On the rare occasions I’ve used them I have simply stacked 40 of these expensive machines together and flattened towers . . .
But how do they stack up against the tougher levels of fortifications? Eg a fort? Do they help me any assuming my army is already actually big enough to take the pop?
The rulebook states that they will be reduced if you have enough war machines but is 40 enough to reduce a fort to a tower or do I need enough for the additional level of fortifications as in the 4000 point difference between a tower and a fort, ie 4000 points worth??
As always, not as simple as it first looks, each WM is 200 but you don’t need to fully negate the defensive value of the fortifications to knock it down. I’ve knocked down towers with 4 WMs, who knows maybe you only need 1 WM to have a chance?
Wow! I used to think that the rulebook was full of holes but I’ve come to believe that this kind of “Partial” information is part of what makes the game so great. I’d always assumed it was a straightforward calculation but clearly the usual very random element crops up. I shall march a WM up to Pelargir in my next game and see what happens
The best of part of the war machine is the negation of the fortifications to allow a smaller army to capture an otherwise impregnable pop center. I never really cared much if I reduced the fortifications while burning or capturing a pop center.
Town/Fort at 50 loyalty (1000+6000) * 1.5 = 10,500
Town/Fort at 50 loyalty (facing 15wm) (1000+3000) * 1.5 = 6000
At least that is my understanding of it.
I do agree that is seems to be random. 13 war machines reduced a fort to tower in one of my games.
You know the light has dawned on me why so many people think it’s worth spending money on these things. If that’s the way that it works then all of a sudden they seem better value, particularly against the larger fortifications.
Warmachines are such a nice thing. If you can stack up 1600hc with steel armors and 30 warmachines in them, then can flatten quite a few MT/Forts. Especially if hired from that offmap pop you made
One thing to notice is that you will loose some warmachines for each battle they are in.
There is a little known fluke in the rules that actually makes Pelargir especially resistant to war machines. It has something to do with climate and the pH of the river water. Anyway, as it turns out this same effect is exactly reversed at Morannon. Go figure.
