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Hello!
My plan to start Malifaux and my plan is to buy three masters so I can have some variation. I have bought the Von Schill crewbox and the Viks crewbox but I dont know who should be the third master. It would be a plus if the masters have different playstyles but the boxes have at least some models that can work with the other two masters. So what master should be? Is Tara a good choice or is there some one else who would be a better fit?

Well Schill is all around shooting or CC, good all around. Viks are very fragile but very deadly in CC.

Jack or Hamelin is my suggestion. Both pretty different from your Von and Vik.

Though the models from the other boxes don't really go with them.

Tara is ok, but youll want resser models or guild death marshals to go with her.

I love playing Tara, and she runs very well with Friekorps. You'll probably want around $50 worth of ressers (bare bones 1 death marshal and 2 autopsies; probably a pack of DM's, autopsies, punk zombies or transmortis) to use her (very nice) totem's summon and with her extra crew options that run very well with her, though. OTOH, she can run decently well in her boxed set, since her most basic tricks (bury/unbury and hand out AP) don't require specific models (so you could do those with anyone in tow).

Jack suffers from similar problems of wanting a lot of out of faction models.

Misaki can take out of faction models, but doesn't really need them for much.

Hamelin is basically a $100 crew set, since he has a lot of pieces he wants in a box of extra guys.

Leveticus, hands down.

His hiring pool is huge, so there's the issue of buying more stuff and all, but he's so good it's hard to stay away from him.

The hard part about playing Outcasts is that most of your crews are pretty self contained, although VS's box is pretty useful in other crews you'll find it hard to mix and match regularly.

I've played Misaki in Outcasts and in my opinion she's much better in TT than Outcasts.

For starting out you've got some good basic crews though, I started with Viks and Misaki myself. Hannah is a workhorse and goes well with both Viks and VS. My second suggestion would be Ashes and Dust, he works well in most crews but costs a pretty penny in soul stones.

Outcasts are in a weird place where MOST of their masters rely (or, can choose to rely, at least) on a lot of out-of-faction hiring, which can really encourage you to rack up purchases quickly. I'd really recommend trying to stick to Von Schill and the Viks, maybe some add ons like Lazarus, Hannah, and Vanessa, and sticking with that for a bit before you go all out on a thirst master that might require a bigger investment.

Thanks for the help! It seems like Tara, Leveticus and Jack Daw requires large investments in non outcast models, that Hamlin has his own crew and Misaki primarily is an TT master. . I think i will buy some support for the Viks and von Schill and learn the game before I buy my third master. Hopefully then I know what kind of playstyle I want to expand to.

Lazarus, Hannah, Vanessa and Ahes and Dust were mentioned as recomended models to buy. Are there any other I should buy or that I should avoid?

I am starting out with Von Schill and his box-set (3/4rs painted).
I have added the "StrongArm" and the "Convict Gunslinger"(s).

I am looking to add: Hannah and "The student of conflict".
I am seriously looking at Leveticus and his box set (Salvage and Logistics).
"Hired Swords" would be my next choice.

I love running hannah- think she's one of the best henchmen in the game, esp. with I pay better. Most of the characters are nice. I'd avoid anything in another starter set, since spamming really isn't generally rewarded in malifaux.

...unless your Gremlins haha

Facile wrote:
Lazarus, Hannah, Vanessa and Ahes and Dust were mentioned as recomended models to buy. Are there any other I should buy or that I should avoid?

There's not really anything you should avoid. Malifaux is pretty well balanced around the fact that objectives are more important than tabling your opponent. For some objectives you want enemy models around. So models become more or less valuable based on what strategy you have and what schemes are in the pool. If you've need to drop markers or in general move about a lot, particularly in far reaching areas, you'll want faster models. If you need to hold ground and fight, you want tougher heavy hitters. Don't be afraid to look for non-thematic (not out of faction, just out of thematic crew) models if it fills a gap for you. For example, when playing Von Shill, if you need something that a model from the Viktorias crew for a particular scheme, go for it, even if it doesn't particularly synergise with your crew as a whole.

Although not great for Von Schill or the Viks I suggest considering the Hodgepodge Effigy, mostly because he's a 4ss minion with speed 6 and a (0) ability for your leader. I mostly use him for Leveticus but he's actually a great scheme runner for the cost.

Although we have copious amounts of Henchmen and Enforcers we actually lack in minion levels. Compare the number of minions we have (13) to say, Ressers (21) or Arcanists (25), coupled with the fact that we are more segmented Masters while Ressers and Arcanists have a lot more interchangeable crew members, your minion choices begin to dwindle. This is something to think about for your crews as they are the two Outcasts who don't usually pull from out of faction short of Mercenaries.

Effigies are generally good for any faction. They're all quite tough and fast for their points cost, so even if you're not particularly enamoured with their special ability, they at least make good, cheap scheme runners.