Doggo knows some tricks

 Had a 35ss game of Malifaux over Vassal.

Strategy: Wedge Corrupted Idols

Schemes: Breakthrough, Assassinate, Claim Jump, Take Prisoner, Dig Their Graves

My list was:

Dr McMourning & Zombie Chihuahua
Sebastian
Corpse Curator
Flesh Construct + Killer Instinct
Guild Autopsy
Little Gasser

Stones: 3
Schemes: Dig Their Graves, Assassinate

Opponent had:

Youko Hamasaki & Chiyo Hamasaki
Bill Algren
Kabuki Warrior
2x Bunraku
Tanuki

 Stones: 1
Schemes: Take Prisoner (Corpse Curator), Breakthrough

Turn 1:

The map was... quite something for Corrupted Idols! First idol came to being from bottom table edge, which was kind of out of my reach as I had deployed in a nicely poisonable little clump in the middle. 

Sebastian did the Sebastian thing and spent 60% of my hand in the first activation. 

Chiyo and Bunraku were moving on top of the map and had two idol spawn location all for themselves when Youko owned a well-riddled Corpse Curator that I had brought on train within killing distance of Bill and Kabuki Warrior and Tanuki. 

McMourning had to activate and give Doctor's Orders for the Curator. Bill tried to challenge it and Kabuki Warrior lured it back into melee with Youko. 

One Bunraku was running to Corrupted Idol below, and remainder of my crew were crawling in forests and train platforms in the middle.

Turn 2:

Idol dropped in the middle.

Corpse Curator activated first and tried to plant a hazardous terrain over Youko, Bill and Tanuki but even with soulstone I had not been able to get a crows into my hand. And yes, it failed to do that naturally.

Kabuki Warrior surprisingly took a walk back and lured Corpse Curator past hazardous razor wire. Smells like prisoner.

I figured I would be able to try to start softening up Youko with Flesh Construct and afterwards heal with Blood Poisoning... but turned out that Bill Algren took the thing down with just two attacks. And even challenged Dr. McMourning when I was low on cards in my hand.

Feeling the need to keep Bill and Youko engaged, McMourning then charged Bill, scored three points in and would have killed Bill if it wasn't for the only soulstone Ten Thunders had available. I suppose Dr. McMourning didn't have proper yellow overalls and a katana. He also gave doctor's orders for Corpse Curator, because I suspected Take Prisoner. 

Bunraku on top came over train carriage platform and lured Corpse Curator next to it, so there was little I could do to stop Take Prisoner now.

Zombie Chihuahua ran next to Youko and unleashed its horrific odor. 

Youko did what you usually do when you're confronted by a mad doctor with bonesaw and an aggressive chihuahua chewing at your feet. She told the dog to play dead with her cutting words, and did the doggo know this trick! Proudly it demonstrated its skills for. All. Eternity. Next she starts asking riddles from Dr. McMourning. I guess along the lines of "Your dog just died but did I kill it?" 

Sebastian walks so so slooooowly on top of train carriage, and Bunraku below throws a Corrupted Idol to my side. Little Gasser charges Bill in hopes of trickling in some damage. Well, it failed, but at least there was now another source of horrific odor.

Chiyo cautiously walks towards my deployment zone, well past the center line. Deployment zones in the image are shown as flank, because the corners tell nicely where to put the strategy marker. Guild Autopsy goes to guard middle-down strategy spawn point.

Scarily enough, points go 0-2 for Ten Thunders and Resurrectionists are already down two models.

Turn 3:

Corrupted Idol enters play middle-down.

Because of number disparity, I really needed to start thinning down the Ten Thunders model count. McMourning managed to kill Bill after transplanting his distractions away to Little Gasser. 

Bunraku on top starts swinging at Corpse Curator and managed to stun it and shove it to the other side of the train. My plan had been to move it to cover Kabuki, Tanuki and Youko with Cursed Sludge. Then Little Gasser would have been able to place a scheme marker in anticipation of Dig Their Graves.

So, instead I secured my first strategy point with Guild Autopsy. 

Kabuki Warrior then comes and kills Little Gasser. I start spending my pass tokens, and Bunraku comes and kills Guild Autopsy. Chiyo runs to my deployment zone, and Sebastian lobs a flask of formaldehyde into the brawl in the middle.

Tanuki tries to heal Youko, and secretly I pray to whatever tyrant that is looking favorably over Dr. McMourning's ordeals - and yes, Tanuki heals only for one point. This meant that poison condition would bring Youko to assassination threshold. Then Tanuki charged McMourning and even did some damage before disengaging.

Scores even out to 2-2.

Turn 4:

Ten Thunders wins initiative, so Youko took a run away from the action. 

Sebastian charged Bunraku below, but caused only one wound in - but with poison. With catalyst, Bunraku would not be able to use risky manouvers to get out and toss my idol away. 

Kabuki Warrior did some impressive damage to Dr. McMourning.

Corpse Curator disengaged and charged Youko, no succeeding and once again I had no crows in my starting hand for hazardous terrain. At least one additional poison was caused.

Tanuki activated next to heal Youko, and doctor was not far away, swinging his bone saw. But Tanuki was able to dodge the attack.

Remaining Bunraku committed suicide by jumping off the train, running through razor wire, doing some risky maneuvers and finally tossing corrupted idol in the middle to my side. 

Scores go 2-4 when opponent gets Corrupted Idols and Breakthrough.

Turn 5:

Resurrectionists win initiative. I was pondering if I should activate Corpse Curator or McMourning first. I picked the wrong one, Corpse Curator. It finally places its first sludge marker during game, woohoo! Then it places scheme marker and tries to attack Youko. Looking back at the picture now at the time of writing I realize what I should have done instead - instead of useless attack at Serene Countenance model, it should have taken a little walk to block off Youko's escape. 

Now, she just ran away full speed nonstop. 

Sebastian tossed an Idol to Ten Thunders side and walked for a bit to deny Kabuki Warrior from running to deny him. Instead, Kabuki Warrior ran to engage Corpse Curator. 

McMourning disengages and of course that ABOMINABLE FREAKING FURRY COSPLAY UGLY HAT MONSTER shaves off two inches off of Dr. McMourning's movement. That was exactly enough to make it really difficult to get within clear 8" of Youko for a Focused Blood Poisoning.

Instead I resorted to moving away from Kabuki Warrior with Doctor's Orders and trying to transfer seven poison to her for a grand total of twelve, but it was not to be. 

Game ends 3-5 when opponent gets a point from Take Prisoner, and I get the strategy point.

All in all, I think Youko teaches an important lesson here. Remember kids, if you encounter a manic looking twitchy doctor in dark alley who wants to give you a new transplants free of charge, run. Each step is crucial. At most you'll have time for some backroom dealings along the way.