Math Mathonwy

Arachnid swarms would fit the themes of Mei Feng and Ironsides just fine but no one hires them. You saying that they aren't bad goes kinda contrary to that. I mean, they certainly aren't bad when Summoned "for free" with Ramos! But if no one hires them, that suggests that they are overcosted or, in other words, bad. I mean, I don't think that there exists a model that is so bad that no one would take it if it were cheaper. If they had Ml 7 I think they would be more popular hires (they would also be unholy terrors but that's beside the point).

Stuff that ignores Hard to Wound is actually pretty rare. Viks, Levi, and Joss spring to mind (though in Joss' case it doesn't matter much). And Moon Shinobis which actually benefit from it but they aren't very common. I'm sure there are more but I can't think of them off hand. Armor is ignored a whole lot more. But it's a difficult subject to approach. HtW is great against certain damage tracks - I'd take HtW over +2 Df when fighting against something that does 2/5/7 damage. But if an attack causes Paralyze or even Slow after damaging that +2 Df would likely be way better. But really, I'm not sure that this is about powercreep in the absolute sense - I don't think that many people would suggest that Book 3 has somehow a higher power level than Books one and two. But average stats going up does put pressure on future stats going up as well. Myyrä's analysis of 8SS with attack stat of 5 being useless is kinda chilling in a way. If the defensive stats were on a wider scale, then maybe that wouldn't be true?

Do you hire Arachnid Swarms often? I never see anyone hire them (outside of Adran, naturally). They have built-in synergy with half the Masters of the Faction yet they aren't hired. Now, granted, their design is such that if they had a high Ml stat they would be absolutely horrible but the point remains. (just for comedic effect - I know what you mean and agree)

OTOH they are apparently really, really bad as a crew.

What's wrong with Willie's wheelbarrow? (don't own the model so honest question)

Does perspective really work like that? The hand and arm holding the sword looks really, really weird. Looking forward to turbans, though - way too few turbans in minis!

In Hell Dorado there's one Mercenary Officer (the same as a Master, basically) riding a horse with two profiles depending on which one is in charge - Don Quijote or Rocinante.

I'm not opposed to switching Trixiebelle for two Piglets but Piglets do have the problem of really low Wp (so really struggle against some opponents and are a bit of a dangerous pick vs Neverborn and Ressers). Also, Trixie offers quite a bit of movement herself for both you and your opponent through her Gremlin Lure. Plus, her Scheme Marker tricks can make certain Schemes really easy. And if the terrain allows it, some Strategies can also be really hampered through judicious use of Gremlin Lure. So I wouldn't discount her entirely even if I agree that generally two Piglets are something really worth considering.

Malifaux does have a leg up on WM/H in this regard due to the fact that you can choose your models after knowing the mission, terrain, and opposing Faction. Still, I agree with you that there will come a limit. Just saying that that limit will likely be higher than it is for most other games since you can have specialists for different tasks and have them be relevant as long as they do something really well in a specific set of circumstances. But yeah, agreed.

She looks nice enough though not spectacular. In her own Faction she IMO beats Pandora, Lilith, Lynch, Dreamer, and Collodi sculpt-wise. Not as good as Zoraida or Lucius. The wings look great, the flame in her hand is just as stupid as every other flame in hand and the tattered clothing is not bad. Can't make out her face to judge it properly. Hair looks stupid in the render but that style hair always looks stupid before paint (you need the sheen to make it look good). Might very well get this one, in fact.

I was really excited by this and wondering why I hadn't thought of Hemming my own guys but unfortunately Hem's wording makes this sort of thing impossible since both uses specify "enemy Voodoo Doll". It would still allow the positive twists to Obey Actions and Dance, Puppet Interact-for-a-Push but I don't think it's worth it just for those to Hem your own models. Unless I'm somehow thinking this whole thing wrong, of course.

Generally Gremlins have a lot of pieces who do absolutely ungodly damage and Gremlins as a faction are known for their squishyness. In other words, you are spoilt for choice! As noted by the two esteemed gentlemen before me, Francois is a great choice. He has absolutely bonkers damage track and absolutely needs to be dealt with. He also has really high Wp so "dealing with him" usually means killing him. But you have lots of other choices as well. On the killing front, Raphael can deal out horrendous damage, Rooster Riders can, McTavish can, Pere Ravage can, Mancha Roja can, several of the Pigs can, and so on. Generally, killing things is easy when you're green and set your mind on it. On the Master front, Ophelia is death incarnate, Mah isn't bad, Somer is pretty good and can boost your other dudes very nicely, Brewmaster can make even the hardiest Master a piece of cake to take out (try casting Hangover twice and then Companioning with Francois for a basically guaranteed kill against anything that can be killed by normal means), Zoraida can get your beater to beat like a champ, and finally Ulix can throw War Pigs and The Sow in their faces until they die.

I think that the most likely change to Lucius and his crew would be through the introduction of new Upgrades. Possibly of the zero-cost variety. Similar to what they did with Tara's crew. Another possibility is of course introducing new models that have deep synergies and enable the models to do more but those are even less likely to come forth from forum suggestions, I'd think.

I have been shown the error of my ways! The mini pig is the best of things! Well yeah, but Agent of the Breach is an absolutely insanely talented painter. I'm nowhere near their level and I think that goes for 99% of the Malifaux players out there. Yeah, I'm not saying that everything needs to be crazy. And really, I don't think that shirtless guy dancing with two torches is something that has been done to death. And also, I like, e.g., the Captain more and he is way more common a trope. But I'm just saying that I'm not looking forward to painting the mini I'm envisioning coming out of this artwork (though noting that I might change my mind once I see the render) since I'm thinking that it will require a lot of skill to make it look decent and the mini isn't flamboyant enough that I would welcome the challenge. But I'm sure that a better painter than I can make this guy literally sing under their brush. (And I do mean literally literally - it's a bit scary when it happens).

I think that Shenlong is one of the most unassuming Master sculpts out there and that is certainly saying something. Sensei Yu is fun but I don't think I'd list him in the top 100 Wyrd sculpts list, either. Also, as a competent but not phenomenal painter, I've got to say that I prefer less blank canvases. And finally, I can easily find lots of shirtless dude sculpts from other manufacturers as opposed to, say, Gremlins riding giant chickens (I know of only one other manufacturer who does those). But of course these are matters of taste (so I'm objectively right and you are incredibly wrong)

I like that as art. It's a very good picture. But I'm not sure how cool a mini it will make - it's quite generic aside from the flames and the pose and making those work nicely in a mini... I dunno. Still, a very pretty picture!

Aside from the various infinite engines, I believe that this is the seminal thread about Somer being OP in first edition:

I hate this answer but: it depends on strat and Schemes and board. And most importantly on your Master. Brewie tends to perform better with a elite crew while Somer swarm works better as a swarm (surprise surprise). Ophelia can pad her activations with Youngs (though I seem to be the only one on the forums who appreciates them over Cranky) and Ulix can summon Piglets. But what sort of lists have you been devising? Maybe we can help from that?

If that seems somehow confusing: yes, all of us three are indeed saying the exact same thing

Aye, this is a good clarification (it can seem counter-intuitive that it isn't the healer that makes the healing flip).

Durza is correct once again Note that Slop doesn't even require LOS so Slop Haulers can heal through walls (Quality Mash targets, so it needs LOS). Oh, and note that models with Bayou Two-card (like Slop Haulers) can use it on their healing flips.

What Durza said. This is explained on page 72 of the rulebook under the heading Soulstone Pool.

I don't begrudge there being neat things that I'm somewhat unlikely to possess. I would like that Pandora and maybe that Somer as well but I'm guessing that they'll be like twenty Guilders so I'll have enough in the year 2022 or something. But I do like the idea, I do like the minis chosen aside from Sonnia and I think that giving out limited edition stuff as prize support is a good idea. I don't understand the "need" expressed by some people (but then again I also don't condone the tone used by some of the people who are ostensibly agreeing with my view - kinda disappointed in how aggressive and rude some were towards their fellow Malifaux enthusiasts - makes me sad).

Gmorts is a fantastic resource for looking at the minis and their building: http://gmortschaotica.blogspot.fi/p/unboxing-malifaux.html

Roosters and Francois are IMO Brewie's best friends along with Trixie. Tri-Chi is indeed a bit of a trap. But I would, in general, rate Brewie as the weakest of the Gremlin Masters. Francois does make for a great Scheme Runner as well and he is fast, has 10 Wounds, the ability to use SS, and a very high Wp - I think that he is plenty durable for his price class. I would argue that Rooster Riders should probably be even in your shorter list as they are truly bonkers. But yeah, good post!