So what have I learnt so far....

[graeme27uk]

OK, the mechanics of the game are fun, somewhat complex to first grapple, but once done there are various and numerous nuances that offer variety and strategic decisions.

As with all games with any form of statistics that involve an element of competition there are those that want to rank models, formulate "killer" lists and such. Malifaux is no exception. And lets face it, no-one / not many want to play a weak crew as it is just setting you up for a fail.

I have some zombie models and so I thought I'd get the Ressie masters and models, though it would seem that Ressies are not that great... not so keen on the Kirai models and summoning spirits or controlling spirits, oriental ones at that, does not appeal.

Leveticus' concept sounds good but he is apparently from all the reading a hard master to get to grips with and as a noobie I'd like some form of success. But not having played Levie I am not sure what to believe as theory-craft is all well and good but no substitute for actual playing.

I was considering Ramos but again I cannot decide. I like the idea of staying back out the way of melee and getting big machines to do the fighting for me. But that could be equally applied to undead gribblies.

[Jewomie]

A friend of mine started with Levi. There was a learning curve, sure. but he hit the ground running and did pretty well. They thing that i found after a year of playing other masters and then trying out a game with him... was it's tough to learn that you WANT him to die every turn. I just couldn't wrap my head around that concept. lol. but if you like him, try him out.

Ramos has two special places in my heart... It was fun to watch my brother struggle to assemble everything. His frustration amused me for about a week. Then the losing streak i took once he started using Ramos... well... that hurt. I am a fan.

although... Levi is kind of the best of both worlds for you. Seeing as how he can hire all the fun robots and all the zombies you want. =]

[nilus]

Don't let the internet forum sway you from what you want to play. Plenty of people play Ressers and enjoy it.

Saying "I don't want to play faction X because everyone on the forum says they suck", discounts your ability to be the one that finds the next cool combo with a set of minis. Everyday I read these forums and every day I see a new idea.

[graeme27uk]

although... Levi is kind of the best of both worlds for you. Seeing as how he can hire all the fun robots and all the zombies you want. =]

This is why I like the concept of Levi. Though the current model is a bit meh... something about the head disturbs me. Hopefully the alt will be out soon, or I just use a proxy.

I know its not "legal" but would using the Privateer Press Cryx models be useful for a Levi crew? They are necro-steampunk and fab models. Should be the right scale to.

Edited February 29, 2012 by graeme27uk

[Fetid Strumpet]

I would play the models you like the look of, but go into it knowing the general opinions of what the masters do. As much as I personally feel Ressers are the weakest faction currently because of a conjunction of minor reasons that just add up, you are going to have more fun overall if you play something you have interest in, rather than just what is "good" at the moment. It is entirely possible that the next book will jump Guild or someone else up into the scale and what was weak yesterday might be strong today, but I feel knowing a general sense of what the opinions are might help avoid a sense of disappointment if something doesn't perform as well as you were hoping.

[Mako]

By all accounts when I (occassionally!) play, I use two of the best masters going - Kirai or Colette - and I still suck :-P So, just play what you like and learn to be tricksy with it rather than worrying about forum-approved crews!

So I'd say if you like him, take Levi and have fun trying crazy ideas out with him until you find the ones that work for you!

[rancor709]

Resser are fine, don't let the high level forum talk diswade you. Post chompy redressing there is a better overall balance and this is something wyrd has been addressing. There are plenty of tricks up resser sleeves, or any faction for that matter. As I say all the time its your hobby, play what you want. If you ask my group they tell you can start with pretty much anyone although certain masters are just different. Levi is one of them just cause he plays so different and has so many options to his style compared to a lot of masters and really rewards those with a large collection of constructs and undead. Not saying you can't start with him, but he's not the most straightfoward of masters to learn.

Again play what you want there is no spoon, and remember the forum is a almagimation of opinions and player strengths all mixed into a single place. Playstyle, local perferances and experience level all play into whats posted which is why you'll see some trends but few additional facts as to why those trends exist. Play what you want, all the rest is so much paint chips.

[von Clausewitz]

I am a Guild player through and through. I love their fluff, I love their deliberate play style, I love their models. People will tell you Guild is not top tier, and there is some merit to this...but it doesn't make a lick of difference to me, I'll play a Guild master over my Colette crew any day. Doing well with Guild is much more rewarding than winning with my "top tier" master.

[Cornelious1424]

Generic play what you like post...

Seriously though, Ressers might be considered the "weaker" faction at the moment, but are far from an unplayable faction. If you like zombies I'd go for Nicodem, as he is the zombie overlord/master guy. He does need a lot of models though, due to his ability to summon any non-unique, non-spirit undead model in the game. A lot of people branch out from Nico into Levi too, as they share some of the same models. Good luck!

[dgraz]

A lot of people branch out from Nico into Levi too, as they share some of the same models. Good luck!

Uh-oh! Does that mean I might be seeing Levi across from me soon?

OP - I don't play any of the "top-tier" masters and I'm competitive in my local arena. Unless you're looking to jump right into cut-throat grand tournament stuff, there really are no bad masters to play. Lot's of people take what are considered the weaker masters and do very well in their local arenas....fun is the key. Play what you think is fun and make it work!

[Oathborne]

I agree with a lot of the people here. You should play what "speaks to you" as far as a crew goes. My first crew was Colette and when I picked her everyone in my LGS tried to sway me from doing it. (except the henchmen) They said she was too difficult to learn as a first crew and I would get frustrated and quit.

But I picked her because I like the models.

And I've had fun playing her ever since and have become adept at it.

[cerealkiller195]

After many years of gaming I have noticed that even if some players take a top tier army that doesn't necessarily mean they know how to make it work when it gets on the table top. In addition when people play something oddball a few tournament players are thrown a curve ball because they only face "top tier" lists and end up losing due to not knowing how the other army plays out.

For me i picked Guild solely because it was the last faction to be picked among my group when i first introduced the game. Nobody wanted to play 'just humans' i on the other hand had no problem because i liked the story behind the guild. I was caught by surprise being a close combat junky in all the other games I play turning to Guild which has a strong shooting aspect lol.

Just play what appeals to you and you will find a way to make it work one way or another.

[Requirement]

After many years of gaming I have noticed that even if some players take a top tier army that doesn't necessarily mean they know how to make it work when it gets on the table top. In addition when people play something oddball a few tournament players are thrown a curve ball because they only face "top tier" lists and end up losing due to not knowing how the other army plays out.

Or that they even want to play the "top tier" list in a broken way! One girl in our group bought the Dreamer and declared she would never slingshot him because she had some whole other plan in mind.

That's the thing... You have to be ready for anything, not just filth lists and "top tier" masters.

For me i picked Guild solely because it was the last faction to be picked among my group when i first introduced the game. Nobody wanted to play 'just humans' i on the other hand had no problem because i liked the story behind the guild. I was caught by surprise being a close combat junky in all the other games I play turning to Guild which has a strong shooting aspect lol.

This is roughly how I got the Guild. I saw the Lucius box and knew I would be playing the long arm of the law. Which everyone else was fine with since I was picking the "just humans." I think someone probably told me to have fun with my guns and swords, or something equally as snarky. I now own almost all the guild models and love shooting a Rezzer in the head. Nothing quite as satisfying... or as frustrating to an opponent.

Just play what appeals to you and you will find a way to make it work one way or another.

My local Marcus player, my local Seamus player, and myself, the guy who started playing with a 5-month Lucius losing streak, all endorse this statement.

[cerealkiller195]

Oh yes the first few months/years were me getting my butt kicked just about every time I played. I put down the game for a while only because I play SO many other skirmish games. But when our group got back into malifaux and I attended a few more tournaments something just clicked. Now at least I run pretty even between wins and losses pending who is my match up but I still have a lot of fun with "just humans".

I think its the mark of a good player that can adapt to the situation sure there are times when you get disheartened by something. But you have to able to quickly assess the situation or at the very least learn from your mistakes.

[LordZombie]

I have to back up many of the ideas here also. I only play Resurrectionists and I love them. I don't even play the master that got me into Resurectionist, and I still love them. The real point is to play with what you like and don't let the fourms tell you what to play. If that was even true, no one would be playing Resurrectionists and the Wyrd warehouse would be full of Molly box sets in over stock (which I play as a master many times). Yeah, you might not win every game or walk away from an encounter without losing a single model, but when you do pull off that win, it is all the sweeter. So come to the forums for questions, ideas on models, or even find some new tricks others are using, but don't let the forums decide what you play.

[Gruesome]

Ditto on play what you like...

I was at adepticon last weekend and came away with three primary thoughts:

1. Holy crap, can Rasputina hit hard and those ice walls irritate the crap out of a slow crew. (but she is not top tier?)

2. I hate Austringers. (they are guild, so must suck, right?)

3. My two favorite games from the weekend were not wins, they were losses.

I play Nicodem, commonly thought of as one of the weakest masters in terms of general VP-based objectives because of his slowness.

I do not care if he is considered weak, because he fits what I like in this gaming and so even when losing I enjoy myself.

[Guy in Suit]

I won the Adepticon main event... with Vikkies... What faction was a card flip or two from knocking me out of the event? Ressers...

McMourning can fling himself 23" across the board, kill a 6 wound model AND heal himself! Also,in the qualifier I ran into Terrifying 17 aSeamus, crazytown!

How people think that is sub par is beyond me... anyways, don't believe everything you read on the internet.

[DeusInnomen]

Again play what you want there is no spoon, and remember the forum is a almagimation of opinions and player strengths all mixed into a single place.

Now now, that's not true. I've met spoon. He's a nice guy!

3. My two favorite games from the weekend were not wins, they were losses.

This man speaks the truth. My best game was the first one in the story tournament where E.T.A. Hoffman kicked the complete and all-encompassing crap out of my Viks with his Dreamer crew, and it was glorious and awesome. Can't think of the last time I had that much fun in a game of Malifaux, regardless of who won.

While for some people winning matters above all other factors, for many of us having a good time matters the most. Be a good sport, encourage it in others and remember that this is just a game in the end. It's what makes the Malifaux community stand above almost any other game's community for me.

[NiceGuy]

I am new to the game, and was wondering who are the current top tier characters. Or is there a tier list?

I like difficult to master, but powerful when mastered characters and want to know a good place to start.

[Dustcrusher]

Honestly, the only master I can think of that is not powerful when mastered is Molly, and that's mainly because she needs a couple more Horrors to give her crew a bit more variety.

As far as Masters with a higher learning curve go, Colette, Kirai, Dreamer, and Leveticus stand out in my mind.