playing faster

I noticed a tweet the other day that got me wondering about game length.  Why does it take so long to play a game of Malifaux?  Or, does it take that long to play, really?
My games take hours, start at nine, stop at midnight and we may not be finished.  Why is that?
Surely a game with so few figures can't take that long?  We used to get a 1000-1500 point warhammer game done in the same space of time, so why so long?

(c) Wyrd Miniatures

Well, as per usual with this type of question I believe there are a number of factors.

Firstly I don't think everyone takes this long.  At tournaments there's a set time span and many people are perfectly capable of, and used to, playing to shorter time scales.

So, if it is possible to play more quickly, what can we do to speed things up?  Here are some ideas, they may or may not work for you.

Learn the rules.  Rules queries can take an age to sort out, if you know the rules you'll get fewer queries.  You may not eliminate them but you will reduce them.

Learn the rules. Learn the rules for your crew, as well as you know the core rules, better even.  Study the card on every model, if it interacts or changes core rules do your research on how this will affect the normal resolution of that rule.  If there's anything particularly gnarly I'd suggest you let your opponent know prior to starting, there's nothing will de-rail the progress of a game quite like coming up with some nasty rule mid-game that wrecks our opponents game and seems to contradict what he was expecting.

Learn the rules.  If you can, learn the rules for your opponents crew too.  This won't always be possible but regular reading of the rules books should give at least a passing idea of what your opponents crew can do.

Set a time limit on rules queries, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, whatever works for you, if you haven't found it by then, flip for it and resolve it later, you really don't want to spend 10, 15 or even 20 minutes searching for an answer to a question mid-game.  But make a note so you don't forget to look it up later.

Make sure you know the set-up and game turn sequence off by heart.  What happens next? is a massive slower of games.

Make decisions quicker.  I like to take my time with each and every figure, even if it's obvious what to do, but agonising over each decision will sloooww down a game so much.  Be thinking about what to do whilst your opponent moves, when he's done then.. snap, make that decision, make the move, take the shot.  I believe you can train yourself to do this.  Knowing your crew well will help here, make sure you don't miss anything.  If you have to read every crew members card each turn whilst you decide which action you want to take.. you will have a slow game.

Plan ahead.  Think of the game prior to playing.  If you know which crew you want to take have a general plan, an idea of what you want to do with that crew.  Yes, strategies, schemes and an unkown until you play opposing crew may require a change, but a basic idea of what order your crew members need to go in and what they need to do will help making those decisions.

Play more.  Easiest and simplest answer is that the more you play the less any of these issues will be a problem.  Play as often as you can and you will learn the rules, you will know the turn sequence and you will make decisions faster.

To take it back to WarHammer (sorry), the reason those games took less time was we'd been playing for more years than Malifaux has existed, even though it changed every 4 or 5 years it was still pretty much the same game, so after each change there was a period where games took longer, it didn't last long and we'd be back up to speed again.  Read your books & cards more often, play more often, have a game plan and don't get stuck on rules queries and I think you'll soon be playing faster.

Hope this was of some interest or even help.  Do you have any ideas for speeding up games?  If so, please comment below and let me know.

gaming resolutions

It's that time of year, they're all doing it, so why shouldn't I?  That's right, it's gaming resolutions time.

Thing is, you see, it's virtualy pointless for me to do this.  I have a full time job, a 15 month old son, and I'm having to find a new place, pack and move all within the next couple of months..
However, that all said, here's my 'aims' for 2012.

Play more - I now have two possible opponents, my regular and a good friend who's had his first intro game and is interested in more, so this may be feasible, other restraints permitting.  Also there is a gaming club not a million miles from here that I could get to on a Sunday evening.

Paint more - had a brief period last year where the painting picked up a bit, but apart from a few finished sorrows all that left me was a bunch of half finished models.  And of course I now have new stuff I'd rather paint than finish the half done stuff.  Minimum one evening a week shouldn't be unreasonable.

(c) Wyrd miniatures.

Paint an entire crew - Will focus my painting toward my new Rasputina crew and try and get them finished.  Not entirely certain on a scheme yet but they're likely to be similar across the crew so should make completing the crew easier (if I don't get bored).

Stick to buying Arcanists - At least for a few months, so I don't get distracted from painting the crew and playing them.

Buy Twisting fates - I still don't have this, must rectify.

Paint better - painting more will help but I need to be brave and try out some new techniques maybe.

And that's it.  Nothing unusual or desperately exciting, but hopefully this will serve to focus my efforts.



(Previously published elsewhere January 2012)

south essex facebook group

I have created a new facebook group for players of Malifaux, specifically those living in South Essex UK.


If you're interested in locating new players and you live in that area this group may help you do just that.  Join on facebook and meet new players, chat with them and arrange games.

South Essex Malifaux Group

(Previously published elsewhere October 2011)

game report: pandora vs victorias 35ss

Game last night.
35 ss
Pandora (that's me) vs Victorias.

My Pandora crew
Pandora 8ss
Baby Kade
Candy
Teddy
3 x Sorrow


Victorias crew

Victoria x 2 4ss?
Killjoy
Mizaki
Freikorp Tracker
Ronin
Desperate Mercenary

Basically I had my ass handed to me on a plate.
Within 3 turns all I had left was Pandora.  In return all I'd got rid of was Killjoy and done some wounds to Mizaki and the Tracker.
Turn one - the Viki's slingshot into Teddy and take him down to a couple of wounds.  I got Mizaiki to wound herself, failed on everything else with Pandora, having only a Red Joker to cheat with which I wanted to save (big mistake) for when I really needed it - doh.
Anyway, turn 2 I win initiative, good.  Except my opponent burns a ss in order to re-flip and flips an 11 so I burn one too and get a 5.  So Viki one kills Teddy (an end before I've done anything with him in his first outing) moves and slingshots Viki 2 across to start taking out Sorrows.  He sacrifices the Desperate Merc and brings on Killjoy, getting a healing flip (3 wounds) on Misaki at the same time. Killjoy is just out of range on Candy.  Candy triple casts Self Loathing at KillJoy, succeeding twice and doing 2 x weak damage for 8 points plus two failed WP within 12" of Pandora so he's 2 wounds left.  Pandora gets off three incites against KillJoy, Mizaki and Tracker then one self loathing against Mizaki (I think).  Kade, who's been round the back of a building comes out with a double move, dragging his Sorrow with him, the sorrow the Links to KillJoy ready to inflict his last wound if he activates.
Turn 3 and it's all over, he kills remaining sorrow with tracker who inflicts severe damage with blasts, which hit Candy taking her out as well.  I get rid if Killjoy, Kade gets taken out and that's it.
Pandoras left.  She can be useful on her own but I've scored no VP, he's scored 4 so far and will easily get his remaining four.. I can't win, we call it.
A few things would have helped immeasurably.  Firstly we made a mistake with Desperate Merc.  when sacrificed he shouldn't have been able to heal Mizaki, which meant I'd have killed her later (probably).
And one or two high Crows in my hand would have meant I could have had Mizaki (if not dead) and Trapper on the run after turn 2, which would have meant Kade and Candy and a sorrow still alive and much still to play for.  Never the less I was Hammered :-(

(previously published elsewhere Oct 2011)

first pandora outing

Had a game last night, well, part of one, and got to use my Pandora crew for the first time.  My opponent was using his C. Hoffman crew for the first time too and as we didn't start until late thanks to my wife cooking us a lovely Curry, we only got two turns done.. But, they were fairly interesting turns, turn two in particular.
Here's an overview of how it went down.

20SS Game

Pandora
Kade
Candy
2 x Sorrow

vs

C.Hoffman
2x Guardian
Watcher
Mechanical Attendant



Strategies  Pandora - Turf War, C. Hoffman - Deliver Message
Schemes Pandora Bodyguard & the one involving being in opponents deployment zone, C. Hoffman Kill Candy & 1 other I can't recall.

We'd set up our small crews virtually opposite each other, there wasn't a huge amount of scenery, 3 trees and 3 ruins, but just enough to ensure it wasn't quite a straight run accross the table.
The Hoff was set up in a gaggle with everything in base with the Hoff.  Pnadora set up with both sorrows in base, one each side, Candy in base with one of them and Kade off on his own a bit to my left.

Turn 1, not a lot happened.  Hoff won initiative and moved a guardian up dragging Hoffman with it.  I activated a sorrow to link to Pandora, he moved up his other guardian. I moved Pandora, tried to use Incite (or Pacify, I can't remember which) and failed, managed to cast Self Loathing on Hoffman for a total of 4 wounds, failed everything else.  Not much of significance happened that I remember that turn, my deck was week with a solitary 9 being my only remotely high card so couldn't force much.

Second turn was more interesting.  I don't recall the exact order of everything but some of the highlights were, Pandora getting off my first sequence of wounds/moves caused by Pacify/Fading memory, pulling it off 3 times causing a wound to Hoff, 2 wounds to one  Guardian and 3 wounds to the 2nd Guardian (multiple wounds thatnks to Sorrows Emotional Stress) whilst also triggering Mental Anguish that saw one Guardian falling back to within a few inches of my table edge.
One sorrow bought it as did Kade, eventually, after successfully using backstab on Hoffman, only to see his damage limited by borrowed armour.  A Guardian cast a spell that put all my casts within 6" on  -ve flip, which is nasty, luckily it was the guardian I sent packing so impact wasn't too sever.

That was it really, no objective points scored, however he'd killed two of my models and I'd got Hoffman down to 4 wounds both guardians damaged and one of them a push away from being off the board.  Could have gone either way, with a good hand next round I think I'd have had him, but I was low on soul stones (though I wouldn't have used my penultimate one had I thought the game was going to continue).
had some bad luck, twice using Soul stones to add to my casting value or dual value only to flip a one, and had some good luck, he flipped black joker a couple of times.

Great game, if a bit slow, both crews more complex than we're used to.  So nice to play something different.
Got a good idea of the power of Pandora though :-)   great fun when it comes off, but Soul stones and good cards are important I think.

(Originally posted elsewhere October 2011)

nino and fransico

Used these two Guild minions for the first time last night in a successful game against Ramos.  I had Line in the Sand strategy, which I wasn’t looking forward too, but in return Ramos had to kill Lady Justice so I was fairly happy that he wouldn’t achieve these.  Schemes wise he had schemes which additionally targeted Taelor and The Austringer (the second one of these would be very achievable if he could get into contact). My schemes involved being in touch with a piece of scenery in his side of the table and to steal a treasure off Ramos ( a decent scheme to take if Ramos was going to try and kill LJ).

Diagonal deployment and I set up with my ranged minions (Francisco, Nino and Austringer) on the left hand side and LJ, her totem (scales of Justice) and Taelor on the right, nearer to the Line in the sand.

I wont give you a blow by blow account but the end result was my opponent conceded early in turn 4 or 5. And Francisco and Nino were key to this.  I also had much luck, winning initiative at key times, flipping a red joker on damage to take a Steampunk Arachnid Swarm out.

In turn two I took out an Arachnid Swarm, I’d left all my ranged attacks until last and had good cards in my hand so I activated the Austringer, moved, attacked and then delivered orders to Francisco who moved shot and then used his family connections to activate Nino who used his In my sights on the Swarm, shot, triggered Trigger happy and on the second shot the Swarm was dead.  Very happy with Francisco and Nino here, family connections worked nicely and in addition In my sights and trigger happy were awesome.  Nino still had another activation point and another shot remaining.

Later in the game another Swarm attacked Nino, I held my breath and he survived, with only one wound left but never the less alive and unactivated, so, he flurried and wiped the Swarm out, with help from a Red Joker, but it only took him two of his 3 attacks, very impressive.

Overall I was very impressed with these two.  Francisco is useful at range, although I didn’t get to use Fanin’ and a demon in close combat it seems.  Nino’s long range of 16” and useful traits of In my Sights and trigger Happy can potentially make him deadly.  Admittedly he doesn’t have a high casting value so he can soak up cards if you really need to get In my sights off and cheat to get the trigger Happy trigger off but the potential can make it worth it.

At the end of the game, when my opponent conceded, I had flipped 3 markers, and was very confident of being able to be in touch with the piece of scenery.  Meanwhile he had nothing left, I’d killed a solitary spider, 2 swarms and his Soul Stone Miner leaving him with Ramos, one spider and his totem..

An unusual game that I didn’t expect to win with my experimental crew and Line in the Sand strategy.  I got lucky when he flipped his strategy and he deployed wrongly having misunderstood how Line in the Sand worked.  Not sure how much I learnt but was happy in how I used my ranged attacks and learnt the my two new Guild members can be deadly.


(Originally published elsewhere Sept 2011)