Newbie: any masters to avoid?

[Doppelbock]

I've been playing Warmachine & Hordes for a couple of years now and am just getting into Malifaux now. Are there any masters that I should stay away from until I've got some experience playing? I've seen a couple of threads regarding masters that are good for noobs but I'm curious about which ones are the tricksy ones (Marcus is the only one I've really seen called out).

I want to get a couple of starter boxes since nobody in my area plays yet and I want to learn it, then demo it for my gaming buddies so using a master that is too subtle is not going to help.

[ProdigalPunk]

I would stay away from:

1) Leveticus since he plays differently then all the other masters and can be kind of tricky to handle

2) Somer Teeth since gremlins can be rather frustrating and difficult to win with (plus you need a lot of models and the starter does not really match up well point wise)

I would say those are the two big ones, maybe Marcus and maybe Zordida although I have not really played with either or played against anyone with them for that matter. Zordida seems like her rules might be a little tricky. Marcus seems like rules wise he would be ok to play, the player might just have a little bit of a tougher time (not sure if that would stop him from being fun to give a whirl though).

In addition to that, the rezzer box sets (with kind of the exception of Seamus) are a little incomplete as you will want to rezz things that you do not have the models for, so I you would probably have to proxy. Ramos is in a slightly similar boat but probably not as bad. If you pick him up I would suggest buying some extra small bases and making one swarm and three individual small spiders for his crew.

[Chucklemonkey]

Agree with PP and would probably add Pandora to the list. She can be very tricky to use but very effective when you know how.

She does have one of the coolest boxes though, so does tend to draw attention if your trying to get new players into the game.

I would rank them as such

Difficult

Leveticus - Also has no box set.

Somer Teeth - Also needs more models.

Pandora - Has a lot of tricks.

Zoraida - Only from what I have heard. (Never played with or against her)

Average but with issues for newbies

Marcus - Possibly not the best balanced box set. Marcus himself can be very effective though.

McMourning - Needs further blisters for effectiveness and summoning. A monster when you get him right though.

Nicodem - As above.

Good for beginners

Seamus - Effective crew right out of the box

Viktorias - Melee based crew, very nice.

Justice

Perdita

Sonnia - I think that from the amount of beatings my crew used to take from the guild against beginners, they are all fine.

Lilith - I am a beginner with her but already in love, absolute monster in combat. (Might want one blister of young nephilim, even to start though.

Tina - Maybe the hardest on the good list, excellent spellcaster, as far as I know her box set is also fairly decently balanced.

Remember these are just my personal observations, others may come up with a completely different order.

Ramos, much like Zoraida, I have no experience with but as I have hardly even read his entries in the rulebook I feel that it would be wrong to even comment.

Edited May 29, 2010 by Chucklemonkey
Speling and gammar,

[greenstuff_gav]

i'll throw a spanner in the works here; with the Som'er box all you need is another Warpig and a Whisperer... plus everyone loves hillbilly goblins!

aesthetics can help with demoing; if your minis look cool people are more likely to pay attention.

i found when i demoed in Bristol i found people were interested in my terrain and minis and that got them wanting to try the game out...

[Luddite]

i'll throw a spanner in the works here; with the Som'er box all you need is another Warpig and a Whisperer... plus everyone loves hillbilly goblins!

I'm so glad to hear that as my first crew is going to be Som'er and his gremlins!

I just loved the 'Deliverance' vibe i got from him!

So my question is therefore, if he's seen as a poor choice, what tactics are needed to win with him and his gremlin/pig/vermin crew?

[Justin]

I'm so glad to hear that as my first crew is going to be Som'er and his gremlins!

I just loved the 'Deliverance' vibe i got from him!

So my question is therefore, if he's seen as a poor choice, what tactics are needed to win with him and his gremlin/pig/vermin crew?

http://www.wyrd-games.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10472

You'll need four mosquitoes as well.

I don't think a second war pig is a must though.

[Doppelbock]

Thanks for all the great feedback, it is much appreciated. I expected to buy a few blisters right away so that's no problem. The swarm vs. solo mechanic of the arachnids really interests me.

[ispep]

i'll throw a spanner in the works here; with the Som'er box all you need is another Warpig and a Whisperer... plus everyone loves hillbilly goblins!

aesthetics can help with demoing; if your minis look cool people are more likely to pay attention.

i found when i demoed in Bristol i found people were interested in my terrain and minis and that got them wanting to try the game out...

I could not disagree more. Yes the models for the Gremlins are great, but you don't want people picking something up just because they look cool, dumping time and money in them, and becoming discouraged.

The first box I bought was Seamus, but the first games I played were with Som'er. By the end of the league I was playing in, I was ready to quit Malifaux altogether. If I hadn't had another crew on hand, I most likely would have.

Not to mention, every crew looks awesome.

[tenabrae]

I generally reccomend lilith/lady justice as they're great for demoing melee, and ramos/rasputina as they're great for demoing magic.

[Shawn Kehoe]

I generally reccomend lilith/lady justice as they're great for demoing melee, and ramos/rasputina as they're great for demoing magic.

I started with Ramos and Pandora. Ramos is good, but you definitely want extra models and to buy some extra 30mm bases.

[Doppelbock]

Luckily I already have plenty of spare 30mm bases on hand. I ended up ordering the Seamus and Ramos boxes from my LGS today. I really like McMourning but a set with two nurses didn't appeal to me so I'll pick him up later.