Good Demo sets?

[Malebolgia]

Hey guys,

Received my book, red fate deck and Guild faction cards yesterday and I am already pondering what groups I will get for any demos. I have two Guild groups at home:

*Lady Justice, The Judge, 3 Death Marshalls
*Ortega Gang

I think both of them are very suitable for demos as they have both shooting and close combat. I like the Justice gang better for balance between the two and the Ortegas because of the individuality of the group. It really goes well with the character driven part of Malifaux.
But of course they need an opponent! I'm still not sure which box to get. For demos I do like to have all elements in a group (shooting, melee, magic). Although some groups will fit in perfectly storywise, I'm not so happy with the group composition as some groups are mostly focused on melee. The Mercenaries box appeals to me model-wise and balance-wise but I don't really like to use Mercenaries in demos.
So, what faction do you think will be best to face off against my Guild groups? Do you think a mixed group will better or do you think a melee-oriented group works better against the shooting-oriented Ortega clan to show both aspects?

Cheers,

Marijn

[elysium64]

To keep in theme try Zoraida, but with a few Gremlins for skooting and just great fun.

[WEiRD sKeTCH]

I feel that the Redchappel Gang is a good crew to have face Lady Justice & the Death Marshals. Story and statistically they are a perfect match IMO.

For Perdita & the rest of the Ortega clan, I'd go with Lilith's Brood or the Hag's Puppets.

[Malebolgia]

Cheers, I'll settle for Seamus and his ladies. I think people will like their necrotic charm :cool:

[McNs]

I've found that Red Chappel Gang, Lady Justice, and Lilith are all pretty straight forward. I'd vote for Ramos for the Arcanists for aesthetic reasons and because he's not quite as "annoying" as Rasputina (a common complaint I'm getting in demos) and he doesn't have the odd model count Marcus does.

Just my 2 cents.

[nilus]

Nicodem is also a good match vs Lady J. Especially for Demo purposes as he is pretty straight forward to play.

For Perdita and Family, I definitely say Lilith from a demo perspective. I think Zoraida and Pandora are great but a little complicated for a first time player.

[WEiRD sKeTCH]

Another good pairing would be Sonnia and Rasputina.

Fire vs. Ice!

[Angus Khan]

I agree with everyone who is saying Lilith... she is easy to use for new players and should balance against either Lady J or the Ortegas. Also, consider Rasputina... she uses a lot of spells so is different than Lady J and the the Ortegas, but she is still straightforward and easy to play in a demo. Marcus isn't bad either, though, since he is all melee.

[AoM]

The Mercenaries box appeals to me model-wise and balance-wise but I don't really like to use Mercenaries in demos.
They're Outcasts, just like the Levi box will be, and the Gremlins are. They may have the mercenary trait, but they are a completely stand alone faction. This is not an "oops, we made mercenary warcasters so I guess we need to fill out the rest so they can be a faction" situation. The outcasts are a fully independent faction with some models who happen to like to work for pay sometimes (and cost extra stones to do so). When it comes to a demo situation like that, they are totally not mercenaries. They are just Outcasts. (And now I'll get off of this soapbox.)

Rasputina works really well for demos. You've got fun spells, models with ranged attacks and melee power, and the classic look of little dudes and a big stompy dude.


Another good pairing would be Sonnia and Rasputina.

Fire vs. Ice!Damn right. Sonnia kicks ass.

[Angus Khan]

Damn right. Sonnia kicks ass.

*cough*Guild sucks*cough*



:D

[TheLemondropDan]

Before too long, I'll end up with the full maiden/mother/crone triptych with the neverborn. Right now I'm just rockin' the crone though. I'm seriously considering picking up lillith to have an easier demo crew setup than Zoraida/Gremlins. Marcus is in-process already, so he'll make a fine opponent.

[nilus]

*cough*Guild sucks*cough*



:D

That sounds like filthy Arcanist propaganda to me. I'm sure a friendly Guild representative will be by shortly to talk to you about how you should properly address the people that maintain LAW and ORDER in Malifaux. :)

[Isoulle]

I always go back and forth on Lilith for demo use. She's very simple but on the flip side she's very strong fundamentally, not relying on complex interactions. She just sorta works. It usually gives the person playing her a leg up as she doesn't require finesse. However this can be a boon as you can give it to someone you're demoing to because it makes it easier to let them win since winning tends to increase someones interest in a game.

The Guild tend to be good, as does Ramos and Rasputina I find as they can be played without a a lot of knowledge of the game and have very good starter boxes. Red Chappel and Nicodem isn't too bad too.

[EricJ]

Actually, most crews work quite well for demos, but I think I would classify them as:

Best: All Guild, Ramos, Rasputina, Seamus, Lillith
Good: Marcus, Nicodem, Zoraida, Viktorias
So-So: McMourning, Gremlins
Hard: Pandora, Leveticus

Just my thoughts on it. And other than Pandora and Levi, they all work, as even McMourning and Gremlins make up for some rules complexity with some neet rules :)

[jbeckett]

Grrr.... I hardly have the time to get one Crew together and painted. Now I'm considering picking up a second to do demos in an unofficial capacity.

Thanks for the list, Eric. I'll find a way, by hook or by crook.

[Malebolgia]

Actually, most crews work quite well for demos, but I think I would classify them as:

Best: All Guild, Ramos, Rasputina, Seamus, Lillith
Good: Marcus, Nicodem, Zoraida, Viktorias
So-So: McMourning, Gremlins
Hard: Pandora, Leveticus

Just my thoughts on it. And other than Pandora and Levi, they all work, as even McMourning and Gremlins make up for some rules complexity with some neet rules :)

Cheers Eric. That is a nice list :cool:

[Angus Khan]

That sounds like filthy Arcanist propaganda to me. I'm sure a friendly Guild representative will be by shortly to talk to you about how you should properly address the people that maintain LAW and ORDER in Malifaux.

They may come, but they sure as anything aren't leaving. ;)

[sjostrand]

Actually, most crews work quite well for demos, but I think I would classify them as:

Best: All Guild, Ramos, Rasputina, Seamus, Lillith
Good: Marcus, Nicodem, Zoraida, Viktorias
So-So: McMourning, Gremlins
Hard: Pandora, Leveticus

Just my thoughts on it. And other than Pandora and Levi, they all work, as even McMourning and Gremlins make up for some rules complexity with some neet rules :)

Sometime luck is smiling at me. I had already decided for Rasputina for me, Whitch Hunters for my son and Seamus and Lillith for demo (and personal secondary forces later...).

Looks like I choose the right Masters... :clap:

[Malebolgia]

Ordered the 'Cult of December' box :cool:
I just couldn't resist the awesome Ice Golem. Rob's paintjob just so frigging cool (pun intended) that I had to buy that one.

[capcap]

I'm thinking cult of December and Perditas for demos and I will probably play Pandora, Viktorias, and Teeth the most when not demoing.