Hordes is the name of a 30mm tabletop miniature wargame produced by Privateer Press, announced at Gen Con 2005 and released on April 22, 2006. Although a completely standalone game in its own right, Hordes was designed as a companion to Warmachine, Privateer Press' flagship miniatures game. The games are 100% compatible, and share much of the same rules set, although the most important mechanic - fury for Hordes and focus for Warmachine - remains unique to each. Hordes forces and Warmachine forces often face off against each other both on the tabletop and in the background fiction. The games share the same setting, the Iron Kingdoms, with much of the Hordes storyline taking place in the wild areas away from the 'civilized' areas where Warmachines major action takes place. Hordes won the 2006 Origins Award for Miniatures Game or Expansion of the Year. Gameplay As in Warmachine, gameplay in Hordes is supposed to promote offensive play; defensive play is possible, but the spirit of the game (as laid out in Page 5 of Primal) encourages "testosterone-laden aggression". Play is centered on Warlocks and their attendant Warbeasts, who may be supported by units and solos. Warbeasts generate fury (an equivalent to focus which is allocated or not at the start of your turn), which can be controlled by Warlocks and used to fuel their spells, but if left unchecked can cause the beasts to go into an uncontrolled frenzy, potentially even attacking their allies or controlling warlock. Hordes is similar to Warmachine in most aspects; if you already know how to play Warmachine then you already know the basics of Hordes. The core mechanic is the same as its companion game Warmachine: roll two six-sided dice, add one stat, and compare the total to an opposing stat. Additionally, almost all rules mechanics from Warmachine are replicated in Hordes. Together, the two rules sets form a single rules superset, which consists mostly of rules common to both games, and partially of mechanics specific to one game or the other. The game-specific mechanics are generally those used by warlocks and warbeasts for Hordes, and warcasters and warjacks for Warmachine, while those rules covering generally how models move, act, and how their actions are resolved are common to both. Replacing the Warcaster as the commander of the army is a Warlock, a powerful magic-user who draws upon the collective Fury of his warbeasts