History TabletopGame / IronKingdoms

* AwesomeByAnalysis: While most feats are often described as a burst of arcane energy, Supreme Kommandant Irusk's feat is described as basically him being Sun Tzu. Even writing a [[TheArtOfWar book.]]

''Iron Kingdoms'' is a fantasy setting created by the gaming company [[http://privateerpress.com/ Privateer Press]]. Originally designed as a campaign setting for the 3rd edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', it is now known chiefly as the setting for the two miniatures-based tabletop strategy games ''WARMACHINE'' and ''HORDES''.

** Originally, Cryxian satyxis wield bladed, hooked whips that resembled Ivy's weapon in ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]''. Following a 2018 remold, their weapons resemble nothing so much as a spiked bicycle chain with a meathook at the end. In real life, either weapon would be both insanely difficult to wield and insanely hazardous to the wielder's health.

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Field mechaniks and arcane mechaniks tend to go into battle wielding an absurdly large wrench, which is ostensibly intended for use in warjack repair. Cryxian satyxis wield bladed, hooked whips (somewhat similar in appearance to Ivy's weapon in ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]''), which in real life would be both insanely difficult to wield and insanely hazardous to the wielder's health. Mage hunter assassins wield an over-sized scimitar attached to an eight to ten foot length of chain. Their preferred method of attack? [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon They whip their targets at the chain's full length.]] This gives the model ''four'' inches of reach when attacking, in a game where pole-arms only give two inches of reach.

* BlackComedyBurst: [[PigMan Farrow]] troops have the Special Rule which allows warbeasts in base contact to eat their corpses, healing a small ammount of damage. It's name? [[spoiler: Bacon.]]

** Cygnar: Technical/Ranger: Cygnar is almost exclusively a ranged army, with everything having some level of ranged capability. Consequently, a lot of their abilities and spells are tailored to buffing that to ridiculous levels. Unfortunately Cygnar units often have issues with survivability. Cygnaran warjacks tend to be middling, well-rounded, while warcasters are generally support-based/

* A new faction known as the ''Grymkin'' have joined the wars coming straight from hell with a army of Halloween monsters to ruin the creations of Menoth and for allowing them to invade Caen they have gifted Zevanna Agha the ability command Grymkin armies so she can stop the Infernals who are classic demons from another hell in Urcaen from invading Caen.

* ''Llael'', a [[TheKingdom small but rich nation]] whose alchemists hold the monopoly on blasting powder, situated between Khador and Cygnar. With little else in the way of mineral wealth or military might, a woefully inefficient government, and no actual ruler, it came as no surprise to anyone when Khador took half of it over. Then the Protectorate took half of what was left in their Northern Crusade. Cygnar is moving back to the kingdom, after the marriage between King Julius and Llael's last living member of the Llaese Royal Family.

* BlackComedy: [[PigMan Farrow]] troops have the Special Rule "[[BaconAddiction Bacon]]," which allows warbeasts to eat their corpses, healing a small ammount of damage

* BlackComedy: [[PigMen Farrow]] troops have the Special Rule "[[EverythingsBetterWithBacon Bacon]]," which allows warbeasts to eat their corpses, healing a small ammount of damage

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Khards are unapologetically the Immoren equivalent of Russians, Umbreans are Romanians, Skirov and Kossites are Eastern Europeans with a mix of Scandinavians, Caspians are basically Americans with British accents, Midlunders are Northern British, Thurians are Irish, Tordorans are a blend of Spain, Italy, and Portugal, Ryn are French with Welsh naming, Idrians are Bedouins, Radiz are Romani, the trollkin are a mix of Scots and Native Americans, the Tharn are pre-Roman Celts, the skorne are Japanese (when it comes to their armor, iconography and language) with a few signs of Persian Empire, the Morridanes, Arjun and gatormen are stereotypically Louisianian (complete with [[RaginCajun Cajun accents]] and [[HollywoodVoodoo bokors]] in the case of the gatormen) and the Orgoth are infernal-worshipping Vikings. According to WordOfGod, the Bolotov are based on the Sámi and (to a lesser extent) the Picts and Ainu, the Yhari-Umbreans are the Alans with some Mongol and Eastern European influences, and the Olgar are the Polynesians.

** The Menites are more of an InterfaithSmoothie; they worship the creator of humanity, Menoth, exclusively, and are the religion that Morrowans grew out of, making their religion an obvious counterpart to Judaism (complete with being a persecuted minority in strongly-Morrowan Cygnar). They also have elements of the more sinister side of Catholicism (their Scrutator priest-judges are heavily inspired by the Inquisition, and they really like burning heretics), and in the Protectorate, they have elements of Islam (they even recently converted the Idrians, the setting's resident [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Arab equivalents]]) and possibly Mormonism (forming a new nation in the desert after the rise of a new prophet and violent conflict with America-equivalent Cygnar).

** For a non-human equivalent, there's Greygore Boomhowler, one of the most notorious trollkin Fell Callers, a mercenary who dedicates himself to wenching his way across the world and who has had countless lovers of all races. Despite the fact that, as a trollkin (basically looking like an orc with elements of frog), he really couldn't be considered too handsome by most people. Greygore's appetite is not unusual; Bragg himself, the first Fell Caller, was such a prolific lover that it's said that all Fell Callers are blood-descendents of his. Meanwhile, stereotype holds that all Fell Callers do their best to spread their seed as far as possible -- even the relatively few female Fell Callers are just as lusty and eager to spawn. It's not necessarily TRUE (see Grissel Bloodsong, for one), but the very visible nature of the ones who do drowns out the SilentMajority.

* MagicKnight: Many warcasters and warlocks qualify as this, as do some other non-warcaster/lock named characters. Naturally, combining a spellcasting career with a melee-focused career will get you a character like this in the RPG. Combining Stone Sorcerer with a career like Knight or Man-At-Arms makes for a very durable tank-style character.

* PlotArmor: During Mark I and II, no one who has an in-game model have been killed. Any character who appeared to die, or actually did, either narrowly survived or came back to life somehow. Becoming a new "epic" version to show that they've changed. In Mark III, this safety net will be removed, averting this trope.

* WritersCannotDoMath: It has been noted that by casualty statistics everyone in Cygnar has died already... twice.
** Did we mention it holds about half the of total human population (about 20 million humans, with Cygnar holding 9)?

* ''Cygnar'', the largest and most technologically advanced of the Iron Kingdoms, and considered (by its inhabitants, anyway) to be [[TheFederation the most lawful and just]] of them as well.

* ''Llael'', a [[TheKingdom small but rich nation]] whose alchemists hold the monopoly on blasting powder, situated between Khador and Cygnar. With little else in the way of mineral wealth or military might, a woefully inefficient government, and no actual ruler, it came as no surprise to anyone when Khador took half of it over. Then the Protectorate took half of what was left in their Northern Crusade.

* BackToBackBadasses: Khador's Great Bears of Gallowswood are a trio that fight in this manner.

* BaconAddiction: Certain Thornfall Alliance units have the special ability "Bacon!" which heals friendly units in base-to-base contact when they die.

* ''Llael'', a [[TheKingdom small but rich nation]] whose alchemists hold the monopoly on blasting powder, situated between Khador and Cygnar. With little else in the way of mineral wealth or military might, a woefully inefficient government, and no actual ruler, it came as no surprise to anyone when Khador took it over.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Khards are unapologetically the Immoren equivalent of Russians, Umbreans are Romanians, Skirov and Kossites are Eastern Europeans with a mix of Scandinavians, Caspians are basically Americans with British accents, Midlunders are Northern British, Thurians are Irish, Tordorans are a blend of Spain, Italy, and Portugal, Ryn are French with Welsh naming, Idrians are Bedouins, the trollkin are a mix of Scots and Native Americans, the Tharn are pre-Roman Celts, the skorne are Japanese (when it comes to their armor, iconography and language) with a few signs of Persian Empire, the gatormen are stereotypically Louisianian (complete with [[RaginCajun Cajun accents]] and [[HollywoodVoodoo bokors]]) and the Orgoth are infernal-worshipping Vikings.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: At the EldritchAbomination level; a dragon's true form is just a sentient crystal called an athanc, but this crystal possesses nigh-RealityWarper powers. And they're freaking huge.

* OurGhoulsAreDifferent: Genzouls, degenerate undead skorne cannibals often found in desolate wilderness regions. They are afflicted with karovoul, a ravening hunger that causes a compulsion for cannibalism.

* TheButcher: That of Khardov, Orsus Zoktavir.

* ElvesVsDwarves: Fairly common amongst the various factions, most explicitly between the steampunk-inspired WARMACHINE factions and the Primal Powers of HORDES. Amusingly enough, averted by the setting's ''actual'' elves and dwarves: the elves hate humans, while the dwarves don't feel particularly strongly one way or the other.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Khards are unapologetically the Immoren equivalent of Russians, Umbreans are Romanians, Skirov and Kossites are Eastern Europeans with a mix of Scandinavians, Caspians are basically Americans with British accents, Midlunders are Northern British, Thurians are Irish, Tordorans are a blend of Spain, Italy, and Portugal, Ryn are French with Welsh naming, Idrians are Bedouins, the trollkin are a mix of Scots and Native Americans, the Tharn are Celts, the skorne are Japanese (when it comes to their armor, iconography and language) with a few signs of Persian Empire, the gatormen are stereotypically Louisianian (complete with [[RaginCajun Cajun accents]] and [[HollywoodVoodoo bokors]]) and the Orgoth are infernal-worshipping Vikings.

* {{Determinator}}: Asheth Magnus. See TheUnfettered, below. Karchev the Terrible is another prime example of this. After losing his arms and legs in a disastrous military operation, he still ''demanded'' to be put back on the front lines to put his warcaster talent to use for Khador. He proved this at the final hearing to decide whether he should return to active duty - to convince the board that he could still fight, he directed a Juggernaut warjack to charge into the room, race towards the large, marble table the officials were sitting at and cleave it in two with the 'jack's axe. [[BadAss Then basically asking them if they still thought he couldn't serve his country.]]

* BadAss: Pretty much every named character. Even some of the {{Mooks}} are portrayed this way in the fluff.

* AppropriatedAppellation: When the Iosans still ruled much of central Immoren, before the Abyss was created, they called the primitive skorne godless. The skorne took it as a compliment, in the belief that the Iosan pantheon pampered the elves, making them weak and dependent on the gods.

* DragonsAreDemonic: In this setting, dragons are the equivalent of {{Eldritch Abomination}]s. They do not need food, water or air, and do not breed as other species do. They also radiate a mutagenic effect known as the Blight that gradually transforms the landscape and mutates creatures around them into their servants.

* ElvesVsDwarves: Fairly common amongst the various factions, most explicitly between the steampunk-inspired WARMACHINE factions and the Primal Powers of HORDES. Amusingly enough, averted by the setting's ''actual'' elves and dwarves: the elves hate everyone, while the dwarves don't feel particularly strongly one way or the other.

* {{Bald Of|Evil}} {{Well Intentioned Extremis|t}}m: Most of the Retribution of Scryah's basic troops and several of their commanders.