So last Friday the Warmaster Black Matt and I went down to the Complete Strategist in NYC to play some Malifaux and maybe throw down some 40K with some of the guys at the Warmongers club: http://warmongers.ziggyqubert.com/tiki-index.php .
Matt and I had been itching to play some Malifaux for a while- him from the miniature paint perspective, and me from the small skirmish game perspective. I have been really enjoying my Mordheim games and so was looking for something from a non GW “system” to compare it against. We also figured having some of the guys at the WM club help us with the rules would cut down on the learning curve, which it did tremendously- much thanks. Matt has some vids up on his blog with the game, which I’ll sum up nicely before me review of the mechanics.
Matt’s crew lead by some undertaker dude had to kill my crew, while my crew lead by Pandora had to retrieve a treasure marker from the center of the table and then make it back to my table edge. Matt’s strategy was to dig up and raise some punk zombies along the way and overwhelm me, while mine was to grab the treasure and then run away as fast as I could. In the end the game was a tie, Matt killed some of my crew and I grabbed that loot so we were both 50/50. I should add that while techincally it was a "tie" any game where Black Matt doesn't win is a default win for me...
Game Mechanics?
The critical look at it.
I’m going to be honest here with Malifaux, putting it under the microscope from my point of view as an avid miniature wargamer, board game player, and RPG player dude…
GOOD
Miniatures- The minis for each crew are fantastic right out of the box. Nothing needed to convert. Easily on par with the new plastics and metals coming out of GW. From a game perspective this is huge, as the looks and flavor of the minis are half the game. Nobody wants to play with bad looking stuff. Personally I like the fact they are metal and your entire crew is $50 or less- no GW money grabs here.
Gameplay- Nice and fast, even with Matt and I fumbling through the rules from time to time. Being a skirmish game it’s nice to be able to get in two or three games in the same time a single 40K game would take.
Game Involvement: Alternating turns by activating models was really fun. Unlike 40K/Fantasy there is no sitting around while your opponent makes all their moves, shots, and powers. There is an added layer of depth almost like chess as you move a model based on what your opponent has moved or can move.
Powers: Each model has a number of unique powers you can activate which is really cool- from the 40K perspective imagine if each model was its own psyker or HQ like unit with cool wargear and stuff. Matt was using a number of “hanged” models which throw out their noose and pull your model closer as an example- still can’t get away from playing lash! On my side Pandora had enough powers going off that would make Eldrad jealous.
First Turn: Each turn both players draw a card to see who goes first, followed by possibly countering said card. This was really cool- sometimes you want to go first, other times you don’t. No IG parkinglot alpha strikes here from what I can see.
BAD
Cards: Malifaux uses cards over dice to propel the game which while not really a bad thing lends to an even more random nature then dice in my opinion- kind of like the board game Talisman if you have ever played that game, which for the record I have to say is my favorite all time game, more than 40K! This isn’t always a bad thing, but could really play havoc with any type of strategy you may have. Combined with the powers of each model it really felt like I was just playing Magic The Gathering with miniatures as tokens. If I wanted to bust out cards and combos, interrupting my opponent, etc. then well I would play Magic and not a miniature game. Played Magic, been there and done that…
INDIFFERENT
Two things I also noted which personally don’t really influence me one way or another was the use of terrain and the background fluff of the game. Terrain is like 40K 4th edition with different elevations, and movement rates depending on terrain. Is this good or bad? Just something to get re-used to in my case, taking a step back from 40K 5th edition to 40K 4th edition. While it might not make sense visually on the table, it certainly cuts down on potential arguments.
Fluff: Wyrd, fantastic miniatures, interesting mechanics, but really, couldn’t you come up with something even remotely more original?
The game takes place in a ruined city where various guilds control crews that enter the city in search of “soul stones” which have magical properties = Malifaux.
Vs.
The game takes place in a ruined city where various warbands enter the city in search of “wyrdstones” which have magical properties = Mordheim.
Kind of a letdown on that one.
The final verdict?
Interesting enough to play as a hobby to 40K and I’ll be picking my primary crew out, but I can’t see (and don’t have) the time to devote to the meta of it enough to play in tournaments. Fills an interesting spot when you want a break from GW rules or don’t want to push around 100+ models or play something in power armor…
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