Showcase: The Woldwrath

I know it's been a long time coming, but I finally got pictures snapped for the Woldwrath!  I'm really excited to use this guy but unfortunately school is getting in the way.  I'll be fine for now, but mark my words - I will want to smite someone with his fists in the near future!  While I've already written about how the Mountain King really isn't as bad as people claim, I haven't written much on my opinion of the Woldwrath (that will be coming soon).  I will let you know that I really like the Woldwrath, but its uses will be far more limited than the much-maligned Mountain King.  Even still, I want to try him out because I think he will be fun, even though he won't see much use below 50 point games (except for eBaldur).  Anyway, without further ado, here's my Woldwrath!

Woldwrath!

 I told you it'd be coming!  It's been a busy week but I finally got the Woldwrath assembled!  It actually didn't take that long to assemble and was probably a bit easier than the Stormwall, but it took a while for me because I've been busy working on wedding stuff with the fiancee, in between planning out Cygnar lists.  At any rate, he's here now!  The only problem is that his right-thumb is missing (it's in my fiancee's car - long story) so I can't begin the priming/painting process yet like I had wanted to.  Oh well, I can still get him primed tonight and maybe get him basecoated in time to show him off at the Battle Standard tomorrow... we'll see.

Surprise! Also Templecon Prep (yes, already)

So a couple of good friends are going to GenCon this weekend (jealous) but guess what they've graciously agreed to do for me?  Getting me a Woldwrath!  That's assuming, of course, that they'll be able to snag one before they sell out, but I'm really really excited to get my hands on this model - especially before the normal release date.  While I won't be able to use him in tournaments, I'll be eager to get him painted up in the style of the rest of my constructs and get him onto the tabletop soon so I can start playtesting him in preparation for Templecon this year.  Oh yeah, it's only 6 months away and I want to see if it's worth taking the giant rock-ape!

Woldwrath preliminary thoughts

The stats for the Woldwrath were spoiled on the forums a few weeks before the No Quarter issue was officially released.  Some individuals had their own copies in advance for some reason, so I've had some time to reflect and collect my thoughts on the highly anticipated Circle Gargantuan.  While some mock the appearance of the Woldwrath (notably it's massive shoulder blades), it's technically the oldest of the gargantuans since we've had pictures of it from the original Iron Kingdoms RPG, before Warmachine even existed!  I'm eager to purchase my own model and I wish I could justify spending the money right now to have a friend pick it up for me from Gencon.  I've already commented on the viability of Gargantuans, in general, and specifically with the Mountain King, so where does that leave the Woldwrath?  It has some of the same challenges which face the Mountain King but it also has some different ones.  Let's take a closer look.

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:

New Poll: Affordable Colossals/Gargantuans

After the whirlwind of this weekend with the spoiling and releasing (albeit only at Lock n' Load) of Colossals and even the Gargantuan Mountain King, I've thought about how expensive these models are.  I'm not talking about the points cost, but the fact that the Stormwall is $135.  While I believe that the models are appropriately priced for their size and the quality of the kits, I still wonder how many will be able to afford these models.

That brings us to the new poll for the month:
Do you plan on buying a Colossal/Gargantuan?
"Yes!  I'll be buying one ASAP!"
"Yes, but I have to budget my funds carefully to afford one."
"No, they are too expensive for my budget." 
"No, I'm not interested."
"Not until I see the official rules."