Faction 101 - Feedback and Writer Info

Yesterday's post about my Warmachine 101 series was met with a lot of enthusiasm by people wanting to help. Typically I wouldn't do two "housekeeping" posts in a row, but I want everyone to get an idea of what to expect, as well as get some feedback on additions you think I should make.

Keep in mind these are Faction 101 articles. They are meant for players whose only experience with the game might be from reading my previous posts about the subject, watching some YouTube videos, or perusing the Privateer Press forums. I don't want to bog them down with information, but I still remember when I was reading through guides like this and feeling like I didn't have a full grasp on the armies I was interested in.

Feel free to name each section as you see fit. I just included a clever title for those who don't want to do something generic for each section.

Faction Overviews

• "About Me" (If you're writing a complete post, please start by telling the readers about yourself. Use this time to promote your website, YouTube channel, etc. Try to keep it one paragraph long.)
• "Lore" (Synopsis of who they are in the world, important events that are currently relevant, how their society is set up. Don't make it too long - just enough to get people excited about their faction's lore.)
• "Aesthetics" (idea of what the models look like. I.e. Skorne has Persian and Asian influences, and many models draw from the sadomasochistic nature of Skorne society. Khador is Russian, militaristic, and practical. Cygnar draws from the American Revolution, the lightning aspect looks like it's run by a mad scientist, and their models are usually smooth and ornate compared to Khador's boxy, practical look)
• "On the table" (An idea of what to expect from a standard army list. Don't rely on the cliches of the forums - really think about what the army plays like when you field it. Don't use other games as examples in this section.)
• "Strengths and Weaknesses" (Pretty obvious. As an army, what do they excel at? What do they struggle to do? What sort of armies might they struggle against?)

• "Advanced Gameplay" (This is where you can talk to the people wanting a more advanced breakdown of the army. Talk about specific mechanics like Legion's Eyeless Sight, Menoth's shooting options, or Cygnar's likelihood of bringing Mercenaries. Whatever you think would better inform people about what to expect.
• "If you like..." (Compare the army to other games. Try to use familiar games so people can relate to the playstyles. Card games, other tabletop games, video games, etc. If you think an army's real-world counterpart might really draw someone in, feel free to repeat it here. I.e. someone may really like the Russian vibe from Khador, or the Scottish influences of Trollbloods)
• "The Battle Box" (An overview of the contents, perhaps pictures of your own painted battle box. At the very least, go over tactics for each model and how to successfully play the box. If you want to do a full breakdown of each model, feel free. Just remember that this is aimed at newer players!)
• "Expanding the Battle Box" (List a few key models without overwhelming them. Try to keep the total of all suggested models below $200 MSRP. Briefly explain what each model adds to the battlebox and how they would expect to play the model. End the section with a 20 point list - try including models with minimal rules or special abilities if they aren't key to an army. Keep in mind that most brand new players will follow this route, so try to give them good, simple options. Remember to include tactics!) [I realize 20 points is an odd number since people play 15 or 25. I just want people to get a feel for the army, and that extra 5 point jump to 25 can end up costing them $30-50 for an army they find themselves not enjoying.
• "Starting from Scratch" [title pending] (This is a section to give players the opportunity to build a starting 20 point list out of -good- models. Many of us know how it feels to buy a battlebox, only to have its contents mostly unusable later on. This section will be used by more advanced players, so models can have a bit more complexity. I.e. I might add a Spriggan or Doom Reavers to a Khador list, but not necessarily a Behemoth or Great Bears. Make the lists competitive, but don't feel like they need to be broken. The idea behind this is to give them a foundation to start from, and hopefully give them a 20 point list that could be 100% transferred in to a 35 or 50 point list later. Remember to include tactics!)
• "Faction Resources" (This is a purely optional section. If your faction has a wonderful resource that players should check out, list it here. I.e. a Legion article would want to link to Jake Van Meter's sticky post in the Legion forums. A Trollbloods post would include Trollblood Scrum.)

That's what I've got so far. I know it seems like a lot, but I think that players who want to read these resources are looking to make an informed purchase. I purchased my Khador based on the advice of "buy what looks fun," and I ended up with a lot of mediocre pieces while wondering why I couldn't field the army of big stompy robots that I was promised.


See you tomorrow!