WARMACHINE - and yes, the name is supposed to be all in caps - is a table top miniatures war game made by Privateer Press. Primarily a skirmish-level game, it has anywhere from half a dozen to maybe 40 models in a typical game, though you can certainly go higher if you want to. 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 battlegroup out is a wide array of troops from fire bomb chucking zealots to disciplined riflemen 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. Stat cards come with each model that give a rundown on all of their special rules and how they work. That makes it easy to keep tabs on all your (and your opponent’s) cool tricks mid-battle. Privateer Press also has avoided putting out 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. New books are released annually, and since they have 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. Because of this you don’t wind up with two sides facing off too scared to make a move all game, and that 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. But that's okay, because your foes can do the same right back at you, keeping each battle exciting and fresh. Victory can be, and often is, snatched from the jaws of defeat should the apparent victor leave an opening for the beleaguered underdog.
The focus on the game is also more on mid-battle tactics and a lot less on list-building. Since each model’s abilities are set in stone, list construction is simply a matter of putting the building blocks together. That doesn't mean it's simplistic however, 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 this hobby. There are a lot of pro tips in the various source books. As with any table top miniatures war game, terrain building is part of the hobby.
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. But be careful, 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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