I graduated, and that means...

... Malifaux is back on the menu! I haven't been doing much related to gaming this past month or so. I have painted at least nine tiles from Tablescapes, so that's fun. My Black Friday order came in, though my Levi crew was missing Rusty Alyce's gun arm. :( Oh, well. I can still play with them, but I'll have to wait for the arm to fully commit to painting them. So, following along with Cheatfates Joe and Adam, I've committed in 2015 to playing less Resurrectionist games in lieu of another faction. They both chose to learn Neverborn, and while I love my Pandora, I had another faction that I had a bit more complete...

When I play for a competitive environment, I like limit my self to 2-3 masters from a faction at a time, because you really can't be in best practice mode unless you're concentrating and practicing a select set of masters. I'm also of the mind that if you can't find a solution for a particular scheme/strat combo from 2-3 masters, it's because you're not looking hard enough. So that being said, I'm looking at the following three Outcast masters as my start-up: My First Choice: Leviticus

Not a surprise here, considering the plastics just came out. The man who will not die is a huge monkey wrench to have to deal with, and he's also a summoner, a reliable damage source, and is just out and out flexible with his Pariah upgrades. If there's a crew you want to play, he can play it, and I have a ton of undead, constructs, and undead constructs to choose from. Yes, Joel Henry, including Mech Rider. :) My Second Choice: Von Schill

The man, the myth, the legend. The Hulkster himself. Von Schill's crew is tough, flexible, and able to get the job done. The Will Power bonus and the Not-Hard-to-Kill from a Legend to Live Up To make them so dependable. The Trapper gives them range, the Specialist gives them counter control, and the Librarian and Hanna bring the spells to the crew. You're going to be out activated, which is a shame, but give it a turn or two, and you'll likely turn than around. They shoot well, melee better, and are just all around murderous. Add the Strongarm Suit to that, and you have a ton of in theme options. And the immunity to blasts doesn't hurt. Choice Number Three: Tara

The ultimate schemer, now with scramble! Any master that has a possible six AP a turn is a one (un)person scheming crew. She's relatively crew agnostic, meaning you can take any model you need, give it fast, and then let it go. If a clutch model gets in trouble, give it fast and bury it. She's able to pull off some really unexpected stuff, and can surprise an opponent unfamiliar with her. I've purchased the smoke version of her, and I'm hoping to get her painted better.