Lady Justice or The Dreamer

[NiceGuy]

Hey Guys,

I am new to the game and looking for a starter champion. I am a well versed in games like Warhammer and 40k, so I am not worried about taking the plunge into crazier characters like The Dreamer. I generally like playing races the are fast, glass cannons, or lots of tricks. I have also trimmed down which models I like the most to Lady Justice and The Dreamer.

Any suggestions for which path I should go?

[von Clausewitz]

I'm a bit biased toward Lady Justice seeing as how she is one of the masters i play regularly, but if you are interested in a fast crew with tricks then she is probably not the master for you. Lady Justice has massive damage output...and massive damage output, and in case you didn't get the point, she has pretty decent damage output. She has a few buffing spells that serve niche purposes, but for the most part she can operate completely independently from her crew. With Lady Justice what you see is what you get.

Dreamer/Lord Chompy Bits have much more synergy with their crew than LJ does. They have better movement, more tricks and are more versatile. I'm not a Dreamer player so I'm not qualified to really tell you about his ins and outs, especially post-errata. My best advice is to play the models you like and worry about the rest after you get some games in. One of Malifaux's greatest strengths is that if don't like the way your first crew plays you are only out $30-40 instead of the $200+ in certain other game systems.

[MrSpiffypants]

You mentioned being a GW guy, which I think actually helps a lot. Reason being is this game while offering a much cheaper initial startup, really rewards a player who sticks to a single faction. For instance all the units hirable by Lady J, work wonderfully with Perdita/Hoffman/Sonnia. So going back to GW, it's similar to starting Space Marines then after a few games switching to Blood Angels (and back n' forth). ****this applies to everyone except outcasts****

Moreover, once you get your head around how the order that this game plays in, you're rewarded again by having a greater selection. How it works is thus:
1) each player picks faction
2) you flip for strategy (the main object of the game)
3) now you build your army.

So as you can see, "list building" is actually encouraged in this, with a fair system that makes it fun. (unlike GW).

Finally the two of the main types of tournaments typically use these systems, either fixed Master (you can't change your leader), or fixed faction (you're can't change your army). So while this is a 3rd reward for staying in faction, the real pleasure is in the options.

I've been a fan of GW for 22 years, and the surest thing they do is focus on one aspect and make that the focus of that edition. This translates into units being left behind, and in some cases useless. This is not how Malifaux works. Every unit has a speciality, a role, and value. ****don't look too closely at the Malifaux Child****

Which do you like better? Corrupt-Government/Zombie Slayer vs Demons/The Boogieman? I'd grab Lady J, she terrifies me!

(FYI I play Ressers)

[Valcurdra]

Hi coming from a similar background to you i would highly reccomend lady j for a start. This game is a lot deeper and more complex than other games like 40k.

You will be flat out learning all the core rules so playing a straight forward master first is always something i recomend.

[Joel]

Both!

These were my first two crews, the dreamer bought for myself and ladyJ bought for demos (and for my son to use). Both are good crews and fun to use.