Last To Speak

 A 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.

Strategy: Wedge Covert Operations

Schemes: Public Demonstration, Assassinate, Sabotage, Catch and Release, Breakthrough

My list:

Seamus & Copycat Killer
Madame Sybelle
Bete Noire
White Rabbit Co.
Dead Doxy
Mourner
2x Rotten Belle

Pool: 4
Schemes: Assassinate, Catch and Release (Mourner)

Opponent had:

Nellie, the Voice of Disorder & Printing Press
Phiona Gage
Allison Dade
Auguste Hart
Undercover Reporter
Field Reporter
False Witness
Guild Steward

Pool: 2
Schemes: Public Demonstration, Catch and Release (Field Reporter)

Turn 1:

Probably because of terrain first round was mostly about positioning. Mostly. Well, one accidental shot by Seamus may have one-shotted a False Witness, sure... yeah. When this happens, it always feels a little filthy, using that cannon. Maybe I should remind myself of all the games where the cannon pretty much amounts to nothing. 

Anyway, Doxy, Seamus and Mourner were pacing towards top half of the board, with Mourner keeping its eyes on Allison Dade for a possible Catch and Release next turn.

Madame Sybelle was standing at the doorway to my deployment zone and beckoned Guild Steward a little closer.

Both Rotten Belles were hiding behind the wall near Sybelle. 

White Rabbit had given a hat for Bete Noire, who ran to bottom strategy marker. Copycat Killer held bottom portion of the board for Seamus.

Journalists were mostly in the middle, with Phiona guarding Nellie and Field Reporter. 

Auguste was a little behind, probably going to bottom portion next turn. Allison and Printing Press were holding top. 

Turn 2:

White Rabbit & Co started turn by luring Guild Steward even further. I considered removing the only heal opponent had that important. Oh, and Madame obviously received a fancy hat.

Unfortunately Phiona charged Madame Sybelle and dealt two points of damage in, making Steward's reprisal that much threatening. She even slowed my henchman.

Rotten Belle went to lure the Steward next to herself and Madame Sybelle, and punched two points of damage in. Minimum damage with critical strike would kill Steward now. 

But, Nellie threw a wrench in the plan. She walked a bit forward and started doing cursed translations on Rotten Belle, clipping Madame Sybelle and White Rabbit Co. in the process and making Madame Sybelle distracted.

Screw this, Madame must activate now before even more debuffs rain in. So, she healed White Rabbit, Rotten Belle and herself a little with rams on Undivided Attention, bought a positive card to negate Distracted and bought rams, and swung her lash at Guild Steward. Steward died and dealt six points of damage in return. Solid investment, two soulstones and a lost hat. Oh well, I got an opportunity for assassinate now.

Undercover Reported appeared next to the Rotten Belle that ho was next to Madame Sybelle and poked some holes in White Rabbit & Co. 

Bete Noire walked and charged Nellie, not doing anything. But Auguste did something, yeah. He walked and charged Bete Noire. She also had comfortable hat, so she chose not to fade away. But the comfort of a hat goes only so far when you're dealt six points of damage despite having a negative modifier. White Rabbit & Co at three health, Madame at three health, Bete Noire at three health. Admittedly, situation was concerning.

One of the Rotten Belles who was covertly operating ran to bottom marker, and Printing Press went to make Seamus' life difficult. Oh wait, but it wasn't Seamus! It was some kind of a diminutive gnome. Seamus had been on the bottom portion of the map all along. 

Dead Doxy pushed Mourner around a little and charged Printing Press. She did manage to land one severe damage, but second attack missed altogether. 

Field Reporter ran within 1" of Madame Sybelle. Seamus climbed on top of some rocks at bottom strategy marker and took a concentrated shot at Nellie, who flipped a black joker for defense. Poor Nellie was blasted with eight points of damage, although damage block was a severe, too.

Finally Allison Dade activated and ran to center-below marker. Just outside of Mourner's reach. Well, at least there was Phiona there for Catch and Release. 

Allison scores and Rotten Belle below scores covert operates a strategy, and both players reveal Catch and Release for a 2-2 tie. 

Turn 3:

Auguste managed to land a killing blow to Bete Noire even with Fade Away declared. At least this bought time for White Rabbit & Co. to craft a hat for Madame Sybelle, walk for a bit and beckon Undercover Reporter to Rotten Belle.

Reporter tries to swing at White Rabbit, but failing at that he removes a scheme marker to walk to engage Madame Sybelle. 

Seamus had to activate next and try to deal with Nellie before she triggered her First to Speak. Handcannon hit home, but dealt only four points of damage, out of which three were blocked by a soultone. Seamus walked and charged the Guild master, and managed to deal moderate wound with his bag of tools. My first two activations were astonishingly successful, not a single test failed.

Allison, however, wasn't that lucky. She failed three One More Questions at Mourner despite having a lead of two on stat, and even failed her impassioned defense. Nobody listened poor Allison that turn. 

Madame Sybelle activated, and managed to Black Joker her heal. To make matters worse, when she Red Jokered her attack on Field Reporter, I realized I might at least push her away with masks. That was until we realized that attack was invalid since Phiona was there. So instead, her bleeder lash only tickled Phiona closer to grit (frenzied).

But, Guild continued to receive the short end of the stick. Already being said, Undercover Reporter had missed everything. Allison had missed everything. Phiona missed everything, and only Field Reporter managed to take a shaken photo of Mourner. 

Rotten Belle walked to Undercover Reporter with unassuming demeanor, and dealt impressive four points of damage. Mourner fed on Phiona's grief for a couple of additional damage points. 

Dead Doxy caned Printing Press for whatever reason and dismantled it. 

Opponent kept using pass tokens, so Copycat Killer couldn't do much else than walk for a bit and concentrate. This round Nellie was the last to speak. She disengaged and went to center-top strategy marker and translated a couple of damage points to Mourner. 

Doxy got top marker, and Nellie the aforementioned one. Resurrectionists revealed Assassinate for a lead of 4-3.

Turn 4:

Nellie activated first to give herself a chance of survival. She also removed a potential victory point for me by translating Mourner dead.

Since she had done her worst, I supposed I had time to optimize my attacks. Copycat Killer activated and tried to shoot Nellie, and then delivering Seamus to a more charge-able position.

Then it was time for Madame Sybelle to go down, scythed by Phiona. 

Distracted Seamus charged Nellie, and obviously didn't do much. He then concentrated and took a swing, but this time opponent played Red Joker from his hand, thwarting Seamus' blow. To the last attack Seamus used last soulstone in game and finally assassinated his target.

Allison took a couple of worrisome derringer shots at Seamus, bringing him down to five health remaining, and walking to shield Auguste Hart a little. You got it, champ!

And indeed, Rotten Belle couldn't get through Auguste's defenses.

Copycat Killer, Rotten Belle and White Rabbit Company tried to block Auguste from getting to score any points, but Rotten Belle failed her ghost chasing test, and a line was thus opened. 

Field Reporter ran away, but was caught by Dead Doxy, whose blank stare could have slowed even the wittiest of reporters. 

Both players scored strategy for a 5-4 lead for Resurrectionists.

Turn 5:

White Rabbit created his fanciest hat to-date by sewing one for Seamus. Auguste and Allison tried to kill Copycat Killer but failed. Phiona killed unactivated Rotten Belle and tried to fish Shove Aside from her bonus, but failed. Then there were no real threats for Seamus any longer, so he activated and shot Undercover Reporter into splinters. There we stopped the game, since opponent had had Public Demonstration tied to that barrel. 

Game ended essentially 7-4 for Resurrectionists, with a chance of five for Guild.

True Vendetta

 A 50ss game of Malifaux.

Strategy: Wedge Guard the Stash

Schemes: Assassinate, Vendetta, In Your Face, Secret Meetup, Hidden Martyrs

My list:

Molly with Grave Spirit Touch & Necrotic Machine
Rogue Necromancy
Carrion Emissary
Forgotten Marshal with The Whisper
Bone Pile
2x Crooligan

Pool: 5
Schemes: Hidden Martyrs (Bone Pile & a Crooligan), Vendetta (Emissary on Arik)

Opponent had:

Von Schill & Trunk
Arik Schöttemer
Hannah Lovelace
2x Freikorps Librarian
2x Freikorpsmann

Pool: 6
Schemes: Vendetta (Arik on Carrion Emissary), Assassinate

Turn 1:

Looks like I somehow managed to get over 50% of the models hidden behind terrain in the first picture. Oh well. 

Various blast abilities of Freikorps seemed rather scary, and Asami had taught me earlier a lesson or two about clumping my crew in wedge deployment. So, instead, I clumped my models during activation phase. 

Crooligans had deployed to far left and right. Non-martyr Crooligan was further up the board on the left, so close that a Freikorpsmann and a Librarian went to hunt him. Librarian gave one heck of a lecture to the Crooligan and flipped moderate damage of four despite negative modifiers with ancient words. Had the kid been alive, he'd probably have been a goner after that.

Neither my hand nor the cards with Whisper gave a summon option for Forgotten Marshal, so it just walked and concentrated. Arik came to blast him with that absurd shockwave 3. 

Carrion Emissary who had Vendetta on Arik had already activated earlier to make some zombies for blasphemous rituals and whatever Bone Pile wanted to do with them. Still I considered it worthwhile to start softening up Arik. Rogue Necromancy managed to make Arik slow, and Molly told the henchman a staggeringly disturbing story. I bought the Masks with soulstone, because I wanted to lock Arik in place for Vendetta.

Then Arik was healed back to almost full health, and given assault shield. Damn... that Vendetta was going to be tough to score.

Von Schill himself, on the other hand, nearly killed Rogue Necromancy with just two shots. The beast went to one hit point, so I had to commit both Necrotic Machine and Bone Pile to heal it. Now there was a nice blob of both my healers, master and a tanky beater in the middle. 

Turn 2:

Slow and staggered Arik stayed put. However, I needed to wait for opponent to empty his hand a little for some additional disturbing stories.

Forgotten Marshal was able to summon a Night Terror, although Arik's Gravity Well forced me to place it behind Forgotten Marshal so that when it discarded a card via calm their madness and pushed, Night Terror had to do so through Forgotten Marshal. 

Freikorpsmann to the left killed Crooligan with a revolver shot. Maybe the kid should have listened to what Librarian had to say, I don't know. That shot just seemed unnecessarily brutal. Summoned Night Terror tried to avenge the Crooligan, but didn't.

I think it was another Freikorpsmann that shot a Mindless Zombie dead.

Finally opponent had played enough cards, and Molly could start telling stories to Arik. She did that twice and brought Arik down to one health remaining. Idea was to force opponent to heal the henchman, and then come and shoot the vendetta point with Carrion Emissary.

But... opponent didn't. So I couldn't activate Carrion Emissary.

Von Schill was shooting Molly, but she had astonishing luck with soulstones blocking the damage. Martyr Crooligan started to run towards opponent's right strategy marker to offer herself as target practice, but nobody was interested in her.

Finally opponent started healing Arik, and Emissary was able to try its shot. But thanks to assault shield, it needed a severe to score even a single point of damage. As expected, that did not happen. At least Bone Pile managed to break Arik's assault shield, still with zero damage being dealt. 

At least Carrion Emissary was able to deny a strategy point for Outcasts, so scenario went to 1-0 lead for Resurrectionists.

Turn 3:

I considered that I needed to remove Arik's assault shield before I could realistically charge Arik with Carrion Emissary and deny heals for the rest of turn. So, Rogue Necromancy charged Arik and managed to wreck the upgrade. And then Schill's totem just put it back. Will this never end?!

Von Schill shot Bone Pile down to one health, and I think it was one of the Freikorpsmenn who shot Necrotic Machine off the board. Yikes. There went most of my healing capabilities. 

Bone Pile removed a mine field that Arik had set up and buried itself. The second martyr, Crooligan, went to enemy right marker to hopefully lure somebody to kill her. Didn't work. 

Night Terror managed to kill the other Freikorpsmann on the left with a lucky Red Joker on damage. So it was the first kill for my crew. Not the last this round, though, when Molly told horrific stories to the second Freikorpsmann who just couldn't handle them and died. 

Despite all of my efforts, eventually Carrion Emissary just had to walk and charge Arik and hope for a moderate damage to get through shielded. Still no such luck.

One of the Librarians tried to shoot the martyring Crooligan with a rocket launcher, but missed. 

Marshal summoned a Rabble Riser, whose contributions for the turn were negligible. 

Both players get a victory point from strategy, but there were still no schemes revealed. Resurrectionists had the lead at 2-1. 

Turn 4:

Carrion Emissary finally scores the required point of damage for vendetta. 

Von Schill and Hannah maul Molly rather badly - in fact down to one health remaining. Can't have luck with damage blocks without soulstones. 

Molly unburied to martyr Crooligan and regenerated back to three health. She took a walk towards action, but then I realized I could deny a point from assassination by running her as far from everything as possible. Although this meant that she'd contribute nothing on last turn.

Since Librarians couldn't heal Arik, they kept spewing ancient words at Carrion Emissary, with not much of a result. Emissary had taken four points of damage, so any damage in by Arik would have given vendetta for Outcasts. But in the end, damage was zero.

Despite heal negation aura, I couldn't remove Arik even with combined efforts of Emissary, Rogue Necromancy and Forgotten Marshal. 

Summoned models were teasing one of the Librarians in back rank, but their accomplishments weren't all that impressive. But at least Bone Pile, who popped up from dead Crooligan's body, went to get my third victory point from strategy. 

Scores went to 4-2 for Resurrectionists when both players got one scheme and Ressers got their strategy.

We didn't play the last round. While Outcasts had a chance good enough chance for a draw, so had Resurrectionists in getting either Hidden Martyrs reveal or end this round.