So we face the final curtain call and what a faction to end on but the odds and ends of Mailfaux, the masters, henchmen and minions who have travelled to Malifaux for coin, power or glory but in their own way, not following the ideas of the other factions.

Where better to start than with a man who believes that a blend of tech and flesh will lead to a superior being. I’m talking about the steampunk necromancer himself, Leviticus. An unusual master, Leviticus uses a method of killing himself and reanimating himself to fuel his powers and assist his crew in getting the job done. Not many choices for crew construction for Leviticus as he really needs certain models to really bring out the best of his abilities on the battlefield. Most consider him the hardest master in the game to learn due to his unique and challenging method of gameplay but if you have a tactical mind with some forethought to your tactics, Leviticus could be the man/machine for you.

Some people take to this game like a pig in….well you get the picture. But in Malifaux, this applies mostly to one man/thing and that is the goblin hillbilly Som’er Teeth Jones. An interesting little gremlin who loves his fellow hillbilly kin as well as his stinky, muddy pigs and hogs to trample across the battlefield or for his gremlins to play target practice on. The gremlins aren’t the hardest hitters, or the fastest, or even have cool cheeky rules. What separates them from the rest of the crews is your sheer numbers, and it’s the amount of models that you can bring to the table that will truly allow you to win the day. Many of the abilities his crew share are self-destructive but to an equally destructive effect to your opponent. If green and mean is where you want to be then Som’er is waiting with his moonshine to share a sip with you.

Elitism is rare in the world of Malifaux, but no one encompass this word more than our next master(s). The twins themselves, the Viktorias, are a capable pair who use the skills of one another to bring home the bacon. Each twin works with the other to create an almost cruise missile effect to make a very powerful alpha strike on your opponent that few can withstand. One sister is a master of blade and the other of gun, so together they make an amazing master coupling. Their crew choices allow for some incredible flexibility but not much synergy with the sisters themselves as their work together as a unit but not really for support. One of the most feared masters in the system, if you like the idea of getting two for the price of one, then maybe it’s time to take a trip with the poster kids of Malifaux.

So we come to the final chapter of this epic, and we end on a master that has roots in fairy tales from times long past. The rats are gathering in the alleyways, the children are wide eyed and curious as the sounds of the mysterious piper’s pipe echoes through the streets. I mean of course, the piper himself, Hamelin the Plagued. From storybooks long ago, Hamelin comes to Malifaux with a new cause and a new friend, and it isn’t friendly but the darkest of magics. Hamelin follows his character in that his crew is typically constructed of rats and children which have some great synergy and can cause really problems to your opponent when the time is right. Hamelin has a lot of survival effects for himself similar in a sense to Leviticus that will keep him around should you become careless with him. This is a crew that focuses on ensuring your opponents models end up with the insignificant keyword so they cannot hurt Hamelin or take objectives with his control style gameplay.

And so concludes this epic works and I hope that my words have swayed you into joining the ranks of Malifaux player and that you’ve enjoyed the articles allowing you to make your decisions on which crew is right for you.

Until we meet again, keep those cards hidden and cheat fate or lose your soul.

Nick Gouldstone

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