Lock & Load 2019 - Warmachine Day 1

Lock & Load 2019 - Warmachine Day 1

Hello everyone, 
As you might now this weekend (21-23.06.2019) Privateer Press is organizing Lock and Load Convention in Bellevue. It's their most important convention of the year and they are showing us a lot of good stuff. So much, that it's really hard to track all the changes. This is why I've prepared this post to summary some of the most important news. We've got a lot to cover and this is why we're going to prepare separate posts for each Privateer Press' games (Warmachine & Hordes, Riot Quest, Monsterpocalypse and Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika). 

What can you expect from this article: 
1. Where can I watch stuff from Lock&Load 2019? 
2. Keynote presentation: 
  I) Infernals and Oblivion
  II) Oblivion's Digest (Theme Force Remix and rules update)
  III) What's new for 2020? 

1. Where can I watch stuff from Lock&Load 2019? 

All information were gathered mainly from four sources: 
1. Privateer Press' Twitch channel: TWITCH
2. Privateer Press' YouTube channel: YouTube
3. Privateer Press' Facebook page: Facebook
4. Warmachine & Hordes - General Discussion group: W&H - GD

Mainly I've used Privateer Press' Facebook page as their are streaming most important events during this day. 

 2. Keynote presentation

 I) Infernals and Oblivion

During keynote we've received video about Infernals, Oblivion and Iron Kingdom's story summary. As usual Privateer Press has prepared good quality presanation with a lot of new arts, painted Infernals and much more. During next few months we can expect all presented models to be released (you can check current PP's release schedule here: LINK). Presentation is divided into two parts: 
1. Infernal army (rules, models, arts etc.) - we've learned a lot about them throughout CID, so there is not much more information; 
2. Oblivion (art for order of Illumination, archons and details about Oblivion product and Oblivion's campaign system)

You can watch entire presentation here: 

 II) Oblivion's Digest

Here is most interested part of keynote for us. PP has presented to us, that Oblivion Digest will introduce few really important changes to the game. This will be really interesting for our community and will introduce streamlined theme forces and rules update. Oblivion's prerelease is going to be at Gencon 2019 (01-04.08.2019) and official release will be in September (before WTC). 

We will start first theme forces as we know much more about them. Privateer Press has prepared new type of list building, which will help in list creation. Right now, when we are making lists with theme forces we're gathering certain amount of points in certain models. For example currently in "Hearts of Darkness" theme force we've such wording: 

For every full 20 points of units, solos, and structures in this army, you can add one command attachment, Umbral Gaurdian, or small-based solo with Marked Soul to the army free of cost. Free models do not count toward the total point value of solos or units in the army when calculating this bonus.

All of this will be removed and instead of gathering points in units, solos, etc. we will get 1, 2 or requisition points. Amount of requisition points (RP) will depend from game size. When we're playing 25 points game we will get one RP. We will get 2 RP for 50 points' games and 3 RP for 75. This points will can be exchanged for Requisition Options. Each Option can be choose multiple times and only models Field Allowance is the limit. For example this is how it will look like in "Hearts of Darkness" theme force. 

It's really simple solution and right now players are not forced to buy more units that they want. If for example they would want to field "Hearts of Darknes" with jacks only, then it would be possible. In 75 points' games they will still receive three Requisition Options. It would make list building much more interesting and intuitive. This change will also nerf some theme forces, where you could have up to four free solos (such as "Will Work for Food").

Some theme forces will be updated and some of them will be even combined (during presentation PP's has showed that "The Wild Hunt" and "Call of the Wild" will be connected and they will make one new "The Wild Hunt" theme force). 

Oblivion's Digest will also come with rules update (it should contain every released errata and FAQ) and some rules were taken out. Some bigger mentioned changes are: 
- removing beast packs (now they will lesser warbeasts) 
- HILLS, ELEVATION. 
Last change is really important and quite controversial, but... on the other hand this terrain really often didn't influence a game in significant level. During "melee matchups" two hills around the middle of the board would end up as terrain, that won't do anything. On the other hand hill and elevation would make quite unintuitive interactions during a games. 

III) What's new for 2020?

First time in a really long time we won't receive a new faction. It's quite sad, but on the other hand we will have much more releases to first "smaller" faction - Convergence of Cyriss. Also there would be new wargame from Privateer Press, which will be called Warcaster: Neo-mechanika. We will try to keep you update during next few days ;) 

Hope you've enyojed my summary. 
Have a great day! 

Szymon 'Simon99' Ratka

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