Warmachine and Hordes, Unit Overview

This is my third in my Warmachine and Hordes overview for new and interested players.

This time, I'm going to give an overview of the types of units available to you, and most importantly look at the difference between Warmachine and Hordes.

There are a total of 7 different unit types, of which only 2 are shared between the 2 games(or 3, not sure about Battle Engines yet). So, I'm going to cover them first.

Units
Units are a model type of their own (to make things confusing!), and are your multi-model infantry and cavalry units. The number of models in the unit will vary, but you can usually buy them at 2 different points cost, a minimum unit and a maximum unit, which will cost you a few points more for up to twice the models.
Units can also have Unit Attachments and Special Weapons. Only 1 UA may be made on each unit, and it will normally confer an ability to the entire group. Special Weapons are heavier weapons choices, and quite often be duplicated in the unit, up to a given maximum.

Solos
A solo is a character miniature, that is deployed on its own without a unit. They cannot join units, but they can work together with a unit to great effect. Solos can be powerful combat models, utility or support models, depending on the faction. There are also Dragoon Solo miniatures, which are able to switch between being cavalry and infantry.

Battle Engines
I'm going to cover them here, as I'm pretty sure the Hordes equivalents will be called Battle Engines. These are the biggest models available in the range, and as such they are mainly resin in order to keep the cost down. I can't say a huge amount about them as they are in the book that's not out until tomorrow (15th June) but I'll write something up when I've looked at the stats. Needless to say, the 4 currently revealed models do look awesome.

The specific units each fill a similar role in the two games. The Warcaster and Warlock models are you force commander, and are powerful magic users. Warjacks and Warbeasts are the heavy hitters, individual models that are very powerful, but need to be under the control of your commander.

Warcaster
Your Warcaster is a powerful battle mage who has the ability to mentally control Warjacks. Each can manipulate a powerful mystical power called Focus, which they use to cast their spells, as well as using it to boost their Warjacks combat ability. As well as that, they all have a once per game Feat that can turn the tide of battle if employed at the right time. Focus will re-generate at the start of each of our turns, meaning you have a fresh supply available every time. Any unused Focus is manipulated by the Warcasters arcane armour to provide increased protection, which comes in useful when face to face with a ton of iron. The death of your Warcaster will spell the end of most battles.

Warjacks
Warjacks vary to a great degree, from the small and vicious Bonejacks of Cryx, to the hulking iron monstrosities from Khador. However they all follow the same basic rules. Each must be under the control of a Warcaster, or another model with the jack marshal ability. With focus from their Warcaster they can increase their combat abilities allowing them to charge, grapple and even pick up and throw their opponents. They can come armed with a wide range of weapons, from basic melee to lightning charged weapons and ranged attacks. Every army will field some Warjacks as you get a free set of points to spend on Warjacks after selecting your Warcaster.

Warlocks
In many ways Warlocks and Warcasters are very similar. Each are very powerful, they all have a selection of spells they can cast, a once per game feat, and they all are a must have in each army. However, instead of having Focus, a Hordes Warlock manipulates Fury that is generated by the Warbeasts under their control. While they have a Fury stat, they don't start with any Fury, instead they have to collect it from their Warbeasts. Once collected, they can use it to cast their spells, and if they end up in combat, spend Fury to shunt damage to a beast instead.

Warbeasts
Warbeasts are not quite flesh and blood equivalents of Warjacks. They don't need Focus to make special attacks or power abilities, instead they generate Fury whenever they are forced to do so by their controller. This Fury can be siphoned off by their Warlock to power their abilities, but if left to build up, the Warbeast may end up rampaging uncontrollably across the battlefield. Warbeasts also have an Anima ability which they can cast, as can their Warlock. Like Warjacks, they come in all shapes and sizes, and feature many which have the ability to fly something that is rare for a Warjack. Natural attacks are most common, but some beasts have been taught to use weapons, so over sized swords and the occasional cannon can be expected.

Next time, I'm going to talk about what you need to start Warmachine or Hordes.