sirbrokensword Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Hello! I just played two demo's of malifaux, both using lady J's box, and love the game. I'm definatley starting and am trying to figure out the least painful way of doing so. For a little background, I'm a very competitive warmachine player. I love that game due to it's tight rules,a nd very good balance. I hear some pretty good things about Malifaux 2.0 in that regard as well. So I have a few questions that I'm looking for veteran experience on. What do I NEED to play? Rules, dice,arsenal, tokens, measuring widgets, objectives? anything like that? Is there a small rulebook available? What's a good way of getting a starting crew? Is there any kind of digital program for managing crews and playing games? for those familiar I love warroom. My next question is probably the most in depth one, and ultimatley the most important to me as a new player. What's the balance like? AKA what masters and crews win the tournaments, and why? I'll probably branch out eventually, after I better understand the system and it's balance, but to start with, I want to make sure I'm picking up models that I will use often, and will be good at the (theoretical) highest level of play. I'm hearing Leveticus is a top tier and versatile master, and I Am very interested in him. Ultimatley though, I love all the models, and would probably be happy with whatever I feel gives me a competitive edge. Also, any good podcasts? I love Warmachine podcasts, and could really get into malifaux better with more immersion. Feel free to ask me any follow up questions that might help you answer my questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeJones Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Having recently started playing Malifaux myself (mid-June), I have found answers to some of your questions in my own introduction to the game. First, what you need to play is fairly straightforward: models and stat cards for your crew, a tape measure, a deck of cards (dedicated fate decks are preferred, but a standard poker deck with jokers will work), either the Malifaux 2.0 core book or the smaller rules book, some 30mm bases to use as scheme markers, access to a lot of terrain (much more than Warmachine uses, since terrain can play a much bigger role in Malifaux), and an opponent. A few counters and dry erase markers are very helpful, also. Yes, there is a small rule book available. It fits comfortably into most minis cases, even though it's printed in a font large enough to read easily. The best way to get a good starting crew is to find a crew box you like the looks of, and then check the forums here or the tactics wiki to find what works well with them. For example, as a long-time Khador player, I liked the looks of the Rasputina box. An angry Russian woman with ice powers and a big, slow, hard-hitting construct was familiar territory for me, so I looked up what could go well with her, and bought December Acolytes & a Hoarcat Pride. I've had some success with them so far, even though I'm still fairly new to the game. There is an app for iOS and Android called The Breach. It includes a Crew Creator, Strategies & Schemes generator, a link to the tactics wiki, and other useful things. I can't comment too much on game balance, since I've played fewer than 20 games so far, but for the most part, I've never found any matchup to be unwinnable. Difficult, yes, but not impossible. I haven't figured out all the top-tier masters yet, but I've gotten some ideas from reading these forums, watching battle report videos, talking with more experienced players, and reading through the tactics wiki. All in all, I've loved (almost) all of my experiences with Malifaux. I've enjoyed the games I've played thoroughly, and I've found the strategies and schemes to bring a new feel to each of them. One of the toughest things I've found about going from Warmachine to Malifaux is how caster-kill is no longer a win condition, and that the games revolves around completing objectives. It's tough to shake the "go for the throat" mentality of Warmachine, but once you do, completing the schemes and strategies will become far more natural. I hope this was helpful, and wish you happy gaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solkan Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Useful things: Download and print out the two reference cards that they have in Resources on the main website: http://www.wyrd-games.net/resources When the Schemes and Strategies Deck comes back into print, buy one. Until then, there are some scheme and strategy reference cards that people have written up, but I'm not sure where they are at the moment. Pre-order the Generalist Upgrade Deck if you don't want to photocopy cards out of the books. The card decks in the Two Player Starter box are the easiest for a new player to use, because they have the joker rules written on them. Next easiest are the Malifaux Fate Decks in the plain looking boxes (black box with a ribbon of color). The mini-rulebook is really nice. Dry erase markers. All of the Malifaux cards come treated so you can mark them up with dry erase markers, and don't have to get sleeves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordZombie Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 There is a vassal program and there was an army builder at one time, but I think it is down at them moment while they redo the site. You will find that balance come being able to tailor your crew to the strategy and schemes at hand. There really is not "all comers" list as the every game is a little different than the last. I always recommend you look over the factions and pick the faction to like the best as it makes it easier to collect and enjoy the game fully. There are others that recommend picking masters you like and just take models that work well with them, but I feel that would really limit yourself in the long run. There are lots of podcast to pick from ranging to serious to just addle chat. Here are a few you might like. http://schemesandstones.podbean.com/ http://mistakesweremade.podbean.com/ http://schooloffaux.podbean.com/ Those should be some good ones. There are lots of others, but many die out over time. You can also check out A Wyrd Place on Facebook. There are lots of fans of the game there and you can get some good advice from about 90% of them. Hope that helps, welcome to Malifaux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgnome Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Best as I can tell, you can win with any master, it is just a matter of making sure your crew can handle the schemes and strategies. When choosing your first master (or three), a good way to do it is to look for a few masters from one faction that you like the looks of. Read up on their particular play style and see if that looks fun. If you stay in one faction, at least to begin with, you will have more models that you can mix and match with. That said, if you choose ten thunders, you may be branching out quite a bit. Not bad, just something to be aware of. Welcome to Malifaux! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twilightmikasa Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 From someone coming from competitive Warmachine (I used to play Warmachine too, but not competitively), at least you'll have some of the supplies for Malifaux, like a measuring tape or tokens for soulstones. Having played demo games with the Lady J box couldn't have been a better example; I personally feel she's one of the best boxes to start with, and has one of best Henchmen in the game (I'm still trolling for a plastic Judge) because he can fight decently in both melee and range, and has a high survivability rate. Definitely get the small rulebook since it will fit in bags. The large books if you want to see model stats and fluff. Like it was mentioned above, the schemes & strategy deck when it comes back in print (I had no idea it was such a difficult item to get until I asked staff at GenCon!). I bought a crew off a friend and tried learning 1st edition, and it well, didn't go so well. 2E really streamlined everything. The two player starter will be an awesome way to start Malifaux once it comes out, since it starts players from the ground up, from relatively easy models to put together, to learning the core mechanics of the game step by step. For someone who has player other miniature games, I do not find the game difficult to learn, but merely a challenge with each master I continue to pick up. Start with what looks interesting to you (that's what I've done with all the other miniature games I've learned to play), and learn from others on the forums or other pages on how to expand outward. And now it just feels like I'm babbling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durza Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 You will only need the arsenal decks if you buy the old metal models, or some of the plastics that are old enough to still have the 1.5 stat cards in them, but those are pretty rare at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Welcome to Malifaux! Regarding balance: The balance in Malifaux works very different than that in WM/H. I don't find the latter game particularly well balanced because there are so many models that are strictly inferior to others. Balance only exists between optimized lists if whole factions are consideted. In Maliaux, every crew is balanced against all others. Every Master has the tools to win every scenario, particularly because the crew is built after you learn scenario and enemy faction. Thus, facing a Guild player would not give you any clues ehat his list will include in a tournament, opposed to facing a Cygnar player. Still, there are some models that are a bit below the curve, and some above it. Said Guild player will probably play Francisco or Austringers more often than the Executioner. If you want to pick stuff just for their power, you might want the Mech Rider and either Ramos, Colette or Leveticus, as those are perceived as very strong simply because they can be taken for every scenario and be good choices. The rest, I feel, depends too much on personal experience and preference. There's no real consensus about who are the top tier Masters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sklertic Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 The balance is okay in malifaux, even though there are definate issues between some masters and models. It sounds like Leveticus is the perfect master for you, if you want powerful stuff. He's really versatile, easy to play and a bit overpowered. Check out the Outcast section on these forums for additional information. As for your supplies, buy a bunch of 30mm round bases and make scrap, corpse and scheme markers out of them. Markers is a headache, but you'll be glad to have them instead of just paper or similiar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirbrokensword Posted August 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 So, I'm looking to buy into this game. and I'm having a very hard time figuring out where to get the Small rules book? I've found the 1ed version on ebay, but can't seem to locate the 2ed one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 It's called Rules Manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordZombie Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 The best thing about the larger book is the story but also the fact you get to see the stat cards of all the models in wave 1 in the first book and all wave 2 in the Crossroad book. It does help to plan purchases and check what you like in the factions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirial Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Also to know your enemy. Very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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