Hatchethead

You aren't popping Mindless Zombies out of people's pockets. *wink*

People are carrying entire corpses around in their pockets? I call shenanigans!

I agree that, at the very least, it'd be cool to see Canada/USA/Mexico.

Not discounting your experience, but I've always found Wyrd customer support to be exemplary, and I've dealt with them several times since I started playing back in 2010.

During Gencon 2011, I forgot to add a card to an order. I emailed just as you did, I even offered to pay the 50 cents via Paypal. I didn't hear back (it was Gencon, after all), but the card arrived as requested, free of charge. Nathan had added it to the shipping receipt by hand, in pencil.

It doesn't matter how ace a company's customer service is, someone will always slip through the cracks. I guess today, that someone is you. Sorry to hear it. Hope you get your issues sorted.

Dark Age itself is a load of fun too.

No lie.

Malifaux is still my baby mama, but we have an understanding. Dark Age is simple, fast and good for a larf.

I'm not a super fan of manifestation requirements. The process should be simple and consistent. If I had my way, manifestation would occur as follows (for all Avatars):

Turn 1: Not permitted to Manifest.

Turn 2: (all) Manifest

Turn 3: (2) Manifest

Turn 4: (1) Manifest

Turn 5: (0) Manifest

Turn 6: Manifest is an optional, free action.

I realize that some Avatars are balanced by how difficult they are to manifest, but I really don't care for that. I dig what they bring to the table, I like the notion of a situational "sidegrade", but I don't like manifestation requirements stealing focus from what Malifaux is all about: Strategies and Schemes.

Just my two bits.

Hopefully we succeeded.

You did. I was genuinely disappointed until I heard the "new" theme song. :-P

And by the by, you wanna sell models, GW? Next edition of 40k? Ditch "There is Only War".

Warhammer 40,000.

Skulls.

All Over Everything.

Games Whatshop? You should organize a kickstarter.

He's still a physical, significant presence on the board. He counts as killed for purposes of Slaughter, Kill Protoge and whatever, but he's otherwise a significant model like any other, able to claim or contest objectives.

I appreciate the fact that the Wyrd team has taken consideration into their errata with the goal to balance the game for everyone I just feel that if one power master gets the stick they all get the stick.

Wyrd doesn't introduce errata lightly. Every change they make comes on the heels of careful consideration, lengthy discussion, and in-depth examination of play. The Dreamer errata was a LONG time coming, and now they've moved on to the next thing (ie. Hamelin). I'm sure Wyrd intends to eyeball all of the "problem" masters, a list which likely includes Collette and Kirai, and maybe even a few undercosted/overpowered minions. It'll be a lengthy process, though. They're not going to introduce a slew of changes all at once and throw the game into a tail spin.

It's also quite clear that Wyrd rarely discusses their process. They almost never respond directly to players debating balance. Sketch admitting that Hamelin is "on the table" is the first instance of a Wyrd employee openly admitting that a model is being reexamined for the purposes of balance, at least in my memory. It's exceedingly rare that we get a peek behind the curtain.

Is Kirai powerful? Yes. Is Collette powerful? Absolutely? Do Pandora and Hamelin represent a negative play experience? According to some. If I know it and you know it, you can bet Wyrd knows it.

Be patient.

looks like a smashin good time!

It was!

Oh, and I finally got my hands on a pic of that pesky Best Painted crew:

Thanks guys. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, so I'm prepared to call it a success.

Vile, I'm not entirely sure what I'll do for terrain if you can't make a future tourney. The store has a ton of scenery, don't get me wrong, but man you need a LOT for 5+ tables of Malifaux. Plus your stuff is so theme perfect.

Norgak (our Best Painted winner), you and everyone who fielded sexy minis, you've really made me appreciate the value of a painted model. Seeing two fully painted crews throwing down on awesome terrain, it really elevated the experience ... and I wasn't even playing.

I showed a bunch of our tourney photos to a friend who isn't a war gamer and he was impressed; said he wished he'd known what it was, he would have come to watch for a bit. It's the first glimmer of interest he's shown in minis, and I've been trying to sell him on the hobby for years.

Very cool, glad it went so well.

How did you make your spoon?

It's funny, the spoon ended up being the most expensive of the homemade prizes. The certificates were about $3 each ($1 to print, $1.50 for the frames, plus taxes). The spoon cost me $2 at a second hand store. I then brought it to a local place that does engraving and trophies. $2 for the round plate and $5 for the lettering ($5 minimum, so I squeezed on as much lettering as I could). I attached the plate with a blob of green stuff and Zap-a-Gap.

I'm thinking I might buy one of those big ass novelty spoons you see hanging in kitchens, assuming I can get it on the cheap. I'll then have the "winner" sign it with a felt tip marker when he "earns" the distinction. Then we'll display it in the store. Probably cheaper in the long run!

:1_Happy_Puppet1:

The tourney went off without a (major) hitch! We ended up with 10 players, breaking into the double digits for the first time ever in a Malifaux-related event.

Below, some random pics I took with my iPhone. I'll have a much better photo gallery up somewhere, at some point. One of the players provided a very high end camera (thanks Kevin!), which I made gratuitous use of. Just waiting for him to cherry pick the best results.

Round 1:

"The Irrate Bog" table:

"Town Square" table:

"40k Nightmare" table:

Kaeris and the Vik:

A Gunsmith supporting Raspy:

Misaki brings a Glaive to a gun fight:

December Acolyte, just showing off:

Most of the models were painted to a very decent standard. This being a noob tournament, I was expecting basic assembly and maybe primer. I was pleasantly surprised.

Thanks again to Kevin for bringing so much beautiful terrain, to Jason for building and lending his Terraclips AND setting up a laptop for the round clock/crew builder, and of course to Chris at Armoury Games & Hobbies for providing a venue and generous prize support.

Homemade prizes to supplement the gift certificates and product:

No pics of the winners (my bad), but here's how it all panned out after three rounds of play:

1st Place: Jason (Perdita) (that's two in a row for this guy)

2nd Place: Glen (Zoraida/Collodi) (he later apologized)

3rd Place: Colin (Lilith)

Best Sportsmanship: Colin (he only THINKS he's a dick)

Best Painted: Al (awesome Snow Storm, no pics on my phone dammit)

Wooden Spoon: Carl (Raspy) (he was a very good about it!)

I had an extra bag of soulstones which went to Peter, who had never played a single game of Malifaux prior to signing up last minute. The "Stones of Steel" award. He didn't even come in last!

My first ever tournament as TO. I had a great time. CHEERS!

I am not getting why he would be such a superman in the list.

Well ... he's pretty much a Superman in every list. :-P

I'm hoping Wyrd shines the light on Hamelin, Kirai and Collette. A few subtle tweaks here and there to bring them in line with the majority of Book 1 Masters, then let the dust settle for a good while to gauge the long term effects.

Well, there was some discussion about not attacking while climbing a surface that would require both hands, but that's neither here nor there. Then there was Misaki finding herself frozen to a building while scaling it thanks to Raspy's Freeze Over. That was interesting ...

As per number 2, I agree completely. That's how we handled it.

So we're in the middle of a game involving a bunch of climbing nonsense. Couple of questions have arisen:

1. Can a model attack while climbing?

2. If a model is partway up a climbable surface, when (or does) said model become a viable target to models on top of the elevation, and does the climbing model receive cover?

Cheers!

Prizes have been finalized!

1st Place: $10 ArGH gift certificate (GC) + a new copy of Twisting Fates (Book 3)

2nd Place: $10 ArGH GC + WYR5067 Sue (Outcast model, new in clamshell)

3rd Place: $10 ArGH GC

Best Sportsmanship: $10 ArGH GC + Bag o' Soulstones

Best Painted: $10 ArGH GC + Rosemary & Co. Kolinsky Sable brush, Series 33 size 0

1st place, sports and painted will also receive a spiffy framed certificate proclaiming said individual's general superiority and inherent radness.

... and of course, the dreaded Wooden Spoon for last place, also known as the "Thanks fer Comin' Out!" award. Even if you're out of the running for a top spot, you fight 'til your last breath to AVOID "winning" the Spoon.

As you can see, we've done our best to share the wealth. Armoury Games & Hobbies (ArGH) has been very generous and as a result the $5 entry has gone a long way. Thanks again Chris! We couldn't do it without your support.

I've heard they intend to re-release Bloodbowl, similar to how they re-released Spacehulk and recently released Dreadfleet. On one hand, I'm super excited. On the other hand, it $$$$$$$$es me off as it will likely be a one-shot deal, a product GW has no intention of supporting beyond the initial cash grab.

Still. New Bloodbowl minis.

Despite being one of my least favorite Wyrd minis, I own Killjoy. I dig his mechanic, but there's something about the sculpt that just doesn't do it for me. Until such time that Wyrd releases an alt (or better yet, a Nightmare) version of KJ, this guy is looking like a decent stand in for casual games and non-official tournaments:

I'm also a fan of the fat Helldorado Demon of Greed, but add a bit of chain and a fishhook to this guy and he's right on the money. Also, snip that zombie/vulture off, base it, and you've got an MZ or a totem for Nico! ZING!

... but seriously, Wyrd. Nightmare KJ.

8 players confirmed.

Only a few days left for early sign-up. Register and pay on or before March 17th, receive a free "Hero's Gamble" (control hand redraw) to use at any point during the tournament!

*Pulls his way out of Hatches Bacon-lined Belly*

Well look who showed up! I don't know, disappears for months and then turns up and tries to eat me... don't be jealous Good sir... Fell can't resist me... its not her fault... shes a slave to her urges!

*horks up Reg's hat*

You and Fell make a lovely couple. You have my blessing.

so how's Hatchet?? it's been a while...

It has, it has. I actually took a break from the forum. Life has been hectic; corpses to stack, people to eat. I've been back for a while but I've only lurked the Playground. I do miss the random nonsense, I must admit.

*smiles and waves*

*belches*

Woof. Something ain't sittin' right ...

*descends from the rafters via a complex array of pulleys and counter-weights*

*looks at the framed comment*

Aw. That's real nice, Reg.

*pats Reg on the back*

*... then picks him up and swallows him whole*

One of the interesting things I find with Outcasts, is that my lists for fighting Outcasts are very similar, in much the same way as my lists against Neverborn are. With what I build against the faction, generally applies across the board. (...) A lot of the counters to masters are faction counters, based on the weight of the likely models to be fielded and threats to face.

That's part of my beef, to be honest. Master counters are faction counters ... except when they're not, and that's generally where we run into problems. Also, I can't help but feel that crew hiring has become dangerously generic at the expense of niche models that were designed to counter something very specific, often the abilities of a certain master or the minions said master relies upon.

But your point is well taken. Announcing a leader pre-hire is certainly not a cut and dry consideration, and I can't speak to the Gremlin perspective as I have zero experience in the shallow end of bayou gene pool (no offense).

... and yeah. Screw Austringers.