Wyrd (company)

Wyrd (company)

Wyrd Miniatures Logo
Publisher(s)	Wyrd

Wyrd is a miniatures and games company. They produce a range of 30mm metal miniatures, in several genres, for painters and gamers. In 2009, Wyrd published its first game, Malifaux, set in a dystopian city in a parallel world. Offering its first miniatures in 2005, the company is owned by Nathan Caroland and Eric Johns.

History

A short history of the company and its founding can be read in the Malifaux rule book:

I talked to a lot of people, asked questions ceaselessly, got told more than once that the market was saturated and to not peddle my wares or questions where not wanted, and basically to pack it up before I got started. Good thing I'm hard headed. Eventually I figured out what I needed and got to work with a lot of great individuals who not only answered my questions but supported my quest to create interesting miniatures. I'll be honest, I was lucky as I managed to talk to the right people, find the sculptors that suited my needs, and got some fantastic painters to give those miniatures just the right look before unleashing them on the world in December 2005.

— Nathan Caroland, Malifaux, 2009

Malifaux

Malifaux is Wyrd's premiere game. It is a skirmish-level miniatures wargame involving gang warfare in the ruins of a crumbling city. According to the game's backstory, the city of Malifaux was discovered through a portal into another world. This world is a source of the valuable mineral known as "soulstone" which allows for magical effects. Games pit masters and their crews against one another for control of this resource.

Released at Gen Con in August 2009, Malifaux uses a unique card mechanic in lieu of dice. Numbers are randomly generated by drawing numbered cards from a "Fate Deck." A number of mechanics in the game allow for manipulating this draw. Malifaux features five different factions and associated miniatures for use in their game:

The Guild

• The Guild is the law in Malifaux. They exert a fascist control over the city and are more concerned with the production of soulstone, a substance which allows for wielders to perform supernatural feats, than they are with the safety of its inhabitants. The Guild offers a mix of ranged and melee combat and aesthetically possesses a number of Wild West motifs.

The Arcanists

• The Arcanists are individuals who practice magic. The Miners and Steamfitters Union is run by one of Malifaux' prominent Arcanists, Ramos. The M and SU is an organization that represents the labor class in the city. The Arcanists are actually made up from different groups from the Order of the Chimera to the show girls of Collette. Their primary strength is in the wide variety of spells they can cast and boast a number of mechanical and elemental constructs and beast minions.

The Resurrectionists

• The Resurrectionists are necromancers who command forces of the undead. Where the other factions are concerned with collecting soulstones, the Resurrectionists loot the ruins of Malifaux for magical devices and tomes of knowledge. They are very resilient characters in play, with the ability to absorb a lot of damage and to raise dead models as additional combatants.

The Neverborn

• The Neverborn are the native inhabitants of the world of Malifaux. They are nightmarish monsters that terrorize the human settlers in Malifaux. Their existence is linked with a calamity that occurred in the world's ancient past. They are known for their speed and abilities that confound their enemies. They possess few ranged attacks but are very deadly in melee combat.

The Outcasts

• The Outcasts are a group of smaller interests unassociated with the major factions in Malifaux. A number of Outcasts are also mercenaries that may be hired by the other factions for use in their crews.

External links

• Wyrd Wyrd's Homepage

• Malifaux Malifaux's Official Homepage

• PullmyFinger Fan run Malifaux tactics wiki

• Malifaux Rule Book: ISBN 0984150900