All Your Focus Are Belong To Us: Profiling Nemo1

Nemo1 has been my favorite caster in the game for a while. Maybe it's because nobody would ever think to take him to a tournament, maybe it's for the same reason that I've vowed to never play a Haley, or maybe it's because he's been so disregarded for so long. Maybe all those reasons are actually the same reason. In any event, I loves me some pNemo. Let's do a deep dive on my favorite caster and see what makes the lecherous old coot tick.

Unplayable Trash: Stormsmith Stormcallers

I'm writing the "unplayable trash" series as a counter to the "in every list" series to discuss models that are respectively the worst and best in Cygnar. This week: stormsmith stormcallers.

I'll admit, since we went to Mk3 and they lost disruption on every shot, I don't think I've put stormcallers on the table once. Well, maybe once, but not much at all.

They have some very cool tools, but it's a pity how seldom those tools become relevant, especially in the current meta.

Module: Stormclad / Stormblade Captain / Arlan Strangewayes

In Warmachine, people will often refer to a "module", by which they mean a small group of models that have synergies and function very well together. I'm about to cover one of my personal favorites. I first used it in a Caine2 list, and more recently in my Stryker2 list. It's wicked good, guys.

Hobby Corner: Assembling Storm Lances

Storm Lances on the table

Storm lances. Every Cygnar player's favorite unit, and everyone else's most hated model. They're Cygnar's best (and arguably only good) unit, and the game's best cavalry.

Why do they have to have electroleaps on both their shots and their melee attacks? Why assault? Why do other cavalry have the lance rule but not storm lances?

Today, I'd like to talk about how to put together storm lances, not how to play them. I hit some unique problems when putting these together, and I found what I think were some pretty good solutions. I'd like to share those so that anybody else who finds themselves frustrated at the same thing might search, find this article, and maybe save themselves a bit of pain.

Unplayable Trash: Long Gunner Infantry

Back in Mk2, I had one game where a gun line made of 7 gun mages, 6 long gunners, and the Black 13th absolutely trashed a Cryx dudeswarm of mechanithralls and banes. But in Mk3, the long gunners are considered unplayable trash. I'd like to take a moment today to consider why. Are the long gunners really unplayable? And if so, what would it take to get them to the table?

In Every List: The Journeyman Warcaster

There aren't many models that you can legitimately claim are must-haves in every list you build. But if there is a single one in Cygnar, it's the journeyman warcaster. That model is indeed literally in every single list I use. Let's take a look at why, at which warjack options are best, and whether it's viable to ever build a list without a junior.

Battle Report: Mercenaries (Ossrum) vs Cygnar (Nemo1)

This past week, I had time to run down to the friendly local game store on a Wednesday night for a game of Warmachine with a friend. As I like to do, I wrote up a battle report.

As time has gone on, I've gotten more and more into the visuals of the game. The design of this site might have tipped you off. I like to set up 3D scenery and make sure as many of my models as possible are painted.

I brought Nemo1, my favorite Cygnar caster, and my friend brought Ossrum and his Rhulic Hammer Strike theme army.

Rules Brushup: Tactics vs Granted

Here's an obscure rule that I only really took note of after I'd been playing Warmachine for probably a year. I took note when I was looking at the gun mage officer's card. He had two interesting rules, but the peculiar part is that one was prefaced with Granted, and the other said Tactics. What is the difference between Granted and Tactics?

Back then, the abilities were entirely different (Tactics: True Sight) so let's focus now on the current Mk3 abilities on gun mages. One is Granted: Swift Hunter, and the other one is Tactics: Practiced Maneuvers. The key difference here is that "Granted" is granted only by that model's continued existence. If the officer is killed, the unit loses that ability. "Tactics" remains even if the model is killed. That's really the long and short of it. Simple, but important. Your gun mages won't lose Practiced Maneuvers, but when the officer dies, there goes the Swift Hunter ability.

Terrain Building: Stone Wall

I've got a bit of decent terrain for when I play games at home, but I didn't have anything like a stone wall template. Paper slips around too much, and you've got to tape it down, plus I much prefer 3d terrain when possible. Know what, though? I've got gravel in my yard. Why not make my own stone wall?

I had a bunch of that clay from the craft store which hardens when you bake it, so I grabbed some of that and some gravel and built a little wall on top of a base which I cut from some of that thin clear plastic. Then I baked it in the toaster over for 10-20 minutes at something like 200 degrees, since that's what the clay recommended. When it was done, I let it cool and crazy glued the crap out of it just to be sure.

The clear plastic base is a bit warped from the baking, but who cares? You can't tell. And now I've got a nice-looking stone wall. Only problem? It's surprisingly heavy, as it's actual stone. I wouldn't want to have to travel with it.

Combined Arms: Profiling Stryker1

The first caster post I've got is about the first caster I ever played: Lord Commander Stryker. I started out in the final year of Mk2 Warmachine playing the Stryker / Ironclad / Lancer / Charger battlebox. I played nothing but Stryker1 for about four months before I moved on to Caine1, who was actually pretty good back in those InfantryMachine days.

Back then, and until recently, Stryker1 was considered a middle-tier warcaster. It's only been very recently that he's risen to any kind of relevance in the tournament scene. I've thrown together a Heavy Metal list I really like with him, but I haven't yet had a chance to play it.

I'm not going to pretend that I'm able to throw together a better writeup on the caster than someplace like Battle College, but I'd like to lay down my own thoughts on Stryker1. If you're someone in the first year of playing the game and you're eagerly scouring the internet for anything you can find on Stryker, maybe you'll find some value in this.

Hello, World

This is more an obligatory introductory post than anything. My name is Greg, I'm a middle-aged software developer living in West Hartford, and I've been a warmachine player for something like two years. I don't pretend to be any good at the game - I've never played at any kind of tournament, and I've only ever even played against the three friends I've got who also play.

I play Cygnar, but I refuse to play any one of the Haleys. Call me a snowflake if you must. The casters I've played, in order, are Stryker1, Caine1, Nemo1, Caine2, and Stryker2. The three guys I play against play Khador, Rhulics, Trollbloods, Convergence, Cryx, and (rarely) Circle. Being a parent and working a sometimes-demanding job means I only get to play once or twice a month, if I'm lucky. But I think about the game daily. Hence, a blog as an outlet for the creative thought I've got nowhere else to vent.

I plan to share photos, strategy and meta thoughts, and battle reports, in the hoped that somebody will read this thing and provide some kind of feedback to any battle reports. I'm always open to input and suggestions.