Ramath Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Hello all! My wife and I are looking to start playing Malifaux. We play a few other games, so we aren't new to table-top wargaming, but we are brand new to Malifaux. I haven't gotten the rule book yet, so please keep that in mind. I do have several questions about building a crew which will have a large impact on which starting box I pick up. After reading the lore posted all over 'teh internetz', every bit of advice that I found tells me to pick my starter box based on what appeals to me the most; both in model appearance as well as concept/theme. I've done that and created a list of models I would like to play. However, before I start selling my soul in exchange for new toy soldiers, I wanted to find out how well these models work under the master I have chosen. I may like a master, but if they don't blend well with the other models in the faction I like, then I will probably scratch that master off my list. I really don't want to be shoe-horned into playing models I don't like because the faction doesn't play well with itself. So, here are my findings. I would appreciate some feedback to see if these would be viable groups of models to play with. Ressurectionists The only master I like here is Kirai, but I LOVE her idea! It's very Fatal Frame, if you ever played that old xbox game. -Kirai -Valedictorian -Ikiryo, Bele Noire -Nurse, Onryu -Seishin As a general whole, I like this faction the least, as I'm not into the whole corpse/zombie/rotting carcass vibe. But I do love the models listed above. I know Kirai is a spirt-focused master, but can she also field the Nurses, too? How playable are these as a grew? Neverborn Pandora is just too cool for words. I love the entire concept around her, and her madness. -Pandora -Poltergeist -Nekima -Doppleganger, Lilitu -Beckoners, Sorrows This is the faction I'm most worried about. I like Pandora, but I also really like the traditional demon element in the faction as well. I also really wanted to add the Beckoners under her. I know I'm pulling from all corners of Neverborn, here, but is it doable? Outcasts Here, I've picked Viktoria(s). I'm loving these punk samurai girls. Of all my potential interest, this master worries me the least, as almost every model I like is already included in their starter box. -Viktoria, Ashes -Student of Conflict -Viktoria, Blood -Vanessa -Ronin Ten Thunders Ok, so I get to run a crew of geisha assassins? Seriously?! -Miksaki -Shang -Yamaziko -Chiaki -Oiron I love this concept! My worry, here, is that Ten Thunders is what "everyone plays!" Along with Neverborn, too... I'm not looking to be a special snowflake, but I don't want to show up to a game store and have everyone roll their eyes when I tell them what I play... Arcanists Colette is the model that got me into Malifaux. Hand's down my favorite master. However, after reading through the evolution of the game, I have come to realize that the only version of her available, is an outdated version. Also, while I like her model, I'm not a fan of the other girls in her crew; ugly models! Pair that with the rumors of a remake of her crew box in plastic in the relatively near future, I'm putting her on hold. I played WH40k, during the entire 4th ed with my 3rd ed Space Wolf codex because GW never updated them until the following edtion. Never again. I will wait to see what becomes of Colette before I bag her. But she is on my #1 watch list. ----- These are the masters I am looking at, along with the models that really caught my eye. I don't know how building a crew works, so I don't know if there is a limitation/requirement for certain model tiers. I also know don't if I am ever able to take multiples of a model, so I'm unsure as to how much I'll need to fill holes in my crew list. How much freedom do I have in assembling my crew? I would greatly appreciate some advice so I know what to expect before I pick up my first starter box. Thank you, in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asrian Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Welcome to Malifaux. For now, I'm going to skip the Master by Master break down that you listed above and just do a general intro for you to answer some broader questions: - There are 7 Factions in the game (Think Eldar, SM, Chaos, etc). Each Faction has 7 Masters, some of which are dual masters so can be in either/or of two different factions. When you play the game you Set Up the table, randomly draw Stategies (overall goal of the game for you and your opponent that you both share) and Schemes (a pool of 5 random secondary goals from which you and your opponent pick two each to accomplish, they can be the same or different from each others'), and then you and your opponent declare which Faction you will play against each other. -When you know the terrain, have the scheme and strat pool set up, and know what faction each player is doing, then you build your crew for the game you're going to play. In answer to a couple of your inquiries about models from all corners of a faction, that's fine. When you're building your crew you pick one master to lead it, and then you pick from the entire faction's worth of models (or those you own currently as you'll have limited models starting off) and build the list from any of them. You are really only limited in models if something is Rare (rare 3...can only have 3 copies of it in your crew, Rare 2, Rare 1, etc...most things aren't rare though and those that are you typically only end up using 2 of anyway). You build your crew to accomplish your schemes/strats, which is why there aren't any real "net lists" as the game always randomizes each time you play. -The game is balanced around 50SS games overall, your leader is always free to hire, and most models, on average, are 4 to 7 points, some being higher. A typical crew is 5 to 10 models, depending on how you build your list. -Once you have your list built, you and your opponent reveal your crews to each other. Then, after seeing the crews, you choose which schemes you'll play from the pool of 5 and reveal any of those to each other (some can be unrevealed until later in the game, but basically what this overall setup does is make each game completely different overall and always an evolving tactical challenge compared to GW games. There really is no list building, or net lists in this game. There are some good combos, but every Master is really unique and overall balanced to each other. It's the main reason people say to just pick what you like and go from there as any master/crew has a good chance to compete against any other. This game is far more balanced and strategic than most GW games and that's coming from someone who played 40k and Fantasy since 1997). I know that was a bit of a digression above, but figured I'd at least go over a start up of the game to show you some of the differences from what you've played before. Ok, Masters... - All of the ones you listed are damn good masters. I'll leave a play by play to others, but any one of them would be fun to start with. - Of those 4 specific ones though (box crews) Kirai is the least bang for your buck to start out with as she will need more models bought to get her up to 50SS then the rest, but that is also true for any Summoner Master in the game (Kirai, Molly, Nicodem, Dreamer, etc). Don't let that discourage you from her though, she is an absolute beast to play against. - Pandora is my favorite of the above, but I favor Neverborn and she was my first master and really enjoys making the enemy punish themselves. - Viks are whirling dervishes of destruction, and Misaki is similar (more the scalpel to the Viks sword). But, understand I don't play either of these last two, only against them a few times, so my knowledge is limited on them. PS - And sorry if this is a bit rambling. Late and tired. If something isn't specifically answered or raises more questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to clarify my answers, or someone else can always do so (probably more concisely than I can). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Kirai seems like super fun to play and can be really durable on the table, I haven't yet played Kirai but I do have her on the working table. Though from all those option she really does bring the least bang for you buck as Asrian put it. You will need to buy more stuff for her to make her playable than for the others, so might not be the most ideal starter master. But still. It's never wrong to take on the Rezzer faction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Oh, you will love her, zFiend. She is plain evil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Oh, you will love her, zFiend. She is plain evil. Oh yes, I've read her cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 I just detest models that making shooting them in the face a hard decision. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 I just detest models that making shooting them in the face a hard decision. How Guildy of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adran Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Arcanists Colette is the model that got me into Malifaux. Hand's down my favorite master. However, after reading through the evolution of the game, I have come to realize that the only version of her available, is an outdated version. Also, while I like her model, I'm not a fan of the other girls in her crew; ugly models! Pair that with the rumors of a remake of her crew box in plastic in the relatively near future, I'm putting her on hold. I played WH40k, during the entire 4th ed with my 3rd ed Space Wolf codex because GW never updated them until the following edtion. Never again. I will wait to see what becomes of Colette before I bag her. But she is on my #1 watch list. ----- These are the masters I am looking at, along with the models that really caught my eye. I don't know how building a crew works, so I don't know if there is a limitation/requirement for certain model tiers. I also know don't if I am ever able to take multiples of a model, so I'm unsure as to how much I'll need to fill holes in my crew list. How much freedom do I have in assembling my crew? I would greatly appreciate some advice so I know what to expect before I pick up my first starter box. Thank you, in advance! Welcome I don't think any of your selections are a problem. You should eb able to get decent crews from them with out resorting to models you don't like the look of. Whilst they are going to release a plastic Colette box set, it will use the current rules. The old rules are complelty incompatable with the new rules, but the old models are complelty compatable. Should you get a metal box set you would need to eitehr buy Crossroads or the Wave 2 Arcanist Arsenal pack to get the correct model stat cards, but I'd recomemd them any way. Most of the other peopel have answered basic crew construction, but don't be afarid to mix and match within your chosen faction. Pandora can work perfectly well with Nekema and Lilitu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uprising Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 I think the perfect choice here for you, is Kirai. She works extremely well with the Ten Thunder faction(Yan Lo crew and Ikamu the armor especially) and does not really use much from other ress(maybe a nurse with a flesh construct). Kirai is a brutal master(summoner, very fast, hard to kill), but she is like most other ress: They're for supporting your crew, which has some of the best minion in the game. This way you get your fav master(90% of the hobby is painting and prep work), and then can start on the Ten thunder, which you also love. Overall all crew are balance, so pick what you like on model and lore wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramath Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Wow, all of these replies are amazing! Thank you so much for your help! Asrian, your breakdown of game setup was extremely helpful. I can see, now, why having a few crews under your belt would be nice to have, once you start to collect them. It sounds inverse to other games, where half of the game is trying to make your pre-made army work against your opponent/objective. Here, it seems you pick the best option available to you to try and match against the known objetives. Also, I have no worry about adding models to my starter box. I figured that would be the case, even in a small skirmish game like Malifaux. I was simply worried that the models I wanted to add to any given box might not work with my chosen master. But from everything everyone has said, it's really not that much of an issue, just as long as I have my 50ss. Adran, I'm glad that Colette is on the list of upcoming boxes, but I will still wait. It seems to me that I would still have to get the deck of cards to bring the old metal box up to playing status, and I'm not a fan of her hold model line aside from Colette herself. It's just easier and more cost efficient to simply wait. One last question for you all- Is there somewhere that I can find the SS cost of a model before I buy it? I would like to try and make some crew lists before I start buying models so that I know what to get right away. EDIT: Nevermind... I just found the Crew Creator on Wyrd's site.... heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Out of curiosity, what does your wife plan to get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramath Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 She's very interested in the Dreamer, but like my Colette issue, she's willing to wait till he is updated. She's also liking Kirai, Lucas McCabe (Guild side), Misaki (Ten Thunders), Sonnia Criid, Pandora, and a mild interest in Yan Lo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Dreamer is really good and has the plastic box out now. Though he is lacking some key models. Kirai is really good also and out now in plastic. But her starter box is kinda lacking game wise and you need to add quite a bit to make it playable. But you can never go wrong with Rezzers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Well, that shouldn't take too long. Dreamer 2E was available as a pre-release and should make the shops soonish. Okay, so you both have interests pretty much all over the place. I'll rate the boxes for your wife by "playability right out of the box", from best to worst: Misaki Sonnia McCabe/Yan Lo/Pandora Kirai So, as zFiend said, Resser is the worst faction to start with, as you will need to buy additional models. Am I right, zFiend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullz Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I have recently started Malifaux to. From what I have seen for what choices are good for a master to add in to their crew depends on you, the master, strats and schemes. Some love to be independant. Others need love from others. And many can find a half way point. Plus you then have the crews objectives. Which can lead to crews that should stay together or have the need to spread out. There is no wrong choose in crew selection. Its how you use them I have found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 So, as zFiend said, Resser is the worst faction to start with, as you will need to buy additional models. Am I right, zFiend? Shut up Guildie. While that might be true, they are the bomb. Then again Misaki is also really good straight from the box and after that, so I agree there with Dirial. Yan Lo is probably the most underwhelming and boring master of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Shut up Guildie. Now that I've been exposed, I'd go with Sonnia. She's one of the most flexible masters in the game, has a great starter box, and is a powerhouse of mass destruction. She's just a blast (heh) to play. Also, singing "I am the God of Hell Fire!" when activating her - worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Now that I've been exposed, I'd go with Sonnia. She's one of the most flexible masters in the game, has a great starter box, and is a powerhouse of mass destruction. She's just a blast (heh) to play. Also, singing "I am the God of Hell Fire!" when activating her - worth it. I hate to agree with Dirial here, but as there is honesty in the Rezzers I have to. What Dirial said is quite true.. *grumble* Damn Dirial being right.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramath Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 We have no problem buying models to fill out a crew. That was never the issue. Our only worry, originally, was picking up a master that didn't want to play nice with other models we liked in the faction. For example, I want to add a Nurse or two under Kirai. I'm also looking to put an Oiran under the Viktorias. Stuff like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asrian Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 We have no problem buying models to fill out a crew. That was never the issue. Our only worry, originally, was picking up a master that didn't want to play nice with other models we liked in the faction. For example, I want to add a Nurse or two under Kirai. I'm also looking to put an Oiran under the Viktorias. Stuff like that. Well, as I stated before, that really isn't an issue in this game, so long as it's the same faction, or a mercenary which can be hired by all factions (except Lazarus...he has a rule where he refuses to work with Guild...I think ZFiend was monkeying with his wiring or something. ) And as an aside...Nurses work VERY well with any Resser crew. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 And as an aside...Nurses work VERY well with any Resser crew. You, sir, are a master of understatement. They work very well with any crew that can hire them, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asrian Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 So all Ressers, Guild McMourning, Jack Daw, and Zoraida. Anyone else I'm missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramath Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 So all Ressers, Guild McMourning, Jack Daw, and Zoraida. Anyone else I'm missing? Me. I'll hire them. I think I have a pain right... here..... I'll definitely need them to take a look... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Nurses are the bomb for 5ss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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