Malifaux Rising Powers Review

Hey guys, I know that Malifaux has come up a few times on the boards here. I've picked it up this year and it's quickly becoming my favorite tabletop game. Just recently an expansion was released (Rising Powers). I wrote up a review of the expansion here: http://tabletopgeeks.com/malifaux-rising-powers-review/

I also wrote up a review of the original game a while back as well if you haven't played yet. You can find that here: http://tabletopgeeks.com/malifaux-review/

Check it out! This game is definitely worth looking in to. It's got a great setting/fluff, fun mechanics, and it's ridiculously cheap to get into! Oh, and with all the various locations you can play in, it gives lots of opportunities for different types of terrain.

I have some VERY mixed feelings about Malifaux. I was initially drawn to Wyrd for their very cool & unique pieces...with a couple of exception, a GREAT range of minis. Nathan, Eric, & company are FINE FELLOWS; dealing with them is an ABSOLUTE DELIGHT. The Folks I've seen playing the game seem to REALLY enjoy it, although, from the couple of games I've seen played, the idea of painting the minis seems to be an alien concept.

While I still love the minis, have a fair number, & plan to add more when funds become available, I think I'll pass on the game: re, I LOVE rolling dice, DESPISE card games, & have an aversion to games that have prenamed characters. PLUS the Wyrd Forum was once a lively hangout with some GREAT minis from a host of mini makers, all more or less beautifully painted; now it's a Fan Boy/Girl & Rules Lawyer Haven...there are only so many times you can see the same minis painted the same way before it gets UBER .

I'll give you that it does get boring seeing everyone just trying to copy the same style for their paint jobs. Personally, I always intentionally try and do something different from the standard. Look at my belles compared to the standard ones.

As far as the game itself... as much as I love rolling dice, the card mechanic is awesome. I wouldn't really consider it a "card game", as to me that implies something along the lines of Magic: The Gathering or poker or something. As you can read in the reviews, I love all the interesting mechanics it uses with alternating activations, specialized characters, strategies and schemes, and having some control over your random numbers.

I'm torn on having a lot of prenamed characters. For one thing, their fluff is the only tabletop fluff that I've ever cared enough to read all of. At the same time, I tend to like making custom characters (and it will show in my tabletop game that I'm working on) so it's a slight turnoff.

Overall though, I love the whole thing. I have to admit I haven't been able to play many games (partially because of crunch time at work) but I'm trying to find a LGS that has players. I've converted a few friends, so once work dies down we'll be able to play some games.

It probably is unfair to be overly critical of YET ANOTHER game I will never get the opportunity to play. HOWEVER, I have played games that use stat cards & charts in lieu of dice, & found them unsatisfying. Rolling fists full of dice provides a physical involvement in the action akin to wielding a sword or musket...at least that's been my experience; it also adds a chance element that is part of the very nature of war/armed conflict. :suspect

As far as the Wyrd Forum is concerned, if long standing members allow it to be taken over by the Fan & Rules Folk, it's our own fault; I'm really tempted to post all my Goblins...that should give the New Kids a shot of the DEEP PURPLE HORRORS. :

DeafNala wrote:

It probably is unfair to be overly critical of YET ANOTHER game I will never get the opportunity to play. HOWEVER, I have played games that use stat cards & charts in lieu of dice, & found them unsatisfying. Rolling fists full of dice provides a physical involvement in the action akin to wielding a sword or musket...at least that's been my experience; it also adds a chance element that is part of the very nature of war/armed conflict. :suspect

As far as the Wyrd Forum is concerned, if long standing members allow it to be taken over by the Fan & Rules Folk, it's our own fault; I'm really tempted to post all my Goblins...that should give the New Kids a shot of the DEEP PURPLE HORRORS. :

Aha, well, I think you are somewhat misunderstanding. There are actually LESS stats in Malifaux than in Mordheim, but each character also has a few abilities. However, there is still tons of random number generation! It's just done by flipping a card instead of rolling a die. So, you go to attack someone. You both flip a card and add your Combat/Defense (depending on attacker/defender) stats to the number flipped, and the winner is the higher number. Of course from that point you can then "Cheat Fate" by replacing your flipped card with another card. I would say you are MORE involved in the combat this way. Instead of rolling, you're flipping for the same effect, except with an extra added action of being able to adjust your number.

That's why I say it's not really a card game. The cards are just an alternate method of random number generation. It's like rolling a D13 really. :-P The big advantage is that it's impossible to go through rolling 1s the whole time while your opponent only rolls 6s. There are some other things that come from the deck, namely the triggers, which allow you to fire off an extra effect if your combat totals include certain suits.

Basically, you become MORE involved in the actual combat this way, and it prevents you from having a string of ridiculously bad luck.

Different strokes & all that.

DeafNala wrote:

Different strokes & all that.

Indeed.

Now then...forgetting about my bias toward dice, Malifaux has the potential of being an INCREDIBLY VISUAL EXPERIENCE with a rich background that encourages creativity. For gamers less fossilized than moi, it is a game that I could HIGHLY RECOMMEND trying, AND with the limited number of minis that are involved, it won't be all that expensive a fling.

AND speaking of visual experiences, check out the Bad Lands terrain from The Valley of Isk Miniatures by Our Own Dalanshin: http://theminiaturespage.com/news/80342/ Cool, huh?!

DeafNala wrote:

AND speaking of visual experiences, check out the Bad Lands terrain from The Valley of Isk Miniatures by Our Own Dalanshin: http://theminiaturespage.com/news/80342/ Cool, huh?!

Those are pretty sweet. They would definitely be nice for Malifaux.