Octopus Overlords

A boardgaming buddy is interested in giving miniature gaming a try, and has asked if anyone in our group would be interested in jumping into Malifaux with him. I'm not sure I want to say yes, but I am tempted to say yes.

I believe I'm the only person here who plays it, although I think Smoove may have attempted to get into it at one point.

The game itself is my favorite tabletop miniature game because of:

1) The world building. It's top notch. They've created an entire game world from scratch that is like nothing else out there when it comes to miniature gaming. And if you're into it, there's even a full RPG system within that world called Into the Breach.

2) The diceless testing mechanics. You use a standard set of poker cards (or purchase one of their custom decks that simply replaces the standard suits with their own symbols..which is what I recommend) to determine the results of any and all tests. This created a neat little hand management game within the game that makes for some very tense moments. Should I use this high card now and lose it, or save it for later and play this lower numbered card that may lose the test, but will save me my big guns for later? I love this and it works perfectly. You can also "cheat fate" during some tests and substitute in one of your higher cards if you see you ARE losing. But of course, so can your opponent if it's a duel.

3) The skills/powers/abilities. This game used to have an INSANE number of skills, powers, abilities, etc.. The newest edition has helped to alleviate some of that by combining those that share similar traits under one name. But that doesn't mean the game has suffered from any loss of diversity. There are still TONS of them. I also love that many of them have triggers that can fire off if you play a card with a specific suit. That adds even more urgency to the hand management.

4) The miniatures. They're some of the best looking ones out there. The detail for hard plastic is amazing. And they incorporate almost any genre you want. You like old west stuff? The Guild has you covered. You want wizards/sorcerers? Grab the Arcanists and off you go. Monsters? The Neverborn are there and ready.

5) The factions. They're varied and interesting. You have The Guild (my main) which is like the authority/military of the world, The Resurrectionists (my secondary) which are the necromancers and undead, The Arcanists which are the magic users, The Neverborn which are the monsters of the world, The Outcasts which are the mercenaries, The Ten Thunders which are the Asian themed version of most of the other factions, The Bayou which are the goofy goblins/gremlins of the world, and the Explorer's Society which is new and I'm not really experienced with. No matter what genre you like, Malifaux has one for you.

The one thing I miss is that the new rules set, which just came out last year, doesn't have a campaign system like the previous rules did. I loved Shifting Loyalties. It was Necromunda for Malifaux, with leveling up, rewards for winning, etc.. You could purchase new units to join your crew too. I really hope they bring this back for the new rules.

Overall I would put Malifaux above Fallout Wars Wasteland and Elder Scrolls Call to Arms, but those last two are more newbie friendly I think. Hordes/Warmachine and Infinity would go below those (both of which bring something new and interesting to the world of miniature gaming, don't get me wrong).

Sadly, my miniature gaming group (heck, all my gaming groups) has shrunk to absolutely zero these days. I should probably try to find a new group to play with so I can get these things back on the table.

p.s. the rules, character cards, etc. are all available as free downloads. Check them out if you're interested.

Yeah, I picked up a starter pack and really liked what I saw. However, my buddy was on miniature overload at that point and we pivoted into Bolt Action instead. That's also where we ended and really never recovered or expanded into other miniatures. That's also kind of why I ultimately fell in love with Rangers of Shadow Deep and Core Space - because both fill that miniatures skirmish play and have a relatively low-bar for entry/space requirements.

That being said, the theme of Malifaux is what initially had me interested and I don't think there's another game like it. I'd agree that the card-based resolution system and the detail/quality of the miniatures was also a bonus. I'm clearly not a good influence, but I think if you can find a set of figures that you're drawn to thematically, it's a fun game.

Thank you both! It sounds like worst case, I ended up with some good minis to paint.

They're some of the best around, make no mistake. And they're quite unique in the realm of miniatures.

I need to finish painting my last round of guild and ress minis. And now that we're discussing the game, I feel the need to buy the new exorcist sculpts.

We got gunshy and decided that instead of Malifaux, we'll dip our toes in the smaller-scale Relicblade. Who knows how it will go, but it's relatively cheap, and I love that it's a one-man production.

If you're looking for a smaller game like that with a lower price point, you may want to look at Smoove's oft hailed Rangers of Shadowdeep or perhaps even Frostgrave (second edition coming soon). They both use whatever fantasy minis you might already have, or can grab on the cheap. And they're both well reviewed with solo rules included. I've been building up a force lately in hopes of trying them both out.

Hadn't heard of that game before - looks interesting. The miniatures are metal - make sure you know what you're getting into with that. I do like the art style of the sculpts. It does look cool.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:27 am The miniatures are metal - make sure you know what you're getting into with that.

These will be my first metal minis, so we'll see! I already have a sprue cutter, and I know that I need to buy some superglue.

It's so strange to me that miniatures being metal should be such a notable thing! I started playing miniatures games in the 80s, and it's stuck with me. Some corner of my mind still sees metal as the norm, and plastic as the exception.

I also started with metal minis and it was almost the end of my foray into miniatures gaming. Maybe if I had started with plastic and developed skills and an understanding of how it basically worked, perhaps that would have been better.

I'm definitely tempted to pick up a rule book just to read it - I love reading new rules; I'm weird (I know).

I still have a handful of metal minis in various states of assembly from warmachine before they went plastic. I know the true old school miniature gamers prefer metal (at least from what I've heard), but I think I prefer plastic, and to a lesser extent resin, over metal. I know they say they don't hold detail as well, but the castings I've seen over the last few years would seem to contradict that. At least in my (non enthusiast) opinion.

Metal, in my opinion, is so much easier to work with. It's harder to assemble, and it is tricky to fix bends in thin parts (like sword), but it is so, so much easier to clean up, scrape, file, and prep. I could clean three metal miniatures in the time it takes to clean one plastic piece, and get better results on top of that. Filing doesn't gouge, and scraping/cutting doesn't give that smashed mold line effect that is such a pain to clean. Plus cleaning mold lines over detail is much, much easier with metal, as the detail itself is tougher. I'd say it also holds detail as well as resin, while being less brittle. I genuinely prefer metal, but it's also so much more expensive these days, and that isn't taking into account the higher weight for shipping.

But the industry moved on for good reason, and I could give just as many pros for plastic minis (but most of the pros would be in terms of cost, weight, and convenience rather than quality.)