. Well, the Mage Hunter part, at least.
Gang brings their two attacks up to effective MAT 8 and P+S 11. Mage Killer makes them de facto Weapon Masters against spellcasters. Arcane Assassin allows them to ignore Power Fields and defensive buffs. Stealth, DEF 14, SPD 7, and Pathfinder help to get them there. They’re good at what they’re designed to do, and can definitely put the hurt on most warcaster/warlock models if they get close.
What more is there to say? Well, they can have the next model tag along …
EIRYSS, MAGE HUNTER COMMANDER: Eiryss is a unit attachment in her third edition, and she’s just as impressive as ever. This time she brings the pain to both Warmachine and Hordes, but especially to Hordes. All of her attacks (one ranged and two melee) come with Arcane Hemorrhage. Hit a model, strip it of Focus or Fury, and switch off its upkeep spells. This is nasty against Warmachine players, but can really mess with Hordes players’ fury management.
She can join either flavor of Mage Hunters, and both can benefit from her rules. She grants Fearless, Reform, and Advance Deployment. My personal favorite combo? Try Eiryss, the Strike Force, and a Strike Force Commander. Now Eiryss’s crossbow ignores LOS, concealment, and cover. Just try hiding from her now!
ELARA, TYRO OF THE THIRD CHAMBER: Here’s a journeyman warcaster that looks like she wants to be in the thick of it, but I don’t know about that.
When she kills a living enemy model, she can allocate a point of Focus to a battlegroup warjack. She also comes with Side Step for those extra 2” moves to help her nail two models and charge up whichever warjack she’s controlling. Theoretically, she could kill six models and fill up two warjacks. Not too bad, though this does come with a disclaimer. Her melee attacks are only MAT 6 P+S 10 and don’t have Reach. Not exactly the stuff of legends.
When camping, she reaches a solid DEF 15 ARM 18. Since she has no defensive abilities, she relies on her raw stats much more so than other journeymen warcasters. But her fairly unimpressive melee skills limit valid targets for Extraction.
Her Battle Charged spell does brings some more options to the table. This gives her battlegroup (including her) Counter Charge, allowing them to hang back a bit and then get free charges on models hitting the front lines. And she can always just stay out of the way and keep a warjack flush with focus. For 3 points, that’s still a good deal. But she doesn’t impress me the way some other journeymen warcasters do.
SUMMARY: Privateer Press continues to release new and exciting models for each of its factions, ensuring that whichever army you play, you keep getting new options to bring to the tabletop. All in all, Vengeance is great release for a game that keeps getting better.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Vengeance Review: Menoth
IN SHORT: Warmachine Vengeance has arrived. Let’s dig in. As with previous releases, every Warmachine army gets a healthy heaping of awesome, this time with an emphasis on speed with exciting cavalry units and mobile warcasters. It also ushers in an interesting cast of journeymen warcasters. The book is printed in stellar full color with plenty of gorgeous new artwork.
Let’s take a look at the new Menoth models.
SERVATH REZNIK, WRATH OF AGES: Reznik got himself a chariot! He’s now a cavalry battle engine warcaster, with all the plusses and minuses that entails. As with any huge base model, survivability is important because they’re … well, they’re huge targets. Fortunately, Renzik has that covered. ARM 17 and 7 Focus can let him camp up to ARM 24. Those 20 hit boxes aren’t going away in a hurry. Oh, and if he has at least one Focus on him, non-magical ranged attacks automatically miss. Those rules will definitely help with his approach, because melee is one of his strengths.
Renzik can cast Creator’s Wrath on himself, granting an additional die to melee attack and damage rolls and makes those attacks ignore defensive buffs. Given Renzik’s already solid MAT 7 and P+S 13 and the fact that he can boost those rolls even further, it becomes clear what a monster in melee he is. Add in Flame Burst on his spear, and a feat that lowers enemy DEF by 2 and makes them explode into 4” POW 12 AOEs, and he can do a lot of damage before even considering his army.
He also comes with a lot of support options, Death March being the most exciting one in my opinion. There are plenty of units that can benefit from +2 MAT and Vengeance. Free 3” move and attack in the maintenance phase after losing a model? Yes, please! Iron Aggression is a carryover from Renzik’s prime version and grants a friendly warjack (doesn’t have to be in his battlegroup!) boosted melee attack rolls and a free run, charge, slam, or trample. Finally, he can put Lamentation up to double Focus or Fury costs within his control area.
Renzik looks like he has two basic modes of play, along with combinations of both styles. He can go straight in, spear-to-the-face style. Or he can hang back and provide a generous amount of support to his army. If your opponent doesn’t have much in the way of magical shooting, he can do both at the same time.
Pretty awesome. Should be interesting to see him in action on the table.
INDICTOR: This heavy warjack is a solid brick of Menoth-flavored nope. First, it’s got a generous damage grid, ARM 19 and a shield. It’ll take some effort to put down. With Sacred Ward, it can’t be targeted by enemy spells either.
But the big one is Consecration. Within 5” of this guy, enemy models can’t cast spells, channel spells, or upkeep spells. Yikes! Talk about disrupting your enemy’s plans! As an added bonus, its P+S 17 melee attack is magical and Blessed for ignoring enemy defensive buffs. Because it’s always nice to ignore even more of your foe’s efforts.
So yeah, like I said, this thing is a big can of Menoth nope. Very nice.
FLAME BRINGERS: These ladies on horseback are fast! I mean, really really fast! Not only do they come with SPD 9, but they also have Side Step for an additional 2” move after every initial attack that hits. Oh, and they have three attacks. They’re light cavalry, which gives them a 5” move after their actions are complete. All summed up during a round they charge, they can move an amazing 23”!
They come with Pathfinder, so terrain isn’t slowing them down, and when they’re hitting, it’s with P+S 9 Weapon Master swords. Not bad at all. They also come with Critical Grievous Wounds, a devastating ability against Hordes … when it actually triggers.
EXEMPLAR BASTION SENESCHAL: What are harder to kill than Exemplar Bastions? How about healing Exemplar Bastions! This model heals every Exemplar Bastion model in its command range 1 point at the beginning of their activation (including itself).
It also comes with an impressive suite of rules to keep it alive. It’s a Jack Marshal, and if it’s marshalling and in base to base contact with the warjack, it gets +2 ARM and can let the warjack take ranged and magic attack hits in its place. Defensive Strike gives it a free attack when someone walks up to it, once per round.
For 3 point, worth it if you’re fielding Bastions. Definitely worth it. Just imagine trying to shift this guy marshalling a Vigilant or Devout behind a full unit Bastions. Not going to be easy!
INITIATE TRISTAN DURANT: As a journeyman warcaster, he has a wide range of applications, but to me this guy’s rules scream “I want an arc node!”
First, he comes with a solid attack spell in Immolation. This POW 12 attack spell only has a range of 8”, but it causes the fire continuous effect on critical hits. Not bad.
However, it gets better. Durant has True Sight, so he ignores concealment, Camouflage, and Stealth. Now let’s think about how many powerful solos have those rules for protection, but wouldn’t like a POW 12 flame spell to the face? A lot, right? He also comes with Fortify to keep his arc node safe with +2 ARM, immunity to knock down, and a few other effects.
Durant lacks any special rules that help with his survivability, so it’s best to keep him back from the front lines. His DEF 14 and ARM 15 are decent, and he can pull off an impressive five attacks with P+S 11 and Blessed if he has to get into melee. But he’s just doesn’t feel like he’s meant for the front lines.
Alternately, instead of an arc node, he can keep a ranged warjack flush with focus and help it wail away at the enemies. Though honestly, any of the journeymen warcasters can do this.
SUMMARY: Privateer Press continues to release new and exciting models for each of its factions, ensuring that whichever army you play, you keep getting new options to bring to the tabletop. All in all, Vengeance is great release for a game that keeps getting better.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Vengeance Review: Khador
IN SHORT: Warmachine Vengeance has arrived. Let’s dig in. As with previous releases, every Warmachine army gets a healthy heaping of awesome, this time with an emphasis on speed with exciting cavalry units and mobile warcasters. It also ushers in an interesting cast of journeymen warcasters. The book is printed in stellar full color with plenty of gorgeous new artwork.
Let’s take a look at the new Khador models.
KOMMANDER ZOKTAVIR, THE BUTCHER UNLEASHED: This guy will wreck your face. First, just in terms of raw hitting power, the Butcher has a MAT 9 P+S 16 Weapon Master axe with Reach. He can cast Flashing Blade to hit every model he’s engaging at the same time, and he has Silence of Death for negating Tough rolls and damage transfers. Absolutely sick!
But it gets worse. His feat lets him refill his focus. Perfect for assassination runs. He also comes with two War Anguses, which are fairly dangerous on their own, but are even more dangerous when they die because that triggers the Butcher’s Vengeance ability (free 3” move and attack in the maintenance phase). They also grant the Butcher Relentless Charge, so he has Pathfinder when he charges in.
But it gets worse! The Butcher also comes with Energizer for up to 3” of additional movement and Impending Doom for drawing enemies within 5” in to be carved up with Flashing Blade. Let’s just recap all those movement shenanigans. SPD 5 base + 3” charge + 2” Reach + 3” Vengeance + 3” Energizer + 5” Impending Doom. That’s 21” of non-linear threat range. Very, very nasty!
The Butcher Unleashed is a pure assassination caster. As pure as they come. His army is nothing but a means to an end, and that end is the Butcher’s axe in the enemy warcaster/warlock’s face.
GROLAR: Here’s an impressive and versatile Khador heavy warjack. First, its piston hammer is P+S 18 and inflicts Ram (knock down plus a 1” push and 1” move follow up). Very nice. It’s auto cannon is POW 12 RNG 8. Nothing too exciting until you see it gets 5 shots! Make the initial attack, spend 2 focus, and fire 4 more shots thanks to Double Strike. That’s a lot of cannon fire!
With Virtuoso and Gunfighter, the Grolar can use its melee and ranged abilities in any combination the situation calls for. It’s also surprisingly mobile. Between +1” for Rams and +2” for Fleet, it can clear a good amount of ground (for a Khador warjack, anyway), all while using both melee and ranged attacks in the same turn.
All this for the fair price of 9 points. Like I said, impressive and versatile.
GREYLORD OUTRIDERS: Greylords on horseback. These guys bring two abilities to the table. First, they can move in, spray down enemies with Frostbite, then move back 5” thanks to being their light cavalry rules. Or they can use Winter’s Wind on a friendly Khador model. Any enemy that ends their activation within 2” of that model becomes stationary. Ouch!
Just think about putting this effect on the Conquest or heavily armored warjacks like the Devastator or any big and tough Khador model for that matter. Since each Outrider can place this on a model, you can in theory have five of these Winter’s Wind areas up, heavily disrupting your opponent’s plans. And disruption is good.
Beyond that, the Outriders also have Snow-Wreathed which gives them permanent concealment, bumping their DEF 13 up to DEF 15 against most shooting. This will help keep them safe while they do their work.
IRON FANG KOVNIK: For 2 points, this guy makes Iron Fangs better. Not too much to say beyond that. He makes them immune to knock down with No Sleeping on the Job [Iron Fangs], and he gives them +2” movement when their shields are up with Shield March. He can also Jack Marshal and is comes equipped with a P+S 12 Weapon Master Reach attack. ARM 15 and Unyielding make him effective ARM 17 when in combat, so he’s not a pushover to get rid of.
A solid support solo for those who use Iron Fangs, though Shield March can apply to any unit that uses the Shield Wall order.
KOVNIK ANDREI MALAKOV: This journeyman warcaster is defined by his Redline spell. With this, a warjack gets +2 SPD and +2 STR, but at the cost of d3 damage at the end of each activation. Just about any Khador warjack can make good use of those bonuses. Perhaps not surprisingly, he goes very well with the new Grolar, being able to keep it flush with Focus while giving it an additional +2 SPD, letting the Grolar charge enemies up to 11” away. For Khador, that’s very fast indeed.
Finally, he comes with Sucker! to keep him safe. Ranged attacks that hit him must be pawned off to a nearby warrior model, so he definitely wants to stick around some infantry. Of course, he can still get nuked with magic attacks. Base ARM 13 and DEF 14 will only do so much, so watch out.
SUMMARY: Privateer Press continues to release new and exciting models for each of its factions, ensuring that whichever army you play, you keep getting new options to bring to the tabletop. All in all, Vengeance is great release for a game that keeps getting better.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Tactics – Cryx: Asphyxious the Hellbringer
Warcasters are the stars of Warmachine, and Cryx has no shortage of powerful and fun-to-play warcasters. Today, I’m taking a look at Asphyxious the Hellbringer.
IN SHORT: Hey, someone spilled Menoth in my Cryx … and I think I like it!
STRENGTHS: Asphyxious the Hellbringer has an amazing suite of support spells that are very unusual for Cryx. It is these spells that truly define his role as a warcaster. Let’s step through them.
First, there’s Carnage. Any Cryx models in Asphyxious’ control area get +2 to melee attack rolls. Ouch! Cryx has no shortage of powerful melee models, and Asphyxious can make any of them hit more often.
Next up, there’s Scything Touch, a returning spell from Iron Lich Asphyxious. This spell grants +2 melee damage to a friendly model or unit. It’s a great spell for enhancing a unit’s damage output. As an added bonus, the targets also gain Critical Corrosion.
Then there’s, Ashen Veil, which grants concealment to a friendly model or unit. It also causes living enemy models within 2” to suffer -2 on their attack rolls. Yikes! A defensive buff? In this army? Cryx has no shortage of models that would love to boost their defenses, and many already have very good DEF stats. This is a truly superb addition to our arsenal.
Now let’s take a look at Mobility. This spell may be battlegroup only, but it’s a solid one. It grants +2 SPD and Pathfinder for the cheap, cheap price of 2 Focus. While its primary use is to get warjacks into position, Asphyxious can enjoy its benefits as well.
And why wouldn’t he like that? With FOCUS 7, ARM 17, 18 hit boxes, and a P+S 16 beat stick, Asphyxious is no slouch up close and personal. Add Blood Boon on his sword, Daimonion, he wants to be in the thick of it. Take out a living model with his sword, and Asphyxious can cast a spell for free (once per activation).
On top of that, Asphyxious comes with two attack spells, Bone Shaker and Hex Blast, the latter of which is great for clearing enemy upkeeps and animi. He also comes with a versatile feat, Rites of Shadow, which can be used both defensively and offensively. Every time an enemy is forced, casts a spell, or spends Focus / Fury, Asphyxious gets a soul token and heals d3 damage. Just bunker down for your opponent’s big swing, then punish them hard the next round.
Oh, and he even has his own pet Skarlock.
Yes, let’s not forget Vociferon. This unique Skarlock comes with Soul Collector and Death Harvest. This means Vociferon can collect soul tokens in his command range and then transfer them to Asphyxious in the Maintenance Phase. Oh, and he’s also an Arc Node. You know, in case the soul gathering thing wasn’t cool enough.
WEAKNESSES: Carnage and Mobility are not upkeeps. Between recasting these two spells (as needed) and upkeeping Ashen Veil and Scything Touch, Asphyxious is going to feel the drain on his Focus reserves. Add in the fact that he’s a nice, juicy medium base target, and suddenly leaving him drained of Focus doesn’t look like such a smart idea.
Blood Boon, Vociferon, and the feat do help with Focus efficiency. However, none of these are without risk. Vociferon has to be far enough forward to collect those souls, leaving him vulnerable to attack. The Rites of Shadow has a similar problem, though not as pronounced. And Blood Boon requires Asphyxious to engage the enemy directly.
Asphyxious also can’t employ a standard Skarlock. While Vociferon is great, he’s trickier to use. Plus, Asphyxious has Scything Touch, a spell that is just begging to be bounced around from unit to unit to unit. Without a normal Skarlock to act as a Spell Slave, shifting a powerful upkeep around is a lot more difficult.
Finally, Asphyxious needs living models for their souls. Without them, he cannot operate at peak efficiency. Though honestly, that’s sort of like saying, Asphyxious is in Cryx.
SYNERGIES: Asphyxious’s support spells can produce a diverse set of benefits for basically any model in the Cryx arsenal, but there are a few combinations that really stand out.
Satyxis Raiders are a great target for Ashen Veil. With base DEF 14, Force Barrier from a Satyxis Raider Sea Witch, and Ashen Veil, they’re at an amazing DEF 18 at range and a potent DEF 16 in close against living models.
Scything Touch can be used with any number of powerful melee units, but Mechanithralls are my favorite. Not only are they dirt cheap, but each has two attacks. A full unit of Mechanithralls can put out 20 attacks. With Scything Touch, that’s a damage output swing of 40 hit boxes. You won’t typically see that much benefit, but the potential is there.
And with two great upkeep spells, who can forget the Withershadow Combine. With them in tow, they can help lighten Asphyxious’ Focus load. As a bonus, they’re a unit, so they’re valid targets for Scything Touch or Ashen Veil, as the situation dictates.
JUST FOR FUN: Asphyxious may not be geared towards supporting warjacks, but that doesn’t mean he should ignore them. Mobility brings extra speed to the already swift warjacks of Cryx, and there are plenty of ways to use this.
The Cankerworm stands out as particularly impressive because, due to Affinity [Asphyxious], it gets a free move if it ends its activation in Asphyxious’ control area. Now who doesn’t like an extra fast armor-piercing warjack, ping-ponging back and forth, eating your opponents wreck markers and taking their weapons? I know I like it!
SUMMARY: Asphyxious the Hellbringer has an amazing range of abilities and can support a wide variety of army compositions. With a truly unique spell list for Cryx, he is one warcaster that will make an excellent addition to any player’s collection.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Cygnar Cosplay: Kara Sloan
Presenting H.P. Holo’s Warmachine Cygnar warcaster cosplay: Captain Kara Sloan!
Yes, this costume was about as much work as it looks. But it was worth it!
H.P. constructed the armor from Wonderflex, a thermoplastic that becomes extremely malleable at oven temperatures, but will hold its shape once cooled. The armor took two months to construct, including a few all-nighters for both of us in order to finish everything for Dragon*Con.
H.P. Holo also received support from one of the Holo-Moms, who contributed her formidable sewing skills to the project. The skirts and belts were her work, and were made pretty much from scratch.
The boiler was constructed using foam board and PVC piping. It’s attached to the back with industrial strength Velcro. In fact, pretty much everything is being held together with industrial strength Velcro. This made getting into and out of the armor easy as long as one person helps out. Bathroom breaks at the Dragon*Con were not a problem, which was a good thing. That armor is hot, and we were both guzzling water to fend off the heat exhaustion.
Spitfire, Kara Sloan’s impressive rifle, was built around a block of wood cut by the Holo-Grandpa. H.P. located the original Kara Sloan concept art, took the drawing for the rifle, and created a pattern for the Holo-Grandpa to follow. The rest is a combination of PVC piping and Wonderflex.
I think H.P. did an absolutely awesome job on her costume. But, that’s not all we have! Oh no! I had a costume too! Presenting Jacob Holo’s Warmachine Cygnar cosplay: Captain Lynch of the Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team!
My contribution to this costume was providing the Cygnar rulebook. H.P. and the Holo-Mom did all the rest. What an awesome job they did! They picked out the material, and then made everything from scratch! It looks awesome, but it doesn’t breathe at all! Heat was a major concern for both of us at the convention, but we managed to spend a whole day in costume. At least 30 people took our picture (mostly because of H.P. :-)), 4 recognized the Kara Sloan character, and 2 even recognized I was playing Lynch! Very impressive!
At Dragon*Con, we even got photographed by one of the Privateer Press studio painters. He knew EXACTLY who we were. 🙂 I wish I had written down his name, but in the chaos of the convention, stuff like that got missed.
I like to think of these costumes are Mark I versions. There are plenty of improvements we can make to them, plenty of details from the original characters we can add. For example, I’m not much of a gun mage without a gun. This was my first time cosplaying and it was H.P.’s first time embarking on such an ambitious project. I think we did really well, but I know we can do better for Dragon*Con next year.
Also, the very first change we’re making to the Kara Sloan armor is to put some fans in it. No, seriously. I’m an electrical engineer, and I am building some fans into that armor! That thing is a sweatbox!
So, what do you think of our Warmachine Cygnar cosplay? Please let us know in the comments below. 🙂
Warmachine Cygnar Cosplay Preview!
Here’s a small preview of H.P. Holo’s Warmachine cosplay: a Cygnar warcaster! Can you guess who she’ll be for Dragon*Con? Leave a comment if you guess it! 🙂
Here’s her armor, made of a heat-activated material called Wonderflex.
This may not look like much now … but just you wait! 🙂
H.P. Holo colored her hair for this cosplay.
Do you know who she’ll be? Leave a comment below and wait for the end of August early September. You’ll find out if you’re right. 🙂
UPDATE 8/30/13: After two all nighters in a row (which were totally worth it to finish her costume :-)), H.P. and I are off to Dragon*Con. Due to the time crunch, we’ll post pictures of our costumes after we return.
Warmachine Convergence of Cyriss Review: Solos & Battle Engine
IN SHORT: The new Convergence of Cyriss rulebook is here, and with it Privateer Press delivers a whole faction of big, mean robots! Oh, yeah!
On a presentation level, Privateer Press continues to set the bar high with a gorgeous full-color spread. Convergence models have a clean robotic look that is both very unique but also feels perfectly at home in the wider Warmachine universe. The rulebook comes fully loaded with 5 warcasters, 11 warjacks (including a Colossal!), 7 units, 1 universal unit attachment, 7 solos, and a battle engine.
Wow! Privateer Press has been busy.
Today, let’s take a look at the Convergence of Cyriss solos and the battle engine.
SOLOS
ACCRETION SERVITORS: Like all servitor solos, the Accretion Servitors come in packs of 3, but this group only costs a single point. For this bargain bin price, they bring Bodge and Strip. They can repair friendly warjacks and damage enemy warjacks, 1 point of damage at a time. They also must be base to base to do this.
A single point of damage may not seem like a big deal, but there are three of them, and their abilities always work, unlike Repair which requires a skill check. Got a point left over? Throw in some Accretion Servitors.
ALGORITHMIC DISPERSION OPTIFEX: This guy costs 1 point and you can take up to 4. He’s sort of like an arc node. When this Optifex is within 6” of a Convergence warjack, not in melee, and inside the warcaster’s control area, that warcaster can channel spells through him.
Some warcasters are going to love this guy, such as Syntherion with his Magnetic Hold debuff spell. Also, like all Optifex models, he comes with Iron Sentinel. Place him base to base with a Convergence warjack and he gets +2 DEF and +2 ARM, which takes him up to a respectable DEF 15 ARM 14.
ATTUNEMENT SERVITORS: For 2 points, here’s another set of 3 servitor solos. The Attunement Servitors come with Lumichem Ampules, a 7” range 4” AOE that does no damage, but reduces the DEF of anything hit by -2. With good speed and a wide AOE, they shouldn’t have much troubling hitting their intended targets. Any army can make use of these guys. Seriously, who doesn’t like hitting more often?
ELIMINATION SERVITORS: Another set of 3 servitors for 2 points. These come with Spike Ejectors, 9” ranged weapons with Puncture. They do an automatic point of damage against anything they hit. With RAT 5, they’re somewhat underwhelming … until you pair them with the Directrix and her Backlash spell against a Warmachine opponent. Then they become absolutely sick!
ENIGMA FOUNDRY: Do you like Convergence infantry? Well, here’s a solo that can bring them back from the dead! Most Convergence infantry are Clockwork Vessels. That means they drop soul tokens. Well, the Enigma Foundry collects Convergence soul tokens in its command range. It can then cash in those souls for more troops, either 1 medium based model or 3 small based models a turn. As a bonus, it comes with Repair [10], just in case a Convergence force needs even more access to Repair.
With a large base, the Enigma Foundry is a tempting target. ARM 18 and 10 hit boxes helps, but I see this guy hanging back, using the full extent of his command range to collect souls, then cautiously approaching the front lines to deploy extra troops.
REFLEX SERVITORS: Here’s one last set of 3 servitors for 2 points. Reflex Servitors are basically 4” AOE mines that explode at POW 7, and they have plenty of rules that help them be extra annoying.
They come with Advanced Deployment to help them get into position. Counter Charge lets them react against enemies that close within 6”. And finally, they can Dig In to take their base DEF 12 up to DEF 16! I can see these being annoying against infantry heavy forces.
STEELSOUL PROTECTOR: ARM 17, 8 hit boxes, and Shield Guard on a 2 point model. Not a bad deal. Need something to not die from shooting? Stick a Steelsoul Protector near it and let it absorb the incoming flak. It even comes with Defensive Strike, letting it poke would be attackers when they come in range. Not exactly flashy, but definitely useful for warcasters and models like the Enigma Foundry.
BATTLE ENGINE
TRANSFINITE EMERGENCE PROJECTOR & PERMUTATION SERVITORS: Wow. What a name. I love it! I think Privateer Press may have had a little too much fun with this one.
So here’s the Convergence Battle Engine, and it’s awesome! It’s basically an artillery piece. Looking at its stat line, we have RAT 4 on a 10” spray attack at POW 10. It also has Auto Fire [2] for two shots. Not exactly impressive stuff, but that’s where the Firing Formulae comes into play.
You see, the TEP&PS probably has the most versatile gun in the whole game. Here’s how it works. After the TEP&PS moves, it deploys three satellite servitors (which can later absorb incoming fire). The positions of the satellites are key. Each servitor can either (a) add an Auto Fire shot (b) add a die to all attack rolls (c) add a die to all damage rolls. And you can do this in any combination you want!
You can conceivably roll 5 dice for attack rolls! Or 5 dice for damage rolls! Or shoot the gun 5 times! Or any combination in between! Seriously, that’s a lot of versatility in an attractive 9 point package.
SUMMARY
Okay, I’ll admit it. I love my Cryx, but man, I’m seriously tempted to branch out and collect some Convergence. These guys are pretty solid. Plus they look fun to paint and fun to play.
The Convergence of Cyriss is an exciting new faction with gorgeous models and solid rules. As more of their models get released and people get used to their new abilities, I look forward to seeing their full might displayed on the tabletop.
Should be exciting!
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Convergence of Cyriss Review: Units
IN SHORT: The new Convergence of Cyriss rulebook is here, and with it Privateer Press delivers a whole faction of big, mean robots! Oh, yeah!
On a presentation level, Privateer Press continues to set the bar high with a gorgeous full-color spread. Convergence models have a clean robotic look that is both very unique but also feels perfectly at home in the wider Warmachine universe. The rulebook comes fully loaded with 5 warcasters, 11 warjacks (including a Colossal!), 7 units, 1 universal unit attachment, 7 solos, and a battle engine.
Wow! Privateer Press has been busy.
Today, let’s take a look at the Convergence of Cyriss units.
LIGHT INFANTRY
CLOCKWORK ANGELS: These mechanical ladies prefer to engage at range, and they have plenty of abilities to help them do that. With SPD 7, Advanced Deployment, and Flight, Clockwork Angels are fast. Reform gives them a 3” move after they’re done attacking, which helps them hold the distance open. They also have Blade Shield, which gives them +2 DEF to ranged reprisals.
Offensively, their primary weapon is the Binomial Beam. It has 10” range and POW 10. Nothing special, but the Clockwork Angels can use Combined Ranged Attack. When all 3 of them (they only come in units of 3) combine, that attack becomes RAT 8 and POW 13. Very nice!
Like most Convergence infantry, they are clockwork vessels. Basically, they’re not living models, but they do generate soul tokens. They also have magical weapons, which is something Convergence doesn’t have a lot of.
All in all, a nice ranged harassing unit at only 3 points.
OBSTRUCTORS: Basic, cheap, dependable Shield Wall unit. They come with Combined Melee attack and a Chain Weapon with Reach, so they can also act as an anti-Shield-Wall unit. Nothing too fancy, but solid nonetheless.
OPTIFEX DIRECTIVE: Coming in units of 3 and costing 2 points, the Optifex Directive brings 3 useful abilities to the table that support Construct models in the army (of which there are plenty). They can add Pathfinder to the model for a turn, make its weapons magical for a turn, or perform a Repair [8] action. All of these actions require them to be right up against their targets, though, so keeping them safe could be tough. However, having so much access to Repair in a Convergence army is worth bringing them by itself.
REDUCTORS: With stat lines similar to the Obstructors, Reductors give up their shields for shotguns! Each of them comes with a 6” spray attack at POW 13. Even better, they have the Clear! rule. Their ranged attacks automatically miss friendly models. Combine this with how spray attacks ignore shooting into melee penalties, and the Reductors are at home shooting into melee to support other Convergence models.
RAT 5 isn’t anything special, but they’re cheap and Convergence has plenty of ways to increase accuracy.
HEAVY INFANTRY
ERADICATORS: If you’re looking for heavy infantry that can mulch high DEF targets, the Eradicators can deliver. Each comes with two P+S 12 attacks with MAT 7 and a 2” Side Step move when they hit. Not bad, but what really makes them scary is their Variable [melee] rule.
You see, Eradicator weapons have two modes. They can either add +2 to attack rolls, boosting their MAT to an incredible 9, or acting as bucklers, boosting their ARM to 17.
With two MAT 9 attacks, there isn’t much they can’t hit, and with the high ARM on the approach, they stand a good chance of reaching their targets.
RECIPROCATORS: Now here’s a Shield Wall! With base ARM 16 and 8 hit boxes, Reciprocators are tough to put down. Put them behind a Shield Wall, and they’re ARM 20. Even better, they can switch between Set Defense and Empowered Attack. Set Defense takes their DEF up to 14 against charge attacks and the like. Empowered Attack boosts their P+S to a beefy 14. They take hits like a champ and dish it out hard. What’s not to like?
PERFORATORS: High ARM models beware. It’s a whole unit of heavy infantry equiped with Armor Piercing javelins. How cool is that? By itself, the Protean Javelin doesn’t look like much. 6” of range and POW 6. Pretty measly, right? Well, for starters, it’s Armor Piercing, so anything not on a small base has its ARM cut in half. After that, the Perforators can either add Snipe for extra range or Empowered Attack for extra damage.
They also come with a P+S 12 melee attack. And thanks to the Assault rule, they can use both weapons on the charge. Nice!
UNIT ATTACHMENT
TRANSVERSE ENUMERATOR: And finally, here is the universal unit attachment. This guy can be attached to any Convergence unit. Any of them. Even the Directrix’s unit!
So what does he bring for 2 points? Well, he’s got Repair [9]. Not a bad start. He brings Tactics: Ranked Attacks so that friendlies can ignore models in the unit when determining line of sight. That’s definitely useful, especially with Shield Wall units. CMD 9 can boost the low CMD 7 of many Cyriss units, letting the units spread out for more tactical options. He even comes with a flame thrower.
But the real gem is Realignment, the Enumerator’s mini-feat. Once per game, models in his unit can reroll failed attack rolls and skill checks. This is what makes the Enumerator very worth taking. He takes any Convergence unit and makes it better.
SUMMARY
Convergence has no shortage of solid infantry and comes stocked with plenty of ways to support them. Honestly, the whole codex looks solid and fun to play.
The Convergence of Cyriss is an exciting new faction with gorgeous models and solid rules. As more of their models get released and people get used to their new abilities, I look forward to seeing their full might displayed on the tabletop.
Should be exciting!
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Warmachine Convergence of Cyriss Review: Warjacks
IN SHORT: The new Convergence of Cyriss rulebook is here, and with it Privateer Press delivers a whole faction of big, mean robots! Oh, yeah!
On a presentation level, Privateer Press continues to set the bar high with a gorgeous full-color spread. Convergence models have a clean robotic look that is both very unique but also feels perfectly at home in the wider Warmachine universe. The rulebook comes fully loaded with 5 warcasters, 11 warjacks (including a Colossal!), 7 units, 1 universal unit attachment, 7 solos, and a battle engine.
Wow! Privateer Press has been busy.
Today, let’s take a look at the Convergence of Cyriss warjacks.
VECTORS: All Convergence warjacks are considered vectors, which brings a few interesting wrinkles with it. First, they take their controlling warcaster’s MAT and RAT stats as their own. Second, they don’t have a cortex, making them immune to abilities that prey on cortexes, such as the Cryx Machine Wraith.
Finally, there’s Focus Induction. When a vector spends a focus point, it can allocate a focus point to another vector within 6” that’s in the same battlegroup. You can literally have the same focus point get used by every vector in the whole battlegroup. Not too bad.
LIGHT WARJACKS
COROLLARY: Meet the Convergence warcaster’s best friend. The Corollary accumulates free focus when near its controlling warcaster, extends said warcaster’s control range, can store up focus for later, and can power up nearby warjacks. And it does it all for 3 points. For a support piece, its 18 hit boxes are nothing to sneeze at either.
So, yeah. Get used to this guy. You’ll be seeing a lot of him.
DIFFUSER: Here’s a 3-point light warjack that I can see fitting in a lot of lists. Its main call to fame is the Homing Ripspike. Hit an enemy model with this and friend models can charge it for free. They also get +2” on the charge, so it helps both warjacks and infantry out.
Now, that’s great, but the Diffuser has to hit its target first, and some of the Convergence warcasters have really low RAT. So, should they leave the Diffuser at home? Well … not necessarily. You see, the Homing Ripspike has Luck. It rerolls misses.
With boosted range attacks from Focus Induction and rerolls from Luck, a bad RAT score means a lot less than you might think. The Diffuser is an excellent supporting light warjack.
GALVANIZER: For 3 points, you get a decent POW melee attack and the ability to Repair with a solid skill check of 9. The Repair skill is pretty awesome in Convergence, especially since some of their warcasters are Repairable, and the Galvanizer can attempt a repair even if it’s on its last hit box. Nice!
MITIGATOR: Here’s a 4-point warjack with a quirky gun called the Razor Bola. It’s an AOE 3 with Puncture and Quake. Anything hit automatically takes a point of damage. Not bad for clearing infantry behind a shield wall. And if the target is directly hit, everyone hit is knocked down. Pretty cool, huh?
The catch? The Razor Bola’s range is only 7”.
HEAVY WARJACKS
ASSIMILATOR: Packing the ridiculously named Dissevering Microswarm, the Assimilator means business. This gun can perform the Ground Pounder special attack. Place its 4” AOE anywhere completely within its 11” range and make one ranged attack roll (oh, and boost this roll while you’re at it, just to be safe). This attack ignores concealment, elevation, Stealth, doesn’t scatter, and doesn’t need LOS. Whew! That’s quite a list! Anything hit suffers a POW 12 damage roll.
With the ability to ignore so many special rules, the Assimilator will find a welcoming home in many lists. It even comes with a solid melee attack. It’s only P+S 14, but it has Weapon Master to compensate.
CIPHER: Versatility is the Cipher’s middle name. Its Servipod Mortar is a two-shot 4” AOE with three useful modes. It can perform POW 6 blast damage, can create craters of rough terrain, or inflict enemies with -2 DEF. And when it’s done shelling the enemy, it can close in with its two P+S 18 Piston Spikes. It’s also built solid with Steady, ARM 19, and 32 hit boxes: traits it shares with the Inverter and the Monitor.
With so much flexibility built into a single model, I can easily see the Cipher becoming Convergence’s go-to heavy warjack. Even with low RAT from some warcasters, its multiple, flexible AOE blasts can still get the job done.
CONSERVATOR: This heavy warjack wants to get in close and personal, and goes great with supporting infantry. Not only can it protect vulnerable models by taking ranged hits with Shield Guard, it also benefits from infantry casualties with Hand of Vengeance. If a Convergence warrior model falls within 5” of the Conservator, it gets +2 attack and damage rolls for that round. This can take it as high as MAT 9 with Axiom or even MAT 10 with the Directrix on feat turn.
The Assimilator/Conservator/Modulator chassis is somewhat squishy with only ARM 18 and 28 hit boxes, so the Conservator comes with two bucklers to lift its ARM to a very respectable 20 and Pathfinder to help it get to grips with the enemy.
INVERTER: With only SPD 4, the Inverter is going to take its time getting to the enemy, but when it does, watch out! Its Macropummeler is P+S 20 and inflicts knockdown! Yes, you read that right. P+S 20 on an 8-point warjack.
To balance this absurd power, the Macropummeler can only be used once a round, so the Inverter must rely on its Meteor Hammer for all other attacks. In this case, a still impressive P+S 17 Chain Weapon with Reach.
The Inverter, ladies and gentlemen. Slow, but really hard hitting.
MODULATOR: This heavy warjack is dirt cheap at 6 points and has some interesting anti-infantry abilities. It comes with two Emitter Surges, POW 10 guns with 11” range. Whenever they hit a target, draw a line between the target’s center and the Modulator’s center. Anything in that line gets an automatic POW 10 electrical zap.
Defensively, it has Plasma Nimbus. Any infantry that engage it has to contend with more automatic POW 10 electrical zaps whenever they land a melee hit.
If the Modulator can get off a good shot, it can fry a whole mess of infantry. But still, lining up an Emitter Surge shot for maximum effect can be tricky and can leave the Modulator vulnerable to counter attack. Unfortunately, it is poorly equipped to go head-to-head with other heavy warjacks or even heavy infantry.
MONITOR: This heavy warjack feels like a sniper to me. Its gun, the Ellipsaw Flinger (I love these names!), has 13” range and POW 13. Pretty good for a Convergence warjack. But better yet is True Sight! It ignores concealment, Camouflage, and Stealth. Combined with the Ellipsaw Flinger’s Critical Brutal Damage, the Monitor can deliver some impressive pain at range.
And for when things get crowded, it can pound away with its Spring-Spike Fist, which can make Sustained Attacks. So once it hits, it can keep on auto-hitting until it’s out of focus. All in all, a pretty well-balanced warjack. There are a lot of annoying soft targets running around with Stealth, and the Monitor can make short work of them.
COLOSSAL
PRIME AXIOM: And now here’s the big boy! So what is there to say about the Convergence’s colossal? Well, for starters, it’s one fine colossal!
Let’s start with the fundamentals. SPD 5, ARM 20, and 58 hit boxes. Solid. It gets two P+S 20 melee attacks with Open Fist and Sustained Attack. Now, Sustained Attack on something that hard hitting is really nice. Also, it’s a vector, naturally, so it benefits from Focus Induction and will take on the MAT and RAT of its warcaster, for better or for worse.
For guns, it has a really nice spread. Its Accelespiker can fire twice with Auto Fire [3] for a total of 6 shots. Not bad for a range 13” POW 11 gun. But the real stars are the Tow Cables!
These two beauties come with 11” range, Drag, and Puncture! Combined with the Prime Axiom’s SPD 5, it can pull in models up to 16” away and wallop it repeatedly with P+S 20 melee attacks. Ouch!
Oh, and it also spits out a servitor solo every turn. Just in case it wasn’t awesome enough. Never mind that most Convergence warcasters come with plenty of support for this beast.
Syntherion can boost all of its ranged attacks, among plenty of other tricks. The Directrix can give it MAT 8 RAT 8 for a turn. Lucant can give it +2 melee attack and damage (along with everything within 3”), and he can hide effectively behind its huge base.
Even Axis can use it by boosting all of its melee attack rolls. Boosted MAT 7 sweep attacks anyone? Bulldoze on a huge base? His Rat 2 is going to be a liability, but the Axiom can still boost to hit and drag in enemy heavies for a pounding. Heck, even Aurora can use it for some Drag and Refuge shenanigans on feat turn, though she’s better suited for warjacks that can use Apparition and Admonition.
All in all, the Prime Axiom is a great colossal.
SUMMARY
For a faction fresh out of the gate, Convergence has some really impressive warjacks that mesh well with the army as a whole.
The Convergence of Cyriss is an exciting new faction with gorgeous models and solid rules. As more of their models get released and people get used to their new abilities, I look forward to seeing their full might displayed on the tabletop.
Should be exciting!
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