Knowledge is Power

 I often feel guilty about posting WIP on here, it feels like a bit of a cop-out. I thought what I'd do today is briefly discuss a topic that came up on twitter, knowing what you are fighting, whilst posting some pictures of what I have been up to at the same time.

Practice Soviets finished ready for my #WAAC paintathon. Pretty drab and dreary, but they are meant to be fighting in Stalingrad!

 

 

 So how did this topic of conversation arrive? Sunday morning I played two games against Mike Marshall in Malifaux on Vassal. In the first game we didn't get past turn 2, it was brutal. My stampede of pigs got the drop on him and due to obscene luck it was all over. In the second game Mike was much more cautious to begin with and kept me on the back foot, winning 6-5(?) in the end.

My test peice for Deadzone terrain. I forgot how cool weathering powders are, but I still think there aren't enough colours. I will try and pick out some details. I also plan to add some plant life.

 Now I'll admit that this dramatic turn around was partly due to a massive change in luck, but knowing what your enemy is capable is critical. It makes me think of one of the games I played at 'The Good, The Bad and The Fated'. My opponent had taken Kirai and because I knew what she could do I made sure that Ikuryo (sp?) never saw the table (by not shooting living or undead things that were within 6" of her or the lost love). As the title of this post says, knowledge is power.

'Lady' or 'Mrs Warpig' ready for spraying. I feel much happier with the model now that I have enlarged her behind.

 Chris King on twitter was arguing that the game unbalances due to this and one should attempt to play as if you didn't know what the other person could do. I disagree. First of all, I think that effectively nulls some of the game, being able to effectively value your models compared to your opponents and thus judge each move. I also think that makes the game much less fun. I don't know about other people, but I always feel a bit cheated if I lose because a rule I did not know about was sprung on me.

I can understand where Chris is coming from though. New players may feel at a disadvantage when they don't know as much as people who played for longer. This is always going to be true, however, you learn more about the nuances of the game. I do think, however, that it is critical to tell people whenever you can what your models are capable of. The games I feel the worst about are the ones where my I assumed my opponent knows something and doesn't.

The last thing I think we can say about this is that tournaments are great. This might seem like a strange leap, but at tournaments you fight new opponents with different crews and playing styles. It is a great way to learn about the game. I keep saying this, but I really recommend that any people who play Malifaux who haven't done should check out the tournament scene. It's well worth it.

 Well thanks for putting up with another one of my rants. Chat soon.