Simple question: What do I need to get started in Mailfaux

[palaeomerus]

I tried to figure out where to start and it;s just confusing for me.

I want to play outsiders I think, probably Von Schill's freikoprs but...

Is this 2nd or 3rd edition?

I looked at one book and it seemed to be an rpg instead of the table top game.

Do I need the card deck?

I am lost.

[quasihayley]

Malifaux is currently on second edition, usually called M2E. Any plastic box set is the M2E one, for Von Schill it's called Hired Guns. (This is a good choice, he's a decent Master and his box set is good)

You can download the M2E rules (without fluff) for free at DriveThruRPG (you still have to checkout but it doesn't charge you). That fluff-free book can also be bought, it's called the Rules Manual.

Models come with stat cards so the rules manual and stat cards are enough, you don't need to buy the other books to get started (but they offer campaign settings, scenarios to play, etc.)

You need a pack of cards with 2 jokers. You can buy an official Fate Deck which has different suits but playing with normal cards is also fine.


If you want the fluff, there's a main M2E rulebook and 3 expansion books usually called Wave 2, Wave 3 and Wave 4:
Wave 2 - Crossroads
Wave 3 - Shifting Loyalties
Wave 4 - Ripples of Fate

Any metal models are 1st edition - you'd need to buy new model cards to use them. The M2E cards can be bought as sets, they're called Arsenals and are faction specific.

The RPG books are called Through the Breach.

[palaeomerus]

Okay, that definitely helps! Thanks! At least now I know which of the 4 books is the main rule book which is half the battle.

And yeah, Von Schill's box, Lady Justice and The Latigo/Ortega boxes are the ones catching my eyes at the moment.

[Hobby Services]

There are many, many YouTube videos and podcasts out there that might be helpful as well, especially when it comes to deciding which crew's play style sounds most interesting.  Nothing wrong with shopping based on minis aesthetics, but it's nice to have an idea what the figures do (and don't do) well in the game before committing.

[palaeomerus]

I found a starter set on Amazon for &45 and ordered that. It has two mini crew of 4 each( kind of lame...a mad scientist w/ nurse and assistants vs. a demon trainrobber rifle-woman, a bigger demon dude, and two kind sorta demon guys).
It come with two decks, a rules booklet, a few teaching scenarios and stat cards and such.

I get the whole hearts = rams, spades = ravens, clubs = books, diamonds = masks thing now that I've seen some cards. It looks to be a basic 52 card deck in drag. (This reminds me of Deadlands and Savage Worlds wuite a bit now)

So I'm going to play that until I get the hang of it and then get the main rule book and probably  pick out a couple of "large" sets of which will likely have the Ortegas, Freikorps, and the Judgment's Death Marshals in them. I'm also liking the look of some of the gremlin mobs.

 

[Malebolgia]

The starter set is really nice! The models are quite cool, the deck are very well done and it has an excellent booklet with teaching scenarios.
A note about the models: they made them much easier to assemble than the regular plastics though. So they aren't good indications of the regular stuff you get (which is often WAY more advanced in building complexity).
By the way, if you want to see more plastics assembled with some notes on assembly, check out GMorts Chaotica blog:

http://gmortschaotica.blogspot.nl/p/unboxing-malifaux.html

[Gabbi]

I agree. The 2 players starter set is a good starting point. One of the faction is Guild, same as Lady Justice and Ortega crews (albeit they seems to have the most synergies with Sonnia). The other is Neverborn. Two things make this set worty: the two crews are somewhat the opposite, playstile-wise, to most of their respective factions: Dr Grimwell's crew is melee focused, while Guild usually has lots of shooting stuff, Angel Eyes crew (the Neverborn one) has more ranged options, while Neverborns usually are focused on close combat. So models would provide nice options even once you'll have "full" crews. Also, all models are "mercenary", allowing them to be included in crews of different factions (by paying the 1ss more than their cost, this is referred by players as the merc tax).

[palaeomerus]

Amazon says the Starter lands tomorrow. Finger crossed.

[palaeomerus]

I just slapped Dr Grimwell and the chunkier orderly together.  I think I may have just crossed into permanent bi-focals territory.

I am looking for an old ELMO projecteor/camera to hook up to a monitor/pc maybe to give me something well lit and big to look at as I work.

The magnifying glass helping hand thing is not as good as it needs to be.

[Hobby Services]

Have you tried using an opti-visor?  eg



They take some getting used to and I admit I don't use mine as much as I probably should, but they are handy for really fine detail painting.

As an added benefit, you'll look like a mad scientist while using one.