druchii

TL below gave some really sound advice. I can tell you that Rasputina is a VERY shooty master. She's not a fan of getting close to anyone, ever. Because if she does they'll usually tie her up in combat. Preventing her from shooting (or casting spells, that is!) and/or killing her. Rasputina needs a good supporting crew with which to pin her opponents in place (lucky she's got gamin!) and then some supporting minions to help whack nasty opponents. If you like shooting/casting, a lot, then Rasputina will make you happy. Colette is a great master. She's very tricky and can really mess with your opponent's crew. She does suffer a bit from having very bad matchups with melee centric crews (like the Nephilim, or Lady J boobs) because her models tend to not put out a lot of damage. On the upside, her models are VERY fast. Suckers are hard to pin down. Really hard. Typically though, if they're getting hit, it's bad new bears for you. Rasputina is definitely an easier master to play than Colette, but that's because 'Tina is more straightforward and more able to directly influence the lines of battle. Colette has some very useful skills, though, and has a very unique crew. I'm trying to give you a good idea of both, not sway your opinion one way or another. d

These are the nightmares that you could be having... Look at your dreams, now back to mine. I'm on a train headed to Malifaux... /oldspice. d

My Rapsutina crew always, ALWAYS includes: Raspy (duh!) 3x Ice Gamin Essence of Power I believe this runs you 14SS, so that leaves you a good few stones to play with. It depends on what sort of list you want to run, I think. But in my mind the three linemen (the gamin) and the totem are your best foundation, because the little guys make for great blockers-they can pin nasty opposing models in place and give them hell with their armor and 5W. Also some opponents will be wary to smacking them around because of their shatter:2. The essence is just there so you can burn people in two a bit quicker. The remainder of your crew might just remain to be seen when you get your encounter. Good luck! d

Well that's great and terrible at the same time! Do you know how much painting I'd be able to get done if I didn't have to haul myself to my LGS every Tuesday?! Well, OK, not that I'd paint anyway... Although the wife playing is killer...still painting up the Colette crew for the fiancee... d

If I were you I'd look into putting them on 50mm bases (and cover up those slottas!)-it'll make them look better (you might even be able to get multiple pillars on each base!) and you can actually use them in game! How are your opponents with allowing you to use Lady J and her pal on those gigantic bases? Have you thought about attaching a pin to their feet, that you can move them between their "law" display bases and a proper 30mm base for play? d

Thanks and thanks and thanks! I thought the wings looked too big too. But after a while I did a bit of research and if wings were to actually carry a woman (say around 100-110ish lbs) of Kaeris' size around, they'd have to be about that big...so I don't feel too bad about it! I'm VERY excited about the model, since Kaeris fits perfectly into my shooty Rasputina list. Although my opponent's haven't been too happy about it d

a while ago I had a thread asking people what they thought a good model to proxy for kaeris might be. I posted a few pictures and finally decided on my girl: She's a reaper mini, a "time traveler" apparently. Wings are from microarts studios, and the base and flame are from the Wyrd Flame base inserts. Let me know what you think! d

They're quite nice, but much too small. Why did you decide to not put them on 50mm bases? While instead choosing to put J and her homie on gigantic bases? d

I actually just basecoat chaos black, with boltgun silver, then badab black (all GW). Looks Amazing, looks "old" and if you really want, highlight the leading edges with bolgun and you're good to go. d

You're both very lucky men for owning that model. d

That model is amazing. Your paint job on her is AMAZING. You combined all of my favorite colors (to paint, and in general!) on top of a sweet model. I'm very bummed you don't know who made her, because I'd love to own and paint that model. Thanks for sharing, now stop being awesome so I can feel better about myself! d

The way I've seen Ramos most effectively played is as a turret master. Much like Rasputina he's slow, easy to whack in combat, and prone to getting bogged down in protracted combats. Fortunately he comes with one of THE best 9ss models in the game. His Arachnid swarm is terrifying. Gets a free (0) healing flip a turn, has melee MASTER AND has a minimum damage of 3(do NOT underestimate this!). It also ignores terrain and other models for passing through (Arachnid and Pass Through respectively). Very scary models, and I've seen a 35ss crea with two Arachnid swarms and a Steamborg rip people to shreds. A lot of talk is said about Arcing Screen, but it requires one thing that I dislike: for Ramos to be close to his minion. IE close to combat, and opposing models. Sitting back, Electrical Fire-ing models is what I'd use him for, with the occasional new spider (which he can do easily each of the first few turns of the game, especially with the new RP totem). Ramos chills in the rear with the gear, while his spiders conquer. d

What could I do to make you stop being so awesome? d

Well SOME models are not able to be target by a charge (like lovely Mrs. Coryphee) but that's completely different than having melee actions directed at them. It just means you can't CHARGE that model. Charging and making melee strikes/spells against a model are completely different things. For example one could walk within melee range of a model, and make a strike, or already be within melee range and spend their actions on straight up melee strikes/spells/abilities. Even though the Gunsmith has NO rule preventing his controller (you, the player?!) from being charged, if he DID, you could STILL whack the master around... d

I'd almost like for the counters to present MORE of a 3D shape, not so "wallish" but more, you know, "pillarish", being more of a standing obelisk rather than a rectangle on one of it's short sides. The cork looks great, though, and it'll paint up VERY much like a very hoarfrosty material. I took my pillars in the OTHER direction, and made them more crystalline, but yours look nice. I just wish they were less wall-like and more like pillars. But a lot of that is personal preference, it'd be nice to see them painted! d

Well it depends on how much you want to play a crew already like your other two. Rasputina will end up playing very much like Perditia because she's a caster (and a GREAT), and very much wants to be away from the action casting December's Curse as much as possible ( I think that's the name of her offensive 10" power), pretty similarly to Perditia and her pistols. I think McMorning is a great alternative to the above two crews because he does something they don't: Make new models. His mechanics are similar to Sonnia (with a great deal of melee, unless you're buring that stone for the tomes on Sonnia) but the end results are different: body part counters mean Fast and/or summoning new models. Don't forget that the good doctor can now summon the new beastie out of the RP book (rogue nercomancy) with his powers, much similar to the flesh construct and canines. I love my Rasputina crew( I also play McM and various Neverborn masters) but I think McM would give you the largest variety in relation to your other crews. d

I run: Colette Cassandra Performer+Mannequin Duet That's enough to grab some extra SS (OR I run two performers for exactly 35ss). I just don't see how they do well against melee heavy lists, especially Lillith, who's absolutely terrifying, and is VERY capable of smacking a duet around in a single turn of combat. Not to mention that Mature Nephs, with paired claws, and HUGE move/melee ranges make sword dancing to freedom difficult. Against some of the other middle of the road lists ( I forsee a colette vs y rasputina crew being..interesting) I feel she's very competitive, but against something that just hammers your models, I don't see her being able to do much. d

That was my fear with her crew. I foresee the new Lillith monsters being a GIANT pain for the Showgirls as well. Lelu's with paired super high CB claws (that poison!), I fear, will be the death of many a girl. Not to mention their psycho mommie with a giant sword (who just so happens has a very nice Cb as well). As much as I want to love the "finesse" crews in the game, it just seems like they get locked down, and munched up by heavy hitters like Lillith, the Viktorias, The good doctor, and even Lady J. Hell, it took me almost three turns of burning through great control hands to kill Lillith with my Rasputina crew, let alone a crew that only has a few damage dealers (most of them relying on Df duels, too...). d

I believe "arc node" has absolutely nothing to do with Malifaux, and is instead a Warmachine term. Some of the giant machines in Warmachine (the Jacks, as they're called) have an ability that lets their caster cast spells through them. Very similar to the Ice Mirror ability a lot of December models possess as well. I actually don't find myself using it all that often, mainly because of the -3Ca penalty (bringing Rasputina's very respectable Ca7 down to a measley 4). I'd almost rather give someone cover than minus 3 from my "to hit" flip. It is nice, however, to be able to bounce spells around corners with a Gamin perched up high, or at the edge of a building, though. It's also nice because the Silent One can also buff the range of the Ice Mirror ability (I'm pretty confident on this, anyone confirm/deny?). Oh, and only a single model may be used as a Mirror. d

One of the closest "all comers" lists I've figured out (as I've slowly bought more and more Arcanist models) is: Rasputina-6SScache Essence of Power-2 Kaeris-9 Gaminx4-16 Silent One-6 Total-35 The list lacks a little bit of speed, but with the buff the silent one gives both Kaeris and Rasputina (making their spells/ranged attacks 15"!) you don't need to move all that much. You also gain a lot of board control with both K and R throwing around their respective pillars. The hardest matchup I've found for this list is Lilith, because she and her brood (save the tots) pretty much ignore the pillars (either outright, or they can fly over them). That, and if Lilith is smart, she'll chain through your little guys with her young/mature nephilim and beat on your juicy casters with the big L herself. Being able to kill an already grievously wounded gamin with kaeris, and give all the enemy models within 3" a burning counter can set them up for some nasty damage, or just mitigate the speed of some crews. And since practically everything shatters on death, you can be reasonably assured that anyone doing the killing up close will be not too excited. People tend to use the cerberus a lot, but I've never had luck with him (usually because he gets stranded by himself). d

Plastic is superior to metal in almost all regards. So I'm not sure the whole "but those are plastic!" holds any water. Think metal has more detail? Pick up the new Blood Angels (who, are, in fact in a box of 5 for 35ish dollars, still cheaper than Malifaux figs). Plastic is easier to convert, better to paint, and doesn't chip like metal. I love me some Wyrd miniatures, but trying to do monetary comparisons is ridiculous. d

I've always done it the way I do it in 40k. 'Till the board looks cool. To be up front, I tend to put TOO much terrain on the table (which hurts me, because I play a very shooty Rasputina crew). But I really don't care much about "advantage" as long as the board looks neat. I do wish Malifaux had some hard and fast rules for terrain though. Warhammer 40k suffered from this ambiguity (where some people would intentionally put down too little or too much terrain) until they added in a good fat paragraph about how terrain should be set up (essentially, toss the terrain into one corner of the board, if that quarter of the board isn't covered by terrain, you need more!). d

To be fair, those GW models that are around 50 (or 60) are triple the size of the rider. Take a look at the Trygon or the Valkyrie if you don't believe me. Heck, even the new Demon Prince, which is about 35 bucks is much larger (and gives you a good number of extra bits). Sure it's cheaper in the overall scheme of things, but we're paying a premium for the limited number of models we get. Malifaux models area bout triple as expensive as a GW model of the same size. Take a look at someone like Rasputina or her Ice Golem or a Razorspine Rattler. All between 9 and 12.50, which a box of 20 space marines runs about 30. Heck, even the Gamin run 15 bucks for three, so 5 bucks a pop for TINY models, which are still more expensive than a Marine. Don't like marines as example? The new Dark Eldar warriors are 25 bucks for 10(so 2.50 a model). I bought my 35ss Colette crew for 55 bucks, abouts (The boxed set, plus one Coryphee blister). In the GW world that'd net me 20 models, or 10 models and a transport. Sure I'd need about four sets of troops+transport to make the beginnings of a decent army (remember 40k is supposed to be played at 1500), but the point still stands I'm spending an equivalent amount of money on eight models (from my Colette example) compared to 20 others. That being said: I think talking about money in a miniature game is goofy as hell. We're all playing games like Malufaux and Warhammer because we have more money than sense, and this is defined by the sort of hobby we're in. By necessity non-essential things (very much like Malifaux and Warhammer, contrary to what I usually tell my fiancee..) are expensive. Oh and let me say that Malifaux is an amazing game, and I actually like it a fair shake better than Warhammer BECAUSE I can focus on so few models (and make those look amazing), but don't believe that Malifaux is much cheaper at all. How many crews do you own again? d

I've only recently started to paint again, but I feel like I'm pretty close to a "beginner" still. So maybe some of my advice will help. I like GW paints a lot. Their new Foundation line (the bottles with white caps) are amazing. They not only cover miniatures VERY well (thus requiring less paint) but they retain a lot of color even when painted directly onto a model. This is nice because you can use some water (sad as it is, I get lazy and just use saliva...mine that is. That'd be weird "honey come here and spit on my paintbrush..") to thin the paint for a "wash". That leads me to my next bit of advice: do things as simply as possible. Typically I base ALL my models black. This is from habit. White basecoats are typically better for most Malifaux figures, because they require fewer coats to achieve the same highlights. This can be important if you're worried about obscuring detail. I typically paint pretty thinly and quickly, so it doesn't bother me much. Your results will vary. After the base coat, I apply the "base" color. This color tends to be much darker than the end color. Say I want to do a pretty blue, like this: I'd start with a color like: I work that all over the model, applying the thickest layers to the highest parts of the model (like his head, his pectorals, shoulders, etc.) and then apply a thinner coat in the recesses. After that dries (GW paint dries very quickly) I then go for a color like: Again I work this over the model, applying the thicker, more "bold" coats to the raised areas, while a VERY thin layer gets applied to the rest of the model. This will let the darker color shine through the "layer" of brighter blue, giving you a very easy shading effect. After that, I apply the color that I want to be most dominant on the model. In the case of the above golem this: I start with this very watered down (thus, thin) and apply it to the model, hopefully allowing the darker colors to shine through. Gradually (I lie, I tend to do it all at once, "pushing and pulling" the watered down paint where I need it to go) I build up to the final blue color, the dominant "light blue" you see in the picture. Since the model is very angular I applied some very stark white highlights to the edges of his geometry. A lot of my painting buddies (who are MUCH better painters than I) dislike the use of brazen white highlights. I like them. So they have to deal with it But usually, only the very tips of the most raised or outside edges should get a dabbing of white. Most colors, shouldn't have white at all (like, have you ever seen a brown dress SHINE? I haven't, unless it's meant to be glossy). Finally, sometimes you get done with a model and it's just TOO bright. Don't fret. An easy way to remedy this is to go back to your middle color (in this case, the enchanted blue) and water it down a bunch and "wash" the model with the color. This will not only pull your highlights down (as in darker) but sink some more dark color into the recesses. You can then highlight this back up to an appropriate shade. Don't be fooled, inks (like the GW inks, or all the bottles with black caps) are great (Snakebite leather+Devlan Mud Wash+Badab Black wash makes the BEST and easiest leather, ever.) but you can make almost ANY paint into a wash by watering it down. Finally, I use both GW and Privateer Press (p3) paints. I'm switching my collection over to p3 paints purely because I've found they water down just a bit more consistently than GW paints, but, like most things, a lot of people have personal superstitions and beliefs about paint. I don't mind paying 5 bucks for a pair of p3 paints because they last me FOREVER ( I think I've gone through THREE foundation greys, and that's because I 1st colored over 8000pts of demons with it!). I hope this is MORE information that you initially wanted, but ALL of it was worth your while. Oh, last bit of advice: JUST PAINT! I cannot tell you how much better you get just by PAINTING! d

Fortunately I'm getting to "know" Cassandra better. With the recent ruling, she can sword dance, then use her nimble walk for a free strike, then possibly push, and then walk again for another attack...and..do it again. That's pretty freakin' sweet. Not only that but Cassandra has a dual purpose, Blonde Act giving Def flips a negative is huge. Make it so something important can't cheat up, and then you cheat enough to get a few positive (or an even flip) and dump a Red Joker, and well, there goes something scary. Heck, even if you're just cheating to severe or moderate damage that's worth it. I'll be getting another three games in Tuesday night with the Colette crew (I'm thinking I'm going to continue the use of two performers, because I don't have any doves yet) and we're going to get the dancin' started right this time. Although I'm definitely thinking Sabotage is a no-brainer for Colette and the girls, since it's so easy to achieve very early on. d