MEP

This is the sort of thing Kickstarter was made for. Printing is expensive, and Wyrd could lose money on something like this really fast if there aren't enough people interested. It's totally understandable why they might be hesitant to do something like this. But get enough people to support the idea (financially) before it goes into production and you remove the risk. How about a kickstarter to create this scheme/strat deck (with reference cards included because the way a lot of that info is spread out in the rule book makes tableside reference annoying), and a special edition plastic fate deck (similar to what they did for TtB) that's only available to backers? Sell it as a package deal. I'd back it, and if there aren't enough of us to make it worth Wyrd's while, they'll find out before they produce it.

Injection molding frequently uses mold release just like resin does. It's not always essential depending on the sprue, but most molds are given at least one quick spray at the beginning of a run. You should clean every mini before priming if for no other reason than because the oils in your skin can screw up paint. I never touch my minis between priming and top-coating. If it's on a base, then I attach the base to something I can hold onto. If it's not on the base before painting, then I'm usually holding it with a pin vise.

Aw man. No new Ten Thunders master yet? When is that supposed to be shared? I was going to take Guild as my second faction, but the Arcanists just keep looking cooler and cooler the more I find out about them. Collette's scheme marker stuff sounds insanely fun.

I was under the impression that the plastic kits (like the Ten Thunders boxes) that already existed were going to be repackaged with new cards. So if you're buying the Misaki box, for instance, if it was shipped out before the M2E switch it will still have the old cards. But any Misaki boxes being produced now (or in the future, more likely since there are a lot of Misaki boxes already sitting on shelves waiting to sell) will have the new cards in them. So the old plastic kits are not being replaced, just packed with new cards from now on. I was also under the impression, however, that all metal production had stopped. They're not making new metal minis anymore. Any metal Malifaux minis you see now were manufactured before the M2E switch. Once those are out of stock, they're gone. It's totally unreasonable to expect Wyrd to repackage extant product with new cards. The product that's already been shipped to retailers and distributors would have to be recalled, and that would cost far too much money. Even just repacking the product that's sitting in Wyrd's own storage would probably require enough labor to repack that it would eliminate any profit from the product. It might be nice for Wyrd to throw a couple new cards in the shipping box for any product that ships from their own warehouse, but they would have to streamline the logistics of that process to prevent it from eating into their margins too much (plus it would reduce the number of arsenal decks available for sale). Whether or not doing that would actually be worthwhile for Wyrd really depends on just how much old stock they have lying around. I'm willing to bet though that it would be too expensive, just because they'd probably end up with a lot of opened and incomplete arsenal decks afterward. I doubt they've set it up so they can order one-off individual cards even for themselves let alone for customers. The decks are printed, cut, collated and stuffed into boxes all in the same facility. Pulling individual cards out of that process is more complicated than most people probably realize, especially since the decks are printed in sheets, probably sheets of different cards rather than one sheet per card variety. Printing a lot of Ronin, for example, would necessarily require also printing a lot of Von Schill and Hannah and outcast upgrades and everything else in the outcast deck. It's not like you can just tell the printer, "Hey, I need 67 Ronin cards and nothing else." The decks are printed probably on one or two sheets per deck, cut and then shoved into a box, which is also probably printed in the same place. I'm sure they have smaller print runs set up to run in parallel with the mini production runs. So you have a smaller sheet of card printed only with the contents of the Justice and Seamus boxes. It's being run simultaneously as the minis are being molded. Those cards are cut, bagged and sent to the facility that packages the kits. But again, it's not like you just call the printer and order up a few cards for each mini here and there. You order them by the thousands, in planned sets, which are then packaged into whatever you've been manufacturing at the molding facility. You don't just say, "Send me another 100 Justices."

Saw Malifaux years ago when it was still new. Didn't really know anything about the fluff, but the art style just didn't resonate with me. So I kind of just forgot about it for a long while. When they started making the plastic kits it was big news on a lot of mini sites. The kits looked great and the art style was pretty different from what I remember the old stuff being. I liked it a lot more, but steampunk really isn't my thing either so it was still kind of just a curiosity. Then the Ten Thunders stuff started catching my eye and I got more interested, but still not enough to play (I have shelves of games already and drawers full of unfinished minis). And then I saw the alternate sculpt for Sonnia Criid, the one with the fireball. I had to have it (and it's the first Wyrd mini I've painted). I started looking into the game, the fluff, the rules. The newer art style catches my eye much more than the cartoony art style of the original books. The fluff caught my attention after the art. The rules are really interesting to me. I like the idea of the deck of cards. I like the focus on objectives rather than straight wiping out your opponent. I like the scale and the focus on individual characters rather than units. I'm realizing now that I probably would've liked this game much sooner if I'd tried it sooner.

It's important to note that most Windex doesn't actually have ammonia in it, just isopropanol (alcohol). It's also important to note that the inside of your airbrush is made of brass, and ammonia destroys brass (it's called season cracking). It's more important to note that inhaling ammonia is super super bad for you and can actually cause really serious chest infections so don't just open your window, wear a VOC filter. But really just don't use ammonia in your airbrush. You can thin with windex (the non-ammonia kind), but it's still a bad idea for the following reasons: 1) Dye: Most windex has dye in it, blue or purple. That tints your paints. 2) Other surfactant additives that do not evaporate: Windex has several chemicals in it that will actually weaken the bonds of the paint you're applying, making it more likely to chip or wear off with surface friction. 3) Gloss: Spraying with straight alcohol-based thinners that do not have a matte medium additive makes your paints dry glossy. 4) Actual airbrush thinner is cheap: Actual off-the shelf airbrush thinner is both easy to find and cheap to buy. It also usually has anti-gloss matte mediums in it (in addition to isopropanol which is the exact same thing that makes Windex work as a thinner). It never has ammonia so it won't ruin your airbrush or your health (as much). If you have an airbrush, buy a VOC filter (the 3M one is probably the best value for the dollar). That's it. Even if you're thinning with water, you do not want to inhale little particles of paint. "Non-toxic" just means it won't chemically react with your body's tissue. It can still clog up your sinuses and lungs, causing infections (which suck, trust me). Aerosolized isopropyl alcohol will do worse than that if you suck in enough of it (there are documented cases of people dying just from inhaling isopropanol fumes). Ammonia (which you shouldn't be using at all anyway) will do worse still. Don't kid yourself just because you've sprayed some times and didn't feel bad later. Gradual exposure over time will show its effects eventually, and you don't want that. VOC filters cost like $25–30 and if you size it properly you can wear one for hours without hardly noticing it (I've worn mine while lacquering furniture in 4-hour stretches and barely felt it). Once you have the mask the replacement filter cartridges are like $8/pair and they last for years (with the solvents we're spraying) before needing to be replaced. When compared to everything else we spend money on in this hobby (especially a good airbrush setup) it's dirt cheap just to make sure you're not screwing yourself up.

No offense taken. I try to be aware of various sensitivities, but I'm not personally offended by anything (nothing in this life is so serious that any words are worth losing your **** over). I just find that being aware of those sensitivities tends to point the way toward being a more sympathetic individual. Empathy is valuable, but taking offense is really an expression of vanity more so than compassion. I'm kind of on the fence about Fuhatsu personally. I think he could be a positive character but that he is designed (seemingly at least) to be primarily humorous. I knew a guy who was kicked in the head by a horse and ended up pretty much exactly the way Fuhatsu is described. Loss of higher level cognitive abilities, lack of emotional control, various health issues. He was a great guy (mostly, he had a very adolescent-like short fuse, but it's hard to tell if that was part of his personality before or after his accident. I didn't meet him before), and I suspect he would of liked a character like Fuhatsu, even gotten a laugh out of him. But there's a fine line between humorous homage and outright mockery (and it's impossible for me to speculate on author intent so I tend to grant the benefit of the doubt). It's not always a clearly defined line either, it moves from person to person. I'm still personally trying to decide if Fuhatsu will part of my TT crew (just got the Misaki box in the mail two days ago). I have to think about it. All in all though, I think Malifaux does a better job of representing different characters than most games in this hobby. I think that's why you see these discussions pop up here and not on many other games' forums. This game has done a good job of attracting the attention of people who care about these kinds of issues, and even if they don't always hit the target they're aiming for, the mere fact that they aim for it and that it inspires this kind of discussion among its fans is notable.

You have to remember that at this time in history (in the real world) Asian immigrants were building little China towns in every major metropolitan area where they settled. The decision to cling to their traditions, fashions, language, etc. were made consciously by a people who were trying to maintain a sense of their own heritage in a world that was completely foreign to them (and the differences between Eastern and Western culture were pretty dramatic, still are). It's not just that the locals excluded them or stereotyped them (which did happen), but that the immigrants consciously chose to express a distinct identity, oftentimes the immigrants themselves exaggerated their own cultural characteristics as a response to the pressures of local cultures that were sometimes hostile toward them (sort of like how today more Mexican immigrants in the US celebrate Cinco de Mayo than actual Mexicans in Mexico do (and no, it is NOT Mexican independence day, that's Sep 16 which isn't mentioned in the US at all)). I think the representation of the Asian characters in Malifaux is actually pretty well done (with the possible exception of Fuhatsu, but that's a different set of potential problems really). The dress is no more exaggerated than the pseudo-victorian or more-Western-than-the-real-West excesses that the white characters all succumb to, and represents a thematic trend that runs throughout the setting, not just the Asian characters. Every character is exaggerated in one way or another. If there is any stereotype that runs throughout the Asian characters in Malifaux, it's a positive one. Every Asian character (again, with the exception of Fuhatsu, a troublesome character in many respects) is a highly skilled expert, even the non-master characters. The stereotypes drawn from are the ones of incredible martial mastery, self-discipline and just generally being badass. They're all overachievers. They're all loyal. None of them are slackers or rogues in any way. They're all united as a group. They have their internal struggles, but ultimately they work together because they are drawn together by ties that are stronger than individual desires (a very Asian theme, one which many actual Asians would consider a positive one). I can find some problems with the way some characters are represented in Malifaux (sometimes the representations of women are awesome, sometimes totally not; as someone who has known a lot of kids and adults with mental disabilities Fuhatsu bothers me; why are there so few Native Americans? Where are the Africans? I know there are a few of each, but I would expect more). But I think the way they've handled Asian culture and characters is actually one of their strong points.

I've used balsa strips. The hardest part is trimming them so they look nice in the base, but that's not really that difficult. After I've got them trimmed the next part is deciding how you want them to look. Do you want them to look smooth and polished or rough and worn? If you want them to look smooth and polished, make sure the gaps between "planks" are really tight. If you want them to look worn you can have larger gaps and more slop between the planks. Then take a pointy sculpting tool or the back of an x-acto blade and score the strips of balsa wood along the grain. You're not trying to make straight lines or follow the grain perfectly. You're just trying to make the texture of the grain more pronounced so it looks rougher. Then don't paint them. Stain them. You can buy stain from a hardware store if you really want to, but I just stain them with some wash in the tone I want. Then spray them with a clear top coat. I prefer to use a lacquer for wood so I go with Testor's Dullkote (or gloss if you want them to look really shiny). Make sure you cover all sides of each plank and that you get at least two coats on there. Then, after the base is prepared and ready (painted if you're painting it and given it's final topcoat) glue the planks in place. Drill the hole for pinning your mini to the base, and attach it when it's done and ready. It's a little bit more trouble than buying a resin base and painting it, but it looks like a real wood floor because it is.

Wow. That is a great conversion. I really don't know what else to say except I can't wait to see some painted pics. My Misaki box should be arriving today or tomorrow, and now I'm really tempted to try and do something special with her myself. You posted this just in time. *wink*

Dragon Shield are also good (though FFG's constant supply problems make them sometimes hard to find). Just as durable as Ultra Pros, but smaller in size. They fit the card a little tighter/more snug. What kinds of punishment must your cards endure? Is something chewing on them?

Honestly, I'd like to see cowboys with greatswords strapped to their backs and blue war paint on their faces (though maybe not in Malifaux). That actually sounds kind of awesome, like chocolate and peanut butter. It's not terribly far-fetched either when you consider how much North American culture is derived from European (and how much of it specifically derived from Scotland, especially in the central Northern US and central Canada). I could imagine some interesting combinations of Hindu cosmology and Native American shamanism too. Now that you mention it, the lack of a thuggee-style death cult in Malifaux kind of seems like an oversight, and I've long wondered why there is no Native American complement (aside from the Wendigo I guess) to the ever-present Western vibe. Wyrd crew? Any ideas yet?

I have to disagree with your Lady J critique. The old sculpt doesn't look strong at all. She looks like she's practically hanging from that sword, like it's a railing or something. And there's no way in hell she's drawing that sword from that angle. She'd have to dislocate her shoulder or something to pull that off. Her stance is more sultry than tough, and that ridiculous corset (thankfully finally gone) only communicates that her character has a completely impractical attitude toward battlefield attire, especially for a woman who appears to have an ample bust that would literally spill out of that outfit the moment she started running, jumping or swinging a sword. The new Lady J is an improvement if only because she's finally wearing something a warrior could conceivably move in. The breast reduction she's received is a welcome change as well as the old sculpts always had a kind of puerile aesthetic, always with clear intent to draw the eye to her chest as much as possible (which I'm sure was done to communicate the strength of her character). The stance of the new sculpt isn't perfect. Her right leg is greatly overextended and her center of gravity is a little too low (knee is bent too far, will take too much effort to rise quickly). But she at least seems to know how to hold her sword (mostly, those elbows are too high, and too far from her core). Noticeably, she's a lefty. The new Lilith sculpt isn't really any different than the old one in terms of stance. Neither of them look ready for combat. Neither stance communicates the ferocity of the character. The old sculpt looks like a bored teen standing around outside a Hot Topic. The new one looks like a very angry model striking a pose. Both of them are resting the sharp edge of their sword against their own flesh, though only the original is resting it near her own neck. The new sculpt is much better proportioned, less cartoonish and is wearing a cooler-looking outfit (no hot pants). I'm going to have to go with the plastic one here too. Misaki's original sculpt is a mess. The blade of her weapon is completely trapped between the rocks she is standing on and her own leg. Also, it's sharp edge is facing her and not outward. Also, her stance is way too heavy. She's going to have a hard time moving from that spot where she is firmly planted. She's going to have an even harder time moving without tripping over her own weapon. It will be made even harder still by the fact that both of her arms are tied up in a silk shawl for some reason. The new Misaki doesn't look much more threatening. The weapon is held in such a way that she'll have to swing it outward with one hand to hit anything with it. Her kicking motion looks like an acrobatic display in motion more so than a martial strike. But the figure is balanced. She's not falling over (which the original is almost doing). And the sculpt does do a good job of communicating both speed and grace, which is better than the old one which just looks awkward. The fabric hangs more realistically as well. Again, the proportions are better, less cartoonish. I'd say each of these new sculpts is an improvement over the old one. Now, I don't feel that way about all of them. I picked up some of the old Ronin minis as soon as I saw the new ones, and it's going to be hard to top the alternate Sonnia Criid mini (the one with the fireball, though the original static one does nothing for me). But overall, I'd say the new plastics are an improvement over the old metal minis. Wyrd has rarely done a good job of representing characters who are skilled in melee combat. That's not new, not by a longshot. Look at the metal female desperate mercenary, and tell me what the hell is going on there (besides awesome jazz hands). The new plastics don't look much more threatening than the old metal ones, but they have improved in just about every other way. I'd say most of them do a better job communicating the character of the master as well. Not every master should be in a stable static pose. Some of them are supposed to be quick.

Tameshigiri mats aren't the same as the floor mats. A tameshigiri mat is just a thin sheet of woven plant fiber that you can roll up (you already know). Tatami mats used in actual flooring are a finer and tighter weave of plant fiber but they're also drawn taught and wrapped around a cushion of some kind. That link from my last post shows a modern version. It's still stuffed with straw though I've seen modern mats stuffed with foam and other modern materials. They're actually quite nice to walk on, very smooth and slightly cushioned beneath your feet, like a thick carpet pad or a training mat (the smooth kind that are actually kind of firm, not the grippy squishy wrestling mat variety). They're very comfortable for sitting on as well, though you'd probably want a pillow of some kind for long stretches. They're really fragile though. No shoes allowed.

I'm actually really curious about Earthside geography in general. We know that Asia is totally different, 3-kingdoms and all. What does the political map look like? I think it's the sort of thing that should really end up in the RPG at some point. If I want to play an Earthsider who travels to Malifaux, where did I come from? There's precious little of that sort of thing in the fluff right now.