Warmachine – Battle Engine First Impressions
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| We’re on a mission from Menoth |
Now that we have No Quarter 35 in-hand, we finally have a clear view of the core Battle Engine rules in addition to the full stats for the Khador Gun Carriage. Let’s dive right in:
There are a wealth of new rules for battle engines. The most obvious of the new rules is Huge Base, which is a natural vertical progression from the Large Base rule seen on heavy warjacks, etc. They also have the Massive rule, which stops them from being slammed, pushed, knocked down, or made stationary.
Battle engines also have some additional facing rules, specifically that their front arc is divided into 90 degree fields of fire. This means that a weapon marked as being on the left or right can only target models in the corresponding 90 degree arc. The rules for targeting battle engines are a bit unique as well; they never benefit from concealment, cover, or elevation, and line of sight to them is not blocked by cloud effects or forests. Additionally, if you target an battle engine that is in melee with a ranged or magic attack, the attacker doesn’t suffer the in-melee penalty, and there is no target randomization for missing a battle engine in melee. Battle engines also create a new phase of deployment, called the “Predeployment” phase. This allows you to deploy your forces after knowing where your opponent’s battle engine is regardless of whether or not you choose to deploy first or second.
The other two rules of note are that all battle engines naturally have Pathfinder and that they may be repaired like a warjack.
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| The most steampunk thing I’ve ever seen. |
My first impression of the core rules is that they seem to have a lot going against them while at the same time possessing a number of good benefits. On the con side, being able to target them in melee without penalty while also ignoring things like cover and concealment means that hard-hitting ranged armies will have a blast against battle engines. Armor Piercing will apply (medium or larger bases), so things like Hunters and Durgen Madhammer will have a fine time putting the hurt on these models. That said, it appears that based on the stats that have been previewed for the Gun Carriage and the Arcantrik Force Generator, battle engines will sport solid ARM values, a ton of wounds, and the ability to be repaired to make up for this.
In terms of movement, Pathfinder is certainly a nice way to get battle engines from A-to-B, but things like linear obstacles are going to be trouble for them. It takes a lot of movement to get a 120mm base over Janissa Stonetide’s .75″-thick Rock Wall. Since a model can’t end its movement on top of one, linear obstacles will be a strong denial tool against battle engines, especially ones that you can place yourself.
One of the biggest things I think that battle engines bring to the table is the Massive rule. Immunity to being pushed, slammed, knocked down, or being made stationary is a huge benefit. These immunities can provide your army with some solid defense against enemy strategies and abilities that revolve around exploiting those rules. The classic “drop-and-pop” strategy doesn’t work all that well against a warcaster that is hiding behind a 120mm base that can’t be knocked down or slammed. The same could be said for many potent push effects like Gallows, Force Bolt, or Gorten Grundback’s Landslide.
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| Those are some strong horses |
Looking specifically at the Khador Gun Carriage, my mind is still undecided, but I’m leading more positively toward it. Its point cost is low enough to not strain your army budget, even at 35-points, and despite the inability to benefit from many DEF buffs, it has the ARM value and the wounds to take a beating. It’s also markedly fast, faster than I would have expected. The Power Attack Trample rule looks cool, but I worry about model clearance with that 120mm base. Even when moving 10″, that’s a lot of real estate to get past. The Cavalry rule is interesting, giving it some decent damage output. That base can provide a lot of impact attacks, albeit at a rather low MAT. You get a pair of cannons with decent hitting power and a nice extra effect with Crater. The Weapon Platform rule is what brings it all together, allowing the Gun Carriage to charge in, do some impact attacks, hit the main target, and then fire off two Heavy Cannon shots in addition to the extra Military Rifle attack for giggles. This is what gives the Gun Carriage the most potential.
The biggest drawback I see to the Gun Carriage is the lack of synergy it has with Khador. Boundless Charge can be nice for getting it moving a bit faster on the charge. Signs and Portents/Hand of Fate is a nice buff for the Gun Carriage, but hey, those are a nice buff for anything. Other than that, you’re mostly looking at feat synergy, like with Sorscha’s Icy Grip or the Butcher’s Blood Frenzy. I personally would have enjoyed seeing more interaction, as I think it was what makes the game so interesting, but the Gun Carriage seems a pretty solid model all by itself.
So let’s hear those thoughts on the battle engines!
