Yes, here we go again. This time it was my doing instead of the many mails that rain in saying they are the best. I got so interested in the game I had to apply for Malediction dealership. They requested a meeting online, and it became a late-night laugh fest that felt more like a reunion with old friends than with new business.
I still wanted to see something before I committed. The premise of the game was, in my eyes, too good to be true. Let’s check why in this unboxing.
I asked for a starter set.
Besides me being Dutch and thus asking for everything as a hobby, I tend not to take everything. I asked for a starter set. They gave me 2 faction boxes, where in my guess and information, is the same but one sided. You only get one army instead of 2. In short, I still got the starter, but it was broken up into 2 faction boxes.
I will treat this unboxing as being a single-player starter set, and this does not let down. Hint: I’m getting exited by this time.
Cardboard boxes
Many of the products I get sent are in simple, rather flimsy cardboard boxes. You know, the ones meant to be thrown away after you unpack everything and store the contents in a more sturdy box or keep case. I could not believe my eyes when looking upon the set i opened here. This is a 100% robust box, meant to travel with you to other players and tournaments. The insides of the box are lined with a plastic inlay that is sturdy enough to stay with you for a long time if you treat it well.
The Box Contents
So, why did I say this was a single player starter set? Because you get everything to know the game, except an opponent. When opening the box, we immediately see a big stack of cardboard terrain, a ruler, the rule book, cards, a D20 and the big bag of what is most interesting in this box.
We… find… Standees… Yay… but wasn’t this a game with models? Wasn’t Loot Studios a miniatures company? Yes and yes. But before we dive in the brilliance of this box, let us continue on where we left off…
This box has standees. This is an army box that you can use straight out of the box. They didn’t have to add them, and the box would have still kept its worth, but there are standees. Do mind you that there are other companies that offer way less for 59USD MSRP. This makes the standees a nice add on instead of a must buy option besides all the content in the box.
The models of these Malediction starters
The reason I’m excited as a miniatures man in standees, is the cards that are included in the box. There is one card with a code on there, that you can redeem for the COMPLETE set of models for your faction. Yes, you read that correctly. COMPLETE set, not a starter set, not some models to get you started; EVERYTHING they have is given with that code. You can then download these as STLs and have them printed by someone or print them yourself. See now why I was that excited about the standees?
They gave you everything to start playing, but make sure you can start before you are done building your models.
Malediction makes sure you want to play instead of making the printer go brrr for the MSRP. Getting the models in the game when you are done with them is way more fun if you know how to play the game.
I double checked the content of the other boxes, and there seem to be 34 models in total that you get STL’s for. These 34 models are terrain pieces and miniatures, so it’s an excellent deal.
Malediction Triggers Something collectible
And this is where this game model should spark your interest. You buy full armies, not units. The collector in me wants the other boxes because I, just like in MTG, want to play with multiple options instead of one. This is where another positive comes into play. You don’t have to buy separate units to be able to play or win. Everybody has equal models, thus equal opportunity to win. Now I need to have all the army boxes.
If i am correct, there will be expansion sets in the form or new army boxes, card decks and accompanying models coming or in the near future. To ensure this game has a future, they said they will bring out expansions quarterly. This way, players will stay engaged and active with the game on competitive, hobby, and casual gaming.
The odd one out
Malediction is certainly no ugly duck, but I do have to admit this is a strange step towards something we don’t really know what it is. This is also the main selling point, and the included standees make sure it falls into 3 categories. These are card gaming/ deck building, wargaming, and board gaming. We should not forget the hobby aspect, but it isn’t needed to get into the game and that’s where, for me, this game will certainly shine. I CAN paint a model (and a cool one) if I want to, but I CAN play without even the model.
I think Malediction has, after a closer look and unboxing of all the goodness in just one box, a bright future ahead. We are glad to be part of that in the near future with our store.
