Overall I’m liking the new focused direction that Trollbloods is taking, but I feel let down by some rules. Luckily I haven’t invested heavily yet in Trollblood real estate, so now I’ve got some room to customize my purchases.

First up, Warlocks: I’m happy most of our warlocks have retained their basic flavor. I’m a little sad for Borka’s Keg Carrier. In my opinion, I think it should have retained Party Foul. Borka, however, is meaner than before, though the loss of slamming units will be sorely missed. Calandra’s feat is a total turn around, and is much better. Practically guaranteeing hits is way better than delaying the inevitable.

Warbeasts: The elemental trolls are still situational toolboxes. The Axer gets an amazing upgrade in the form of Reach and +2 MOV on its animus. Yeah!

Units: The Champions have lost concert and the +2 DEF in melee, and have gotten Weapon Master in return. I think this is a fair exchange, but the champions really need to justify the 10 points needed to purchase the whole unit, and Weapon Master doesn’t cut it in that respect. That reason alone has made the Champions less of a must have unit. The Stone Scribe Elder has improved significantly, and so the Kriel Stone Bearers still retain their place in a troll brick list. I can also now safely purchase the Fennblades, seeing that they haven’t changed much. Not to mention that the plastic models are way cheaper than getting a full complement of Warriors.

Solos: The Fell Caller has improved dramatically. Now he can use his Fell Calls and move and fight in the same turn. The Stone Scribe Chronicler warrants a purchase now that he can choose his…chronicles. The Hero has been downgraded a bit. I’m unsure if I would still want to purchase him now.

That’s it for now. I’m hoping to get a game in this weekend with the new rules. Maybe then I can rekindle my passion for Hordes and Warmachine.

BOOM!

Nothing says welcome to Khador like a bombard in the face.

Now that I’ve said that, this lovely piece of Khador craftwork is definitely on my must-have list.

I have, however, made more purchases, and holding off on more until the Hordes MkII comes out, which should be tomorrow. I am truly waiting with baited breath…

I haven’t been updating the blog as much as I wanted to, and it’s been almost 2 months since the last update. No reasons, except:

I’ve been quite busy, and my painting and modelling time has been devoted to 40k mostly.

But for every cloud there’s a silver lining! I finally got Calandra, Pyre Troll and the hottie manhuntress yesterday, and can’t wait to assemble and prime them.

I’ve also finally been experimenting with Green Stuff (thanks to 40k), and I think I’d put it to good use for my future Warmachine & Hordes projects.

And I found this little beauty while scouring the PP forums:

That's a big gun

Can’t make out whether he’s got a mask on, but that my friends, is Khador’s new warcaster. Notice the gun?

And presenting Khador’s new lumberjack (name pending patent):

Felling trees since MkII

Have no idea what he’ll do ‘cept fell trees, but I like the change in weaponry (and the fact that Khador finally gets another gun jack).

I’m really looking forward to MkII now. I’ve been having reservations, mainly because our WM/H scene at the lgs has slowed in anticipation of MkII, but we’ve got a tourney coming up vs. the Singaporeans, so that’s sure to get me to painting my stuff up again.

This, however, will be the reason PP will always suck up my gaming dollars:

Capping equine kneecaps since 2009

The Fennblades have long been longed for, and not only by yours truly. Not only are they beautiful models, they are plastic too! And to top it all off, they are amazingly cheap $$ wise.

Unlike these fools:

Ooo, what big hands you have. The more to pimp-slap you with my dear...

I was looking forward to the Runeshapers as a utility unit for my Trollbloods. However, they seemed to have picked up some tips from the Retribution Mitten Squad (you know who you are). Though the poses are dynamic, the hands are a little too big, even for trollblood standard, and that throws me off them. The price is a little on the steep side, making me reconsider purchasing them.

That’s all for today. Hope to get in a game tomorrow. That Cygnaran ‘Jack-ass Darius wants to have a talk with Madrak. Someone’s having trust issues…

Each player is given a timer with a 30 min preset. This 30 minutes is all the player has for his turn(s) for the entire game. The one with the most VPs in the end wins!

The Scenario:

Captain Victoria Haley is forced into a temporary alliance with High Exemplar Kreoss to protect a sacred Menoth site from incursions by multiple forces from the Khadoran Empire, the Legion of Everblight, the Trollbloods, and even from Cygnar itself! Is it a devious ruse set up by the Iron Liches of Cryx?

The Players:

As luck would have it, Arzmi & Khairul (brothers) rolled to be the ones to be deployed in the middle, moving last. As compensation they would get an extra 30 points to build their list. Khairul hadn’t had a game in some time, so he was a little rusty.

They are required to forge an alliance which would last for an hour, after which all hell breaks loose.

 Geoffrey:

Chief Madrak Ironhide was uneasy with this ‘alliance’ from the beginning. The Kingdom of Cygnar were not on good terms with the Protectorate of Menoth, yet the female captain Haley had forged a temporary alliance with the exemplar Kreoss to guard a holy site. It was all alien to Madrak when Haley first approached him, yet the promise of much needed food and supplies in return for support by Madrak and his retinue, though too good to be true, was too good to pass up.

Arzmi, Khairul and I secretly decided to team up against Geoffrey, who at the time held the greatest threat on the board. My memory’s vague, so things may not have happened when I thought they did (I was sort of concentrated on my half).

Round 1

Geoffrey:

Darius casts Full Throttle and moves towards Arzmi and Khairul’s deployment.

Me:

Madrak Sure Foot’s and moves on the left flank towards Geoffrey’s deployment. Krielstone pops +2 ARM and Combat Warding and moves up. Swamp Gobbers pile a load of smoke in between a forest and a ruin, blocking LoS from Arzmi and Khairul. Just in case. Everything else runs towards Darius’ battlegroup.

Jeffrey:

The Legion runs towards the middle, getting ready to engage the trenchers.

Chris:

The Butcher splits his force in two, the MoW Kovnik and the Devastators heading towards the Legion, and the Mechaniks and the Destroyer moving towards the middle. Butcher can’t decide where to go and moves in between.

Arzmi:

Haley casts Temporal Barrier. Trenchers pop smoke. Fastest time ever.

Khairul:

Choir sings no shooty, Kreoss casts Lamentation. Eiryss moves from the trees and disruptor bolts Darius. Second fastest time ever.

Madrak saw something move between the trees not far off from his advancing kriel. Must be the mage hunter the Protectorate employed, Madrak thought to himself. A minute later a bout of cursing in a strong Cygnaran accent could be heard from beyond the next patch of trees. The enemy was very near. The sounds excited the Impaler Ponty. The troll started running towards the sound. ‘I must remind Grissel to keep her trolls under a leash!’ Madrak muttered under his breath. All three trolls he brought along was loaned from Grissel Bloodsong, and he has found it quite difficult to control them. He then ordered the trollkin to move faster behind Ponty.

Do not trussst them.

Madrak heard a voice in his head. He shook it off and attributed it to his general mistrust of humans. Just then he saw Ponty throw a spear at something.

Round 2

 Geoffrey:

Darius fires at Eiryss, managing to score a hit without focus! the rest of the group jostle into position for an imminent showdown with the trollblood.

Me:

Ponty moves up the left flank, and takes a shot at Darius after the Far Strike animi. Hits, no crit, and no damage. Oops. The Champions move up for a counter attack. Carnegie and Jab take up the right flank, guarding both sides. Krielstone moves and does the +2 ARM and Combat Warding again. Madrak surefoots and moves up behind the Champs. Fellcaller runs. Gobbers move towards the left, but still fogs up the same area as last time.

 Jeffrey:

Raptors and Seraph sling shots in a vain attempt to thin out the trenchers. Vayl and the rest jostle and prepare to attack.

Chris:

Butcher changes battle plans. Everything moves towards the middle. Butcher hides in the bushes.

Arzmi:

Rinse repeat round 1

Khairul:

Rinse repeat round 1, sans Eiryss.

Ponty had no time to draw a second spear. There was a whirr of machinery behind the trees, and a moment later a massive warjack in blue, wielding a shield and spear charged straight at Ponty. The massive spear tore through the troll, lifting it off the ground by the impact. Madrak felt a raw surge of energy as the troll slid into bare consciousness. It would live, Madrak thought, and hopefully it would learn.

Madrak looked up at the warjack. It bore a distinct Cygnaran design. Cygnar! he thought. What was he doing on the flanks, defending Cygnar against their own? Without a second thought, he ordered the champions to attack.

Don’t trusssst them.

Round 3

Geoffrey:

Darius allocates focus to the Centurion, then cranes itand casts Full Throttle, which then proceeds to charge Ponty, puncturing her fat troll belly with its spear. Ol’ Rowdy stays where he is, and the Thunderhead moves behind the Centurion.

Me:

 Champions move in and proceed to scratch the paint off the Centurion. D’Oh! I screw up my order of activation. Fellcaller moves behind the Champs and sings sweet nothings. Madrak Sure Foots then moves behind the Champ leader. The Krielstone, who was supposed to Stone Strength the Champs, does the +2ARM to prepare for the retaliation. Jab and Carnegie move up the right flank, positioned to handle any threat. The gobbers move up and juice up the area behind the Centurion.

  Jeffrey:

Seraph manages to kill off a couple of trenchers. Nothing else happens.

Chris:

MoW Kovnik slams his Devastator 6 inches. Butcher likes the bushes he’s in. Everything else slowly plods along.

Arzmi:

Trenchers blanket the front with smoke, blocking LoS from Chris and Geoffrey. Haley TBs again (maybe feats as well, since the trenchers engaging the Legion manage to thin down the legion). The trenchers in the back feat, and offs a few swordsmen, a Raptor and damage the Seraph.

 Khairul:

Zealots run towards the offending Legion. The Monolith Bearer pops his feat. Kreoss laments, and moves.

The fight between the trollkin and the massive Cygnaran warjack bore no fruit. The Kriel champions hadn’t yet managed to break past the thick armor plating. The silver lining was that the warjack hadn’t managed to hit the trollkin either. Just then another massive warjack lumbered into view. It crackled with lightning, and Madrak felt the damp forest air suddenly become denser. ‘Watch Out!’ Madrak yelled above the sound of battle, as the warjack purged forth tendrils of lightning. Madrak’s command was not in vain, as the trollkin escaped unscathed.

One heavy warjack was more than enough, two did not bode well. Madrak heard the sound of approaching heavy armor, and feared the worst. Something plodded into view. At first Madrak thought it was another warjack, but the visible head of a human in the hulking armor calmed his fears.

‘I am Captain Dominic Darius of the Cygnaran army. Stay your weapons!’ the human bellowed. Almost immediately the warjacks lowered their weapons. Madrak signalled for his retinue to do the same.

‘There has been a gross misunderstanding. I have been sent to stop Captain Victoria Haley.’ Darius spoke. ‘I am afraid she is not who you think she is.’ Madrak knew then of the ‘alliance’ was nothing but a machination. Of what, he did not know. He nodded in grim understanding and commanded the trollkin towards the sacred site. The promise was too good to be true, afterall.

Round 4

Geoffrey:

This is where things took a wild turn. Darius Full Throttles, gives focus to Centurion. The Centurion misses all but two attacks, which deal a total of 3 and 1 damage respectively to the Champions. Thunderhead moves up and pulses, and also proceeds to miss every single attack against, about 10-11 models. The clincher is that despite Full Throttle, he failed terribly on his turn. Ol’ Rowdy prepares himself.

I asked Arzmi and Khairul for help against Geoffrey. Arzmi just laughed and said I’d hold up well enough. Gasp! the treachery was a deafening blow! The Trollblood were duped once again!

Me:

I too, fail on my turn. Again I screw up activation. The Champs chip the Centurion, dealing good damage but destroying nothing. Madrak Sure Foots and moves to get better coverage. Everything else stays where they are. Jab moves a little (stays within Madrak’s control), Far Strikes and boosts to hit against the Castigator. Crits, Castigator falls over Choir Priest and Journeyman. Castigator gets 3 damage, Priest dies, and Journeyman lives on 2 wounds.

Looking at our poor position and the VPs racking up on the other side, Geoffrey and I decided to forge a temporary alliance, at least until we rid the board of Haley and Kreoss.

Jeffrey:

Raek moves into combat with a trencher and whiffs on the attack. The Seraph blows away a couple. Carnivean looms into view, ready for a countercharge. Vayl pops her feat.

Chris:

Destroyer bombard goes astray and doesn’t do anything. Everything jockeys into position. Butcher munches on the bushes.

Arzmi:

Pops smoke front arc. Haley TBs, trenchers not engaged dig in. We aren’t sure about his game plan.

Just then the PG declares the alliance over. Ookkayy…

Khairul:

Kreoss feats, nullifying Vayl’s feat. Castigator pumped full of focus gets up and bashes Haley into oblivion. Extra focus attacks kill off the journeyman and a trencher. The zealots bombard the Legion front, decimating the Raek, the swordsmen, killing off one Raptor and heavily damaging the Seraph. Vilmon kills something. Redeemer kills a trencher with a volley, and Revenger engages the Raptor

Madrak ran towards the sacred site, his flank covered by his retinue. A million questions surged through his head, but one was clearly at the forefront: What in Dhunia’s name is going on? An imposter in Cygnaran ranks?

In the distance he could see the familiar smoke of Cygnaran trenchers. To the left Madrak could see a contigent of Khadoran warjacks, one of which was firing bombards into the Cygnaran front. To the right he could see figures on giant reindeer firing salvos of arrows into the Protectorate army. And then a sound akin to a thousand boulders raining down from the skies jolted him. He could feel a tremor as the ground under the sacred site buckled and turned, and Cygnaran and Khadoran jacks alike topple like bricks. The smoke cleared, and Madrak could see a heavy Protectorate warjack chucking away a lifeless, smouldering body to the ground. A body donned in Cygnaran warcaster armor.

Do not trussst them.

Madrak grips tightly onto Rathrok and runs forward.

 My mind is a complete blank after this, so I’ll just do highlights.

Round 5

Geoffrey:

Darius Full Throttles. He moves up towards the middle. Ol’ Rowdy moves between the trees for a counter-charge. Thunderhead runs to the middle. Centurion disengages the Champions. As a sign of good faith, I did not take free strikes.

Me:

I run the champs to the middle. Madrak Sure Foots, and charges (to get extra speed). The Krielstone auras up and moves. Fellcaller runs, gobbers run as well. Jab jostles for position, as does Carnegie.

Jeffrey:

Vayl heals Seraph, which gets healed almost back to full thanks to the shepard beside it. The Seraph then vomits unholy blight into the zealots, but only manages to kill two. Carnivean gets up and tries to blight-breath a zealot to no avail. Raptors move , but before they could do anything, Jeffrey’s time runs out. Oh Noes!

Chris:

Butcher moves up and hacks an acolyte down. Destroyer misses again, but the blast drift kills a zealot. MoW Kovnik and Devastators trudge forward, ready to clean up the mess. One Devastator blows up on the Redeemer, disabling it (I think).

Arzmi:

Centurion #1 gets up and moves towards Ol’ Rowdy. Geoffrey countercharges and pounds it to the ground. (We tried to rule it off, but the PG wasn’t sure on the ruling). Second Centurion moves in and engages Ol’ Rowdy. Trenchers (only 2 left), move and pop smoke on Kreoss. (they were subjugated and converted without a choice)

 Khairul:

Kreoss canks one of the trenchers that helps him. Camps on 6 focus. Vilmon canks another. Castigator kills something. Something kills a Raptor.

Do not trust them.

The voice in Madrak’s head grew louder, clearer. Who? damn it! who? Madrak cursed in his mind. As he ran, he could see Darius and his battlegroup surging forward, a hammer-wielding warjack already engaging one of the imposters’ warjacks.

They will turn on you, like they always do.

Madrak stopped in his tracks. He spotted Captain Darius a short distance away, focused on commanding his towering warjacks. That will not happen Madrak thought. Ever again.

Madrak shouted to his Kriel. ‘Attack!’. The trollkin did not have to think twice. The order from their great chieftain was loud, clear, exact. The Fellcaller accompanying Madrak bellowed a deafening warcry, and the Champions bellowed their warcries in unison, and charged towards Captain Darius and his warjacks.

Geoffrey:

Darius casts Full Throttle and Jackhammer on Ol’ Rowdy. Ol’ Rowdy charges through the downed Centurion (again something we contested, but Geoffrey was adamant. We let it slide) at an acolyte, then jackhammered Kreoss (who was nearby) into oblivion. The jacks move up.

So here’s the scenario: What would you do, if your prime Axer and Impaler targets are taken, when they coudln’t or shouldn’t have been? by the very person you declared an alliance with? Exactly.

Me:

Treachery! Geoffrey screams out as the Champions charge Darius and engage the Centurion. This time I got my order of activation right. Fellcaller calls Warcry on the Champions, Krielstone pops the Stone Strength aura, Madrak Sure Foots and Guided Hand’s the Champions. The first 3 champions hack on the Centurion, taking out both arms (at P&S 16,17,18 they are bound to), but unable to disable it. The leader hacks on Darius on a charge, bringing him down to one life. The last Champ ends it, raining down P&S 20 + 3d6 on Darius. Just for kicks he swipes the Squire. Jab slams Ol’ Rowdy into the Castigator, much to Khairul’s glee. Carnegie moves up to the Centurion and finishes it off. The gobbers I stupidly put in front of the Devastator instead of smoking up the place.

In spite of the treachery, Geoffrey was kind enough to offer me his hand. That’s what you get for smack-talking the trolls. We need no heavy beast!

Chris:

Butcher finally commences slaughter. The other  players in the middle were already thinned out from the carnage, so they didn’t put up much of a fight. Devastator engaged by the gobbers move up and blow up near a Centurion, denting it, disabling Ol’ Rowdy and killing the gobbers in the process. MoW Kovnik hacks on something while the Destroyer lobs a bombard that does nothing much.

Arzmi:

Centurion pokes at Ol’ Rowdy. Hurts him some. The other Centurion moves off to engage a Raptor.

Khairul:

Castigator moves onto the Raptor, swings and misses. Revenger manages to kill off the Raptor.

In the end, Geoffrey’s Thunderhead tried to take a couple of swings at my Champs, but missed. After breaking apart the Thunderhead, I ended up bricking up with 3 seconds to spare. Chris proceeds to annihilate everything, racking up the VPs and winning (he beat Khairul by a couple of points). It was insane, and an insane format. But the important thing was that we had loads of fun.

So till next time…

As the trollkin cleared the last of the thick underbush and entered the Orgoth ruin complex, Grissel could hear distinct human voices at the other end of the complex. With a peculiar northern accent. They could only be Khadoran. Grissel growled and shouted at Grindar. “It is imperative that we reach the summit before the Khadorans! Lead the troops up now!”. As Grindar led the champions, scribes and Krielstone bearer up the pyramid, Grissel turned to the three trolls tagging along behind her. “Jab! Ponty! Carnegie! Follow me!” Grissel ordered as she started running towards the far right of the complex.

 Scenario: 500 points. King of the Hill. Following standard Steamroller 4 rules.

Trollblood (Me)

Khador (Emil)

Deployment

Emil won the roll and decided to deploy and go first. He deployed his Behemoth and Demo Corps on his left flank, Drakhun and Great Bears on the right, and Vlad and Wardog in the middle.

I deployed the Champions on my left flank, with fellcaller, Krielstone Bearer and Scribes, and gobbers behind them. Grissel and the trolls were on my right.

The pyramid complex proved our undoing, as there were only small steps (the biggest allowed 3 medium bases across, while the smallest only allowed one), requiring both of us to either funnel our troops, or sacrifice movement to clamber up the stones.

Round 1

Khador: Emil runs everything up, as was expected. Vlad casts Blood of Kings (BoK), and moves up with the Wardog pulling up the rear. The Behemoth takes pot shots at the Troll Impaler he could see, but basically used it to gauge distance.

Trollblood: Grissel dumps 5 fury into the Krielstone, calls Hoof It on the Champions and moves forward. Jab, Ponty and Carnegie run up and rile for fury. The Krielstone does the aura and Combat Warding and move up. Fellcaller runs. Gobbers move up and conceal the Champs. Champs run. Hoof It brings them to the first pyramid step.

At this point, I was unsure on the ruling of Grissel’s fell calls, and the Krielstone aura. Apparently they can run.

Not much action this round. Not that I’d expect anything else from Khador and Trollbloods.

Grissel looked on as two bombards, obviously aimed for Jab, fired from the hulking warjack in the distance blasted part of the ruin foundation a safe distance away. Jab was unfazed, but Grissel knew that danger was close.

Round 2

Khador: The Drakhun and Great Bears are the first of the Khador troops to reach the base. Vlad once again casts BoK and moves up behind them together with the Wardog. The MoW Demo Corps trudged along behind. The Behemoth once again runs up and lobs bombards, which deviate off to nowhere.

Trollblood: Grissel leaches fury, and gives one to the Krielstone. She calls Hoof It on the Champs again, and moves off towards the pyramid base. At this point I forget to spend her fury on animi, so that she can leach fury from her beasts next turn. Jab runs up the base, while Ponty and Carnegie trudge along to the side due to their mistress’ misjudgement. No need for them to accidentally frenzy, eh? The krielstone does its buff, and the Fellcaller runs up the ledge unto the first platform of the pyramid. The Champions run all the way to the summit, thanks to Hoof It. They’re at the top, but now depend on their brotherly camaraderie to weather the Khadoran storm.

As she witnessed the eager champions run up the steps of the pyramid all the way to the summit, Grissel cursed the trollkin spirit they displayed. “Dhunia, help them.” She prayed as she worked her way towards the Orgoth ruin.

Round 3

It's getting messy!

Khador: Emil moves the Drakhun up the steps, just enough to get him in melee with the Champions. He rolls one attack for the Annihilator Blade, and messes up one Champ badly. The Great Bears run into melee with the Champs, hoping to tie them down. Vlad casts BoK again, and moved up behind the Drakhun. The Wardog follows suit. The MoW Demo Corps run up to the second platform. The Behemoth moves up to the first platform, and lobs a couple of bombards towards Jab. One nicks the Impaler on a scatter, but even on 3 dice, doesn’t manage to damage him.

Grissel watched as the Khadoran troops closed in on the Champions on the Summit. Holding onto the summit was of utmost importance, Hoarluk had said to her the night before, but she did not question why. She rushed up the steps, a sense of urgency washing over her. Her lips parted, and a sound akin to a hundred trollkin singing in unison escaped her. The sound of her raptuous voice drowned out the sound of battle. The Champions fought with renewed vigor, as the rest of the trollkin dispatch party rushed up the steps with astonishing speed.

Trollblood: Grissel passes a fury to the Krielstone, moves up and pops her feat, barely catching the Champions on the summit. She fires her handcannon at the Behemoth, and falls short anyways. Once again I forget to ditch the rest of her fury. Jab moves up, casts Far Strike, and throws a spear at the Behemoth. The spear thuds to the ground in front of the Behemoth, much to my dismay. Ponty moves on the side, also casting Far Strike. Her spear hits the Behemoth, but does no damage past its thick metal plating. Carnegie the Axer moves up, hoping to countercharge the Behemoth next turn. The Krielstone pops the Stone Strength aura and runs up, catching the Champs in the aura. The gobbers run, as does the Fellcaller. The Champions move into combat, taking care to keep in base-to-base with each other. The leader starts the concert going, hacking up Yarovich of the Great Bears. The next Champion takes care of Kolsk and manages to deal a couple of damage to the Drakhun. The Champion after that dispatches the last of the Great Bears, and also dealing piddly damage to the Drakhun. The next hacks up the Drakhun badly, but still the Drakhun stands! (on his horse). The last champion decides to go after Vlad, and hacks him up to one life! Vlad, being the badass that he is, grins and bears it. Oh boy… Hoof It then allows everyone to move up again. The Champs fill up the space left by the deceased Great Bears, and the Krielstone proceeds to move up again. Jab, being the hungry troll that he is, cautiously advances towards the Behemoth. Ponty positions herself for a slam throw, and Carnegie positions himself better. Grissel doesn’t do anything too stellar. The Fellcaller moves up to engage the Wardog.

Grissel felt a sense of calm as she heard the victory howls from the Champions at the summit. Her pleasure quickly turned to dread as a piercing human voice rose from the sounds of clashing metal. A voice befitting a king. Grissel turned her head just in time to see the Behemoth barrelling down on Jab at an unnatural speed. “Nooooo!”

Round 4

Where's Jab?

Khador: Vlad allocates 3 focus to the Behemoth. He casts BoK, and pops his feat. He then proceeds to gut the Champion who dared to draw his blood. This would be the first of many ones I roll for tough checks. The Wardog chomps on the Champion leader, and only managed to annoy the great trollkin. The MoW Demo Corps charges the Fellcaller (one did, the rest got into combat), smashing his head in with the Ice Maul. The Drakhuun scores a couple of hits, but the Champs remain. The Behemoth charges Jab, dealing 15 damage on the first fist attack. The second attack rips a gaping hole in Jab’s fat tummy. It then lobs a couple of shots at Grissel, which only causes dust to settle on her shoulders.

Trollblood: Grissel is full of fury, but Ponty manages to pass her threshold check. Grissel moves up, and casts Calamity on the Behemoth. She then fires her handcannon, but the shot bounces off the Behemoth’s thick plating. A risky maneuver, since now she’s all out of fury. Ponty positions herself  behind the Behemoth and facing the MoW Demo Corps, in case an opportunity presents itself. The Krielstone Bearer moves to the summit, a decision that would prove costly. The gobbers run up to engage the Behemoth. I realized it didn’t really prevent the Behemoth from moving into combat with Grissel, but fortunately the warlock was on higher ground. Carnegie the Axer charges the Behemoth and does some solid damage, but not enough to knock out any system. I’m treading on thin ground now. The Champions proceed to hack apart the Wardog and the Drakhun (finally).

Round 5

Khador: Vlad holds onto his focus, casts BoK, and moves to the summit. He hacks apart a champion, and rains Khadoran fury down upon the Krielstone bearer, who, due to failing every single tough check, proceeds to sacrifice all but one scribe. Yuk. The MoW Demo Corps move into combat, killing off the leader and severely maiming the remaining Champions. The Behemoth whiffs its attacks.

The tide had indeed turned, Grissel thought as she felt Carnegie’s disappointment and horror at not being able to dispatch the hulking warjack. “Why. Won’t. You. Die!” Grissel shouted, as she unloaded another handcannon shot at the Behemoth. The remaining gobber cowered as it dodged the massive fists of the Behemoth. As if a sign from Dhunia, Grissel heard the incomprehensible ravings of a man gone mad atop the summit. She turned around and saw Vladimir, the famed prince of Umbrey, hacking away at the trollkin. With a frown and clenched teeth, she tightened her grip on her maul Resounder, and ran uphill. This ends now.

Trollblood: Grissel, now loaded with fury, moves up to the summit and faces Vlad. Attack, boost to hit. Miss. Buy second attack, boost to hit. Miss. Not good. I was now left pondering on the consequences of missing the 3rd attack. Even if she camped on her fury, it wouldn’t be enough to weather the beating Vlad would rain on her. I have to take my chances. Buy attack, boost to hit. Resounder finally connects with the lithe warcaster, and he crumples in a heap to the ground, unconcious. It’s not the end though, since we are not playing caster kill. Ponty moves up and boosts a spear throw. Critical! The MoW Demo Corp gets thrown into another, killing both. The Champions kill off a MoW Demo Corp soldier, and the gobbers run to engage the remaining Demo Corps. Carnegie runs after the Demo Corps, hungry for meat.

Round 5

Khador: The MoW DC manage to kill off one gobber, but don’t dent the Champions.

Trollblood: Carnegie mosies up to the MoW Demo Corps, and hacks one to death.

Grissel looked upon the lone Khadoran soldier, the Kapitan of the men in steam armor. The trollkin Champions and Carnegie held him away from Grissel. The Kapitan was still willing to engage his enemy, but Grissel thought otherwise. “Son of Khador. Take your leader with you and begone, Else I cannot ensure his safety with my Troll brethren here.” She nodded towards Carnegie, who was salivating at the mouth. The Kapitan spoke. “You have just signed your death warrant, trollkin, of that I assure you.” The hulking man made his way to the fallen warcaster and picked him up. “Your generosity is noted, but this will not change our stance towards the enemies of the Motherland.”

As the Kapitan made his way down the pyramid steps, Grissel called after him. “Tell your komrades that this ruin now belongs to the Trollblood. The next time we meet, I won’t be so generous!”.

Grissel could hear a faint chuckle under the hissing steam armor of the Kapitan.

Afterthoughts: A close game, and big mistakes on my side. Granted, it’s our first battle together with new armies. Now I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of Vlad. That man is a dangerous one-man army.

This is my first game with Trollbloods, and I must say I really like the synergy. I have to read up the rules abit, though. The Fellcaller didn’t do anything except die, so next time I’d have to carefully utilize him. The Champions were awesome beatsticks, and the synergy with the Krielstone made them nightmares to deal with.

So till next time!

So here we are folks, moving onto the Hordes factions as I hit the 3rd part of the Faction Action series (if you can call it that).

First up…

Trollbloods

Fluff: The Trollbloods are nomads on a constant move in a world filled with strife and constant warfare. They are a collection of disparate tribes, called Kriel, united together to face a common enemy: everyone else.

They are beat upon, lied to, backstabbed, and generally looked down upon as a consequence of their lineage. Aka the Underdogs, with a capital U. And so they fight back. Hard

They are most akin to the ‘good guys’ of Hordes. They put honor and pride, Kith and Kriel above all else. Even though the trollkin are descendants of trolls, even their genetic make-up looks ‘good’ (as in nice guys you don’t want to mess with. This only applies to the Trollblood faction, though).

If you are a player looking for an underdog faction to wreck unholy vengeance on everyone else, Trollbloods are for you. As for me, the fluff didn’t really pull me in at first. They don’t have any semblance of military unity, for one (that’s a general Hordes thing). And the ‘nomad underdogs  on the run united for a common cause’ card has been played a few times before. So what happened?

Epic Madrak happened, that’s what. Now, not only are they on the run, but they are desperate as well, as their very future lies on the decisions of their great leader. Then there’s internal squabbling. It actually started to pull me in.

Do you remember that kid in high school? the foreign overweight kid with a German accent? The one who brings a pet bear to school one day, which then proceeds to maul and eat every student? He’s Trollblood.

Aesthetics: The general color scheme of Trollbloods is a bluish hue to the skin, but skin color varies widely according to location and lineage.

The Trollbloods are unique in that all their beasts are trolls.

This I got to say, though, since it’s the reason I got into Trollbloods in the first place. I’m not sure if it is a result of the nomadic heritage fluff that Privateer has written for them, but (in my opinion) Every. Single. Model. Ooozes. Character. There’s tons of details on every model, be it a trooper, warlock or warbeast. The Troll Impaler carries a pouch filled with food. Borka has two brass bombs hanging from his codpiece. The Trollkin Champions carry little kegs of beer. Its the little details that make them stand out. It will be a pain to paint, sure, but it would be oh so satisfying to plonk them down on the table after. I just hope mine don’t suffer the same fate as my poor Khador (the MoWs are literally broken and battered).

Even if you don’t play Trollbloods, I believe that each model is a painters’ muse.

Rules: The Trollbloods are all about surviving and the counter-attack. All Trollkins have tough, and all Trolls regenerate. They are slow, but have high armor, and ways to boost it even higher, making them a hardy force to face. The Trollblood also hit very hard and often in melee you’d be hard-pressed to find anything that can stand toe-to-toe to the trolls to duke it out.

The warbeasts come in three flavours: light, weapon wielding trolls, light, elemental trolls, and heavy smashy-smashy hungry dire trolls. The warbeasts have very versatile animi for a defensive or offensive boost, but most have animi to punigh your enemies further.

The Trollbloods do have ranged options, and even a ranged-expert warlock, but they are mostly about getting in your face as quickly as possible. The strategy is very akin to Khador, though, so if you want something different if you are already playing Khador, you may want to look somewhere else.

Skorne

Fluff: The Skorne are a malicious, sadistic race hellbent on conquering Western Immoren. Rival Skorne houses were brought together under one banner (as is so prevalent in the Skorne army) by the equally malicious and vicious ex-king of Cygnar, Vinter. He’s pissed that his brother kicked him off the throne, and now he wants it back. Going solo is not an option, so what better way than to manipulate an entire race into all-out war with his homeland?

The Skorne are vicious by nature and tradition, made that way by the harsh environments in which they live. This fluff got me into Skorne (though they are currently on hold) in the first place, alongside their penchant to enslave awesome looking warbeasts. I’m going to have to report on the abuse of baby pachyderms, though.

If you are a player who’s into ancient cultures with a fetish for piercings and death, Skorne’s the faction for you.

Do you remember that kid in high school? The one with heavy piercings, a vicious streak and an obsession with self-mutilation? He’s Skorne.

Aesthetics: The main color scheme of Skorne is a rich red with gold trimmings. The warbeasts have a sickly discoloration to them, due to the constant abuse. Skorne doesn’t give a damn about the SPCA.

There’s a very samurai-esque vibe with Skorne overall. The masks, laquered look of the armor and a prevalence of katanas and other Japanese inspired weaponry sort of speaks for itself.

Honestly, I hate most of the Skorne models. The warlocks are okay-ish, but it’s the infantry that I hate the most, which is an irony since Skorne is about the infantry. Despite the ornate trimmings and designs on the armor, Skorne infantry are generally ugly and a bitch to assemble. Maybe it’s the faces (since I love the Paingivers, both Beast Handlers and Bloodrunners). Maybe it’s the ungodly amount of banners (tone it down, geez! We get your love for your race already). Whatever it is, it’s a shame I can’t feel for the infantry like I do the solos and warbeasts.

Talking about warbeasts, they are the sole reason I got into Skorne in the first place. The cyclopii, to be exact. Never have I seen (my opinion, of course) a more beautifully done aesthetic. All the cyclopii are gorgeous, and the poses are magnificent. If they ever come up with a better beast-centric warlock than Morghoul for Skorne, I’d pick him up in a heartbeat, and start playing Skorne again.

Rules: The Skorne have the most advanced military organization of the Hordes faction, a fact that is abundantly prevalent in the general strategy of Skorne. It’s all about the infantry here (drawing comparisons to Protectorate of Menoth). the infantry are by themselves rather weak. But all Skorne warlocks (apart from Morghoul) buff them to whole new levels of horridness. As an integrated army, the Skorne are mean, vicious and hard to put down. They can lay down a torrent of heavy-hitting attacks. Another unique aspect of Skorne strategy is that death isn’t necessarily the end. The Skorne utilize souls much like the Protectorate of Menoth and Cryx, and a number of warlocks have spells that extend the use of units even after their demise. Souls are gathered to power other units and solos, like the Immortals and Ancestral Guardians. For Skorne, death is just a minor inconvenience.

If that’s the style of play you are looking for, Skorne’s the faction for you. I like it. It’s very different from what I normally play.

Up Next: The Legion that Breaks All Rules of Engagement, and Eco-Terrorists off to save the World!

Cryx

Fluff: The Nightmare Empire of Cryx is the home of Toruk, the Dragon lord who vomited blight all over the Scharde Isles, in turn creating undead Lich Lords, Blighted Ogrun, maggot-infested pirates, and a slew of scantily clad, navel baring hotties. The Scharde Isles would be the perfect vacation spot for geeky males if not for the intense evil oozing out of every pore.

Cryx is evil for evils’ sake, partaking in genocide (if I have my facts straight) and grave-robbing to feed and develop the necrotite-driven industries of the Nightmare Empire. The thralls and blighted denizens of the Cryx are nothing more than tools in the mysterious machinations of the Lich Lords, who are as often plotting against each other as they are plotting for Lord Toruk. They’ve got a good taste in women, though. They pick the hottest, most virile ladies to become warcasters (ok. This may be the figment of my imagination, but I’ve found no proof otherwise).

If being evil gets you all excited, then Cryx is the faction for you. Remember the kid from high school? The one who wore thick-rimmed glasses, always sat in front and was an overall nerd? Then he grew up to form a death metal band, surrounded by a legion of groupies? Well, he’s just a thrall of Cryx. His record producer? Cryx.

I don’t like the fluff of Cryx, to be honest. they are an awesome faction though.

Aesthetics: The main color scheme of Cryx is a brackish black, with rusty brass as trimmings, and a sickly green glow representing necrotite usage.

The warjacks are almost organic in nature, what with the usage of bones in building ‘em. The warcasters, solos and units are either undead or blighted. What really turns me off Cryx is the almost fetishistic use of spikes and sharp objects. It may appeal to some, but I don’t see why. There’s fluffy reasons for that though.

Rules: Cryx, by virtue of being evil, is the faction to go for sneaky assassinations. It is a faction heavy on debuffs and offensive spells, and at the same time allows its warcasters to perform assassinations from afar. The units, solos, and warcasters are generally difficult to kill. Some units even gain back their numbers as enemies desperately try to thin the crowd.

The warjacks have much higher defense than those from other factions. Arcnode assassinations are infamous, and the sudden appearances of heavy jacks in your face are not too uncommon either.

Cryx are fast, deadly, and don’t allow for mistakes from the enemy. They will punish you, and cackle with glee. If you are a player seeking a fast, tricksy army, Cryx is for you.

Khador

Fluff: The Khadoran Empire spans much of the Northern wastes of the Iron Kingdoms, and hence are known to be hardened and cold-hearted. Their wish to expand into the warmer Southern regions have been met with much resistance from Cygnar and Llael. Now, if you are cold and freezing, dying to get into your warm house, only to be greeted frigidly by occupants who aren’t even supposed to be there, what would you do? That’s right, break in and start a fight. Call me bias (I am a Khador player, afterall), but it is reasonable to believe that Khador has every right to take back what’s rightfully theirs, even if they have to resort to unsavoury tactics.
That’s what drew me to Khador as a faction. They have a right to bear arms, yet are labelled greedy, violent expansionists just because their opinions differ vastly from the majority (that majority being Cygnar, Llael and Ord). Draws very similar comparisons to the real world, doesn’t it?

If you are the type of player who’d get down and dirty to get the job done, Khador’s the faction for you. Remember that kid in high school? The unpopular underdog? Just because he had a different accent? Who tries vainly to fight for his right to live? His big, burly brother is Khador.

Aesthetics: The main color scheme for Khador is red, with gold or black trimmings. Its warjacks are huge, chunky tanks on legs. The designs are very WW2ish. Not as technologically advanced as Cygnar, but not old like Protectorate as well. There’s a strong Russian/Eastern European theme going on for the warcasters, units and solos, what with furry hats and a penchant for all things frigid. The Khador Man-o-War (MoW) units are unique as well. Huge, steam armored soldiers, slow as mollasses and hits like a ton of bricks.

The warjacks are the reason I bought into Khador. There’s something about the stark contrast of red, giant machines against a white backdrop. The non-MoW units are rather lacklustre save a few, and I cannot care less for the Doomreavers.

Rules: Khadorans in general are hardy, cold folk, and it is reflected in the rules as such. Khador can dish extra-ordinary pain, and take it as well. Its warjacks are the biggest and meanest in the game, and whatever they target is as good as dead. The troops are deadly in melee, and are among the toughest nuts to crack. There’s a mild ice theme going for several models, and there are alot of buff spells to help warrior models either in melee, or to get to melee. Although Khador jacks and MoWs are the slowest models in the game, Khador packs surprising speed that can catch unwary enemies off-guard.

If hardhitting armies that can take as much as they dish out are your thing, you’d find Khador to your liking.

Mercenaries

Fluff: Mercenaries are not a faction fluffwise, but are officially a faction in the game. Several contracts allow different combinations of mercenaries, but like their namesake, mercenaries can usually be found working for other factions.

Mercs fall into 4 different flavors. There’s Magnus and his custom warjacks, who would’ve been called the Bastard had that moniker not been taken. And just because he does not agree with the current ruling elite, he’s been called a Traitor. He now has his own personal army, though no one knows his Agenda but he.

Then there are the Rhullic dwarves. They’re in it for the coin, mostly, since trade’s kinda their lifeblood. Their warjacks serve the dual purpose of work and war, and if warjacks could be called cute, Rhullic jacks would take the cake. They’ve got a soft spot for the ogrun.

Next up are privateers, or pirates most likely, as their MO doesn’t steer far from loot and plunder. They’ve got seafaring warjacks, upgraded from waterfront steamjacks, as only pirates know how.

Lastly are every other mercenary that run the gamut from the most villainous scum, to wandering mad alchemists and musicians, to La Resistance chicks, to soulless elven hookers. The mercs are like Wal-Mart. Everything under one roof.

Mercenaries are the fluffiest of fluff, and thus hold the most numerous unique rules this side of Immoren. The character and stories of the various mercs are truly some of the best. Orphan on a vengeful path? Check. Outcast? Check. Former loyalist planning an overthrow of the current ruling elite? It’s there.

My first army was mercenaries. However, I just couldn’t find a cohesiveness to army building. The choices are limited to contracts. Pieces don’t play well with each other. Not much synergy. The pirates came along, and there was extreme synergy between them, but that’s about it. I like mercenaries, I really do. But at the moment, they don’t really do it for me. If you like to run a bunch of misfits who don’t really belong (and who doesn’t, really?), the Mercenaries are for you.

Do you remember that kid in high school? The jack of all trades? The handyman that everyone calls on for help? The one who didn’t really belong? He’s a Merc.

Aesthetics: The Mercenaries are very individualistic. There’s no design similarity between them. Warjacks fall under 4 categories, mainly Magnus’ custom warjacks, Rhullic jacks, seafaring privateer jacks, and others (mostly old Cygnar designs).

Units, solos and warcasters are equally different, the only ones sharing similar aesthetics being the privateers (pirates, really) and the Steelhead Company.

What I can attest to, however, is that every mercenary, be it warrior or warjack, is characterful. Their sense of world-weariness, grit, charm, steely ambition is etched into every part of the model. Be it Magnus’ crutch on his limp right leg and mechanikal arm, or Gorman’s myriad of alchemic concoctions, or Rhupert’s sad but grim melody on his pipes, or even the cocky determination of Sam MacHorne and her Devil Dogs. Every one of them is a testimony to the craftsmen at Privateer Press.

If beautiful, characterful models are your thing, Mercenaries are for you. At the very least, buy them to paint them.

Rules: They are mercenaries, therefore they don’t have strict rules guiding them. Magnus and his warjacks are slow, but hit devastatingly hard. He’s also a sneaky bastard, and so he has a few tricks up his sleeve. The Rhullic dwarves and warjacks are extraordinarily slow, stunted legs and all, but are rather resilient and hit quite hard. The Llaelese (only 2 at the moment, so this is just a theory) are fast, nimble, hard to hit, but fragile.

The Steelhead Company troops aren’t stellar on their own, but work rather well as a unit. Most of the privateers can’t be knocked down, and are virtually useless on their own. But as a team is where they shine. Their warjacks aren’t nimble, but pack a surprising punch and have a myriad of abilities, much like the privateers.

Like I said, you can’t pin them down since they are not really a faction and so do not have faction synergy or similarities. They are however, fun to play.

Retribution of Scyrah

Fluff: Do not mess with elves, especially after you’ve unknowingly killed their god. These are not your everyday tree-hugging, peace-loving elves. They are soulless, and the only reason they hug trees is so that they can climb up and drop down on you, skewering you with their massive swords in the process. Either that, or they send multi-ton warjacks called myrmidons with giant, crap-in-your-pants-when-you-see-it weapons and photon cannons (probably not photon, but they sure are glowy).

They are pissy, emo elves with the hair to boot. They are not your friends. You have been warned.

Do you remember that kid from high school? Emo hair, black goth make-up, doesn’t do anything to offend anyone, but hates the world anyways? Then one day a jock accidentally tears of the head of his emo Emily voodoo doll? Yet he still doesn’t do anything? Beware. He’s Retribution.

Aesthetics: The Retribution have a white scheme for their armor, with a teal glow to represent arcanika. I know it’s been said that the Retribution compare to Eldar or Tau in their design. I don’t play Warhammer, but I’ve seen the Tau and Eldar, and, in my ever so humble opinion, I think the Retribution has a rather unique design. Akin to anime, yet very befitting to the Iron Kingdoms.

I can’t say I like the way the models turned out (judging by what we have so far), however. Chris Walton’s concept sketches were stellar, and yes, the models have turned out pretty much exactly as he drew them. Apart from the Mage Hunters, though, the others look…static. Ho hum, even. I have yet to see everything else that the Retribution has to over, so my opinions may change.

Rules: The Retribution are not out yet, but from what I’ve gleaned from the forums, they look like a faction heavy on denial. The myrmidons are unique in that they’ve a ‘force field’ of sorts that can be regenerated.

And….that’s about it, really. I don’t have my No Quarter yet.

That’s it about Warmachine. Khador has been my choice merely for the fact that it has the fluff I like (anything Russian/Cold War-ish gets me), models I love (the warjacks, man, the warjacks), and rules that require not much thinking (mostly).

Up Next: Angry, Hungry Trolls, and a faction that’ll put your name to the test.

Shall we get started?

Cygnar

 Fluff: Cygnar is the ‘good guy’ faction. They’re the most technologically advanced nation of the Iron Kingdoms. Technology in this sense means mechanika (synthesis of magic and science, if I have my facts straight). They are at the forefront of military technology as well, and, coupled with battle-hardened veterans and warcasters, are a force to reckon with. There was almost an issue with one of the warcasters turning to the dark side, but that was over and done with (the story-telling was grand, epic even, but I am still a little miffed it turned out the way it did). Nevertheless, petty political squabbling and corruption threaten to smudge the squeaky clean image of Cygnar. There’s nothing bad about the military though. Everyone’s a goody-two-shoes.

If playing the good guys appeal to you, then Cygnar’s the faction for you. As for me, remember the kid in high school who had it all? Good looks, great in studies and sports, teacher’s pet, prom king, and generally an all around nice guy? He’s Cygnar. No thank you. I prefer friends who have flaws.

Aesthetics: As you can see, the main color scheme of Cygnar is blue, with gold or white trimmings. Newer technology includes harnessing lightning as weapons. The warjacks are rounded, hi-tech, and smooth all over. The infantry are rather basic in comparison. But everything about Cygnar screams superior tech.

Honestly, I would get Cygnar for the models. They have beautiful sculpts, and the newer ones are definitely eye candy. The warjacks are awesome, especially the Centurion and Thorn.

Remember the guy who had it all? Same thing applies here. Everything seems perfect. Is perfect.

Rules: Cygnar, being the hi-tech good guy that he is, has access to electricity, and has a heap load of guns. This translates to a faction that plays the ranged game very, very well, and at the same time, can severely hamper the opponent’s ranged options just as well. Warjacks like the Defender and Hunter are deadly when given an open firing lane, and the Combined Ranged Attack of the Long Gunners ensure that enemies are not allowed access to certain parts of the battlefield. The Gun Mages bring utility to their ranged attacks, and arc-noded Lancers ensure the warcasters can sling their deadly spells at a safe remove. The melee options that Cygnar is impressive as well, and their inate ability to mess with and thrash enemy warjacks is legendary.

Protectorate of Menoth

Fluff: The Protectorate is a theocracy full of religious zealots dedicated to the worship of Menoth (The Creator of Man in the Iron Kingdoms). They inherrently believe that they are doing good by purging heretics and cleansing by fire, though what constitutes good in the eyes of the Protectorate is open to discussion. They’ve got a warped sense of justice, but newer leaders have soften their approach, but not their zeal. you don’t want to speak the Lord’s name in vain in front of these guys, that’s for sure.

If playing zealous holy warriors is your cup of tea, then I would highly recommend the Protectorate of Menoth. As for me, I never understood the appeal of playing a paladin in RPGs. There’s nothing Lawful about the methods I employ.

Remember the kid in high school? The one who preached the lord’s name, trying to convince the others to attend mass? Then ends up burning the school because of their neutral stance on abortion? He’s Protectorate of Menoth.

Not that playing the Protectorate of Menoth would lead you to do that, mind.

Aesthetics: The main Protectorate color scheme is white, with red trimmings and brassy gold finishings for the metals. The whole faction has a distinct middle-eastern vibe to it. The warjacks, most of which are smuggled Cygnar bits, have a chunky, rough feel to them. They look unrefined, dated, though characterful, which holds a certain appeal. The infantry have flowing cloth and are rather dynamic.

What really blows me away, though, are the warcasters and elite infantry. Every single one of them. ROCK. FACE. From the lowly Knights Exemplar, to the chunky hunky Bastions, to the painter’s wet dream that is the Harbinger, everything screams ‘Bow down to Menoth! Now!’.

So why didn’t I pick the Protectorate? Easy. I came into the game for the warjacks, and initially the warjacks of the Protectorate didn’t really appeal to me (that and the fact that the protectorate needs a ton of infantry to run effectively. More on that later). Recently though I have had second thoughts about the warjacks. There’s a certain character to the warjacks. Each warjack of the Protectorate almost has a story behind it waiting to be told. If and when I would pick a second (ok third) faction for Warmachine, the Protectorate would be my choice.

Rules: Burn, heretic, BURRNNNN! The Protectorate is all about bringing down fire upon the masses, whether they be raining down from the skies, or magically consuming a heretic/worshipper from within. Warjacks wield rockets, flamethrowers, fire belchers alongside burning maces filled with Menoth’s Fury. Religious zealots chuck bombs and fire highly inaccurate rockets at fleeing enemies.

Apart from fire (and lots of it), the Protectorate is also well known for its army synergy. Individually, the protectorate is easy pickins. They are very fragile (they are afterall, clad in little else but cloth), and generally poor combatants (apart from the elite troops). As an army, however, the Protectorates true strength shows. Warcasters and support troops help out tremendously. The elite Exemplars, however, are in a class of their own. They grow from strength to strength as their brothers die around them. And don’t get me started with the solos. If you are a player who loves infantry, the Protectorate will not disappoint.

Up Next: The evil, evil, evil Cryx, and the Expansionistic, Imperialistic Khadoran Empire. As well as the Faction that’s not a Faction that’s a Faction, and Soulless Tree Huggers.