Data Sphere

Who plays it? What do you think of it? How does it play in comparison to Infinity - easier? Harder?

I gave it a chance and still play it every now and then as one of my gaming buddies is a big fan.
It's quite ok. By far "easier" than Infinity as it is a classical IgoUgo.
Malifaux offers a great campaign system and really nice scenarios.
The 2nd edition also offers some ways to customize your troops with adding "special" equipment/skills.
For plastic, the (new) models also are ok but (imho) are way behind (new) Infinity.
The "dice" mechanics (cards) are ok and "less random" than in most other games and allow for some cool bluffs.

But all in all for me it's the (less challenging and simpler) beer-and-retzels alternative to Infinity. Ok, but I almost always prefer to play a match of Infinity.

The models are absolutely fantastic even if the new plastics are very fiddly.
I mean I have Colette painted, her crew mostly done (no Coryphee though, want those), but no one here in Rotterdam plays the game because it's just kind of not the local style? I've watched some batreps though and it seems like a very interesting game.

Mistake Not wrote:The models are absolutely fantastic even if the new plastics are very fiddly.
I mean I have Colette painted, her crew mostly done (no Coryphee though, want those), but no one here in Rotterdam plays the game because it's just kind of not the local style? I've watched some batreps though and it seems like a very interesting game.

Well, Stijn (Harl3kin) is also a Colette player and he's the one that insisted I try it, hehe. You're absolutely welcome to join in if and when we do start!

It's a good game. I'd probably say that it's on a par with Infinity in terms of complexity - largely due to the fact that every single model has its own set of special abilities. I played it a bit in 1.0 and 1.5 editions (Resurrectionists and Neverborn) but am yet to give 2nd edition a try.

As a casual player I confess I found it a bit of a struggle remembering what all the different models did - especially my opponent's - hence me putting it on the backburner for a bit as I focus on Infinity. I understand 2nd edition simplifies things a bit though so I am looking forward to getting back to it eventually.

The core rules are generally clear and unambiguous (imagine that Infinity players!) and the card mechanic is really innovative. It adds a tactical element of hand management that you don't get with dice, and there's something satisfying about flipping cards, "cheating fate" by replacing with a card from hand, card suits triggering special effects, and so on.

Because most models are characters and they're all individual sculpts, you do get a good narrative feel to the game and it is heavily based around objective play so as an Infinity player that should resonate.

Plus, as already noted there are some great looking models if you enjoy that gothic western steampunk aesthetic. The new plastics seem very well cast and, whilst fiddly, are much easier to work with than metal.

Maxvon_d wrote:The new plastics seem very well cast and, whilst fiddly, are much easier to work with than metal.

What I have seen implies the contrary. Some figures have ridiculous amount of parts for their size and are generally "fiddly". YMMV, but I prefer working with pewter.

MAS's Wolsung seems more to my personal liking. Victorian, steam with more of a fantasy than a gothic feel. Not sure how others feel about it.

Edit: Thing is, with Malifaux.. I can't really find a good place to start. they have lots of stuff, but all is small and I can't make out what's what.

I tend to agree with what everyone above has said. I don't have any experience with version 2 yet, but I have enjoyed running the Viktorias and the showgirls. I really rather like the use of cards rather than dice and the bluffing one can do with those. That adds another level onto miniatures games that wasn't really present before. The game also lends itself really well to narrative play.

I play when I can. I would say that tactically Malifaux is about on par with Infinity. The big difference is that Malifaux is much more about unit synergies and making numbers that are just good enough, so you are dealing more with "this unit does that which sets up this other unit". I agree that the plastics are a bit fiddly (for example look up the model Yan Lo. His beard is a separate piece) but the sculpts are nice.

It also has a weird, more random/less random feel. Since you are using cards, you have a certain number of good actions and a certain number of bad actions you can play (you do reshuffle each turn, but you can burn through most of the deck in a single turn). In addition, you have a set of cards in your hand that you can often use to replace the card you flipped. This gives the "less random" feel. That being said, in addition to the number on the card, the suit of the card can cause the model to activate a special effect so you end up with this "more random" based on that.

Wookiee is 100%.

Malifaux strategy is almost entirely anti-faction and unit synergy listbuilding. Tactics are pretty much limited to card counting, since the troops tend to be very specialized. Missions are pretty generic. Malifaux was also famous back in the day for being a game where you could lose a game with 0 victory points and wipe your opponent off the table at the same time.

you know, like ITS.

I think Infinity is a fantastic tactical gaming system. But I find it sorely lacking in terms of campaigning and narrative play. In terms of the actual game enjoyment it's superior, but I remember simply having more fun when playing Mordheim (or later on the fan-made 40k skirmish Death Squads).

The reason for this what that after every game, no matter what the outcome, stuff would change in your squad. You'd make an income, buy new gear and models. Far more importantly, though: you'd get XP and your models would improve. And then there was the best part: the serious injury table! If your model got taken out during the game, all kinds of weird stuff would happen (lose an eye, an arm, get captured by the enemy).

My point in writing all this: Infinity is such a precarious system that it doesn't lend itself well to RPG play. Models go OP far too easily this way. Despite the fun I had with Mordheim, it was seriously unbalanced (yet then again we didn't care about it).

While I haven't heard of Malifaux having a campaign system, the entire atmosphere does come close to Mordheim. I would to play something like that again.

Locksmith wrote:Malifaux strategy is almost entirely anti-faction and unit synergy listbuilding.

Indeed. Close to WarmaHordes. Which is one of the reasons I don't like it this much.

Somewhere I have most of the Ortega clan and the 1e rules. Bought the Ortegas because I like the models. No other reason.

I like the 'cheat fate' mechanic, but I may have only played a couple games 3-4 years ago.