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WARMACHINE In A Nutshell

WARMACHINE (yes, it’s supposed to be in all caps) is a table top miniatures war game made by Privateer Press. This is primarly a skirmish-level game. There are usually anywhere from half a dozen to about 40 models in a game, though you may have more if you care to. At the center of the game is the Warcaster, a powerful leader who can empower and manipulate the hulking Warjack steam-punk mecha. The core battlegroup gets help from 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 has also avoided doing one edition after another. Not being forced to buy and re-buy a half-dozen rulebooks every few years makes it an easy game on the wallet. 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

Gameplay itself is very fast-paced and in-your-face, and definitely favors the aggressor. Due to this, the game much more interesting as you don’t wind up with two sides facing off too scared to make a move all game. The sequential unit activation setup of the game also allows you to execute a myriad display of nasty combos to bring ULTIMATE PAIN to your unfortunate foes. It’s okay, because they can do the same to you, keeping each battle fresh and exciting. 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, that leaves list construction to be simply putting the building blocks together. It’s not 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.

WARMACHINE As A Hobby

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. 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. 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.