I'm still torn between what army to play and with the holiday season, or "Money Month" as it is dubbed in my life, approaching I need to decide so I can order, or get to the store and buy, my first army. I love the cheapness. Originally I had planned to play devourers but I'm back on the fence, dang does it hurt. Here's what I'm deciding from now:

The Hyena
The Scorpion
The Dragon

Now, due to the fact that I can't seem to find any images of the Sphinx and Spider, I want them the most. Moving on, I am now most in need of help and advice on choosing an army. I have next to no idea of what to choose and as I said, the cash influx is within the month. Please help meh!!

OK, I'm placing a sense of urgency on this since things not sold in Sci-fi are begining to be sold out on Rackham, as in, by Christmas some armies might not even be available.

The Sphinx (Utopia of the Sphinx) and the Spider (Akkyshan Elves) do exist, but they don't have any dedicated models yet. The Utopia had a profile released in CH #11 (at least it was #11 in French, I'm not 100% sure the content is the same in English), namely "le Clairvoyant" (Clear-sighted in English?)

It is a construct very much alike the ones Cynwall Elves use, which makes sense given that the Cynwall technology is whatever remnants of the Utopia 'lost' civilization the Elves have managed to get to work.

There is no profile for the Akkyshan army, but the "Souffre-toile" (Web-paingiver? Web-sufferer? dunno, it doesn't really have a clear meaning in French...) for the Cadwallon army was supposed to be the first Akkyshan model before Rackham put too many of their eggs in Cadwallon. The model was one of their last event-only release that briefly got available on their online store, and I don't know if it ever was translated in English.

Well, 2 questions then, are they going to continue making Confrontation models? Not considering Ragnarok, can you use Ragnarok models in Confrontation? I lied, more questions. Are they going to make these armies in either? Lastly, If I can't get my hands on Spider or Sphinx what should I shoot for, I just narrowed down the list again.

I know that Jean has a lot of Cynwall Elves (The Dragon) models that she may or may not want to sell. But considering she never touches them, I doubt she would mind lending them to you.

The Alchemists of Dirz (The Scorpion) are pretty popular and have some pretty cool stuff. If you can't get what you need from the store or online, a lot of people have the minis and probably wouldn't mind selling you some.

The Wolf are Wolfen, so you're probably just as well off sticking to the devourers.

I have no idea who the Hyena are.

By the way, do the new army "names" really suck, or is it just me?

EDIT: As for whether or not they will make more minis, they might make more of what's already out, but there will never be any new miniatures added to C3. Mathieu is a much better person to ask though.

Yeah, Scorpion looked pretty rockin when I saw them. Also, as for the Hyena, they are the Devourers. And lastly, whatya talkin bout the names?

I'm assuming you mean to ask if they are going to release Confrontation 3 models/profiles and if the models for Confrontation: the Age of Ragnarok (CAoR) are playable in C3 (not being nitpicky, bu both games are technically called Confrontation ;)). The answer to both questions is no. Officially they will resume monthly releases of pewter/resin models, but they will all be CAoR models, none of them will come with a C3 profile. Many of us have asked for C3 releases (even just as downloadable profiles), this won't happen. In that respect the game is dead.

Still supposedly, they will release the Spider army for CAoR (not playable in C3, that is). I don't think there's been any official word about the Sphinx.

I don't like to give army picking advice, they all have their strengths and weaknesses and it's all about how you like to play (few/many models, aggressive/defensive,...). I used to play Wolfen, Devourers (that's the Hyena, Brian ;)), and I got to try the Cynwalls some (Dragon).

I think Wolfen is the least diverse army of the three, both visually and in terms of gameplay. Rackham never really got further than the big, strong hitting, fast moving Wolf with them. Each model is costly, which means that you'll play with a lot less than your opponent. The flip side is that the models are rather simple to paint and you'll need to do fewer of them.

Devourers were created much later and are pretty much Wolfen that don't hit as hard but can withstand punishment better, with a lot more flexibility (thanks to half elves). Generally speaking models are just as expensive, but you get to use cheaper half elves that allow you to mitigate numerous armies. Models wise, the sculpts are also a lot more complex, with ornate armors and the like.

Cynwalls I am less familiar with. To me they are the most diverse army of the three. By far. Between the dragon, the many mechanical constructs, the half-naked warrior-monks and the heavily armored elites, you can built an army with many different flavors, both visually and in terms of gameplay. Miniature-wise, the Cynwalls have the most complex models in the whole range. They are clearly not for the faint of heart, and to be honest it is to the point that it isn't enjoyable.

I think the Stag is the only army that nobody in the store is playing (unless I missed it?). For a while they were the worst looking models in the range to me, and they still have models I wouldn't touch with a stick. However with time they got some very nice, dark sculpts, and I was tempted at some point to build a small Drunes army. I don't know anything about how they play, I know they may reanimate dead models into undead cannon fodder, they have a couple of cool looking monsters, and their cavalry is badass, but that's about it.

Emphasis mine. Remember, they've got the normal dragon and the titan.

Well, as the opening post displays I am now down to the Scorpion, Hyena, and Dragons. Thank you for the in depth Mathieu, that eliminated the Spider and Sphinx. I do like the look of all three, and you're right about the Stag, they're butt ugly if you ask me. Moving on, I did realize they were both Technically Confrontation I just didn't know the term for Confrontation 3. Does anyone play Scorpion or know how they play? I might get them. They're pretty cool looking.

Why doesn't anyone want to play Ragnarok?

The Alchemists of Dirz (now Scorpions) were my first army. I also picked them up for looks. They're an incredibly forgiving army thanks to their racial 'mutagenic' ability, which gives you the ability to roll dice, based on the size of the game, to buff attributes (sic. "I role these four dice and win the game..."). Like most of the armies under C3, they offer a lot of variety. Big beefy creatures and swarms of clone infantry, one or two ok magic options. Everything's fairly mobile, but there isn't much in the ranged or calvary departments. A good solid starter army. Devs and Cynwall (Dragon) are both good choices, though Cynwall seems to require a lot of finesse.

For me personally, the Age of Ragnarok rules were a complete departure from everything that made C3 great - It stopped being a skirmish game where every well-crafted model counted. AoR is all about hurling hordes of dispensable plastic troops at your opponent, just to see the Wolfen win again. Costs went up and quality went down. At this point, I'd recommend Warhammer Fantasy over AoR, and those that know me will tell you how loathe I am to point to a GW product. For skirmish games still in production, I think Anima:Tactics is going to be great when the official rules hit next year.

The others have stated fairly well the make up of devourers and the dirz.

The dirz are one of the most forgiving or competitive armies in the game. They can be both a starter army, or with some of the more interesting choices can be quite a finesse army. One of the big arguments surrounding the dirz is the question "what can't they do?"

Devourers are a nice mix of models. You have your larger wolfen creatures, with some of Rackham's best work, and then the more finely detailed half-elves. While I'm partial to the wolves myself, the army really shines as a mix. It is less varied than dirz, but possesses a stronger more elite feel. You would also have the least amount of models to paint (most likely) with this army.

Cynwall I have to say are not a very good starter army. The army itself has a very unique method of playing that is both challenging and rewarding. The game designers have done an excellent job making models good on their own, but absolutely amazing together. This army is about synergy and if you have the right combinations in the right places on the field you really can't lose. That being said the models are a pain in the rear end to paint and not the easiest to find.

If you have an idea of a budget and an army in mind I can easily put together a fun list using the models you like. Plus I may actually be able to find them! :lol:


In terms of Rag-Narok. There are many people at the store that have enough models to play both traditional ragnarok, and the new age of ragnarok. We've just never gotten around to learning the rules or tried. People tend to be pretty happy with Confrontation 3 and the variety we have.

Again, thank you both. Since I am new to painting and this would be my first army, in ANYTHING miniatures, I'll probably run Dirz or Devourers. Not ruling out Cynwall yet since I still have a week or so to decide what I will buy. As for Ragnarok, that's a shame. Anyone know why they decided on that departure? WAAGH, thank you for the offer, when I find a bit more time to look at the minis again I might be able to make up a "sexy" looking army. Also, seeing as it's a first, I might need help with some things. My knowledge of painting, 0, connecting pieces... baby level. Might also need a refresher on how to play.

On a tangent, Anima, it's not dead is it? I have two anima peoples, Cheshire and Ael, one of which is armless because I can't get it on. Does it look to be a game that might draw in players? Is it worth putting money into it?

Anima has a few people that can and seem willing to play. It's just a matter of organizing games. It may also attract more players with it's anime art style, interesting gameplay, and dynamic miniatures. That remains to be seen though.

Indeed. Also, not trying to make this a Anima topic, but should I wait to choose what army until next year? Or do they run off of some other system?

There were numerous reasons speculated on, but I like to think it was a personal attack against Mathieu.

Daam them thar Rackaham boys!

I have officially decided. It is between the Devourers and the Dir... Dyr? Anyway, the deciding factor... dun dun dun, whatever I can get my hands on. Yep, first one I see is the first I'm getting, the ups to Devourers, I see them, they have ranged I'm assuming.
Ups to Dir... Dyr, they are cooler looking, and no one plays them, from what I know. Therefore, Devourers is ahead.

I have decided, I am going to start with a devouerer army.