Amarel

Taelor also gives you some extra movement when you need it. She's a great piece to have around.

I tried using him quite a bit when I got the Vik's set (on release, so not much else out there), but there is never a time when you wouldn't rather have Hamelin, Taelor or Misaki to do what you want to get done. That's not to say he has no use, he does (1AP Charge and all those lovely triggers is great, as is the fact that he can survive Pandora's attentions quite well), but not at his current cost.

Honestly, it's going to be a massively uphill struggle for him and there are certain scenarios where you might as well call the win to LBC and just re-roll for an actual game (e.g Deliver the Message). I've played Viks and Von Schill vs LBC enough to know that playing for a draw is often the best policy, and then hope that the LBC player makes a mistake. Taking out the first set of Daydreams early will prevent the upper hand being presented too soon and make a game out of it.

One Librarian is normally fine, I've found. I'm currently trying out Von Schill in my Viks list - he gives you a real secondary threat after the Viks (easily causing as much panic as them, which neither Taelor or nor Misaki quite manage) and also helps the Librarian out a little too.

There's only one top hat in the set and it's too big for the SPA. If I find a decent solution, I'll post it...

I wish my SPA had teeny-tiny top hats .

I think I own everything that the Viks can take (so far released) and there are definitely some that get used a lot more than others. So a few notes of note for beyond the box: Ronin - at least one gets taken every game, normally two. These, absolutely, should be your first purchase as they can let you bring a Vik back. Gunslinger - often taken, less so with the Friekorps now available as I try them out (it's generally a choice between him or the second Ronin). Hamelin - a regular until the Friekorps arrived, mostly due to obey and hungry rats (damn Ressers ), but a general toolbox. I still like him as he's been my MVP so often, but I'm trying Von Schill now and can't afford both in 35SS. Misaki - excellent damage dealer and a great secondary (tertiary?) melee threat beyond the Viks. It's a call between her and the control abilities of Taelor, so try out Taelor a little more first I'd suggest. Of the Friekorps the Librarian is great, she really helps the Viks out and Von Schill himself helps both the Librarian and forces your opponent to deal with a ranged threat from the crew (especially if you take the Gunslinger) as well as the more standard melee. The Desperate Mercs will probably make it easier taking Killjoy, if that's your cup of tea, but I've always found him to be a little too expensive for a one shot missile outside of Ressers (who can summon back more than he's worth from his corpse counters once he dies ). So... (yay a summary), if you're flush with cash I'd start with the Ronin, Gunslinger and Friekorps box set. If you don't have that much to spare, and don't intend on switching to a new Master (Von Schill) just yet, then start with the Ronin and work out from there .

I've found him to be entirely lacklustre since the Knock Aside change (to enemy model only), particularly against Pandora. Any hints and tips welcomed .

And again you're simply making stuff up. No-one, no-one, has suggested this at all. To state again, as simply as I can, the issue is that the PDF does not provide the function that many people expected it to (most obviously due to the fact that it can neither be printed nor carried to a venue on a mobile device). To get to your point, let's not forget that, generally, when a company releases a new rulebook it is because there is a need to make a wholesale change to the basic rule set. However, the recently released rules manual is essentially a comprehensive errata that works in conjunction with the existing rulebooks which are both still 'in date'.

Misaki is great. Really great. But she's super fragile and needs particular cards. She doesn't appear so much in my Vik Crews now that the Librarian exists, but she does often get taken with Von Schill to give him a secondary damage dealer.

Well this is a funny old thread - it seems to have moved from constructive criticism of the PDF to very much a feeling of people attempting to create an 'us and them' mentality against posters who have the odd gripe. Personally I'm a pretty big fan of Malifaux and own a lot of stuff for it. I also think Wyrd are doing an exceptional job. However I think it's fair to say that the PDF doesn't serve purpose I'd like it to (whether that's by design or not doesn't matter so much) and I don't really feel like forking out on another rules manual (cheap as it might be) when I've already bought two rules books over the course of two years and spent a chunk of time and money on printing out a goodly amount of errata (I'd rather buy some new figs, instead, tbh). For the record, I'd really like the PDF to be a living document that you only had to pay for once and for it to be largely text based (like the Field Test rules doc for Warmachine, which gets more far more use from me than the actual printed rulebook does).

He doesn't half make it look easy .

Careful though, he's prescient! He told me when mine would arrive to the day. I still fear that he may know more about me than he let on...

Sorted now, thanks Chucklemonkey . While this is true, just a reminder to UK residents that HMRC only allow an incoming limit of $27 (£18-ish) 'tax-free' (that's from memory, might not be 100% accurate but close as dammit) before they charge you an international handling fee of £8, plus the required duty (VAT) on top. So if you order something from the US worth $30 (as per it's shipping value) then you'll end up paying £18.5 (cost) + £8 (handling fee) + £3.7 (VAT). So that's a little over £30 not including the P&P.

I've used Hamelin a ton with the Viks and think he's awesome. It's worth pointing out that we generally play 35SS and that there's a decent amount of Ressers round here (making Hungry Rats a must have), but the board control he brings is worth the cost alone. Although I'll admit that he was better before the Run-Through change to the Ronin. It does tend to be a bit of a face-off between him and Taelor if I'm not facing Ressers, but definitely give him a go for a couple of games and see what you can get out of him.