SpectreEliteGaming

Yeah, I know... My fancy platform base is 40mm.... oh well, ima cut it up and shove it on a blank 30mm I guess :/ Models hanging off bases drives me crazy... Miss Step...

Easy question - hands down its the Death Marshal - he's the generic posterboy for this game... Death Marshall to Malifaux is like Midget Psycho to Borderlands.

Aw crap - from those new pics I just realized that this a foam terrain, don't know how I missed that - I won't be integrated it into my plastic wargaming terrain thats for sure. I will probably still buy so I have some quick transportable terrain to use - that will be most helpful anyway and it clearly looks more playable than most normal terrain anyway so that's a huge plus. I would rather play with books and markers on a grassmat then transport terrain hard plastic painted terrain again.

@FetidStrumpet - Dig the list, consider it stoooooolen. @Zweigenkrieger - I've seen solid performance from that list - simple works. I've actually tried doppelganger swap because I assumed it would be hypothetically better but illuminated x2 seems to do better not sure why - just limited sample size maybe Sue is a solid choice - never lives long enough to be super useful though - hard to think of a more (hypothetical) solid threat in this format. Never been happy with Killjoy - eats too many points and once he's dead its tough to score Turf War (and a strategy willingly sacrificing your own model in a 4 model game aint cutting it). Hannah/Strongarm package is solid, give it a try - If opponent has heals, use their healer for your heals otherwise go full out aggro and try to squeeze out whatever mitigation advantage you (might) have. Bringing a dedicated healer or dedicated support piece is a weak link (imo) - opt instead for hybrid models like Ryle, Lazarus. Needs more kill! - and it sucks to face Strongarm in this format. I really want Sue to be good Rusty Alyce lists are most solid.... I think :/ Ryle lists are great too. As a bit of an aside I just wanted to say that I love this format - really appeals to the number crunching power gamer perfectionists and sparks a lot of convo - normal Malifaux games are difficult to hypothesize - too many ever-changing variables. There isn't a large Malifaux presence in Canada at all (if there is, please tell ) - so I usually play in a small 5-6 man group who are a) sick of warhammer BS and tired of Magic all the time and all have nothing else to do isolated in the "great" canadian north after work - we get a lot of games in, suffice to say... may or may not involve gambling *Most important* about this format is be vigilant in your timing. I personally feel that a major weakness in the current Smogcon Hardcore rules is the flexibility of time. Being +/- 4/8 activations between one game and the next does not lead to consistent or comparable results. Here is a suggestion: We utilize chess clocks - 10mins a player per game, final activation at 0:00 then opponent plays out remainder of his time left (goldfishing, if you will). That's 30 secs per model - aim for 20-25sec activations - you will gain time as your crew is whittled away and end/skip unimportant activations if needed. Excessive dogging on opponents clock is a thrown game - or at least rematched. Without clocks you'll probably only get 3 turns in max (?) and the difference between having 4-8 more activations one game and not the next is too much descrepancy - if you're not gonna get the activations anyway you might as well skip less important ones to obtain key ones if you're running out of time. This would, however, remove oneself faaaaaar from the lands of the casual gamer making the format somewhat niche or inaccessable probably even elitest :/ - you'd probably start seeing perhaps even a Starcraft level of skill difference in players. But then again that's hardcore, right! Games like this really spark interest - they are flashy no nonsense games and if they are particularly well done they are pretty epic to watch. I'd Iike to hear what the actual Malifaux community thinks of this - instead of just a bunch of Magic PTQ players lol. TL;DR - I like hardcore. Hardcore is fun.

What are the chances of seeing an (official) Henchman Hardcore tournament next year at Gencon 2015 (or anytime in the future even - maybe at a Wyrdcon - who knows )? It would be awesome to have an extremely competitive small scale specialized game alongside a main event and a flavorful one (story). I am aware that scheduling would likely be a problem (maybe a split event - hardcore and story at night after the main event? ). They do rest on both extremes of the gaming spectrum so shouldn't cause to much overlap. The disruption from hardcore might be problematic - those games are hectic and loud. Not sure how it works but hardcore games draw a crowd and can get damn exciting - especially when using chess clocks Just a'ponderin'

Well now I have - those look great. I was thinking more like Mierce Miniatures... I have metal age justice, plastic justice, AND nightmare justice... ... and still use my Esyld mini from their range as a proxy 8D (otherwise she always comes sans head!) http://www.mierce-miniatures.com/index.php?act=pro&pre=mrm_dkl_ysn_kys_inf_503_000

At first I was like - oh hey, I have a weird platform sorta base that I thought I would never have a use for, just for that trunk! then I was - awwww its a 40mm base. 8*( Time to get creative.

@Kadeton: So I just read your von Schill battle report in the newest Chronicles - it was awesome! What an epic game that was, haha. Just wondering if your opinion has changed at all about von Schill from the first time you looked into him until now that you've really tested him - or has it stayed relatively stable? Also, its funny because I actually most definently would not have chosen VS for that matchup - turf war with distract and breakthrough - was Jack Daw taking a snooze? After reading your response comments I think I've come to a pretty solid definition of how I feel about the moustache man. Von Schill is basically "the safe choice" - he's not flashy, he's not overly dominating but he is the safe and reliable option to choose to be able to consistently squeeze that win out in your favor. Von Schill is the guy who brings the newest and best tourney proven net-deck to Friday Night Magic. Von Schill is that jerk Dark Elf player who ALWAYS fields deuce hydras. Basically, he is the guy I would take if a) I'm not totally happy with the possible matchup + strategy/scheme composition when also taking into consideration my ability to negate what my opponent's approach might be or; I'm not entirely sure that what I am planning will actually work and therefore I ask myself "could von Schill be competitive in this scenario?" if the answer is yes, I choose von Schill. In playing von Schill it is really key to take a more reactive approach to the game - wait to see what your opponent does and counter it, wait and counter - VS is probably the only master I don't really mind if i don't win initiative rolls for (except those crucial times mind you) - it works especially good because this fortifies the mindset to instinctively jump on misplays or mistakes. Of course, this game is 50% VP denial regardless of crew chosen but with VS I find that the importance is secretly placed on putting more focus on VP denial and then squeezing in the last few points that you need to win rather than rat-race scrambling for points from the get-go. You will likely all but dominate games where your opponent reveals both schemes (mostly because you will know exactly how many VP you need to win). Honestly, you might never really be happy with VS since, as you said, you love that flashy super-specialized aggressive domination. When actuuuuuaaaally that also gives you an advantage when playing VS - you know what a Vik strike or Levi's shenanigans can do and look like ahead of time - you'll know exactly how (and actually have the tools to be able to) deny it (plus VS is damn tough - as your BR showed! hehe). VS is consistency - you want your opponents saying "ugh, I can't DO ANYTHING" not "omg VS steamrolled me." As far as the Vik comment goes - mostly just trying to razz you a bit The Viks are one of those crews that instantly appeal to people so a lot of people have them as their first crew and therefore they are probably inexperienced with them - set a Vik trap and deny it. Besides that, even a threat of a trap (and a mobile one, at that) is enough for some experienced players to hesitate or put them on the defensive which plays them right into your hand - trappers work great because their potshots can also put pressure on aggressive crews to spring into action at inopportune times. Of course the trappers are good bait as well. I have found cheese sling tactics and alpha strikes to be a really poor strategy against ol' von Schill. Finally, I can't think of a time that I fielded a VS crew without either Strongarm or Hannah. Lazarus belongs with Levi unless you're playing a very large game. TL;DR? I HATE losing - moustache man is the definition of "consistent results" and Malifaux's best insurance policy even if he is a bit boring

I could never play a single crew for a year - buuuuut... The powergamer in me says von Schill (so that I would almost never be at a terrible disadvantage + bonus points for cool factor). The sensible gamer in me says Leveticus (large pool, more interesting, and really dominating game potential). Stick with one faction for a year is a way better idea and totally feasible - it would be Outcasts (if purely competitive) or Gremlins (I always have the most fun playing them).

Malifaux fired WFB big time for me. I liked Malifaux when I first played it in the metal age but these new plastics coupled with M2E being so solid - there's no going back now. With continued presence at Cons this game should grow big time - it carries itself and cheap to start up. Not so sure you really want to bring too many of those 40k players to this game anyway

I'm all over this. 40k is too hi-tech and Warhammer terrain can only go so far. Sick of making hills and mountain ranges too, lol. Thanks for the news.

I see where a lot of your points come from but NASCAR, really? Lots of comadarie in showing colors and what else you gonna do with that wide open space? I was simply offering helpful suggestions or ideas to a sculpt that made me go - "wait a sec... I can do something with this" whereas the TtB one just makes me say "yup, cool." Base it, done. TtB, as you've said actually looks like what you'd think she'd look like - first time I saw the retail version I thought it kinda looked like it was fabricated in a pinch - like from a robot carcass after an ambush in Ampersand or something - just so that she has something to make due with until a proper replacement can be obtained and she should be painted as such Little Hannah pushing buttons might look funny running into battle alongside a Strongarm. ... then again my existing Freikorps are painted to look like Helghast and I really dig Death Korps of Krieg so I have a pretty strong bias here... complete with an "evil von Schill" haha Could always use more giant robots - and nudey sculpts! Whatever happened to those nudey sculpts? >8)

Usually just a'lurkin but felt compelled to add a couple cents here... The Moustache, more than almost any other master, really benefits from knowing this game well and using your knowledge of the rules/tricks/crew strategy against your opponent - set them up to fail sorta. Seems appropriate given the merc nature of the crew, eh? I think of him more as a secret weapon to compliment your main crew line up if you end up having a particularly good matchup situation - more like bullying your opponent in a very favorable matchup - not as the "generic all-purpose predictable master" that a lot of people view him as. I've noticed too that there seems to be a wide gap between players who just play the crew and players who play the crew extremely well. If you know ahead of time that your opponent is likely to field a crew (like Kirai) where the matchup will not be to your benefit - just simply don't use him. Even within a tournament setting - people really like to talk about their crews if anyone is willing to listen and pretty soon (round 2-ish) you'll have a good idea of what people are running - otherwise look/ask around. Not sure if this helps or not but when I play this crew I tend to have more of a Warhammer Fantasy or even Magic mindset rather than running it with a purely Malifaux mindset. You're not pulling off some ridiculous janky combo or exploiting game mechanics - you are maintaining good board position, keep your/opponent's potential in mind - dominate the tempo of the game and push for a dominating presence putting your opponent on the defensive. Never forget the surgical strike potential of this crew - splitting up into a VS/Hannah team position lategame takes a lot of people by surprise. If you go into a match against an opponent who runs a crew you are not familiar with you will probably be at the mercy of his skill level while you just play "the generic von schill game." Play Von Schill enough and he'll grow on you as a good insurance policy, at the very least. I like a lot of what Mikey_C said... rest assured that you'll be winning more than you lose and his approach to VS - focus on systematic VP denial while achieving your own objectives - is probably the premiere method of utilizing VS's generalized advantage. It could also just be a mindset thing too - for every post praising VS - or, Trapper, as it seems - there is one saying "ugh they are crap - why does everyone think he's so good?" - some people get it, some don't. On the flipside - I would probably NEVER play the Vik crew for reals - though you seem particularly fond of it - and especially competitively - I won't boher going into a Vik vs Schill rant - play that 10 times and tell me if you win once, hehe. Also, I don't see how crews like that are any less "predictable" than Von Schill. You see Tara rocking Obt. Sym. with Bete Noire or a PoI/PoB Levi - you know whats up Lastly, Von Schill has an above average mirror match and if you dig hardcore format - Freikorps are easily some of the best options available and naturally facilitate speedplay.

Leveticus is the premiere Outcast master in my mind, hands down. He is very intimidating and his hiring pool is so large you can have a very particularly suited or more generalized crew, depending. If you know exactly what your opponent is playing (because you've seen precisely what models he has... or maybe he just has a big mouth, haha) you can tailor your crew specifically to exploit the weaknesses of the opponents crew. That is a beast of an advantage as is. I would, however, probably NEVER take old Levi in a mirror match though unless perfect strategy/scheme/match up condition could be determined beforehand - this is, of course, the power gamer inside me talking. All things considered though, I like Jack Daw the best - look, function, theme = perfect. I definently have an affinity for crews built around extreme utility and not ones that are kill focused (can not wait for all the Brewmaster plastics to come out!!!) for an very long list of reasons. Control/debuffs/tarpits/disruption blah blah blah - wait, I can take nurses?!?!? Deeeeeeeeamn. >8)

I think a lot of you are losing sight of the potential of the retail model due to consideration of immediate face value alone. Consider: 1) "Looking at her foot": Base Hannah perched on some rocks/tall ruins and now she's looking pretty intimidating to the lowly models below her. 2) "Too plain/soft detail": Various paint effects (blood/battle dmg) tend to look better on simpler models - too much detail it just looks excessively busy. Not to mention those large pauldrons and bracer plating are both prime for some custom merc symbolism to tie her in as the centerpiece of a custom merc band. 3) "Retail model doesn't 'feel' like Hannah": Possibly, but the retail model looks like it is less super hi-tech and I kinda think she fits in better with the "battle ready and worn" look of most other Freikorps. Kind of like it was put together with some haste by a band of mercs, which it probably was SE Hannah is pound for pound the superior sculpt but it is also very static looking - not much you can do with it (mostly because of the very specific action pose) - Retail Hannah has 3x the potential and looks more "beaty." Got both? Run retail Hannah alongside a Strongarm/Lazarus as a melee beatstick and paint some battle dmg on her. Run TtB Hannah if she's going to be hanging back with the other Librarians the whole game. Final consideration - look at the sculpts as a sort of progression - when Hannah first joined the mercs she might have just had a basic suit thrown together in a hurry to meet her immediate needs. As she grew more experienced and matured she became "specialized" and focused in her role. Hopefully this broadened the views on this subject a little. Its all in the details.