Test brawl

 Had a 25 point game of Warmachine on Vassal. 

Brawlmachine format has been evading me for a while, but this is no longer the case. We played the Ignition scenario.

My list was:

 Asphyxious the Hellbringer [+24]
- Malice [15]
 - Nightwretch [7]
 - Slayer [10]
Machine Wraith [2]
Necrotech [2]
Pistol Wraith [5]
Cephalyx Overlords [8]

Opponent had:

 Bane Witch Agathia [+29]

 - Deathripper [6]

 - Desecrator [14]

 - Reaper [13]

 - Skarlock Thrall [4]

Bane Warriors (max) [16]

I chose to go second to start scoring. I felt the new and improved Bane Warriors of Agathia were oppressing, so as soon as I got the chance I slapped Calamity on them. Worth it? I don't know. I lost Nightwretch and entire unit of Cephalyx Overlords, but hey, Calamity!

Opponent had used feat on turn 2, but this didn't stop me from scoring two scenario points by walking my army far too close to enemy lines. This ended up with Desecrator shooting the cortex off of Malice, the loss of aforementioned models and even six points of damage to Asphyxious after using focus to mitigate damage.

But Asphyxious' forces survived, with fourteen focus on Asphyxious to boot. First Slayer activates to trample, and removes movement from enemy Reaper. Vociferon shoots a Hellfire to Reaper, and even Malice comes to take a focusless harpoon shot at it. And yet the thing survived with cortex and helldriver intact. 

Asphyxious charges to a group of nicely lined Bane Warriors, and manages to kill all five and still ended his turn with six focus. Pistol Wraith had been sitting on a flag, attempting to score points but now there was a Bane Warrior sitting within range to contest. The bane was shot.

It's turn 3, and Asphyxious leads the game by three points.

Now he just needed to survive a shot from Desecrator, three focus worth of attacks from Reaper and whatever Agathia would be able to deliver.

The heavy warjacks bring Asphyxious down to two focus remaining, plus half of his damage grid dusted off. It wouldn't be easy for Agathia to finish him, and eventually she didn't. And since there were no contesting models near Pistol Wraith, game ended in favor of Asphyxious.

Warmachine in Stopped Motion

 

This game was played a long time ago actually, many months ago. But it took me a great while to actually complete this video, but now it's here! Never mind the Warwitch Siren that I forgot to deploy!

Cornered Locations

One quick game of A Touch of Evil via Tabletop Simulator.

It was a continuation of our long running campaign with a friend.

This time we were up against the Necromancer, which I consider one of the more if not the most difficult encounters of the game. Especially with only two players. Because of this we took two extra investigation per hero from our campaign stash, and spent one investigation to draw two heroes and choose either one. 

We had some luck to receive Karl the Zombie Killer in our pool of heroes. Karl is especially good against the most frequent spawn of the Necromancer, the Walking Dead. They have four combat dice, but hit only on 6+, and Karl ignores first hit during every fight round.

Another character was Sara the Bright Witch. Initial plan was to make Karl invulnerable with her Aura of Protection.

But the very first zombie the heroes faced must have been an ancient warlord or something. It took over five fight rounds for Karl to carve through it, and he went to one wound remaining with Aura of Protection. I guess campaign rules caused bad karma, and game wanted to rob us of our resources right from the start.

Sara single-handedly beat her first zombie. She visited Manor and entered the Forgotten Island via secret passage. She drew a +3 combat pistol she couldn't use. But at least she'd be able to carry it for Karl, right? Right??

Yes and no. She managed to get knocked down as she tried to grind some investigation points to get Sacred Chalice. But the zombie guarding the Monastery was a cousin of the first zombie, and ate through Sara's Aura of Protection, leaving Sara knocked down with just one investigation point, a horse, and the pistol. 

On mystery phase she rolled 2 for lost investigation. She had lost it all, except for the magic pistol.

Karl visited Abandoned Keep, and after losing one investigation from a collapse, he found the Rogue's Rapier. 

These two visits to corner locations were the only times heroes were able to do it in this game. 

Such is the nature of the Necromancer.

But thanks to some lucky events and courses of action, Karl was able to afford silver bullets and pistol. He did receive -1 combat Devil's Mark. Coupled with the magic pistol from Sara and Magistrate Kroft, Karl sported ten fight dice once we started showdown. He had also managed to train his Spirit & Cunning to 8, unlike Sara. 

Sara's most accomplished deed over the course of the game was to bring magic pistol for Karl. In the showdown she also prevented a total of four wounds from Karl, so her contribution wasn't negligible. But she scored no wounds to the villain, and didn't succeed to kill Mayor Carver, the Shadow's Puppet, first time she tried with three dice and a re-roll. Second time with four dice and a re-roll she got through with her spell of death. 

Karl, however, did the dirty work. It was toughest showdown in a while - for two rounds victory hinged solely on a roll of 5+ if Necromancer killed Magistrate Kroft and brought Shadow Track to 0. He didn't, so heroes saved Shadowbrook from the most oppressive of villains. 

Campaign Statistics:

Villains defeated: Spectral Horseman, Vampire, Siren, Bog Fiend, Volgovian Nutcracker, Delion Dryad, Scarecrow, Krampus, Sunken Seven, Gargoyle, Banshee, Reaper, Dreamweaver, Werewolf, Unspeakable Horror, Necromancer

Villains still to be defeated: 2, +1 investigation vs Shadow Witch

Heroes dead: Katarina the Outlaw, Frederic Leon Brother Marcus, Anne-Marie, Lucy Hanbrook, Harlow Morgan, Scarlet Shadow, Maria de la Rosa, Thomas the Courier, Adrianna, Valeria, Jack Fellows, Argot Blackwell, Inspector Cooke, Isabella von Took & Liliana, Lost Soul
Heroes remaining: 8

Stashed investigation: 4

January Update

 I haven't had time for too many games lately, because of reasons. And probably won't for a little while.

However, now and then I've been able to snatch some time to paint.

Two quick models were both Hanged models for Resurrectionists in Malifaux. Nothing big there.

But it's been a while since I've done any terrain for my game table. I've expanded choices with a total of eight wooden walkways, two stretto bridges and villetta alessandra, a pretty much 3"x3" building. All of them are by TTCombat. 

Price tag for these terrain pieces isn't wasn't that high for EU customers, but then Brexit changed everything. There were some issues with stretto bridges and villetta balcone zaira (not shown in picture), but nothing that a proper file and clippers couldn't take care of. 

There we go.

Most Annoying Dog of All Ages

 Had a game of Malifaux over the Vassal platform. It was a 50 soul stone game, strategy Turf War and Wedge deployment. Scheme Pool: Claim Jump, Deliver a Message, Breakthrough, Vendetta, Outflank

My list was:

Hamelin & 3x Stolen
Nix (Claim Jump)
Benny Wolcomb
Hans with Servant of the Dark Powers
Rat Catcher
Rat King
Winged Plague
Malifaux Rat

Pool: 5
Schemes: Claim Jump, Outflank

Opponent had:

Jakob Lynch & Hungering Darkness
Kitty Dumont
Mr. Tannen
Mr. Graves
Tanuki
2x Illuminated
2x Depleted 

Pool: 2
Schemes: Breakthrough, Claim Jump

Turn 1:

Things started heating up right from the very first turn. Heralding Hans took all but one hit point off from Mr. Tannen far, far away. And it wasn't even severe damage (but double critical moderate.)

Mr. Graves on the other hand got to charge Hamelin as made possible by Kitty Dumont. 

Nix went to become an annoying nuisance to mid-field. Both players interacted two turf markers for them. Benny Wolcomb fails to make three more rats as I had already burnt through my applicable cards.

Turn 2:

Hans takes another shot at Mr. Tannen, killing him. This forced Tanuki to go and re-interact turf marker on the lower right back to Ten Thunders. A Rat Catcher accompanied Hans on the right side of the map, and he was just out of scoring a point from Outflank. Because of this I didn't even bring Winged Plague to outflank left.

A heck of a brawl turned loose in the middle, when Nix was joined by Rat King to contest the middle, and Hungering Darkness was reinforced with two Illuminated. 

Nix endured, and then Nix endured, and then Nix endured even more. The dog probably ate some Duracell batteries before it was transformed into an undead wraith by the eldritch energies of the underworld.

Illuminated were rather unremovable, too, and I didn't even bother with trying to attack Hungering Darkness.

Jakob Lynch and Depleted gave some damage to Hamelin, who was sitting at six hit points remaining right on the second turn. Good thing he still had 15 of them in the form of Stolen. Most of the damage came through Mr. Graves, however, who went down with three blows from the Black Staff. 

Benny Wolcomb is out of cards once more, but succeeds to summon three rats on his second action. Those were some costly rats. Both players score one point from strategy.

Turn 3:

Hans takes a shot at the comic relief that is Tanuki, and manages to shoot off five sixths of its health. Tanuki on the other hand savagely tears apart Malifaux Rat.

Melee in the middle is a farce. No-one manages to do anything, except getting loads of frustration from trying to kill Nix. More serious casualty was the loss of a Stolen through scintillating cloud.

Benny makes one more rat, who eventually form into another Rat King. 

Although eight models were removed one way or another, none of them were significant. Finally, however, Outcasts get to score Outflank.

Turn 4:

Opponent wins initiative with his seven pass tokens. Chances were he'd win even with a black joker. Because of this, Nix finally succumbs. But really. What a nightmare model to deal with. It caused opponent to spend at least 12 action points into directly trying to remove it, and on top of those is the way Nix dictated the game flow. Perhaps it was a mistake to slap Claim Jump on a model like Nix, as it's the most obvious choice for it but damn is he not good at staying!

Then Hans kills Tanuki, essentially gaining his points back.

Rat King in the middle survives either an Illuminated or Kitty Dumont with a cheated red joker, and is then used to summon a Rat Catcher. 

Another Stolen dies to a scintillating cloud, and then Lynch and Hungering Darkness try to remove Hamelin who is now at one hit point remaining. But the one Stolen survives attack by Hungering Darkness, so Hamelin has a safeguard against death for now.

Rat Catcher on the right takes a dive into enemy territory, wanting to interact with enemy turf. 

Summoned Rat King just hangs around near Outcast top-left turf, just in case.

Turn 5:

We did not play turn 5 in its entirety. Once it became apparent that opponent wouldn't be able to counteract my turfs and my outflank, we stopped. But still, the game was rather starved of victory points with scores being 4-2 for Outcasts.