Malifaux?

So... Wyrd Games has recently introduced a game to accompany their gorgeous range of models, Malifaux. I haven't yet gotten a chance to play, but it looks like a rollickin' good time -- zombie hookers versus cowboys versus clockwork golems! Oh my! -- but was wondering if anyone here had gotten a chance to play it and cared to share their thoughts.

If nothing else, I think a few of its subsystems could provide some interesting fuel for thought with regards to , specifically the "Scenarios & Schemes" and "Model Height & LoS" subsystems.

If nothing else, I'm working a few of their minis into my future forces. The glee I have at my idea of using the "Rotten Belles" in a Slaanesh-themed Imperial Renegades list is unntatual.

Some people at the FLGS are playing it... I will ask.

The wyrd games models are great and would make some superb additions to creative squads (like the rotten belles/Slaanesh crossover - great idea, if slightly worrying!).

Don't know anything about the game though, sorry.

Laney

I've got my whole Slaaneshi Cult mapped out using nothing but Malifaux and Anima Tactics miniatures; something about evil looking men in Edwardian suits paired with women in Gothic-Victorian hoop dresses in varying states of decay just works. My paint brush skills will not do justice to it though.

Basically, the entire concept revolves around the Rotten Belles (IR Workers or whatever "dispossible" mook Chaos Cultists will end up with) and doing whatever I need to do to manipulate my list into including this sniper:



I've handled this mini in real life; the weapon is more than twice her height!

Malifaux is a small gangs skirmish game, not unlike Mordheim, Necromunda, or Death Squads. As such, it needs a system for establishing goals and objectives so that each individual battle isn't just a flat "line `em up, roll the dice, see who dies" brawl.

The way this is done is, imho, quite ingenious and worth consideration by the designers. I understand a lot of work was put into the current Scenarios chapter of the rulebook, but, I've always operated on a philospohy of stealing, er, taking inspiration from any source that does something I like better than what I have now. I'm not saying Malifaux's system is better, but it is incredibly innovative, and worth looking at...

In a nut-shell, the scenarios for a given game of Malifaux are not a single Scenario as in DS, but a mix of four elements. Each party has their own goal, called a Strategy which is revealed to the other player and your squad works to it. This is estentially the Scenario system of DS only with a much broader range of Attacker/Defender interactions.

For example, Player 1 could roll "Assassinate," which awards 4 VP if no enemy leaders are in play at the end of the game (and 2 VP if no leaders from either party are in play); Meanwhile, Player 2 rolls "Treasure Hunt" and must drag a treasure counter from the table center to his deployment zone. 4 VP if its in his zone and his model has it in possession, 2 VP if its in his zone unattended.

Where things get really nifty, and a bit of player-vs-player gambling and trickery comes in, is with Schemes. Each player gets a secondary objective which they keep secret. These goals each net 1 VP for doing something during the game that the other player doesn't know about (but can try to puzzle out during play) or a player may announce the Scheme for an extra 1 VP.

These reference cards should help illustrate my examples:
Reference Cards 1 and Reference Cards 2

Hmmmm... me interested... bugga... bugga... I know something I NEED to do this Thursday sometime before we play ! THANKS!

Sounds like a nice idea ISH - thinking 40k for a minute, and on a totally different scale - Apocalypse uses some kinds of strategy 'cards' to liven up the game (it might be that you could keep the base scenario and modify it with squad specific 'special missions' e.g. asassinate - I think hidden objectives might work better though - clearly not the ones from apocalypse!). I'll have a look tonight and see if there is anything useful in it.

Ta Laney

I'm going to write up ten or so Schemes (many lifted right out of Malifaux) and use them in my next few games. I'm thinking something along these lines:

Quote :

Bodyguard
Your Squad's leadership must be protected at all costs!

Make note of one of your Squad's Officers. Score +1 XP for the selected Officer if that model is still in play at the end of the game.

Announce: +1 XP for your Squad's Leader

Type up a list, have every player roll a die and note the result. An extra +1 or +2 XP shouldn't tip the scales too badly. It needs extensive testing, of course.... and I'm not saying DS is lacking for not having such a system in place. I just thought it was worth bringing it to the DS community's attention, as non-GW wargames have a tendancy to rapidly vanish from the Earth due to GW's sheer gravity well crushing the market.

The ISH wrote:

I'm going to write up ten or so Schemes...

I just thought it was worth bringing it to the DS community's attention, as non-GW wargames have a tenancy to rapidly vanish from the Earth due to GW's sheer gravity well crushing the market.

Hold on a sec ISH... the idea is VERY good, and your mission of bringing this to light has been accomplished successfully. Let us look at this... the let us decide WHEN we can do this. Right now, the Scenarios work the way we have them, and we are talking about a major tweak on the game conditions. Writing stuff now for your own pleasure is good... bringing it here, affect us all. YOUR ROLL HERE IS NOT TO WRITE RULES. At least, not yet! Remember the nice chat we have? I hope you do. The intention is good, but stuff like this is a DISTRACTION from our main objectives; a fair & balanced game with plenty of unique Squads to enhance everyone's 40k experience.

We have plenty of time to revise HOW we do Scenarios... there are SEVERAL enhancements for the game on the works (that you have NO idea!), and this can be included on that part of the project... in due time. The idea is good! Sounds interesting, and if we can it, then we would definitely change. Now is NOT the time to go all rules crazy. So... learn to put things on the cooler. Play the game, play ALL the Scenarios (several times) and see how they can be improved... then when you revisit this in the future, you would be an 'expert' and be able to merge all possibilities.

REMEMBER WHAT WE TALKED. Focus & concentrate your vast energy & enthusiasm... LEARN the game and show your work (pictures or it did not happened! ) ... stress test existing rules and concepts. THEN, apply for a Staff position... then you will be assigned tasks that you want to do (Squads, items, rules, etc) as well as tasks you do not want to do (Squads, items, rules, etc) and to help others on their tasks. Take your time and learn the way that we work.

Notice I'm being ultra nice... 7th time. You know what I mean.

That's why I specified that I am using them on my own...

Yes... but that distracts YOU from YOUR task of becoming a Contributor... does it? You play with your rules, we can't use your feedback. Also... posts on HOUSE RULES are an unwanted distraction. You don't read well between the lines, don't you?