I like how many tabletop games are having betas for rule versions and additions. Warmachine/Hordes had an open beta for the MK2 that lasted for half a year. Infinity had a closed beta for their third edition of the rules that lasted two years. Malifaux itself had an open beta for the rules and the previous two waves. Its a great way of doing business as it keeps the community engaged and invested in the future of the games they play.
The Avatars are also going through a huge change, with the forum thread here. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Masters channel energy rather than change shape now;
2. Will be only available during campaign play but players can agree to use them during normal play;
3. The option to introduce non-campaign avatars is an option for the future, but no plans currently to do so;
4. Making new plastic avatar sculpts for all masters will not be done. Instead, a different 50mm insert base for each faction will be made and the master model will be placed on the insert avatar base to represent the change;
5. Emissaries of Fate will be introduced for each faction. These are evolved effigy models on 50mm bases. If you have an old avatar sculpt, they are tournament legal to use them as these emissaries. The Arcanist Emissary is pictured above;
6. These emissaries will also have zero cost upgrades specific to each master in its faction. These upgrades flavour it for each master it is playing with. With this in place, the old avatar model sculpt look and feel mimic what this new idea is portraying and can be used for this purpose.
The reason they explain for this change is that the rules for avatars have to be balanced so that it is not an auto include in games. The process for becoming an avatar can well lose you the game because you are not going for victory points. Since they will be balanced and not something the consumer will automatically buy, the potential new avatar sculpts may just sit on the shelves of merchants. The cost of making them are also large to the company and the consumer. As quoted from the company rep on the boards: "We firmly believe that our customers will be happier (and spend more money, let's be honest, this isn't charity) when we design fun things they *want* to buy, rather than expensive things which they are *required* to buy."
I am satisfied by the changes to Avatars. I have only assembled and painted my Lilith avatar but I still have ones in the box waiting for when I make their master: Perdita, Lady Justice, Sonnia Crid, Hoffman, Pandora, Candy, McMourning and the Viktorias. I was even thinking of making a Lucius avatar from the new plastic Lucius and the two lawyers. I like how I can use them as Emissaries, so that I don't have to buy those models for the factions I have avatars for. Taking avatars out of tournament play is also good as it would take away from the game with a stranger. I'll still make the avatars models I have and pick up the emissary of fate and avatar bases of factions I don't have when playing them.
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