Thinking Cap: Feralgeist

I've been working on a secret project for the last couple of days so I've been having a tough time coming up with suitable articles.  My secret project has also distracted me from finishing the Prezi Battle Report for my recent battle using Mohsar against Zaal (it's coming!  I promise!) so what am I going to write about today?  Well I've given some thought to my recent article defending the Mountain King and I made a stunning realization the other day.  While I admit I made some errors in my initial report on the Mountain King (he's DEF 9 instead of 10), I did forget about a key solo that could make the Mountain King a bit more frightening.  I want to talk about the lowly Feralgeist.

Editorial: "In a Vacuum" Part 2

Like I mentioned last week, Warmachine/Hordes is a complex game because there are 11 factions, over 100 warcasters/warlocks, and an even wider selection of warjacks, warbeasts, units, and solos.  There are a LOT of moving parts to this game we play and while there are some consistencies like spells between multiple warcasters/warlocks, every faction (let alone warcaster/warlock) has a different playstyle and to look at any one model and say "wow, that's broken" is so silly to say that it borders on bigotry.  To look at something and make assumptions on it based on your initial impressions is a common practice in humanity but it's our responsibility to try to be open-minded and consider more than just our first impressions.  I liked the way my friend put it: "You can't consider the model in a vacuum."  So today I'm going to take a practical approach and briefly look at each Hordes faction and some common models/abilities/spells that need to be considered whenever you're looking at something new and different before you pass judgement.  While this list is no where near comprehensive, I hope it will help people keep an open mind and consider all the possibilities before they decide something is "stupid" or "broken."

Editorial: "In a Vacuum" Part 1

Last night I managed to get a game in against a Skorne player Todd (a great guy!) with my Mohsar list.  I took some pictures and I'll be creating another Prezi battle report for next week.  It takes some time to do properly so I couldn't really get it ready for today, but I will say that I enjoyed playing my Mohsar list, although I clearly need much more practice with it.

Today I want to write about a comment that I friend made on my article, In Defense of the Mountain King.  Warmachine/Hordes is a complex game because there are 11 factions, over 100 warcasters/warlocks, and an even wider selection of warjacks, warbeasts, units, and solos.  There are a LOT of moving parts to this game we play and while there are some consistencies like spells between multiple warcasters/warlocks, every faction (let alone warcaster/warlock) has a different playstyle and to look at any one model and say "wow, that's broken" is so silly to say that it borders on bigotry.  To look at something and make assumptions on it based on your initial impressions is a common practice in humanity but it's our responsibility to try to be open-minded and consider more than just our first impressions.  I liked the way my friend put it: "You can't consider the model in a vacuum."  So today I'm going to take a practical approach and briefly look at each warmachine faction (Hordes will be on Monday) and some common models/abilities/spells that need to be considered whenever you're looking at something new and different before you pass judgement.  While this list is no where near comprehensive, I hope it will help people keep an open mind and consider all the possibilities before they decide something is "stupid" or "broken."

Steamroller Prep: 35 points

There's a 35 point Steamroller this Saturday at Pandemonium in Cambridge, MA.  While I've known about this event for a couple of weeks now, I actually forgot about it until last week when my fiancee reminded me (she's the best!).  We weren't sure if we were going to make it but since she wants to see her best friend in Boston this weekend anyway, I get to play in the tournament!  Hooray!  So today I'm going to look at my two favorite options again to see what I want to bring with me.  I learned some lessons at the NETT and I want to re-evaluate my options.  Naturally, I think I'll bring my Circle to this tournament just because they're my best faction.  I've been trying to give my Cygnar some experience too, but I'm not ready to bring them to a tournament yet.  I might play some games with Cygnar today just for some practice, but I'm 80% sure that I'll bring my Circle.  There are two warlocks that I want to playtest, if possible, before the event on Saturday so hopefully I can get some games in tonight at the Battle Standard.  Who am I considering?

List Building Advice: eCaine 35 points

The Steam-Powered Gamer received a message last night from a fan asking for some advice:

Hey! Love your blog. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about list building - I'm just starting out, going to be playing eCaine, and I like both Alexia models. At 35 points, how would you try to build an eCaine list which also contained one of the versions of Alexia?

(If you don't answer specific questions, I totally understand that, but I figured I'd ask.)

Well, fortunately, I'm willing to answer specific questions!  eCaine is a great warcaster to start out with.  He's fairly simple to use while still maintaining some depth and useful options for a variety of situations.  We'll start by looking at what eCaine has at his disposal (starting with his feat) and then I'll share a list that I created.

List Building: Goats! Er, Satyrs!

Last night I was playing around with some lists, trying to mix things up a bit.  I strive to keep myself fresh with ideas to prevent the game from getting stale and boring.  I commented to a friend last night that one of the things I love about Warmachine/Hordes is that I can totally get by with just two factions (let alone the 4 that I own) because of the variety of builds that can be made within the same faction.  I've played a lot with my Circle but, admittedly, many of my builds are similar and feature the same things.  Last night I decided to play around with some ideas and I came back to an idea I've had for a while: a Satyr list.  Now, I've owned 2 Gnarlhorn Satyr models for some time now and I've just been waiting for a Shadowhorn for what seems like forever, but I finally found one and so I've been tossing around ideas of incorporating him.  I decided to just go all out and build a list with Satyrs, and not a single warpwolf.

Steamroller 2012: 6 months in

Believe it or not, it's been about 6 months since we've had the Steamroller 2012 rules in-hand.  Okay, it's really been more like 7 months, but there were no major events using SR 2012 until the first week of February as everyone was adjusting to the new set of rules, so I figure I can still say it's been 6 months.  So what have we learned in 2012?  How are things different from SR 2011, if anyone can even remember that far back?  There have been some big changes, some of them controversial, but I think that all of them have been for the betterment of the game.  Today I will discuss some of the major changes and speculate on what kinds of changes we could see in SR 2013 based on what I've heard the community saying (no spoilers, though!).  Let's start looking at the 3 biggest changes and how it looks now.

In Defense of the Mountain King

I meant to originally write this article yesterday but instead decided that since my argument included elements that were common to all Gargantuans, I figured I’d address those issues first.  While the comment was made that all of the elements I listed were common to all warbeasts, I do encourage you to read through each breakdown again because they’re slightly different with Gargantuans since Gargantuans are much more difficult to kill.  They take all of the advantages of having warbeasts over warjacks to a slightly higher level.  I brought up these same issues in my article Gargantuan Possibilities before we even knew what the Gargantuan statlines would look like.  I addressed issues of focus, damage boxes, and animi, and why their careful balance was necessary.  I’m pleased with how they’ve been balanced in general (at least for the two that have been spoiled) and I think the Mountain King is much better than people think.  This is a lengthy argument that requires a holistic approach to looking at the entire Troll faction and playstyle and consequently the article is quite long.  If you're passionate about this subject, I hope you'll be willing to read all the way through to the end because you need the entire picture to see why the Mountain King isn't terrible.

In Defense of the Gargantuans

There's been a lot of hate out there for the Mountain King since people picked it up at Lock n' Load.  Sure, I guess compared to the Stormwall at first it seems pretty lackluster.  If we were just to look at the raw stats, the MK has -1 P+S on its attacks, -1 MAT, -1 RAT, and -1 DEF.  It doesn't have the fancy 2 big guns or little dakka guns like the Stormwall, but it does have a SP10 POW 16 shot, which has to count for something, right?  Right? 

Well there's a lot to consider when you're deciding whether or not a Gargantuan is "worth it" compared to a Colossal.  Just like Colossals they can take lots of damage, have high P+S attacks, and can use some fancy new power attacks.  However, unlike Colossals, Gargantuans have much more utility and complexity just due to their nature as warbeasts.  Today I'll defend these massive beasts and perhaps help you consider why I think they're not as bad as others might suggest.  Gargantuans are very different from Colossals in several important ways and you need to understand that warbeasts aren't just heavy-hitters like warjacks - they fuel the warlock's powers entirely.  Here are some rules that are relevant:

The Search for a new Partner

After the NETT I discovered that I was a little disappointed by my pKrueger list.  While it certainly handles Warmachine armies reasonably well, I played against 3 Troll lists over the course of the day and they made me aware of some of its limitations if I have a bad match-up.  So, that means that I need to either tweak the list or come up with another list that I want to run alongside Baldur when I take my Circle to tournaments.  I took some inspiration (as I always do) from the captain of team Danger Apartment.  He's given me some great ideas since I first started playing the game and he's probably the best Circle player that's out there right now, so I watch his games and lists carefully.  Today I'll share my revamped pKrueger list and then some alternatives that I'm considering to try out to see which of the three will compliment Baldur the best.

NETT: Debriefing

Saturday was the New England Team Tournament and while I posted the results for my team (Regular Team) yesterday, I do want to spend some time reflecting on the lessons that my team and I learned from the experience.  Aside from my complaints about the lunch break (which admittedly only really affected me), the tournament was run very well and the two PGs who ran the event were fantastic judges and prompt at answering any questions that arose, as well as keeping everything running quickly and smoothly.  There were some big changes from last year and I figured that it is worth discussing what those changes were and how they were perceived to have affected the event and me, personally.

NETT: Results

This past weekend was the New England Team Tournament and boy was it interesting!  You can find some great pictures of the event and teams on the Privateer Press forums and LostHemisphere.  My Circle made an appearance in the photos of both locations, although my display board was cluttered with my tokens and tools at the time (bad timing!).  That's alright.  Regular Team made a pretty solid appearance this year, although not as strong as last year.  My team decided that since I showed up a little late that they would make me the captain.  It ended up being a good decision, because my 1st and 2nd Lieutenants admitted that they needed a bit more practice and we'll try again at Templecon.  Needless to say, Regular Team did not make it to the final rounds and we didn't really place, although I'm pleased with my own individual performance.  So, today, I'll share with you a brief summary of the day's events and then my closing thoughts at the end.

NETT: Cygnar Debriefing

So this week has been chock-full of playtesting for me with my Cygnar in preparation for the New England Team Tournament.  I posted on Tuesday the lists that I was considering bringing for my Cygnar and I've been practicing games with both lists to see how comfortable I'd feel with either of them.  I haven't played at all with my Circle, and while that might seem like a bad idea in case I take them to the tournament, I actually have a lot of tournament experience with them already and since the lists will be exactly the same, I'm very confident with my performance with them.  No, this week has been about playing with Cygnar to see what kind of damage I can do with them.  Well, today I can share with you my conclusions about my Cygnar.

Challenge Accepted: Making Cassius Work

As most of you already know, I am a contributor over at 3++ is the new black.  For those who do not regularly check the site, it's mostly 40k-focused but Kirby has been expanding their Warmachine/Hordes content (and I help!).  Well, with the recent release of 6th edition, they've been pretty 40k-crazed over there lately and I've personally been too busy to post for a while.  Well, I've finally found some time to put up an article that's been on my mind since I started considering building a list for Cassius the Oathkeeper.  He's often considered the worst among the Circle warlocks and my natural response was:

So I apologize for recycling the post here but I figured that those who don't regularly check 3++ might still be interested in reading my thoughts on making Cassius work.

Tournament Prep: Circle or Cygnar? Part 2

The New England Team Tournament approaches!  My teammates and I have been playtesting, sharpening our skills and refining our lists.  We're feeling pretty confident, representing Legion and Menoth, but I'm still unsure of whether or not I want to bring my recently successful Cygnar or my confident Circle.  Yesterday I shared the two lists that I'm considering for my Cygnar and I anticipate that I'll use either list in equal measure, depending on my opponents of course.  So what lists am I considering using with my Circle?  Well I'm once again considering my two old stand-by warlocks: pBaldur and pKrueger.

Tournament Prep: Circle or Cygnar? Part 1

The New England Team Tournament is coming!  This past weekend I held a gaming weekend at my apartment for my friends where we played games, grilled up some food, and had some fun.  I own two gaming tables and so we were able to get a few games in between the lot of us (although we could have played more).  One of the questions that I've been wrestling with is whether I should bring my Circle or my recently-beloved Cygnar.  The New England Team Tournament will look a little different this year than it did last year, with only two lists at 35 points.  While it means that certain factions will have an easier time participating (Mercenaries, Minions), it does limit the options for certain Hordes factions which can handle the 50 point limit better than most Warmachine armies.  The meta has also shifted with the arrival of Domination, several models from Wrath, and the Stormwall since last year's team tournament.  In other words, this year's team tournament will be completely different.  So which lists would I bring?  Today I'll look at my Cygnar options and tomorrow I'll share what I'm thinking for Circle.

New Poll: How do you react to seeing a Colossal on the table?

Hey everyone, I'm back!  It's been quite the eventful week in "Real Life" and I wish all of it was positive.  I'll have some interesting stuff for you guys this week leading up to the New England Team Tournament this weekend, but first I want put up our new poll for July and take a look at the poll which concluded at the end of June.  I've been seeing lots of hate out there for Colossals (particularly the Stormwall) but I've also seen a lot of people who are unimpressed.  This month the Conquest will be released and with there being enough time for the Stormwall to be seen on tables, I'm curious to hear how you all are dealing with it.  So let me present our new poll:

Steam-Powered Vacation

While I do have the entire summer off (what makes teaching worth it), this week is going to be incredibly busy with friends coming into town and me hosting an epic gaming party this weekend.  As such, Steam-Powered Gamer will be taking a vacation for this week as I won't be able to make up very thoughtful articles.  I will also be trying to keep an open mind for 6th edition 40k this week - although I doubt it will win me back from Warmachine/Hordes.  When we do return next week you can expect some great stuff, though, and I hope to even have a battle report or two from my gaming weekend adventures!  Stay tuned and check back on Monday, July 9th for some great content, and have a fantastic Independence Day!