Friday, January 30, 2009

Holy schnikes!!!

Last night was Warmachine/Hordes night at my local hobby haunt. I'm new to the area so last night was the first WM/Hordes night that I have made it to. I've made it other nights but never managed to get there on the right night. That all changed last night. (Note to self........try to see how many times you can use the word 'night' in a single paragraph)

I have never seen such a crowd before, anywhere and they were all playing Warmachine or Hordes. It was incredible. I was there for almost 2 hours, just watching. (Not having an army yet makes it difficult to play.) In that time, I must've had 4 or 5 people ask me if I play. When I said I was just breaking into the game and only had a couple of models, the offers to help me learn/kick my ass came rolling in. At one point, one of the store employees almost had me convinced that Hordes was what I wanted but I managed to fend off his Jedi mind tricks and maintain focus.

Anyway, as I stood there basking in the carnage and mayhem I realized one thing. In fact, it hit me like a charge slam from a Kodiak. I had a lot to learn. By the end of the night, my head was spinning and it had nothing to do with the Pyramid Hefeweizen I had imbibed before I came in. This would not be a short trip to figuring this game out, but a journey.

Having realized this, I am now putting together a plan. Step one; build my army as quickly as possible. I may have to resort to picking up used models from eBay in order to keep costs down. Second; get to the shop every Thursday and watch everything. If I can borrow a small army to play a 350 point game, I'll do that too. No matter what I do though, one thing is for certain........I need to get used to the bitter taste of defeat for the foreseeable future because that is what I will be dining on for the most part. :)

I also made a command decision last night whilst looking over the many armys on the table....I'm going to go with an alternate color scheme for my Protectorate army. I don't know what that is yet but I want something a little different. Maybe some greens or purples. The idea of creating a new Order within the Protectorate military appeals to me. There is a small part of my mind that is screaming 'MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW!' over and over but I am choosing to treat that small part of my mind like a red headed step child and ignore it.

Putting together an army, learning the game, coming up with an alternate color scheme, etc is a lot to do but I'll figure it out or die trying. OK, I won't die but I will definitely have a mental breakdown. OK, maybe not a breakdown but I will most assuredly get mad and say some naughty words. Yeah, that's what'll happen. Consider yourselves warned.

5 comments:

  1. Great experience and I can tell you...since my current record is 4-16...defeat at first with the Protectorate is common. But...hang in there. The Protectorate is not one of the most hated factions for no reason. They are bad ass.

    I am glad you have a good community there in Seattle. I have found EVERYONE who plays our hobby to be really good about wanting to teach. Sometimes the teaching becomes taking over, but, if you can find someone patient you will be just fine.

    My first 350 pt game vs a friend of mine took almost 3 hours!!! We had to look up almost every rule! It has paid off though. Shaun and I know the rules almost better than some of the veterans now since we have been playing for about 6 months.

    I really like the alternate color scheme idea. Menoth does not tolerate much, but he will stand for a good color scheme if it is cool!

    Good luck and if you want some recommendations for a good 350 pt list, let me know.

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  2. Ha! I welcome any and all suggestions as far as a 350 point list is concerned. Remember, Reznik is my caster of choice but if it will be easier for me to learn the ropes, I can also go with Feora or Severius.

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  3. I am glad you had a good time. See ya in a couple weeks (I will be at templecon next week :( )

    PPS_Kevin

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  4. Playing the game still feels overwhelming to me sometimes...but the challenge is worth it. Being a Cygnar player, I can't give any advice on putting together lists for the Protectorate, but I look forward to hearing how you put yours together. I like your description of it, a "journey." Spot on!

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  5. Cereal is right Menoth is hard to play at first but once you get the combos down they can be almost impossible to defeat and a real nightmare for most other factions... great to see that the friendly gaming experience is world wide I remember my first ever club night and it was great friendly people, lots of talk, made you feel welcome etc...

    Must have units for Menoth regardless of caster are
    - Zealots w. Monolith Bearer
    - Heirophant caster attachment
    - Choir of Menoth

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