How to Use Strategy and Scheme Decks in Malifaux Games

Quick answer

The Strategy and Scheme Deck replaces the rulebook's Strategy and Scheme tables: before deploying, flip one card for the game's Strategy, then deal each player a hand of Scheme cards to choose from. After crews deploy, each player secretly selects their Schemes, and you score by completing them during the game using Scheme Markers and the conditions on each card. Check the Strategy card first, because it tells you where the fighting will happen.

Most games of Malifaux are won before the first model activates. The Strategy and Scheme Deck is the tool that sets those hidden objectives, and if you have only ever read the tables in the rulebook, the deck can feel like a shortcut you are not sure how to take. It is not a replacement for the rules; it is the fastest way to put them on the table.

This guide walks through the order of operations, from flipping your Strategy to scoring your last Scheme. It also covers the mistakes that cost new players the most points, and which boxes make the process smoother when you are still learning.

What the Strategy and Scheme Deck actually does

The deck is a physical version of the Strategy and Scheme tables printed in the Malifaux rules. Instead of rolling on a chart, you flip a card for the Strategy, which defines the central objective and any special terrain or deployment rules for the game. Then you deal Scheme cards to each player, and those cards become the secret objectives you can score during the encounter.

Because the cards are physical, both players can see the Strategy at the same time and keep their Schemes hidden in hand. That hidden information is the point. A Malifaux game is partly a guessing game about what your opponent is trying to achieve, and the deck keeps that guessing game honest without requiring a rulebook open on the table.

• Use the deck alongside your rulebook, not instead of it. The rulebook explains how scoring works; the cards tell you which objectives are in play.
• If you are playing a scenario from a tournament pack, that pack's Strategy and Schemes take priority over the deck.

Step 1: Set up the table, then flip your Strategy

Build the table as normal, then flip one card from the Strategy and Scheme Deck to determine the Strategy for the game. Read it aloud and place it where both players can see it. The Strategy usually tells you where the important terrain or markers go, so resolve those placements before anyone deploys a model.

A common mistake is treating the Strategy as background information and deploying as if it were a generic game. If the Strategy involves holding a central area, a crew that deploys entirely in one corner has already conceded the middle. Read the card, then decide where your crew needs to be standing in turn two.

• Checkpoint: both players can state the Strategy's scoring condition out loud before deployment begins.
• If the Strategy requires markers or terrain, place them now. Moving them later is not allowed.

Step 2: Deal Scheme cards and choose in secret

After the Strategy is set, deal each player a hand of Scheme cards. Each player looks at their hand and secretly chooses which Schemes they will attempt. In most games you will not be able to complete every Scheme you hold, so the choice is about which two or three objectives your crew can actually achieve with the models you brought.

This is where the deck teaches you your own crew. A scheme-heavy crew wants Schemes it can score without fighting for the center. A beatdown crew wants Schemes that reward killing or controlling space. If you keep flipping through your hand looking for the perfect card, you are probably overthinking it; pick the Schemes your models can reach and score.

• Checkpoint: you have written down or set aside your chosen Schemes before the first model activates.
• Do not reveal your Schemes until the scoring step requires it. Hidden information is part of the game.

Step 3: Place Scheme Markers and track them

Many Schemes require you to place Scheme Markers on the table, and those markers are how your opponent knows something is happening even if they do not know what. Place them when the Scheme's rules allow, then keep them visible. A marker that gets knocked over and forgotten is a lost point.

The Resurrectionist Starter Box includes 30mm Scheme Markers and a measuring widget, which matters more than it sounds. Having enough markers for both players, in a size that matches the standard, removes an argument before it starts. If you are supplying markers for a whole group, buy enough for the largest crew at the table.

• Checkpoint: every Scheme Marker on the table is clearly associated with the player who placed it.
• Use the measuring widget for Scheme placement and aura ranges so you are not borrowing a tape measure mid-turn.

Step 4: Score at the end of each turn

At the end of each turn, check every Scheme that can score. The card tells you the condition and the timing, so read it carefully rather than assuming. Some Schemes score at the end of the turn, some when a specific event happens, and some only once. Mark your score as you go; reconstructing four turns of scoring from memory is how games end in disagreement.

The Strategy also scores on its own schedule. Keep the Strategy card visible for the whole game so neither player has to remember its condition. If you are teaching a new player, walk through the scoring step together for the first two turns, then let them take over.

• Checkpoint: both players agree on the score before the next turn begins.
• If a Scheme has already scored its maximum, remove it from the table so it stops cluttering your decisions.

Step 5: Adjust your crew for the next game

The deck is also a list-building tool. After a few games, you will notice which Schemes you keep failing. If you consistently cannot score Schemes that require spreading out, your crew may be too slow or too fragile to split. If you keep losing the Strategy, you may need more models that can hold ground rather than chase kills.

This is why a starter box is a reasonable first purchase. The Malifaux Third Edition: Resurrectionist Starter Box comes with a themed Fate Deck, Stat Cards and Upgrades, Scheme Markers, and a measuring widget, so you can play a full game with the deck and markers you already own. It is a low-risk way to learn how the Strategy and Scheme Deck shapes a real crew.

• Checkpoint: after three games, you can name the Scheme you are worst at scoring and one model that would fix it.

The order of operations, at a glance

1. Set the table and flip the Strategy: Build terrain, then flip one Strategy card and resolve any marker or terrain placement it requires. Read the scoring condition aloud. Both players should be able to state the Strategy before any model deploys.
2. Deal Schemes and choose in secret: Deal each player a hand of Scheme cards. Each player secretly selects the Schemes their crew can realistically score. Pick Schemes your models can reach. Do not chase a perfect hand.
3. Deploy with the Strategy in mind: Place your crew where it can contest the Strategy and reach its Scheme objectives. Do not deploy everything in one corner out of habit. If your deployment does not touch the Strategy's scoring area, you are already behind.
4. Place Scheme Markers as the rules allow: Put markers down when your Scheme permits it, keep them visible, and use a measuring widget for placement and auras. A forgotten marker is a lost point. Keep enough markers on hand for both players.
5. Score at the end of each turn: Check each Scheme's condition and timing, update the score, and remove Schemes that have scored their maximum. Agree on the score before the next turn begins.
6. Review and adjust your crew: After the game, note which Schemes you failed and why. Use that to guide your next purchase or list change. The deck is a list-building tool as much as a game-night tool.

Products that make the process easier

• Malifaux Third Edition: Resurrectionist Starter Box: Includes Batsch & Amalie, Oskar, two Dapperlings, a Resurrectionist-themed Fate Deck, Stat Cards & Upgrades, 30mm Scheme Markers, and a Measuring Widget. It supplies the Scheme Markers and measuring widget you need to run the Strategy and Scheme Deck without borrowing components, and the preassembled models get you to the table faster.
• Malifaux Fourth Edition: Jakob Lynch, Wild Card: Faction: Ten Thunders. Keyword: Honeypot. Jakob Lynch runs the Honeypot as both an elegant casino and a trap, with Hungering Darkness waiting behind every wager and unpaid debt. A crew built around tempting opponents into bad choices pairs well with Schemes that reward controlling where your opponent wants to stand.
• Malifaux Third Edition: Ulix Core Box: Ulix Turner's Sooey crew breeds, heals, and herds its swine into a rolling wall of muscle, tusks, and deeply questionable decisions. Note: this product is supplied in a protective bag instead of a standard retail box. A crew that can flood the table with models is useful for Schemes that require numbers or board presence, though you should expect the bag packaging rather than a retail box.

The Strategy and Scheme Deck is not complicated once you follow the order: flip the Strategy, deal Schemes, deploy with both in mind, place markers, and score every turn. Do that consistently and you will spend less time reading tables and more time playing the game the deck was built for.