Turf War

Played a game of Malifaux. We had fifty soulstones to build our gangs.

Strategy was Turf War.

Seamus with The Whisper + Copycat Killer

Madame Sybelle
Mortimer
Bete Noire
2x Rotten Belle
Mourner with Grave Spirit Touch (Tagged for Claim Jump)
Schemes: Claim Jump, Outflank


I'm not entirely sure about opponent's list, but it was something like this:

Kirai Ankoku with Grave Spirit Touch + Ikiryo
Datsue Ba
Jaakuna Ubume (tagged for Claim Jump)
Lost Love
2x Gaki
2x Seishin
2x Onryo
Schemes: Search the Ruins, Claim Jump

Game started with both parties converging in the middle. Ikiryo was a scary monster that nearly butchered Bete Noire, who attempted to tie him up. Then Ikiryo was causing trouble for Mourner and Madame Sybelle, and the whole lot of my resurrectionists - I was afraid to kill it before Kirai had activated.

Mourner was the luckiest being alive... dead? Alive? Wait, what? Anyway, even if she has just seven wounds, terrifying and regeneration with enemy ignoring ruthless was quite survivable. Plenty of times Mourner went to one or two wounds remaining, but steadily climbed back to 4+ (which I would need for completing second part of Claim Jump.) Of course she healing every time enemy died nearby and being randomly healed by Madame Sybelle's Undivided Attention helped, too.

In this game Seamus was absurd. He killed Jaakuna Ubume, Gaki, an Onryo and one summoned Night Terror. That's almost one kill per turn. As a surprise bonus, Jaakuna had been the model opponent had tagged for Claim Jump. But I had some luck in drawing Red Joker to my starting hand both first and second turn.

I guess me as the player got blinded by bloodlust, and I was rather... reckless with Seamus. As he was killing things left and right, I made the mistake of killing an Onryo. Well, honestly speaking, Seamus deserved that Adversary rule.

But yeah, turn later I realized Feast of Fear doesn't actually trigger from enemy failing their terrifying check. This brought Seamus down to a healthy wound count of exactly one. And considering that every time he dealt damage to enemy models, he'd suffer one point of damage.

Opponent was losing in victory points, so he did everything he could to smack the master down he hated so much.

There were some miraculous saves for Seamus, but Adversary stacked too much odds in enemy favor. Datsue Ba weighted Seamus's sins, and they were far too heavy for him to carry any longer. It's somehow so very fitting. "Ah, hah hah! I'm killing everyone, whee! Wait... damn, now it's me who's dying!"

Losing Seamus like that robbed me of any possibility to score additional victory points from turf war, but victory was secured now. This is one aspect of Malifaux that I don't quite enjoy. Even during these few games I've played, looks like last turn can become a pointless turn too easily. I suppose in a tournament you have an incentive to try to squeeze any victory points even if it's mathematically impossible for you to win, but like this last turn can be somewhat of a lackluster.

Lord Arbiter vs the Cursed

Played this 50 point game of warmachine earlier this week.

My list was:

Skorne

Lord Arbiter Hexeris [+27]

- Agonizer [6]
- Basilisk Drake [8]
- Basilisk Drake [8]
- Bronzeback Titan [17]
- Titan Gladiator [15]
- Aptimus Marketh [5]
Thrullg [5]
Legends of Halaak [8]
Paingiver Beast Handlers (min) [5]


Opponent had:

Cryx

Goreshade the Cursed [+28]
- Deathripper [6]
- Defiler [8]
- Desecrator [14]
Bane Lord Tartarus [6]
Pistol Wraith [5]
Pistol Wraith [5]
Wrong Eye [17]
Bane Warriors (max) [16]


Scenario was Hold the Line from main rulebook.

Bane Warriors under Occultation formed a line in the middle of Cryx forces. As Hexeris had Ashes to Ashes at his disposal, I thought I'd be able to remove most of them with Hexeris's feat. Desecrator shot Bronzeback Titan and triggered Hyper Aggressive, which set up for a rather brutal feat turn.

All but one Bane Warrior died to three Ashes to Ashes and two Basilisk sprays. Granted, I did have good luck in rolling additional targets from Ashes to Ashes.

Skorne started scoring points, but that was the only point they ever got. Sure Thrullg has magical weapons on it's tentacles, but that's of no help if it is stationary. Goreshade also used feat to bring a dead pistol wraith to contest flag on the left.

But after such a feat, Cryx was struggling an uphill battle. Last remaining Bane Warrior charged Agonizer and killed it with just one swing. Then Tartarus, who had been knocked down from a flying Desecrator, walked to bring Bronzeback Titan under Dark Shroud. Goreshade charged the titan, but failed to kill. And most importantly - did not take down bronzeback's spirit.

However, Bronzeback was still a little chilly from Voass, so all it managed to do versus Goreshade were seven points of damage.

Basilisk Drake who took an aimed shot against Bronzeback's back, on the other hand, beat all expectations and rolled a damage roll something like 4,5,6 against Goreshade.

Never Born Killers

Played my third game of Malifaux.

This time it was 50 soul stones, and a hefty increase of 15 stones did lengthen the game quite a bit.

However, my list was:

Seamus + Copycat Killer
Madame Sybelle
Mortimer
Bete Noire
2x Rotten Belle
Mourner with Grave Spirit Touch
Schemes: Breakthrough, Search the Ruins

Opponent had an assortment of Neverborn, which would also have been my second choice as a faction, pfft...

Anyway, opponent had:

Dreamer with Ancient Pact + Lord Chompy Bits with Inhuman Reflexes
Coppelius
Teddy with Inhuman Reflexes
Doppelganger
3x Daydreams
Schemes: Breakthrough, Search the Ruins

Strategy was Plant the Explosives.

I wanted to make a combo with Blasphemous Ritual to get Focused condition to my whole crew. Well, this was nice enough I guess, but it clumped my forces so that I felt like I had a slow start. When I aimed for a fast start.

It wasn't only a feeling, though. Or maybe Neverborn were absurdly fast. I don't know. However the case, they started scoring points right on turn two, both from schemes and strategies. I had to wait for turn three to even get my first point.

I was terrified of Teddy and Lord Chompy Bits. Seamus tried to take a shot against Lord Chompy Bits early in the game but missed. I had hoped to score a lucky kill, but now that I check that monster's stats... Yeah, only severe damage would have done anything useful, as the thing has regeneration. Oh well. Good thing Seamus missed, then.

Most of opponent's forces stormed to my side from east. Doppelganger a was lone approacher from west, or, kind of at least. Next time I know a little better than to summon mindless zombies with willpower of 3 easily within range of bend realities and whatnot.

I got stuck in the middle, and Mortimer nearly died to a charging summoned enemy. Hilariously enough whatever the creature was, it managed to kill itself by using some sort of ability that dealt damage to either my model or back to itself.

Bete Noire tried to do something to Coppelius, but didn't do much. After soaking some enemy attacks, it got buried. This was my plan to get her to enemy side of the board to place the explosives. Woefully late she was.

Seamus climbed up the ruined building, and tried to shoot things from vantage point. He shot a daydream and planted scheme markers. We did measure distance incorrectly, though. Maybe writing this makes me remember it better next time.

I had pretty much given up on my deployment zone. After all, there was only a Rotten Belle and Madame Sybelle holding down Lord Chompy Bits, Dreamer, some summoned beast and Coppelius.

Bete Noire had sprung up from a corpse on opponent's side of the board and managed to score revealed breakthrough after a summoned Alp was killed. As Teddy was nearing in, I thought I'd come and take two flintlock shots at it, when copycat killer switched places with Seamus.

Now, wouldn't that have been grand. Except that something activated and had Bete Noire fail a willpower check and put up one more summoned demon into play. In melee range with Seamus. There went my plan, and I had to waste Cause for Celebration for a melee attack, which did nothing anyway. Seamus then disengaged and... whoops. Placed a scheme marker. Which you cannot do if you have disengaged that activation. Curses.

And Rotten Belle, engaged by a summoned creature, disengaged and picked up Neverborn strategy marker, which she cannot do because she disengaged.

This foils my brilliant move of using Mortimer's ability to move undead models 3" towards target, moving Rotten Belle and then placing a scheme marker with her on opponent's deployment zone.

Well, this didn't cost me a victory. It cost me a draw.

But the game was again very different. Opponent killed one mindless zombie from me, and I killed a daydream, doppelganger and some summoned beasts. Focus was entirely elsewhere than in maximum carnage, which is refreshing in wargames. Regardless of game, if you roll over opposing army it often means you win anyway even if you haven't completed whatever objectives you might have. At least in this scenario, if opponent has scored that one victory point more and you cannot reach to get one or two yourself, you gain nothing even if you wipe off the enemy crew.

Lonely Nightmare

Finally one of the bigger models for Kingdom Death is ready. It's the Lonely Tree. So now that it's painted, I suppose it is safe to assume it won't be drawn from terrain deck ever again.

Thief in the night

Last game of round three for Vanguard campaign.

My twilight kin was against the basileans in this ones. Again my company was the aggressor. What can I say. Executrix Nirha just wants to wake up people.

Round was 175 points, and I had Executrix Nirha, Reaper Guards Nista and Holrotho, Quartermaster Poosk, Summoner Crone Catrul and Bruberdge the Butcher in my team, and was facing a million immortal Basileans. I might be exaggerating somewhat.

First round we had some missile action. A member of Basilean sisterhood shot Nista down right on the first attempt. By now no-one is surprised when it was this one particular crossbowyer who indeed is a force to be reckoned with.

Not to look any worse, Quartermaster Poosk did exactly same thing to some Basilean of which I don't recognize. Catrul ventures too deep into the forest, as she was easily caught into melee there. Fortunately I had packed a potion of haste to Butcher, and he was able to run into the woods and even take a swing with second action. And later even a forced fatigue swing. One grunt was down, but by then the woods were already flooded with panthers and paladins.

Poosk was being charged by veteran sister and another member of the enemy team, and she was struck down like a twig.

In terms of kills it was even, but then again, I had five models remaining and opponent had eight. Or nine, if you count the very sleepy commander.

Fortunately Catrul was adept at summoning Reapers, who stalled Basilean ranged brigade long enough for executrix Nirha to make a major breakthrough that was littered with Basilean corpses. Unfortunately Holrotho had perished, too. Citizen levy had also been an early casualty, so my warband was broken.

At least I passed nerve tests when it came to fleeing models. However the case, my model count was too low now to effectively search every tent. I might have had one go at the Basilean leader, but situation never came up. The commander was that sleepy headed.

I should probably have chosen to be the defender, because those couple early casualties really took a toll on my tent searching capability. As a defender I probably couldn't have stopped that tiny army of humans from ransacking my tents, but Nirha is quite the murder machine.

Post-game both Poosk and Holrotho received horrible scars and Nista made full recovery. Exploration phase was horrifying. My warband encountered a thief. And to make matters worse, that thief made off with two of my campaign golds. So I only got twelve coins from this round. But I try to think that maybe my warband survives this setback. Maybe...