advice for starting gremlins?

[Guildenstern]

I really like the Gremlins, the models appeal and their antics as well, but I'm still very very newb to malifaux so I'm just looking for any direction about a good set to start with and build from. I know, I know a common topic, sorry =/ it's just very confusing. Maybe someone has a thought about pros and cons of certain leaders? thanks for any help

[NobleSeven]

Honestly, a great start is The Kin crew box and the Bayou Boss crew box. This will give you a solid assortment of models to build with. Toss in a box of Slop Haulers and you can certainly hold your own. Simply expand from there.

[Phinn]

I am fairly new to Malifaux as well.

I purchased The Kin - Ophelia LaCroix' crew box. Ophelia is the most novice friendly Master in the game. The box contains models worth 33 Soulstones (without any upgrades).

My next purchase was Slophaulers. This will easily get you to 50 Soulstones with upgrades.

The models that I would like probably the most now are Lenny and 4 Bayou Gremlins - both are in The Bayou Boss - Somm'er Teeth Jones' Crew Box.

[Phinn]

I will talk about it a little bit more.

 

 

The best way to start is to purchase a crew box. There are currently 2 gremlin crew boxes available. The Bayou Boss - Somm'er Teeth Jones' crew box and The Kin - Ophelia LaCroix' crew box.

 

Somm'er Teeth Jones is support/summoning Master. His crew box contains 2 Skeeters (Totems), Lenny and 4 Bayou Gremlins.

 

Ophelia LaCroix is a master with high damage output. Her crew box contains 3 Young LaCroix (Totems), Francois LaCroix (Henchman), Rami LaCroix, Raphael LaCroix and Pere Ravage.

 

 

Since Somm'er Teeth Jones is a summoning master, you will need more Bayou Gremlins. Box of Bayou Gremlins contains 4 more. This should be enough.

You will probably want some way to heal them, because summoning drains their Wounds. This is why Slop Haulers are good with Somm'er Teeth Jones. Box of Slop Haulers contains 2 models.

But he works well with models from Ophelia LaCroix' crew box as well. Francois LaCroix is a Henchman with great damage potential, Rami LaCroix is a sniper and Raphael LaCroix is... nasty little bugger

 

Ophelia LaCroix doesn't need any particular models. Her upgrades though have a lot of synergy with models with Kin tag - Young, Francois, Raphael, Rami, Merris, Sammy LaCroix and Pere Ravage.

Lenny is an amazing model for her and her crew, because he grants to nearby models, thus making a lot of your triggers (Thinking Luck, Dumb Luck) automatic.

Bayou Gremlins are generally good models.

And Slop Haulers work very well with her as well.

[Phinn]

And here is the list of models that are currently available in plastic.

 

 

Masters

• Ophelia LaCroix - The Kin crew box
• Somm'er Teeth Jones - The Bayou Boss crew box
• Wong

 

Totems

• Young LaCroix (Ophelia Lacroix) - The Kin
• Skeeter (Somm'er Teeth Jones) - The Bayou Boss

 

Henchmen

• Francois LaCroix - The Kin

 

Enforcers

• Lenny - The Bayou Boss
• Pere Ravage - The Kin
• Rami LaCroix - The Kin
• Raphael LaCroix - The Kin
• Whiskey Golem - only GenCon 2014 Nightmare Edition (Nightmare Whiskey Golem)
• Burt Jebsen
• Gracie
• Merris LaCroix

 

Minions

• Bayou Gremlin (4) - both box and The Bayou Boss
• Hog Whisperer - comes with 1 bonus Piglet model
• Piglet (3 adorable models)
• Slop Hauler (2)
• War Pig

 

Peons

• Pigapult

 

 

Wong, Gracie and Burt Jebsen were released in plastic in 1,5 edition. Those models come with outdated cards (booklets). They were re-released in 2. edition with up to date cards.

 

 

There is also The Swamp Hag - Zoraida's crew box. Zoraida is dual faction gremlin/neverborn support master. Her crew box commes with neverborn models though.

[Omenbringer]

I would offer that Som'er is one of the most versatile Crews in the game and fairly potent as well. He can have a bit of a higher learning curve than other crews to pilot with consistency though. His largest barrier in my opinion is his higher cost of entry. As Laika states you are going to want at least one more pack of Bayou Gremlin's, Piglets (necessary for the "Truffle Shuffle" and for Lenny's Summoning), and the Slop Haulers. Other likely purchases are the Pigapult (great sniper piece that Lenny can feed consistently for free), Hog Whisperer and Francois LaCroix. Gracie and Bert Jebsen also come fairly highly recommended.

[DontStop]

If you look around online or at your local game stores you can sometimes find the old metal models for really cheap. I know I saw a bunch of cheap Gremlins on Discount Games INC. or Miniature Market awhile back. Just a little bit of information that might help you get started (if you are on a budget).

DS

[Brewmaster]

And when you're ready for the higher end of the learning curve, the last suggestion I'd make is the Zoraida box, followed by some waldegeists. She's tougher than S'omer to learn, but really rewarding in the (good) game-bending she can do.  

[ddot]

More bayou gremlins would be useful, but not imminently necessary. Somer can play without Family Tree, and in a way can play aggressively without it- summoning costs AP, as well as AP to heal (slop haulers, High Quality Mash upgrade). Bigger Hat Than You + Bayou Two-Card is a game-changer, but if you're spending all that AP to summon/heal, you may not give yourself too many shots at this. 

 

Could you bring 8 BGs at 50 pts without summoning? Easily. Sometimes being able to out-activate your opponent and hopefully burn through a few of their cards and/or stones before you bring out your big guns (Somer, Francois, enforcers).

[Omenbringer]

Out activation is a huge part of the gremlin arsenal.

 

I definitely agree that Bigger Hat than You combined with Bayou Two Card can be good, however Bigger Hat combined with Get Your Bro and Survival of the Fittest can be even nicer. The summoning can also contribute to the out activation tactic in a significant way.