I couldn’t wait to get started on this review, as Steamforged Games have kindly sent us the brand new starter set for Warmachine, a skirmish tabletop game that pits warring factions with big mighty warjacks at the centre of the battles. 

What is Warmachine?

Now, around 15 years ago, myself and fellow team member Jay bought in to Warmachine, which was then being made by Privateer Press. The minis were metal and mainly focused on Warjacks (aka big stompy robots, which was the main draw for us both) and Warcasters, who were basically your general who had influence and control over said Warjacks. Should your Warcaster die, then, well…things can start to go downhill fairly swiftly.

All the minis back then were metal, and my oh my, they were big pieces of metal.

In the end me and Jay ended up focusing on Warhammer and drifted away from Warmachine, however, I always had this urge to return. I mean, I love me some big stompy robots, and they really are the core of the game. 

Fast forward some years and now the IP is in the hands of Steamforged Games (in fact, since June of this year), who have relaunched the game with new rules and kits. Moving away from metal, the minis are now in resin and feature interchangeable parts on some of the Warjacks, allowing you to basically switch weapons between games. 

Warmachine is a fast-paced tabletop miniatures game that plunges players into a world of intense tactical combat and strategic planning. Set in the steampunk-inspired Iron Kingdoms, players command powerful warcasters and their mighty warjacks—mechanized constructs armed with devastating weaponry. Each faction boasts its unique abilities, units, and strategies, offering endless variety and replayability. With its rich lore, detailed miniatures, and competitive gameplay, Warmachine provides an exhilarating experience for both seasoned veterans and newcomers to the miniature wargaming scene. Dive into the battlefield and prove your prowess in this dynamic and engaging game of strategy and warfare.(Steamforegd’s Website)

– Steamforged Games’ Warmachine Website Blurb

There are some fantastic value battleforces available for each of the playable factions, to provide you with a core of an army, but what it really needed though was a starter set to pull people in, and that is exactly what they have done. 

Two Player Starter Set

The Two Player Starter Set provides you with two small forces. One for the heavily militarian faction known as the Khador (who, coincidentally, I used to collect) against the crazy, lightning loving Cygnar (who, yep you guessed it, Jay used to collect).

Each force includes:

• A special named general (Warcaster)
• A named infantry character
• An infantry unit
• A named Warjack (To note, named Warjacks just have the one weapon load out, so no choice of weapons here, you build them as seen on the box).

You also get a little bit of scatter scenery too. 

Let’s focus down on each faction’s contents:

Khador:

• Kapitan Zahara Vilkul (Khador Warcaster)
• Razor (Khador character Warjack)
• Sergeant Goran Lazarenko, the Jackal (Khador character solo)
• The Hounds (Khador character 3-model unit)

Cygnar:

• Major Allister Caine (Cygnar Warcaster)
• Deuce (Cygnar character Warjack)
• Captain Bastian Falk (Cygnar character solo)
• The Black 13th (Cygnar character 3-model unit)

Every one of these models look dynamic and, well, awesome, in particular the two warcasters and the two warjacks. 

The massive thing here though, is that every mini in the box is plastic. These are the very first (to my knowledge) plastic models we have ever had for Warmachine. The sprues are as good as Warhammer sprues in regards to the type of plastic they have used, and are almost as detailed as some of the recent Warhammer kits. 

It’s a bold statement, but these plastic kits are a much smoother build than Games Workshop. They have been designed in such a way that numbers correspond with each other and have clear ‘nubs’ or sections which clearly fit together. Every part was a snug and perfect fit. 

Unboxing the Starter Set

You can check out some better images of the Sprues below:

In fact, you can watch the unboxing video below:

One important note, the box includes zero paperwork. No rules, no instructions. Instead you get one piece of paper (ok, so it has SOME paperwork) which includes two QR codes. One which will take you to the free to download and use Warmachine app which includes all the rules whilst the other takes you to the digital instructions so that you can build your minis.

Call me super old fashioned, but I’m disappointed that we don’t have paper instructions in the box. I know we are in a digital age, and it is better for the environment, however I do prefer something I can pick up, study and follow, physically in my hand. 

What I do really like however is the accessibility of the rules. How to play and all the rules for your units and Warjacks are completely free on the app. This is huge, and combined with two balanced forces in this box means that you and a friend/family member can very quickly get to work learning and playing the game (although you will need to pick up some dice and a tape measure).

The models go together well, and feel robust, and I hope this is a sign that we may get more plastic Warmachine in the near future. Jay has already purchased some of the new resin kits, which he has told me go together just as well. 

Summary

Needless to say, I’m hooked by the new Khador models in this box, as Jay is with the Cygnar side, and we’ll both be painting this box up over the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our socials. We really want to bring you lots more Warmachine content, and I’m already eyeing up a few models on the Steamforged’s webstore as well as our affiliates over at Element Games to add to my collection. 

I had a go at painting my first Khador mini, the Warjack, which you can see below. I wanted to go for a more battle-worn look. I’m fairly happy with it, but it needs a little more work. Was a great change of pace of painting Warhammer.

If neither faction takes your fancy, then make sure you check out Steamforged Game’s Warmachine section of their website which also takes you through the other factions available within the game, including Southern Kriels Bloodbrine Marauders and the Cryx (who are Matt’s favourites!).

To conclude, this box is a fantastic way to get into Warmachine, which I strongly believe has a strong future. It’s ideal to split with a friend, or you can be greedy and paint them both, perhaps building up two armies side by side.

It cannot be understated how great it is to have a completely free ruleset, meaning that your hard earned money can be spent on new miniatures.

Whilst you don’t get any wargear options or anything within the contents of the box, this does help to balance out the two factions to give you and your opponent a good, close game, and to hopefully hook you in to then build on and expand your forces. 

The starter set is up for preorder right now, and is being released on the 20th November. You can preorder it through Element Games at this link right here, and in doing so will score you some money off vs the RRP AND help us out too!

Our thanks again to Steamforged Games for sending us this starter set to review for you folks!