Ghost's Horror Show

 A 50ss game of Malifaux.

Strategy: Corner Plant Explosives

Schemes: Take Prisoner, Information Overload, Hold Up Their Forces, Espionage, Ensnare

My list:

Kirai & Ikiryo
Datsue Ba
Lost Love
2x Shikome with Killer Instinct
Onryo
2x Enslaved Spirit

Pool: 7
Schemes: Espionage, Hold Up Their Forces

Opponent had:

Colette & 3x Mechanical Doves
Carlos Vasquez
Cassandra Felton
The Firestarter
Angelica Durand
Coryphee Duet
Showgirl

Pool: 2
Schemes: Espionage, Information Overload

Turn 1:

Both Shikomes were deployed to different table edges, but their activations were mirrored - place a scheme and walk, and later chain ganged even further and also deadly pursuit in the end phase.

Opponent was also spamming scheme markers to their deployment zone. I was waiting for opponent to activate the dreaded Coryphee Duet, but he just wouldn't do that. So, Kirai had to activate to summon an incentive for opponent to bring models to middle. Goryo did just that, and fortunately neither Carlos or Coryphees were able to kill it. Lost Love had to teleport to Kirai to heal it, though, so that it wouldn't burn off the board.

I had Kirai, Lost Love, Ikiryo and Onryo going to middle, with Datsue acting as a Lost Love beacon a little to the right.

Performers had Cassandra, Carlos and Coryphee there in the middle, iwth Colette a little behind them and Angelica Durand to the left. A Showgirl had been left behind, who was apparently going towards top-right corner. Firestarter was on top of a walkway, biding his time with two explosive tokens.

Turn 2:

Colette activated first and went to sword-trick Goryo off the board. So now there was Carlos and Coryphee Duet with only a little terrain between Kirai and Lost Love. Ikiryo went to sacrifice herself and even managed to deal four points of irreducible damage to Coryphee Duet.

Coryphee Duet healed a bunch of vengeance damage from various models nearby, took a swing at Ikiryo and danced apart to form two Coryphees with two health each. 

Both Shikomes went to place a strategy marker, and both Enslaved Spirits chain ganged Shikomes forward, and one of them even managed to place a scheme marker to center line. 

Angelica, Carlos and even a tiny little dove were beating Ikiryo and managed to bring her down to one health remaining. This was unfortunate, as I had been saving enough cards in my hand for a nasty double-summon this turn. So, Kirai healed Ikiryo a little instead, summoned a Drowned and launched a Spirit Barrage over the unactivated Coryphee. 

Cassandra went to breathe fire on Lost Love, who took one attack and and protected itself from one by redirecting the attack to Kirai. Reason for such over-protectiveness was the fact that I had placed two of my explosive tokens on him. 

Sword-tricked Goryo popped up from one of my scheme markers in my deployment zone and took a double walk. Lost Love was thus able to heal Goryo and Kirai a little. Onryo went to assist Burning away from Goryo. Datsue Ba gave a charge to summoned Drowned, who managed to stun a Coryphee, but not kill. Datsue Ba was able to startle the puppet before walking a little to perhaps become relevant for scenario next turn.

Firestarter flew recklessly into a position to place a strategy marker, so both players were able to score strategy this turn. No reveals.

Turn 3:

Board state looked really good for Urami. But... somehow... things change.

Angelica tried to cane down an Enslaved Spirit but failed to do so. However, she did drop a strategy. 

Datsue Ba and Onryo tried to kill Firestarter, but didn't do much else than receive Burning and giving Adversary to the wildfire henchman. Firestarter disengaged, took fast and went to place a strategy marker, which was an accidental misplay. No interact action after disengaging. 

Presto-Chango brought Lost Love to middle and Coryphee to Kirai.Center was not such a good position for Lost Love, so he had to be activated next, move to Datsue Ba and go place a strategy marker. 

A showgirl took a charge to Lost Love, and just like that poked a hairpin to Lost Love's brain, killing him instantly with a Red Joker on damage. Then she picked up my explosive marker. That was concerning, as I would have to steal one of opponent's markers now to score four from strategy. Maybe next time I shouldn't put 40% of my eggs to an easily killed basket. 

Shikomes continued closing in the enemy deployment zone, but the one one the left got bogged down by a Mechanical Pigeon and Mannequin that dealt four points of damage with just one moderate. Or, more accurately, that was before tits ransition from Coryphee that took a point of vengeance. Dove and Coryphee brought Shikome down to one health remaining. Yikes.

But, at least Hold Up Their Forces was looking good when Angelica Durand had not managed to kill an Enslaved Spirit, who then went to engage her. 

Goryo from first turn killed Coryphee and/or Mannequin that had Colette had shuffled around.

Kirai summoned a Goryo to middle, took a walk and tried to shoot Firestarter off the board, which just didn't happen. Goryo wanted to keep Carlos engaged, so it just walked and tried to use Violent Spirits for damage. Spirits were not so violent.

But Carlos... Carlos on the other hand was. 

He breathed fire on Goryo and scored severe damage, which meant that both Ikiryo and Drowned died. Goryo was beaten down to two health remaining, but had four points of burning. So yeah. Just like that. Twenty-two points worth of models, gone. And to make it a lot worse, I had been counting on Drowned continuing to engage Colette for Hold Up Their Forces. Nope. Not anymore.

Thankfully no-one scored schemes, so scores went 2-2.

Turn 4:

Kirai upkept Adversary on Firestarter, and so Onryo was able to kill the henchman with a charge attack. 

Colette walked, dropped explosive and used Presto-Chango to switch Kirai and Carlos. Or at least their places on board. There was then a brief comical moment when Goryo tried to land Mark of Vengeance on Carlos, which missed and triggered Butterfly Jump. Then it charged Carlos and missed, which triggered Butterfly Jump. Then it charged Carlos and missed, which triggered Butterfly Jump. I hope Carlos appreciated 9" free movement. 

Mechanical Dove failed to kill the Shikome with one health remaining, but Mannequin didn't. 

Kirai was able to summon Ikiryo back, and with a soulstone even an Enslaved Spirit to engage Colette.

Ikiryo shrugged off her slow and charged Angelica Durand that had already killed another Enslaved Spirit. Damage was too weak to affect the last one and a half turn.

Showgirl had walked and charged Enslaved Spirit on top-right, but this was still not enough for Hold Up Their Forces, because the Enslaved Spirit to Colette had been summoned this turn. I had the difficult choice of going to plant a strategy marker with Datsue Ba, or run to engage Colette. Datsue placed explosive, as I might not have the chance to do that next turn.

Then a Goryo and Onryo burned into crisp sheets. 

Both players scored strategy and Espionage for an excruciating 3-3 situation.

Turn 5:

Murder Dove was not able to kill Enslaved Spirit at top-right, and Showgirl went to place a scheme marker instead of poking holes into ghosts with hairpin. Enslaved Spirit walked to engage her.

Colette used Sword Trick on Enslaved Spirit next to her and went to place a scheme marker. I was worried Cassandra and Carlos might remove both of my scheme markers in my deployment zone, Kirai had to walk and charge to summon third Goryo to engage Carlos.

Fortunately Carlos was more into spamming scheme markers to my deployment zones, and Cassandra came to help him.

Ikiryo didn't bother to attack Angelica and went to sit over one of my scheme markers instead. Angelica? Scheme markers!

Datsue Ba and Enslaved Spirit gave me Hold Up Their Forces, and Shikome had prepared Espionage end condition.

Performers managed to overload Urami with information and still get Espionage, too. They had also enough strategy markers to cleave a one point victor, 6-7 for Arcanists.