Armies of Immoren

User's Manual

Overview

Welcome to the Armies of Immoren (AoI). Armies of Immoren is a Java application to assist in creation of armies for the Iron Kingdoms tabletop games, WARMACHINE and HORDES, both from Privateer Press. AoI is designed to make army creation as simple and flexible as possible, while supporting variations introduced by the campaign systems presented in the Escalation and Apotheosis expansions for WARMACHINE.

Table of Contents

  1. Features
  2. User Guide
    1. Starting AoI
    2. Creating a New Army
    3. Primary Interface, Take 2
    4. Setting Model Restrictions
    5. Reviewing Elements
    6. Adding Elements to the Army - The Basics
    7. Removing Elements From the Army
    8. Adding Elements to the Army - Units
    9. Adding Elements to the Army - Warjacks and Unit Attachments
    10. Adding Elements to the Army - Mercenaries/Minions
    11. Saving the Army
    12. Army Details
    13. Setting Cost Modifiers - Global Discounts
    14. Setting Cost Modifiers - Individual Elements
    15. Finishing the Army
    16. Generating a Model List
    17. Taking it With You - Print
    18. Taking it With You - Print Preferences
    19. Taking it With You - Copy to Clipboard
    20. Taking it With You - Copy BBCode to Clipboard
    21. Conclusion
  3. Other Functions
    1. Open
    2. Save As
    3. Delete
    4. Change Point Value
    5. Edit Collection
    6. Check for Updates
    7. Force Update
    8. Rebuild File Index

Features

User Guide

This user's guide is presented as a tutorial walkthrough of an army creation. It covers all the important functionality of AoI in clear, concise steps.

Scenario: In order to demonstrate the flexibility of AoI, a real game scenario is being presented. The army being constructed is for a scenario from the Escalation campaign Kings, Nations, and Gods. The constructed army will be for the Protectorate of Menoth, with the following rewards/penalties being used:

Starting AoI

The first step in using AoI is to start the application. This will vary based on the operating system you are using, but for Windows simply double-click the AoI application icon. After a second to initialize, you should see the basic screen as shown.



The top portion of the screen contains the menu bar and tool bar. Below that is the army summary information, which will show the name of the army you are working on, the current and maximum points, victory points, and any global discounts. The largest portion of the screen contains two lists: the list on the left will display army elements which can be added to your army, while the right will show the army you have currently constructed.

Creating a New Army

The first step in creating an army is to start the new army using the New Army option. Select New Army from the File menu, or use the button on the toolbar. This will display the New Army Dialog, which will allow you to enter the basic information for your new army.

Select the type of army (Army List or Detachment), the faction of the army, and the encounter level. You must also enter a name for the army, and enter any bonus points for this army. Bonus points can be positive or negative, and will modify the available points for the army.



Here, we have left the army type as an Army List, selected our faction as the Protectorate of Menoth, selected the 1000-point encounter level as appropriate for most Escalation scenarios, and entered the 25 bonus points we receive from a previous scenario rewards.

When looking at the faction dropdown list, note that a Mercenary army must select one of the available mercenary contracts, either the Four Star Syndicate or the Highborn Covenant, as their effective faction. Mercenary armies are bound by the restrictions defined for mercenary contracts in No Quarter Magazine #1.

Once all the information for the new army has been entered, press the OK button to create it.

A note on Detachments: Although Detachment is included as an option for the army type, in the current version of AoI it does nothing but limit the army to an unmodifiable 750 points. This option exists for intergration with a possible future product for managing map-based campaigns using the system introduced in Apotheosis, but for now it does nothing.

Primary Interface, Take 2

With the new army created, there is now much more information on the primary interface screen. The summary panel at top now shows the faction symbol for our army, along with the name. The points value shows the army points as "Current/Maximum", and the Victory Points field shows the current number of VPs in the army. Many of the menu and toolbar options which were previously disabled are now active as well.

The left list now shows all elements available to a Protectorate army. Elements are ordered with faction forces above mercenaries, and within each have warcasters, heavy warjacks/warbeasts, light warjacks/warbeasts, lesser warbeasts, solos, units and attachments. Epic warcasters are placed next to the base version of the warcaster.



Setting Model Restrictions

There are many situations where you may want to limit the models which can be used to construct your army. In a tournament, for example, models which have not yet been released are not legal for use. In this case, since we're playing an Escalation campaign we want to limit the available models to only those which were released up to the Escalation book.

To set this, select Set Restrictions from the Army menu, or click on the matching button on the toolbar. You should see this dialog appear. Each released book is listed with a check mark beside it; by default all models are allowed. Simply click on the Apotheosis and No Quarter entries to disable them. Note that all issues of No Quarter Magazine are lumped under the No Quarter entry. If you allow use of models printed in the magazine, you allow them all.

The Allow unreleased models box indicates whether or not models which have not yet been released to retail stores should be valid for inclusion in this army. This option is specifically intended for tournament players, as official events disallow the use of unreleased models. It can still be handy for anyone who dislikes proxying models, though.

Reviewing Elements

Now that our army availability is set, let's take a look at the list of available elements. Most of the entries on the list are currently greyed out. This indicates that the element cannot be legally added to the army at this time. This is because we have no warcasters in the army, and field allowance is based on the number of warcasters. At the moment, the only legal elements to add are warcasters, or character solos who do not depend on warcasters for their field allowance. Some of the warcasters are also invalid due to our sourcebook restriction. If we hover the mouse over a greyed-out element, AoI will tell us why it is invalid.

The element list contains several important bits of information on each element. Each element is noted by type and name, along with cost and field allowance. These are largely self-explanatory, but field allowance provides a bit more information.

In addition to the basic field allowance entry being 'U', 'C', or a number, two special field allowances are displayed in this column:

Adding Elements to the Army - The Basics

The first thing we need to do is add our warcasters. An element can be added to an army in two ways. First, you can double click on the element in the element list (the left list). This will add it to the army. Second, you can click on an element in the element list, and drag it to the army list (the right list). When adding a warcaster, both will have an identical effect.

For this army, let's select High Exemplar Kreoss and Grand Scrutator Severius as our warcasters, and add them one at a time.



Several things happen when an element is added to the army.

First, the total cost and victory points of the army have been recomputed, and the new values are shown. The options available in the element list have also been updated, and most are now legal. The exception is that High Exemplar Kreoss, is now shown as invalid. High Exemplar Kreoss is a Character, so can only be added once. If our army was allowing models from Apotheosis, we would see that Grand Exemplar Kreoss would also be invalid, as he is the epic version of Kreoss and cannot be in the same list. Next we'll add Grand Scrutator Severius. Note that even though Severius was added second, the army list keeps the army in a neat order.



Warjacks and Unit Attachments have to be attached to other elements in the army, so we'll get to them in a moment. First, let's add a few solos to the army. We'll start with five Knight Exemplar Seneschals. These are added just like warcasters - either double click them in the list on the left, or drag and drop them into the list.



Note the highlighting on the fifth Seneschal added to the army. This means that it is an invalid army element. AoI will not stop you from making every possible invalid addition, but it will warn you when something is invalid. To see what the problem is, place the mouse over the highlighted unit name, and AoI will inform you of why the entry is invalid. In certain cases, you may have multiple elements which are marked as invalid, but may need to make only a single change in order to correct it. If you exceed the number of warcasters, for example, AoI won't try to make that choice for you. Instead, all warcasters will be marked as invalid.

Returning to our army, we see that we have esceeded the maximum number of Seneschals; their Field Allowance of 2, times the two warcasters, gives us a maximum of four. Since we have too many, let's remove one.

Removing Elements From the Army

In order to remove an element, highlight it in the army list table, and press the DELETE key. Just like that, it's gone, and our army is legal again.



Adding Elements to the Army - Units

Adding a unit to an army is done exactly as adding a warcaster or solo: double click the desired unit, or drag and drop it into the army list. When you do this, the unit will be added at minimum size. No Protectorate army is complete without a Choir of Menoth or two, so let's add one.



Now we want to fill out the unit with the extra troopers. This can be done one of two ways. First, you can select the unit in the army list, and use the + and - keys to add or remove troopers within the limits of the unit. Second, invoking the popup menu on the unit (right click for Windows, Apple+Click on Mac) will display a menu which will allow you to select the unit size.



Let's add a few more units now. From his side quest reward, Kreoss receives a minimum unit of Holy Zealots for free. Let's add them, another full unit of Holy Zealots, a unit of Knights Exemplar, and a full unit of Deliverers for some ranged firepower. Once we finish adding this, this is what our army looks like:



Adding Elements to the Army - Warjacks, Unit Attachments, and Assigned Solos

Some elements, such as warjacks, unit attachments, and some solos are added as subordinate to another army element. As an extra step in adding these elements, their controller must be specified. As the Protectorate doesn't have any solos available which require assignment (such as Reinholdt or a Skarlock) we won't address them here, but the method for adding them is exactly the same as shown here.

If you are adding the element using the double click method, you must first select the controller in the army list. Let's do this, adding a Revenger for Kreoss to control. Select Kreoss in the army list pane, then double click on the Revenger in the element list. Kreoss now controls the Revenger, as shown by the Revenger being indented below Kreoss. All warcaster battlegroups are shown this way.

If you add an element via the drag and drop method, you can drop the warjack directly onto the controlling warcaster or 'jack marshall. Add a Reckoner to Severius this way.

A unit attachment must be added to a specific unit. This functions just like assigning a warjack to a warcaster: either select the controller in the army list and then double-click the attachment, or drag and drop the attachment onto the controlling unit. If a unit can have a Unit Attachment added to it, that attachment will also show up when you right-click on the unit in the army list, and can be added there. Holy Zealots never leave home without their Monolith Bearer, so add a Monolith Bearer to the full unit of Zealots. Our army now looks like this:



If you decide you want to rearrange your battlegroups after the warjacks have been added, you can drag an element from one controller to the next. You can experiment with this, but we'll leave our army as it is for now and move on.

A note on the Avatar of Menoth: Although the Avatar of Menoth is an independent element which is not actually part of a battlegroup, in AoI it must still be assigned to a warcaster.

Adding Elements to the Army - Mercenaries/Minions

Adding mercenaries or minions to an army functions identically to adding faction troops. Let's scroll to the bottom, and add Rupert Carvolo and Gorman di Wulfe to give our army a little more flexibility. We'll see them added later.

Saving the Army

We've put a good amount of effort into army creation so far, and "Save Early, Save Often" is always good advice. To save the current army, select Save from the File menu, or press the Save button on the toolbar. Our army has now been saved.

Note that the Save option is now disabled. It will only be enabled when changed have been made to the army which need to be saved.

Army Details

Both during and after creation of an army, we can record notes about the army, as well as track the success of the army. To view the details window, select Details from the Army menu.

The Notes field is free text, and can have whatever information you see fit stored in it. The Win/Loss/Tie Record shows the performance of this army against each opposing faction. To change the count, select the appropriate row in the win, loss, or tie column, and use the + or - keys to add or remove a win, loss or tie.



Setting Cost Modifiers - Global Discounts

Before we finish our army, we need to apply the cost modifiers appropriate for this scenario. First, we'll apply the global discounts. These are cost modifiers which apply to the entire army. Despite the name, these may not always be cost savings; they could just as easily be cost increases. For our army, we get a -10 points cost on all warjacks.

To set this, we use the Global Discounts dialog. Select the Set Global Discounts item under the Army menu, or press the matching button on the toolbar.

The displayed dialog allows you to set cost modifiers for warcasters/warlocks, heavy warjacks/warbeasts, light warjacks/warbeasts, solos, and units. Each is set using the choice box next to the desired type. Since our scenario gives a -10 cost modifier to all warjacks, we'll select -10 for both Light and Heavy Warjacks.



Once the OK button is pressed, the modifiers are applied to the army, and costs are changed appropriately. The global modifiers which are currently applied to the army are shown in the army summary panel, at top. So, our army now looks like this:



Setting Cost Modifiers - Individual Elements

Some of the elements in our army have individual cost modifiers to apply to them as well. High Exemplar Kreoss will cost us double to use, since he was destroyed in the previous battle. The unit of Holy Zealots he brings us is free, though. Each of these modifiers must be set. To set the modifier for an individual element, invoke the popup menu on the Mod cell for the unit to be set (right click for Windows, Apple+Click on Mac). This will present a set of options for cost modifiers.



After setting Kreoss to cost double, and the unit of Holy Zealots to be free, the army looks like this:



Finishing the Army

Now, just round out the army however you're inclined; adding more warjacks would probably be good. Several things will happen as you get close to finishing your army.

First, many elements in the element list will show as grey. This will happen when an element is too expensive to add to the army with the points remaining, or you've added the maximum number allowed based on Field Allowance. You may also see this with the popup menu when you try and change the size of a unit. If a particular unit size will break your point limit, the option will be shaded. Note that you can still select it, however.

Second, when adding elements, you may go over the maximum points value. If this happens, the points field will turn red to warn you.

Once you've used all the points to your satisfaction, save your army, and we'll move on to the finishing touches!

Generating a Model List

At any point during the creation of an army, AoI can tell you exactly which models will be needed to put that army on the table. Select the Model List option from the Army menu, or press the matching button on the toolbar. This will display a dialog listing the specific models needed for the army.



If you have entered your collection into AoI, you can select it from the choice box at the top. This will show you if you are missing any models necessary for the army. This list can then be printed for a handy shopping list!



When viewing the model list for an army, you also have the option of viewing an estimate for the cost of the army. Simply select the Show Cost option from the Model List menu, and you will be given the total cost of the models in the army, as well as the cost of any models you are missing.

A note on Cost: All costs computed by AoI are based on US retail cost, and do not include any taxes, levies, or discounts. They are estimates only, and no guarantee as to their precision is made.

Taking it With You - Print

Once you've finished building the army, you can print your army list and/or damage grids for reference. Two different formats are available for printed lists. The first option separates the army information into two sections: the list itself, and a damage grid section. The list section will include all elements of the army, as well as point cost and modifier information. The damage grid section will include all elements which have a damage grid; that is, anything which can survive more than a single damage point. Warjacks will be grouped under their controllers, and all elements will be placed on the damage grid list in the order they appeared on the army list itself.

The second option is a combined, inline list which includes the army list and damage grid information in the same list. With this list, each element will be placed on a line with its point information, and the damage grid (if it has one) will be placed to the right of that element on the list. To print the army, simply select the Print option from the File menu, or press the Print button on the toolbar. This will display a dialog to allow you to select the print settings such as the printer to use and the number of copies, and then print the army.

Taking it With You - Print Preferences

In order to select the type of list you want to print, you use the Print Preferences... option from the File menu. This will display the dialog shown below.



The two radio buttons allow you to select the format you wish to use when printing your army lists, either the single combined list, or the split section list.

If using the split lists, you also have the option of determining how many of each section will be printed, per copy. You can use this to print multiple copies of damage grids to use during a tournament, for instance, without having the extra copies of the list section. For example, in a four-round Steamroller tournament you need two copies of the list (one for you and one for the judge), and four copies of the damage grids. By setting the print numbers to 2 and 4, respectively, you'll get just the pages you need, with no excess.

Note that these copy counts are considered to make up one "copy" of the army list. So if you were using the above settings and selected 3 copies from the Print dialog, you would get 6 army lists and 12 damage grids.

Taking it With You - Copy to Clipboard

Another option for storing your army list is the Copy to Clipboard action. Selecting this from the Army menu, or pressing the button on the toolbar, will place a text version of the current army on the clipboard. This can then be pasted into an email, forum post, or other text document as desired. This is a very simple copy, and will not include individual cost modifiers, damage grids, or individual element costs, but will include the name of the army, total points values, and any global discounts. 
Army: Escalation Scenario
Faction: Protectorate of Menoth
Army Points: 1025/1025
Victory Points: 39
Discounts: -10 for all Light Warjacks, -10 for all Heavy Warjacks

Grand Scrutator Severius
     Reckoner
     Revenger
High Exemplar Kreoss
     Guardian
     Revenger
Knight Exemplar Seneschal
Knight Exemplar Seneschal
Knight Exemplar Seneschal
Knight Exemplar Seneschal
Wrack
Wrack
Choir of Menoth (6)
Choir of Menoth (6)
Deliverers (10)
Holy Zealots (6)
Holy Zealots (10)
     Monolith Bearer
Knights Exemplar
Gorman Di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist
Rupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord

Taking it With You - Copy BBCode to Clipboard

A second option for copying your army list is the Copy BBCode to Clipboard option. Like the Copy to Clipboard, selecting this item from the menu will place your army list on the clipboard. Using this option, however, will format the army list using BBCode, a common formatting technique for online forums, including the Privateer Press forums. You can then paste your army into a discussion post, presenting your army to others in a clean, easy-to-read format.

Tutorial Conclusion

This concludes the AoI tutorial. You should now know everything you need to create, edit, save, and print your armies.

Other Functions

This section presents the actions and features of AoI which were not covered as part of the tutorial.

Other Functions - Open

Selecting the Open option from the File menu will present a list of saved armies, indicating their faction, name, and point values. The warcasters included in that army can also be seen by hovering over an army, showing all warcasters or warlocks in that army. To load an army, either select it in the list and press OK, or simply double click the desired army.

Other Functions - Save As

If you wish to copy an army to a different name, you can use the Save As option on the File menu. You will be prompted for a new name to save the army as. The army name will be changed, and the current army will be saved under the new name. Any changes which had not been saved to the original army will not be applied to the original army.

Other Functions - Delete

Selecting the Delete option from the File menu will delete the current army from the disk. This will be confirmed, but once you have said Yes the army will be deleted, and AoI will reset to an empty display.

Other Functions - Change Point Value

You may want to change the point value of an army you are working on. This can be done quickly and easily with the Change Point Value... option on the Army menu. Simply enter the new values for the encounter level and bonus points, and commit the change.

Other Functions - Edit Collection

Available on the Collection menu, the Edit Collection screen allows you to create and edit a list of models which you own. You can create as many collections as you like, although each must be given a name. This allows players who share a computer to each have their own collection, or a single individual to track their collections however they're inclined.



The tabs on the left select the faction of the models to be displayed. Each individual model can then have a count entered, either by using the spinner or simply entering the number directly into the field. The collection list can also be printed.

All management options for collections - New, Open, Delete, Save, Save As, and Print - function exactly as they do for the basic AoI interface.

Once a collection has been saved, it can be used to compare available models on the model list for a given army, as part of the Model List dialog.

Other Features - Check for Updates

Selecting this item from the Tools menu will initiate an autoupdate check. For more information, please see the section on managing autoupdates.

Other Features - Force Update

This item, located on the Tools menu, will mark all files as out of date, and trigger an auto update. This will force all files to be downloaded from the update site, and refreshed. This should never be necessary, but can be used if the data files somehow become corrupted.

Other Features - Rebuild File Index

Although it is unlikely that the data files used by AoI will become corrupted, there are no guarantees with computers. If something unexpected should cause army files to become unusable, this action will attempt to rebuild the indexes used to manage the files, and may repair the damaged files.