Warmachine

WARMACHINE is a tabletop wargame produced by Privateer Press. The game is played with white metal miniatures manufactured by Privateer Press representing military characters from the Iron Kingdoms D20 Role Playing Game setting. more...

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Warmachine

Battles are fought between Warcasters from rival kingdoms, the large steam-powered warjacks that the Warcasters control, and troops consisting of humans and fantasy races. For the companion-game involving the savage factions, see HORDES.

In 2004, WARMACHINE won the Origins Awards for Best Fantasy Miniatures Rules of 2003 and Best Fantasy Miniatures Series of 2003. In 2005 WARMACHINE won Game of the Year at Origins and Gamers Choice for Best Miniatures.

The Troops

WARMACHINE's most distinctive feature is the inclusion of Warcasters and Warjacks (the War machines from which the game derives its name). Warjacks, or 'jacks for short, are 6-ton techno-magical constructs designed for waging war, and running at the speed of a locomotive. They are, in general, powered by a coal-burning steam engine and guided by an arcane supercomputer-like 'brain' called a cortex. Heavily armored and often carrying over-sized weaponry, 'jacks fill a role similar to traditional military armor such as tanks and artillery. Many times more durable than normal troops, they pack a harder punch as well. They are also, however, far more costly than troops and Warcasters.

Warcasters are the pivotal characters of the game. Each Warcaster is a wielder of magic that has learned to control Warjacks. Warcasters serve multiple roles. In addition to guiding the Warjack's destructive power, they are army commanders and archmages. Each Warcaster has a special feat that can be used once per battle. These effects range from subtle to explosive and often are enough to change the tide of battle.

In addition to Warcasters and Warjacks, armies can field supporting infantry troops of many varieties that lend versatility and power to the potent Warcaster / Warjack combination. Some are infantry or gunners, while others have more specialized roles, from warjack repairmen to spellcasters. Most of these troops come in groups and move in formations, while the specialists are individuals, called solo characters or solos. Most of these troops are human, but some are other races.

Gameplay

A distinctive feature of WARMACHINE is that the overall gameplay is designed to encourage aggression rather than defensive tactics, such as sitting behind fortifications. This is referred to amongst players and the game's developers as the 'Page 5' code of ethics: "Play Like You've Got A Pair". Players take turns in a very specific order. Each turn begins with a Warcaster's maintenance phase. During this phase Warcasters regenerate their magical power called "focus." The next phase is the control phase. During this phase the Warcaster may allocate "focus" and pay the upkeep spells in play. Once this has happened Warcasters allocate "focus" to Warjacks in their battle groups. This allows Warjacks to do special actions like run, attack multiple times, or perform many other varieties of actions. Once this has happened the player can then begin activating each unit/model to move if desired, then shoot or attack. This is known as activation. The turn is over when every unit has been activated. A game round consists of each player taking a turn.

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