Post by JamesW on Dec 14, 2014 15:19:42 GMT
What is Malifaux and why would I want to play?
Mainly because it’s a lot of fun. Malifaux is a skirmish wargame based in an alternate world in the 1890s. It has elements of Victorian, Wild West, Steampunk & Horror which merge surprisingly well with some entertaining fluff. One particularly nice aspect of the game is that it is very low maintenance; The boxed sets cost about 20 - 30 quid and contain 6 - 7 minis which is more or less all you need to play. You will also probably want to buy a fate deck - the deck of cards used instead of dice - for about 5 quid and the rulebook which is about 8 quid. So with 30 - 40 quid you are good to go.
Are the starter boxes any good?
There are a lot of games out there which have starter boxes and they vary in quality. One particularly common criticism of starter boxes is that they contain the absolute bare minimum needed to play a small version of the game. With Malifaux this is not the case. Games of Malifaux are generally played with forces of 20-50 points. Each starter box can generally provide between 30 to 50 points with about 40 being average. Also the starter gangs give you various options. You get a selection of upgrade cards which can be used to give your minis various different powers during the game.
Cards instead of dice? Is this just a gimmick?
No. At first glance it seems that the cards are just used like dice. Each player has a deck of 54 cards which is made of numbers 1-13 in four different suits along with two jokers (In fact you can play with a standard deck of cards but the suits have different names and symbols in the Malifaux fate deck). When you make an attack or cast a spell you flip the top card from your deck and add the number to your attack/casting skill. However the suits make it more interesting. Actions will often have special additional effects which occur when a certain suit is used. More interesting still is that both players start each round with a hand of six cards which they can use to 'cheat fate'. If you are unhappy with the card you flipped for an action, you can replace it with a card from your hand. In a dice based game a weak mini is always a weak mini, but in Malifaux, so long as you have a good card or two in your hand, a weak mini can be powered up for a heroic action if need be.
How come each player doesn't move all their minis at once?
There are several different types of activation used in wargames. The oldest and most basic style of activations is called igougo. I move all my minis then attack with them, then you move and attack with all of yours. You will all have played with this sort of activation rule. Many modern games, particularly skirmish games, use a system of alternating activation. Malifaux uses this type of rule. Each turn one player activates one mini, moves, attacks, casts spells, etc, then the other player activates one mini. the play goes back and forth like this until all the minis have been activated, then the turn ends. Alternating activation systems are good as you don't have such long periods of downtime waiting for your opponent to activate all their minis. Also you can play a much more responsive game where you can immediately react to your opponent's last move.
How do you decide who wins?
I'm glad you asked as this is one of the greatest things about Malifaux. Before the game starts the players flip cards to see how the game will be set up. The first flip is for deployment; you might be deploying from the sides, the corners, or up close near the middle. Then you flip for the strategy. This is randomly assigned from a list of five different possible options. The strategy is an objective that both players can use to earn victory points. It might be capturing points on the board, occupying particular areas, killing your opponents minis, etc. Then you flip to randomly select 5 schemes from a list of 19. From this shortlist of 5 each player secretly selects 2 schemes which they can use to earn victory points during the game. These schemes can involve killing your opponents master, planting markers at points on the board, delivering a message to the enemy, framing the opponent for the murder of one of your minis, etc. The combination of strategies and schemes means that no two games are ever the same, and you can decide whether to play with offensive, defensive or evasive tactics. It is possible to lose most of your gang and barely land a blow, but still win if you play well.
Are some gangs better than others?
The game is very well balanced so there isn't a 'cheesy' or 'dirty' gang. Malifaux is recently into it's second edition and the main difference between the editions is that the game has been balanced very carefully. each set of gangs has gone through months of open beta playtesting, so has been extensively checked before their final stats were released. There are a lot of synergies between models so it is wise to plan additions to your gang quite carefully but nothing you add will guarantee a win I'm afraid!
It sounds complicated. Is it hard to play?
Like any wargame there is a learning curve but it is pretty straightforward. The way that the cards are flipped for actions is probably the hardest part of the game to get used to, but can be picked up within a game. The rest of the rules are pretty standard and will feel familiar to players of other games. An additional advantage of the second edition Malifaux rules is that they were rewritten in a very precise manner. This means that there are very few, if any, grey areas in the rules.
Sounds interesting. Can I try a game to see if I like it?
Of course you can! Come see us over in Malifaux corner. I have plenty of spare gangs and am more than happy to give you a demo game.
Is there anything else I need to know?
If you are looking at Malifaux stuff on the internet it is worth remembering that the first edition minis are mostly the metal ones and the plastic minis are mostly second edition. Second edition boxed sets are also marked M2E. The first edition minis are usable in second edition but the rulecards from first edition boxes don't work with second edition. You can buy packs of rulecards separately but it is probably better to look at proper M2E boxed sets. The same is true for the rulebooks; lots of shops still sell the first edition rulebooks but we all play second edition at 1066. If you are unsure please feel free to message me.