Hey all! Happy New Year!
Today, in our final installment, we’ll be covering the last two factions of Malifaux. We’ve got the Gremlins, Malifaux’s homegrown little green bayou dwellers, and the Ten Thunders, a mysterious group undermining all of the other factions! Let’s dive right in!
GREMLINS!
There are currently only two crews out there for Gremlins, but M2E is changing that with a bevy of new masters on the way, such as Mah Tucket and Wong! Gremlins used to fall under the banner of the Outcasts, but as of M2E, they’ve gained their own faction!
Som’Er Teeth Jones
The Gremlin with the biggest hat in Malifaux, Som’Er Teeth is an imposing figure, at least for a Gremlin. His hordes have ransacked all sorts of people, earning him infamy with the Guild. He brings a varied horde of little green bodies to the table, including inept but hilarious Bayou Gremlins, massive Warpigs, and even giant swamp mosquitos that act as his totems. What the Gremlins lack in power is more than made up for in tenacity and numbers. Further additions to Som’Er’s crew can include the Pigapult, a huge contraption that flings pigs at enemies, Hog Whisperers, Slop Haulers, and a variety of other swamp denizens.
As far as Gremlins go, Som’Er is a good starting point for a new player. He can be played a variety of ways, and that versatility can go a long way. You can run pigs, swarms of Bayou Gremlins, or fill up his roster with mosquitos who can spread his gift of um…flatulence.
Ophelia LaCroix
The Guild has their Perdita Ortega, a tough no-nonsense gun slinger, and her family to fight the Guild’s enemies. So Ophelia figured “Why can’t we do the same?” Ophelia fashioned herself after the gunslinger, and brought her own family along for the ride. They’re more organized and daring than the average gremlins, gaining her a bit of influence and fame among her kin. Ophelia herself is a skilled gunslinger, Francois brings the muscle, Raphael gets more dangerous the more injured he gets, and Rami is best suited for sitting back and sniping. As for Pere Ravage, well let’s just say he has an EXPLOSIVE personality. Boom.
Ophelia is another good choice for a new Gremlin player. (I mean, you only have two options right now.) Her crew is basically the Gremlin version of the Guild’s Ortega family, which means lots of gun toting fun for everyone!
Zoraida, the Hag
The big Z herself, Zoraida is an ancient Neverborn that was once a human being. She lives in the swamps of Malifaux, using her powers of divination to see the road that lies ahead for her world. When forced into combat, Z can be a master manipulator, messing with your opponent’s head. She can take control of enemies and force them to do her bidding, and even turn into a raven for more battlefield mobility. She brings a variety of minions with her, like the slimy and sharp-clawed Silurids, or voodoo dolls. Bad Juju is also seen with her, and he’s a huge mass of swamp goo and garbage come to life, and is a tough monster to take down.
Zoraida has also been rallying the Gremlins to action, and has gained Gremlins as a faction choice as well, making her another dual faction master. You can play with her little swamp monsters, or her little green friends!
Zoraida is a fun and efficient master to play. If screwing with fate itself is your cup of tea, she’s a great choice for a master.
TEN THUNDERS
The mysterious organization run out of the shadows, the Ten Thunders are working towards their own goals, and are undermining every other faction in the pursuit of their goals. Their eyes are EVERYWHERE. As a whole, they bring a unique asian flavor to the game, with Samurai, Geisha, Ninjas, and many other tropes. As of right now, all the Ten Thunders masters are dual-factioned, and we’ve covered each of them before. But we’ll review for those who might not have caught the other articles.
Lucas McCabe
Lucas McCabe is an adventurer, simply put. He takes gangs of ne’er do wells out into the reaches of Malifaux with the promise of treasure. McCabe is a unique master in that he can be mounted or dismounted, allowing him interesting ways to play. He can also take a variety of equipment into battle, allowing you to customize his loadout before a battle. The Wastrels are thugs through and through, and Sidir is a large man with a machine gun. What more needs to be said about him? His totem is his trusty mastiff, Luna.
While Lucas is a part of the Guild, he truly swears his fealty to the Ten Thunders, and works to secure their interests from within the Guild. What this means to you is that he can be played as a Guild Master or a Ten Thunders master, giving you access to all sorts of models! He’s a good choice if you like flexibility!
Mei Feng
The Kung Fu rail queen herself, Mei Feng leads the rail workers in a thankless and lethal job for the Arcanists. Mei Feng herself is strong and agile, able to leap around the battlefield like a pinball, hitting opponents and triggering all kinds of deadly effects with each strike. She’s not the toughest master out there, but she more than makes up for it with speed and flexibility. Her Rail Workers are good at just swinging at opponents with their tools and mechanical replacement limbs.And then there’s Kang, who inspires the other workers when things are tough. He’s huge, strong, and resilient. He can beat you to death with his sledgehammer, or even fling hot coals in your face. And the Emberling is Mei Feng’s fiery little totem!
Mei Feng may be an Arcanist, but her true alliance lies with the Ten Thunders faction. This means you can play her as a master of either faction, giving you a lot of options for running her. If you’re a fan of the Kung Fu, and want to fly around busting jaws while pulling off crazy fighting combos, Mei Feng’s your girl.
Jakob Lynch
Jakob is the consummate gambler. He takes big risks, and often loses just as big. He is the owner of the prosperous Honeypot Casino in Malifaux, and that prosperity is a huge change of pace for him. He joined forces with an ancient Neverborn monster called the Hungering Darkness, and uses the casino as a feeding ground for his new friend. His crew spreads a substance called Brilliance, and it’s highly addictive and corrupting. The Beckoners are employees of the casino, and they also spread Brilliance to their victims, setting them up for devouring by their hungry master. The Illuminated are Brilliance junkies that have hardened the substance into deadly weapons. Mr. Graves and Mr. Tannen are two employees that don’t come in the box, but are perfect for his crew. Graves is a large angry bald man who acts as the Casino’s bouncer, and he really enjoys his job. Mr. Tannen is a creepy little weasel of a man, who seems to carry a streak of infectious bad luck with him. But both of them are really Neverborn in clever disguises.
Lynch can be a tricky crew to play. His main mechanic is spreading Brilliance to enemies, then causing them to suffer for it. He also has a lot of hand manipulation power, which is to be expected for a gambler. If you want to be a cheatin’ bastard, Lynch might be your guy.
Yan Lo
Another Ten Thunders agent, Yan Lo is the master of his house’s ancestral spirits. Being a Resurrectionist as well, some might draw parallels between him and Kirai. But his spirits are hardy, and upon their deaths, Yan Lo can find himself wielding some of their powers. His unique mechanic revolves around “Paths” which allow him to walk down a variety of different paths, letting him become a more fearsome caster, or even a melee wrecking ball. the Ashigaru are the loyal house guard, using their spears to keep enemies away from objectives. Chiaki is there to provide backup, and is also good with ancestors. While not in the box, there are many awesome models to work with, such as Yin, a flying horror that is a mass of entrails, and Izamu, a massive suit of armor that hits like a beast.
Yan Lo is a good crew to take, especially if you love the flavor of ancestral spirits and undead! He’s also a Ten Thunders Master, meaning you can run him in that faction as well!
Misaki
Misaki is the leader of the Ten Thunders: A secretive faction that is new to Malifaux. It’s agents are EVERYWHERE, and have successfully infiltrated all of Malifaux’s other factions. Misaki is their leader here in Malifaux, and is a force to be reckoned with. She’s strong and fast, able to dodge blows with ease and hit hard in return. She can swoop in on enemies for the kill, and even steal resources from her opponents. The Torakage are ninja, capable of throwing up smoke screens as well as shurikens. Ototo is a large angry force of destruction, able to crush enemies to pieces with his tetsubo. There are a variety of good models that you can add to this force, such as the Ten Thunders Archers and Yamaziko, Misaki’s very own teacher.
Misaki is dual faction Outcast/Ten Thunders, allowing her to be played in either faction!
If you want another good pick up and play master, Misaki is a good one. She can pick off a lot of models on her own, and use her other models for cover or quick escapes. If you want to strike like a ninja, Misaki is an awesome choice!
Gaming Grounds 