GenCon 50: Company of Iron Overview
We checked in with Privateer Press at GenCon 50 to check out the upcoming Company of Iron!
Privateer Press had the new Company of Iron out on display at GenCon 50 and we got the low down from William “Oz” Schooner:
The core gameplay of Company of Iron is still Warmachine/Hordes at it’s heart. But this game takes the “level” of the conflict back down to a small-scale skirmish. Roughly 20 points per side, the game is meant to be a faster, smaller version of Warmachine, but with out some of the “big” units and warcasters/warlocks.
Privateer Press has basically taken everything about Warmachine and “boiled it down” to the basic boots on the ground. There are no Focus/Fury mechanics in this distilled version – not even Journymen casters are here! On top of that, nothing with a “Large” base will be included. No heavy Warjacks to mess with, no cannons, no horses, no battle engines, etc. The game also as further tweaks like the vast majority of units are FA 1 now – which fits with the theme they are going for. In essence, you can pick a unit and a solo (or two if you have the points) and that’s pretty much the army!
The game is further designed to be a narrative driven, casual play game. There are missions and scenarios included in the game (Oz mentioned 6, but with more on the way) and they aren’t your typical “control this zone to win” type games. Further more, one of the biggest changes is that each model basically functions like it’s a solo and because of that, the game system has moved to an “I Go, You Go” type of game. This should keep both players engaged as the back-and-forth should keep things moving.
Now, you can take a few light warjacks and light warbeasts – but again, they are impacted by the lack of a warcaster/warlock which could make things interesting. To help those types of models out the game is also using a set of Command Cards that are very similar to what focus was used for: Boost, Shake, additional die, recovery, etc. The other neat thing about these command cards is that they are based on your army and the models you’re using. For example, if your running a unit that is really good they might remove a card from your hand. And if you’re using one of those units that is very warcaster dependent, they might add cards to your hand.
The last big thing is that each army will have a “commander” character/model. Those models are chosen by the player and before the game starts they get a unique commander card that can give them a boost. For example, they could get a buff to their command range or they could grand extra Command Cards. If your commander dies, you lose the benefits, but you don’t immediately lose the game. You just nominate another model to be the commander and you continue playing.
Company of Iron is due out in October and comes with two 20 point forces to start you (and a friend) off with. So if you’re looking for something a bit more casual and narrative driven, keep an eye out for Company of Iron!
It’s like Warmachine-lite! All the great flavor of Warmachine, none of the pesky Focus/Fury!
