how do you demo?

[Bloaty]

Hello. Ive been playing for a few years and I have a buddy whos interested in the game. He tried a different skirmish style game a while back and our buddy tried to teach him but explained it so poorly he wont play the game. He basically explained the rules as he did the actions which resulted in him winning quite brutally and played painfully unbalanced lists. I want to avoid that happening with malifaux so I wanted to ask here to see whats best as far as strats and schemes for demoing that wont overwhelm him. Whats a good ss to start with. I was thinking 40. He is interested in neverborn and will borrow my lilith and nephilim. Ill probably play arcanists but also have 10t. Available. We're just using book one stuff. Who would be a fair match up? Thanks for any help, im very paranoid about ruining this game for him so I want to make a good experience out of it.

Sorry for any grammatical errors tbis was done on my phone during lunch. >_<

[Cthulhurising]

I've had luck running games to teach them the basics of the game at 15 points. It keeps it small, and quick enough that they won't forget the strats and schemes right off the bat and lets them have some fun with things. Then go to 30 so they can play with masters.

I usually just run the game as normal and put it in perspective for the new player. (Instead of explaining how to get bodyguard and all that, just say "keep Kang alive" or instead of explaining all the intricacies of Protect Territory, just say "have a guy go to a point a ways down the board, stick a flag in the ground and protect it", etc etc. Then they're thinking about how to interact with the crew, rather then remembering rules which seems to help imo)

other wise it comes down to how I play the crew, I don't botch the game, but I'll not use every move in the book to beat people down, or I'll play odd or quirky lists instead.

But I've just found a small love for 15 point games lately. We can play them in under 30 minutes, and they're usually so frantic we barely have time to breathe.

Just my two cents

[Bruglyother]

I usually start off by asking what their gaming experience is. As this is your friend, you probably have a good idea of this already. This will give me an example of what I need to teach them, and how fast I need to go.

For example, GW players coming over don't really need to be taught about measuring and movement. They also usually only need a brief rundown of the stats to understand them. They can usually handle slightly larger demos, or run a fast 15 stone followed by a larger game.

I always start off by explaining the basics. The deck, the jokers, the twists, the hand, duels, and strategies. Try not to throw too much at them at once. I will then choose a crew of 1 henchman and 2 minions of the same type (when possible). I have every faction other than gremlins, so I have a set demo group for each one. I let them choose, based on a brief description (This is Francisco and some death marshals. They are the law. etc.) I then choose a similar force that will be a good match up, or underpowered a bit. After that, I will go over the cards of what they have chosen, explaining the rules on them. After that, it's play time. I usually just play a Turf War on a 2x2 table. As Cthulu mentioned, I don't play hard ball, but I won't throw the game either. (I do occasionally choose not to cheat when I could.)

Now, their prior experience will dictate how fast I can go through these steps, and how much hand holding will be needed during the demo. I always try to get a 25-30 stone game in right after the initial demo, as a way to let them really solidify the feel of the game, as well as the knowledge of the rules.

If at all possible, I don't play against them at any time. I am lucky to have many players who are willing to help out. This way, I can focus my efforts on helping the new player understand what is going on and how rules are working.