Malifaux - anybody playing it?

[Argonor]

I am tempted.

How does it play, please?

As far as I am able to make out, I need the Core Rule Book ($35) + 2 Fate Decks (2 x $7.25), in all $50 to get started (not counting the minis) - so I'd like some input before plunging into it.

I AM going to get some of their minis, anyway, for use with several other projects (they are so wonderfully twisted), but would like to know, whether the rules are worth to get..?

[Doc Twilight]

Arg -

Mina and I have four gangs between us, and plans to pick up a couple more at some point. However, we haven't had a chance to play yet, unfortunately! I will say that it reads very well, and is quite a different, innovative type of system. No dice rolling, for instance (entirely card based.) Organization of the rulebook is better than other, contemporary books, in my opinion, but there are some who think the exact opposite. Having not played it yet, perhaps I've missed some critical detail being in an odd place, but as I say, it reads well.

Only objection is the odd casting style done for some of the miniatures. For the most part they are very nice, but some of the sculpts are thinner sculpts (not AE: WW2, thin, but thin), and they have inexplicably tiny spare parts that could easily have been cast on (hands, weapons, etc.) which are somewhat of a pain to attach properly without accelerator and/or pinning. (I hate pinning, so tend to go for the accelerator option whenever possible.) That said, they are nice sculpts, with good, deep detail, paint up beautifully, and really look the business when on the tabletop.

We hope to get in a game later this month or in early August. Just haven't had the time.

-Doc

[elysium64]

I have played a couple of games and have been very impressed by the rules system which despite being very simple fully captures the different styles of the gangs as well as encourages creative strategic thinking.
Thoroughly recomended.
With forthcoming releases like these what is there not to like?

[Argonor]

I absolutely like the minis - those 'scissor-handed' puppets are interesting as h*ll 

I also like that I get the stats for the minis when I buy them (the backing card in the blister, yes, I bought one already: Killroy - a nice ghoul/zombie/lab maniac boss).

I think I'll just slowly build up a collection of painted minis, then go for the rules  when I have a handful to try out the rules. There's plenty of minis that I want along the way 

Thanks for the input so far - if anyone else has something to add, don't be shy! 

[Dewbakuk]

I'll reply properly later when I'm not fighting my wife for the PC. However for now, the game is great, the figures are exquisite and you don't need many. You also don't 'need' two fate decks, you can play with normal playing cards, however the Fate decks are damned nice so I'd recomend them.

[Heldrak]

I'm just getting into Malifaux myself (bought a ton of figures but haven't played yet), but I'm pretty pleased so far. Doc Twilight makes a good point about some of the casting/assembly issues on the figures, but their excellent look makes up for it IMHO.

You can usually get Malifaux material at roughly 20% off either on eBay or from various online distributors, so you should be able to knock a little off your starting total, depending on your location (Malifaux is harder to acquire in Europe, apparently).

While you can use standard playing cards for a Fate Deck, it really is best to get the real thing as the suits are important (Rams/Ravens/Tomes/Masks) and the branded Fate Decks have weak/moderate/heavy ratings for damage flips. You'll save yourself a world of headaches and looking things up/remembering them for a relatively modest investment.

There's a pretty active online community for Malifaux on the Wyrd website here:

http://wyrd-games.net/forum/index.php

You can also find some extensive reviews of the game online, including some examples of games play on YouTube (just enter "Malifaux" as a keyword).

[JMGraham]

I enjoy the heck out of the game.  It's a wonderful mish-mash of genres, has top-notch minis (though many are "advanced" projects in model assembly), and smooth game play.  I would recommend having someone experienced teach you to play - the rules are actually quite simple, but they are presented as clearly as they could be in the book.  I love the synergies between different models.  Often, a model will look weak in isolation, with powers that don't make sense.  However, once you see how they interact with other models, on the battlefield, they suddenly make sense.  The hand-management component is also nice - it forces you to focus not just on what to do, but also on when to do it, depending on the cards you have available.  Great game.

Jim

[Argonor]

I would recommend having someone experienced teach you to play -

That's probably not going to happen here in the wargaming backwater kingdom of Denmark - where miniature wargaming - as far as game stores go - consists of 'the GW hobby' (Warmachine and Hordes had a brief appearance, and that was probably the furthest 'alternative gaming' progress made since Warzone) 

[Heldrak]

To judge by the posts on the Wyrd Miniatures website, a lot of the players seem to have migrated to Malifaux from Warmachine/Hordes, so if there are already Warmachine players it may be a fairly natural progression.

[Baldrick]

I have a couple of gangs, one painted and working on the other.  You really only need one fate deck per gang, and a standard deck of cards will work just as well.

I'm very pleased with the way that the rules read and will probably be playing my first game latter on month.

[syr8766]

Not saying anything new here, but I do enjoy the game tremendously. I do know a lot of people who play it and WM/Hordes; I'm not sure the 'progression' from one to the other is natural, but they do have a lot of commonalities: solid system based on resource management (cards and wyrdstone i.e. bonus points), small number of (truly gorgeous) figures, smaller playing surface, the steampunk setting, etc.

The game is great, fast paced, and characterful. I've loved the figures since before the game came out, when they were just putting out interesting steampunk minis. I like the diceless system and the use of cards. The special rules for each figure are interesting without being over-the-top or cheesy (well, for the most part). Just a fun game.

[Argonor]

Nice feedback, so far 

Does anyone have anything to put on the other scale?

On the plus side:

• Small gangs
• High quality minis
• Good 'feel' to the minis
• Good game flow

Neutral (from my point of view, at least):

• Card-based mechanics

On the minus side:

• Minis on the expensive side (somewhat balanced by quality and the small number needed)

[JMGraham]

Once you get used to it, you might move the card-based mechanic up to the pro column.  The hand-management part is really neat once you get into it.  The one thing to always consider is the availavility of opponents - if you won't have many (any), it's a big negative.

Re: expense, the minis are pricey.  However, the game also lends itself well to alternative minis, and might give you a chance to field some minis you already have.  I'd recommend starting with a rulebook, and seeing what you think!

Jim

[pomes70]

Malifaux is one of the few games I keep longing to play. I have played several games and have three crew, plus some extras. Some of the crews take some practice to get used to, others are really straight forward with their abilities.

The Card system- allows for "cheating"- you can switch out unfavorable cards for better ones to change outcomes or to lessen the damage. Still, you have to be careful how you use them. I love this concept. I've seen plenty of game turned around by a good card hand. Whereas in other games, once it turns against you, you might as well give up- with Malifaux it could change to your favor rather quickly.

The best part I've found is the generationof the scenarios. You generate the board and the objectives before you pick your crew composition. So, if you have to eliminate the other team- you pick heavy hitters, if you have to grab the loot, you pick the quickest of the group.  There are also special environment pieces that affect certain characters- Nicodem- a Resurrectionist loves to have Graveyards on the board- he can make more zombies that way. Great concepts, good back story and some decent looking figures. You have to find the right combination of things.

It keeps me coming back for more. I just picked up my Malifaux stuff again and will dusting them off soon as new releases are coming out. Love the Showgirls box set.   

[Lupus]

Card based makes it a little unique and i ahve to say i like it as a agme.

We did a very nice review and battle report in The Ancible.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the new book and seeing what they ahve cooked up rules wise in that.