DonQOT Posted March 4, 2021 Report Share Posted March 4, 2021 There has been a lot of vinegar made of the Explorers and their supposed place in the meta, and I acknowledge and agree with those concerns in large part. As something of a palette cleanser from the negativity, however, let's take a moment to appreciate what we may about the faction. I am still shameless in my affections for the faction. I probably would not be coming back to the game without their introduction, after all. I've always had a weakness for those pulpy adventurer types as well as have been wanting to see more of Malifaux beyond the titular city, so they were always going to be up my way thematically. They were also the only faction whose roster had my interest through and through. I like all of the Malifaux factions to one degree or another, but Explorers was the only one where I have a sincere desire to play all of the Masters on offer. Right now I have only played much with Jedza and a bit of McCabe (he was my primary in the elder days of 2e), but am planning on digging into EVS, Syndicate, and Ivan soon. All of them I expect will see daylight on my table, digitally for now, but someday in beautiful poorly painted plastic. May can't get here fast enough. So what are some of your favorite aspects of the faction? Do you like their models? Do you like their faction themes of movement/terrain nonsense? Their lore? Has Mikhail's brooding continence and man-bun awoken feelings in you that you didn't know you had? Flatter the faction and maybe they will deign to allow you a privisional membership, or at least show mercy on your next encounter. 1 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcathous Posted March 4, 2021 Report Share Posted March 4, 2021 Anya and Sovereign are the coolest. Love the mechathunderbird. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Posted March 4, 2021 Report Share Posted March 4, 2021 I was going to play as Ressers or Bayou this edition and had no initial interest in the faction. But then Ivan was spoiled - British spy that summons shadow monsters? The concept bought me immediately and I decided to main him, regardless how weak or strong he'd turn out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnyt16 Posted March 4, 2021 Report Share Posted March 4, 2021 Since I started playing malifaux post-Covid and haven't really gotten to play any games in my local meta, I can't really speak to the gameplay aspect but here's why I love these guys. Apex: Most dangerous game dino-taming cyborg that gets to hunt opponents' models and also his own with a big boomstick and his Terminator buddy (and dogs)! Alan Quatermain had a child with Robocop and his name is Cooper. DUA/Umbra: Shadow summoning spooky spy running out of time before his spectres eat? his soul. Slowly running out of time but his buddies include magic steampunk collars to make ghosts real and Agent 47 grew some hair. Plus there's a dominatrix for some reason. Cadmus: Oh I'm sorry, sentient Neverborn parasites summoning infested citizens and also your models as they slowly become The Last of Us 2 zombie husks that run towards you when you damage them? Sure, I'll take two. EVS: Jules Verne and HG Wells (don't worry, they're a versatile choice in this faction) drank too much absinthe and thought of this crew. You've got super smart earth scientists in a new spooky world with a bioshock Big Daddy and Maori murder-dancer helping them outsmart and murder their enemies. Seeker: Undying Baba Yaga roams around the world with her giant skeletal ox and the 16th generation of her living bodyguard. She's got all sorts of whacky friends ranging from sentient goo to a random zombie wendigo thing. Her buddies can't die but your crew sure can! Syndicate: 17 year old native american meets Cornelius Vanderbilt and they decide to just fuse into a badass industrial tycoon that also smacks you with a tomahawk and the giant metal bird from Bioshock infinite. Don't worry, business and pleasure mix here too with your carefully laid schemes becoming investments worse than $GME as Anya and her crew take a small hit to beat you down. Also Agent 47 and his hair make another guest appearance since he's shadier than a Brocken Spectre. Versatile: Verne and Wells make their triumphant debut as a dynamic duo in a mousewheel that zips around dropping literal truth bombs while a robot butler hurls luggage (and pit traps) at your opponents. Little Shop of Horrors becomes a reality as plants get bigger and faster the more you feed them. And oh, I'm sorry, forbidden cosmic horror truthy mapmaker man can break that 4th wall and literally change the rules of the game because why not. Meanwhile a tiny metal goat screams at you as it poops rope for your models to use as they climb up all the terrain you get to mess with. I mean every single crew just drips character and the models are absolutely gorgeous. I love painting (check out my post in the showcase!!!) and this faction lets me try all sorts of fantastic color schemes. I can go from jungle hunter (cooper) to shady city streets (Ivan) to deep sea spelunkers (EVS) without skipping a beat. There's no "style" to force me into and it seems like I have more creative options than factions like Ten thunders and Neverborn (although I love them too!) It's just such a great release for me as a hobbyist and I can't wait to get some IRL games in 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniacal_cackle Posted March 4, 2021 Report Share Posted March 4, 2021 The models are amazing, and the mechanics really innovative and interesting. No one would look at Explorer's Society and say "that's just another version of X, Y, Z." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maogrim Posted March 4, 2021 Report Share Posted March 4, 2021 I appreciate absolutely nothing about these slimy, honorless scoundrels who are filthy rich to top it all off! How dare they present way better bubble crews in Cadmus and Jezda's Seekers than friendly gentleman and casino proprietor Jakob Lynch can muster? At least he still sports a hat and cane better than Ivan does. How dare they create a Department of Ungentlemanly Affairs that makes lovely and honest Youko Hamasaki, already not quite on top of the food chain, look even worse? How dare they outright steal the Oyabun's tool of choice, the Shadow markers? How dare they try to compete on the loyalty of brave adventurer Lucas McCabe, who's services should belong to the Ten Thunders and the Ten Thunders alone? Hence a dedicated member of a real society of shadows like myself shall only uttery despise these villainous so-called Explorers. 3 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycellanious Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Playing EVS is I think the most fun I've had in Malifaux. The card cycling shenanigans, synergies, and just lateral thinking you put into the crew is so much fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniacal_cackle Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 McCabe seems super cool with neat shenanigans! Had my first ES McCabe game today. I like that is more based on finding subtler synergies than OP minions. Though there is a bit of "why didn't I just hire Archivist" xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonQOT Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 14 hours ago, Maogrim said: I appreciate absolutely nothing about these slimy, honorless scoundrels who are filthy rich to top it all off! How dare they present way better bubble crews in Cadmus and Jezda's Seekers than friendly gentleman and casino proprietor Jakob Lynch can muster? At least he still sports a hat and cane better than Ivan does. How dare they create a Department of Ungentlemanly Affairs that makes lovely and honest Youko Hamasaki, already not quite on top of the food chain, look even worse? How dare they outright steal the Oyabun's tool of choice, the Shadow markers? How dare they try to compete on the loyalty of brave adventurer Lucas McCabe, who's services should belong to the Ten Thunders and the Ten Thunders alone? Hence a dedicated member of a real society of shadows like myself shall only uttery despise these villainous so-called Explorers. Your application is still waiting to be vetted, Mr. Pinch, and I must say, these little outbursts of yours are not doing your case any benefit. Any formal complaints will be addressed by the Grievance Alleviation Arbitrator. *whispers* Mortimer, we did engrave Lord Coopers new brush gun before he received it, yes?...yes, very good. Thank you for your interest, Mr. Lunch. ----- Another great thing about Explorers, doggos. Explorers gave us double the named doggos and how has a majority share in the goodest boy and gals. I will miss my mangy McCabe mutt menagerie in Guild, but Art and Ul more than make up for it. Now if we can only acquire that horrible little pig farmers beast. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azahul Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Just so long as you don't touch the best doggo, my precious Nix 😠 Ghost plague dog stays. And fetches and shakes and plays dead. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maogrim Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 On the topic of doggos: Does the (filthy, slimy, villainous) ES book give an in-lore reason why Artemis and Ullr are so much better and more durable than Luna or the Guild Hounds? Are they somewhat supernatural? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycellanious Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 36 minutes ago, Maogrim said: On the topic of doggos: Does the (filthy, slimy, villainous) ES book give an in-lore reason why Artemis and Ullr are so much better and more durable than Luna or the Guild Hounds? Are they somewhat supernatural? They are good boys Maogrim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEV Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 1 hour ago, Maogrim said: On the topic of doggos: Does the (filthy, slimy, villainous) ES book give an in-lore reason why Artemis and Ullr are so much better and more durable than Luna or the Guild Hounds? Are they somewhat supernatural? They come from Belgium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonQOT Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 The book just makes a point that they were purebred gifts hand reared to be hunting companions. So I suppose that represents their pedigree and training, whereas guild hounds are just raised with less care and attention individually, so...quality over quantity? *shrug* My magnificant mass of mangled genes and scar tissue Luna will always be the bestest girl of them all of course. I imagine them being Enforcers rather than totems or minions is the real reason though. 9 hours ago, Azahul said: Just so long as you don't touch the best doggo, my precious Nix 😠 Ghost plague dog stays. And fetches and shakes and plays dead. Oh. Yes. Well. The Society would never take such a 'unique'...animal?....out of its home. You may keep it far, far away from our estate, thank you. If you see Doctor McMourning or that ornery Nephilim woman about you can express our disinterest in their mongrels as well. Mortimer, call the fire brigade and the contractor, I want our vestibule burned and rebuilt as soon as that horrid thing leaves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maogrim Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 4 hours ago, Mycellanious said: They are good boys Maogrim Surely Artemis is a good girl?! One would aasume that Lord Cooper, even if he is no gentleman, at least knows his Greek mythology. Well I guess if Malifaux can have humans of different characteristics and physical as well as mental capabilities it's only fair if that holds true for dogs as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azahul Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 If they just accept a bit of plague into their lives they might even learn how to use Soulstones! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverageGatsby Posted March 9, 2021 Report Share Posted March 9, 2021 On 3/4/2021 at 1:19 PM, Cedar said: I was going to play as Ressers or Bayou this edition and had no initial interest in the faction. But then Ivan was spoiled - British spy that summons shadow monsters? The concept bought me immediately and I decided to main him, regardless how weak or strong he'd turn out. I'm pretty sure he's Russian. The name "English" is neither his real name, nor is it his nationality, but I agree that the debonair spy hiding in plain site is a really cool motif. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Posted March 9, 2021 Report Share Posted March 9, 2021 2 hours ago, AverageGatsby said: I'm pretty sure he's Russian. The name "English" is neither his real name, nor is it his nationality, but I agree that the debonair spy hiding in plain site is a really cool motif. You're right, I started to learn his background after deciding to play him - the "British spy that summons shadow monsters" were my initial thoughts about this guy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonQOT Posted March 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2021 Well his lore states that he is neither English, nor named Ivan, so I'd wager his country of origin is no where near either Britain or the Slavic countries. I got my money on Sweden, if only because I want them to someday reveal his origin and have him slip out of his impeccable received pronunciation and straight into Swedish chef. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da Git Posted March 10, 2021 Report Share Posted March 10, 2021 On 3/6/2021 at 9:39 AM, Maogrim said: Surely Artemis is a good girl?! One would aasume that Lord Cooper, even if he is no gentleman, at least knows his Greek mythology. He clearly doesn't know his Roman Mythology by entrusting the society to Janus... 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.