How not to get your behind handed to you by warcasters?

[ShoX]

I'm having real troubles at the moment with Warmachine. Especially vs Cryx and Khador, I can trade really well all I want, in the end I'm up 15 or 20 army points, someone pops their feat, Warcaster charges in, I lose 2-3 warbeasts, game ends. I just played eSorscha, took out all her doom reavers, half her Deathstar and Beast09, her only jack. Feat turn, 2 manhunters and sorscha kill Ghetorix, Stalker and Woldwarden, who had 10 pts of dmg between them up until then. Same deal with Venethrax, who had maybe 5 pts of army left on the field. The people I play keep their stuff covered from assassinations really well, and I find myself having to commit to the trading game very often, but even when I come out ahead, I rarely get into anything resembling a moderately safe board position.

How do you do it?

[kaneblaise]

The key to Hordes is to destroy as much of the enemy as possible (especially battle group), and then squish the leftover caster.

The key to Warmachine is to take out to warcaster ASAP. Easier said than done, but the fewer things on the table, the less buffs will be cast / upkept and the less FOCUS will be allotted. Warcasters are at their most vulnerable when supporting their army fully, which means they are at their least vulnerable when they don't have an army to support.

I know it's easier said than done, but, short of scenerios, that's the way to do it.

[PG_Jack Tesla]

Don't trade if you can help it. Warcasters get better when they have fewer warjacks to take care of, but warlocks get weaker the fewer beasts they have to pull fury from.

Instead attack their flanks, make it hard for them to counter attack. Grind down their infantry and then go for the throat.

[Kineath]

I'm having real troubles at the moment with Warmachine. Especially vs Cryx and Khador, I can trade really well all I want, in the end I'm up 15 or 20 army points, someone pops their feat, Warcaster charges in, I lose 2-3 warbeasts, game ends. I just played eSorscha, took out all her doom reavers, half her Deathstar and Beast09, her only jack. Feat turn, 2 manhunters and sorscha kill Ghetorix, Stalker and Woldwarden, who had 10 pts of dmg between them up until then. Same deal with Venethrax, who had maybe 5 pts of army left on the field. The people I play keep their stuff covered from assassinations really well, and I find myself having to commit to the trading game very often, but even when I come out ahead, I rarely get into anything resembling a moderately safe board position.

How do you do it?

The Khador matchup you describe is one of the worst I can imagine. Other then that, a couple of things.

Pack a good deal of anti-infantry, realize your warbeasts are beter, more expensive versions of jacks. (warbeasts kill jacks more easy then vice versa)
And use some kind of speed-bump (Skinwalkers/Wolves of O/shifting stones) to keep your hard hitting stuff safe.

[Kyuss]

Don't play him, but sounds like a job for pBaldur

[mattieK]

apply anger stalker to face

[Ghost Rider]

Definitely a tough match up. Hordes strength over Warmachine is in their ability to Alpha Strike (using all or most of their fury all at once to wipe out huge sections of the opposing force.)
I agree with what has been said before, but would like to add: In situations where you cannot get the Alpha Strike (Sorscha, E. Haley, E. Deneghra) send your beasts in waves. Do not expose all of your heavy hitters at once, else when Sorscha feats they get set up to be killed. One of the warpwolves strengths is their relatively high defense for a hard hitting heavy. They need to be kept back until after she uses her feat.

[rpavers]

apply anger stalker to face

Apply tritus to face!

[SteamLich]

Well which Warlock are you currently playing?

When I play against Khador with eKruegar, I tend to try to harass my opponents infantry with wolfriders or blood trackers on the flank(remember that many warmachine armies struggle to get pathfinder).
Then with a couple well placed gallows groves, or a woldwarden, I try to gallows or telekinesis a heavy warjack(look for the juicy targets, I'm looking at you Behemoth and Beast 09).
Once the juicy target has been pulled out I like to apply a stalker with lightning strike, primal is optional. If you can get the claw involved as well he should go down. Now move back to safety. (sometimes dice will screw you, it happens).
*If you decide to primal try to lightning strike facing an appropriate direction.

With eKruegars board control you can activate him early if your woldwarden fails.(which means you can telekinesis your stalker into posistion if he needs it, or turn around that juicy target with tk).
Or if your woldwarden is a boss and rolls a 5 or 6 on gallows, you can activate eKruegar after and telekinesis your stalker back out of khadors threat range.

[ShoX]

Currently running pKrueger, just to get rid of the WSG/Bane spam, and because I want to get him worked out to a certain extent before switching to another one. I'm currently assembling my wold brick, so I guess the Baldurs are next. I guess I'm just doing it wrong, no argument there, what rubs me the wrong way is that with warcasters doing it right appears so easy.

[PG_ICleadpeople]

Ran eKruger all weekend at Kingdomcon. Found him very effective Menoth and Cryx, specificaly against Harbi and Terminus. My troubles came against Skorne with Gators and Trolls with infantry spam.

[RidetheLightning]

In agreement with earlier posts. Remember in Warmachine your 'caster is the battery that runs your army. In Hordes your beasts are the battery that run your 'lock. In either case if you stress the battery, you kill the engine. And yes I agree warcasters do make it look easy. Something to keep in mind is most warbeasts have the ability to throw other models better than warjacks. And while it's not always necessary to knock down a 'caster to score the kill, making it happen will help. Most armies in Warmachine also rely heavily upon infantry so taking that out can take a lot of steam out of their force!