Building Towards Something

[captaingrizz]

Ok, so I've no idea who is good with what, so far Ive been just buying the stuff I think looks cool. Outside master starter sets and the new forthcoming alternate masters, what are some good units to go with what I have so far?

Original Ramos box, electric creation, Ash & dust, Lazarus, 2 mechanical spiders, Scorpious, Blessed of December, Marcus M3E starter, Misaki 2nd E starter, Mei Feng, 6 metal Gaimen, rail golem, Dawn serpent, yan Lo 3rd ed starter, 1st edition arcanist effigey (book headed book guy), stuffed doll, and a single fire gamin

local store has some clearance bundles for ten thunder that have some Jorugomo and river monks but other than that Im not sure what non masters to pick up, or are more masters the best way forward?

 

[Adran]

My first suggestion would be to stop and use what you have ( although if the deals on old stock is good, then maybe). 

The easiest way to learn is to pick 1 master and play that master a few times to get the core rules sorted in your head. It doesn't matter to much which master you choose for this, the idea is to teh and learn the game rules. 

My general advice us to then slowly start to play around with that crew trying to work out where you struggle in games and what you want more of, and then try and find the things that shore up the weaknesses or accentuate your strengths.  

Then I would suggest trying other masters. 

You currently have quite a mish mash of models from several different factions. Some of which you can't play as you don't have anyone that can hire them. 

 

EDIT

In general this edition the easy way to buy is pick a Keyword, and look at the boxes with that keyword or Versatile models from the same faction as the best early buys. Its not completely true, but its a good rough guide. 

You have 3 Ten thunders Masters, Misaki, Mei Feng and Yan Lo. You should be able to build a list with one of these, possibly using a model or two from the other crews if your local group generally play 50ss. (If you can get people to play smaller games, then you don't even have to hire out of keyword models. ).  

Silent Strike and Lords of War are 3rd ed versatile TT boxes that might be useful to pick up later, you don't need them, but they can easily go with any of the 3 masters you have. 

[Jordon]

I agree, I'd just run what you have until you figure out the game. Then once you have a good grasp of the rules, you can figure out what appeals to you and go from there. 

From the looks of things you have enough to play a 50ss game using Marcus (Core box + Blessed + Scorpious) or Mei Feng (Core box + metal gamin + Rail Golem). If you play either of these as Arcanists, you can hire the effigy, which is a pretty solid model in any list. Also most of the Ramos box works decently with Mei Feng in Arcanists as well. 

I think you have enough models to have a solid list with either of those masters. Try them out and see! 

[Eclipse]

Welcome to Malifaux!
Breakdown of the models you have so far:

ARCANISTS
- Original Ramos box - DEAD MAN'S HAND (check with your opponent if they are OK for you to play this discontinued Master)
- Electric Creation
- 2 Mechanical Spiders
- Marcus M3E starter (Master, Chimera)
- Blessed of December 
- Mei Feng (Master, Foundry)
- Rail Golem
- 6 Metal Gamin
- 1 Fire Gamin
- Arcane Effigy

NEVERBORN
- Scorpius? Not sure if this one is NB in the new edition. Regardless, you can take it in a crew with Marcus.
- Stuffed Doll 

OUTCASTS
(These are kind of a waste at the moment, at least the models look great...)
- Ashes & Dust
- Lazarus

TEN THUNDERS

- Mei Feng (Master, Foundry)
- Misaki M2E starter box (Master, Last Blossom)
- Yan Lo M3E starter box (Master, Ancestor/Retainer)
- Dawn Serpent

As the guys above said, you can make either Arcanist or Ten Thunders crews with the models you have.
For Arcanists: Mei Feng - brawler, very mobile; Marcus - support, very mobile, flexible; Ramos if your opponent agrees to it (there are rules for the Master, but he is officially out of the game this edition) - summoner if I recall correctly.
For TT: Mei Feng again, and she can take all her Foundry models over from Arcanists with her; Misaki - assassin, very mobile; Yan Lo - grows over time, favors having Ancestors in the crew.

I used to buy tons of models that I can't or won't play simply because I want to build and/or paint them, but i don't really have as much time anymore. For this reason I'd suggest you hold off on buying new models unless you really, REALLY want to build/paint some models (might be worth it ONLY if there is a clearance sale and your wallet won't die from the exertion). The next thing would be to choose one of the Masters above + some keyword & faction models built to play; download the Malifaux M3E app so you can have easier time making crews and games; and finally read the rules and get a few games in with other people. This way you will know if you like some models more than others; or if there is a particular playstyle you prefer; or if there are some gaps in your lists and you want to explore a specific crew further, getting more models. Also of note, while I would not suggest this for the first few games, keep in mind that you have the option to hire a second Master that is in the same faction.

If you want to keep getting models and/or supplementing specific crew/keywords, it could be useful to check out channels such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfNG7kZrakW5qJfmteYfNIw
Naturally, we're here for advice too
Good luck

[Regelridderen]

I second just getting a keyword and sticking to it. Get the one that makes you want to paint the most and just have fun. 

What will happen as you play, you’ll learn the intricacies of the game and what aspects fits your playstyle. And then you can make an informed choice. 

-

Otherwise you’ll just end up like me, with 16 crews across 5 factions - but I’m primarily a painter ☺️

[Maladroit]

On 9/29/2021 at 3:29 AM, captaingrizz said:

Ok, so I've no idea who is good with what, so far Ive been just buying the stuff I think looks cool. Outside master starter sets and the new forthcoming alternate masters, what are some good units to go with what I have so far?

Original Ramos box, electric creation, Ash & dust, Lazarus, 2 mechanical spiders, Scorpious, Blessed of December, Marcus M3E starter, Misaki 2nd E starter, Mei Feng, 6 metal Gaimen, rail golem, Dawn serpent, yan Lo 3rd ed starter, 1st edition arcanist effigey (book headed book guy), stuffed doll, and a single fire gamin

local store has some clearance bundles for ten thunder that have some Jorugomo and river monks but other than that Im not sure what non masters to pick up, or are more masters the best way forward?

 

There have been a couple of thorough answers so I'll just add a couple of points. You say you have Mei Feng - is that her core box or just the single model (you seem to have a couple of odd models there)? If you only have Mei herself then you could consider using the fire Gamin as a proxy model for her totem for the time being (ask your opponent first). @Regelridderen makes a good point - if your hobby mojo is scratched by painting and modelling, then sure, it is best to stick to a single faction and build up crews by keyword, but sensibly buy whatever excites you as a modeller/painter. And don't forget to look for Versatile models from your keyword, if you are unsure which masters you might end up liking you can generally add some of these and they'll get used by several masters. In Arcanists, the Mechanical rider or Arcane Emissary/Effigy are worth considering (and they look great) and in TT again the Emissary/Effigy box if you can get it cheap - TT has plenty of useful versatile models. These can let you start playing with a full crew without committing to any particular Master (that isn't to say they work equally well with any master).

The last part is that you'll probably want to play using the M3E cards (any M3E box you buy should come with them and some retailers are giving you the cards with the M2E boxes as well) - you can use the app but that isn't great for playing the game. Cards can be printed yourself by downloading the cards from here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wicc6rs8kg46bt7/AACUSxdWhyaHQYaD1cGf0nzga?dl=0

You can also get them printed by a professional:

https://www.wargamevault.com/browse/pub/5162/Wyrd-Miniatures

Or you can buy cards as in faction decks - the problem for you is that your might need to get a few cards from several decks (which is why I've listed this last). Ramos and the electric creation are in their own specific Dead Man's Hand Deck.    

Edited September 29, 2021 by Maladroit
Spelling