What crew to choose?

[Malice]

So, a quick back story.

A friend of mine got me interested in Malifaux and he, myself and another guy decided to pick up some models and give it a go. I particularly liked the style of some of the models, and the fact that you use cards instead of dice. Also, I like skirmish type games so this seemed like a game for me.

Anyhow, the models that fit my fancy were Lilith and a gang composed of Kade, Candy, Teddy, Dreamer and Chompy, Hooded Rider, Cerubs, Stitchy and the Vodoo Doll. Anyhow, after looking around this didn't seem like a very good build at all. In fact running Lilith I should use a bunch of Nephilim type units and I don't fancy their looks at all. Also, Liliths play style seemed very hit & run or guerrilla like. Which I'm normally fine with, but for once I want a more in your face type of army.

Also, my friends are playing a Pandora/Dream list and a Rasputina/December type crew (my second choice). So it would be fun to have something different. So after glancing over everything again I found that Lady Justice with marshals were pretty cool. The models fit my fancy and they are a more in your face type army.

But then memories came back and I started thinking of my old Wood Elf days when I killed everything at a distance. I'd like to buy a second small gang that is focused on range, and I don't want the Ortegas (I really dislike their bland western style). I'd like this to let me play other types of games than I will with my Lady Justice crew and I don't mind if they don't work together. What good ranged crews are there in Malifaux?

We'll probably mostly play 25-35 SS games, with 25 being the most common I'd imagine.

Also, on a side note, I might also pick up a third crew and run Lilith and her Nephilim for yet another type of playing. Although that will probably be in the future.

[karn987]

Well Lady J can certainly get up in your face and her crew generally has the lasting power to slug it out. Death Marshals and the Executioner are great choices, as is The Judge. But you seem to have that nicely figured out already.

As for a second crew that is more ranged focused... well there are the Gremlins. Both the regular Bayou vareity and Ophelia and her Kin are great choices for this and can shoot with the best of them. The Freikorps led by Vonschill is another option, but they are a mix of melee and ranged and not just hyper ranged focused.

Since you already have a guild Master (Lady J) you could just give her a ranged crew to work with. Nino Ortega, Guild Austringers, Freikorp Trappers, and Hans are all good possible options. But without the Ortegas... the only other ranged focused crew is Gremlins really.

[Malice]

Thanks, I'm not a big fan of the Executioner either, I think I might go for the Peacekeeper instead for a big guy, even though he might not be as good as the Executioner.

I noticed the Freikorps when looking around really, and they do look ranged and the models are also good. How do they play? Do they have a lot of tricks up their sleeve or are they more easygoing as a crew? You said they were balanced between melee and ranged combat, do you mean that they are all decent at both or are some models for ranged and some for close combat?

I also noticed another few bands that seem promising(regarding looks anyway), although they also seem melee oriented: Kirai and the Spirits of Vengeance and Colette and the Show Girls. How do they play? I'll be rumagging through their forum shortly to look up more info about them. Must have missed them when I was dreaming of my Lilith gang. ;P

[Wodschow]

Also, Liliths play style seemed very hit & run or guerrilla like. Which I'm normally fine with, but for once I want a more in your face type of army.

Lilith has the most in-your-face crew there is.. O_o Well second to the Dreamer maybe, but that's still arguable.

Anything the Guild does tends to make for a better ranged crew than anything outside the Guild could ever hope for - you don't have to play the cowboys.. The Death Marshalls themselves are pretty good with their guns for instance.

I wouldn't say that the Freikorps have that many tricks. Pretty straightforward all over.

Kirai is tricksy - outmaneouvre your opponent and summon stuff right beside them before they can react to it.

Colette is even tricksier - run in circles around your opponent, then burn all your soul stones to kill enough of their force to cripple them and finally just hope to stay alive till the game ends.

... Something like that anyway

[96p]

What about Lucius and the Guild Guard as ranged ?

[Malice]

Lilith has the most in-your-face crew there is.. O_o Well second to the Dreamer maybe, but that's still arguable.

Cool, my impression was that you needed to divide and conquer your opponents forces, using speed to your advantage. Also, from what I understood they couldn't take a beating very well, so once you got the kill you needed to move away and repeat the strategy. Maybe I'm thinking about the dreams though, it's all still a but blurred together in my mind.

Thanks for the info on the Freikorps, they sound quite promising. And again thanks for the info regarding Guild shooting, I've noticed most of them have pistols but didn't really think of them as very useful in the grand scheme of things.

Kirai and Colette sound tricksy from what you describe and normally that's not a problem. But for once I want a more resilient play style, where there aren't really that many weaknesses apart from there being no real strengths either.

I kinda like the look on Lucius and the Guild Guard were another unit I was thinking about getting to give me some variety with Lady Justice. I'm not sure how they function though, especially Lucius looks like he doesn't really do anything. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it more closely 96p.

Also, for clarification I'd like to point out that mu knowledge of the rules is limited at best, and I really don't know anything about most creatures and abilities yet. Right now I'm looking for meta level play styles and figures that appeal too me esthetically.

[MrNybbles]

Cool, my impression was that you needed to divide and conquer your opponents forces, using speed to your advantage.

. . .

Kirai and Colette sound tricksy from what you describe and normally that's not a problem. But for once I want a more resilient play style, where there aren't really that many weaknesses apart from there being no real strengths either.

Colette's crew is basically a Jack-of-all-trades crew and may be what you are looking for. Offensively they usually inflict average melee damage (2/3/4 or 2/3/5) so they usually play very in-your-face.

Colette has a couple of tricks to keep her alive. Her Df Trigger A Blinding Flash will cause her to swap places with a Showgirl within 18" AND inflict Slow on the model that attacked her, regardless of if the attack hit or not. Second, if she is killed you can discard a Soulstone to do a Healing flip. Unless you flip a Black Joker or ran out of Soulstones she will survive almost any attack.

Cassandra, Coryphee, and Coryphee Duet are your Melee Strikers. The Coryphee Duet can do a Healing Flip each turn.

Colette, the Mechanical Doves, and Cassandra, can all cast Magician's Duel, though the Doves and Cassandra can only cast it once per activation. If Magician's Duel kills an enemy model you will gain one Soulstone. It is effective against most models including Masters.

Cassandra, Coryphee, Coryphee Duet, Mechanical Doves, and Colette (via Illusionist) are some of the most mobile models in the game.

Colette and Cassandra also have some ranged spells, nothing really great, but damage ignoring Armor or causing Blast damage can be useful.

The Performers are debuffers. They don't do well offensively despite having melee and ranged weapons.

Mannequins really shine when you want to move Colette out of harm's way by using Colette's Illusionist to swap places. Your opponent won't be happy about being in melee with a model worth 0 Soulstones if he has the Slaughter Strategy, (or any other Strategy.)

Defense-wise they have around average Df with a few Talents to help protect them.

Colette is probably the queen of Divide and Conquer because she can use Disappearing Act (if the Mannequin Replacement trigger doesn't go off) to bury almost any non-master model, use Illusionist to move away from the other enemies, and then you get to place the model within 6" of Colette at the end of the turn. Why not have the rest of the crew ready to throw a shovel party next turn? Also, Colette and the Mechanical Doves are great at getting into combat with an isolated opponent, usually a master.

Crew selection is fairly straightforward if you keep in mind you want about 5 Soulstones to keep your options with some of Colette's Spells and making sure your attacks hit open.

The only downside to Colette's crew is you are limited on the number of Cassandra, Coryphee, and Mechanical Dove models you can take. Coryphee Duet can only be summoned by sacrificing two Coryphees. On the bright side Colette's Box, 1 Coryphee blister, and 1 Mechanical Doves blister is all you really need.

Edited February 4, 2011 by MrNybbles

[Xango]

Ophelia can be what you are looking for.

[Malice]

Thanks for the info about Colette, she sounds like a blast, although not quite as straight forward as I was originally hoping. Still, she'll be on my list while I continue to read up on the factions that seem interesting.

I looked a bit at Ophelia and while the rules seem like a lot of fun I just can't see myself playing with those goblin models. I mean they are well sculpted and all of that, but there is some cutesy flavor to them that just doesn't float my boat at all. I don't mind comic looking models, in fact I quite enjoy it, but redneck goblins with cleavage isn't my idea of it.