just trying to hit you with my beating stick.

[Lancer]

i recently played with Marcus against Crid. She has a slower crew and if you know Marcus' crew can move (something that makes him great). After the game he told me that i shouldn't send my guys in one at a time... so here comes my point.

1 how do you play marcus?

2 how would you take a team that fights close together?

3 when do you move in for a strike when fighting a slow team when you are a fast?

[dgraz]

The short answer is.....don't. Playing with a standard beast list, Marcus doesn't have the staying power to get into that kind of fight.

Avoid them. Focus on your strats and schemes. If they are playing that slowly....turtling and such....then you should be able to do anything you want elsewhere on the table.

If you have a strat that requires fighting such as Slaughter then you should take either a different master or a non-standard Marcus list - Kaeris and Gunsmiths help.

[Silas Cordell]

The Rail Golem will also go a long way toward messing up bunched up crews.

[Hateful Darkblack]

Don't be discouraged -- if you like Marcus, play Marcus!

Some things that help:

Make sure there is enough terrain on the board! Can't stress this enough. The rules say there should be 2-4 pieces of terrain in every square foot, and that is totally accurate. Make sure the terrain is there.

Use that terrain! Hide behind it as you approach, so that you can jump in and eat face before they get a chance to shoot.

It is indeed good to send in a few units when you attack, so you will be more likely to drop an oppoment before they can respond. Just watch out for the exploding Witchling Stalkers and Sonnia's blast.

Alpha! If you can make an opponent a Beast (With Marcus' trigger or a Malifaux Raptor), you can take control of it. One successful casting of this spell can change the game, so use it when you have a perfect plan, and plan to cheat and spend Soulstones to make it happen. Just watch out for Sonnia's Counterspell ability.

Designate one or two fast models to grab objectives, separate from your main fighting force.

Pick your Crew carefully. This is kne of the big tricks to Marcus, I hear. He has some great options (like Night Terrors and Silurids) and some underpowered options (like Myranda and Hoarcat Pride). Read the Pullmyfinger tactica and get an idea of what you want to use. Marcus has perhaps the widest array of options of any Master. Try proxying some of those if you have the book to get a good idea of what works.

Don't let Marcus get overwhelmed. He's solid but he can be killed, especially if you let yourself get surrounded. Take advantage of his (0) Spell for the movement and defense tricks it provides.

Rawr!

[ooshawn]

Marcus and night terrors are a damn good combination. Marcus can easily make use of a shikome and sabretooth cats. Also you need to pretty much always use wild heart to its greatest effect. It's nothing to get +2 damage and free charge every turn. A solid tip i've learned to use with free or 1 action charges, is that you only have to be able to see a target to declare a charge on it, then you get all that movement for free. So you can move quite a distance and really smack the **** out of something.

[Lancer]

i should say that i love marcus. i win with him often. my friend is new so i got to kill his whole team just by exploding his witchlings (Witch was awesome). you guys have a lot of great ideas. Most i already knew.

ok let me re-ask my question: 1 turn is mostly a full movement turn. 2nd turn i can reach but at the cost of either 1 ap or (if i am willing to use a high mask) a 0 leap. giving me half an attack. so should i wait till turn 3 to start my attack or go in at 2?

i find this problem also happens when i play hoffman. is it better to let the play fall into a trap or rush in?

[brdparker]

Something I have found to be extremely successful is to use Shikome to give the raptor(s) beast companion and dive-bomb/embeasten a VP-heavy target (opposing master, kill protogee target, just a nuisence, etc). That's generally 2 attacks (charge and fast action), meaning 4 cards because of the prey, to get a nice juicy tome. Couple of raptors will probably get the requirement out, and all the better if they're shooters, as they can just be an annoyance. Obviously, this works best against a low Df target (here's looking at Peackeeper, Killjoy, Deso Engine, etc), and then toss in Shikome to get the kill off a little later.

One of the things I've found about Marcus is you must know the game tempo or you get crushed. Evaluate your own first (are you using a fast Marcus crew or a slow one? I've found that each one works for different purposes, though you'll usually have a fast one). Then evaluate your opponent's, and try to pinpoint (and control) the engagement round. Against a fast crew (collette, dreamer), this can be difficult, but they're also going to have that problem, so it often comes down to out-activation during that round. Against a slow crew, you own the tempo of the board.

Edited December 29, 2012 by brdparker

[dgraz]

ok let me re-ask my question: 1 turn is mostly a full movement turn. 2nd turn i can reach but at the cost of either 1 ap or (if i am willing to use a high mask) a 0 leap. giving me half an attack. so should i wait till turn 3 to start my attack or go in at 2?

Great post by brdparker about the game tempo.

When playing with that kind of fast and fragile crew you have to fight guerrilla-style. Zip in....do some damage....zip out to safety. Silurids excel at this....be wary of using (0) Blood Frenzy on the Charge or with a (0) Leap to get in and get 4 possible attacks.....yes it sounds great and against an unsupported target it is great but if you get stuck in or are left exposed, you die. Here's how I do it:

Turn 1 - set up for a Charge with 2 or 3 Silurids...you have to judge your distances properly for this. Use (0) Chameleon to give you some cover.

Turn 2 - Companion all Silurids....charge with each one using your claws (stay at the 2" reach) and take what you get with the Charge attack. Then (0) Self-preservation to push 6" away, then (0) Leap up to 9". If the opponent has a lot of ranged attacks then I leap behind cover - if not then it may be safe to only Leap a few inches to set up to do it again on Turn 3. This puts you conceivably 16" away from any enemy.....which is a pretty safe distance against most things.

I usually Leap-escape toward the opponent's DZ or just flank....but the object is to distract them (do I send someone after the Silurids? ignore them and continue the strat? head toward the rest of the Marcus crew?). Forcing these questions on them makes it easier for you....because there is no right answer....any of the things they choose leaves an opening for you to do something else.

If I need to Leap-escape behind cover then I try to move toward one of my objectives (Power Ritual for example) and try to set up to accomplish something with them on Turn 3, or use Turn 3 to set-up for another charge/leap on Turn 4.

Once the opponent has lost a few models it is not as bad to get stuck in......so if you need to kill them, around Turn 4 or 5 you should be able to pounce with everything you have and be able to survive whatever comes back at you.

[geistwald]

is it better to let the play fall into a trap or rush in?

I don't think you have to frame your attitude this way or that. There are obvious examples on both: you can one-hit a witchling from 18 inches (0 wild heart: bear+hare+serpent, 1 move, 0 charge and SS/cheat the attack/damage flips, 1 move back in cover -- dead witchling), but you simply don't want to rush in and start to plink an undamaged peacekeeper. The odds are usually clear, so go for the kill if you see the gold opportunity, otherwise stay reactive and bank upon your superior speed and (hopefully) numerous activations.

I find that it's a good idea to think in "modules" when composing your crew, because you'll need fast and independent groups with as many attack vectors as you can have. My lists usually begin with Marcus (8SS) and the jackalope, that makes 5 points. From there, I try to form three more groups, each for ~10 pts. Just like: 2 silurids / Kaeris plus raptor or totem / shikome plus raptor or night terror / Ama No Zako plus raptor or night terror / etc. This way you'll have a reasonable SS cache, 8 activations and 4-5 fairly autonomous task forces, of which none are evident priority targets.

If you play Marcus with Kaeris, you'll have a fast, hard hitting core that handles most threats on its own. Throw in the mercenary Killjoy if you have a hard nut to crack, because he fits Marcus' style very well, and the jackalope with 1-2 raptors make the cheapest and best Killjoy delivery system in the game. On the other hand, Jack Daw is the perfect tool to add another dimension to Marcus' game: he's an exceptionally costly utility piece, but he perfectly counter-weights the shortcomings of your general Marcus crew.

Edit: this post is a bit of a mess, but I hope it reflects your question in some degree

Edited December 30, 2012 by geistwald

[Lancer]

its easy to suggest models to add to marcus' crew. but i have his box set plus the jackalope (best model in the entire game).

thank you for the turn by turn walk through. i can take a lot of what you said and add to how i play all my games.

Being a spell caster/ melee fighter makes him a very unique styled master. i love playing him.

models i would like to get for him:

-Slate Ridge Mauler (big target, HEAVY HITTER)

-Hoarcat Pride (Mostly give Myranda some support, i find she is fragile and cant ever hit any thing with her cb4 fist. i should say have one and turn her into one devour everyone)

-Malifaux Raptor (permanent beast... i dont need to say anything else)

[dgraz]

its easy to suggest models to add to marcus' crew.

Well, yeah. Especially if you played him predominantly for about a year.

You'll get much more mileage out of just one blister of 3 Silurids and 3 Night Terrors than you will with the other models you suggested.

You are really wasting your time trying to get Myranda to work. I have her and three Hoarcat Prides.......they've been collecting dust for 2 years.

I love the SRM, but you're right, he is a big target...and a slow one......he usually dies by turn 2. If you're trying to run all big-hitters then he may work but he doesn't suit the hit-and-run Marcus play-style. The Blessed of December would fit better for that. It can be quick and stealthy, hit hard, and heal itself.

Raptors are pretty neat and I kinda like them, but I usually find the Night Terrors to be better. I have 4 Raptors but I rarely use more than 1 or 2.

I'm the kind of person who likes to learn things for myself, so feel free to experiment though maybe you'll learn something I don't know. Make sure you share if you do. Good luck......(and yes, the Jackalope is the best model in the game).

[sssk]

For beatsticks with Marcus, I like to stick with the Blessed of December, who's just amazing, and/or a razorspine rattler, who's perhaps not quite as good, but with a high crow and/or mask in your hand he can really be rather nasty (and the opponent always underestimates him).

Obviously Kaeris is another handy beatstick for Marcus, but as she's not a "beaststick" (see what I did there?) I'll not mention her further

[Joel]

I'd be using a rail golem. Best arcarnist beatstick IMO.

[geistwald]

I'd be using a rail golem. Best arcarnist beatstick IMO.

In which case, of course, you have more suitable Arcanist masters to go with

[Lancer]

Well, yeah. Especially if you played him predominantly for about a year.

You'll get much more mileage out of just one blister of 3 Silurids and 3 Night Terrors than you will with the other models you suggested.

You are really wasting your time trying to get Myranda to work. I have her and three Hoarcat Prides.......they've been collecting dust for 2 years.

I love the SRM, but you're right, he is a big target...and a slow one......he usually dies by turn 2. If you're trying to run all big-hitters then he may work but he doesn't suit the hit-and-run Marcus play-style. The Blessed of December would fit better for that. It can be quick and stealthy, hit hard, and heal itself.

Raptors are pretty neat and I kinda like them, but I usually find the Night Terrors to be better. I have 4 Raptors but I rarely use more than 1 or 2.

I'm the kind of person who likes to learn things for myself, so feel free to experiment though maybe you'll learn something I don't know. Make sure you share if you do. Good luck......(and yes, the Jackalope is the best model in the game).

most help comment you gain 100 points!

what if we added some model that could keep up and provide cover... i know the slurids do this but i really dont want to use them. i like malifaux so much because i feel like no matter which models you have you always have a chance to win. i know that ramos' big robot has smoke screen but he cost to much and isnt fast enough to keep up. So if anyone knows a model like that i would love to know. also a beast with a drag or toss would be great. to get models singled because his crew is meant to pray on the weak and the lone.

i just want myranda to work so much... i mostly just use here to revive one of my beasts (because i have no other best models and i like to follow the rules.) with the horrcat pride they seem like more of a dangerous distraction than anything else but that could give my other stronger models ready for a strike.

just wanted to some up what i learned to see if i have everything correct.

-Marcus is best played with lots of terrain.

-Slurids are apparently a must have for Marcus.

-Myranda never works.

-Jackalope is the best model in the game.

[Joel]

Have you tried a slateridge mauler yet?

[dgraz]

Okay, several points.

Malifaux in general is best played with lots of terrain. It is designed that way. There should be at least two 2-4" pieces of terrain in every square foot of board.

I feel your pain on Myranda. I love her lots and I tried and tried to get her to work in several different ways. Failed every time.

Silurids aren't necessarily a "must have" but they're really good in so many situations....I have been successful in games without them, but I'm really good (as in; it suits my play-style) with the guerrilla tactics and they excel in that area.

I can't think of a beast that pushes or pulls but I can help you with cover. Waldegeist. If you are playing on a board with a couple of woods terrain pieces, they are money. They're pretty good without the woods....solid, good melee, good move.....but they shine with woods. I like to push the woods into the enemy to attempt to split their force....then the speed of the Marcus crew can jump all over one of the splits. Obviously this won't work if you're fighting things that ignore terrain like spirits.

Also nice if you're using a BoD or Cerberus since the woods can be moved to provide cover for them.

Don't shoot yourself in the foot by thinking that Marcus only runs with Beasts. Marcus alone is really good at blitzing and escaping - you may lose some tricks he has, but he is still good.

I find adding just a single Gunsmith can really make a difference....it is a great ranged striker and beasts don't have guns. If you like, you can smack him with a Raptor to make him a Beast and give him access to 'The Hard Way'.

I've also used the Mechanical Rider several times and she is awesome, but I generally use the BoD now.

Marcus is the kind of master that likes choices. Which can be hard on the wallet when you want to have every possible option. He can really tailor his crews to match the scenario. I've built my collection to have everything available to him, but it took a while and cost more than any other master did.

It's great fun to say "If you mess with the Jackalope, you get the horns!"

[Lancer]

it's great fun to say "if you mess with the jackalope, you get the horns!"

"run away!!! Run away!!!"

[Adran]

i should say that i love marcus. i win with him often. my friend is new so i got to kill his whole team just by exploding his witchlings (Witch was awesome). you guys have a lot of great ideas. Most i already knew.

ok let me re-ask my question: 1 turn is mostly a full movement turn. 2nd turn i can reach but at the cost of either 1 ap or (if i am willing to use a high mask) a 0 leap. giving me half an attack. so should i wait till turn 3 to start my attack or go in at 2?

?

Marcus doesn't have leap.

But to answer the question I say it depends. I wouldn't want to put marcus alone into the enemy forces that haven't activated on turn 2. If I can wait until most of them have activated, and they don't have a potential companion chain next turn then Marcus has a decent chance to kill plenty and escape.

Especially if I'm going to be using my 0 actions to charge. I would want to get at least 2 attacks against most models to make the risk worth it, but if that is a walk, a charge and then a second attack, its not too bad if the odds suggest I should kill it.

It also depends on mission. If its a shared slaughter and I fell that Marcus will get more than 10 SS worth of enemy in 2 activations, and remove a major threat, then it might be worth it. If on the other hand I think I need Marcus to kill a protegee, or sabotage a claim, then I won't put him into the fight that early.

In which case, of course, you have more suitable Arcanist masters to go with

With regards to using the rail golem.

I'm not actually sure that any of the arcanist masters make the Rail Golem better. Ramos can Arcing screen and heal (but not cheaply), Tina can give it armour, but has the cold start disadvantage, Colette does nothing for it, Mei uses it as a jump point, and puts a lot of burning counters out there (potentially) to allow it to gain them. Kaeris also puts out burning counters on enemies, but otherwise they don't boost the golem at all. He really works well stand alone. Its like Marcus doesn't actually help beasts all that much. He can heal them but thats a pretty rare spell to cast, and he can give them a willpower boost, but I almost never do that, so once the model is in my crew I almost don't care if its a beast or not. (And just about the only reason I personally care is the Jacolope multiply ability once I start the game).

Silurids aren't vital, but if you want hit and run minions, they are amongst the best out there. They are mobile and can pack a huge punch for their cost, but have very little durability. I don't use them much, but for some missions they are great.

The Jackalope is great. More than worth his 1 ss cost.

The Game is better with a decent amount of Terrain.

I've yet to get Myranda to work well enough to justify her. You may well find different results. I do keep want to try her out again, and hope for different results, but so far no luck.

[geistwald]

Well healing/arcing the golem or giving it extra armor is huge, and he's the best possible rail walking platform, while the cold start disadvantage is virtual. All these things make the golem better, because something is better than nothing, and nothing is exactly what Marcus does for it.

On the other hand, you're 100% right that Marcus needs models that work well stand alone, and the golem is possibly one of them.

[jmgriffon77]

I'm new to Marcus as well but have you considered the rogue necromancy? If you are wanting to play Miranda I have found her and it make a great ranged harrasment group as she can cast the RN spell and that gives you two range twelve attacks. This is something I have had some fun with as the RN is a big target it almost always makes them pay attention!

Plus I must stress terrain as being your biggest ally! If it is lots of forest you might consider Wadegeist although 2 is all you'll ever need. On occasion they have done. Lot to tie up pieces and slow opponents down to allow me to finish schemes.

[dgraz]

The RN thing is true, but you're throwing a lot of points in there just to make Myranda useful. For those points I'd rather just have 3 or 4 more models/activations to blitz the enemy with.