Warmachine & Hordes Lock & Load Outpost Live Blog (MK III Demo Game Today!)

Lock & Load Outpost Is going to be held at the North West Gaming Centre this weekend and we're covering it with a Live Blog over Saturday & Sunday.

Since we're going to be taking a look at MK III of Warmachine & Hordes we want you to include your questions below that we'll try and get answered.

We've now got started here at Lock & Load Outpost in Stockport UK.

We'll be checking out all the games going on today as well as everything else including painting and more.

Are you prepared for MK III?

You can win yourself a Con Exclusive bundle simply by commenting throughout the day on the Live Blog...

It includes a Skorne Agoniser Plushie, A Privateer Pins Starter Set and two exclusive miniatures including the Blindwater Brew Witch Doctor and the Brute Thrall Femme Fatale Variant

This event is running 24/7 throughout the weekend and that means even during the early morning there were gamers here who had powered on through the night playing Mangled Metal.

The guys who love Warmachine & Hordes are tough it seems!

One of the big games from event is the Spell Draft where people get some interesting lists where they lose their Warcasters and Warlocks BUT they draw some random spells to replace them.

This means you can be lumbered with an insane list or something rather off the wall and crazy...

We chat with Jason who you might remember from our coverage of the EU Masters. He talks us through what games are happening this morning.

We have Iron Arena which are casual games alongside some Team Games AND the Spell Draft of which you can learn more of below and see the armies in action.

The Iron Arena is a great way of getting to play some Warmachine over the weekend. These are casual games where you can compete for points which then allow you to pick up prizes from the event.

People are really enjoying just being able to turn up and play games n this rather neat gaming space here at the Northwest Gaming Centre.

We catch up with Kev who did a lot of Warmachine & Hordes videos with us in the past.

Our thoughts turn towards his final games in MK II and the move towards MK III and what he's looking forward to.

As well as the Spell Draft there's also the Team Games where you pick lists/players to face off against and then duke it out to see if you can come out on top.

I like the idea of team games where the different factions can complement each other.

A fair few of the armies have actually got painted forces here for Warmachine & Hordes and we thought we'd show off a few of the nicest looking pieces.

We'll check back in with some more awesome looking miniatures over the two days.

We stop in to talk with Jon about the painting of the new Khador Warcaster and also what he's looking forward to when it comes to MK III which hits in the morning.

As you can see below we've got a nice beefy character to lead your Warjacks into battle.

As well as actually playing Warmachine & Hordes the folks here are also showing off some of the board and card games from Privateer Press.

They have cracked open Undercity, High Command and zombies Keep Out!

If you're here at the event tomorrow morning (Sunday) then you can get your hands on this rather awesome Con Exclusive miniatures. She won't be painted of course but she's rather awesome we think...

Additionally you might even be able to nab yourself breakfast for that early 4am start before the Keynote Speech.

We continue to look at what's been painted up by the people here at Lock & Load Outpost.

It's really nice to see some painted miniatures for Warmahordes and I will continue to scout.

From what we've shown so far what caught your eye?

So Mangled Metal finished at 4am last night and Michael came out on top. We have a chat with him about his army of choice - well, Butcher, and then what else he plays in MK II.

You can see some of his great Trollbloods below that were painted up to match his tartan.

Keeping with a painting theme we take a look at some of the entries in the Golden Thrall Painting Competition.

We'll see if we can see more of them as the day moves on.

As we mentioned earlier the folks here at the North West Gaming Centre are showing off more of Privateer Press' range which include the likes of Undercity.

We get a quick look at the game for those of you who have never heard of it. It's a neat little take on the 'dungeon crawler' with a Warmahordes spin.

Element Games are hosting Lock & Load Outpost here run by Privateer Press at the newly re-branded Element Games North West Gaming Centre. We talk to Tim who is the Events Manager here and learn about the growth of this company.

We're also going to be delving into how things have worked out during their big refit AND where things could be going in the future with new tournaments and more.

As well as all the gaming the folks here are also running a Conversion Corner where you can dig out all manner of different bits from various kits and just start boshing them together to create new models.

First up you'll see Justin's attempt at an Elf Gun Mage- which we think is looking rather awesome. Do you reckon he should look at painting her up?

If you could bosh together any model what would it be?

We're getting to talk to some more champions at this event and that means talking to Ed who won the Spell Draft which is a really new format and a lot of fun.

We talk about the list that he took, the spells that he ended up with, and what he's looking forward to in Mk III

As the day continues more folks are pouring to the tables and getting Iron Arena games on.

It's great at events like this where they're focused on a specific game to simply turn around and get a game as and when you want.

Of course it helps that points and prizes are up for grabs meaning that the games are still competitive regardless of their casual nature.

Hardcore is a very entertaining and old school competitive game mode for Warmachine & Hordes. You have 7min turns where you have to try and get everything done so speed is of the essence.

With that in mind you also have to have fully painted armies, nice forces and luxurious tables too - well, most of the time.

Does this sound like a format you'd be interested in or do you prefer to take your time?

One of the things that they've looked at doing here at Lock & Load is showing off some better tables with some more characterful terrain.

If you play on these tables then you tend to get some more points. Also, check out the fantastic Circle Orboros miniatures.

While we know that Warmahordes players were fanatics for their game and there are some cosplayers out there we didn't think we'd see any here in Stockport - until - a Shredder popped up looking for her Tenacity.

As we draw towards the end of our first session here at Lock & Load UK we talk with Bob Watts who has helped organise the event.

We'll be talking about his highlights from the first night and beyond and learn that even he is waiting to see what's coming up during the Keynote Speech tomorrow morning (for us here in the UK - 5am!)

We get to sit down with Undercity and see how the game plays out.

So far its going well as we bash bandits

Come and join us (see above & below) to watch the Keynote Speech from Privateer Press for Warmachine & Hordes MK III.

Watch live video from PrivateerPress on www.twitch.tv

What are you looking forward to seeing from the new edition?

Some key points from the speech earlier today...

• Themed Forces Are A Key New Thing
• Two Types Of Book...
• Command Books (Contain Rules for you Faction)
• Themed Books (Contain Rules for your Faction in a themed setting - this means new units and new profiles that will help you build proper themed forces)
• New Hordes Faction Teased - Got a Creepy edge to them!
• Rebuilding & Resetting for War Room - Now Up & Running

The lucky gamers here in the UK now have their Battlegroups for Warmachine & Hordes and they have been enjoying cracking them open and having a look at the new models, rules and cards.

Watch out for some neat stuff from us on this front soon today.

We're up bright and early (and not tired at all) to get stuck into Warmachine & Hordes MK III today.

After we've filled up on Red Bull we're going to get stuck into something special - a demo game showing off the mechanics of Mk III.

Come and join us for our Demo Game looking at MK III and the changes to Warmachine & Hordes.

We're beginning things with Jason and Peter as they explain their forces, who they've taken and how things get started when you crack open that Battlegroup.

Watch out for the rest of the game throughout today AND drop your questions below for the Press Gangers and we'll see if we can get them answered.

So, as well as getting stuck into building their models some of the folks here have actually started gaming as well. This means there is a lot of errr and ooooh as they start to work out the changes to their models.

You can also see the finished Khador Warcaster by Jon who we talked too yesterday below.

As an additional prize for this weekend we've got some good stuff to give away exclusive to the conventions that Privateer Press run.

So, up for grabs we have Druid Gone Wilder, Steelsoul Keg Protector PLUS the Lock & Load Keynote miniature, Colbie Sterling - Captain of the Bri.

All you have to do is COMMENT ON THIS POST and tell us which faction you'll be playing in Mk III.

All of the tables here have great looking Frontline Gaming F.A.T Mats which have been themed for Warmachine & Hordes.

Have you picked any of these up? They went very quickly here...

So - with the welcome out of the way we get stuck into a proper game of Warmachine Vs Hordes in MK III (brand new and shiny!).

As well as talking through some of the changes to the game from MK II to MK III we will also be teaching you a few of the basics as well so that if you're new to Warmachine and Hordes you will get a bit of a grounding in the game.

Some answers from the Privateer Press team to questions posed by the EU fans...

1) The big drive behind MK III they were looking to try and avoid awkward interactions on the tabletop and get people playing bigger games allowing for bigger point games.

2) It's been weird playing with the new edition rules over two or three years as they keep having to switch back and forth.

3) They have increased FAs in different places in the case of many themed forces allowing you to take a few more or a few less on a case by case basis.

4) Wrapping Up The MK II Storyline - It wasn't easy and they placed a lot of importance on the story and narrative for the game. They based the release around how long it would take to finish off the story.

The last two books for Warmachine & Hordes that they did were there to wrap things up for the story and put it on a new path.

5) Few new versions of rules popping up in War Room that give you a heads up as to what's coming within the world of Organised Play

6) Their favourite factions? - They have a lot of love for Skorne and Cygnar. Also really looking forward to what's coming for the Mercenaries.

7) Will there be a House Shyeel Themed Book - We'll have to wait and see but...maybe? It might end up in the Command Book.

8 ) King Makers Army - Mercenaries, will be available soon for folks to pick up. No Quarter might be used to show off some of the themed lists before they arrive as books.

9) Will the Hardcore Rules be Updated - Yes they will be tweaked a little bit as things go.

10) Diving into Themes and Themed Lists - They will add units that they think will work for each faction. They won't make everything uniform but they will maintain a global balance and make things look awesome - not everyone will get similar units.

11) What Will The Next Plushie Be? - The Deathripper!!!

12) Which model went through the most iterations before its final form - the Vindictus had a lot of work done to him. Haley 2 also went through a lot of different phases. All of the Warcasters went through a few changes over the period of development.

13) Spoiler for the new faction... Hollowmen (spooky?)

14) There IS a new Cephalyx Caster - but they won't say when it's coming

15) Will they be coming to SmogCon 2017? Yes Privateer will be coming along to different conventions in the EU.

16) Overall World Ranking System? - Errr... Mars 2030. So....no, probably.

17) Light Character Warbeasts - Big Ol' Vulture Warbeast...maybe, possibly, in a few years haha.

18) New Troll Gargantuan - He comes with a big ship on his back and he looks awesome.

19) No - they have no plans to give the Shredders Tenacity (ah well!)

We move onto Turn Two of our Demo Game for Warmachine & Hordes Mk III. Here we'll be showing off some more of the new rules and getting stuck into the game with some meaty combats and more.

Who do you think is going to come out on top and what do you make of the new rules?

The Trollbloods are getting themselves a new Gargantuan as you've heard in some of the answers from the Q&A. With that in mind we have a bit of a rules spoiler in that it vomits up crabs and spawns them on the table.

As well as that they've shown off some more renders including Kallus 2. See what you think of more spoilers below.

Thanks to Advanced Maneuvers & Party Foul for the images.

It seems like it's time for a bit of a gamble from Peter as he looks ahead to what his Trollbloods are going to try and do to get out of this sticky situation.

We delve into more new rules from MK III and look ahead to an interesting clash here. Will the Trollbloods come out on top or will they be forced back by the superior firepower of Cygnar?

You'll have to wait and see!

We're sitting down with Jason to have a look inside the Cygnar Battlegroup where we're finding out what's in there alongside the models and their cards.

These look like a prime way to get stuck into Warmachine & Hordes. The Trollbloods unboxing is coming soon!

So you've seen what's inside the box and here is what you get when you've painted them up.

As much as I'm not really a fan of the boys (and girls) in blue and gold I think these models have turned out really nicely. Building up from the basic blue plastic you'd have a lot of fun working on these.

I also have to admit that the nice lightning effects would be fun to get right on Cygnar.

Not bad right?

We sit down with Peter to talk about what's inside the Trollbloods Battlegroup Box. A lot of the components are the same between the boxes that you'll be seeing from Privateer Press but they have a great synergy so friends can snap these up and get stuck in quickly.

Watch out soon for Peter's Pink Trolls!

I'm a big fan of the Trollbloods from Hordes and so it's a delight to see them painted up like this. Here we have Ragnor Skysplitter alongside a Troll Axer, Troll Bouncer and a Troll Impaler.

Ragnor has been great in games it seems and everyone is liking him. How do you tackle painting your Trollbloods?

We stop in with Jason, one of the Judges here, to talk about where things stand with MK III at the moment and if we're run into any interesting situations.

If you have any rules questions of your own for MK III drop them into the comments below and we'll see if we can get them answered soon...

We said we'd be showing off some fantastic Trollbloods - shamelessly I'm a big fan of these epic creatures so of course I had to show them off properly.

Here we have a selection of his force which I think is packed full of character. Pink might not be the first port of call for the Trollbloods but I think that it looks great here.

The other neat move is having that ace tartan design done too

We have a chat with Craig who has been playing Convergence Of Cyriss and learn a bit more about how the weekend has gone for him and what changes Mk III has made to his force.

It will be interesting to see how things change over the next couple of weeks/months but the one big thing everyone has been saying is that they love having more 'Jacks at their disposal.

It's been quite a long day today but as things wind down we still have a few people getting stuck into the game and playing their MK III bouts out.

After a lot of long hours playing almost 24/7 these folks have some incredible stamina. I think the excitement kept them going!

We're back with another Player Interview for Warmachine & Hordes and learning more about MK III. Ben (epic name) is a Menoth player and so talks about his experience with MK III now he's got a few games under his belt.

It's also good to talk about the venue and the weekend as a whole and also a few plans for the future.

We're announcing the winner of the small competition we did during the day today AND getting some final thoughts from the organisers and folks behind the gaming here over the weekend.

It has been a great time and we hope that you enjoy the Demo Game and the Unboxings. Get stuck in and let us know over the next couple of days what you think of the game.

A big thanks to Element Games and Privateer Press for helping us get stuck in here and inviting us along.