New Warmachine/Hordes Edition - General Rule Spoiler Thoughts

Heads are still spinning from Privateer Press' announcement of a rules revision for Warmachine and Hordes, mine included. After having some time to digest the deluge of information we've received so far (most of it from Primecast #30), I wanted to collect my thoughts about some of the bigger changes and what they may mean for WM/H.

Thoughts after the break.

All New War - A New Edition for Warmachine and Hordes

After months of relatively little news and almost no new product announcements, Privateer Press finally dropped the bomb that people have been speculating about for awhile: Warmachine and Hordes will be getting a new edition this year (announcement site).

Full day one info dump after the break (and damn is it a lot more information than I thought we'd have!)

SmogCon Q&A Tidbits and Rumors

At some point, probably a year or two ago, the Warmachine and Hordes community really embraced social media. Lots of prominent players took to Twitter and Facebook as ways of directly communicating with each other and the rest of the player base.

While that is good-to-great for building a sense of community, it had an effect I never would have foreseen: almost all spoiler talk happens first on Twitter/Facebook, and then we're lucky to catch it on a forum somewhere (usually it's just something like "spoilers on Trevor from Chain Attack's Twitter?") As a social media Luddite, it makes me nostalgic for the good 'ol days of vague forum posts and blog info dumps.

In that spirit, I wanted to collect the set of spoiler-y tidbits and rumors that came out of SmogCon this past weekend, which you can find after the break. If you want to preserve the original means of delivery, only read it 140 characters at a time.

Thoughts on PP's Mini-2016 Keynote

Privateer Press's Primecast podcast was kind enough to offer up a bevvy of spoilers recently, courtesy of Matt Wilson and Jason Soles talking about the next round of 'casters and 'locks, as well some random tidbits for later in the year. 

I put together a quick and dirty synopsis of what was discussed during the podcast here. Now that I've had some time to digest what they talked about, lets kick around some thoughts about what all that info might mean.

Musings start after the break.

PP Mini-Keynote (via Primecast) - New Warcaster and Warlock Teasers

The latest Primecast managed to dump a bunch of spoiler info in the form of a mini-keynote of what we can expect from PP in the coming year. Several teasers about the upcoming crop of 'casters and 'locks, along with what seems to be confirmation that we're getting two new sets of 'casters and 'locks this year.

Check after the break for a quick transcript of what Matt Wilson and Jason Soles revealed.

Hordes: Domination Spoilers

Late last week, spoilers for the rest of the models in Hordes: Devastation started popping up on the web (mostly via Twitter, initially). For reference, this is the best collection of those spoilers I've found:

http://fivefingers.boards.net/post/26095

I've put together collected write ups of spoilers in the past, but I think that may be a thing of the past. Years ago, book spoilers used to come out a week or two in advance of the book, and (most importantly) they were the only way to reference anything in the book before or after it's release.

Nowadays, between War Room, electronic distribution of anthology books, and a general tightening of when spoilers start to sneak out, there isn't much of a gap between when the spoilers come out and when the rules are openly available to everyone. That makes pre-release spoilers much less valuable than they used to be, though they are certainly very fun to experience in the twilight between when they come out and when the full rules are available.

Word on the street is that Hordes: Devastation is supposed to come out on or around October 7th. Once that happens, we should see the full rules uploaded to War Room (give or take any Haley3 level glitches) and of course anyone really interested in the book will be able to buy it digitally. That leaves a *very* small window in which the spoilers are actually useful.  Which in turn makes it that much less worthwhile to type them all up in the long form I usually use.

So, enjoy the text-as-images spoilers! We all should have access to the full rules for these models soon, and whenever that happens (definitely sometime this month, if not this week) I'll be doing my usual full book review. If these spoilers are accurate this is a relatively light book in terms of releases (4 each for the main factions, more for Minions but they're even more odd this time around) so this review should come together pretty quickly.

Harkevich vs. Grim2 - ConVic Test Run

As I slowly continue to get the chance to test out various lists using models from Warmachine: Reckoning, I keep coming back to the idea of Harkevich with two colossals. I've taken Harkevich for a spin with two Victors in the past, and liked it quite a bit.

However, that list has one big problem: it would require buying a second Victor that I would almost certainly never use outside of that list. That is a fairly steep price to pay to drag Harkevich out from the bottom of the barrel (and I'm still not sure how far up the ladder it gets him, but it is a dramatic improvement).

Ever since that game I have been kicking around the idea of trying out Conquest and Victor, instead of two Victors. I already have a Conquest, so if this idea pans out it saves me a lot in both painting time and money. Join me after the break to see how it works out.

Zerkova2 vs. Grim2 - Tough It Out

Thanks to a random bonus gaming session, I recently had the chance to put Zerkova2 on the table. Join me after the break for the battle report and thoughts about Khador's newest warcaster.

Mini-Batrep: Vlad3 vs. Gunnbjorn (Now With 100% More Assault!)

One of the things I've taken for granted about playing Warmachine regularly is the habits I developed in documenting games for possible battle reports. It doesn't do you much good, for instance, to realize at the end of the game that you haven't been doing turn-by-turn shots (which makes typing everything up significantly easier).

All that is a lead in to what will be a sort-of mini-battle report for a recent game I played with Vlad3. This one is going to be lighter in regards to the blow-by-blow recount, but it still affords a good opportunity to think about Vlad3, his list theory, and what to do with all that.

Breakdown after the break.

Down...there.

Ahem.

August 2015 Warmachine and Hordes Errata Thoughts

All of the Warmachine/Hordes (WM/H) world is abuzz with discussion about the most recent errata. And with good reason: this is easily the biggest set of actual rule changes Privateer Press (PP) has made in all of Mk. 2, and it touches some prominent models in significant ways.

If you haven't read the latest errata, the document (with latest version changes highlighted in red) can be found here: WM MKII Rules Errata August 2015.pdf

And if you're interested in the cliff's notes version, check out DarkLegacy's excellent summation post here: August 2015 Errata and You

Join me after the break for thoughts about the changes, how they may affect the game as a whole, and how they affect Khador specifically.

L&L Hordes: Devastation Spoilers

Lock and Load 2015 has been a bounty of spoilers. Not only did we get the full suite of Warmachine: Reckoning models spoiled for us, but we also got some rules for models from the next Hordes release!

Join me after the break for the rules for Epic Saeryn and Rhyas (as a warlock unit), Epic Kromac, and the Croak Raiders.

Lock & Load 2015: Before the Floodgates

Lock and Load 2015 is nigh. Scheduled to officially begin on June 5th, there is also a day of pre-event stuff that goes on for Press Gangers and Privateer Press staff members, so the event sort-of starts tomorrow. Anyone with an eye on going to L&L is either getting ready to go or has already left to get there, and they have a lot to be excited about. By all accounts, L&L is a pretty awesome event to attend.

For those of us stuck on the sidelines, there is still a lot to be excited about: L&L 2015 promises to be a wondrous pinata of information for previously unknown models. Big conventions are almost always a source of some kind of new info (though whether or not there are actual rules to be had varies,) but L&L 2015 is the first time in a long while where so many things have lined up to be revealed at the same time, which makes it especially exciting.

Both sides of the game - Warmachine and Hordes - have things to expect out of L&L 2015:

 - For Warmachine: The pre-release of Warmachine: Reckoning. The book is going to be officially released on June 17, but I've heard it all-but-confirmed that it will be available at L&L this year. At some point, we'll be getting juicy spoilers for all of the unknowns for that book (and there's still quite a bit we don't know concrete information for yet). That is going to be a dizzying amount of information to process - even though each faction is probably only getting 4-5 new entries each, there are still likely 25-30 things in the book - and that should be enough to keep Warmachine players entertained and engaged for awhile.

 - For Hordes: The release of the "Hordes 10th Anniversary Boxed Set". This set is supposed to be similar to the Warmachine 10th Anniversary Boxed Set released last year, which contained Butcher3 on a big 'ol fancy diorama, along with some certificates and other finery. And, of course, the first look at his rules. The Hordes 10th Anniversary Boxed Set is exciting for the same reason that the Warmachine one was: it's a chance to get an early look at a new warlock (from the upcoming Hordes: Devastation expansion).

What makes the Hordes 10th Anniversary Boxed Set particularly exciting is that it is looking more and more likely that it will give us an early peek at several new warlocks. Teaser images and general discussion about the context of the box have revealed that it will be containing three modelsfrom two different factions; that's a helluva lot more exciting than just having one 'caster (a la Butcher3)! Speculation abounds as to what the contents could be - reports have gone back and forth as to how many warlocks will be in the box, with the most recent consensus being "two?" - but there's no denying that there is a ton of excitement built up over the reveal of what's inside. Whatever warlock(s) are revealed, it should give us a very interesting look at what to expect out of Hordes: Devastation.

Related to that is the fact that we'll probably also be seeing rules for a couple of models from that expansion book at L&L. The Gremlin Swarm and Croak Raiders are new models coming in the next Hordes book, and both of those are scheduled to release in July, which means it's likely that they'll be available for early sale at L&L (I've read it "confirmed" in a few places, but I don't know that there's any master list that is a reliable source as to what will be for sale). So that's another set of models that will give us a sneak peak at what to expect for the next Hordes expansion.

Finally, because it is time for them to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Hordes, and because Hordes: Devastation may not be that far off (it's listed as "Fall 2015", and the release event packages are supposedly being made available in August 2015) I wouldn't be surprised to see another (probably short) teaser/stinger trailer to hype up the next set of Hordes releases a bit more. I'm not sure what else there may be to show - the Gargantuans 2.0 trailer actually showed us quite a bit overall - but if PP can add to the hype, I'm sure they will.

Overall, L&L 2015 seems like its going to be a convention that is just lousy with exciting, interesting spoilers on new models. I'll be posting up spoilers as fast as I can find them, and refining them as the days go on and information gets sorted out. There's going to be a lot of information out there (and I expect the bulk of it to come on June 5th, when the event starts in earnest) but I'll keep up with it as best I can.

In the meantime, feel free to join me as a I sit, twitching, awaiting the wonderful moment when information starts to flow out of the con doors.

Sorscha2 vs. Madrak2 - Meat Grinder

After lamenting about how May would probably be light on Warmachine practice games, I managed to almost immediately set up a game. Neat, eh? Join me after the break for the inaugural run of my revised Sorscha2 list.

Butcher3 vs. Grim2 - Ruin's First Outing

Like many other Khador players, I've been itching to proxy Ruin since it's rules were spoiled in NQ #59. It was that drive that pulled me back to Khador after dabbling in Convergence for a bit (terrible timing to try and move away from the reds...) so of course the first game I got was going to use a list with Ruin in it.

Join me after the break as I take Ruin out for it's first proxy game. And, of course, more Butcher3.

Path of Devastation: More from the Spoiler Vault!

More spoilers from the Riven Bonds vault. Two spoilers, point of fact!

and

Join me after the break for a brief analysis of these spoilers.

Path of Devastation: Possible Zerkova2 Spoiler

The Path of Devastation: Riven Bonds Vault has coughed up another spoiler. This one is particularly exciting given recent upcoming 'caster reveals:

Join me after the break for a quick rundown of how and why this could be really fun for all the Khador players out there.

Path of Devastation: Riven Bonds Spoiler Chest Contents

The spoiler chest for the Path of Devastation: Riven Bonds league has been opened and it contains...

...some sort of shenanigans. One would presume that these are rules for the gremlins shown in the sizzle reel at the end of the PP SmogCon Hordes presentation, though I haven't seen confirmation (just making it "very likely").

The one thing I really like about this rule is how it appears to herald the return of creative, interesting rules from PP's dev team, instead of the slight variations/combinations of existing rules design approach of early Mk. 2. If all the new models are going to have rules like this, I welcome them with open arms (while probably also cursing them under my breath).

Apparently this is just the first of several/many spoilers that will be revealed as more games get reported, so keep an eye out for more of those spoilers as they are revealed!

SmogCon - PP Presenation Recap and Thoughts

As hinted at the end of the recent TempleCon keynote presentation, PP gave a presentation at SmogCon that was meant to parallel the...huge announcements (sorry) they made during their previous presentation. This presentation was supposed to be Hordes oriented, and since the last presentation announced a second set of colossals for Warmachine, everyone was expecting this presentation to reveal a second set of gargantuans for Hordes.

Turns out, everyone was right! Watch the reveal here:

Privateer Press SmogCon Presentation

Join me after the break for a quick recap of what was revealed, and my thoughts about what each new gargantuan might have in store, along with some other little tidbits PP snuck in at the end of the presentation.

TempleCon - PP Panel Recap and Thoughts

There are many milestones in the yearly cycle of Warmachine and Hordes. Most of them are marked by big conventions - Lock & Load, GenCon, Warmachine Weekend are some of the most prolific and more come on the scene every year - but some are also marked by time. We're heading out of one of the most difficult periods to be a fan of WM/H: the Winter Doldrums Season.

Join me after the break for a little more musing about Winter Doldrums Season, TempleCon's annual relief of that phenomenon, and a quick recap of the panel's contents.

Sacral Vault Model Sighted!

Courtesy of the same person who tipped me off to Ruin's picture, here's what looks like the production model for the Sacral Vault:

Absolutely awesome model. I'd be terrified of painting and storing one, but that doesn't really take away from it's awe factor.

Study this form well, because I think we'll be seeing plenty of these. The meta may look very different after March.