Welcome to Malifaux - Prim's Breachside Blog

[Primarch]

I have been playing Malifaux since it was first released way back in the before-time. Locally we have a small group of players and I have a large pile of unpainted, semi-painted and (a few) painted minis for it. As it is something that I will work on as and when the mood takes me, I figured a blog might be the best way to keep everything in the same place.

So, welcome to my Malifaux blog, a place for me to post pictures of minis, share my thoughts on the game, discuss crews and ramble on at length on various points.

There should be some pictures coming up at some point soon, but I'd like to kick things off with a look at how crews are put together in Malifaux.

Building a crew in Malifaux is different from most other games because you get a lot more control over how you approach the game. Before selecting your crew you get to see which strategies and schemes are available and have a rough idea of what your opponent will bring. We don't usually do this locally, (why not?), but crew selection should happen after nearly everything else. All that you do at the start is declare which faction you will be using.

So, once you know the mission you need to start planning what to put on the table. There are several roles to fill in a crew and it can be hard to cover all your bases. Generally speaking, you want to consider filling the following roles.

Beatstick - Tough and able to dish out the hurt, whether at range or up close.
Bodyguard - Someone to keep your key models alive a bit longer.
Assassin - Need something dead ASAP? Fast and killy is the way to go.
Scheme Runner - A lot of schemes need you to move fast and drop markers.
Denial - Depending on the strategy, having a way to remove markers or deny their placement is great.
Support - Healing models, boosting their abilities or pushing figures around, support models increase your crew's odds of victory.
Summoner - Because sometimes you just want more models.

Some models fulfill more than one role. Masters and Henchmen are usually quite versatile and can usually cover a couple of the above positions in a crew. Of course, they are still only one model, so you can't expect them to be dropping markers, wiping out enemy crews and moving your own crew around all at once.
Henchmen often do what their associated Master cannot. Your Master is a melee beatstick? Expect the Henchman to support them. Soft and squishy guy leading the crew? The enemy will need to get through your hard as nails Henchman first.

Certain crews favour certain styles of play of course, but a mix of roles can help generate those extra VPs to win you the game. Look at which schemes are in the pool, if you see 'Kill' schemes and you know your opponent likes to run Beatstick Masters, investing in Bodyguard styles models may help, or take an Assassin or two and get them before they get you. If the pool has 'Marker' style schemes, having someone fast and nimble to get your markers into position is going to help you win the game. Being able to remove enemy markers will also help out.

More often than not, Malifaux is a game about knowing how your crew wins. It's not always about killing enemy models (though that usually helps), but about playing to your crew's strengths. Picking your crew with the mission in mind helps you to build on those strengths and focus on generating the VP you need to win.

[komura]

Thank you for creating this thread. Interesting and useful. I'd like to learn about Malifux there.

[Primarch]

Thank you for creating this thread. Interesting and useful. I'd like to learn about Malifux there.

Great!

Crew Creation Continued

Ok, so you know what you're hoping to achieve, you have a fair idea of what you're likely to face and now you just need to select the models to fulfill the roles you have identified as being important.

First of all, you need a Master (High Soulstone games), a Henchman (Low Soulstone games), or your choice of Master or Henchman (Mid Soulstone games). As I said above, most Masters and Henchmen are fairly versatile, though they usually have one thing they are great at and that will form the core of your tactics. If you do take a Master, Henchmen help plug any gaps in your crew, though they can be pretty expensive. Each Master and most Henchmen have a few upgrades available that can help to specialize them in one way or another. These aren't a requirement, but they do give you a lot more options.

Next up, you probably want an Enforcer. As the name implies these guys tend to be fairly heavy hitters, though they aren't all combat monsters. Enforcers usually specialize in one area, often being able to go toe to toe with Masters. Some of the toughest models in the game fit into this category. They might not have all the bells and whistles of a Henchman, but make a point of finding out what they do. Enforcers might just be a big dumb brute, but they can also be a key point in the chain of models that makes the enemy crew unstoppable.

Minions are the rank and file. They may be fairly general in what they do, or they may have some key ability which they rely on to boost their crew. Minions aren't usually all that tough (unless that's their thing, in which case they probably don't do much else), but they will be the ones dropping markers, blocking your charges and taking a bullet for your Master.

Peons are the lowest of the low. They don't count for most schemes and are usually pretty fragile. In the Human (or Inhuman) Resources section of recruiting a crew, these guys are the Resources. Grind them up, spit them out, use them to further your clever plans. That's not to say they are worthless, just that they aren't worth much.

Totems are a special type of Minion/Peon that is worth a mention. Masters usually have a specific Totem that is directly beneficial to them. There is also a Faction Totem which any Master in the Faction can hire. These have more general abilities. Totems are cheap, support models and can make a large difference in how Masters play.

With all that to consider, there is one more point to look at in selecting your crew. Theme.
Masters come in a starter box with a themed crew. These are good to begin with, as the crew usually complements the Master's abilities in some way. As your collection expands, you will find that selecting your crew may become more challenging depending on how closely you stick to a theme.

Thematic Crews
Some crews really benefit from having the majority of it's models fit it's theme, even after you expand from the starter box. Rasputina and the Cult of December is one such crew. Rasputina lets you cast her spells through friendly models with the Frozen Heart ability (something ALL her thematic crew have). Since she is very slow, this is essential for getting her impressive arcane powers to anywhere on the board. She could take a crew without any Frozen Heart models, but it would severely handicap her to do so.

Semi-thematic Crews
Most Masters have specific key-words or abilities on their cards that benefit from the models nearby also having that ability. There is often an upper limit on how many models you can affect at once, so you don't need everyone to have that ability. Once you have the few thematic models chosen, you are free to select the rest at will. The Viktorias are a good example of this. The Viks have a lot of abilities that apply to Sister models. Including the two Viks, there are only 4 models with the Sister key-word. (5 with an upgrade). Most Viktoria crews will contain all 4 Sisters, but the rest of the crew can be whatever the player likes.

Non-thematic Crews
Some Masters really do well regardless of who is nearby. They can make good use of any ability that a friendly minion has, and don't need a particular key-word or model type to really shine. This gives them the freedom to select any model you like. Lady Justice is a Non-thematic leader. She can lead the Death Marshals, but gets no real benefit from doing so, and offers the Marhsals nothing in return. For Lady J, a Guild Task Force of Mashals, Witchlings, Constructs and Ortegas works just as well and provides options that her themed crew may lack.

Themed lists can do well and look nice on the tabletop. In some cases they can be quite restrictive, in others you can choose your crew however you like. Start with a crew box and work up from there. Some models do work better than others, some offer more combos or boost your effectiveness, some don't.

[kojibear]

Thanks Primarch. Even though I have a reasonable amount of Malifaux games under my belt, this is very useful. Malifaux is a game that requires thought and strategy, and having a good foundation of the basics.

Always staying aware of the schemes is so important. I have learned the hard way that there is too much risk to simply go for the kill, as Malifaux is a fickle place and so can be the fate she dishes out. A red or black joker can both be the ruin of your day of your Master and enforcers/beatsticks. You can't just let an opponent's lone model to go off on his or her own, because you can be sure they have a very good reason to be heading that way! An opponent is moving one of their minion's back towards their table edge or seemingly fleeing backwards, there will be a good reason for that, too! Wait! Why is that model standing out in the open just asking to be shot??? There will most likely be a reason for that, too!!! This game sure keeps you on your toes.

[Primarch]

So, as promised some pics for the blog. I'm starting off with painted minis and a brief rundown of what they do so that if you meet them on the tabletop, you'll have a rough idea who they are and how much trouble they are likely to cause.
The Viktorias

The Viktoria on the right is Viktoria of Ash. She is the Master in the crew. She is no slouch in melee and has a pistol if she needs to shoot you. Her main role however, is to act as support for her evil doppelganger...
Viktoria of Blood. The second Viktoria is armed with paired swords for extra mincing potential and fits neatly into the Assassin category. She is a Henchman so can lead crews in her own right, but has a special rule preventing her from being hired by any other Master. She is free when hired by her less evil twin, so there really is no reason not to take her.
The twins work in tandem, eliminating threats and moving each other around to do so. They can be incredibly good at wiping out hard targets or even hordes of soft ones if they hit their triggers. This lethal duo come with a downside though, they are essentially a glass hammer. They don't have a lot of wounds and very few ways to reduce damage beyond spending soulstones. It's very much a case of "Get them, before they get you!"

Taelor

This rather startled looking figure is one of the Outcast Henchmen, and quite expensive to boot. She moves slowly, but is pretty tough and has a massive melee range. Her Relic Hammer has a good damage spread and plenty of possible triggers. If you are a Tyrant (Hamelin or Chompy Bits) or a Construct, expect to get really smooshed by it.

Johan

Johan also has a Relic Hammer, and though he lacks some of Taelor's triggers, he still hits pretty hard with it. As an Enforcer, he focuses on melee (despite the old model having a pistol, he has no ranged attacks). He does come with a very handy ability to end all Conditions on a model, removing Poison, Burning, Slow and a whole host of other inconvenient things.

Bishop

No, not the android from Aliens, an ex-cage fighter enforcer who punches things. He can add the suit of his choice to his punches, force your models to use their Wp instead of their Df against his punches and he has a trigger for every suit on his primary punch. He can swap his regular punch for a big punch or he can discard a card to get extra punches. He's not particularly tough, but if you miss him he has a chance to punch you again. He likes punching basically.

Convict Gunslinger

Another enforcer, (wow, I have a lot of them). What Bishop is for punching this guy is for shooting. For his cost he is one of the best shooters in the game, with the potential to take 6 shots a turn (if he flips some very specific cards). He is pretty accurate with a high shoot score and a bonus card flip when he attacks. Similar to Bishop, if you shoot him and miss, he can potentially shoot you right back.

Ronin

These lovely ladies are the Minions of the Crew. They can be hard to take down as you can't charge them and they are Hard to Kill, so they can't be killed in 1 hit usually. They have a pretty good sword attack which lets them bounce back out of combat if they wish and a mediocre shooting attack that doesn't do anything of note. Their main feature is their ability to kill themselves and generate Soulstones for the Crew. So if you do get one down to one wound, they are likely to finish themselves off, denying you VP and giving the Viks some extra Soulstones to play with.

[Primarch]

Malifaux is primarily a game of resource management. With most games finishing by turn 5, you have to manage your activations carefully. At the same time, you need to be careful how you use your Soulstones. Finishing the game with a full Soulstone Pool means you are either a great player, or a forgetful one.

Today though, I'd like to waffle on about the one renewable resource in the game, cards. More specifically, I'd like to talk about your control hand.

Most crews will go through most games with 6 cards in hand, giving you 30 options to cheat fate in a standard game. As cheating fate can be one of the most important mechanics in the game, having more options can really make a difference. When building a crew, look for models or upgrades with card draw options. For example, Lady Justice's Totem, the Scales of Justice allow you to draw a card if your opponent has more cards in hand than you do. Actions which let you cycle cards by discarding a card and drawing a new one help to get rid of the junk and stock up on the good stuff.

Abilities that make your minions more card-efficient help as well. Some special attacks such as Flurry can be useful, but you need to discard a card to activate them. If you have an ability to do so without discarding a card, so much the better.

Finally, abilities that require your opponent to discard cards are useful as well. By reducing your opponent's resources, you put yourself in a stronger position. If a player has no cards in hand, they are relying entirely on flipping cards from their deck. Reducing your opponent's hand, you force them to rely purely on luck.

None of these are game winning strategies, but they do help you to leverage your advantage somewhat.

So, you have built a crew and have a few card pulling shenanigans up your sleeve, what do you do with those cards?
On turn 1, it is rare to see much action. If you can start cycling cards early, do it. The end of the first turn is also a good time to build your control hand. You'll probably finish the turn with a full hand, so dump any junk cards and draw some new ones.
If you have plenty of Soulstones, you can use one to draw extra cards at the start of the turn, so it's worth considering if you expect to be taking a lot of tests.

Even if you do have a hand full of aces, it's not all bad. Every bad card in hand is one bad flip you won't have to worry about.

[The Underdweller]

I'll echo Kojibear's sentiments here! Being the Underdweller I play far fewer games of Malifaux than I'd like, so I am sure I have lots to learn still, but I do know that focusing on the schemes is super important.

I think that with second edition themed forces seem more viable than they were in first - at least with the crews I have played. I assume that the Wyrd games intended it that way. As you said, knowing how your crew works is important.

I have found some masters much easier to work with than others. McMourning's poisoning strategy feels a lot more finicky in second edition than his "chop people up a lot" 1st edition strategy, though I am sure it is effective once you get the hang of it. Nicodem's undead spamming is much easier to work with. Seamus is fragile but mobile, which is fun but means knowing when to take risks with him is tough.

Anyway, looking forward to reading more.

[Primarch]

I think that with second edition themed forces seem more viable than they were in first - at least with the crews I have played. I assume that the Wyrd games intended it that way. As you said, knowing how your crew works is important.

I have found some masters much easier to work with than others. McMourning's poisoning strategy feels a lot more finicky in second edition than his "chop people up a lot" 1st edition strategy, though I am sure it is effective once you get the hang of it.

I think the overall balance of models is better in this edition than the last and that themed crews can work very well. My post above was more about Masters that need a themed crew vs ones which don't. For example, McMourning doesn't require every model in his crew to have Poison attacks. It's certainly beneficial for him to do so, but if he goes the Guild route, it's really not an option for him. At the same time, a lot of his abilities trigger from Poison, so it's worth taking a few models that have it (Chihuahua and Sebastian for example).

McMourning does look rather finicky, but he also looks pretty solid with a lot of wounds, built in healing, movement tricks, good damage and scheme marker drops if he wants them. Some models will still destroy him in combat, but he is pretty survivable and is very versatile.

[The Underdweller]

McMourning does look rather finicky, but he also looks pretty solid with a lot of wounds, built in healing, movement tricks, good damage and scheme marker drops if he wants them. Some models will still destroy him in combat, but he is pretty survivable and is very versatile.

Sure, I think he is still considered a pretty strong master, just a bit harder to master than before

I wonder if he is any good with the Guild models? That is also thematic for him, but I don't recall the Death Marshalls having any special benefit working with him, for example. I suppose I should research a bit more.

[Primarch]

I think he is in Guild just because he technically works for them. I don't think he has much synergy with them. Taking him that route means he loses access to some of his upgrades since the upgrades need to be Guild as well. I think a crew with Dr. McMourning and Dr. Grimwell (from the M2E Starter box) could be interesting. With McMourning's nurses and Grimwell's orderlies, you could easily do a hospital themed crew.

A lot of Masters seem more tricky to use now, but once things click, they work really well.