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.