My Contribution to the World of Malifaux

It seems like every month I'm oggling Malifaux. I love Warmachine for its rules and models, but darn it if Malifaux isn't a constant siren's call. A member of my local gaming group (who sadly doesn't live close enough to teach me the game) actually has a Malifaux podcast that I like to listen to when painting or working, and they just released an episode with my name on it. No really.

Malifaux recently entered in to a new edition of rules, and as I've tried to keep up with the game I've found that there is an utter lack of up-to-date information for new players. I asked Antonio if they would consider doing an episode for beginners, and today I was treated to 1 1/2 hours of them going through several of my questions and covering everything a new or curious player may want to know. Give it a listen here if you're curious about Malifaux, because it's a great session of information.

Up to this point Malifaux was a bit of a mystery. It's a boutique game, making it very niche and therefore lacking in a wide range of quality resources. I'd lurked on a few forums and even posted a few inquisitive threads myself, but without actually buying a rulebook and a few starter packs I never really knew what the game was about.

This episode of Through the Breach answered a lot of big questions I had. So now that the curtain has been pulled back, the big question is whether I'm still interested after getting some concrete info.

Why yes, yes I am.

The story in particular always sounded very abstract to me. It's an alternate reality where a door to another universe opens up. People go through and stuff happens and babies wielding butcher knives show up. I'm all for Lovecraftian horror, but it always sounded like word vomit to me. Now that I have a better idea of the setting I'm really loving the character-driven gameplay, where everyone you put on the table either has a story, or somehow contributes to the story of a main character. As someone whose first real wargame experience included fielding some generic robots, followed by a field of generic infantry, the idea of every model in my army contributing to a bigger story is appealing.

I think my greatest excitement was hearing that the new edition isn't the herald of destruction like the internet seems to think. I've never been around for a new edition of an existing game, so Malifaux was my first experience really seeing how people react to a familiar game changing in front of them. The hosts likened it to how Warmachine had to switch to its current edition, and while I can imagine a lot of people were angry at first there's simply no denying that the Warmachine of today is fan-freaking-tastic. Hearing the different ways that Malifaux has been improved in M2E, I'm really excited to get in on the ground floor and start learning the game.

That's another point they made - Malifaux is basically new again. People aren't in a rut on how certain models should be played, people aren't at such a high level that it's impossible for new players to join, nor is the game so stale that there's nothing new to be discovered. Although the game is still working on fully releasing the new edition, it sounds like I can easily jump in and play with no real hiccups.

One of the best pieces of advice for people who are starting the game was picking a faction. I've always had my eye on a few different masters, but I didn't realize that Malifaux is more about the factions themselves than individual masters. The advice to pick a faction, rather than a master, made it much easier to make my decision. Well... as easy as it could possibly be considering I can't even decide on a Warmachine faction. Still, knowing that the faction itself is more of a selling point that focusing on a single master makes things a lot simpler.

I don't know a ton about the factions just yet, but the podcast + research I've done in the past have me thinking about which one might be right for me.

• Arcanists - I feel like I should love these guys. I always love magic users! But none of the masters have made me too excited quite yet. That being said, I love the look of the non-masters. Elementals and constructs are a great change from humans, and Malifaux has some great looking pieces. Glass cannon gameplay is always fun in a multiplayer game where someone can protect me, but having damage be the only thing that separates me from my opponent is a bit intimidating. This could be a 2nd or 3rd faction for me, but I'm not sure they offer the Malifaux gameplay I'm wanting.
• Neverborn - These guys sound like the Circle Orboros faction, which I really like. Factions that are hard to master because they're so intricate are very rewarding, and masters like The Dreamer (a sleeping child who could spawn nightmares) have a lot of depth. The style of the Neverborn models are also what first drew me in to Malifaux. That being said, these guys are a bit much for someone who paints with his kids awake. I'd love to play them, but I don't need my games giving my kids nightmares.
• Resurrectionists - Zombie Chihuahua! Seamus, the serial killer who looks like a leprechaun (and demands to be painted as such) has always seemed fun. He would have been my first master if everyone didn't find his rules in the old edition so boring. You guys know I'm a prude so I don't love the idea of painting the Rotting Belles, but I figure if I make the flesh decayed enough I'll survive. On the table, I love the idea of summoning models that weren't there in the first place, and having a resilient faction really puts Rezzers in the running for my first faction.
• Outcasts - Hamelin, and to a lesser degree S'omer Teeth Jones, are what drew me to this faction. With S'omer being moved to the new Gremlins faction (one I care nothing about), this faction has basically dropped from my peripheral. 
• Ten Thunders - I'm normally all-in for an oriental theme in a western game, but I just haven't found enough models in this faction to make me want to pay attention to them. 
• The Guild - I've been interested in the Guild from the start. They're very straightforward, and even have masters that specialize in fighting specific factions. I dig their cowboy vibe, and holy cow the models in the box set look amazing. There are two things keeping me from choosing them right away. 1: It's more human models, and Malifaux is so diverse that I almost want to pick a faction that epitomizes the Victorian horror. 2: I'm not a fan of some of the anime-chested females. Yes they're just miniatures, and pardon the bluntness but I've never appreciated artists sitting there like "Huh huh, boobies. Make 'em bigger!" Fortunately Lady Justice's new sculpt (linked previously) seems more tasteful, which really only leaves one model I don't care for, and again her new sculpt has been slightly toned down.

Realizing I needed to look at the faction as a whole made this much easier. Arcanists no longer had me on the fence as choice #1, Hamelin wasn't enough to justify to the rest of the Outcasts, nor S'omer with Gremilins. That leaves me with two choices that are much easier to make a pros/cons list for: Guild for their gameplay and looks, or Rezzers for their looks and flavor (and maybe gameplay). Considering I'll probably have to buy and paint 2 starters and just demo the game for friends, I think it's safe to say I've at least figured out which two starters I'll be getting!

There was a lot of great advice and discussion and I encourage you to listen to it if you're even remotely interested in the game. I have a lot on my plate as I'm working on becoming a Press Ganger, but after today I'm 99.9% guaranteed to be a casual Malifaux player in the next few months. It's really cool to see a couple guys who barely know me or any of their listeners take time out to really get down to the basics of the game and help make it accessible. Kudos to the guys at Through the Breach for really making my day!


See you tomorrow!

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