Omenbringer

I can not agree more that the strength of the game is in the Story (or as War Discipline states "roleplaying") rather than combat. This is definitely the weakest area of the game. Combats tend to be difficult to balance at all levels for a few reasons. First, the Fated are intended to be "action heroes" in the vein of a typical Steven Seagal movie (i.e. the lower ranked non-fated present very little challenge or threat due to their low static resolution values). Second, the character creation system is very "munchkinable" allowing starting Fated to begin at very high AV's particularly in combat related values. Third, the static resolution system for the non-fated makes the higher ranked non-fated nearly impossible to beat (even for very experienced Fated players). My recommendation is to begin with Enforcers as your basic Non-fated rank. They are the non-fated rank that is closest to the fated's random value generated by the communal fate deck. They will also generally have similar stat lines. This rank should be able to provide a "fair" challenge/threat for a long while. I would be very careful of introducing the higher ranked non-fated, even a lower stat lined Henchman provides substantial challenge due to its higher static resolution value as compared to the fated's random value. War Discipline is not over stating the potential threat of higher ranked non-fated. Even a party of fully developed fated characters will struggle against a single higher stated Henchman. What you don't want to do is get into an adversarial mode with your players. There are a few ways to achieve this. This includes building the expectation of story over combat early (this can be done in a variety of ways) and gauging the maturity of your players (i.e. are they "munchkin" players). If all your players desire a role playing experience with combat as an occasional aside then the system is likely a good fit. If your players (though a singular "player" can also affect this) want a more combat oriented experience (a fair expectation given the systems TTG inspiration) then you might be better served with a different system. If you get the balance right Combats will be fun and challenging not "walk thru's" or "soul crushing, party Killers". As for The magic system has gotten much better (read as more complete) with the release of additional supplements such as Into the Steam and Under Quarantine. I strongly recommend those books, they also provide a lot more detail into the world. I would be careful about making magic more reliable, a lot of those spells are very potent and can introduce new issues.

Looks like there is an issue with the forums, this could make the GenCon period interesting

I would really recommend reconsidering Encouragement with Som'er and a Gremlin Gunline. It helps a lot, more so than granting Som'er a Heal Action. Second the recommendation for a Slop Hauler, nothing can replace their healing potential.

Som'er is one of the most versatile Masters in the game. He really can do it all.

Terrain costs are a real concern, however there are methods of keeping the costs lower if you are "crafty" about it (and willing to use common household items). For example you can make your own mats easily and cheaply with just 2 tubes of silicon caulking, a canvas drop cloth, and some crumpled tin foil. Another option is 18" x 18" vinyl floor tiles which are usually around $2.00 per tile. You can make tons of buildings with a sheet of foam core, some 18" by 18" vinyl floor tiles, and "play ground" sand. Another option here is to find a well stocked model train store and get some textured sheet styrene or balsa wood for your buildings. This is great for stone buildings and western style buildings and doesn't cost a whole lot, particularly given that a single sheet will usually be enough for 2 structures. If you do end up heading to a model train store you can also usually find a big "blister" of pre-made trees (around 20 trees in each one) in various colors, just add basing (you can use 50mm bases if you happen to find a lot of them cheaply, or pick up a few bags of 3" balsa wood disks from the craft store). Christmas time is great for getting deals on the Evergreen trees, you can often find a large bag of them for around $5.00. Hedges are easily made with green scouring pads, you can usually find a big bag of them at the DIY stores that will allow you to make an absolute ton of them. Severe terrain can be a bit more difficult however the craft stores have a product called a "pot topper" for silk plaints, these are great for severe terrain and fairly inexpensive. Another option is to use some green toweling. Keep in mind that just because a lot of these things are "common house hold items" doesn't mean they can't look really good with just a bit of work. Several of the terrain features I used on my last tournament tables were crafted from these materials. I would not recommend Jacob Lynch as a first crew. Aside from a higher cost of entry, his box is extremely potent and a bit more involved. The rest though are good starting crews (this does not mean they aren't also good experienced crews just that they are generally self sufficient with just the crew box, a bit more straight forward than others, and also fairly balanced against one another). I would recommend Lilith and Perdita as they are "themy" oppositional crews.

To be fair super heroes typically run around in tight fitting spandexy outfits that encourage softer detailing than other subjects. With that said they look detailed enough to paint.

Mini photography is definitely a separate sort of discipline, really wish the old blogs (before they got shut down because of spammers) were still around. Perhaps I will motivate myself to re-write the article I had up there describing my set up and some of the more common issues.

I would add that Gremlins, more so than any other faction are heavily built around synergies. Playing outside of those synergies will make an otherwise good model seem horrible or overcosted.

I would highly recommend the 2 player Starter. It will have have two "crews" lead by Henchmen, the fate decks, and "walk thru" rule book. All the models are Mercenaries so will be usable once you decide which factions you want to collect. It is a really good way to get into the game, particularly if you are trying to suss things out yourself. One of the included factions is Neverborn the other is Guild and they are fairly well balanced against each other. The models are also quite a bit easier to put together than the standard crew boxes. I would also add a download of the mini rule book (its free on drivethrurpg). I wouldn't recommend jumping in with a crew box or two until later as not all crew boxes are created equal (Gremlins in particular tend toward a higher cost of entry, especially Som'er). After that if you really want to come down to the Bayou for some barbecue and moonshine we'd be happy to have you.

Som'er can run without Pigs though I would argue he is better with them, particularly the little pigs that can really aid in the crews mobility and projection of force.

Tournament results have been posted to USA.Malifaux-rankings.com

2 weeks until the start of the League. Pick up those GenCon goodies and come fight for control of Malifaux.

Well if the Ressers are going to depend upon their Lure crutch and try to hypothetical things out, then why wouldn't the Gremlin player also depend upon theirs of high model counts (interfering with those Lure Walks), out activation, our own "lure" like abilities (Truffle Shuffle or Sooey! anyone?), and the infamous Pigapult. All of these can interfere with Lure's potential. The Pigapult (extremely high willpower) in particular is strong since it doesn't need LOS and has an extremely long range, so it and its base blocking tenders can hide from those nasty Luring models (at least until they are dead). Add in Any of our Gremlin Masters with the Liquid Bravery upgrade as one of those up front base blockers and all of a sudden that Lure becomes much less reliable (:-fate for the Lure models flip when targeting the Master and +2 to Wp for all Minions). Though I will grant that the Rotten Belles are strong (too strong in my opinion) they aren't the end all be all, particularly given the tools gremlins have available and the high recommended terrain amount for Malifaux.

No problem, unfortunately the full effect doesn't translate 100% to a still shot but hopefully it demonstrates it well enough. If you apply it over a "ghostly neon green paint scheme" it should accent it very well by imparting a shimmer to it. The smoke on Wong's base was originally a ghostly turquoise (Citadel Nihilakh Oxide) with the iridescent medium over it (you can see hints of it in the photo); though it looked good, I really wanted a more "stage magician" look so applied Citadel Carroburg Crimson Shade over it and then another layer of Liquitex Iridescent Medium to achieve the look I was going for. One word of warning is that when you apply it over your paints it will look milky white, however it dries fairly translucent so you wont notice much lose of color saturation.

Not that I disagree that third edition is a ways off, but not on the radar can mean as little as 6 months to a year away. I also disagree that the ruleset is fine, there are things that need some attention (mainly the elevation rules). Also I have little doubt that Wyrd could handle two large releases concurrently. A third edition doesn't have to be a huge departure from what has already been written, 2nd edition is fairly similar to 1st edition in terms of "core" rules. New editions tend to be more about re-balancing models than dramatic core rules adjustments.

Well here you go (keep in mind these photos are focused to show the Iridescent Medium and not the entire model). Wong (Iridescent Medium with Purple Shade added, used on the Purple Smoke) Lovely Assistant (Iridescent Medium with Purple Shade added, used on the Purple Coat) Pere Ravage (Iridescent Medium with Blue Glaze added, used on his Elvis Suit) Mancha Roja (Iridescent Medium used on his Cape)

While agree that is an improvement my primary issue with the shards is that it also gives the Mindless Zombie (Corpse Counter). That just really puts it over the top for me.

Perhaps you could add them to your wedding gift registry.

I think your problem with the Sow's performance has less to do with the model and more to do with trying to force it into a sub-optimal lists. The Sow (like all the Pigs) wants her support models to be most effective. This means not just a conducive Master like Som'er or Ulix but also Hog Whisperer's or Taxidermists. The Brew Master doesn't do a whole lot for any of the pigs and to be fair they don't do a whole lot for him either. Add in those support pieces and I think you will find them much better in terms of mobility, durability, and offense. About the only pig that might be considered "self sufficient" is Gracie and even that is arguable given how much better she gets with support.

We will have to just agree to disagree on Zipp's Noxious Smoke potency, particularly in regards to the base contact requirement equating to "sub-optimal" placements. Zipp is going to play a lot different than any of our other Gremlin Masters and a large part of that is tied to his movement. Placing those three 50mm based Noxious Smoke markers optimally isn't going to be that difficult. I do agree though that these markers are incredibly strong (especially the Shards of Kythera) and should not all have the fatal combination of Ht 4+, Blocking, and Impassable. Many of these (Flame Pillars and Noxious Smoke) should be Dense and perhaps Hazardous instead. This is one reason why Lilith's Illusionary Forest is less often complained about than the others. This is especially true given the high terrain recommendations for Malifaux as compared to other systems.

While it can effect how and when you activate your models I have never really had an issue with this, particularly when combined with out activation. I would agreed that Saddle is a good method of reducing the impact further though. This is very true. Base blocking a 50mm base does not require a tight formation, three models can effectively block the 50mm base from being placed in base contact with the target and still allow movement lanes. Here are two pictures that should illustrate the concept better than simple words. Base blocking a 50mm base with three 30mm bases Base blocking a 50mm base with 4 30mm bases In both circumstances there is plenty of room for the "protected" model to move. In regards to the Seishin and their defense, while it does shut down a lot of collateral damage potential it does nothing against the initial hit. Just focus on the model you want dead instead of trying to spread the damage.

I would recommend a look at Liquitex Iridescent Medium as a method of creating the effect your looking for. Paint the model as normal and then apply a thinned coat of the Iridescent Medium (I would also recommend thinning with a mix of paint additives to keep everything cohesive). You can add a few drops of an Ink (Citadel Shade) to impart a slight color to the sparkle but be sure to add it little by little or it will overpower the painting underneath. I have used this technique on several of my models and can post pictures to show the effect if you like (though it does lose a bit in the processing it will still show the effect).

Base blocking works out very well for preventing a lot of summoning shenanigans like the Ikiryo, Kill Joy, Bete Noir, and others. It is another potent tool that is often under utilized. It will limit mobility a bit but Gremlin's aren't exactly hurting for ways to enhance mobility (pig ladders and truffle shuffles). Against the Ikiryo it is particularly useful since that summons occurs next to the attacking model.

Zipp's Noxious Smoke is going to be similar and is also larger. Really dont understand why it is both blockable and impassable given that it shouldn't be solid.

From what I recall from conversations with Wyrd's old developers, a lot of the 1st edition Malifaux models began life as Wyrd's Pre-game models (though their were holes in the crews). When they decided to make a game (according to myth it was a bit of an off the cuff comment Nathan made during an interview when asked if they had a game for their miniatures that got the ball rolling in that regard) one of the requirements was that their existing range form the base for the new game. For the most part this occurred however there were a few that didn't make the cross over (poor Wuppwecht and Donna) these became the Wyrd Twisted range.