Something I have been dabbling in lately, is Warmachine. I have yet to really get a handle on all of the mechanics, but have bought a nice large Cryx army that sits and taunts me daily about wanting to be painted and played with. The release or the new MK3 ruleset awhile back has made me pause a bit and wait and see what the new changes are going to bring to the game.
Now, being a total new (and probably oblivious) player I am definitely not an authority on the rules, but the new ruleset seems to be geared at rebalancing the game in it’s current state and making the game a bit more inviting to newer players.
Most battleboxes are now going to come with more documentation, as well as a playmat – serving as a better starting point for newer players (both to Warmachine, and tabletop games in general). The new ruleset also promises that every unit in the game has been gone over and rebalanced. This seemed necessary, as (again from my reading, not actual game play) that Collosals really changed the balance and definitely made the skirmish type scope of the game unbalanced. They are also promising to add more flavor to some of the lesser used Warcasters (the leaders of your army).
Another one of the rule changes I found to be interesting was in previous rulesets, “pre-measuring” was not allowed – but if you were creative you could get away with it. In MK3, it is allowed to pre-measure before you move or declare an attack – definitely making it more forgiving to newer players. Some of the other changes I have read about are upping points for Warjacks, and adjusting point values of the solo models. With the release of the new ruleset at the end of June (downloadable for free), Privateer Press is rolling out all the new battleboxes and faction decks to get players up to speed.
The new rules also advance the storyline behind the armies and game by 2 years. Opening up a lot of possibilities for some of the games characters and Warcasters. One thing I really do enjoy about this game is the faction books that they have with all the lore and stories about your faction and units – definitely looking forward to the new ones that are sure to follow. You can check out all that the new rules have to offer at the new website, http://www.allnewwar.com
Look for more on Warmachine here as I get more involved in the game and learn to play. I will also have to showcase my army as I start getting them painted up and ready for battle!
