Maniacal_cackle

Two sites I use: Miniature market https://www.miniaturemarket.com/table-top-miniatures/malifaux.html#/?_=1&filter.product_tag=null&page=1&filter.category_hierarchy=Table Top Miniatures%2FMalifaux%2FResurrectionists Discount games https://www.discountgamesinc.com/catalog/category/view/s/resurrectionists/id/1141/ Unfortunately looks like the Lost is sold out on both sites. Wyrd was running out of stock even before the covid crisis, so models may be tricky to come by ATM. May find stuff on EBay, or Facebook groups. And can order directly from Wyrd!

Any in particular you're interested in? Molly has a fair bit of depth, but she is what I started with and she is great fun. Her core box + the Archie/crooligan box is plenty to learn her crew. Seamus, his core box is very weak, but could probably get away with the core box + carrion emissary (though you'll have to do something for the mindless zombies). McMourning - no 3e core box yet, and it'll make for awkward purchases if you get the 2e one. Kirai and Von Schtook - probably a bit overwhelming with their options. Maybe do as a second crew unless you love them. Yan Lo - doesn't have a 3e core box yet, same as McMourning. Jack Daw- core box plus hanged will probably do you. Bit of a slow crew, so you may struggle on corner deployment. Reva- weaker crew, and not at all intuitive to play. Would not recommend as a starter. Core box + Lampad/restless spirit box will get you started, but most people would suggest not using lampads, so that may be a bit of a waste. Overall, Molly is what I started with. She can be a bit tricky, but can handle basically any scenario. Eternal servitude is a Yan Lo box, but I find the models in it can be good for any crew. If you want some models you can slot in anywhere, snag this box.

Bad Juju usually goes at the end of the turn, so is as safe as possible (often supplemented with an obey + ensorcel). Typically if you take him, you're taking him as the model Zoraida supports, so the rest of your crew is built to not need the obeys as much. Certainly when I've played against him, he has been pretty devastating. Although that's as Ressers, which have limited range (although even Seamus found him annoying and hard to deal with, between natural healing and bokor healing). Which brings up a key point for OP - it is more impotant to have a good crew rather than a pile of good models. So make sure you're considering an entire package. Bad Juju is a prime example of a model that only works in very particular crews.

Oh, but also can't forget that part of it will come down to tournament structure. Neverborn's most powerful master, Dreamer, is extremely difficult to play in tournaments for being so slow. Even if the Dreamer player is fast, the huge number of models and end-game power of Dreamer means opponents may be playing slowly (having to take extra time to think through all their options).

Yeah, I think post GG1 data is going to be scarce (other than from Vassal). And even that we're so slow on vassal we can't complete 35 stone games yet. Also even if Neverborn DO do well in tournaments, I suspect it is a case of "these specific masters appear in the rankings" rather than a wide array of masters appearing (like TT and Ressers seem to have quite a good variety in tournament postings over the last year, from Seamus to McMourning to Schtook to Molly and even to Reva).

All the ancestor/retainer models really interact with their keywords well. Same for elite/mimic 😜 But more seriously, Rogue Necro has solid synergy with both crews (even if the model is generally lacking). In Neverborn, Widow Weaver has good, different synergies with puppets and nightmare.

I don't think his damage is a big deal. I think it is probably pretty reasonable (and possibly outclassed by things like Molly's card draw + tons of beaters). However, mobility is one of the most powerful things in the game, and Seamus is just on a different level to almost anything else. If all he could do is his damage trick + movement, it'd not be a big deal. But at any given time he has tons of options: Short on useful cards? Use his mobility to scheme. Got some cards handy? Blast away an enemy beater. Enemy schemer wanders slightly away from the crew? Blow it out of the sky. He just feels so insanely versatile. I'll reserve full judgement until I've played more games with him, but it does seem pretty crazy. Archie and Shenlong are good examples of mobility clearly being ridiculously powerful; I wouldn't be surprised if Seamus is next on the chopping block (although I'd hope they buff his crew if so). In particular, the first turn double or triple teleport is feeling just a bit too much to me. He is then so well set up for the rest of the game. And sure, eventually you can pin him down. But if they're spending a good chunk of resources chasing down such a mobile master (eliminating the copycat, etc), then the rest of the crew is probably off winning the game.

I think this is the thread people are thinking of:

I think regardless of faction or crew, you have to treat every (significant) model as a potential scheme runner when needed. I couldn't count how many times Molly's last turn has been move, move, interact. Or how many times I've used a Dead Rider to scheme on turn 5. Also worth noting the key question is: do Neverborn win a lot? And I think they're a dominant force in Russia (with dual masters being allowed), so clearly they're able to score points somehow.

Mobility is a major theme of ressers, but I always assumed that was because they are the least capable of the factions in terms of ranged attacks. Although Neverborn give them a serious run for the money on that, having a strong melee focus still. It is also weird that Neverborn are the only faction without leap, which generally feels like a broken ability (almost every model with the ability is very strong). They can snag it cross-faction through Zoraida or Marcus of course. I posted a while ago about Neverborn just lacking scheme-marker capabilities, and it is a bit of an issue. Although I think Neverborn are focused on the 'they can't scheme if they're dead' plan, but they're not actually better at killing enemy scheme runners than other factions.

Neverborn doesn't really have a 'must buy' budget box I can think of (like eternal servitude for Ressers), but... Dreamer can easily get away with keyword only AND can handle basically any scenario (at least in GG0). Pandora/Dreamer can be a good combo, as there is a lot of model overlap for strong lists. Could get Hooded Rider and then get a few crews that work well with it (Pandora, Zoraida, etc?) Same goes for emissary (Titania and..?) In general, look for crews with model overlap so you can have a diverse range with minimum spending.

A model has to be friendly-controlled and can only pass the token to a friendly model.

True, worth testing out the other builds! Now that the Archie/crooligan combo is a bit weaker, and the other reason*, I might try out P&N/night terror combo. *the other reason is I now play on Vassal, so I can play the models I don't own like Night Terrors 😜

He can be card hungry, sure, but he doesn't have to be. I agree the shooting run is card-heavy, and I don't think his delete a model a turn is the problem. But he is pretty darn versatile/consistent. Turn one you're happy to spend 2-4 cards getting him into position (decreasing your need for it on future turns). On future turns, you don't have to spam it (though it is nice that you can). With the Whisper, you can plan your turn perfectly. Even if you're restricted to one secret passage + 2 walk actions, that's 22" plus an action. That's quite a bit of movement. True, he can get exposed to danger, but that's why the copycat design is so great - it can just teleport him away any time he is not in a good spot. Currently the floor is using secret passageway maybe once in a turn, whereas it feels more like that should be the ceiling - once is good enough (barring celebration shenanigans).

After playing with him a bit on Vassal, seriously feels like Seamus needs a nerf! He can get basically anywhere on the table for many tables (and I have yet to take him with the Emissary). For a single action, he can move 12". I just did Symbols of Authority on corner deployment, and he was simultaneously threatening 2-3 symbol markers at all times by himself. Ordinarily your crew needs to work together to achieve that sort of pressure, but he can just be anywhere he wants. Feels seriously ridiculous to do something like: Turn 1: double secret passageway into position on the other side of the board. Turn 2: in position for literally anything. It's impossible to guard every symbol while advancing your own crew (which is fine normally, as an enemy crew working together should take symbols). But with Seamus, I feel like he is just putting pressure everywhere and anywhere by himself - the rest of the crew is just gravy. Then throw on top of that his other sources of movement. At one point my opponent destroyed the terrain that Seamus was going to teleport to. So he teleported to another bit of terrain, walked, walked, and snagged the target symbol anyway. 20" and having an action to spare is extremely common. Four actions is just hyper-mobile. And finally, his totem can then teleport him across the board! LOVE the design of this, but combined with everything else... This Master is just too strong. Oh, and I guess he has a cannon he carries in his pocket... Honestly people complain about his shooting attack, but I think it is about right. You need a bit of setup to make it work (especially getting focus on him, as he hates to spare an action to focus). So while this is the thing that most people complain about, I personally think it is fine. So what would I like to see (admittedly with very little Redchapel experience). Worse mobility for Seamus (make Secret Passage into 'once a turn' only, noting he can still do it twice with Cause for Celebration). This will mean that he has to rely on the Copycat to get out of trouble once he teleports himself into trouble, creating a narrow window for the enemy to hit him. Or if he can get proper setup for a corpse marker, he can still teleport out. Buff mobility of Madame Sybelle and Belles. Perhaps give Belles a swift action/onslaught trigger on their lures. Then give Madame Sybelle "Lady of the house: as long as this model is not engaged, friendly Redchapel Minions within 6 add a mask to their duels. The main problem with the Belles is they want to use lure to move other models, but this is inefficient (you use an AP to move a model, but you may also have to cheat a card... AND you need to position correctly). Adding a swift action/onslaught trigger to the lure would mean that you can actually generate efficiency with the setup. Giving Madame a way to hand out the mask to the duels ensures you can actually get the crew working together to achieve that efficiency. Making it turn off when Sybelle is engaged means that there is counterplay for the opponent (just in case double lures ends up being powerful... Which it probably would be 😜 ) What do people think? Often we talk about Redchapel buffs, but they lack a bit of context: Seamus is kinda insane. If the crew gets buffed, the strongest master in Ressers might have a strong crew behind him as well...

I've always taken Philip and the Nanny more than the average Molly player (14" of movement a turn is just fabulous for an extra crooligan beacon when your others aren't enough), although I think Dead Rider + necrotic machine is probably more powerful. I've been considering taking up the Rogue Necro for the consistent movement. Plus it can gain the focused condition, and projectile vomit is amazinggggg. As for Archie being a beater - he can't focus and his triggers are meh, so his role as a primary beater is always going to pale compared to some other models IMO. I've always seen him as a scheme runner/anti scheme-runner that can double as a beater. Compared to Dead Rider, Teddy, the Valedictorian, etc, I'm not sure Archie is as scary as a beater. Even models like Rogue Necro with less attacks in theory can end up being a lot more potent with their triggers. His tankiness I actually think is about in the right spot - the enemy still has to work pretty hard to take him down, and if you play him right, the enemy still has to at least account for the possibility that you'll leap away and all their setup to kill him goes to waste. Personally the only thing I don't like is that he is now unreliable (which is the absolute worst thing for a schemer/anti-schemer to be imo. You want some certainty in your scheme planning - your opponent is going to throw in enough uncertainty as it is). Just my playstyle, anyway! And granted, the lore behind him is that he SHOULD be a beater, so probably okay if they shift him in that direction. Could easily drop leap for Juggernaut, and then rework his fading ability to mimic focus for example.

I always run him as a scheme runner in forgotten, as he is too squishy to be a dedicated beater. So his primary role for me has been nerfed significantly. I agree they needed to make the 'snag a suit' work for leap. His unrestricted mobility really made him for me. I'd rather they'd have nerfed his damage. So for me, it is definitely the suit xD. But the movement nerf hurts a bit too.

I don't play Outcasts, and have only played against Tara once, so these are more questions than opinions... Armor 2 has always served me exceedingly well. Granted, with defense four and poor mobility, it looks a lot trickier with Talos. From a design perspective, it looks like part of the point of the model is you bury it to keep it safe... Except it doesn't have the From Nothing ability (I wonder if he had it in beta and it got removed for being too strong?) Talos going from buried to base contact and beating on an enemy seems very strong. They must have missed the mark a bit, then. Looking over the card, it looks like his 'primary' attack is supposed to be lighting enemies on fire when they're buried and they take extra damage. If there were two buried enemies in a turn, that's an extra 4 damage (+1-4 for his bonus) before he even uses AP. So I think they were going for a passive damage design (which again, may have missed the mark). I don't think it is necessary for other things to give burning, given that he hands it out like candy (as long as you can bury enemy models). Perhaps in design they assumed more enemy models would spend time buried (from memory with my one game against Tara, my models spent very little time buried). This part isn't true. He gives burning to every enemy buried model with his Flames of the Void ability (buried enemies get +1 burning when he activates). It has unlimited range. On the face of it, it seems like one of the most powerful ways to hand out burning in the game (assuming buried models).

I think people haven't been able to to test that much due to covid, but Archie feels a lot worse out of keyword IMO. Even Forgotten finds him a bit clunky now. Manos, barely changed, I think he is still great. Toshiro is really good, IMO, just because Ashigaru are so good at bogging down a game. He is good at defending against Assassinate and securing a zone like claim jump.

You can't summon in HH Disengagement is really common in Malifaux, but not as much in HH (especially for this crew). That said, it definitely comes up if you mess up your bombs! Positioning is more important than fighting a lot of the time. Yin is great for dark bargain though. Being able to move 12" and drop a bomb is great.

6 cost models in general are pretty disappointing. At 6 stones, a rabble riser seems pretty cool... Until you slap a 3 stone 'upgrade' on it and just snag Archie instead. However, those got significantly better with the Public Enemies threshold. So a lot of it comes down to meta over models just being bad (although certain ones like Belles are probably just bad in almost all scenarios, by all reports).

Rarely, only if we are pressed for time.

Shieldbearers' bonus action is to pulse out focus to everyone, which means you're often bunching them near stuff they want to buff anyway. So sometimes I bunch up my crew (depending on circumstances), although note that I've never actually done this in practice. Remote detonator kills the target (so healing doesn't stop it, you still die).

I think people don't want to kill golem regardless. The real trick is setting it up so you can kill it yourself efficiently, and teleport it across the table xD I've never set it up, though. But I do wonder... What about: Shieldbearer smack twice (2 damage) Shieldbearer smack twice (4 damage) Any min 3 beater charge, smack it (7 damage) Reva charge and smack it once, twice if black jokered previous damage (10 damage). Boom! Grave golem telerports to your furthest corpse marker turn one. Probably don't even need the full four shieldbearer AP. Just need enough that the golem is far enough ahead models can charge it (and not waste any movement up the board hitting it).

Yup, Archie and Grave Golem can both do this! AND it is a cost, meaning that it happens whether or not the attack succeeds! Very strong way to tie up a model/make sure it is engaged. Reva can do it with corpse candles. That said, most people consider grave golem weak (I consider it strong but situational). They're super fun to sculpt your own as well!