beginner how many mini's to start with?

[Medic6666]

Last question for now 🙂

I have no mini's at the moment and am looking for two crews so my daughter and I can learn the game.

I want Molly - Resurrectionists and she would like to be Mei Feng - The Ten Thunders. The question is can we get the box sets and play or do we need more mini's to be able to play properly.

We will be getting more mini's over time but looking for the bare minimum to get started and then we can work on loading up on options. I also have to paint everything so getting stuff over time helps a lot with my sanity

[Toqtamish]

You can play fine with the core boxes. Eventually you will need more to play a standard 50 stones game but recommended learning stones size is closer to 30. Core boxes will be a good start for you. 

[Adran]

The box sets will be enough to learn to play. 

You will agree a game size, and then build your crew.  I think the Mei feng box has 24ss worth of models and the Moly box has 24 ss. With wanting Cache and upgrades you could be playing games of 40ss.

I would probably suggest playing a smaller size, I'd suggest 30ss and don't worry about upgrades to start with. That'll give you both a cache of 6 soulstones.  You might find some of the crew mechanics feel tough to use with just the crew box (Its not that easy for Mei to get much scrap down for the ride the rails ability for example) but they just give you ideas on how you might want to expand your options later

 

Good luck

 

 

[Nikodemus]

In my experience standard 50ss games will be around 7 to 9 models. Since leader & totem is free, going down to 30-ish (often recommended "small game") is about 2-3 models less.

Try to avoid summoners if you can, those can add quite a bit to minis required. Specifically with Molly try to avoid Forgotten Marshal for now, since his main job will be summoning more models in.

Do be aware that one of Molly's big things is indiscriminately removing markers from the table for card draw. Mei Feng's thing is dropping scrap markers here 'n there for her crews' benefit. Against an unskilled player Molly might seem bit overpowering in this matchup. Nothing Mei Feng can't handle if she plays her markers right, but it is an extra thing to worry about which can be difficult to get right when you're still learning basics of the game.

Not saying don't get that pair of masters to start with, but just be aware that it can be a bit rocky for Mei Feng if the player doesn't even know the game very well yet. All this assuming Molly has any idea what to do herself of course.

[Medic6666]

Hmmm ok a lot to take in.

My daughter wants a female master and liked Mei Feng but could go for YOUKO HAMASAKI instead if this is easier to play against Molly.

I could not pick Molly if that is the issue but i really like that model and love death stuff.

Thank you all for the quick replies

 

[Jesy Blue]

There are PLENTY of female masters to pick from!  That's what drew me in.  I started with Viktoria which is a very easy master to start with, but half of the masters are female.... just did the math, 46% of masters are female!

[Mycellanious]

44 minutes ago, Medic6666 said:

Hmmm ok a lot to take in.

My daughter wants a female master and liked Mei Feng but could go for YOUKO HAMASAKI instead if this is easier to play against Molly.

I could not pick Molly if that is the issue but i really like that model and love death stuff.

Thank you all for the quick replies

 

The issue isnt really that one keyword is better against the other but that the game is balanced around 50ss worth of models, not the core boxes. Mei Feng's crew can actually do really well vs Molly because they put out more scrap than she can remove, can keep up with Molly's mobility, and have armor which Molly struggles with. The problem is that most of these things come from a different Foundry box, namely the one with the Metal Gamin and Golem. For the Foundry specifically the keyword is split into two groups: people who make scrap and people who use scrap. Mei's core box uses a lot of scrap, but doesnt make very much of it. 

That said, imo, even if you cant Ride the Rails often Mei's Core box can put out the hurt so I dont believe it will be as bad as other people think, and tbh may be better this way because RtR is one of those rule breaking abilities, getting a feel for just walking around and learning about threat ranges may be better for a new player. That said, you should also be aware that Molly is one of those rules shattering masters that greatly changes the way your opponent plays the game, because if Molly sees anyone take the same action twice they take 2 damage so you need to be creative (dont walk-walk, do walk-charge. Dont attack-attack, do Concentrate-attack). 

Source: I only own the Foundry and they are great! If you have any questions about Mei I'd be glad to help. There is also a Mei Feng Tactica guide pinned to the top of the Arcanist forum if reading is more your style

[TheJoyInGaming]

1 thing to take into consideration as well is the fact that Mei Feng belongs to two factions (TT and Arcanists) and her keyword is divided between 3 factions (TT, Arcanists, and Bayou). You can spend a lot of money on Mei Feng without going off the beaten track with your purchases if you are not careful. 

That being said, as an opponent I can say she is a blast to play against. Just be sure to make sure you understand Hazardous Terrain rules for Vent Steam and trigger timing for her actions and abilities.

[Ogid]

Assuming she is settled for TT, which playstyle she prefers? You can also use that to choose the right master for her.

Mei Feng is probably a nice crew to start if she likes the theme. They have a lot of armor, which makes the crew sturdy; but they also have punch and mobility. However mind their advantages are also explotable, the scrap spam may be abused by other crews, and they may suffer versus damage which ignores armor or damage reduction. Still a pretty good choice.

I kind of have a soft spot for Youko, the models are gorgeus and is a crew with both control and some punch; however it doesn't seem easy to play. Relying in control means if you screw it up, your stuff will die fast. I do like the control playstile, but there are players who doesn't like it. Puttin in other words: if she is more a barbarian player than a mage player... stay away from this master.

Other female master is Misaki, that crew is kind of similar to Mei Feng, good punch and a lot of movement shenanigans; less sturdy, but with good shooters and good scheming abilities, plus misaky may reinforce any part of the table with his bury/unbury mechanic. It'd worth a look, however I think the M3e box isn't avaliable yet...

Asami is the last female master, I do like summoners a lot, but as happens with Youko; it requires a player who likes that playstyle. The master is a support one, so you cannot jump in their faces like you can with Misaki or Mei Feng; but you get the power and versatility of extra models turn after turn; plus Onis has their flicker mechanic which is basically "free" focused, which is pretty powerful.

 

 

Don't overthink it. As long as she like the models and how the crew plays, you'll be fine. Learning not to spam scrap when it could be counterproductive is good. Starting with the core boxes is Ok, but you will want a big box for each crew pretty soon to play 50 SS games and cover the holes in the core boxes.

[Maniacal_cackle]

11 hours ago, Adran said:

The box sets will be enough to learn to play. 

You will agree a game size, and then build your crew.  I think the Mei feng box has 24ss worth of models and the Moly box has 24 ss.

 

I think Molly only has 20 stones (you may be thinking of her nightmare box, which includes rabble risers instead of crooligans?). But her base box for M2E at least has Philip & The Nanny (8), 3 crooligans (4x3), and Molly/totem I believe.

That said, I reckon it's possible to pair any two core boxes against each other. You just have to have one of the boxes skip on a model at times. In the long term you'll want at least 50 stones each, but the core boxes should do you for a few months if you play once a week. The game has a big learning curve, and I started at 2 models each and added a model every week.

[Medic6666]

Thank you all.

The core boxes will be just for learning for me and my 10yr old daughter who i have no doubt will be teaching me very soon how to play  We will expand them over time once we get to that point. We will have a very basic board, very basic crews and very basic knowledge and abilities so this is going to work great for both of us.

Charging in for Melee, staying back for ranged or just running around doing things and avoiding fights we have no idea how or what so core boxes finger crossed will give us an idea and if  we decide to change around its not a massive expense to do this.

Still a massive thanks for all the info its a lot less daunting when you have info and help.