Eclipse

THIS. One of the many things I'm grateful about the game is THIS. Some games put emphasis on changing things often to 'shake the meta' and create a false sense of novelty. I've always found that off-putting, however - this shows that either there isn't enough depth in the content, or the company simply wants to control the player database (often, for financial reasons). Malifaux however provides not only depth, but a wide variety and a lot of replayability without easily getting stale. And again, we're getting changes to balance out things and bring up beautiful, but no so competitive models up a notch. Just wanted to say: thanks, Wyrd.

To be honest, if painting minis before playing with them is your priority, I would add to a crew you would like to paint and/or play next. On the other hand, if crew performance and scheme/strat coverage is very important to you as well, how about playing a few games with Brewie first? Then you can decide what are the strengths and weaknesses when you play him and what crew you help cover that.

Eh, what about a female version of Yan Lo that chose to thread Another Path?

Welcome to Malifaux! Breakdown of the models you have so far: ARCANISTS - Original Ramos box - DEAD MAN'S HAND (check with your opponent if they are OK for you to play this discontinued Master) - Electric Creation - 2 Mechanical Spiders - Marcus M3E starter (Master, Chimera) - Blessed of December - Mei Feng (Master, Foundry) - Rail Golem - 6 Metal Gamin - 1 Fire Gamin - Arcane Effigy NEVERBORN - Scorpius? Not sure if this one is NB in the new edition. Regardless, you can take it in a crew with Marcus. - Stuffed Doll OUTCASTS (These are kind of a waste at the moment, at least the models look great...) - Ashes & Dust - Lazarus TEN THUNDERS - Mei Feng (Master, Foundry) - Misaki M2E starter box (Master, Last Blossom) - Yan Lo M3E starter box (Master, Ancestor/Retainer) - Dawn Serpent As the guys above said, you can make either Arcanist or Ten Thunders crews with the models you have. For Arcanists: Mei Feng - brawler, very mobile; Marcus - support, very mobile, flexible; Ramos if your opponent agrees to it (there are rules for the Master, but he is officially out of the game this edition) - summoner if I recall correctly. For TT: Mei Feng again, and she can take all her Foundry models over from Arcanists with her; Misaki - assassin, very mobile; Yan Lo - grows over time, favors having Ancestors in the crew. I used to buy tons of models that I can't or won't play simply because I want to build and/or paint them, but i don't really have as much time anymore. For this reason I'd suggest you hold off on buying new models unless you really, REALLY want to build/paint some models (might be worth it ONLY if there is a clearance sale and your wallet won't die from the exertion). The next thing would be to choose one of the Masters above + some keyword & faction models built to play; download the Malifaux M3E app so you can have easier time making crews and games; and finally read the rules and get a few games in with other people. This way you will know if you like some models more than others; or if there is a particular playstyle you prefer; or if there are some gaps in your lists and you want to explore a specific crew further, getting more models. Also of note, while I would not suggest this for the first few games, keep in mind that you have the option to hire a second Master that is in the same faction. If you want to keep getting models and/or supplementing specific crew/keywords, it could be useful to check out channels such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfNG7kZrakW5qJfmteYfNIw Naturally, we're here for advice too Good luck

That's an interesting take. So in your opinion this experience could end up changing the dynamic between the two, like it happened with Eddie and Venom? I'd love to see a similar development, (surprisingly) I'm a huge fan. I do see evidence to support the idea that Masters can regain control. [SPOILERS] You mentioned Shenlong, who decided to go back to his roots after the Dragon retreated from his consciousness to recoup power. Misaki overcame her father, Molly got used to living as the zombie girl, Asami took hold of her newfound powers and began to steer her own wheel, Ophelia dragged her family through hard times, McCabe and McMourning found new roles after losing their previous occupation, Mei Feng, Von Schill and Cooper emerged more focused on their goals after getting injured, etc. Human being are surprisingly strong in the face of adversity and manage to adapt to very harsh conditions and developments in their life, it's sometimes I love seeing portrayed. As far as the Tyrants are concerned however, I'm not entirely convinced. They are practically immortal, even if not at the height of their power, while the mortal residents of the world have finite lives, sanity, emotions, resources... Getting struck down by Fate and getting back up again can grind down even a great person, changing them often forever, bringing them in another direction than what they desired. And don't get me wrong, the Tyrants so far have been defeated in their bids for power, but from my perspective that's just proof in favor of 'lose the battle, win the war'. The sun is setting on this dying, dystopian world. Who knows, maybe things will end up the Disney way, 'happily ever after', all the hardcore bad guys have been taken care of, all or most of the other cast find their awkward place in the world and some semblance of happiness. But as the saying goes, Bad Things Happen in Malifaux, and worst for many may have yet to come. Regardless, until the final curtain drops, the show must go on. Tyrants have to lose for the story to go on, important characters have to pick themselves up however they can and give their example to those that follow by moving forward. And, regardless of how and if it ends, I will enjoy being part of the ride nonetheless

After this change reverting back to how things were would be invalidate the whole story process. I really was hoping that Lynch would take control of the dark power, forsake his totem and become more powerful on his own - a true Master, not a patsy. Instead we got the reverse, and that is somewhat difficult to digest. Things seem to always go in favor of the Tyrants (and the Hungering Darkness wanted to become one). IMO there is only one direction now, struggle for ultimate control and devour the other; either Lynch reverses his fortune, or HD takes over completely. Ah, of course, story-wise it might take quite a while for us to get there...

So to summarize StaffLong, he is more of a control piece than a support piece now. The support is instead spread around via Style upgrades on friedly Monk models, giving them some flexibility in terms of what they can accomplish when they next activate. This also means that probably you should always keep a Style upgrade or two free at hand, to avoid being too predictable and to keep the opponent guessing. On first glance, Stafflong appears to be a short-range bubble support and tarpit model based on his ranges, but that is deceptive. He has a lot of board presence and reach through the combination of Shifting Form and Great Teacher; in fact, I would love to use the latter with a Samurai or two as it does -not- specify whether the Minions in that aura must be Monk or not. Years of Practice gives additional (fair!) board control and favors using it on Monks. Finally The River's Wrath adds more offensive control with potentially board-wide reach via it's novel Monk Pillars (TM) concept. The triggers on this action are both great and as a whole it really incentivizes the player to use some otherwise uninspiring Monk models. In terms of combat abilities, he is not that great unless you use an aggressive combat style with him. However, he is not meant to be a combat beast - his 2" range provides board control just like his other abilities and the Academic superiority aura can be a great counter to crews reliant on passing around upgrades (Jack Daw, McCabe, Von Schill, etc). I'm not sure yet how he would impact summoning upgrades, though, if at all. Overall, I like this new version. It allows him to capitalize on thematic models more while still keeping some level of independence from them, if necessary. Additionally, StaffLong is different in the sense that while he does not dial up key models to 11 or 12. He instead allows other models to shine more while avoiding the danger of putting all his eggs in one basket. He has power, but it is less domineering, more subtle. How much? I guess time will tell. As far as the Four Winds Golem is concerned, what are your thoughts? I can't really wrap my head around the model, but it definitely feels more like a model I would take in a Sandeep crew.

I came back to take a second look at OyabunSaki and it's still a great both artistically and mechanically. The abilities mesh and flow well together and I probably have yet to discover more interesting ways to use them. Her look is great, as mentioned before (I think?) she looks like one of the Oiran/Kunoichi (and that's one of my most beloved models in the game, extremely beautiful, hands down, hard to contest). I'm really lad to see that not all of them are 100% subjugated and all the changes tie up with the story pretty well.

All evidence to support either option has been succinctly disposed of.

I haven't played Lucius in years now, but the great new title and the fact that he shares a box with Nexus made me order the box. I'm thinking of playing him in this version as second fiddle to his old lieutenant, Dashel. Oh, how the roles have turned!

Oh boy, I really needed some time to calm down before writing this because my initial impression and response would have been pretty heated, and not in a positive way. I'll now try to reiterate the whole process of what went through my head today, phase after phase. If you do read all of my ranting, I hope at least you get a good laugh from it Let's start with the stats, and right off the bat, things were rough. 5/4, None For Me traded for the most massive Succumbed we have seen so far... Dude, like, what happened? Huggy got your Brilliance Pipe? Well, looking at the attack action on the back, I thought this might be the case, because he is just a massive Brillshaper/Illuminated now; the attack is the same word for word, isn't it? No, wait, is he actually a massive Depleted? With a low Wp of 4 and, look at that, retaining Walk 4? Oh, and the new shared model is an Enfrocer, Amalgam (?? Whatever) Depleted?? Hold on. TIME OUT. So I took some time to mull over my initial impression, and then got back to thinking. Soooo, Lynch is clearly even more of a gimp Master now. Hungering Darkness has always been the real Leader, both in the story and oftentimes during games, and this version seems to state that clearly. GimpLynch has poor stats and an Illuminated's melee attack only now, so it can only be a support model. Well, that doesn't sound too different from Lynch1; then probably he has some abilities for, well, support, right? Let's read the rest of the card. Once again, Consumed by Darkness makes Huggy the Leader, which is how it should be. So Gimpch has 2 AP then; that's OK, I haven't gotten much use out of Lynch1 before past a Friendly Handshake or two to spread Brilliance and get a bit of extra movement from Mr. Tannen (I later realized that since he retains the station keyword, he still has 3 AP - 2 or 3 AP didn't seem like a big deal anyway). Succumbed+5 - I hope he gets to use this for something useful, because I'm not going to plan sticking him in melee with these stats, that's for sure. Any interactions with... Oh, it HEALS Huggy by the amount. Yay. And hurts Gimpch for the same. Ugh. Rig the Deck +2, standard. Luck Thief? Hell, I don't need to bring Gwynneth now, we have another Luck Thief to tank for us! Not really, but let's carry on. Delirium, sounds familiar. Blah-blah... Tannen? So I don't need Tannen? Because I sure ain't taking him for the cheating aura without any synergy, and this aura does not stack. Bummer. What else, Tacticals? Free action, put up an aura for Brilliance. This is nice, spread some Brilliance around - not calculated like Lynch1, but still ok. AoE heal once per turn, this is balanced and useful, spread some more Brilliance. Dragged into the Dark, PLACE a model... Wait, so now I don't need Mr. Graves anymore either, as he kind of sucks and I mostly take him for the push on Turn 1? Ah, wait, I'm not summoning the minions with this version either, so I kinda only need a Beckoner or two now from the lot of them? Could I... errr.. summon the new model again? It's an Enforcer Depleted? Hold on. TIME OUT. Coming back yet again to Gimpch, it was time to make a final evaluation and try to imagine what he would do and how he can be enhanced or used to enhance other models. I imagined something like what @OracleToronto mentions: a 'support beacon' and, potentially, a scheme/placement disruption piece if he survives to later turns. However, I would not use him in a Honeypot-heavy crew to enhance the bubble; to me he provides extended reach for models as well as a very important 3rd AP for Huggy (which translates to potentially even more reach). Coupled with the ability to spread Brilliance amongst nearby friendly models this means that taking some Ten Thunders OoK models could be a good move to provide flexible list building as well as specialized models that can cover the thematic crew's gaps. And quite frankly, that's a good thing; while the new edition does a great job in stitching a lot of crews together mechanically, some thematic crews have easily exploitable playstyles (case in point: bunch up in a bubble to use auras) and therefore end up weaker than others. Something that worries me a little is that (free) marker (including Destructible markers) placement and removal/switching seems to have become quite prevalent in M3E during recent releases. To specify: Actions like 'remove a(n enemy) marker and make a friendly marker instead because skill'; or abilities such as 'this model exists, so it can just remove or place markers for free from very far away'. The Honeypot crew still lacks any reliable way to address this, and it might be true for the faction as a whole even after this book (I have to check all of the new models/titles to see if that's correct). Another thing that I've noticed is that (at least IMO) the new titles go two ways: either a complete change in playstyle for the model (while still keeping some core crew mechanics) or a fine-tuning of the model to perform the same role, but in a different way. In fact, I'd argue that quite a few Masters have become a better representation of themselves than the first iteration, both thematically and mechanically. What's more, I believe that you could take one version of most Masters, streamline and tune it a bit and consider it ready for M4E (not that we need it just yet). In a sense that's a good thing: an indicator that a better sense of the correct design and flavor has been groomed since the transition to M3E that has led to superior options and potential for skilled plays. Speaking about Lynch specifically: - Lynch1 in M3E feels to me is a toned down version of M2E's Woke Up with a Hand build combined with his third limited upgrade. He doesn't really feel like a Master during his activations, but more like a souped-up (dare I say fat 6ss?) support piece, with minor conditional short-range nuking. The added potential for summoning a thematic Minion is cute, but so far has not worked for me in the two or three games I've played with the crew since coming back to Malifaux recently. It is a nice upside to capitalize on spending a lot of resources up to this point, but not something to plan around. Overall the crew feels less hard-hitting and more controlling in this edition, which I also enjoy as a playstyle (although it has obvious weaknesses, as mentioned before). Lynch1 also is one of the first Masters in M3E I got to know that features minor accidental summoning of thematic models; you will find a loooot more of those in the Titles releasing now with the new book. And that is not a bad thing; have a lot of beautiful models from a given crew/theme and don't know what to do with them? Well, there you go, at least summon some of them, so you can hire more worthwhile models in the main crew. I like how changes to summoning and the addition of Pass tokens have enabled this, both making obsolete models conditionally playable and giving more options during crew building and play. - Gimpch on the other hand is focused heavily on support and, if need be, can be used as an off-tank/tarpit for a while. The Endless Hunger upgrade is really sweet, a mix of both of Lynch's M2E original limited upgrades, granting Huggy the extra resurrects as well as the third AP. To be fair, I might prefer this version despite the degrading stats and lacking offense as it provides more flexibility overall (in theory, this is all theoryfauxing 🤠). Kitty would be a core crew model in this version IMO for the initial Brilliance stacking, especially if using OoK models. Last but not least, first ACreedLucuis and now Gimpch get creepy-clawy hands. Where have all the proper Victorian gentlemen gone? Apparently only English Ivan is left to elegantly tip his dandy hat to friend and foe alike 😪

I like how Shenlong comes back to his roots after (SPOILER!) the Dragon's influence subsides and takes on a more active teacher role. In fact, I would be curious how useful he would be as a secondary Master with one or two more monks hired into the main crew and wielding different styles On another note, thanks for the spoiler ; but would it be possible to see the back of his card as well?

Hooooly flapping gums, this version of Ivan is amazing.

I've soooo been waiting for this.

I know this has been the case in the years before, I just would prefer if this time Wyrd themselves came out with everything. Spoiler seasons for other games like, say, Magic the Gathering, feature a buildup over some time via different media and then the rest of the new stuff is dumped in the end of the reveal timeframe. This way the players see all the product, plan purchases, etc. I know it's not a perfect comparison. And of course, there could be impediments to this. Seeing as Wyrd is on the smaller side of companies as far as I'm aware, so they could be short-handed. Additionally, more spoilers on Waldo's Weekly could await us in the future, providing content there. And on that note, I'd like to congratulate Wyrd on a spoiler campaign well done. They included different media, content creators, spaced out the reveals so far well. Had me speculating for a good while who would be paired with whom. This ties in well because I was able to find a playmate after more than two years of dead Malifaux, draw enough interest to stage small demo play and perhaps draw another player or two in. Having all this buzz was really useful as it drew in interest, saved me time when talking about crews and helped people start learning and theorycrafting without me holding their hand. It also helps show that the game is alive and the company keeps doing more and more new things to spice things up while keeping (at least) the entry level quite low for a miniature game.