Better Know Your Malifaux 007: Lady Justice

As the defenders of humanity in Malifaux, the Guild are beset on all sides by enemies, both within their ranks and without. While the Neverborn and the Gremlins threaten to overwhelm the Guild with sheer numbers, the Ten Thunders and Acanists work to tear down their plans on Malifaux's city streets.  Each faction is set on increasing their own power, but none of these threats are so insidiously corrupting as the Resurrectionists, the dark practitioners of the necromantic arts.  It is this enemy that the enigmatic Lady Justice has dedicated herself to combating, leading her Death Marshals in expunging the Resurrectionist taint wherever it can be found.

 Like the eye of a hurricane, Justice remains calm in the whirl of battle, directing her troops with steadfast discipline and executing her mission with a placid efficiency.  Justice is a force of nature with her Greatsword - Her combat prowess is second to none and with her Critical Strike trigger she can take out even Howard Langston with a single well-placed blow.  If an enemy has the nerve to take a swing at her, Lady Justice will punish the attacker for a miss with a deadly Riposte.  If she needs a little boost, the Vendetta Trigger gives her two more triggers - Onslaught gives her additional attacks and Vengeance gives her a positive on damage, letting her cheat the flip in a greater variety of situations.

The Judge and the rest of the Marshals hold Lady Justice in the highest of esteem, not just as their leader but also as a paragon of their office.  When she kills a model in close combat her Inspiring Swordplay inspires them to fight harder.  With the Last Stand upgrade she gains the ability to ignore terrain and bring her Marshals with her on a charge, allowing her Crew to stay within her inspirational range.  Restore Natural Order lets her keep a level playing field for her team - removing all conditions from everyone within range.

As deadly as she is in close combat, and as effective as she is as a leader, Lady Justice offers no support to her Crew at range.  With no shooting or casting at her disposal she is dependent on terrain and speed to close the gap between her and her opponent.  The healing ability of Juggernaut and the safety offered by Covering Fire help her survive as she crosses the board, but she can also benefit from the added protection of either the Thalarian Stone or the Badge of Office upgrades.

In the event that she is called to face a Resurrectionist on the tabletop, she has a whole bag of tricks available to her that specifically counter their strengths.  Final Repose allows her to ensure that anything she kills stays dead, while the Justice Unleashed upgrade lets her clear any corpses that fall to the weapons of others and gives her a powerful burst attack versus undead.  Flames of the Pit turns the table on the Marshals' terrifying quarry, making Justice's crew immune to Horror and giving them all their own Horror vs. Undead.

Because the Death Marshals protect the citizens of Malifaux from the most horrific of enemies they have earned a place in the hearts of the populace,  Lady Justice in particular is placed high on a pedestal.  What is not as well known is the price they have had to pay to keep the peace.  Each Death Marshal learns elements of the dark arts, knowledge that corrupts the body and the mind.  Unlike her Guild Marshal allies, Lady Justice appears physically untouched by the ravages of this forbidden knowledge.  What is not known is what effect it has had on her psyche.  As the Avatar of Balance Lady Justice walks the thin line between life and death, between sanity and madness.  She holds the centre line for the sake of humanity, and she will hold it as long as she is able.

Better Know Your Malifaux 006: Niño Ortega

As the youngest operative of the Ortega family, Niño Idolizes his older siblings, in particular his sister Perdita. Smaller than the rest, he uses his size and stealth to bring a unique tool to the Family's battle plan. Niño's contribution to his family's success on the battlefield is larger than his small size and young age would suggest.  Ranging ahead of the rest of the Crew, Niño sets up in an ideal position to bring his deadly Custom Repeating Rifle to bear.  From his forward position he can work to control the battlefield, often getting off the first shot of the encounter and causing the enemy to cling to cover.

For the most part it's best to think of the youngest Ortega as a turret.  Although Niño has an impressive Df, above average for a book one enforcer, his remaining stats are average to poor at best.  This is why it is so vital to make sure you maximize From the Shadows during deployment to make sure he doesn't need to move (his Wk being the same as the Enslaved Nephilim... A guy with a ball and chain strapped to his leg).  A strong opening position with good sight lines also let's you use Spotter to lock-down your opponent's ability to place Scheme markers near the rest of the Family.  Should someone actually get to grips with Niño he can use "Where'd He Go?" to escape being engaged or Shrug Off to remove a negative condition.

Niño's main ability, the reason that you take him with you in your Crew, is his aforementioned Rifle. His Sh is low for an Enforcer's primary attack but this is offset by his positive twist.  Most importantly, Niño extends his rifle range to a whopping 36" when he takes a Focus Action prior to shooting. Two of his Triggers, Critical Strike and Precision, are fueled by his built-in Ram.  His third Trigger, Headshot, requires a Crow and a target within 10” to get off but can result in instant death for a model who can't pay either two Soulstones or two cards to avoid it.

None of the current Upgrades are a very strong match for Niño as all three of those available to Family require him to be uncomfortably close to the enemy. Niño doesn't have enough wounds to really make Lead Lined Coat worth the points.  Theoretically there could be situations where Plant Evidence would be of benefit since it can be an automatic Marker for such Schemes as Breakthrough, Plant Evidence or A Line In The Sand.  Beyond these limited situations you can probably spend your Soulstones more wisely. 

Once a must-include powerhouse under the first edition rules, Niño is now a much more subtle tool in the Guild arsenal.  He no longer dominates the field as he once did and this has caused many of his detractors to disregard him entirely.  He is absolutely a trickier model to play now, but the ability to be up field before the game starts can not be dismissed in a five turn game.  Second edition also introduced the Vantage Point rules which Niño is uniquely suited for, being able to shoot over terrain is a great combination with a 36" range.  The test will come when the rules for the rest of the Ortega models are released and we can see him at his full potential. 

Better Know Your Malifaux 005: Papa Loco

Once a powerful and wise leader, the man now known as Papa Loco is no longer in complete control of his mental faculties.  The reasons for his break with reality are unspoken, but whatever the cause there seems to be no cure - even an extended stay in the Malifaux Sanitarium was unable to provide relief.  Due to his mental infirmity he no longer leads his family, either on the battlefield or in the homestead, but has instead handed over control to his daughter Perdita.  Even still, Papa will often insist on going along with the family when they go to battle, arming himself with a variety of homemade explosives.  Out of respect for their patriarch emeritus the Ortegas never say no, but they are smart enough to not stand too close when he starts flinging the dynamite.

In his delicate state, Papa Loco wins the contest for least defensive Enforcer in the game.  With a combined Wp and Df of eight no one else has stats that low without also having a defensive trigger or ability.  Whether it's a complete lack of self-preservation, or whether the demons in his skull demand that he end his own life, Papa Loco offers very little resistance to anyone who dedicates themselves to taking him out.  Crossing the great open table to get within range of his foes is the hard part.  Luckily his Crew is well-equipped for the challenge with several abilities to help him get a head start on his activation.  Papa himself has Companion so can launch the assault right after he is given a boost.  Hold This returns the favour, giving his ally within 2" a rare bonus to attack that lasts past the end of the turn until the start of Papa's next activation.

Although uniquely vulnerable at before he gets there, once Papa closes to short range he owns his space.  Both Throw Dynamite and the close combat Dynamite Punch attacks have significant blast effects that can do a lot of damage close up while "Te Llevare al Infierno Conmigo" can hit everyone within 4" for a whopping six damage, including mandatory damage to Papa himself.  This is more often than not part of the plan since his ability Boom! has him do five damage to everyone within 3" when he expires.

As of the content of book one, the Upgrades available to Papa are not of the highest calibre for his play Hermanos De Armas and Diestro are both at odds with his armament and Torementa De Plomo is a watered-down version of his own "Te Llevare al Infierno Conmigo" (although it would be nice to avoid the self-inflicted wounds).  Papa can get some use out of Lead Lined Coat to help him get up the battlefield unmolested - it also provides some protection for when he inevitably blows himself up.  Plant Evidence seems tailor-made for a model that wants to get into the enemy's face and expire and is a good situational pick-up should the Scheme pool call for it, otherwise it seems that Papa Loco might find himself on the field with an empty Upgrade slot.
style.

Regardless of how you use him, Papa Loco is unlikely to see the end of turn five, so the trick is to make sure your Crew makes the most of his sacrifice.  Capitalizing on the Family's many movement and out-of-activation Abilities, Papa Loco can rapidly launch up the field to the point where his proximity can disrupt your opponent's plan and force him to make difficult decisions.  Does he take out the walking bomb and suffer the consequences, or does he burn multiple AP to reposition his entire Crew to avoid the madman?  Either way Papa exerts his will on the table, influencing everyone within his significant radius. 

Better Know Your Malifaux 004: Santiago Ortega

A perfect counterpoint to the stern Francisco and the smouldering Perdita, Santiago loves to be in the thick of it, relishing the heat and press of battle.  Unburdened by the responsibilities of leadership, he has put his energy into honing his near-combat prowess and has developed an exceptional talent for delivering hot death to the enemy from the mouth of his peacebringer.

Santiago shows a singular focus, doggedly pursuing his task regardless of pain or circumstances.  Shrug Off allows him to remove a Condition that has been applied to him, helping him bypass such effects as Poison and Burning.  When he is wounded, his effectiveness actually increases as "¿Es Todo Lo Que Tienes?" kicks in, putting his Sh above even Perdita's skill level and providing a positive twist on damage.   Even when Santiago has taken enough damage that he should succumb to his wounds, Hard to Kill keeps him the game, fueling his recklessness.  Despite this he is not invulnerable, having fewer Wounds than most other Enforcers and only average defenses.

Although he likes to be in close, Santiago doesn't want to get too close; He is not a close combat expert and his capabilities tail off substantially when he is engaged. Santiago is at his best standing several inches back from the main fray where he can rely on I'll Cover You to fire on enemies his more melee-oriented Family members have engaged, using Companion to activate right after they charge.

Santiago has a few interesting options available for his singular Upgrade slot. Tormenta De Plumo goes well with his placement on the battlefield but doesn't take advantage of his enhanced shooting under "¿Es Todo Lo Que Tienes?".  If you want to shore up his survivability, Lead Lined Coat provides him with armour.  Alternatively, Plant Evidence can add a silver-lining benefit to Santiago's eventual demise by helping you achieve Scheme Marker objectives.

Probably the best Upgrade for him is Hermanos De Armas which lets him provide his Crew with more mobility, launching close combat allies toward the foe or helping reposition the team.  For added efficiency, Hermanos De Armas costs a zero action to use which Santiago would otherwise only use for the situational Shrug Off.  This gives him something to do every turn and that works to keep the team together.

Whatever role you give him Santiago approaches it with gusto.  Using him in your Crew is a matter of balancing his dual nature.  He wants to dive into the fray and rapidly close the gap with the enemy but he needs to hold back and keep at range.  He wants to take some fire to unlock his entire potential but he mustn't take too much or he goes down.  Bring him to the table and you can feel his urgency and caution as you strive to seek the right balance.  Get it right and he can be a game changer. 

Better Know Your Malifaux 003: Enslaved Nephilim

Tasked with the impossible mission of guarding humanity's Breachside expansion from Malifaux's native population, the Ortegas quickly learned that might alone would not be enough to hold off the Nephilim threat.  No matter how many they brought down, the rapid maturation of the Nephilim ensured that there would always be more right behind them.  The family needed information on the enemy's movements, their tactics, their leadership.

A support Totem through and through, the Enslaved Nephilim has average to low stats in every category with the exception of his remarkably low Wk and lack of a Cg range; That ball and chain is a serious impediment to his mobility.  Thankfully he comes with a built in solution: Shackled allows him to move a nearby friendly model (or even himself) up to six inches towards an ally.  His main attraction is his ability Influence, a low-level version of Perdita's Obey.  Although it is not nearly as effective at targeting enemy models due to it's low Ca, Influence provides a key advantage to the Family, allowing them access to another valuable out-of-activation move or action.  With the Enslaved Nephilim's involuntary support the Family has another tool to either get Francisco or Papa Loco up the field more rapidly, or allow Santiago or Nino to fire off another shot.

Beyond these functions, the Enslaved Nephilim spends more time as a victim than he does victorious.  His melee attack Ball and Chain is laughable and his Peon status ensures that he won't be much help directly when it comes to Schemes.  Black Blood is primarily thematic, as is the Nephilim's lack of Companion - he is not interested in aiding the Ortegas any more than necessary.  Finally, he has Unimpeded, allowing him to move through severe terrain with little effort.

A tragic figure, the Enslaved Nephilim is cursed to aid in the destruction of his own people.  Bound not through promises or coercion, he is a slave to his Master's will through the magic chains he wears.  His bondage compels him to share his knowledge with his tormentors, calling into question the moral character of the Ortegas that they would engage in such a low practice as slavery.

Better Know Your Malifaux 002: Francisco Ortega

It's a tough job, being the elder brother of a prodigy. With the incapacitation of the Ortega family patriarch, tradition would dictate that Francisco step into the role and assume command of the Latigo compound.  Francisco knew, however, that in the categories of leadership, strategy and charisma he was over-matched by his younger sister Perdita.  With the best interests of the family in mind, he stepped aside and allowed Perdita to take the reigns. During the fallout of the Event, while Perdita was bed-ridden, Francisco found himself thrust back into the leadership role, balancing his time between caring for his comatose sister and fighting against the Neverborn threat.  With Perdita now returned to the battlefield, Francisco has happily resumed his second-in-command duties.

Francisco has a decidedly average stat line for a Henchman but this is reflected in his Soulstone cache of five and his cost of eight; He is not expensive relative to many of the other models of his station.  Where his sister is better than him with a Peacebringer, Francisco excels at using his Dueling Sword. His Combat is at the top end of Henchman capability, and rivals even the best of Masters.  Add Flurry on top of that and Francisco can take down even the toughest foes with his blade.

With an average Defense, a relatively low Wound count and his sole defensive power, Finesse, only providing a modicum of protection while he is engaged in melee, Francisco needs to rely on cover and maneuverability to survive. Thankfully, maneuverability is something the Ortega clan brings in spades with a half dozen movement actions between them, in addition to the ubiquitous Companion.  Taking the Wade In upgrade gives him some sorely needed defense, adding both Hard to Kill and a healing ability to keep him in the fight.

As either a Leader or as a member of a Master's crew, Francisco can provide some solid versatility to your force.  With the Hermanos de Armas upgrade and his "Enfréntate a Mi!" ability he can move his allies into position, or out of trouble.  El Mayor rounds out his ability to be a support Leader, providing a much appreciated Defense and Willpower boost to a nearby ally of choice (it also comes from the rare class of abilities that carries over past the end of the turn).  When used on Perdita this drives her defensive stats to stratospheric heights.  If on the other hand you would rather Francisco provide melee support, Wade In and Diestro allow him to tie up the middle of the board and have his allies fire at will into the engagement.  Finally, although he is not the best shooter the Ortegas have, he can provide substantial fire support for either assassination (Vengeance Bullet) or crowd control (Tormenta de Plomo).  Unlike with Perdita, the Thalarian Stone is actually an option in some scenarios since his Defense and Willpower are low enough to take nearly full advantage.

For all of his utility though, Francisco is happiest when he is engaged with the enemy blade to blade, his favourite cover being the whirling dance of melee combat.  He confronts the enemy with a charge or a challenge and hold them in place, freeing the rest of the crew to focus on the mission at hand.  He sees it as his role in the family, and it is a burden he bears with pride.

Better Know Your Malifaux 001: Perdita Ortega

In all of Malifaux, nobody has a quicker gun than Perdita Ortega.  As the head of her household, the young Perdita leads the largest enclave of Neverborn hunters in the Guild's employ, honing them into a lethal weapon to be used in the ongoing conflict with Malifaux's native population.  From the Latigo compound located outside the bounds of the city proper, Perdita and her charges fight nephilim and gremlins alike to shine a light into the darkness surrounding Malifaux. The fallout of the Event had left her comatose, trapped in her own mind while her family struggled to keep the fight going without her.  With her recent recovery, Perdita has a new sense of purpose.  As the Avatar of Revelation she sees truths that other can't, and she decides in her own time what knowledge she needs to impart, and to whom.

Perdita has always been hard to catch but easy to kill and in second edition this remains the case.  Among Masters she is tied with Lilith for the highest Defense in the game and has the second highest Willpower after Zoraida.  Combined, this makes her the hardest Master to flip damage against.  Her defensive trigger Quick Draw keys off of having an enemy model lose a Shooting duel against her, an opportunity she is well equipped to provide.  Should an attack get through however, she has little to mitigate the damage.  Perdita is at the low end of Wounds for a Master and does not have any damage reduction abilities to rely on.  This mean that she can be quite dependent on a good cards to survive.  Thankfully, this is supplemented by her ability to refresh her hand with Hero's Gamble.

Offensively, Perdita is quite capable, being equally effective bringing her Peacebringer to bear in close combat and at range.  Up close, Point Blank gives her a built-in ram allowing her to automatically trigger Critical Strike.  From further away she can set up Finger on the Trigger which allows her to dominate a large piece of the board for a turn, punishing the enemy if they have the nerve to shoot or charge.

Despite these strengths, Perdita's biggest advantage comes from her Family.  She and the other Ortegas all have the newly-templated Companion ability that allows a model who has it to activate immediately after a friendly model (limited to two total activations in a row).  Unlike in the previous edition, the Companion ability is not specific as to who can trigger it, leading to some interesting combinations.  Perdita's Relocate ability allows her to discard a card and push 8" towards a friendly Family model at the start of her activation.  This is an amazing ability that, combined with her Obey action and her totem's Shackled and Influence, gives the Ortegas their incredible ability to be in the right spot at the right time.

No other Master in book one has access to as many upgrades as Ms. Ortega, though not all options are as viable as others.  Her extremely high defense and Willpower make The Thalarian Stone a poor investment while Tormenta De Plomo and Hermanos De Armas are better off being allocated to her brothers.  Perdita is the only Guild Master without a Limited Upgrade, making it an easy decision to take Badge of Office if the Encounter dictates that she needs to survive.  Her own exclusive upgrades can fill in the few remaining gaps in her capabilities with Os Veo giving her two more defensive abilities, Aura Ancestral steeling her and her family's resolve and Trick Shooting adding to her already lengthy list of ways to bring pain to the enemy Crew.  A word of caution though, Perdita is one of the most expensive Masters in the game (in that she has a low cache of two) and taking a full allotment of Soulstones along with all three upgrades will cost 10 of your 50ss in a typical game.

Overall, Perdita rewards an aggressive yet tactical play style that focuses on having her and the Family in mid-range distance from each other as they move about the board accomplishing their tasks.  They need to be close enough to each other to offer support but they do not require the base contact that was the hallmark of so many first edition lists.  Perdita can get in a lot of trouble if she gets bogged down by multiple enemy models, so it's a good idea to make sure she is not left too exposed.

Her crew at this point usually consists of Nino, Francisco, Santiago, Papa Loco and the Enslaved Nephilim.  Beyond that, she can benefit from the inclusion of both Guild Guards and Witchling Stalkers to provide lower cost Minions to fill out the ranks.  In limited situations, the Executioner or Peacekeeper might be called for if the list needs some more survivability, but for the most part the Family likes to rely on each other... to the exclusion of others.

Project Guild: 100% in 2014

They say that the best way to hold oneself accountable to one's goals is to share them with someone else, so I'm going to make a public claim and then it falls to me to back it up:

I will complete The Guild before GenCon 2014

It might not seem a lofty goal, but my plan is to do this while also not losing my job, neglecting my kids or alienating my wife, so that does indeed make it harder.  Added to this difficulty is that the guys at Wyrd intend to release a great number of models this year, all of which must also be completed for me to claim successful completion of this task. As a sub-goal, I will also photograph every model and put them up on the internet as proof of my success - I just need to find a good place to host the pics.  Any suggestions?

You can track my progress here on Stinkmunk's Malifaux Completion List.  It's not as awesome or as fancy as Mako's Malifaux Model Tracker but it will suffice for my needs.

As of today's date, I have completed 62% of the models, but the bad news is that I've left the hardest ones to last.  Avatars, Nightmares, out of production figures.  Still, I hope to succeed, and I have 53 weeks to do it in!

Thanks for reading.

M2E Beta: Perdita Ortega Has A Dozen Ways To Shoot You

Malifaux second edition brings a handful of change to how Masters function and to what their role is on the tabletop.  The changes to Soulstones have rounded off the extremes of their game play, both offensively and defensively, moving them slightly towards the middle of the power curve.  That having been said, they are still very much the centerpiece of your Crew, a unique tool to apply exceptional pressure to your schemes and strategies.  Has the streamlining of M2E resulted in the oversimplification of Masters?

Let's Do The Math

To get a handle on the changes that Masters have faced we will continue to use Perdita as an example, taking a look here at her total utility.  In Malifaux 1.5, Perdita had 15 different functions, each identified by its own boldface title.  In M2E, that list has been shortened to eight.  At first glance then, it seems that she has indeed been downgraded.

As you dig deeper though, New Perdita's comparative depth begins to reveal itself.  Some of her 1.5 functions we counted earlier were actually Triggers.  Her M2E version also has Triggers, but these are now listed as sub-headings under the associated Action and not as discrete entries in their own right.  Perdita has two different Triggers on her main attack, Witched Bullet and Critical Strike.  Adding these to our total, New Perdita's utility count is up to ten.

Perdita 1.5 had a useful ability called Gunslinger which allowed her to use her pistol as a melee weapon, an ability absent from her M2E incarnation.  Her card also shows no sign of her powerful (+1) Fast.  In both of these cases, the abilities aren't missing as much as they have been cleverly integrated into the new rules set to give a more seamless experience.  The Perdita's Peacebringer Attack Action now lists its range as both Ranged 14 and Melee 2, encompassing the Gunslinger functionality.  Her absent Fast got taken care of with an even broader brush.  In 1.5, every Master in the game had access to an additional (generally specific) AP through such abilities as Melee Expert or Casting Expert.  Now, as a standard rule, all Masters are allocated 3 general AP at the start of their activation.  This perfectly replaces Perdita's Fast, so she is now up to 12 in the utility count.

New Perdita is also missing See the Unseen and Bullet Bending, both of which have received major changes in how they work but are now available on her Upgrade cards.  See the Unseen is not quite as powerful as it once was, but Bullet Bending became a lot more useful, no longer requiring a successful cast or imposing a penalty on Perdita when she uses it. Adding them to our total brings us up to 14 options versus the 15 on her older self.  So really, what has she lost?

Out With The Old

A brief comparison shows that she has lost Immune to Influence, Evasive 2, Anticipation, Spellbreaker and Execute.  Arguably one of Perdita's most broken ability in first edition, Immune to Influence seems to have gone by the wayside for everybody in the new edition, not appearing on any Beta profile.  Instead, Perdita now has access to Stubborn, giving her opponents a negative flip when they target her willpower. The loss of Evasive 2 is compensated with access to Bulletproof +2, which to me signals a thematic change in the character more towards being a gunfighter (more on that later).

In the end, Perdita has lost only three abilities that have not been replaced with a similar function: Anticipate, Spellbreaker and Execute.  In the context of a new rule set, I consider these the only true losses as they are areas of the game she no longer has access to.  Perdita no longer has an offensive deck-shaping attack, a team condition-removal spell or a low-accuracy, high damage flip attack.

In With The New

In exchange for her three lost abilities we discussed above, Perdita has picked up access to over a dozen new functions, a veritable arsenal of ways to affect the game. There is a theme here - New Perdita cares a lot less about spell casting, both her own and her opponents', and a lot more about shooting.  She has six new abilities all about putting lead into her enemies: Point Blank, Witched Bullet, Geometric,  True Mark, Leadstorm and Vengeance Bullet.  As the head of her household, she has a renewed focus on teamwork, emphasized by her open-ended Companion ability, Relocate, Cover Me, Circular and Ortega Presence.  If her survivability is an issue, she can pick up Thalarian Doctrine or Badge of Office to help keep her on the table, and if there is a strategy or scheme that simply must be completed, she can grab Plant Evidence and Finish the Job.

This total base of functions, between her new card abilities and her available Upgrades, means that Perdita now has access to a total of 26 Abilities, Actions and Triggers, an increase of 11 over her original incarnation.  Future editions may very well increase this number even higher.  The chief difference here is that you now have to make significant choices when you choose Perdita, choosing and paying for the ones you want to bring.

Wait, I Have To Pay For Them?

Well yes, you do.  This seems to be a sticking point for a number of people in the community, the feeling that we are being forced to pay for something that was previously free strikes a deep blow to the human psyche.  I think it's important to remember though that we always paid for our Master; We paid for them with our Master slot, our most valuable Crew creation resource we had.  In addition, games of Malifaux are played with larger stone totals now, without being larger in terms of number of models fielded, so we are paying the higher prices from a larger pool of stones.

This might sound like I'm splitting hairs, but let's do the math here.  In Malifaux 1.5, Perdita's crew box cost 25ss leaving Perdita with a cache of 2.  In M2E, the same selection of models costs 29ss with the same cache of 2.  But Malifaux 1.5 recommended the game be played between 30ss and 35ss for a standard game while M2E recommends playing with 50ss, all of which means that you have an additional 15 to 20 Soulstones to cover the cost of your more expensive models and the upgrades they need.

Here's an example of what you can do with the additional Soulstones using Perdita's first edition starter:

Malifaux 1.5 (35ss Game):

• Perdita, Francisco, Santiago, Nino, Papa Loco. Cache of 7.
• 5 Soulstones Remaining.

M2E (50ss Game):

• Perdita (Aura Ancestral, Os Veo, Trick Shooting), Francisco (Wade In, Diestro), Santiago (Tormenta De Plumo), Nino (Hair Trigger), Papa Loco. Cache of 7. 
• 5 Soulstones Remaining.

In this particular build, Perdita is able to catch her entire 1.5 edition essence along with some added general utility while still keeping her Crew together.  She even has the budget to upgrade the rest of her crew with a few choice abilities.

With the Beta for book one closed and the books themselves off to the printer, the time for player input is over.  What we do know is that there was also a final round of closed-door play-testing done by Wyrd prior to shipping off the rules, so we may still see some changes in the finished book.  When I finally get my hands on Malifaux M2E Book One we will revisit Perdita and get more specific on her options.

Thanks for reading.

M2E Beta: Now With More Perditas!

Perdita has a special place in my heart as she was my first Malifaux model, the first I bought, the first I painted and the first Master I fielded. She was also the first I had to have replaced, since she came with a pretty severe casting error and was missing most of her right arm.  As a result, I actually had my first interaction with Wyrd's customer service before I flipped my first card.  It seems fitting then that my primera señorita be the first model I write up for Malifaux 2e.

Masters in M2E

A lot of noise has been made about the changes coming to Malifaux in the upcoming edition with strong opinions both for and against the changes.  Setting aside the general mechanical differences and focusing instead on the individual models, it seems that the M2E Masters have borne the brunt of the change.  Gone are the crowded walls of text that made up their stat cards, replaced instead with a boiled-down essence of the character.  Many of the Masters' abilities have been shifted off of their main cards and have moved over to a series of Upgrade cards that can be purchased at option during Crew selection prior to an encounter.  Again, like seemingly every issue that has arisen during the Beta, this is viewed as either a fantastic idea that is broadening the scope of the game and future-proofing Malifaux or it is a major fumble that is sapping the spirit and character out of the game.

The largest complaint seems to be that a lot of Masters are less powerful than they were before.  Between the changes to Soulstones, the general standardizing of Master abilities and the retemplating of powers in general Masters can do a lot fewer different things now than they could in the past.  In 1.5 Perdita had 15 different abilities, actions, triggers and spells including four different zero actions.  In M2E she has been reduced to eight.  So the question is, have the Masters traded their souls for a more accessible and less tactical game?

Awesome or Option?

For me, the answer is relatively simple.  In the first edition of the game, there was one amazing Perdita Ortega, in M2E there are 120 distinct Perditas at you disposal.  Some combinations of Upgrades are better than others, some are downright silly, but it doesn't change the fact that I now have considerably more options available to me than I did before.  Added to this, as the game continues to roll out, and as more Upgrades are created in the future, the number of ways I can field my Master jumps.

Under the previous edition I played Perdita exclusively for the first dozen or so games until I got my other Masters completed and then I got bored.  She was great, but she was the same, each and every time.  Her Companion chain all but demanded that I take her with her Family and I quickly grew tired of the looks I would get when I explained the benefits of Immune to Influence to my opponent.  Perdita went onto a shelf, then into a box, along with the rest of la familia.  

Now she's back, and I couldn't be happier.  She has been revitalized with a new rules set and a new purpose.  Like her fellow Masters she now has the ability to choose Upgrades that give her abilities and actions specific to the flipped strategy, your schemes or your personal play-style.  Her added flexibility makes non-family models a much stronger option than they ever have been before.  The number of choices that you need to make when you decide to field her has gone through the roof.    Less tactical indeed.

Next time I'll discuss what she's gained, what she's lost and how she'll play in M2E.

Thanks for reading.