REVERSE CALCULATIONS

What am I talking about? Have you looked at the table knowing there is some distance between your models and your opponent’s models but you don’t know what it is? Could be 18 inches. Could be 21 inches. You just aren’t quite sure. Use some of the algebra you have probably forgot. It’s okay. You don’t know how many inches are between the models but you can probably figure out the rest. Here is how…ask yourself some questions.

Lets assume that I am going first and I have my Hex Hunters Advance Deployed because of Bayal and my opponent has a full unit of Exemplar Errants plus UA Advance Deployed aswell. I want to know how far can I run my front line of Hex Hunters without getting them shot by Errants’ Crossbows.

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Tags: Math, Measuring, Tournament, Tournament Preparations

In the first installment of this pair of articles, we spent some time reviewing the “big” additions to Khador in Warmachine: Wrath. For this second installment, we’re going to take a look at the “small” things added to Khador in Wrath. And as we’ll soon discover, good things absolutely come in small packages!

One interesting thing to note about Khador’s Wrath releases: there are no units (at least in the traditional sense of “unit”) to be found. Thankfully, Khador is in no immediate need of new unit options (we’re already stuffed to the gills with top notch units.) The new additions presented in Wrath also open up some very interesting new possibilities, without overshadowing anything we already have.

Let’s get started with…

Ally Unit – Kayazy Eliminators

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Tags: Khador, model review, Overthinking Inc, Warmachine, Wrath

The latest Warmachine expansion, Warmachine: Wrath, added a lot of interesting, fun new models to each of the Warmachine factions. Khador in particular received new army entries that add some very interesting new options, and open up the opportunity for more varied play styles. Over the course of two articles, I want to take a look at each of those new models, and discuss what they bring to the table.

Khador received a lot of interesting models in Wrath, and a good place to start is…hold on a sec. We have a question from the audience. You there sir, what’s your boggle?

“Well, not to call you out, but Wrath is, like, over half a year old at this point. Why should we crack open that musty old book?”

Good question, stranger with a convenient inquiry. There are two reasons for the odd timing of this article:

1) Wedding planning rendered me MIA for the release of Wrath, so it’s only now that I’m able to write about the releases from that book, and,

2) Thanks to Privateer Press’ (understandably) slowed release schedule last year, we’re only just now going to be getting the last few models from Wrath, so it’s a good time to revisit the model list.

With that clarified, let’s get on to the goodies! In this first article, I’ll go over the “big models” Khador received in Wrath: the warcaster, the warjacks, and the battle engine.

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Tags: Khador, model review, Overthinking Inc, Warmachine, Wrath

When it came time to expand the world of the Iron Kingdoms onto the tabletop, Privateer Press chose an interesting course of action: they created a second game system that, while very similar to Warmachine, was different enough to call for its own mechanics. The result is that we have two separate game systems – Warmachine and Hordes – that share many common rules and are meant to be played against one another.

Depending on your local group of players, you may have a group that is relatively evenly distributed between Warmachine players and Hordes players, or your group may be skewed more towards one game system. In some cases, you may have an entirely homogeneous gaming group – i.e. all Hordes players or all Warmachine players. Regardless of how often you play a crossover game, it is important to recognize that the differences between the systems require some tactical adjustments.

The number one issue I’ve noticed that players encounter when playing Warmachine/Hordes crossover battles is that they continue to use the same plan of attack, even though the mechanical differences between the systems usually means that strategy now comes up short. Admittedly, this is more common in Warmachine players facing Hordes armies for the first time (the common first reaction to the damage transfer mechanic is usually something akin to infuriated shock,) but Hordes players can also be thrown for a loop by the different army compositions common in Warmachine (eg. loads of nasty infantry.)

“You brought how many weaponmasters!?”

To better understand why this is, we need look no further than the stars of each game system: warcasters, warlocks, and the warnouns (i.e. warjacks and warbeasts) that love them.

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Tags: Battlegroups, Hordes, Overthinking Inc, Strategy, tactics, Warmachine

(Yes, I’ve been reading A Song of Ice and Fire. Why do you ask?)

Way back when I started playing Warmachine, my choice of faction was very lightly informed: our group had four players, so we each picked a faction. Cygnar and Menoth were already spoken for, and I wasn’t a fan of zombies, so I picked Khador. Now, years later, I couldn’t be happier with my choice – Khador is an exceptionally diverse and nuanced faction (some folks may snicker here, but bear with me) that I’m still having a blast playing, even after 5+ years of using it.

Whether you’re a veteran looking to branch out into a new faction, a lapsed Khador player looking to re-enlist, a new player looking forward to putting your Khador Battlebox/half of the Two-Player Battlebox to use, or someone who may face a lot of Khador players, my hope is to give you a good understanding of the faction’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall game plan.

So, one way or another, you are now the proud owner of some Khador models. After you get them painted up, you’re going to want to put them on the table and try them out! However, before you go running off (or, in the case of the Battlebox models, Wind Rushing and plodding off) to crush all who stand before you, let’s take a closer look at the starting Khador models, and see what we can deduce from their abilities.

Learning from the Battlebox models:

The Khador Battlebox comes with the following models:

• Warcaster Kommander Sorscha
• Destroyer Heavy Warjack
• Juggernaut Heavy Warjack

The Two-Player Battle Box adds the following models:

• Man-O-War Shocktroopers Unit (5 models)

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Tags: army overview, Khador, Privateer Press, Warmachine

Attrition, or “I do not think it means what you think it means”

Greetings all!

Today, we’re going to discuss a topic that’s is at the core of miniatures wargaming: attrition. To an extent, every game deals with the concept of attrition, though how specifically it factors into the game varies wildly based on the basic rules of the game, how many miniatures are involved, etc.

“Attrition” is one of those words that one most often learns the definition of based on context, so let’s level set the discussion with a pair of definitions, courtesy of Merriam-Webster. (Source)

Attrition is defined as:

The act of weakening or exhausting by constant harassment, abuse, or attack <a war of attrition>

This definition refers to one side actively attempting to diminish the opposing side via some kind of offensive action (i.e. “I’m killin’ ur doodz.”) As is probably obvious, this type of attrition is very common in miniatures wargaming – it is usually the main objective! For the purpose of this article, this type of attrition will be referred to as active attrition.

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Tags: Overthinking Inc, Strategy, tactics

Threat and You , Part 2 – Threat Harder

This is the (hopefully timely delivered) follow up to my first article about threat ranges in miniatures wargaming. Diving into this without having read part one may be a bit confusing/less than informative, so if you haven’t read part one, take a few minutes and do so here.

So, we were discussing threat – what it is, how to describe it, and why it’s important to understand. In this second article, we are going to get into the finer points of threat projection, particularly how you can use it to your advantage during your games. Starting with the answer to the following question: what does threat projection affect?

Answer:

Everything.

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Tags: Overthinking Inc, Strategy, tactics

Hello again everyone!

I’ve returned from the wilds of western Kentucky, and now that I’m nice and relaxed (it’s hard to do much else when you’re in a place that doesn’t have a 3G signal,) I wanted to tackle one of the bigger topics related to miniatures wargaming: threat range.

Word overload warning: There is no quick and easy way to cover threat range with the amount of detail I am hoping to get into, so this topic is going to be broken into two installments. This article will define threat range, and explain why it is an important concept to understand. A (hopefully quickly forthcoming) follow up article will discussing ways to maximize the effects of your threat ranges, and minimize your opponent’s ability to project threat.
To add extra clarity, I will try to break up the text with sexy, sexy diagrams (disclaimer: they will only be truly sexy if you’re into circles with lines coming out of them,) but there’s still going to be a good amount of reading. Do not start reading this article if you wanted to do anything productive in the immediate future.

With that said, lets get started!

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Tags: Strategy, tactics

Welcome back everyone!

My original plan for this instalment of Over-thinking, Inc. was to discuss threat projection – what it is, how model’s exert it, and how to make good use of it. However, that article is shaping up to be a pretty big one, and I also want to create a few (simple!) diagrams to help the discussion flow more smoothly, so that topic is going to need a bit more time in the oven.
In lieu of that (forthcoming) topic, I wanted to revisit something I touched on in my last post: army construction. Not necessarily specifics like “take model x with model y to really decimate the opponent,” but more of a general approach to list composition that, hopefully, leads to lists that are overall effective and fun.

A quick word on the importance of list construction -

First and foremost, use the models you want to use. If you think a model is cool, and you are comfortable with how it works, then put that sucker on the table and have fun! Do not let the opinions of others color your perceptions on what is “good” and “bad”. We all approach these games in our unique way, and you are doing yourself a disservice if you let other’s perceptions/opinions sway your decisions.

That said, it is important to put some consideration into what you’re taking, and try to build a force that has a cohesive goal, with all the models in the army working (in one way or another) to support that goal. While a sufficiently skilled player can do well with almost any combination of models, playing a game with a list that has no core concept is much like trying to open a can with a rock: yes, it may still work, but you will be a lot happier using a can opener.

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Tags: Overthinking Inc, tactics

Over-thinking, Inc. – “We think about this game constantly, so you don’t have to!”

Hello All!

I am OrsusSmash, and you may have seen me around the Privateer Press forums under the same name. I have been playing Warmachine for five years (starting during Apotheosis,) and Hordes since its introduction. I have also recently started playing Malifaux, though our group is still getting the hang of the system (reason #1 why I can’t wait to get a hold of the new Rules Manual for that game, but I digress.)

“Well OrsusSmash, that’s an awful nice wargaming biography, and your beard is particularly impressive. But what does that have to do with me?”

I’m very happy you asked. First, take one of my complimentary brochures on beard care. Second, there’s a reason I wanted to qualify my experience a bit.

Over the coming months, I’ll be providing my thoughts and insights on tactics that are high level enough to apply to all armies, but are still important to understand if one wants to elevate their level of play (casually or competitively.) I’ll also be sharing tactics and strategy for Khador (my first love) and Legion (the sexy weekend fling) as we go along as well, though the more faction specific articles will be located in our soon-to-be-growing Training Grounds. By keeping the general concepts out here, I’m hoping that players of every faction (and game system, as many of these concepts apply regardless of what you’re playing,) will find useful information here.

That said, my references (and some of the concepts) will usually be more Warmachine/Hordes oriented, as I’m a die-hard lover of what Privateer Press has put together. When appropriate, I will try to qualify if the topic I am discussing is general, Warmachine/Hordes centric, etc.

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Tags: Battle, Dos and Donts, Overthinking Inc, Strategy