By The Rivers of Malifaux...

[Praetoriian]

There we sat down...

 

Hey Wyrdos, how are you?

 

My name is Andy I have been a long time wargamer, but Malifaux is completely new to me. The main thing that got me in to the game were the models, so before even ready any rules etc, I bought the models I liked. I picked up the Lady Justice crew box set as my first crew, and this log will guide you through my adventures through Malifaux.

 

First up here is a picture of the Lady J box set:

 

As you can plainly see Lady isn't there, why you ask? I had a few problems with this model, the hair was kind of a put off to me and I feel that she is so small compared to the rest of the crew, though it is a nice model. Oh yeah I also broke her sword.

 

I ended up ordering some other bits before I had even finished building my initial box set. I picked up the guild riflemen box set, and the alternate perdita and justice sculpts:

 

For my bases I am going for a "Hell on Wheels" style, with lots of mud and wooden slabs, If you have seen the TV show, you will know what I mean. Like I said, I am only buying the models I really like so my crew may not be the best but atleast I will think they look good.

 

So this weekend I met up with @jbalderstone at Outpost Games in Sheffield and he gave me a demo game. We only used the starter crews, so I had Lady J and he used Shamus. I really enjoyed my first game, I some how won, and can't wait to play again, here is an action shot:

 

Lastly due to my Death Marshals "pine boxing" 2 of Jimmy's Belles I made these markers so I remember in future games:

 

Any way thats all I have done so far, pretty good for only a week of Malifaux? Next post expect some painted models as I currently have Lady J on the painting table. Any advice then please let me know, or if you are in the Yorshire area let me know and we can arrange a game.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Andy - @Praetoriian

[Mister Feral]

Good start, loving the bases! What materials are you using for them? (the slate pieces I recognise, but the plastic planking and the white paste?)

 

I look forward to seeing the first painted models!

[zFiend]

Great start! Can't wait to see more from you! I really love the idea of making the coffins on a separate base. I had something similiar in mind but you just did it so well with the white paste (what is it?) that I think I can't even do my idea anymore  

[Praetoriian]

Good Morning guys.

 

Mister Feral: Thank you for your kind words, the bases are done by using basic slate, the "white stuff" is just no sanding filler, and the the planks are just cut from some old scenery i had. Painted models are coming.

 

ZFiend: Thank you, there will be a lot more, but addicted to Malifaux at the moment. The "white paste" is just no sanding filler and works great for the theme of bases I am going for. The caskets are cooler on their own than with the DM.

 

So here is a tiny update for you I started painting Lady J last night, but she is nowhere near finished, here is a very WIP of her, expect a finished one in the next couple of days. P.s. Be kind .

 

 

Any way thanks for looking again, remember give any critique you like, it is more than welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Andy

[zFiend]

It's a great start! Very realistic. I agree with you 100% that the Coffins are way better on their own bases, mind if I "borrow" that idea from you? Surely giving you the credit for the idea

[monkeyboy30672]

A brilliant start, Praetorian!! I love the out-of-the-box thinking you have to it all, even from the first step! And the "pine box" markers are especially a touch of genius! It is so simple, yet so clever... I never would have thought of that.

 

Well done, truly! I can't wait to see them painted and all pulled together!

 

(P.S. And a great Sublime reference...! Now I can't get that song out of my head...)

[Mister Feral]

Sanding filler, I'll have to make a note of that for future reference. Any particular brand? (I'm UK-based too so I imagine I could get my hands on it!)

 

Critique? I don't think I can come up with anything to be honest. Lady Justice is looking great so far, I especially like the green-brown in the recesses of her top.

[quiche]

The Lady is looking nice with those muted tones! Do you find the filler shrinks on the bases or keeps a similar volume to when you apply it?

[Fenton Crack]

For those who want buried tokens for your Death Marshals, but still like the look of the chained coffins with the DMs on the model, don't forget that Wyrd makes them (or at least did) i think for just such a purpose (or at least that is what I bough them for):

 

[Praetoriian]

Good evening guys,

 

My hobby has slowed down over the past few days, but I am back and have a little more for you as well as my plans in Malifaux in the near future. But firstly some well needed replies.

zFiend: Thanks again for your reply and kind words. Of course you can use the coffin idea, as long as you link me in your signiture .

 

monkeyboy30672: Thank you for your encouragment, the Sublime reference wasn't intended, but I'll take it .

 

Mister Feral: No, no particular brand I'm currently using B&Q's own brand, it's cheap and does the job. Thank you but im sure there will be soon

 

quiche: Thanks, I am a sucker for the natural colours, can't do this "cartoony" thing. No the filler I've used has never shrunk, I think it will depend if you use the ready mixed stuff or not?

 

Any way here are my latest updates, I managed to get my basing bits delivered so got Lady J finished the other day as well as starting and finishing The Judge, see the pictures below, what do you think so far, be nice ?

 

Firstly is a front and back view of the finished Lady J:

 

And here is the man himself, The Judge (I love this model, I hope I've done him justice......):

 

So there you have it, my first completed Malifaux minis, I'll be honest, they look so much better in person . I have just started to apply paint to my first Death Marshall and hope to have him finished within a couple of days, and pictures up by the end of the week. I plan on meeting with a friend next weekend to have a hobby day with my crew and get some games in, he is also very new to Malifaux, so should be fun, I'll definatly get some pictures of this for you. I do have a day event in Halifax on the 27th of April so hope to have everything more or less finished by then. Though I do have my eyes on the new Lone Marshall model as well as the Lucas McCabe and Sonnia Creed crew box sets. Then in May I will be attending my first competetive event in York, which I am really looking forward to, I better get some practise .

 

Thank you for reading.

 

Andy - @Praetoriian

 

 

[cdhay]

I'm that friend! Haha, looking forward to it! I must admit you give me hobby painting envy as you are far better than me. I love your muted tones and the grubby dirty realistic feel you get on your models! And i mean that in the most positive way. As i said on twitter lady J looks like a pirate to le (which is a great think in my book).

looking forward to seeing them in the flesh next weekend and a full day of gaming! Maybe we can picture it and take notes for you to put up on here? A battlerep from newbies would be a cool thing right?

i also love the bottom of judges cape with the mud! Is that special weathering paint of sorts or your own made up concoction?

[zFiend]

They came out absolutely great. I really like the gritty look of them. You have zero reason to be worried about the Judge, you did him great honor and he looks stunning. I can't wait to see more from you, especially the final group shot!

[Praetoriian]

Good morning.

 

CDHAY: You sure are. ha thanks, I think it's because of my photography skills they look better than what they do.  I don't know why but I can't paint clean at al, everything I do has to be dirty and grubby! Bat rep sounds good.

 

zFiend: Thank you, yet again. Ha it may be a long time till the final group shot, I hope these mini updates are adequate for yourself?

 

Sorry guys but I have yet another tiny update for you. I started work on my Death Marshals and have completed one as well as making a start on the next. I really do like these models, thought the only gripe I have with them is that they seem to be all coat, and there isn't much detail. I am very tempted to do some freehand though I feel i may ruin the model?

 

Any way I don't know if you guys like to see the frequent WIP images as I work towards my final goal or you just like to see the final crew done, let me know what you think?

 

Any way heres the pictures:

 

That's it for now. I will probably now not do any more updates till all three of these guys are done, then I get to work on the scales, I am so looking forward to that!

Thank you for reading.

Andy - @Praetoriian

[Mister Feral]

I like seeing WIP pictures, it's nice to see how paintjobs develop. It's also handy for people to make suggestions on what's been done so far. Having said that, I have nothing to suggest.

 

The bases look great, I love the leftmost one leaping over the rock - very much a classic action pose!

 

I see what you mean about the large surface area of the coat. I'm the opposite to you in that respect, I love painting large smooth surfaces, and generally disdain excessive amounts of fiddly detail. Freehand is a good idea but I personally would leave that for the more elite and flashy models. I imagine Death Marshals to be very rugged yet simple when it comes to coats! 

[zFiend]

They look great! How did you paint their jacket's? They look especially good and gritty.

[Viruk]

Both look great. I've used the flaming skulls on mine but it's interesting to see how other people do these great minis justice with these versions of heads. You even managed to add facial hair there! Well done!

[Praetoriian]

Good evening guys how are you Wyrdos doing?

 

I sort of went quiet for a week or so but I do have some updates for you, pretty big ones to be honest, any way lets get to the replies;

 

Mister Feral: I have decided against the freehand and agree with you that the coarts should be plain. I say that I will put WIP pictures and this and I havent put anything up in a week!

 

Zfiend: Thank you, a finished shot, for you later in the post! Honestley I don't know what the colour is called that I use, but it's a GW dark blue, then I just add in tiny bits of "Bleached Bone" for the highlights, then a suble wash to blend it all together (rushed) !

 

Viruk: Thank you, I'm not reallyt a fan of the flaming skulls to be honest, yeah I even watched a tutorial on how to do the fcial hair !

 

Any way this is what I have to show you:

 

The finished crew, I am really pleased how they have come out, yeah I could have spent a little more tiime on them or tried a bit harder but i'm happy with the final look and feel of this crew, they are the reason I started Malifaux.

 

Oh yes, do you remember from my first post that I had made some markers for when I pine box something, well I got them finished and even tried my hand at some OSL:

 

Next up is a model I have just finished, the lovely Perdita Ortega:

 

Well that's what I have for you today, though I do have 2 teaser images for what's coming up;

What is this that has been summoned to my desk?

 

And finally I went to my friend a couple of weekends ago, and I intend to do a battle report, but just havent had the time recently, but here is an action image for you to keep you going till I get it done!

 

 

That is it for today, I'm currently paining my Guild Riflemen, so they should be done by the end of the week for me to show.

 

Thank you for looking, I did want to put soe individual images of the crew but there is a limit, but let me know If you want to see them.

 

Andy - @Praetoriian

[zFiend]

I have no idea even where to begin with the praises. That is the best Justice crew I have seen! The Coffin's are amazing, the flames are amazing, the Scales as a whole model is absolutely stunning. You Sir deserve a thousand win's for this crew. Such a gritty looking bunch.

[Ampers&nd]

the coffins are great, really nice:)

[Praetoriian]

Good Morning Wyrdos.

How are you all doing?

I have had a productive week in the world of Malifaux and have got a few things finished to show you, firstly some replies:

zFiend: Wow, thanks for your kind words yet again. I wouldn't go that far though , I have had 2 wins from 2 so far, so that must be a sign? Gritty is what I'm going for!

Ampers&nd: Thank you, I am rather pleased with them.

I have finally finished off my Guild Riflemen which were the last things from my first purchases so I feel that it's a big milestone. These three models are the reason I got in to Malifaux, I just love the artwork, style and the movement of them, they do also remind me a little of the Tuskan Raiders "sand people" from Star Wars but with hats, I think it's the goggles. Any way, take a look:



I have also made a start on the new box sets that I picked up, even though I bought the Sonnia Creed box set just for the Witchling Stalkers and Samael Hopkins, the Sonnia model grew on me a lot whilst painting her, here she is, just needs some OSL doing to her to finish her off.



Next up is a "mini" project I undertook to make my own cheaper version of the Bendy Board, I do have some joinery skills due to my previous jobs so I thought that I would be able to design and build my own at a reasonable price and within a few hours. Right, so It did take me longer than I expected, (5hrs) but didn't cost anywhere near as much (£30). It's not the best in the world and I would never think about building and selling these as the work just isn't worth it and I don't have all the proper tools, but anyway here she is, my 4'x3' Malifaux board. It still needs some strips putting on to differentiate the "card/soulstone" section and handles, also can't decide whether to texture it or not?  What do you think?





Finally is an update on what I'm up to right now. Iv'e started on my 6 Witchlings, yes 6, as soon as I found out that Sonnia can summon these guys I just had to go and buy the old metal ones. They do still look good together, the only issue I have are the metal ones swords are so much cooler. Anyway here is a progress shot so far.



That's it for now, I do have a few things ordered with @ElementGames_ so they should be here by the weekend, and I'm also going to go play some games on Sunday too with @cdhay. So more to come in the near future.

Thanks for reading guys, and C&C's are more than welcome.

 

P.S. I apologise for the poor images!

Andy - @Praetoriian.

[zFiend]

So amazing. I really like the overall feel and look of your Justice crew. Those Witchling's are amazing. Can't wait to see what more you can come up with. It's such a pleasure to see this thread pop up

[Praetoriian]

Good morning Wyrdos.

zFiend: Thanks, yet again, more pictures for you. You can help me choose my next crew then ?

How are you all today? A lot has gone on in the world of Malifaux this week, Iv'e painted some models, made some hobby stuff, had a game and even been informed that I'm not getting my Lone Marshal till at least the end of the month, unhappy Andy, oh well.

Any way here is what I have been up to, this is my finished Sonnia, not much has changed since the last image, just added to the basing and then did some OSL on the sword and lantern, came out quite well I think:



Next up is the three plastic Witchlings that you get in the box with Sonnia, these models are up there as some of my favourites in the Malifaux range and were a pleasure to paint, though I do think that I've painted this "blue" a bit too much in this crew, but here they are:



I then spent one morning before work (30mins) to paint Sonnia's totem, the Purifying Flame, I think it came out rather well even though it was rushed. It was rather difficult to paint seen as the model is literally a skeleton on fire, but it came out well once I added some OSL.:



Finally hobby wise I have made myself some "guild style" scheme markers using "Ram" skulls on them and then stuck to my basing theme, here they are WIP:



Right, I got to have my third game of Malifaux at the weekend. It was a 50ss game against @cdhay, I was using my Lady J and he was using Neverborn, though I did manage to kill almost all his crew, I did lose 10-6. I learnt so much in this game about Malifaux, and my crew and it showed me that this game is not all about killing your opponents models. I even know where I did go wrong in the game, and that was the choosing of my schemes which let me down, and I also played way to defensive. Anyhow here is a shot of my newly made table with our crews and scenery before first turn:



Right that is all I have for you right now, I am currently finishing off my markers and my last three Guild models and then I am thinking about the next faction to collect. I am going to an event at the end of april: (http://wyrd-games.net/community/topic/99125-hobbytime-halifaux-27th-april-halifax-uk) so I want everything I have ready for this but I think I will be picking up a new crew at the end of the month too.

I think a poll is needed to be honest, I would like to paint and model something completely different to what I have done so far, so bright and clean models will be my aim, also the play style, Lady J is very one directional, so I want something completely different. I have currently been thinking about the following masters: Misaki, Lucas McCabe, Pandora or Nicodem. What do you think I should work on? I am very tempted by Pandora?

Thanks for reading, I appreciate your feedback.

Andy - @Praetoriian

[zFiend]

AMAZING!! God damn it, again another one of my idea's here I have been clipping of Ram head's from my Beastmen sprues to make my own scheme markers and you beat me to it again as with the Coffins I would say great minds think alike but that would be an insult to your painting if compared to mine. 

 

Purifying Flame came out great and if you achieved that in 30 minutes then I'm speechless. Sonnia looks really good. The Witchling's are plain awesome. You should maybe look into the new Perdita box They give some great Enforcers and a good Henchman to be used with Justice. I have the old Justice box, new Sonnia box and the new Perdita box!

[monkeyboy30672]

I know I am biased on my suggestion for your next crew starter box, Praetoriian, but I would suggest Pandora for your next crew. I have a Guild crew, as well (Sonnia), and they are definitely two completely different playing styles.

 

Speaking of Guild... I have been spending hours on my Purifying Flame model, and it's not nearly as good as your 30 minute one!!!! You are absolutely amazing!!!

[ProximoCoal]

Cracking work, really like your stuff.

 

As for choice of crew it depends on how important each aspect is for you. You can go bright colours on 'The Thunder' (see JenTr's misaki crew) and it looks good but she is another combat master. McCabe works well because he is guild so can use stuff you already have, but probably works better in a dusty colour scheme. Nicodem plays very different, but I can't imagine clean ressers. Pandora plays very differently and you can go wild with colours, seeing as it's the one your most interested in it makes sense to do that one. Just my two cents.

 

Congrats again on some ace looking  figures.