[Wargaming] New Warmachine faction!
This weekend out in Warwick, Rhode Island (somewhere in the USA), Templecon is taking place. There are only a
handful of conventions on my bucket list, but Templecon is definitely one of
them. I’ve heard so much about it through the podcasts and blogs that I listen
to, and behind their own Lock ‘n’ Load convention seems to be the headline
generator for all things Privateer Press. Over the years it’s become the
location for their start of year keynote address. A sort of ‘state of the
union’ if you will, looking at what’s coming up in the year ahead.
Last year Colossals/Gargantuans. This year? Privateer Press sure know how to tease. (Credit: handcannononline.com)
The keynote included
announcements of a second Level 7 boardgame and a Warmachine card game, and
further information about the new Bodgers . But the big announcement was a new Warmachine faction. And what
a faction it is!
Here's the announcement video for the new faction: the Convergence of Cyriss.
Science, and robots, and clockwork oh my! (Credit: Privateer Press)
The new faction is “The
Convergence of Cyriss”. Worshipers of Cyriss, the goddess of Mathematics and
Science, have been part of the fluff for the Iron Kingdoms since day 1, but
have always, to my knowledge, been a relatively small cult. They’ve popped up
now and then to load knowledge to Cygnar to help with new advancements, but
have seemed content to lurk in the background. Obviously something has spurred
them to make their presence known, and had given them cause to reveal their
true strength. My personal opinion
is that “the Convergence” are to Cyrissists what “the Retribution” are to
Iosans, i.e. a subset that will become the ‘face’ of the race/faction, but is
not necessarily representative of the outlook of the entire group. This
thread(LINK) has some interesting background information collected from the
forums over the years, some of which might shed light on possible motivations
for the Convergence.
The logo for the Convergence of Cyriss is really rather cool. (Credit: weaponsofchoice.com.au)
On the whole I have mixed
feelings about them. I love what’s been previewed of their unique mechanics.
The warcasters sharing their MAT and RAT, the focus trickle down, and the
battlegroup-wide elite cadre-esk granting of special abilities to the warjacks
are all interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they play out on the
board. The ability for models to have several different abilities that they
pick from each turn is exciting, even if it does make me sad for Drudges. I
also really like the fact that they’re a faction of robots, and that they seem
to be designed as a warjack heavy faction. Their aesthetic, with it’s mix of
60’s sci-fi and art-deco inspired shapes appeals on the troops and warcasters
that we’ve seen so far. But I’m not sold on the look of the Warjacks (or
‘Vectors’ for the Convergence). I’d expect them to be much more elegant and
streamlined, but to be honest the heavy that we’ve seen looks blocky and
ungainly, and the light looks like it’s been cobbled together. Yuck.
Some of the model range looks great, but I'm not sold on all of it yet. (Credit: pinsofwar.com)
Perhaps they’ll look better
in person, and it’s not enough to dull my interest in the faction as a whole.
I’m not sure I’ll pick them up; I’ve got three factions across Warmachine and
Hordes already, and I’m still trying to stop myself building a Retribution Dawnguard army.
But I’m really looking forward to when they hit the battlefield later this
year. Well done Privateer Press; you’ve
played another blinder here.
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