Returning player, need advice, (NB,10T, logistics, pdfs)

[*Jack*]

Hi all,

 

Used to play a lot of malifaux, dropped out of gaming to focus on much less important things. I've observed some of the news of 2.0 with only a small interest, knowing I'd rarely have chance to play it.

 

Back now, I dont have much free time, but I'd like to get my malifaux sorted before summer. I have almost every crew, bar stuff I didnt like the playstyle of or stuff I sold. So, need some advice to get this all ship shaped. I've ordered a 2.0 rules manual, still in the post, and I read some of the major changes, but almost forgotten. So, if you could help me out with any of these:

 

1. Can anyone describe the major changes to me? SS no longer add flips, Henchmen are masters and 'henchmen' are now expensive models. Whats this peon malarky? Are they insignificant ala 1.0?

 

2. Whats a good crew to start with? Ideally, I'd like to use Jacob lynch, or zoraida, or possibly collette. Should I use lynch as 10T or as neverborn? (I know thats a subjective choice, but what 'bonuses' does he get on either?)

 

3. Is there a link to the wave 1 beta cards anywhere? I've got the wave 2 stuff now, but would like to see wave 1 before I buy any arsenal decks (And I'm gonna have to buy all 6 eventually -.-) 

 

4. Resources - Are there any crew builders out there? Like ratty's for 1.0? 

 

5. Lastly, big things to be aware of in game. Combos that no longer work, combos that are now ridiculous, rules nuances and cheesy models/masters/crews I should just keep an eye out for, or read up and figure out how they work. 

 

Cheers everyone, answering just one of those questions would be incredibly helpful for me  

[*Jack*]

4. Found a copy of the new wyrd crew creater, with options for upgrades and stuff  

 

 

 

Which leads me to a new question, 6. Upgrades can be faction specific or model specific. Are there any "Universal upgrades" that can be taken by multiple factions? 

[Emberlost]

I'm still new here, but I took a quick flip through the book, and might be able to shed some light on Lynch for you.

 

Most of the Lynch-related models are fully dual-faction like him. This includes the Depleted, Mr. Graves, and Mr. Tannen. Graves & Tannen are wave 2, though. Beckoners are Neverborn-only though. So if you use Beckoners, I'd play Lynch as Neverborn. Other than that, I'd take a look at the upgrade cards for 10T and Neverborn. That's probably going to be the big difference between the two.

[Anaxiamander]

I'm not going to be able to cover everything for you, but I might be able to lend a bit of a hand.

 

1. The Master/Henchman/Enforcer/Minion/Peon designations specify a few things. Masters lead crews of 25 SS or more, have 3 AP per turn, and can take 3 Upgrades. Henchmen can lead crews of up to 40 SS, have 2 AP per turn, and can take 2 Upgrades. Enforcers have 2 AP per turn, and can take 1 Upgrade. Minions are the baseline, with 2 AP and no Upgrades. Peons often do not qualify for Schemes/Strategies, and most are insignificant; they have 2 AP as well. As for other large changes, I can't remember enough of the old rules to offer a comparison. Sorry Oh! One big difference: There are now 7 factions. Gremlins are on their own now.

 

2. You should be able to start with Jakob without much problem in my opinion. I'd recommend starting him as Neverborn, if only because Terror Tots are excellent for running Schemes and are inaccessible while playing as 10T, and all of his thematic models will be usable thanks to their being dual faction and his Infiltration (Darkened). You'll also have access to some preferable Upgrades, in my opinion. If you're keen on starting him as 10T, I'm fond of some Wave 2 Options (like using Toshiro as Illuminated support), but it's purely personal preference. I'm not sure what could make them a greatly stronger choice over Neverborn.

 

3. The Wave 1 Beta cards went away with the end of the Wave 1 Beta, and went directly to Arsenal Decks. All of the cards you'd be looking for are in the large-format rulebook as well (except one Family Guild upgrade which was missed in the book, but not the deck). If you want to see the stat cards, you'll need to see either the rulebook or the Arsenal Decks themselves. It may be worth asking around in your location if anyone has a copy you can borrow, as the rulebook has been hard to get a hold of, and the reprint has been delayed by customs further, likely not arriving in stores until at least the end of this month, possibly longer.

 

4. You've found the new official one, so you're set.

 

5. I'm not a good one to ask for this; I haven't been able to get on the table against too many different Masters or varied setups. One thing, though: Incorporeal does not include Flight; ghosts can fall and be hurt by doing so, if they can't fly (I have this second-hand, and may theoretically be incorrect on it).

 

6. Upgrades are Faction-Specific; that is to say, if you declare Neverborn as your faction, you only have access to Neverborn Upgrades. This means that if you, for example, take a Taelor as a Mercenary, she can take any Neverborn Upgrade she qualifies for. There are no universal Upgrades as of yet, and I have my doubts there ever will be, but there are dual-faction Upgrades. For example, an Upgrade in the Mei Feng box, Hard Worker, applies effects to Foundry models, and can be carried only by Foundry models. There are enough Foundry models in Arcanists that you could take that Upgrade on the Rail Golem, and apply it to the Metal Gamin and Willie, even though you aren't playing Mei Feng, because the Upgrade is 10T/Arcanists.

[*Jack*]

Cheers guys. 

 

Have ordered both the NB and 10T arsenal decks. Annoying as to play zoraida as I used to I'll also need the gremlin deck. Will see what upgrades I fancy then and decide what to play lynch as. I dont much like tannen and graves, I tend to play very objective focused so beatsticks arent my thing. 

 

Will hopefully report back in a few days Forgot how much I love this game  

[Tuttleboy]

The game is easy to love.

[Anaxiamander]

Cheers guys.

Have ordered both the NB and 10T arsenal decks. Annoying as to play zoraida as I used to I'll also need the gremlin deck.

If you don't mind my asking, how did you used to play Zoraida? Also, it's worth noting that a) Zoraida is dual-faction Neverborn/Gremlins, and Bad Juju's reviving mechanic only is usable while Neverborn and relies on Swampfiend models, which are split between Neverborn and Gremlins, which Zoraida can freely hire with an upgrade (Silurid, Gupps, Spawn Mother, Waldgeist from Neverborn, Wild Boar, Bayou Gator, McTavish from Gremlins). Also, having the Gremlin deck will let you have a good look at the dual-faction Gremlins/10T Master, The Brewmaster.

I dont much like tannen and graves, I tend to play very objective focused so beatsticks arent my thing.

I'd actually recommend giving them a second look. Graves is exceptional at moving your own models around the board via Show Ya the Door, moving one of your scheme models 6" for (1). He also is able to protect them with his Keeping the Peace, forcing nearby enemies to make Wp rolls in order to Charge. He may not be your cup of tea, but I'd recommend at least trying him as a proxy to see if the new him is worth buying. Mr. Tannen's ability to gain Chatty, stopping (1) Interacts nearby, makes him valuable for countering your opponents strategies and schemes while protecting your own. He seems more conditional to me, but if you have enough objective runners, he could be good at running scheme defense, as it were. Either way, glad to see you coming back to the game and enjoying it so much.

[*Jack*]

If you don't mind my asking, how did you used to play Zoraida? Also, it's worth noting that a) Zoraida is dual-faction Neverborn/Gremlins, and Bad Juju's reviving mechanic only is usable while Neverborn and relies on Swampfiend models, which are split between Neverborn and Gremlins, which Zoraida can freely hire with an upgrade (Silurid, Gupps, Spawn Mother, Waldgeist from Neverborn, Wild Boar, Bayou Gator, McTavish from Gremlins). Also, having the Gremlin deck will let you have a good look at the dual-faction Gremlins/10T Master, The Brewmaster.

 

I'd actually recommend giving them a second look. Graves is exceptional at moving your own models around the board via Show Ya the Door, moving one of your scheme models 6" for (1). He also is able to protect them with his Keeping the Peace, forcing nearby enemies to make Wp rolls in order to Charge. He may not be your cup of tea, but I'd recommend at least trying him as a proxy to see if the new him is worth buying. Mr. Tannen's ability to gain Chatty, stopping (1) Interacts nearby, makes him valuable for countering your opponents strategies and schemes while protecting your own. He seems more conditional to me, but if you have enough objective runners, he could be good at running scheme defense, as it were. Either way, glad to see you coming back to the game and enjoying it so much.

 

Funny you should ask I played zoraida, ophelia, a handful of bayous, and either juju or jackdaw. Not a top tier list, but a hell of a lot of fun. The move to Zoraida being dual faction actually got me really excited when I read the beta (No idea where that pdf is now), and the brewmaster is definitely on my to buy list when he comes out. Plastic gremlins will be sweet. 

 

I've got the models for both tannen and graves, I used them a fair bit before deciding they werent for me. Jack daw, the twins, stitched togethers or similar tricksy NB models were just a lot more fun. I've for the wave 2 beta cards so I'll definitely give them a go. Tannen's ability seems cool though, I'm looking forward to that  

[Anaxiamander]

Wow, that old Zoraida list is going to be hard to replicate, what with Ophelia becoming a Master, Jack Daw becoming a Master, and Juju not playing too well with a heavy Gremlin focus.   There should be plenty of options once you get started, though, so good luck!

 

My comments regarding Tannen and Graves were moreso to give their M2E equivalent a shot, as I've found they feel a little different. Glad to see that you'll give them another go. Looking forward to seeing your opinions on things after having a go at the game again for a few days.

[*Jack*]

Wow, that old Zoraida list is going to be hard to replicate, what with Ophelia becoming a Master, Jack Daw becoming a Master, and Juju not playing too well with a heavy Gremlin focus.   There should be plenty of options once you get started, though, so good luck!

 

My comments regarding Tannen and Graves were moreso to give their M2E equivalent a shot, as I've found they feel a little different. Glad to see that you'll give them another go. Looking forward to seeing your opinions on things after having a go at the game again for a few days.

 

Ophelia was fun in that crew, but she didnt do anything another model can't replace. Other than maybe the soulstones to get incredibly high totals and damage with her gun.

 

Ive checked out the jack daw as a master stats and I'm really excited to try him. No idea what would fit in his crew though.

[*Jack*]

Played some games, talked to a load of people with similar 2.0 experience.

 

I'm liking the changes. Almost all of them. I struggle to think of a rule where I went "Thats stupid." or "The old way was better.", despite many people using these rules to kick my butt

 

Yet to try graves and tannen (Because I couldnt be bothered to print the cards). Lynch was fun, though very 'singular' with his crew. By which I mean, he doesnt gain much from taking minions other than his subset. Giving out brilliance and feasting of brilliance is his thing. Taking an insidious madness, a doppleganger, or similar doesnt help him much. Even models that play to his card mechanics, eg sue, only help him so much. You need the brilliance interaction. This is a problem for me going forward - I'm going to carry on for a bit, then probably move to pastures new. New as in new models, rather than crews I have. Got a hammering for a 10T misaki crew.

 

That and I'd like to try zoraida with gremlins, zoraida with swampfiends (Bad juju seems hilarious under the new rules) and eventually jack daw.

 

C'est la vie. Good work Eric and Nathan, 2.0 really is a lot better than I was giving it credit for.

[Tuttleboy]

The only reason to step outside of Lynch's core crew is to add a Terror Tot or 2 for objective running. Once you've got the Ace of Masks in hand, you're guaranteed to sprint everytime you want to. Adding the Doppleganger is not bad for any NB crew. Mostly because you can steal an 1 AP action from a crew member and apply it as needed and secondly you'll be able to cheat initiative in critical turns.

Glad to see you like the game. It is by far my favorite game.