This past Saturday, at Showcase Comics in Media, PA I played in a 50 point Warmachine/Hordes tournament. I fielded 50 points of Cygnar using my nephew's figures and many graciously lent by Press Ganger and all-around good guy Marc G. It was a fun and educational experience, but the fact that I am naturally bad at games was strongly reinforced. The timed format (100 minutes, 12 minutes per turn, 1 extension per game) did not work in my favor for my first experience with an army of this size...

The first game I played Cryx. They swarmed their way into the control box and I could barely get my forces through terrain to deploy them effectively. I learned about the stealth ability, which consistently foiled my ranged attacks. The highlight of this game was when my Ironclad was transformed into a Slayer, who proceeded to walk over and whale on Stryker with death claws and tusks making for a quick and brutal death.

Next, was a civil war... er... training exercise against Marc G's Cygnar list. I had some problems using time effectively, such as not getting a chance to activate Haley on 1 turn and cast any spells. The game ended with Captain Haley getting meat-tenderized by dual hammers.

Finally, another civil wa... training exercise against Cygnar. This one was a "hold the territory" type scenario. I had one of the flags pretty well covered with Trencher Commandos, but a Stormclad, decimated them with 2 sword swings, combined with Siege's Ground Pounder ability. I had a last ditch chance to assassinate Siege with Stryker but failed repeated magic rolls and couldn't get the job done with the disruptor pistol. I ended up getting mashed by a Thunderhead. That's no way to go.

So, I went 0/3 but I continue to learn more and more about the game, and it's fun. Lots of good folks who aren't your typical "gamer" types. I've got lots more figures to build and paint and this definitely convinced me that I need to build my forces up to 50 points!