The 4th edition of Malifaux (M4E) is releasing at GenCon this year and an open beta has already begun. I wanted to take a moment to explain how Longshanks will be implementing the new game updates to our system.

The first thing to clarify if that we will not be separating M4E and M3E into separate game systems here on the site. While M4E brings some significant changes to gameplay and the rules, the basic game structure is still compatible. The banner image, game logo, and faction symbols in use on Longshanks will be updated to match the style of M4E when it officially releases later this year.

The big advantage of keeping the game systems linked is that the game statistics will remain active and accessible. Masters that are added, removed, or change factions will be updated, but many Masters (and all the factions) will keep their win rates and other statistics. This also means that player ratings and awards earned during M3E will still exist going forward.

Update timing

Since we are in an open beta, many players and event hosts will want to use the new M4E rules right away. We agree! Who doesn't like to play with new toys? However, since M4E doesn't actually release until this summer, there will likely be many events and casual games that will still use the M3E rules for a few more months. We here at Longshanks want to support both of these groups, which means that the two rule sets will coexist during the beta.

The new Masters, Strategies, and Schemes from M4E have already been added to our system. All of the Masters, Strategies, and Schemes that are legal in M3E will remain available until the official release of M4E. The maximum game score has been increased from 8 to 10 and the maximum number of Schemes per player has been increased from 2 to 4.

TL;DR:

We have already added the Masters, Strategies, Schemes, and other rules changes necessary to support M4E on Longshanks. When the new edition offially releases at GenCon, we will deactivate the M3E-only game components and update the icons and banner image to match the new M4E style.

If you have any comments or questions about how Longshanks is implementing these changes, please contact us!