Serving the Dragonfather: The Beginning

I've been asked several times to write a guide about starting out with Cryx, so: welcome to the Nightmare Empire. This guide will assume that you have a rough understanding of the game, so you know what a Warjack is, and that your Warcaster is important, but you don't need to know more than that to begin. This is part one of three, and will feature links to the remaining articles when they're done.

• Serving the Dragonfather: Playing the game (WIP)
• Serving the Dragonfather: Expanding your collection (WIP)

The first rule we need to establish is, that The Battlecollege is often wrong. I'm maintaining an archive of useful articles on the Privateer Press forum, which can be found here, and if you need to read up on a model/unit you should really go see if the archive has an article on it first. With that out of the way, I'll tell you how I think you should join the Dragonfather.

I'll begin with the Battlegroup Box, as you've probably considered it already and we might as well get it out of the way. You'll have noticed the big red cross by now, making it obvious what I think of it, but since I'm more or less alone with that opinion I should probably explain why I dislike it.

• Warcaster: Warwitch Deneghra

The person who designed the box should receive a solid smack on the head, because Warwitch Deneghra is a horrible choice for the Battlegroup Box. Not only is she a very powerful caster, but unless your opponent is a world class chess player, he'll stop enjoying the game shortly after Warwitch Deneghra hits the table.

Warwitch Deneghra will not teach you how to keep your caster safe, she will not teach you how to block tramples, she will not teach you to consider terrain, and the list continues ad infinitum. There's no doubting you can win with her, but the second you switch to another caster you're in trouble. I'll get back to suggesting alternatives later, but for now I'll just rip the Battlegroup Box apart.

• Helljack: Slayer

Another smack for the designer, since this Helljack is shelved the second your collection expands. It's not a bad Helljack, and it does see play in certain theme lists, but in general play the Slayer is a poor choice with most of our casters. I see a lot of players swooning over the Slayer, but these are rarely experienced Cryx players.

The thing is, that the Slayer would be downright broken in a lot of other factions, and many players have a hard time understanding that it just isn't very good in ours. There are a few actual Cryx players that swear by it, and some even do well with it, but it's an inferior choice in most lists, and unless you have the skills to convert it into something else, it will gather a lot of dust (a more detailed answer can be found in the comments if needed).

• Bonejack: Defiler

It's a piece of junk, and without a doubt our worst available Arc Node. There are a few lists that will be able to take advantage of it, but it's another model you'll most likely leave on the shelf after the first month or so. I don't mind people using the Defiler, and I've even seen some funny things being done with it, but I've seen more stunts performed with Deathrippers & Nightwretches, and they're a point cheaper to boot (a more detailed answer can be found in the comments if needed).

• Bonejack: Deathrippers

The Deathrippers are great, and they're a solid choice in about eighty percent of the lists you'll ever make. I'll explain more about it later, but for now you'll notice something obvious: The Battlegroup Box is quite expensive if you end up using nothing but the two Deathrippers.

That's why I don't like the Battlegroup Box, because most of the models end up spending a lot of time being shelved, and you end up playing the game with a lot of models that won't teach you the things your really need to know. With that in mind, I've designed a Battlegroup Box I feel will deliver the lessons a new player needs, and do it with models you'll be using a lot later.

Lamorons Battlegroup Box

There's no doubt that my setup is a more expensive, so if you're not sure you actually want to play the game, you should find the Handcannon Online beginners guide to the Battlegroup Box here. If you're either sure you'll stick with the game, or an experienced player looking into a second faction, then I heartily recommend these purchases instead.

• Iron Lich Asphyxious: $10
• Deathripper Plastic Warjack Kit: $20
• Plastic Helljack Kit: $35 

As you can see the price is more than the actual Battlegroup Box, but I think it's worth it. This assumes that you know your way around magnets, because fully magnetizing the kit is vital to your wallet (I can't really stress that enough). This box should be cleared with you're group before you buy anything, but since it's theoretically a weaker list it shouldn't be much of a problem.

I want it cheaper!

There are plenty of web stores, local shops with discounts, or even used armies out there just waiting for you to throw gold at them, so don't rush into things. If you're joining an established group of players, they might have surplus models they no longer need, or know players that have quit the hobby when the edition changed to MK2.

I currently own around 300 points of Cryx, and I've sold around 150 points more to new players at joke prices because I bought three complete second hand armies, and I was swimming in surplus models. It never hurts to ask, and you might even find some people that are willing to lend you the models you need, so you can try a couple of games before you decide what you like.

Assuming you're new, and have no easy access to other sources of models, you should know that the prices vary wildly online, and with a bit of effort you can often get the models you need quite cheaply. It all depends on your location of course, but it never hurts to look around, and you might get lucky.

Putting it all together

If you're joining an established group you should have no problem getting someone to introduce the concept of magnetizing your models, and the Helljack Kit should be magnetized, as it will save you a lot of headaches and money later.

If you're on your own, there are guides on the web, and you can go here to see what I'm talking about if you're completely new to wargaming in general. In case you're buying used models and need specific models, I recommend a Reaper, since it will see play with many casters and fit in a 15 point list with one of your Arc Nodes..

Next time!

Next time we'll talk about playing the game, and why I've chosen the models in the group as good models to learn with. I'll introduce the other factions and talk a little about their Battlegroup Boxes, but I'll end this article with one final piece of advice: There's more than one way of doing it.

It's a fact of life, that almost anything can be done in several different ways, and finding your own way through the game is the most important thing you can do. That means reading my guide, and other guides, but drawing your own conclusion about the game when you're actually at the table. It's harder than you would think, since we're often intimidated by veteran gamers and forced into a specific way of thinking, but we're all just people with opinions.

/Lamoron