Malifaux: Sonnia Criid

Sonnia Criid's Witch-hunters.

Well, i know i said i was going to start Malifaux with Kirai Ankoku, but after a bit more research and starting to get into the rules of the game, i realised that yes, Kirai has incredibly involved playstyle and that to jump in feet first with her might be making it tougher for myself than need be, with this in mind i cast my eye over the other gangs available and decided on Sonnia Criid and her Witch hunters as the models are also, just gorgeous,  i haven't even played a single game of Malifaux yet and i am totally intrigued by the system, the resource management twist with using a deck of cards in lieu of dice is something i'm really looking forward to giving a go, hopefully when i get a chance to grab a game or two i might be able to do a battle report to give people a bit of a taster.

Sonnia Criid.

One of the details i really like is the fact that scenarios you play aren't repetitive, there are lots to choose from, including ones specific to the crew you are playing with, as well as these basic scenarios you get "Schemes" which are an extra level of victory conditions built into the scenario on top, some require you to keep them a secret, some you tell your opponent, but the rule book essentially reads like something akin to a highly tweaked and more interesting version of Necromunda, and when you add in the fact that Malifaux crews only tend to be made of a select group of individuals rather than sprawling armies, getting started doesn't carry a prohibitive cost, in fact, this crew cost me less than twenty quid, and the rulebook was a tenner (from Heroes and Legends mind, they discount everything!) and then the fate deck to play games with was only a couple of quid, so for just over 30 quid i've got everything i need to get knee deep in Malifaux, which is pretty exciting when you think about it.

Sammael Hopkins.

Sonnia Criid herself is a High-Damage Output Caster with a variety of flame-based spells at her disposal, as well as her anti-magic abilities, she works for the guild, the dystopian organisation that polices the frontier dimension of Malifaux, i am an instant sucker for that "Good guy... or not?" character that essentially fights for the forces of good but may have other motives going on, she heads up task forces that hunt down the various mages of Malifaux and persecutes them in the name of order, she is backed up Sammael Hopkins with his trusty .45 Colt and Huntin' Tools, he can magically imbue his shots with flame, Gunmancy, pretty awesome in my book.  He can also loose off three devestating shots that can annihilate nearly anything in the game with a series of decent draws which i like the sound of, as a friend of mine has been threatening that he will be using Lord

Witchling Stalker.

Chompy Bits and the Dreamer, so hopefully i'll be able to stand up and spit in their faces!

The basic grunts for Sonnia and her crew are the Witchling Stalkers, now initially i was put off by the Witchling Stalkers as they essentially look like deranged midgits (or little people as i prefer to call them) but when i first showed interest in the game someone said to me that "a lot of the models in Malifaux don't necessarily make sense until you read the background" which is very true.  The Witchling Stalkers are captured mages from other warbands in the Guild's pursuits, Sonnia Criid then binds these individuals with powerful Hexes that are essentially anti-magic, the effect this has on the unfortunates is that their bodies begin to atrophy and wither under the strain, this causes catastrophic trauma to the individual and under the attentions of the Guild's witch hunter's they are

Witchling Stalker.

rehabilitated into combat against their former allies, eager to do anything to stave off the inevitable decay of their bodies, after reading this in its full context i was pretty riveted and reading along the background of some of the other casters inspired me greatly as well.

In the game Sonnia and her hexed friends form a kind of "Anti-magic pit" those reliant on spells will have a hard time against her, but she is by no means insurmountable.

A nice feature of Malifaux is that it definitely has a feel of Rock/Paper/Scissors some crews do benefit greatly against others, but it is a gentle push into the upper hand rather than a "haha! you lose!" feel, when compounded with the vast range of scenarios available you have to bear in mind that a lot of the time, winning a game isn't about annihilating your opponent, it can be setting up dynamite, assassinating key models (not just the opponent's caster), protecting supply wagons and many more.

Witchling Stalker.

Wyrd Miniatures (the company that produce Malifaux) also make a selection of scenery called "Terraclix" which i'm quite interested to give a go as well, its entirely modular pre-printed stuff, but it includes stairways funny little gantries and building interiors and actually looks like it would be a lot of fun to play across, and i like the idea of switching up between "Outdoor" games on traditional tables and "Indoor" games inside buildings, something you don't really get to do a lot of the time.

So i will grab a few games of Malifaux and post on my progress, i look forward to getting stuck in yet another wierd and wonderful world!

Adieu!