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I was researching this game and I was wondering if it was any good, and how do you play, is it a game with dice, it looks like a type of scirmish game with a small squad of guys, kinda like warmachine, it looks like a really cool game and ive been wanting too start another one, I liked the mad scientist dude with his made frankenstein type creations, from what ive seen from the miniature game

The biggest difference that sets Malifaux apart from other skirmish games is that there are no dice. Each player has a deck of cards that they flip when attempting an action.You also have a hand that you can switch out for a flip you are not happy with. Compared to Warmachine, I'd say Malifaux games generally use fewer models and is much less expensive to get into. There are a lot of good videos up on youtube talking about the game mechanics or showing battle reports.

The game of malifaux is amazing for many reasons. 1st, the card mechanic makes gameplay completely different from anything you've seen, in a good way.

Second, the rules aren't too complex, but they are enough to ensure that no 2 crews play the same.... not even close.

Third, the game has awesome story, and models that reflect that story well.

Fourth, the game is comparatively cheap to start, and unlike 40k, most of the starter sets actually contain things that you'd WANT to take.

So jump on in man, the water's fine!

Is this game any good?

No, we just started this subforum and bought all those miniatures because we hate this lousy game

helium42 wrote:The biggest difference that sets Malifaux apart from other skirmish games is that there are no dice.

I would say the biggest difference is how narrative/scenario-driven the game is: It's pretty rare that you can win any game, having lost all of your pieces.

It's a small-scale, and it alternates pieces, instead of armies, so it plays very dynamically.

Malifaux is a spectacular game, with a really interesting ruleset and background, I'd highly recommend it.



Now, for completeness, my only complaints:
-many pieces have a ton of rules, which, I think, could be reduced. This is counterbalanced by how few pieces you play, but it's still hard to wrap your head around a new group
-I love the characters, setting, and dialogue, but the early narrative descriptions are pretty hamfisted (felt like they didn't know what a thesaurus was), though I have pretty harsh standards.


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helium42 wrote:Compared to Warmachine, I'd say Malifaux games generally use fewer models and is much less expensive to get into.

There are no squads, so almost always (unless you play very jack-heavy) there'll be fewer models in Malifaux. This is like saying that generally WM has fewer models than 40k because a LR-heavy Deathwing army can be smaller...

Also, there are fewer large models, which, with the lower model count, means that, unless you go faction-crazy (which will always be expensive), it'll aways be cheaper.

The only more expensive part is that it's typically more expensive to switch leaders, since they tend to synergize with very specific sets of models.

Yes, this game is good, very good. Many players at the local store have picked this up recently for many factors:

1. Cheap to get into: Basic box is from 30 - 40 USD. Basic rule book is 15, and, additional minis are usually around 10 dollars a piece.

2. Fluff is so much better than anything GW has put out.

3. Game play is different. What other game lets you tailor your build against another person.

4. Game strategy. You can pick schemes that work for your crew. Although the strategy will be determined by the fate deck, you get to choose the schemes.

5. Different style of play. Not worrying about how many ones you might role. This gives the game a unique feel all its own.

6. Go online and get alot of resources for free! Lets see GW give you free rules, army/crew builder, and tokens for game play for no cost. Just won't happen.


About the above post with rules. Yes, there are alot of rules, after you play for a bit, you realize many rules are the same with different names depending on the character and faction. Maybe the best thing I have heard is that it is similar to WM/H. Instead of specific rules for a unit, is just for and individual.

A negative might be the popularity of the game. It is now just starting play in central Texas, even though the game has been around for 4 years. Might not be played everywhere you go.

Invest about seventy dollars into the game, and you have all you will need. However, it is a very addicting game, and, you will pick up other minis. I almost have all the guild with a few single models remaining.

Review. Great game. Alot of upside, very little draw back.

martin74 wrote:1. Cheap to get into: Basic box is from 30 - 40 USD. Basic rule book is 15, and, additional minis are usually around 10 dollars a piece.

Very true, but the box sets are sometimes not the best starting places, a fair few masters require extra purchases straight away to be usable - see the Dreamer & Levi for example.

martin74 wrote:2. Fluff is so much better than anything GW has put out.

generally, the fluff is a lot worse than GWs - book 3 was a marked improvement in storytelling but Malifaux will be blighted with " And Perditas dark hair made a Dark halo on the DARK ground....." from book 2. The fluff feels fresh only because GW background is stagnant.

martin74 wrote:3. Game play is different. What other game lets you tailor your build against another person.

You tailor your crew to the strategy flipped, since you would only know the faction your opponent has chosen at that point - nicer than GW games because there is less tailoring against what you know your opponent has..The activation mechanic makes a very refreshing change from sitting around hoping you make your saving throws.

martin74 wrote:5. Different style of play. Not worrying about how many ones you might roll. This gives the game a unique feel all its own.

Agreed, the control hand really allows you to force a certain attack through if you happen to flip an unwanted card. The joker too add to the experience by giving the added randomness to the deck.

The rules are incredibly well written - I've played all GW games except BFG, as well as Infinity and Malifaux, and Malifaux mini rulebook is by far the best both in terms of layout, and rule descriptions. Yes there are still FAQs but they are based on model skills rather than flaws in the rules.

I would have to disagree on the mini rulebook being amazing in layout and descriptions. There are plenty of times when we need to look something up in the book and we go to the appendix, and can't find it, and so we go to the index to find that it's not written in there how you might expect it to be written. So we search for something nearby and eventually find it.

I will say the fact that there is an appendix of useful terms and abilities is a step above the rest, but it's useless a quarter of the time. Which is why we have a reference sheet I printed out from a blog a henchman point me to.

Besides the fluff, I agree with what Kogan says (Granted I didn't read that Perdita story). I love the boxes, even though some need more purchases than others, but if your area isn't a competitive Malifaux scene, you should be okay for awhile.

Oh, yeah, the mini book needs a search function-- there's definitely an order to it, but it takes many a rules question before you figure it out.

And, to reaffirm the card thing, the hand of cards adds a great tactical element to the game. I love that mechanic so much that I wish other games had magic hidden spare dice you could replace with (or, some less stupid equivalent).

...hmm, may need to start playing with my space hulk counters...

I agree, the card system really adds a fair bit to this. Because not only do you need to worry about what you flip and what your opponent flips, but what cards you hold onto, when to play them and when to keep them. Stuff like the Black Joker that I tend to keep in my hand if it pops up. Could probably hold onto a more useful card, but doing so eliminates the chance of it flipping.

This game is fantastic.

People have talked about the card mechanic already, so I won't labour that point too much.

In a turn, you activate a model, then your opponent does, then back to you etc. I find this keeps turns engaging and keeps my interest levels up. If you get along well with the people you play with and enjoy a bit of banter, Malifaux will give you a cracking play experience.

Visual themes can be really strong and pretty unique in a gaming sense. The original post mentioned Dr McMourning, one of my favourite masters and I love him for that really different Frankenstinian vibe he has. It's a radical departure from the generic fantasy necromancer.

There are loads of terrain styles that really suit. Me and my top gaming buddy have a board each. His is a beautiful western town made from Sarissa terrain, mine is a cheap and cheerful bayou made from lolly sticks. Both work, as would a more gothic city (ruined or not) or woodlands, deserts or mountain ranges. Chances are your terrain collection will get you going and not look wrong. If you've ever played Infinity on 40k terrain, you'll know what I mean

It does have a very low financial barrier to entry. Yes, certain crews really do need more than their masters starter box, and certain starters are a lot better than others. But for a taster of a master or a faction, the starters are generally quite a good place to start. I find this "cheap" game to be about as addictive as needle drugs, and now have several crews so I've spent a fair amount on the game. But, I can't think of a system where I could have sunk in the same amount of money and had the variety of forces that I currently have for Malifaux. But buy a starter and rock that for a month or two. If you love it, expand with a blister or two. If you don't, flip it on ebay. You'll get your moneys worth no doubt in my mind.

My only word of warning is that some masters are "better" than others. If you are a very competetive gamer, I can imagine it's an easy one to get frustrated with. The game is balanced across factions, not across masters so just keep that in mind when you're picking your forces. I am a fluff player that wanders into tournaments for a laugh and I do ok. My buddy plays masters he finds "interesting" and he is interested in winning games, he does better than me in final rankings generally but he has always been a better player than me, so it might be that rather than the masters, I dunno. My honest opinion is that none of the masters are really pony, but some might take a little more practice to get to work. All my best results come with the master that is generally considered weakest in my faction of choice, and I also love his starter box even though he's considered one that "needs" loads of extra stuff to make work.

There's a link to our blog in my sig. I apologise if it's rude to schill a personal blog, but it is mostly Malifaux and one of my main masters is McMourning, so if you are interested Gorfang, take a little look. But on the whole, I'd say if you have a local scene or think you can start one, jump in. You'll have a laugh and get some lovely mini's to paint, and really you can't ask for much more than that.

i think that rather than saying that some masters are "better than others" it'd be more appropriate to say that some "take more time to learn" than others.

i can only think of one master (marcus) who at the end of the day doesn't really stack up. Other than that even some of the masters that are "better than others" have glaring drawbacks.



I have a friend who came into the game with a crew that has a sharp learning curve, and for the first bit thought that it was sub-par. Once he got more experienced at the game however, he turned into an absolute monster at the game. (collette's crew, that duet will be the death of me I swear)

Yeah some like Kirai and Collete are harder to learn than say Lilith or perhaps even the Viktorias. Another thing I like of the game is how each crew appears to have its own aesthetic theme. Keeps the painting side a bit fresh.

Totally. And not only do they have their own themes, but those themes have internal consistancy, so each crew carries the aesthetic throughout the "core" of the crew

I like this game so much, I hadn't realized that I was done with 40k until.I discovered Malifaux. I second what's being said, but here's one of the BIGGEST things for me:

Winning the game is based off Victory points, or VP's. In general, 50% from a random flip for each player.....so your objective often differs from your opponent, and up to another 50%(in general) off of two schemes that you choose. You can get tabled and still win, because you achieved more vp's....and that is an important factor IMO.