The End is the Beginning is the End

Malifaux 2e beta wave 2 has come to an end!

Well, Almost. There are two more stages that are coming, but neither of them are extremely earth shaking. Instead, they will finalize the game as it was, and will allow the developers to go forward with their new, shiny, awesome game.

The finalized rules are set to come out on Feb 10th, a little under a week away, and are going to represent the arsenal cards will for the models. I’m extremely glad that the large part of the beta test is over, as I can start preparing for what I want to have painted and able to be put on the board one day. The Avatar playtest is scheduled soon, and I’ll only have one or two dogs in that race, so we will see how involved I get.

I can only really talk about the Guild and what changes were made regarding their models, sadly, I just didn’t have the resources to keep up with all the factions and masters. I barely play my own faction as it his. I’ll just rundown a few of the changes I liked or disliked real quick

Captain Dashel, the old Drill Sargent totem from 1e, has had a full upgrade to henchman, and can now use soulstones! He’s really a Buffers buffer, and can aid almost any Guardsman shooting with Ready! Aim! and Fire!  He is significantly difficult to kill with both Armor +1 and Hard to Wound, and has a significantly brutal attack with his baton, ranging from 3/3/4 up to an absurd 5/5/6. He can even apply slow if needed, smacking the opposing model in the head. His final ability is a reactivation for a single friendly minion that then is sacrificed. I’m not a fan of sacrificing my all to precious models, but I play Perdiata. Maybe its just my training.  All in all, I am looking to putting him on the board with Either McCabe or McMourning!

Abuela Ortega:  went through a ton of changes throughout the playtest and was one of the models I was happiest to just let others hash out. She now has a varied suite of support and denial abilities, and a couple defensive measures. Her obey was changed, and she is now thematicly in a wheelchair with Roll Backwards and Roll Me Closer, Dear. Overall, I think the changes are neutral, and will have her in most of my Ortega Lists. I’m sad that she’s not cheap enough to fit into every list, just for the fun it’ll be.

Guild Hound: Ugh! these models have been beaten to death. I’m just glad that their 3 points and conditionally Significant. everything else is just bonus.

Guard Seargeant: Poor bastard. Demoted because Dashel was such a bad ass.The old Guild Guard Captain is now just a lowly Sergeant. I was initially displeased with Him, but I really like where his is now, with one caveat – his health. Frightening Authority, Lead the Patrol, and Accomplice all net hims some good, passive synergy with Guild Guard. His axe has a pretty decent damage potential, sitting at 2/3/4 with the possibility of Crit Strike, which is the same as his Collier army, making him just as good at range and in CC. His final ability to shift Scheme markers around is neat, but does not fit his theme. It really does make me sad that this pudgy bastard doesn’t have more hp though. You can’t have everything, though, I guess.

Exorcist: This guy got batted around a ton through out the playtest, as well, and ended up in a pretty decent spot overall. Finish the Job and Hard to Wound make up his utility suit, and he retained his ability to banish undead and Spirits, but found a way to turn others into undead to make this worthwhile. Overall, he’s got a thin niche, but I’m fine with how the rules on him turned out.

Pistolero De Latigo: A model near and dear to my heart, as I really wanted him to be good this time around. I think they might have made. With Ruthless, and Look Out! they want to activate last, and thats compounded with their Press the Advantage trait. Their weapons do appropriate damage for a 5ss model, and they have about the right HP. Lastly, the added family to the models, because unlike 1e, you only get to activate 2 models in a row. While they are more expensive than before, they also don’t seem to be laughably bad.

Pale Rider: This model is one I never got to use in 1 or 1.5, so I don’t have a lot of cause for celebration or sadness at his rules. He seems to be a shooting model that gets better over time with a pile of HP and a huge speed boost and a really cool push action. I am really looking forward to putting him on the table to see how he actually pans out. Oh, and his model is pretty bad ass, so there is that.

Guild Riflemen: I really couldn’t be involved in the continued, heated debate on this model from the start of the wave 2 beta, but it was really interesting to see the back and forth that went on this one particular model throughout the playtest. Almost everything on this model changed at least once during the test, and his final ruleset seems to have come out the better for it. Hold! is a unique ability allowing them to keep the Focus condition for longer than a turn, Firing Line enables multiple Rilfemen, or any guardsmen, to work together well, and the ranged damage and focus bonus, along with a touch farther range, really make them shine in the 5pt slot.

The Final two are the Guild Pathfinder and the Clockwork Traps. I never really got how these models were supposed to work but I look forward to trying them out. From the Shadows, Set the Trap and Scavenge Supplies all seem to work well for the pathfinder, and his gun seems to do a ton of work. The Clockwork Traps really seem to take on their own life, literally Clamping Shut on models moving by.

As it sits now, I have a three master collection centered around the Guild Masters of Perdita, McMourning, and McCabe, with plenty of cowboys and guild guard all around. I am anxious to get a non-Perdita crew on the table, and I thought I’d never say that. Its good to know that The test is near an end, and that sooner rather than later there will be a complete rule set out there. I waited patiently and was well rewarded with a game that seems balanced, fun, and challenging. A good move for Malifaux, and an excellent move for Wyrd.