Lately I have stepped into the realm of other wargaming games. I started looking around and reading up on other rule sets and giving other games a chance. Maulifux, Infinity, Warpath to name a few, and though some of them have nice models and rule sets. After some demos either their play style or new rules design didn't sit well with me resulting in none of them called to me. Then I tried a game that I had won a battle box a while ago and never did anything with, Warmachine. I had a demo game done at a local hobby store (by local I mean an hour and a half away) and I had fun. This games rule set wasn't that much of a stretch from what I knew. The models have a movement value (WHFB-esk), a shooting skill RAT (BS), a melee skill MAT (WS) and the dmg mechanic was a strength of an attack versus the defense of the model. Things were diced out on 6's and all was well, however with other games there are charts and graphs, this is pure math. # - # = score needed. Even more so it has its mechanic driven around 2d6 as the main not 1d6. For anyone who know statistics this makes dice roll probability that much more controlled, aka there are less chances to be completely blown and fall on your face with more averages to roll mid grade.
Then the game takes a turn for the interesting. You have a limited resource (focus/fury) that allows you to augment your statistical averages by rolling an additional d6. My mind was blown, no longer does this game enter the realm of "bad dice". Yes it still can happen, but the player now has a resource to control said rolls better than in other games. No longer will a player be forced to accept a lose because the dice failed him, if you absolutely need it you can augment it. On the flip side it is a limited resource and you can't augment it willy nilly, you have to choose the right time to do it. To add to this the company that makes the game takes the time to balance it out so no faction is "the lame duck", their release schedule is yearly and each faction is guaranteed to see something new every year and the release of new models does not out date older ones. Price per package is on pare with GW, but since the game needs fewer models to play your points to dollars ratio is much easier on the wallet.
So I take this game and i show it to one of my friends and he buys in. We both agree to pick up a starter army or two so we others in the league can give it a try no money down. An we play some games at the shop so people can see. An we hit a brick wall for acceptance. The game has a tight rules set, is one of if not the second runner up to Games Workshop in organized play and we get no bites. Statements such as "models are to expensive", to "there are to many special rules to remember" are made (all of which is extremely ironic to hear as they are in the process of playing 40k when they are made.) An then I heard one comment that i could not deny. "It's like playing Magic the Gathering", to which you know what...that one is dead on. It is like MTG. There are cards with preset abilities, defenses and special rules per model. The game is very synergy based were you can't have one model just punching an armies face in (even the biggest model can be taken down), you need 5 models who all do something to each other to make the killing blow. And there is a finite win goal of killing the warcaster (aka the 20hp of the MTG player) to win. I can't argue that point. However I will provide the counterpoint. Magic the gathering has been running near flawless game system going on 20 years, it is played the world over in competitive markets and venues and no matter what color you play, or play style you play, everyone has a far shake. Yes Warmachine "is" like Magic the Gathering...and how is that a bad thing?
