Modern Constructed Tournaments!

"This way to the prize vault, guys!"

Well, we've been talking about it for long enough.  Finally, those conspicuously missing Constructed Tournaments are hitting the table this weekend at the Wargate!

You can find the format's rules here, including what sets are legal and what cards are banned.  Every draft we've done so far, or event we've hosted has been legal for Modern, including Shards of Alara block.  There are a few banned cards, so double check the list to make sure your deck doesn't include any of those.

Our Modern Constructed Tournaments will be open to whomever wishes to join with no limit to the number of seats.  Matches will be set at thirty minutes, with the corresponding Match Round.  This means like our drafts, each round will begin at a set time and everyone will follow a single clock.  With five rounds (generally, maybe more or less if we have a huge or pitiful turnout) that means we'll fit nicely into the same time slot we've been running our drafts - about three hours, at 3pm on Sunday.

There will be a small fee to join the tournament, but it is meager.  All proceeds will go directly to the club treasury,  where it will languish for a thousand years - or until we buy a some more wargames accouterments with it!  We wouldn't ask you to fork over your hard earned dough unless we were going to make sure you got something back for it, so the winner and runner-up for these Modern Constructed Tournaments will take home decks for their Modern pool.

These aren't trash decks, or peoples throwaways, or even Starters right out of the box.  These have been carefully built and painstakingly put into protectors, and have a lot more uncommons and rares in general than any deck you could get at a store.  Not only that, but they are brimming with playsets that want a home in your card pool!  I'll be giving away more than twenty of these things this year, so fight hard and get your hands on as much loot as possible!

We'll be running Magic tournaments and drafts the first Sunday of every month now!  Check back each month for what the scuttlebutt is and how you can get involved.  April will be Innistrad Draft, and May is Dark Ascension Draft!  In June we'll be back to Modern Constructed, but then we'll have M13 and Avacyn Restored for later this summer and going into Autumn!

The Iron Kingdoms: Cygnar

The Iron Kingdoms has been riven with warfare for hundreds of years.  Nations have risen and fallen to the might of the sorcerous constructs characteristic of that world, Immoren.  Today I'm going to go over a few of the basic points dealing with one of the "superpowers" of the Warmachine world, the Kingdom of Cygnar.  They call Cygnar the crown jewel of the Iron Kingdoms, and rightly so as it is hands down the center of learning and the arts throughout the known world.  Of all the places one might visit in the entirety of Western Immoren, the Kingdom of Cygnar is almost assuredly the most hospitable and cosmopolitan.

Cygnar is located right in the middle of the Western Immoren coast, and controls many islands in the Wailing Sea.  The Nightmare Empire of Cryx infests the western isles leading into the Sea of a Thousand Souls, and wages a constant war with Cygnar.  The Kingdom of Cygnar shares its southeastern border with the Protectorate of Menoth, and on the north the Kingdom of Ord and the belligerent Empire of Khador are it's neighbors.  The Bloodstone Marches form the wilderness to the east, and it is rumored there are monstrous warriors from a distant land making the Marches their home.  Truly, Cygnar is surrounded on all sides by enemies who would stamp it out if given the chance.

The people of Cygnar are nothing if not courageous, however.  They have cultivated their arts and sciences and are really the only egalitarian and cosmopolitan kingdom in all of Immoren.  King Leto, the current monarch, presides over the kingdom from his fastness at the ancient city of Caspia.  He is supported in his decision making and the rulership of his people by the Cygnaran Royal Assembly.  Despite the constant state of war, advances are being made all the time, and Cygnar is without a doubt the most humanitarian of all the Iron Kingdoms.

Science has made huge leaps in Cygnar to the extent that all of their warmachines and other arms rely on advanced technology.  Rifled cannons, armor penetrating rounds and even huge electric arc generators are the province of the army of Cygnar.  They boast some of the most advanced warjacks in Immoren, and when compared to those of the other Iron Kingdoms the superiority is apparent - most Menite and Mercenary 'jacks are simply the cast off old models of the newer, more advanced models from the Cygnaran Armory.

The Menites might argue that Cygnar is a bed of slithery and vile apostates, but the fact is that Morrow is a more tolerant god than Menoth.  Save the hardliner Creationists, most Cygnarans venerate Morrow as their saviour and protector.  Morrow is a more caring and forgiving god than Menoth, and it's much better as a "state" religion, although official Cygnaran activity is never undertaken as the will of their god but rather all the states' moves are secular in origin.  Taken from almost every standpoint in Immoren, Cygnar stands tall as the mightiest bastion of light, law and good in the entirety of Caen.

This short treatise is meant to bring up some of our folk who have been lingering on the periphery of Warmachine to catch up on some of the background.  With the new Iron Kingdoms RPG hitting the shelves this year, we want to make sure everyone has a cursory knowledge of the goings on in Immoren!  New narratives will be built, more warcasters will join the fight - soon Warmachine will have a huge intertwined campaign continuity here at the Wargate!  Stay tuned for more treatises on the lands of Western Immoren!

Five Sourcebooks to Rule Them All

Last weekend, the new sourcebooks for the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game were released, and we've been in a frenzy preparing our armies for the next campaign!  As we gear up for battle, we find a few more pledged to the banners of Middle-Earth, and who can blame them?  Never has the time been better to get into this exciting battle game, as it has undergone quite a facelift with the publication of these books.  Not quite an entirely new edition, as the basic rulebook is still the same, these sourcebooks have done something that was absolutely essential to the survival of the line - and I find I have little complaint (miraculously)!

For the longest time, Strategy Battle Game players had to get several sourcebooks to make sure they had all the rules and profiles they needed for their battles.  When we first started a few years ago with GW's Middle-Earth ruleset, many players were confused about how the armies worked.  I'm happy to say - all that has been cleared up!  We won't need a lot of the special White Dwarf profiles to be in our Battles Book (i.e. Lord of the Rings binder), as everything present in the game through all supplements and White Dwarf has been addressed with these sourcebooks!

First, I'll start by answering a few of the common questions.  First, the lists have all been recompiled.  That is, units have been rearranged, and in many cases entire lists have been moved or changed.  Forget Legions of Middle-Earth, that is no longer relevant - except for perhaps a few scenarios not in the new books.  The bow limit is still in effect, but how it is calculated is different, as bows carried by heroes no longer count.

Armies are now organized into "warbands" - that is, a hero and his followers.  Warbands can have up to twelve warriors, so warbands can range from a single hero to thirteen models.  I find that this rule could actually help some players who insist on bringing too many goblins to have a reasonable chance at downing a mighty elf lord without some Might.  This should even things out, meaning both sides should have a lot more heroes than some armies from previous campaigns.

You'll find some of the rules have tweaked here and there.  Some heroes and warriors have new things that apply to them, such as Gildor's strange ability to upgrade Wood Elf Warriors to Noldorin Exiles - strange because Wood Elf Warriors aren't in the same list Gildor is in!  The good news is the allies rules have changed slightly - you can include warbands from any list on your side, Good or Evil!  Dol Guldur might not exist as a list anymore, but I can include Giant Spiders, Castellans of Dol Guldur and Mordor Trolls in an Evil army just by creative use of warbands from different lists.  Oh, don't forget my Spectres and Wild Wargs, please.  I'll just drop those in from the Angmar list...

There is a new set of scenarios present in each book, all the same.  This is one complaint I have, as a lot of space in each of these smallish books is eaten up with the same material.  Yeah, our club has all five, as that's what we needed for our armies.  Each book does have some specific scenarios for each army, and they are pretty interesting.  Scenarios for the Strategy Battle Game are littered all over the entire line, so condensing that for these books could prove pretty harsh for the design team.  Still, I would have liked to have seen a single book of scenarios instead of several pages of the same material, which includes the instructions for building armies according to the warband rules.

Despite that grumble, and the fact that I feel all this could have been contained in one volume (hardcover) for fifty bucks or so - I'm quite happy with the direction the sourcebooks are taking Middle-Earth gaming.  War of the Ring has been the hot topic with GW for the last few years, but we're a desperate holdout - no big battle game for us, we already play Warhammer!  All the neat models that were released for War got rules (eventually) in White Dwarf, but chasing them down proved a hassle and I own every single one since 1997.  Now that everything is recompiled, revamped and made easily accessible to new players, I hope the game itself sees some revitalization this year.

Howl of the Warg begins April 1st!  Our new campaign will take our conflict to even darker locales, as we make the battle for Middle-Earth our own.  Signups for the new campaign will open in the next couple of weeks, so make sure if you're a member of the club to have at least one army in one game for the next campaign season - Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game or Mordheim!  Preferably both, if you're truly a hardened warrior of the 'gate!

Army Briefing: The Mardannon Crusade

The

Mardannon

Crusade

By Chief Scrivener Hannan

 Mardannon Prime, .M41

Six years ago, a Black Templars crusade fleet arrived in the Mardannon sector, arriving unexpectedly at Mardannon Prime.  The Marshal of the Crusade began to hail the command stations from the immense fleet, and upon achieving contact Sector Command was then simply informed that the Crusade had arrived.  The Black Templars had been dispatched to begin conducting campaigns in the Emperor’s name immediately.  This was the beginning of the Black Templar chapter’s involvement in the Mardannon Sector War, and they began as their chapter begins many things – with uncompromising demands and acts of aggression.

Taken aback at being dressed down by a space marine commander who challenged their honor and loyalty, Sector Command attempted to articulate their desires to the Crusade’s leaders.  Upon receiving information on current conflicts in the sector, the Crusade fleet began to break up.  With as little preamble as they had when they had arrived, the Black Templars shot into the recesses of the sector, intent on wiping out all resistance to the rule of the Emperor.

Ships of the Crusade

A massive amount of Black Templars are active in the sector.  There are two main battlegroups that have begun to amass more forces around them as they sweep from world to world, and the Imperial defenders they liberate then join them on their crusade across Mardannon.  Of those battlegroups, an ancient and immense Astartes Battle Barge dominates one, while an Emperor Class battleship commands the other.  Each is attended by several strike cruisers and escort class ships.

The Battle Barge, named the Hand of Communion, has seen battle for nearly eight thousand years.  Aboard this mighty vessel, Crusade Marshal Erasmus commands the mightiest force of Imperial power seen in the sector since the Cleansing of Medula Praeses. 

The other arm of the crusade is overseen by the Flame of Incendia, an ancient ship that has served in the sector since the Old Crusade.  Now, commandeered by the Black Templars and filled with Imperial Navy and Guard liaisons, the Flame once more carries her firepower to distant stars to wage war in the Emperor’s name.

The Sector At War

As the Crusade’s victories pile upon one another and the war does nothing but continue, the Crusade’s strength waxes greatly.  Every world liberated adds military might to the campaign as units pledge service to the Black Templars.  For Marshal Erasmus and his Castellans, this is an unexpected boon.  They didn’t believe the Imperial spirit would be so strong in so many, but are grateful.  Having so many more ships and troops available means they can wage a much greater war to rid the sector of malign and alien influences.

Not every world has been welcoming of the Crusade, nor has the Crusade spared those seen to be compromised by enemy influences.  The Black Templars have a reputation for savagery that is not undeserved, and in some cases have eradicated Imperial citizenry during its campaigns.  The Templars have also erected permanent bastions on several worlds, seemingly intent on recruiting from such places in the near future.  How this has affected the societies of some worlds is still in question as the war for the sector grinds on.

Hunting down bands of renegade space marines seems to be a priority for the Crusade’s masters, though elements of the Crusade have engaged all manner of aliens so far.  These seem to be incidental, however.  For now, the Crusade seems intent on securing the hearts of the individual subsectors rather than mounting large scale attacks on heavily guarded alien or heretic strongholds.

It is unknown exactly how many Black Templars have entered the sector.  Certain Imperial analysts present at the arrival of the fleet at Mardannon estimate perhaps seven hundred or so based on the ships present.  Many are crewed by bondsmen, and only carry a certain complement of marines, so this number has been cited by members of the Ordo Hereticus as a breach of the Codex Astartes.  Obviously, there are more Black Templars operating in the galaxy than is strictly allowable by the word of the codex…

No matter what the hidden intentions of the Crusade’s commanders might be (if indeed there are any) one thing remains certain.   Since the arrival of the Crusade fleet and its split into two different arms, each of the arms of the fleet has grown to double its starting size.  Now reinforced by elements of several Imperial armies and fleets, the scale of its warfare has increased exponentially.  If they were ever to recombine, as it is suggested that they soon shall, the entire sector would quake at the might of the Crusade.

Many of the strike cruisers in each battlegroup frequently break from the Crusade to visit various battlefields.  In several cases, other Astartes previously operating in these theatres return to the Crusade when the battle is over.  So far, the following chapters have contributed units to the Crusade:  Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Infinity Watch, Revilers, Imperial Fists, Crimson Fists, White Scars, Fire Giants, Death Wombats and War Turtles.  There hasn’t been a gathering of so many chapters in Mardannon in five thousand years – if ever there was a time of legends as during the Old Crusade, now is that time in the Mardannon Sector.

M12 Draft Tournament!

Wow, it's been an onerous off-season for Magic: The Gathering here at the Wargate!

These things come and go in spurts, but Magic has long been a seasonal festivity in these parts.  It's been almost 7 months since our last big go at the seminal CCG, and we're breaking that hiatus with a brand new take on how we are organizing our games around here!

More on that in a moment.

Yesterday we had an M12 draft tournament, and it was a total blast.  I play more online than I do with the club these days, but that's because we've always got minis on the table, whether for wargames or role play.  The turnout was great, the draft went well and everyone is practiced in the art of choosing spells quickly.  We had a blast destroying each other, this time in around three and a half hours!

Jerry Wargate was the big winner last night, but Skim, Uncle Mark and myself scored a respectable two packs.  Only one guy got shut out (sorry Big Matt!) but in the true spirit of the Wargate, he made sure he knew he would return with a vengeance and claim all our heads!  A few mythics came up, but not very many planeswalkers.  It seemed like everyone was drafting white and red, but there was a more even mix of colors going around this time and everyone both got nice picks and made killer Limited decks as well as some serious denial with aggressive draft strategies.

We want to play more Magic, but the trick is finding the time.  I think I've nailed it, however!

Henceforth, the first Sunday of every month will be Magic: The Gathering day!  We'll run Modern on these days instead of giving the time to miniature games, since we have plenty of time for our campaigns.  We'll use these days to run draft tournaments when they are available, but we'll also use the time slot for Modern Constructed open dueling and tournaments!

Bring your Modern cards on the first Sunday of March (the 4th)!  Our first Constructed tourney will be held on that day, with the winner taking home some new cards for their spellbooks!  In order to energize the scene and get everyone jazzercised,  I'll be giving away over 20 Modern decks this year to Constructed winners!  Some of these are packing some serious heat - I wouldn't just hand out chaff spells!

More info as we come up on it, but for now just know you need to be ready!  Rev up those magic spells and put on your scrying hat in the meantime, and prepare to claim the keys to the Multiverse!

Warmachine Unit Types

Well blimey, we've had almost two weeks since our last post!  Thanks for the small vacation - that's our longest lull yet!  However, we're never resting here at the Wargate - our current campaigns are right on target! That brings me to today's topic...

With Warmachine becoming a fixture in our pantheon of games I wanted to do a short primer for those folks who aren't versed with how units are delineated and armies constructed in Warmachine.  Compounded with the recent announcement by Privateer Press of a new Iron Kingdoms role-playing game (which I believe we're going to see here at the Wargate soonish) it felt like the right time to discuss this.  If  you're not a Warmachine player yet, take a second (or even a first) look and join us in Immoren in a different kind of armored warfare!

There are four basic unit types available in Warmachine.  These are warcasters, warjacks, units and solos. Each of these units will be described in a little more detail below, but for now just know that each army will possess the ability to buy units in those four broad categories.  There is a fifth unit type that was made available last summer with the Wrath book:  the battle engine.  I'm not covering those here, however - this is a beginner's primer and the battle engines are a new addition to the game.

After you have decided which army you're going with, the next step is to pick a warcaster.  You have to pick a warcaster before you choose your army, for a number of reasons.  Warcasters don't remove points from your army total, instead they add points to your available total, but with one caveat:  you must spend the extra points on warjacks.

Once you have chosen a warcaster, choose your army in one of two basic ways.  First, you can simply take units straight out of the book.  You have your army points limit and extra points from your warcaster, and there is nothing stopping you from taking whatever awesome units you want from the army list.  However, your second option is a "tier" list based on your warcaster.  Each warcaster will have a "tier list" card that shows you what the restrictions and bonuses you can accrue with that warcaster by taking certain units.  For instance, Lt. Caine of Cygnar gains bonuses if he takes ranged warjacks and Arcane Tempest Gun Mages.

Cryx Warcaster - Lich Lord Asphyxious

Your warcaster is your most important and arguably most powerful playing piece.  It's the most important because most games are over if your warcaster (which represents you, the general, on the tabletop) dies.  Warcasters possess fantastic stats, but also possess a range of special rules and are able to cast a plethora of spells.  Each warcaster has his own theme to build on, so check out the spells and feats of each warcaster when choosing one.

Mercenary Warjack - Mangler

Warjacks are the big robot things.  Yeah, they might have different names, like bonejack or helljack.  These monsters are the real line-breakers, and each one is tailored to a special battlefield need.  You can mount heavy assaults with some, while others can deliver a punishing amount of firepower.  Each army has access to a large range of warjacks for it's warcasters, however if you are using a tiered list for your warcaster you may be restricted to certain types.

Protectorate of Menoth Unit - Temple Flameguard

Unit is the term for a squad of soldiers.  These aren't powerhouse individual like warcasters, but regular troopers from your faction.  Units are capable of fulfilling a lot of roles on the battlefield, and unlike warjacks can actually control an objective on the map.  Units can pose a major threat to other units and solos, and can cause problems for even the mightiest warcaster.  Beware warjacks, however - unless your unit is tailored to fight against a 'jack, the high armor ratings of such units means your soldiers will struggle with them.  Briefly.

Khador Solo - Koldun Lord

Solos are heroic individuals who are more powerful than a normal soldier but not as awesome as your warcaster.  They typically possess several fantastic skills and are usually very cheap to include in your army.  Solos usually work well with units, and in some cases represent a more advance warrior from a unit available to your force.  These warriors can add special rules to your arsenal you wouldn't otherwise possess, and can be critical to achieving success certain forces.

All in all, Warmachine is a tight game.  The mechanics are easy, the models are cool and building an army is fun.  Don't listen to those nay-sayers - even if it shares elements with other genre of games, it doesn't mean it's not successful at the blend.

The Forest of Shadows continues this week!  We're going to see some neat project logs this season from our clubs' jaunt through Immoren.  The 15 point armies we've been playing with are small and easy to paint up, so why not give it a shot?  It's cheap (for a wargame) and doesn't use up much space (for a wargame) or time (for a wargame)!