Ask Uncle Von: Double Your Debuffs, Triple Your Fun (via GAME OVER)

The Triple Dip is explained in more detail … with pictures. Enjoy.

Quoth Frank, in commentary on a previous emission: Uncle Von! I’m a newbie Cryx player–could you please explain that triple-dip in more detail? I’m not understanding it and would really like to. Thanks! Quoth Von: absolutely!  Allow me to demonstrate through the magic of pictures. Observe: one Cryxian warcaster, one Skarlock, one Deathripper, one token representing an upkeepable spell, and three targets. The Cryxian warcaster places their upkeepe … Read More

via GAME OVER

WARMACHINE AWESOME

Image by Patrick Hoesly via Flickr

Privateer Press has some awesome stuff coming out in June. Most of it we already knew about, but there are a few little surprises.

WARMACHINE: Wrath MSRP $34.99 Softcover $44.99 Hardcover
As the fury of war shatters the fragile peace following the events of WARMACHINE: Legends, the nations of the Iron Kingdoms prepare to unleash new weapons against their foes. While old grudges bring about new hostilities, a sinister force prepares to cast its shadow across all of Immoren as events unfold that will change the Iron Kingdoms forever!
WARMACHINE: Wrath heralds the next exciting chapter of the WARMACHINE saga. Lead the charge to war with:

• New troops to bring to the fight, including six new warcasters and the debut of the mighty battle engines.
• New narrative fiction, including compelling stories for each WARMACHINE faction.
• A painting and modeling guide to help you ready your forces for battle.
• New Theme Force lists for each new warcaster, which allow you to create armies based on specialized forces found in the WARMACHINE world.

Harness the Power of Wrath and Let None Stand Against You!
Available in softcover (PIP 1045) and hardcover (PIP 1046).

Cygnar Long Gunner Infantry (new packaging, white metal) MSRP $49.99 PIP 31087
Armed with the latest innovations in modern firearms, long gunners make up the majority of the rank-and-file soldiers in Cygnar’s armies. Unleashing withering volleys of rifle fire without having to reload after each shot, the long gunner infantry can tear enemy ranks to pieces with an unceasing hail of lead.

The Long Gunner Infantry unit comes in a box (PIP 31087). A player may field up to two Long Gunner Infantry units for each warcaster in a Cygnar army.

Special Note: PIP 31087 contains the same Mk II stat card as PIP 31018. The models in PIP 31087 are the same models as are in PIP 31010 and PIP 31018 and replace those older PIPs by offering their contents in a complete unit. PIP 31010 and PIP 31018 will no longer be available from Privateer Press beginning June 1st, 2011.

Cygnar Warcaster Constance Blaize, Knight of the Prophet (white metal) MSRP 14.99 PIP 31090
Constance Blaize is a resolute champion of Morrow who leads her Precursor Knights into battle against the unholy terrors that threaten all of mankind. Her greatest foes are the sprawling nightmare empire of Cryx and the vile servants of the dark god Thamar. Empowered by her faith, Blaize fights for her god and her nation with fervor inspired by the holy ascendants she reveres.

The warcaster Constance Blaize, Knight of the Prophet comes in a blister (PIP 31090). A player may field one Constance Blaize, Knight of the Prophet in a Cygnar army.

Protectorate of Menoth Warcaster Thyra, Flame of Sorrow (white metal) MSRP $14.99 PIP 32086
A fanatic assassin able to move between the bounds of life and death, Thyra, Flame of Sorrow is the peerless commander of the Daughters of the Flame. Her twin swords, Grief and Lament, weave a path of razor-edged destruction through the enemy ranks as she leads her sisters into battle. Thyra has become a living weapon of the Menite cause, her body and soul devoted to avenging the injustices carried out by those who oppose the Creator.
The warcaster Thyra, Flame of Sorrow comes in a blister (PIP 32086). A player may field one Thyra, Flame of Sorrow in a Protectorate of Menoth army.

Khador Warcaster Kommander Harkevich, the Iron Wolf (white metal) MSRP $15.99 PIP 33088
Khador’s Iron Wolf has earned a reputation as a peerless master of heavy armor on the battlefield, a war hero beloved by his men and respected even by the enemies of the Motherland. He is famous for his ability to move large numbers of warjacks at an unprecedented pace to arrive where the enemy least expects him. Where Harkevich and his iron army stride, the enemy finds itself hounded, outmaneuvered, cornered, and eventually obliterated by overwhelming firepower.

The warcaster Kommander Harkevich, the Iron Wolf comes in a blister (PIP 33088). A player may field one Kommander Harkevich, the Iron Wolf in a Khador army.

Cryx Wraith Engine Battle Engine (resin and white metal) MSRP $84.99 PIP 34080
The Wraith Engine stalks the battlefields of western Immoren shrouded in the impenetrable shadow of death and pain. Ephemeral and elusive, it can become incorporeal at will or hide its presence in a cloud of ectoplasmic smoke. Like a great, necromechanikal specter, the Wraith Engine appears suddenly among its victims, slashing them to ribbons with its scything talons and drawing their souls into the glowing, green furnace of its innards.

The Wraith Engine battle engine comes in a box (PIP 34080). A player may field up to two Wraith Engines for each warcaster in a Cryx army.

Cryx Warcaster Lord Exhumator Scaverous (white metal) MSRP $36.99 PIP 34094
A specialist in the acquisition of lore from the dead, Lord Exhumator Scaverous is one of the most potent and intelligent servants of the Nightmare Empire. Souls are both ammunition and fuel for Scaverous. Those he slays and casts aside are fortunate compared to any possessed of special lore, whose skulls and souls he preserves for horrific necromantic interrogation.

The warcaster Lord Exhumator Scaverous comes in a blister (PIP 34094). A player may field one Lord Exhumator Scaverous in a Cryx army.

Retribution of Scryah Warcaster Lord Arcanist Ossyan (white metal) MSRP $14.99 PIP 35046
The fundamental laws of reality twist and shatter beneath the will of Ossyan, Lord Arcanist of House Vyre. Time bends with but a gesture from him, and he can alter his perception to see the convergence of fate. Armed with perfect foresight he is a deadly combatant and battlefield general. Ossyan’s myrmidons and soldiers move with the assurance of destiny as he unleashes House Vyre’s sophisticated armaments upon the enemies of the Retribution.

The warcaster Lord Arcanist Ossyan comes in a blister (PIP 35046). A player may field one Lord Arcanist Ossyan in a Retribution of Scyrah army.

Mercenary Alexia, Mistress of the Witchfire Character Solo (white metal) MSRP $TBD PIP 41091
Astride her horrifying skeletal steed, the infamous Alexia Ciannor reaps the souls of her enemies with the hell-forged blade Witchfire. The dark sorceress uses the souls she harvests to raise armies of terrifying thrall warriors from the grave and rides alongside them as she lays about her with her sword, leaving nothing but ashes in her wake.

The Alexia, Mistress of the Witchfire character solo comes in a blister (PIP 41091). A player may field one Alexia, Mistress of the Witchfire in a Mercenary army

 

The Butcher on Ice

The Butcher is a potent symbol of the consequence of treachery against Empress Ayn Vanar. In the protective casing of his modified suit of steam-powered armor shaped from the hull of a warjack, he is a force of destruction, a one-man wrecking crew. Soldiers across western Immoren cannot purge the vision of the axe-wielding giant from their nightmares: a man become a living personification of warfare and bloodshed.

MORE PICTURES: KHADOR vs. CYGNAR

Khador!

Quixotic's Cygnar Army

Khador vs. Cygnar

Quixotic's Storm Lances

FIRST ARMY REPELLED BY RED MENACE

I played a game of WARMACHINE last night with Justin, also known as Khador247. He has this sweet little gaming area in his attic focused on the really nice Khador table that he bought a year ago or so. The table is awesome. It has great terrain features and recreates warfare in a semi-urban setting with tight spots and bottlenecks. I really enjoyed playing on the table.

Conlfict at the Train Depot

Justin won the right to be First Player. He held back waited for the Storm Lances to gallop into the bottleneck before sending in Beast 09 and the Behemoth to smash through the front lines. Although the Storm Lances and Sword Knights fought mightily, it was not enough to destroy Beast 09. The Long Gunners were pinned down, and blasted to bits by the screeching shells from the Behemoth.

Cygnar rides out.

Widowmakers popped up from the frozen ground to pop shots at the Sword Knights, Lancer, and Stormsmiths. Although they broke under the crack of lightning, their bullets rang too true too often on the First Army. Several Cygnarian soldiers lay dead or dying on the ground. Stryker pumped out Earthquake to slow down the Demo Corps, and Ol’ Rowdy did his best to smash his enemies to bits.

Widowmaker ambush!

In the end, the bottleneck got the best of me. Stryker took down two of the Demo Corps but was smashed down by the Behemoth.

Khador chews through the First Army at the bottleneck.

If I had it to do again, I think that I would have put the Long Gunners on the right flank, and tossed Snipe on them. Also, it might have been better to lead with the Sword Lances (who had Arcane Shield on them) but have used Invincibility on the first turn to combat the inevitable Boundless Charge from Beast 09.

See you at Whatever!! for Summer Rampage 09!

KAYA ASSASSINATES IRUSK

I stopped into WHATEVER!! in the DuBois Mall after work the other night and managed to get in a game of WARMACHINE against one of our newest players. He is excited about playing in Summer Rampage and wanted to get in a practice game against me. I was honestly a little grumpy and tired at the time, but I agreed to play the young man because he was just so excited about playing. That kind of energy is what I love to see. As he started getting out his Khador models, he was chattering on and before long I wasn’t tired or grumpy any more … I was re-energized and ready to roll some dice.

That’s what I like about being a Press Ganger for Privateer Press: meeting all the folks who are passionate about the game. I feel that I am a better person for having become a member of the Press Gang. Beyond the banter that goes on in the fourms and on Facebook, I’ve met some really great people that I would never have met without becoming involved in the Gang.

Recently at work a fellow counselor made the comment that I was not a “real man.” Her reasoning mainly stemmed from my involvment in the Press Gang and miniatures. She noted that I was a “grown man” playing with toys. And she went on to verbalize a laundry list of reasons why I missed the mark: I’m fat. I don’t have tattoos. I don’t spend all my time at the bar with the rest of the guys from work. I’m faithful to my wife. And really … the list was amusingly shallow.

I allowed her tirade to sink in, raised an eyebrow, and responded:  Ok, so I guess I’m not a real man in your eyes.  But I have to wonder … what makes you think I CARE what you think?

She was a little stunned, and went for another of her constant smoke breaks. (She has work breaks between her smoking hours.)

But I digress … yeah?

Anyway, I went out to my car and came back with my Army Transport. I unloaded 500 points Circle Orboros models while my opponent set up the table and terrain. We rolled off, and I won. I chose for him to be First Player. A few moments later we were rolling dice and marking cards. He was amping me up with his enthusiasm about the game.  I hadn’t felt like this since I was at TempleCon 2009 playing as a ringer in Eternal War.

Sure, we had some issues to work out: he wasn’t allotting focus correctly, he had been told he could choose to target pieces of terrain rather than models when shooting, and he didn’t understand the difference between advancing and running; but those were easy fixes. We played three turns. He talked smack. I gave it right back. In the end, he got too cocky and let Irusk hang out in the wind a little too close to my pair of Argus. Within a few moments, the Argus were too close for comfort and Kaya was beating him down with Splinter. The assassination run was brutal. I actually thought twice about doing it because he was a newer player. But I did it anyway. I wondered what his reaction would be … and was impressed and surprised.

As he marked the last box off of Irusk’s damage grid, he paused. I expected him to start complaining or argue some minor point in game rules. He looked up, gave me the biggest smile I have seen in a long time, and exclaimed “That was awesome!”

Before long, he was packed up and running off for home with his Grandmother, chattering all the way about how much fun he had with the store’s Press Gang guy.

I had won. But I’m not talking about the game. I won because I remembered why I’m in the Press Gang …

Cuz it’s a hell of a lot of fun!

Win, lose, or draw … it really doesn’t matter. It’s all about having fun, in the end.

I will echo what a fellow Press Ganger, Bobaferret, had to say on her recent blog post here:

And it’s not about being afraid to lose with them because Morrow knows I lose way more games than I win. I’m fine with this as long as you don’t rub my face in it. I’ve never claimed to be a tournament player, I’m not the best player at my LGS. Warmachine and Hordes have always been about fun to me. I’m a Press Ganger because I’m organized, enthusiastic about the game and understand what it takes to build a community.

So get out there peeps! Have some frickin’ fun already.

See you next time. For those of you going to GenCon … travel safely … and have BIG fun!

Keep rollin’ sixes!

BIG RED!

From the Privateer Press website:

Crush the enemies of the Motherland with the awesome Extreme Juggernaut available exclusively from Privateer Press. This massive metal model towers over the standard Juggernaut and makes even the mighty Behemoth question its name. With over 29 individual parts, the Extreme Juggernaut is a hobbyist’s dream, able to be positioned in nearly any pose imaginable! The third in our series of Extreme sculpts—and the first for WARMACHINE—this masterpiece of Motherland engineering will be available only while demand lasts.