A question that often comes up when you are talking to someone new to the game is choosing a faction, and why go with X or Y. Some of course might target the crew/faction/team that they feel has the most advantages however most, and especially I feel in the Malifaux community, it comes down to feel.
So we have each gathered our thoughts and put together a short blurb on why we have chosen our main faction(s).
Dr Walnut
I play Ressers and really enjoy them. The main reason would be that they are very forgiving. You can put out a lot of cheap relatively tough models and and to various degrees add more models to the game if things get killed. They are also forgiving to paint as the majority of the models are dead you can get away with covering up mistakes with a bit of blood and gore. There are also some really fun resurrectionist models like Seamus jumping about the board or Bete Noir bursting out of corpses.
relaxeddave
First up I played Guild and that is where the heart is even after a lot of games with Neverborn.
Why Guild?? ...guns, cowboys and witch hunters, what's not to like. Burn heretics burn!
I find when playing Guild I seem to understand my synergies better than other factions, could they be simpler? possibly! It's hard to get guns wrong, point and shoot! That said there are plenty of models that can slot in for specialist roles .. need to tackle the undead add the Judge (hell, I take him in basically every game) and an Exorcist. Need to kill those incorporeal models bring on Sonia or Perdita, Condition removal? Never leave home without a Witchling Stalker. The options are all there.
StalkerB
I'd love to have a very good reason for playing Guild but really they're the only faction I've ever played.
My first exposure to Malifaux was a video by WarGamerGirl, where JoeyBerry teacher her the game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwyTiMDwyj8 - in it she plays with Guild; Perdita, Santiago, and Nino. An illegal crew by todays rules but I don't know if it was fine for 1st edition or not.
Then when I came to the demo night and was taught by Dr Walnut he gave me a Lady Justice crew to play and once I decided to get involved I had intended to buy them as my starter. As it turned out though that particular box was sold out everywhere, so I chose The Latigo Posse and took it from there.
Ultimately it's given me some great insights to the game. Where I initially focused on just shooting everybody (and why wouldn't I), I had to learn that just shooting isn't what the game is about (though it helps) and having to be clever about where I set up and what types of characters round out the crew means I can think about what my opponents models are for and try and head them off at the pass.
I have picked up some 1st edition Gremlin models (about 35-40SS worth) just to have as a backup crew if anybody wanted a demo at a game night but I think I'm only going to be fleshing out my Guild crew and not playing the other factions as a main.
pippatick
I knew nothing about gaming let alone Malifaux when I was first introduced to the factions. I was taken by a number of masters because I liked the models and the fluff. Rasputina won my loyalty because of her strong will and power over the weather. I also love magic so Arcanists appeal to me.
Now I am faced with the decision to stay within Arcanists or try a new faction to see if I do any differently with another play style (Viktorias perhaps as the opposite of 'stand back and shoot'). But ultimately I think I will stick to Arcanists as it feels so much a part of who I am as a player now. Plus I don't have to buy so many new models ;)
Bad luck and Blood
Simple; Basically my process of choosing faction is aesthetic combined with being easy to use which lets me focus on trying out my poorly thought out plans!
I play Yan Lo as Ten Thunders because I get to make Kung Fu noises when I hit things. I started with the Viktorias and loved them but not their crew. I then switched to Nicodem (Resurrectionist) because I love zombies. I grew to hate and loath Nicodem immensely, finding him a very bad fit for my play style and meaning I lost 14 games straight, often being tabled. Now I’m a pretty poor player but even for me, that was a bit too much, so I boxed him and switched faction. I hit on Ten Thunders,
Yan Lo as he seemed under represented and had some interesting mechanics plus I get to re-create Big Trouble in Little China. For me, I like a really balanced faction that has a good melee punch without having to set up complex combos. I rarely get a single activation off how I planned, let alone the careful set ups needed for Nicodem, Dreamer, Collete, etc. The upside of the Thunders is that they have a huge selection of potential choices, and each model has a fairly decent spread of stats and abilities. They work well on their own (which is good as unless some explains interactions to me slowly and with pictures, I won’t notice them), and they have ninja’s. So Pei Mei, Ninja’s and cool snipers. The downside is that they don’t shine at anything particularly and some of their models (Oiran, Low River Monks) are perhaps the worst in the game. On the upside, Ninja’s and Kung Fu.
Metalhed
I have been playing Resurrectionists almost exclusively over the last year. My first love was Arcanists and I have not forgotten about them, but today I will focus on the undead. I own quite a few Resurrectionist masters but I have been focusing on Tara. I have ordered Kirai and as soon as Molly is released I plan on running the three undead ladies as my main focus. Four if you count Sybelle. I love the fluff for them: Tara the cocky, undead master of the void. Molly the innocent victim. Kirai the lover out for vengeance. All in beautiful new plastics.
But beyond the masters the Resurrectionists have some amazing models including: undead hookers that pull models across the board with their sultry looks, crazy drugged up nurses handing out dubious medicines, zombies armed with katanas and the spirits of criminals executed by hanging that suck the life out of their enemies. And they have some amazing big centre piece monsters too: I cannot wait to get my hands on the Rogue Necromancy for painting.
They don't have much in the way of shooting, but they make up for it with movement tricks, being relatively tough and hitting really hard when they get there.
Who doesn't love the undead!
Insidiously Mad
I started Malifaux when I saw the metal Dreamer box back in the 1st edition days. Reading about the game I fell in love with the whole concept of a kid who controlled monsters in his dreams. I ended up only playing a couple games during 1st edition but when 2nd edition was announced I decided to put the game aside until 2nd edition game out. Since I started playing in May 2014 I have grown to love this game and have probably played 95% of my games with Dreamer. Finally deciding to expand my model pool is what led me to expand into the rest of Neverborn. With so many cool models to choose from, and some Henchmen that are only accesible through other crew boxes I decided to expand within Neverborn where I would have more options to play with Dreamer plus a few new masters to play. I love the horror/Lovecraftian aesthetic of the Neverborn and am very glad I have stuck with them. I now own about 60-70 neverborn models including 6 of the 7 masters. So in essence a love of the aesthetic and slow expansion to get more gaming flexibility is why I have ended up focusing on Neverborn. Also I love how speedy they are ;)
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