WARMACHINE

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For the Marvel Comics character see War Machine.

A Juggernaut model from the Khador faction

WARMACHINE is a tabletop wargame produced by Privateer Press. The game is played with pewter miniatures manufactured by Privateer Press representing military characters from the Iron Kingdoms D20 Role Playing Game setting. Battles are fought between Warcasters from rival kingdoms, the large steam-powered warjacks that the Warcasters control, and troops consisting of humans and fantasy races. For the companion-game involving the savage factions, see HORDES.

In 2004, WARMACHINE won the Origins Awards for Best Fantasy Miniatures Rules of 2003 and Best Fantasy Miniatures Series of 2003. In 2005 WARMACHINE won Game of the Year at Origins and Gamers Choice for Best Miniatures.

1 The Troops
2 Gameplay
3 Iron Kingdoms Background
- 3.1 The Factions
4 External links

[edit] The Troops

WARMACHINE's most distinctive feature is the inclusion of Warcasters and Warjacks (the War machines from which the game derives its name). Warjacks are 6-ton techno-magical constructs designed for waging war, and running at the speed of a locomotive. They are, in general, powered by a coal-burning steam engine and guided by an arcane supercomputer-like 'brain' called a cortex. Heavily armored and often carrying over-sized weaponry, warjacks fill a role similar to traditional military armor such as tanks and artillery. Many times more durable than normal troops, they pack a harder punch as well. They are also, however, far more costly than troops and Warcasters.

Warcasters are the pivotal characters of the game. Each Warcaster is a wielder of magic that has learned to control Warjacks. Warcasters serve multiple roles. In addition to guiding the Warjack's destructive power, they are army commanders and archmages. Each Warcaster has a special feat that can be used once per battle. These effects range from subtle to explosive and often are enough to change the tide of battle.

In addition to Warcasters and Warjacks, armies can field supporting infantry troops of many varieties that lend versatility and power to the potent Warcaster / Warjack combination. Some are infantry or gunners, while others have more specialized roles, from warjack repairmen to spellcasters. Most of these troops are human, but some are other races.

[edit] Gameplay

A distinctive feature of WARMACHINE is that the overall gameplay is designed to encourage aggression rather than defensive tactics, such as sitting behind fortifications. This is referred to amongst players and the game's developers as the 'Page 5' code of ethics: "Play Like You've Got A Pair". Players take turns in a very specific order. Each turn begins with a Warcaster's maintenance phase. During this phase Warcasters regenerate their magical power called "focus." The next phase is the control phase. During this phase the Warcaster may allocate "focus" and pay the upkeep spells in play. Once this has happened Warcasters allocate "focus" to Warjacks in their battle groups. This allows Warjacks to do special actions like run, attack multiple times, or perform many other varieties of actions. Once this has happened the player can then begin activating each unit/model to move if desired, then shoot or attack. This is known as activation. The turn is over when every unit has been activated. A game round consists of each player taking a turn.

Each model has a corresponding statistic card which details their numeric traits in several categories: Speed, Strength, Melee Attack skill, Ranged Attack skill, Defense, and Armor. Troopers will also have a Command stat, and Warcasters will have a value for Focus.

The basic game mechanic is very simple: roll two six-sided dice (2d6), add one stat, and compare the total to an opposing stat. To see if you hit, you add Attack Skill to a roll and compare it to Defense. To see how much damage you do, you add the attack's power to a roll and compare the total to the target's Armor.

Rolls are also affected by another core mechanic: Focus. Each Warcaster has a pool of Focus points that can be used to pay for spell cost, heal damage, or allocated to warjacks. These replenish at the beginning of the player's turn. Spending a point during an attack or damage roll will "boost" it with an additional die, and warjacks spend Focus points to perform certain actions such as running or performing additional attacks. Good Focus management can often be the difference between winning and losing.

[edit] Iron Kingdoms Background

The Warmachine game is set in the world of Caen, upon the continent of Immoren. Western Immoren, where the game is set, consists of 8 major political powers. They are:

The kingdoms of Cygnar, Ord, Llael, and Khador are the main kingdoms of humans. They were created four hundred years ago by the signing of the Corvis Treaties. They are referred to as the Iron Kingdoms. Cygnar and Khador are currently at war, involving the other two Iron Kingdoms, most notably through Khador's recent annex of almost all of Llael. Ord is decidedly neutral in the war.

Cryx is an archipelago off the coast of Cygnar. It is ruled by the Dragon God Lord Toruk and is a haven for piracy and other evils. Lord Toruk encourages his armies of evil humans to attack the other kingdoms.

The Protectorate of Menoth is technically a part of Cygnar, however currently the Kingdom exerts little power there. This is because, for the most part, the Protectorate is populated by members of the Menite faith that were alienated by Cygnar's primarily Morrowan government. Recently, the Protectorate started mobilizing its police forces and temple guards, combined with secret armies not allowed by Cygnar, to attack Cygnar and declare a Crusade against them.

Ios is the country of the elves. Little is known of it because their borders have been closed for years.

Rhul is the country of the dwarves. It is currently neutral in this war, but it supported the creation of the Iron Kingdoms and has been more friendly towards Cygnar recently.

The various powers listed here are explored in more details in the Iron Kingdoms RPG. In Warmachine, the focus is on the four major factions: Cygnar, Khador, Menoth and Cryx.

[edit] The Factions

Cygnar is the most prosperous and most technologically advanced nation of the Iron Kingdoms. Of all the human factions it could also be considered the most benevolent, although that has begun to change with recent events. Cygnar's ballistic technology is unsurpassed, and the Cygnaran specialty, arcane electrical energy, can fry opposing warjacks' cortices, rendering them far less effective in combat. Prominent Cygnaran warcasters include Lord Commander Coleman Stryker and Major Victoria Haley. Recently, the Thunderhead, an advanced jack powered by electricity, has been developed by Commander Adept Sebastian Nemo.

Khador is the imperialistic, expansionist nation to the north. Their warjacks are slower than most other combatants, but they have the heaviest armor and can deal out massive damage. Khadoran troops, however, are some of the most mobile and best-trained in the game. Khador specializes in freezing enemy troops, making them much easier to hit and destroy. Prominent Khadoran warcasters include Forward Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff and Karchev the Terrible. Khador recently fielded the Behemoth, the largest warjack in general use in the Iron Kingdoms.

The Protectorate of Menoth, formerly part of Cygnar, is a nation of religious zealots. Menite troops are sometimes individually weaker, but their abilities combine to great effect, and they are often designed for hard-hitting suicidal attacks. Menites have a penchant for setting their heretical enemies on fire. Led for the moment by the charismatic Hierarch Garrick Voyle, the Protectorate recently began a holy war against their great enemy, Cygnar. Prominent Menite warcasters include Grand Exemplar Mikael Kreoss and the Harbinger of Menoth. The most powerful Menite warjack, the Avatar of Menoth, is guided by divine power rather than a warcaster.

Cryx is a nation of necromancers who worship Toruk, father of all dragons. They are the masters of dark magic. Their troops, nearly all undead, are numerous, and their warjacks are fast and nimble, though they fall very easily to a solid blow. Cryxian attacks often coat their targets in acid, slowly corroding flesh and metal. Prominent Cryxian warcasters include the Lich Lord Terminus & the Iron Lich Asphyxious. Lord Toruk's legions have finally managed to harness the power of the Deathjack, a fearsome construct commonly thought to be a myth.

Mercenaries run the gamut, possessing many different types of abilities. Each mercenary will fight for two or more of the main factions; in addition, an army can be composed solely of mercenary troops, regardless of whom they will fight for. Whether or not mercenaries truly constitute a faction is a subject of debate among 'Warmachine' players. Recent changes by the publisher have now dictated that mercenaries constitute their own force only when chosen by "contracts" which dictate, by hiring faction, what mercs may be included in a force. For example, the Highborn Covenant draws from mercenary forces available to Cygnar, in its efforts to liberate Llael from Khadoran occupation, while the Four Star Syndicate contract accounts for mercs who are hireable by Cryx or Khador. Ashlynn D'Elyse, Magnus the Traitor and Gorten Grundback are prominent mercenary warcasters.