Retribution of Scyrah

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a bit of a miniature painter as well as a traditional role playing fool. One of the games I own a lot of figures for but don't play is Warmachine. I've owned several sets since it first came out at Gen Con many many moons ago. Some of them I still haven't painted. When I'm not playing a game I'm not as pressed to paint something for it as I would be if I knew I was going to be using it in an actual campaign.

What does that have to do with anything? In terms of gaming, its easy to get bogged down into a standard. Elves are always aloof mysterious masters of arcane magics better off forgotten for one. While there are many of those elements present in the Ios force known as the Retribution of Scyrah, they are also some of the most technologically advanced people in the setting.

In some aspects, this makes sense to me. Progression is usually based on a timeline. Elves are most often some of the oldest races in a setting. Too often it's an elf sitting in a tree picking his teeth like some hill folk with a sense of serenity about him. Warmachine takes the Iosian people in a different path. They have power. They have technology. They have advancements undreamed of by men. Their war machines are slick and sleek and things of wonder to behold. they are not lunkers and stumblers spewing forth black smoke and steam onto the battlefield.

By making this contrast but keeping other elements, such as having a small population, being fairly isolated from the mainland, and other bits, the authors are able to take the standard with the fantastic and make the Retribution of Scyrah something different.

When making your races in your setting, look at see what the Halflings in Eberron are like, peak around at the Skaven in Warhammer, noisy about at the Tyranids in Warhammer 40K. There might be something worth stealing for your own campaign.