IK RPG

I am getting a chance to dive into the Iron Kingdom RPG.

Why does this appeal to me? Well it is set in the Warmachine universe. I love me some fantasy with steampunk thrown in the mix. Not to mention the chance to dive into the Hordes side of the world as well.

The game mechanics use the Warmachine/Hordes rules for playing: 2D6 result added to a stat, movement using measurements, line o’ sight, focus and all manner of rules I am already familiar. It is basically MKII rules with a RPG setting. Really easy to grasp and get playing if you have ever played Warmachine/Hordes

Character creation is a bit out of control.

 

You pick from one of the typical races: human, dwarf (from the area known as Rhul), elf (either from Ios- forest high elf or Nyss- from the frozen North, the closest thing to drow in the game), gobber (civilized non-stinky goblins), trollkin (the Hordes guys) or ogrun (civilized ogres also Rhul). Big surprise, whatever race you choose has their own stat ranges, special abilities and extra bonuses. Just like every RPG out there.

Then you choose what you want your character to be. This is where it gets a bit silly. There is a large selection of character classes that range from very familiar: priests, thief, soldier/ man-at-arms, sorcerer. Then there are the classes based on the tabletop game: warcaster, stormknight, field mechanic, iron fang pikeman, trencher, fell caller, mage hunter, and gun mage. Then there are the others: alchemist, investigator, bounty hunter, arcane mechanic, spy, cutthroat, duelist, aristocrat, pirate, highwayman, explorer, arcanist, knight, military officer, rifeman, ranger and….I think that is all.

Anyhoo you choose two classes to be and get a list of starting gear, money, skills, bonuses and abilities. This seems a bit crazy with so many combo choices. I watched as the party filled up with a warcaster/field mechanic, an ogrun pirate/duelist and an elven cutthroat/ranger.

I had no idea what to piece together. We had a warcaster with a small warjack and full suit of powerfield having warcaster armor. We have a beefy ogrun pirate who can fight well and shoot at close range. We had a sneaky ranged/melee DPS guy too. That left me to be anything damn thing I wanted. I looked at playing more of a support role then. Priest was right out. It seems healing magic in the Iron Kingdoms is nonexistent. I then looked at a sorcerer class, but these guys are all about one type of elemental magic. So forget that noise.  I instead settled on a human arcanist. They have a lot of choices to be damage output, buff or de-buff spells.

Second class choice was a bit more difficult. Hmmm…magic items in this world are pretty nonexistent as well. However, there are these things called rune plates that power armor and items with buffs and abilities. Being able to make party weapons and armor better, does sound pretty useful. That means arcane mechanic was my second class. This class also comes with a handful of spell choices that are tailored to buff/de-buff robots and some damage spells. Hell if I want I can even learn to control (jack marshal) my own warjack eventually. Hell I can even help repair our warjack when it gets damaged.

I think of my character like this guy without the wind, Khador symbols and all the red.

That just left me to purchase gear, pick skills, throw together a bit of backstory and the hardest part…to choose a name.

Spell choices were fairly simple: a not magic missile, but single shot not magic missile but really just a magic missile type spell, a party ARM buff, and electrical defense spell that damages anyone who hits the target ( basically a full body painful electrical fence ) and a warjack ARM buff (to bolster our warcaster’s robot). I nabbed as a melee option, but let’s face it. If I’m in melee then something has gone askew. I got to alter a weapon or armor with a rune plate. Thus giving it some special ability. I opted to make my chainmail lighter for an added DEF bonus. Then I picked the standard travelling gear.

I opted to go with a guy from Llael. This area is always contested between Cygnar (the “good guys”) and Khador ( the” We’re not Soviets!”).  Then I thought arcane guy, in partial Khador occupied area. Why not make him not a Greylord, but probably a guy who was being trained to be a Greylord. However, he bailed on “The Motherland” after all the fighting done over and within Llael. He fled to the Cygnar controlled region, shaved his beard, dropped hid furry hat and joined the ranks of the mercenaries. Here he can apply his skills, make some coin, travel the world, gain valuable research and steer clear of the life and entanglements he left.

There we go. My human Arcane Mechanic/ Arcanist is ready to start adventuring in the realm of Caen.