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Saturday 29 June 2013

A Noobish View On Second Edition...

It's been a while since I had my first game of Malifaux with the 2nd edition ruleset (actually, my first game of Malifaux ever!) and since then I have had time to ponder, muse, sift the forums and watch the weekly developments to the ruleset. It's remarkable how much has changed in the short time since the beta began, and even more remarkable how each change can pretty much be inked back to the forum feedback that inspired it.

The Beta
The beta testing that Wyrd is doing is fantastic, and as I mentioned above it is great to see suggested changes being implemented and fan feedback helping to shape the game the right way. There seems to be a minimal amount of unrealistic proposals and childish outbursts, and any such are quickly picked to pieces by more level-headed players. It's nice to see a model develop and hear others experiences on implementing the new rules, both in their Realfaux games and the ever-useful Vassal system.

I can go into the file on my desktop and see the latest rules and iterations of every model that is available in M2E at the moment. I can use this information to compare, criticise and contrast every possible combination of crew and challenge. And this is an unquestionably good thing, especially during beta testing. It would be like Games Workshop saying 'Hey guys, we're going to post up every Codex for 40K so check out all the models and rules and see what you think!'

I am interested to see, after the sun has set and risen again and we have printed and finalised rulebooks in our hands, what new players who haven't been a part of the testing will make of it all? I daresay that we are all very close and passionate about making M2E the best it can be so I would like to hear the thoughts of someone who comes into Malifaux with no prior knowledge or preconceptions, such as the person in the gaming shop who notices the weird (Wyrd?) game being played with not a lot of minis; half of whom seem to be dead hookers and the other half seem to be Spanish cowboys..? And weren't we all that person at some point?

The Game
Now, as I came into M2E relatively fresh-faced, I have not played a game of first edition Malifaux. And from this viewpoint, I feel like I have been able to experience the second edition as a new player to Malifaux would be. To clarify, I've been aware of the game for long before my first game and even bought a crew and painted it up. Just never played it. Until now.

I really like how Malifaux plays. I like that even though I only have a few models, each one feels useful, whether it turns out to be or not. I like the balance; even at this early stage when rules and stats are still being defined. The minis are awesome, but that's news to no-one. I also love the focus on strategies and schemes. This was highlighted by it's absence in my game. We went for a straight scrap of Lady Justice versus Ramos to the death. Lady Justice whirled blood and violence across the table and this is not the way Malifaux is meant to be played. GW systems are built upon this tactic, and also Privateer Press to some extent, but the key point on the lips of every demo-er should be that you can lose all your minis in Malifaux and, depending on the schemes and strategies in play, draw or even win your game. In the one I played, if my scheme was more territorial based, I could have potentially lost due to the bunching of my models which was great for outright slaughter but poor at table control. More on this after my next game, scheduled on Wednesday...

I wish this post was longer but the glue has dried on my scenic base porch and I need my UHU and brush cleaner fix....


-Jack

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