Seadhna

not when it's dragging its frail Wk 4 body upfield with no defensive tech against non-Ml attacks not when there are Ml 7 models or Ml 6 models not when it has 1" melee range not when enemies have armor, incorporeal or Df triggers I guess my biggest gripe with Bishop is that getting him to actually do something takes a lot of work and planning, whereas models with comparable damage output either have bigger threat ranges or HtK or cost cheaper (or are just AnD). YMMV, of course, but for me Bishop will always be a weird stunbot that requires entire crews built around optimising his damage. Oath is there for that turn when you couldn't attach Stick Up back for some reason (or used it end of activation to get out of dodge). It is indeed preference, but I found it useful for stabilizing the pgrade engine after an unhappy setback. There's also argument for Traveller's Stone, but I find SS prevention and Marlena enough. Symbols is the Tara strategy, period. I have other unusual tech in mind, but gotta try that out first. Parker can do it, but at this point it's easier and more reliable to just take Hamelin. On the batrep question: I usually get carried away when playing, but I'll try to record some friendly games.

neither Bishop nor Ama are beaters, sadly. Our beater options are Taelor, AnD, Johan, Talos and Deso Engine, all either much better played with Von Schill's new mechanial arm extravaganza or inferior to Mr. Brackett in terms of survivability, reach, AP efficiency and damage for the point cost.

Thank you On the Perdita: i wouldn't come near her until Frank is gone. But even with a 12" free shooting aura from her we can wear the assault with our SS pool. If she got the Bulletproof upgrade, we're fresh out of luck and not scoring any Eliminate the Leadership points this game =) On the 7+ issue: he does need a lot of mid-to-high cards for perfect combos, but as long as you're not getting a BJ on Five Finger Discount, it's all kinda working. He gets a lot of "free"AP from Stick Up, Oath Keeper and (0)'s, so I can usually spare an action or two trying to flip that 8+ for pushes. The only time you need to flip really high is if you decide to do a Companion Mad Dog Rapid Fire Alpha Strike combo, but by that time I usually have 7-8 cards in hand due to Conflux of Stolen Goods. Then again, there's HPE to trade his AP for cards should the need arise, just tag two trinkets onto the Mercs and take back one of them -- that's 3 cards for two 7's which does not seem like a very bad exchange (or you can do 2 cards for one 7+).

boy is this model broken. Nix will die to a sidelong glance and do nothing but prevent blast damage for 10 SS. Benny will give you more rats, more Blight without duels, deny marker schemes, do ridiculous amounts of damage with Bigger They Are attached (how about min 4 against henchmen and enforcers with upgrades? also, a lonely McCabe is crying in a corner), ping for that extra wound with Swarm even with no rats around (Rat King are Vermin too!), heal himself off rats. And then Turn 3 he will start blowing things up with Bleeding Disease. He's a tank, a controller and damager all in one, I've run him for a half dozen games and he's never disappointed. seeing as how he's the leader of the sewer thugs known as the Brotherhood of the Rat, Bandit suits him just fine

So, I've played a couple of games with Parker and... won them all with the same crew. Now, I know that Tara, Levi, Viks or Hamelin might have done the same with more confidence, but. It's bloody Parker! The Clint Eastwood of Malifaux! So here's the crew I've been playing: Leader: Parker Barrows - Cache:(4) Stick Up 1ss Black Market 1ss Oath Keeper 1ss Doc Mitchell 3ss Mad Dog Brackett 9ss Lucky Poncho 1ss Oath Keeper 1ss Benny Wolcomb 8ss The Bigger They Are 1ss Hodgepodge Emissary 10ss Conflux of Stolen Goods 0ss Marlena Webster 8ss Desperate Mercenary 3ss Desperate Mercenary 3ss A small comment on the list: First, Parker upgrades. Oath is there for an unhealthy turn after you've failed your engine and not attached Stick Up, it's basically an extra SS and an extra Walk. Black Market you won't be swapping out, Stick Up is a must. Doc & Mad Dog are your health insurance and alpha strike potential. Push, walk, blow it to hell, rapid fire to your heart's content, especially in clustered deployment like Corner (that's about 30" threat range) Benny is a flexible slot if you need a tank: he prevents, he heals, he obliterates henchmen with min 4, but in most cases you're better off taking Sue with Scramble or Return Fire. For Symbols you take Stalker with Scout and drink your opponent's tears (unless it's Lucius or TT, then they get to drink). HPE makes this mess of a crew work: you draw cards, you place an enemy marker turn 1, he's no slouch at bashing heads in, he's the ultimate scheme runner and another target for Parker's free (0) Interacts, as well as the Doctor's push. Just a great model that gets to draw 3 cards Turn 1. Memento on Mad Dog, Vitality on Sue or Marlena, and he can swap those around with the new (0). Marlena is another cornerstone: SS prevention or not, Parker used to die like a fly to a random RJ on damage, and without him the crew falls apart. Now he can stay alive and farm SS for as long as Marlena is around, and she's very sturdy. Mercs. Now we can fit 8 activations in the list, screen against Nekima and Viks and Take this to my son a random SS or two. A friend was telling me "take the same models with a different master, and you'll get better results", but the prospect of chewing through Parker's 14+ wounds and SS prevention makes him live to burgle another day, and his ability to generate 2SS per turn is what really makes me wonder: is he playable in the new scheme pool? Previously, he would run out of cards before the action even began, with his 7+ on trinkets and 8+ on pushes, but now you get to draw a lot with HPE. As for his toolbox, I'm mostly using Stick Up for movement, Hidden Steel Plate for protection and denying condition-based Strats (Unflinching Stare is a hidden gem), Black Market's (0) Interact is golden for Ply. Coordinated and Shield look like garbage in most situations, but Crate can be amazing against marker-heavy opponents (cough, Titania) and Hail is a nice piece of board control. A smart opponent wouldn't let you abuse Hands in the Air, but if you get to tag an enemy summoner with it, holly molly (pun intended). So. Thoughts? Who would wreck this crew's day? Which strats would it be unplayable in?

I don't see much use for either of the new upgrades, to be honest.

Quick question: in previous iterations there was a clause that Strategy-based conditions (such as Accused) may not be removed other than through specific actions. There is no such thing in this document. Does it mean we can use regular condition removal to clear things like Shed Blood?

I've had a couple dozen games with Parker. He's extremely tanky with all the soulstones, wounds and healing, but tends to very easily die to a random Red Joker on damage. Now, Marlena prevents that, plus there's a good flexible 8 ss slot in most Outcast crews that is usually filled with Sue or Scion and that she can take now.

I'll second the Emissary: he's an absolute beast in most crews and most scheme pools (gg17 experience) and really does a lot for me every game, despite what certain NA tournament players might be telling. I would not recommend Hans and Trapper: they force you into a passive playstyle that goes well against the spirit of Malifaux. Also, Parker basically requires Marlena Webster to function, so grab her as soon as she's released

She has enough unique mechanics to make her fun. Now that Scramble is 1SS there are some nice lists you can build and she's way more mobile to not resort to casting Pull the Void 6 times a turn.

Are we sure that the no reduction clause has been removed from Storm Misaki?

Awesome!

Now, this is a topic I've never seen brought up, but it has serious implications about how things work in Malifaux. The initial question was: suppose a model has the Monkey Paw trinket, discards two cards to gain the Reactivate condition, then loses the Upgrade for some reason (e.g. Hans shooting it off). does the model still get sacrificed at end of turn? My understanding is this: there are effects that are resolved during the Upkeep step at end of Turn despite the fact that Malifaux doesn't have an effects stack (think MtG rules), some Abilities cause delayed effects that are supposed to work regardless of whether the model owning those effects is in play or not. Obvious examples would be Dust Storm (Initiate Reformation says "Summon Ashes and Dust at end of turn" and then sacrifices the Storm), Big Jake (if he dies, he comes back) and Serena Bowman (same thing). There are also borderline examples such as Killjoy, Bete Noire and Scion of the Void, who are not in play but affect the rules. So if a model uses the Monkey Paw, it still gets sacrificed even if it loses the upgrade before the turn ends. This logic would imply that the game remembers certain effects regardless of their origin and resolves the effects at a specific time (obviously, there is nothing in the rules about delayed effects). Then I found this in the rulebook (small book, p. 10): This coincides with the above logic, but raises other implications. Do things like the Seize the Day upgrade or Tara's Knowledge of Eternity still work when the master is not in play (killed or buried)? I'd assume by RAI that they don't, however the passage from the small rulebook seems to go against that assumption. There's also FAQ#130: So here's the actual points of discussion here: 1) Is my understanding of delayed effects correct? Does the game remember things? 2) What happens to a model's Talents when it's not in play anymore, but they would still affect the game? Especially in light of the rulebook text quoted above.

They're really gorgeous sculpts.

Hello everyone, I will be hosting a three-round, 50ss Malifaux tournament at the "Alkhimia" cafe on October 28th. We'll be using the GG17 rotation for strategies and deployment. Prizes are: a big Mystery Box, a Miss Deed model and 5 Guilders for the top-3. The registration limit is 10 people (we don't have enough terrain for more than 5 tables yet). We'll be starting at 12:00 GMT+3 Coffee and cookies are included in the entry fee! You can find all the relevant information on this page: https://vk.com/wall-41831765_4953

inb4 someone invents the NOPE train: Hamelin, Taelor, Anna Lovelace and Marlena would together put up a decent bubble of denial.

Was it a Ronin? Looks like a Hollow Waif

Also seems like a portent of how Parker's most recent plan might go wrong

/rant Minor spoilers ahoy! ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- I have to say I'm mostly disappointed by the new stories. Books 3 and 4 finally started to feel less like a fanfic/lore entry and more like actual fiction (not to mention some great stories in Chronicles this year), but Broken Promises, well, broke that promise. Most of the stories do nothing but advance the plot while providing fan service ("wheeeeee, we get to see Levi talk to a certain man in black!"; "wheeee, we are now certain that Levi and Alyce are doing it"; "wheee, we get to see Lilith shot by a Nephilim in a trench coat!"; "wheee, we see Toshiro command a crew of Punk Zombies!"): there is so much going on that it leaves almost no room for character development. Sure, we see some inner McMourning struggle, but both Nico and Seamus are just a backdrop for his transformation (which they shouldn't be, they are major characters). Yes, the Guild story that focuses on masters' everyday life is amazing. But most of the other stuff is just the same as Book 4 vignettes in a more detailed form, which is definitely a step down from Book 4 story standarts. This might not be a bad thing (i'd prefer proper literature to historical archives, but I do realize it's not the only way to do things): information on the setting and characters is more abundant and readily accessible to anyone interested. But at the same time it feels pre-digested, requiring readers no effort to piece the world together, removing the mystery. And once I was done fuming over Freikorpsland, in waltzed Misaki with her overwhelming Mary Sueness and tricked a bunch of high-end criminal generals (who apparently were born yesterday and inherited their general status) just as easily as Yamaziko pwnazores a throng of Illuminated. Right, very convincing. TL;DR: I'll take stories like "High Noone" or the Neil Henry one or the winner of the Rose Tattoo contest over any of the Book 4 stories (maybe with the exception of the Guild one). ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- rant/

I'd love an alt Sue (Miss Take?) or alt Nothing Beast (Miss Cast?). As far as masters go, a female Leveticus or Jack Daw would be fun. Oh, or a female Hodgepodge Emissary with less guns but waaaay more kettles.

Benny seems like an auto-take, as well as Plague Pits

@Khyodee great review, thanks! i do disagree on a couple of points (probably meta-specific too): 1. Don't understand the flak that the Emissary gets. He's a great all-round utility model with a ton of AP and pretty decent damage. I've played a lot of gg17 games, and he's scored me at least 2vp each match. Ironically, you mention him being good with Jack, whereas that's one of the worst Confluxes. 2. Viks aren't all-or-nothing if you pay them right. Askilled player will use them as a 20"+ threat bubble while the rest of the crew runs schemes, so I'd consider them one of the most versatile masters in the faction. 3. Don't see how Schills's upgrades are fixed: you take survivalist, nythera and oath of the freikorps. Emissary gets you the shirt, you get yourself oathkeeper or two, and there's that!

The wording seems pretty obvious: if they were separate, it would be "These markers are hazardous terrain pieces"

I have found that our true generalists are Jack Daw and Viks. Levi lacks in control, Hamelin and Parker lack in survival and murderizing, Schill lacks in everything pre-Broken Promises (and will be the best master for positioning strats once the update hits)

This indeed looks legal and amazing, although does cost a soulstone