Sunday, September 25, 2022

Welcome to Greatest Show on Ear... Somewhere

 A 50ss game of Malifaux.

Strategy: Standard Cursed Objects

Schemes: Leave Your Mark, Load 'Em Up, Vendetta, Public Demonstration, In Your Face

My list:

Seamus with Whisper & Copycat Killer
Madame Sybelle
Mortimer
Bete Noire with Grave Spirit Touch
2x Rotten Belle
2x Dead Dandy

Stones: 3
Schemes: Load 'Em Up (scheme), Public Demonstration (Belles & Dandies)

Opponent had:

Colette Dubois & 3x Mechanical Doves
Cassandra Felton
Carlos Vasquez
Angelica Durand
Coryphee Duet
2x Showgirl
Mannikin

Stones: 1
Schemes: In Your Face, Leave Your Mark

Turn 1:

Dead Dandy and a Rotten Belle try to flank from the right where Colette and Vasquez were with Mortimer somewhere in between those two and my main Redchapel blob. Rotten Belle was a little too effective at engaging enemy henchmen and/or leaders - Showgirl lured her a bit forwards, and right next Vasquez beat her down to one health and a ton of burning remaining. 

Copycat Killer was sent in from the left to offer free reign for Seamus on that flank. Well, Coyphee Duet came to butcher the little totem with just one charge attack.

At least Seamus managed to land in a severe injury to Coryphees before they were off to their business. 

My main blob in the middle was Madame, Seamus and Bete Noire farther up the board, followed closely by another Rotten Belle and Dead Dandy. Mortimer was trying to find a purpose for his existence after dropping a corpse marker for Bete Noire's Blasphemous Ritual. But as of now he was just standing alone, not near enough to support middle or right. 

A Showgirl, Angelica, Cassandra and Mannequin were somewhat hindered by terrain, or maybe they were just hiding from Seamus' gun. 

But yeah, losing two models first turn when already being outnumbered was a little worrisome for me.

Turn 2:

Come round two, all hell broke loose. It was like both crews were tossed in a blender and shuffled around the board.

Dead Dandy on the right was first to activate and decided to pick up his shoes and quietly backtrack away from Vasquez. 

I didn't want any foul trickery to cause Mannequin to activate close enough to Coryphee Duet to do any healing, so Seamus activated, walked for a bit, concentrated and shot the thing down and still finding time to plant a scheme marker within 1" of center point.

Colette Presto-Chango'ed Mortimer next to herself and a Showgirl past the centerline, safe from any current threats. A Mechanical Dove casually Red Jokers damage on Mortimer. Damn those birds are terrifying, since this wasn't the first time they were doing serious damage. Soon I will overestimate the threat they offer.

Anyway, Cassandra Felton enters mid-field aided by Angelica, takes away my scheme and places her own. Dead Dandy rushes forward to make that scheme into a corpse. 

Mortimer makes a zombie and tries to attack Carlos with meager results, except triggering Butterfly Jump. Carlos then breathes a pyre marker on Seamus.

Showgirl then lures Dead Dandy into the pyre.

Madame Sybelle tanks Coryphee Duet but not Mechanical Dove. She also lashed a couple points of damage to the Duet.

Bete Noire attacks Angelica Durand and while she makes decent amount of damage, she is thrown off the stage next to showgirl that had originally been placed to where Mortimer started turn.

What a confusing turn, with a lot of scheme marker planted and almost as many scheme markers taken away. Rotten Belle was my last model to activate and she ran as close to Cassandra as possible.

Scores go 0-2 for Resurrectionists from strategy and Public Demonstration.

Turn 3:

Third round things became even more chaotic.

Bete Noire kills showgirl with bonus attack from trail of gore, walks and interacts a scheme. Dead Dandy on the right takes a double walk and uses proper murder mystery on a corpse marker.

Cassandra spent time loaning pyre markers from Vasquez and breathing fire of her own on Dandy and Rotten Belle. Catastrophic news is that Seamus now touches two pyre markers. 

Coryphee Duet moves a bit with Angelica's help, splits itself and the active Coryphee walks behind a wall to lock Seamus in place. 

Seamus must activate, and he concentrates to get rid of distracted. Then he takes a swing at the engaging Coryphee, which results in a kill. And then he has to do it again with the ensuing Mannequin. Finally he is free to deny Performers from scoring Leave Your Mark! Oh wait, no he can't - another Dead Dandy had formed a scheme marker out of a corpse a bit earlier.

Oh well. He then just takes a walk away from the hazardous markers with only Burning +8!

The other Coryphee wrecks Dead Dandy, securing opponent a strategy point.

Colette Presto-Changos Carlos (who I think wasted his activation in fighting Mortimer ineffectually) and Rotten Belle and then uses False Reality to place Mortimer in between those dreadful pyre marker. 

Madame had probably been attacking Coryphee Duet.

Mortimer charges a dove and digs up a zombie.

Opponent reveals Leave Your Mark and both of us had strategy this round, so scores go 2-3 for Resurrectionists.

Turn 4:

Mortimer goes to spawn a scheme marker up there somewhere, but is then Presto-Changoed back to the action and Cassandra goes right next to my precious scheme marker. 

It was either Cassandra of Vasquez who put another pyre marker on Seamus. Will this never end?!

Madame Sybelle kills Angelica Durand for a strategy point and somehow ends up in the forest. 

But at least two .5 pint halflocks later Cassandra is no more. But Seamus sits at Burning +10, which I think is my personal burning record.  Dead Dandy comes to assist some burning off of Seamus and turns a corpse into a sixth scheme marker on opponent's table side. 

Bete Noire takes a deep dive into middle and hits Colette for half of her damage as well as removing arcanist scheme marker that was within 4" of center point.

Carlos and Mannequin had placed scheme markers to secure Leave Your Mark end condition.

Scores go 3-5 since both scored strategy and Resurrectionists also got Load 'Em Up.

Turn 5:

Last turn Seamus got a little too effective. First he shot Showgirl dead for my last strategy point, loaded up a corpse into his gun and shot Colette off the board. Not dead, mind you, just buried. This wasn't especially clever since she had already activated and I would've needed her on board to score Public Demonstration.

Opponent kills Mortimer after Seamus' dubious performance and of course I had brought him close enough for opponent to score In Your Face.

I couldn't remove scheme markers from opponent, but at least Seamus was easily within range of Load 'Em Up.

Scores jump to 6-7, quite a catch-up for Arcanists.

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