Journeyman League: Participant Lists & New Scenario | Warmachine

Welcome back to our Staff Journeyman League! Each week we'll be bringing you painting insights and rumble between some of our staff members. You can catch up on all the details of the Staff Journeyman League here!

Today we’ll be taking a look at what our participants have decided to play for their 30-point armies. Let’s take a quick peek at some of the strategies they might be deploying in their first few games.

Staff 30-Point Army Lists

Southern Kriels Brineblood Marauders

Ben and Russ have both chosen to play with the Southern Kriels. Ben’s list is more focused on the Southern Kriels Fire Tongue Warriors Command Cadre, while Russ has chosen to pull models from both the Brineblood Marauders Core Expansion and Battlegroup Box.

Ben Clapperton 

• Warchief Bagadibawm
• Reef Troll
• Matey
• Rum Jug
• Cutlass
• Boarding Axe
• Vorogger
• Mawga’Bawza
• Fire Spitters

For Ben’s list, it appears he's chosen to focus heavily on synergies around frogs and fire. Warchief Bagadibawm offers Fuel for the Flames on all of his cohort models. This means when an opponent takes fire damage, it really burns.

Mawga‘Bawza’s Enliven ability will allow Ben’s warbeasts like the Vorogger to dive into the opponent’s army and retreat safely, and Ancillary Attack on a Reef Troll allows him to get another attack in.

Finally, the Fire Spitters give Ben the perfect way to challenge a scenario across the table with their Ambush ability. Ben has built a nice all comer’s style of list, ready to take on whatever may come his way.

Russ Charles

• Admiral Boomhowler
• Deepborn Dire Troll
• Cantankerous Head
• Spearback Fin
• Narwhal Gauntlet
• Squid Blaster
• Reef Troll
• Matey Head
• Ale Tankard Booze
• Ship’s Gun Right Arm
• Ship’s Wheel Left Arm
• Marauder Crew
• Tapper Unit Attachment

Taking a look at Russ’s list, it seems he’s chosen to focus more on jamming his army into his opponents and grinding away at them. Admiral Boomhowler’s feat adds +2 DEF and rapid healing to all friendly faction models for 1 round.

Combine that with the Marauder Crew Tapper making sure his Brineblood Marauders unit never falls over from knockdown attacks or a tough check, and this list will definitely survive long into scenario play.

Dusk House Kallyss

Caz White

• Hellyth, Scyir of Nightfall
• Eidolon
• Future Sight
• Null Blade
• Light Null Blade
• Force Cannon
• Void Shaper
• Dreadguard Cavalry

Caz has definitely gone for the alpha strike-style list. Everything here screams attack power to the max.

Caz is pulling from almost every corner of Dusk to fill in her army. Hellyth, Scyir of Nightfall, from the Battlegroup Box, offers a long range way to pick off casters or remove any light infantry with ease.

The Dreadguard Cavalry, from the Auxiliary Expansion, offers a melee unit that can easily pick off the opponents warcaster/warlock, or just go all in to remove the heaviest threat her opponent has. At SPD 8 the Dreadguard Cavalry will easily out threat almost anything her opponents could throw at her.

Strike Hard, Strike First, No Mercy!

Rich Loxam

• Morayne, The Blade of Twilight
• Specter
• Mage Hunter Sniper Team
• Vaelyss, The Hand of Mourning
• Mage Hunter Assassins
• Mage Hunter Rangers

Rich has decided to focus on tactical supremacy found in the Ghosts of Ios Command Cadre.

Morayne is one of the most mobile casters in the game at SPD 9, allowing her to easily adjust her location no matter what the opponent is trying to pull off.

With a spell list that includes Fog of War and Mortality, Rich will have the perfect toolbox at his fingertips for holding the line, or forcing his opponents to overreach and play right into his hands.

Khymaera Shadowflame Shard

Fraser McFetridge

• Rassyk, Spawn of Shadows
• Hydrix
• Diviner
• Flame Sprayer
• Venom Spitter
• Spineback
• Vipex
• Asp
• Chasten
• Impalers
• Talon Death Dealers

Fraser's built a list for defending scenario play.

Rassyk’s feat gives all models in his control range Defensive Strike, making sure that even when his opponents make contact, he punches back.

Throw in a unit of Talon Death Dealers, and he’s sure to rip out any entrenchment on a scenario element.

Orgoth Sea Raiders

Mat Hart

• Oriax, the Soul Slaver
• Ravener
• Grhotten Keeper
• Halexus the Warlord
• Gnashers

Mat has chosen to reach for the Orgoth Cursebound Cadre.

This powerhouse is a mass of weapon masters—adding in that extra dice to every damage roll means it’s very clear that everything here is going punch through even the toughest armor.

Mat is going all-in on offense and hoping to crush his opponents.

Richard August

• Horruskh, The Thousand Wraths
• Molok
• Halexus the Warlord
• Ulkor Axers

Richard is driving the soul train here.

Almost everything in his army can utilize souls, including the character warjack of Molok. Richard will clearly be looking to feast on a soul or two from his opponent's army to make the most of his soul-fueled abilities.

Whether surprising an opponent or two with a leap further off the Gates of Hell ability, or by walking an opponent's model right of the scenario with Possession, Richard will be having some fun using the energy left behind by his vanquished opponents.

Khador Winter Korps

Steve Slatford

• Kommander Valerii Savaryn
• Medveditsa
• Winter Korps Officer
• Winter Korps Infantry
• Rocketeer
• Rocketeer
• Winter Korps Standard
• Winter Korps Snipers

Steve’s list likes to ask a lot of questions.

Like, can you find a way to crack my ARM 24 warjack?

Or can you close the distance between my massive gunline with double Rocketeers?

Overall, this list screams more, more, more — more armor, more range, more fun!

Carl Matthews

• Kapitan Yana Kovoskiy
• Great Bear
• Aggressive
• Battle Mace
• Heavy Cannon Shield
• Sergeant Sergei Krol
• Man-O-War Wrecking Crew

Well, this list is un-bear-able. Forgive the puns, but when you're running a double “Bear” list, you’ve clearly gone for the pedal to metal approach to rush the opponent's lines.

Taking the Man-O-War Wrecking Crew and combining it with an extremely aggressive jack load-out will really put his opponents on the back foot, especially in these early point rounds. Soooo much armor and health.

Cygnar Storm Legion

Steve Margetson

• Captain Athena di Baro
• Courser
• Shield Guard
• Heavy Stormthrower
• Electrified Shield
• Stryker
• Overtake
• Voltaic Halberd
• Galvanic Shield
• Stormblade Legionnaires
• Legionnaire Standard Bearer

Steve's choosing to ride the lighting, focusing heavily on the models from theCygnar Storm Legion Battlegroup Box.

Almost everything inside Steve’s list has the Electro Leap Ability, which means he's going to generate additional attacks that will leap deeper and deeper into the backfields of the opponent's army.

Steve will be able to pick off the most vulnerable support piece, and some may even find it a bit shocking how close Electro Leap can get to their warcaster.

Cryx Necrofactorium

Sherwin Matthews

• Wraithbinder Nekane
• Hades
• Master Necrotech Chatterbane
• The Furies

Sherwin has a list that’s to die for…he’s the first up with the Cryx Necrofactorium, choosing to take all the characters straight out of the Command Cadre Starter. Collecting souls, and dropping a wall of characters on his opponents will be his likely approach.

Using the Master Necrotech’s Enliven ability, Sherwin can send Hades into the deepest fights and still make it out safely. Meanwhile, the Incorporeal ability of the Furies make them great at holding a scenario indefinitely.

Journeyman Test Scenario 1: Lost Patrol

Now, let’s take a first look at that new scenario mentioned from the last update. Lost Patrol is intended to be fairly simple while still introducing newer players to the style of scenarios found in Warmachine. They key feeling they need to have is encouraging both players to engage in combat with each other quickly, without giving a huge advantage to one player or the other.

Before we do, just a quick reminder that these are unfinished, rough scenarios. Be sure to let the teams know your thoughts on the Steamforged Warmachine Discord channel.

Special Rules

Terrain Elements: Place 10-12 pieces of terrain on the battlefield. Terrain can’t be placed within either player’s deployment area or within 3” of other terrain pieces.

Scenario Elements: The defender places three 20mm flags secretly numbered, 1, 2, and 3. Each flag is placed on a different terrain piece. Flags must be placed on terrain within the defender’s half of the battlefield.

Starting on the first player’s first turn, at the end of each player’s turn, the defender earns Victory Points (VP) as follows:

• Secure objective terrain = 1 VP

Scenario Victory: If the defender has 16 or more Victory Points, after scoring, on their opponent’s turn, they immediately win.

At the start of each of their turns, the attacker selects a piece of objective terrain they control. The defender must reveal it’s number. If the flag numbered 3 is revealed, the attacker immediately wins.

Fixed Game Length: The game ends at the end of the second player’s sixth turn. If the game ends in this manner, the defender wins.

Other Scenario Notes

• 10-12 pieces of terrain on the table before setup
• Objective terrain is scored and contested the same as in Steamroller 2024 (any two models within 2" of it)

The attacker needs to secure as many objectives as they can, one at a time. Why? Because when they do, they'll get to reveal whether that objective is the Lost Patrol, and if it is, they'll win the game!

The defender needs to secure as many objectives as they can, for as long as they can. Why? Because they need to keep scoring control points every turn of the game to get to that magical 16 where THEY will win the game. Or, at least prevent the attacker from finding the Lost Patrol.

Next week we'll have our first battle report and insights on some painted models. In the meantime, hang out with us and other Warmachine players in the Discord.