Malifaux: Entering the Guild

"I was lucky in the order, but I've always been lucky when it comes to killin' folks."

Since discovering the wonders of Vassal for playing miniature games online, I have really gotten excited about Malifaux again.  And with Gencon coming up in less than two weeks, where Wyrd traditionally unveils a host of new models and some limited edition ones, it seems like a great time to be involved!  This spurred me to continue to assemble and expand my primary faction: the Guild.  While not as flashy and esoteric as many of the other factions in the Malifaux range, the Guild are grounded a little more in reality, with a heavy Western theme: long coats, cowboy hats, bandanas, and single-action revolvers.  With one part Clint Eastwood, another part McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, and a lunatic touch of Kouta Hirano's Hellsing, Malifaux’s Guild have a very distinctive style themselves.  Nowhere is this more evident than in their Marshals, which are what drew me to the Guild in the first place.

Malifaux: Finally time to go through the breach?

Bad things happen.

In the recent years, the game Malifaux has been growing in popularity. And while the backdrop of the game was intriguing (a weird mix of Victorian horror and wild-west gunplay), I could not get too excited about their range of miniatures. Wyrd Miniature’s initial selection of models for Malifaux were very hit or miss, tending towards the latter end of the spectrum.  But with their transition to plastic, there has been a dramatic increase in the quality of their sculpts, greatly benefited by the advance in computer generated figures and 3d printing.  And while I do not necessarily like the design of all the new models, it is hard to argue with the actual implementation.  They use a 32mm heroic scale system, similar to GW’s 28mm heroic scale, although these numbers are more of a rough guideline.  The main difference between the two companies is the artistic style they use, with Malifaux favoring long limbs and small hands and feet, while GW’s models are a little stockier.