Warmachine/Hordes: No Quarter #33 Review
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| Most misleading cover ever |
Now that we have this month’s issue of No Quarter in-hand, it’s time for an overview. Here’s a review of what you’re getting:
Forces of Hordes Previews
This is the third installment of previews for upcoming Hordes releases. I’ll start off by saying immediately that I was disheartened to not see Calaban the Grave Walker, the model that was displayed on this month’s cover, featured in the preview section. In fact, Calaban is only really mentioned in passing in the entirety of the issue, making me wonder why he’s on the cover at all. At this point, Calaban and Dr. Arkadius will both be released in December before any kind of in-print preview, which is rather disappointing. Privateer occasionally gets in the habit of doing this, which is a real pain in an atmosphere where game stores and distributors are pushing us hard to pre-order any product that we want when it releases. Anyway, on to the meat:
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| Reeve Hunter |
Reeve Hunter (Circle Reeve of Orboros Solo) – While not extremely impressive in terms of damage output, the Reeve Hunter can put out a decent volume of attacks depending on the situation. With relatively high accuracy on the charge via Power Charge, Quick Work, and Snap Fire combined with a respectable RAT value and Hunter, Reeve Hunters can put down up to three models a turn with decent rolling. While the benefit that Reeve Hunters offer to Reeves of Orboros units isn’t exactly spectacular, I wouldn’t say that it’s exactly inconsequential, especially considering the price of the solo in question. While some warlocks may find the Reeve Hunter an unnecessary option (Kreuger, Mohsar), those lacking anti-infantry may find the Reeve Hunter an attractive addition to their army.
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| Nuala the Huntress |
Nuala the Huntress (Circle Character Unit Attachment) – Immediate impressions of Nuala are often that of disappointment, particularly when compared to powerhouse that is Skaldi Bonehammer, but further analysis reveals a Unit Attachment that is what it should be; a tempting option, not an auto-include. You’re really only looking at two benefits here, which are Tactics: Quick Work and Granted: Reform. While Quick Work on a P+S 9 unit isn’t exactly incredible, on the charge and with Prey, Bloodtrackers are doing an average POW 21/22 hit, enough to kill pretty much any single-wound model in the game, typically making the chance of triggering that ranged attack a pretty good bet. This increases the Bloodtracker’s effectiveness against units of infantry quite nicely. Reform is another nice benefit here, allowing you to reposition the unit after charging in, making AOE attacks less of an issue and granting the opportunity to correct a facing after charging at a difficult angle.
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| Bull Snapper |
Bull Snapper (Minion Gatorman Light Warbeast) – The Blindwater Congregation gets another great model to add to their collection. At 3 points with a solid animus and some prowess as a far-reaching melee assassin, Bull Snappers are a bargain. Spiny Growth takes the already sturdy Bloody Barnabus and Blackhide Wrastler and makes them into walking tanks. The combination of SPD 6 with Blood Thirst and Man Eater gives you an 11.5″ threat range on the charge against living warrior models. Stack this with Sustained Attack and you have an excellent solo, warcaster, or warlock killer. Things start to get even more out-of-hand when you throw some of Barnabus’s buffs in, like Warpath, increasing the Snapper’s threat range by an additional 3″ and letting them reposition before the charge.
Hordes Battle Report: Swamp Stomp
No Quarter editor Aeryn Rudel and Creative Manager “Skeleton Key” Ed Bourelle faced off against each other using the new Minion pact rules for the Blindwater Congregation and Thornfall Alliance respectively. A cursory glance through the article reveals a few Easter Eggs about the upcoming Ironback Spitter, including its point cost and ranged weapon profile, giving gatorphiles another nugget to wet their appetites. Also included is some new art of Barnabus, putting what many considered to be an axe-wielding, albeit rather harmless-looking gatorman in a terrifying, new light. The lists used weren’t exactly the the builds I (as both a Blindwater and Thornfall player) would have gone with, but I’d be hard-pressed to call the sub-optimal. Those unfamiliar with either contract would be wise to give this report a look, particularly given the nature of the Blindwater Congregation and how much they can upset the right opponent.
GenCon Hardcore and Masters Reports:
As usual, the November issue is jam-packed with reports from Gen Con. The interviews with the various winners of this year’s Hardcore event are fairly interesting, particularly Vanquisher Brandon Andrews’ talk on his winning, Tier-4 Jeremiah Kraye list. Master Craftsmen Jeff Long also had some fascinating things to say about his work for his Lich Lord Asphyxious list, including a fantastic conversion of the Deathjack.
The Masters interviews unfortunately aren’t quite as engaging, but there are better accounts from two of the three people interviewed via their podcasts. First place finisher Jason Flanzer (aka JBFlanz) discussed his experience, list-building theory, and execution on Episode 98 of The Iron Agenda, while Brian Gylling recounts his Masters games on Episode 43 of Focus and Fury. If, like me, the interviews in this issue didn’t do much for you, I highly suggest giving those ‘casts a listen.
GenCon Formula P3 Grandmaster Painting Competition Report:
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| One of Adam Huenecke’s Gold-Winning Assault Kommandos |
Multiple Slayer Sword winner Natalya Melnik took the Grandmaster Painting Award for her 2010 Commander Adept Nemo. Regular winner Tom Schadle also has some great work here. Battle damage, rust, and grime seemed to be the overwhelming theme this year, so painters looking for ideas would be wise to give this section at least a glance. I highly suggest giving Guillermo Hernandez’s “Sorcha’s Feat” diorama a look as well.
Guts and Gears:
This month’s Guts and Gears coverage is of the Nephilim light warbeasts. The fictional discussion written by Editor-in-Chief Aeryn Rudel on the Nephilim is an entertaining, yet not-particularly educational story from the point-of-view of a Grey Lord investigating the nature of the blighted dragonkin/nyss hybrids. The tactical discussions that proceed it, however, are valid if not a bit obvious. Players new to Legion should most certainly give it a look, but longtime veterans probably won’t find much there. Brush Thrall Todd “Dead Dogg” Arrington’s Blackfrost Spawn variant paint scheme is very cool, giving painters another great-looking method for painting black.
Strategic Academy: Khador
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| Feel the |
This month’s Strategic Academy article, written by Iron Agenda host, Josh Saulter, focuses on Khador and their various warcasters. These are often good articles, and this month’s is no exception. The advice here is pretty solid, and sometimes offers ideas outside the general sphere of accepted theory. I particularly like the discussed pairing of a Marauder with Watcher via Koldun Kommander Alexsandra Zerkova.
Power Progression: Trollbloods
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| Hoarluk Doomshaper: wants you off his lawn |
The Power Progression series takes a faction, starts with a pair of lists at 25 points, and then builds them up to higher point totals. As this article seemed to skip 35 points (a very common list size, arguably the most common depending on your local meta) altogether, I was immediately turned off by it. I’ve largely been under the impression that the Power Progression series was designed as a means for showing players that are new to the game or a specific faction some solid theory behind list building. To skip over one of the most commonly-played totals in order to discuss 100-point lists, which are typically pretty rare (again, subject to your local meta), seemed to be a bit of a waste. That aside, there is some solid theory behind the build itself, save that I don’t particularly care for the addition of the Trollkin Skinner.
The Gavyn Kyle Files: Lord Carver, BMMD, Esq. III
This was the highlight of the magazine for me. Gavyn’s account (“transcribed” by Aeryn Rudel) is nothing short of hilarious. While much of the article seems to deal with the farrow in general, even touching a bit on Dr. Arkadius and his experiments with them, the parts specific to Carver had me in stitches, particularly the excerpts from Carver’s book, The Glorious Rise of the Mighty Lord Carver: In His Own Words. There’s yet another Easter Egg in here for Minion enthusiasts, the concept art for what many guess is the upcoming Farrow Razorback Crew, which appears to be a two-man (pig?) rocket-propelled grenade team.
Overall, it’s a pretty pleasing issue. Again, I was pretty disappointed in the lack of content related to the cover image. If you put an unreleased model’s art on the cover of your magazine, one feels the promise of discussion of that particular model. Circle and Minion players will definitely want to pick this issue up, as will painting enthusiasts and those players curiously considering starting a Khador army. What do you all have to say about NQ33?
