Where to next? Which box?

[Chaos Butterfly]

I've just started Malifaux recently and chose Sonnia as my first master because I fell in love with her and what her crew does.  I have the Witchling handler already and have the Perdita box, more witchlings, Brutal Effigy, Austringers, Pathfinder on the way.  My question is where to next as far as crew sets go? I like the idea of Lucius tho he seems a bit complicated, (Lady Justice makes some sense as a way to get Death marshalls) Another part of me wants Jacob Lynch which of course would take me away from the Guild but he just seems so cool.

So based on lets say a next learning step up from Sonnia and Perdita or models that can be shuffled amongst crews what would you guys and gals suggest?

 

[dancater]

Lady Justice is different in nature to Sonnia and Perdita who both work and field more ranged death based crews.  Justice is a melee monster and her crew seems to play more up close than most other Guild.  Justice box also provides, as you've observed, the excellent and flexible Death Marshals.

However Justice is still a pretty blunt instrument, hulk smash master, like Sonnia and Perdita.

Lucius, 'The Hoff' and McCabe are all more support/nuanced masters in play and less likely to do the heavy damage lifting themselves.

Lucius is considered by many as under powered and certainly requires a well thought crew that he can buff and support, he can be a one trick maestro that your opponent can negate if you are not careful.  I think you can make great, multi-faceted crews with him and like him fine but I also heavily use Neverborn models to make this purr (often taking him as NB).  May not be your thing.

The Hoff I have not got but I understand he is powerful and fun.

McCabe I've never played although I do have him and use Wastrel's and Sidir with Lucius and they can be dangerous, unexpected and durable models with him.  He also obviously opens a TT pathway.

Likewise the Mad Doctor is a workable Guild master, although I think most folks field him Rezzers.  I have fielded him with the corpse coalition but never as a Guildie, so I would state he's fun and flexible but running with Guild.... ?? not sure if you'll really see his full scope.

That is the Guildcentric answer, everything else is out-faction.  

For useful models and solid crew I'd get Lady J

For a different type of force with real power punch the Hoff is your metal man.

For playing something Guild+ other faction Lucius (nuanced, fun, unforgiving of errors, good Guild play), McCabe (sorry not sure I can really say, but seems fun) and McMourning (really needs to be explored including Rezzer options, but when he roles he roles hard and fun).

[admiralvorkraft]

Playing Lucius will make you better at the game - if you don't rage quit.

McCabe is incredibly powerful, versatile, with no bad match-ups and brings a very different playstyle to the table.

Guild McMourning is one of my favorite masters in the game, just a complete blast to play with tons of movement tricks, scheme support, face beating. He does most of what Lucius does but allows for much more flexibility in crew creation and also serves as a personal threat on the table.

[Munindk]

Is money a concern?

How do you feel about branching out into other factions? Hoffman will want Arcanist models, Lucious wants Neverborn, McMournings box includes 2 models you cant field when you play him as a Guild master and McCabe might want Ten Thunders models.

Are you looking for more Masters to play or is getting more minions (like the Death Marshals) a priority too?

Hoffmans box offers some good minions but you'll want to pick up extra constructs (Ryle, Peace Keeper, Wardens, Metal Gamin, Ramos' box set) to run him efficiently.

Lady Justices box offers Death Marshals which makes Papa Loco a much stronger option and I think the Judge is a popular henchman in general (though not as popular as Francisco, but who is?).

McCabes box offers wastrels who are a bit meh, but Sidir sees a lot of use with different masters.

Personally I'd recommend McMournings box, but then I'm a filthy Resser. He likes Witchling Stalkers for the conditional removal (he has a tendency to poison his own crew) and he can augment most Guild models (He's my prime candidate for making Executioners work). The main downside to McMourning is that his box doesnt contribute to your Guild model pool, nothing in his box can be fielded with any other Guild master.

[Chaos Butterfly]

Thanks for the insights so far, my goal as a person who does get carried away and is getting married so is not allowed to buy a lot right now was to try and stick as much to Guild as possible until I get more experience and actually good at it (hearing about Jacob Lynch tempted me in another direction), I listened to the schemes and stones podcast on Hoffman, sounds very different but maybe not my next thing even tho he does have some excellent models for the pool because watchers and Sonnia apprently a thing, I need to listen to the McCabe and Lucius ones again, I don't know anything about McMourning so I will take a look tho it seems most people play him as Ressers and that is not really a faction that interests me.  I am at this stage leaning towards McCabe as he was on my shortlist as a starter master and might start training up my brain for thinking of support style of play as a lead in to Lucius. Or just get Lucius I keep reading his stuff and just go want.

[Vorschlag]

McCabe will be easier to learn support style play with than Lucius.
He has the benefit of working really well with your existing models like Austringers and path finder but will probably want some hounds.

Lady Justice and McMourning are a bit more "in your face" and could be used to expand from Perdita who "can" function in close but since you already have two damage dealing masters McCabe will give you more flexibility to explore the game and the option of expanding into Thunders...should you feel the need to pick up Lynch later.

[Munindk]

Vorschlag made an excellent point about McCabe and Lynch both being dual faction Ten Thunders. If you want Lynch down the road McCabe will boost your model pool for both factions, he makes the most sense both short and long term

*edit*On second thought, the same points could be made about Lucious too, since both he and Lynch are dual faction Neverborn...*edit*

[RodneyAnon]

Greeting from another newbie has has received a tremendous amount of useful advice from the folks on this board ("DO NOT stick your head out of the window on a moving train" being the most valuable - if not a tad off-topic - so far).

My advice would be to get a Hoffman box. Not for Hoffman so much (he's kinda always struck me as the Phil Collins of Malifaux) but for the Guardian, 2 Hunters, and Watcher that box contains. All of theses models come in handy when playing as The Guild. The Guardian is a fierce beatstick of an enforcer with a 3" melee rang. The Hunters and the Watcher make great scheme runners (if you can keep the Watcher alive past turn 3). Also, i second the comment about picking up a Ryle.

While McMourning is a lot of deadly fun, the problem is that you can't really use the models in his box with any Guild crews (McMourning can take the nurses, Sebastien, and that chihuahua that has to be assembled under an electron microscope when he plays as Guild if you use "On The Clock"). I'm not saying not to get a McMourning some day, it's just that right now might not the best time (true love waits...until after the autopsy).

Although I'm probably the biggest (only?) fan of Lucius on the board, I agree with everyone that he's not the easiest Master to start with. Trust me; I started with him.

I hope this was helpful.

[Chaos Butterfly]

I am re-listening to a McCabe podcast, it's gonna be him, sounds like some tricks and cool stuff to learn about positioning etc. Thanks for all the helpful input.

[Golden Apple]

On Sunday, July 10, 2016 at 5:05 PM, Chaos Butterfly said:

I am re-listening to a McCabe podcast, it's gonna be him, sounds like some tricks and cool stuff to learn about positioning etc. Thanks for all the helpful input.

Well now you've got a choice between the vanilla McCabe or the Nightmare thunderhorse monocycle McCabe.

Good timing.
 

On Friday, July 08, 2016 at 8:06 PM, RodneyAnon said:

Not for Hoffman so much (he's kinda always struck me as the Phil Collins of Malifaux)

...What could this possibly even mean?

[Chaos Butterfly]

Nightmare thunderhorse monocycle McCabe for sure. I even amazingly have a friend going all the way to Gencon this year, it must be fate.

[RodneyAnon]

4 hours ago, Golden Apple said:

...What could this possibly even mean?

He looks like Phil Collins. True, I might have inhaled some glue when putting that model together....