Power Attacks: A beginners guide

When you first look at power attacks they simply look like a throw away thats tacked on to provide Jacks a little more punch, or at least thats what I first thought. Given some more experience and a deeper look, the uses of power attacks are actually very widely applied, especially when playing using scenarios rather than just playing caster kill. Power attacks can be used by all jacks and some models, though most attacks require an open fist and one of the more powerful attacks (two handed throw) requires two open fists, so may not be seen of field as frequently as you'd think, partly due to the wide range of uses focus has other than using power attacks.

To start with there are the throws, any open fist weilding jack can carry out a throw. If it hits, the attacking model and the defending model make an opposed strength test, meaning that if the attacker's strength total is greater than the defender the throw gets off, if the defender gets a higher total the throw fails. If the throw works the model targeted gets thrown a distance equal to half the attacking model's STR, then the model is knocked down and takes damage. In the case of a double handed throw when the strength rolls are made the attacking model rolls using 2d6 whereas the defending model only uses 1d6, meaning that more often than not when making a two handed throw it will get off also give the option to aim the first model at a second model. This can create some interesting caster assassination opportunities as if the second model is on a smaller base than the thrown model it will be knocked down, an incredibly useful way of making that hard to hit caster far easier to hit and takes a chunk of health off in the process.

To boost or not to boost

It's often a question that occurs in a players mind when playing Warmachine or Hordes. You have focus or fury left over on a Jack or Beast. Do you go for more attacks or simply boost your chances of hitting or damaging?

Essentially the whole question boils down to three things, probability, damage output and target priorities. Firstly, in terms of probability more often than not if a Jack or Beast attacks another Jack or Beast chances are that you're going to hit, given the low DEF of average Jacks (Can't speak for Beasts, was quite surprised when I saw a Feral Warpwolf's DEF), however if you have a Jack or Beast attack infantry then you start entering the area where you may want to think about boosting. Although another issue arises where I start wondering why anyone would choose to charge a Jack at infantry, because as a friend once told me, Infantry kills Jacks. The whole point of Jacks in game is a brick that can be thrown at something in your opponents army that is relatively tough that will threaten other models in your army, granted there are exceptions (Beast 09 springs to mind due to Thresher, giving it the ability to attack enemy models in LOS and melee range), but most Jacks have two melee weapons at most, throwing that sort of model at infantry is something of a waste, if you want to kill infantry use other infantry or shoot it before it gets close enough to do it's job. However, there is one infantry unit I would always recommend charging with a Jack and that is your opponent's caster.