Iron Kingdoms: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~Warmachine_Prime~~.jpg|frame|[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|The Iron Lich (Asphyxious) and the Butcher of Khardov (Orsus Zoktavir)]] duke it out alongside their titular warmachines.]]

[[File:Warmachine Prime.jpg|frame|[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|The Iron Lich (Asphyxious) and the Butcher of Khardov (Orsus Zoktavir)]] duke it out alongside their titular warmachines.]]

{{quote|''"Play like you've got a pair!"''|The oft-quoted Page 5 of the ''WARMACHINE Prime'' and ''HORDES Primal'' rulebooks}}

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'''Iron Kingdoms''' is a fantasy setting created by the gaming company [http://privateerpress.com/ Privateer Press]. Originally designed as a campaign setting for the 3rd edition of ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'', it is now known chiefly as the setting for the two miniatures-based tabletop strategy games ''WARMACHINE'' and ''HORDES''.

The term "Iron Kingdoms" specifically refers to a collection of human nations in the western portion of the continent of ''Immoren'' on a planet known as ''Caen''. In the past, Western Immoren used to be a fairly typical fantasy setting, where warriors used swords and bows, wizards cast spells, and parties of human, dwarven, and (occasionally) elven adventurers would wander the land, beating up goblins, ogres (called ogrun in Immoren), trolls, and other monsters in order to take their stuff. All that changed when [[The Empire|the Orgoth]] invaded from across the western ocean. A race of humans whose [[Black Magic|immensely powerful sorcery]] put Immoren magic to shame, the Orgoth easily conquered the squabbling human city-states of Immoren and ruled the land as unbeatable overlords for the better part of four hundred years. No longer able to rely on standard swords and sorcery, Immoren freedom fighters were forced to develop new technologies in order to counter the Orgoth's immense magical ~~advantage -- technologies~~ such as steam engines, gunpowder, and [[Humongous Mecha|magic steam-powered robots]] that make use of both. The rebellion also forced the humans of Immoren to [[The Alliance|put aside their old racial grudges]], and goblins, ogrun, and trollkin (the most intelligent and civilized of the trolls) stood side-by-side with humans against the Orgoth invaders. After another two hundred years of fighting, the inhabitants of Immoren finally managed to drive the Orgoth from their shores. In order to prevent their lands descending into chaos once more, the human rulers of Immoren met in the city of Corvis and drew up a series of treaties that officially divided their lands into the titular Iron Kingdoms:

The term "Iron Kingdoms" specifically refers to a collection of human nations in the western portion of the continent of ''Immoren'' on a planet known as ''Caen''. In the past, Western Immoren used to be a fairly typical fantasy setting, where warriors used swords and bows, wizards cast spells, and parties of human, dwarven, and (occasionally) elven adventurers would wander the land, beating up goblins, ogres (called ogrun in Immoren), trolls, and other monsters in order to take their stuff. All that changed when [[The Empire|the Orgoth]] invaded from across the western ocean. A race of humans whose [[Black Magic|immensely powerful sorcery]] put Immoren magic to shame, the Orgoth easily conquered the squabbling human city-states of Immoren and ruled the land as unbeatable overlords for the better part of four hundred years. No longer able to rely on standard swords and sorcery, Immoren freedom fighters were forced to develop new technologies in order to counter the Orgoth's immense magical advantage—technologies such as steam engines, gunpowder, and [[Humongous Mecha|magic steam-powered robots]] that make use of both. The rebellion also forced the humans of Immoren to [[The Alliance|put aside their old racial grudges]], and goblins, ogrun, and trollkin (the most intelligent and civilized of the trolls) stood side-by-side with humans against the Orgoth invaders. After another two hundred years of fighting, the inhabitants of Immoren finally managed to drive the Orgoth from their shores. In order to prevent their lands descending into chaos once more, the human rulers of Immoren met in the city of Corvis and drew up a series of treaties that officially divided their lands into the titular Iron Kingdoms:

* ''Cygnar'', the largest and most technologically advanced of the Iron Kingdoms, and considered (by its inhabitants, anyway) to be [[The Federation|the most lawful and just]] of them as well.

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In addition to these five human kingdoms, there are a number of other power blocs on the continent:

* ''Cryx'', an island nation ruled by the [[Godzilla]]-sized dragon Lord Toruk. Seems to be populated entirely by [[The Undead]] and [[Always Chaotic Evil]] humans and ogrun (most of whom are [[~~Pirate|pirates~~]]).

* ''Cryx'', an island nation ruled by the [[Godzilla]]-sized dragon Lord Toruk. Seems to be populated entirely by [[The Undead]] and [[Always Chaotic Evil]] humans and ogrun (most of whom are [[pirate]]s).

* ''Ios'', home of the elves; [[Hidden Elf Village|rarely seen by outsiders]], as the elves [[The Fair Folk|are not the friendliest folks on the continent]]. Also home to one of the two remaining elven [[Physical God~~|Physical Gods~~]], who is comatose and dying. The Nyss have the other encased in a block of ice.

* ''Ios'', home of the elves; [[Hidden Elf Village|rarely seen by outsiders]], as the elves [[The Fair Folk|are not the friendliest folks on the continent]]. Also home to one of the two remaining elven [[Physical God]]s, who is comatose and dying. The Nyss have the other encased in a block of ice.

* ''Rhul'', home of the dwarves, a nation which has not seen any major political or societal upheavals in over a thousand years. Of all the fantasy races in the Iron Kingdoms, the dwarves are probably played the straightest, the sole exception being their lack of [[Elves vs. Dwarves|animosity towards the elves]] and full beards.

* The ''Skorne Empire'', which lies on the other side of a vast desert to Cygnar's east. A nation of [[Proud Warrior Race Guy~~|Proud Warrior Race Guys~~]], the skorne have only recently begun to stir up trouble in the western part of the continent.

* The ''Skorne Empire'', which lies on the other side of a vast desert to Cygnar's east. A nation of [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]s, the skorne have only recently begun to stir up trouble in the western part of the continent.

* The ''Nyss'', an arctic subgroup of elves who are marginally more friendly than their woods-dwelling counterparts. Currently engaged in a desperate life-or-death struggle with the disembodied life force of a dragon that's trying to [[Body Horror|turn them all into monsters]].

* The ''Trollbloods'', a collection of trolls and trollkin desperately trying to reclaim their ancestral homelands. They get understandably short-tempered when the other power blocs try to muscle in on their turf.

* ''Circle Orboros'', a faction of druids who seek to maintain the delicate balance between civilized order and natural chaos, in order to prevent [[The End of the World as We Know It]]. They tend to pick fights with anyone who encroaches too deeply into their forests and are most concerned at the moment by the rise of Everblight and other dragon spawn.

* The ''Legion Of Everblight'', a growing empire ruled by a disembodied dragon that is two parts [[The Virus]] to one part [[Demonic Possession]], with a [[Hive Mind]] thrown in for good measure. Their numbers comprise the Nyss elves who weren't lucky enough to escape Everblight's grasp, and Ogrun tribes that were in the region.

* Large numbers of ''[[Private Military Contractors|Mercenaries]]'' that by and large operate outside the confines of the Iron Kingdoms' political structure, and fight primarily for coin. Mercenaries are often seen fighting alongside the troops and warjacks of one of the other factions, though dedicated Mercenary armies also exist. Mercenary characters run the gamut from noble to villainous, idealistic to cynical, and coldly calculating to [[Psycho for Hire|flat frickin' crazy]]. Many of them are also [[~~Pirate|pirates~~]].

* Large numbers of ''[[Private Military Contractors|Mercenaries]]'' that by and large operate outside the confines of the Iron Kingdoms' political structure, and fight primarily for coin. Mercenaries are often seen fighting alongside the troops and warjacks of one of the other factions, though dedicated Mercenary armies also exist. Mercenary characters run the gamut from noble to villainous, idealistic to cynical, and coldly calculating to [[Psycho for Hire|flat frickin' crazy]]. Many of them are also [[pirate]]s.

* The minor non-human races of Western Immoren, collectively known as ''Minions'', that often serve as warriors for hire in much the same way as the Mercenaries. Like the Mercenaries, dedicated Minion armies also exist; many of these center around the boar-like Farrow or the alligator-like [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Gatormen]], both of whom have started banding together to push interlopers out of their tribal lands.

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A Warmachine video game is in the works, with gameplay footage unveiled at Gen Con 2010, with an actual trailer shown at E3 2011 (which can be found [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHG6BhqZY74&feature=related here]). The Gameplay Footage from 2010 can be found [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7K5lfIoBfQ here] (though if anyone can find a better-quality version of the footage, it would be greatly appreciated).

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=== Trope like you've got a pair!: ===

== Trope like you've got a pair! ==

* [[Abusive Precursors]]: The Orgoth check all the boxes, and then some. Their [[0% Approval Rating|oppressive reign]] on Western Immoren had to be ended by a coalition of the occupied nations, who hate each other's guts. Their mastery of [[The Dark Arts]] was such that they could teach the [[Evil Sorcerer|Lich Lords of Cryx]] a thing or two about [[Black Magic]].

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** And the Cyclone. [http://privateerpress.com/warmachine/gallery/cygnar/warjacks/cyclone Dear God...] [[Guns Akimbo|the]] [[More Dakka|Cyclone]].

* [[Gentle Giant]]: Harkevich's beard and sheer bulk is intimidating, but he is a [[Papa Wolf]] to his men and the civilians that he is protecting. Truly fitting of the title "Iron Wolf"

* [[Ghost Pirate]]: The Cryxian Revenants. Complete with their own [[Ghost Ship~~|Ghost Ships~~]].

* [[Ghost Pirate]]: The Cryxian Revenants. Complete with their own [[Ghost Ship]]s.

* [[A God Am I]]: Lord Toruk (and by D&D standards, he is).

* [[God Is Dead]]: Some Iosians hold out no hope of their gods and goddesses returning or getting better (or being recovered, in the case of Nyssor).

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* [[Guns Are Worthless]]: In order to encourage melee over ranged combat, many guns in the game are [[Short-Range Long-Range Weapon|short ranged]], require focus/fury to pump additional shots, or have accuracy lower than melee attacks. Melee only armies will still get hosed though.

* [[Hand Cannon]]: Common firearm for models, often found across multiple armies. Common to the point where every POW 12 is described as a handcannon.

* [[Handsome Lech]]: Lieutenant Allister Caine of Cygnar. He also exhibits some strong [[Jerkass]] ~~tendencies -- specifically~~, a tendency to sleep with men's wives and then use his super-speed powers to shoot them dead in the ensuing duel. It is eventually revealed, however, that much of his behavior is a very specific form of [[Obfuscating Stupidity]].

* [[Handsome Lech]]: Lieutenant Allister Caine of Cygnar. He also exhibits some strong [[Jerkass]] tendencies—specifically, a tendency to sleep with men's wives and then use his super-speed powers to shoot them dead in the ensuing duel. It is eventually revealed, however, that much of his behavior is a very specific form of [[Obfuscating Stupidity]].

* [[Healing Factor]]: The troll faction shtick. Large chunks that don't get reattached quickly grow into degenerate miniature trolls called whelps, with the part they grew out of being bigger than the rest of the body.

* [[Helmets Are Hardly Heroic]]: Averted strongly by the Protectorate of Menoth, where every single <s>warcaster</s> character has face protecting/obscuring gear.

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* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]: Being Zombie Robots controlled by an [[Eldritch Abomination]], the Cryx qualifies as an entire race of omnicidal maniacs. The Skorne and the Protectorate aren't far behind, if you're not part of their Warrior Guy/Knight Templar hats respectively.

** The mercenary 'Minion' Brun Cragback is specifically described as this, and "would rather kill a man than endure a lengthy conversation" with him.

* [[One-Gender Race]]: The satyxis are all female. Males are occasionally born to the line, but every one is quickly ~~killed -- and~~, whenever possible, so is the man who fathered the child.

* [[One-Gender Race]]: The satyxis are all female. Males are occasionally born to the line, but every one is quickly killed—and, whenever possible, so is the man who fathered the child.

* [[One Steve Limit]]: Averted. Dawnlord Vyros and Eldritch Lord Vyros frequently cause confusion when new players discover them. It doesn't help that both of them are elves from the same nation.

** Played straight with Oleg/Viktor Strakhov, due to the pre-existing Viktor Pendrake.

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** If you are an Iosian elf then you are desperately trying to find a way to cure your last ailing deity before she dies of a mysterious illness thus dooming you and your kinsmen forever.

* [[Separated at Birth]]: Well, separated at "very young". Captain Victoria Haley doesn't know that her archenemy, Warwitch Deneghra, is actually her twin sister Gloria, stolen at age 5 by the Cryx raiders who killed their parents.

* [[Short-Range Long-Range Weapon]]: Going by the miniature scale of one inch = five feet, most rifles have a range of ~~50-70~~ feet. The artillery's not much better.

* [[Short-Range Long-Range Weapon]]: Going by the miniature scale of one inch = five feet, most rifles have a range of 50–70 feet. The artillery's not much better.

* [[Shotguns Are Just Better|Scatterguns Are Just Better]]: Asheth Magnus certainly thinks so, as does Bartolo Montador, whose scattergun is built into his left arm, and it's hard to argue. They have decent range, and ignore a great deal of conventional defensive abilities.

** Lord Carver even carries a [[Sawed-Off Shotgun|Sawed Off Scattergun]] into battle.

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[[Category:Tabletop Games]]

[[Category:Iron Kingdoms]]

[[Category:Tabletop ~~Game~~]]

[[Category:Tabletop Games]]