Hordes is a 30mm tabletop miniature wargame produced by Privateer Press, announced at Gen Con 2005 and released on April 22, 2006.

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.

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 to cast spells and heal damage.

Six factions native to the Iron Kingdoms make up the armies of Hordes: A collection of various troll breeds, banding together to push back both the civilized nations of Immoren and the forces of the wild from their territories.

The Troll Axer, Impaler, and Bouncer fall into the former category, specializing in melee, ranged, and defensive roles respectively, while the Pyre, Winter, and Slag Trolls can add fire, cold, and corrosion effects to either their melee or ranged attacks, making both groups fairly versatile to field.

Finally the advent of Metamorphosis saw the addition of "Mulg the Ancient" to the Trollkin's ranks, the oldest and most powerful of Dire Trolls.

The druids' magical power is easily matched by physical prowess of the Tharn, who are able to call upon the Devourer Wurm to warp their bodies into amalgamations of beast and man before throwing themselves against their enemies.

With a penchant for wolves the Circle employs the two-headed Argus and bipedal Gorax as their living light warbeast choices, with the Woldwatcher and Woldwyrd representing the elemental constructs.

Built on a philosophy of pain they have turned the act of torture into an art form, documenting in exacting detail their own physiology as well as those of the various beasts that they have encountered and enslaved in their homeland.

Organized into castes and split into various warring houses, Skorne society is built upon the backs of countless slaves, both humanoid and animal.

A very organized, militaristic faction, their troops are highly regimented and disciplined, focusing primarily on melee combat with relatively few ranged choices.

Arguably the slowest of the Hordes factions, the Skorne excel at regimented, brick-style combat, with hardened melee troops and beasts forming a wall in front with ranged and support units behind, but whereas the trolls specialize in defense and endurance, the Skorne specialize in offense and damage output, even at the expense of their own troops and beasts.

Most notably the Skorne have access to several abilities that can turn their losses into advantages, more than any other Hordes faction, giving them an edge in battles of attrition.

The energy emanating from the athanc shards, called blight, has both corrupting and mutational properties, which can be used to warp and twist others to the will of Everblight.

The three lessers to date, the Shredder, Stinger and winged Harrier, serve primarily as expendable shock troops or damage sinks.

Additionally, the Ravagore provides a balance of melee power and artillery-like support with its fiery breath, and the winged Seraph specializes in ranged combat and maneuverability.

This changed with the release of Hordes Mk.II, which presented updated rules that gave the Carnivean and Ravagore the ability to grab and throw as well.

The lesser Grymkin are those wicked souls who end up in the wilds of Urcaen and are judged and transformed by the Defiers as an eternal punishment.

The Grymkin playstyle is based around punishing the opponent for taking certain actions and has a heavy emphasis on reaping corpses to power their abilities.

Others are small groups of tribal creatures willing to offer their strength of arms to others, whether in return for protection or supplies or to preserve their home territories from enemies.

Events can sweep up these minor players against their will as they are captured, enslaved, or coerced into doing the bidding of the factions that are more numerous or powerful.

Bog trogs emerge from the wetlands wielding barbed hooks and take advantage of their natural camouflage to ambush and surprise the enemy.

The year 2009 saw an open "Field Test" of the Hordes Mk II rules, hosted on Privateer Press' website.