Why You Should Give Digital Malifaux a Go (Even If You’re Skeptical)
Hi Fellow Masters, I’m a Resurrectionist player from the Gold Coast. If you have been to one of our events at T3 Games in Burleigh, either answering the Call to Madness, our 3 round tournaments or fighting for a Brewmaster’s Cup, our League format, I’m Carl, the resident TO. If you have seen my comments on Discord, or played against me on a Longshanks registered event, I’m BigDamnHeroes, and yes my favourite coats are brown.
Like a lot of tabletop gamers, my journey into Malifaux started the old-fashioned way—standing in a local game store, chatting about the guitar playing cowboy with Johnny Cash themed abilities on the store owner’s painting table, and getting drawn in by the weird and wonderful characters on the table. Gothic horror crews, moonshine brewing goblins, cowboys, ninjas, a casino owner and a journalist. A game system built for and built around such richly bizarre storytelling… It didn't take long before I was hooked.
I bought my first crew, assembled Red Chapel that night, and joined a new player friendly, three round tournament the following day.
What really sealed it for me wasn’t just the game, it was the people. Malifaux has one of those communities: welcoming, creative, and just the right amount of devious on the tabletop. Since then, I’ve been all-in, collecting and painting Resurrectionists, playing, helping new players, running local events, listening to the Breachside Broadcast and carving out time each week to stay connected to the hobby.
But there was one thing I firmly resisted for years.
Online play.
The Big Hesitation: “It Won’t Feel the Same”
For me, tabletop gaming has always been about connection. Sitting across from someone, reading their reactions,
sharing laughs, and enjoying that physical space, those things matter. After long work weeks, that face-to-face
interaction is part of what makes the hobby so valuable.
So the idea of playing Malifaux, without models and through a screen?
Honestly, I assumed it would feel hollow.
Why Now?
A recent trip to CanCon for the return of Australian Nationals reminded me just how strong, and how widespread, the Malifaux community really is. I had the chance to meet players from across the country, all bringing their own flavour to the game. As expected, they were fantastic people, on and off the table, equal parts welcoming and ruthlessly clever in play.
That event also introduced me to the Australian Faux League, who were running things, and it sparked something. If this many great players were out there, why wasn’t I playing more of them?
So I decided to jump in.
I signed up for the AFL’s MarchishFaux event on Vassal. After a single practice game with a mate to learn the ropes, I cautiously stepped into my first online tournament, equal parts curious and apprehensive.
Going in, I kept things simple. I stuck with Kirai Ankoku and her Urami crew, focusing on learning the platform rather than juggling too many variables. Even then, I was nervous, not just about the software, but about playing on the clock in a digital environment.
And that’s exactly why now felt like the right time to try.
My experience in the AFL: MarchishFaux League
Before my first game, I let my opponent know I was new to Vassal. There was a quick chat, a bit of reassurance, and then we got into it. Round one came down to the wire, with Kirai, Lady of Vengeance edging out a 9–8 win into the Clampett’s Bally Hoo Bucket.
What surprised me most wasn’t the result, it was how quickly my concerns disappeared. Using Discord for voice, we talked, joked, and threw around the usual table banter the entire game. It felt… normal. Like a real game of Malifaux. Only cleaner. Measuring was precise, decks shuffled instantly, auras were always visible, no clutter, no fiddling with tokens. By the end of the round, I wasn’t just comfortable, I was looking forward to the next one.
Round two was a bit more decisive. Kirai tore through the Red Librarians for an 11–5 win against the same friend who had patiently shown me how to use the platform. I won’t lie, it felt like a small measure of revenge for the many beatings he’s handed me over the years. More importantly though, this was the game that really locked it in for me. Even though we weren’t sitting across the table, we still had the same conversations, the same jokes, the same connection, just without being in the same room. Maybe that’s what won it for me, I couldn’t get lost in DangerPant’s beautiful eyes…
Rounds three and four were tougher. Kirai and the Urami fell 6–9 to Parker Barrows and 7–9 to the Dreamer, two masters I’d barely faced before. And that’s exactly where Vassal shines. Suddenly I was playing into crews and matchups I wouldn’t normally see, against skilled opponents who were both ruthless in-game and genuinely great to play with.
Win or lose, every round felt like a good game of Malifaux, and that’s what really mattered.
What Actually Happens When You Play on Vassal
After dipping my toes into a Vassal event through the Australian Faux League, I quickly realised something surprising:
The game still feels like Malifaux.
Using voice chat (like Discord), you still:
Talk through plays
Joke and trash talk
Share those “did that just happen?” moments
Catch up with or get to know your opponent
The social side doesn’t disappear, it just shifts format.
And in some ways, the gameplay improves.
The Unexpected Advantages of Digital Play
Online play is actually quite intuitive, once you get past the initial learning curve of driving the software, Vassal offers some serious benefits:
Faster, Cleaner Gameplay
No clutter. No measuring disputes. No accidentally dropping models on the floor. No need for quick superglue repairs. No battling for table space alongside other game systems in the local store. No leaving models, tokens or drink bottles behind. Everything is precise and visible; auras, ranges, cards, all handled instantly. Everything stays in its place and doesn’t get lost.
Time-Friendly
What might take an entire evening in person can be done in around 3 hours. No travel, no worries about parking or juggling models on public transport, no setup, no pack-down. Just log in, select a map, and play.
A Bigger Player Pool
This is the game-changer.
In Australia especially, distance limits who you can play. Online, that disappears. Suddenly you’re facing new Masters, new crews, and players from across the country—and the world. This is so significant in a game like Malifaux. With so many masters and keywords, having a limited player pool in a local meta means that after a few years in the game I am still yet to face about half of the Masters available.
Better Game Understanding
Seeing my crew as a top-down, unified force (instead of individual models on terrain) actually changed how I think about my activations strategically. It’s a different perspective, and a valuable one. This was a remarkable reflection after a couple of games, seeing the Auras and measurements instantly on the screen completely changed how I thought about the cohesive nature of my crew. It unlocked for me the ability to see the crew in a completely different way, and one which I think will significantly improve my game play as I spend more time in the digital space.
What You Don’t Lose (And What You Do)
Let’s be clear—digital Malifaux doesn’t replace the physical hobby.
You still miss:
The beauty of painted models
The tactile joy of moving pieces around on a table
Incredible terrain tables, our local meta has the benefit of Azahul as our local terrain goblin and his tables are sublime!
A fist bump, high five or hug with a friend before or after the game
Those things matter, and they’re worth keeping.
But digital play doesn’t take those away, it adds something new alongside them.
Why It’s Worth Trying
If you’ve ever thought:
“I don’t have time for regular games”
“My local scene is too small”
“I want to get better but don’t see enough variety”
Then Vassal is absolutely worth your time.
It opens it’s digital doors to more games, more opponents and as a result, more growth as a player. And maybe most importantly, it keeps you connected to the game you enjoy, even when life gets busy.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed the AFL MarchishFaux event so much that I didn’t even wait for it to finish. Before round four had wrapped up, I’d already signed up for my first Malifaux World Series event, with a game against an international opponent lined up later this week.
I’m under no illusions, I’ll probably be fighting it out near the bottom of the standings. But that’s part of the appeal. Playing against stronger opponents, seeing new ideas, and being pushed out of your comfort zone is where real growth happens.
If you’re hesitant, that’s fair, I was too.
But if you give it a shot, you might find what I did:
It’s not a lesser version of Malifaux.It’s just a different kind of great.
Then again, if in person events are your thing and you have the weekend free on the 18th and 19th of this April, 2026, I’d love to host you at Big Hat, Big Fool. The inaugural 2-day Malifaux event in Toowoomba, QLD hosted by Polymath TableTop at their annual FoolCon.
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