There are a wide array of games, both large battle and skirmish available on the market and while many are familiar with Games Workshops offerings, there are many other colourful games to play.
The aim of these articles is as a taster and guide to help get you into a game that interests you and where better to start than a trip through the breach to Malifaux, Where bad things happen.
What is Malifaux?
Malifaux is a small scale skirmish game played with around 7-10 themed figures. Each figure is individual and has it’s own stat card (no duplicates here!). Players alternate taking actions while trying to score off there schemes and strategies. These can be as simple as “hold this point” or make sure “model 1 is killed by model 2”
Are there any Unique Mechanics?
Rather than roll dice, Malifaux uses a fate deck (fancy name for a standard deck of cards), Players flip cards instead of rolling dice. You also have a control hand of cards which allow you to “cheat fate” for when you really need an action to happen.
Certain characters can also use Soul stones, another resource to boost actions or reduce damage.
How easy is it to get into?
There are many local Henchman (Wyrds demo players) in many countries and can usually be found via the Wyrd forums or running local events and Demo days.
The Rules are available from free from the Wyrd website (listed below) and stat cards can be found there for all factions as well as available on the free M3E app. A standard deck of cards can be used as a fate deck (provided it has a Red and Black Joker) but there are many other variants available with custom artwork.
Crew boxes give you a starting crew and you can usual pick up 1 or 2 more boxes to pad your crew out allowing you to start playing from between £50-£100. Some Masters (Crew Leaders) are classed as Dual Faction, allowing you to easily dip into other factions.
There are also regular updates to competitive play and stat cards to maintain balance.
Pro’s and Cons
Pros
- Under £100 to get into
- Every Model Unique
- Great support from the Community and Wyrd
Cons
- Helpful to have a lot of scenery
- Lots of rules interactions which may take a while to master.
- Some miniatures have very small parts making assemble tricky
Summary
Malifaux is a great skirmish game to get into. The factions and crews are all very different with interesting themes and no two are exactly alike. There is a healthy community, with lots of support from Wyrd. The miniatures are well sculpted and characterful with my only complaints being small parts and occasional thin parts supporting a model.
If you are able to get a demo with a friend or Henchman I highly recommend giving Malifaux a try.
Useful Links
https://www.wyrd-games.net/ Resources section for Rule books and stat cards
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wyrd.m3e Android Crew Creator
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/m3e-crew-builder/id1473771840 IOS Crew Creator