Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

After a year or so out of the hobby (read 'didn't realise that they were doing ME2 and thought Wyrd had given up...) I've decided to get back into it with with a bang, and go straight for the Scottish GT in Stirling. So, I dusted off my old crews, picked up ME2 and set about deciding how to secure myself the Soulstone trade...
Now, I've only really played Arcanists so far, owning Coletté and Rasputin's crews, and having Leveticus sitting, unloved (except by Alyce) on my desk. I'd been all set to play Outcasts until I attempted to attach the Steampunk Abominations to the Wyrd graveyard insets. A series of tantrums that Candy would've been proud of, and they were shunted to the dark corner of my room.
So, first up was a basic choice. Which faction to go for?
Well, it was made easier by my brother's insistence on playing Guild, then snapping up the Latigo Posse box to cement his position. That made me reluctant to buy Netherborn for fear of disappearing under a hail of companion-slung lead. At this point I hadn't read the rules properly, so I assumed that the Latigos were super-Netherborn slayers, that could blast through Lilith's brood in a matter of seconds. Then I saw he had not one, but two Lady Justice models on the coffee table, so the Resurrectionists shrank away. What sealed it for me was the Claw and Fang box to be fair, especially the Sabertooth Cerebus. I'd been tempted by Marcus several times in the previous edition of the rules, but hadn't been convinced by his rules, and the need for a huge cache of soulstones had turned me against him. With a time limit to work towards I ordered the box, thus giving me a choice of three crews for the GT.
Firstly. Myranda is not a nice model. It has gaps, is largely shapeless, with little to no raised areas. That's my excuses for the paintjob sorted.
Secondly. The beasts have very little texture to them, which makes painting fur very tricky. Their poses are fantastic. Cojo has gaps on him that I could fit a family car in, and the 'dimple' in his his back just about makes him Tara's hairier older brother....
Thirdly. The Razorspine Rattler is stunning, one of the nicest models I've seen in years. As is the Cereberus (except for it's flat hide), and I love its pose.
Fourth. Marcus.... Dark skin, leather clothes, wooden stick. Needs something that stands out for a spot colour.
My painting has slipped a lot over the last two years, as I've been doing Flames of War and thus a very different painting style. A lot of these complaints would not be issues if I'd been a better painter it must be said, but this isn't the crew for a starter, or a rusty painter I think. Nonetheless I am happy with them (except for Myranda, for whom I've ordered a replacement), and they look nice on the table. I prefer Cojo in black as opposed to white, and after watching King Kong (short bits on Youtube, not the whole film as I've got a life to lead!), I got a result I was happy with. I've got a sand board, with a town's worth of Sarissa/Micro Art/other MDF scenery, and they fit in with it well. They look especially good opposite the Ortegas and the first game was a great looking affair, and very close.
I wasn't prepared for quite how fragile the beasts were, being used to using the Ice Golem and Gamin with their armour, exploding upon death and ability to be used as arc nodes for the Ice Queen. I did get the entertainment of seeing my Jackalope almost kill Santana, and the Cereberus eat Perdita. Sadly Nino gunned down Cojo and the Rattler, and an exploding Loco took out Marcus. The only survivors were Nino and Santana (on one wound), with the little git with the chaingun being on top of Sarissa's amazing Water Tower in true Hollywood fashion.

The painted crew:

Great work on the crew, I think the more neutral/natural/muted pallette really befits the models. I am relatively new to Malifaux, but with the model range I can see why you have come back to the game.

Well, after a trip down to Stirling to see some relatives I managed to pop into Common Ground and decided to treat myself to a boxed set. In a moment of unexplained madness I decided to buy the Hired Swords box instead of the Children of December or M&SU, or even Mei Feng's Rail Fitter crew....
Well, I must say, they are lovely models. They go together much better than Marcus's herd of beasties, there is no shapeless horror masquerading as a Henchman/woman, and the detail is a little better. Sadly there was no 40ft Ronin, but you can't have everything in life, can you? Instructions would've been nice, especially for Taelor, as she has a lot of straps that I couldn't quite work out where they went. I discovered Vanessa (assembled) in my brother's room, and persuaded him to sell me her. Then we played, him using Ophelia's The Kin crew, with the official downloaded cards, a 50 SS game. It was incredibly close, but Viktoria's lack of wounds was the end of her, as was an exploding Pere Ravage for her (Neverborn) twin. They were a bit more fragile than I realised, and I hadn't realised that the Ronin carried guns, which resulted in them walking when I could've tried to turn Francios into swiss cheese at range. We played on our new Bayou board, which is looking pretty good already, complete with an old cottage, a pig enclosure, mangrove trees, and wooden jetties and walkways.
For painting the lovely ladies I decided to try something that I'd read in an old White Dwarf a few years back, and blended kommando khaki into the colours I was using for a highlight when layering, and using it as a colour to tie the crew together. I painted Viktoria of the Blood with grey, drow-like skin, as I like the tale of how her and Viktoria first meet, and for some reason I imagine that Neverborn should have grey skin. I meant to paint the Ronin as Kasumi, Ayane, and Lei Fang from Dead or Alive (games, not movie...) but totally forgot and painted the pigtailed one as Harley Quinn, so that idea was scrapped. I will buy a second box at some point, in case I want to take them with Misaki and will paint them like that for her. I've named them so that you can all see which one would be which. I'm pleased with them, maybe not my best, but I'm getting back into the swing of painting finally, so hopefully my net set of purchases will be closer to my full potential. I apologise for the photo quality, but I'm using a smartphone as opposed to a proper camera.

Having decided that it would be Arcanists after all, and not Ten Thunders or Outcasts, I set about getting my Crews together. The M&SU were ordered, as was Mei Feng's Rail Crew, along with a new Myranda, a Hoarcat Pride, and Willie. I had made the rookie error of ordering my Ten Thunders stuff from Arcane Miniatures, and almost 7 weeks later still haven't received The Thunder boxed set, so my decision was made easier admittedly.
The Rail Crew went together like a charm, no issues other than Mei's hair not quite joining to the head, but easily fixed. The M&SU did not. The instructions weren't exactly helpful, especially for the Arcanid Swarm/Spiders, and the Brass Archanid was a total nightmare. Howard Langston is far far too big for his base and can't easily be fixed onto it. Joss has cables that need to be individually attached, the power tank on his belt doesn't sit straight once attached to his belt and axe, and it's noticeable.... Painting them was a dream though, even if my photography doesn't reflect it, and they look a lot lot nicer than the pictures give them credit for. I got Miss Step off eBay and painted her up, and then demolished the Guild Justice crew for the loss of the Brass Archanid (40SS), with Miss Step reactivating and eating The Judge in one round!