Colossals

Last wek Privateer Press released their Colossals book (just one month after the release of the Stormwall and Artificer General Nemo models). I picked up my copy last weekend from my local game store and have been going over it in-depth, but for now I'd like to talk a little bit about the rules for Colossals as well as the Cygnar side of units from the new book.

First up we have the Stormwall. For 19 points you get roughly four 'jacks worth of awesomeness. It has two of the Defender's cannons on it (called Big Guns for the Stormwall), two Metal Storms (similar to two Trencher Chain Gunw or the Cyclone's guns), and the ability to place a triangulation point for Stormsmith Stormcallers anywhere within 10" AND it can use it to zap Jacks and cause disruption. This is in addition to it being able to do two mini-threasher attacks (power sweeps) as well as being immune to Knockdown, Stationary, Slam, Push, Placement, etc. And, since the Stormwall is not a character 'jack, it can be bonded to which adds a lot more to its offensive capabilities.

Next we have Artificer General Nemo (also known as Nemo 3, N3mo, and Threemo) and his free attachment Storm Chaser Adept Caitlin Finch. Nemo gets seven focus as usual, but this time his Warjack points are only +3 which is likely the offset for including Caitlin. Speaking of Caitlin, she's a fantastic attachment that plays like a combination between the Squire and Sylys Wyshnalyrr, but she's actually a bit better. She can grant an additional focus to a Warjack within her CMD range every time Nemo allocates one or more focus to one or more Warjacks, and she lets him upkeep a spell for free. None of Artificer General Nemo's spells are new but I don't mind it so much because the spells he did get are pretty awesome. You can cast all sorts of crazy things from giving something like the Stormwall +2 STR or +2 ARM plus an additional effect, or even make him immune to crippled systems. His ranged weapon is basically Chain Lightning (another one of his spells) but its range is his control area, and that can be increased by another of his abilities. And finally we come to his feat which brings everything together. Until the end of the turn, all electric damage in his control range gets "an additional die". This means that with a boost, an electrical damage roll could be 4D6 with a single focus while adding POW or POW + STR. When you look at his tiered list, you can easily tell how amazing that ability can be. (For more on his tiered list, please see the Colossals book at your friendly local game store.)

I have played a few games with both Nemo 3 and the Stormwall now, and yet again I have to applaud Privateer Press for giving so much balance to what was likely a very difficult set of models to come up with rules for. I know some people out there think that overall the Colossals don't add anything special or exciting to the game and/or that the Stormwall is way overpowered for its cost, but I'd have to disagree with both sentiments. First of all, variety is special and exciting, especially when you consider that it is balanced variety. Not very many companies strive for the level of rules clarity and consistency that Privateer Press does, and for that I'm thankful. Second, I think the Stormwall is perfectly balanced for its cost. For 19 points I get a Warjack that is MAT and RAT 6. That's pretty low considering the things you'll want it to hit from range and in melee. If you're putting all your eggs in one basket points-wise, you certainly need a bit of confidence when you're making plans for the turn. You don't want to send the Stormwall towards Deathjack if you think there's a chance you'll miss with even a single hit. That's where synergy and combos come into play. Boost him, cast a spell on him, repair him, make him Evasive, etc, etc, and you've got quite the nasty mountain of metal. These models will take a bit of thought to use correctly and the new casters are seriously cool!

I will have some more batreps of my Stormwall and Nemo 3 in action soon, so stay tuned!