Warmachine: The Fluff Challenge
The mounting challenge of new players understanding the Warmachine and Hordes story.
Chalkboard here from Chalkboard War, with a quick inquiry prompted by something a newer player in my meta mentioned. Why is Privateer Press’ fluff for Warmachine and Hordes not more readily available? Now of course, the funny thing is that for long-time players, the fluff seems omnipresent in this game. But his comment is a good reminder. Why is it hard to find? And what can Privateer Press do about it?
This comment was prompted by the discussion of Kromac having Madrak’s axe now in the fluff. But I think about the classic example: the interactions between Haley and Deneghra in the fluff. There’s a whole story there that shows a really cool side of the two characters. But how do you see it?
Well, mostly you had to be into the game and paying attention when that story came up. It’s super-cool, but it’s hard to find now. I reflected upon that, and went hunting. Best I could find was as follows: there’s a Privateer Press Insider from 2015 that does some heavy lifting of bridging some of the fluff and indicating where to follow the narrative of Haley. But that is more plugging the book that holds the next steps of her story. So I had to delve into the deeper portions of the internet.
Takes you into having to seek out randomly hosted PDF’s of the old books, often hosted on sketchy sites. For people wanting to get the story of a favorite warcaster or warlock, it can get a bit obtuse. Many times the best method is to ask on the Forums, and get a response from someone in the know from Privateer Press staff. There are various chronological lists around, also from Privateer Press staff. Yet the problem is GETTING the materials that have the stories. I know that I can buy all the old No Quarters from the digital archives, and nab used copies of older rulebooks from online reselling sites. But that’s a huge amount of cost and labor for a new player.
And that’s the critical problem. New players right now, like the one in my meta who mentioned this, have a hard time getting into the fluff. The new “Forces Of” command books help, but they’re not perfect and they don’t cover everything. There’s a Warmachine section of Lexicanum, but that has many gaps and is not nearly as thorough as the Warhammer 40k Lexicanum. (ed. hint, hint fluff fans)
The best option out there for the new player interested in the fluff is likely the material for the Iron Kingdoms role playing game. It won’t get to all the stories of each Warcaster or Warlock that trickled out through the series of expansion books over the years. But it does go into the bulk of the world-building. This is one area where Skorne is particularly blessed. The Skorne Empire book does a really good job at getting good involvement into the fluff of that faction. Others have representation in the IKRPG books, but still not quite as much.
So, what can Privateer Press do about it? I think there’s an absolutely simple answer. Omnibus. I don’t think this exists, so if it does and I’m missing it, say the word in the comments section. But they should take all the fluff that advances the “Story” and bind it up into a number of omnibus volumes. Then sell them. They would absolutely sell if done correctly. Many players would like the one, single, and definitive “these are the stories of Warmachine and Hordes, in the order you should read them” volume(s). Their move to having the fluff be in separate books from game rules is perfectly fine. But make sure that you do so in a way to bring new players up to speed–while still getting the real depth of the different characters.
Privateer Press has a great IP with Warmachine and Hordes. It’s a flavorful world full of great characters, so getting a manageable way of getting new players the stories of those characters would seem critical. It would be great to say to new players: “hey, purchase this book and you’ll learn everything you know about the setting and the stories. I think this is especially useful for those who are fielding epic versions of regular warcasters and warlocks. There should not be such a barrier to the information of the game. And maybe it’s just the reaction at our LGS, but almost everyone weighed in that yes: they would say would pay for a book or books that cover the fluff from the beginning.
~ What’s your stance on the need for fluff? Do you have a secret resource, or are a long-time player who just has the old books on the shelf right now? Are there ways that Privateer Press could make the fluff more accessible to new players? Am I missing some critical resource that is the new go-to? Share your reactions in the comments section below!
If battle reports are more your thing than fluff, take a look at Chalkboard’s Warmachine and Hordes blog at:
www.chalkboardwar.com
