Journey to Malifaux UK Nationals 2024

When I set out on this journey, my intention was pretty simple: relearn the Malifaux rules, pick a crew, figure out how they work, and try not to be a complete embarrassment in the tournament. Over the course of this year, I can honestly say I managed all but one of those goals. The one I didn’t achieve actually surprised me: I didn’t so much “pick” a crew as “settle” for one due to time constraints.

That said, despite not yet winning a game after 22 attempts, I was never embarrassed by my efforts. Success means different things to different people. For some, it’s placing in the top 10 or even the top 3. For others, it’s winning an award for cosplay or painting. Maybe it’s simply hanging out with friends for a weekend and playing a game you all enjoy. For me, success was playing against new people, encountering crews I’d never faced, chatting about all sorts of things, and just having fun. By that measure, it was a roaring success.

So what’s next? Let’s answer some questions:

Will you keep playing Malifaux?

Absolutely. Malifaux is a duplicitous game. Its core rules are streamlined and ideal for competitive play, yet it’s filled with characters steeped in lore whose abilities bend those rules almost to the breaking point. That’s why I love it—there’s no wrong way to play Malifaux.

If you want to find clever loopholes and pit your crew against others doing the same, the game supports that. If you want to reenact a dramatic rivalry from the lore, you can. Or, if you want to create a narrative game based on your own ideas, it’s there for you. You can meticulously plan your crew in the app ahead of time or hit “random” and challenge yourself to adapt on the fly.

While Malifaux has many moving parts, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Formats like Henchman Hardcore offer smaller crews and specific strategies, making it perfect for quick games. I’ll definitely keep playing whenever I can and hope to join as many regular meetups with the Midlands group as possible.

Will you be going back to Nationals in 2025?

After some thought, the answer is no—for now. I’ll keep playing Malifaux, but mostly for fun rather than competition. That’s not to say I’ll never return. These past seven months have involved a lot of planning, painting, and preparation, and I’m ready to take a step back and just enjoy the game.

Who knows, though? Someone might give me a good reason to return, or I might get the itch closer to the event. I’m also open to one-day events if I have the time and feel like running a specific crew for fun.

Will you stick with the same crew and faction?

Nope! Nothing against Von Schill—I’ve enjoyed playing him—but there are so many masters in other factions I’m curious about. For example, I have a Nekima crew that’s half-painted and waiting for attention after being abandoned due to time constraints. And within days of finishing Nationals, I started assembling the core boxes for Misaki and Reva. I’ve even added Tiri to my Christmas wish list, so I’ll have plenty of options for the coming year.

Final Thanks

Last but not least, I’d like to thank everyone who helped me along the way. From demo games to regular matches, crew suggestions, tactical advice, and even rides to tournaments—you all made this project possible. I’m deeply grateful. Thanks also to everyone who followed the project, left comments, and voted it up. Your support means the world to me.

So, that’s it for this project. Would anyone be interested in another Malifaux project from myself? If so, what would you like to see?