New to Malifaux: Need some help/advice

[Denchfeng]

Hi everyone,

 

Just got introduced to Malifaux last night with some friends. Took a look at the factions and fell in love with Ten Thunders. So, I started reading pullmyfinger's wiki on the characters. I really love playing assassin armies and found that I was able to pull it off with this faction and became very pleased.

 

I am not sure on points just yet or even if the rules on that wiki are accurate but here is what I was thinking of building. any advice or suggestions are welcome.

 

Master

 

Misaki

 

Henchmen

 

Ototo (If I need more armor/bulk.)

Yamaziko

 

Totem

 

Shang

 

Enforcer

 

Izamu The Armor

or

Chiaki The Niece(If I need condition control.)

 

Minions

 

Dawn Serpent

or

Thunder Archer

or

Oiran

or

Torakage

 

 

I'm not sure on the points costs of these but I know that my friends mainly play up to 50 points. The idea behind this was to have two bruisers/tanks mosh up my opponents minions and have my assassins, Misaki and Yamaziko bum rush the opposing master and then work my way down the line of threats.

 

Also, is there a deck designed for Ten Thunders? I'm having the hardest time finding this out. 

 

~Denchfeng

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dirial]

First things first: Welcome to Malifaux!

 

Secondly: Great idea to look at PullMyFinger! It's a good resource, and most information there is fairly accurate. If you don't understand some of the slang there, please don't hesitate to ask, as most of the authors and a lot more very helpful people roam these forums.

If you are unsure about point (or Soulstone) cost, the official crew creator can be found HERE.

 

Thirdly: I should warn you that fixed lists aren't a thing in Malifaux. It doesn't hurt to have some guideline for beginners by which to buy their stuff, but once you get behind how this game works, you will want to choose your models after you heard what victory conditions you will have.

 

Now, about your questions: All the models you listed are good choices and should work fairly well together, although (or because) the fulfil different roles on the table. Chiaki is the odd one: you will have to buy a whole different Master to get her model: Yan Lo. Apart from her, your list seems like a rather standard Misaki list. Certainly good enough to start playing and learning the game.

 

Again, welcome, and have a good time!

[Denchfeng]

Ahhh k. I thought I could take Chiaki because she was in Ten Thunders. So there are restrictions even within the factions. Interesting.

 

Edit: Also, Thank you!

 

Edit 2: So I plan on buying everything. Going to have to since I'm playing Ten Thunders. But I think I'm going to start with Yan Lo due to him having a more elite army. Hopefully it will allow me to start off with a smaller number of models to paint so I can get right into the game asap.

[MudgeBlack]

Ahhh k. I thought I could take Chiaki because she was in Ten Thunders. So there are restrictions even within the factions. Interesting.

 

Edit: Also, Thank you!

You can take Chiaki with Misaki.  What Dirial was saying is Chiaki is only available as part of Yan Lo's box set and therefore would have to either buy the whole box to get her or do some horse trading with other players or check ebay.

[Denchfeng]

Ahhhh k. Thank you for clearing that up Mudgeblack.

[AverageBoss]

Misaki's box set is called The Thunder. It comes with of Misaki of course as well as Ototo, Shang, and three Torakage. Ototo is 10 SS, I think Shang is 3 (I never run him), and Torakage are 6. So you have 31 SS worth of models before upgrades. A standard game is 50 SS, but this will give you a solid launching point.

 

As someone who considers themselves pretty well versed in TT (I own every model in print), I can make a couple suggestions.

 

Look into getting Yan Lo boc eventually anyways, not only for Chiaki, but also for a completely different TT experience (a very fun one at that). Doubly so if you plan on getting Izamu and Yan Lo has added synergy with him.

 

Toshiro is another model you might look into. He is tough. He makes all nearby minions better. And he can summon Ashigaru and another model off of corpse and scrap markers respectively.

 

Katanaka Snipers offer amazing ranged support, though their models do not exist yet.

 

Illuminated (from the Jacob Lynch box Dark Debts) are an AMAZING minion no matter who they are paired with. They hit hard. The have armor (reduce damage) and terror (can paralyze enemies that try and attack them), and they can heal themselves anywhere from 2-4 health a round.

 

You will hear nothing but good things about Kang. He is found in the Mei Feng box.

 

Also keep in mind that Misaki can be fielded as either TT or Outcast. In addition she has a special rule that lets her take up to 4 models with the Last Blossom keyword regardless of their faction. This opens up several outcast options. The most prevalent of these would be Ronin and Convict Gunslingers.

 

To add to what was said above, not only are fixed lists not often a thing, but neither are fixed tactics. Malifaux is all about objectives and your objectives will be different every game and many times not based on killing. In fact there is a scheme that can pop up called Frame for Murder where your opponent will get points if you kill a model he secretly designates. In fact Malifaux is a game where it is possible for one player to be wiped off the board and another to not take a single loss, and the former can win by a landslide.

[Denchfeng]

Interesting. I have a lot to learn it seems. Would you say that Yan Lo's ability to resurrect ancestors would make it a bit more forgiving for starting players then?

[Uktena]

Depends.  Ancestors look to be a very low quantity, high quality style that lends themselves well to specfic strategies.  I guess it depends what you're trying to do at the time.  I DO find summon crews to be more flexible in lower soulstone games.

[dgraz]

Yan Lo is da' bomb. But you need a few extras to play him fully...........Chiaki is the only Ancestor that comes in his box........Izamu, Toshiro, and Yin are all sold individually.

 

But, yes, the crew can be fairly forgiving..........the Misaki crew is more like a scalpel and needs to be used with precision.....you can get away with a looser style with Yan Lo.

 

I think you can start with Misaki.....but she really benefits from knowing the game itself......knowing that earning VP is how you win.....and when you lose Misaki (and you will) that doesn't mean you've lost.......if she ties up and/or kills a good part of the enemy crew for a few turns allowing the Torakage to run Schemes and earn VP, then it's a good game.

 

Mei Feng is also a pretty straight forward, good beginning crew.

 

10T is a pretty fun faction all around I think. But be careful because they're worse than drugs. Lots of the models from each master can play well with others.....so you'll end up picking the crew boxes for that..........but, each Master also works pretty well with several models from their dual-faction.......so you'll pick up those models.......but then there's masters in that faction that work well with those models...........so you'll pick up those masters...........before you know it, you'll have a smattering of several factions

Don't say I didn't warn you.

[daemonkin]

Plastic crack. Now I own at least 2 masters in each faction. Makes playing only 1 faction at a tournament difficult to decide.

 

D.

[Denchfeng]

10T is a pretty fun faction all around I think. But be careful because they're worse than drugs. Lots of the models from each master can play well with others.....so you'll end up picking the crew boxes for that..........but, each Master also works pretty well with several models from their dual-faction.......so you'll pick up those models.......but then there's masters in that faction that work well with those models...........so you'll pick up those masters...........before you know it, you'll have a smattering of several factions

Don't say I didn't warn you.

 

Plastic crack. Now I own at least 2 masters in each faction. Makes playing only 1 faction at a tournament difficult to decide.

 

D.

 

This is kind of the reason I wanted to play 10T. Being able to pick up cool minis from everywhere and eventually play what ever I want. Just need to decide between Yan Lo and Ophelia(Gremlins) now. 

[dgraz]

This is kind of the reason I wanted to play 10T. Being able to pick up cool minis from everywhere and eventually play what ever I want. Just need to decide between Yan Lo and Ophelia(Gremlins) now. 

Yep. I was pretty bad already........when 10T came out my wallet just punched me right in the face.

[Dirial]

This is kind of the reason I wanted to play 10T. Being able to pick up cool minis from everywhere and eventually play what ever I want. Just need to decide between Yan Lo and Ophelia(Gremlins) now. 

 

The OP doesn't make it clear: Are you the only beginner in your group? Or are all of you beginners?

 

From my limited experience, Yan Lo is the way more beginner friendly Master for your opponents. Ophelia is one of those Masters that frustrate beginners to no end, leading to rage quits and such. That seems to be a byproduct of her being a ranged model, but nonetheless: If you answered my question with "The lkatter", I would go with Yan Lo.

[Denchfeng]

The OP doesn't make it clear: Are you the only beginner in your group? Or are all of you beginners?

 

From my limited experience, Yan Lo is the way more beginner friendly Master for your opponents. Ophelia is one of those Masters that frustrate beginners to no end, leading to rage quits and such. That seems to be a byproduct of her being a ranged model, but nonetheless: If you answered my question with "The lkatter", I would go with Yan Lo.

 

I am the beginner. But I suppose we all are to some degree. As far as I know they have only been playing it for a few months.

[Kalkris]

I concur with the majority in that Yan Lo should be obtained - if not now, then after Misaki.
 
Also, within a few short months, The Brewmaster (dual faction Ten Thunders/Gremlin master) will have been released (barring production issues) so if you're looking into Gremlins, he might be a decent option for you to consider while taking the likes of Misaki or Yan Lo.
 
The best part about Ten Thunders is that you get to find out what other factions you like better than the rest - it could be Arcanists. It could be Resurrectionists. It could even be a tie between Guild and Neverborn, and they'll still have a master which fits those kinds of bills. To my knowledge, there are few combinations that have yet to be explored: Rezzer/Neverborn, Rezzer/Gremlins, Guild/Gremlins, Neverborn/Outcast, Guild/Outcast, Gremlins/Outcast, Arcanist/anything-but-Ten-Thunders. These will (hopefully) become a factor in the future, but for now, consider that these faction sets have no overlap without a middleman such as a third faction (especially one like the Ten Thunders - I consider Lynch, after failing in Edition 1.5 with Hoffman and Hamelin, to be my gateway drug into Malifaux, so to speak), or Mercenaries (Especially true in cases involving the Outcasts).
 
If you do end up getting Yan Lo, consequently you will want Toshiro. If you get Toshiro, you will want Punk Zombies. If you want to get Punk Zombies, you may as well buy Nicodem's box. He is a fantastic Rezzer master and I do endorse him highly, even having only ever played against him. And then come the Mindless Zombies, The Hanged (they are SO good!), the other decent summons, and possibly Seamus's or McMourning's box. If you get McMourning's box, you may be tempted to delve into Guild (perhaps by then you'll have gotten the likes of Lucas McCabe's box - he is the Guild/Ten Thunders master and a real cool model!). From there, you might pick up an Executioner box, or possibly another crew box, like Lady Justice (whose Henchman, The Judge, goes great in Guild McMourning), Perdita (who has an elite crew of her own), or Lucius - and from there you enter Neverborn, in which case I'd hope you bought Jakob Lynch's box for those Illuminated mentioned in a few posts above me. From there you might buy Zoraida and there are your Gremlins.... etc. etc. etc.
 
My point is that the means to getting places in this game are easily facilitated by the options you have available, and are only really limited by your playstyle desires and possibly your learning curve. For example, I have been playing for a good 3 years (2 really solidly), and I managed to hold my own against someone with twice my level of experience (in terms of time spent invested in the game). Incidentally, he was playing Misaki and he beat me (excellently, might I add, Rathnard!), but it wasn't a total wipeout like you may see in other games. It was an 8-10 game and I loved every second of it. I would like to think that the learning curve isn't painfully high; I've gotten people into this game who knew nothing of wargames, and they figured things out quite quickly. I believe you'll figure more out as you play more, Denchfeng.
 
But all in all, keep an open mind and don't get discouraged if you lose your first 5-10 games with a master you have just picked up. I suggest, after those 10 losses, that you put a Master like that aside, with the promise to yourself that you'll get better and eventually win a game with him or her leading.
 
I wrote an essay on my situation with Hamelin, an Outcast master with an abhorrent learning curve (at least, the crew had that curve back in 1.5), and how I beat the odds after long enough. By the time I won a game with Hamelin (my first since picking him back up), he had been given errata which fixed his notoriously broken ruleset, so it was even more difficult to win with him if you didn't know what you were doing. But I did, because I knew how to really play at that point. And you can, too!
 
I will attach the essay to this post. Maybe you'll read it and be inspired. But I digress. I think it's an aesthetic choice for you to pick up what you like. Because pretty soon, you'll be like me and have at least 16 masters with the desire for even more (for me, at least 3 haha), and then have the dilemma of which master you want to use in a given game. Happy playing!
 
~Lil Kalki

 

http://wyrd-games.net/community/blog/49/entry-74-fresh-ham-the-tune-of-redemption/

[Denchfeng]

Thank you so much! I'm getting ready for bed and was just checking out the Wiki some more. Read into Ironsides and I honestly think she will fit what I wanted better so I might start out with her and then dip into 10T.  I am still totally going to read that essay and keep logs of my experiences of anyone following my footsteps to read and learn from. 

 

I was really hoping for a Tanky team that is just really really difficult to get down. I have not read much into what works with Ironsides yet, and I will need to find a sculptor that can make me a model, but I'm going to look into it for sure.

 

Thanks again!

[Fetid Strumpet]

Ironsides is cool. The biggest issue your going to have with her is that she isn't currently available. She is one of the newest masters in the game, she didn't exist in the previous edition, and thus currently has no models currently available for sale. Additionally, if past history is any guide, she most likely won't be available until after X-mas at the least, and possibly longer.

 

Most of the time if I'm remembering correctly, the pre-release items available at Gen Con set the release schedule for the next few months. This is not infallible, and should not be taken as the literal truth, (I don't work for the company and have no idea what their production schedule is) but its a generally good guide.

 

My guess is we won't see Ironside's kit until March or April at the earliest, and that's total guesswork.

 

There are most likely good models out there you can proxy as her until she's released.

[Dirial]

If you want something hard to bring down, you could look into Mei Feng until Ironsides reaches the shops. Take her Box set, add a Rail Golem and some Metal Gamin, and you have a crew that dips into Arcanists and TT, and is a real pain to get rid of. Ugh!

[Victoria]

I thought I would answer the deck question.  

 

No, there is not a specific fate deck that is designed for 10 Thunders.

[Denchfeng]

I thought I would answer the deck question.  

 

No, there is not a specific fate deck that is designed for 10 Thunders.

 

Yeah I was sad to hear that. I found a great gremin themed deck though. So I grabbed that one.  

 

http://andayalasercutting.com/collections/frontpage/products/goblin-themed-deck

 

 

If you want something hard to bring down, you could look into Mei Feng until Ironsides reaches the shops. Take her Box set, add a Rail Golem and some Metal Gamin, and you have a crew that dips into Arcanists and TT, and is a real pain to get rid of. Ugh!

 

That might be a good option. I'm still doing a ton of research. 

[Argentbadger]

Unless you're set on Ironsides already, perhaps I can offer you a Ten Thunders crew core that is hard to take down.  I've had lots of success building around variations of Illuminated and Rail Workers.  The former have armour and can heal 1 to 4 hit points during their activation meaning they have to be concentrated upon or they can tarpit a crew all day, and their damage output is good enough for the price.  Rail Workers have both armour and hard to kill, plus a trigger to ignore some more damage.  This means that they'll take at least 2 hits (barring the few things that ignore hard to kill) and usually 3 to take down which I think is pretty good for their cost.  Mei Feng obviously loves Rail Workers as they are constructs who can occasionally use the burning condition on enemies.  Throw in Kang and Hungering Darkness for the healing trick (thanks to Andrew for showing me this) and you have a crew that will take a lot of work to put down.

 

In summary, buying Dark Debts (Lynch's box) and the Rail Crew (Mei Feng's box) gives you a set of miniatures that will serve you in good stead for as long as you choose to play Ten Thunders.

[Falconrider]

Just wondering what is the healing trick?

[vonevilstein]

Just wondering what is the healing trick?

 

Just a guess but I think he's talking about Kang giving horror immunity to living models within 6 inches. So with Kang and as many of your own living Brilliance pieces as you like, HD can heal for loads without your models having to take the horror duel.

[Argentbadger]

Yes, precisely that.  Make sure that any Brilliant models in range of Hungering Darkness's Consume Brilliance action are also within range of Kang's Rousing Speech aura.  Then you can heal Hungering Darkness without worrying about paralysing your own models.  Obviously it only works on living models but I think that all models with native Brilliance are living anyway, and I've never felt the need to give the condition to my own guys purely to heal Hungering Darkness (though in theory I suppose it may come up).

 

Occasionally you will get to live the dream and find yourself facing off against another Lynch crew (hopefully Neverborn, or at least not packing their own Kang), force all their Brilliant models to take a Horror duel with Consume Brilliance and then eat their Hungering Darkness with yours.