February has been another month of some truly cracking gaming. I’ve got some Warhammer 40,000 to the table, some Root, some Star Wars: Rebellion, and much more. Call of Cthulhu was a close contender for this month’s featured game, but it was just pipped to the post by my old love who has returned to me, Malifaux.
Malifaux is a tabletop skirmish game set in an alternate steampunk and horror-themed world. Players control crews of miniatures representing characters from various factions vying for control of the magical and valuable resource, Soulstone.
Players must navigate their way through the dangerous streets and alleyways of Malifaux, battling against other crews and the nightmarish creatures that inhabit the city. The game uses a deck of cards, called a Fate Deck, to determine the outcome of actions, creating a blend of strategy and luck.
Each faction has its own playstyle and strengths, ranging from the undead Resurrectionists to the technology-focused Arcanists. Players must carefully select and position their miniatures, utilizing their abilities and synergies to outmaneuver and defeat their opponents.
In addition to skirmish gameplay, Malifaux also features a rich lore and narrative, with ongoing plot developments and immersive campaigns that allow players to shape the fate of the city and its inhabitants.
I first began exploring Malifaux during first edition (well, 1.5 really) but it was in second edition that I truly fell in love with this game. I really enjoyed it, and I got a fair few games in, though not as many as I would have liked.
In mid-to-late second edition, the local player pool dried up completely and I drifted away from it. Third edition did not immediately capture my attention, though I did feature some of the releases in my regular 5 on Friday posts.
Recently, with some prompting from a member of our local gaming club, I’ve gotten back into Malifaux. We’ve managed a couple of games, and I’ve been looking at putting together a new crew, built around Leveticus.
I’ve had an absolute blast with my first few games of third edition. Oh, sure, I’m already a little bit tired of my opponent setting me on fire with his Kaeris crew, but otherwise it’s going really nicely. The game works. The game is engaging. The game flows.
Don’t get me wrong; there’s a lot to it. There are so many tokens and markers and conditions and whatnot that just add up and become quite complex, but the core of the game is reasonably straightforward. What I particularly enjoy is the deck of cards that replaces your dice, and the ability to maintain a hand of cards. It’s such a good system for opposed duels.
The miniatures are also gorgeous. I do think that some of the new ones for third edition veer a little more towards the bland, but many of them, and many of the 2nd edition ones in particular, really stand out as special, unique, beautiful minis.
For the enjoyment I’ve had with this game in the past month, the reconnection with a game I really loved before, and the promise of more games to come, Malifaux is most definitely my game of the month for February 2023!
No Rerolls 
Brilliant, I’m glad that you’re able to reconnect with this amazing game. How did you get on with the complexity? I don’t have the impression that the game has any fewer moving parts than it did back in second edition.
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First game was rocky with a Jack Daw crew. Second game I used Leve and it went a lot better.
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