Vidd

Well... it makes sense. I hope lots of people get playtesting Gremlins, though. I don't know how true it was, but I remember a number of players thinking they were a bit underplayed before M2E. I'd like to think there's lots of room to keep the personality without the all or nothing wackiness that made them so volatile. I think the Emissary was what really made it seem to me like they didn't have an identity beyond being random, missing a concrete theme that tied it into the faction.

Dumb. Was hoping for some neato Gremlins given that it's a Gremlin faction box, but it's just a bunch of horses and one Gremlin in a horse suit. No, thank you.

Thank you! Yes, I realise that it doesn't really work since miniatures have inherent and sentimental value. Also models in Malifaux tend to be a lot more complicated than any individual card so there's more room for balance tweaks. I also think Gaining Grounds each year actually helps somewhat as models can become more and less relevant based on what schemes/strategies are available. It's just food for thought since continually expanding the same game has issues.

I haven't played Malifaux in a while but I remember thinking that identities were starting to fuzz a little around the edges. It wouldn't be the first game where distinctive disadvantages that define a character or faction eventually have answers to fill in the gaps. Every new wave creates potential balance issues as the model pool grows. The design space shrinks because you're always stuck with all of the previously defined actions and the potential for unintended interactions grow. It must be very difficult to add extra models without eclipsing some of the older ones. Obviously it wouldn't work for a table top game, but I find it interesting how trading card games rotate sets. There you only have a limited pool to worry about in terms of balance and the design space is continually refreshed. The rotated cards can at least be played in other formats. The alternative, which I really dislike, is nerfing characters that are too popular, the way games like Hearthstone have done in the past to avoid having to rotate them. If and when Malifaux does define a new version, I will be very interested. I'd much prefer that "Gremlins" keep the name though, especially since they escaped "Outcasts" way back when.

Really interesting miniatures. I like them a lot. Not Gremlins so no buy, though.

How does their platform stay up as the wheel rotates? Have to agree with Bengt here. The characters look pretty good but the model as a whole looks pretty bulky and has a lot of material devoted to just chunks of wood. The Carrion, Brutal and Mysterious emissaries by contrast are all much more imposing and dynamic models without much cruft. I feel like the Lucky Emissary was a bit of a waste compared to the others, anyway, since it was basically the Lucky Effigy on a vehicle. Ho hum.

Huh, I'm honestly a little disappointed. I'm hoping it's just a thematic choice for this particular model because the first impression I get is corner-cutting afforded by 3D modelling. It looks like designing a model's sculpt to be rigged and manipulated into several poses has resulted in some very static figures. The middle one in particular looks like the most blatant with its gravity-defying shorts (and I would say overall awkwardness).

Well Enthrall lets you take more from the Gremlin faction than anything else and Tarot Reading lets you bring in the Swampfiends of which there's a couple. I'd like an upgrade that lets me take more from Neverborn when playing Gremraida...

I've started using the light theme (selected via the option at the bottom left) which seems to be working fine for me, apart from the expanding input box. I was getting weird errors when I was trying to load certain pages on the dark theme but this one seems to function (almost) properly.

The Gupps look adorable and suitably mischievous. What's up with the Spawn Mother being so thin though? I guess it matches the art, though.

I can finally show Gremlin pride via the forum background. Truly, we are living in the future. Seriously though, these look great. I might have to co-opt these for my phone.

This is awesome considering the retirement of Arsenal Decks. Good stuff.

These models look like gateway figures to Ten Thunders through Brewie, but I'm not falling for it! I will be picking these guys up, however.

Thanks, Dogmantra. How I empathise with that. Mancha always seems to die on me without accomplishing much and his upgrade seems to be a waste of two soulstones, in my experience. I'm starting to think I'd rather hire a Merc in for some ranged damage but perhaps I'll have a game where he cleans up. I think I might be better taking him with Mah than Opehlia for Chores. Thanks for the thoughts; I enjoyed reading your post.

Sounds like you've actually got a really good start there. You should get a ton of variety of the stuff you already have before you even receive the Black Friday goodies. Personally, I think a mix of Somer and Opehlia's boxes to be the best. Get to grips with those, then start mixing some pigs and Lightning Bugs in. Slop Haulers are must-buys for summoning (there's limited values in 2 wound Gremlins running about) but otherwise you've got a lot there already. Merris and Gracie should probably be next, I would say.

Being Insignificant locks them out of several schemes and strategies and actually makes them detrimental when Distract and Cursed Object are on the table. However, getting built-in Melee Expert, a useful (0) and being Ruthless means they must have a place beyond McTavish's Loyal Scouts trigger, surely. It's probably best not to look at them in a vacuum like this and imagine them in a crew with McTavish who can drop a Hunting Screen and provide Swamp Is Our Home to bump their survivability. They're actually sort of speedy when you consider they can move up to 13", unimpeded and still take a bite out of something. That said, with Insignificant the only thing they can do is bite things and I really wonder when their (3) action will ever be a valuable option as opposed to three separate (1) attacks, especially when it requires a suit to be useful. Note that McTavish can Wrangle the Bayou Gator to Walk and they have the 3" push. Perhaps if you have a 13 in your hand, it might be worthwhile considering it's both damage and Paralyzed?

The Turf War thread is turning into a nice source of knowledge so I'd like to know what people do when the classic Reckoning or Make Them Suffer turn up. I think these and their close equivalents tend to favour a small crew of elite models which arguably feels unnatural when playing Gremlins. What do you break out? Mah, Pigs... the Whiskey Golem?

The UK Nationals was the first big tournament I've gone to and I was seriously surprised at how smooth the whole event was. Congratulations to all involved in setting it up and running it. I think the only real niggles were the table numbers and scoresheets which you've already acknowledged. As for the split rooms, my first game was actually down there and I didn't mind it at all. It was more like a gaming club atmosphere and allowed me to settle in quite nicely to the event.

I love the design and concept. At 12ss plus merc tax, I think he's a tough sell for Gremlins but like Bishop, Killjoy and Lazarus he might be one of the rule-of-cool mercs that I'll pick up anyway. A Stitch in Time's interesting in that higher value models would have more valuable AP but you'd have to question discarding higher value cards. I wonder if that means he's best with mid-cost models. Also, am I imagining it or is there some sort of translucent artifact around each of his wound markers?

Wow, that Gator eating the Gremlin is a bit much for me. Hopefully that one can be assembled without its victim.

Now, if McTavish is on the cards, I may (have) to do an order... I can't wait to see the renders for McTavish and the Gators, regardless.

Can anyone quickly summarise what PVC versus normal plastic means in the world of miniatures? Googling it did not bring up what I suspected. Edit: Oh I see, it's capable of complex casts compared to normal plastic sprues.

Ainous is incredible. I think I complained jokingly about lack of beards in Malifaux last week and my god, this guy has beard to spare. Only thing is, Bayou Gators before McTavish? Madness. Disappointingly few Gremlin models this time around.

I am seriously excited for Wyrd's Black Friday sale, my wallet is not.

Tasty looking markers. A lot nicer than the ones I have, for sure.