So a few days ago, Mathieu Raymond was asking if it would be possible to do a Malifaux/Wyrd fan magazine, I had heard rumors on the interwebs that this was coming back, but we've got the first issue in at least 2 years (Haven't been any since I've started playing), until yesterday when Wyrd Chronicles #4 was released.
What are Wyrd Chronicles you ask? Think of this like No Quarter and White Dwarf, but shorter in length, and completely free! So much like those other two magazines, Wyrd Chronicles is a magazine dedicated to Malifaux and other Wyrd products. It's a place to showcase new rules, more fiction and background of the world, as well as a place for Wyrd to (obviously) pimp their stuff. I'm taking my cursory glance at the latest Wyrd Chronicle now, but I can say it is what you would come to expect from a gaming magazine. Of course they're going to have advertisements for their games, but this seems to have some things from the staff that we all might find interesting. The cover seems pretty basic in the fact that it uses established art that has been seen elsewhere in the game and on Wyrd's website. That's fine by me, and their art budget (from what I can tell) goes into
new Malfiaux books/Wyrd Projects. So what is contained in this magazine? We have your standard Letter from the Editor, explaining why the magazine was restarted, and the challenges of bringing it back. As someone that has done minor news publishing for a high school paper (I was a student teacher at the time, so it wasn't like I was a student), and as someone that is currently working for a Miniatures company (On the Lamb Games), I can appreciate the need for such a publication as well as what goes into the development and writing for it. So, beyond the letter to the editor I'm going to break this up into the magazine's contents:
1) The White Fist - Fiction written by Graeme Stevenson. This is a nice little 14 page story, I felt that it showed several pieces to the darker side of the Guild, as well as showing what happens when you make a deal with the old Hag Zoraida.
2) Designing a Master - Designer's Document by Dan Weber. One of the main minds behinds the creation and development of Malifaux as well as being one of the only remaining Rules Marshals, I met Dan at GenCon while demoing Malifaux. He was a great guy to talk to, and as someone that has been in the design game for a few months, I have huge amounts of respect for a man that has done it for a few years. He talks about the development of the Resurrectionists newest member, Yan Lo, Master of the Path. It's a really cool little article that shows the through process behind his creation. This is (
IMO) a must read for anyone that is interested in how Malifaux comes up with some of the ideas that they come up with.
3) Professor Pink Pontificates - By Adrian Scott (Rathnard on Wyrd's Forums). This article is, from what I can see, going to be the go to article for new players that wish to learn the basic steps for getting better at Malifaux. Adrian explains the steps someone should take when they want to learn the rules better, learn a crew better, knowing the importance of strats and schemes, and if anyone asks me for help, I'll probably send them the link to Wyrd Chronicles #4 and the page number, as well as helping them with the specific rule they have in question.
4) Painting Yan Lo - By Mark Rogers (Mako on Wyrd's Forums). This is a step by step process on how Mako painted Yan Lo, who is released in Wyrd's store this month. Mako is known for his Green Justice Bayou Gremlins/Death Marshals, as well as his very well painted Kirai Crew. I always seem to catch him sculpting in the evenings (while hanging out in Wyrd's
OT forum), or painting up his awesome models (His Jakuna model has like 30 swans free handed on to her robes).
5) The Never Was Files - Designer's Document by Dan Weber. Unlike the last article from Dan, this one features a creature that never was. Boris that Dancing Bear. This is a fun little friendly rule change to allow a Slate Ridge Mauler into your Colette Crew. Boris is exactly like a Slate Ridge Mauler, but wears a little Fez because he's a circus animal. The concept didn't quite pan out, so to play Boris in your friendly games, you can add the Showgirl characteristic to a Slate Ridge Mauler (so Colette can hire him
).
6) Malifaux Multiplayer Rules - By Dan Weber. While it seems like Dan is dominating this issue, this is probably the meatiest article he has. This article (about 9 pages long) introduces rules for playing Malifaux with 3, 4, 5, etc... players. I haven't quite delved into these, as I want to print them out to review them, but my store has tried Multiplayer Malifaux, and it was rough, having official rules is a great thing to add to the game. And I love the fact that they're using this as a way to release fun, new rules and new ways to play the game.
7) In Support of the
FLGS - By Justin Gibbs (Editor, Lead Henchman Wrangler, Part of the Evil Baby Orphanage and Through the Breach teams). Justin writes a quick little article about supporting your
FLGS. This comes as no surprise to anyone that plays ANY game in a store. Support where you play is the gist of the message, and this has been well documented as something that Wyrd tends to care a lot about. As a Henchman, I try to support my
FLGS at least for the games I play (or don't play since I buy magic from him, but rarely play there). Seems like it should go without saying, but it was a classy way to end the first Wyrd Chronicle we've had in some time.
I highly suggest you check it out if you're interested, which you can find
here
's in my life! 
