So are Sarissa Precision buildings suitable for Malifaux?

 Lady Justice clearing out a small saloon!

So then what do I think of Sarissa Precisions buildings and their suitability for Malifaux? I mean after all that is the reason I got the buildings to review in the first place! It was the incessant nagging of Malifaux players that got me to do the reviews. I have now had a chance to see a pretty good range of the Oldwest products Sarissa Precision produce, so I really do think I'm in a pretty good position to judge whether or not the various buildings are 'right' for Malifaux players. This isn't going to be a review as such, more an article looking at the range and why it is I think it's suitable for Malifaux, my reviews can be found here:

• Oldwest Jailhouse
• Oldwest Shack
• Oldwest Church . School house
• Oldwest Hotel

But, there are a number of factors at play that I want to look at with regards to suitability for Malifaux specifically.

Lady Justice investigating a choir boys accusations!

Style 8 out of 10

I don't know about you lot, but when I first saw the miniatures for Malifaux and read the original rulebook all I could think about was wanting a Wild West board to go along with it all. So on that score I think the Sarissa Precision buildings are bang on target. They let me create that western vibe I was after when I first decided I wanted to do a Malfaux board. The only thing I would have liked a bit more would have been if the buildings weren't as 'perfect' if you know what I mean. You probably don't, because I haven't explained myself properly! The Wild West I was looking for was the Wild West Tim Burton would create with warped buildings, crooked window frames and a bit of the fantastical. But, lets be honest here, those sort of buildings would be about as commercially viable as soluble concrete! These buildings are clearly designed to have a far wider application than playing games of Malifaux in my own personal gaming room. Besides the way they've been designed means you can adorn them with stuff yourself, so that's what I'll be doing.

The Jailhouse makes a cool objective

Scale 7 out of 10

I don't own any of the 28mm buildings, or at least I don't think I own any of the 28mm buildings, no, all of the buildings I own are the 'heroic' scale versions. These are supposedly designed with the larger, chunkier looking miniatures you normally get with your fantasy ranges of miniatures, like Malifaux. The doors and windows are bigger, but not by much from what I can tell. The scale is still ever so slightly too small, and that's mainly because of the round lipped bases you get with Malifaux, and the base inserts many of us Malifaux games use. hey add a bit too much height to the miniature themselves and also take fair old amount of floor space. However they're not way off, just slightly off, and as such I find them more than acceptable as scale Malifaux scenery.

Playability 9 out of 10

When I first saw the Sarissa Precision stuff, I wasn't sure whether or not you could get at those interiors or not. Because lets face it, is there anything more frustrating than playing a skirmish game with buildings on the board and not being able to put your little toy soldiers in them. So rejoice, because all the Sarissa Precission buildings I own were clearly designed to allow you to get at their interiors easily. The pitched and flat roofs are easy to take off and put back on the buildings during play. So having interior shoot-outs is definitely an option with these buildings, and that's what I wanted for my games of Malifaux.

Lady Justice heads off to do her weekly shopping

Durability 9 out of 10

I was slightly concerned about the durability of some of the pieces in terms of constant use as gaming pieces and whether or not some of those contact points might be a bit small. However, my arse of a cat Tybalt proved they're sturdy enough for me. I found the little bastard batting the Church around my gaming room after I failed to shut the door properly. It was absolutely fine, none of it was broken or scratched, not even the thin support beams underneath the church or the delicate looking banisters at the front porch to the church. So yeah, you can colour me very impressed on the durability side of things. I still wouldn't advise playing football with them (soccer for my American friends), but when glued together with PVA, they are a very sturdy wooden box. Go figure.

Cost effectiveness 10 out of 10

Lady Justice ensuring the balcony meets building regulations!

OK, so I went to my local hobby center a few days ago and priced up the amount of balsa wood etc. I'd need to produce my own Wild West shop at a similar scale and size to the Sarissa Precision small shops, which retail for £8. So you can imagine my surprise when I totaled the required materials and it came to £18. Sure I could've made the building to my tastes, but it wouldn't have been as neat as the Sarissa buildings and certainly not as durable. Plus it would have cost me a good £10 more! If you want to fill out a Wild West Malifaux board ASAP then I really can't think of a better, cheaper solution.

Conclusion

So yeah, I think the Oldwest Heroic scale stuff is just about spot on for Malifaux. I might even be getting some more of it at some point. I think its a cheap way to fill up a gaming board, with solid, functional and usable gaming scenery. I've already started inking mine brown to make them look like stained wooden buildings, and they look quite good without the dry-brushing I'm intending to them, to give them a bit of surface texture and weathering. I'll probably paint the church white and the front of the hotel powder puff pink to add a bit of variety to the boards I play over. So yeah, if you play Malifaux and want some scenery, in my opinion you should be looking at this stuff. Peace out!