Bathysphere

Auras and pulses are the same height as the model that creates them, but extend downwards infinitely. With a lot of vertical terrain, this can be a big thing to keep in mind.

There are a few ways to play Tara. The two most common are Beast Bomb and Aggressive Bury. Death Marshals, Karina summons (Guild Autopsies especially), and Scion fit well in any of those. Killjoy and/or Bishop are staples of the Beast Bomb strat, as they're big beaters she can bury/unbury into the enemy's face. Aggressive Bury really likes Hannah, and Aionus on occasion. Additionally anything that really wants Fast is gold in Tara, like Taelor and Convict Gunslingers. Finally, Johan and Sue are faction staples, so you can never got wrong with either one. On a budget, I would get Sue at the very least. He's good in every single game, no matter the schemes or strats. Then I'd decide which idea you like more, throwing giant Fast beaters into your opponents turn one and tearing them apart, or burying your foes and grinding them down in a game of attrition. I'd get Killjoy for the former, and Hannah for the latter. Then, as you can, pick up a Death Marshal and Johan. Have fun Heralding Obliteration!

This is absolutely my most badass Malifaux story. To set the scene: Bottom of Turn 2 vs Sonia. Guard the Stash. Eliminate the Leadership and Undercover Entourage in the pool. Red Joker and 12 in hand, deck almost empty. Vik of Blood, equipped with Mark and Oathkeeper, gets placed into position by Ashes, fully buffed by Sisters in Battle and Sisters in Furry. Accomplice activation, pops Oathkeeper, walks, and charges Frank, who is sitting next to Sonia, a Stalker, and a Witchling Thrall. Flip a high mask on the attack lets me whirlwind into all four enemies. Moderate on Frank drops him to half. Spin to win, killing the Stalker and setting everyone on fire. Cheat the RJ on damage vs Sonnia, she gets a lucky stone and lives with 4 wounds left. Score 1 on Eliminate. Move on to the Thrall, but my deck is empty, so I reshuffle. Blood lands the hit on the Thrall, flips Black Joker on damage. I start worrying if I can kill it. Second hit on Frank I cheat in my 12 to match the 13 he flipped. After damaging and a stone Frank has 1 wound left. Sonia catches the business end of the Paired Masamune and, and she can't cheat high enough. My to damage nets me a severe and the remaining 2 points from Eliminate. My final attack of the activation is vs the almost full health Thrall. We match totals again, leaving me at a to damage thanks to Impossible to Wound. First card - weak. Second - weak again. He starts marking down his 5 damage. Third card - RED JOKER! A whopping 11 damage puts the poor guys out of his misery. The turn ends, Frank dies from the burning +1 thanks to the Stalker, and Viktoria of Blood of left in a circle of corpses. My opponent promptly concedes, revealing that Frank was his Entourage target, and we start another game that I promptly lose 1-9.

I rarely have too much of a problem with it. Hannah is a fairly common take for me, and Sue is a staple of my model pool, so they both help, but generally I just don't rely on using abilities with TNs like that too much. I try to make sure that one use of one ability won't make or break a game, so if I whiff a Twist and Turn I'm usually still okay. That being said I'm often fine with cheating high cards to torment things turn 1, since it's such an important piece of the Jack Daw puzzle. I also rarely, if ever, target my opponents models with those abilities, so all I need is a 7 most of the time. Not the easiest thing in the world, but not terribly hard either. Finally, I try to judge when exactly I need to cheat and how little I can get away with cheating. I often let non-lethal hits go through that I *could* cheat to avoid so that I have that high card for killing something or saving a model from actually dying. The Nurse, and the Librarian to a lesser extent, are key to this because I can heal a model back up after a couple of hits. Johan once stared down Perdita in melee for three turns because I was able to heal him up from HtK repeatedly.

Right you are! I'm not sure how I missed that one...

I usually take Writhing Torment, Twist and Turn, and all three curses. The shenanigan bubble that Jack provides is simply too good to not utilize, especially since it's big enough to cover a large swath of the table. I like The Bigger They Are on other beatstick models over Jack, simply because I tend to use him as a support piece more than a beater. I'd rather use 3 AP to hand out curses, copy Tormented abilities, and position for maximum pain than pretend I'm playing a tankier Vik. Beater Daw is great, I just value his other abilities more. I usually take a mix of Tormented and other models, depending on the game. A Nurse and a Guilty are really my only auto-takes with Jack, but Jaakuna, A&D, Johan, the Malifaux Child, Lady Legia, and the Hanged all regularly see play. Giving out the Nurse's Meds 3-4 times a turn can be absolutely devastating, especially when the (0) off Twist and Turn can make her heal Jack to full at the end of his activation and thereby avoid the drawback of paralysis.

Notably, Pariah of Bone Levi can take Effigies out of faction, since they're all constructs. I've seen the Arcane Effigy used to great effect in Levi.

Things that ignore Armor or Hard to wound are really the only way to consistently remove A&D from the board for good. Dust Storm only has 4 wounds and no armor, but a good player won't let him sit on the board once A&D splits. Packing things that bypass armor is generally good when playing into outcasts, since we have a number of "value" models that pack it (Freikorps, primarily). Your other option is to hit the core 6 times. It can't stone and it's Def 1, so you can throw AP at it until it crumples. You'll have to consider it it's worth doing, since it would likely be 3 models pouring their whole activation into the task, but depending on the board state it could be the right choice. Your third option is playing around not killing it. A&D can't bypass armor or HtK, nor can it easily push out of engagement. Throwing 2 minions with either ability in its face can lock it up for a couple turns, which is often enough. And if your opponent doesn't take A&D those resilient minions probably won't go to waste.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I generally play Bone Levi, so I don't have any of the Iron pieces to try it out. I suppose I could proxy a game or two for the sake of SCIENCE! Levi with Pariah, Desolate, and Scout would also enable the turn 1 Alpha Strike I'm generally fond of. It usually relies on a Doxie usually to move Levi up out of activation, keeping him in range to (0) into base contact with A&D and have 3-4AP of hurt to put out for a total of 28" threat range.

My recommendation is to go very slowly and dry-fit EVERYTHING. The arms are a bitch, but closely examining them first was what got them together for me. I hate all ropes and cables in this game, so I just removed them on mine and will be putting on actual string once I finally get around to painting the damn thing. Hope this helps!

The point of the warrior is to re-attach Oathkeeper twice by cycling Pariah of Iron and whatever else you have, giving Levi 3 turns of Fast. He could also let you be a bit more aggressive with the Mech Rider turn 2 by applying his protection. He could also cycle something like Scout the Field for Oathkeeper or Return Fire to speed up low WK models turn 1. Like I said I haven't tried it, but it seems worth a shot.

How do you feel errata and wave 4 have effected your consideration of Bone vs Iron Levi? I feel like Iron has spiked in usefulness thanks to the fact that we can get away with not using our bury (0) every turn. Eating a Mech Rider summon for 2 cards at the beginning of an activation feels like it would be huge. But what really attracts me is the Terracotta Warrior flipping whatever upgrades we take into Oathkeeper, since 2-3 activations with 5 AP (counting Channel as an effective +1 AP) is almost back to the effective 6AP/activation we used to have. Has anyone tried this? I own neither the Rider nor the Warrior, or I would try it myself...

My standard is Hannah (Survivalist, I Pay Better) Johan (Oathkeeper) Convict Gunslinger Void Wretch The list has solid damage and durability, with the ability to hand out slow with the Gunslinger triggers and Void Wretch. I Pay Better and 3 mercs amplifies the amount of AP you have, and since Hannah has Arcane Reservoir you have plenty of cards to discard. Johan's Condition removal is extremely relevant when a lot of crews like using Slow and Defensive, and Hannah can copy it.

I've always found that spamming any model, unless you're summoning them ala Hamelin and Ramos, is bad. You can't cover all your bases in a game with one card worth of abilities, no matter how many you have. Void wretches in particular are interesting for sure, but they're melee only, not all that tough, and don't hit very hard. Sure, you can pump their def up, but even at Def 7 it only takes 2 hits from a 3/X/X damage track to drop them even after incorporeal. They make good scheme runners and have great synergy with Tara, but I can't think of a reason I'd ever hire more than 2. Taking a crew full of low-cost models can work depending on schemes, strats, and masters, but 6-8 of the same model won't get you as far as diversifying will.

I've founds that it can be easy to block if the taker isn't careful. But other than that it's fairly easy to find models that can do it on their own, i.e. Necropunks, Hodgepodge Emissary, any showgirl with Colette, etc. As a Hamelin player, my opponents rarely get to score it

Perhaps touch on faction identity and the general traits of the faction? What you can expect from the faction and what we do differently/better/worse than average? How to handle the Outcast Mirror Match? Overlap with other factions (especially Ressers, i.e. Jack, Levi, and Tara). Pros and Cons of different models that occupy the same slot (Wretches vs Winged Plague as scheme runners, the all 10ss options, etc). Thoughts on evaluating models within the faction.

This is a solid core of models. I would suggest the Winged Plague, forgoing Anna, and Convict Gunslingers over Lazarus, but that's really just down to personal preference. On the why end of things, here's what I can say. The Viks project a TON of threat. They're flashy, they're effective, and they WILL cave in you opponent's faces. But they have to get there first. The Viks automatically make you opponent want to stay out of their way. With the possibility of min damage 5, to attack and damage, and 4 AP, their reputation is well earned. The key often is forcing the engagement, so having a good amount of range to balance out the melee threat is important. Lazarus, Sue, Convict Gunslingers, and the Freikorps Trapper are all great on that front. The Viks also don't do a lot of scheming on their own, so the Emissary and Winged Plague can really help with that. The Plagues are also great for hunting down your opponent's scheme runners, since they can get a whopping 18" of movement in one turn if you do it right, 6" of that being a push into base contact with a model that doesn't have Blighted. In my experience, the Vik's hardest match-up is vs Obey masters that can out activate or stay out of range. Hamelin, Collodi, Zorida, etc. Having your own Vik of Blood whirlwind down half your crew is zero fun, so watch out for it.

In my ongoing effort to improve my game vs heavy shooting and alpha strike crews, I pose questions to the hive mind: How do you gauge acceptable losses when playing into a crew that can reliably remove models from the board every turn? Sonnia, Perdita, the Viks, and Reva come to mind. Assuming you can't don't know your opponent's master while building your crew (tournament style vs "Jimmy always plays Sonnia"), how does dealing with these things factor into your list building? Once on the table these crews are generally obvious. How do you adjust your play around knowing your opponent has so much killing power?

@scarlett fever I've used Stand and Shoot to any exactly once to any real value. Turn 2 vs the dreamer. Managed to kill 2 daydreams and 2 new summons. They were all bunched in the Dreamer's aura so it wasn't very hard to get a good bead. That being said it was kind of a fluke since I was already in position from the last turn and activated VS immediately after he used the Dreamer. I tried it against Gremlins once, but missed 3 of 5 shots and burned Oathkeeper for my trouble

That's completely fair. I tend to try and slap Guillotine Injustice on their minions (Bayous, Slop Haulers, Piglets, Roosters) and only put the others on when they can't really afford to run away. Jack vs Gremlins is a matchup that I lean heavily on Twist and Turn for, acting as a force amplifier for the rest of the crew. Jaakuna Ubme with The Creeping Terror is a staple of that crew at well. Lures help a lot.

I tend to pick masters based on Strat/Schemes and individual models based on opponents factions. But I'll address both for the sake of it. Arcanists - Hamelin and Taelor. -- Hamelin can out-activate even Ramos if you commit to it, Rat Kings can eat away their schemes, and his bubble prevents charges from the likes of Howard and Cassandra. -- Taelor: anti-construct, anti-summoner tech, hits like a truck, and tanks pretty well. Bonus if Hamelin can boost her mobility wit the Pipes! Resserectionists - Levi or the Viktorias and Rusty Alyce -- Levi and the Viks both put out the damage to keep the dead resting, provide some level of activation control, and get around common Resser defenses. -- Alyce out-ranges almost everything a Resser player can bring to the table and ignores HtW! Admittedly, Ressers are historically one of my worst match-ups. Maybe because our local Henchman if the only Resser in the area though.... Ten Thunders - Hamelin and Taelor -- Hamelin, again, out activates and out schemes, generally. When the only targets you have are rats, it rarely matters how many +flips you have... -- Taelor here is mostly a meta call, since the two TT masters I see the most are Shenlong and Asami. Both of whom have to play around Taelor very carefully. Gremlins - Jack Daw and the Strongarm Suit -- Jack can drain Gremlins hard with Guillotine Injustice, out manuver them 90% of the time, and provide area debuffs through his thematic crew. Gremlins generally hate all these things. -- The Strongarm has generally been used to hunt down irritating models while shrugging off most of the gobli- *ahem* Gremlin's damage with Armor +2. Guild - The Viktorias and the Freikorps Trapper -- The Viks provide an attention grabbing murder-dance that can keep the filthy fascists on the back foot and take down key models. -- Trappers help pick off the guild support pieces early. With a high ram and another severe in hand they can kill things like Enslaved Nephilim or (if your's lucky) and Austringer in a single shot. Guild is my other worst matchup. Sonnia and Perdita haunt my dreams at times... Neverborn - eh? --I've never found myself picking anything specific against NB, I just focus on scoring schemes and tie up their models as best I can. Granted I don't see them on the table much. My $0.02. I don't have Tara, Misaki, or Parker yet, so I can't speak for them. Tara might be good into Guild sure to sheer AP control? I'm not sure. I'd love to hear other's thoughts on my analysis.

I've had some success with an all-Freikorps crew. Von Schill - 3SS Pool -Survivalist -The Shirt Comes Off Strongarm Suit - 10SS Freikorps Librarian - 7SS Freikorps Librarian - 7SS Freikorps Trapper - 6SS Freikorps Trapper - 6SS Freikorpsmann - 5ss Freikorpsmann - 5ss Obviously this only works with 2 Hired Guns boxes, but the idea of two resilient groups of ranged damage with VS and a Strongarm bouncing back and forth as melee is still achievable. The tricks in a VS crew come from the Steam trunk handing out useful (0) actions to your crew, but it only affects Freikorps models and the most useful ability is generally the heal, which is usually covered by a Librarian already. It's great against Ressers since it can clear corpses and remove poison, but I've never found any use for it beyond that. I think htat you should either commit to the Freikorps plan, or don't. Abuse his HtK aura if you go in-theme, or don't worry about it if you don't. Many Outcast crews end up running Freikorps models anyway, but don't force synergy because of model quality. Board presence is, I believe, the biggest upside to VS. Between Survivalist, The Shirt Comes Off, and a few Soulstones for prevention, he can tank for quite a while. Remember that Survivalist gives a positive on the healing flip from The Shirt Comes Off! Charge him into your opponent's flank and let the rest of your crew take care of scoring. The crazy bastard can be a great distraction, and he can easily take care of some important models while he's at it. Giving him fast with the Student of Conflict can turn him up that last notch you need to go ham, especially if has Oathkeeper to pop the next turn. 4AP Schill can charge twice, for 16" of movement on top of 4 attacks (maybe 5 with Finish the Cur!). Most opponents will freak out a little if your master ends up in their back line at the top of turn 2. Even better if the Strongarm Suit is right behind him! Keep the enemy crew in mind though, some might make bratwurst out of him regardless of his defenses. Other solid upgrades are Scout the Field (for super early engagement), Scramble (again, more mobility), and Engage at Will (For the bubble w/ the Steam Trunk).

I'm planning to pick up Dead Outlaws as soon as my LGS gets them in. I'm looking forward to them as an option. I'm also picking up Convict Gunslingers tomorrow, so I'll report back on how they go over. Other models I consistently bring with Levi: Dead Doxie (Pariah of Bone): The undead hookers add some much-needed push to the crew. I almost always use it on my own models, either to push them into or out of attack range, or to let them drop scheme markers more effectively. She's also a decent scheme runner for schemes and strata that want markers near your team, since her push is a (0) and moves her as well. Friekorps Librarian: Healing and CA artillery in the same model, with the option for blasts and furious casting. Generally an awesome model that will never find itself useless. Heal your beatsticks, hear her, heal your support models, CA at incorporeal models, you name it. Strongarm Suit: He does everything, as needed. Armor +2, solid DF/WP/WD, and the ability to charge while engaged ala his boss make him an awesome tank, SH 7, 12" range, and the option to hand out slow make him great on the firing line, and MI 6 with a 3/5/7 damage flip makes his unimpeded charge all the more threatening. Hannah: A utility tank, Hannah is mostly a 3" melee range with armor and the ability to copy CA Actions fom other models as a (0). Usually that means the FK Librarian's heal or ranged attack, but it can also target your enemies if you want to gamble for something nasty. It can also copy (0) actions from models with h the Friekorps characteristic, so Lazarus's self-heal, the Strongarm's Charge up, and Lazarus's Assimilate are all options. Assimilate can be used to make another of Lazarus's Grenade Launcher attack, making the two of them a great, if expensive, pair. More to come.

Levi is great fun. I've played probably 15 games with Lazarus, and Lazarus has used Assimilate maybe 5 times. Maybe. Hannah loves copying it to give him an extra shot though. And yes she can copy his heal, considering that the trigger on Make an Entry lets her copy (0) actions off of Friekorps models (which is also why she can copy Assimilate, or Von Schill taking his shirt off).

My take: Ashes and Dust is consistently the best model in my crew other than Levi, for two reasons: - He's a Swift MI 7 beatstick with a 9" charge threat that's immune to basically everything. Not being able to be charged is a huge drain on enemy AP, especially since many of the models my opponents want to engage with it would much rather charge. His large base size and 2" range let him lock down a decent area, and if needed he can chase down scheme runners or drop markers himself. - He lets you Alpha-strike something turn one with Levi or gain cards when you need them. He's a perfect target for Levi's Rebirth (0) action, and I'll almost always sac him turn one for more activations and more board control. If you deploy him and Levi correctly, he triple moves with Swift 15" up the board, then Levi moves 4" (which puts him in the 10" Rebirth range due to base size), (0)'s to put himself in base contact, and then finds himself 22" from your table edge with 2 AP and a 12" range on Unmaking, letting you lay down some serious hurt on an important minion or Enforcer. If you have a way to push Levi before he activates so he doesn't have to move (Doxies for me, generally), then he'll have a full 3 AP. Of course whether you want to do it depends on the terrain, the enemy crew, and the schemes/strats, but having the option can be devastating. For upgrades I usually take a Pariah, Desolate Soul, and usually to Earth Return, alongside a cache of at least 5. Being able to stone and take half the wounds off of Izamu or Teddy is amazing, as is stoning to pop out an Abom in the middle of the enemy crew. I'll often shoot a Minion or even Peon that I know I can kill over a larger model just to make an Abom and tie of enemy models. Stripping suits and (0) actions can be devastating to some crews, and even if it's just engaging enemy models it'll usually take 1-2 AP to kill, 3 if you're lucky, which is worth a Soulstone any day. My crew usually consists of A&D, a 9-10SS combat-focused model (Strongarm, Laz, Taelor), a Dead Doxie (Pariah of Bone), a Fiekorps Librarian, and any other models spec'd to the schemes and strategies. Usually that means either Trappers, Necropunks, or more combat focused models. I habitually struggle against Ressers, but that may be because our only local Resser player is also the best player in the area. I'll post again later with a more in depth breakdown of some models and how I use them.