New player, looking for advice

[Euryale]

Hi all, I'm very new to Malifaux (started last week) and I was hoping to get some advice. I've picked up the Rasputina core set and the Ten Peaks set as I just really like their aesthetic. 

I've played two games with them against Collette, both times being a draw, and I've enjoyed playing. 

I was wondering, from the opinions of more experienced players, how are the December keyword models to play in a more experienced setting?  

Rasputina has felt a bit underwhelming - not terrible, but mostly best at setting up ice pillars to shut people down.

The wendigo has been a nice support piece, though has died both times. 

The Silent Ones have been nice for setting up ice pillars, like a mini Rasputina, and good for ranged healing. Though they feel as if they get shut down quite easily.

The Blessed of December has been really good for schemes as she's very fast, but also hurts quite a lot so the opponent often avoids her. Not sure if she's too pricey to just have for schemes, but she seems worth it?

The December Acolytes seemed good the first game, but pretty bad the second. Their set up is nice but I'm not 100% sure what to do with them after they set up as they're not that fast and setting them up too far forward leaves them open to be killed.

The hoarcat hasn't been too bad at all, but again mostly just for schemes.

I've not tried Snow Storm - how are they? 

And help would be appreciated!

 

 

[Plaag]

2 hours ago, Euryale said:

Hi all, I'm very new to Malifaux (started last week) and I was hoping to get some advice. I've picked up the Rasputina core set and the Ten Peaks set as I just really like their aesthetic. 

I've played two games with them against Collette, both times being a draw, and I've enjoyed playing. 

I was wondering, from the opinions of more experienced players, how are the December keyword models to play in a more experienced setting?  

Rasputina has felt a bit underwhelming - not terrible, but mostly best at setting up ice pillars to shut people down.

The wendigo has been a nice support piece, though has died both times. 

The Silent Ones have been nice for setting up ice pillars, like a mini Rasputina, and good for ranged healing. Though they feel as if they get shut down quite easily.

The Blessed of December has been really good for schemes as she's very fast, but also hurts quite a lot so the opponent often avoids her. Not sure if she's too pricey to just have for schemes, but she seems worth it?

The December Acolytes seemed good the first game, but pretty bad the second. Their set up is nice but I'm not 100% sure what to do with them after they set up as they're not that fast and setting them up too far forward leaves them open to be killed.

The hoarcat hasn't been too bad at all, but again mostly just for schemes.

I've not tried Snow Storm - how are they? 

And help would be appreciated!

 

 

 rasputina and shes crew are the weakest in arcanists

[muraki]

Hey there, glad to see you're enjoying yourself.  I'm sure some of the Raspy / Arcanist players will weigh in on what works / doesn't work with her.  But from a new player standpt I think you're doing everything right.  And draws are really good for a new player (god knows I didn't start drawing for way too long ha).

I think you're moving in the right direction with her.  Silent ones are definitely solid for getting more Pillar support out, and the blessed is a great model for scheming.  Whether you consider her too expensive to scheme or not is up to you.  For me, it depends on pools.  If Im playing symbols of authority and/or there's something like breakthrough in the pool, I can totally see spending 8 for a big schemer.  Course in a pool that's that focused on scheme movement I'd be worried putting all my hopes on a single model in a slower crew.

As for Acolytes, they're a bit tougher for me.  I tend to think about the Ice Golem when I build (as the hazardous is fun), but that means I'm usually bringing Snow (for the movement trick) and at that pt, I don't have the stones for Acolytes.  At the same time, if I'm not bringing frozen heart, I dont see as much of a reason to bring Snow, but maybe I'm still annoyed at his M2e form, ha.

Additionally, Arcanists have some fun versatile models, so some of her keyword models (like cats or Acolytes) get left behind for other models when I play.

Personally, I'd say keep playing her if you enjoy her, and maybe proxy a couple other of her keyword models (say snow + ice golem) and then move on to some versatiles see how they affect your playstyle and see what you like / don't like.  This game is fun as there's a lot you can do to 'tweak' a master to play in different pools / opponents.  Sadly there are some models that never seem to click (either in general, or for a player) which is fine too, as there's a lot of models out there, and there's a lot of luck involved in whether someone decides 'god i hate those sneaky harpooners, whether or not it scores me pts i'm killing them first!' (which tbh is what happens whenever I field a new model, my opponent hones in on them for the next 7 games until I buy something new, and the cycle continues...)

If there's anything that keeps me from reaching for Raspy is that, I like movement tricks a lot, so crews without em tend to be left on my shelf a bit more.  But that's preference.

[ShinChan]

Welcome to the Cult of December!

It's great that you like the game, it's truly awesome! (but that's something that you'll discover soon on your own 😜).

Focusing on Raspy (our cute name for Rasputina), you should try to get your hands on the box Cold as Ice (https://giveusyourmoneypleasethankyou-wyrd.com/products/cold-as-ice), since it brings which I consider a very important model for Rasputina, the Ice Golem. He's a bit slow, but a decent damage dealer and a great tank, which can keep people busy trying to kill him for a couple of turns.

Also, as @muraki said, the Arcanist faction has some really good Versatile models (models with the "Versatile" characteristic can be played with any master without paying the extra 1 soulstone for models that don't share a keyword with your leader), specially the Mechanical Rider (https://giveusyourmoneypleasethankyou-wyrd.com/products/mechanical-rider-1) is a great addon to Rasputina, since he helps moving around Rasputina when needed and brings some extra card draw.

From the models you already have, your impressions are mostly right:

• Raspy is great at putting pillars and you're going to get the best of her with her  action. Usually each turn you're going to something of these 2:
  • Create 2 pillars, concentrate and using Winter Strike followed by Shatter.
  • Create 2 pillars, use Shatter and then use Freeze Over twice.
• Silent Ones are great. You should always bring at least one and put the Magical Training upgrade on her. They're here to put more pillars on the table, heal your models and occasionally try to shoot at something.
• Blessed of December is a great model that works really well by herself. She's great to do schemes and score you some Victory Points when they require get to places.
• December Acolytes are really lackluster. They can get some work done thanks to Tools For the Job and their gun, but their  is very situational and the enemy can use your own pillars to gain cover from them (or stop the Push). They're also really squishy (I hope they gain an ability to gain concealment when they're close to an Ice Pillar in the future and a to interact with Frozen Heart model , but that doesn't matter now).
• Hoarcats are not really worth it unless you have to go to places far away, and even in those cases you'll be better with a Soulstone Miner doing the same (another Arcanist versatile model).
• The Wendigo is going to die in 95% of your games, and that's fine. Just to get some value from it before he does, like getting some extra Ice Pillars, copy the Shatter tactical action of Rasputina or something for the Strategie/Schemes, like carrying the Lodestone during the first turns and throwing it later (Corrupted Leylines), threaten the collection of a Symbol (Symbols of Authority), recover some evidence marker (Recover Evidence), being the martyr for Hidden Martyrs...
• Snow Storm is what we call a "tech piece", that means that you will only take her if you think you'll be facing a crew that is going to bring a lot of shooting attacks. She's decently good to support the movement of your Ice Golem too, but that alone doesn't justify paying 9ss. 

[Plaag]

1 hour ago, ShinChan said:

Welcome to the Cult of December!

It's great that you like the game, it's truly awesome! (but that's something that you'll discover soon on your own 😜).

Focusing on Raspy (our cute name for Rasputina), you should try to get your hands on the box Cold as Ice (https://giveusyourmoneypleasethankyou-wyrd.com/products/cold-as-ice), since it brings which I consider a very important model for Rasputina, the Ice Golem. He's a bit slow, but a decent damage dealer and a great tank, which can keep people busy trying to kill him for a couple of turns.

Also, as @muraki said, the Arcanist faction has some really good Versatile models (models with the "Versatile" characteristic can be played with any master without paying the extra 1 soulstone for models that don't share a keyword with your leader), specially the Mechanical Rider (https://giveusyourmoneypleasethankyou-wyrd.com/products/mechanical-rider-1) is a great addon to Rasputina, since he helps moving around Rasputina when needed and brings some extra card draw.

From the models you already have, your impressions are mostly right:

• Raspy is great at putting pillars and you're going to get the best of her with her  action. Usually each turn you're going to something of these 2:
  • Create 2 pillars, concentrate and using Winter Strike followed by Shatter.
  • Create 2 pillars, use Shatter and then use Freeze Over twice.
• Silent Ones are great. You should always bring at least one and put the Magical Training upgrade on her. They're here to put more pillars on the table, heal your models and occasionally try to shoot at something.
• Blessed of December is a great model that works really well by herself. She's great to do schemes and score you some Victory Points when they require get to places.
• December Acolytes are really lackluster. They can get some work done thanks to Tools For the Job and their gun, but their  is very situational and the enemy can use your own pillars to gain cover from them (or stop the Push). They're also really squishy (I hope they gain an ability to gain concealment when they're close to an Ice Pillar in the future and a to interact with Frozen Heart model , but that doesn't matter now).
• Hoarcats are not really worth it unless you have to go to places far away, and even in those cases you'll be better with a Soulstone Miner doing the same (another Arcanist versatile model).
• The Wendigo is going to die in 95% of your games, and that's fine. Just to get some value from it before he does, like getting some extra Ice Pillars, copy the Shatter tactical action of Rasputina or something for the Strategie/Schemes, like carrying the Lodestone during the first turns and throwing it later (Corrupted Leylines), threaten the collection of a Symbol (Symbols of Authority), recover some evidence marker (Recover Evidence), being the martyr for Hidden Martyrs...
• Snow Storm is what we call a "tech piece", that means that you will only take her if you think you'll be facing a crew that is going to bring a lot of shooting attacks. She's decently good to support the movement of your Ice Golem too, but that alone doesn't justify paying 9ss. 

ice golem is not a good model at all if u cant move him well, so any place effect, slow/staggered just make this model sad

[Euryale]

Thanks all for the answers, they've been really useful

I've picked up the Ice Golem and I'll have a look at things like the mechanical rider too! 

Are there any general strategies to keep in mind while playing? I know a lot of it will be very dependant on schemes, strategies, and the models in use on both sides, but I'm wondering if there's anything I should keep in mind for the majority of games? 

[Adran]

One of the most important things to keep in mind is "how do I win?". Its really easy to get distracted from doing the things that win the game and just trying to kill the enemy.

It is probably worth following this checklist at the start of every activation

How can I score a point this activation?

How can I set up to score a point in a later activation?

How can I stop my opponent from scoring a point I know about? (ie from the strategy or a revealed scheme)

How can I stop my opponent from scoring a point I don't know about? (Can you guess which unrevealed schemes they have picked)

 

And only after you have answered those questions, think about what you can try and kill (although that might be the answer to one of the earlier questions.

 

Another important thing to learn is hand management. You can't cheat all your flips. Try and have a rough plan for your hand each turn. It might be as simple as I want to hit model x so I want to save this card for the attack, or I want my master to live so I'm going to save these medium cards for cheating df, or I want Rasputina to cast Ice pillars with the trigger so I need to save that 5.

And then once you have done this, don't be afraid to change it, but you at least know what using the card at that point is potentially going to cost you. If you had a 6 you were saving for Rasputinas Ice pillars, and then it turns out you really need the Blessed to leap, it may well be worth using that card for the leap instead. You could potentially use a soulstone instead for Rasputina, or just cope with only 1 pillar. 

[muraki]

For more general things, I'd also say start reading / understanding the schemes and what they're good / bad with, as it's easy to get into a situation where you grab 2 schemes you 'like' but they're difficult to do together or with the strategy (like I enjoy both breakthrough and spread them out and will probably grab either if it's in a pool, but if they're both there I don't take both of them as I rarely have the AP to do both at the same time, so I prefer taking one of them and something like vendetta).

Also on the topic of schemes, I'd say learn both the initial point and the end game point for each scheme as some it's basically 'do it again' and others it changes up, so it's better not to be broadsided by a difference turn 4 and have to scramble.  Additionally some schemes are easy to score the first pt but the second is more difficult once your opponent knows what you're doing, and others are the opposite.  Getting something thats easy to score early with something easy to score late could help you not feel like you're trying to do 10 things at once.

Beyond scoring, another thing that I tend to see new players struggle with, is soulstone usage.  There's a lot of ways to use stones (positive flips, cards, damage reduction, suits, negative flips on damage).  I've definitely seen newer players bring 5-6 stones and end the game with 4 (after using them only for cards at the start of the turn / damage reduction).  Not to say that you should be using stones all the time, but they are (as Adran said about cards) another resource to manage.  Spending a stone for a suit for Raspy to toss a second pillar may make sense if you really want 2 out, and your only tome is a 13.

Finally as a newer player, if you haven't played around with focus, I'd recommend it.  Looking at the december crew, some of the models have max damages that are generally better than taking an attack 2x, so concentrate + shoot may make a lot of sense.  For instance, Raspy goes from 2 damage, to 4 damage / 2 blasts each doing 3 to nearby opponents, snow goes from 2 damage to 6 damage, and december acolytes go from 2 to 5 damage on the harpoon.  That's a change between 'yeah whatever' and 'i need a medic'.  Using focus will let you more consistently get to a neutral flip on damage, which will let you cheat in a saved high card to hit those max damage points.

[Euryale]

Thanks again - super useful! One last question (I think), how does Wyrd deal with changes to rules - both updates, FAQs, and erratas? 

I know some companies just wait until the next edition, and some make updates online/in app.

How does Wyrd tend to deal with:

- a model/rule being too powerful, or not powerful enough

- a mistake in the rules, for example misprinted SS cost

- a confusing rule that tends to cause arguments in game

 

I'm mostly just curious about this due to the many ways in which games creators deal with these issues, and how they can affect the game (e.g. should I keep my eye open for a yearly FAQ to see if my army's changed)

[solkan]

During second edition, I think the FAQs ended up being every six months or so, with models sometimes getting balance errata at that time.  Confusing items in the rulebook have been FAQ’d or errata’d in the past, although the standard for “confusing” is naturally debatable.  Likewise for model abilities, although FAQ’s are usually preferred for models because card errata mean card reprints.

If there were a misprint on a card, that would probably get acknowledged and/or errata’d right away.  If only from the play testers pointing out the change.  Disclaimer:  There were one or two minor grammatical typos on cards in M2E that I don’t think were ever fixed.  But if it were an important typo...