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Best method to introduce people to the game?


darigandevil

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I'm a new player myself and have only played a couple of games with my fiancee and we tried to introduce the game to our gaming group over the weekend. 

We tried 30 soul stone crews and let each of them pilot them while we watched and told them the mechanics of the game as they played. We tried to simplify things by skipping hiring crews and pre building for them and by ignoring terrain rules (saying all terrain is soft cover and no hazardous).

They are both very experienced wargamers and have played tons of both skirmish style and army style games.

One of them said the game was needlessly complex and couldnt understand triggers or suits. The other player hated that they needed to remember 25 abilities on their own cards, let alone the abilities on the other players cards and rage quit the game in turn 2 after loosing their teddy to an ability on burt after missing an attack which they didnt know existed.

 

What methods do people typically use to introduce people to the game? I thought about playing with no abilities (only using stats and attack actions) and just having them fight each other but they said that would be boring and wanted the abilities and wanted schemes.

 

Any advice for next time I try to demo? I'm aware there is a new edition coming which will hopefully make it more streamlined but until then......

 

 

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The starter set was designed to have minions and enforcers without triggers, and a series of learning games to slowly introduce more and more of the rules as you go through.

I would suggest using very simple crews, ideally multiple of the same model so you don't have to learn so many different things at once.

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7 minutes ago, Adran said:

The starter set was designed to have minions and enforcers without triggers, and a series of learning games to slowly introduce more and more of the rules as you go through.

 I would suggest using very simple crews, ideally multiple of the same model so you don't have to learn so many different things at once.

Is it possible to get the book with the learning games without buying the starter box? I have no interest in, or need for, the models which come in the starter set.
I find it strange they wouldnt be included in the core free rule book.

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I do crews similar to the starter so that each side only has two or three statlines and no master. I also avoid superpowered models like Burt and go with thematic crews of pretty average models. I usually do a game with a base book strat and just one pre-chosen secret scheme per side, usually marker schemes to show how that works.

If they don't like complexity and ragequit because of rules they weren't aware of in their very first demo before readibg a single line in the rulebook themselces this might not be the right game for them. Not getting the suits your first game isn't that strange, took me a while to figure out that a 13 ram didn't add 13 extra damage for crit. :DI usually tell new players that they just hit a suit for a trigger (both during intro games and later games).

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Just now, Ludvig said:

 

Just now, Ludvig said:

also avoid superpowered models like Burt

I have no idea what is superpowered and what isnt as I'm new to the game myself! Our collection currently consists of:

Neverborn

Dreamer crew box

Pandora crew box

Stiched together,  Lilu and Lilitu, Teddies, doppleganger, Widow weaver, Mr graves

Gremlins

Mah crew box

Wong crew box

War pig, burt, lucky effigy, big brain brin

Outcast

Tara crew

Death marshals

Ronin

 

Any advice on what to use, or not to use, while learning?

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Not really surehow to handle that Particular collection, Candy is pretty annoying in very small games due to her abilities but at the same time the lightning bugs are hard counters to the sorrows so maybe those boxes? I think Tara's crew might be too much counting with their variable defense, Dreamer could be nice but is lacking a henchman I believe. I usually do the nephilim box vs one of the guild themes myself.

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When I teach people I use two identical crews.  That way anything one players dudes can do, the other player's dudes can do as well.  It cuts down on the number of "new things" to learn and remember, since the uniqueness of actions in mfaux can be overwhelming to new players.  I actually made a set of paper models on 30mm bases for these learning games. This let me pick whatever models i thought work best.  I try to avoid models that add conditions (slow and fast are ok), models with (0) actions, and models who's actions have more complicated timing issues.  4 - 5 models was plenty.  1 master, 1 enforcer, and 2-3 of the same minion.  I chose 1 shared kill scheme and 1 shared marker scheme but no strategy.  2 objectives is plenty and illustrates that you can win muliple ways.

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I sat some friends down the other day to try the starter set since 3rd had them interested. You do the following:

encounter 1: 1 model either side. How to read the basics of a card, how to flip and duel

encounter 2: 2 models either side. How movement and line of sight works plus action points

encounter 3: 3 models either side. Introduces masters and accuracy flips along with + and - modifiers along with a card to reference for this

encounter 4: 4v4 all of the above with casting, pulses and cheating fate

encounter 5: schemes and strategies to bring it all together for a real game.

It teaches the rules extremely organically, only accuracy needed a second go over to explain it properly and they all have fun. I just threw on the westworld OST in the background, ordered in a pizza and made an evening of it. Now they are reading up on what crews they want to buy with an interest in the FLGS's 50ss game nights. 

A first impression makes or breaks a game and the starter set combined with handing them 4 character cards instead of a rulebook compartmentalised it enough to make it easy to swallow bites of rules rather than throwing them in to sink or swim.

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For me, the best way to learn the game was by playing games using the Henchman Hardcore format.  4 models, 20 points, Henchman-led crews, fixed strategy/scheme... It allowed me to focus on learning the rules without worrying about Masters, too many models, too many strategies/schemes, etc.  It also provides a good gateway into playing in organized events.  I had only played about a half-dozen games before I participated in my first Henchman Hardcore tournament.  Finished mid-pack too!

Oh yeah.  I should probably mention... It is also a very fun format to play!

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6 hours ago, ezramantis said:

When I teach people I use two identical crews.  That way anything one players dudes can do, the other player's dudes can do as well.  It cuts down on the number of "new things" to learn and remember, since the uniqueness of actions in mfaux can be overwhelming to new players. 

This is a really good idea.

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20 hours ago, dope_danny said:

I sat some friends down the other day to try the starter set since 3rd had them interested.

This method sounds ideal! I'll try this next time.

Was thinking I could go with

Trixibelle, burt and 3 bayou bushwackers or lightning bugs

Vs

Widow weaver, baby kade and 3 stiched together

Both come in around 25 soul stones

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