Malifaux has been through a number of beta waves as part of it's M2E edition revision. Wave 1 and Wave 2 combined to give us rules for almost all of the rules in the game, along with several awesome new models (including some new Masters!) At the conclusion of Wave 2, only one set of models remained: the Avatars.
Avatars were a concept that was introduced towards the end of the first edition of Malifaux. Mechanically, they were a way to give more depth to your Masters by giving them a second form they could assume during the game if they fulfilled certain requirements. Practically, the Avatars were a form of in-edition balancing. It was a mechanic that allowed Wyrd to give a power boost to less powerful Masters, and give powerful Masters either a "fun" alternative, or another way to play. Like a lot of things in the first edition of Malifaux, it was a very mixed bag of rules.
The third, and final, wave of the M2E beta cycled focused on the Avatars and a few new upgrades for each faction. However, this beta wave ended up being put on pause; many players were feeling burnt out on playtesting after two beta cycles, and the Avatars presented a number of significant challenges that were going to take a lot of time and effort to get right. The devs (in my opinion wisely) opted to put the Avatars on pause, finish playtesting the upgrades, and then take another crack at the Avatars early in 2015.
Well, here we are in early 2015, and the Book 3 Beta is officially live! Here's the link to the beta forums, where you can find the rules, leave feedback, and read up on what others think about the models:
http://wyrd-games.net/community/forum/269-m2e-wave-3-beta/
This beta wave has a very big surprise though, that I wasn't expecting. Join me after the break for a discussion of that surprise and my initial impressions of the new models for each of the factions I play.
Much to the surprise of everyone, the Book 3 Beta (which everyone assumed would focus on the Avatars) actually will contain no rules for Avatars at all.
Point of fact: Avatars will not be part of the normal game rules for M2E Malifaux. They will be available for use as part of the Campaign rules (which Wyrd is allowing everyone to playtest as part of this Beta cycle,) and they may be used in casual games if both players agree to it beforehand. But for all intents and purposes, Avatars are a thing of the past.
Justin (the lead developer for Malifaux's rules and the person who's been running all of the Beta Waves,) gives an excellent explanation of why this decision was made in this post:
http://wyrd-games.net/community/topic/105760-changes-to-avatars/
The good news is that there is a psuedo-replacement for the Avatars in the form of Emissaries for each faction. These models serve a similar function of being big, cool models, they have upgrades that tie them to each Master, and it also gives you something to do with your old Avatar models (any Avatar model will be a fully sanctioned proxy for that faction's Emissary.)
I am very impressed that Wyrd was brave enough to take this course of action, and I'm a big fan of this decision. While many of the Avatars were interesting models, and few had cool rules, they represented an absolutely staggering challenge in terms of rules balance. In order to balance each Avatar, you'd need to balance them around: Pre-Manifestation, Post-Manifestation, the Manifest requirements themselves, and all of the Master's abilities and other Upgrades. It was a huge undertaking, and it risked introducing significant unbalancing factors into an edition change that has been mostly very well balanced.
Cutting Avatars out of the game couldn't have been an easy decision for Wyrd, but I think it will ultimately be better for the game. Thankfully there is still a mechanic in place to allow players to still make use of their existing models, though I'll just be chucking my hilariously ugly Avatar Marcus into the garbage (I had planned to do that anyways.)
That leaves us with an Emissary and four other models for each faction. I'll be briefly going over the models for three factions I play - Arcanists, Neverborn, and Ten Thunders - and I'll be focusing primarily on how these new models impact the Masters I play for those factions (which is a lot for each of those, but not quite all of them....yet.) Also, I'll be skipping over the Boondoggle Seven models for now; they're interesting models, but as they seem to be kind of standalone I can't really grok how I'd work them into crews yet. Any feedback I'd give regarding them would probably be super generic.
Arcanists:
Arcane Emissary - This Emissary seems like a very potent melee model, boasting an astounding Cg value of 10 and a (2) Ml action that can be used as part of a charge that can do quite a bit of damage. It also has a decent Ca attack that it can use up to a short range or even in melee, and two really cool (0) actions (one being a card draw, and the other is a fixed damage attack with an excellent trigger.)
Out of all the Masters, the Arcane Emissary has particularly good upgrades to go with Rasputina and Ironsides, though all of the Master specific upgrades seem very solid. The generic upgrade can also be very good as well, depending on if you're crew has a solid Minion load out.
Overall, the Arcane Emissary seems solid. It's kind of expensive at 10 SS, but it's also quite a beater, has decent durability, and it brings some excellent Ca actions and utility. I think it's something that's definitely worth bringing, but it's also something you'd probably want to build around a bit (since the Upgrade you bring will give you an excellent bonus to possibly exploit,) so I don't see it being something I'd take all the time (in a good way.)
Ice Dancer - This model is a double-down model, giving a new model that Rasputina and Colette crews will be interested in using. Of the two crews, I can see this thing being a godsend for Rasputina: the Ice Dancer is a very mobile model with Frozen Heart that can extract itself from melee defensively (thus opening it up for Ice Mirror use,) and it has a low TN (though Tome required) (0) action that allows her to drop a Scheme Marker at the end of it's activation.
All of that combines to give a Rasputina crew something it really wants: a fast objective runner that is still able to sync up with the crew's strengths. I'm less familiar with Colette, but being a Showgirl model it should play nicely with her, and it certainly seems to fit her theme of mobility and Scheme Marker placement.
The Basilisk - A robo-Beast for Marcus! This model seems like a fantastic Enforcer. It's decently durable with Armor +1 and Regeneration +1, and it can potentially heal itself with it's The Feeding attack. It's also quite mobile with Blink (though it requires an 8 Tomes) and Cg 8, though The Basilisk is similar to the Razorspines in that it has kind of a low Wk value.
Overall, this seems like a great model for Marcus, and it probably wouldn't be too bad for crews wanting to leverage Constructs either. My first reaction was that it may be a touch undercosted, but the fact that it can't reliably hand out Poison (it needs Crows for it's Ml trigger,) probably puts it more in the 6 SS range than the 7 SS range. Definitely worth testing to make sure it's good but not too good (especially when combined with other Beast/Construct buffing models.)
Wind Gamin - These are very interesting little Construct models. They're pretty fast for Gamin - Wk 5, Cg 5 with Leap - and they have the potential to get 4 attacks in an activation thanks to their melee trigger.
The most interesting thing about their abilities, however, is the fact that the Wind Gamin still give you a really neat bonus when they die. After they die, the Wind Gamin are buried, but can be sacrificed at the start of any model's activation for a 5" push in any direction. A bonus 5" push at the start of a model's activation has a lot of potential, and considering that you'd still get activations and work out of the Wind Gamin prior to that, it seems like they'll be very useful.
I'm actually a little concerned about potential shenanigans with the 5" push (considering it isn't limited to once per model,) but considering you still need to pay 4 SS and get the model killed first, it may not be so bad. This seems like one of the models worth putting through more serious testing, if nothing else because it stands to possibly end up being Arcanists best general 4 SS Minion.
Neverborn:
Mysterious Emissary - This is one of the more odd Emissaries. It's offensive and defensive stats are fine for it's cost and it's attack action seems situationally fantastic, though that damage track is a little mediocre for a 10 SS model.
What kicks the Mysterious Emissary up a notch are it's Tactical Actions. It's ability to summon in new models is very interesting (especially since its a totally new model,) and the ability to place a Carnivious Plant Marker (Hazardous Terrain that pulls models into it) could make for great area denial. I also think the Mysterious Emissary could use that marker to heal itself, though I'm not sure how often it'll come up. The biggest downside to both of these abilities is that they require suited cards to successfully use, and the summoning ability is pretty costly (10+ of Masks.)
This Emissary's "Prophecies" ability seems to be the most crazy-strong. Handing out Fast to a chunk of any Neverborn crew sounds like it could be very potent. That may be off set by how tricky the "Destined" condition may be to build up in some Strategies, and the general aura and pulse rules of Malifaux (combined with the density of terrain) probably keep it from being abusive. This is one of the things I'd most want to test.
As for Upgrades, the most potent seems to be the Dreamer specific upgrade. There's definitely a trade-off, as the Emissary isn't a Nightmare model, but the ability to have Chompy showing up with Fast and the ability to have the Emissary shuffle him around seem like powerful abilities. Zoriada's upgrade also seems solid, mostly for the ability to card cycle and manipulate the fate deck.
Like the Arcanist Emissary, I think the Mysterious Emissary will require a fair bit of testing. This Emissary has some very interesting abilities that could turn out to be either too potent (Fast pulse, summoning, self-healing with Hard to Kill,) or not useful enough (suited (0) actions, mediocre offensive output,) and sorting that out is going to take some testing.
Changeling - This model is fascinating, just due to the weird potential it has. It's already competing for a very valuable spot in Neverborn - the 4 SS slot has some great models - but the Changeling brings some interesting utility and defensive capability to the table.
Offensively, the Changeling is impossible to appreciate outside of a game because all of it's possible offensive output is determined by it's Copy Cat ability. The limitations on this ability keep it from (hopefully) being abused, but it's very interesting to consider that a Changeling lets you double (or triple, or quadruple, or...) down on any attack action you want (albeit with a low stat and no triggers.) That kind of flexibility is fascinating, especially when you consider that enemy actions factor into the list of possibilities. Though you'll probably just be banking on the attacks you're bringing.
Defensively, the Changeling is actually not too bad off for a Neverborn model. It has decent Df and Wp, Manipulative 13, and Regeneration +1. It's Surprise! ability allows it to potentially get more attacks out without activating, and it plays into the more defensive nature of the piece (as it doesn't have a Cg value.) A suited Blink ability is also great for mobility, either for defensive means or for Strat/Scheme running.
I think the best thing I can say about the Changeling is that it's something I'd seriously consider for a 4 SS Minion in Neverborn, and that's not something I'd do easily. What makes it most compelling is the alternate approach it seems to be taking with it's abilities. The real question is going to be if that package works, or if it's just really neat to read and theory about.
Corrupted Hound - I was a big fan of the Guild Hounds with Marcus, so I was surprised to see an alternate version (that probably have better overall synergy with him) in Neverborn (a faction I actually play.)
That's kind of all there is to say about the Corrupted Hounds: they're another flavor of something that's already out there, though I don't at all think that's a bad thing. They'll be fantastic additions to Marcus' crew, and they'll be pretty useful with anyone that can make them attack outside of their activation.
Bunraku - Random dual faction Puppet out of nowhere! Not that I have any chance of predicting what Wyrd will come up with for new models, but even if I did, I damn sure wouldn't have thought up whatever this is.
My best guess is that this is some sort of ninja puppet. The two most interesting things about it are it's defensive abilities and it's ability to pull enemy models in and stab them right good. Df 6 with the Disappear trigger (suited into the stat!) is very good, especially when backed up by Armor +1. The Bunraku's ability to pull enemies in helps offset it's short Ml range (1"), though it also has Cg 7 so it can probably charge in if it needs to as well.
Obscene Preparations is a nice (0) action; being able to potentially pick up Focused +1 for a (0) action is cool, even if it does require a 6+ Tomes.
Overall, the Bunraku seems like a solid addition to Collodi crews. It would also probably be useful in a Ten Thunders crew, but they also have a growing stable of very solid Minions in this cost range, so the Bunraku may end up edged out.
Ten Thunders:
Shadowy Emissary - Of the three Emissary's I've looked at, this one seem to be far and away the most powerful. Offensively and defensively it's similar to the other Emissaries, but two things tip the scales for me.
First: the extremely high value of the Severe damage on The Angry Winds, combined with this model's ability to give itself Focused +2 at the start of it's activation (for the cost of a card,) seems very powerful when compared to the 4 damage most of the other cap out at.
Second: it's ability to dole out Focused seems more potent across the crew than the support abilities offered by the other Emissaries. Especially with how some Ten Thunders models interact with the Focused Condition.
I don't know if this make the Shadowy Emissary over powered, but it definitely strikes me as more impressive than the other two (though that could also be reading it last of the three.) It's also the one I'd be most focused on testing, with the Mysterious Emissary being a close second.
All of the Master related upgrades for this Emissary seem good, if not pretty great. The biggest issue that the Emissary would have is that there's a big conflict between it's The Dragon's Fangs action and the useful (0) actions on the upgrades, which I think is a good set of forced choices.
Wandering River Monk - This is the last of the monk orders (I think,) and it also seems to be one of the best. It's still squishy like all of the monks, but it has the same Butterfly Jump ability that the Ice Dancer has, which may help keep it safe against melee oriented crews.
The things I like most about this model are that it brings several means of pushing enemy models (great for scenario play,) a Ca attack action (great against Incorporeal models,) and a suited Leap action. Combine that with it's Df trigger to place a Scheme Marker after resolving an attack against it, and the Wandering River Monk ends up being an excellent scenario piece. It may be a little expensive for that purpose (7 SS, but then again it has great defensive stats for a Minion,) but that's my only real concern with it right now. Definitely something I'm interested in testing.
Jorogumo - The Wave 2 cards started to flesh out the Oni models available to Ten Thunder, and this beta introduces two amazing new models from that type. The Jorogumo (apparently a spider-lady-ghost monster) is an absolute beast in melee, with two great attacks (one of which is a (0),) a tremendous reach on one of it's attacks, and Wander The Earth to initiate charges.
The flip side of the Jorogumo is it's durability. It's only Df 4, which will be a problem, but with Hard to Wound +1, 8 Wds, and Hard to Kill, it won't be going down easily. And if it manages to kill anything, it heals to full!
The Jorogumo seems like an awesome melee Minion that brings some desperately needed durability to the Ten Thunders line up, and does it in a way that's fairly new (i.e. not Armor or high defensive stats.) I'm actually a little concerned this model may be too strong, but it's also a 9 SS Minion so I want to test it out before saying one way or the other. Very excited to test this one out.
Obsidian Oni - Continuing the trend of awesome Oni Minion models, the Obsidian Oni brings another solid melee beater to Ten Thunders. The Obsidian Oni has Armor +1 for some durability and Ruthless to help it avoid freaking out during it's activation, and it also has the common decency to explode when it dies to do some damage to the enemy.
The Obsidian Oni has a very solid melee attack with a built-in trigger to dole out Burning, and to combo with that it has a potent Ca ability that gets bonuses against enemies with Burning. I love seeing more Ca actions show up in Ten Thunders, and this one has a lot of offensive potential. I'm actually concerned that it may be a little too potent. 1/4/7 is pretty strong for a 6 SS model, though maybe the nature of negative twists will keep it in check (forcing more uncheatable 1's on damage.) You can get around that with Burning on the target beforehand, but that requires set up so I'm more okay with that.
And, just to round everything out: the Obsidian Oni brings a healing ability to the table. It's a little niche in that it can only be used on non-Leader models with an Upgrade attached, but those are also often the models you want healed the most so being able to do so with no cards flipped is pretty great.
Overall, I really like the Obsidian Oni. I'm slightly concerned about it's potency relative to it's cost, but I think it's ability set is great, so I think it's a model that can be balanced by tweaking it's SS cost. Another model I'm looking forward to testing.
Honorable Mention:
Mechanized Porkchop - This model gets a mention because it's a Foundry model, and therefore eligible for inclusion with Mei Feng. And considering it's suite of abilities, odds are pretty good that it'll be showing up with her.
The Mechanized Porkchop operates similarly to other Pig models - emphasis on charging, have to declare triggers with a trigger on each suit - but where it differs is that it's not a maniac; you don't need to have other specific models nearby to keep it from going nuts. This makes it much more applicable to non-Gremlin crews.
The biggest thing that the Mechanized Porkchop brings to the table for a Mei Feng crew is that it automatically drops out Scrap Markers as it walks along (once per turn.) This can give Mei Feng plenty of extra Railwalker targets, which is fantastic for her.
The Mechanized Porkchop also has a very interesting passive buff that triggers when other friendly models begin a Charge Action near it. Taking 1 damage may not be ideal for a crew that is usually hoping to outlast the enemy, but the trade off can be worth it if it's Mei Feng, Kang, or a Rail Golem going in with an additional positive twist to attack flips.
The Mechanical Porkchop seems like a crazy-good addition to Mei Feng's crew. It's a fine model on it's own, and it also potentially brings a lot for her and the way she likes to run her crew. My gut reaction is that the Porkchop is too cheap for what it does, but I'm also looking at it in the context of a Mei Feng crew; I'm not sure how it fits into Gremlins. Balancing the model across both lines may be tricky.
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That's about it for my first set of impressions from this set of beta models. Overall, the quality of the models seems consistently high - I haven't noticed any real stinkers - and only a few models jump out at me as possibly needing tweaks up or down. That's a fantastic place to begin a beta cycle, and without any Masters or Upgrades to fuss with, these models should polish up pretty quickly.
Now I just need to find time to get more Malifaux games in!
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