Why I love Warmachine

[Dr.Ravingburger]

Hello everyone. I recently started Warmachine- I play the Protectorate and the Seaforge Commission at the time of writing. Now, this is not a "ZOMG! I HATE GW" but rather why I plat Warmachine: Great background, great models, easy rules, and a fun, fast-paced game. So, why do you play Warmachine?

[zuke174]

Well, I just started - my second game ever is this Friday - but there are a number of things that are turning me in this direction, and away from GW.

One big thing is smaller forces. I've always liked the small game, because less models = less time to prepare, as well as easier to manage on the tabletop. GW seems to be pushing for the larger and larger games lately, with the release of Apocalypse and the decline of small-scale skirmishes like Kill-Team. Another part of the "small forces" thing is that no squad is over 10 models; requiring a minimum squad size of 15 in some cases I find bothersome to paint.

PP's stuff also seems a lot more new-person-friendly. The faction battlegroup boxes almost include everything you'll need to play for the price of the main rulebook for GW's games alone. That means a new player can get his first army - not unit, but army - for a much lower investment.

Then, there's the flavor of the game world. The blend of science and magic that becomes a warjack is so unique, and it gives the whole game a wonderful feeling. Besides, can your Space Marine Dreadnought throw the enemy commander across the battlefield?

Like you, Dr. Ravingburger, I don't want to bash GW; to have the following they do, they must be doing something right, and I've played 40K for a while now. But, with the direction I see them going, I think I need to try something else, and Warmachine feels like it.

[CBrate]

For me it's the accessibility of the system. Simpler squad-based combat and intuitive rules. make this superior to anything else I've played.
Warhammer trumps this by being the game everyone knows or has played. It's just too difficult for me to find a game of Warmachine.

[Toloran]

Why I am switching to Warmachine while I am taking a break/vacation/sabbatical from 40k:

- Less confusing rules = Less time spent arguing about them (although the 40k assault rules seem more "realistic" to me then the warmachine ones)
- Steam Mecha = awesome.
- Unit rules are more interesting. Just about everything has an "Ooh, spiffy!" ability of somesort.

[Solo]

What I like about WM - smaller "playable" games and more special rules.

1) Each model has useful abilities that can change the course of a battle if used at the right time.

2) you can play a 200pt battle if you want, and it is still a "playable" game. A 40K battle at those points would be purely based on what models you brought, not the tactics you used.

And I love the fact that all warcasters have lots of spells. It never ceases to amaze me that a 2000+ year old Eldar Farseer only knows one spell... what power... what knowledge...

And fury/focus is just awesome.

[Quick]

For me, it's the new-ness of the game that draws me to it, both Warmachine and Hordes.
Warhammer is older than I am, but the Privateer games are still young and are still in development. I like the feel of being able to, even in a small way, contribute to the evolution of a really slick game.

I'm not giving up on WH or 40k, because everyone plays those and any gaming is better than no gaming, but every PP game I play is exciting. Either something funny happens, or someone comes up with a combo that no one's ever seen before.

The most important thing that makes me appreciate the PP games, though, is how it is not list-dependent. If I want to run a lot of Beasts or Jacks, I can. If I want mostly troops, that's OK too. Outside of the hyper-competitive tournament scene, no one is crippled by their list and there isn't any one 'game-over, I-win' list.

[Zygh]

As said, I think the best thing that PP did was make every model worth it (Almost). Unlike 40k i don't look at a model and say "Oh, model X looks cool but Model Y is more effective.".

Its a game where tactics are more important than the models you bring to the table. Definitely a good thing.

[Montford981]

I agree: in WM its actually beneficial to shoot someone from behind. Imagine that!

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