Life Leeching Like a Pro

Had a 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.

Strategy: Wedge Guard the Stash

Scheme pool: Sabotage, Assassinate, Breakthrough, Public Demonstration, In Your Face

My list:

Kirai & Ikiryo
Datsue Ba
Lost Love
Jaakuna Ubume
Shikome
Gwisin
Onryo
Seishin

Stones: 8
Schemes: Sabotage, Breakthrough

Opponent had:

Titania2 & Gorar
Malisaurus Rex
2x Autumn Knight with Inhuman Reflexes
2x Waldgeist with Ancient Pact

Stones: 6
Schemes: In Your Face, Breakthrough

Turn 1:

For a wedge, first round was surprisingly peaceful. I brought Jaakuna Ubume, Grisin and Ikiryo to hang around the lower middle marker with Datsue Ba behind a wall, ready to go where needed. An Autumn Knight and Waldgeist were within a single walk distance of lower marker. Gorar was sitting in deployment zone.

Kirai summoned an Onryo that was nearly killed by another Autumn Knight. I thought it would be safe to place Lost Love with By Your Side to heal that Onryo, but I completely forgot how Malisaurus tramples over people. Saving Lost Love cost me Red Joker from my hand. Last Malisaurus uses tendrils to push the enforcer away from Protected range.

Upper middle marker had Autumn Knight contesting it, with Malisaurus and Titania close enough, so situation there was alarming.

Hired Onryo was going north, and Shikome went around 21" with the help of Seishin, high up on the board to close in with Sabotage target. A Waldgeist managed to charge Shikome and deal in a few points of damage.

Turn 2:

Neverborn gets Black Joker on initiative. The only way for me to win initiative in this matchup. 

Onryo manages to land no-heals on Malisaurus Rex and I vow to remove the thing this turn. And I did this via two attacks from Onryo, three attacks from Ikiryo, two spirit barrages from Kirai and a balanced sword and violent ghosts attack from Goryo. 

Or at least in my fantasies I did that. No, after all of that, the thing was still sitting with nine health remaining. There is a smiley for this somewhere. Oh yeah, here it is: 

(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

If we discount the Shielded+2 that was given to Malisaurus, five points of damage in total still was not impressive. Malisaurus kills Lost Love with two swings, and upper Autumn Knight kills the summoned Onryo.

Shikome disengages from Waldgeist and moves inside the building, but the thing just climbs over size 1 obstacle and continues to beat my minion. Hired Onryo disengages from Malisaurus and is trying to come to aid, but is still way too far to be of any help. 

Jaakuna Ubume had charged a championed Autumn Knight, and nearly killed herself. Datsue Ba also charges the knight, also getting her knife parried back. 

The Autumn Knight concentrates and tries to kill Jaakuna Ubume. She has focus from first turn, and I have two cards left in my deck. I suddenly realize I still got Red Joker coming, so she uses focus for defense. 

Gwisin had charged the lower Waldgeist to offer Take the Hit for Jaakuna, but I completely forgot about that ability until it was too late.

Both players score strategy for 1-1.

Turn 3:

Titania heals Malisaurus and lower Autumn Knight. Goryo tries to deny heals for the rex but fails. Malisaurus kills Ikiryo before she gets to activate and after rampage even manages to land a hit on Kirai.

 Situation in the middle was unbearable, but at least I lucked out with Shikome - she flipped Red Joker for damage on Waldgeist, and was able to interact a scheme marker with her second action. 

Onryo takes a double walk to control enemy top strategy marker. This probably triggered Gorar to come upwards, yet not close enough to deny Onryo's control. Lower Waldgeist disengages and runs past center line to my side. 

Gwisin was now free to advance and interact a scheme marker to enemy deployment zone.

Datsue Ba wastes her entire activation against Autumn Knight. Autumn Knight manages to land one hit against Jaakuna Ubume, and fortunately leaves her alive with one health. 

Seishin moves Kirai to contest my top marker from Malisaurus, and then Urami master uses shears on the beast rather effectively. At the end of the turn Malisaurus is down to four health.

Upper Autumn Knight tosses Goryo away and tries to challenge Kirai with proper suit, but since challenging is an attack action, it was transferred to Seishin instead. 

Opponent scores In Your Face from killing Ikiryo, and I get Breakthrough and strategy for 3-2 for Resurrectionists.

Turn 4:

Titania started by healing stuff, but at least there was so much stuff that needed healing that all of them didn't pile up on Malisaurus Rex. Goryo puts no-heal on Malisaurus and charges in for a few points of damage. Autumn Knight charges Kirai who now had seven health. Kirai puts both attacks and challenge on Goryo although this empties my entire hand.

Kirai then manages to shear Malisaurus down to one health. One health! With Kirai having Life Leech, that was a death sentence that came to fruition as one of the last activations. Phew! Was this the first time I succeeded to kill Malisaurus? (Well, yes it was, but I've faced it only thrice)

Gorar tries to kill Onryo but fails while Onryo succeeds to remove Titania's totem.

Jaakuna has the time to use Drowning Aura, but since both Autumn Knights had Inhuman Reflexes this didn't help much - it just charged over Jaakuna and she died to Blade Rush. 

Datsue Ba... yeah. This was the second turn in a row when she failed every single action, and the round before that she managed to take a few points of damage in herself while not dishing out any herself. 

Shikome goes to place a scheme marker close enough my selected sabotage building and within enemy deployment zone. Gwisin interacts a marker to enemy deployment and walks to contest lower middle marker. So it was no strategy points for anyone. However, Breakthrough for me put the game 4-2 for Resurrectionists.

Turn 5:

Titania kills Onryo from enemy top marker and probably caused the death of summoned Goryo. Datsue Ba manages to kill the damnable Autumn Knight, finally!

Waldgeist below comes and takes a charge at Kirai, landing her away from contesting strategy.

Gwisin removes enemy scheme marker and runs to contest bottom-right marker. We did not continue beyond this since it was clear that Kirai would go to contest strategy marker and Shikome would do the same and spawn a scheme marker in enemy deployment zone, getting final score to whopping 6-2. 

But yeah, the game was way tougher than score indicates. When turn three was starting I was sure I'd lose. 

Hybrid Warmachine

 Had a 50 point game of... Warmachine, I guess?

With the advent of Mk4, we wanted to give the new ruleset a try. However, available unit cards were few and far between, so we did a sort of a hybrid run. This means that absolutely nothing can be said about the balance of the game, only how the new ruleset feels and plays.

So, we played with the new rules but with old cards. No command cards either. Any AoE attacks would be 2, and blast damage halved rounded up +1. Max unit size 6, able to split a full ten sized unit into two units of five.

Based on this game, new core rules are okay. Game still feels familiar and Warmachiney. Unit movement was the most noticeable change. Lack of facing was the next one on the line, and that's actually the only thing that bothers me. The game has been streamlined so much in other parts that I don't see a reason why facing had to be removed. If back strike bonus was too strong it could have just been removed altogether. Two inches of melee range on a 50mm base is enormous engagement range - let alone on 80mm or 120mm.

But this was just one game with incorrect model rules. This meant that Unstoppable didn't exist at all, which is a rule that certainly mitigates the effectiveness of 360 degree engagement range. 

My list:

Cryx

Asphyxious the Hellbringer [+24]
 - Erebus [13]
 - Inflictor [11]
 - Ripjaw [6]
 - Slayer [10]
Bane Lord Tartarus [5]
Ragman [3]
Swamp Gobber River Raider [1]
Warwitch Siren [3]
Black Ogrun Boarding Party (min) [7]
Black Ogrun Ironmongers [5]
Soulhunters (min) [10]

Opponent had:

Cygnar

Major Beth Maddox [+30]
- Firefly [7]
 - Hammersmith [12]
 - Ironclad [12]
 - Ironclad [12]
 - Lancer [8]
Black 13th Strike Force [7]
Rangers [7]
Stormguard Infantry (max) [15]

Scenario was Reinforcements from the new rulebook.

Cygnar started, and formed a long front with warjacks on the left, Stormguards in the middle and rangers and Black 13th on right.

Cryx was running as a one huge blob in the middle with Soul Hunters and Black Ogrun Boarding Party positioned to flank from right. 

Firefly managed to fry Ragman with electro leap. This was first time I used Ragman in years. Not impressed with him, I must say. Entire unit of Boarding Party was shot dead. Stormguards formed a screen for Cygnaran warjacks. Behind them were the light jacks, with heavies forming the third line.

Cryx loaded all helljacks to full and started carving through Cygnaran infantry. 

Inflictor opens and Asphyxious (who uses feat) open up a charge lane for Erebus to get to Cygnaran light warjacks. Damage and attack rolls are on the poor side, but both jacks are at least stationary. Tartarus joins the fight and evens out the bad rolls of Erebus - Firefly falls to three hit boxes left, with cortex gone. Tartarus kills a Stormguard with last attack as I thought immovable 40mm base essentially acted as a protection for me.

Slayer and Vociferon kill the last Stormguards. Asphyxious received eight souls from the swans.

Soulhunters go incorporeal and charge Black 13th. Incorporeal charges seem a bit obnoxious with the new unit movement rules. People die, and the cavalry repositions to engage as many targets as possible.

Blocking enemy heavies' charge lane with stationary Firefly proved far more effective than I ever hoped for - only Erebus was destroyed, pretty much. Two Soulhunters were also removed.

Much to Asphyxious' disappointment, Cygnaran focus had only amounted to three additional souls. Only eighteen focus to use, boo hoo. So... after Tartarus, Asphyxious, Inflictor, Slayer and Iron Mongers, Cygnar was down to one Ironclad. And that was mostly because Slayer had botched its rolls. 

Asphyxious was in the front, but had a focus camp of seven. He had also cast Cloak of Ash on himself.

Although that didn't help against Ironclad. Who managed to land a knockdown hit. Next came almost fully loaded Beth Maddox raining death on Asphyxious - but thanks to his focus camp he survived with around six boxes remaining. 

Tartarus took Cygnaran warcaster down with just one hit.

Once a king now a beggar

 Played a game of Carcassonne again. It was five players.

Early in the game I took a risky decision concerning a few farmers - three, in fact - and it was a gamble that didn't pay off. The fields looked really promising, but in the end the important field I "stole" with two farmers gave me one city worth of points. Third farmer got absolutely nothing because I never got a piece to expand to neighboring fields...

To make my matters worse, I ended up in a situation where I had zero workers left. I don't remember where I actually placed the last one, but I thought it was worth the risk involved. I had like three different spots that would give workers back to me. Needless to say, I never got those. Or the piece to expand my farm.

What I did get was monasteries, endless, endless monasteries where I couldn't place workers at all. 

There may have been some lessons learned.

Saving Private Vasquez

 A 50ss game of Malifaux.

Strategy: Corner Plant Explosives

Scheme pool: Assassinate, Dig Their Graves, Power Ritual, Take Prisoner, Hold Up Their Forces

My list was:

Douglas McMourning2, Insanitary & Zombie Chihuahua
Sebastian
Rafkin
Flesh Construct with Killer Instinct
Gravedigger with Killer Instinct
Guild Autopsy
2x Canine Remains

Stones: 6
Schemes: Dig Their Graves, Take Prisoner on a Showgirl

Opponent had:

Colette Du Bois & 3x Mechanical Doves
Carlos Vasquez
Cassandra Felton
Angelica Durand
2x Coryphee
Mannequin
2x Showgirl

Stones: 1
Schemes: Dig Their Graves, Power Ritual

Turn 1:

I had my suspicion that going McMourning2 without Kentauroi to corner deployment wouldn't be the most effective course of action, but I did it anyway because I thought maybe +2 Mv from extra legs compensated. 

Reduse, Reuse, Recycle seems to be an insane ability, though. It was only first turn and I was already swimming in corpses. Flesh Construct and Sebastian received extra legs, and Sebastian summoned third Canine Remains. 

But yeah, these shenanigans came at a price. By the end of turn I got only Gravedigger (going bottom left), Guild Autopsy (going top-right) and Flesh Construct (going middle) out of the bottom-right quarter. 

Carlos Vasquez got moved all over the board and was finally able to bottleneck my crew with a pyre marker. Angelica seemed to be going bottom-left, and since one Showgirl already interacted one scheme marker to enemy's deployment corner, it was pretty clear opponent had Power Ritual.

Coryphees are speeding towards top-right, carrying explosive tokens and well, the Power Ritual thing too.

Cassandra, Mannequin, Vasquez and Colette are about there in the middle. They placed one scheme marker in the middle, to which Flesh Construct went into base contact with Deadly Pursuit.

Turn 2:

McMourning moves a little, gifts Flesh Construct with a spare head and a Canine Remains with extra skin, or whichever the terrain marker removal upgrade was. 

Vasquez charges Sebastian, and nearly kills my henchman with a 2/3/3 damage track. Pffft. Sebastian lost his new pair or legs right away, and I even used a soulstone to protect him.

Flesh Construct all but butchers Cassandra Felton in two hits. In fact the performer henchman would have died if it wasn't for opponent's only soulstone that blocked three damage. One action went to drop explosives.

Mannequin repairs Cassandra for five points, who then picks up Flesh Construct's explosive. Colette then lobs Flesh Construct away with False Reality. My three action point beater minion was looking a little sad with Stunned (no bonus actions for third action point) and Slow (same), Distracted and Burning.

Sebastian botches his entire activation against Carlos. Opponent forgets all about butterfly jump, which at this point worked to his advantage - I was burning futile action points at the henchman. Canine Remains was actually the only model that managed to do damage - and it was a very decent three points plus two no less. 

Angelica didn't quite get to bottom-left corner just yet, but Gravedigger managed to place a safe strategy marker.

I had charged the hazardous Canine Remains somewhere in an attempt to delay the healing process of Cassandra. Instead, Showgirls lured it away from the middle, right next to a scheme marker. Coryphee then butchers the pup and reveals Dig Their Graves. 

1-2 for Arcanists at this point.

Turn 3:

My biggest mistake was to get completely fixated on killing Carlos Vasquez, who was down to two health remaining. McMourning walked, interacted a scheme and charged Carlos, but failed his attack and now Carlos started sting like a butterfly and move like a bee. All those corpses and not yet even a single extra Flesh Construct... 

Next Gravedigger tries to do the same, interact a scheme and then charge Carlos. Failed again. Blinded by bloodthirst, also Sebastian charged Carlos even if I wouldn't get Dig Their Graves because he had butterfly jumped again away from my scheme. But, Sebastian continued to fail. 

I could have either tried to block the Mannequin train from half the board away with Guild Autopsy, but decided to score second strategy point instead. As a result, Carlos was healed for three. 

Cassandra with Colette's choreographies brought the healer for emergency repairs after stunned, distracted and slow Flesh Construct had projective vomited a little. 

I don't remember what else Colette did other than choreographies. 

Angelica and Coryphee placed schemes in opposite centerline corners, and the other Coryphee went top-right to plant explosives. Situation certainly did not look good when opponent revealed Power Ritual for 2-4 lead for Arcanists.

Turn 4:

McMourning uses Desperate Plot on Sebastian, getting rid of one of my own scheme markers for an extra head. Then he summons a Flesh Construct and starts to walk to a scoring position.

Gravedigger interacts a marker now that there were no 4" limitations, charged Mannequin with a Red Joker and killed it with Accidental Roll Over. Finally, Dig Their Graves! 

Sebastian interacts a scheme next to a corpse marker and walks into the river. Angelica plants another scheme to bottom-left corner and comes to engage Sebastian.

Colette becomes a big meanie when she buries my extra enhanced Flesh Construct with Sword Trick and goes and collects my explosive. 

Guild Autopsy did a rather impressive job at surviving two Coryphees and a Showgirl attack. Unfortunately the Showgirl that charged in was my Take Prisoner target, so looked like no prisoners for me this game. However, summoned Flesh Construct and Guild Autopsy manage to kill one Coryphee in its entirety, Mannequins included. 

My super Flesh Construct takes two walks and charges the other Showgirl. 

Scores go 3-5 for Arcanists, and next turn I'd have one hell of a job to get a draw. At least Carlos died to poison.

Turn 5:

Miraculously enough, McMourning and Sebastian manage to plant their explosives, securing me third strategy point. Rafkin demonstrated how to use lucky knife on an enemy henchman with two or three health remaining, killing Cassandra and removing one enemy strategy marker.

Gravedigger also places one scheme and removes one enemy scheme. 

Colette walks to place fifth Arcanist strategy, so there was little hope for me denying their last point. Unlikely heroic efforts by both Flesh Constructs succeed in removing last Coryphee and its spawns, with deadly pursuit bringing Flesh Construct close enough Showgirl for Take Prisoner.

So in the end it was a tough 6-7 game that Arcanists won.

Questionable Methods

A 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.

I've been suffering some weird sickness that I was - and almost am - 100% certain is Covid but it refuses to give positive result on a test. It started with a wrecking, dry cough and kept 38-39 celsius degrees of fever for a few days, and I just came back from a trip where I had a prolonged contact with a person who tested negative after positive exposure. 

So it's kind of a mystery, this disease. But at least it inspired me to pick my keyword.

Strategy: Flank Carve a Path

Scheme pool: Sabotage, Load 'Em Up, Public Demonstration, Spread Them Out, Leave Your Mark

My list:

Hamelin2 & 3x Stolen
Nix
Benny Wolcomb
Yannic Waller (Demonstration)
Disease Containment Unit (Demonstration)
Winged Plague (Demonstration)
2x Catalan Rifleman

Stones: 6
Schemes: Public Demonstration, Sabotage

Opponent had:

Lucius Mattheson2 & Scribe
Alan Reid
Klaus Norwood
Doppleganger
Investigator
Guild Lawyer
Changeling

Stones: 7
Schemes: Sabotage, Spread Them Out

Turn 1:

I goofed up the deployment a little, I somehow ended up with Hamelin, all Stolen and Winged Plague in the bottom end of my deployment, and the remaining models top. I also misplaced Nix so that he had to walk and interact with a strategy marker instead of the other way around. Yannic, Riflemen and Disease Containment Unit prepared scheme markers for Benny who did bring four rats in. But then Lucius appeared out of nowhere and punched one rat dead. One of the riflemen had also interacted with Nix's strategy marker, so it was almost at the center line now.

Opponent on the other hand managed to bring both markers to my side.

Changeling, Doppleganger and Lucius were coming from top. Klaus and Investigator were near middle, free to go anywhere they liked. Guild Lawyer and Scribe had barely left deployment zone, and Alan Reid was coming at Hamelin and his kids.

Turn 2:

Klaus boldly charged in to the middle of my troops, pressed Rifleman for information, dealing three damage and dropping a scheme marker. This left a juicy spot for Nix to charge Lucius and use Loose Bowels, catching Lucius, Changeling and Doppleganger inside the aura.

Changeling, however, took Doppleganger by the hand and walked her away from the aura. Then it charged Nix, dealing a point of damage.

Disease Containment Unit interacted a scheme marker next to Lucius, used Rapid Response to get Nix back to offering Loose Bowels for Doppleganger.

After opponent waited for my hand to run empty, Doppleganger attacked Nix and managed to Stagger him, also dealing a couple of points of damage.

I tried to attack Changeling with Winged Plague to hopefully have it fail a duel, but it was not to be. Lucius killed Nix, and used bonus action on someone to kick strategy marker close to my deployment zone.

A Catalan Rifleman pushed my strategy marker near to hopefully unreachable arena, in top-left quarter.

Benny failed all of his actions horribly, but at least ate away the Klaus's scheme marker. A couple Stolen succeeded to bring the henchman down to four health remaining, though.

Alan Reid got scared of Hamelin and backtracked a little, putting a scheme marker behind a building outside of Hamelin's LoS. Guild Investigator walked to center line and interacted a scheme marker, which Hamelin transformed into a rat. 

I didn't have to do anything at all to score Public Demonstration and both players scored strategy. 2-1 lead for Outcasts.

Turn 3:

This turn could be summarized as: opponent placed a lot of schemes and I removed them all. (The third scheme in the picture is because opponent had already placed it for fourth turn before I took the picture.)

Short story long: Rat King ate a marker, Klaus put a marker that Benny ate, Investigator placed a marker that Catalan Rifleman ate, Hamelin ate the marker that Alan Reid had placed turn before and punted my strategy marker to opponents table half. 

Lucius makes a nasty activation that kills both Winged Plague and Yannic Waller - both before they were able to activate. Disease Containment Unit manages to fry Klaus a bit.

Neither player reveals schemes, so it's still a 3-2 lead for Outcasts.

Turn 4:

Lucius barely fails to kill Rat King, so the King decrowned itself and brought along a Rat Catcher.

A Catalan rifleman runs to top-left corner to remove Neverborn scheme marker, but that was not wise thing to do. Lawyer obeys Doppleganger to Catalan Rifleman, and then Doppleganger interacts twice - once for scheme marker and once to kick my strategy marker back to my side. 

Benny sure enough eats even more markers, but takes a run towards the forest I had as my sabotage target and places a scheme marker.

Rat Catcher can't disengage, so Changeling is free to go and place a scheme marker on my deployment zone.

Disease Containment Unit takes a run towards Alan Reid to score end condition of Public Demonstration next turn, and another Catalan Rifleman transfers a strategy marker to Neverborn deployment.

Then, uh, starts the interrogation.

Investigator interrogates a rat. 

Twice.

Which lands two scheme markers. Madness thrives in Malifaux, what else there is to say.

Hamelin can't remove enough markers, so opponent is able to score both of his schemes and strategy while I get nothing. 3-5 lead for Neverborn.

We did not play last turn as I would have likely got two point, while opponent would also get at least two with realistic chances for three.