Malifaux/Tactics(M3e)

This page is meant to index pages for the Malifaux tactics dumps.

General Advice

• Count your Cards - Unlike poker, counting cards is a recommended skill to pick up in Malifaux. If you have more low cards in your hand that means you have more high cards in your deck and vice versa. The more low cards in your discard pile the better your chances are.
• Keep your Eye on the Mission - Malifaux is one of the few games where you can still win the game if your entire crew is dead. Some objectives can only be completed once per turn so make sure you have enough turns to max out your victory points.
• Activation Control - If your opponent loses a model that hasn't activated yet they are playing at a loss that turn. Focus on models that can do the most damage that turn or in the long run. Some models can chain activations allowing you to get two activations in a row.

Required Reading

• The Core Rules - You need to know how to play.
• Your Crew's Cards - You need to know how your models play.
• Gaining Grounds - This is the Malifaux tournament rule set. It is free and has all the missions listed as well as tournament guidelines.

What's Changed from 2nd Edition?

• Masters now have a cost, unless they are your Leader.
• The max hand size is 6, though this can go up with abilities.
• Several Masters have gained/lost their dual faction status.
• A few models have switched factions.
• Several models have been removed from Tournament/Organized play, but live on as Dead Man's Hands.
• Dealing with elevation has had a rework.
• Entering buildings now has rules.
• Stat numbers have reset. 4 appears to be the new minimum, 5 is average, 6 is above average(Most Masters), 7 is very rare. Very few models go above 7 in any stat (other than Health and Cost).
• Deployment for the person going first involves separating their army into halves and the second player picking which one deploys first. Then the defender deploys their entire army, and the remaining group of the first players is deployed. This seems to be done to avoid players winning via counter deploy.
• Added Titles which are when a character has two models that represent them. You cannot hire the same model with different titles. This is specifically for models like McCabe that has a mounted and dismounted version.
• There is an order of operations set to determine the priority of effects and actions.
• Max number of VPs is now 8 (4 for Strategy, 2 for each Scheme).

Hobby Advice

• Make Duplicate Models Unique - A few schemes may require a player to choose a specific model as a target. In the case of minions you may have multiples of the same model. Make sure that there is a way to identify which model is which. Most Malifaux models have different poses and/or gender to help differentiate, but this can only help so far in some cases. General rule of thumb your opponent should be able to recognize which duplicate is which. The best way to do this is with changes in color on the model or rim of the base, but can be done with props such as terrain features or conversions. Note that models that you can only have 1 of don't need this done.
• Conversions have to be mostly Wyrd - For tournament play there is a requirement that the models be a certain percentage Wyrd AND based off the model that it's being converted from. So you can't just buy a model from The Other Side, the mass-scaled combat game that Wyrd puts out and use it for something else. You have to start with the model you want to convert from.

Listbuilding 101

• Standard Crew Size is 50 Soulstones - This is the tournament standard.
• Extra Soulstones are a Resource - When you build a crew you will likely have leftover soulstones which can be used by your Master and Henchmen to modify their card flips.
• Masters - Your Master will be your leader. This will determine both your hiring pool as well as your crews overall play style. There is a bit of wiggle room, but a lot of players can determine what your crew can do from your Master.
• Scheme Runners - These are models who are fast and able to place scheme markers onto the table reliably.
• Beaters - These are models you have high damage output.
• Support - These are models that buff other models.

Building a Successful Malifaux Crew

• Know your Enemy - Players declare their Faction then Leader before building their crew. Take that information and figure out a good counter, but know your opponent can counter you as well. Going up against a Resurrectionist faction? You should probably take something that destroys corpse markers so they can't summon more zombies.
• Know your Strategy and Schemes - Building a crew that can complete the mission objectives is more important than damage output. Don't take Assassinate if your opponent is taking a durable Master.
• Know your Synergies - A lot of models have various effects that boost other models. Keep these in mind, because you are paying for these tricks and they can swing entire games.

Strategy and Scheme Advice

Strategies and Schemes are the primary and secondary missions of Malifaux. Both players have the same Strategy that is worth up to 4 victory points. Each player may choose two of four schemes generated at the start of the game, typically these are kept hidden from your opponent until you score. Each Scheme is worth up to 2 victory points. Players choose their Leader after the Strategy and Schemes are generated, but choose their crew after both players reveal their leader and schemes after crews are revealed. This allows players to choose schemes not just based on what army they bring, but also based on what the opponent has brought. If your opponent has brought a high wounds/defense leader then maybe you shouldn't choose a Scheme that requires you to kill them.

Strategies

Core Book

• Turf War (Ram): The table is divided into four table quarters with a Strategy Marker in the center. A model can use an action in base contact with the marker to switch it from enemy controlled to neutral or from neutral to friendly. At the end of each Turn a crew gains 1 VP if it has more friendly Strategy Markers than it has scored VP for this Strategy.
  • You have to score every turn from 2 forward to get max points. Which means by the end of turn 5 you will need to control 4 of the Strategy Markers.
• Plant Explosives (Tome): Five models on each crew are given Explosive Tokens which can be dropped on your opponent's side of the table. You score your first point for having at least 1 marker on your opponents side, and subsequent points for having at least one more than when you previously scored.
• Corrupted Idols (Mask): Beginning on turn 1 a strategy marker will drop along the center line. A model can interact to move it 1-3 inches to the enemy's side by taking irreducible 1-3 damage. Subsequent points are earned by having more idols on the opponent side. Gaining Grounds 0 now prevents Zoriada from commanding another model to move the idol and taking damage, instead she will take the damage.
• Reckoning (Crow): Kill a model each turn to score. Masters count as 3 and henchmen count as 2. For the purposes of the strategy this includes any model that is killed, even insignificant models. Subsequent points are earned by killing more. A slight problem occurs for the crews that are too good at killing and not having a model to kill on later turns.

Gaining Grounds 2020

Alright Gaining Grounds 2020, or season 1 officially. These strategies, and schemes, are focused more on scoring rather then killing. These are more difficult but not impossible.

• Corrupted Ley Lines (Ram): This one...is complex. Effectively that American Gladiator's game that had the balls and the little wobbly posts. You need to get your ball runner to the posts to score. Notably, you don't need to interact to have the point scored in this one, just have the model in base contact with one of the four posts that are spread out across the field. You can easily counter this with Lures or other effects that pull enemies away from the point, or counter that tactic by trying to activate it last. You can have models pass the ball for other models as well with interact actions, but suffice to say, there's going to be a lot of movement in this one.

• Symbols of Authority (Tome): Your opponent and you each have markers you must prevent the opponent from interacting with while also interacting with your opponents. Favors both defensive setups and alpha-strikes that lock your opponent on their half of the board.

• Recover Evidence (Mask): Call your targets and reclaim the evidence that they hold. You pick 5 models at the start of the game on your opponent's side, as does your opponent, and you have to kill those targets to get strategy points. Arguably more killy than the killy strategy.

• Public Enemies (Crow): The Killy strategy. Kill models and gain points in a really stupid way. I shouldn't say that. Every time you kill an enemy the model that killed that enemy gains 'bounty points' based off the cost of the enemy model. At the end of your turn you burn all of your bounty points to gain a strategy point.

Schemes

Core Book

1. Detonate Charges - One of the hardest schemes to score. It's certainly doable against slow models, but it requires leaving one of your opponent's figures alive until the end of the game. A good way to get this done is with models that have special abilities like 'Don't Mind Me' or 'False Claim' to drop multiple markers while either engaged or from a distance.
2. Breakthrough - Simple enough, spearhead through your opponents (or sneak around the side like a sneaky bastard) and start dropping schemes in your opponent's deployment zone. This is a NIGHTMARE on Corner deployment, since you have to be VERY particular where you're placing your scheme markers.
3. Harness the Ley Line - Easily telegraphed, okay to score. Can be quite fun to try to play into. Same rules as Detonate apply, since you have to drop multiple scheme markers, potentially in a small area or in a highly contested one.
4. Search the Ruins - The easiest scheme to score for most lists. This just involves being on your opponent's table half and dropping markers on terrain on their side. Easy? Easy.
5. Dig Their Graves - The hardest scheme to score for most lists. There's a foolproof way for it to happen against models with just one inch engagement range. Let it activate first, or use a Lure like ability to drag it over, then drop a scheme with a different model nearby, then kill the target. The End Game point is at least really easy, so if you mess up the End of Turn you can at least always try to score off that.
6. Hold Up Their Forces - Pretty easy to score early, but the end game can be hard. Always remember that your opponent's Master is 11-15 points. Unless someone's running a henchman led list, they can usually be used as a good way to get this point off.
7. Take Prisoner - Ugh, another one where you need to leave an opponent alive the whole game. Not impossible, but you also need to isolate and keep that enemy minion isolated.
8. Power Ritual - And the most faked scheme in the game is...POWER RITUAL. Yes, you can always tell if someone's going to fake power ritual or even go for it, if one of their models hangs out in a corner and drops a token turn one. It can be challenging to score if you can't put fast models past your opponent, but hey, it's not always that bad.
9. Outflank - This is a tricky one. If you've got a high mobility list, you can score this pretty reliably mid-to-late game, or go early to try to get board control. This one is REAL easy to deny, so if it's in the pool and you're not taking it, play heavy to one flank if you can.
10. Assassinate - Good old fashioned bloodshed. Note the first point requires you to telegraph it. You HAVE To reveal it when your opponent is half health or below but NOT. DEAD. This makes it actually pretty hard to score in some situations. ESPECIALLY difficult to weigh against things like Von Schtook, who you want to kill early to make sure he can't buff his crew.
11. Deliver a Message - Like Assassinate, except easy to score, but requires you to leave your opponent's Master alive. First point is dead easy for most lists. Run a schemer up, interact, or, if your opponent is Lady J, watch as they sweat you taking this objective every time. Second point is tricky, but if you have a fast scheme runner still alive at the top of four, just activate them late both times if possible. You'll need to activate AFTER your opponent moves their Master.
12. Claim Jump - Yikes. This can be hard to pull off. You have to put a model up in the center of the board, outside of engagement from any other model. This can be a huge problem if you can't get center control right out of the gate. End game point does require your Claim Jumper to be half health or higher too, so this is usually ideal for a model with self-healing.
13. Vendetta - Probably the riskiest scheme. First point's simple. Damage a specific model you name at the start of the game, with a model you choose at the start of the game. Easy? Right. Leave it alive and below half, and you can only score at the end of that model's activation. Not so easy. Now keep your model alive until the end of the game and remove theirs. This one can be easy to get two points off of if playing super safe, but it can also pull one of your own models way out of combat. Take it carefully.

Gaining Grounds Season 1

Time to scheme. We have 5 familiar schemes with 7 new or returned

1. Breakthrough - Simple enough, spearhead through your opponents (or sneak around the side like a sneaky bastard) and start dropping schemes in your opponent's deployment zone. This is a NIGHTMARE on Corner deployment, since you have to be VERY particular where you're placing your scheme markers.
2. Take Prisoner - Ugh, another one where you need to leave an opponent alive the whole game. Not impossible, but you also need to isolate and keep that enemy minion isolated.
3. Vendetta - Probably the riskiest scheme. First point's simple. Damage a specific model you name at the start of the game, with a model you choose at the start of the game. Easy? Right. Leave it alive and below half, and you can only score at the end of that model's activation. Not so easy. Now keep your model alive until the end of the game and remove theirs. This one can be easy to get two points off of if playing super safe, but it can also pull one of your own models way out of combat. Take it carefully.
4. Assassinate - Good old fashioned bloodshed. Note the first point requires you to telegraph it. You HAVE To reveal it when your opponent is half health or below but NOT. DEAD. This makes it actually pretty hard to score in some situations. ESPECIALLY difficult to weigh against things like Von Schtook, who you want to kill early to make sure he can't buff his crew.
5. Claim Jump - Yikes. This can be hard to pull off. You have to put a model up in the center of the board, outside of engagement from any other model. This can be a huge problem if you can't get center control right out of the gate. End game point does require your Claim Jumper to be half health or higher too, so this is usually ideal for a model with self-healing.
6. Hidden Martyrs - Pick two models that are less than 13 stones combined. One has to die, the other has to live to the end of the game and be engaged with an enemy model of higher cost at the bottom of turn 5. This is practically a free first point in most setups.
7. Sabotage - Search the Ruins but with a terrain piece that's farther across the board than just 'the center line.' Also requires you to keep enemies away from it. It's not that difficult, but requires speed.
8. Catch and Release - See Deliver a Message but there's no interact and your model HAS to be a minion. After you deliver you need to run around like a chicken with your head cut off. Not as easy Deliver, but still doable with most setups.
9. Let Them Bleed - Damage your opponent's highest cost non Master models to below half, then damage your opponent's entire crew. It's interesting. Good for killy crews but really matchup dependent. There are some crews that have significant totems that'll never get in the mix.
10. Leave Your Mark - Spam scheme markers near the centerline. See Claimjump? It's that but more annoying. Some crews that can use False Claim or can drop schemes outside of standard Interact Actions will score this easy. Some may find it impossible.
11. Research Mission - The most matchup dependent Scheme. It's actually possible to not be able to score this on Public Enemies unless your crew has a way to generate markers. That being said, Freikorps, Wildfire, Revenant, can all easily accomplish these in just a few moves by generating their own marker addons.
12. Spread Them Out - Harness the LeyLine but you need to spread them puppies out on your opponent's side of the map instead of on the centerline. Good fun but requires you to spread. Not really as doable in so-called 'bubble crews.'
13. Runic Binding - More complex detonate charges. If you have access to out of Interaction scheme marker generation, which means an ability that drops friendly schemes as an action that's not Interact, it's easy to do. It's picked so rarely in my experience that most folks don't play to counter it.

Army Specific Advice

Guild

Why Play Guild

Pros

• You get to play cowboys.
• Most of your army does high damage output.
• Most models have Hard to Wound and/or Hard to Kill.

Cons

• Guild summoning is not as reliable as other factions.
• Guild has a lot of Living Models; meaning that you'll drop a lot of corpses for you enemy to summon monsters.

Masters

• Charles Hoffman: (Augmented) Hoffman is an engineer who regulates the creation of robots in Malifaux. He makes sure that no one is using living creatures to make robots, but secretly he did similar to try and save his brother Ryle. He is crippled from polio, but can walk around with an exo-suit he can control with his mind.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living, Construct
  • Crew Building:
    • Augmented - Peacekeeper, Guardian, Melissa K.O.R.E., Hunter, Riotbreaker, Watcher, Mechanical Attendant, Warden, Joss, Medical Automaton, Mobile Toolkit, Howard Langston, Union Steamfitter.
    • Peacekeeper, Howard Langston, and Joss are dedicated beaters. Joss is Ruthless and can generate scrap when he kills enemies, but his main attraction is using Power tokens to make his attack irreducible. Howard and Peacekeeper are almost interchangeable.
  • Tactics:
    • Hoffman likes giving out Fast and Power tokens with his Overcharge ability.
    • Emergency Power Transfer can be used to transfer Power Tokens, but also on Hoffman to push himself.
    • Hoffman can also redirect attacks on him to nearby allies to help avoid giving up points for Assassinate.
• Lucius Mattheson: (Elite, Mimic) Lucius used to be the right hand man of the previous Governor General. He is always wearing a mask which hides the fact he is in fact a Neverborn.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Elite - Agent 46, Alan Reid, Investigator, Guild Lawyer, The Scribe
    • Mimic - Agent 46, Doppelganger, Changeling
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Perdita Ortega: (Family) Perdita is part of the Monster Hunters group funded by the Guild. All of the Ortega Family are seasoned monster hunters. Her father is insane and she has strange abilities which leads many to believe her mother may be Zoraida.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • All Family models share the following abilities "Bravado" and "¡A Por El!".
      • "Bravado" - When model uses Concentrate, they may also push 4" towards an enemy within line of sight. Good for repositioning and then Focus shooting a nearby enemy.
      • "¡A Por El!" - After this model ends its Activation another friendly model within 6" that costs less than this model may discard a card to take an action. Perdita can never activate off of this(She's the most expensive family model at 15ss), but she can trigger any high cost model in her crew with this.
• Cornelius Basse: (Frontier) TBD
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Dashel Barker: (Guard) A Henchman back in M2e now promoted to Master.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Nellie Cochrane: (Journalist) A propaganda journalist for the Guild.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Lady Justice: (Marshal) A blind woman who wields a katana. She is the head of the Death Marshals, the branch of the Guild in charge of bringing Necromancers to justice.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Sonnia Criid: (Witch Hunter) The leader of the Witch Hunters, the branch of the Guild in charge with bringing renegade magic users to justice. She used to be possessed by one of the Tyrants of Malifaux. She is known to take mages and turn them into Witchling Stalkers and Thralls for the Guild to use in combat.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD

Totems

• Mechanial Attendant: (Augmented)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Totem (Charles Hoffman)
• The Scribe: (Elite, Mimic)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Lucius Mattheson)
• Enslaved Nephilim: (Family, Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Perdita Ortega)
• Bernadette Basse: (Frontier)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Cornelius Basse)
• The Dispatcher: (Guard)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Dashel Barker)
• Printing Press: (Journalist)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Totem (Nellie Cochrane)
• Scales of Justice: (Marshal)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Lady Justice)
• Purifying Flame: (Witch Hunter, Witchling)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Totem (Sonnia Criid)

Henchmen

• Dr. Grimwell: (Asylum)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living, Versatile)
• Melissa K.O.R.E: (Augmented)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Construct)
• Greed: (Crossroads)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living, Versatile)
• Agent 46: (Elite, Mimic)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Alan Reid: (Elite)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Francisco Ortega: (Family)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
  • Strong beater in melee. His Balanced Sword action is Stat 7 at 2/4/5 damage with 3 triggers. Critical strike for +1 damage per Ram. Family Values on Tomes.
• Jonathan Reichart: (Frontier)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Taggart Queeg: (Guard)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Phiona Gage: (Journalist)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living, Construct)
• Allison Dade: (Journalist)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• The Judge: (Marshal)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• The Jury: (Marshal)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Samael Hopkins: (Witch Hunter)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)

Enforcers

TBD

Minions

TBD

Arcanists

Why Play Arcanists

Pros

• You get to play renegade magic users.
• Steampunk
• Most of your models drop Scrap Markers which is great against Rezzers who rely on Corpse Markers.

Cons

• A lot of the army is casting based, meaning that Masters like Sonnia will negate most crews.

Masters

• Sandeep Desai: (Academic, Elemental) Sandeep is a teacher of magic with a specialty in summoning elementals and a seething hatred for the Guild.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Academic - Kudra, Kandara, Shastar Vidiya Guard, Oxfordian Mage
    • Elemental - Kandara, Banasuva, Ice Golem, Fire Golem, Metal Golem, Essence of Power, Ice Gamin, Fire Gamin, Metal Gamin, Poison Gamin, Wind Gamin
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Marcus: (Chimera) Marcus was a biologist who went to study Malifaux, and ended up living among the beasts. He has learned how to twist the animals of Malifaux into new shapes. He works with Titania's blessing and assistance, so he is now part of the Neverborn faction too.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Chimera - Myranda, Jackalope, Ferdinand Vogel, The Beast Within, Cojo, The Scorpius, Paul Crockett, Order Initiate, Sabertooth Cerberus, Slate Ridge Mauler, Moleman, Razorspine Rattler.
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Rasputina: (December) Rasputina is possessed by December, a Tyrant with power over ice. She leads a cult of his worshipers who... let's just say they're big fans of Soylent Green. She works with the Arcanists, but December's main goal is to destroy Titania.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • December - Snow Storm, Wendigo, Ice Golem, Blessed of December, Ice Dancer, Silent One, December Acolyte, Ice Gamin, Hoarcat
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Mei Feng: (Foundry) Mei Feng is the leader of the foundry, a division of the Miners and Steamfitters Union responsible for Malifaux's railroads. The Ten Thunders have her under their thumb, but she has joined the Arcanists in an attempt to break free of their control.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living, Construct
  • Crew Building:
    • Foundry - Kang, Forgeling, Neil Henry, Willie, Metal Golem, Mechanized Porkchop, Sparks, Metal Gamin, Survivor, Rail Worker
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Toni Ironsides: (M&SU) Toni is the head of the Miners and Steamfitters Union, though she's had trouble holding onto control since she sold out Victor Ramos, the head of the Arcanists, to the Guild in exchange for *checks notes* the end of American slavery. Wait, really?
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • M&SU - The Captain, Amina Naidu, Joshua Fitzsimmons, Mouse, Howard Langston, Gunsmith, Union Miner, Union Steamfitter
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Colette Du Bois: (Performer) Colette is a performer who uses real magic but pretends that it's all just sleight of hand.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Performer - Cassandra Felton, Carlos Vasquez, Angelica Durand, Coryphee Duet, Mechanical Dove, Ice Dancer, Showgirl, Mannequin, Coryphee
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Kaeris: (Wildfire) The new leader of the Arcanists is Kaeris, a pyromancer who is going all out against the Guild, threatening to burn the entire city to the ground if Victor Ramos isn't released.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Wildfire - The Firestarter, Carlos Vasquez, Eternal Flame, Elijah Borgmann, Fire Golem, Iggy, Firebranded, Fire Gamin
  • Tactics:
    • TBD

Totems

• Banasuva: (Academic, Elemental)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Totem (Sandeep Desai)
• Jackalope: (Chimera)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Beast, Totem (Marcus)
• Wendigo: (December)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Rasputina)
• Forgeling: (Foundry)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Totem (Mei Feng)
• Mouse: (M&SU)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Toni Ironsides)
• Mechanical Dove: (Performer)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Construct, Totem (Colette Du Bois)
• Eternal Flame: (Wildfire)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Totem (Kaeris)

Henchmen

TBD

Enforcers

TBD

Minions

TBD

Resurrectionists

Why Play Resurrectionists

Pros

• Undead summoning faction.
• Undead Prostitutes.
• One of the only horde style armies.
• A great deal of board control.
• Killing Living models places Corpse markers for more summoning or strategic uses.

Cons

• A lot of models are more fragile than other factions.
• Slower than most other models, with a few exceptions.
• Can't get Corpse markers from Construct enemies.

Masters

• Yan Lo: (Ancestor, Retainer) Yan Lo can summon the spirits of his ancestors, but his own soul was fractured between the worlds of the living and the dead. His descendants in the Ten Thunders helped him to become a complete being again, and he now seeks to destroy the oni that cursed him. He is a member of the Resurrectionists and the Ten Thunders.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Ancestor - Manos the Risen, Toshiro the Daimyo, Yin the Penagalan, Chiaki the Beacon, Izamu the Armor,
    • Retainer - Manos the Risen, Toshiro the Daimyo, Yin the Penagalan, Chiaki the Beacon, Izamu the Armor, Soul Porter, Ashigaru, Komainu, Gokudo
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Dr. McMourning: (Experimental) The Frankenstein archetype. Dr. McMourning was a Guild mortician who experimented on the corpses he was given, raising them as zombies. He is no longer a part of the Guild as he prevented their attempt to end the Resurrectionists.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Experimental - Sebastian, Zombie Chihuahua, Rogue Necromancy, Rafkin, Flesh Construct, Nurse, Guild Autopsy, Little Gasser, Kentauroi, Canine Remains
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Molly Squidpiddge: (Forgotten) One of Seamus' most notable victims, she was freed from his control and now she looks out for the city's abused and undead.
  • Characteristics - Master, Undead
  • Crew Building:
    • Forgotten - Philip and the Nanny, Necrotic Machine, Rogue Necromancy, Archie, The Forgotten Marshal, Rabble Riser, Crooligan, Night Terror
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Seamus: (Redchapel) Jack the Ripper if he had 30-50 times more victims and he raised them all as zombies. Expect a lot of zombie prostitutes with this crew.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Redchapel - Madame Sybelle, Copycat Killer, Bete Noire, Rotten Belle, Dead Doxy, Dead Dandy, Mourner
  • Tactics:
    • The Psychotic Bad Guy, a fusion of Jack and the Joker (check Molly story if you don't agree). Let's talk passives. He possess a great deal of defenses : Terrifying(12), hard to kill and a Willpower of 7 ! Also if anyone lose a willpower duel against him, he heal 2. BUT, he has a defense of 4, he is very vulnerable against anyone ignoring Terrifying or with a great Willpower. Be careful about those because it means you have to defend against an average of 5/6 +hit. Apart that, he has one of the most Huge damage potential, his Flintlock .50. Not only the name is ridiculous but the damage is 4/6/8 ignoring hard to wound. His bag of tool is not to be ignored too, with a damage range of 2/3/5 pretty average, you can use a trigger to Execute someone if he doesn't have any card or soulstone, ignoring the Demise !!! That means, you can end pretty much every Golem or Lady Justice and her immortal friends like that. Next is Terrorize, you can push your adversaries up to their Mouvement away from (and if they fail, you heal, don't forget your passive). and you can inflict 3 damages too with a trigger ! At last but not the least, Secret Passage allow you to teleport within 12" on the map if you are at 1" of a building and end your movement at 1" of terrain. You can evade combat, you can teleport to assassinate then come back with your teleport or use your Totem to do so. It's one of your best Actions but it's TN14. Finally, your free action allow you to ignore special requirement in card, so you can Terrorize friends or shoot again BUT, you have to be near a corpse marker in the enemy table half. It shouldn't be hard with your gun, terrorize and Redchapel other minions. An upgrade with the Whisper could be really great allowing you to reorder the next 3 card in your deck and each time you kill, you draw a card.
• Reva Cortinas: (Revenants) Reva Cortinas has the power to enthrall almost anyone who meets her, living or undead. She has amassed a cult of followers who serve her even after death.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Revenants - Vincent St. Clair, Restless Spirit, Wanyudo, Corpse Candle, Mourner, Lampad, Draugr, Shieldbearer
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Prof. Von Schtook: (Transmortis) Professor Albus Von Schtook is an academic who turns his students into half-machine zombies.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Transmortis - Anna Lovelace, The Valedictorian, Research Assistant, Undergraduate, Necropunk, Student of Viscera, Student of Steel, Student of Sinew
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Kirai Ankoku: (Urami) Kirai is a woman with the power to summon spirits from another world. After her husband was assassinated, she went on a campaign of destruction against the Guild, the Ten Thunders, and anyone else who abuses the people beneath them.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Urami - Datsue Ba, Ikiryo, Lost Love, Jaakuna Ubume, Goryo, Onryo, Gaki, Seishin, Shikome, Drowned
  • Tactics:
    • TBD

Totems

• Zombie Chihuahua: (Experimental, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead, Beast, Totem (Dr. McMourning)
• Necrotic Machine: (Forgotten)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Totem (Molly Squidpiddge)
• Copycat Killer: (Redchapel)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Seamus)
  • Tactics:
    • Seamus is probably the most famous killer in the Malifaux world. Like any famous killer in the Victorian Age, some Copycat exists and try to do the same thing as their celebrity. This is probably one the best totem and dispose of very strongs passives/actives. He has a nice defense of 5 and Terrifying (11) because of poeple mistaking him for the real guy. His size of 1 allow him to hide nicely behind small walls. With this option, he can run everywhere without getting killed too fast because he dispose of only 4 health (which is pretty average for a totem). As a copycat, he is considered insignifiant, so he can't do interactions or objectives and doesn't count as one. BUT, if he kill someone and this is an objective, the kill is considered to be done by Seamus. As Seamus, he can both ignore the friendly fire malus and even receive bonus card when attacking (in melee or distance). He dispose of 2 attack action and one OP free action. His melee attack is low damage with a range of 1" and a base of 2/2/4 with a +5 to hit, which is OK-. His flintlock has a range of 8" and a base damage of 2/3/4 and a bonus to shoot of +4... pretty bad, shot only when you can't do another thing or with a friend in melee. And last but not least, "Mistaken Identity" allows Seamus to switch place with the Copycat. This action may be a little tricky because, in order, you have to: drop a marker near the Copycat, pick the totem and place it at base contact near Seamus, pick Seamus and place it anywhere base to base to the marker (which allow you to move a little more) and then remove the marker. Now you dispose of a teleporting assassin with a Desert Eagle .50 flintlock.
• Soul Porter: (Retainer)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Totem (Yan Lo)
• Corpse Candle: (Revenant)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Undead, Totem (Reva Cortinas)
• Ikiryo: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Totem (Kirai Ankoku)

Henchmen

• Anna Lovelace: (Transmortis)
  • Characteristics - Living, Construct, Henchmen
• Asura Roten: (Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Living, Henchmen
• Datsu Ba: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen
• Madame Sybelle: (Redchapel, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Undead
  • Tactics:
    • You are not ready for DAT ASS. Madame Sybelle was the owner of the Belle Brothel when she was killed and resurected by the gentle Seamus. This is the absolute beauty of the Redchapel faction. As we know that, she possess Terrifying(11) because of her wig falling and hard to wound thanks to her everyday run to the gym. If any girl or she bringed any foes to melee range, the enemy is Distracted+1. Enough talk about the passive, let's talk action ! Armed with a spiked whip, she have a melee range of 2" which is nice and a trigger on every color which is awesome. The "Beckonning Call" have a range of 12" (saved by Willpower), moving an enemy to any friendly model in line of sight (combo-ing with the passive). She dispose of 2 free broken actions. "I've got your back" teleport Madame to any friendly model in 6". "Undivided Attention" has the power to lower any card drawn by 1 for the whole round in an aura of 6" around her with no defense ! In every Redchapel run, you should include Madame.
• Manos The Risen: (Ancestor, Retainer)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Living
• Mortimer: (Mortuary, Versatile, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Living
• Philip and The Nanny: (Forgotten)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Undead
• Sloth: (Crossroads, Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Undead
• Toshiro The Daimyo: (Ancestor, Retainer)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Undead
• The Valedictorian: (Transmortis)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Undead, Construct
• Vincent St. Clair: (Revenant)
  • Characteristics - Henchmen, Living

Enforcers

• Archie: (Forgotten)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead
• Bête Noire: (Redchapel)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead
  • Tactics:
    • The dashing teleporting Beast hiding outside of the map monster of Redchapel. Unlike all the faction she doesn't have a "Hard to [...]" but still possess Terrifying(11). If she is attacked by any opponent attack, she can reduce the damage by 2 and disapear from the battlefield. Now if any foe ends his movement near her while not his turn, she gains fast. At this moment, she can hit pretty strong with her average damage of 2/3/4 she has an awesome +6 to hit with an automatic Positive card. She have 3 trigger options : +1 Damage or Slow or Bury her. Her second option is the debuff a target, forcing the target to suffer 2 damage if the target Cheat Fate (and with a trigger, you can draw 2 card). A very good option in order to prepare a focus on a Master. Next are her 2 free action. "Rise again" allow her to came back from Bury, then charge. On a good combo, you could get Fast, attack with a soulstone to bury after, unbury and charge, attack and attack again. Which mean 4 attacks in one round which is almost unique ! The last free action "Trail of Gore" needs an enemy Scheme Marker to have a free Walk or Melee attack. In conclusion, she may not have a great damage value but she has to potential of 4 melee attack at +6 w/ positive card bonus. A very good and fast damaging Enforcer.
• Carrion Effigy: (Effigy, Puppet, Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct
• Carrion Emissary: (Emissary of Fate, Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living
• Dead Rider: (Horseman, Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead
• The Forgotten Marshal: (Forgotten)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead
• Grave Golem: (Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct
• Jaakuna Ubume: (Tormented, Urami)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct
• Lost Love: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living
• Rafkin: (Experimental, Mortuary)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living
• Restless Spirit: (Revenant)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer
• Rogue Necromancy: (Experimental, Forgotten)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead, Beast
• Sebastian: (Experimental)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living
• Yin, The Penangalan: (Ancestor, Retainer)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead

Minions

• Ashigaru: (Retainer)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Bone Pile: (Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Canine Remains: (Experimental, Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead, Beast
• Crooked Man: (Tormented)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Crooligan: (Forgotten)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Dead Dandy: (Redchapel, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
  • Tactics:
    • This minion is an Immortal Support. He can't be charged, is hard to wound and Manipulative (negative flip in attack if this model has not been activated this round meaning activate it in last). Buy him the the upgrade "Grave Spirit Touch", to give him Terrifying (11) and Regeneration +2, and he just miss Demise/Hard to kill to have every passive defense in the game. He has an average damage of 2/3/4 on his basic attack with a poor +4 to hit. His other skill is a Biting Insult giving a Distracted +1 (to foes only) and can create a Pass token in the action if the opposing model did not activate. His free action can allow to switch a Scheme or Corpse Marker to switch for a Corpse or Scheme marker, very very useful in order to either eat the opposite scheme marker or create dead bodies for summoning, the Bête Noire or a Second shot for Seamus. I don't recommand more than one in a team except if you confront Construct or any creatures not dropping Corpse Marker (if you need any).
• Dead Doxy: (Redchapel, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Undead
  • Tactics:
    • A +1 version of the Rotten Bell. She possess 8 hit points, 5 in Willpower and Defense. She also can't be charged et is hard to wound but, there is more ! If she trigger a Mask on Defense, she end the turn of her foe. Her damage are pretty average on 2/3/4, but have a good +6 to hit. Her basic attack possess 3 triggers which is very nice as she can apply Distracted or Slow. As the Rotten, she can Seduce and pull foes or friends to her; with a trigger she can apply instantly a Distracted+2. Her free action is Take By Hand pushing her and one target in any (and the same) direction. For only one more point than the Belle, the Doxy is really a good invest in any Redchapel team !
• Draugr: (Revenant)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Undead
• Drowned: (Tormented, Urami)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Flesh Construct: (Experimental, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Construct, Undead
• Gaki: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3)
• Goryo: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2)
• Gravedigger: (Mortuary, Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Living
• Guild Autopsy: (Experimental, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Hanged: (Tormented)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2)
• Kentauroi: (Experimental)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Undead, Beast
• Lampad: (Revenant)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3)
• Little Gasser: (Experimental)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Mindless Zombie: (Zombie, Versatile)
  • Characteristics - Minion(5), Undead
• Mourner: (Redchapel, Revenant)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Undead
  • Tactics:
    • Ghostly widow spitting their grief over poeple. Has a nice defence of 5, can't be charged and is hard to wound. If anyone is killed in the aura of 6, she Heals 1. At the beginning of the game, she can place a corpse maker anywhere on your Crew deployement zone, useful for her attack "Feed on Grief". Finally, her last passive cancel every enemy Ruthless ability (in an aura of 6") which is awesome because Redchapel defense is really based on Terrifying or Manipulative effects. Her basic attack has a pretty average damage of 2/3/4 with an average +5 to hit. But she possess a distance attack called "Feed on Grief" which allow her to earn automaticaly a Positive Card to attack if she is near a Corpse Marker. The base damage is not really interesting (2/2/4) but on a Trigger she can teleport on the target and if she kills him, she heals 2 (which synergize with her passive). Her free action is "Mourn the Dead" which is more a Scheme canceler. In an aura of 3", she can cancel the possession of a Scheme Marker interesting against the Breakthrough Schemes of Gaining Grounds Season 1. TL;DR, a nice support, almost a scheme runner, and hit pretty nice.
• Necropunk: (Amalgam, Transmortis)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Construct, Undead
• Night Terror: (Forgotten)
  • Characteristics - Minion(4), Undead, Beast
• Nurse: (Asylum, Experimental)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Living
• Onryo: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2)
• Rabble Riser: (Forgotten, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
• Rotten Belle: (Redchapel, Zombie)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Undead
  • Tactics:
    • Dead conscious prostitute ressurected by Seamus the Ripper (or any psychopath touched by the Whisper). Seven hit points, can't be charged et hard to wound make the basic minions of Redchapel very resiliants ones. Add the upgrade "Grave Spirit Touch", to give them Terrifying (11) and Regeneration +2. Only a master based on kill (like Lady Justice or the Brewmaster) could smash them in one round. She can pull her foes out of their bubble thanks to Lure attack. She has a small base of damage 1/2/3 but she attack on Willpower and transform Damage Negative card in Positive card meaning, she will almost always inflict 2 damages. Unfortunately, she does not possess any free action.
• Seishin: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Minion(5)
• Shieldbearer: (Revenant)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Living
• Seishin: (Urami)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Living
• Student of Sinew: (Transmortis)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Construct, Undead
• Student of Steel: (Transmortis)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Construct, Undead
• Student of Viscera: (Transmortis)
  • Characteristics - Minion(2), Construct, Undead
• Undergraduate: (Transmortis)
  • Characteristics - Minion(3), Construct, Undead

Neverborn

Why Play Neverborn

Pros

• You get to play as Grimm Fairytale characters with a Grim Dark twist.
• The major style of play is support buff and debuff.
• A lot of models are pretty grotesque.

Cons

• A lot of models are pretty grotesque.
• Army can fall apart if support models are targeted.

Masters

• Titania: (Fae) Titania is the queen of the Fae, and the self-proclaimed queen of the Neverborn. Several of the other Neverborn masters have sided with her as she works to bring down the Tyrants.
  • Characteristics - Master, Undead
  • Crew Building:
    • Fae - Aeslin, Gorar, Killjoy, Autumn Knight, Rogarou, Bultungin, Waldgeist.
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Nekima: (Nephilim) Nekima has overthrown her sister Lilith and is now the queen of the Nephilim. She has sided with Titania for now, but she is beginning to fear the Fae's growing power.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Nephilim - Hayreddin, Blood Hunter, Mature Nephilim, Young Nephilim, Terror Tot, Lelu, Lilitu, Black Blood Shaman, Corrupted Hound.
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• The Dreamer: (Nightmare) The Dreamer is a little boy from London whose dreams come to horrible life in Malifaux. The Tyrant Nytemare (know to the Dreamer as Lord Chompy Bits) works with the boy to push his dreams into ever more vicious forms.
  • Characteristics - Master
  • Crew Building:
    • Nightmare - Lord Chompy Bits, Widow Weaver, The Carver, Teddy, Coppelius, Serena Bowman, Bandersnatch, Alp, Insidious Madness, Daydream, Stitched Together.
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Euripides: (Savage) Euripides is a giant seer from the icy mountains who serves Titania because he foresaw that it was pointless to fight against her.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Savage - Thoon, Primordial Magic, Gigant, Geryon, Cyclops, Lyssa.
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Pandora: (Woe) Pandora is a woman with a magic box that unleashes people's worst fears on them until they fall into despair.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • Woe - The Carver, Candy, Poltergeist, Iggy, Baby Kade, Lyssa, Aversion, Sorrow.
  • Tactics:
    • TBD

Totems

• Gorar: (Fae)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead, Totem (Titania)
• Blood Hunter: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Totem (Nekima)
• Lord Chompy Bits: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Henchman, Totem (The Dreamer)
• Primordial Magic: (Savage)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Totem (Euripides)
• Poltergeist: (Woe)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Totem (Pandora)

Henchmen

• Wrath: (Crossroads)
  • Characteristics - Henchman, Living, Versatile
• Aeslin: (Fae)
  • Characteristics - Henchman, Undead
• Angel Eyes: (Half-Blood)
  • Characteristics - Henchman, Living, Versatile
• Hayreddin: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Henchman, Living
• Widow Weaver: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Henchman
• The Carver: (Nightmare, Woe)
  • Characteristics - Henchman
• Hinamatsu: (Puppet, Qi and Gong)
  • Characteristics - Henchman, Construct, Versatile
• Bad Juju: (Swampfiend)
  • Characteristics - Henchman
• Candy: (Woe)
  • Characteristics - Henchman, Living

Enforcers

• Mysterious Effigy: (Effigy, Puppet)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Versatile
• Mysterious Emissary: (Emissary of Fate)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Versatile
• Killjoy: (Fae)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Undead
• Tuco Ortega: (Half-Blood)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Versatile
• Hooded Rider: (Horseman)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Versatile
• Doppleganger: (Mimic)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Versatile
• Bandersnatch: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Beast
• Coppelius: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer
• Teddy: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct
• Serena Bowman: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Versatile
• Vasilisa: (Puppet)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Versatile
• Adze: (Swampfiend)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Beast
• Grootslang: (Swampfiend)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Beast
• Iggy: (Wildfire, Woe)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living
• Baby Kade: (Woe)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living

Minions

• Razorspine Rattler: (Chimera)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Beast
• Autumn Knight: (Fae)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Undead
• Rougarou: (Fae)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Undead, Beast
• Bultungin: (Fae, Savage)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living
• Waldgeist: (Fae, Swampfiend)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living
• Bloodwretch: (Half-Blood)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Living, Versatile
• Changeling: (Mimic)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living
• Black Blood Shaman: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Living
• Corrupted Hound: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Minion (4), Living
• Lelu: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Living
• Lilitu: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Living
• Mature Nephilim: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Living
• Terror Tot: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living
• Young Nephilim: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Minion (4), Living
• Alp: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3)
• Daydream: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3)
• Insidious Madness: (Nightmare)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3)
• Stitched Together: (Nightmare, Puppet)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Construct
• Wicked Doll: (Puppet)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Construct, Versatile
• Cyclops: (Savage)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Living
• Will o' the Wisp: (Swampfiend)
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Beast
• Sorrow: (Woe)
  • Characteristics - Minion (3)

Outcasts

Why Play Outcasts

Pros

• You play a mercenary based faction.

Cons

• Your army doesn't have a thematic reason to work together.

Masters

TBD

Totems

TBD

Henchmen

TBD

Enforcers

TBD

Minions

TBD

Ten Thunders

Why Play Ten Thunders

Pros

• You force others to often times play by your rules. Thunders has a variety of tech choices that can be easily swapped into lists.
• Very strong variety of versatile modes. Minako Rei, Fuhatsu, Samurai, Thunder Brothers, the list goes on. Most Versatile of any faction at 14.
• Good upgrades that can be applied to most any situation.
• Access to some of the best schemers in the game.

Cons

• Your plastic models were some of the original kits made, and as such have a lot of bits.
• Very high learning curve for most masters. Lynch, Youko, and Asami particularly.

General Advice

Upgrades Ten Thunders is the faction where the upgrades got a little silly.

Silent Protector gives access to Challenge, which is a VERY nice ability indeed, along with allowing you to work in 'Take the Hit' if it's on a minion. The gem here is Hard to Kill for 2 stones. Not bad.

Trained Ninja is, to put it bluntly, the single funniest upgrade in the game. Stealth and Unimpeded are good on pretty much any model, but it also gives From the Shadows on Minions. This means that you can put your Samurai up in a good position to start the game in. It's a godsend on squishier Masters like Jakob or Youkou.

Masked Agent is the 'tech' upgrade, more than the other two. While Silent Protector will find its way into most lists just by virtue of Hard to Kill being amazing, Masked Agent gives the interesting 'WITH ME' bonus that allows you to move models with your Charge (could be interesting on McCabe or Jorogumo, or hell, the Dawn Serpent or Emissary) and a bubble of denying Resistance Triggers. This also gives Coordinated Attack on minions. This plus a Charm Warder can put all your Fuck You tactics right in one bubble of fun.

Masters

Lucas McCabe - Wastrel - Malifaux's Indiana Jones from England with a more tragic backstory than being nuked inside of a fridge.

General Info McCabe's card is loaded, like one would expect with a Master. He's about average for what you'd expect. 5 WP makes him vulnerable to WP spam, but his defense is above average at 6.

Lucas is the fastest 'traditional' master in the game, in that his MV is 7 and he just ignores models and severe terrain. His 'Make Way' ability forces your opponent to take a 13 Move duel whenever you move through them or suffer 2 damage. This includes Charges, Pushes, Walks, anything that makes him move and run over people means he will be trampling them with hooves. It combos with his attacks as well. A nice little bonus is Looted Supplies, his Keyword ability, which allows you to draw a card if he starts his activation within an inch of a scrap or corpse.

McCabe's other dirty trick comes in the fact of when he dies, he's got a pretty nice demise trigger. When he hits the end of his 12 wound track, he dismounts, replacing with his dismounted form. He picks up Swagger, a nice little bonus, and Extended Reach, but he drops down to 5 wounds. This makes him a 17 health Master, and if you drop 2 stones on him for 'Silent Protector' he ends up having 3 'stop' triggers. One for hitting 1, one for replacing, one for hitting one again. He's really hard to pin down, but his dismounted form is more of a bonus than an actual defense strategy. Keep him mounted.

Offense While on horse, McCabe has two solid attacks. His netgun is probably the star of the show early game, a 10 inch range with a 15 inch threat if you burn Ride with me to move him, it targets the opponents move on a 6. The profile isn't really impressive 2/2B/3B. The icing is slow AND staggered with a ram trigger to drag the model three inches forwards. The gun does tons of work. His second attack is the Bull Whip which is his prime way of actually dealing damage. The base stat is 6 with a ram baked in. Profile, again, not too good for a master. 2/3/4, but with a 2 inch reach, he's good at keeping folks at arm's reach.

The meat of the attack is the 2 inch push, which he can use to trample over the side of someone's base to force the Trample, then the baked in trigger which is a 2 inch defense 13 duel or take two more. In one attack he can force 3 duels on your opponent's single model, or more if you're hitting a wide amount of people.

Bull Whip is absurdly effective. It's the best way for him to handle damage. Even if you black joker on damage, it can still put out the incredible trigger and push. Don't discount the Mask trigger either. A 5 inch push can get him quite quickly out of harm's way if needed.

Dismounted he trades the netgun and bullwhip for the Glowing Saber, a pretty standard 2/3/4 profile, but ignores Hard to Wound/Hard to Kill/Incorp and has Crit and Siphon as its triggers, and a Collier. Interestingly the Collier is probably the best option here. Making your opponent come to you with his 'Extended Reach' ability means they're liable to get one, maybe two attacks at best if they have to charge into him.

Upgrade Attachments His Tactical Actions are where McCabe shines hard. His key action, and the big unique element is 'Scrounge for Relics'. It's shared between him and his totem, Luna, but he's way more efficient. It targets and removes a scrap or corpse marker and equips an upgrade to himself, or on its baked in trigger, on a minion or wastrel within 6.

The upgrades are all the same in two respects. They have 'Take This!' which allows you to pass the relic to an ally, and 'Paid with Trinkets' which grants FAST to a model if it started its activation with a artifact that was attached this turn.

The best of these is probably the Mask. The Phantasmal Mask grants Life Leech, which is aces on both McCabe and his henchman, LaRaux and a pulse that can push out shielded one as a bonus on a 7 and also provide a nice self-healing trigger.

Timeworn Blade is also called the 'Lightsaber' which provides precise. It's just like McMourning, ignoring most defensive tech. The unique bonus is Bladestorm which is yet another pulse that does a 12 DF duel or take two, with a brutal trigger that adds injured to enemies who fail on a crow. This is the secret weapon against Von Schtook. It's efficient as hell against the old bastard.

The Mirror is situationally amazing. Know the Warrior basically gives you a free card back if you cheat fate. Don't forget about cheating down, by the way, as long as you're Focused when you finish cheating, you get a card back. The bonus is Equality of Fate, giving you a card back which is always great if you're down a card.

These artifacts are KEY to McCabe's plans early on, but don't get too attached to them. McCabe will probably throw one, maybe two out during the course of the game, and leave the rest to his totem.

Tactical Actions Mounted, McCabe has Ride with Me, which is always great. It allows you to speed up or even rescue some of the softer or slower models in keyword/faction (not that there are many in Ten Thunders) and he's got 'Careful, it's Cursed!' which is a great way to pop an artifact that you can't get unstuck to do even more damage.

Dismounted, he loses Careful and Ride with Me for Chain Gang, which is a boon to be sure, but it's just not the same as Ride with Me.

Gameplay

To condense it, McCabe is a fast, versatile Master who can adequately accomplish most strategies. He doesn't play well in Reckoning most of the time, given that his keyword right now is better at scheming, but he can always take some of the popular Versatile Ten Thunder models to really amp up his kill potential.

McCabe as a Leader plays best into Corner, where his minions can toss relics between each other to gain fast and really get some ground on turn one, and Flank, but he can do well under most any deployment.

His keyword really enjoys scheming, and taking him as the Leader ensures that you get cheap access to Hucksters and one of his henchmen, LaRaux. Between those two models, you have easy access to most of the mobility and scheme marker intensive schemes, and McCabe's own speed and endurance via the Mask and potentially Silent Protector, make him good into countering Assassinate.

He isn't a 'hang back and wait' sort of Master. You'll likely activate him early enough to bank Netgun shots onto models that need to be somewhere, and hopefully get blasts early, followed by trampling things under his hooves. Bull Whip is his main source of damage through his triggers and Make Way interactions, and even ties aren't safe for your opponent. On a single target, his damage potential can roughly be broken down into 10 duels that could inflict up to 20 damage. This only accelerates as your opponent bunches up. Don't be discouraged if your opponent flips high to avoid the damage off his incidental triggers or his Make Way, they're burning 13s when they likely just need 7s or 6s.

Play smart early on and rely on your conditions to hit some of those slower models, then, change gears and mix it up with the bull whip and horse when you get a chance during the mid-game.

And whatever you do, do not let him get stunned.

Totems

Luna - Lucas McCabe's faithful hunting hound is probably one of the better totems in the game. (Not counting Viktoria Chambers on this) Aside from being the best puppo, she generates Scrap and can hand out artifacts for McCabe, since, shit, he's got better things to do. She primarily functions as a ferry to pass upgrades along. Her big gimmick is 'Carry the Goods'. Basically, if an ally uses the 'Take This!' upgrade that's listed on an artifact, she can double the range in exchange for being placed adjacent to the target that gets the relic. This also means when she digs up and scrounges for a relic on her activation, she can pass it, since it's an aura, an impressive distance and place herself anywhere she needs to be.

"Luna! Give!" is rarely used, but if Luna flips Black on her own Take This you can have an ally claim a relic from her as an action, or for a bonus if Lucas is trying to get it. Finally, she's ignored for Friendly Fire and enemy models within an inch need to chuck a card to disengage. Pretty good stuff if you want to use her that way.

Her bite is actually pretty impressive too for being a totem. Stat 5 with 2/3/4 and You're Comin' with Me as a trigger can help to disengage models that need some help, or drag them away from Sidir for him to murder them with a machinegun. Y'know. Go wild. She is VERY liable to get shot off the board though early. At 4 wounds, if she is carrying goods, make sure she ends up behind whoever she's delivering too to help avoid her going all 'Old Yeller.'

Henchmen

Sidir Alchibal - Wastrel - Sidir is the oft-neglected Wastrel Henchman. It's kind of fitting the old 'keyword' for McCabe and Sidir was 'Black Sheep' since Sidir really feels like one in his own keyword. An abysmal MV 4 makes him hard to get up the board, but Fast from Artifact tossing, detailed in the McCabe section, can help allay this. To make up for it, he has Swagger, Ruthless, Parry on Ram, and Juggernaut. His melee attack is nothing special, though, because it's Wastrel, if using him with McCabe it can ignore all defensive tech, and if you've got a high ram in hand, consider Stoning for the Crit Strike to make it min 4.

The best part about Sidir is Blow it to Hell, which can flush your opponent out of cover, or just destroy their tiny objects they're hiding behind. It's obviously the best ability on his card.

Alright, fine. It's the machinegun. Sidir has taken a page from the Orks. His gun just unloads Dakka. Combined with Swagger, the 2/3B/6B profile is just unfair. His triggers are Quick Reflexes (awesome) and Delay (even MORE awesome). The problem is that he's just...so...slow. Without Artifact tossing or McCabe dragging him around, he can be hard to get into position.

Desper LaRaux - Wastrel - Desper is just unfair. McCabe's entire gimmick is being fast and scheming in this edition, at least without the Explorer's Society stuff out. LaRaux is just...he's just so efficient for his cost of 8. He's got a built in trigger on his leap, which means he just needs a 7 of any suit to go for a jump, he ignores models and terrain for movement, has a better butterfly jump on a successful Mask defense, average attacks, and Don't Mind Me, which means that he WILL be scoring points. I can't think of a list that LaRaux doesn't fit in. Unless you're like, in Reckoning, or your opponent has Distracting or something to prevent him from taking bonus actions, LaRaux can't be pinned down.

His attacks are shoddy, sure, but he has an inbuilt crit-strike on his blade which ignores armor, a way to steal stones and drop scrap, that can also put out stunned, and a grappling hook which lets him move FURTHER up the board with 'You're coming with me.' The ideal 'Why' tactic is definitely using this on McCabe and relenting to have the bossman take a little damage in exchange for LaRaux to go like...15 up the board in one AP. I don't think you can run McCabe without LaRaux, unless you're playing McCabe into Reckoning. And if you're playing McCabe into Reckoning...you're a braver man than I.

Enforcers

TBD

Minions

Hucksters - Wastrel - These guys right here? Best models in the game. Sculptwise, they're awesome and full of flavor. Rules wise? They're the best schemers in Malifaux. Don't even look at their attack action, because, at best, you're going to use it in an emergency. Instead, gaze with wonder upon their Manipulative, their Looted Supplies, and their 'Fetch a High Price.' Mmm, delicious. Now, add to taste their tactical actions.

False Claim, dropping Scrap for Mei Feng or McCabe to interact and utilize, oh, so tasty. Detonate charges with ONE AP. Mm, delicious. Harness Ley Line in TWO AP with no annoying RANGE requirements. Mm, so wonderful. Breakthrough in two actions. Ah, so wonderful.

SECRET. PASSAGE. ON A MINION. Yeah it needs an 8, so what? It's Ride the Rails with BLOCKING TERRAIN. Rasputina can suck it. That pillar is MINE now. This is just absurd. Hucksters are the best model in Malifaux. Hands down. They do everything you need to do to win the game and in Keyword they are one of the best options for scoring points. And as we all know, as long as you win on points, your opponent can table you and you'll still win.

Ruffians - Wastrel - Much maligned by most McCabe players and by almost all Ten Thunder players, Ruffians currently have no place in most lists. Unless Explorer's Society has some bomb minion upgrades, they will have their cool, 'Ultraviolent' theme and that's about it. They're not BAD, per say, but there are so many better options in Ten Thunders. Thunder Brothers are just a better Ruffian, even though they lack a ranged attack. If you are going to use Ruffians, which, you may want one as a point filler, or against Pandora as a MAYBE tech piece, the best thing they can do is Walk and Shoot. Burn the focus every time and hope for a Tome if you can get it, or go for a Ram if you wanna splash damage. Chain Gang is the best thing these guys bring to the table and it's still not that good. If you are using them in a McCabe list, they are actually a more point efficient way to set up for False Claim then using the AP on a more valuable model, but it's, again, not strictly required to do so. The Miss sculpt is pretty nice, though.

Bayou (Gremlins)

Why Play Bayou (Gremlins)

Pros

• Classic greenskin army with all the shenanigans.
• You get to embrace your inner southern stereotype and mow down enemies with wild hogs, lots of (inaccurate) guns, and the beasts of the swamp.

Cons

• Randomness means less reliable.
• Very little armour.

Masters

• Zoraida: (Swampfiend) Zoraida is an old hag with the power to manipulate fate. She works to undermine and eventually defeat the Tyrants, but she is suspicious of Titania as well. She is Neverborn as well as Bayou.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics:
    • Swampfiend - Bad Juju, McTavish, The First Mate, Spawn Mother, Voodoo Doll, Adze, Grootslang, Silurid, Bayou Gator, Gupps, Gautreaux Bokor, Will o’ the Wisp, Waldgeist

• Som’er Teeth Jones: (Big Hat) The current head of the largest gremlin gang in the bayou, the Big Hats. He earned his name after being slugged in the jaw by a human, spitting out his shattered teeth, and then beating the snot out of him. And when asked what happened to his teeth, he smiles and says “Som’er here. Som’er there.”
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics: Jones is all about numbers. Mass gatherings of weedy Gremlins and buffing their attacks.
    • Big Hat - Lenny Jones, Old Cranky, Georgy and Olaf, Bayou Gremlin, Banjonista, Good Ol’ Boy, Gremlin Crier, Spit Hog, Skeeter

• Ophelia LaCroix: (Kin) After stealing Perdita Ortega’s hat, this ambitious lady gremlin armed her family with crude fire arms to imitate the legendary Neverborn hunting humans.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics:
    • Kin - Sammy LaCroix, Francois LaCroix, Merris LaCroix, Pere Ravage, Rami LaCroix, Raphael LaCroix, LaCroix Raider, Young LaCroix

• Captain Zipp: (Infamous) Zipp is the result when a gremlin steals an airship and decides he wants to be a sky pirate. He hops around the table on his moonshine-powered jetpack, firing his lightning gun and dropping pianos to cut off sections of the battlefield. His crew are a motley bunch that include a captured engineer, a silurid wearing sailor's gear, a luchador and a fat gremlin strapped to a rocket.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics: The Infamous crew is split between flying/mobile models that can ignore pianos (that otherwise cut off the board) and wrestlers that use them for buffs. However, this synergy is relatively light and Zipp himself is just as happy supporting his crew as he is going off to do his own thing. This gives Infamous crews much more opportunity to hire versatile or out-of-keyword models that could be a good fit, making it great for players that want flexibility and freedom to experiment.
    • Infamous -

• Wong: (Wizz-Bang)
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics:
    • Wizz-Bang -

• Mah Tucket: (Tricksy) One of the smarter gremlins of the Bayou, Mah leads a successful group of bandits and thieves. Oddly enough, she voted for the son of her rival, Som'er, to be Gremlin General. This has led some to suspect that she's playing a game of 4D chess, but no one knows for sure because whenever they try to spy on her they either end up in one of her pit traps or clubbed to death by her giant wooden spoon.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics: Ma herself has a bit of everything; beater, support, board control, card draw. The main synergy she has with her crew is creating damaging pit traps that she or others can then push enemies into, or use to keep foes at range. A typical Tricksy crew will usually have Bushwhackers to help place traps and Rooster Riders for mobile beating, but many out-of-keyword models can still find a home here which makes Ma very versatile. Since Sparks is available, the crew can even become Foundry-lite.
    • Tricksy -

• The Brewmaster: (Tri-Chi) Once upon a time the Ten Thunders decided to control the gremlins by using their love of moonshine. The Brewmaster was to be their puppet leader, a gremlin raised from birth with unparalleled skill in brewing and drunken boxing. The Bayou fell in love with him, but the plan became a failure when the Brewmaster saw how fun gremlin life was and decided to go native. He's now the closest thing the Bayou has to a religious leader.
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics: Tri-Chi works by giving poison to everyone, friend and foe, and then using that poison to manipulate damage, give special effects or even summon sentient barrels of whiskey. Because a lot of that poison if given out in pulses, it's best to hire in-keyword as Tri-Chi models all don't take poison damage. Due to this high level of synergy, Tri-Chi models also like to stick together, but this makes them potentially vulnerable to auras, pulses and blasts. The Brewmaster himself does very well by getting in close whilst supported by his crew.
    • Tri-Chi -

• Ulix Turner: (Sooey)
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building/Tactics:
    • Sooey -

Totems

• Voodoo Doll: (Swampfiend)
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Construct, Totem (Zoraida)

• Skeeter: (Big Hat) A fucking huge mosquito. Jones takes two of the buggers with him to annoy enemies.
  • Characteristics - Minion (2), Living, Totem (Som’er Teeth Jones)

• Young LaCroix: (Kin) Snot nosed little kids who follow the Lacroix family on their escapades.
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living, Totem (Ophelia LaCroix)

Henchmen

• Lenny Jones: (Big Hat) The official leader of all the gremlins is this dumb fuck. He's mainly a beater but with defensive tech for nearby gremlins.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Gluttony: (Crossroads)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living, Versatile)
• Sparks LeBlanc: (Foundry, Tricksy)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• The First Mate: (Infamous, Swampfiend) The best silurid money can buy. He's fast and crazy powerful. With the right support he can rip through your opponent's crew.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living, Beast)
• Mancha Roja: (Infamous) Big, tough beatstick. Gets tougher when fed pianos.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Sammy LaCroix: (Kin, Wizz-Bang) Support witch that dishes out injured, card draw and pigs.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Francois LaCroix: (Kin)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Old Major: (Pig) A big beater pig that helps your other pigs.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Beast)
• Spawn Mother: (Swampfiend) Ugly monster who hits hard but is surprisingly squishy. Main purpose is to shit out summons like Nicodem with Diarrhea.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Beast)
• McTavish: (Swampfiend)
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living, Versatile)
• Popcorn Turner: (Tri-Chi) Super speedy scheme runner and striker. Load enemies up with poison then knock them down with Blood Poisoning.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Fingers Leong: (Tri-Chi) Dishes out poison at the same time as messing around with opponent scheme running. Also comes with a conditional Obey.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Trixiebelle: (Tricksy) The faction slut. Messes around with opponent positioning and scheming at the cost of any attacks.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Big Brain Brin: (Tricksy) A support henchman that spruces up your hand, buffs up your guys and fucks with enemies. Extremely useful but lacks in punch.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)
• Alphonse LeBlanc: (Wizz-Bang) A big beater that becomes very scary when given the correct Wizz-Bang support. With the Two Gremlins upgrade he can even throw Golems around.
  • Characteristics - (Henchman, Living)

Enforcers

• Sparks LeBlanc: (Tricksy, Foundry) One day rail workers noticed a gremlin watching and trying to copy them. They shooed him away but he just kept coming back. Eventually they let him be and found out that he was actually amazing at building railways so he was allowed to work for Mei Feng, but he still comes back to the Bayou and uses what he learns to help his fellow gremlins. In game terms, Sparks can turn a Tricksy crew into Foundry-lite. His aura means pit traps can count as scrap to be used for Rile the Rails whilst scrap can count as pit traps for enemies. The problem is that his aura is short, but he still has plenty of other tools in his toolbox; preventing enemies buffing each other, stripping armour, giving shields and other conditions. He's not particularly strong or tough though, so for 8 stones you may feel there are better choices. Some Wizz-Bang players take him out-of-keyword because he has the ability to slap explosives on Stuffed Pigs and then fire them from a Pigapult for even more damage. Between that and his resistance to shockwaves, he synergises surprisingly well with Wizz-Bang.
  • Characteristics - Enforcer, Living, Construct

Minions

• Rooster Riders: (Tricksy) Literal cock goblins and one of the best minions in Bayou. Pretty good ranged damage track of 2/3/5 which can push enemies into any traps you've placed. But what turns this guy into gold is his easy access to fast through Reckless. At the cost of 1 health your gremlin turns into a machine gun. Too far from the action? Movement 7 means you can cross half the board in one activation. Lost too much health? You actually become more deadly with positives to attacks and damage. He's a steal for seven stones. Take at least one to guard your flank.
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living

• Bushwhacker: (Tricksy) If you want to cover the board in more pit traps than a Vietnam veteran's nightmare, you'll be taking Bushwhackers. These guys create a trap on deployment and then can make a new one each turn. They also have a strong ranged attack, at 2/3/5 with the possibility of extra damage or pushing into their traps. The downside is they fold if a decent beater catches them, so the trick is to try and keep a trap between them and whatever they're poking. Sometimes easier said than done. Thanks to stealth and being able to deploy out of you zone, these guys also make good scheme runners.
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living

• Survivor: (Tricksy, Foundry) When a gremlin loses an arm, he apparently replaces it with a gatling gun. Awesome, but they're a better fit in a Foundry crew. Survivors have Ride the Rails and Magnetism, which basically means that they have much more mobility the more scrap markers and constructs are on the board. The problem is that Tricksy (and Bayou to a lesser extent) is rather light on constructs and ways to drop scrap. Between Sparks, Porkchop and Survivors throwing their own arm to make scrap, there are ways around this but it may not be worth it unless you're building around this theme. On the other hand, Survivors have Armour +1, Hard to Kill and decent attacks, so they still have a place as a semi-tough beater.
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Living, Construct

• Test Subject: (Tricksy) Brin's answer to McMourning's experimental creatures. No models yet but proxy players have come back with mixed feelings. Surprisingly hardy for 4 stones and it gets additional defence boosts for hovering near pit traps, but its attacks are weak even if ignoring armour is built in.
  • Characteristics - Minion (3), Construct, Beast

Dead Man's Hands

Why Play Dead Man's Hands

Pros

• You get access to dead/removed characters; such as Lilith, Collodi, and Nicodem.

Cons

• Your hiring pool is limited to specific models as opposed to an entire faction.
• These models are not tournament legal, without permission from the Tournament Organizer.

Masters

• Collodi: (Puppet)
  • Characteristics - Master, Construct
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Lilith: (Nephilim)
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Aloysius Nicodem: (Mortuary)
  • Characteristics - Master, Living
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD
• Victor Ramos: (Machina)
  • Characteristics - Master, Living, Construct
  • Crew Building:
    • TBD
  • Tactics:
    • TBD

Henchmen

TBD

Enforcers

TBD

Minions

TBD