The Brewmaster and me - New player looking for advice

[Kobayashi]

Bad things happened to me...

well to my wallet, since I recently acquired the Closing Time Starter Box, a Dawn Serpent. a Fate Deck and the small rulebook and here I am turning to you for further advice to acquire the additional miniature... *gasp*

So let's start by the beginning, no we won't discuss the creation of earth, the extinction of dinosaurs and apes turning into men... we go a tiny bit further in time. I recently fell in love with some drunken gremlins... I mean, come on, what is NOT to like here? - anyway after getting it to a testdrive (with a nice and very helping henchman), I decided I need a little punch, that will cause my opponent a bit of trouble and a dawn serpent was added to the crew... but we can't leave it at that, shall we?

Currently I run the following list...

The Brewmaster

-> Running Tab

-> Binge

-> Hold their hair back

Aprrentice Wesley

Fingers

-> Drinking "Problem"

3x Moon Shinobi

Dawn Serpent

3 x Soulstones

The most flexible thing for me to do is removing the Dawn Serpent (and Running Tab, so I can get the Gremlins), but the Dawn Serpent is one of my major damage dealers and a nice headache for my opponent... (also it gives Poison+2 in melee, must be drinking before the fight).

 

Though I currently think of either:

a] Add a Whiskey Golem instead, though I loose the ability to nuke stuff from afar. I could switch Running Tab for The Good Stuff and get an additional Soulstone and the Golem might be good enough via Nimble to wreck havoc...

b] Add 2 Rooster Rider, removing the Dawn Serpent and Running Tab

c] Look further in the box of the Ten Thunders. Though I am hard presed (and not experienced enough) to know what might work...

Also I might want to remove Fingers for another Henchman. Fingers is nice (especially seeing my opponet after all his damage went into nothing and the Poison condition he applied helped on of my Moon Shinobis to get into Melee range with 11", which was nice to see... but the problem, if I play the Dawn Serpent (and declare The Brewmaster drinking for Ten Thunders (like I currently do (this why Binge)) I can't take another Gremlin henchman. One of the solution might be McTarvish (Hey, Wyrd where is the plastic?!?!???!) and add two Bayou Gators along with it... but as I already lamented, there is no plastic model for him. Though eating some pesky markers and playing Fingers game in another way, sounds fun, though the heal is gone *gasp*.

Another one, would be a henchman that works well with some Roosters... having a 21" charge just sounds so funny...

But maybe you have something completely different and wyrd (yeah... I had to do it, now that is out of the way, we all can move along) for me.

 

Before you give me some advice, here are some things I kindly ask of and it might sound wyrd (ok, I stop now, I promise), but it is for the sake of my wallet, finding the time to paint my stuff and getting to know what I already have...

a] Not another Starter Box, so please give advice of things that can easily acquired without getting a Starter... yes this SADLY means Wesley can't hook up with Trixie Belle (damn she's so hawwwt!11!1). I first want to master my current master and get comfortable, before moving on...

b] It should be readily available (or at least not too much to proxy)... it's not funny not having a nice model, which you can paint up, after a nice game

c] Not change the list completely, again, I want to learn my master and some major players within the box... changing a model here and there is nice... but if the list only consists of the Brewmaster and no other model, it would me do no good

d] Explain why you suggest a model, or two. It doesn't help me typing out some names and not why you suggest them. It would be easier for me to add models I know what to expect... and frankly, you are getting your point much more accross.

e] I want to go either more into Ten Thunders or Gremlins... so I am hard pressed for Outcasts, but hey, if you have a REALLY goood point, go for it.

f] I just love The Binge upgrade. Who doesn't like to see your opponent discarding a hand card, they can't use and get a debuff of some sorts on top of it!

 

In the end, all I can do is say, thank you for reading the thread, take your time to type out a reply and help a new player having more fun in the wy... (I know, I promised) ... mysterious (happy?) world of Malifaux.

 

- Kobayashi

 

Edited December 14, 2015 by Kobayashi

[Palooka]

Firstly - I think you're looking at the list wrong. The Brewmaster doesn't kill things - he makes them get very, very, very drunk. Typically in a Brewmaster list, there is a pile of people in the middle with the Brewmaster making them take ridiculous amounts of WP checks which continue to further poison them - so they're either cheating in really high cards to guarantee they can do anything, or just end up drinking more. I'm lucky to kill one model if I play Brewmaster - and I've come to realize it's the nature of the Master.

I like this setup:

Brewmaster with a Lucky Effigy. The Lucky Effigy does two things - one, he reflects any attacks off the Brewmaster with another WP check (they need to pass a WP13 check to attack the Brewmaster - remembering that the Poison value is reducing their willpower here) - and secondly, any rams you flip (at all) while using the Brewmaster will make him heal a wound. Well worth it, as he's got a dirty great target on his head.

Merris LaCroix - makes you immune to blast and pulses within her range, allows you to fiddle with your deck, and she's cheap, fast, can go reckless (take a wound to gain an AP) and has flight. Not to mention she's ace at running schemes - so she protects the Brewmaster and all his friends from indirect attacks and can bounce around running schemes when the vast majority of the enemy crew is locked down by Brewmaster.

Whiskey Golem - now that you're not worried about killing things - we need something solid and fast to either spread poison or run schemes. The Whiskey Golem is terrifyingly fast, pretty solid, and sprays poison on things. So it's good at running schemes and does all the things the crew needs. I really highly recommend it. Not to mention that people target it pretty heavily, meaning that it's less heat that models like Apprentice Wesley and Brewie need to take.

The setup I usually take is:

Brewmaster with Binge (Binge is a great way of ripping the opponent's cards out of their hand so they fail On the House tests more easily)
Apprentice Wesley (he can copy Binge when your opponent is running low on cards - meaning you can get them to throw away 4 cards a turn!)

Lightning Bug (good Scheme Runner, as they can go reckless to have 3AP for the turn, then drop a scheme marker at the end of the turn - not to mention they can make models slow, muck with both your and their cards, heal models, damage models - they're amazing for 6 points. Plus they're pretty hardy for a gremlin. You can get them in a separate box but I'd highly recommend if you're looking to branch out with Gremlins to just buy the whole Wong box, you won't regret it) - if you are reluctant, I'd replace the bug with a Shinobi.
Fingers with Drinking Problem (he adds more poison to people to begin with - great way to start off your Brewmaster bubble by splashing poison all over everything - and he can also heal up your dudes real quick. Finally, Drinking Problem allows you to drag people into the brewmaster bubble REALLY quickly)

Moon Shinobi (I only take one - I find them speedy scheme runners that have a surprising punch - but they're too expensive to take multiples of - I might just not be using them right, but they seem a bit lacklustre despite the punch they carry)

Merris Lacroix

Whiskey Golem

Lucky Effigy

It might seem like a very elite crew for gremlins, and it is. But man is it effective. I think that you're spending a lot of unneeded soulstones on upgrades - the Dawn Serpent might seem like an ace way of killing things - and it is - but you're essentially paying the SS for Running Tab just to be able to squeeze it in, and it doesn't really synergize with the rest of the crew. And Hold Their Hair Back is something that the moment they're properly locked into the Brewmaster bubble and on Poison 3 - you are essentially releasing them for the cost of paralyzing them for a turn, as they then lose all their Poison and are back to full WP for taking the "On the House" tests.

Finally-  I know you don't want to hear it, but Trixibelle is so close to mandatory that it's not funny. She allows you to guarantee getting the initiative, meaning you can activate the Brewmaster first, turn on Drinking Contest, and then zap the opponent with Binge to drag out their good cards. Just because you don't use the rest of that box straight away doesn't mean you won't eventually. Also, Performers are an excellent addition if you're really desperate to kill things, as they're a merc that can be taken by any faction that allows you to damage someone for their full poison condition - likely some heavy damage when they've had a few too many.

Hope that's helpful,

Allan.

[Oshova]

I love Brewie!!! He is one of my favourite masters. However, don't expect him to kill stuff...

Most of the time I take him with no upgrades. Binge is good... but I like to spend my Stones elsewhere.

Fingers and Wesley are auto-includes. Fingers is nearly an auto-include in every game, regardless of Master...

Trixiebelle... yes, she is in a starter, but there are some opportunities for proxies there, depending on what you want to do.

So that's 3 models at 21SS. That's nearly half your crew right there... but it's a pretty solid bunch, for doing various things with.

The rest of the crew is what's going to change depending on Strat and Schemes.

Personally, I would be chucking in Francois at this point... but that's another starter box model... He's a great model to beat stuff up with (especially when they are suffering from Hangover). If you're not wanting to spend too much on extra models, I would put a couple of Moon Shinobi in to the list. They're expensive, but good. They can run schemes or punch and kick their way to victory.

Lenny, if you're lucky you can get the old metal one. Otherwise it's another model from a starter box... He gives out damage reduction, he gives out rams, he smashes stuff with a log... Use him with the Lucky Effigy, and Brewmaster will stay alive a lot longer, and you won't have to use up Wesley too early. Especially if Fingers is there to chuck some healing around.

Merris LaCroix. Finally a model not in another starter box... She can fly around and drop scheme markers, she can hand out burning. But most importantly for a screw like Brewmaster's, she makes you immune to pulses and blasts! This is a good time to have her stood behind Lenny though, otherwise she will get shot and killed, and then you are open to blast and pulses again.

Performer. She can pull models towards you, she can cause damage to models with Poison on them, and she can mess around with Scheme Markers. Very handy indeed.

If you haven't picked up Francois, you are probably going to need a reliable heavy hitter. So depending how many SS you want to spend, to me there are 2 awesome choices. Taelor or Johan. Relic Hammers are awesome! Taelor is more survivable, but more expensive. Johan has condition removal, and is cheaper, but is more squishy... Having one of these in your crew can really help you out. Especially if your opponent decides to take any constructs.

Hopefully some of that was helpful, and hopefully you can enjoy one of my favourite Masters. =]

[Kobayashi]

First of all, thank you for all the input so far. It is much valued...

... however to be honest it is very off-putting, getting models suggested, that are tucked away in Crew boxes and there is no other way to get to the plastics. One of the major selling point for me was having a skirmisher with plastic. Mind you, I know that usually it is table set-up; getting to know the objectives and than decide on the master... but I really want to first play ONE box and get to know some aspects of Malifaux, before I upgrade to one or two more. Maybe I should have stressed that enough.

Sorry, if I come across rude - I really don't mean to, but right now I want to make do with less buy ins, because I really don't know if I want more Gremlins or Ten Thunders... (or a little bit of both). I also knowthat I won't win by killing my opponent, that is a game I can't play with the box - though having the liver damage upgrade for the Brewmaster, I shy away from that...

Yep, that means that some of the cool stuff is currently locked away. That is why I carry the Dawn Serpent with me, not because I want a heavy hitter per se, it is my go to plan, when I don't get iniative (since the Brewmaster relies (in my opinion) on that) and have something that is a nuisance to my opponent as well and can't leave doing stuff on the board, so I have more freedom with the Brewmaster and his shenanigans.

I also don't want to dip into outcast - yet. With my limited money I want to buy stuff from either Ten Thunders and / or Gremlins, so I can get another Crew Box in due time and have more for them.

So that leaves me currently with:

a] Whiskey Golem - though my Dawn Serpent gives around Poison with her MI

b] Merris Lacroix; though I can't find the Blast Immune on the PullMyFinger Page

c] Lucky Effigy and

d] Lightning Bugs (but here it might be possible for me get another box, because magic, though I am reluctant on this side... since I rather would love to have Trixie)

Interestingly enough, nobody suggested 10 Thunders models so far... why is that so :/?

Edited December 15, 2015 by Kobayashi

[Dogmantra]

The problem that you've run into unfortunately is that Malifaux really isn't a game for fixed lists or even fixed masters. Some masters will struggle in certain strategies and scheme pools, and unfortunately Brewmaster is one of those masters - he is very good at shutting down and controlling a board but struggles with killing things compared to other Gremlin masters, especially if you play his thematic boxed crew alongside him. The reason that some strong models are available only inside another crew box is to encourage you a little to spread out and learn multiple masters - you don't have to do this right away if you want to keep playing Brewmaster, with the right crew he can do anything competently, but it's worth considering picking up a crew box or two since they can be very good value anyway.

For example, if you were to buy The Kin box, which is Ophelia's crew box, you would get Francois LaCroix who is an exceptionally good killy henchman, Raphael LaCroix who is a very survivable enforcer, Rami LaCroix who is a sniper, and Pere Ravage who is an explosive melee presence. That's four very solid models that can be taken in any crew, and you have Ophelia and her totems for if you decide to branch out in masters. In terms of price, I bought Ophelia's box with no intention of playing her at all (in fact, I stole her arm to use in a conversion) for around £25. Buying four single models separately would cost around the same - for example I spent £6 or so on Merris and £7 on Burt Jebsen, to extrapolate that would be a total of £26 for four models, the same cost as just grabbing a crew box.

 

I can give you some recommendations that aren't in a crew box though that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned already: Slop Haulers. They're so incredibly good that they're nearly mandatory in a Gremlin crew. Not only do they have a (2) action that allows them to heal up to four friendly models (including themselves!), but they're also fairly competent fighters, with a surprisingly good 2 minimum damage on their melee attack, and an 8" charge range. And if you take a mostly Tri-Chi crew, their healing becomes even more powerful since the Drinking "Problem" upgrade doubles their healing, turning it from a 1/2/3 healing flip to a 2/4/6 on the right targets.

I would maybe recommend against a Whiskey Golem, especially if money is a concern. Yes it's a decent beatstick and it's definitely thematic, but unfortunately it's quite expensive compared to other beaters in the Gremlins faction and can't benefit from Slop Hauler healing, in addition to the fact that it's very expensive in terms of money. My recommendation if you want a strong melee presence without buying another crew box is to pick up either Burt Jebsen, Gracie or both of them. Burt is a 7ss enforcer who is frustratingly hard to kill and does some scary damage for his cost both close up and at range. Gracie takes damage like nobody's business - armour +2, hard to kill and several sources of self-healing, but her biggest trick is that she can quite easily gain Reactivate, giving her a nasty 4 AP per turn.

 

by the way, top tip with Brewie that you might not have discovered: Binge is a great upgrade to use on an enemy but you can also use it on allies. If you have a low mask in hand you can use it as an Obey without needing to hit the TN, and without the restriction of one attack per activation.

[Trample]

Good question. I think The Brewmaster works pretty well in TT so long as you are not focusing on poison but rather concentrating on binge or swill. In that case he works pretty well there. If you target swill as his primary activity he can be delivering 2x swill on the primary target and 1x swill on a secondary target per round. Alternatively you can do 2x swill and either binge or obey one of your guys into an extra action. This can give you a crew focused on killing things and it doesn't really matter which ones you use.

Samurai are good options for obey (non Jinoku anyway) and they can do some pretty good damage. Katanaka snipers are nice and a pair of those should be able to make short work of a swilled opponent. The Malifaux child can extend the Brewmaster's power a bit. Wastrels can run schemes and even heal a bit. Izamu, Swordsman, and Fuhatsu are all good options that are not part of a set. You can build a lot of variety there. 

[Kobayashi]

Heya Dogmantra,

I hear ya. I get that Malifaux is more about having different Crews... again no Problem with dipping into that in the future. Currenlty the henchman I'm playing against is very help- and mindful of my way of learning Malifaux. We currently run fixed schemes, so my Crew has some potential and he is not running upgrades, where my crew would play into his hand... that this sometimes have to change, is a given, but without learning every trick in the book and knowing Brewie to full effect (meaning know what he does and where he and his crew do some shenigans) I really am a bit weary to branch out....

But... let's just pretend (for the sake of the game), what would my current models, I have on Hand (see above), do for another Crew? So I feel more comfortable considering this option.

Though thanks for adding to the other miniatures I could take. (Slop Haulers, Burt and Gracie).

As for the your tip, thanks, that is a nice info to get, since I really did not consider this. Potentially getting a low value card off the Hand and getting a benefit from it, that is nice... so thanks for that.

 

EDIT:

Trample, just saw your input for the 10T side. MUCH appreciated! Looking Forward to reading up on the Non-Gremlin side!

Edited December 15, 2015 by Kobayashi

[Palooka]

Moon Shinobi work well in any Gremlin crew, as they do a surprising amount of clean damage - because the -s becomes +s REALLY helps with damage flips. You'll get critical, and by that token, Critical Strike, rather often.

Fingers is THE premiere Henchman for anything scheme related. He will work wonders in any Gremlin crew - he's a great target for Bodyguard as he's incredibly difficult to kill and heals super quick - he's ridiculously fast, he's great at locking down models with a hefty melee attack regarding disengaging strikes. Most of all, he can swap your opponents scheme markers for his own, and he's great at laying them himself. Hell, he can tie up two models while running schemes. He's just straight up amazing.

Brewie and Wesley are specific to that particular crew, so they won't go in anything else.

Funnily enough - most of the time I only use half of the Brewmaster box when playing with it, but I use the other half in other Gremlin crews. If you want a "one box fits all" approach you'd probably be better with something like the Wong box, or even Ophelia. But I hope that I've helped by talking about what you've already got. I don't have a lot of experience with the Ten Thunders but I have heaps of experience with the Gremlins stuff. I literally take Fingers in more than half my Gremlin crews, he'll never get old. 

I have to be clear - the Brewmaster is a tough "all purpose" master. He's got some great tricks but they're not always that easy to pull off.

Al.

[Palooka]

The problem that you've run into unfortunately is that Malifaux really isn't a game for fixed lists or even fixed masters. Some masters will struggle in certain strategies and scheme pools, and unfortunately Brewmaster is one of those masters - he is very good at shutting down and controlling a board but struggles with killing things compared to other Gremlin masters, especially if you play his thematic boxed crew alongside him. The reason that some strong models are available only inside another crew box is to encourage you a little to spread out and learn multiple masters - you don't have to do this right away if you want to keep playing Brewmaster, with the right crew he can do anything competently, but it's worth considering picking up a crew box or two since they can be very good value anyway.

For example, if you were to buy The Kin box, which is Ophelia's crew box, you would get Francois LaCroix who is an exceptionally good killy henchman, Raphael LaCroix who is a very survivable enforcer, Rami LaCroix who is a sniper, and Pere Ravage who is an explosive melee presence. That's four very solid models that can be taken in any crew, and you have Ophelia and her totems for if you decide to branch out in masters. In terms of price, I bought Ophelia's box with no intention of playing her at all (in fact, I stole her arm to use in a conversion) for around £25. Buying four single models separately would cost around the same - for example I spent £6 or so on Merris and £7 on Burt Jebsen, to extrapolate that would be a total of £26 for four models, the same cost as just grabbing a crew box.

 

I can give you some recommendations that aren't in a crew box though that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned already: Slop Haulers. They're so incredibly good that they're nearly mandatory in a Gremlin crew. Not only do they have a (2) action that allows them to heal up to four friendly models (including themselves!), but they're also fairly competent fighters, with a surprisingly good 2 minimum damage on their melee attack, and an 8" charge range. And if you take a mostly Tri-Chi crew, their healing becomes even more powerful since the Drinking "Problem" upgrade doubles their healing, turning it from a 1/2/3 healing flip to a 2/4/6 on the right targets.

I would maybe recommend against a Whiskey Golem, especially if money is a concern. Yes it's a decent beatstick and it's definitely thematic, but unfortunately it's quite expensive compared to other beaters in the Gremlins faction and can't benefit from Slop Hauler healing, in addition to the fact that it's very expensive in terms of money. My recommendation if you want a strong melee presence without buying another crew box is to pick up either Burt Jebsen, Gracie or both of them. Burt is a 7ss enforcer who is frustratingly hard to kill and does some scary damage for his cost both close up and at range. Gracie takes damage like nobody's business - armour +2, hard to kill and several sources of self-healing, but her biggest trick is that she can quite easily gain Reactivate, giving her a nasty 4 AP per turn.

 

by the way, top tip with Brewie that you might not have discovered: Binge is a great upgrade to use on an enemy but you can also use it on allies. If you have a low mask in hand you can use it as an Obey without needing to hit the TN, and without the restriction of one attack per activation.

Couple of things I noticed here - I one hundred percent agree with the Ophelia box. It's a great buy.

Secondly - I tend to run the Whiskey Golem as a super fast all purpose guy rather than a beater. He's decent at beating for sure - but he's also super decent when used as a scheme runner or a scalpel. But it's true, 10SS is a lot for what you pay for. Burt is a great box to buy for most crews.

However - Slop Haulers are usually something I'd take in other crews. Healing is so accessible in the Brew crew that it seems a waste to pay more stones for more healing.

Al.

[Dogmantra]

But... let's just pretend (for the sake of the game), what would my current models, I have on Hand (see above), do for another Crew? So I feel more comfortable considering this option.

 Palooka's already shared their opinion but I thought I'd add my own too. Obviously Brewmaster and Wesley can only be taken when you're playing Brewmaster, so it's only Fingers and Moon Shinobis that I can talk about (I only play Gremlins).

Fingers - I actually don't rate him as much as Palooka seems to. He's a very solid model and is one of the best at achieving marker schemes in the game. He works very well when Deliver a Message, Distract or Cursed Object are in the scheme pool, or when the strategy is Squatter's Rights or Headhunter, because his Chatty ability denies interact actions and he can make it very difficult for your opponent to score. The good thing about Fingers is how self-sufficient he is, he's very fast and can heal himself with Take a Swig so doesn't rely on Slop Hauler support as much as other Gremlins. He can also make a good bodyguard for Zoraida or McTavish - these two models aren't Gremlins or Pigs and so can't benefit from Slop Hauler healing, so Fingers can simply use Take a Swig to heal them instead (of course, you could take the Quality Mash Liquor upgrade, but this way you save two stones and your master's AP). The downside of Fingers is that he's so expensive compared to other scheme runners.

Moon Shinobis - There are three different choices you have for effective low-mid cost melee fighters in Gremlins: Lightning Bugs, Piglets and Moon Shinobis. Piglets can be difficult to control and sometimes have a hard time hitting, Lightning Bugs are very good but something of a danger if you clump your own models up, plus they're not the most resilient. Moon Shinobis are the most expensive of the three, but have a lot of upsides: firstly they have the 2" engagement range, which is always nice. Decent defensive stats and the Stumble Around Drunk trigger makes them take a decent beating before they die, and they can target either Df or Wp which means you can choose the lower (or the one without a trigger). But Drunken Gremlin Kung Fu is the real big thing here - all s becoming s is a really big deal because it forces your opponent to cheat, a lot. You can very easily drain your opponent's hand to nothing by threatening attacks at . Not only is this good on its own, but when you combine it with a crew with lots of Bayou Two Card (Som'er Teeth Jones typically has lots of models with this ability), you get the benefits of cheating while your opponent has no cards left. There is also a specific trick that is probably something you'd want to look into way way down the line because it's buying specific models for a very specific situation, but Zoraida can hire any living models with Wp 4 or less. One of these is the Nurse from the Resurrectionists faction. The Nurse can give out a condition that gives Armour +2 but to all duels - give this to a Moon Shinobi and they are now very very difficult to kill indeed. I also like them with Mah Tucket. If her initiative flip was a , friendly models receive +1Ml, meaning their slightly lower Ml stat isn't as big a deal. You have to be careful though, because Mah also has a way of giving s to friendly Ml attacks, which you shouldn't use before you're done activating all your Moon Shinobis.

Now I'm a big big fan of Moon Shinobis so I may be talking them up just a little, but I can often find space for one or two in any crew, particularly in Turf War or Squatter's Rights.

[Kobayashi]

And here I am soaking in the torrent of replies. So this is a big shoutout to the nice community. Thank you.

Okay - First off, I Chose Brewmaster since the overall theme was screaming at me. How could you not love drunken gremlins (oh well, there are some evidence on the forum (i.e. guild, resser, outcast, arcanist players... 10T get a pass...). This is why I ended up with him. I know he might be not perfect for beginners, but now I have him.

Regarding the Moon Shinobis. I like them. 11" Chg (when poisoned, due to their stumble around drunk) is something always funny to see... and while I don't have Trixie, I always shout from the top of my lungs that a Drinking Contest is taking place, as soon as I have initiative... it's just a good feeling... I practically want to hand my opponent a bottle all the time... and the Shinobis do so well with the Brewmaster...

I'm still baffled on what to get next... which can also replace the Dawn Serpent, but is not too high on the cost (for moneys), because I really don't like paying the Running Tab at all... Since I don't know the SS cost, would Merris and Burt fit the bill?

 

[Dogmantra]

Dawn Serpent + Running Tab is 12ss, and Merris and Burt together make 13 stones so you may need to drop an upgrade or something to squeeze them in, but they are very close in cost.

[Kobayashi]

Dawn Serpent + Running Tab is 12ss, and Merris and Burt together make 13 stones so you may need to drop an upgrade or something to squeeze them in, but they are very close in cost.

Well, hold their hair back is not always used by me and can make the cut... guess we have a winner and if you say that both of them can fit a future box (which I have the assumption of), this might be the gremlins I'm looking for...  

[Dogmantra]

yeah Burt and Merris are both fantastic in any crew, Burt works especially well with Wong, which could be a nice place to expand to in the future if you did want another crew box (since you've already been suggested Lightning Bugs, and I think Mancha Roja works well with Brewie too)

 

just for completeness's sake, here are the costs of all the models suggested so far:

• Whisky Golem and Gracie are both 10ss
• Trixiebelle is 8ss
• Burt Jebsen is 7ss
• Merris is 6ss
• Lightning Bugs and Slop Haulers are 5ss each
• Lucky Effigy is 4ss

Edited December 15, 2015 by Dogmantra

[zeeblee]

I think an important item to note about other crew boxes is that you can ignore the masters or use them as proxies. For example, you could get the Ophelia box primarily for her other models (like Francois), but then use her as a pretend Trixie and her Young Lacroix as Bayou Gremlins. This way you can get full use out of a box as well as much greater list flexibility for your chosen master. This also turns most of the crew boxes into extremely efficient purchases when you have a tight budget.

[valhallan42nd]

I echo the call for performers. They're just too good not to use.

I'd also listen to the Schemes and Stones episode with Brewie in it. Mike Brandt is a solid player.

[Kobayashi]

Okay - again, thank you for the Input.

I guess I go (for the Germlin side), with Merris and Burt. If I recall both have Reckless and that is 6 activations VS. 2 activations from the DS... sure I guess they are not that tough... but I guess the activations even that out. Especially with Merris protecting my peeps from blast. Also the benefit, when I have another Crew, I can add them there... so it's win - win either way. That is also why I decided against the Performers, which might only contribute to the Brewmaster and the Brewmaster alone.

So I guess the Gremlin side is covered. We had only one adding to the Ten Thunders (thanks here again), but anything to add from the Ten Thunders side, also in view off which Crew to get (so models that work with the Brew and WITH another 10T Crew),

Though fret not, I keep ALL suggestions in mind. I just want my purchases to count and than I can go bananas :3

EDIT:

Good question. I think The Brewmaster works pretty well in TT so long as you are not focusing on poison but rather concentrating on binge or swill. In that case he works pretty well there. If you target swill as his primary activity he can be delivering 2x swill on the primary target and 1x swill on a secondary target per round. Alternatively you can do 2x swill and either binge or obey one of your guys into an extra action. This can give you a crew focused on killing things and it doesn't really matter which ones you use.

Samurai are good options for obey (non Jinoku anyway) and they can do some pretty good damage. Katanaka snipers are nice and a pair of those should be able to make short work of a swilled opponent. The Malifaux child can extend the Brewmaster's power a bit. Wastrels can run schemes and even heal a bit. Izamu, Swordsman, and Fuhatsu are all good options that are not part of a set. You can build a lot of variety there. 

Quoting Trample as a go off... (which is already nicely detailed) Though again, which other crewboxes would work with those added by Trample AND do you have anything to add :)?

Edited December 16, 2015 by Kobayashi

[Tokapondora]

I feel you're too set on "not buying another crew box". You can get an entire crew for what it'd cost to get the Whiskey Golem. I'm not too familiar on Gremlin but the Kin box seems to be filled with a versatile range of models.

 

On the Ten Thunders side The Brewmaster doesn't lend himself too much for killing, but as is the general theme of Ten Thunders your crew determines what type of game you'll be playing, rather than the master. I generally play the Brewmaster as a debuffer, after which my bigger/stronger/scarier units either kill them or keep them from completing schemes while some smaller units do mine.

 

As for models I find useful; 

Izamu controls a portion of the board, with anything entering in charge range becoming dead real quick. The Brewmaster just makes this a bit easier.

Yin helps the Brewmaster by either locking down units the Brewmaster can't reach yet or simply laying it on even thicker if you're facing something tougher than you'd like.

The Dawn Serpent is an incredibly mobile threat with some slight poison antics, so naturally he's a good fit.

Sensei Yu pushes things, gives them fast, and fucks up anyone's scheme game, though he comes in a crew box. Still my favourite to bring along with anything, really.

 

For the smaller units, I'm personally quite a fan of the Komainu simply for being cheap, sturdy and ML6 on WP, I suppose the fermented monks could be nice though I haven't been able to try them out yet, and the Tengu are simply thé cheap scheme runners you need for any scheme-based game.

 

ps; never underestimate a well-placed Sniper or Archer.

[Kobayashi]

Well, that is why I won't buy a Whiskey Golem, either - Well at least not for now.Thanks for the input on 10 Thunders, which is much appreciated I keep that in mind... guess there is now a lot to buy now on my list...

Edited December 16, 2015 by Kobayashi

[Kobayashi]

So after a lot of considering, this is my wishlist for january.

Merris LaCroix, Burt Jebsen, Slop Haulers and Sammy LaCroix (which had not been mentioned particularly here). I know I could by a whole crew now... and I don't know HOW I will make the cut, but I just will >.> I have to... I mean... yeah... because the next item for february will be:

The Kin box to unite the LaCroix Family. Yeah the Gremlins now won by a large margin... so everyone that suggested stuff in here, pat yourself on the back... you done a good job not only already selling models, but a whole crewbox and than some... I will lay my plan out just for the two months, since obv. assembling and painting needs to be done D:

[Fetid Strumpet]

Well, as an FYI Gadzooks gaming does sell Malifaux singles. They break open the boxes and split the contents up. Obviously figures that cannot be bought any other way are going to be a premium price, but still less than the boxed set. I just checked and Trixie is in stock on their site at the moment if you wanted to get her separately. If you ever decide to get Ma's box you can sell your spare or give it to a gremlin friend, and if you never play ma, well you saved yourself some of the cost of her box.

[Kobayashi]

Well, as an FYI Gadzooks gaming does sell Malifaux singles. They break open the boxes and split the contents up. Obviously figures that cannot be bought any other way are going to be a premium price, but still less than the boxed set. I just checked and Trixie is in stock on their site at the moment if you wanted to get her separately. If you ever decide to get Ma's box you can sell your spare or give it to a gremlin friend, and if you never play ma, well you saved yourself some of the cost of her box.

Importing her would cost me as much as her box Sorry I'm not living in the US, so I'd rather take the box. The upside would be I get to try Ma'

Edited December 16, 2015 by Kobayashi

[Kobayashi]

So after a lot of considering, this is my wishlist for january.

Merris LaCroix, Burt Jebsen, Slop Haulers and Sammy LaCroix (which had not been mentioned particularly here). I know I could by a whole crew now... and I don't know HOW I will make the cut, but I just will >.> I have to... I mean... yeah... because the next item for february will be:

Aaaaaaand ... my money is gone D:

[Kobayashi]

Somehow I managed to not only get the order with Sammy, Haulers, Burt and Merris (which will arrive late january, due to the order tied to Sammy); but now I also managed to get The Kin, which I ordered preemptively, since I am nearly done with the Brewmaster Crew and thus have some time inbetween.

So you all rooting for an additional starter got their idea in... now please let's have a moment of silence to mourn for the contents of my wallet.

However the next order will be once I painted it all... no use in having only some models painted up...