[For more insight, don't forget to read our Designer's Notes at the end of this article !]
Malifaux was one of those games that got under my skin and never really left. Part of it was the models, these ornate and original sculpts that were crammed with character. I was sold immediately on the game after seeing the Death Marshals, and I still say that there are very few miniatures, anywhere in the world, that compare to a bunch of burning skull-faced cowboys jumping off coffins that were also on fire. Then I found out you could put enemies in those coffins and run off with them. As soon as I experienced the card-driven gameplay mechanics, my love affair with Malifaux truly began.
When Third Edition emerged, we knew that we would have to revamp our current line. Our latest token sets, for games such as Blackstone Fortress, Infinity and Apocalypse, highlighted how far we'd come as designers, and we couldn't wait to see what we could do with our Malifaux products. As ever, we wanted to create a set of tokens that helped people play their games; they didn't just need to look great, they had to evoke the world of the game too, and be easily recognisable and simple to use.
We also love the idea of tokens being something you can be proud of. In some games, they're perfect for replacing cardstock, sometimes including innovations such as dials to reduce the need for too many tokens (as with our Fallout range) but other times, they need to be a work of art in their own right. When it comes to Malifaux, you want to place your Scheme markers with pride, so we took real care to make them as stunning as possible!
In Malifaux, conditions play a huge part. Now, the most important thing a token can do is help players focus on their game. So the conditions are colour-coded as well as meticulously designed, so you can tell at a glance what status effects are in place, assisting you in concentrating on your strategy. No more head-scratching, trying to work out which model is afflicted by what effect. Now it's absolutely clear to both players!
These fit snugly to the base of the model, so even when the fighting is at its fiercest, you can see precisely who is affected and by what! We've worked really hard to develop designs that continue to evoke the style of the game world, to help retain a sense of immersion.
To dig a little deeper into the process behind the production of these tokens, here are some designer notes by Grantt, exploring what went into this new line:
Designer's Notes: Not many folk know this, but Art of War Studios started with Malifaux. I bought a small desktop laser back in 2014, and one of the first things I made for myself was some scheme markers. These went down an absolute storm at our meta, and I brought a handful to a tournament for everyone, who all recommended I sell them. Out of curiosity, I put the same tokens on eBay, and six months later, Art of War Studios was my full time job.
Despite the diversity of themes in Malifaux, I went with the wild-west poker chip design, as it just made sense; the acrylic already had a poker chip aesthetic, and there was a fantastic irony in using poker chips for a miniature wargame. After all, Malifaux already used cards and a bluff mechanic for its engine; why not have poker chips included too?
For the new range, we wanted to keep that core aesthetic, but we also wanted to make sure that all the tokens were distinguishable during a game. One of our core values for design at the studios is practicality, so we’re always trying to combat decision fatigue, and speed up play. As such, we’ve moved away from sets made in one faction colour, to individually coloured tokens - you will easily be able to tell the pit trap from a dust cloud, even if its been placed by the same crew.
We’ve also made the condition tokens a very different design, with edges that can be attached to a base to signify who the condition affects (big clusters of combatants can get confusing). It all comes together to make great looking tokens that make a big difference to the gameplay.
Lastly, the designs themselves are all helmed by Aerial Smith, one of our artists here at the Studios. Her work is phenomenal, and she always manages to capture exactly what’s needed for an image - and she always puts up with my unending requests for small changes and adaptations! We honestly think it’s some of our best work yet, and we hope you feel the same way!
So without further ado, we're delighted to unveil our Malifaux tokens for Third Edition. It feels great to be plunging back into this weird and wonderful world... so what are we waiting for? Let's go!
]]>As the new edition of Malifaux sweeps the gaming globe, we're hard at work on a new series of token designs. This means that our current lines are being phased out.
Many of these tokens will still have a use on the gaming table, so take a look and see if anything takes your fancy. Be quick, though; in a couple of weeks they'll be gone for good!
We're also putting our current range of Age of Sigmar dials on 'last chance to buy' status too! So if you're seeking some gorgeous, cut-price fantasy-styled acrylic wound counters, these are perfect!
Third on our list today are selected dials compatible with Warhammer 40,000. These have been very popular, but as we move into a more concise and thematic range, we're not going to have space for these. So they're going cheap, too! Once again, get 'em while they're hot, because they'll be gone for good soon!
What this means of course is that we're going to be bringing in some amazing new token sets very soon. So watch this space!
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I know what you're thinking. What fresh hell lies in wait for our wallets this week? New models are appearing at an extraordinary rate, and most of them have been designed to such a high standard that it's hard not to be enticed.
First up we've got to mention the Halfling team for Blood Bowl. When the video first dropped, we were belly-laughing. The combination of the images and music, and the rich and wonderful design of the models, came together to create something truly special. I'm not sure how many cups these guys will be winning, but their release feels like an event. They're going up for pre-order next week, and it's going to be great seeing them pop up on social media, painted in all manner of crazy colour schemes.
Elites is now available for Kill Team, and a lot of people are saying that this has solved their issues with the limited force options in the core rules. You can now bring Terminators and Aspect warriors, which is really exciting, along with a host of new characters. You can even bring one-man-army Sly Marbo!
Some are concerned that Elites risks turning this neat and tidy game into full-blown 40k, but personally I can't see the problem. As long as you keep points values reasonably low, you can enjoy cool little engagements between small forces. Before this dropped, I gave my son a game of Kill Team and added a Dreadnought to bolster his marines. It worked fine and made for a really spectacular game!
We should also mention at this point that if you're taking the plunge into Kill Team, or expanding your forces, our token sets continue to be really popular, replacing fraying cardstock with eye-popping acrylic!
Sticking with Games Workshop for a moment, Forge World is bringing the big guns to bear with its Horus Heresy pre-orders. Alongside a glaive-wielding Legion Praetor strides a formidable Leviathan dreadnought. You can just imagine this engine of death clanking and grumbling across the battlefield, pulverising the enemy lines with its heavy weaponry.
This week sees the release of the Free Folk Trappers for CMON's awesome A Song of Ice and Fire: The Miniatures Game. While these lightly-armoured fighters might not be suited to drawn-out close quarters combat, they bring the ability to deal wounds to enemies regardless of how well-protected they are, and have tricks that make it easier to render enemy charges disorderly. They're cheap, too, and aren't worth any points for the enemy, adding to their utility. The models look suitably ferocious as well!
Fantasy Flight Games have published an in-depth look at the Sabine Wren expansion for Star Wars Legion. She's looking very cool indeed, with the kit giving players the option of the characterful helmet or showing off that awesome hairstyle.
There's so much to love about this release. The option of a dual-pistol pose is appealing, and as expected she's pretty handy with thermal charges. But my favourite thing is that she can tag terrain with graffiti and grant bonuses to nearby allies. How amazing is that?
Age of Ascension will have a huge impact on the KeyForge community when it drops at the end of this month, and Fantasy Flight Games have announced that players who take part in Chainbound events will be able to access five times the number of Aembershards during a limited period. I can't wait to see how the new set changes the game!
Finally, we're so excited about the new Malifaux edition, we can barely contain ourselves. Last week, Wyrd teased a new box, Loyalty to Coin, featuring three tough-looking mercenaries.
Malifaux continues to put character at the forefront of its aesthetic, with all manner of wild and crazy creatures populating its twisted universe. This box will be available in July, and hints at the possibilities that will continue to open up for those brave souls who choose to venture into this warped world of dark delights.
So did we miss anything? What's got you excited this week?
Thanks for reading. If you're going to be taking the plunge with the Halfling team, make sure to invest in some awesome new tokens designed to be easy to place in the midst of the scrum!
Or if you're planning to blow the lid off the Empire with Sabine Wren, you'll be needing some thermal charge tokens!
]]>Games Workshop, which doesn’t seem to pause for breath these days, has some exciting releases coming up for pre-order next week. Two new warbands promise to add even more variety and depth to Warhammer Underworlds. Thundrik’s Profiteers sees a tight-knit band of Kharadron Overlords venture into the depths to seek out a few priceless relics, whilst Ylthari’s Guardians provides the option of commanding a Sylvaneth warband. We can’t wait to see what sort of abilities these wildly different sets bring to bear.
As we all wait with baited breath for the new edition of Malifaux, Wyrd have announced their Spring Sale. Running from the 14th to the 22nd of April, it provides a great opportunity to get hold of some alternative models, and a whole host of Malifaux miniatures that will come with the 3rd edition cards.
The new FAQ for Infinity has tidied up a few issues that the community had raised, including stamping out some cheap LOS exploits that made it a little too easy to deny opponents a meaningful reaction when attacked. The Corvus Belli team has done a good job of ensuring that the game continues to be played in the spirit they intended - not always easy when the system is as tactically rich and intricate, with full reactive play. Good stuff.
The next wave of ships for X-Wing 2.0 has also been revealed, including the dinky and characterful Nantex and the BTL-B. It’s super-exciting seeing where X-Wing is headed, with a whole new era open for exploration. There are some bigger ships coming too, with rereleases of the Tantive IV and others.
Back at base, our team at Art of War Studios is in the midst of a creative frenzy. Avasa, our new terrain for Infinity, will be the spiritual successor to the highly-regarded NeoCity range. Designed to be modular and cost-effective, it’s currently in the final stages and will be available soon. The team is also hard at work on tokens for the third edition of Malifaux, and we’re already scrapping over what faction we’re all going to play.
We’re also hard at work on the full rules of our very own game, Ironclad 2048. We ran demos of this post-apocalyptic armoured combat game at Salute and it went down a storm. Now we’re working out secondary weapons, crew abilities and various other things, to give players an array of options and improved agency.
Our tokens for A Song of Ice and Fire appeared on Guerrilla Miniature Games, with a fine review by the legend that is Ash Barker. Check it out here! We also launched our Quartermaster programme, which is designed to help clubs and FLGS make their resources stretch further. Contact us by email for more information!
Finally, we’re running a random prize draw for a £10 voucher! All you need to do is share pics of your Guild Ball team either on display, or mid-game, on either facebook or twitter with the hashtag #AOWStudiosGB and we’ll enter you for the draw, which will take place on Friday!
Phew, that’s a lot of news. And it isn’t anywhere near exhaustive. We really are living in a new Golden Age of miniature gaming. What are you fine people excited for?
]]>"Sir, some of your miniatures appear to be unpainted..."
So the smoke’s cleared and we’re getting used to living in 2019. Many tabletop gamers have already made resolutions, the chief of which seems to be to paint all the miniatures they currently own before buying any new ones. Which is about as likely as Abaddon deciding that he actually quite likes the Imperium and laying down arms, or the Rainbow Warriors getting their own Codex. Still we make these promises to ourselves… but in the back of our minds we know that we’re never going to keep them.
Which is why I’m all about realistic resolutions this year. I want a few quick wins, of course; some of these are really easy to fulfil, which will make me feel a bit more optimistic about the more challenging ones. So without further ado, here are my tabletop gaming resolutions of 2019.
One - win a game with the Morticians
Our local gaming group has been focusing on Guild Ball a lot recently, and thanks to the patient tutelage of Grantt and Martin, I have finally (sort of) learned how to play this game. I even won a couple of matches with the Masons, including one bonkers game which saw 5 goals in one and a half turns. So now I’m ready to go back to my team of choice, the Morticians, and try to do the same with them. Wish me luck!
Two - play more Kill Team
Yeah, this one should be easy. I’ve played a couple of games and really enjoyed them. Now I’ve got my gribbly Nurgle Primaris painted up and ready, with some Poxwalkers on the way, I’ll be ready to throw down at a moment’s notice. I'll just be running them as regular Plague Marines, of course, but that's fine. They're tough enough!
Three - Fit in more big games of 40k
As I’ve said in other posts, I’m a big fan of 8th edition. I think it’s slick, fun and cinematic. But due to work and family commitments, and the lure of other games, I couldn’t quite manage more than a couple of 2000 pointers. They were glorious, though, and I need more!
Four - Get stuck into Rangers of Shadow Deep
Frostgrave taught me that you don’t need complex rules to have a good game. Because it’s system was straightforward, the emerging narrative could breathe, allowing players to focus on the story being told. Also, I’ve never belly-laughed so many times during a tabletop game before. The new game by Joseph A. McCullough, Rangers of Shadow Deep, looks amazing and we’ve already published an in-depth review. I can’t wait to get stuck in.
Five - Embrace X-Wing 2.0
He's less cramped than he would be in a TIE Fighter.
I’ve got a massive tub full of X-Wing ships that I’d love to get back onto the table. X-Wing 2.0 is seeing a lot of play locally, and all I need to do is get an upgrade kit, dust off my crudely customised models, and smash some Imperials. I had concerns about the narrow meta of first edition, but 2.0 looks much more open to me, and as a Star Wars nut I really should be getting back into the cockpit.
Six - Dominate the Underhive (or survive for a few games, at least)!
We’ve got a Necromunda campaign in the works and my Delaque gangers are ready to throw down! I’m preparing a backstory at the moment which I will share in due course to explain why some of them look like vampires and others hide their faces within sinister black helmets.
Seven - Forge keys like a boss!
KeyForge made me smile so much towards the end of last year. I’ve been keeping an eye on some of the awesome channels out there such as KeyForge Club, and feel like I might just be ready for a tournament.
So how about you? Do you have any tabletop gaming resolutions for 2019? Let us know. The crazier the better!
While you're here, we're still offering 10% off all orders with the discount code 'itschristmas'. We're only running this offer for a few more days, so don't miss out. Check out the store now!
"3-D Roleplay" in the 41st Millennium!
They say you never get a second chance at life. Well, in some ways that’s true. I sold a bunch of plastic squats that I’ll never be able to buy back (without remortgaging) and I’ll never see Del Boy fall through the bar for the first time again. But sometimes you do get another bite of the cherry, especially if you’re a tabletop gamer.
Chances of a Codex any time soon...?
For instance, I missed out on 40k the first time around. A couple of friends played it, but I preferred smaller scale gunfights to mass battles. So I didn’t take the plunge. But many moons later, when I had been drawn back into tabletop by Infinity’s anime and cyberpunk aesthetics and Malifaux’s creepy burning coffin cowboys and giant grinning teddies, I was given another shot. Warhammer 40,000 8th edition dropped, and a bunch of people at my local club got involved. So, keen to get a game or two, I decided to dip my toe in and get a few minis.
Death Marshals were the reason I got into Malifaux.
I had no real idea what faction to go for, but I remembered the moment I’d first become aware of 40k. I must have been thirteen or fourteen, and was visiting a tiny (but always crammed) indie games store in Preston. The sort of place that had a megadrive running on the desk, by a till that was dwarfed by a plastic tub full of loose Ral Partha, Perry Rhodan and Citadel miniatures. The racks on the walls were laden with games I had never heard of. Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, with its ingenious three-dimensional board, Silent Death, and obscure but amazing game books like Blood Sword and Way of the Tiger (it was, I think, the thrill of the fight). Afterwards, my friends and I would go to another shop and buy our first White Dwarf - the one with the Terminator Honours badge on the front - but the thing I remembered the most, and that really left an impression on me, was the box art of Epic Scale Space Marine, the massive set that dominated the top shelf on the far wall of Preston Games.
What a board, eh?
It was the First Legion, the Dark Angels, making a valiant last stand against an unseen enemy. The artwork has become iconic (one of the marines was inspired by Al Pacino’s portrayal of Tony Montana from the movie Scarface) and for me is the archetypal Space Marine image. I’m sure we all have that one piece of artwork that encapsulates what 40k is all about, and this is what it’s about for me. So when one of my fellow clubmates offered to sell me the Imperial half of the Dark Vengeance boxed set, I jumped at the chance. It didn’t take long for me to raid the internet for reinforcements. Before long I had an army that included a flashmob of Deathwing, a trio of Predators, two dreadnoughts, countless space marines and six Inceptors with plasma annihilators (because ‘Weapons of the Dark Age’)... just in case I had to kill several tanks at once.
I had a bit of fun putting the Deathwing together. This one wears the jawbone of a vanquished Beast of Caliban
It felt good to assemble that army, and it feels good to sit taking pictures of them now. Part of me had always wanted a force of warriors just like the ones on the front of that box and many years later I got the chance. So is this mere nostalgia, an attempt to relive the heady, youthful days of the past (only with access to a credit card and an airbrush)?
My attempt at building a more imposing Azrael.
Nostalgia is of course a powerful thing. Hollywood pretty much sustains itself on it, with remakes and sequels aplenty. It’s also a driver in gaming. You can find Megaman games on the shelf, a boardgame of Big Trouble in Little China, and many others. We might scoff at some of this, but few of us are immune to the pull of nostalgia. If somebody releases a skirmish game based on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors or Ulysses 31, I will be powerless to resist. The nostalgia of the player base can give companies the courage to develop a game based on a cult classic videogame or movie. It can also help bring back the beloved games of the past.
Ulysses. No-one else can do the things he does. Fact.
Necromunda made a splash when it first came out. The minis were distinctive and fascinating, offering a glimpse into a whole new aspect and social strata of the dark universe of the 41st Millennium. It also contained a terrain set that tabletop gamers still reminisce about today - a card and plastic hybrid that could be built into a multi-level battlefield, with no two configurations the same. I actually remember it’s predecessor, ‘Confrontation’, which was incredibly granular, using D100s instead of D6s, with percentile points and an extensive rack of stats. So you found a mesh coif in your stash? Well, it certainly gives you some added protection, but also makes you 2% less likely to see the glint on the side of a needle gun before you get pumped full of lethal toxins. The original Necromunda toned all of this down, made it actually playable, but lost none of the character and atmosphere. It was, I think we all agree, a triumph.
Winners don't do drugs. Especially Doze and Spook.
Of course, Necromunda is now back with a vengeance. The new compendium allows new players to get to grips with the game quickly and easily. As well as many old favourites - Escher, Cawdor and the sinister, revamped Delaque now riffing on the Guild Navigator attendants from Dune and the black-clad agents from Syndicate - there are new characters like the bounty hunters Eyros Slagmist (son of Mr and Mrs Slagmist) and the bolter-wielding Squat Grendl Grendlsen. The new miniatures are stunning and the game is a hell of a lot of fun. A deeper, richer and less knockabout sibling to Kill Team, one might say.
Make sure to accessorise when you visit the underhive!
Hopefully, with the rules kinks ironed out, the compendium heralds the true return of Necromunda, establishing a foundation on which the game can grow into something even grander than before. With many companies offering characterful and immersive terrain sets, we can build even more amazing battlefields too.
Coming soon to an underhive near you!
Many of us have access to more money than we did when these games made their first pass. We’re in a position to invest more heavily, to build the forces we always wanted. Hopefully, we’re better painters too, and with the hobby becoming more mainstream, we might also have access to better venues and a wider player base (finding other players is so much easier in the age of the internet, right?). So it’s great to see these older IPs come good again, with freshly redesigned miniatures developed using cutting-edge technology. Now, if someone would just make a wargame based on Krull, I’ll be happy.
It would work as a tabletop game, right?
Thanks for reading. Now, we need to make you lovely people aware that we need your US orders by close of play TODAY (7th December) to get it in time for Christmas. So if you want some shiny new Delaque tokens, go, go, go!
]]>Among the games getting the most attention are two spin-offs from the Rick & Morty TV show, with each game based on an episode from the cult hit series.
The first is a board game named Anatomy Park, where you essentially take on the role of Morty who has to build an amazing theme park - the only catch is that it’s while you’re miniature and inhabiting the body of a homeless man (remember that episode in season one?).
Also stemming from the Rick & Morty universe is the deck-building game Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind. Again, this takes inspiration from a season one episode, where Ricks from other dimensions appear.
While we love getting our Malifaux tokens out for a lengthy gaming session, we’re also all for any fun spin-offs that get more people into gaming of any kind.
We were also excited to learn this month that The Terminator Official Board Game has launched on Kickstarter. According to the description, it’s an asymmetrical strategy game that’s played across two boards - one for 1984 and one for 2029.
Of course, actions on the 1984 board can impact what’s happening in 2029, so it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun, if a little mind-bending at times.
We have lead designer at Space Goat Productions Taylor Smith to thank for bringing this epic concept to life, in board game form.
]]>In an article for the Guardian, Mark Wilding looks at the rise of legacy games, where you alter the board and in some cases cards and pieces as you play, essentially meaning you can’t replay the game at a later date.
He spoke to Rob Daviau who came up with the idea while working for Hasbro, and who was responsible for the launch of Risk Legacy in 2011.
Since leaving the company a year later, he’s worked on Pandemic Legacy and is now set to release SeaFall, an entirely new game that’s been conceived around the concept. - an undertaking that he noted “takes an insane amount of time”.
Ben Hogg, marketing manager at Esdevium, explained that people are increasingly happy to buy into this format: “You’re buying into an experience. It’s introducing that aspect of narrative that you get from video games.”
Obviously buying a game and only playing it through once doesn’t suit everyone though (the story in SeaFall takes around 15 ‘games’ to conclude), and while it’s great to see things like SeaFall mixing it up in the gaming world, we like to come back to our tried and tested favourites.
Games like Malifaux, where you can build and paint your own models to assemble your crew and then pick different strategies to attempt to accomplish each time have endless possibilities and, of course, games change depending on your opponents as much as your own choices.
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