My first list - McMourning 35

[Whut]

I understand that you're supposed to build your list on the fly right before playing, but I wanted to get a feel for what would be good or bad ideas.

 

McMourning w/ Moonlighting

Sebastian w/ Transfusion

Belle

Belle

Nurse

Flesh Construct

Chihuahua

3 SS (Total 7 SS)

 

The general idea is to pull an enemy with the belles first turn, make him into a Canine Remains or a Flesh Construct, and from there out-activate my opponent considering that the game is essentially 39-41 vs about 30 SS at that point due to the difference caused from that assassination/summon.

 

Mostly though I'm only taking Belles because of all the talk of how powerful they are, so once I learn the game better that will hopefully give me a huge edge. Might be wrong though. Would it be better to go for other models that would provide me with more poison synergy? Autopsies and Canine remains for example? I also feel like I don't have a beefy frontline, considering that Sebastian, the Chihuahua, the belles and nurse will probably want to lag behind. So my only front line is the Flesh Construct and (less so) McMourning himself really. Not sure if this is actually an issue in Malifaux. If I were to replace the Belles with something else, should I go for Autopsies or Canine Remains? Or a combination? Should I keep my pool of 7 SS along with using 10ss on models, or would it be better to go with 3 models of 4ss each and have a pool of 5 SS?

 

Also, are Ressers more or less powerful at 35 rather than 50? On the one hand, I feel like our summoning capabilities are stronger because every extra model is worth a bigger percentage of the game's SS value. However, at the same time our faction relies on a LOT of synergy and we don't have any major beatsticks or massive damage dealers like other factions do (Lady J + Judge, Lilith + Mature Neph, Rasputina are a few examples from my limited knowledge) so we lose out on having those extra 15 points worth of support, corpse generation, or whatever else while those same beatsticks are harder to neuter or kill at 35 compared to 50.

 

Right now I'm planning on grabbling the Seamus and McMourning boxes, but maybe I'd be better off with a different box? Like... I really like a lot of the dual 10T/Resser models. I'm not sure :3

[MasterDisaster]

 

 However, at the same time our faction relies on a LOT of synergy and we don't have any major beatsticks or massive damage dealers like other factions do (Lady J + Judge, Lilith + Mature Neph, Rasputina are a few examples from my limited knowledge) 

 

How about the Rogue Necromancy, Izamu the Armour & Valedictorian. These guys can dish out some filthy high levels of damage. I've been on the receiving end of each of these models and my god can it be painful! 

 

The Dead Rider is also no slouch. Rafkin can also dish out his fair share of pain given the right support. Don't under-estimate the ressers heavy hitters. They really will punish you for it. 

[Whut]

Hmm, you do have a point. I just wasn't sure if these models were as scary as some of those other crazy beatstick masters/henchmen but I suppose they either are just as good or come close. However I don't know if it would be a good idea to include a huge beatstick for myself because wouldn't that get in the way of Poison synergy? I guess I could go with the Rouge Necromancy, would it be a good idea to lower my model count and make that switch?

[MasterDisaster]

If you want to focus on the Poison side of things then I'd stick with things like Nurses, Flesh Constructs, Guild Autopsies, Rafkin, Sebastian etc. McMourning is incredibly versatile though so you can't go too far wrong with him. Your best bet is to have a couple of games with him experimenting with different models (using proxies if need be) to give you an idea of what you like and what you think works. Guild McMourning uses very little Poison Synergy but he's still really hard to deal with and pin down. Poison is a great asset to Rezzer McMourning but don't rely on it. I've used some different crews against McMourning (Guild and Rezzer) and my regular opponent has dealt with me with surgical precision every time! 

[Whut]

Well my issue is that I'm in college now so I only get to go to my local gaming club when I go home for a weekend, severely limiting my time to play and thus giving me a massive itch to theorycraft and prepare over, and over, and over again (as if there is one list that I can find that will be better than any other combination of models, even though I know that isn't possible) so I'm kind of stuck with theorizing for now.

 

I'm just looking for some advise about what to take when, how much poison is enough reliance on poison, and what models can be used in ways I've probably never thought of. For example I'm still wrapping my mind around going for the schemes rather than just having to beat my opponent's face in the dirt, so taking models that seem to be bad in any sort of combat situation (but instead may be good at throwing down markers and such) is still a difficult thing for me to grasp.

[MasterDisaster]

I hear you, I work quite a bit and a fairly long way from home to I basically get Tuesday evenings at my local club or weekends if I'm lucky. It can be hard to get some games it. It's not all doom and gloom though, there are plenty of people on the forums that use Vassal to play Malifaux online, I've not used it myself yet but I understand it's fairly easy to use and if something crops up you can save the game and continue at a later date. There are plenty of people who would be willing to give you some advice on how to use it and even give you a beginner game. Perhaps that's an avenue worth exploring?

 

As for Schemes McMourning is surprisingly agile, he can get around quite easily so he's always a good choice. Canine Remains are also really good and cheap models for running your schemes. Nurses can also give some nice movement bonuses to help your models move around which helps for those schemes where you have to get across the board. Necropunks are fairly cheap and good at moving around thanks to Leap so they could be an option as well. Crooligans might also be worth a look in. They have the Infect trigger so can spread poison when in a pinch but they are fast, cheap and can start the game using From the Shadows to get ready for objective running. They have some really useful support actions and can make a free 5" place after interacting. They also come packing Df 6 and Wp 5 which is pretty damn good considering their cost!

 

As for Poison I'd probably start with a couple of Flesh Constructs and a Couple of Nurses and load the Fleshies up with Poison. This should give you plenty to begin with and you can then use other models like the Chihuahua to get more out when needed. Throw a Belle or two into the mix for some support to help move your models around and deny the enemy schemes that rely on model placement and that should give you the beginnings to a fairly solid crew. Guild Autopsies are also a cheap source of Poison and can happily dish it out with their attacks as well. 

 

Hopefully this will give you some food for thought 

[deValmont]

  That's pretty much exactly the McM crew that I run with, albeit also as a bit of a newbie. Keep the Nurse and Fleshie close together for poison bombing, remember that the Chihuahua can expunge, and try not to get too spread out (like I normally do!) so that everyone can support one another.

 

  Might also be worth picking up another Flesh Construct, it's surprising how many you can pull out with Abra Cadaver.

[Doc T]

I'm new to McM myself but what about Mortimer from the Open Graves box? He can dish out upto 9 poison a turn and can create corpse tokens.

[Whut]

I'm new to McM myself but what about Mortimer from the Open Graves box? He can dish out upto 9 poison a turn and can create corpse tokens.

 

I'm really put off by the fact that he's 11ss though... at 35ss thats more than 33% of your ss (assuming you leave 3 for cache), has no H2W, and the poison is only Ca5 (although that's average, I expect more from an 11 point model). If I take a 10-11ss model at 35ss I want it to be a major threat/annoyance/damage soak, not a support model.

[EntrepeNinja]

I think a full cache is less important in smaller games- which is why I love doug, 'cause four is a really nice starting point. That being said, belles are good, nurses are also reaaaally good. And for my stones the performer is also pretty solid. They've got a lure (though 'only' at ca6) that can also paralyze, allow you to take a 1ap ml attack, or cause them to take suffer the entirety of their poison stack (Higher damage potential than expunge, and at the same casting. And it's baked in...). They've also got the ability to seduce enemies giving them double negative twists to df and wp. That's a lot of utility for 6 stones. So at 35, I might try something like this:

 

 

Resurrectionists Crew - 35 - Dustup

 

Dr. Douglas McMourning -- 5 Pool

 +Evidence Tampering [2]

 +Moonlighting [1]

 

Canine Remains [4]

Nurse [5]

Performer [6]

Rafkin [7]

 +Transfusion [1]

Sebastian [7]

 +Those Are Not Ours! [1]

 

Use the nurse to fill Rafkin up, then midfield her, either to top him off after he transfusions, or to drop more poison on a flesh construct or a dog when they're summoned. Use either the performer to pop poisoned models with low WP. (Bonus points if you can put them at a negative twist with seduction before you try and sirens call), and use McMourning to finish things off with expunge shooting for the abracadaver trigger. Dog tries to dig up more corpses, and then gets pushed around with injection on turn one (hoping to increase your investement on the dog by making another one straight off) then runs schemes, and ties up models in melee. 1ap charge against poisoned guys! And he drops their defense!

 

 

 

Also, are Ressers more or less powerful at 35 rather than 50? On the one hand, I feel like our summoning capabilities are stronger because every extra model is worth a bigger percentage of the game's SS value.

 

Yes and no? They say the game is "balanced" around the 50 stone mark, and that's probably due to summoning crews. Less true about McMourning, however. With upgrades, he and his crew's summoning list is restricted to:

     (6) Flesh Construct (abracadaver)

     (4) Canine Remains (Man's Best Friend)

     (4) Guild Autopsy (Spare Parts)

     (10) Rogue Necromancy (Spare Parts: Masterpiece)

 

Rogue Necro needs 4 bodies, and if you're not losing your own models, and you are trying to abra cadaver, you probably won't see that happen. The autopsies are great, so it might be worth it (they've got a poison attack at both melee and range, and a the ability to mobilize the corpse markers ). But for the most part you're limited to 6 and less stone models.

 

Nicodem (the lead summoner in the faction (imo)) has a much larger summoning list, and it's mostly based on a, having a corpse, and b, having a high card, preferably a high crow. Anywhere from a flesh construct (hey, that's ours!) to a hanged on a 13, he can summon a lot of stones worth of model off of just one corpse. He's able to tip the balance a lot faster because of that. 

 

And your concept of ss balance feels totally right- by killing their model, then turning it into one of your own, you're not just lightening their tray of the scale, you're adding weight to your own. And in a 35 stone game that balance tips a loooot faster.

 

However, I've heard a lot of this phrase, "Summoning is a trap". Basically what that means is just because you can spend every activation summoning, doesn't mean you should spend every activation summoning. Yes, swarming models is awesome, but it's not the only thing you need to do to succeed in the game. Keep your eyes on your resources and what you're trying to accomplish over all. (S'why I like McMourning so much, though, as if killing a model is on my to do list, I can use that as an excuse to try and summon as well. )

 

I hope I didn't ramble too much... I tend to get verbose.

 

ENinja

[Mxbedlam]

I think the reason that some people point to Summoning being a trap is that it IS resource intensive, and every turn you spend summoning is AP you aren't spending achieving VPs. Summoning should be tactical. Look for the appropriate time. Just lost a Punk Zombie? put it back out there. Just wasted 2-3 AP that your opponent spent killing the first one. An opponent's model caught out? Summon up a fatty to take them down

With respect to McM most of his summoning is done as the result of other actions that you take, BUT you can easily spend an entire turn setting up one good expunge. The best advice is, pay attention, see where the best options are to expunge and go for it. EX: if you are playing Sonnia, don't expunge the witchlings because she's probably just going to bring them back. HIt her or Sam instead.