Saturday, May 9, 2009

Jeremiah Kraye - Trying a New Caster on For Size

I finally finished painting the Jeremiah Kraye model from Privateer Press. I've posted the photos, as well as photos of everything else Cygnar I've finished in the past eight months, in the Cygnar Gallery.

The model was a joy to paint (for the most part), but certainly isn't for the feint of heart. There's a lot of surface and a lot of detail. Now that the model is finished, I'm quite pleased with the Pinto paintjob on the horse. This model certainly ranks up there in terms of scupt quality, and I imagine the next model I paint will seem simple in comparison.





























The only thing more exciting than finishing off a new warcaster model for Warmachine is taking that newly-painted caster to the table. Tonight I had the chance to do just that. I played three games and lost all three. However, more importantly, I learned a lot about the tricks and limitations of Kraye, and will hopefully perform better soon. I had the foresight to take a glam shot of the 33-point list I took to the table. (Why 33 points? Read previous posts - J)

Jeremiah Kraye w/Squire, Defender, Ironclad, & Sentinal; Journeyman w/Hunter, Mechaniks x 3, Arlen Strangeways, GUn Mage Captain Adept, Stormsmith x 1 (not pictured)

I was busy learning a new caster, so I never bothered to take any photos. However, here's a quick synopsis of what took place on the table.

Game #1:
Jeremiah Kraye vs. Amon Ad Raza (Menoth)

Ken and his sneaky Menoth tricks. This was my first game with Kraye, and I did manage to successfully use Mage Sight to expose (and take out) Orin Midwinter and a wrack. I caused some damage to a warjack, but I left Kraye too exposed. Amon spelled Kraye to death on turn three. It's so hard to hide that large-based model.

Game #2: Jeremiah Kraye vs. Amon Ad Raza (Menoth)
I did much better than the first game. I managed to use Full Tilt and the Horsepower feat to get my heavy hitters out there doing some very heavy hitting. I was well on the way to potential victory this game, but I put Kraye in melee with a Revenger (don't ask), and with a Crusader helping out, Kraye was taken down again.

Game #3: Jeremiah Kraye vs. Commander Sorscha (Khador)

Then Chris stepped up to bat. I felt I did a good job of using Kraye's battlegroup advantages to close with the Khador heavies and cause serious damage. However, Kraye lacks any obvious way to debuff or control enemy movement or combat ability. There's no knocking down, no disruption, and so on. These are statements, not complaints. In short, I can get my jacks where I want them, and make them really kick ass, but then the enemy jacks swoop in. Combine this with how difficult it is to protect Kraye, and it makes for a challenging game. In the end, it came down to luck. I rolled the dice, injured Sorscha badly, but not badly enough.


I still have a lot of learning to do with this caster. But just like Nemo (who I found useless at first), when I start seeing the angles, I'm sure my game will improve. And in the meantime, if you're going to lose, it's just as well to lose while fielding a great-looking caster model.

Thanks for reading,
JET

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