I don’t usually play miniature games. I like the idea of them – I love the idea of building an army and then pitting it against my opponent’s creation. And I love the chess aspect of the game – moving my guys around on the grid and out-maneuvering my opponent so he falls into a carefully planned ambush. The reason I don’t play, though, is the dice. It’s happened to me one time too many where I’ve made a magnificent play and then BAM – rolled six straight ones, missing everything and leaving my opponent to wipe the floor with me.
Malifaux doesn’t have that problem. The game is all card driven. Instead of rolling a six sided die, you play a card from your hand to determine effects. There is some randomness to the game – flipping cards off the top of the deck is a big mechanic – but if you don’t like the result you can “cheat fate” and play a card from your hand instead. So now, even with the worst luck in the world, you can still make a perfect move to outplay your opponent. Another thing – the art on the cards is fantastic. It’s got this creepy-cute style to it that looks like something out of a Jhonen Vasquez fantasy.
Oh, right. The demo. Come to Canton Games all day on Sunday and learn how to play for free. We’re having a special guest star do the actual demo, so I get to relax and have fun with this one. I will highly recommend everybody come by to check it out. Even if you’re not usually a miniature gamer, Malifaux is definitely worth checking out. And as a special bonus deal, anybody who attends the demo and then decides to buy some figures gets 20% off. So come check it out. You’ll have a good time.
