Setting down the game.

I recently set out to play more war machine, build up to a tournament footing, and attend a couple local events.  I listened to podcasts, read a ton of material, and played a couple starter games to get my toes wet.  My goals were modest and, I thought, obtainable.  Sadly, I’ve concluded that war machine in its current form just isn’t for me.  That is hard to admit—I’ve been playing in one form or another for 15 years now—but I think I’m done.

There are a lot of reasons for this decision.

1.       Let’s start with me.  In the halcyon days of MKI, the game wasn’t exactly blind friendly but it was workable.  Games were small enough and casual enough that my friends could mark my cards—even my tournament opponents were happy to assist.  MKIII is a bigger more technical game than the version I cut my teeth on.  The app is not accessible to those who depend on text to speech.  You can’t buy cards any more—you can print them out yourself but it’s not ideal.  I have to touch models—mine and my opponent’s—to understand the board-state.  With the current focus on precise placement it is borderline cheating if I bump a model—especially if it’s one of my opponent’s.  The game has become so technical that I have to get handy to understand the board state.  That necessity means I am constantly nudging models, terrain, zones, and objectives.  For someone who wants to play in local steamroller events that’s not good.

2.       I’m not happy with my faction.  Khador is in a great place.  I think it is genuinely competitive and has plenty of unexplored depth.  It also doesn’t play like I want it to.  Part of this is the fact that many of the things that used to be uniquely Khador’s have been appropriated by other factions—medium based infantry, the cold North, crazy berserkers…etc.  This isn’t specific to big red but given how much of the faction’s design is based on the things it cannot have, it is frustrating to see other factions doing the things that used to be uniquely part of my shtick—often better than I can.  I freely admit to a bad case of faction envy.  I want the faction to be in a different place especially with the lack of spell channeling and slow low defense jacks.  Someone said recently that the MOW CID was what every CID should be—a measured balanced exploration of the theme.  I agree.  The problem being that some factions get a reasonable approach and some get entirely new toolboxes and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to which is which.  I wanted something out of left field.  Something to take the faction in a hither-to unexplored direction…that…didn’t happen.  It just feels like PP has a different vision of Khador’s faction identity, design space, and viability than I do.  There are a lot of issues from my lowly perspective but the biggest is the fact that Khador’s raw stats (in particular boxes and armor) seem to rank higher in PP’s estimation than in my experience—especially when my jacks’ run range is less than the length of a zone and the base charging threat of other factions’ heavies. 

3.       Themes.  I hate themes.  People say you don’t have to play themes if you don’t want.  In reality steamroller is the only format being played.  The current SR packet requires solos, units, and jacks/beasts to score scenario elements.  In most cases you’re going to have to sacrifice models to contest.  You know what makes that easier? Free units!  Free solos!  The points really aren’t important.  The extra scoring and contesting models are huge though—especially in a faction that values quality over quantity.  Themes force me into an arbitrary game of rock paper scissors.  If I don’t buy in, I’m giving up free scoring elements.  If I do buy in, I’m seriously limiting myself as to model selection—often to minimal benefit just so I can keep scoring parity.

4.       Competitive play.  This is ironic since one of my goals was/is to play competitively.  The more I’ve read, played, and tried to prep for local steamrollers though the more dissatisfied I’ve become.  It started with a podcast discussing a certain elite tournament in which a player made a mistake, a judge was called, and both players got a warning—one for making the mistake and the other for not catching it when it happened.  We’ve become a community so obsessed with perfect play that it is driving the game to absurdly frustrating extremes.  I’ve spent the following months watching technical tournament play dominate the hobby and drive public play in uncomfortable directions.  This covers a gambit of problems but some of the big items are the move to 2D terrain which makes me feel like I’m playing a board game, the decline in the hobby side (painting, conversions…etc.), the focus on the game as less narrative and more about flags and zones, and a rise in an unhealthy MTG-like focus on “getting good.” 

5.       CID.  I love the idea of CID.  I hate the reality.  I love the fact that defined faction elements get a universal overhaul.  I hate the down time between cycles—something on the order of 14 months or more if they keep adding mini factions.  I hate the way the cycle tunes one theme up to 11 while leaving others to suffer in obscurity.  There are just too many parts of too many factions that need fixing—and waiting 14 months or more to have only one of several pain points addressed grinds my gears.  There are single units like assault commandos and sword knights that deserve their own themes.  We’ve waited years already and we’ll be waiting more years at this rate.  Commandos don’t even count for points in their current theme even if they were playable.  It’s…maddening.

6.       The loss of heart.  In the dark days of MKI, PP had a certain style.  It wasn’t just page 5, though that was a part.  They built their legend on all-metal—all-the time.  It was literally full-metal-fantasy.  When hordes was previewed, Matt Wilson got down in the weeds and did the online release in the forums himself.  The early books were magnificent combinations of fiction, art, and marketing.  I still love some of those old stories to this day.  The RPG, the miniatures, the fiction, all melded as a unified artistic gaming endeavor.  Each book was an exploration into a new aspect of a fascinating universe.  Most of that magic is gone for me.  There are no more books really.  Models are produced with no eye to a bigger story.  It isn’t all-metal any more and page 5 is gone.  I don’t feel like the game is tied to a unified story being told at many levels…it’s just a company running a tournament miniatures game—one I enjoy but lacking the magic of old.

7.       Production quality.  I used to cut PP as a young miniatures company, some slack.  I cannot do it anymore.  I’ve had to send in for recast parts or mispacked components in a third of my recent purchases.  I’m talking stuff like 2 left halves of a horse or a gun arm that is a plastic blob at one end.  I’ve been doing mini crate and they sent me 2 of the promotional models for signing up for 6 months and completely forgot the actual monthly model.  Sure, they will fix these issues at no cost to me without complaint.  It just feels like they don’t care anymore.  Mini gaming is a labor of money and time.  I feel like they’ve lost focus on the simplest part of being a miniatures company—to produce useable miniatures.

I’m going to sell off my Khador in the next month or 2.  I’ll keep my pigs for the novelty and since I have almost all of the faction.  Who knows, maybe I’ll want to give it another try in a couple years but for now, I’m just done.

Thoughts on Khador and MK III 2 years in

              We’re passing 2 years into Warmachine MKIII—well past the honeymoon period with several CID cycles in the rearview mirror.  So it’s time for my hot takes on the game state, community, faction, and hobby.  Obligatory disclosure, I’m a casual player with less than 50 games under my belt this edition.  Please do not take my opinions too seriously.

 

The game:

              I got into warmahordes back in the early days of MKI—back when there were only 4 casters per faction and the model range was in its infancy.  This edition is functionally an entirely new product.  MKIII is a better rule set in every particular.  Privateer press has obviously put a lot of thought into making jacks and beasts integral list elements again.  While I do not appreciate all their design choices, they have done a ton of work to insure a clean flavorful experience at the model VS. Model level.

              After that point, the experience degrades for me.  PP’s continued insistence on basing its game on a straight 75-point SR tournament pack—it’s the only model discussed or tested these days—restricts the scope of play.  Company of iron and colossal wrestling do not represent serious alternatives in my experience.  Company of iron may come into its own—it is a very new product and will benefit from more publicity and manufacturer support—but for most of us steamroller is the game entire.  If you are a serious player desiring meaningful competitive play that’s fine.  If however, you’re like me, it’s difficult to choke down the steamroller experience even after a couple journeyman cycles.  SR is a huge animal with 2 static formats, an ever-changing model set, and a high skill requirement.  As a result, Warmachine has become more about objectives, flags, and zones and less about the narrative three dimensional skirmish interactions that drew me to the property.

              To be fair to Privateer Press, I want a game that has a low bar to entry that is played at many point-totals.  I like the way PP unapologetically sets the bar; I just wish there was more diversity in accepted points levels and formats.  Themes fall into the same hell mouth—they are the way PP wants the game played—not the agent I want driving my list construction.  We just have different visions for the desired end state.

 

The community:

              I have this temptation to think of the community as a monolith heralded by the vocal contributors on lormahordes, chain attack, fully boosted, battle driven, combo smite, dark guidance, dominate for two, and all the other random places I go for my PP fix.  In practice, I suspect they represent a small percentage of players worldwide.  So, when I say “community” I’m talking about all the casual people catching a game here and there not just the globetrotting tournament goers.  I have not seen a demo day, tournament, or PP open gaming event since March 2017—and I live near 3 game stores that used to have regular MKII events.  The edition swap was always going to drive some attrition.  Stores come and go.  People move on—these things happen.  Even so, I hear a lot of people suffering from the same malady.

I used to blame the end of the official PP forums and the press ganger program for this “decline.”  Upon reflection, I was wrong.  Those programs did not drive the hobby—they just provided a convenient forum for hobby development and community interaction.  I used to be the guy running demo games as people walked into the LGS.  I used to be the guy helping run small events—I just don’t have the time or resources to do that anymore.  MKIII’s launch killed warmachine in my area but the local community’s inability to reconstitute around a flagship store, organizer, or forum is what has kept it in the ground.  I feel honestly bad about that.  I want to help—I just do not have that much hobby time.  Organizing events and running demos is work—rewarding work—but still work.  I’m talking to a local game store about doing a twice monthly warmachine day.  There have to be other players like me out there.  Maybe an open game day will be enough to start the ball rolling again.  It makes me worry about the game’s future.  Where is PP’s outreach?  What about all the people not in a thriving meta?  These things trouble me.

 

The Faction:

              Khador is in a weird place.  There was a time when a Khador list was Sorscha and some destroyers killing your caster by turn 2.  Then it was butcher 1 with 2 MOW kovniks and 3 devastators.  Khador’s shtick has always been quality of stats be it armor, boxes, or elite infantry.  If you listen to people discussing armored korps, you’d think Khador was back in its hay day—unbreakable elite models requiring an unusual effort to repel.  The days of berserker spam and defense 19 assassins must have scarred the community.  The thing is, Khador is not that faction any more.  Gone are the days of armor 25 devastators.  Heck, those dirty Swans have a reach jack with armor 21 that can’t be charged most of the time and SPD 5.  I think people remember all the good parts of big red and forget how much less unique we are now and how much we’ve lost in translation.

It feels like people focus on the armor 20 34 box aspect and completely ignore the defense 10, SPD 4, RAT 4, no light, no arcnode part.  No other faction is defined as much by the game elements it lacks than Khador.  Every other faction breaks the rules in some meaningful way—whether through theme, model design, or caster impact.  Khador just tries to out-fundamental its opponents.  In a world where Other factions have access to themes providing mass carapace, RFP, and free battlegroup models I feel just a little homely in comparison.

              On the other side of the coin, I have never had this much jank to build lists with before.  My demolition korps are fixed and the rest of my MOW are playable again.  Old Witch II (if I ever find someone to build and paint her) is mind blowingly amazing.  Victor is everything I wanted him to be at a price I can afford.  Khador is…in a weird place.

 

The Hobby:

              Warmachine is a top-tier wargame with a constantly changing meta and a responsive community.  It used to be a small skirmish game with a low entry threshold.  Now, the larger relative points values and the massively evolved product line make it a more daunting challenge.  I feel as the game has improved—and it has whatever my reservations—it has also become a little more insular—a little more elite—a little harder to start.  The fluffy narrative books of my youth are gone in favor of a more competitively focused experience—one where the glorious art and writing of old has given way to a clunky app and articles in NQ Prime.  The game is different now and I don’t know what to think of that.

Safe Spaces

              I used to be an optimist; then I found out how the world actually works.  I still have faith in my fellow Americans—generally—but recent events have called into question the practicality of that view.

 

              A couple years ago I was presenting to a group in a state facility.  Half way through my spiel, the building went into an active shooter drill.  We squished into a closet, closed the door, and waited for the all-clear.  Based on the jokes made at the time, I think I was the only person upset with our defenseless tactics.  The door was not locked.  We were just hoping that the dice didn’t come up snake eyes.  I found out later that the only person in the building with a gun was the head of security and he was required to keep it locked in his office.

              Later that year I was called into jury duty.  I got there already having stripped my pockets of pepper spray, pocket knife, bottle opener, and anything I thought could be even mildly objectionable.  I passed through the metal detector and earned a wand check because I always forget my cane is a no-no.  The lone security guard checked me in and whisked me off for processing for my civic duty.  There was nothing stopping someone from walking in—no security barrier—just a single rent-a-cop.

              A couple years later I had to request a replacement social security card.  I entered the Federal building and found my way to the appropriate floor.  Upon entering the waiting area, I was greeted by a Federal police officer.  She was kind enough to walk me to registration.  In doing so she made me walk on her left side (not my normal practice) so her gun hand was free.  I could feel the contours of the body armor vest under the shoulder she graciously offered as we walked to my seat.  I remember thinking that here at least was someone taking security seriously.  Of course, I had to strip down all my normal less lethal gear before that trip and the guard was in the office not at the building entrance.

              A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of touring my employer’s Federal counterpart in DC.  By this time, I was used to the normal restrictions—so I divested myself of my usual panoply the previous evening.  As I went through the metal detector, the guard made me go through my pockets again.  They saw my key-bar which looks like a pocket knife.  After I explained that I was carrying an innovative keyring and not a potentially deadly universal multitool, I was cleared, badged, identified, and eventually given the run of the building.  Especially given the recent shootings, I was not encouraged.  What happened if someone chose not to go through the metal detector and went on a rampage?  That was exactly what happened in the DC Navy Yard shooting—and the poor security greeter was the first targeted.

              I am committed to the right to keep and bare arms as well as the essential right to self-defense.  Nobody should be forced to take up the tools of protection if they do not wish but I feel strongly that those who do not wish to do so should not render the rest of us defenseless either.  Consider that National police and emergency response times vary from ten minutes to an hour or more depending on region and volume.  For example, yesterday my county ran out of ambulances due to the number of snow-related accidents.  Consider also that most of the recent active shooter events have played out in less than the amount of time it takes police to respond in the first place.  In the case of the Florida school shooting there was an armed school resource officer on premises as well as several nearby sheriff’s deputies.  They stood back and waited while the shooter went about is grizzly business.  In the pulse nightclub shooting, the police waited hours to confront the shooter while many victims died from their wounds.  Yesterday a Maryland student took a gun to school and shot two classmates before being shot by a proactive school resource officer.  Sometimes emergency response is a hard counter to those up to no-good and sometimes not.

              In wrestling with this issue, I am reminded of Tommy by Rudyard Kipling:

 

“I went into a public-‘ouse to get a pint o’beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
…
O makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken sodgers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.”

 

Kipling’s rhyme is pertinent despite its age.  Soldiers returning from Vietnam, Korea, and world war II felt the lash of public opinion despite standing in harm’s way at their country’s behest.  I do not pretend to such exalted company.  I do feel society would rather denigrate me for my unwillingness to become a victim than celebrate me for my clean record and moderate track record though.  “He’s one of those gun people—you know, one of those.”

            The end result of all this security theatre is that I have to stand outside my employer’s building in the middle of Baltimore, where there was a shooting a couple months ago, stepping over homeless, across from some abandoned buildings used for drug peddling, with nothing more than a container of pepper spray, strong language, and the hope that the rent-a-cop shows up soon to let me in.  I routinely have to divest myself of basic tools like pen-knives because it makes someone somewhere “feel” better.  I have been followed many times by unstable people from the midsummer mitten wearing profit who followed my wife and me onto a cross-town bus to the guy who tried to lead me by my cane while claiming he could punch me in the face.  My very obvious disability seems to draw crazy people like a moth—and this is run of the mill every-day crazy.  I do not have the luxury of door-to-door personal car service.  I spend more time in the company of strangers—in the wild—than any of my friends.  So, I have the double whammy of being a self-defense minded person and a PWD who society views as incapable of self-advocacy much less self-protection.

            I’m not going to argue for guns in schools or constitutional carry.  I’m not going to claim to have all the answers or even the best answers.  I have said and will continue to say disarming law abiding freedom loving people like me helps nobody.  I am rendered even more of a victim than the general public.  If we are really and truly going to discuss how to make our schools, our places of business, and the halls of government safer, we need to start by saying that good gun owners and self-defense advocates are not the problem.  Guns protect people every day, from the students who were not shot yesterday because an armed resource officer stepped in, to the thousands of crimes that are prevented each year by responsible armed citizens.  The state will not protect me while I wait outside its building.  It will fire me if I fight back against an active shooter though—I was told so during our employee orientation.  This is the standard our society is setting; that it is better to die an unarmed sheep with no blood on my hands than be given the minimal tools to defend myself.

            Our buildings, our airports, and our most vulnerable are defenseless despite useless inconvenience like the TSA’s repeatedly verified inability to stop real threats.  People who have done nothing can’t even carry a pen knife into a federal building but people like me are the problem—or so I have been told lately—often—forcefully.

            I mention this because readit, YouTube, and Facebook are in process of culling legal firearm related material.  These are private companies who have every right to sensor their content as they see fit.  These private companies are also where a lot of “free speech” takes place.  If we want an honest discussion of gun ownership, where is it supposed to take place if not on YouTube, reedit, or Facebook?  How can I make people aware of my particular concerns without those platforms?  YouTube is banning videos containing even images of legal magazines capable of holding more than 30 rounds or legally owned accessories like suppressors and bump-fire stocks.  What happens next?  Do we ban images of political views we do not agree with—oh wait, that’s already happening.  An honest discussion takes place when there is a forum for those with whom we most disagree.  Moderate candidates succeed when all views can be heard—not when uncomfortable discussion is prohibited.  I am safer when society has to consider the full implication of its decisions.  Please consider writing to your social media vendor of choice and politely request a more open policy—for my sake—and for the sake of honest conversations everywhere.  Today it is guns.  Tomorrow the “publican” may decide not to serve “your” kind.

Into The Dojo

Now that I have 1 teeny tiny game under my belt, it’s time to jump back into the dojo.  I have a couple choices to make.

 

              Based on last week’s partial game, I’m going to mostly follow the internet’s advice and switch up my perspective 75-point list:

 

Armored Korps or steam cold killers:

·        Sorscha (S1 +29)

·       Marauder (-11)

·       Beast-09 (-18)

·       Man-o-War Bombardiers (Full -16)

·       Bombardier officer (Free)

·       Man-o-War Demolition Corps (Full -14)

·       Sergeant Dragos Dragadovich (-6)

·       Koldun Kapitan Valachev (-4)

·       Lady Aiyana and Master Holt (-8)

·       Greylord Forge Seer (-4)

·       Grolar (-18)

·       Man-o-War Kovnik (Free)

·       Gorman Di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist (-4) or

·       Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor (-5) or

·       Saxon Orrik (-4)

 

This is a balanced force with some interesting threat vectors and buff targets.  I do not know which of the 3 mercenary solos works best.  Gorman (I own the recent mini crate edition) can shut down a battle engine with blind, rust a construct, and hold flags tolerably well.  Orin covers antimagic and blows through units using chain lightning (particularly good on feat turn.)  Saxon gives pathfinder, an ok gun, and contests well with tough and stealth.  Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

As to a pairing, I’ve been wandering around with a variety of options.  I’ve mostly settled on Old Witch II in jaws of the wolf.  I looked at butcher 1 with a jack gunline but it lacks defenses and would probably get shot off the board.  Here is my tentative dojo list:

 

Jaws of the wolf or no shoot for you:

·       Old Witch II (+27)

·       Decimator (-15)

·       Decimator (-15)

·       Juggernaut (-13)

·       Victor (-34)

·       Kayazy Eliminators (-5)

·       Kayazy Eliminators (-5)

·       Widowmaker Scouts (-8)

·       Manhunter (Free)

·       Widowmaker Marksman (Free)

·       Yuri the axe (Free)

·       Alexia, Mistress of the Witchfire (-7)

 

Decimators can push heavies out of zones and get surprisingly mobile by following up on beat back.  Alexia’s ability to deliver RFP and create solos in some matches can win games, assuming OW can protect her.  On feat turn OW turns the decimators up to 9 or 10 with rerolls on all those shots.  I am fond of the fact that if OW is standing in front of victor she gets to pick deviation direction for his shots—which can be a huge problem for some bricks.  Regardless, I have a lot of collecting to do before any of this hits the table.

 

First steps

Last week I got together with a friend to play a small game.  We are both out of practice looking to put in whatever gaming we can manage.  Jayson forgot his models so I made him a 25-point list on the fly.

 

My List:

·       Kommander Sorscha (+29)

·       Juggernaut (-12)

·       Marauder (-11)

·       Marauder (-11)

·       Man-o-War Demolition Corps (Full -15)

·       Man-o-War Kovnik (-5)

 

Jayson’s list:

·       Orsus Zoktavir, the butcher of Khardov (+28)

·       Decimator (-16)

·       Decimator (-16)

·       Juggernaut (-12)

·       Widowmaker Scouts (-8)

·       Yuri the axe (Free)

 

This was not a hardcore game.  It was a game for out of practice fans needing to get our toes wet.  We dumbed the scenario and terrain down.  Jayson wanted some time playing games with adults.  I wanted to test out some concerns regarding Sorscha and demolition Korps.  We used my winter themed 4x4 play mat with a tree in the dead center marking the only scoring zone.  The left side had a bunker situated between 2 straggling forests.  The right hand side featured a couple of ruins.  We knew the center would become a grind-fest—the objective was just to get our brains used to playing on a board with real minis again.

 

1.       Jayson won the roll and chose to go first.  He broke his list into 3 groups with Yuri and a decimator on the left, Butcher and the juggernaut in the middle, and the widowmakers with the second decimator on the right.  I decided to throw everything at the objective.  I placed the demolition korps slightly to the right with the jacks continuing my red wall to the left.  The Kovnik stood in the middle of the 2 groups with Sorscha behind her jacks.  I am so used to thinking of her as a super solo that I almost placed her with the jacks outside her control range but fixed my error at the last minute.

2.       Turn 1, everybody ran forward on both sides except the Kovnik, who put desperate pace on the MOW.  Side note, I hate, hate, hate, the fact that it takes his action for this benefit.

3.       Turn 2, Jayson moved up with his jacks.  The decimators blew the arms off my juggernaut, pushed a marauder back, and killed a MOW.  His juggernaut ran to the objective. Widowmakers fired away doing a couple points of damage to the 4 remaining demolition korps.  Butcher cast iron flesh on himself.  I reviewed the situation and found that butcher on armor 20 is near unkillable for sorscha.  I would have put a dent in the big guy but not enough to kill him.  So Sorscha moved up and feated on his entire army except for Yuri and a couple widowmakers.  She dropped a scout with a hand cannon shot and hit butcher with tempest, knocking him down, finishing by moving back enough that when butcher shook the affects she would be out of charge range.  The Kovnik walked forward putting desperate pace on the MOW—again.  The MOW charged the objective (1 had to run lacking LOS) and did 23 damage to the contesting juggernaut.  My remaining jacks ran forward, trying to get a line on the enemy for next turn.

4.       Turn 3, Jayson had butcher shake all affects, dropped his feat, and charged to kill a second man-o-war.  Two widowmakers brutally gunned down the kovnik on raw dice.  His armless juggernaut head-butted one of the demolition korps, leaving it knocked down but alive.  A decimator finished off the juggernaut with a couple dozer shots.  The other dozer took shots on Sorscha and missed (defense 18 for the win.)  On my turn, the demo korps finished off the juggernaut.  Sorscha cast boundless charge on a marauder who slammed one of the decimators 1 inch.  I scored 1-point on the objective and we called the game due to time and work.

 

Takeaways:

1.       Demolition corps are brutal—even more so on the charge.  However, they need desperate pace to get in range.  If they keep shatter after the CID, they are going to completely wreck face.  I am going to love trying them with their command attachment.

2.       Getting out-threated by decimator guns was…not good.  Hocestbellum was right.  I need something that threats more than 8 inches on the charge—which means range.  I was going to skip the bombardiers on account of resolving all that blast damage but now I think they have to come back in.

3.       The Kovnik, while being my least favorite MOW piece, is helpful.  I’ll re-work the main list to include one to give the demolition korps a boost.  After turn II though, I cannot expect him to stick around sadly.

4.       I just need to play games.  It is not even a question of “reps.” When you forget to check if your jacks are in control range at deployment you are really starting at the bottom.  I’m going to test smaller list elements until the MOW CID update goes live and then it’ll be time to lock the list down and get some actual reps started.

 

This was a great experience.  I can play—I just need to get back in the swing of things.  Next up, revising my current test list and dojoing a pairing.

Big plans for big red

One of my goals for this year is to play in at least one tournament or warmachine event.  I used to play in monthly tournaments ranging from magic to 40k to warmachine.  Lately though, what with the demise of my FLGS’s PP league and associated group, I’ve been reduced to vicariously watching others play through the inter-tubes.

 

              It turns out that another local store has occasional PP events—no regular gaming there but I’m going to reach out and see if we can work on that.  I figure at this point I’ve done enough complaining over how PP has chosen to run MKIII.  That’s all well and good in the abstract but at some point, I have to draw steel in the world they have wrought.  That requires me to accomplish a couple goals.

·       I have to get comfortable playing in the SR format.  Most of my games in this edition have been at 50 points or less with narrative campaign scenarios or journeyman league games.  Playing timed games with a full 75-point list means I have to get at least minimally proficient with the upcoming SR rules.  That’s going to take some reps.

·       I have to build 2 lists that I can handle in timed turns that are somewhat competitive.  What with my visual impairment, giant spam lists are a no go.  I need smaller model count lists that use clear strategies so I don’t clock myself.  I’m probably going to be asking my opponent to mark my cards—war room is entirely inaccessible for us blind folk—so I’m going to want to minimize the hassle for them.

·       I’m going to have to pick up a laminator so I can print and create my own cards.  I own plenty of top loaders—I just need to make sure everything is current.

·       I need to figure out what material components I need to bring other than models, cards, dice, dry erase markers, and measuring sticks.

·       I need to find a way to carry and deploy my list(s) quickly.)

·       I need to make sure my lists are fun to play since I’m probably going to lose a lot in the beginning.

 

So, here’s my first list.  I want something that has a chance against Cryx and other random nonsense.  It assumes that the end of the AK CID represents the upcoming game state.

 

Armored Korps

·       Kommander Sorscha +29

·       Marauder (-11)

·       Beast-09 (-18)

·       Man-o-War Demolition Corps (Full -14)

·       Sergeant Dragos Dragadovich (Free)

·       Koldun Kapitan Valachev (-4)

·       Lady Aiyana & Master Holt (-8)

·       Hutchuk, Ogrun Bounty Hunter (-6)

·       Battle Mechaniks (Min -3)

·       Battle Mechaniks (Min -3)

·       Greylord Forge Seer (-4)

·       Grolar (-18)

·       Greylord Forge Seer (-4)

·       Marauder (-11)

 

This list has several ways to deal with incorporeal through A&H applying their buff to the demolition corps or Beast 09 as well as the two marshalled jacks who already have magic weapons.  The demo corps with shatter will wreck things on Sorscha’s feat turn.  The grolar and Hutchuck can set up assassination runs with knockdown.  The mechanics can repair and score as well as providing advanced move to all three of the MOW elements.  Sorscha is a threat all on her own.  It is small enough that I should be able to handle the movement easily.  I even have movement trays for the units.

              I’ll probably throw this out to the larger community once I have a pairing set up.  I need to figure out something to deal with more attrition-based lists.  As always, feedback is welcome.  I keep trying to rearrange the 12 points of Hutchuck and mechanics—mainly the mechanics—to see if I can build something more flexible.