iamfanboy

Maybe we should try to make Logfaux a more Henchman motivated thing? Most Malifaux communities have one embedded, having good data to recommend Masters to people would be appreciated, and - okay, it would be more extra work on top of all the other stuff a Henchman is doing to get soulstones, but overall might be seen as worth it? Just taking notes at events a Henchman runs (Guild McMourning 2/1/1) and entering them later wouldn't be too hard. I think.

When each person makes a character, they do it by flipping a short Tarot - and where the cards land also form a Destiny for the character, split up into five parts. Each time a character fulfills a part of their Destiny they get radically stronger - and by the time they've gotten, I think, 3 parts of their Destiny done they're the equivalent of 9th-level characters, real movers and shakers. The Fatemaster Guide (if I remember right) recommends having a Destiny part fulfilled for at least one character every session, or at most every other session. So spread over 5 people with 5 destinies that's 25 adventures until everyone's Destiny is fulfilled by the book, or 50 if you REALLY want to stretch it. But here's my take on it: I've only had maybe two or three campaigns my entire life last longer than thirty sessions. TTB's system is advantageous in that it gives the GM a way to weave a coherent, long-term plot in the game mechanic itself, and a campaign that lasts 25-30 sessions but ends with the players feeling as though a REAL story has been told is way better than one that goes on for two years and only stops when the players get kinda bored and just... wander away. Alternately, you could look at Savage Worlds. Their Deadlands setting has a lot in common with Malifaux, and it does fairly well at scaling up even at the highest levels.

One thing I suggest to beginning painters is something simple: Magic Wash. Really, any wash will do, and some miniature companies make premade ones, but you can make it yourself. One part acrylic floor wax + 2 parts water + dark pigment = instant shading on any miniature you paint. I actually mix up 32 ounces of it at a time (without pigment, just the floor wax and water), and pour a little bit out to mix with a dark pigment when I need shading. The brand in the states is Pledge Tile & Vinyl Floor Finish. Sue, here, was just flat colors (gray coat, silver guns/shinguards, yellow ochre guitar, blue pants) before getting a single coat of black wash: Viola, instant shading. I tend to use it as just basic color + wash because that's good enough for tabletop; however, if you want to look better for cameras then you can do basic color, highlight, and then wash in the shadow in which also damps down the highlight. It really helps for bare skin, too. This isn't the BEST example, but it's what I have for sculpted abs like Kang has: Their skin was just tan flesh with a purple wash over it (because that's how I decided Neverborn look in my color palette, purple undertones to their skin). Quick, dramatic, effective. On real bare skin you want a red/brown wash mix, with more brown on asian skintones and more red the farther west you go. Getting the correct amount of pigment IS tricky; the wash needs to run into the cracks but not just pool on the back of the miniature. I usually keep a sucker test model nearby to trial the mixes, and have a dry brush handy to whisk away any unexpected pooling. But it's worth it to learn. Yes, overused it's a lazy habit (that I plead guilty to!), but it also lets people get their armies painted and looking tabletop good very quickly.

Ah, my apologies. I missed the 'it's' there.

Uhhh.... Hamelin's there. There are seven total models that you can scroll through with left/right arrows. Frankly, what I would love to see in there are Avatars - even metal ones. It's the sort of thing that only fanboys would want, they could probably get a print run from Iron Wind Metals for fairly cheap, and they might even add a couple of new ones. Good spirits I'd love to lay hands on a Colette Avatar, only seen one on eBay in the past eight months or so.

So once again, I'm almost diffident about posting in here. I say, "Well, I got 46ss done yesterday, and another 24ss almost finished today!" and you look at them and say, "Well, gee, anyone could paint to THAT level of quality, it looks terrible here on my monitor four times taller than it is in real life," and I reply, "Well, yeah, anyone COULD paint like that... so why get obsessive?" Anyway, my two customers only paid for "El Cheapo" jobs - about 1.5 hours work on the Pistoleros and 2 hours work on the Freikorps. Not that the Freikorps are done yet, we never finalized the flocking style, so we'll have to decide that when he comes up this weekend. At this point I'm getting the quick stuff out of the way so the time-consuming jobs - Silent One, Oiran, Von Schill, Student, and Lust - can be worked over at leisure. Smoking guy in the middle is my favorite mini, though I frankly don't care much for any of the paintjobs. Once again limited by the "Raiders Fan" palette of colors, I'm glad that I could at least toss brown in there to break it up some. No facepaint on these guys, he chose not to pay for it. Gray and brown seem very urban camo colors to have, and lend a more scifi look to these guys. Purple ribbon on the Librarian because we decided that his Vik Crew was going to have purple as a unifying theme and I wanted to tie her in a bit with them when/if I get to painting them. Also, WIP/skintest of Gluttony, who I'm frankly unhappy with as of this point: I think I'm going to mix up a bottle of African-American skintone with a base of raw umber, royal purple, and some cocao so I don't have to keep mixing it up. It always ends up way too dark in camera, even if IRL it only looks a BIT too dark and perfectly in keeping with a more African tone... however, in this case I WANTED more American, so failure. The drumhead was going to be human skin, though I think I may end up shifting it to Gremlin skin so he ties in more visually with the Gremlin crew - that, the snake, and the extra hand should be the bit of green I need to keep him looking like he belongs with the greenskins. @Franchute, the word you're looking for is 'nipple'.

Why are Death Marshals not being used more against FFM? It seems like the best thing to do - just saying, "Okay, my 6ss model removes the thing from the table I HAVE to kill but can't because it will give you VP" seems like a very, very solid answer. Guild has a LOT of good tools, a lot of answers - and a lot of those are on strong but cheap Minions, freeing up points for high-end models as well. Death Marshals for Schemes like FFM or Show of Force. (Maybe I'm just mad because one kept the Captain pinned in a box for three turns of Henchman Hardcore). Witchling Stalkers for cheap condition removal. Executioners for brutal melee that also can meddle with enemy Scheme Markers. (Seriously, Ready for Work does so much, well, work!) Reporters for nasty pushes and other effects. Guardians to make already hard to kill models even tougher. It's just that, and this is from an outsider point of view, the answers needed have shifted away from the models Guild players are used to, so rather than learn their new tools they'd prefer to jump to another faction. It's not that this is BAD, mind you, because it's good to try new things and can often make you more aware of an opponent's victory plan if you've played their side of the table. I've seen it happen a lot, and it's not as though this game requires one to buy and paint 30 models + 3 vehicles in order to try out the new faction, either! I think that Lady J and Sonnia aren't going to go away, because they are VERY killy and with the right scheme pool and backup they will ensure victory - it's just that you can't reach for them as your ONLY masters any more.

I was NOT there at Adepticon, I need to make this clear. NOT THERE. This is just a comment on "Guild is terrible now" thing. I really enjoyed my first game of Guild as McMourning. I know that the general wisdom is that "McMourning is best at Ressers", but just from the outside he seems to have a lot of good stuff for Guild. He's nearly as good at melee as Lady J, can indirectly damage to avoid triggering Frame For Murder, has scheme marker manipulation in the form of Injection and an upgrade that steals their Scheme Markers (in GG17, only really useful for 3/19 Schemes, but when it triggers...) and Nurses, man, Nurses. Mask Meds makes ANY model into a Schemer. Crow Meds barely has a downside if you've got a Witchling Stalker or two. Ram Meds straight into an Executioner? Just, like, a thought. Borrowed a friend's McMourning to try it out. It was... fun.

@klatschi, I prefer to paint to tabletop standards, so I'll be assembly-line painting them - I prefer to HAVE painted minis rather than agonize for days over how well or badly I'm painting them. (also, my friends only paid me for tabletop standard, so that's what they're getting!) @Chou, I'm against bloodspatter IMHO. If you do it as it should be, bright and red, it looks cartoony; if you do it darker then it doesn't show as well and seems very old. Besides, right now you've got something that looks threatening, and adding spatter might well ruin that look. Might also enhance it too, but it's fine as is.

Okay, here's what I have on my paint table for April. In case you can't see it, and pardon me if the SS cost is wrong, it's Von Schill (15), Freikorpsman x4 (2 of them are still in the box, though) (20), Specialist (8), Librarian (7), Trapper (6), Trunk (3), Student of War (4), Oiran x3 (15), Lust (8), Latigo Pistoleros x3 (15), Silent One (6), Slop Haulers x2 (10), Gluttony (8), Waldgeist (6), Stitched Together x3 (18), Primordial Magic (2). 151ss total. Some of my personal stuff MIGHT get dropped, but the Gremlin, Outcast, and Guild stuff are all commissions (and so is Lust), so that's a must-paint this month and my first priority. I may also try to convince him to drop the extra Freikorpsmen; it adds money to his bill and I'm not sure he'll ever USE four of them! I WAS going to get started earlier today, but I assembled the slop haulers and the steam trunk (RRGH) for this shot; nothing kills my paintboner faster than having to piece together Malifaux minis. Love to paint them, hate to put 'em together. The great thing about the variety in Malifaux, though, is that it's perfect for breaking up the monotony of assembly line painting; each batch is so different there's almost no way to get bored doing it.

Penny Dreadfuls are the oneshot adventures they've put out. The Through the Breach RPG is interesting for multiple reasons. One, all cards are flipped from a communal deck with static target numbers for NPCs - so if someone attacks you, you flip your own defense for example. Each player also has an abbreviated 'cheat deck' of cards that they can cheat out of and draw from under certain circumstances. It's a very skill-focused game, rather than stat focused or level focused, however. I'm not sure how much I like the core version, but I'll reserve judgment to see how the 2e works - though I may try to sign up for the Stitch In Time, as I didn't know that it was still available. Puppet Wars Unstitched (the latest version) is a board game with little voodoo doll versions of various famous Malifaux personalities. Supposedly they were all made by Zoraida and they do things to each other for her amusement - which is the game itself. As far as picking models just because of looks rather than because they're 'winners' or 'losers'... Malifaux is very friendly to this, because the power gap between various masters isn't as high as other games. Yes, my poor friend who only has the Ortegas really HATES the Henchman Hardcore format because Francisco Ortega, his only Henchman, isn't very durable; but that's one Scheme/Strat combination and there are plenty of others which would favor his band.

So I'm putting together some demo characters to run a game of TTB with to see if I like the core system. It's not bad, I do like how the players are the ones making all the flips both for and against themselves, and naturally I like the world! But some of the Pursuits, Skills, and Talents seem like must-takes and others look like traps, and while I know there was focus on some of them in 2e I'd like to know if Paired Weapons saw any love... Because it's terrible. At the cost of a General Talent and doubling your weapon costs (in scrip and ammo), you... get + to the Attack flips. OR, you can buy Custom Grip with a single pistol to get the same result, or get Skill Mastery (weapon) for exactly the same effect, but without a highly restrictive situation behind it. Considering that what a gunfighter probably wants is Specialized Skill leading to Critical Strike, it seems like a damfool waste of a precious Talent slot. For purposes of this game I'm houseruling it to something else - Make 2 (1) AP attacks with identical one-handed weapons for (1) AP, but can take no other Attack actions this round of Dramatic Time and can spend no AP on actions that would involve using the hands - which opens up some interesting AP efficiency space. I'm not even sure if the restriction on "No other Attack actions" might be necessary, instead it might be "Can only be taken once per round of Dramatic Time" which allows 3 shots... which might be unduly nasty. Granting a free AP is already a strong effect, and probably too strong to be just available at Rank 1 (should be locked behind Specialized Skill, again!) Or maybe adds a Trigger. Crows: Take this Attack action again. It cannot declare Triggers. That is something in Malifaux that I don't see in TTB, at least in the base book: Triggers that allow another attack, but at a penalty. Either of those sound good?

Wow, this feels like it's been a long, long month for only... 16 miniatures painted. Four of them were Warmachine, though, so they don't count. Merris LaCroix (6), Sammy LaCroix (7), Sue (8), Lelu (7), Lilitu (7), Perdita Ortega (15), Francisco Ortega (13), Abuela Ortega (7), Nino Ortega (7), Santiago Ortega (7), Papa Loco (7), Enslaved Nephilim (3) 94ss total? Next month looks even more busy. Silent One, Waldgeist, 3 Stitched Together, 1-3 Oiran, and Primordial Magic for me; Von Schill's Crew, Student of War, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, and 3 Pistoleros for friends. I may not actually PAINT all that, mind, but it'll be there.

One more comment: I think that any [UPG] items should be listed last That'd be a good organizational tip to help players easily find what's on a base card and what's on an upgrade card. I kind of see that you've got a set organization for grouping a given Master's Movement/Defense/Attack/Buffs together, but separating out the UPG items would let players know what's consistent across the board and what's variable much more easily. I mean, it's GREAT. It really, honestly, 100% is, and is perfectly usable now. It just could be slightly better, at least in my opinion.

So I've updated this topic for April, and I plan to run several trial games of Through The Breach to see if I like the system well enough to run it.

Really, I've been finding that pretty much any Neverborn crew loves having a sniper that doesn't randomize on their side. Lock them down with Candy and Fears Given Form, and while she heals herself with Goody Basket Angel Eyes blasts them. Pick the Master you like, and they will bless having a great ranged model in a faction that's all about melee. Though the suggestion of Lilith IS solid; Nephilim is very thematic together and Lilith is a simple yet deep master to use who is very good about forcing an opponent to play the game on her terms, rather than being forced by the other side. I haven't used Scion of Black Blood all that much, but he's more a force multiplier than an always take - unless you're dedicated to staying in theme, the Mercenary Johan is waaay better at condition removal.

Say, where do you get these Warlord Games spin markers? Do they sell them separately from the games themselves? Because I can't seem to locate them on the official store. EDIT: Never mind, they're under Pin Markers, NOT Spin Markers.

Okay. Don't get me wrong. I WANT lots of models - I love Molly and Kirai's models, stories, and playstyles, I adore the ninja Misaki of the Ten Thunders, and Nellie's reporters are delightful sirens beckoning me to the Guild. But I've gotta be the responsible Henchman/adult. Filling out my Neverborn and Arcanists first, THEN dipping into Ressers/Outcasts/Guild is the sensible thing to do.

So some things I've been doing: Set the streets on a diagonal, rather than a perpendicular, line across the board - main street goes from corner to corner, for example. I find that this REALLY helps clear up some crew's issues of hiding from LOS while still allowing the occasional clear lines that other crews rely on. Have one half be predominately burned-out buildings, while the other side has mostly intact buildings. Establish one half as the wilderness with woods and water, with smaller shack/western style buildings on the other side. EDIT: You ninja'd me, gnomezilla!

First off, that list looks really good. The only must buy I'd recommend is Silent Ones as they're the only in-faction, no strings attached heal we get. Other goodstuff: Buying a Mechanical Rider along with Metal Gamin for her to summon is also reckoned as fairly good - the extra bodies let you win the "hold table quarters" missions more easily, and she herself is an excellent beater, tank, AND schemer. But she's so common that she also has a big target on her for the first few turns when she's most vulnerable. She can also poop Mannequins, saving you points and still letting you benefit from the Mannequin's Scheme Marker aura distribution. Arcane Effigy and Johan gives you the ability to remove Conditions - good if you're expecting to see bad things happen. While I wouldn't say it's a sure thing, Oiran are Showgirls and have a Trigger on one of their attacks that makes the target unable to declare Attacks on Showgirls - I did it to a friend's Peacekeeper two turns in a row and it was hilarious. They also have a Lure for Cassandra to Understudy. Arcane Emissary is a NASTY beater and does great things for Colette - it's a Scheme Marker for 2 damage! It can (0) teleport to a nearby Scheme Marker! From there, pick up whatever Master interests you the most, or just stick with Colette - really, she can be played into any Scheme/Strat as long as you pick the right models, and it does look like you're starting with the right ones.