asrian

Grats on getting most back, though sorry you had to go through that in the first place.

I concur with HPN. Chompy Dreamer, though be careful because if the opponent does kill Chompy he counts as a henchman death (he dies, Dreamer is unburied and can resummon a new one once waking gets to +4 again). That said, definitely go with more resilient models like waldgeist, doppelganger, etc.

First off, Welcome to Malifaux. I hope you enjoy the game. My go to models for Molly (Horror Summoning Molly): Seamus Box set (for Rotten Belles and Madame Sybelle). This is the biggest bang for buck to go with Molly. Molly is a Belle and can summon them always. This box gives you three Belles and Sybelle who can reposition Belles (such as Molly making her more mobile). This also gives you a very good, mobile and high direct damage dealing Master to play with. Punk Zombies (better to me to buy Nicodem's box set as you'll also get Mortimer who's a wonderful support Henchman) - Molly's #1 aggressive summon when going Horror summoning Molly After that it's really up to you and your preferences. I like Dead Doxies (More movement tricks who are also Belles, Molly can always summon them, Seamus can summon them as well), Drowned (Models that drop Scheme markers when they die and are resilient in combat...if Molly summons them away from enemies they instantly die dropping Scheme markers, so you can pull some tricks with that). As for Anna & Heyreddin I have been using them both pretty much non-stop. Heyreddin for the past couple months and Anna since last year (on Vassal and proxying locally). Anna is a very good Henchman who provides non-randomizing ranged attacks which work great with Molly who summons her minions into combat and can trigger a horror test or a summons. She gives Rush of Magic, and her anti-movement aura has irritated my opponents to no end. She also comes with a decent melee that can target either df or wp, can heal her or potentially bury a target. I've hired her in about 10 different crews across 3 different factions now pretty regularly for the past year. She's becoming a crutch for me. Heyreddin is another good model. He can hit hard, gives out Flips to Damage to those taking hits near him (all models though, not just enemy so watch your positioning). He has a Push trigger to move friendlies away (basically out of his aura so they don't suffer from it), can ignore defenses and get place effects via his Vitalize condition, and has a slug shooting shotgun that, although short range, can really put a dent in someone, especially on the Slug trigger. His biggest weakness is his few wounds, but his Df7 helps mitigate quite a bit of that for more non-master/henchman models. He's very fun to use in conjunction with Anna as he can get in someone's face, knock the mess out of them and she can turn around and fire into the enemy on +Flips for damage which help her get her summons easier (and do more damage more often). I really like combo'ing the two of them. Mind you all suggestions given are just that. Go with what you like. Hopefully others will chime in about their experiences and advise.

Don't forget Heyreddin. I've been using him in conjunction with Anna quite a bit recently to good effect. He's a good Melee model (decent ranged as well) who has a 4 that puts a Flip on other models damaged in the area. Run him into combat and then have Anna, who doesn't randomize, fire away. It also helps her get moderate/severe damage more often, especially if she focuses, to ensure that she can summon Mindless Zombies or Seishen at the target (on the trigger). This has helped quite a bit with me recently playing Seamus considering he likes his corpses for a few reasons. The same should hold true for Reva.

Honestly, going off the premise that she is a pure damage master, then probably build crews like any other damage master...toward scheme related things while she does the heavy lifting. Scheme runners (crooligans/necropunks) to start, plus her box crew, maybe a Dead Doxy or a Belle for movement tricks to move the enemy closer to corpse markers, etc. That's my plan for the first few games I play with her anyway. I'll adjust my crew from there after I see her in action.

Not specifically, no as the cards haven't been released yet (base sizes are on the back of each card). Going by the box art though I'd say Titania, totem, and minions are all on 30mm bases. Aeslin could go either on a 30mm or a 40mm from the look of it.

Correct on both. Each player gets one, and ONLY one, chance to cheat at their respective times. Whomever has the lowest total always goes first, and in the event of a tie (Ties always go to Attacker) the Defender goes first. That said, on your second question, as I noted above, ties go to the Attacker. In the event that the Defender chose not to cheat the Attacker would not have to cheat. They still get the option however, so they could cheat higher (ties are always flipped on so could cheat up to hopefully to less flips) or could just cheat an equal or higher card of a different suit for a particular trigger they are trying to achieve.

That is actually the main reason I'm picking her up. I'm not going for her as an all out power house, as I feel she will be able to apply constant pressure with moderate sized damage overall, but that's a personal opinion. Rather, I'm picker her up as another tool in the Resser faction to keep my opponent on their toes as well as an alternative to Seamus (whom I enjoy) as a damage dealing Master for things like Reckoning, Marked for Death, and Make Them Suffer. I'm also going off the premise that with her extended range with corpse marker uses she will be good in things like Turf War/Interference, and Guard the Stash to help control or threaten areas. Time will tell though how effective she and her crew can be though in anything, and until the book comes out and we get some games in no one can really say for sure.

Negative. None of the new masters will have a Conflux. The Emissaries and their Confluxes were in response to help balance out some masters (upping the viability of some masters/limited upgrades, and just general use for other masters who were already well balanced). It's too early for the need of a conflux for the new masters just yet. Maybe by next year (2017) there will be enough data to warrant it, but as of now, aside from those who beta tested the models, there isn't enough general knowledge on the new masters to warrant the personal Emissary upgrades.

True, but he is a master and will have upgrades for other types of tricks. The Emissary can take the generic (buff minion) bonus and still can hand out trinkets like candy in conjunction with whatever else the crew synergies already do.

Yes. If an enemy model was within 3" of a Beckoner the condition would last past end of turn and could not be removed by other actions/abilities until such time as either the model with the condition was moved out of that aura or the Beckoner was killed (then the condition could be removed, or would end naturally). If a model was hit by Huggy's "You are Mine" trigger and within 3 of a Beckoner then it would be the same with the exception of even if the model was moved or the beckoner was killed the condition would still persist until end of game unless removed via another model's action/ability. Typically though, in most games I've played, this usually is a non-issue beyond one turn at most as by that time Huggy, Lynch, or Illuminated have torn the Brilianced model to pieces.

As Bengt said it stays on the model throughout the game, unlike normal where it disappears at the end of the current turn, but outside forces that can remove conditions (Like Chiaki whom you listed) still can force the removal of the condition via their abilities/actions.

First off, Welcome to Malifaux and I hope you enjoy the game. My standard intro is have fun. For your first 5 to 10 games pick one master and crew (up to your 50SS size) and stick with it. Don't change around models. Just play those first 5 to 10 games, whichever is more comfortable to you, with that same group of models win or lose. Don't stress a loss, just have fun. Those initial games, and reason I suggest not swapping models, is just to give yourself time to not only learn the rules of the game, but also to learn the crew. If you change things up every game you end up having to relearn everything each time as the dynamics will have changed (I know from personal experience as that's what I did to start and once I stuck with one crew only for a bit the game started to click more with me). After those games are played and you feel you have a handle on the rules and your crew, then start changing up your crew to better fit your strats/schemes and personal play style. Trust me on this. As you picked Collodi than a couple points: Pick up Brutal Effigy (Guild model that Collodi can hire because it's a puppet). It is the most well rounded to me in conjunction with most Collodi crews. Illuminated are absolutely brilliant with Collodi. He, along with a Brutal Effigy who gives healing, makes them down right brutal When facing Ressers (or anyone who you think will have a lot of lures/pushes/places) give Collodi the Threads of Fate upgrade. It gives him the ability "My Strings Are My Own" which makes him immune to enemy movement tricks (i.e. lures by Belles). Nothings puts a monkey wrench in Collodi like being moved away from his crew. Collodi has two main upgrades (Limited ones, so he can only buy one or the other in a game): -Bag of Props - The crew buffs themselves with Focus or Defensive and then Collodi steals those buffs for himself. He does a lot of the heavy lifting in this type of build and prefers to go later in a turn as a result to give his crew time to create those buffs. He then uses his actions to attack the enemy directly. He can also summon Effigies with this build from scrap markers dropped by dead constructs. -Fated - Collodi buffs his crew, passing out buffs (and Effigy Buffs that they give to him) to the crew around him. He amps them to eleven and makes them do all the heavy work. He typically goes early in a turn, using his actions to make his crew do extra actions via his My Will ability. Remember that Collodi can use My Will to command Constructs, Puppets, and Minions. Neither of the above limited upgrades HAVE to be played that way, and as you play you'll learn for yourself the most opportune times to activate Collodi to make the most of his abilities though. Both styles of play with him (Bag of Props & Fated) are equally good and come down to personal preference (I prefer Fated, but I know other people who love Bag of Props...both work fine) Models that I've found work with Collodi in crews I've run: Doppleganger - Good, all around toolbox model that can copy non-master actions (friend or foe) and allow you to cheat fate. Probably the #1 model I recommend for any Neverborn crew Widow Weaver - Control style henchman who can lower willpower in areas, which in turn makes the opponent avoid said areas. She's more of a hit a range model and control piece, but can do decent damage in melee if it comes to it, plus she ignores armor saves, something Neverborn as a whole lacks Illuminated - As stated above, resilient beefy models that have self healing and can hit above their weight class. Stitched Together - Potentially hard hitting models who can gain reactivate. They have both a good attack and can give card draw. Brutal, Hodgepodge, and Arcane Effigy - Each faction has a personal Effigy (cheap, yet hard to kill model, so 7 in total) that can buff a crews leader with different abilities. Collodi can hire them all. Of the 7 though, these are my most used. There are other models in the Neverborn faction, and mercenaries outside of it that can compliment his crews very well, but the above are ones that will work with Collodi as well as Lynch and Lilith if you decide to pick them up (and Dreamer and Pandora too), with the exception of the Effigies listed which only Collodi can hire.

It's called "Hazing" for a reason.

The Emissary is a good addition to any crew with his trinkets and scheme shenanigans. I was thinking, even staying thematic with bandits and the western motif, that Parker Crew + Emissary + Hodgepodge Effigy (new mini bandit figure, not older rose figure) would make a nice The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly game on a western style board vs the likes of a Perdita crew.

What about impromptu visits to Wyrd HQ, @Nathan Caroland? I'll be in Atlanta the week leading up to DragonCon (as usual) this year and was thinking of robbing the place....err, visiting.

I'm the masochistic veal.

Yes. He has to discard a currently equipped limited to exchange it for another one.

Only problem I have, and why I've never utilized this, is there is only one local game store that has Malifaux near me, and they only have old 1st edition pewters. I have tried for nearly 2 years to get them to stock items, but as I am in the heart of the GW distribution area, and all local gamers only seem to want to play that so the store never stocks anything else, I finally gave up. Add to that, when I did twist their arm to order something, it would take upwards of 3 to 4 weeks to get items in stock. Meanwhile I could order something online and have it delivered to my house in less than a week. As a result I just do online orders now. It's also why I decided against being a henchmen here.

As has been said, the entire starter box models are all Mercs, meaning that they can be hired outside their respective factions (Guild/Neverborn) for the cost of 1SS extra per model (up to a max of 2 Mercs hired in a crew, per normal rules). So any Neverborn crew, if you wanted to, could hire Grimwell for his base cost of 9SS +1SS merc tax (10SS total). He's a solid beater who can move decently fast. I like to think of him as Howard Langston's little brother. From the same box set, if hiring the Guild guys into your Neverborn crew, don't overlook Nurse Heartsbane. As a toolbox style model her triggers can really put a monkey wrench into the opponent's crew.

Oh how I do love that 0AP action. Most entertaining game I ever played with Tara (under the old schemes) was vs a McCabe crew with Deliver a message in the pool. He announced it (obviously) and I started off by activating other models. He thought I'd screwed up (I was waiting for him to bring his hound a bit more forward for easy killing). Mid turn I activated Tara, and did that 0AP. Went the whole game getting initiative (thanks to +Flips) and just using that 0AP action instead of reactivating. Denied him all game. He was about ready to hit me I think. lol

First off, welcome to Malifaux. I hope you're enjoying the game. Karina was subpar for her points cost prior to the 0SS upgrade she was given with Book 3 that allowed her to summon. Now she's on worth those 5 points. If she even summons one model during the game (and you have Tara around to unbury it in later turns) she's basically earned her points back now, much less if you get a second or third summon off throughout the game. Tara, like any master, just takes time to learn. Just play more games, win or lose, and take away what lessons you can from each one. Also keep in mind that she doesn't have to bury/unbury or attack each time. With her ability to reactive I have won quite a few games using her mid to late game as a scheme runner. Granted, that was prior to GG2016 where schemes are scored more often turn by turn as opposed to end of the game, but still, she has the ability to score for you in that regard, and the when it comes down to it that's the name of the game. If you haven't already, check out Spiraling Cadaver's page regarding Tara as he did a wonderful write up about her. It mainly focuses on Wave 1 and Wave 2 models and was written pre-GG2016, but all the models and combos suggested are still very viable. http://spiralingcadaver.blogspot.com/2014/04/sounds-of-silence-tara-and-obliteration.html

As Solkan said, it's target in LoS of the person holding the upgrade, typically Sybelle. Just think of it like this. You're a lonely guy, looking for a date. You step into a brothel and the first woman you see has a nice body, but not so much in the face for looks. Meanwhile, the Madame of the establishment is chatting away with you telling you, "Don't worry about it. She's a beautiful woman on the inside, and oh the things she can do." all the while pushing toward her a bit faster than what you would normally, casually walk on your own.

I am only getting Parker vs Nellie and Asami because I already own the entire Outcast faction, so it'll mean minimum purchases vs buying the other two, to get a 50SS crew started. Same for Reva and Titania as I own all the rest of those factions as well. Now...come Black Friday...