Arkion

Responses are great! GG17 was too reliant on conditions, and Masters like Hamelin found themselves in an advantageous position. I don't think it's possible to create a GG that accounts for all 39 Masters, especially considering the complexity added with Book 5. My hope is that it's less glaringly obvious that "_______ is the best this season." I would also love it if the Schemes were fun. I know that's totally subjective, but here's hoping GG18 captures that lightning in a bottle.

Hey Wyrdos, I've been playing Malifaux since first edition, circa book 2. I took something of a hiatus and stopped keeping up with it in 2015, but since Fall 2017 I've been getting back into the Malifaux habit and I'm surprised at how complicated the game has become. So, in order to help me process, and get some feedback/help/angry yelling from the community, I offer Some Rambling Observations from an Old Man of Malifaux Does he justly fear what he can't understand, or is he simply past his prime? First of all, Book 5. Wow. * Holy upgrades, Batman! While some of these I absolutely LOVE (Seamus, Von Schill), others are... um... potentially insane (Perdita, Misaki) or actually insane (Tara), and a vast number seem like they're just trying to encourage a sub-optimal line of play (Leveticus?). I'm all about breathing new life into old models, but not at the expense of making the game feel tedious to play. * Seriously, this version of Tara is more complex than Leveticus was in 1.5. * "They're just trying to break the game at this point so they can sell 3.0." --My Cynical Side * PLUS COLUMN: I love all the new story encounters! * Also, remember Linked Story Encounters? No? Trust me, those were great. They're back in Book 2 somewhere, I think. And what's with all this newfangled tournament stuff? * Gaining Grounds 2017 was highly favorable to Hamelin players and highly unfavorable to the Guild in general. Hopefully 2018 will let folks bring a Lady Justice crew to a tournament and not feel like they're swimming against the current. * Also, forgive me if I'm wrong, but Molly can look at hidden Schemes now? How on earth is GG 2018 going to account for this? Limited Master pools? Seasons? Formats? Bannings? Nothing? * How about selling us a Tournament Kit? For real. Deck of Fate Cards + Scheme Markers + 20XX Gaining Grounds Cards + Corpse/Scrap Markers + Any Markers relevant to Gaining Grounds + A Commemorative Tape Measure, all in a neat little zip-up bag? This game has a lot of paraphernalia, and it would be nice to have some help organizing it. Not mandatory help, mind you - don't force us to use official Wyrd plastic markers in tournaments, please. So how does it FEEL? * Between 2015 and today, Malifaux is a different experience. It's still good, but it's gotten a lot more time-consuming, and there are a lot more "GOTCHA!" moments (which I expect, given my lack of familiarity with some of this newer stuff, but this is true even for people who have been regularly keeping up with the game). There are some fun new rules in the mix (I love Von Schill's new upgrades, and Misaki's blasts make her a whole new experience), but on the whole, I'm not certain if the new rules make for a better game. * Proxies are everywhere, and it's getting very difficult to know, at a glance, what's on the other side of the table. Whoops - I mean Alternative models, not proxies. Don't get me wrong, I love the variety of models in Malifaux, and most of the alt sculpts are great, but I can't help but feel like they're working against the experience of the game by making the game more visually confusing. With a growing emphasis on larger crews, keeping track of 5-7 of your opponent's goofy-lookin' things is a lot different than keeping track of 10-15 of them. Combine this with the growing number of new models, and learning how all these things interact with one another becomes exponentially more time consuming. * Every faction can do everything, now, thanks to Book 4. This puts Book 4 models in an interesting place, as tournament players and casual players alike want to field them to shore up their Faction's weaknesses. Good for short term sales, but bad for long term game balance. Playing against Lilith now feels like playing against Colette two years ago. Again, this isn't bad, but it's definitely different. * I haven't played against Yasunori yet, but I hear it's painful. * Gremlins seem more than capable of mitigating the downsides that come with playing the "wild luck" faction. Not always, but I'm hearing people talk about Wong and Zipp in the same way they used to talk about Hamelin and Dreamer back in the 1st Edition days. Maybe that's my local meta, but Gremlins get a strong reaction: you either love 'em or hate 'em. They're not quite as polarizing as, say, Warhammer 40k 6th Edition Tau, but they definitely get a strong gut reaction. So, what's the point of all this sputterin' and putterin' and complainin'? I'm noticing a shift toward quantity over quality. I don't like it. Quality over quantity is why I started playing Malifaux in the first place. I could play a super fun game with six cowboys, a book, a tape measure, some tokens, and an hour. I wanted to get away from games that pushed a relentless release schedule into an over-crowded metagame (Warmahordes, I'm looking at you) or published rules that made it absolutely necessary to buy arm-loads of books and models before you could enjoy their games (cough, Games Workshop, cough). Malifaux is a robust and complex game that rewards careful observation and tactical thinking. It benefits from having an engaged community that loves its quirks and foibles, and that actively promotes it. Wyrd made itself accountable to its fans when it opened up Beta testing for 2.0, and that accountability helped create a game that tournament grinders and perpetual casuals alike could enjoy. Malifaux such a consistently interesting experience! However, Book 4 and Book 5 seem, to me, short-sighted. Wyrd is starting to prioritize selling sweet new model kits/books/upgrade packs over making the game more balanced, enjoyable, and accessible, and like we've seen time and time again from more established companies (Games Workshop, Privateer Press), I'm worried that the community will react negatively (or worse, passively!) to unfavorable changes. If we, as a community, are aware of this, and we use our voices wisely, we can keep Malifaux awesome. That said, my apprehensions have now been aired, and I'm eager to see what 2018 brings. I'll definitely be playing more Guild next year, and I'm looking forward to seeing the madness unleashed by Book 5, good and bad alike. I hope I'm wrong about Tara and Molly being no fun, and that Wyrd doesn't forget that, cool as the models are, it's the game itself that keeps us coming back for more. *** tl;dr: When you take a bite of grilled cheese sandwich but you're expecting a cheeseburger, it can leave you feeling like someone's made a mistake, no matter how good the grilled cheese actually tastes.

These turned out real nice. Good color choices.

MALIFAUX Colette starter set (new in box) McCabe starter set (new in box) Coryphee Duet (magnetized, cleaned, but not fully assembled; packaged with custom bases) Miss Step (new in box) Miss Ery (unassembled) Witchling Handler (still in the blister packet) Nightmare Edition Whiskey Golem (unassembled; box has some cosmetic damage) Snowstorm (new in box) WARMACHINE Protectorate of Menoth starter set (new in box) Greygore Boomhowler and Co. (6) (new in box) Koldun Kaptain Valchev (still in the blister) OTHER Mice & Mystics Board Game (played but in great condition - really fun, but I doubt I'll have a chance to play it again for awhile) I had great plans for these, but unfortunately my father's unexpected heart surgery has caused me to desperately need cash. Paypal only. Buyer pays shipping. Thanks for looking!

I love stuff like this. Thanks for sharing!

Your Tara and McCabe crews look great. That black and pink scheme really does them justice, and your GenCon survival guide is so dead accurate - I'm forwarding it to a couple of friends who will be going this year for the first time. Thanks for taking the time to write that up.

As one of the guys who played Guild in the Adepticon team tournament (I played Perdita and my teammate played Sonnia) I will agree, there seemed to be a lot of Guild at the event. Our opponent breakdown was Guild, Neverborn, Ten Thunders, Neverborn, so it felt like a good variety. The only master we faced more than once was Lilith. That said, in my local group, we all play multiple factions (I've been really into Neverborn lately). If the Guild has gotten more popular, well, it makes sense to me. The new plastic Guild models look freaking amazing.

My recent successes against Sonnia have been due to one or more of the following: -Marcus getting in her face fast with Trail of the Gods' speed boost -Johan removing the burning condition -Playing to the terrain and not placing my models too close to one another -Giving her a "sacrifice" minion every turn until she's dead Try 'em out and see how they work for you!

Hello! I have the following Khador for sale or trade. HAVE: 6 Battle Mechaniks Black Ivan (painted very well) Destroyer Destroyer Devastator Forward Kommander Sorscha (eSorscha) 3 Great Bears of Gallowswood Juggernaut Kapitan Valachev Karchev the Terrible Kayazy Assassin Underboss 6 Kayazy Assassins Koldun Lord Kommander Harkevich Kommander Sorscha (metal) Kommander Sorscha (plastic) Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich 5 Man-o-War Shocktroopers Spriggan The Butcher of Khardov (pButcher) War Dog 4 Widowmakers 2 Winter Guard Field Gun Crew 3 Winter Guard Rocketeer 10 Winterguard Infantry 2 Winterguard Mortar Crew Winterguard Officer & Standard Bearer If you would like more information, please send me a message. I have an Excel spreadsheet detailing the condition of each piece, and can provide photos on request. WANT: (1) I would like cash. (2) I would like Tharn Ravagers. Preferably a full unit, preferably assembled. (3) I am also open to trade for Malifaux, Bushido, or Infinity. In the case of Infinity, I would prefer assembled and/or painted models. Thanks!

I like the idea of Miss Anthropy being a female Seamus.

Christina Hendricks should be Colette. I submit the following as evidence: (Please ignore the ultra-cheesy Photoshop filter - wasn't me, I promise).

@Sandals: First, you should play a series of Linked Story Encounters with Marcus. You can only pick each scheme once in the series. It's a great way to figure out what schemes Marcus is good at and which ones he's not. And again, it's going to depend a lot on the models you have access to and which ones your opponent is bringing. Linked Story Encounters taught me way more about playing Marcus than anything else. Second, keep in mind something dgraz said: "There really is no 'easy button' for list building with Marcus.....he just has too many options." Take Trail of the Gods for the +3 Wk and a couple Molemen for marker-based schemes. Take Myranda with Imbued Protections (Df 8 is nothing to sneeze at) and try for Bodyguard. Take Frame for Murder and drop it on the devastating-but-fragile Sabretooth Cerberus. There are so many options! It's really up to you to think on your feet and come up with creative solutions to the problem. Now, advice is well and good, but what about something practical? Well, let's walk through the crew building process for a sample game. Let's say I'm up against Lady Justice in a 40ss Dust-Up. Close Deployment Strategy: Reconnoiter Scheme Pool: Breakthrough, Power Ritual, Protect Territory, Spring the Trap First, let's consider the Strategy. We need significant bodies in order to score points, so that means we'll want a crew that's heavy on activations. That means we probably want to use Marcus as a fighter, just so we don't have tons of points sunk into Enforcers. I'd consider running him with Feral Instincts and The Trail of the Gods. He hits hard with those upgrades. Molemen are great at Reconnoiter. They're cheap, significant Minions, have Armor 2, and can hop around all over the board. I've got to bring at least one. Molemen are also really good at dropping scheme counters; Power Ritual, Protect Territory, and Spring the Trap all rely on scheme counters, so those schemes are starting to look favorable. If I bring a Silurid (great at dropping scheme counters), then I'm doing even better, as they interact wonderfully with Molemen. Breakthrough also wants significant bodies on the table, so that's another good argument for the Silurid / Moleman tag team. You're up against the Great Lady J, and she hits like a ton of bricks. You might want to bring something to slow her down. If she takes the upgrade that gives her Unimpeded, well, you're not preventing that charge unless you get really sneaky. Waldgeists have Armor 2 and can create terrain elements; they might not stop Lady J, but they're likely to slow her down and possibly block line-of-sight for her Death Marshals. And if she doesn't take the upgrade, so much the better! Spring the Trap is a good scheme, here, too, because Lady J wants to charge in and start killing things with her bare hands. If she does and you've got scheme markers within 4" (You've got Molemen, so you totally should be dropping Scheme markers), well, hey! That's 3 VP. But let's say you don't have Waldgeists. That's OK - what else would you use in their place? Razorspine Rattlers are Terrifying and can potentially move 10" in a turn. If you can keep them alive, they're amazing for Breakthrough. You're also in Close Deployment, so Razorspine Rattlers' immunity to disengaging strikes and Wicked are pretty relevant here, too. Obviously, I can go on and on about this, but I think you get the idea. You've got to take your time building a crew; you've also got to work with the options you have at hand. Trying to collect every single Beast is neat, but realistically you're not going to own the optimal choice for every situation. That's OK. The Beastmaster is pretty good at using whatever he's got to propel himself to victory. Hopefully this is helpful. I'm no expert with the Beastmaster, but I know what doesn't work: static lists, lazy thinking, and an inability to improvise when the fight doesn't go how you planned it. Stick with it, learn from your mistakes, and above all welcome to Team Marcus! (It also doesn't hurt to bring a December Acolyte. Those dudes are just straight-up fantastic).

I think it's also helpful to have a "sacrifice" against Sonnia. Something the Sonnia player can't resist exploding. December Acolyte fits the bill perfectly, with his slow harpoon and From the Shadows, he's a real annoyance. Bonus points if Frame for Murder is in the pool. If Sonnia ignores the December Acolyte, she's likely to be Slow next turn, and Sam is too. If she kills it, then you've had a turn to get your crew into an optimal position for schemes / strategies / unleashing slaughter next turn.

I finally did it. I won a game with Marcus. Not just one, but four, at Adepticon, against competent opponents. Finally! The stars have aligned. The end times are upon us. Ia! Ia! Cthulhu f'tagn! Or maybe I've just finally figured out how to play M2E and the Beastmaster. I'd say the odds are 50/50. Why is this a big deal? Because I've been on a legendary losing streak - 30 games. Yes, thirty. Fifteen in 1.5, fifteen in 2E. The streak started when I took Marcus out of the box, which means (until recently) I'd never actually won a game with him. So this "winning with Marcus" thing is new territory for me. It's beautiful. From up here, the whole world looks like springtime and smells like apple pie. Breaking the streak felt wonderful. I smoked an expensive cigar, reminisced, and vowed to finally paint Marcus' eyeballs. So, to everyone out there kicking ass or struggling to kick ass with Marcus, just remember - don't give up. Marcus is the Beastmaster, and he will not be tamed! (Shout out: A big <3 to all my opponents across the last 34 games. Stay classy).

A recent commission - Geronimo from Wild West Exodus. He's a big furry alt-history weird wild west monstrosity, so I figure he's got a home in this thread.

I'm back from my first Adepticon! What a great event. I had a lot of fun and played a ton of games. I'll throw out some reviews once I've had a chance to sift through my thoughts and get a better handle on the rules, but I wanted to talk about Wreck Age first. Wreck Age Can I afford it? By itself, yes. It's actually very cheap for a minis game. Do I like the miniatures? Mostly. They've got a post-Nuke / Fallout aesthetic, so if you dig that, you'll likely dig these. Some of the sculpts are weak, but others are strong enough to carry the range. The female Stitcher in the starter box is pretty awesome, as is the Capybara Wrangler from the Stakers. Is the game fun? It's fun enough that, after playing several small skirmishes, I'm interested in reading the full rules and seeing what I can do with the game. It's not really a good tournament game; it's more of a minis-RPG hybrid. Think Necromunda meets Fallout. The designers eventually want it to be tournament playable, but in my humble opinion, that's not the game's strong point. Do other people play it? Not yet, but this question isn't necessarily as relevant for Wreck Age as it is for other games. It really feels like a Historical game; if you have one person with a couple factions, he/she can easily use the rules to craft interesting scenarios for his/her friends/store/club. If you've only got one or two buddies to game with, Wreck Age could be a great way to enjoy the minis hobby - it's really customizable, and you can get a ton of different games out of the core rulebook. I intend to paint my Stakers and Stitchers up as part of a wasteland scenery piece; when I've finished, I want to write up a couple narrative scenarios and invite other people to play them. It doesn't really matter to me if other people collect the minis - if I can run a fun Wreck Age scenario now and again, that's good enough for me. Wreck Age wants to tell a story. I think of it as a Historical minis game with a sci-fi twist; if you're not a fan of RPGs or narrative campaigns, Wreck Age might not be for you. Personally, I like it, and I plan to take my time crafting, painting, and occasionally playing for the future of the Wasteland.

Cool idea. I'll add to this post as I get more ideas. For now... Starter Box: Dire Prospects (Neverborn) Theme: Soulstone prospectors who found more than they bargained for... Master: Old Man Watkins Totem: Mr. Applegate Henchman: Clementine Minions: Prospector

I played Bushido this weekend! Bushido Can I afford it? It's a very affordable game. 35 points and 50 points are apparently "sweet spots" for the game; the starter for Temple Ro-Kan comes with 36 points worth of miniatures. As far as time investment goes, some of the miniatures are a little delicate, so it'll take time to assemble them properly, but nothing I've seen so far is any worse than Yan Lo's beard. Do I like the miniatures? They're awesome! Nice, high-quality pewter with really characterful sculpts. Is the game fun? I had a blast. It reminds me of a Euro Game - lots of careful resource management, limited turns, and narrow margins of victory - with the added bonus of including miniatures. If you like board games like Agricola or Puerto Rico, you might really dig Bushido. The only thing I disliked was the big chart describing degrees of success, but that's pretty trivial and I can get used to it. Do other people play? Not yet. After this weekend, though, there are four locals who decided to buy starters. Bushido seems like a good bridge between a board game and a mini wargame. It's definitely more of the latter, but it might hold some appeal for board gamers looking to try miniatures without a significant investment of time or money. It's complicated; it's not a game you'll master quickly, or even play entirely correctly on your first go around, but it's simple enough that its complexity is intriguing, not frustrating. I should also add that I'm excited about Malifaux now more than ever. Bushido's got me thinking about Ten Thunders, and contemplating all kinds of new tricks. Order of activation matters quite a bit in Bushido, and if I can apply what I learn from Bushido to a game of Malifaux...

Just chiming in to let you all know I've read your comments, and I'm taking them to heart. I'm coding the RSS feed and creating a download link. With luck, everything (including podcast 4 and our recently recorded podcast 5) will be up in a few days.

I started writing this as part of an upcoming podcast, but realized it might be better received as a written article. Hopefully this is the right spot to post it. It’s no secret we all like mini wargaming. But what’s the secret of a good mini wargame? For me, it’s down to four things: Can I afford it? (This applies to both time and money) Do I like the miniatures? Is the game fun? Do other people play? Here are my answers for Malifaux: Can I afford it? Yeah. And as long as I budget my time well, I can even afford to paint everything to a fairly high standard. Do I like the miniatures? For the most part, I love the miniatures. The old metal Ortegas got me into the game, and the new plastic Ortegas are even better. Just don’t get me started on the old metal Mature Nephalim. Is the game fun? Hell yes! Second Edition has really impressed me; I love the game more now than ever. The playing cards, the game structure: for the most part, it's clever and it all makes sense. And finally: Do other people play? Well, we’ve got a great local group, and the online community is awesome. Other games might be more popular, but Malifaux players are intense about their love of Malifaux, and it’s wonderful. When we apply these four questions to other games, I think it's telling. These are only my opinions of course, but I think it helps to illustrate why Malifaux is currently my favorite game. Hell Dorado. It’s slightly more affordable than Malifaux, mostly because there aren’t as many miniatures. And I love the miniatures! Honestly, they’re my favorite range right now. That said, I understand they won’t appeal to everybody – most normal people don’t get giddy at the thought of painting morbidly obese demons of Gluttony. But, even if we have different taste in miniatures, the game itself is really fun. It’s quick, fatal, and sometimes hilarious, and with the new units introduced in Inferno, I’m more excited than ever to play. But point four is the game’s major hardship – almost nobody plays it. There are three of us locally who own crews, and only myself and my buddy Lee have really gotten into it. So, it remains my favorite mini wargame after Malifaux mostly because it’s really hard to find a game of Hell Dorado. Oh well. I can always hope. Warhammer 40000. The game that got me into miniwargaming. Can I afford it? Sadly, not anymore. Increasing cost of Games Workshop rulebooks and kits have really priced me out of the game. Which is sad, because I love the miniatures! Well, most of the miniatures, but the good ones make up for the lousy ones. Unfortunately, I no longer enjoy the game – it’s so very complex that much of the game is spent looking up rules or referencing the codex to see what something does. But that doesn’t stop other people from playing it – it’s still the most popular mini wargame in town. And even though I don’t enjoy the game as much as I used to, it’s that massive popularity that keeps me checking in on it. I have a shelf full of lovingly painted Chaos Space Marines: I look at them and remember the awesome match against Coop, the Dark Angels player I met in Wisconsin, or the three-month long campaign against my buddy Damian’s Tau, or even the time I accidentally incinerated my own commander with a plasma cannon. I’m lucky enough to own a large painted army, so I might get back into it someday, but for now I’m content to let my warriors rest. Wild West Exodus. Can I afford it? Barely, but sure. The minis are pretty expensive, but they’re great quality and very detailed – I don’t plan to make little masterpieces out of any of them, either, so that saves me time, and all those extra details should mean that the mini looks good even with a simple paintjob. They are, for the most part, some extremely nice miniatures. The last two points are the kickers, though, and what ultimately convinced me to get into the game: It’s really fun! It plays fast, it’s easy to learn, and from my limited experience thus far, it appears quite nicely balanced. I think Outlaw Miniatures did a great job of writing the rules. With regard to popularity, it seems quite a few locals supported the Kickstarter – I guess the Wild West theme is popular ‘round these parts. As long as it stays popular, I can see myself really getting into and enjoying this game. Warmachine and Hordes. Even though the game is played on an army scale, it’s still pretty affordable. Privateer Press has done a good job keeping the financial barrier to entry low – there are two-player starter sets and battleboxes galore out there, and they’re easy to find. As for the miniatures themselves, our local group has a saying: If the miniature looks great, the rules will be awful. If the mini looks like a piece of garbage, you can bet you’ll want to field ten of them. I’ve found this to be true in my Khador army: I absolutely love Supreme Kommandant Irusk, who is a mediocre character at best, and I hate the incredibly dangerous Kayazy Assassins with passion that borders on psychosis. Still, the rules for Warmachine and Hordes are pretty tight and the basics are simple enough to learn. Some factions aren’t very well balanced, though – Cryx, for example, drives me insane – but it’s a very popular game in my area, and I know that if I can’t find a game of Malifaux, I can always find a game of Warmachine or Hordes. There are a couple other games I’m eager to try out. Bushido is a game that some Malifaux players took to after Second Edition changes didn't appeal to them – I haven’t played it yet, but I can say for sure that it’s affordable and the minis look great. Infinity is a game that’s captured my imagination with its dynamic rules and science fiction setting. I’ve watched several games, and while the single game I played saw me shot clean off the table by the end of the second turn, something about the difficult, unforgiving nature of the combat really appealed to me: It’s like mini wargaming on Nightmare Difficulty. So there you have it - four essential questions applied to a variety of mini wargames. Hopefully, this will be helpful to you when you're considering your next purchase, or contemplating getting into a new game. If you've played a game that isn't on this list, or if your answers are different from mine (please keep in mind these are all merely my opinions and experiences), please share your thoughts. I'd love to read them.

Thanks! Photography is something I struggle with. My cousin helped me out with Barbaros, but I typically just use a camera phone and a cardboard box or piece of felt. Another area in which I need to improve. A couple more angles. The loincloth uses red, yellow, white, and blue in various degrees - so, a ton of detail, which is a little odd when you consider I didn't see the mould line until after I'd started painting. When I paint on a canvas, I like to leave artifacts - graphite lines or layers of paint showing slightly underneath. It's a different emphasis on minis, where the goal is to create a perfect illusion. I'm still learning technique; I've got a ways to go, I think, before I really come up with my own style.