Box sets balanced?

[Soulreclaimer]

<Closes can of worms>

Yeah sorry but I had to ask. How balances are the box sets really? Now I know they may not be designed to be played solely for a lengthy period as most other games but are some box sets over the top when it comes to other sets?

[goblyn13]

McMorning's box set runs into a problem because its got two support models and a spendy primary with no low priced attack models like the doggies. So you will need to look at some of the low cost attack models such as necropunks, canine remains or even Punk Zombies(they ain't so low)

[The Butcher]

It seems like they all balance out in the end with the lower point crews getting more soul stones.

[Hapless Peon]

I think some will work better for beginers than others but that is also due to the learning curve associated. I would echo the thoughts on the McMourning Box as two Nurses at such a low points bracket is not optimal.

The Boxes that are probably best (IMO) to use straight out would be, Viktorias (no Ronin but the basic box is still not too shaby), Ortegas, and Seamus. Whereas Marcus, Som'er and McMourning have some minor falldowns.

Marcus' crew suffers from low model count with each model being high in cost so you lose one and you are at a big disadvantage. Som'er can do better with more Pigs and I have already mentioned McMourning.

These are minor issues though as they are more than good enough to learn with and it's not much to grab an extra blister or two.

[goblyn13]

So'mer's box is 9 soulstones shy of 25ss as there are just to dang many models.

[Wombats]

Certain match-ups will be nasty.

The Ortegas are a challenge for an experienced Pandora player, let alone a new player.

Balance issues in Malifaux are fixed by being able to swap your crew when you know your Strategy and opponent.

Obviously, sticking to one box set means you can't second guess your opponent.

Most of them can be fixed with one pack of models:

- Punk Zombies for Seamus

- Canine Remains for McMourning

- Young Nephilim for Lilith

...and there is no reason not to buy several crews from the one faction for flexible options.

[paperbag4]

It also seems that some crews are better at pulling off certain scenarios than others. So if all you do is line them up at each other and fight, they might not seem balanced, but in the course of normal game play most of them seem to hold their own balanced over time.

[Rathnard]

Well my minion has been thinking about this. Here's what he's got to say;

:flypig: :

All of the Guild boxes are pretty effective from the start, and probably don't need any extra models for a well balanced crew.

Of the Arcanists, Rasputina seems to be the best off, and really doesn't need anything else to field a decent crew.

At face value Ramos is pretty balanced too, until you realise that you'll need more spider constructs for when you split, merge or summon your spiders (unless you're handy with magnets and have a few spare bases).

The boxed set for Marcus is a bit sad. I've yet to hear good things about Myranda and both Slurid and Molemen (neither of which are in the box) are regularly recommended for this master.

Of the resurectionists, Seamus has the best equipped box. He might need more belles to summon but he shouldn't be summoning many extra anyway.

Nicodem's box isn't much worse, needing only some mindless zombies to get full use out of his abilities.

The Good Dr McMourning's box is one of the worst in the range however. At the very least he needs 4-6 canine remains, with a second flesh golem and punk zombies being optional, but advisable.

At this point, it's probably a good idea to point out that the resurectionists and Ramos really need some corpse/scrap counters on hand for use during the game. It's only an extra set of bases, but it's still something to keep in mind.

Moving onto the Neverborn, Lilith comes with a pretty solid box, although a pair of young nephilim would be needed if you plan on growing those terror tots (and you probably will).

Pandora has a great box to start with - you really don't need anything extra to start fielding a decent crew although Pandy's unusual playstyle will mean that you'll eventually be looking for some extra minions to cover her weaknesses against some crews/strategies.

Zoraida's box is okay, but still a bit odd. You need a voodoo doll to get maximum use out of her, and from what I hear, Bad Juju is not the easiest minion to use effectively. Aside from maybe Hamelin and Papa Loco, I'm not entirely sure what Zoraida's box would need to make an effective, all-round crew.

Of the Outcasts, the Victorias box is a very solid crew all on it's own. Some people don't like Bishop, but I don't think you're automatically screwing yourself by taking him in a given matchup.

So'mer Jones's box needs more models just to get up to a crew size that most people will play (25SS where Rathnard's from), so that's a pile of purchases straight off the bat.

Leviticus doesn't have a box. With the lack of models for Hollow waifs and steampunk abominations you really need to either proxy or convert models to make an effective crew for him.

So for those keeping score, the most balanced boxed sets, in my opinion as Rathnard's minion, would be any of the Guild boxes, Rasputina, Seamus, Pandora and the Victorias.

Those boxes most in need of additional purchases to make a decent crew would be Marcus, McMourning and So'mer Jones.

Edited March 3, 2010 by Rathnard

[Breten]

The Ortegas are a challenge for an experienced Pandora player, let alone a new player.

I gotta disagree wth this. My buddy has beaten Perdita EVERY TIME with Pandora. And we've been playing since BETA. I haven't even been close once using the Ortegas. Lady Justice hasn't fared much better, and neither did Marcus or Zoraida. Haven't tried Sonia against her yet though.

I still stand by opinion that in the hands of an experienced player, Pandora is one of the toughest crews in the lot.

[Sturm88]

So'mer is drastically under balanced. Not to say you cant have fun with them. Just that you cannot be all that effective unless you have 4 buggers, a whisperer and at least a blister of piglets.

[Wombats]

I still stand by opinion that in the hands of an experienced player, Pandora is one of the toughest crews in the lot.

Totally agreed.

What tactics is your mate using?

Does he Pacify his own crew to hit and run?

[Breten]

Totally agreed.

What tactics is your mate using?

Does he Pacify his own crew to hit and run?

Not really. He`ll Pacify someone in my crew, and if you fail the WP duel, take some damage. But he uses Self Loathing on my guys, and if he has a Woe nearby and you fail the WP duel, in addition to the damage you take from the hit, you`ll take 1 from Emotional Trauma and 1 more from Emotional Stress. So meanwhile he`s shunting the damage off his models, and you`re also busy dealing with Kade and Teddy or whatever melee he brings.

His crew is generally close together, meaning if you`re in range to shoot, you`re in range to fail WP duels. He also tries to keep them in cover too, so they are harder to hit.

He also knows that Papa Loco and the Executioner can ruin his day so he goes after them first, usually using Kandy to pop off Self-Loathing.

Ive come close to beating him a couple times, but he`always got those Woes nearby.

Edited March 4, 2010 by Breten

[goblyn13]

blasts are your friend in that situation, as the errata states that the target changes however you can still get them caught in the collateral damage from blasts, especially since to shunt damage he has to be in Base to base contact.

[Breten]

Yeah, sadly I hadn't finished my Sonnia Criid box st so, I've been workigng with what I had available. And Papa Loco isn't enough to pull that off by himself.

[DireTrollJake]

Our Pandora player was a bit miffed when he was playing grouped up and I sent in the Skeeter swarm and Alpha stanked Candy, 3 Sorrows, and dealt some nice damage to Pandora.