Warmachine MKII
If you are a player of Privateer Presses Warmachine, then you no doubt have been hearing of the new updated rule book Warmachine Prime MKII. If you are in the other camp of those who have been aware of the game, but have passed it up for one reason or another, then perhaps it’s time you’ve taken another look.
The new release of the MKII rules for Warmachine have fine tuned, and enhanced an already great game. When I first discovered Warmachine, I couldn’t get enough. I scoured the pages of the Prime Remix, along with anything else I could get my hands on in the Iron Kingdom universe. Even long before I had a chance to actually play the game, I was hooked. Giant, steam powered, WarJacks battling it out in heavy combat? What’s not to love?
The rules to me were complex, and took some time to understand and remember. Thanks to the paitence of a friend and expert of the game I got a few games in and became more familar with the process. It seemed to me, that there was a rule for whatever you could do in battle. If you wanted to grab hold of another figure and toss it across the battle field, there was a rule for that. If you wanted to slam into another warjack and knock it into a wall, there was a rule for that. It seems that the rule makers at Privateer Press were playing the game as I play it…miniature movies that play out in the mind and on the field. I found the game I was looking for…and then MK2 was announced.
The forums were ablaze with negative critisism. Players threatened to leave for other games, or abandon the hobby all together. I really didn’t know what to think. I was still quite green when it came to miniature gaming as a whole. Privateer then released the PDF files with the rules and cards so that players could start testing the new system. A bold move, but an incredibly smart one.
Before I go much further on this train of thought, let me reign myself in. I have read the new MKII rule book and I have played a few games with the new system (thanks again Nathan!) and it is fantastic. Since I first found Warmachine, I was still rather new to the industry. I now have read through many game systems and learned many rules and must say, Warmachine is at the top of my list.
The rules have been refined and fine tuned to near perfection. The balance of units, jacks and casters has been well thought out. Creating a list with the new point systems has been made more simple and easily done. And the additions and small tweeks to the rules add for more realistic and stratigically advantagious gameplay.
I’m not going to go into detail about the changes. I’ll let you read from those more expert in the matter then myself. As far as I can offer you is this…if you don’t currently play Warmachine, you are missing out. If you are one who was skepical about the new rules, then please have another look. This game is simply great and well worth the time it takes to peer into.
With the addition of new figures, units and WarJacks, as well as new faction based books, Warmachine has a vast and ever expanding bright future. I am looking into getting more games under my belt, as well as getting my hands on whatever is coming out next.
Thanks for reading, as always. Feel free to let me know what you think about the new rule in the comments below.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Cool review, Tracy! Perhaps you should start doing reviews of the different miniature gaming systems. I know several guys who do RPG reviews on YouTube, but very few who do comparison or reviews on miniature wargames that reach the masses.
January 15th, 2010 at 8:24 am
Good review. I love this game.
February 25th, 2010 at 9:26 am
I have all the original Warmachine starters, but sadly I never got around to playing or even learning the game. Are there new resources/starter rules I can use for these starter boxes? Can they be accessed without further purchases?