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space_monkey
06-07-2010, 06:55 PM
Hey there, looking for a little advice from experienced Warmachine players.

I’ve got myself Prime Mk II and liking the rules and fluff. My challenge at this stage is to get one or more of my friends (who are familiar with 40K) to try it out and get a bit of a gaming group going.

I’m planning to buy a couple of battle boxes, paint ‘em up and them provide them for play. Easier to suck a friend in when they don’t have to cough up any cash themselves. Plus I love to paint anyway, so even if it never gets off the ground I’ll have had some fun painting up some nice sculpts.

So the question before me is which two factions to go with? My priorities are decent sculpts, and factions with some differences, who will in playing a battle box level game give a good overview of WM rules to new players.

My thought process so far:

Retribution of Scyrah – Steve Jobs’ psycho elves look cool, but have no battle box and aren’t included in Prime Mk II, so no.

Protectorate of Menoth – I’m a bit iffy on some of the sculpts, and from what I have read on Battle College, Menoth has a steep learning curve because of their dependence on effective synergies. So no.

Cryx – Definitely because the sculpts are so badass. At least one of my friends will want to play these guys.

Khador – Da, is good. Cool sculpts and from what I understand, can be simple to use for a beginner.

Cygnar – They look ... okay. Stryker looks like bit of a knob who uses too much hair product. On the other hand gun mages are cool. Heck, just the phrase ‘gun mage’ is cool. The combined arms stuff is interesting, and I reckon their shootiness might be easier for a 40K player to grasp.

Broken down like that, my choice is Crx and either Khador or Cygnar.

I know some will respond ‘Play what _you_ want to play’ or ‘Pick the ones you want to paint most’ – yes, those are factors I am considering already :) What I would like is help considering the factor outside my experience: Which battle box matchup will, in your opinion, give a more fulsome introduction to the Warmachine system? I have already had a pretty extensive read through Battle College, which has given me some idea. I’d really like the opinion of experienced players, however.

Cygnar v. Cryx? Khador v. Cryx? Or is there little difference?

Thanks for your thoughts!

mazgier
06-08-2010, 12:01 AM
I'd say: Cryx. Cygnar battlebox has good warjacks with a rather average (at best) cater while Khadoran one is about a good caster paired with not-so-good warjacks choice. Ont he other hand Deneghra is one of the best casters PP ever made and she really NEEDS those three bonechickens included in her bettlebox. And Slayer in its Mk. II incarnation is just awesome if you consider its price/potential ratio.

CrashTestDummy
06-08-2010, 08:04 AM
I think that Khador v Cryx will give you the best matchup in terms of fully encompassing the game since they are 2 completely different factions with 2 completely different playstyles. The Cryx battlebox will give you "The Glass Cannon" feel of a force that can hit very hard and strike whereever it would like but will face dire consequence if it gets punched back. The Khador Battlebox will be completely different as Khador will just march straight at you, impervious to whatever is thrown at it.
Another reason I would vote for those 2 over Cygnar is that they have exciting feats! I find when I demo new people, when they hear about the feat mechanic and see them in action, it really grabs their attention. They both have devastating feats while Strykers is useful, but can feel like a let down in comparison to new players.

scadugenga
06-14-2010, 05:32 PM
As much as I love Cygnar (2nd to Mercs, of course!) I agree with CTD: Khador gives you a completely different play style than Cryx and can give them a decent run for their money. (Particularly with Sorscha's feat...)

Cryx vs. Khador is very much the "Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object" matchup, and should appeal to a wider audience.

Mercs & Cygnar are really more of a combined arms approach, and while both flexible and fun, are not quite as dynamic out the box as Khador & Cryx.

And well Menoth? Only if you want to unleash your little inner jihadist...