There’s been a lot of news in recent cycles with Steamforged Games (SFG) taking over the Warmachine IP, and GenCon was my first opportunity to chat in person with folks from both sides of the deal. Change can be scary, and i get that there are still a lot of concerns from many folk, but I can honestly say I’m more excited for the future of Warmachine than I have been since my local community imploded when we lost our FLGS.
SFG’s booth showcased a number of their offerings, including Monster Hunter World, Local Legends and Epic Encounters, as well as Warmachine.
Oh, and quickly, links to the other photodumps:
Photodump 1: The Con
Photodump 3: The Peeps
Photodump 4: The Games
The booth was reasonably central, a little toward the back, and constantly surrounded by traffic as people demo’d and bombarded the staff with questions.
I’m 6 feet tall. The stack of Epic Encounters boxes was taller than I am. I was only moderately offended.
Who should we spot running demo’s, but Jamie Perkins himself, who once tabled me in under 20 minutes at a Warmachine Weekend many years ago. An utterly charming lad, but I immediately feared for every newbie on the other side of the table.
“Why sure, a Mastadon’s a perfect inclusion in a demo!”
I’m not sure the Orgoth invaders agreed with the threat assessment.
In all fairness, the other demo table included this hulking monstrosity, so I guess it’s fair…
The Creyx Necrofactorium Command Starter and Battlegroup boxes were available for early release. The Battlegroups included a warcaster and multi-build warjacks, with all the required parts to build different loadouts. The Command Starter had a different warcaster (an Iosan, nonetheless) and a group of Character models. Picking up both of them meant no doubles, just an array of sharp, pointy death.
Army boxes for the other factions were also available, but Cryx were definitely the main event.
Both sets of models were on display behind glass, keeping them clear of oily fingers… but if you peeked again at the demo tables?
Oh hai! (*pew pew pew*)
Cryx weren’t the only models on display, with a beautifully vibrant Abyssal King drawing everyone’s eyes to the Brineblood Marauders.
Cygnarans continue to be the bane of my existence. One day Menoth will see fit to give me the tools I need to wipe fhem from the face of Caen…
No, no, that’s not one of the tools I’m looking for, Menoth, please try again.
I’m pretty sure a Wold Walker, as adorable as it may be, wouldn’t meet with the approval of the Synod.
Scyrafael is here to remind me that I have a backlog of Dusk models that I need to work on.
Rhok me like a hurricane
Also on display were the models from the upcoming two-player starter, including the return of Caine.
Plastic sprue pics for sprue afficionados to follow…
Sprue!
Sprue!
Sprue!
Sprue!
Sprue!
I know there’s some pretty intense debate about plastic vs resin, people definitely have strong feelings one way or another. Me, I’m all for whichever options make it easier for new players to get into the game.
This year the tournaments and organized play were taking place over in Lucase Oil Stadium. Take away all of those white floor panels, and there’s turf beneath where the Indianapolis Colts play. While it sucks that the gaming was such a long walk away from the dealer hall, the acoustics in the stadium are FAR superior, such that there was no need to yell to be heard, the A/C was magnificent, and the food trucks were right outside the stadium doors. I for one welcome our new organized play location.
Monsterpocalypse in action!
Blighterghast returned, allowing players to take a swing at his narrative event.
Not enough lava on the board? No worries, Blighterghast will take care of that in a moment.
I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw someone dual-wielding Castigators. My Menite heart was happy.
Mk4 Khador trundles to war
Orgoth aren’t my jam, by Wyverns are one of my favourite things ever.
I’m loving the return to fully immersive terrain. Don’t get me wrong, I fully appreciate the utility of 2D terrain, but the gaming experience is that much richer with a fable full of awesome terrain pieces. I’ll talk about that more in one of the other photodumps.
Speaking of, stay tuned for more games and peeps!
