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.