Ask the Mormon

[ArcticFox]

No direct experience... I was toying with the idea of getting the Menoth one but I'm not convinced they're really worth the points (or the money) for what they deliver on the table.

[Chozon1]

My fears too, actually. But the idea of fielding one of those...GLORIOUS.

I seek thy battle wisdoms; I realized that I don't have anything really shooty in my army, just a Charger. The stormblades have like...a four inch range for a relatively weak electrical attack. Is this as big of a problem as I think?

[ArcticFox]

Yes it is.

My son plays Cygnar and every time we have a match it comes down to this: Can his shootiness put my Menoth army down before I get across the table and rip his 'jacks and troopers to giblets? (Menoth is almost entirely close combat. I have no guns of any kind in my force.) So far, the answer is overwhelmingly "No."

So he upgraded his shooting ability... Not only with more guns, but with more effective combinations of troops and a warcaster that supported his style better, and was able to win.

Warmachine is all about synergy... Building your army so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It all starts with the warcaster him(her)self. Pick units that compliment the warcaster's abilities, or use tactics that make the most of them. What you have there might be great if you use it right and support it with the right caster, but if you're just relying on random, isolated units alone you will struggle to find victory.

If your collection of models is limited then you can experiment with what you have to find a way to use it effectively. Read the powers and abilities on their stat cards and think about how those abilities might make other units work better.

For example: My warcaster (Epic Kreoss) has a Feat which causes all models within his control area to hit automatically in close combat and get an extra primary attack for one round. That means the best way for me to leverage that power, no matter what models I have on the table, is to try and get ALL of them into close combat at the same time, and keep Kreoss himself close to them so they benefit from the feat. Ideally, I can do this on the same turn they charge, so I'm getting all that combined with the boosted damage roll for charging.

Pretty devastating, huh? And it doesn't really matter all that much what units I have on the table, because what matters is the timing and the way I arrange things. Of course, I could combine that with even more awesome, like models with their own special abilities that make that even easier or more powerful. That's synergy.

[Chozon1]

Interesting...I must do some thinkings. And probably readings. I'm preparing myself to lose my first game badly, even if I get a friendlier player, but I want to do more than provide shiny targets.

I forgot I had a UA of three stormgunners for the stormblades, so those three combined with the Charger may be able to do some distance damage. The Ironclad and the Lancer, as well as the rest of the stormblades, are all pretty much melee. So I may have to try some weird "you can probably tell this is my 1st game" snipe then smash tactic. XD The the feat for the version of Stryker I have is everything in his control area get's 5+ armor for the round, so maybe I can do some damage with charges, and then live through the next turn.

Most importantly, if I hear "epic Kreoss" I know to start crying. >_>

How important is it to own a set of the real templates? The rule book has the ones I can scan and print, and I'd just as soon use those if I could save myself $10.

[ArcticFox]

Using those printed templates is perfectly fine. All that matters is they be the correct size. The people I've played with tend to be very cool about stuff and won't rag on you. When I was playing Infinity at my favorite gaming store I used paper cutout tokens glued to 25mm bases to keep from spending $$$$$$$ buying the plastic ones. Nobody gave me a hard time.

[Chozon1]

Cool. ^_^ I'm hoping to actually go and play a game soon. The store started a league this week, so I don't know whether that will interfere or not. But I'ma at least try.

Ever have a vision of food with Kenny G's "Songbird" playing in the background?

[ArcticFox]

Not really, but I probably will now...

[Chozon1]

It's probably unavoidable. That's the problem with tasty food.

Making flock at home?

[ArcticFox]

You mean for bases?

[Chozon1]

Yep. Guess I could've made that question clearer. XD

DOTA 2 or League of Legends?

[ArcticFox]

For bases I usually use either pre-molded terrain bases or flock I got from the store.

Never played either of those games tho... Been on a Masters of Orion 2 kick lately.

[ArchAngel]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGILOVEMOO2OMGOMGOMGOMG

[ArcticFox]

I'm amazed at how complex and sophisticated it is for being a DOS era game. (I know it came out in '96... but Windows 95 was, after all, just a GUI running on DOS.) Every time I think I've seen all the nooks and crannies I find out there are even more...

[ArchAngel]

I know. As gameplay goes, it holds up so well nearly 20 years later. Not just nostalgia on my part; I have been introducing it to friends now and they totally get on board with it. It's a great balance between mechanics and flavor.

It's still the hallmark Space turn-based strategy that others fail by.

[ArcticFox]

There was a game released in the early '90s called Stars! and a sequel was developed called Stars! Supernova Genesis... which would have played very much like MOO2. They never found a publisher so the game wasn't released, but the similarity between that and MOO2 makes me wonder if it isn't the same game, retitled.