Battleground: Warmachine

 A variant for a Warmachine-like feel for Battleground
Warmachine is owned by Privateer Press http://privateerpress.com/warmachine

                          

WARMACHINE is set in the Iron Kingdoms, an environment that combines the best of traditional fantasy with steam-power and gunpowder. Across the realm, ancient rivalries among nations are exploding into all-out conflict, setting the stage for WARMACHINE and other Iron Kingdom products.
In WARMACHINE, players take on the role of an elite soldier-sorcerer known as a warcaster. While a warcaster is a formidable force on the battlefield, their true strength is in their ability to magically control and coordinate the actions of their mighty warjacks—steam-powered combat automatons that represent the pinnacle of military might in the Iron Kingdoms.
Each warjack is a fifteen foot tall ironclad behemoth, a coal-fired engine of destruction with a primitive magical brain. On its own a warjack is capable of only the most rudimentary actions, but when controlled by a warcaster its efficiency and deadliness increase dramatically.
WARMACHINE focuses on battles between warcasters and the titanic forces that they control. A game is fought with a warjack's thundering cannons, ripping iron-claws, and crushing hammer blows, as well as devastating spells wrought by the warcaster himself. When the dust settles, one side is victorious and the other is nothing but smoking scrap metal!

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In the BG:WM variant all Large and larger units are considered Warjacks (jacks). Any other unit may be considered a Warcaster by writing W on the card and paying the extra points (see below). All Warcasters are considered an elite type and have the elite limitation of 1 per 1000 points.

Warjacks - All Warjacks have these traits:
Gain a ranged attack of 14" equal to their engaged attack,  if they don't already have a ranged attack.
Stupid
Always considered to have the Close standing order unless direct controlled.
May be Augmented
Are immune to Pschological effects
Suffer a -1 to MC and # of attack dice if in the Yellow
Suffer a -2 to MC and # of attack dice if in the Red

Augment: It costs one command action to place an Augment on a warjack. This is signified by placing a die with a one on it on the card. Additional command actions may be spent to raise the augmentation to as high as six, just turn the die to show the current augmentation level. Augmentation is stored permanently on the jack's card until used. During the appropriate phase a player may spend up to one point of the jack's current augmentation on each ability to raise it by one:
Add a die to the attack dice, add one to the weapon skill, strength, defense skill, or toughness.
also, one point may be spent to add +1 MC to the jack.  No Command card effects or Warcaster bonuses stack with augmented stats.

Throw - If a jack is engaged with another jack, compare the wounds caused by each and if one of the Jack's caused more damage it may choose to throw the other jack. Measure from the mid point adjacent to the throwing jack and place that midpoint S times the number of wounds caused in excess of the wounds it suffered, in any orientation desired, away from its starting position. If it lands on top of another unit count the number of center points on top of the other card, that is the number of Strength 6 hits the unit suffers, roll for damage. No cards or augmentation may be played during throw damage resolution.  If multiple jacks are attacking one jack, each jack compares against the defender. Only if one jack has caused more wounds than any other jack may it throw another jack.
Example:Two jacks are attacking one jack. the defending jack does one point of damage and each of the attacking jacks does two points of damage. No one jack caused more wounds than any other jack, therefore no jack is thrown.

Warcasters - Warcasters are identified by writing a "W" on the front of any non-Large or larger unit and paying 150% of the regular cost. In all other respects the unit retains all of its other abilities. For 175% of its regular cost a unit may be made a Warcaster with Black Powder Weaponry. During the Movement and Command phase unengaged warcaster may direct control any warjack that is within 5". During the combat phase a warcaster may "direct" one warjack within 5" and grant it (+0)/+1/+1 and +1/+0 (just write a big +1), this blessing lasts for the entire combat phase.

Black Powder Weaponry - Any unit may be given black powder weapons which have a range of 7" and the same stats as the unit if engaged, for 125% of the regular cost. A unit with a Close standing order will not fire its black powder weapons.

Conclusion:
Try a 1000 or 1500 point game with just warjacks and warcasters first, then add a few units and go with 2000+ points. As always with these variants, I can't guarantee that the points will still make for a balanced game, but it should at least be fun.

This variant is not a Warmachine simulation, there are too many flavorful things about that system to be adequately addressed here, but it should give you the feel and essence of Warmachine, with out all the expense and painting.