Flying Exploding Super Rat

Had a 50 soulstone game of Malifaux.

My list:

Hamelin & Stolen
Nix
Johan Creedy
Obedient Wretch
Rat Catcher with Servant of Dark Powers
Rat King
5x Malifaux Rats

Schemes: Sabotage, Runic Binding

Pool: 5

Opponent had:

Asami & Amanjaku
Ama No Zako
Ohaguro Bettari
Shadow Emissary
Akaname
Yokai
Katashiro

Schemes: Breakthrough, something

Pool: 7

Strategy was Recover Evidence.

I forgot to take that many pictures, so my memory might be a bit hazy from the first rounds. I suppose I was so preoccupied with how my crew even worked.

Turn 1

But that much I remember that enemy Katashiro ran rather close to my side, close enough for Obedient Wretch to take a walk and throw a rat at it. And what a rat it was! Damage flip was a red joker, which killed the Katashiro instantly, which in turn dropped a strategy marker.

I transformed one Stolen into rats, and walked my five original rats and concentrated with them. Then the herald Rat Catcher walked a bit, did a scheme marker and pulled the bunch of rats closer.

Opponent summoned an Obsidian Oni, and while it did arrive in a nasty place I was able to use Hamelin's Unclean Influence to tie the golem up with three rats. That was three dead rats and a burning Rat Catcher.

Ama No Zako charged Hamelin and dealt three points of damage. Hamelin tried to remove the oni henchman with less than inspiring results.

Turn 2

My Rat Catcher was doomed, and in the end gave its strategy marker to opponent. Ama No Zako took a second round of beating from Johan Creedy, who managed to kill the thing. Nix gobbled up its strategy marker.

Due to some serious misjudging I double walked Hamelin deep into enemy side and put a scheme marker. Which in any case would only catch two enemy models into Runic Binding. Oh well.

Turn 3

I manage to bring the Shadow Emissary down to one hit point remaining.

Because of my "clever" use of scheme markers, I decided to ditch Runic Binding completely and use one of my schemes for Rat King to gnaw. It was then able to climb on top of a black box and killed an Akaname that was skulking there.

Hamelin had an impressive turn in surviving. Sure, I used four of my five soulstones in protecting him. But still he survived Jorogumo, Asami, Yokai and Ohaguro.

Obedient Wretch nibbles an enemy strategy marker, bringing points 2-1 to Outcasts favor.

Turn 4

Rat King consumes enemy strategy marker. With great toil and trouble Hamelin is finally killed enough to remove one Stolen from game. Nix succeeds to kill Shadow Emissary. Yokai and Ohaguro Bettari fail to remove Johan Creedy from board. After opponent ran out of activations we decided not to continue game as Ten Thunders had fallen so far behind that even draw was out of question.

I'm... quite certain that this is not how a game with Hamelin is supposed to go. I got to summon exactly one (1) extra Malifaux Rat (not counting the sacrificing of a Stolen), and there Hamelin was - personally involved in melee combat from turn two. Or one, if you count the charge from Ama No Zako.

The loss of Katashiro so early was a blow to Ten Thunders. But I think the game was decided by Hamelin soaking up majority of enemy activations against the odds. Although perhaps Coughing Fit gives Hamelin some surprising extra staying power. I don't know. I just hope that by this game's example I won't run Hamelin into middle of enemy crew because it happened to work so well this time in future games.