If you want to have a look at my other JargonBusters' they are here:
Background
Gremlins
Arcanists
Guild
Ten Thunders
Resurrectionists
Outcasts
Neverborn
Malifaux is unique in the way it uses cards instead of dice to play the game.
What do you need to play?
- Easy... You will need a Fate Deck - produced by Wyrd but there are rules for you to use your own pack of playing cards.
- A crew - picking up a crew is easy. You can start with just a box, so the entry level for the game is fairly cheap! Generally, 50 soulstones (points) is the limit for games, it certainly is at tournament level.
- A 3x3 playing surface with some scenery. The great thing about Malifaux is that mostly anything is possible. You may have seen some of the boards I've posted on Twitter - Dreamer's bedroom, Chess Set, Oriental or just plain Wild West. Whatever your fancy, whatever you have lying around the house, you can use!
-Each deck has 52 cards which has 4 suits printed on them and numbers from 1-13. The four suits are Rams, Tomes, Crows and Masks which replace the traditional suits on a normal deck. You can of course use a normal deck of cards if you so desire, but I would recommend using a specially designed 'Fate Deck' for ease of play.
- Soulstones are used to determine crew size and can be used to *Enhance a Duel, *Reflip Initiative, *Draw Additional Cards, *Prevent Damage.
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- Every model has an accompanying card, this card has the model's abilities and actions on which they can perform in the turn.
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On Seamus' card; he Terrifies everyone (partly due to the fact he's a psyco serial killer!), he is impossible to wound so every damage flip against him suffers a negative flip and damage cannot be cheated, Hard to Kill which means he cannot be killed outright, he goes down to 1 wound and you'll have to attack again and Feast of Fear, so when an enemy model with 6" fails a willpower duel - he heals 2 wounds!
These will be always in play during the game unless another ability counteracts this - for example: some attacks ignore Hard to Kill so that ability would not take place, but unless specifically stated, it will always happen!
Df - Defense: How tough your model is to resist attacks
Wp - Willpower: How strong of mind your model is
Wd - Wounds: How many hits they can take before going down!
Wk - Walk: How far a model can walk during one action.
Cg - Charge: How far your model can run like a badass and start kicking the shit out of peeps!
Ht - Height: How tall the model is (This matters when terrain is around as to whether or not they can be seen!)
Melee, Casting and Shooting
Ca - Casting, sometimes accompanied by a gun symbol but more times than not, without. This is your typical magical energy surge, thunderbolty thing or even a magical punch to the face!
Ml - Melee attack, used for combat!
If you look at Seamus' Attack Actions - He has a Sh action which starts on the number 6 (and add the card you flip off you deck - more on that later!) which the opponent Rst - resists on their defense on the front of the card and has a Rg - range of 10".
If successful, you deal one of three damage values (depending on if you deal weak, moderate or severe). On this attack you will see: 4/6/8 - Weak, Moderate and Severe. Each card you flip has a symbol or the word on. This is the damage you deal to your opponent before modifiers (if any).
In his Tactical Actions, Seamus can Cast spells which benefit his crew, himself or hinder the opponent's models. His Cast starts on 7 and you add whatever you flip to make the TN (Target Number) printed on the card. You need to equal or beat this number in order for the action to take place. If you do not match the TN, the spell does not cast. In addition to the casting value, you need to have some suits in order to cast this spell. The two crossed swords (which is a crow symbol by the way) is given to you for free with the 7, however you will need another crow along with 16 to get this spell off. You can do this in a number of ways: by it with a soulstone (which only works for Henchmen and Masters) or cheat in a card which can get you to the number 16 AND has a crow as its suit OR just be a jammy fuck and flip the card from the top of your deck... your choice, any of them are sure to piss your opponents off :P !!!
Action Points (AP)
Every model receives 2 action points to spend during their turn. Actions can be spent in different ways:
Movement: Walk (1 AP) or Charge (2 AP)
- If you charge with a model, in return for using up 2 AP, you can make 2 attack actions which use the claw symbol (if you look above, it is on Seamus' Backhand action).
Attack Actions: Shooting, Casting, Melee (Printed on the Card)
Interact (1) - Placing a marker, completing a scheme or strategy. A model cannot declare an interact whilst engaged unless it targets an enemy model.
Focus (1) - Gain the condition: Focus +1: This model may remove this condition to gain + flips to attack and damage for the number of focus which has been removed from this model.
Defensive Stance (1/2): Discard a card for each number of action points spent. This model gains: Defensive +1: This model gains + flips to all defense duels. The model loses Defensive Stance at the start of its next activation.
Movement: Walk (1 AP) or Charge (2 AP)
- If you charge with a model, in return for using up 2 AP, you can make 2 attack actions which use the claw symbol (if you look above, it is on Seamus' Backhand action).
Attack Actions: Shooting, Casting, Melee (Printed on the Card)
Interact (1) - Placing a marker, completing a scheme or strategy. A model cannot declare an interact whilst engaged unless it targets an enemy model.
Focus (1) - Gain the condition: Focus +1: This model may remove this condition to gain + flips to attack and damage for the number of focus which has been removed from this model.
Defensive Stance (1/2): Discard a card for each number of action points spent. This model gains: Defensive +1: This model gains + flips to all defense duels. The model loses Defensive Stance at the start of its next activation.
Masters are the exception to the rule, as they gain 3 AP during their activation.
Some models, like Bishop or Yamaziko, have abilities printed on the front of their card which enables them to produce an additional AP during the turn.
Duels
Duels is not just a test of wills, it is sometimes used to see wheter or not a model can succeed in performing a task such as casting a non-offensive spell or smashing a door down!
Duels are used to determine hits in combat too or how successful shooting is!
Sequence of Duels:
Target
Declare Soulstone use (if Master or Hench)
Flip a Card and Add the Stat (Ca, Sh, Ml)
Cheat Fate (if necessary)
Declare a Trigger
Determine Success
Duels are used to determine hits in combat too or how successful shooting is!
Sequence of Duels:
Target
Declare Soulstone use (if Master or Hench)
Flip a Card and Add the Stat (Ca, Sh, Ml)
Cheat Fate (if necessary)
Declare a Trigger
Determine Success
As said before, you don't always need your opponent's involvement in smashing down a door or breeding a ghost from your fingertips, but if you do - i.e targeting them with an action - They follow the same process. The difference is now determined by the damage.
If the difference between you and your opponent is:
0 - You must flip 3 cards and take the lowest number. This is often referred to as a 'double neg flip'.
1-5 - You must flip 2 cards and take the lowest number. This is often referred to as a 'neg flip'.
6-10 - Flip 1 card. This is often referred to as a 'straight flip'.
11+ - Flip 2 cards, take the highest. This is often referred to as a 'positive flip'
Any card flips which are negative (flip more than one card and take the lowest) cannot be cheated unless stated otherwise.
Card flips which are 'straight' or positive, can be cheated (unless stated otherwise).
Triggers are special abilities which are additional to what happens on top of the main ability on the card. They are activated when a suit is flipped. You may only pick one trigger per action, even if you have more than one suit which matches what is on the card!
EXAMPLE:
A Terror Tot is attacking a Rail Worker.
1. Declare Soulstone use - Can't; not a Master or Henchman!
2. Each model flips a card and adds their stat -
The Tot flips an 8 of Masks and adds his Melee Stat of 5, which equals 13.
The Rail Worker flips a 6 of Tomes and add his Defensive Stat because the attack is being Rst (resisted) by defense. He is currently on a score of 11.
If the difference between you and your opponent is:
0 - You must flip 3 cards and take the lowest number. This is often referred to as a 'double neg flip'.
1-5 - You must flip 2 cards and take the lowest number. This is often referred to as a 'neg flip'.
6-10 - Flip 1 card. This is often referred to as a 'straight flip'.
11+ - Flip 2 cards, take the highest. This is often referred to as a 'positive flip'
Any card flips which are negative (flip more than one card and take the lowest) cannot be cheated unless stated otherwise.
Card flips which are 'straight' or positive, can be cheated (unless stated otherwise).
Triggers are special abilities which are additional to what happens on top of the main ability on the card. They are activated when a suit is flipped. You may only pick one trigger per action, even if you have more than one suit which matches what is on the card!
EXAMPLE:
A Terror Tot is attacking a Rail Worker.
1. Declare Soulstone use - Can't; not a Master or Henchman!
2. Each model flips a card and adds their stat -
The Tot flips an 8 of Masks and adds his Melee Stat of 5, which equals 13.
The Rail Worker flips a 6 of Tomes and add his Defensive Stat because the attack is being Rst (resisted) by defense. He is currently on a score of 11.
The difference between the two scores is 2. It falls within the 1-5 bracket for damage, which means it will be a negative flip (2 cards, take the lowest and cannot be cheated).
Currently, the Rail Worker is losing this duel and because he is losing the duel, he gets the opportunity to cheat first. He chooses not to because on the front of his card, he has a trigger Metal on Metal which will let him reduce damage caused by an attack by 2, to a minimum of 1!
Now the Tot has the chance to cheat. Because he is on a neg flip the controlling player cheats by putting a 13 of Rams down. This now makes the Tot's melee total 18 and the Rail Worker on 11. Moving out of the 1-5 bracket, it is now placed in the 6-10 bracket which is a straight flip that can be cheated...if so wished.
One card is flipped and it is Moderate Damage which is 2! But because of all the triggers and Armor the Worker has it is reduced by 3: One for Armor +1 and 2 for Metal on Metal down to a minimum of 1! So he suffers 1 damage! (It does get quicker with practice trust me!)
Conditions
Additional to any damage in the game, conditions can be handed out. Sometimes they can be useful like Focus or Defensive Stance, other times they can be a real bitch like Paralyze or Poison! Many crews use 'common conditions' (not like a cold) in their day to day gaming.
Some of these are:
Focus (see above)
Defensive Stance (see above)
Fast (Model gains 1 additional AP for their next activation)
Slow (Model loses 1 AP for their next activation)
Reactivate (Model can 'go' twice in a turn)
Armor (Reduces damage down by the amount of armor it has: e.g: Armor +1 would reduce damage by 1)
Paralyzed (Model generates no AP and cannot take ANY actions during it's activation)
Poison (At the end of a turn, the model reduces its poison total by 1 and suffers a wound)
Burning (At the end of the turn, the model removes ALL burning condition from it and suffers that much damage - e.g: Burning +7 - end of the turn, you take 7 damage!)
Other conditions are more specific to a crew or a theme like Hamelin's Blighted condition which is all kinds of silliness... won't go into that now!
Some of these are:
Focus (see above)
Defensive Stance (see above)
Fast (Model gains 1 additional AP for their next activation)
Slow (Model loses 1 AP for their next activation)
Reactivate (Model can 'go' twice in a turn)
Armor (Reduces damage down by the amount of armor it has: e.g: Armor +1 would reduce damage by 1)
Paralyzed (Model generates no AP and cannot take ANY actions during it's activation)
Poison (At the end of a turn, the model reduces its poison total by 1 and suffers a wound)
Burning (At the end of the turn, the model removes ALL burning condition from it and suffers that much damage - e.g: Burning +7 - end of the turn, you take 7 damage!)
Other conditions are more specific to a crew or a theme like Hamelin's Blighted condition which is all kinds of silliness... won't go into that now!
Models will say if they have a condition to give out but Focus and Defensive Stance are ALWAYS available to all models!
Hiring a Crew
With your opponent, you will need to determine a game size. A starting game size would normally be a crew box. I would try playing with a few models first and building up to a 30/35 soulstone game.
Models have a hiring cost in the top right corner of the card:
Some models have both a Cost and Cache in the top corner, they will be Henchmen models, capable of leading a crew up to 40 soulstones... if you so desire!
Master models have a simple Cache in the top right hand corner, this tells you how many soulstones you start the game with to use in game, not to hire your crew!
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When you have determined how many soulstones you are going to play and hired a crew, if you have any Soulstones left over, you may add them to your cache.
Models have a hiring cost in the top right corner of the card:
Master models have a simple Cache in the top right hand corner, this tells you how many soulstones you start the game with to use in game, not to hire your crew!
When you have determined how many soulstones you are going to play and hired a crew, if you have any Soulstones left over, you may add them to your cache.
For in-game play, you can have a maximum of 7 soulstones which you can use at your leisure!
Upgrades
On top of hiring models, Masters, Henchmen and Enforcers have Upgrade cards which can make them more potent or do a specific job for that game. They cost a minimal amount of Soulstones but still add to the crew's overall points cost.
Masters can attach up to 3 upgrades in a game, Henchmen; 2 upgrades and Enforcers; 1 upgrade. Obviously, there are other models which don't fit this criteria and they cannot have any upgrades attached to them... unless stated otherwise: Lucas McCabe, Hoffman to name but a few!
Masters can attach up to 3 upgrades in a game, Henchmen; 2 upgrades and Enforcers; 1 upgrade. Obviously, there are other models which don't fit this criteria and they cannot have any upgrades attached to them... unless stated otherwise: Lucas McCabe, Hoffman to name but a few!
Deployment, Schemes and Strategies
The game itself wouldn't be Malifaux without having a set of Strategies and Schemes for players to work from.
The Strategy is flipped for by flipping a card off the fate deck and taking the suit. There are currently 10 strategies to play, each a varying degree of difficulty. Five of the strategies are in the core rulebook and are great to learn the game with. The other 5 are in the current 2015 Gaining Grounds document which is downloadable from the website.
A Strategy is shared between both players and is known by both for the whole game.
In every turn, after the first, you start scoring a Victory Point if you have completed what is says on the Strat card/in the book. You can earn a maximum of 4VPs from a Strategy.
Schemes are personalized missions which you as the controller are looking to achieve. In order to find out what they are for the game; flip two cards from the fate deck and take the two numbers and two suits. These compose 4 of the 5 schemes you will need for your game. The last scheme is ALWAYS Line in the Sand, which you don't have to take but it is in every 'scheme pool' for every game!
Again, schemes vary in difficulty. You can only score a maximum of 3 VP for each scheme you have. Some, like Bodyguard, rely on you protecting a certain model. Others, like Assassinate, require you to go after a crew's leader and brutally slaughter it, leaving your opponent demoralized and heartbroken - hopefully!
Schemes can be kept secret and some state that you must do this, others will gain you extra victory points if you tell your opponent at the start of the game!
The Strategy is flipped for by flipping a card off the fate deck and taking the suit. There are currently 10 strategies to play, each a varying degree of difficulty. Five of the strategies are in the core rulebook and are great to learn the game with. The other 5 are in the current 2015 Gaining Grounds document which is downloadable from the website.
A Strategy is shared between both players and is known by both for the whole game.
In every turn, after the first, you start scoring a Victory Point if you have completed what is says on the Strat card/in the book. You can earn a maximum of 4VPs from a Strategy.
Schemes are personalized missions which you as the controller are looking to achieve. In order to find out what they are for the game; flip two cards from the fate deck and take the two numbers and two suits. These compose 4 of the 5 schemes you will need for your game. The last scheme is ALWAYS Line in the Sand, which you don't have to take but it is in every 'scheme pool' for every game!
Again, schemes vary in difficulty. You can only score a maximum of 3 VP for each scheme you have. Some, like Bodyguard, rely on you protecting a certain model. Others, like Assassinate, require you to go after a crew's leader and brutally slaughter it, leaving your opponent demoralized and heartbroken - hopefully!
Schemes can be kept secret and some state that you must do this, others will gain you extra victory points if you tell your opponent at the start of the game!
In terms of Deployment, flip a card and these are the various ways you set up:
Ending the Game
The game lasts for 5 turns, with the potential to go on another 2 more turns if the right cards are flipped! If you get to turn 5 and wish to continue to turn 6, flip a card from the top of one player's fate deck, if it is an 11 or above the game carries on, if not, it ends! Then, if you're really crazy and want to go to turn 7 - a 12 is needed!
At the end of the game, count up all your Victory Points (the max is 10) and see who has won!
Unlike 40k and other such systems, there is no 'auto-win' for tabling your opponent. Your opponent could have scored 8 points in 4 turns and be all out on turn 5 but still win!!!
Unlike 40k and other such systems, there is no 'auto-win' for tabling your opponent. Your opponent could have scored 8 points in 4 turns and be all out on turn 5 but still win!!!
Where to start?
Well, there are a number of places to start. A crew box is key and go from there. I always think that if you find a crew you like and models you like then it's easy. It's the way I got into Malifaux and went from there!
Crew boxes fit a specific theme - Rasputina has lots of Ice structures, Marcus has lots of Beasts, Misaki uses Ninjas!
Once you've found a theme you like, then run with it. If it was Marcus with all his beasties, have a look at what other beasts are available that you could use in his crew or other models which you can use within the faction.
Definitely get some games in with someone at your LGS/your house/Vassal so you learn your crew. I would start with a few models and build up to using the crew box, then crew box with upgrades and eventually building up to a 50 soulstone game so you can build your collection.
I've always learnt not to be afraid to ask questions, the Malifaux community is THE BEST community out there without doubt. There are many knowledgeable people with very sound advice on the game (not me) and where to go next with your crew or faction and some amazing painters to gain inspiration from too.
If you wanted to expand your playing style, there are many tournaments throughout the UK, even ones at LGS's which aren't always for points on the rankings. Despite it being a 'tournament', the community are very supportive and will help you out while you play and give you advice!
Personally, I picked Malifaux up as a side project whilst playing quite full on 40k and ended up falling in love with the game so much that it has become my number one game and more established games in my life have now taken a back burner. This has been the same for many within the community and it is an addictive game to play!
I've said before, the community is amazing and I've met some people on the tournament scene that when I turn up, I can chat to them like we only saw each other last week!
The community is active on Twitter and some on Facebook, as well as the Forums!
If you are around the West Midlands and would like to have an intro game or if you're an established player, please get in touch. I love to face new players and new crews! Find me on Twitter @geekphotoguy and I'm always up for a game down my LGS or another LGS in the region!
So this ends my run down of 'basic' Malifaux crews and mechanics in the game!
I hope you've enjoyed reading and found it useful!
I'll see you soon!
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