Bleak Joker

A 50ss game of Malifaux with the new Gaining Grounds season four.

 Strategy: Corner Raid the Vaults

Schemes: Espionage, Ensnare, Sweating Bullets, Death Beds, Protected Territory

My list:

Hamelin, the Piper & 3x Stolen
Benny Wolcomb
Nix
Catalan Brawler
Midnight Stalker
Obedient Wretch
Rat Catcher
Winged Plague

Pool: 3
Schemes: Ensnare, Protected Territory

Opponent had:

Lynch Dark Bet & Hungering Darkness
Kitty Dumont
Mr. Tannen
Wanyudo
Samurai
2x Illuminated

Pool: 5
Schemes: Death Beds (Strategy), Ensnare

Turn 1:

Outcasts were the attacker, and for whatever reason I picked corner that had a nasty bottleneck. Okay, the reason was ease of access, but why didn't I take left corner on my side of the table? I somehow managed to block Hamelin so badly that he had to obey Benny and Catalan Brawler out of his way. But that was one of my last activations. Before, Benny's rat factory yields four rats that would not be able to combine because I had not bought a Malifaux Rat to my crew.

So, I had Catalan Brawler, Rat Catcher, Nix, Hamelin, Winged Plague, Stolen and a bunch of rats around my un-scorable strategy marker. Benny was there too, but was obeyed to walk forward by Hungering Darkness. Fortunately Illuminated were just about farthest models there was.

Remaining Stolen were going top near table edge, with Midnight Stalker as their vanguard. Obedient Wretch was going bottom-left. 

And damn that double delirium dipping looked scary. Majority of Honeypot were within one walk away from contesting center markers with Kitty already at centerline... in corner deployment!

Wanyudo and Hungering Darkness were going towards center-left marker, Mr. Tannen and an Illuminated toward center-right. Lynch and another Illuminated would be able to divert anywhere. Samurai seemed to be going towards top marker. How would the situation unfold?

Turn 2:

Hungering Darkness started by charging Benny, and punched a rat out of him with a Red Joker for damage. Fortunately damage block was a severe, but still four points in... At least the remaining attacks didn't do much else than made me spend high cards from my hand.

I figured Benny was as good as dead unless he would get the benefits of Condor Security. Thus, Catalan Brawler walked and planted a scheme marker. Target Benny now, Honeypot!

Or not. Wanyudo walked and charged Catalan Brawler through Hungering Darkness, Benny, Malifaux Rat and Catalan Brawler. The rat took 50% damage and was set on fire. Wanyudo's attack hit, which meant another roll through the three of my models. This time Benny failed and the rat failed check, but at least a new one popped out of Benny. There was such sorrow and grief over the death of the Malifaux Rat that a funeral pyre was assembled in loving memory.

Benny and Nix were doing all they could to remove Wanyudo and even Hamelin tried to play a merry tune, but the burning wheel was left with three health remaining. Hamelin had also tried to push Obedient Wretch into range to go and place a scheme marker for Protected Territory, but my enforcer was slightly out of range to do that. So instead she threw Jakob Lynch with a rat. 

Lynch had come to contest center-left marker to place a scheme marker, and with all the Hungering Darknesses and Wanyudos about it looked like I wouldn't be able to deny opponent a strategy point. But at least Wretch was holding a sure point for me, too.

Stunned Kitty Dumont along with Samurai went towards top-right marker, but Samurai stopped for a shot against Midnight Stalker before getting within 2" of the strategy. Midnight Stalker did leap, walk and interact a scheme marker. 

Mr. Tannen and an Illuminated went to center-right marker and placed a scheme marker, with Illuminated also one-shotting a Stolen with Scintillating Cloud. Another Illuminated went to reinforce Hungering Darkness & pals. 

Rat Catcher went to look for a chance to start scheming next turn. It was his Dark Bet. 

A Rat King had been formed early in the turn, but it couldn't move anywhere because of all the models in front of it. Fun fact: opponent had seven pass tokens at the start of round two.

Winged Plague went to take two blight tokens away from Wanyudo to place a second scheme marker for ensnaring Honeypot. Then it took a random charge at already activated Mr. Tannen but managed to give only a point of blight during end phase. 

Scores go 1-1 with both players getting strategy.

Turn 3:

Benny got fast from Lynch's scheme marker and started to dismantle Wanyudo. And - managed to do exactly that. Although it was kind of costly, since Benny now had Burning +7 thanks to a rats funeral pyre. That later turned into Burning +8 before it was quenched by a mud puddle Catalan Brawler managed to find somewhere. Brawler walked within 2" of center-left strategy marker to contest it. 

When Hungering Darkness eventually activated, Outcasts got their Ensnare scheme. Catalan Brawler was mauled down to one health remaining. Mr. Tannen would walk closer to start a TN 11 Boring Conversation and made some despicable promises to Catalan Brawler. They must have been despicable indeed, because Catalan Brawler died from delirium just from hearing those.

Nix charged to nibble Mr. Tannen, but those Boring Conversation checks... bloody hell. I'm not sure if Tannen took even a single point of damage. 

Lynch had activated his aura and charged to mutilate Rat Catcher. He had plenty of actions left after doing that, so he was able to place a scheme marker, near bottom-left strategy marker. He was too far away from contesting the marker, so Obedient Wretch went 2" away from it and placed a scheme for Protected Territory. Then she failed Lynch's aura and delirium struck her away from getting a victory point. Ah well. 

Both Illuminated were flinging Scintillating Clouds while there was still an impressive four model gathering for the Wp-check. Only a rat died, but that was rat Benny might have needed for shield. 

Stolen had given Rat King Fast, so that thing was able to do a double walk, gnaw at Lynch's scheme marker and even nibble his feet - successfully! What a hero.

North side of things, Kitty Dumont had managed to activate before Midnight Stalker and place a scheme and another scheme close to my enforcer. Surely enough he was ensnared. 

Midnight Stalker didn't have much of a choice after Obedient Wretch had botched scoring for this turn. Stalker became Fast, and that 6" leap is... extreme. He was easily able to take a double walk to top-left strategy marker and place a scheme marker for Protected Territory, and even had some millimeters to spare!

Hamelin obeyed Samurai away from strategy marker, but that didn't help too much as there was still one Illuminated within 2" of it. He failed to remove pyre marker, too. 

So, scores went 4-4 when both players scored both of their schemes and a strategy.

Turn 4:

Finally Benny died to Hungering Darkness' tentacles, and even Hamelin took some four points of damage. 

Kids manage to puke Mr. Tannen dead. I'm no longer even surprised.  Nix uses Loose Bowels and charges an Illuminated, not doing much other than contesting center-left marker. 

Lynch murders Rat King and places a scheme marker while contesting bottom-left strategy marker. Obedient Wretch does the same sans murdering anyone.  

Hamelin takes a double walk and this time succeeds to remove the pyre marker. Only after taking a happy walk through it, but hey. Got to be impressive flutist in the middle of raging inferno.

Once it became apparent that opponent would not score strategy this round, Kitty Dumont placed a scheme marker to top-right strategy marker, walked and was drawn to Hungering Darkness' brilliance. Samurai tried to take cover and also placed a scheme to center-right strategy marker. 

Midnight Stalker had leaped out of sight of anyone and placed a scheme while contesting the two point strategy marker. 

Scores went to 5-4 for Hamelin. However, Outcasts were killing Honeypot at a steady pace of one model per two rounds, while Plague was running low on relevant models for strategy. Game was far from over.

Turn 5:

Hungering Darkness was greeted by a screaming, frantic kid whose purpose was to deny potential Interacts. Kitty went to bottom-right marker for two point strategy. She tried to dislodge Stolen kid with reaching tendrils but failed. 

Lynch walked for a bit to interact and call Hungering Darkness away from such a bothersome child. 

I charged with Nix to an Illuminated, although now I wonder why wasn't I trying to get end condition from ensnare? Who knows, but at least Nix used Loose Bowels second time in a row. That has to count for something.

Hamelin removed a scheme marker next to center-left strategy marker, interacted one of his own and shot an Illuminated dead with a Bleeding Disease. I cheated the attack to hit with my last card in hand although I wasn't in a desperate need to kill the minion... and obviously that was when Lynch's delirium struck Hamelin, who was forced more than 2" away from center-left strategy marker, making that poin moot. 

Hungering Darkness walked and interacted a marker. It bought and additional card to obey Nix within 3" of the two scheme markers still around. The additional, bought card was... Black Joker. That was harsh, but I guess that epitomizes the slogan "bad things happen."

Because of that Black Joker game ended in 6-6 draw, when Outcasts got only end condition of Protected Territory and opponent got Death Beds and strategy.