Warcry?

My Warcry Warband

No, these aren't new models that I have just painted. I just wanted to talk a little bit about Warcry.

Warcry is a new skirmish game by Games Workshop, that's launching on Saturday. It has elements of both Kill Team and Necromunda with a lot of unique elements.

The approach to factions is really interesting. They have simultaneously gone down the Necromunda and the Kill Team route. What I mean by this is that you can choose between six different chaos cults which are very much analogous to the Necromunda Gangs. (unlike Necromunda, three of these are available on launch, and three the following week) you have a choice between:

The Iron Golem - Armour clad brutal chaos worshipers from the realm of metal.
The Untamed Beasts - Traditional Conan style barbarian guys from the realm of beasts.
The Cypher Lords - Elegant acrobatic folks from the realm of light with a clear Tzeentch theme.
The Corvus Cabal - Bird themed barbarians from the realm of shadow.
The Splintered Fang - Snake wielding barbarians from the realm of life.
The Unmade - Self-mutilation themed weirdos from the realm of death.

If you want to look at pretty pictures they are all over Warhammer Community at this point. There are also two more warbands coming eventually that have been hinted at:

Scions of the flame - Fire guys from the realm of fire.
The Spire Tyrants - Traditional Chaos Knight types. They probably work for Archon and might basically be the settings enforcers.

Speaking of the setting, the chaos warbands are essentially fighting to be noticed by Archon so they can join his armies. Travel the realms burning stuff down for fun.  That sort of thing.

What's interesting though, they have also allowed nine extra warbands in from outside the Chaos grand alliance:

Daughters of Khaine
Stormcast Eternals
Idoneth Deepkin

Legions of Nagash
Nighthaunt
Flesh Eater Courts

Ironjaws
Bonesplittaz
Gloomspite Gits.

This provides you with two ways into the game. Either you can just pick up a boxed Gang for thirty quid, or you build a gang out of normal Age of Sigmar units and purchase the warcry card pack.

Now, going for one of the non-chaos warbands can get expensive if you don't have an Age of Sigmar army to pull units out of. Not in every case, Bonesplittaz, for example, can get all their unit types out of one box, which is actually cheaper than a Warcry Warband box. A good night haunt list can be made from just what comes in the Soul Wars starter box, but by and large, it's going to be easier just to pick up a Chaos Warband, although, like Necromunda, you may end up needing a second box if you play the campaign mode.


Mechanically the game is really interesting. Like Kill-team, it is played on a very small table - the same size as a standard kill team board.

You start the game by rolling six dice each. The player with the most 'singles' (as in dice showing a unique number)  goes first, however, doubles, triples, and quads can be used during the turn to perform powerful abilities.

The first player then, like Necromunda, nominate a single model to perform two actions. The second player then chooses a model to perform two actions and so on until all models have been activated.

Combat is really simple.

1) Check you are in range for your attack
2) Check the attacks strength vs your opponent's toughness. Noting if it is the same, higher, or lower.
3) Roll the number of attack dice that weapon has. If your strength is the same as your opponent's toughness you have to roll a four. if it's lower, you have to roll a five, if it's higher you only have to roll a three. A roll of six is a critical hit.
4) Your opponent loses the number of wounds equal to the damage characteristic. of the weapon. Criticals do a higher number also printed on the card.

That's it. One throw of the dice to completely resolve one attack. No to hit roles. No Armour saves.

The Scenario is generated by flipping cards which show you how to layout the terrain, how to deploy and what the victory conditions are. This means you have a lot of permutations.

The game does expect you to have the terrain from the boxed set or one of the terrain packs, but there are rules in the book for using your own terrain also.

Campaigns

 The Campaign system is really interesting, in that it's very personal. You can play a game against anyone, and make progress on your campaign. So, in theory, I could be playing down here, and then play a visiting friend and we could both make progress on our quests.

After a campaign game, you can gain glory and favour. You can spend that glory to acquire territory (which lets you spend more points on fighters) and a few other things.

If a model didn't get taken out of action you roll a dice for it, on a six it gains favour. Each model can have up to three favour which amounts to a re-roll that model can use in game.

Your models can die, but unlike necromunda you can't get cash-starved. You just lose a models favour and any magic items it was holding and then you can re-hire the same model back onto your roster with a new name.

The campaign quests are very individual, and every so often the quest you are on will tell you to play a big set-piece battle. Your opponent in that battle is incentivised to play against you with increased rewards, and if you win, you can get permanent magic items. Which can be lost if the model holding them dies.

I'm really looking forward to warcry as it seems like a really quick and straightforward game that's got some narrative linking, but isn't too punishing and avoids the 'winner wins more' spiral of Necromunda.