Over 2000 Page Views!

 
Did a quick stat check today and realised that since IK Daily's opening in early June, this blog has generated over 2000 page views in just 16 weeks! After going back through all the efforts into making this blog work, it really made my day! Just wanna say thanks to all that has contributed and a special thanks to those who has commented in the comments section!

Like any other authors, I have writers block from time to time and due to work-related issues, I find it challenging to produce a well written and editted article on time. I have already missed a total of 2 article's self-imposed deadline and it dis-heartened me. Nevertheless, this achievement pumped me to do better next time!

Cheating in Warmachine

Recently, cheating became a much talked about topic in Warhammer 40k after it showed its ugly face in some high profile matches. Cheating isn’t as rampant as it seems in that game system, but it does occasionally surface once in a while. Likewise, the same goes for Warmachine. Noone likes to play against a cheater.

So, how exactly do people cheat in Warmachine/Hordes? Due to a tight rule-set and the recognition of pre-measuring (i.e. measuring control area), surely there cannot be many ways to cheat? This article is not meant to teach players how to cheat, but it explores how players cheat in Warmachine/Hordes. The article hopefully guides us so we can catch people in the act in the future. After reading this article, it is very tempting to nit-pick and educate players who think what they are doing is right, are wrong. If you insist, then I suggest doing it in a subtle manner. The last thing you want is to be seen as a ++<censored by Menoth>++.

After some scouring over the interwebs, I managed to compile some of the most commonly known acts of cheating.

Tape Measure

Perhaps the most common form of cheating involves a tool we cannot live without: the tape measure. Although a certain form of pre-measuring is allowed in warmachine (i.e. measuring control area), the tape measure is still very abusable.

1)    Movement is measured from the base's edge, but when placed in its final location, the model is "centered". The model gained some inches with this trick.

2)      Tape is stretched to 10" for a 6" move and when the movement is measured, the tape is "inverted" (0" starting at the model's base edge). This gives the player a ‘foresight’ on how far 4” is from the end of the model’s movement.

3)  Tape is stretched at exactly 6". When measuring movement, tape's "body" is placed exactly on/above your model, hence not getting an accurate movement measurement. Some inches can be gained with this.

4)      When moving, measuring models from the front of base to back of base.

5)      Tape measure “travels” with the model as the model moves.

6)     Bending the tape measure while measuring movement. A player gains extra inches if he bends his tape measure to measure movement. There’s a good reason why some, if not most, tournaments ban this form of measurement.

7)    Extending the tape past the distance needed so the player can 'secretly' measure how far away he is from the enemy; while moving your models.

8)    Extend the tape measure and lay it at the side of the table sideways to ‘check’ LOS or charge lanes. Distances can be “sneak peaked” this way.

9)   Over-measuring a ranged weapon’s shot by extending his tape measure 12” long (for a RNG 12 gun) when the target model is clearly less than 12” (i.e. 6” far). If the target model is 10”-12” away, then the need to pull out a full 12” length is reasonable (it is difficult to judge distances nearing its limit). If the target model is < 5”, there is no need to pull out the full 12” to measure if your weapon is within range. A measure from attacker base edge to target model’s base edge is heaps appreciated.

While #1 is common (and also difficult to catch unless u keep your eyes on it), #3 is not as serious as it is open to lots of debates. However, I've seen this done by a player who quickly moved the tape measure away as he places his model's movement.

Dice

Any game that involves dice can be cheated by using the dice. Here are some examples of how one can do so in Warmachine.

1)      Roll dice and picks it up fast, claiming a hit has been rolled.

2)      Re-rolling cocked dice, only when it is a miss.

3)   Weighted dice used to give an unfair advantage. Weighted dice are dice that will have a certain value (i.e. 5 or 6) appear most of the time.

4)    D6 dice with wrong side markings (i.e. dice with 1, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6 as its markings instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

One would think that D6 dice with wrong side markings is a joke. How can anyone not realise the dice are wrongly marked? Well, when was the last time you checked your opponent’s dice before a tournament match?

Damage Marking on Cards

Marking damage on cards is important in Warmachine as it helps the player and his opponent keep track of damage dealt to a model. Some unscrupulous people have gone through great lengths in making sure they don’t get caught while they take advantage of this.

1)   Rubbing off damage dealt discretely. This can be done in many ways; i.e. by placing hands over the card so the opponent won’t see the act, by holding the damaged marking part and discretely rubbing it off, etc.

2)    Marking less damage than actually dealt. Your opponent would hardly notice 1 damage less on the damage grid box if he were to make a flurry of 5 attacks successively.

This is difficult to catch as most players would not notice 1 damage box being rubbed off from a warjack’s grid. This method of cheating can be reduced if players start keeping track of damage being dealt. As an example:-

Write the following on a piece of paper/behind cards-

5 to 6 (5 damage to column 6)

1 to 3

6 to 4

Miscellaneous

1)      Conveniently “forgetting” rules when it benefits the player.

2)   “Misunderstanding” rules as written. Most of the time the misunderstandings that occur are truthful, but there are cases where the misunderstandings are intentional.

3)     Using the “rough terrain trick”. As an example, only 4” movement is used when moving over a 2” rough terrain patch). In reality, more than 4” movement should be used because after moving 4” over the rough terrain, you still have a part of your base “caught” in the rough terrain. Your remaining movement before your base fully leaves the rough terrain is still halved.

The rough terrain trick is commonly seen although less apparent in Vassal (Warmachine on a 2D PC platform). Most new players tend to do this ‘trick’ unknowingly. It is up to the veterans to educate them that this way of moving is wrong.

Cheating in Warmachine comes in many forms. Most of the cheating relates to the tape measure, although other forms of cheating cannot be taken lightly. I will stress it again that no one likes playing against a cheat. It takes the fun and satisfaction out of the game that we all love. A judge can’t be there to monitor your whole game and catch cheats should it occur. It is our responsibility to voice out when something does not look right. Also, keep in mind to voice out in a subtle way. Being hostile will not help you achieve your goal in making things happen as it should be.

Disclaimer: I am not picking out on anyone. If you so happen to know me and do some of the above mentioned things without realising it is wrong, it is merely a coincidence!

What are your experiences against cheaters? How did they cheat?

Boosting with Power Booster

In the previous article, we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of Jack Marshalling. In this article, I will further elaborate on what I believe is one of the most underrated spell in Warmachine; Power Booster.

 

Power Booster in summary: Target warjack with no focus within range gains 1 focus.

Rather than having your warcaster allocate 1 focus to the warjack, Power Booster gives that particular warjack 1 focus point. This focus point is usually used in early games to run your warjack or to boost an attack. That additional focus “saved” could be used on the following:

1) Cast an additional spell

Rather than casting the spell in turn 2 because you were 1 focus short on turn 1, you can cast it on turn 1 instead and upkeep it the following turn. This means that in the following turn, you have additional focus to spend on something else.

2) Boost an attack of a spell

Would you rather roll a 2d6+FOC6 vs DEF 14 or 3d6+FOC6 vs DEF 14? That one focus saved from power boosting your warjack (to perhaps, boost the warjack’s ranged attack) can be used to boost your attack/damage.

3) Overboost your armour

Being a warcaster does not mean you have to cast a spell every turn. If casting a spell that turn would not help you achieve your objective for that particular turn, it is likely that you should keep your focus to overboost your armour instead. Your opponent’s confidence would be hampered if he sees 4 focus sitting on your warcaster instead of 1. Power Booster helps you achieve that and makes your warjack effective at the same time.

There are currently only 4 models with Power Booster in the game.

 

Cygnar: Arlan Strangeways

Cryx: Warwitch Siren

Khador: Koldun Lord

Retribution: Arcanist

These models are cheaply costed (1-2pts) and tend to be played sticking near the warjacks they are intending to power boost. It is wise to note that although these models’ primary function is to power boost warjacks, they can also be played offensively (i.e. Warwitch Siren). Even though the Koldun Lord and Arlan Strangeways are Jack Marshals, they are able to make the warjack as effective as a marshalled jack even without marshalling due to Power Booster. Jack Marshalling and power booster yields 2 focus per warjack, but sometimes gaining benefits from battlegroup-based spells are more worth it. If your Jack Marshall dies, your warjack would not suffer autonomous setbacks because it isn’t marshalled to begin with.

 

Power Booster brings a different dimension to the game of jack marshalling and focus efficiency. Not only does it make you save focus for other important necessities, it also allows peudo-jack marshalling. For low to average focus stat warcasters, this option is greatly appreciated!

Would you consider some of the solos stated above as solid solos if they did not have the Power Booster ability?

Happy Eid Mubarak!

IK Daily is taking a 1-2 week's break from articles due to the festive season. Happy Eid Mubarak to all Muslim Warmachine Players around the world!


Do you know any muslim warmachine players in your LGS? How many and where?

The Great Jack Marshal Debate

JACK Marshall, not Sarah Marshall!

I got into Warmachine with my awesome Khador Battlegroup (classic, not plastic) and playing it was a blast. I quickly got it painted and the feeling of coming back into the tabletop wargame scene is absolutely exhilarating. After a couple games under my belt, my mentor (Wayfarer of Wolf’s Games Shop) then mentioned that it is about time I graduated to a 15pt game. The best part about it all was that I got into the game when Prime Mk.II was just out. Everyone in the gaming group was still in its “learning stages”. How awesome it was to learn a game with other peers who are all at the developing stage!

My first solo bought to expand my battlegroup was a Koldun Lord. The powerboost ability is nice, but what is this ability on its card called "Jack Marshal"? After a brief rundown on the rules and a couple of games jack marshalling my destroyer comes one of the longest-standing debates in Warmachine. To Jack Marshall or Not To Jack Marshall?

Jack Marshall allows a warjack to run, charge, make an additional attack, gain one boosted attack or boosted damage as long as the warjack is within the Jack Marshal’s command range. This implies that you can technically run more warjacks in your army without burdening your warcaster's focus points to make the warjack effective. Your warjack can also move freely and not be bounded by your warcaster’s control area. Besides that, there are a few Jack Marshalls that gives different benefits to the Jack Marshalled warjack. Some of these benefits can potentially turn the tides of the battle. Best of all, a marshalled warjack does not suffer the effects of Disruption! Cortex busted? SO WHAT!

There are a few disadvantages to Jack Marshalling though. The jack marshalled warjack is not considered in your warcaster’s battlegroup. This means focus allocation to the warjack is not allowed (you can only allocate focus to warjacks in your battlegroup). Some of the best spells in the game only affects your warcaster’s battlegroup. Since the marshalled warjack isn’t in the warcaster’s battlegroup, the warjack cannot benefit from these spells. Also, if the Jack Marshall dies, the warjack in particular becomes autonomous. To make it “effective’ again, your warcaster needs to bring it into his/her battlegroup. Finally, your marshalled warjack cannot shake knockdown/stationary effects.

When deciding to Jack Marshall or not, you have to ask yourself whether does the benefits outweigh the disadvantages at hand when marshalling a warjack.

Let’s take a look at models with the Jack Marshall ability in the game. Models with * grant special abilities (listed in the brackets) to the jack they are marshalling. Models with # indicates having the Power Booster ability.

Cygnar

Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Officer *[Rune Shot]

Arlan Strangewayes #

Field Mechaniks

Stormblade Officer

Sword Knights Officer *[Drive: Pronto]

Trencher Officer

Alain Runewood

Khador

Battle Mechaniks

Koldun Lord #

Man-o-War Kovnik *[Drive: Boosted Attack]

Protectorate

None

Cryx

Iron Lich Overseer *[Cloak of Darkness, Soul Matrix]

Retribution

Dawnguard Invictors

Dawnguard Sentinels *[Drive: Pronto]

Dawnguard Scyir *[Drive: Reroll]

Mercenaries

Dirty Meg *[Drive: Off Road]

Hammerfall High Shield Gun Corps

Sam MacHorne *[Drive: Pronto]

Thor Steinhammer *[Drive: Pronto]
Rutger Shaw *[Drive: Reroll]

Some of the abilities granted to the warjack from being marshalled is amazing. A warjack with rune shot should pretty much be modelled wearing an arcane tempest gun mage’s hat. Pronto gives that warjack an extra distance to get into combat or simply some repositioning for that open charge lane. Cloak of Darkness makes a warjack becomes annoyingly stealthed. Power Booster pretty much says your marshalled warjack is granted 2 focus instead of one. This is quite useful to average-stat focus factions with expensive spells (i.e. Khador)

I would also like to point out that Power Booster is such a strong ability. It basically says you can jack marshall a warjack without actually jack marshalling it. I believe Power Booster is one of the strongest and underrated ability in the game. It deserves another column for further elaboration on it.

Lazy lancer prefers getting marshalled. (image from PP Forums)

Now comes the important question. Are those stated benefits worth the disadvantages that comes with marshalling a warjack? Keep in mind that unless you are running a gun-line, most Jack Marshalls will die in the heat of the battle. An autonomous warjack simply isn’t fun to play with. Due to this, it is likely that your marshalled warjack will be nearby your warcaster (should your jack marshall die, your warcaster can still bring the autonomous warjack into his/her battlegroup). A marshalled warjack also cannot benefit from battlegroup-based spells/feat. Imagine a Juggernaut not benefitting from Karchev’s Unearthly Rage or a Defender not benefitting from Kara Sloan’s feat, Firing Squad. Not pretty! In fact, some if not most, Jack Marshalls are much better on their own. Without the need to "babysit" a warjack, they can roam freely without worrying about the setbacks should their demise occur.

Due to some of the disadvantages stated above, it is wise to note that if you decide to marshall a warjack, the warjack’s role and its play style is different from a warjack in a battlegroup. Unsurprisngly, that statement isn’t as easy to implement as it sounds. I have seen some marshalled warjack working wonders, even when it is marshalled by some of the worst jack marshalls in the game. Think differently and out of the box. You will be rewarded!

Would you consider Jack Marshalling a warjack in your army? Why?

Paying The Price Without Thinking Twice

Is WM actually cheaper than WH 40k?

Let’s face it. The wargaming hobby in general is expensive both in monetary terms and time. Customers want quality products (model and rule-wise) at an affordable price. Although it is interesting to note that most players would pay for good looking miniatures, there is simply a limit to how much one can spend.

As of last year, there is an increasing amount of Warhammer 40k (WH40k) players converting to Warmachine (WM). Among the few reasons behind the shift is, apparently, Warmachine is cheaper in both monetary terms and time compared to Warhammer 40k. However, it’s been argued that if you tally up the total cost of an army, both cost the same! In order to investigate this claim, let’s take a look at the following points before we dive into the cost comparisons.

*Unless stated otherwise, all prices are based from Maelstrom Games.

- Starter Sets

Warhammer 40k: Battleforce = USD$ 89.64

Contains: 500pts

Warmachine: Battlegroup = USD$ 49.22

Contains: 11pts

The WH40k Battleforce and WM Battlegroup was taken as a comparison and oh my, what a difference in price it is! Both forms a basis of an army for a player and enough to get a player familiarised with the rules.

It is interesting to note, however, that WH 40k’s Assault on Black Reach is cheaper than WM’s 2-player battlebox.

- Game Size Comparisons

In order to compare army costs, we would need to first compare game point sizes. Even though comparing the 2 systems is like comparing an apple to an orange, we can pretty much estimate how similar the game sizes are by looking at the gaming community’s most played points level and general perceptions of game size comparisons. After all, a player would need to build an Xpt army that matches his opponent’s Xpt army if he were to start an army. From some surveys that I did recently, this is what I came up with.

The table above basically means that there is almost an equal amount of 35pt WM game compared to a 1750pt WH40k game. Therefore if you want to get into a game of WM, you’d eventually need to build a 35pt army whereas for WH40k, you’d eventually build a 1750pt game at the very least. Hence how I got the game size points comparison.

Before we proceed any further, I would like to point out that yes, army builds are mostly dependant on the individual. The army lists displayed in this article are army lists I have taken from competitive gamers and, perhaps, one that includes models that a player would definitely have played before in his specific WH40k/WM army lifetime.

Cost Comparison

Let’s take a look at the following 1750pt WH40k army lists.

Prices were taken from Maelstrom Games. Weapon outfits were not considered in the above (note: exotic weapon options would require more investment for bits) and prices highlighted in yellow are taken from e-bay (for some reason, I can’t find the actual price of these).

Among the lot, the most expensive army tallies at USD$625.61 while the cheapest at USD$ 334.70. It surprises me that the one I’d think to be the most expensive (28 terminators!) turns out to be the cheapest.

What about the other races? Surely they should be cheaper than a Space Marine (GW’s pet race) and a Blood Angel (was recently the army flavour of the month) army? I randomly took some 1750pt lists found online and got the following.

Check out the Tyranids! Topping off at USD$510.20, that surely is one heck of an investment! Surprisingly, the Tau are also equally impressive at USD$378.43! Note that I took the price of a Carnifex for the Tyrannofex and Tervigon. Further modifications need to be made to convert a carnifex to a Tervigon/Tyrannofex, hence requiring more money.

How about the Warmachine side of things? In this exercise, Khador  and Cryx (notorious for having some of the most expensive models $$-wise in the game) will be evaluated.

Note that for the sake of argument, I have included Warmachine’s most expensive model in the above armylists (the Gun Carriage at a whopping USD$90!).  

The Warmachine list shown above include an infantry heavy army and a warjack heavy army, hoping to mimic WH40k’s horde-based armies and tank-based armies.

Comparing the 2 game systems, it seems that the average cost for a 35pt warmachine army is USD$200-USD$300 whereas the average cost for a 1750pt WH40k army is at the very least USD$300!

What about 1500pts WH40k armies compared to 25pts WM armies?

The above is the Sample Spearhead list (tank-heavy list, although I must admit that I've seen a heavier tank-heavy list!) that I took from the Games Workshop (GW) website. The reason why I actually evaluated the above is because tanks WILL be played in WH40k, whether a lot or only a little! GW has been indirectly pushing players to play vehicles over the recent years and we have already seen tank-heavy army lists appearing in major tournaments (i.e. the Imperial Guard’s Steamblower list). I can understand if you find this “unrealistic” for the purpose of comparison, so let’s consider the below instead.

Prices highlighted in yellow are taken from e-bay as I somehow could not find their actual prices. However, it is safe to say that e-bay has some of the most competitive prices in the market compared to major online retailers out there.

 

From what I understand, the above army list is one of the few expensive ($$-wise) configurations you can get in WM 25pts. It is surprisingly cheaper than the WH40k list above by approximately USD$10.

Evaluation

It seems like at smaller point levels, WM and WH40k cost somewhat similar. However once you expand your armies to the generally played points level, Warmachine is the cheaper game.

I believe this is partly due to the game design itself. In Warmachine, changing from one army list to another isn’t as $$-consuming because most of the units will be re-used. Even though your unit is the same, each warcaster yields a different gaming experience. Therefore, the player would be forced to play his unit differently, hence getting a difference experience out of it. In Warhammer 40k, changing from one army list to another (for a different game experience) would require new weapon outfits, different unit combinations, etc and this means investing more money in bits, models, etc.

On paper, I actually like the way WH 40k was designed. The game design itself helps generate revenue because players are required to spend more and more for different weapon load outs, new essential units, new tanks, etc. However if I am on the receiving end of it all, I actually get pretty uncomfortable with this whole idea only for the army to “phase out” when the next army of the month comes out. GW also has a habit of phasing out units or weapon options, hence making your heavily invest squad (in money and, most importantly, time) obsolete. I’m not blaming them though. It is just the way forward due to the way the game is designed.

Warmachine might seem rosy at this point, but take my word for it. Prices for Warmachine will increase. It is known amongst many tabletop gamers out there that Privateer Press (PP) is currently having supply issues. The demand for the game is ever increasing (and rightfully so). It would be only a matter of time till the directors decide that they can do better and over-achieve their revenue plan compared to their previous year. It is simply human nature to do so. There are families to be fed and if we were in their shoes, we’d probably do the same too.

There could not be a clearer winner here. Warmachine IS the cheaper game system compared to Warhammer 40k. However, would you still continue investing in Warmachine should the price of PP miniatures increase?

Marking Damage Grids / Life Spirals

It has come to my attention since I started playing this game that people mark their damage grids/life spirals differently. While it doesn’t tell you about the player’s personality, it does give you a glimpse of how a person perceives a damage grid/life spiral. Since this is not an article on psychology, I will leave the deduction of people's perception to you. Here are some examples of how people mark their damage according to my observation.

Warmachine

Thick Line

Don't worry, it's only the open fist that's busted!

This is the most common type of marking technique seen in the area where I reside in. This is probably due to the easily available whiteboard marker. The best part about this marking technique is that if your card is on the tabletop, the damage of your warjack is quite visible from eyeview level when sitting down at the table (subjected to individuals).

Thin Line

Cortex busted!! Eh? Wait a minute...

This technique is usually used when a thin whiteboard marker is provided instead of a thick one. It “feels” neater and it's easier to clean but it does play eye tricks on you. Most of us wear glasses (if you aren’t, you eventually will). The resolution generated from this technique requires us to actually pick up the card and glance at it closely in order to check if our warjack’s cortex is busted or not.

Dots

Screw the right arm, this Lancer is still a threat!

It doesn’t matter whether the whiteboard marker is thick or thin (picture shown above is from using a thin whiteboard marker), this technique is defined by the pressing and lifting motion of the whiteboard marker on each of the individual cells. It is time consuming, but some people mark their grids this way like it is their second nature. Not only is it tough to see, but a slight smudge (i.e. part of your resting arm accidently landed on the card) would result in a marked damage grid being lost without a trace. Unlike its thin counterpart, the thick version would at the very least leave some trace behind when smudged.

Hordes

Dots

Didn't kill it? It's gonna kill you then.

When I see players mark their damage grid of a warbeast, I see the above technique a lot. Like its warmachine counterpart, both thin or thick whiteboard markers can be used. This technique makes it difficult to see which aspect is busted, but due to the design of the life spiral, this could be the most preferred method around the world for marking a warbeast life spiral.

Lines

Mind Blown!!!

Perhaps the easiest (and laziest) way to mark a life spiral. Unfortunately due to the "compactness" of the life spiral, one would still need to pick up a card to ‘double-check’ whether the required aspect is still online. Using thick whiteboard markers can potentially overlap the life spiral beside it. Hence, using a thin whiteboard marker for this technique is highly advised.

 

In case you have not noticed, various whiteboard marker colours are used when marking damage grids/life spirals. The most common ones I see are red coloured markers, but I do tend to see blue and black ones from time to time. Players who use black-coloured markers need to be careful when checking to see the damage inflicted on your model as it is easily obscured by the card’s background colour. This leads to a misjudged inflicted damage. Green colour is uncommon but I have seen it used once before. Red coloured ones stands out the most for easy identification, but it is interesting to note that green is the colour our eyes are most receptive to.

One thing I would like to add before I end this column. I notice a trend where players who started off from Warmachine tend to mark their damage grids in a line fashion, regardless of which game system (WM or H) they play and players who started out from Hordes tend to mark their damage grids in a dotted fashion regardless of which game system they play. Old habits die hard.

Not all players mark their damage grid/life spirals the same. How do you mark yours? Also, do you mark the “System Status” box under the damage grid once a system is busted?