Getting in on the Ground Floor

I'm not a trend-setter. I will spend hours researching something before I commit to it. Because of that I'm always hesitant to jump in to something that hasn't been established. So when I received an email from Wyrd Miniatures a few days ago, I was hit with a mixture of excitement and hesitation.

Anyone I've talked miniatures with likely knows that I really want to try Malifaux. The miniatures are beautifully creepy, and the diceless mechanic is very intriguing. Unfortunately it's not something that has taken root in my group, nor even in my area. Wyrd has a program called Henchmen that is for Malifaux enthusiasts who are willing to take on the burden of teaching and promoting Malifaux in their area. In a very weird twist, my fairly large city (by Iowa standards) is far removed from any local Henchmen. Thus it's always been left up to me to learn and teach the rules, and I've just shrugged my shoulders and said "Oh well" up to this point.

But Malifaux is going to be released with a 2.0 version which seems to streamline rules and add some new features that Malifaux players are giving the thumbs-up to. I have no idea what most of it means, but I do know that rules reboots can be a very good thing. I started Warmachine long after the Mk II rules were released, and based on the horror stories I've heard about Mk I I'm glad I did. I have access to a few old rulebooks and things then seemed a bit wonky.

After seeing what did and didn't work, PP then went back to the drawing board and released Mk II rules, and that's the set of rules that made me fall in love with this hobby. Things aren't radically different, but enough of a change was made that playing the updated rules is smoother, more understandable, and overall much more fun. And now Malifaux is going to give me the opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Despite my usual hesitation to get something at release, I really think this is the perfect time to get in to the game. I can buy and paint some starters, and by the time the rules release I'll (hopefully) be ready to get the game started in my group. Granted I could do that now, but I want my first experience to be the best. Had I played the original Warmachine I may not be as enthusiastic about the game. With Malifaux, I want my first experience to be the best.

And I'm not going to lie, the thought of starting a game where no one has it all figured out is a bit exciting. With Warmachine I spent so much time on the forums that I walked away with a whole bunch of preconceptions because people I was talking to were established in the game. If I can get in on Malifaux 2.0, I'll be figuring out the game alongside everyone else. My need to study and research a faction will be limited because everything out there will be relatively untested theory, not years of experience.

Is anyone else looking forward to the next set of Malifaux rules? Am I completely insane to wait until the next set of rules to try a game I've always wanted to play? Let me know in the comments below!

See you tomorrow!