Acefisher1

I'm actually looking into a similar list, but unsure I want to spend $50 on new models for Marcus. I suppose I'm this far down the rabbit hole already though. Arcanists Crew - 35 - Scrap Marcus -- 4 Pool Night Terror [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Shikome [8ss] Silurid [5ss] Silurid [5ss] Silurid [5ss] Waldgeist [6ss] Pretty much as much speed as you can get. I'm interested in trying a swarm tactic with all the speed. Trying to split my enemy's forces, and then sending a bunch of models to overpower individuals.

So I've been playing Marcus almost exclusively for quite a while now. I've had mixed results with him, and wanted to reach out to the community and get some ideas, and possibly create some new strategies for the Beast Master. I'd like to see you guys post some 25/35 point lists, with how you image that list to be played, and what schemes you'd ideally like to take with it. I've been playing a lot of him using 3 Molemen, Rattler, Sabertooth, Rogue Necromancy, Joss, and the Steamborg Executioner, all in different combinations based on the missions/strats. I'm going to start experimenting using the Night Terrors, molemen, waldgeists, and possibly guild hounds in an effort to capitalize on Marcus' speed. I've also been toying with the idea of running Marcus as a deathball. Using models like the Steamborg, the Slate Ridge Mauler, and Rogue Necromancy. One of the lists i'm planning to run: Arcanists Crew - 35 - Scrap Marcus -- 5 Pool Jackalope [1ss] Guild Hound [3ss] Guild Hound [3ss] Moleman [3ss] Moleman [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Razorspine Rattler [7ss] Sabertooth Ceberus [8ss] The idea behind this list is to capitalize on the speed Marcus has, and taking board control, and tying up important enemy models with models like the hounds, and molemen, while taking objectives. Schemes like sabotage and assassinate are ideal for this. The Sabertooth is there as an alpha-strike model, or to provide backup via his leap ability. Or Alternately, taking this modified list, with the Rogue Necromancy for more utility and the same backup ability as the Sabertooth, that was replaced by the RN. Note that the Jackalope was also replaced, which I don't mind when I play as I find I don't usually need it. Arcanists Crew - 35 - Scrap Marcus -- 4 Pool Guild Hound [3ss] Guild Hound [3ss] Moleman [3ss] Moleman [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Razorspine Rattler [7ss] Rogue Necromancy [10ss] And finally, the full-speed variation of this list. Arcanists Crew - 35 - Scrap Marcus -- 5 Pool Jackalope [1ss] Guild Hound [3ss] Guild Hound [3ss] Moleman [3ss] Moleman [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Night Terror [3ss] Waldgeist [6ss] Waldgeist [6ss]

So in my office today we were discussing 3D printers, and the Makerbot. I got to thinking about people casting their own models, and then about how Wyrd has moved into resin materials and using 3D sculpting methods for their production already. I don't think it would be much of a shock to see Wyrd lead the charge into using 3D printers to produce models, as well as start offering 3D printer plans of models to print with various poses, rather than physical models themselves. I doubt i'm the first to come to this conclusion, but I wanted to get some feedback from the community on their feelings and hopefully hear from Wyrd to find out if this is a path they're looking into already, or may be in the future. For reference, check out MakerBot and the Flickr Pool where people are already printing a lot of their own toys.

Just wanted to post some progress on my Marcus crew. I'll be adding new models as I get to them. I finished these 3 today 8/21/12

Alex, you're correct sir, my list was indeed over points. I'll have to check into that. I used Ratty's crew creator for the list and it came out to correct points on there. May be a bug with the code when used on a mobile device. To be fair though, the Acolyte didn't do anything the whole game. He passed every turn save one where he did nothing. In the future he's the model i'd leave out obviously. UKRocky, I chose my models based on what I wanted to accomplish. I had in mind my schemes, and decided to go with the cerberus and marcus to grab objectives. The Steamborg and Joss would defend my side of the board and take up his actions while denying shooting with steam cloud (as best one can). I moved them slowly forward to be even where he was and then utilized my full movement once the time was right to get my charges off and stop his death-ball. This tied him up and allowed me to use the Rattler for it's purpose, which was to come in where needed and get some charges and poisons on. It also picked off Ryle when he wandered off from the ball to shoot. So the basic idea behind the list was a couple mobile models, a couple of tanks, and a mid-fielder so to speak. This gave me superb board control and the win.

So I wanted to take a minute and write down a few thoughts about Marcus after failing horrifically with him, and then having major success. I want to take a look at the causes of the success, and the failures. I have owned Marcus nearly as long as he's been around. I however, just started playing him last week. This is by no means a definitive report on how to play him, and I don't claim to be an expert on him. I do however, feel the need to share a few thoughts and think it may be helpful to others. I decided I needed to learn Marcus a bit before a tournament so i'd have some more mobility options in a tournament I played in last weekend. I played 3 practice games against a friend and frequent opponent. I was crushed all three games. I then proceeded to play in the tournament and did very poorly, and finally played Marcus in the third and final round, witch some success, but still a loss. In the 4 losses, I learned a lot about what I couldn't do with Marcus. This is a great deal more helpful than learning what he actually can do. I realized that he just wasn't good at getting into combat and getting out alive, alpha striking, he's somewhat weak at 25SS in my opinion, and has a slew of strategies and schemes he's not suited to. Now I knew what NOT to do with Marcus. Tonight I busted out Marcus again, and this time, due to the strategy, and I felt I wanted to give him one last go. I won the game tonight with a fairly solid 8/0 Win. The Strategy was shared Distract, and the schemes were Sabotage on a close house on his side and Grudge on his Watcher. My opponent took Breakthrough and Stake a Claim on a hill near my deployment zone. I felt that the strategy was perfect for Marcus, when paired with some mobile models, and some hard hitting guys too. I took Marcus, Rattler, Steamborg, Joss, December's Acolyte, and the Sabertooth Cerberus at 35SS. My opponent had Hoffman, Guardian, Watcher, Peacekeeper, Ryal, and the Mobile Toolkit. I won't go into a long drawn out battle report, but needless to say, turn 2 I had my Cerberus viciously murder his watcher, and had Marcus fly across the board to grab my sabotage VP. I was already up 4VP. By turn 5's end, I had killed all of his models save the Peacekeeper and still had my acolyte and Marcus. I did have fairly good flips, and his were below average, but my control was garbage and his was great. So we were even as far as I was concerned on fate cards. I feel that Marcus is a GREAT master in certain situations, and he is great because he can accomplish certain things extremely well with little to no resistance when taken at the appropriate time. His other strong benefit is the ability to gain access to models the Arcanist faction doesn't normally have access to; IE: Night Terrors. I'm going to be picking these up to try with him, and I'm going to experiment with Molemen as well; but I digress. Marcus is a great master taken in the proper place. He excels at mobility and I found that it isn't so much him, but the crew he can build that makes him a great choice at times. The games that I lost were due more to schemes and strategies he shouldn't have been used for, and my trying to make a Model do something it just isn't meant to do, or proficient at. It's like trying to ask a Gas Station Attendant to design the architecture for a new skyscraper. They'd fail miserably, but they'll probably do swimmingly if you ask about the road conditions in the dead of a bad winter in the north where they live! You see my point. What I did right. I took Marcus in a game where he had access to models that would take care of the strategy and he could nearly single-handedly accomplish the schemes. While some may argue that Ramos would be a better choice to the strategy, I would say there's no point in arguing, I accomplished my goal fairly easily, thus either is a viable choice. I believe I had a better overall setup though with my schemes and the strategy as I didn't have to work at them after turn 2. I don't believe Ramos would have been able to do the same. I could be wrong though, it has happened before. In summary, Marcus is a great master when used at the right time, and for the right purpose. He is a terrible master when taken at any other point in time. What makes him a Master and not a Henchmen aren't his abilities, spells, or nasty dreadlocks. It's the ability to create a crew that no one else in the game can.

Hey, thank you for the feedback. It wasn't harsh, unless you tried to mean it that way, then of course it's just fact said in a certain tone of voice... on the internet..... Anyway, all very good points. I didn't realize that the brass arachnid wasn't able to Stoke the Gunsmith or Johann. That indeed changes the usefulness of those models. As well as them not being constructs, which would negate the lure issue. Perhaps Johann needs to be replaced with a Steamborg, and the gunsmith with .... something constructed. Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks for the food for thought.

Wanted to run this list by you guys and see what you think. I really think this could put the hurtin' on some folks and have great survivability. 35 SS Ramos + Brass Arachnid 4ss Johann (purchase cost reduced by 1 for having Ramos) Joss Guardian Gunsmith Steampunk Arachnid (optional for more stones) For 25 points, just drop Joss The thought behind this list is pretty simple. Ramos does great with a bodyguard (guardian), however he lacks the mobility to deal with mid-range threats. The Gunsmith gives him some mid-range firepower and allows for even more versatility. This also allows him to spend more actions creating spiders and elec. creations. Johann, well he's a discovery I had reading through the outcasts in my rules this morning. He is a melee powerhouse with range 4 melee. His attacks also have the chance to knock back anyone in combat with him allowing for more ranged death. Combine these two with the Brass arachnid's ability to reactivate and I have an incredibly flexible crew that I can adapt to fit whatever situation and allow for better chances in poor Strats for this master (ie plant evidence). The play style I envision is a slow, forward moving group centered on the master with the gunsmith flanking close and joss staying nearby as well. Move towards objectives and force the opponent to avoid you or try to deal with you head on. The Guardian will soak enough damage to allow Joss and the Gunsmith, Johann and if needed, Ramos to kill whatever threats are thrown his way. Hopefully with all the "firepower" around Ramos he's able to focus on creating spiders and electrical creations and I can add 1 or 2 arachnid swarms by the end of the game, or cover the area in individual arachnids to tarpit if needed.

I made a set of 6 bases over the last couple days. I wanted to see what everyone thought, and get some feedback on what models to base on them... I kinda decided to make them just because I liked the idea, but i'm uncertain of which models would work well on these that I already own. The models I'm considering for these bases: Hoffman Crew, Ramos Crew, Perdita's Gang, or Marcus (but I really don't think I want to play him). I'm also considering just selling them as I don't have any models that would work perfectly on these bases.

I'm having a little Malifaux event here at the Gaming Saloon in Gilbert AZ this Saturday from 2 until closing. It also is close to Halloween, and i'd like to run the themed strats. If anyone is interested come throw down on some games. Maybe we'll even get a little tourney going. Here is the FB group if your interested, or RSVP here. No charge, just for fun. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162786020481638

So I turn 25 on the 24th and I want to run the Halloween Strats. We had a good time last Sunday and I want to get everyone out here again this weekend. Come out for my birthday, play some Malifaux, and have a good time. Maybe grab some drinks afterward. Where: Battle Foam Gaming Saloon in Gilbert AZ When: Saturday October 22 @ 6pm PST till ??? Halloween missions will be in play, otherwise general gaming as well. This isn't a paid tournament unless everyone decides they wanna throw down for a player run pool. Bring your favorite minis and plan on a good time, not a super competitive tournament format. If you just wanna paint, thats cool too. We can have a hobby session as well. I know I need to make my Ice Pillars!

Hey guys, the tournament went well. We only had 4 guys show up, but we had really good games. The next event will have more time for each round and we'll probably look into a single game per night/day style. I hope you guys had fun and we'll have more info on our next event soon!

Rules have been updated. Please PM questions or comments!

We are hosting a 25 Stone Tourney here at Battle Foam HQ in Gilbert, AZ. Specific rules and structure is still be decided, however it will be from the Gaining Ground Documents. Date: 10/16/2011 - This Sunday Where: 240 N. Sunway Dr. Suite 101, Gilbert AZ 85233 (in the Sunrise Business Park) See pics of our amazing tables - Gaming Saloon Entry Fee - $5 with 100% towards prize support Sign Up at 1:30 (feel free to RSVP Here) Tourney begins at 2PM I will be here running the event along with a few other BF folks, so come out even if you aren't going to play, we'd love to have people learning the game, and we may even be able to set up some demos if there is enough interest! Feel free to call or post here with any questions or if you need any help. UPDATE The format is as follows: Single Faction 25ss Scrap # of rounds TBD Fixed Shared Strategies From Expanded 0-2 Scheme's - Players pick First 2 Rulebooks only. No Avatars. This is due to the 3'd rulebook and models not being widely available at this point. What to Bring: Your models Please avoid proxies as much as possible. This is to make it as easy as possible for new players. (at least 1 full crew of 20+ss) Stat Cards for your models Counters for your crew (scrap,corpse,etc...) Tape Measure Spell Markers (example: Rasputina's Ice Pillars on 50mm Bases) Soulstone Counters (glass beads, dice, etc...) Rule Book(s) - Mini rulebook is preferred, but not required. Fate Decks - No playing cards please!

Oh I assure you, if i'm there she will be as well. She has one crew at the moment and is working on her second. Not sure if she'll want to play though. Not really into the competitive scene. She's more of the hobbyist than player.