Malifaux at the NOVA Open??? Damn Right!

What is the Malifaux I speak of? I have to take a moment and wonder if you have spent time in a very dark cave lately. Regardless, lets jump into the explanation and we can all get caught up.

First let me start with the introductions. This is Bill, host of the Gamers Lounge Podcast, Author of the Dead Tau Project Blog, Staff at the NOVA Open 2010 & 2011, Wyrd Miniatures Henchman, and most importantly your host and TO for the NOVA Open Malifaux tournament this year!

So what is this Malifaux I speak of? Who is Wyrd Miniatures? These are simple questions to answer initially, which becomes deliciously complex as you dig deeper. Simply put, Malifaux one of the hottest new Skirmish Scale games to hit the market recently, and it is produced by Wyrd Miniatures. Malifaux as a game had its initial market release at Gencon 2009, and has been growing like crazy since then. This year at Gencon they had a "Privateer Press" like line waiting at their booth on opening day for all the new goodies.

Quoted from Wyrd Miniatures directly:

Based in an alternate Earth, Malifaux uses Gothic, Steampunk, Victorian horror with a dose of the wild west to inject fun and depth into the magical lawlessness of a world rife with monsters, necropunks, manmachine hybrids, gunslingers, and power-hungry politicos. Actively using character-driven stories to define the world of Malifaux, seek your fortune in this fast paced and brutal 32mm tabletop miniature skirmish game. Assemble your crew and stake your claim!

So, simple entry point with a normal "Tournament level" crew sitting between 5 and 8 models. Each model has a set of special rules that they work with, and each crew is led by a master. The largest departure from "typical" mini-wargames is the use of cards opposed to dice! 

So, now you know a little bit about Malifaux, and you should be aware that one of the Premier US Malifaux tournaments will be held on Friday at the NOVA Open 2011! So what can I tell you? First off, at this point (Mid February) we are still nailing down all the particulars on the event, but I will share what I can.

We will have 16 3x3 Malifaux tables with full terrain, which will look absolutely fantastic. (as a note, Malifaux tables use ~60%+ terrain coverage) This will allow 32 players to compete for the top spots of best Overall Malifaux player and Best in Faction at the event. I can also confirm we will be running a 30 soulstone Scrap. This means that you pick your faction, which stays the same throughout the tournament, and then get to “buy” your 30ss crew each round. I am aiming for 90 minutes per round, so plenty of time to really rock your opponent and achieve your strategies and schemes.

That’s something else that’s important to point out. For those who are not as familiar, Malifaux is not just a game of killing your opponent! In fact, in some cases it is possible to table your opponent and STILL LOSE THE GAME! This is a game of objectives, which are split into known Strategies (the primary objective) and hidden Schemes (secondary objectives). Accomplishing your Strategies and Scheme’s is more important that just punching your opponents crew in the face! It certainly makes for an exciting game.

So with that introduction, I look forward to seeing a packed house at the NOVA! Registration is currently open and I expect tickets to start moving quickly. I will continue to provide updates here on a fairly regular basis as the details clarify and the date creeps closer.