FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (Updated March 17, 2023)
What is the Community Hub?
Ideally, if you’re reading this FAQ, you’ve already found the Privateer Press Community Hub! We’ve established the Community Hub as a place for players to gather online to share their excitement and passion for Privateer Press games. We’ll also use the Hub to keep our community up to date on events, important announcements, as well as addressing questions about game rules or anything else that has to do with the games and miniatures that Privateer Press produces. We chose this platform for our Community Hub because it provides a better way to hold discussions and archive important information than other forms of social media. We hope that members will find the Hub an engaging place that helps them stay in touch with the games they enjoy and the community they love being a part of.
What is WARMACHINE MKIV?
WARMACHINE MKIV is the fourth edition of the award-winning WARMACHINE tabletop miniatures game. The full rules and all model stat cards as well as a robust force builder are available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Apple App Store Warmachine App on the App Store
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.privateerpress.warmachine.client
How do I get started?
To get started with WARMACHINE, download the free WARMACHINE app on the Apple App Store or Google Play. The full rules for the game as well as an abridged training guide are available in the app library.
Once you have some familiarity with the game, we recommend getting involved in a regular league or other in-store events at your favorite local game store. If you don’t have a store nearby that stocks WARMACHINE, you can always order direct through the Privateer Press Online Store.
Apple App Store Warmachine App on the App Store
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.privateerpress.warmachine.client
What is the WARMACHINE App?
The WARMACHINE app is where the game lives. It’s available free on the Apple App Store or Google Play and includes all the information needed to play WARMACHINE, including all the game rules, model stat cards, Army lore, a robust Force builder, and much more, all for free.
What is the paid subscription in the WARMACHINE App for?
For $4.99 per month, app subscribers receive weekly content updates to the app library that include fiction, lore, scenarios, an ongoing campaign, and more. Subscribers also have unlimited cloud storage for force builds and match making as well as the ability to access their subscription content and force builds from multiple devices, which will soon include desktop computer support.
What should I do if my app is not working or I find an error?
Please use the link in the app menu to ‘Submit App Feedback’ if you encounter a bug or any other usability or information issue with the app. If you are locked out of the app for any reason, please contact frontdesk@privateerpress.com for assistance.
Where can I get a copy of the rules and purchase cards?
The WARMACHINE MKIV rules are available for free in the WARMACHINE app. Just download the app and open the library, and you’ll see the rules right there.
All model stat cards are available for free in the WARMACHINE app under the Cards section. As new models are released, their stat cards will be added to the Card library. No purchase of stat cards is required.
Can I still use my old models? Why aren’t they in the app?
The existing catalog of miniatures for WARMACHINE and HORDES that includes over twenty years of content can be overwhelming for players, retailers, and distributors, and continuing to expand upon that catalog exacerbates the problems that result from it.
In order to maintain the playability of the entire catalog of existing models, we have created two arenas of play: Unlimited, which will allow all existing and new MKIV models to be playable; and Prime, which will provide limited model options in building armies from the preexisting catalog as well as incorporate all new MKIV releases.
New mechanics created for MKIV, such as warjack customization, are not “backward-compatible” with existing models.
All pre-existing models will be converted for Unlimited play and will have MKIV rules in the app by the end of 2023.
What are the Prime and Unlimited arenas?
For WARMACHINE MKIV, we have created two different play arenas to help address issues that stem from the very large back catalog of models developed over twenty years of making the game. While it is necessary to continue to create new models for a new edition in order to continue existing as a game publisher, it was also necessary to reduce the number of models new players as well as existing players need to know in order to feel like they can play the game. In an effort to ensure players with collections of past models could continue to enjoy their full collections, we created a separate Unlimited Arena that has no restrictions for model use, while creating the Prime Arena for curated armies from pre-existing factions and new MKIV releases.
In the Unlimited arena, all Legacy models (i.e. models that existed prior to the launch of MKIV) as well as any new models released during MKIV, are playable.
In the Prime Arena, all MKIV-era models are playable but only a curated selection of Legacy models from each preexisting Faction are playable. The restriction to Legacy Factions is intended to maintain an even playing field with new armies and the Prime Arena will be the main competitive format for WARMACHINE MKIV.
Can I use my old models and the new releases together?
New MKIV models, even if they are part of the same faction, cannot be included in a Force with Legacy models unless the new MKIV model has been created with specific rules that allow its inclusion in a Force that includes Legacy models. When building a Force in the WARMACHINE app, after selecting an Army for a new Force, only allowable options will be available to build the list from. And if a new MKIV model is available to a Legacy army, it will appear in the available model list during Force building.
Will Legacy armies get Spell racks?
Legacy armies will not be updated with Spell Racks. This is a feature of new MKIV Armies.
Will Legacy armies get Command Cards?
All armies have access to Command Cards. In the future, some Command Cards may be made specifically for new MKIV armies. Faction-specific or army-specific Command Cards will not be made for Legacy armies.
What is the difference between Faction, Army, Cadre, and Force?
A Faction is analogous to a nationality. It can contain multiple Armies.
An Army is a contained group within a Faction. In the Prime Arena, models from different Armies in the same Faction cannot be combined in the same Force.(Though in the Unlimited Arena, any Legacy models in a Faction can be included in the same Force.)
A Cadre is a selection of models that can be included in a Force composed from any new MKIV Army in the Cadre’s Faction. (Cadre models cannot be used in Forces composed of Legacy models.)
A Force is the selection of models that you put on the tabletop when you play.
Examples:
Cygnar is a Faction.
Within the Cygnar faction, there is the MKIV Storm Legion Army and eventually, the forthcoming MKIV Gravediggers Army. Storm Legion and Gravediggers cannot be contained in the same Force.
Also, within the Cygnar Faction we will eventually find the Storm Smith Cadre. The Storm Smiths can be included in any MKIV Cygnar Force: So Storm Smiths can be part of a Force using Storm Legion or a Force using Gravediggers.
A Cadre may include a Warcaster, which can also be used as the Leader in a Force using models from any Army the Cadre is compatible with.
Example: Warcaster Mechanik Adept Figmund Sparkhammer of the Storm Forge Cadre can be included as the Leader for a Storm Legion or Gravedigger force.
What happened to the Hordes factions?
With the MKIV edition, we have rolled HORDES and WARMACHINE into one single game so that they are no longer maintained as separate brands, even though they have always really been two halves of the same game. All of the HORDES Factions have been updated with Prime Legacy Armies and will have all Legacy models updated for Prime or Unlimited play before the end of 2023. Additionally, new MKIV Warlock-led armies are due to release summer of 2023.
Why is Privateer Press stopping production on their older models?
With the MKIV edition, Privateer has begun the conversion from traditional metal and resin production to 3D printing production. 3D printing allows us to create complex miniatures in few or even single pieces that are impossible with traditional production methods. It also allows us to better control inventory and meet the demands of our retail and distribution customers, ensuring the availability of our products in what is an ever changing, impacted and convoluted market.
As part of this change to our production, many models that were produced prior to the adoption of digital sculpting will be retired because they are produced in materials that Privateer will not be using in the future. Some back catalog models that exist as digital
sculpts will be converted for on-demand custom ordering, but older models that were traditionally sculpted will eventually go out-of-print because the economics of continuing to make them available are no longer viable due to dramatic increases in material costs or the expense of ongoing production costs.
Why can’t I buy models individually? Will I be able to?
In an effort to reduce the overall number of individual products (skus) that our retailer and distributor customers need to keep in stock, we have packaged new MKIV armies in a limited number of skus that can be more easily managed. Some models contained within larger box sets may be made available online, but no sooner than 60 days after they release in retail stores.
How can I get my store to carry WARMACHINE?
The best way to convince the owner or manager of your favorite local game store to carry WARMACHINE is to place an order through them, ideally with a friend so you also have someone to play against. Most stores offer a special order service, and they should be able to include your order with the next purchase from their distributor or they can always order directly from Privateer Press. Then, once your order comes in, if the store offers space to play, start playing WARMACHINE in the store — just be ready for people wanting to check out your magnetized warjacks! Once your store owner or manager sees that there is more interest, they’ll have more confidence in stocking WARMACHINE regularly, so you won’t have to place special orders in the future.
My store said their distributor no longer carries WARMACHINE, what can I do?
If your favorite local game store owner or manager is willing to place an order for you but their distributor does not carry WARMACHINE, they can order directly from Privateer Press by emailing sherry@Privateerpress.com and we will be happy to help them out.
What is happening with Organized Play?
MKIV slow-grow Journeyman League kits will be available in April 2023. The Journeyman League is a great organized play experience for both new and experienced players alike that guides players through the process of slowly growing an army while learning the new edition over a four-week period. Many retail stores will be receiving Journeyman League kits with their orders arriving in April. If a store would like to obtain a Journeyman League kit but has not ordered one yet, they can email sherry@privateerpress.com and we’ll be happy to help them get what they need.
Journeyman League rules will be available in the WARMACHINE app prior to the kits arriving in stores.
IN May 2023, we’ll be shipping out the Resurrection League kits. The Resurrection League is an ongoing narrative series that uses the monthly campaign available with a WARMACHINE app subscription. Each league season spans three months and is supported with exclusive miniatures and prize support designed for the league.
The Resurrection League will begin when the second season of the ongoing campaign becomes available in the WARMACHINE app around the end of May.
What is the standard point size for MKIV?
The WARMACHINE app currently supports Force builds at 30, 50, 75 and 100 points. There is no definitive standard point size for playing the game and we encourage play at all point sizes.
Is WARMACHINE just for competitive players?
We have created WARMACHINE for anyone who loves games and miniatures, fantasy battles, stompy robots, furious monsters, and having a good time. If you like playing competitively, we put a tremendous amount of effort into making sure the fidelity of our game rules is as good as it can be so that they stand up to the scrutiny demanded by competitive players. But if you like to play miniatures games more casually, enjoy the story-telling aspects of hobby gaming, and love to immerse yourself in an expansive, fantastic world full of outrageous characters and creatures, every corner of the setting explored in thousands of pages of lore, then you have come to the right place.
We make WARMACHINE because we are driven creatively to grow and develop and explore this world, and what keeps us going are the people who enjoy and are excited to experience what we produce. And after twenty years of constant, ongoing development, we think that no matter how you like to play your games, we’ve got something for everybody!