Hey all this is a cross post from my blog (URL in my sig) but I thought I'd do a basic overview of the Freikorps. It's just an overview of all the forces not a breakdown of each model. Let me know what you all think.
So my preferred Malifaux crew is the Freikorps. I find them to be the space marines of Malifaux. A very forgiving and well rounded army that can do it all, just none of it spectacularly well.
Mobility - Everyone beside the specialist has a wk of 5. Vonschill can gain flight & perform up to 3 wks per turn, also he cannot be prevented from leaving combat with augmented jump. There have been several games where von schill has screwed my opponent because of this. (Deliver message, treasure hunt) Let’s not forget Von schill & Trappers reposition ability. Allows me to toss out damage & move at the same time.
Damage output - While not overwhelming each model can dish out both ranged and melee damage. Trappers are amazing for this. Each one provides a 16" threat range & can overlap each other. I've used two of them to provide first turn kills on models but having each one focus and pop a shot on “What I want dead this turn” With both the attack flip & damage flip receiving + I am usually able to cheat the damage. This allows me to put 6 – 10 damage on a target turn one. If the target has hard to wound or something else that may put me at minus on the damage I will instead take two normal shots & reposition further away. Von Schill himself has excellent damage with his clockwork seeker as well as critical strike or reposition.
Durability – Every freikorp has Armor 1 & immunity from area of effect damage. They mostly have a decent df stat (poor librarian) & while 6 wounds may seem low, remember they are taking all damage at -1. Also the aforementioned Librarian who people seem to hate; the librarian, hands down, is one of my favourite models. You can do damage to my freikorp, but I can discard a ram & heal them right back up. If I have taken a lot of damage I will furious cast to heal them back up. If I have not taken damage yet, there is a spell that gives all friendly Freikorps within 3” extra df (+2?). Thanks to freikoprs armor I do not care if I’m bunched up.
Board control – As stated von schill can move anywhere & become an immediate threat. (Slow to die + soul stone healing makes him obnoxious to kill). Also Trappers with their 16” range can act as a huge deterrent to any opponent. You have to be very fast to catch them as they automatically have a mask in their attack total which will trigger reposition. If you are far away I will focus to increase damage. If you are close I will fire two shots to increase my chances of pushing 6” away from you (More than the average wk distance). So I put two trappers in one quarter of the board & now my opponent is much more reluctant to go there.
The bad – The Freikorps are not particularly good in any one area. They are the jacks of all trades, aces of none. Dedicated CC units will out smack them. Dedicated ranged units will out shoot them. Dedicated mobility units will out maneuver them. This means you have to play less to your strengths and more to your opponent’s weaknesses. So if you plan on playing Freikorps you should at least be familiar with how all the other masters play.
