A free Warmachine MK4 app is now available with all the rules and model stats you need to play the latest edition of the miniature wargame from Privateer Press. The mobile app launched on Tuesday, accompanied by an announcement from Privateer Press that Warmachine MK4 was out of its “beta phase” and had now formally launched.
Privateer Press says that the Warmachine app contains everything you need to play Warmachine MKIV except for models, and will be automatically updated with rules for new units as they are released. The app comes with an army builder, list-sharing functionality, and the ability to track damage and other effects during a match.
The app itself is free, but there is an optional subscription that Privateer Press says will unlock “unlimited cloud storage for army builds, access from multiple devices, and weekly premium content releases including fiction and lore, scenarios, and Organized Play resources”.
Warmachine MkIV had a soft launch in October 2022. The latest edition overhauls the long-running miniature wargame, advances the timeline of its setting, and updates the core rules. Privateer Press has switched production for new models from plastic and resin over to 3D printing.
Three core army sets have released since the new edition’s soft launch: the Russian-inspired Khador Winter Korps; the lightning-wreathed Cygnar Storm Legion; and Orgoth Sea Raiders, daemonic invaders who lurked in the background of Warmachine’s evolving meta-plot for its last three editions. Privateer Press says that the elves of Dusk House Kallyss will follow in “Q2 2023”.
The new app also contains rules for “legacy” models from established players’ collections, though these are divided into “prime” models which are balanced for competitive play, and “unlimited” models which aren’t.
Up until now Warmachine had a fully-compatible sister game, Hordes, with a focus on feral factions led by wilderness Warlocks rather than the Warcasters and sci-fantary steambots of Warmachine. Privateer Press says it’s retiring the brand but not the lore, factions, or mechanics from Hordes, and adds that the first new Warlock-led models will appear in Summer 2023.
Warmachine had a supporting app way back during its second edition, but this is the first time that all the rules and core features of the app have been completely free. Privateer Press isn’t the only company to offer app support for its wargames. The Warhammer+ subscription comes with army-builder apps for your Warhammer 40k factions or Age of Sigmar armies. Then there’s Warsurge, an indie wargame supported by an app that allows you to create rules for literally any model.