Helm

I'd agree with regards to the one-note nature of the art. I'd go a step further and argue that the female leaders we've seen are quite poorly represented in model form, but that's a topic for a longer post. The new art also seems to take itself pretty seriously, especially in comparison to the 1st ed models. To my mind, this has two negative effects; it makes the emo makeup harder to take seriously, and it takes away from 1st ed's innate humour. I do have the Hired Swords box, and the models look very stylish. I also appreciate that I don't have to paint on the aforementioned makeup, and that swordvik wears more clothes these days. However, my faith in the artist overall is at a pretty low ebb; not in a technical sense, but in his ability to represent the humans of Malifaux in his work.

Used Candy in a couple of 30SS games recently. Using Incite, Melancholy and Candy in conjunction is pretty strong, and the fewer the models on the board, the stronger she gets.

How well does the new Taelor match up to the old one in terms of being a tank? One of the things I really liked about old Taelor was that she looked fully capable of swinging that hammer into some skulls. Not ever having worn a bra myself, I never thought about the underboob issue. Looking at pictures of the new sculpt, she looks a bit more fragile; old Taelor seemed very much a match for the likes of her counterpart Johan, but the new one looks just as skinny as the Ronin. Having had the chance to see it in person, does the model match the pictures in this regard?

You'll be able to buy a new Hannah later if you like. Not sure if it'll be the same sculpt exactly, but you'll be able to buy her. You won't be able to get an EricJ Copycat Killer. I mean, you get to put down a model painted by one of the game's creators while playing a Crew you intended to play anyway. What's not to like?

This is pretty much the issue I have. Not to mention that the pose just *doesn't make sense*. Seriously, try it yourself. It's not a position to fight from. The only even vaguely similar thing I've seen done with swords is after cutting through someone at the waist while massively dodging their sword, and even then it's considered a bit of a silly maneuver since you can do the same thing while remaining on your feet. Not claiming to be a martial arts expert, I'm only first dan in kendo, but seriously. The original sculpt had a presence and authority to it. The new one isn't someone I'd run from, it's someone I'd concentrate on not laughing at. (Equilibrium wasn't fantastic overall, but the good moments were sublime. The second-to-last fight in particular was wonderful imo.)

Beckoners can provide Lure and ranged support. In certain situations Lure is basically a more powerful Obey. And if you need a second big hitter, Teddy is always there for you.

Really liking the idea as a means of categorising models, but some of the Malifaux interactions may spoil it. Sorrows in particular are mostly going to be P, but a group of three Sorrows sitting around a model probably count as Ps at this point in time. You mention Depression in particular; in the games I've been playing recently, it can make Sorrows Ps across the board, but the more you have together the greater the exponential increase in damage; does this make them PS? At the very least, it's a very nice way to categorise models mentally. The problem with Malifaux is that some combos defy game-wide categorisation and instead make you think about things from turn to turn.

I'd also be interested in how you managed to kill them both on T2, if only to learn how to use Pandora better. I've managed to slap down Sonnia on T2 when she decided to run into the middle of the board using all 3 AP, but two SS users in a turn seems like a good result. As for activating models out of turn, I suppose that could feel bad for the person whose plan is being disrupted. However, looking at someone like Sonnia or LJ who would simply have removed that model from the board, surely altered activation order wouldn't be so bad?

On one hand, I'm going to be paying about £40 for 5 faction decks, most of the cards in which I won't need. On the other hand, I'll be able to buy any metal or plastic model from shops or ebay in my chosen factions and just play them. I like the thought of being able to pay 5 quid for a Malifaux Child without having to send off to Wyrd for some individual card or buy a slightly cheaper "Mercenaries Deck". Some new players may have to buy 2 faction decks to use their first Master in tournaments that don't allow a) playing from book or photocopied cards. An extra £8 startup cost can be annoying, but is completely overshadowed by the cost of paints etc. Ultimately, isn't this a temporary problem affecting only a subset of players?

What sort of budget are you going to be working off? If money's some kind of consideration, I'd suggest Zoraida. Ramos and Nicodem both summon models and have a very particular range of models to choose from; Nicodem in particular may want you to own a range of Undead models if you want the full flexibility out of him. Zoraida, on the other hand, just plays along with whatever you're using and makes it better. You'll want to buy a Voodoo Doll for her, but other than that she'll go with anything you fancy picking up from the Neverborn range, giving you real freedom in terms of what you want to pick up or paint next. Also, you know, she's a voodoo hag witch. Who can control your opponents' models. And kill them by setting fire to a little doll that she made of them. Not that I'm biased or anything.

I'd agree that M2E Pandora isn't really an NPE. I've been playing for the last few days against my girlfriend, who's been tolerant enough to learn Malifaux; she's been using Lady J and 3 Death Marshals against my Pandora and 3 Sorrows. Pandora has been surviving far fewer matches than I've anticipated, and I've only won one game thus far. Pandora herself is stupid fast and is really adept at slinking in and out of melee, using that 3" range to tie up enemy models. Paired up with Candy and the aforementioned activation tricks with Sweets and Sours, you can control a large board area and deal out a lot of damage quite easily. While it's been a while since I've used Pandora in a full Crew, I've also come to appreciate Sorrows a lot more after using them exclusively in games. If Pandora stays close enough for them to consistently use Misery Loves Company, they have very decent movement. Taking Depression can also bump up the Sorrows' damage output to ridiculous heights if one or two team up with Pandora. My housemate used to play Sonnia constantly against me, and she's definitely an issue with her indirect damage and ability to ignore Incorporeal. However, she normally plays at a 2-card deficit due to Confiscated Lore; massed fire with Depression and a couple of Terrifying models can give her crew a lot of difficulty.

On one hand, I want to see what's being done with the Dreamer, Widow Weaver and Lucius right now. On the other, I won't be getting my rulebook till late September at the very earliest, and don't want to waste playtesting time. I guess waiting is the only thing to do.

It's fairly reasonable. Last time this was brought up, the conversation ended up with someone suggesting that Wyrd had no legal control over the game, which is possibly the most offensive thing that could be said on a company's site. Personally, I'd love to hear a statement from Wyrd about 1.5. While I personally wouldn't play such a system, newly produced stats sound like a great thing for people who want to continue playing 1.5, and the passion of people like caen doesn't come from nowhere; if someone with that kind of intelligence and clear sight would make use of the system, it surely can't be a bad thing. It's not really my issue, so I hope you don't mind me highlighting how big a step it would be for someone to hand over their game to someone that they haven't chosen personally, are not paying and are ultimately not in charge of. The heads of Wyrd aren't just passionate enough about Malifaux to modify a system, they're passionate enough to have built the system and the company producing it, and that's the kind of intent that's been turned towards 2.0 now. Giving official support to the game being taken in another direction would be a massive decision which couldn't ever really be reversed.

Suppose I could have phrased it better; I'd agree that elements of balance by faction still remain, and certainly not every Master will be as capable at every Strategy. The person with more models will probably have a tactical edge. However, Wyrd officially stepping away from the idea a bit is something that I really appreciate, and while perfect balance will never be achieved, it's really what I'm looking for. I just see 2.0 as much less likely to have the situation where "Bob buys his first box, Bob plays a few games, Bob finds out this Master can only really do one or two Strategies to an acceptable level".

Not only that, but beta rules at least have her listed as a Mimic.

Just wanted to say "thank you" for the way that 2.0 is panning out. While I'm aware that companies as a whole like money and things that make players happy tend to get more money, I'd still like to highlight a couple of major changes that I'm really enjoying. Firstly, the loss of the "balance by faction" concept. In 1.5, the idea that the ability to perform all Strategies could be spread over all Masters in a faction was no doubt a very pretty and unique one. However, this meant like players on a budget like myself had to think really hard about what boxes to buy. I remember in particular one poor sap who played Ressers and had Nicodem as his only Master, and didn't necessarily have the money to start a new box straight off the bat. Secondly, the rejigging of Crew Boxes. In 1.5, I never ended up buying the Lilith box set because it included Tots and the Mature Nephilim, but would have almost required me to throw out another 9 quid for Young on the offchance that a Tot killed something. Likewise, stuff like Zoraida's Voodoo Doll and Nicodem's Mindless Zombies were almost required purchases that weren't mentioned on the box itself and wouldn't be discovered by a new player until play began. I don't know if it'll continue, but the transfer of things like Mindless Zombie summoning and Grow to the Upgrade system means that I can enjoy a full game without having to "dodge around" those features. The inclusion of Totems in Crew Boxes means that I'll actually be using the Master-specific Totems due to not having to buy the extra full-price blister. The first 2.0 box that I'll be buying from a shop will be Mother of Monsters, and I'll actually be able to recommend that box straight off for box-on-box games. Naturally, there are things I'm less happy about; the absence of an Upgrade card from the rulebook is seriously worrying, and I'm a little upset by the changes of female leader models from 1.0 to 2.0 thus far. However, the good changes are really damn good, and I'd like to express my appreciation.

Of a product which was free for all to buy online during Gencon, and will soon be free to buy from retailers.

Not particularly knowledgeable about this, but wasn't there a rumour going around that Lucius is in fact Coppellius? I seem to recall something to do with the coat being similar, the mask never coming off and the associations with Hoffman. In any case, I love the idea of him being a Mimic leader, especially with a couple new models gaining the Mimic keyword (Candy and the Beckoner iirc). I've always loved the Lucius model but never quite had the Guild collection to warrant a purchase, and the sculpts for Ryle and the Guild Guard Captain never appealed to me. Going to have to pick up a Lucius and Lawyer once the public beta hits, for the newly usable models if nothing else.

I want my Weaver Widow Henchman. I want my capable, actually usable in-game Weaver Widow Henchman. I want my capable, actually usable in-game Weaver Widow Henchman who is capable of summoning Teddy. ...I'm going to have a somewhat focused Wave 2 playtest, it seems.

I agree absolutely (minus the Warmachine bit, which I've never played). I just worry about the Upgrade system sometimes. With a new model, there's a guarantee of a pretty long design process, even if not all of it is spent in playtesting. With an Upgrade... it's just a couple of lines of text with a cost which simply isn't as granular as a whole model. The best-case scenario is that Upgrades come out as balanced overall, but if the likes of the Twins could appear in 1.5, I'm sure a similar analogue will eventually appear in the 2.0 Upgrades. It's just nice to know that there's a form of insurance for those times, no matter how poor.

This. Nexus of Power in particular has troubled me for a while, and I can picture it being much easier to slip up when balancing Upgrades than when creating models (due to their innate potential for combos for a start). While I don't much like the idea of a ubiquitous model for all factions for removing Upgrades (one or two options per faction feels more flavourful for me), it's great to have someone waiting in the wings for when something gets broken.

Presumably, the Master's SS Cache is determined by their relative strength. You were absolutely paying for that 1.5 ability; in the hypothetical situation that the master didn't come with it on the card, you would have had a higher Cache to play around with. EDIT: Can't Hex off Masters, but the same thing applies to regular models. If it didn't have the positive/negative ability, it would cost less/more. The real difference between the 1.5 Hex removal and the 2.0 upgrades removal is that certain abilities are protected in 2.0; the abilities on Upgrades aren't always vital to the functioning of the model. Hex could pick off the abilities that made the model tick on a basic level, as well as breaking the limitations of the Zoraida player's models.

Yes. Add a Rotten Belle to the same area and suddenly you won't be worried about the urinary tract infection any more.

Thanks for showing us some pages of the book. So if they're having all of the Upgrade cards sectioned into two-page spreads per Master, with another for generics? I like it; one of the difficulties I first had in the beta was organising the Upgrades in my head in terms of generic, henchman and Master-specific ones. It's nice to think of turning to a page and seeing all of the Pandora Upgrades. The question does then remain if there would be a batter way to do it. Five cards seems a bit much to me for one A4 page, and it's difficult to cover an entire page with the left-over card and one piece of art. Seems functional, reasonable and new-player friendly to me, but I guess a professional designer would have a more valid opinion.

I'd certainly agree, but if the Strategy and Schemes require models to be in a certain place or drop markers in a certain place, then the swarm will have to cluster to be effective regardless of rules. The same goes if terrain forms some kind of choke point. If it's some matter of ranged swarm models simply killing, I suppose they would be able to move and act freely. If the models have an objective to reach and Interact actions to perform, suddenly they have to be in a particular place, and that place could well be in a bubble of Ml7 pain. Or the place they have to move through to reach the objective could be guarded. This concerns me much more; a tarpit isn't a tarpit if it gets tarpitted on the way to the tarpit point.