The Guild Comes For You!

The Malifaux Wave 2 beta has been running for about three weeks now. It was just updated today, as a matter of fact. The latest document is located here.
I’ve really been impressed, as I have said before, with the way Wyrd has really stepped up their game with this second edition. The first test-play of book 1 was very solid. It contained some new models, and moved some models around from other books to the First book, but otherwise was a simple redo of the rules and the first set of masters they created. It swung heavy from time to time, with some masters needing heavy tweaks or multiple passes, but was mostly just excellent play test feedback.

This second wave seems much more restrained. They seem to have learned from the first test and have really honed in on the models and what they want to do with them in each instance. They’ve been able to take the concept that they had in 1e and make it both playable and storydriven in 2e. There are small discrepancies here and there as any good game will have, but the overall effect has been very positive. I’ve been focusing on Guild, and only today did they get a really solid pass, with Hoffman being tooled around quite a bit. This pleases me, as I am starting to see what I am going to pick up with the pile of cash I made off my last little bit of GW stuff I had before I moved.

I mentioned before I am going to now have a McMourning Crew, but I am also really pleased for the McCabe crew as well. This wave of the test fills out the models I wanted to use with McMourning, and gives me McCabe.

I’m going to be able to field a pretty cool crew of Guild Guard now under McMourning, with Drill Sergeant Daschell, Hounds, Riflemen, Guardsmen, Trappers, and one of my favorite models, the Guild Guard Captain. They each layer buffs on each other, and can remove paralyze, which is one of the downsides to McMournings Nurses he likes to have come along. I’ve really got a cool theme for them I am going to put together somehow, and when they hit the field, its gonna be fun!
Well, at least after the first few times of me learning how they freaking work. I have a mind of Iron. It takes forever to scribe anything into it, but once its there, its there forever!

Sadly, I’ve been unable to really play the game due to my daughter being born, but its worth the trade off. I’ll sit on the sides, patiently reading updates about what and how the game is changing right before my very eyes.

This extended play test has given me much more hope about what the future hold for Wyrd. they say this will last three months, so maybe I can get a game or two in before it ends, but who knows.