Coming up for the next two weeks is our local clubs extremely belated Exigence release event, that our local PG has just never quite got around to fitting into his busy tournament schedule. We're mixing it up a little though, to make it more encouraging for new players, and trying to keep the format friendly to veterans. Far too often, release events have some godawful scenarios that just leave players cringing.
The result is that the format will be standard games using steamroller, and all at 35pts. A mini tourney of sorts, run over two weeks of club meetings. I'm looking forward to it immensely. For me, the most fun and the best demonstration of why Warmachine is one of the best games systems out there is playing casual games against new people and friends alike.
But it does get me thinking though. 35? Although in my part of the world when I first started playing, the game has naturally evolved now, and I've been playing at 50pts exclusively for around six months at least, with only a couple of sporadic games before that. It takes me back to that rose tinted montage of learning to play, like Rocky running through the snow.
If I played Khador, this would probably be more apt.
But the more I've dwelt on building lists for the event, the more I've realised some things about the points level that time forgot. So let's talk 35pts today, because playing at that level really does force you to make some interesting choices.
Firstly, you can't waste points anywhere. In 50, where points redundancy is a little more forgiving, having that solo or at worst Light Warbeast or min Unit that don't quite do anything in most games isn't the end of the world. Hell, your opponent probably has something similar in his or her list. At 35 though, forget about it - we're trying to squeeze every single point out of this mother, and there's zero room for a model that doesn't pull its own weight. This is where some of the Tiers with points reductions come in as extremely valuable too; if I play the previously discussed Morghoul2 Theme Hit Squad with points reductions on my Heavy Warbeasts at 50, then I can manage to effectively play 59pts at a 50pt game. That's good, but the same at 35, giving me 44pts is much more valuable. My opponent is playing 35, and I'm on my way to a 50pt list, especially if I take more of the big lads. It sounds silly, but those extra points are much more precious suddenly.
Even so, 35pts forces something else that is almost entirely mitigated at 50pts... namely, weakness. At 50pts, with players using the same standard builds that sap all inventiveness and individualism out of the game, it's easily possible to build forces which tick all of the boxes, and 'answer' everyone's 'questions' - or even build your own all comers list. Your army can splash down on the table, knowing that unless you play the most skewy of all skew lists, you're probably on an even footing. So why is this bad? It's not. But 35 is interesting, because it typically denies this, due to lack of available points. You're going to have some elements where your force can't quite cover effectively, leaving you more than ever before in the hands of fate.
Instead, players are forced to build lists which play the way that they want the list to play, aggressively designed around their strengths. It's a more fragile place yes, but at the same time exhilarating. Games at 35pts have the same feel that the early battlebox games you had did - set up small forces against each other, start playing and then bam! Assassination straight out of downtown, or that vital Unit / Heavy / Solo gone to a clever trick. Wipe the table, set up against another player start again. Total game time? Probably around half of what a 50pt game has. Net result, lots of fun, quick games against different players, which no one takes too seriously.
35pts to me seems to embody the spirit of Warmachine more than any other points level. You can include whatever you want, and play using the full rules, but don't have to worry about the game being bogged down into a grinding attrition that takes an age to play out, or losing interest as your opponent moves hordes of models around. It's quick, fast and dirty, the gaming worlds premier skirmish game doing what it does best, and thriving. There is after all a reason that we all stopped off here after we learned the ropes, and before we stepped up to contemporary tournament play.
Is 35pts balanced? Yes.. sort of. There are some Warnouns that just don't work at the level, some models that are just too prohibitively priced. In comparison to 50pts? Probably not. 50pts should absolutely be the standard for tournament play. Is 35pts fun though?
Absolutely. I can't wait to play some games again!
