twisting fates - first impressions

(c) Wyrd Miniatures

Any blog worth it's salt would have reviewed Twisting Fates within days or weeks of it's release, but not here, no, here we like to take our time, get to really know a book and then review it..  Alternatively we're skint and have only just been able to afford it.  So, somewhat late to the ball I've finally picked up a copy of Twisting Fates.
There's little here that'll be news to anyone, but for what it's worth here are my initial thoughts -

Twisting Fates is the 3rd (or 4th if you include the Rules Manual) rule book - or second expansion if you will - from Wyrd Miniatures for their Malifaux game.  The rules from the first two books, along with erata were combined into the Rules manual.

In terms of rules there's little here...  The rules included refer to the main focus of the book and that's Avatars.
Each master has specific conditions under which they may, or must, change from their normal form into their Avatar form.  Once, or as, they convert to Avatar form various things can happen, depending on the Master in question.  Some can make healing flips, most loose effects and Totems.  You replace the masters figure with their Avatar figure, and replace their stat card with the Avatar card.
Once transferred to Avatar form each Master has a new set of powers.

What else is in this book?  Well, there is a handful of minions for each faction.  Some nice looking options, not much game changing here though, a few stronger minions perhaps but mostly fairly balanced.  I've a feeling resurs do better than most here but perhaps I'm wrong, always tricky to tell before you've played with or against.

Nicodem Avatar
(c) Wyrd Miniatures

And most of the book, and it's the thickest book yet, is a tonne of fluff :-)  I love fluff.  I love this book.  I've barely started the fluff to be honest but I've enjoyed what I've read so far and can't wait to read more.

Throughout the book is sprinkled a load of new artwork.  As usual some fabulous, atmospheric, pictures from Wyrd.  They're my favourite part of the fluff and you can't fault them, except perhaps there could be more.

So, any complaints?  Well, I love the look and feel of these books but I do wish they published them in the smaller format too (like the Rules Manual) so I could read them in the bath.  These books are wonderful to hold and look at and read sitting up, but lying in bed or the bath they're just to large and heavy.  If they published them large and small I'd buy both I really would.

Zoraida Avatar
(c) Wyrd Miniatures

So, the Avatars.  So far then I'm not awfully impressed.  The Avatars I want to run are for masters I don't have.  The Avatars for Lady Justice, Pandora and Rasputina are, or seem to me after a few readings, weak. I don't know why you'd spend 2SS to take the option of turning Pandora into an immobile weakling who can't do anything significantly better than when she could move.  I mean even the tentacles don't hit hard, a Slop Haulers bucket does more damage!  And she can not move!  In Malifaux that's crazy, unless she's sat on a target I suppose, but it's not like she's static and tough all of a sudden.  LJ and Rasputina are similar.  My other two masters may be more promising (Zoraida and Perdita) but even then I'm not sure.  So far the stand outs to me have been Seamus and Ramos.  Both look like a laugh and have fabulous figures.  Colette is an interesting one, 3 models, only one is actually her.. a good thing or just 3 chances for your opponent to hit her?  Might be fun but could end up being a weakness.

Also some masters are way easier to manifest than others. Not sure why.

So, I've still plenty to read here, including many of the Avatars, but initial impressions are that
this is then another fabulously beautiful book from Wyrd.  Adding some depth to the game without upsetting the balance too much, but I suspect your usage will depend on your master.

Moving

3 days away now.  3 days from a new home for me and my family.
Needless to say all my Malifaux models, books and scenery are packed away ready to move, all apart from my rules manual and model cards which are all in my rucsac for lunch time reading at work.

How long I wonder, until it's unpacked the other end.
In theory I get a nice large, powered shed all to myself.  Desks, maybe even a game table, shelves & chairs. There should be room for all of it.. We'll see. 

(c) Wyrd Miniatures

Meanwhile I will soon have another small cash injection heading my way, from sale of some GW items.  So, apart from a LONG overdue copy of Twisting Fates I have to decide what else to get. 
Bits to augment what I have?  Some arcanist minions for Rasputina for instance? 
A henchman?  Kaeris is appealing, Lucius or Collodi perhaps?  
A book 2 master?  I have none and they all appeal to some extent..
An Avatar?  I have none, Rasputina's is available?
Or should I make that move to Ressurs I've been thinking about?  Nico, McMourning and Kirai all appeal..

Anyway, it gives me something else to look forward to and think about.

I intend shortly to add a page that lists which figures I have and what state they are in, built painted etc..
Then when I ask what I should spend my money on you'll have an idea what I already have.
It should also serve to shame me into action and get painting.. yeah right ;-)

So, sorry folks, another mindles rambling post, but, fingers crossed, before long I should get some actual hobby time to report on.  Just don't hold your breath.

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)

random bits and pieces

Not too much to report but a few things I thought I'd jot down.

(c) Wyrd Miniatures

Last night I put together Santiago Ortega.  Nicely modelled figure with little to no flash.  It's a two piece kit, his right arm is a separate piece.  This has a small contact point for gluing, there's a 'ball and socket' join to give more gluing area, but this was tricky to clean up as it was on this 'elbow' the arm was attached to the sprue.
Once I had it tidied up I was once again very grateful for my Filla Glu super glue and Kicka pen, which sets the glue off quickly.  My only worry is that the angle of the arm might make painting the face tricky, specifically his fabulous mutton chop sideburns, and I think they're important for this figure.  I should probably have pinned the arm in place but I am very impatient.  The glue, though I only used a very small amount, has left a gap between the parts of the arm.  I don't think the glue fills it all so this will give me a great opportunity to try out GW's Liquid Green Stuff tonight.  Will post pictures and thoughts on LGS afterwards.

Tonight I hope to finish off the Santiago build and to do some more painting.  The big question is what to paint?
I probably aught to finish off the Sorrows, but I'm mighty tempted to paint Candy, or Perdita, or maybe even Lady Justice.

On Thursday this week I will be giving my brother in law an introduction to Malifaux.  I plan to start with a very small game to get him used to the mechanics, before, if we have time, opening it up for something slightly larger.
hopefully I wont have to look too much up as we go along.
I'm planning on using 2 Guild crews - Lady Justice and Perdita, with 2 minions each.

There's a very interesting thread on the Wyrd miniatures forum regarding the future of Malifaux, worth a read if you have 10 minutes.  For what it's worth my take is that Malifaux is not and probably never will be 'complete'.  that we will see a regular output of new books and models.  Each of these will be independent of the main game (which I consider to be the Rules Manual, or first 2 books if you will) so you could play a core crew against an expanded crew quite reasonably, giving the player the choice as to whether or not to buy and play the expansion.
Anyway, you could check out the thread here - Malifaux Complete?

Scenery.  Don't know about you but I love having good scenery to play with.  However, when I sit down for a hobby evening it's the last thing on my mind, so I end up with half built un-painted scenery.  Here's a place selling laser cut HDF wild west buildings that I think would be fabulous for a game of Malifaux, I've added half a dozen of these buildings to my Christmas list. Check out Sarissa Precision cut Heroic scale Wild West buildings.

Lastly, I'm enjoying reading the  stories from Twisting Fates, should have bought this book a long time ago.  Am particularly enjoying the Ortega sections, Nicodems brief appearance and the Collette sections, this may fuel where I go next in my model collecting.

(Previously published elsewhere November 2011)