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Thinking about starting the game when I get the chance. Currently, how popular is this game?

Also, how are the mechanics of the game compared to 40k and Warmahordes?

EDIT: All in the title.

Don't know about China/Hong Kong, but I know a handful of people that play it locally. I'd say it has a decent following, certainly not as popular as Warmachine, FoW, or GW products. I would say its about as popular as Warmachine was about 2 or 3 years after it was released. Its increasing but hasn't peaked.

Its not as popular as Infinity judging from the activity on Dakka, but our LGS is all about Malifaux which is great!

The mechanics are nothing like 40k (haven't played WM). Its card based instead of dice rolls for determining combat/shooting/magic. It also goes on my go - your go per model rather than your whole force. I love this as it makes you think about which order you want to do a set of actions to get the best result, but also, allows you to react quicker to an opponents move (rather than waiting for him to steamroller you for a turn!)

Malifaux is very popular, specially in the USA.
Think about that it is a "recent" game and everybody knows about it. Some games never reach that kind of popularity in so little time.

I think that because of how well it has done in the short time that it has been around is very promising, in a few years I think it could even be as well known as wm.

The game mechanics are completly different, I think I could list all of the similarities on one hand.

Our shop went from 1 players to 9 players in about 2 weeks.

It's a catchy game with so many different factions that you will almost certainly find a crew that appeals to you.

The rules are simply enough, but some of the army Masters have some complex combo's that can make someone frustrated pretty easily.

Zoraiya and Pandora = Boo.

The mechanics of the game, in a nutshell, is that it uses a deck of cards instead of dice for almost all 'randomized' actions.

This is no gimmick. For dice, you roll and add relevant stats. In Malifaux, you flip the top card and add the relevant stats. Malifaux is unique in that if you don't like your flip (akin to a die roll), you can play a card from your hand to replace the flip. Also, suits matter.

Example:
- I try to shoot your figure with my Combat value of 5. I flip the top card and it's a 2.
- That's a rather low number, so I play a 10 from my hand. Added together with my combat value, I have an "attack" of 15.

Example2:
- I try to shoot your figure with my Combat value of 5. I flip the top card and it's a 7, a rather mediocre number. However, it's the correct suit and thus if my shot succeeds, I can have an extra effect (headshot, critical damage, stun, etc).
- I can either choose to play a higher card from my hand and forgo the extra effect to increase chances of an actual hit, or take the cards as-is and hope your Defense+CardFlip isn't higher than mine.

Shooting is very different, for a start you can shoot into combat.

This is bassically how a dual works in Malifaux:

The attacker has a combat value of 5 and flips an 8 making the overall combat value 13

The defender has a defence of 3 and flips a 6 making the overall defence 9

The attacker wins and gets to make a damage flip.

That is the most basic way that it works but with all the minus factors ,plus factors, soulstones, control hand card uses and triggers, it becomes much more complex.

The game seems pretty interesting, and some of the minis are just great. I snagged a great deal on a Kirai crew + some extras, so I'll be starting it up in the future.

If only they had a deep sea diver kinda mini (like a big daddy themed thing...)

The mechanics seem straight forward and easy to learn. I was also looking at infinity for my skirmish game. Ultimately I will only go for either or.

Does anyone know which game would be better to play? I definitely enjoy the infinity model range a lot more although the rules seem to be a bit confusing with several special rules and different types of weapons but the steep learning curve isn't too much of a big deal for me. Malifaux on the other hand has a more appealing system (sounds easier to learn) but the model line is somewhat bizarre. As in, I am leaning towards Rasputina if I were to get Malifaux but there would be many other models I would like to get.

Basically its whether I want a game with a steep learning curve but with more appealing models or an easier gaming system with only about a 1/3 of the whole model line appealing to me.

Well I personally love the Malifaux range and I hate the infinity stuff. I think both are good for the right person.

Malifaux has a bit of a steep learning curve, once you are though the rulebook and played a few games you should have the hang of it. Malifaux however is more interesting to play because of all the crew and master specific schemes and the fact that terrain plays a massive part in it all.

If I were you I would go for Malifaux but at the end of the day it is all up to you.

Yo

moonshine wrote:Malifaux however is more interesting to play because of all the crew and master specific schemes and the fact that terrain plays a massive part in it all.

Terrain plays a much greater role in Infinity.

I play both but I do prefer Infinity, it's got greater long term depth imo.
Both are fun and have really nice minis.

Infinity is harder to learn but neither is hard imo if you have war gaming experience already. there are quick start rules for infinity now.

Infinity also has the advantage that you can try it for free as all the rules and stats are free.

I'd get whichever you prefer the aesthetic of.

I have to agree with quozl. I only know a few rules from Infinity but i can already see from the ARO rule that terrain makes a huge difference.

Aesthetically i definitely enjoy the Infinity models more but it also comes down to popularity of each game. I think i am leaning towards Infinity but i'll have to wait and see.

Yeah, good point. If you can get players for one but not the other then that pretty much decides it ;-)

I'd suggest asking around and trying to get a small group to start one system or other. They're both good in my opinion and and won't disappoint. Also both can be played at starter box level so aren't that expensive to try. Infinity is maybe a touch cheaper as the rules are free, which can be handy for tempting Gamer friends! You could even try it as a group with proxies.

Oh I never realised terrain played a part in Infinity, I have never been interested. I dislike the models too much, they are simply not gothic enough or dark enough for me and they miss out all of the dark humour you get in 40k and Malifaux. I am also not a fan of anime so Infinity really does not appeal to me.

I am not too tolerant of the big eyes, high pitched voices, and melodramatic characters either but I like to think that Infinity minatures are much more related to the imagination of a sci fi world then being related to anime.

Infinity is just way to anime for me. I am not too keen on them at all. In Mlaifaux when I look at the models they are very distinctive and have a very dark, gothc look aswell as having some humour thrown in without taking away from the seriousness of the model.

To me the infinity models do not capture how grim and bloody war is, they all look too hppy and cheerful (on first look), with other games I really see the gothic, dark, war hardened look.

The Malifaux background is better in my opinion, the idea of soulstones and the breach is just so cool and the variation in models and characters means each crew is really individual. Plus the models just plain look better in my opinion.

In the end though it is you decision.

To me, the industry has had enough of dark and brooding.

The vast majority of settings out there there isn't only war and some games take the gothic and brooding so far it's like it's the only thing that defines their setting, which is pretty one sided to me.

Can someone give me a brief description of the fluff in each game? Infinity seems to be pretty straight forward. A human colonization with AI, aliens, and the humans who just got the memo.

What is the fluff on Malifaux?

The date of Malifaux is victorian. And magic has just disappeared from the land. The world's magicians have lost there power. But a portal apppears to a new realm. Just outside is a city which is identified as Malifaux. There is no inhabitants and no traces of anyone ever living there. But Magicians regain their power once they enter.

Eventually people live there. And they mine the surrounding hills and find some odd stones. These are soulstones. Stones which can feul magic. They get sold back to the regular world in great numbers and convicts are brought in to mine out more and the guild grows fat and powerful.

But then the portal closes.

The world's magicians fight over the soulstones left on earth.

Then about 50-100 years later the portal re opens. No trace of anyone.

Gets resettled and spellcasters rebel againt the tyrannic guild. Some find out how to raise the dead to do their bidding, but the spirits of Malifaux. The neverborn. Show themselves early and disrupt and kill people.

This is the current bit. The guild trying to hold off everyone from taking Malifaux, the Arcanists the rebel spellcasters fighting for soulstones, the Resurectionists makin more undead and the Neverborn tyring to wipe out humanity from their home. Their is also the Outcasts who are more like mercs than anything.

I've probably missed a lot but this should give you a good idea.

Also Rasputina is like Magic Artillery. Fun.

That definitely has better fluff than Infinity. With all the factors weighed, it really just all comes down to which will be more popular in my area. Thanks for the help guys! Although if i had to pick disregarding what others played i think i would go with Malifaux (specifically the Arcanists as their line of models appeals the most to me). Seems like a less complicated system and has some pretty decent fluff.

Ok, so, this has just become a Malifaux Vs. Infinity thread.

Ok.
I only hear good things about Malifaux. I don´t know anything about the game, but people tell me that the rules system is very original and fun. It is growing fast and has some nice miniatures. Cool.

But about Infinity... I have a crush with this game, I´m almost obsessed.

Well, first: the Fluff, seriously, READ the book. Saying "It´s just sci-fi" is pointless, it is an adult background, complex, dense, believable, written not as "dark bible", it is not lyric it is more like you are reading the internet from the future, using more like a journalistic tone.

The rules system: completely different than any other game, complex, original, with plenty of benefits. Players playing and having fun during the whole battle, not sitting bored while your opponent has his own turn.

Miniatures: IMHO the best sci-fi range out there. It is like what the old Rackham studio would do if they make sci-fi. Lots of miniatures, a range with more than 300 miniatures where you just need 10 to play. It is like picking from a box of chocolats.

Support tools: This is something special about Infinity, they really want to make things easy for the newcomer. They have the free complete rules,also free quickstart rules, free army lists, free wiki of the rules, free AWESOME army builder, they also make make tutorial videos, have an official forum with a gaming community that helps everyone, updated FAQ.

And they keep releasing 4-5 miniatures every month, after month, after, month, since 2005. This is not a company that dies 2 years after releasing their game, they are here to stay. They do not publish new books that makes the old ones obsolete, they public expansions, they make new rules that gives new gaming life to old miniatures... they really care about their stuff.

And both games, Malifaux and Infinity have the same good point, they are skirmish games that need just about 10 miniatures to play, they do not represent a huge investment of money. I know a guy who has spent nearly 400$ in his 40K army and it is not still complete. You can have a full army list of Infinity, apt for big tournaments for less than 100$

If you want to read the entire background then you can find it in the Wyrd chronicles (this was written a while ago, before the game had come out). You can find a full background in it.

I will second BobbaFett.

-Malifaux fluff: what you have been explained is the plot of the universe. The rest of the fluff in this game are the narrative novel like, experiences that live each of the main characters of this game, the masters. Exactly like WM/HD fluff. If you like histories and novels you'll like this kind of fluff.

-Infinity fluff: you get the plot of a very extense and rich universe. An ambientation in the near future, XXII th century. Very mature fluff which descripts a bright future for Humankind with hidden stealth conflicts the nations defend their politic and economic interests with. If it wasn't because of the addition of hyperspace travelling and the more later discovery of alien races it could sound like a believable prediction of what's to come (the USA sunk in bankruptcy and all the countries with depending economies suffered the same, India and Australia formed a conglomerate that became the ruling hiperpotence, which absorbed old Europe and big part of America (PanOceania) and later China became a unifying hiperpotence of the asian countries (YuJing)). It has such a rich and depth universe that it would be possible to make an RPG. Just to get a taste of the fluff you can read about some concepts here and read about the time line CHRONOLOGY built with the information gathered from the fluff of the rulebook by a user here. You'll agree it's far from having a simple plot but instead a very depth and fascinating one.

Regarding playstyle.

Malifaux: based in combos and metagame like PP's WM/Hordes. It's only Malifaux highlitghs even stronger the "Magic The Gathering" aspect of this kind of games. If you enjoy studying the 10000 spell combinations of the sorcery grimoire that's your game.

Infinity: it's not what you bring to the table but how do you play it. Infinity is a game about tactics. Playing Infinity is like playing a FPS counterstrike, Call of Duty, Rainbow Six like with high dosis of John Woo action film scenes. If you want to feel the adrenaline of modern combat firefights with a bit of Sci Fi then that's the game you've been looking for. Forget combos, forget all the "this unit is essential and this unit sucks" talk crap, combined firearms tactics is what will bring you the victory.

The "Infinity is a very complex game to play" unfounded rumour.
Why don't you give a peek at the rules and judge by yourself?

Here's a Link to the quickstart rules. Sure you can read a 12 page document with such a sweet presentation designQuickstart Rules
If you like what you read want more then go ahead and download the full rules and army lists in the downloads section

I personally think that the official videos are the best way to get into the game, even before reading the rulebook. Because they give you a slightly vision of how the game mechanics works and how the game feels. Also, they are well worth the watch, amazing, to say the least.

The basic mechanic concepts of the game:










These next three videos are about an specific “Camouflage” rule, a very cool concept of this game










Also, a video about the “Impetuous” rule:




And a very cool video about how Smoke Grenades work:




Also, I´m going to put a link here to the DEVIL TEAM´S INFINITY ARMY 3.0 wich is a very useful army builder site REALLY, JUST TRY IT! Also here is the INFINITY WIKI that is a wikipedia of the rules, very useful. By the way, you'll notice the Infinity Army army builder links directly to the Wiki so that you can give a fast peek at abilities and weapons while building your list. Now how cool is that?

And finally I encourage you to visit the community forum, one of the friendliest and more useful comunities around. We'll help you with any doubt you may have. http://www.infinitythegame.com/forum/index.php

Personally, both games are very solid and the best alternative to GW and PP games. Therefore the should go for what looks better for you. if you enjoy more the Infinity range then why don't go for it?

It seems like there is more to the Infinity fluff than meets the eye. I am actually aware of all the infinity material both you and bobbafett have posted and have gone through them a bit. Both of you seem adamant about Infinity so I think i will go through each of the games a bit more in depth. The only thing i haven't checked out yet are the tutorial videos (because i am in china for a while) but i'll make sure to check them out later.

One question on the army builder. I've gone to the page quite a few times but it doesn't seem to work for me? Is there a program i need to run it?

daemon wrote:It seems like there is more to the Infinity fluff than meets the eye. I am actually aware of all the infinity material both you and bobbafett have posted and have gone through them a bit. Both of you seem adamant about Infinity so I think i will go through each of the games a bit more in depth. The only thing i haven't checked out yet are the tutorial videos (because i am in china for a while) but i'll make sure to check them out later.

One question on the army builder. I've gone to the page quite a few times but it doesn't seem to work for me? Is there a program i need to run it?

You need to have Adobe AIR installed for the page to load. It's a freebie from Adobe. http://get.adobe.com/air/

Another huge Infinity fan here ;D

I installed adobe air via the link you sent and i went back to the page but still nothing happens? I just get Cargando... 75 with a picture of a random unit

It can take some time to load.

Oh you were right. I had to wait 15-20 minutes but it worked. Thanks!

I'm another vote for Infinity having fantastic fluff.

It's more hard Sci-Fi than the typical Sci-Fantasy. I was a huge fan of Asimov, Clarke and Herbert as a kid though, so I'm definitely biased towards that sort of thing. I did love LOTR etc too though, so it's not like I don't love fantasy

I've only read the fluff in the first Malifaux book and I thought it was excellent.

I think the Infinity fluff is the best of any war game I've played. Note, I don't particularly like 40K's fluff, but it is amazing in its vastness!