Hybrid Warmachine

 Had a 50 point game of... Warmachine, I guess?

With the advent of Mk4, we wanted to give the new ruleset a try. However, available unit cards were few and far between, so we did a sort of a hybrid run. This means that absolutely nothing can be said about the balance of the game, only how the new ruleset feels and plays.

So, we played with the new rules but with old cards. No command cards either. Any AoE attacks would be 2, and blast damage halved rounded up +1. Max unit size 6, able to split a full ten sized unit into two units of five.

Based on this game, new core rules are okay. Game still feels familiar and Warmachiney. Unit movement was the most noticeable change. Lack of facing was the next one on the line, and that's actually the only thing that bothers me. The game has been streamlined so much in other parts that I don't see a reason why facing had to be removed. If back strike bonus was too strong it could have just been removed altogether. Two inches of melee range on a 50mm base is enormous engagement range - let alone on 80mm or 120mm.

But this was just one game with incorrect model rules. This meant that Unstoppable didn't exist at all, which is a rule that certainly mitigates the effectiveness of 360 degree engagement range. 

My list:

Cryx

Asphyxious the Hellbringer [+24]
 - Erebus [13]
 - Inflictor [11]
 - Ripjaw [6]
 - Slayer [10]
Bane Lord Tartarus [5]
Ragman [3]
Swamp Gobber River Raider [1]
Warwitch Siren [3]
Black Ogrun Boarding Party (min) [7]
Black Ogrun Ironmongers [5]
Soulhunters (min) [10]

Opponent had:

Cygnar

Major Beth Maddox [+30]
- Firefly [7]
 - Hammersmith [12]
 - Ironclad [12]
 - Ironclad [12]
 - Lancer [8]
Black 13th Strike Force [7]
Rangers [7]
Stormguard Infantry (max) [15]

Scenario was Reinforcements from the new rulebook.

Cygnar started, and formed a long front with warjacks on the left, Stormguards in the middle and rangers and Black 13th on right.

Cryx was running as a one huge blob in the middle with Soul Hunters and Black Ogrun Boarding Party positioned to flank from right. 

Firefly managed to fry Ragman with electro leap. This was first time I used Ragman in years. Not impressed with him, I must say. Entire unit of Boarding Party was shot dead. Stormguards formed a screen for Cygnaran warjacks. Behind them were the light jacks, with heavies forming the third line.

Cryx loaded all helljacks to full and started carving through Cygnaran infantry. 

Inflictor opens and Asphyxious (who uses feat) open up a charge lane for Erebus to get to Cygnaran light warjacks. Damage and attack rolls are on the poor side, but both jacks are at least stationary. Tartarus joins the fight and evens out the bad rolls of Erebus - Firefly falls to three hit boxes left, with cortex gone. Tartarus kills a Stormguard with last attack as I thought immovable 40mm base essentially acted as a protection for me.

Slayer and Vociferon kill the last Stormguards. Asphyxious received eight souls from the swans.

Soulhunters go incorporeal and charge Black 13th. Incorporeal charges seem a bit obnoxious with the new unit movement rules. People die, and the cavalry repositions to engage as many targets as possible.

Blocking enemy heavies' charge lane with stationary Firefly proved far more effective than I ever hoped for - only Erebus was destroyed, pretty much. Two Soulhunters were also removed.

Much to Asphyxious' disappointment, Cygnaran focus had only amounted to three additional souls. Only eighteen focus to use, boo hoo. So... after Tartarus, Asphyxious, Inflictor, Slayer and Iron Mongers, Cygnar was down to one Ironclad. And that was mostly because Slayer had botched its rolls. 

Asphyxious was in the front, but had a focus camp of seven. He had also cast Cloak of Ash on himself.

Although that didn't help against Ironclad. Who managed to land a knockdown hit. Next came almost fully loaded Beth Maddox raining death on Asphyxious - but thanks to his focus camp he survived with around six boxes remaining. 

Tartarus took Cygnaran warcaster down with just one hit.