team formations?

[CalamitousCosmonaught]

allo'

newbie very keen to learn and get invested in Malifaux, still trying to figure the things out that I need to know and having trouble finding exactly what I need to know. For now I'd like to know what a standard team consists of. I've seen mention of multiple masters in games and the rule book states encounter sizes to be determined before play. I'm finding it a bit confusing to figure out but for now am mainly interested in building a team that synergises well enough to play after ive crafted and painted my team after purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm also getting the feeling I can't find out more about characters/monsters and what works with what without first making a purchase but would like to be informed before buying.

[MeatAndFauxtatoes]

Generally most people play a game with a size of 50 soulstones. After that has been decided the strategy and scheme pool is decided and each player declares which faction they will be playing, then both players build a team specifically to achieve the strategy and schemes.

So basically, there isn't a typical list as it depends on the strategy and schemes. 

[mythicFOX]

Welcome to Malifaux!

The normal game size is 50ss (points) using a single master.  When starting out most players play smaller games than this to get the hang of things.  Generally for a 50ss game you will have about eight models each in play performing a mix of roles from killing the enemy to running objectives for you.

There's a beginners guide and lot of information on; https://pullmyfinger.wikispaces.com/ about what models do and how the game works etc. There are also podcasts, especially https://schemesandstones.podbean.com/ which go through specific masters and how they play / tactics etc.

You can also keep asking in questions on here, we don't bite (disclaimer; some of the Gremlin players may bite).

 

<modhat> Moved the thread to the general Malifaux discussion area. </mod hat>

 

[Carecalmo]

Be sure to check out Wyrd's own Malifaux site: https://www.wyrd-games.net/malifaux

They have information on the setting and the different factions, but they also have a page dedicated to each master in the game with bits of text about their place in the setting, their crew box and how they play. They also have each master's stat card there, so you can take a look at the abilities and actions available to them.

I would advise you to find a master that appeals to you, read their pulllmyfinger page and maybe ask here or in a faction subforum for recommendations. In general, each master has a theme shared with a henchman (generally from the same crew box) as well as some enforcers and/or minions. These usually work well together, though there are exceptions. But there are also models paired with no specific master or theme but just part of the faction itself. In my experience, some of these general models mitigate the weaknesses a given themed crew may have, and you may want advice on what models help shore up the weaknesses of your chosen master.

As mythicFOX says, feel free to ask away!  

[Adran]

You build your crew after you know what the mission is, rather than  before hand, so that's why it can be hard to see what a standard list looks like, because there isn't a standard game.

Once you have selected your leader (typically a master, especially at 50 ss, but could be a henchman in smaller sized games) you then can hire any model from the faction, and up to two mercenaries. A few masters also have other extra models they can hire. So when you are looking at the product in the shop they will have a coloured faction logo, and anything with the same faction logo can work together. (A few boxes have 2 faction logos, this is because they contain duel faction models who can be hired by either faction).

The resources page on the wyrd website is good to get a run down of the masters, and Pull my finger is one of the best resources for giving a summery of what any model does (Although I don't think we, as a community, have updated it for the book 4 stuff yet). .