Four_N_Six

Ulix is the Collodi of Gremlins. He's with us and fits in theme, but really he's his own faction. He doesn't typically want the same things our other masters want in a crew.

Ophelia and Perdita are (obviously) pretty similar. So I wouldn't base your decision on them, but rather what else in the faction do you like? If you like Sky Pirates, people getting hammered, and big hats, then go with Ophelia. If you like super boring rules, laws, and cowboys, go with Guild. Not my fault if you make the wrong call, but hey, to each their own. The thing about Malifaux is that it's cheap to get in to. The important words in that sentence are "get in to." Eventually what's going to happen is you'll discover you really like the game, and you'll want another master. And another. And another. Then before you know it your wife is complaining about all the little "toys" on the table that you're in the middle of painting and you're trying to convince her that you need to have a hobby. Anybody? Just me on that one? Anyways, my overall point is that eventually you'll want to get further into a faction. Having a starting master is a great idea, but when you're trying to decide between two starting masters from different factions, then what you should really be considering is what else in that faction you like. If you end up getting Ophelia, but have 0% interest in any of our other masters, then she's definitely the wrong choice to go with. That being said, Ophelia is a great starting box for Gremlins. I'm not a particularly large fan of her, especially after the Lenny change, but her crew box has a lot of really solid models that work well in other crews. Good supplements for her box are Burt Jebsen and Gracie, Slop Haulers, Merris LaCroix for scheme running. I'm a very large fan of Sammy LaCroix, though she doesn't particularly run well with Ophelia (Sammy can use a master's upgrades, but Ophelia tends to actually need them herself). Eventually you'll want other crew boxes for certain models even if you don't find much interest in the masters. You CAN find individual models online, but I tend to prefer supporting Wyrd (whether they actually need the assist or not) and my local game stores by buying the full boxes. Fingers is a great scheme runner from Brewmaster's box, and a lot of people like Trixiebelle (I like the model but hardly ever use her anymore). I also really like my Sky Pirates in other crews, and the First Mate is almost always there somewhere. I also feel like I should mention that I'm mostly kidding with the Guild thing. Not my type of faction, but it's a personal choice. If you prefer Guild then by all means go with Guild.

I own the model. I think I've used it twice. I have ideas for it, just never seem to want to try

Do you guys have a Facebook page where I could keep an eye for future events? I'm right across the bridge, but my local store has a tournament that same day so I gotta skip this one.

I'll play around with some options. I was wanting to throw Sammy in, too. That way she can take the upgrade to paralyze something and Brew can still get 3 Swills going. The crew was getting a little expensive at that point and I need to trim up space for scheme running and things like that. I figure at least Mancha and Cranky, probably Fingers as well, but that's already half the crew.

Well I'm an idiot anyways, because the Finisher trigger is on , not . Just got home from work to get to my cards. So I could potentially bring Lenny along for some assistance on mobility and Big Target, but otherwise I could save 9 stones by not bringing him. Maybe with Old Cranky so I can just burn the stone for the crow instead. I've been the same way with Lenny for a long time. I only really used him with Ophelia for a while, but I don't play Ophelia as much as my other masters.

I'm still on the fence about Lovelace. I'm concerned her auras don't really offer anything different than just having Sparks nearby. Just wanted to throw my opinion on that before I revive this for a question. So I got the day off for my tournament on the 30th, and Brewmaster will be going all in. I just had a though and I'm wondering if I should have it as an option. Never done it before, so I wanted to see if anyone has. Slightly heavy investment. I'm thinking of hiring Lenny and Mancha. My original plan was to have Mancha, since his Challenge action should really give me some good synergy with what I'm already doing anyways. Now I'm considering adding Lenny to get that Ram in for Mancha. I don't remember the name of the Brewmaster upgrade, since I've never taken it, because it seems counter productive to how I usually run him. He gains an action to paralyze anything with at least 3 poison on it. The plan is to have Lenny and Mancha near Brewmaster so that Brewmaster can paralyze a model, and then Mancha can attack and get the auto finisher trigger to kill it. I'll still have a decent amount of poison going on, since I need targets to be at least at 3. This allows me to have the contest going on as well as an added pain in the ass, without it being my overall focus for the game. My main concern with this is that once the opponent knows what I'm doing, all they have to do is activate that model to clear the paralyze before Mancha can activate. Which means I'm better off targeting models after they've activated for the turn, unless I can get two things paralyzed at the same time. I'm not sure it's the most effective way to run it, but it's another option with me struggling to find a good use for my favorite theme on a master.

Only one proper hat among them. And no moonshine.

It makes sense that they don't provide cover. It's just smoke. Sure, you can't see through it to see what you're hitting, but if you can see a dude's arm sticking out of the side of it, you know there's an entire guy there to shoot at. So in that type of situation, you know there's something to hit, and the smoke doesn't actually stop a bullet/arrow/fireball/bacon/whatever.

My plan is to try 1 or 2 Akaname near Brewmaster at all times. That way I can easily use his healing flip with nearby models and have the Akaname eat the poison. Trying a bubble of models near-ish Brewmaster to roll over enemies. I've done it in the past with moderate success, so I think it's just going to take a little tweaking to the crew to make it work fully. Don't have to worry about enemy killers if I can heal easily enough without a downside (other than the AP lost).

I'm biting the bullet here. Tournament coming up on the 30th and I've decided to run Brewmaster for all 3 rounds. I'm determined to at least make this fun (I never do extremely well in these things anyways).

I understand people really liking special releases and translucent models and things like that. I only tend to like it on models that make sense. Translucent green sorrows and poltergeist? Yes. Translucent green Candy and Kade? Not as much.

If I have room for the Little Lass, I generally take the apron on her so that it eventually goes to Mah. That way, I have a little mini beater for a little while with Armor +2 until it dies and it goes to Mah. Otherwise I typically don't, simply because having the soulstone to prevent can be more flexible than just 2 stones for Armor +2. Not necessarily saying it's a bad thing to take, though. In the instance of models that stop you from preventing damage, the armor is better, for example.

First I'd probably say Wong. He seems straight forward enough, but people get caught up on his AoE damage and ignore better targets or scheme manipulation because they're trying to just get off that big boom. Outside of him, probably Brewmaster, since nobody seems to have really gotten a handle on how to make him tournament competitive reliably.

With initiative, I just mean that generally if I have the to get the melee increase on chores, I'd rather get that than win initiative. So if it's Trixiebelle in my crew to cheat initiative to get my chore, that means if I throw a 1 out for it, I'm probably definitely losing initiative in order to get the chore I want. If it's the emissary, it's just an extra card for chores, meaning I can use a 1 and still have whatever numerical value I had from my normal initiative flip. I don't know if getting rid of the slop hauler is the best option. Mainly because if you don't have any minions, you're just handing 3 points to your opponent for nothing. Replacing it isn't an awful idea, as long as you can keep the new minion going easily enough, otherwise you're in the same situation. I get a lot of use out of Know the Terrain, but I also don't generally bring her armor, so it's a tradeoff on her survivability a bit, which isn't always the best idea.

I think maybe stones against the black joker shouldn't work. Otherwise you could logically say that a master or henchman can burn a stone anytime the black joker shows up. Though I've never had it happen during initiative, so what I'm taking away from your post is less about your intended topic of debate, and more about "what are the odds that he black joker'd initiative 3 turns in a row?" I might just be an untrustworthy jerk, but that's one of those things I'd be questioning people on. Considering the situation is literally the best time for your own black joker to come out. Means you can't flip it for the turn, and you can negate the effects with a stone.

The Emissary allows me to have the suit of Chores I want without having to cheat initiative. Sometimes I'll use Trixiebelle anyways, but with the Emissary I'm not losing initiative. Usually, I'm not going to cheat a high in to get the right chore for the turn, so when I ditch that card, I'm ensuring that I lose initiative for the round. Emissary means I can throw a 1 and get my chore, while still potentially winning initiative. Mancha Roja is the model I alternate with in a Mah crew. He hits pretty hard with a consistent damage track, and has a trigger on every suit. It isn't always the best trigger for the situation, but the point is that he has options there. His charge distance (with proper positioning) means that he can keep up with Mah Tucket on the field while she's charging around. Also, if you have the cards in hand you don't need for other things (don't count on in very often), you can use is tactical action to give himself +1 Ml. Which means that you can have both him and Mah Tucket at Ml 8 in the same round for when you really need to lay the hurt. Typically turn 3 for me. In this game, it shouldn't be hard to keep Merris protected. Sparks does a great job, too, so having him against 10T is probably a great idea. I just got him painted, so I haven't thrown him onto the table yet, but I'm definitely anxious to give it a shot. Keep in mind that Mah has a few tricks. She does have the ability to make pushes, but it's not entirely reliable against enemies. However, being able to charge while engaged and ignore models while doing it means you can make sure she's hitting what you want without getting tied up by a model your opponent just throws at her. So I'd toss Know the Terrain onto her. Only 1 stone, so not a huge investment for a great trick. Make sure you keep that in mind. Sometimes it's easier to have her go after the weaker and vulnerable targets while your bigger models handle the other threats in your opponent's crew. If you keep McTavish nearby, he should be able to keep the Slop Hauler safe. Leave Slop Hauler near McTavish's cover that he can drop, and then let Sparks and McTavish handle the whole "focus" problem that 10T bring to the table. I agree about the vulnerability of Cranky, but it's easy enough to hide our Ht 1 models, and in a Mah Tucket crew that I play, the soulstone regeneration is a strong ability. Especially if you can keep him in an anchored position near the Slop Hauler so the Hauler gets the on Df duels, making it even harder to bring him down. You can keep Cranky hidden behind taller models, and the Hauler will get the on Df duels while they're both in McTavish's cover. It's not a 100% guarantee they'll survive the game, but if we assume your opponent takes Make Them Suffer, then you just need them to survive until turn 3 or 4 to make sure that they don't get full points from it. If you take and announce protect territory, Merris can literally do it in one activation. Drop Marker > Walk > (0) for a second marker > Profit. She can go Reckless if completely necessary as well. You can keep McTavish easily alive for Bodyguard as long as you keep him at range. Keep him close to the Slop Hauler and you can make sure he's healed to get the full 3 VP from it. Obviously it all depends on what your opponent brings to the table and what they're trying to accomplish, but it's usually a safe bet that they'll take Make Them Suffer against a Gremlin crew. Hell, if they don't have many Henchmen, then you can just try to kill the Henchmen and Master so they can't score Make Them Suffer. That way you don't have to worry about protecting your minion(s). The other scheme can be handled by your killers if necessary. If they're dropping markers for any of the 3 schemes available, McTavish can devour them for a heal (bonus help for Bodyguard). If they're doing Bodyguard, you have enough big hitters to take them down. Especially if you try to eliminate them early because of fear of Make Them Suffer.

Yes. Just need to be careful. One of my biggest downfalls is putting too much onto one model and then having it all fall apart. I've mentioned my Zipp game Vs. Mei Feng on the forums before. In that particular game, I had most of my points riding on the First Mate. I was planning to leave him back and protected most of the game. My opponent assumed (incorrectly) that First Mate had the pianos upgrade on, so Mei Feng came rocketing at him and he was dead turn 1. The upgrade was on a Skeeter. Special circumstance of course, but point is that I didn't have him overextended, and my points were on his scaly shoulders, so I ended up losing that game. Since then I try to have a back-up model if I can so I'm not scrambling for how to score points if something like that happens again.

Well, you could go the Som'er or Mah Tucket route, and dare enemies to get near turf war or get ripped apart. Same with Wong. Only issue with Som'er is that, generally speaking, you play him as a summoner, which leaves you wide open for Make them Suffer. Wong is one of my favorites, but so is Mah Tucket. Wong is the obvious choice for enemies getting grouped up. Turf War isn't quite grouped up enough for him, but if you bring Burt Jebsen (good magical target anyways), he can help group up the enemy with his tactical action. Having a magical model when you need stuff dead is a good option, anyways. Wong has a little bit of scheme marker manipulation, which could come into play, but mostly he's just dangerous when too many enemies get close. Ignoring my previous post and master suggestions, I'd go for Mah Tucket on this one. Mostly because I run her crews fairly elite. Her and a pair of big beaters when I can, and add on Old Cranky. I generally use Whiskey Golem and one other big guy. Toss up between the Emissary and Mancha Roja, depending on my mood. Emissary means I don't have to hire Trixiebelle, which I always appreciate. So assuming you go with Mah, Whiskey Golem, and the Emissary, you've got three dangerous models that are highly mobile, and Mah can make them more dangerous with Chores. Emissary has a large threat range naturally, along with its push and the ability to push enemies on a successful melee attack, which means you can get them out of Turf War without killing them if necessary. Mah also has a push trigger if you can hit it if you want them out of range. Whiskey Golem's new upgrade makes him much harder to take down, plus he has nimble so he can get to the enemy and still get his attacks in. Or, if you aren't worried about it getting killed, you can take his old upgrade so he can walk and flurry. With that set up, you're only 20 stones in with your dangerous models, which gives another 30 for hiring either more killing models, or scheme runners.

My go to for Turf War is either Zipp or Brewmaster. Brewmaster isn't as dangerous as I'd like, but people still think twice about getting anywhere near him. Fingers can do basically anything with scheme markers, so protect territory is great with him (especially if the opponent is dropping markers, just have Fingers flip them), or Trixiebelle is good for Protect. I'd probably personally do Brewmaster, take Protect Territory and have Fingers do it, and also make him the Bodyguard target. He's incredibly hard to take down if you plan it correctly. You could give Brewmaster Drinking "Problem," and then anytime Fingers heals, it's healing for double. The other option I'd consider is Zipp. He works opposite of Brewmaster in the case of Turf War. Brewmaster dares opponents to come into range, and Zipp throws them out of it once they do. If you have Earl near Zipp so he gets his built in, then he can effectively get rid of 3 models a turn. Which means that in order to guarantee scoring Turf War, your opponent has to have at least 5 models within 6" of the center, and that's assuming you don't have anyone else to move enemies around. Luckily, I'd be running The First Mate in this crew, which means I have more options than just Zipp to get enemies the Hell out of Turf War range. With a Zipp crew in this game, I'd probably take Bodyguard again, probably on Zipp. He's very hard to pin down, so he shouldn't be taking much damage. He's extremely mobile to get away from anything, and you can always have Fingers or a Slop Hauler to heal. Slop Hauler is probably better in this instance, since you should have enough grouped up to make the heal worth while. In any case, I'd probably run a low amount of minions. They'll have less targets to kill, but you should also have an easier time keeping them hidden. You only really need one in order to make sure they don't score, as long as you keep it hidden until at least turn 3 or 4.

I would probably go the Seamus route and bring the little bastard along to finish her off. If Seamus gets his severe damage on her, then can't the little guy finish the job? I don't have my cards handy.

I ate her alive (almost) with Zipp. My opponent made the assumption that my pianos were on the First Mate, so he fired her right up his butt and killed him, but at that point she was Zipp's plaything. Reposition her to where I want and there wasn't much left to do in retaliation.

I could just do a video game iconic character thing in general. This whole idea started when I decided the Mysterious Emissary had to be painted like a Piranha Plant, and I haven't even picked up the model yet.

Mostly right now I have a few masters done, some henchmen. I started playing Gremlins so wanted to take my time with Neverborn painting, but I'm getting the itch to start playing Neverborn again so I want to get back onto painting. Lilith is painted like Link, Pandora is a Pokémon trainer, Dreamer is Midna and Chompy is Wolf Link (need fixing on both of them). Angel Eyes will be Samus when I finish, Barbaros is Metaknight. I was going to do the Dopplegangar as Kirby. Widow Weaver is Peach. Just a random spattering of characters done. Iggy will be fire Mario. Originally I wanted to try and theme the model with a Nintendo character they sort of match with, but quickly realized that wouldn't work out, so now I'm just trying to match color schemes to characters that will fit well. I liked the idea of having a full themed faction, but I was running low on ideas in terms of whether or not it would completely work, or if I should abandon the idea altogether and just paint models.

So I have a few of my Neverborn painted, but I have hit a brick wall. Originally I was trying to do them all as Nintendo characters as my paint theme, but I'm out of ideas for everyone I have left (I don't have many done in the grand scheme of the faction). So I'm considering switching gears and bailing on the Nintendo idea, and trying Marvel characters instead. They have many more, even obscure ideas if I need to. Anybody ever tackle this thought before? Or am I better off how I am now and figuring out what I can?