IKRPG GM Toolkit Review

Today I finally got my hands on the GM screen for IKRPG and wanted to share my initial thoughts.

First of all, it has Privateer Press's usual quality. The panels are durable, the artwork is gorgeous, and the inside stat panels are glued evenly and securely (a factor that I find important). PP put a lot of care in to making this and it really shows.



The screen itself is a great height. Older GM screens were more like 3-paneled folders, making it nearly impossible to see your players. Instead the panels are slightly larger than 4 pieces of printer paper set end to end, allowing you to see your players without them getting a peak at all your secrets. The 4 panels can be a bit cumbersome, but allows more flexible positioning depending on what you have behind the screen.

The kit also comes with some handy paper supplies. In addition to a stack of character sheets and a health tracker for players and warjacks, it comes with two nifty tools for GMs - encounter sheets and initiative trackers.



The initiative tracker will suit some GMs perfectly, while other can re-purpose it or ignore it altogether. Although it's a glorified index card, I plan on writing down the stats of several models I find myself using often (humans, thralls, etc) that don't use life spirals. This way I can have their stats in front of me at all times, and I can write any special rules on the blank backside.

The encounter sheet is something I'm sure I won't make full use of, but I can see it being a life saver for some GMs. I do, however, plan on putting 1 in a plastic sleeve so I can easily track several models that use life spirals. After using a model with a spiral for the first time, I can't wait to see how much this will smooth out damage tracking!

Finally, the most important part of a GM screen - the charts and stats inside. In the past, I've always used charts + paperclipped notes to quickly reference important things. It's not the fault of the screens - there's limited real estate for so many complex rules, so the makers have to decide what they think will be most useful and the GMs have to come up with the rest.

There are a few items in here that I don't find all too useful. One panel has a deviation graphic - something that really isn't helpful except as a guideline if you don't have a template. Then there is a rule for Fear which seems rather random compared to any other rules they could have put in. Fortunately that only takes up about 1/4 of a single panel. The rest of the stuff is solid gold.

There's a quick breakdown of Injuries (minus the table, thankfully) and temporary effects like stealth or crippled aspects. The rest of the panels are crammed with charts for combat, skills, and player actions. The best thing about this is that almost every rule has a page number beside it, allowing you to reference something if you need more specific wording. I love these charts because it answers every basic question that can come up during a game. It can't (and shouldn't) answer everything, but it will shave off a lot of wasted time spent digging through the dense rulebook.

Now then, it wouldn't be a review without some negatives. My biggest complaint, which seems to be shared by many, is that the screen's price is increased because of the mandatory additions. While they can be useful, it's really just a prettier version of anything that could have been pulled from PP's download section or created by hand. While $28 MSRP is great for what you get, if you're only using the screen then you're probably wasting $8-10. D&D had similar products and sold them separately - naturally the paper products weren't terribly popular, so this may be PP's way of making the products available without having a bunch of character sheets gathering dust in warehouses and shore shelves. However, I really wish there was an option to buy them separately, even if it only saved me a few bucks. Fortunately I shop at Miniature Market and DiscountGamesInc, so the cost of wasted paper was offset by the 25% discount.

Secondly, they didn't include anything about encounter creation. This is more of a personal gripe than anything because I never know how many players I'll have until I come to the game, or I'll want to increase an encounter's difficulty on the fly without going too extreme. But really, even a chart for encounter points and player leveling would have been great. However, I see their reasoning for not since everything on the screen is for what's happening during the game, not before and after.

I'm sure as time goes I'll find some things I'll have to write notes for. Overall, they used their given space very efficiently and included almost anything you would need to reference during a skill or combat encounter. The game is still a bit bare-bones when it comes to general NPC interactions, but I almost prefer that because it allows the player's creativity to dictate a conversation, not a set of rolls.

So if you're GMing a game of IKRPG, I highly recommend this. If you play once a week or once a month, it will make your games smooth and enjoyable, practically eliminating all the time wasted digging through rulebooks to figure out climbing or attack modifiers.

See you tomorrow! And if you're new around here, be sure to like my page on Facebook where I post daily blog content and monthly giveaways.

Painting Tip - Washing Flesh

First, let me welcome all the new guys from the Wargamers Consortium group. If you are curious why I am posting every day, here's my first post of the year.

I love washes, but lately I've found that my painting abilities have matured passed the need to use them for their more basic effects. However, Privateer Press recently introduced me to a more advanced and effective way of using them.

When I was doing a recent Cygnar commission, I decided to see if/how they recommended doing flesh. As I read through their steps, my eyebrows rose in doubt. They suggested basecoating with the flesh, then doing a wash of flesh mixed with red, followed by a flesh mixed with green. My knowledge in color theory is rudimentary, but I couldn't fathom how that could end up not looking like vomit.

I bow to the knowledge of greater painters, because the resulting shading was fantastic. For cloth and armor that's not as big of a deal, but something translucent like skin needs more than just a darkening of the same color. The red and green aren't immediately apparent, but the mixing of the transparent colors on top of the skin tone is very convincing.

Today I started painting some Cryx Thralls using the Cryx faction book and decided to show you what I mean. I started off by airbrushing everyone with Thrall Flesh.

It's convincing for undead flesh, but two layers of washes will work miracles. The first wash was a drop of Beaten Purple and a drop of Matte Medium. I thinned this heavily with water; I lost count on the exact numbers, but it was around 15-20 by the time I was finally happy with it. I then put a light layer on everything, allowing the purple to just tint the skin and pushing any pigment buildups in to the deeper areas.

Finally, I made a 1:1:10 wash of Battledress Green: Matte Medium: Water and did the same thing on top of the purple. The end result made the flesh return to a more natural looking color (for as natural as undead flesh gets), removing the solid color from step 1 and replacing it with some color variations you barely notice, but do a lot to improve the overall color. In addition, the more obvious purple in the shadows provide a more convincing feeling of "yuck" than if I had just used a darkened Thrall Flesh.

I still have a long way to go before I understand why seemingly unrelated colors work so well together, but in the mean time I'll be content to love the results. So if you've been stuck in a rut regarding washes, try this out on flesh. Just make sure you get them very well thinned, otherwise you risk dyeing the model and removing the primary flesh color.

See you tomorrow! And if you haven't yet, make sure you click here to enter my giveaway for a set of Warmachine/Hordes faction dice!

Countdown to Cyriss Week 4 pt 2 - The Bummer Edition

For the first time in over a year, Privateer Press has disappointed me.

Today PPS_Simon, an official representative of Privateer Press, said this in a forum post:

"Right now we don't plan for the Convergence of Cyriss to be added to the regular rotation of updated armies in our WARMACHINE anthology books (Cygnar, Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth, Cryx, and the Retribution of Scyrah), but we will likely add new models to their ranks from time to time."

Needless to say, my excitement is a bit deflated. Apparently this had already been announced, but I'm not sure enough people caught it whenever it was said. Now however, I find myself evaluating whether I'm buying in to the faction. They already have Mercs and Minions that aren't fully supported and (without the Galleon) can struggle to be competitive, and I'm hesitant to buy something that is essentially unsupported from day 1.

I realize that sounds a bit petulant, but let me explain. I love buying shiny new things (or shiny used things on Bartertown). I enjoy playing the models I have and then looking through my faction book and expansion books and saying "alright, it's time to shake things up a bit and buy this one." If you know how tired I am of my Khador, then you'll be surprised to know that I'm tempted to pick them up again once I buy some cavalry units (helloooooo Fenris!).

It's probably silly, but that's just how I operate. I don't like knowing that there are unexplored options for something I'm playing. I'm not a specialist by any means - I like the option to continually experience new facets of something. And with Cyriss, I worry that if I buy most of the army, I'll get bored with it because I don't have anything new to try.

This also bums me out because of how Privateer Press handles releases. When a faction gets a good release, it really shakes things up in the game. Cygnar got Stormwall, Skorne is getting the Mammoth, Circle got eMorvana and Gallows Grove... things that really improved the faction and gave them a whole new way to play. Even Retribution, which started off a bit like Cyriss seems to, has gotten releases every expansion to help address problems and help them adapt to the changing game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to strip down and run around downtown with a giant sign declaring the oncoming apocalypse. It is what it is, and Privateer Press likely knows what they're doing. It's just disappointing for how I play games, because I'll know that what I see on the MiniatureMarket catalog is basically what I'll have to choose from for quite awhile.

Is it deal breaking? Probably not, because they'll hopefully release with enough options that I'll still be able to look at the faction book and say "aha, I want THAT next!" for awhile. And let's face it, the army's gameplay mechanics are still pretty boss. However, my excitement has been toned down a touch and I'm back on that "day 1 purchase?" fence.

For those who need a bit of a pick-me-up, don't forget that today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a $10 gift certificate to Miniature Market! As always, just comment on the video and like my Facebook page.

See you tomorrow with the results!

Woohoo! Skull Island Expeditions!

Today's post will be a quicky but a goody.
For those who didn't see the announcement, Privateer Press finally launched their digital library Skull Island Expeditions! I've been looking for some fiction worth putting on my iPad, and I think I've found exactly that.

I'm really excited with the direction they're taking. They have a few continuing stories for Mercenaries (which seems to be the safest compromise for their first releases), as well as a series of novellas that will focus on individual warlocks and warcasters. There are also actual novels releasing in the future, but I like the idea of novellas to satisfy my appetite. For those who will read the book fluff, this is a dream come true!

I know I wanted novels when first starting the game, and PP fleshing out their universe seems to be a another big step in establishing themselves as legitimate competition for gamers' attention. I'm not saying it's been an underdog all these years, but having fiction outside of rulebooks and expansions opens up the door for new gamers to find the hobby, as well as let those who enjoy the universe to become even more invested in the stories.

Well done PP, I'm excited to give you my money for this one!

See you tomorrow (and only 1 day left until the giveaway!)

Countdown to Cyriss: Week 4

This week we get a peak at how Cyriss will support its battlegroup, and I'm in love with what I see!

As I said when looking at the warjacks, Cyriss will need some real support to fill any gaps. After seeing three 1 point solos, I'm pretty sure they'll be just fine in that regard. The solos covered today are exactly what I've wanted in Warmachine - a way to customize your army with single abilities rather than just using synergistic models, much like how 40k allows you to customize each squad with different equipment.

Although the solos can still be destroyed and have their abilities removed from the game, it's still very exciting to see how a few spare points in a list can be used as a toolbox. These servitors will likely cost a single point, and they essentially support your battlegroup in its weaknesses or boosting its strength. But will these things be worthwhile 1-point investments like the Wardog or Bellows Crew?

The first solo we see is the Accretion Servitor, which is just a floating repairbot for constructs. "Huh, cool" was my first response, but then Will Shick reminds us that many units are also considered to be constructs. That means that planting this guy behind a wall of high-ARM troops can give you an extra round of having that wall while you prepare to burst through with your battlegroup, or allows them to better hold an objective with minimal support. And just for some added function in the late game, Accretion Servitors can also deal 1 point of damage to your column of choice on an enemy warjack.

Next up is the Elimination Servitor. 

• This model has a "short range gun," which I'd guess to be 6". 
• It "stalks" the battlefield, which I assume means it has stealth or prowl.
• It has Puncture, which automatically deals 1 damage on a hit. 

Basically, this thing is the perfect harasser. At 1 point it won't be a target if your opponent has more immediate concerns, allowing you to take down a few high ARM, single-wound models. It also gets at things like Choir of Menoth who want to hide behind a wall of models tat the Elimination Servitor can quickly circumvent. Depending on the RAT this thing will probably be a hunter of sorts, picking out a target on the battlefield to kill before being destroyed itself. Should it live past its ability to really kill anything worthwhile, its Pathfinder will let it block off a charge lane or contest an objective decently enough.

The Attunement Servitors will do what Eliminations can't. While the previous servitor will be used on low DEF, high ARM, the Attunement Servitors will be going after those pesky high-DEF models that you need help hitting. They have a 4" AOE Flare that gives (enemy?) models under it -2 DEF (and may remove stealth), which means that even if you deviate the flare, you'll still have a good chance of affecting several models. I don't like how close Shick hints that this thing will need to be, but if spending 1 point gives me a better chance at hitting a unit of Kayazy Assassins or Nyss Hunters before they hit me first, I'll take it.

Reflex Servitor! I may be sold on the faction solely based on fielding a swarm of these. They are floating mines with Counter Charge, and explode with a POW 14 AOE 4 blast. That means medium ARM models will be hurt or killed, and low ARM troops will be annihilated under the POW 7. So clump your troops tight against Cyriss, because these guys want to ruin your day. They also have Dig In which gives them cover vs. ranged and immunity to blast damage. So if you want to cross the minefield, you need to engage them right away (to prevent Counter Charge) or you'll decorate the battlefield with gore.

As long as the troops aren't awful, I think I'm sold on getting a 50 point list when Cyriss releases. Being able to finally play lots of robots is exciting and the whole reason many of us got in to Warmachine, and there seem to be enough tricks to this army that it won't suffer from shallow, straightforward gameplay. What do you guys think? If you're still on the fence, what does Cyriss need to offer to convince you to follow the Clockwork Goddess?

See you tomorrow! And don't forget my giveaway in 3 days!