This article starts a series of Malifaux discussions - different fractions, masters, bands and tactics. We decided to start with one of the most epic - The Guild.
The Guild tend to favour direct tactics over subterfuge. They have a strong focus on ranged combat, with plenty of models who are capable of putting out good damage at long range. There is also a minor focus on scheme marker manipulation, particularly among the Guardsmen, who are trained to notice strange things while on patrol and react accordingly.
The Guild mostly deals in Living models, though they also have a number of Constructs capable of providing support for their Living allies. Their Enforcers and Henchmen are quite dangerous, but since just about everyone has a gun of some sort, even their Minions can prove dangerous to their enemies.
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Lady Justice
Though her eyes are covered with the traditional band of her station, there is little that Lady Justice of the Guild does not see. Few who earn her attention are lucky to live long enough to appreciate the perfect grace inherent in each movement as she lifts her greatsword for the final blow. Such is her speed and skill that Justice is able to turn even the mightiest blow against the rare individual brave enough to attack her.
Lady Justice leads the Death Marshals, a group she trains personally to hunt and kill those creatures which defy the very laws of nature – the undead. No one is more deserving of judgment than those who recall the dead from their peaceful slumber. She and her Death Marshals are trained in dark magics which give them an edge over their quarry, though each has paid a heavy price for such knowledge.
Unlike many other members of the Guild, Lady Justice and her Death Marshals are viewed as protectors of Malifaux and have earned the favour of the populace. Many sleep more soundly knowing that Lady Justice is there to protect them from the horror of a Resurrectionist incursion.
Lady Justice's box set contains six models including Lady Justice herself. She is supported by a Henchmen called The Judge, a generalist able fulfill whatever function Lady Justice needs. Justice's totem, The Scales of Justice, provide a little bit of support and card draw, while the three Death Marshals bring potent guns and the iconic Pine Box to bury their foes.
Lady Justice is the up close and personal Guild combat Master. She wades into the enemy, cutting them down with her Greatsword and inspiring her Crew to acts of bravery along the way. Due to the versatility of her playstyle, any Guild models work well in a Lady Justice Crew, although thematically she favors Death Marshals.
The Greatsword Attack which Lady Justice has access to is one of the best Melee Attacks in the game. There are very few models that can stand toe to toe with her and none of them for very long. She also has an above average amount of Wounds, an Action which can be used to heal herself, and access to cover wherever she goes. These defensive capabilities allow her to get where she wants to be: up close
In addition to her amazing combat skills, Lady Justice can inspire others around her. Inspiring Swordplay gives friendly models a bonus when they see her kill an enemy, and her Last Stand Upgrade allows other models near her to follow her as she makes a Charge. Her other Upgrades add a fun array of options such as Triggers on her Greatsword to make more Attacks, Actions which specifically target Undead, and the Ability to prevent enemies from running away from her in combat. In total, Lady Justice is a straight-forward Master who always proves satisfying as she hacks enemies to pieces.
Sonnia Criid
Where there is order, there is always someone trying to disrupt that order. Sonnia has spent her professional life perfecting the use of her own magic in order to fight against the Arcanists and other illegal magic-users, literally fighting fire with fire. Many members of the Guild feel that she might be overstepping her boundaries, becoming more mage than Guild, but Sonnia understands that sometimes you must cut yourself free of traditional methods and answer your enemy's tactics in kind.
While the Guild battles many threats in the open, Sonnia's task is much harder. The Miners and Steamfitters Union is loved by many in Malifaux, but she has seen through their front. It is more than a worker's rights group: it is a full crime syndicate that must be stopped by any means necessary. It is not enough to raze the offices with fire. Instead, the Witch Hunter Task Force's job must be more subtle. Accidents must happen and conflicts must always be painted such that the M&SU leaders appear to be the instigators. It is a careful war that Sonnia must wage and there are few loyal enough to stay by her side.
Sonnia's great runed blade has struck down more than one witch, enchanted as it has been to confer even greater power over others who use magic. Even when it does not strike a killing blow, the long blade will bind a witch's powers with even the slightest graze. Sonnia will not say where she learned the art of such runed magic, but the Guild has given her free reign in her pursuit of illegal magic use and soulstone recovery.
Sonnia Criid’s box set contains six models, including Sonnia Criid herself. She is supported by her second-in-command, Samael Hopkins, a deadly bounty hunter with the ability to put out lots of damage. Her totem, the Purifying Flame, is capable of preventing enemies from using Soulstones to protect themselves from Sonnia’s wrath, and her Witching Stalkers make for dependable minions that explode when killed.
Sonnia Criid is a Guild Master who enjoys blasting her enemies into the next century. She uses fire magic, making great use of Blaster Markers and the Burning Condition through her spells. Although her speed and Defence are relatively low, she has a fun bag of tricks which make her an interesting and competitive Master. Her Crews will generally favour Witch Hunters or models which hand out Burning, although most Guild models are good choices.
Flameburst is Sonnia’s key damage-dealing spell, so expect to use it frequently while she leads your Crew. It has a great Casting value and range, but Sonnia’s Abilities really make it shine. Flameburst can place Blast Markers, and Sonnia has a much wider range of where she can place Blasts than other Masters, allowing her to cause damage where she needs it. Also, if the target has the Burning Condition, she can target them wherever they are, regardless of Line of Sight (there is no hiding from the head Witch Hunter). Finally, with Confiscated Lore, Sonnia can boost her Defence, Willpower, or Casting. While boosting Sonnia’s defensive stats is always a good option, boosting her Casting gives her one of the most frightening Attacks in the game.
Sonnia’s Upgrades give her a variety of options including the Ability to place Flame Wall Markers to impede enemy movement, the Ability to summon Witchling Stalkers, and a number of ways to thwart enemy spells. Ultimately, Sonnia is a Master who has some weaknesses in terms of speed and defence, but she more than makes up for it in her tendency to burn her enemies to a crisp, wherever they may be hiding.
Charles Hoffman
Lady Justice has her blindfold, sword and scales, Sonnia Criid her metal mask and flames, the Ortegas their gunplay and white-hot family pride.
Charles Hoffman has an office. A small, tidy office, with his name on the frosted-glass door. C. HOFFMAN. DIRECTOR, AMALGAMATION CHARTER ENFORCEMENT. He likes it in there. It's a tiny pocket of calm in the madness that’s been his life ever since he came through the Breach.
Hoffman is barely recognizable as the painfully shy, physically crippled young engineer who followed his brother onto the Malifaux train. Too much has happened: the Breachfire flare that wrecked Ryle's body and mind, their abduction by Viktor Ramos and the flowering of his uncanny magical bond with machinery, his careening path through the Arcanist movement and into the arms of the Guild, and above all his new role as his maimed brother's keeper.
Hoffman is a man of authority now, a senior Guild official with a remit to shut down Amalgamation, the burgeoning secret industry in creating construct-organism hybrids. That this strictly speaking includes his brother Ryle is irrelevant: Hoffman isn't in this for the purity of the calling. He's here because the Guild has the resources and knowledge to perhaps one day bring Ryle back.
Or perhaps the Arcanists do. Hoffman keeps his lines of communication to Viktor Ramos open, letting Ramos think he's infiltrated the Guild while he lets the Guild think he's infiltrating the Arcanists.
Hoffman knows that sooner or later these interlocking, recursive deceptions will unravel on him. But not today. Today there's his brother to think of, and work to be done.
Charles Hoffman’s box comes with six models, including Hoffman himself. The Watcher provides him with a quick, mobile construct that can quickly cover ground, and the Hunters prowl beneath it, using their harpoons to drag their prey into their steel jaws. The Guardian protects Hoffman as he manages his construct minions, and his Mechanical Attendant totem follows behind, providing support for its master.
C. Hoffman is the Guild Master of Constructs. His Abilities and Actions allow him to manipulate Constructs in a number of ways, even sharing stat lines with them at times! He is a Master with weaker stats who relies on the models around him to do the dirty work for him. Because of this, Constructs are the ideal models to add to a Hoffman Crew, and with the proper Upgrade, he can even add M&SU Constructs from the Arcanist Faction.
Although Hoffman is limited in a number of ways (such as his lower stats and restriction limiting him to two Walk Actions per Turn) he makes up for it by enhancing his Crew, and allowing his Crew to enhance him. For example, Hoffman may be slow on his own, but whenever a nearby Construct takes a Walk Action, he can tag along with it. Additionally, he hands out the Power Loop condition, which allows any model with the Condition to share stat lines. This creates a style of play where Hoffman and his Constructs advance up the board as a team, destroying anything in their path. With his Machine Puppet Action, he can also force his Constructs to perform Actions, making them tools he can adapt to any situation. And, if the enemy gets to close, his Soulstone Torch is not a fun thing to get blasted with.
Hoffman’s Upgrades add a lot of fun options. They do everything from giving him the capability to add Modification Upgrades to his Constructs which enhance them, to turning Scrap Markers into explosive mines. Hoffman is a meticulous and pragmatic man, and he rewards players who are able to use him in that manner.
