Ngaatoro's contacts

 A 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.

Strategy: Corner Cursed Objects

Schemes: Assassinate, Load 'Em Up, Secret Meetup, Hidden Martyrs, Sabotage

My list:

Kirai & Ikiryo
Datsue Ba with Grave Spirit Touch
Jaakuna Ubume
Lost Love
Shikome with Killer Instinct
Gwisin
2x Seishin

Pool: 7
Schemes: Secret Meetup (Shikome and Mr. Ngaatoro), Hidden Martyrs (Lost Love & Gwisin)

Opponent had:

Lucas McCabe, Tomb Delver & Luna
Sidir Alchibal
Jessie Halliway
Mr. Ngaatoro
Rough Rider
Cryptologist
Ruffian
Hopeful Prospect

Pool: 3
Schemes: Secret Meetup (Mr. Ngaatoro & Gwisin), Hidden Martyrs (Rough Rider & Ruffian)

Turn 1:

Well, uh. I had originally planned to walk Shikome and Ikiryo a bit forward with Seishins and whatnot, but somewhere along the way both Seishins gave Kirai a walk. She walked into safety behind the Secret Meetup building in the middle, summoned a Goryo and tried focus it, but shielded it instead. 

Idea was to delay Explorers' movements and give an incentive for Mr. Ngaatoro to step forward. 

Goryo didn't do much except soak up damage and deal like two points to Rough Rider.. Lost Love had to teleport to heal Goryo.

Gwisin ran to take the hit for Lost Love and Kirai. Datsue Ba gave a walk for Shikome, who walked and charged Rough Rider for a couple points of damage more. Perfectly softened up roughness.

Remainder of my crew wasn't set up as perfectly. Because my Seishins had gone wild with Kirai, Ikiryo, Jaakuna and Datsue Ba were walking so, so slowly towards action. Well, as slowly as Movement 6 incorporeal models in severe terrain can move. 

In fact, looking at the picture it's almost as if McCabe made much faster progress despite messing up Ride With Me shenanigans. 

Sidir and Mr. Ngaatoro brought Goryo down to three health remaining. McCabe dug up a Timeworn Blade and it kept getting tossed around Explorers, finally landing on Jessie. 

All the explorers were in a blob, which is usually nice when you got blasts around, but this time a size 3 overwalk was dividing the crew more than horizontal distance. 

Mr. Ngaatoro was exactly where I wanted with the wounded Rough Rider nearby. Jessie was also there, making Urami attack actions less effective with McCabe's aura. That was the first wave, second wave was everything else that was gravitating toward bottom-right quarter.

Turn 2:

Nearly dead Rough Rider rode away from the melee, healing himself for three. He then started taking shots at Goryo. Not ideal, but at least the horse did not run completely away from action - I was planning on getting my curse token discarded from it.

Everything was fine and dandy until Jaakuna Ubume went into full Karen-mode and asked for the manager after screaming out her lungs. She didn't actually manage anything, but the manager McCabe took a walk and sprayed her twice with pepper spray. 

Lost Love teleported to heal Jaakuna, and she admitted that maybe she overreacted a bit. Seishin gave her a walk action to move outside of Sidir's machine gun range. 

After some artifact juggling Sidir moved and shot Jaakuna with a machine gun, making exemplary work on how to deal with frustrating customers. Fortunately Jaakuna did not die.

Goryo that had been summoned last turn was shot off the board by Jessie. I could not take the risk of Mr. Ngaatoro charging Shikome, perhaps in an odd angle and getting away from secret meetup. Gwisin walked and charged the big bully. 

Ruffian, Mr. Ngaatoro himself and Cryptologist eventually remove the second Goryo. I had poured everything I could at the wounded Rough Rider, but only managed to bring it down to three health remaining. 

I had to make my gambit - Datsue Ba walked forward and bought masks and extra card to try and give Shikome a free charge at Rough Rider. Things went unexpectedly well and the rider died instantly, leaving my Secret Meetup model to get back to within 3" of Mr. Ngaatoro and the house. 

Which she did. 

Then came the surprise - both players revealed Secret Meetup. Mr. Ngaatoro had double booked a meetup with Gwisin and Shikome.

Explorers also revealed Hidden Martyrs, which gave them a 2-3 lead. 

Turn 3:

And then we get a messy, messy turn. 

Sidir shoots Jaakuna dead and scores a blast that damages Ikiryo and Lost Love.

I set my aim on Ruffian and charge it with Shikome. Attacks don't do much because the swagger had stacked some focus. 

I try to bring Ikiryo to charge Ruffian, but mess up a few things and end up in melee with Mr. Ngaatoro. Lucas charges Ikiryo back and a weird dance ensues where Gwisin is placed here and there with Take the Hit. In the end it doesn't help much as McCabe scores ample supply of rams, dealing some automatic points of damage with the trigger. 

But the jumping around opened up line of sight for Kirai to shoot Ruffian. She managed to kill Ruffian with two action points, so she planted a scheme for Secret Meetup end condition. Jessie, however, avenges Ruffian in a terrifying way. I had ran out of cards in my hand, so Kirai was vulnerable. Jessie scored a harpoon hit against her and drags my master into melee with unactivated Mr. Ngaatoro.

I had wanted to give a walk for Datsue Ba with Seishins, but I didn't feel like I got the time for that. Datsue walked and weighed Mr. Ngaatoro's sins - and they were grave indeed. Red Joker brought Mr. Ngaatoro to one health point remaining, which combined rather nicely with Kirai's life leech. Disaster averted.

Lost Love heals Kirai for a bit and Seishins walk forwards.

Mr. Ngaatoro has to activate and die.

Both players get strategy for scores of 3-4. 

Turn 4:

Carnage just continues. 

Lucas places a scheme to secret meetup building and charges Kirai. Gwisin obviously takes those hits, because Kirai was at four health remaining. Gwisin dies to the attacks, and even Kirai takes a point from rams. Finally McCabe tosses Phantasmal Mask for Jessie. 

I expected Kirai to die this round, so she went all-in and summoned both a Goryo to center and Ikiryo to Cryptologist, whom I had to kill this turn for strategy point. 

Lastly she walked a little to get Datsue Ba to protected range. And protects the granny did! Both harpoon attacks hit Datsue instead of Kirai. 

Shikome tried to kill Cryptologist. She chose tomes from pale hunger to ignore armor and started flailing at Cryptologist. Both melee attacks missed, though. Challenge gave an extra melee attack, but that missed too. Yaaaaaaaay.

Sidir, on the other hand, makes a brutal activation. He disengages from Goryo and shoots Kirai dead, hits Ikiryo for five points of damage and then kills her with an extra shot - all of this with negative fate modifier from friendly fire. 

Situation looked grim, but I still had plans to get my point from Cryptologist. Fortunately Cryptologist score only a weak damage to Shikome, bringing her down to one health remaining. 

Seishin succeeded in giving a walk for Datsue Ba, who then charged Cryptologist. I needed a moderate or two weaks to kill him. And again. All attacks missed despite me having stat lead this time around. Even startling Cryptologist failed! 

Well, I still had a chance - to give a walk for Goryo with Seishin and then charge Cryptologist. But Hopeful Prospect completely ruined that by engaging the ghost in melee. It tried to launch itself to Cryptologist by getting On Your Heels with the bonus action... but got tomes instead. Hooray, adversary. Frustrated, Goryo punched Hopeful Prospect with moderate damage, but thanks to hard-to-kill didn't even kill Hopeful Prospect.

What a horrible turn. Seishin ran to engage Sidir, and Lost Love went to place second scheme for Secret Meetup.

Explorers score strategy, Resurrectionists Hidden Martyrs for a 4-5 lead for Explorers.

Turn 5:

Despite my grievances, there was still an opportunity to win. Cryptologist started the turn by killing Shikome, so winning became that much harder. Fortunately Datsue Ba managed to kill Cryptologist with one attack. She charged Luna, missing the attack again, but staggered McCabe.

Jessie activated, disengaged from Datsue Ba and tossed Phantasmal Mask for McCabe. 

Seishin walked to engage Luna and McCabe, hoping to block possible scheming attempts. Luna, however, tore Seishin to shreds. 

Goryo failed to kill Hopeful Prospect with Violent Ghosts, so it had to use a real action point for that. Thus, it not longer was able threaten McCabe. But, at least it could walk to engage.

Lucas single-handedly killed Goryo and also Seishin engaging Sidir. 

That sealed the game.

Lost Love was able to teleport to Datsue Ba and go and get engaged by Lucas to score Hidden Martyrs. Sidir Alchibal then had the option to take a double walk and plant a scheme for secret meetup or deny me secret meetup. 

So, it was a closely fought 7-7 or 6-6 draw, depending how Sidir would have chosen.