Do you prefer city games or country games?

[Wakshaani]

It might sound odd, but, there's a world of difference between a game set inside the city of Malifaux, which tends to be more like Victorian England-ish, and one set outside the walls, which tends to move into a "Weird Western" vibe. Obviously most games flip between the two, but, is there one that you personally prefer?

[-Loki-]

There's more variety than just those two. Within the city walls you've got areas like underground sewers and the quarantine zone to fight in. Outside the walls, you've got green rolling hills, the dank swamps of the Bayou, forests, snowy tundra, rocky hills, etc. Malifaux is actually quite a diverse setting.

I like playing in a variety of terrain. Keeps the game interesting when what you're fighting over changes.

[Wakshaani]

True, but I was talking more character than environment, here. A gunfighting settler-sort sticks out badly in Malifaux, for instance, while a struggling accountant with a head for Latin doesn't do well out in the scrublands.

 

But still a valid point! The diverse terrain is darned handy.

[-Loki-]

Well yeah, but that just adds layers to a good game. If you have an adventure that takes you into different locations, you'll have different characters that are out of place in different areas. That struggling accountant might be at home in the city under the watchful eye of the Guild Guard, but the rail worker with a limb made by Mei Feng might not be. When your group leaves the city, that rail worker is more comfortable but the accountant isn't happy about it.

Have the fatemaster twist things a bit so the game reacts to such things and you get a richer game for it.

[War Disciple]

My personal preference is for the city angle.  I think there's something more ominous about sticking something dangerous into supposedly "safe" settings, though many parts of Malifaux City can hardly be called safe.  I must admit that personally I'm fascinated by urban ruins and civilization's wreckage, and the city has no shortage of that kind of thing to set stories.

[GummyGator]

Funny, I never thought of cities as somewhere safe.  Then again growing up country adjacent might have something to do with that.  The mountains and valleys always seemed far more safe than the hustle bustle of the city.  People, man.  People are what you really got to watch out for.

[War Disciple]

9 hours ago, GummyGator said:

Funny, I never thought of cities as somewhere safe.

Well, it's a bit of an over-simplification, but one of the reasons cities evolved was a need for protection.  The thing is, you're absolutely right, the city isn't safe, and in Malifaux it isn't just the people.  But folks moved into Malifaux City and started acting as if they built it, as if they knew the place, as if there was nothing to worry about (just look at the illusion of protection that the Guild has tried so hard to maintain in Downtown).  There's more than a few stories that deal with the consequences of that kind of behaviour.

 

[Grimcleaver]

As much as I like the cowboy elements of Malifaux, they have always felt like trappings. The heart of Malifaux, for me, has always felt much more like Jack the Ripper's White Chapel mixed with Tim Burton steampunk.

So yeah, city.

[Cinnamon Bear]

I like the weird western vibe, but Under Quarantine made me a lot more interested in the city itself. If I can get a game going again, I'd like to have it start in the city and slowly move out to the Bayou. So a mix of country and city would be my preference.

[Ampers&nd]

I chose to start in a small town for the western vibe, and although I've had a few sessions in Malifaux and Ridley, most have taken place in the more rural areas, (and the river, and the bayou) and now my fated are in the outer wilds hiding from the guild, so I guess it looks like I prefer wilderness games, even though I didn't really plan it that way. time to go back to town! 

[valhallan42nd]

Give me more variety! The more, the better!

[Kobayashi]

Currently I'm building a board* that is more about expanding into the bayou. It should be a classic defunct Soulstone mine / line that was too close to the Bayou. And now the different factions wander off  to check what is the deal with the line or to retrieve the last cargo that was never delived.

As Gremlinplayer I try to stop the opposing force (or do soth. else), as 10 Thunders Player I just face the opposing crew for that sweet loot.

 

 

* building is here a stretch, it's a mixture of plastcraft games colored**, GW Forests*** and a MDF Train, one cart and tracks and a matt
** 1 Trainstation, 1 Trainhalt, 2 Railway Propsets, 1 Bayou Walkway and 1 Bayou Cottage