OneLittleThunder

I'll say at the outset that I'm not a fan of fixed lists, so any or all of your ideas could be good choices in the right strategy/scheme mix. For something like Hunting Party, I might forego the Punk Zombies and Toshiro entirely, instead taking a few sturdy minions (Komainu, 10T Brothers) and maybe an extra Enforcer (bringing the Lone Swordsman back). If Show of Force is in the mix, maybe give Toshiro his own Recalled Training or another cheap upgrade. The Sniper is great for Collect the Bounty but not so good for Headhunter. Etc. Ways to get Chi: Don't forget that the Soul Porter has a built-in trigger to hand out Chi when it does damage. The damage isn't much, but the 3" range is pretty handy, and it attacks Wp with Ca 6, which is quite accurate for a 3ss model. Beyond that, I can usually find one crappy card to discard a turn, and Yan Lo's 8" Harvest Chi bubble is big enough that there is usually a death or two nearby. Hunpo Assault is nice if you have the Brutal Khakkhara; the 1" range on his basic attack doesn't usually provide enough targets for the 3-Chi upgrade to be worthwhile IMO. As for the Brutal K. itself, 3/4/5 is a good damage track, and doing damage as a disengaging strike is pretty key if you want Yan Lo to be a tarpit (which he's very good at). Obviously. the +1 Ml from the Emissary's Ancestral Conflux makes it a lot better! Of the three you list, I'd probably drop Fortify the Spirit; FtS never seems to come up often enough to be useful for me. Honestly, with Incorporeal, Impossible to Wound, Misdirection, and a few Soulstones, I think Yan will be just fine. By the time he dies, it will probably be late enough in the game that it doesn't matter (barring Assassinate/Neutralize the Leader).

Welcome, Skarr! What part of Atlanta are you in? There is a pretty active group at Giga-Bites in Marietta on Friday nights and some Wednesdays, and I'm pretty sure there's also some regular activity in the Norcross area. @Kad Bazis our local Henchman and can probably provide more information. 1. Yes indeed. As a Ten Thunders player, I haven't had to deal with many Gremlins, but Wyrd has their share of evil models in all factions. (Thunder Archers...shudder.) But as @Munindksays, they are getting better. And it does get easier with experience. 2. The only thing close to an official paint scheme is the primary color for each faction - blue for Arcanists, purple for Neverborn, brownish-green for Gremlins, etc. But since Malifaux forces are less "armies" and more "groups of like-minded individuals," there really isn't a standard paint scheme; go with what you like. The Miniatures Showcase here is definitely a good resource for ideas, as is the A Wyrd Place group on Facebook. 3. I like playing by Vassal when I can, and would be glad to teach - feel free to PM me. The Vassal forum area @Adranmentioned is here. If you're on Facebook, it's also definitely worth looking at the Malifaux Vassal Players group. Welcome to Malifaux!

Sensei Yu (at least without Shenlong) is more of a specialist for me. Usually I'll take him with Wandering River Style specifically for Mighty Gust when there are specific schemes that particularly benefit from that ability (Detonate the Charges, Set Up, maybe Leave Your Mark). Other than that, I tend to prefer the Emissary because he can hand out pushes and Fast just as well as the Sensei, AND he hits a lot harder in combat (2/3/6 may seem too swingy at first glance, but doing it with Focus +2 is a whole other ball game). His Ancestral Conflux also makes Brutal Khakkhara a much more significant threat, and he can be recycled with Reliquary (which is often more valuable as a threat than as something you actually do, but it can discourage opponents from spending a lot of effort to kill the Emissary). That said, I can see a case for bringing Yu with Yan Lo to add another source of healing via a copied Instill Youth, and he can occasionally do fun tricks if he gets some Chi and copies Ascendance from Yan Lo. Well, sure...but I'm not convinced it's worth spending the full activations on 18 points of models plus at least one of your Master's AP to kill one model per turn. Izamu can do most of that work himself, maybe with a little help from a nearby minion. I am a big fan of the Lone Swordsman, but if you do bring both of them in a list, I'd probably split them up; let Izamu serve as the blender that things get Lightning Danced into, while the Lone Swordsman goes hunting. Another option is to take Toshiro with a Punk Zombie or two. Lightning Dancing an enemy into a pair of (potentially Fast, potentially Flurrying) Punk Zombies with to Attack flips will make them very sad, and then Toshiro can make an Ashigaru or Komainu out of the remains. Yes, it's more SS than hiring Izamu and the Swordsman, but it provides more activations, summoning, an extra way to give out Fast, and uses Minions rather than Enforcers (relevant in some of the GG2016 schemes). @SaintScythus' comment about not hiring Ashigaru when Toshiro is around agrees with my experience; that said, if I bring Toshiro I usually hire at least one Komainu or other Construct, so I have a source of Scrap markers in case the opponent doesn't provide any. I find Tengu just a little too fragile as scheme runners, but perhaps I'm just spoiled by using Ten Thunder Brothers. Either should work, and I haven't tried abusing them with Fury of the Yomi, so that's certainly worth a look.

I am a big fan of Yan Lo; he's not very killy himself, but can be extremely tanky and is great at getting your models where you want them and your opponent's models where they don't. Having Izamu and the Lone Swordsman in the same list might be offensive overkill; depending on the strat and schemes, it might make more sense to bring along Toshiro (who is about the only summoning that 10T have access to) and some strong minions (who can benefit nicely from Toshiro's abilities). Yin is an amazing tarpit. You'll need some good scheme runners; I'm a huge fan of Ten Thunders Brothers for this role, but Tengu or even Torakage can work as well. Oh, and if you want a really killy crew, consider Jakob Lynch. He may not look it, but the man is a killing machine.

¿Quién es Carlos Vasquez? Looks like he's got a bit of Ten Thunders in him...

UPDATE: Squatter's Rights markers were misplaced, because I apparently can't manage simple geometry. Also made a few small adjustments to all four maps for visual consistency. Updated files are now available at the same link.

Agreed on all counts! Sadly, however, I don't have any app development experience, and while I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to learn, that (again) sounds like more work than I would find worthwhile at the moment. It might be more worthwhile if I charged for the app, but that means stepping on Wyrd's IP, which I have zero interest in doing. Of course, if Wyrd wants to hire me to develop such an app...

This was never intended to be more than a broad strokes, quick-and-dirty overview that would convey essential information at a glance. I can see the value in adding the kind of stuff you're describing, but I feel like it would (a) make it more slow and difficult to interpret and (b) involve a lot more work than I'm prepared to put into it. That said, you're welcome to use my stuff as a starting point and add in all the bells and whistles - I'd love to see what you come up with!

Because I am that kind of geek, I spend a fair bit of time thinking about various Malifaux schemes and strategies and how they interact. (This also happens because I don't get to actually play the game as often as I'd like, but that's another story.) One day while stuck on a long conference call, I started working on a way to represent those interactions visually, and eventually came up with a set of layered graphics files that allow you to overlay the specific strats and schemes you're going to be playing, and see visually where the action is likely to be. A couple of examples: Example 1: Guard the Stash, Standard, Convict Labor, Inspection, Show of Force, Catch & Release (not location-dependent), Exhaust Their Forces (not location-dependent) This was a combination that came up at a recent tournament I attended (The Normal One in Northampton, UK). I found it interesting that all of the location-dependent schemes were focused on the centerline, so there was no particular reason to try to enter the opponent's territory (although if you chose Catch & Release or Exhaust Their Forces, you might well do so to chase down the opponent's models). Example 2: Squatter's Rights, Corner, Convict Labor, Hunting Party (not location-dependent), Show of Force, Covert Breakthrough, Occupy Their Turf This is an interesting combination of focus along the centerline and in the center of the board, plus a lot of activity around the respective deployment zones.I find it interesting to see the areas where Covert Breakthrough and Occupy Their Turf overlap (and, perhaps more importantly, where they don't). Will this be of use to anyone? I have no idea. Maybe some of you are just data geeks like me, or want to consider how to place terrain to create interesting interactions, or are just curious. If so, you can download the files here and fiddle with them to your heart's content. They are formatted as SVG files, one per deployment type, with each scheme and strategy being an individual layer which can be made visible or hidden as desired. I used Inkscape (free and open-source) to create/edit/view these; other SVG-capable apps (Adobe Illustrator, GIMP, probably others) should also work, but I make no guarantees. Standard and Gaining Grounds strats and schemes are included. Comments, suggestions, and gratuitous abuse welcome! FILES LAST UPDATED: May 4 2016, 1640 GMT - Squatter's Rights markers fixed, adjustments to all four maps for visual consistency.

That's exactly what I meant - sorry if I wasn't clear.

Whee! A plastic Misaki that I actually want to paint! Splendid!

Yes, the Emissary upgrades are only in the book once for multi-faction masters, but they can be taken in either faction. The Carrion Emissary can take Ancestral Conflux with Resser Yan Lo, and the Shadow Emissary can take it with 10T Yan Lo.

Thanks for sharing! I've been trying to focus on TT Lynch myself lately, though with rather less impressive results so far. (I think we chatted briefly at The Normal One - thanks for the tips there as well.) Your core list is pretty close to what I take most of the time, though I tend to diversify more based on strats and schemes (sometimes out-thinking myself, but that's my own fault). The one thing that surprises me by its absence here is Woke Up With a Hand. The card draw is really nice though not crucial, but I feel like Final Debt is a big part of Lynch's ability to delete one model a turn personally. Are you using him as pure support, or just getting the damage in other ways? Wanna See a Trick is one of those upgrades that is invariably just what I need in the games I don't take it, and mostly useless in the games I do. Haven't used the Depleted much; I like them as models, but they never quite seem to be what I want for a given strat/scheme pool.

I thought the messages were great, though they'd probably have been better for me if I'd known a few more of the people named.

Things you don't want to hear at the start of your very first Malifaux game in the UK: "Table 1, Brian Schoner vs. Joel Henry." With that said, everything else about today's tournament was absolutely fantastic. Joel is, not surprisingly, an absolute gent as well as a first-class Malifaux player, and I held my own against his Collodi crew for a bit until my overextended Lynch met his demise, after which point it all went rapidly downhill. Still, a 10-6 loss against a world-class player? I'll take that. My second match was against Pandora as piloted by Joel's son, a promising young player who was a pleasure to face off against. Despite my deck being unbelievably hot for most of the game - at one point I made a -2 damage flip of 13-13-12 - it all fell apart at the end, when I couldn't kill any one of the three models that would have gotten me the winning points. I lost 7-6, but enjoyed the whole thing. My last game was against Dan Humpage's Kaeris crew, in a close back-and forth game that ended appropriately in a 6-6 draw. Dan was another great, friendly player who's bringing his son into the game, and I finished off the day with a smile. So two losses and a draw - certainly not my best day playing, but a great chance to discover that the Malifaux players on this side of the Atlantic are just as friendly and welcoming as those in the States. Special thanks to Ben "Panzer" Harris for not only putting on a great tournament, but for toting me back and forth to the event. And I get to bring a Best Sports trophy back to the States, of which I am justly proud. Thanks to all who made me feel welcome! I hope to meet you all again down the road, and hopefully provide more of a challenge.

Nope, just the models. Thanks very much - you are a gentleman and a gamer!

Having said that... I packed a bag with full expectations that I had everything I might need for the tournament. But I just had a funny little idea I'd like to try, and realized that I left my Torakage on the wrong side of the Atlantic. If anyone has two of the little ninjas that I could borrow for the tournament, I'd be ever so grateful, and promise to take good care of them...

I think I'd have to give that title to the Emissary with Conflux of the Dawn. Best condition removal for the price, certainly.

Agreed, that's quite a solid start. I would recommend that you get a set of Ten Thunders Brothers as soon as they're generally available in plastic, as they are immensely useful/flexible/cheap minions for any 10T Master, but you'll have time for that later. Welcome to Malifaux!

Looks like an impressive list of people ready to welcome me to the UK Malifaux scene by stomping my face in. In a friendly and educational way, of course. I've wrangled some better travel arrangements and will be staying at the Holiday Inn Northampton on Friday and Saturday nights. If anyone expects to be going past that hotel (just south of the river on the A428) on their way to and/or from the tourney, and has room for a portly American, please let me know; if not, I don't expect a taxi will be too onerous. Looking forward to it!

I haven't done much with it in games (as opposed to theory), but I agree that it's a lot of resources tied up in the gimmick. It might make to make more sense to use another model with Reading the Wind (Samurai, High River Monk, Thunder Archer) rather than the Low River Monk, to let it contribute in other ways than just being a Focus battery. Samurai seems like the best choice, since he doesn't need the Focus to be effective at range, and can defend himself up close As for the Emissary vs. Yu, there is definitely a fair bit of overlap. The Emissary does hit pretty hard; especially when he can discard for Focus +2, the 6 damage Severe is pretty accessible. But yeah, depending on the situation, that may just be too much to spend, and as good as the card draw is, I don't think it's worth running Shenlong without Yu.

Oh good lord, of course she isn't. That's what I get for posting after 30 hours without sleep.

I've used him on occasion. I don't feel the need for the card draw (probably because I play Lynch a lot of the time), but his auras can be good against casty crews and/or in tightly-packed games (a la Turf War or Extraction). I actually take him fairly often if I think I might be going up against Lynch, because his totem-killing trigger can be nice against Huggy (or other particularly dangerous/inconvenient totems).

I know that there are a few well-regarded players who consider Conflux of the Dawn not to be "condition removal that allows for card draw," but rather "a card-drawing engine that consistently nets you three cards a turn." I think the example I've seen is a Low River Monk who takes a Focus action as a zero (thanks to Shenlong), gets Focus 2 from that due to Reading the Wind, and then either spends one AP for an additional Focus or has a Peasant give him one via Provide for the Temple. Then the Emissary taps him with Visions of Dawn Light and you draw 3 cards. Admittedly, that's a 4ss model (in addition to the Emissary) and costs two 0 actions and one actual AP. But for a 50% increase in your hand size every turn, that's not a bad investment...

What techniques do you recommend for painting attitude? ;)