Difference between revisions of "LPG - Theme Forces"
m |
m (→What a New Player needs to know) |
||
Line 29: | Line 29: | ||
[[File: PTbox.jpg|thumb|[[Primal Terrors]] box set]] | [[File: PTbox.jpg|thumb|[[Primal Terrors]] box set]] | ||
[[File: Northkinbox.jpg|thumb|[[Storm of the North]] box set]] | [[File: Northkinbox.jpg|thumb|[[Storm of the North]] box set]] | ||
− | + | ||
====Are Theme Forces compulsory?==== | ====Are Theme Forces compulsory?==== | ||
Technically No, but realistically Yes. | Technically No, but realistically Yes. | ||
Line 50: | Line 50: | ||
Lastly, it's worth noting that many of these boxsets only contain units and solos - they don't contain warcasters/warjacks or warlocks/warbeasts. As such, these boxsets are meant to be an add-on to the faction's battlegroup starter box. | Lastly, it's worth noting that many of these boxsets only contain units and solos - they don't contain warcasters/warjacks or warlocks/warbeasts. As such, these boxsets are meant to be an add-on to the faction's battlegroup starter box. | ||
− | At the time of writing (2019. | + | At the time of writing (2019.08) there are 7 boxsets available: |
* [[Cryx]] - [[Scourge of the Broken Coast]] (formerly known as Slaughter Fleet Raiders) | * [[Cryx]] - [[Scourge of the Broken Coast]] (formerly known as Slaughter Fleet Raiders) | ||
Line 60: | Line 60: | ||
* [[Legion]] - [[Primal Terrors]] | * [[Legion]] - [[Primal Terrors]] | ||
* [[Trollblood]] - [[Storm of the North]] | * [[Trollblood]] - [[Storm of the North]] | ||
− | |||
====Should I buy a Theme right away?==== | ====Should I buy a Theme right away?==== |
Revision as of 20:36, 8 August 2019
LPG Articles (Edit) |
---|
Gameplay
Attacks Power Attacks Model Types Unique Faction Rules Other |
101 Articles (Basic) |
LOTS Articles (Advanced) |
- This article is part of Warmachine University's Learning to Play the Game (LPG) series, which is "Intermediate Training" aimed at new players who are still learning the core rules.
- (See also Basic Training and Advanced Training.)
Theme Forces are rules for creating your army. Theme Forces are considered the default way to play Warmachine and Hordes in the current edition, by both the players that use theme forces and also the developers that design the game.
Theme Forces restrict which models you have access to, but give you bonuses in return. The restrictions are normally fluff-driven, and the models you get are thematically tied together (such as "all the Man-o-War models" or "all the Satyxis models"). The bonuses vary from theme to theme, but are normally along these lines:
- All themes get to add models to your army free of cost. The bigger the game, the more free models you get.
- Most themes get a deployment benefit (such as getting to reroll the dice that determine who goes first; a unit gains Ambush; etcetera)
- Most themes get an in-game benefit (such as all warrior models gaining Tough; or all warjacks gaining Hyper-Aggressive; etcetera).
For a list of all the theme forces currently in the game, refer to Category:Theme Force and/or the Game Rules section of PP's website. |
2019 Theme Remix
In 2019.06 PP announced that all themes would be fundamentally changing with regards to how "free models" get added to the theme force. At the same time, there would be a general review of what theme benefits each theme has, what models they have access to, etc. Some themes were merged together. The new version will be available in 2019.08 and compulsory by 2019.10.
To get free models in the old system you had to spend army points on specific model types. For instance spend 20 points on Bane models to get one free solo, 40 points to get two free solos, etc.
In the new system everything works on "Requisition Points" instead. For every 25 points of game size, you get one RP (so 3 RP in a standard 75 point game). No matter what you put in the army, you get those RP. They're then spent on free solos, command attachments, etc.
<Note to editors: This section will eventually be further down the page, but for now it's front and centre>
Contents
What a New Player needs to know
Are Theme Forces compulsory?
Technically No, but realistically Yes.
- No because there is no rule in the game saying you must play in a theme force. So if you don't want to, you don't have to.
- Yes because if you play a non-theme army vs a theme army, you've got slim odds of winning. You miss out on all the extra benefits, and in a small 25 point game you'll have a 6 point handicap. In a full-size 75 point game you'll have an 18 point handicap!
When you first start out don't worry about it too much. At smaller point levels, and versus other new players, whether you're in or out of theme won't make much difference.
Are all Theme Forces equally powerful?
There used to be a lot of disparity in power level, but with the 2019 theme remix hopefully we'll see less "dud" themes. At the time of writing (2019.07) this remains to be seen.
Are there Theme Force boxsets you can buy?
Yes.
If you're just starting out, they're okay-to-good value for money (depending on which one you get). If you already have a collection though, there's a chance you'll get extras of models you already own.
Another reason they're a good purchase choice is because they are all for themes that have been expanded during the current edition of the ruleset. After the expansion, those themes have become interesting, diverse, and (mostly) balanced theme forces. Un-expanded themes, on the other hand, sometimes have a very limited pool of existing models and strategies to choose from.
Lastly, it's worth noting that many of these boxsets only contain units and solos - they don't contain warcasters/warjacks or warlocks/warbeasts. As such, these boxsets are meant to be an add-on to the faction's battlegroup starter box.
At the time of writing (2019.08) there are 7 boxsets available:
- Cryx - Scourge of the Broken Coast (formerly known as Slaughter Fleet Raiders)
- Cygnar - Gravediggers
- Khador - Armored Corps
- Protectorate - Exemplar Interdiction
Should I buy a Theme right away?
Yes and No.
- Yes, because everyone plays in themes and you will want to, too.
- No, because until you play a bit with a theme you won't know if you like that theme.
As a compromise, I suggest you start with a 25 point list in a theme force; I suggest one theme-specific unit, one theme-specific solo, and spend the rest of your points on warjacks/warbeasts or support models that can be used in more than one theme. This will give you a taste of how the theme plays without requiring a huge money investment in models.
If you want to play a bigger game you can either proxy the theme-specific models that you don't own yet, or fill out your points on more warjacks/warbeasts, mercenaries, and support models. The later option will probably cause you to have an uncompetitive force, though.
Other tips:
- Take a good look at the Mercenaries and/or Minions that will work for your Faction (refer to the Who Works for Whom article).
- The logic here is, that (almost) every theme allows you to take at least one Mercenary/Minion unit and one solo; so once you've purchased a Merc/Minion you can re-use them in every other theme you want to try out.
- Of particular note are the Partisan models that can work for your Faction.
- Take a look at the non-character warjacks/warbeasts in your Faction.
- Once again, (almost) all themes allow unrestricted use of non-character warjacks/warbeasts, so your purchases can be re-used in multiple themes.
If you do go down the route of buying lots of non-character warjacks/warbeasts (and why wouldn't you, they're cool and what attracted most of us to this game to begin with), there's a few things to be aware of:
- Most themes only need a couple of warjacks/warbeasts in the army, so any extras you buy are "wasted".
- However every faction has at least one theme that rewards you for fielding a buttload of warjacks/warbeasts, so your extras are "not wasted" if you use that theme.
- Most warcasters/warlocks can't manage a large battlegroup - their resources get spread too thin. What you can do about that is:
- Find a "Battlegroup caster" in your Faction. These are warcasters/warlocks that have access to a spell or spells that benefit multiple warjacks/warbeasts at once. For example spells like Terminal Velocity, Guided Fire, Mobility, Synergy, etc
- Look into support pieces that can help your focus/fury efficiency. Solos with abilities like Empower, Condition, Serenity, etc
- Look into support models that can take control of the warjacks/warbeasts. 'Jack Marshals, "Junior Warcasters", and Lesser Warlocks.
Brief History
Theme Forces didn't exist at all in Mk1 (2003 to 2010), and functioned differently in Mk2 (2010 to 2016). In Mk3, however, Theme Forces were redesigned from the ground up to be an integral part of how players play the game. The reason PP did this is really quite simple - the game was getting too big. After 13 years of constant releases all of the core factions were well fleshed-out, and it was becoming difficult to add new and interesting models to the line-up without it stepping on the toes of something already available in-faction, and/or blurring the lines that define one faction from another. Also it was harder to identify a potentially broken combination of rules.
Pros & Cons of the Theme System
With Warmachine & Hordes now in a place where everyone is expected to be playing "In-Theme", there are several advantages to the overall game system:
- Unit duplication
- Consider the scenario where PP want to give a Faction a new unit which is a bit different to an existing unit, but which fundamentally just does the same task. Before themes, players would work out which of those two units did the task better for its points cost and then never touch the losing unit ever again. After themes, these two units are placed in different themes and the comparison is not so straight forward. Sometimes you'll want to take the "losing" unit because it is in a "better" theme.
- Some players will say unit duplication can go too far (the most egregious example being Long Gunners vs Trencher Long Gunners) to which I counter: Yeah you're probably right. I'm glad we haven't seen a repeat of such blatant duplication since those Trenchers, though.
- Narrow scope for testing purposes
- Consider the scenario where PP want to release a new model with a new special rule, but it might be overpowered if it can be taken with a specific 2nd model. Before themes, you'd have to check it vs 75-ish other models in the same Faction. After themes, you only need to check it vs the 30-ish models in the same Theme. This greatly reduces the chance of an undesirable, unforeseen, overpowered combination accidentally making it out of playtests and into the final rules.
- Some players will say that this happens anyway (for example Lord of the Feast) but in counter I say: in a theme-less world, more Feast-like mistakes would be made.
However, it's not all sunshine and roses. There are several disadvantages too:
- It's harder for a player to 'dabble' in a new Faction, new players especially.
- If you play out of theme, you're at a disadvantage.
- But to play in theme you have to invest heavily in one style of aesthetic & playstyle that they may not like in the long run.
Remember how hard it was to pick your first Faction? Imagine that, multiplied by 10.
- It can stagnate list-building creativity.
- Some themes have very few choices, and everyones lists start looking the same because there's simply no other option.
- Themes reward players with free models for every 20-or-so points of [X, Y, and Z] models that you take, and some players just spam [X, X, and more X].
- Some of the Theme Forces released at the beginning of Mk3 were rushed out the door, as it were, and can be significantly more or less powerful than their competition.
Theme Rules & Rules Clarifications
- Models allowed
- A theme force can include only the models and units described in its entry.
- If a theme force can include a given unit, you can add any attachments to the unit that are available to it, subject to normal FA restrictions.
- Ranking Officer command attachments, however, cannot be included in theme force armies unless the rules of the theme force specifically allow for the Mercenary/Minion unit it attaches to.
- Character warjacks/warbeasts
- Character warjacks/warbeasts with a Bond can always be taken in a theme force whether or not that theme normally allows them, but only if they're in their bonded model's battlegroup.
- Mercenary/Minion models
- Mercenary/Minion models are not allowed in theme forces by default, but most themes allow "Up to one Mercenary solo and one Mercenary unit". Some themes allow zero, some allow infinite. But most only allow one of each.
- Mercenary warcasters with the Partisan special rule can be included in the theme forces of the Faction(s) they are partisan to.
- If a Mercenary/Minion model that can control warjacks or warbeasts is included in an army made using a theme force, the army can include non-character warjacks or warbeasts controlled by that model.
- If a Mercenary/Minion model has a companion character, that companion can always be included in the same army.
- Requistion Points
- You earn one RP for each 25 points of game size. Your warjack points / warbeast points don't count towards the game size.
- You can spend each RP on one of the entries given in the theme's rules.
Rules Clarification: Theme Forces (Edit) Themes that change a model's Faction [Show/Hide]
Rerolling the starting roll [Show/Hide]
Warjacks/Warbeasts with bonds [Show/Hide]
Including Mercenaries [Show/Hide]
Number of Mercenaries
Mercenaries and Ranking Officers
Other
Including Partisan Mercenaries [Show/Hide]
Partisans & Theme Forces (Edit)
Requisition Points [Show/Hide]
Free models and Specialists (ADR) [Show/Hide]
Unit Attachments [Show/Hide]
When to apply theme benefits [Show/Hide]
See also these Theme-Specific Rulings [Show/Hide]
|
List of All Theme Forces
- Unofficial list Category:Theme Force
- Official list is on the Game Rules section of PP's website.