New to Malifaux

[KingCowfish]

Hey everyone,

 

After a few years of playing WHFB and WH40K off and on, my wife and I have decided that if we wanted to continue with tabletop games, that we would need a switch. We disliked the models for Dust: Tactics and Warmahordes felt too similar (model wise) to gamesworkshop stuff as well as sounding a bit overly complicated for my wife, so we have decided on going with Malifaux!

 

My first question to all of you is what do I need to buy?  Here is the checklist that I have put together; let me know if I have missed anything:

 

1:Malifaux-2nd Edition Rulebook (I like this better than the rules manual due to the added fluff).

 

2: 2x Fate decks (mostly because I will never remember which suits correspond with which if I used a normal deck of playing cards.  Is there any difference between the various fate decks that they sell?  Arcane fate deck vs. normal fate deck vs. retro fate deck?)

 

3. 2x Crew boxes (I know that it won't be enough for a full 50ss game, but we want to just play right out of the box and slowly build from there).

 

Is there anything else we would need?  Are any of the other decks of cards necessary/worth it when you first start out?

 

My second question is what advice can you all give regarding which crew to start with?  I know that certain crews are more newbie friendly than others, however, my wife and I will lose interest if we don't start with what we think is cool, so play difficulty should be discarded for the time being.

 

After perusing the various masters, my wife decided that she liked (in no particular order) Tara, Karai, Misaki, Brewmaster, and Shenlong. Are there any of these that I should steer her towards?  I know that only Misaki has a plastic set, so should we wait for the other to get plastic sets as well?

 

For myself, I am looking for a crew which is decently sturdy (I always take forever to paint, so watching my models die really easily is rather disheartening), preferably not close combat based, and isn't a part of The Guild (as I really don't like their models or fluff).  My initial inclination was to go with Seamus, but I want to get more feedback before I go for it.

 

So that's all I have right now.  My apologies for writing a novel and asking so many questions.  I just really want to make sure that we start out properly.  Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[SpiralngCadavr]

2: nope, no difference.

3: yep, though a few are pretty large (they aren't a standard cost or number of points)

You'll need more terrain than you're used to in GW lines- you want a high density. Also, counters (spare 30mm bases are probably the best you'll have easy access to.

I love Tara's style, but she's probably not for beginners. Kirai will probably have you learning the game strangely. Seamus is the most beginner-friendly of those options (and has a very resilient crew), and he can play range or melee. Misaki could work, IDK about the others.

[Durza]

2: Different artwork, the normal decks with the coloured stripes are paper, while the retro and arcane are plastic, the retro fate decks suits are shaped similar to normal decks, for example the crow is in the shape of a spade, and can be used as a normal deck of cards, while the arcane decks have what card it is written on it. The normal fate decks say on them what the card is, weak, moderate or severe, while the retro and arcane decks have 1-3 dots in the corners.

 

3:Depending on what box sets you get this should be fine.

 

Well I'd probably go with Misaki, as she is the only one who has a box out at the moment, and while Kirai's box set should be out soon it's really small, as it comes with 3 models that cost 0ss.

 

A tough ranged crew? I'd probably not go with Seamus, as Ressers as a faction don't have much ranged, they are generally very tough though. Maybe outcasts, like Von Schill, his crew are pretty tough, they all have armour and are immune to damage from  and  effects.

[KingCowfish]

Thanks for the advice thus far!

 

I plan on buying the rule book tomorrow, so hooray there.  I believe that my personal preferences for a starting crew will change a bit once I get into the fluff.  I think I am going to relinquish my desire to have a non-close combat force.  WH40k definitely got me in the mindset of assaulting armies being only so so.  With such a small table and fewer models I don't see close combat as such a hindrance in this game.  That being said, I think I would like to start with a master that is a little bit on the tricksy side of things.  I have never enjoyed straight forward characters.  

[asrian]

Just to reiterate what others have said...

Things you'll need: Rule book and fate decks. You might also want to pick up the respective Wave 1 and 2 Arsenal Decks for the factions you want to play, but it's not a rush at first. They are the same cards that are located in the big rule book (if you buy a small rule book that is just a bare bones rules version, no fluff, then it won't contain the generic upgrades for each faction). 

As I said, you don't need the arsenal cards straight away, but if you enjoy the game, you'll end up wanting to get them as they are quite handy. 

For Masters to start with, Seamus is a wonderful Master. He and his crew are simple enough to start with at first, but offer quite more depth as you learn to play him.

 

For your wife, as Durza said, only Misaki is currently truly available of those she was interested in (the others I'm waiting for as well, and there is no current time frame on when they will be available...could be Jan, could be next summer ). Misaki herself his a scalpel master. She gets in and kills a target a turn (as can Seamus). She can play very independent of her crew, meaning they can run schemes while she ties things up. 

Best of luck to you guys overall and feel free to ask more questions. Check out the PullMyFinger Wiki for more information, and the respective faction forums (Seamus in Ressers, Misaki in both Outcast and Ten Thunders as she's a dual faction master)

[Tuttleboy]

I'll also point you to Misaki for your wife, but there are a couple of other shooty crews that are durable I've not seen mentioned, Rasputina blows stuff up at long range, but not so much the rest of her box. That's solved by adding a December Acolyte or 2. Another crew to take a look at is Von Schill. Great armor, super flexible, and almost all of the Friekorps can shoot.

Welcome to the best tabletop game made.

[paradoxstorm]

Thanks for the advice thus far!

 

I plan on buying the rule book tomorrow, so hooray there.  I believe that my personal preferences for a starting crew will change a bit once I get into the fluff.  

 

That's what happened to me -- mostly from reading the descriptions of the masters.  Went from ressers to Arcanists.

 

Make sure to share with your wife so she can see what she likes. 

 

And add Crossroads to your list--it has model info on the wave 2 model releases.

 

I'm currently playing Rasputina and have added Blessed of December, December Acolytes, and proxies for silent ones to the box set.  She's been easy enough for my newbie brain to handle while I learn the game mechanics and there is some depth to her that I have yet to explore.   But my sense is that most of the masters can be described that way, so I would read the fluff and pick a couple of masters you like the sound of and see who has box sets available.

 

If you buy a metal starter set or decide to proxy a crew for which the models aren't out yet, you'll definitely want the appropriate arsenal decks.  

 

Handy, but not required, would be a schemes and strategies deck.  All of them are printed in the rule book, but having the cards is just nice. 

[SpiralngCadavr]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the arsenal decks: if you're just buying 2e models, then the only thing you'll miss are generic upgrade cards (which are in the main book, just not convenient), but you'll probably need to get the arsenal decks if you're getting used or otherwise old minis.

[KingCowfish]

So a quick update: I bought the rulebook and after going through it a bit, I am now stuck on whether to start with Seamus or Marcus.  I am leaning more towards Marcus because of the painting potential that painting animals promises, but I am still unsure.  Any advice on which one?  Which one matches up better against Misaki (not in terms of winning, but in terms of creating a more interesting game)?

[Tuttleboy]

I think I'd suggest Marcus. He's got a large pool of models to pull from, so it will take a bit for you to fill out his crew.

[zFiend]

I'd suggest Seamus, he's amazing fun and quite versatile when it comes to schemes. Also he is probably a master that can endure the missile that is stalking Misaki.

I had my Seamus killed today, it's a sad sad day as it doesn't really happen. It took 6 attacks that all hit from Howard Langston, 3 from Flurry, 1 from Imbued Energies and 2 from Prompt. Sad day.

[paradoxstorm]

So a quick update: I bought the rulebook and after going through it a bit, I am now stuck on whether to start with Seamus or Marcus.  I am leaning more towards Marcus because of the painting potential that painting animals promises, but I am still unsure.  Any advice on which one?  Which one matches up better against Misaki (not in terms of winning, but in terms of creating a more interesting game)?

 

No idea which matches up better, I just like Arcanists a lot better than Rezzers, so I choose Marcus.  But you could always buy both--both have fans.

 

Go with the box set of both and try out both crews to see what you like playing.  Start building out whichever appeals to you and use the other for trading or maybe your wife will find she likes the one you don't.  

 

Or flip a coin, heads Marcus, tails Seamus, and give it a try.  If you love whoever you get, keep going in that faction.  If you find they're not really for you, go back and buy the other. 

[Mason]

I'd probably suggest Marcus over Seamus, if you're looking for a tricksy master.  Marcus and Seamus both have plenty of tricks and can both do some real damage themselves as well, but I think that Marcus comes out a bit ahead, all in all.  The sheer number of weird little combos that he can pull off is really impressive, especially when you start using non-Arcanists Beasts in his crew. 

 

As for your wife, as others have noted, Misaki is the only box that's been released so far, though you could probably find a Kirai box floating around on the internet, as it was pre-released at GenCon.  It's a solid box, but a bit light on points compared to other starter boxes, so if you went that route you'd probably have to add a bit  more to it to bring it up to par.

 

If you get the core book and Crossroads, you can always proxy models as well, just to see if you like how certain masters play.  Just because a box hasn't been released  yet doesn't mean that it's unplayable.   

 

In any case, welcome to the game, and please keep us updated as to how everything is going!

[KingCowfish]

Update time.  Today is my birthday and since no one is around (my wife has work), I decided to just go and pick up the Marcus crew.  I just washed the sprues and am now clipping and filing the various pieces.  What is everyone's thoughts on glue?  I have used plastic glue in the past and on hot days my models totally fell apart so I am currently using Slo-Zap glue.  Basically, is there any real difference between gamesworkshop plastic miniatures and Wyrd miniatures such that I would need to do anything different when assembling them?  

[Tuttleboy]

No real difference. I like Testors plastic glue, but have several pals that like Gorrilla Glue plastic cement. There are a couple different types, but on plastic make sure to use plastic glue.

[Rob Lo]

Surprised no one has mentioned this, but what you may not need, but could certainly use, is a local henchman. Find out if you have one and if you're lucky they have the models you're interested in and can show you around the game.

 

Another resource for trying out crews before you buy them is Vassal. You don't get the fun of seeing them on the table in front of you painted up all nice, but you don't have to pay for them either! Since you're not new to mini gaming, I think one good game with a master that you're already curious about or leaning towards is enough to give you the nudge to buy.

 

The only other advise I'd say is, if you've got a list of 5 masters that interest you and 3 of them are in 1 faction, pick one of those. At the very least, if you later find one of those other in faction masters is more your style, you've got models that work with what you want to move to.

[Jimbobovalsocks]

That's a good point actually. Where abouts are you? If you're UK based there are a number of gaming clubs where you could try out and intro and learn the basics. Malifaux is a radically different game from 40K or WHFB so having played those games won't necessarily help you much when it comes to learning Malifaux so it could be helpful to have someone walk you through the rules.

[KingCowfish]

I am in Portland, OR, USA, and there are a couple of stores that do hold Malifaux nights.  The only problem is that most of them are on days that I work.  I will see if I can make it to any of them.

 

Update time: so the plastic cement that I ordered arrived and I just put together the cereberus.  It wasn't too bad though, I will definitely need to pick up some more liquid green stuff to fill in/smooth out a few areas.  One question for you all, what sort of basing have you seen for Marcus crews?  I really like the inserts that Wyrd makes, however, none of them (from what I can tell) really fit with the Marcus crew theme, so what would make sense fluff wise in terms of basing things?  Where are these animals coming from?  Does Marcus just stroll into town with them in tow?  I just don't want it to look awkward (Marcus in an Orphanage...).  

 

EDIT: The Razorspine Rattler was horrible to put together.  I dont think it will look too bad but I am not pleased with it.

[Vermicious Knid]

Marcus typically operates in the wild, though it's not unusual for him to stray into town. I would assume that when in town, typically he mostly keeps to the Quarantine Zone though, as that place has no real Guild presence at all, and a bunch of freaky creatures aren't too unusual (since the QZ is riddled with Neverborn).

Speaking personally, "natural" looking bases would be fine for Marcus, but you could also easily use any of the cobblestone street bases, or perhaps the more "steampunk junkyard" looking bases from Secret Weapon Miniatures

[paradoxstorm]

I sneak over to to the showcase sub-forum to see amazing stuff and get ideas.