Warmachine/Tactics/Convergence of Cyriss

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Iterative successes converge towards our inevitable victory, bitches.

Why Play Convergence?

Fluff-wise: it's a religion full of scientists, engineers, and steampunk neckbeards who transfer their souls into clockwork bodies and talk to their science moon goddess through the inconsistencies in the output of a giant calculating machine. They're also working to prepare the world as a vessel for her to inhabit, regardless of the desires of all those Philistines who don't think turning Caen into a giant sterile clockwork utopia is totally awesome.

Crunch-wise: the Convergence can play a 'jack heavy game on par with the Protectorate. Between unique rules, plentiful access to Repair and/or Bodge as well as a support solo or two many Convergence warcasters can build perfectly viable 'jack heavy lists. Supporting your 'jacks are a variety of troops who have all the advantages of being non-living models without the taint of ridiculous bullshit, who are in turn supported by solos who can bring back destroyed warrior models over and over to really piss your opponent off. Also markerlights flares.

Much like their fluff this is very much an army where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Each gear may not be particularly outstanding on its own and your order of activations will be very important, but when things go just as planned your Rube Goldberg army will grind your opponent's army into clockwork kibble between their teeth. Basically, if the statement "Warmachine is just Magic: the Gathering with models" doesn't send you screaming out of the room, you'll probably find something to like in the Convergence.

Our Warjacks are Different

Because the rules for Convergence vectors (warjacks) are so important to how the overall army functions, it's worth briefly discussing the differences:

• The Interface Node: The cortex equivalent for vectors, because the Convergence doesn't believe in building machines with an artificial intelligence. Basically a cortex for all intents and purposes (if it's crippled, you can't allocate focus to the vector), but any rules that specify the cortex specifically (e.g. Domination, the auto-cortex damage on the Lancer's shock shield) don't apply to the interface node. Spells and abilities that specify the cortex aren't overly common (relegated to Cygnar, mostly), but it's worth keeping in mind so that you can tell that eHaley player to screw off when she tries to Dominate your Cipher.

Additionally your warcasters can reactivate vectors within 6 inches without having to be in base contact and vectors cannot form bonds (since they don't have cortexes), but this probably won't come into play much unless you play a lot of multi-warcaster games or your group makes heavy use of the warjack bonding rules.

• MAT and RAT scores: Unlike other warjacks, vectors do not have innate MAT or RAT scores, instead using their controlling warcaster's current MAT/RAT values. Vectors are also immune to any abilities that increase or reduce MAT/RAT unless their warcaster is affected, which means that a vector ignores things like the MAT penalty from Gorman's Black Oil bomb (although the other effects will still apply). Anything that adds or subtracts from an attack roll still works normally, however, since it's not directly affecting the vector's MAT/RAT score.

With the current stable of warcasters, this rule is something of a mixed blessing: with the exception of Syntherion (who has the most well-rounded attack scores at 6/5) every warcaster in the Convergence has either a below average MAT (Directrix) or RAT (Aurora somewhat, Lucant and Axis particularly). The low average RAT scores is particularly painful given the number of vectors that have ranged weapons: while you can use Flare support to compensate somewhat, trying to make heavy use of non-Cipher or Diffuser shooty vectors with someone like Axis and his asstastic RAT 2 will probably be a fool's errand. This in turn will heavily affect the rest of your army's composition, as the value of certain models and units will vary considerably from warcaster to warcaster based on their ability to cover areas that a vector may not be able to adequately handle.

• Focus Induction: the big ability that gives vectors their spice. Once per turn when a vector spends focus, it may allocate a focus to another vector within 6 inches: a vector can receive multiple focus points this way, although it can't exceed normal allocation limits.

Unique to Convergence, this gives vectors a degree of focus efficiency that is not present anywhere else in Warmachine, because the efficiency of a point of focus increases when there are more vectors that it can be passed around to (as opposed to normal Warmachine factions, where too many warjacks will otherwise strain a warcaster's focus without some sort of mitigating spell or ability). You'll run into diminishing returns if you take too many focus-hungry vectors (e.g. ones that are going to spend 2-3 focus per turn, but who can only pass along one due to the induction rules), but you still get more effective focus to work with regardless.

Because of how induction rules work, you're generally not going to want to fully load down one vector with 3 focus during your main allocation, as is typical with most Warmachine factions: instead you'll probably want to spread the focus around to vectors with lower overall focus consumption, activate them first and then pass along the focus to the vector you want loaded for bear. This will allow you to do more with less focus, but requires you to plan out your turn farther in advance than you might have to with other factions to make sure that the focus points are where you need them when you need them. Take this into consideration when building your lists: vectors who are going to sit back and plink with their guns can probably get away with one or two focus a turn and will probably be the start of your induction chain, while melee vectors who are going to be smashing heavy targets will need all the focus you can give.

Unit Analysis

Warcasters

• Aurora, Numen of Aerogenisis:
• Axis, the Harmonic Enforcer:
• Iron Mother Directrix:
• Father Lucant, Divinity Architect:
• Forge Master Syntherion:

Vectors

Light Vectors

• Corollary: Yes.

...sorry, the tactica? Okay. A Squire pumped up on steroids, and the model that makes vector heavy Convergence armies so deadly. At its most basic the Corollary is a focus bank: you can dump focus into it (that won't go away at the beginning of your next turn), which it can then pass to one of your other vectors. If this doesn't sound particularly interesting so far, consider this: a Corollary can get a free focus by activating near your warcaster, and its focus passing ability counts as spending focus and thus triggers induction (allowing you to allocate another point of focus in addition to whatever you just transferred). What this all adds up to is a potential for an additional 2 "free" focus (one from being near the warcaster, one from induction) per turn, or up to four if your Corollary starts fully loaded from a previous turn. It can also be an efficient way to "recycle" focus, as your other vectors can use induction to pass focus back to the Corollary, which in turn can pass it back to them next turn with no input otherwise from your warcaster. And if getting gobs of free focus for 3 points still isn't enough to convince you, it gives your warcaster an extra 2" to their control area just like a Squire.

So yeah, pretty good. The only real reason you're not running this yet is because it doesn't have a released model.

• Diffuser: Has a slightly inferior hand cannon weapon as its primary armament (because prime numbers), but you're not taking this to play a ghetto Charger. The big money here is Beacon, which gives friendly models additional distance when charging the target and lets your vectors charge for free: the free charge is always nice, but the extra 2 inches of movement are critical given that your heavies are almost all SPD 4/5 models without reach. You can also reroll misses on the shot, meaning that this vector is actually a viable choice even with the Convergence's low RAT warcasters (to put this in perspective, a Diffuser under Axis taking a boosted shot at a Warpwolf will hit roughly 60% of the time, which is pretty impressive for RAT 2). How critical a Diffuser is will depend on your army composition: if you have some infantry units to tarpit/tie up enemy heavies and use yours in a counterpunch role then you can probably save the 3 points, but if you're running infantry light you'll almost certainly want to take at least one so that your heavies can do the giving as well as the receiving.

• Galvanizer: A POW 12 melee weapon with legs and a surly disposition. It's also the first warjack with the Repair skill, and while it has a good skill rating to use it with (9), the Convergence has so many models that can repair that this novelty is not a particularly big selling point on its own. No reach and SPD 5 means it's not particularly impressive as a melee light, but it's cheap as dirt and focus induction gives you the ability to run a herd of these things at someone with minimal focus spent(which is funny, if probably not necessarily optimal). Aurora and Directrix will usually have better ways to spend 3 points, but it has applications with Syntherion (cheap way to get Synergy stacks), Lucant (a shield guard that can keep Lucant or another model's health topped off) and Axis (cheap Bulldozing light that is not hopeless in melee).

• Mitigator:

Heavy Vectors

Your heavies come in two flavors: the SPD 5 floater chassis with pathfinder and the defense stats of a Legion heavy (read: will crumple under any serious offensive pressure), and SPD 4 walkers with Steady and Protectorate heavy stats (read: not great, but not terrible either). The viability and role of each will vary depending on the warcaster, but in general a role they'll always be able to fill is armor-cracking: most of your infantry lack either the raw power or consistent output to carve through enemy warjacks or warbeasts, and so your vectors will generally be called upon to handle the big stuff that they can't.

• Assimilator:
• Cipher:
• Conservator:
• Inverter:
• Modulator:
• Monitor:

Colossals

• Prime Axiom:

Units

• Clockwork Angels: These lovely ladies are Advance Deploying, SPD 7 models in an army that is overwhelmingly SPD 4-5 and not, and so will generally be acting in a skirmisher role. It's probably best to think of this unit as a flying POW 13 gun: their base combat stats are overwhelmingly mediocre (MAT/RAT 6/5, POW 10s on both melee and ranged), but their speed combined with Reform and a high defense against ranged attacks (watch out for AOEs) will allow them to opportunistically CRA snipe valuable support models and generally be a pain in your opponent's ass. They have Brutal Charge on their swords, but this is generally a trap unless you're playing Aurora: keep them at range unless there's nothing left for them to bother shooting at, you have a good chance of killing what you're going to charge, or you need something tied down and are willing to sacrifice your girls to do it.

• Eradicators:
• Obstructors:
• Optifex Directive:
• Recipricators:
• Reductors:
• Perforators:
• Transverse Enumerator (UA): Not really a unit in and of itself, but listed here because it's a unit attachment that can be attached to any Convergence unit (bar Directrix and her servitors). 2 points buys you an odd grab bag of abilities, but there are two standouts: the first is a CMD of 9, which allows your clockwork units to spread out a bit further than allowed by their somewhat derpy default of 7, while the second is a minifeat that allows you to reroll all failed attack rolls and skill checks during the unit's activation. This arguably makes the Enumerator strongest on the more offensive Convergence units (Reductors, Eradicators, Perforators), since being able to reroll 2+ attacks per model will go a long way towards upping the unit's killing power on a critical turn (or in the Eradicator's case, enable them to kill reliably without having to drop their bucklers). The UA's personal combat prowess and defensive stats are nothing to write home about, so try and keep him(her?) out of danger until s/he's blown his/her minifeat load.
  • NOTE: Based on the wording the Enumerator gets the benefit of the unit's Variable[weapon] rules, if it has any.

Solos

• Accretion Servitors: 3 for a buck, your default "my list is one point short" filler if you can't justify taking a Dispersion Optifex. That being said Bodge isn't bad: while it only repairs one point, no skill roll is required so it can be more reliable to have a servitor heal the one point needed to bring a crippled system back online rather than trust the vagaries of a skill check (although you'll still probably want to bring a Directive unit for the higher potential healing and other benefits). Strip will rarely come into play, although the time you deliver the killing blow to a Stormwall with one of these little bastards will be priceless.
  • These are your cheapest (and thus, most expendable) way to get more models on the field, so feel free to use them as fodder/targeting beacons for Modulators and the like.

• Algorithmic Dispersion Optifex: Meat Arc nodes, bring at least one if you expect to be doing any serious offensive spell-slinging. Keep them far enough behind your vectors so that they aren't a priority, but close enough to be able to run to where they're needed at a moment's notice. If they survive until your next turn after channeling spells consider it a pleasant bonus.

• Attunement Servitors:
• Elimination Servitors:
• Enigma Foundry:
• Reflex Servitors:
• Steelsoul Protector: A 2-point Shield Guard/bullet catcher, invaluable in a faction full of models with HUGE GUTS GEARS who will be getting shot at by every Defender, Reckoner, and Ravagore that catches wind of their presence. Durable enough to take a boosted damage roll from the above and have a chance of surviving, so combine with models that can repair (and since this is the Convergence, that could very easily be the model that the Protector is catching bullets for) for a Shield Guard that will not have the courtesy to die. When not busy jumping in front of enemy fire the Protector also has Defensive Strike, and while you shouldn't forget it don't count on a single MAT 6 POW 12 to be a particularly effective deterrent.

Battle Engines

• Transfinite Emergence Projector: