Damn you!!!

Right, after all this hype about Warmachine i thought "i know, I'll look on the Warmachine website, see what all the fuss is about ect ect"......

10 minutes later I'm slightly hooked, there stuff is awwwesome.

However i do have a question, in case i do get started in it, does their main rulebook have the rules for everything in it? Or are there seperate codices for each army like a different money grabbing company we all know???

Hey Josh i did write a very lengthy reply but the god of all things electrical decided that the internet would throw a wobbly just before i finished

Warmachine and Hordes are 2 sides of the same coin, they can be played versus each other but have different mechanics to power your army. WM is steam punk crossed with World War 1 technology and giant robots while Hordes is swords and sorcery and beasties running wild! Wm is resource management and Hordes is risk managment. (They could have put both systems in one book but they are a company and yes they do want to make money....suprise!)

Both have main rule books which contain the rules to their system (Duh!) and a few models from the main factions. When you buy models they come with the card that contains their rules and damage capacity etc. (warning there are some old mk1 cards still floating about in old stock, the game was rebalanced with mk2 this year)

* I personally like to read an army book but when you are starting i would rather spend my £'s on models.

I would choose an army based on the models/faction you like. Look at battle college and forward commander for advice and pts of models. Games start with battle box (11-13pts), 15, 25, 35 and 50. When starting it is best to aim small, as you like painting you can do your models nice and then even if you dont like the game you have some nice display models.

On the main Privateer Press website you can download quick start rules and the stat cards for the battle boxs both Wm and Hordes. (go to Hordes or Warmachine icon and click on 'the game' side tag)

Be warned that the game was designed for tournament play and the learning curve for both is very steep, you will lose while learning especially against people who have played for a while. Like any table top game though play the right people and you will have fun and learn.

If you see a rule book around read page 5 and you will get a harsh but true introduction to the game!

Some nice models:

Circle Warlock
Menoth Warcaster
Troll Unit
Cygnar Warcaster

Prod one of us nerds for a game if you are at the club.

Cheers for the info, looking into it further i found the army specific books, just wondered how many models where covered by the core rules. Pretty sure I'm gonna do a little Cryx warband, if not just for the models.

As a further question, and one that may seem quite stupid, i dunno, but how many units (as opposed to warjacks) can you get onto the field in smaller games, as in does the game only work when you have plenty of Warjacks and the little guys do next to nothing and are only there to input some cool rules, or can an army of mostly little units be any good....at all??

The main rule book has 3 Warcasters, 5 or so jacks, 4 units and 1 or 2 solos for each of the main 4 factions. These are the models/units that were out when Warmachine/Hordes was first released, they are all well balanced and a good starting point.....but im sure the model you really want as with any game system starter book/pack in any game ever made wont be in there

As i said if you just buy the models you should (fingers crossed) get the card for their rules.

The one model you have to have is a Warcaster, some are well rounded, some sling spells, some run loads of jacks some run mass infantry well. Have a look here: Battle College

Warcasters have free jack points (5-6 usually) so you usually have at least 1 jack!

The rest is up to you. Infantry can easily take down a heavy jack but equally the heavy could just trample through them and kill your Warcaster and in Warmachine that means you lose! A mix of everything wont see you go too far wrong although the longer you play the more you will decide on how you want your play style to be. (Infantry usually just shoot or hack (may be fix and buff) but Jacks do fun things like headbutts, armlocks, slams, tramples and throws. These are difficult to use but are rewarding for experienced players)

Aim for 15 pts, use Army builder

One thing that they did craftily put in the army books were the Themed forces where you get special benefits but you can find these online or peek in an army book PwNz0r (they are as much of an advantage as a hinderance)

Cryx have some wacky stuff