We Have Been Trying to Contact You About Your Horses Extended Warranty

Second Gaining Grounds 4 game of Malifaux.

Strategy: Wedge Cloak and Dagger

Schemes: Outflank, Power Ritual, Sweating Bullets, In Your Face, Deliver a Message

My list:

Kirai, Envoy of the Court & Ikiryo
Datsue Ba
Lost Love
Goryo with Grave Spirit Touch
Gwisin with Grave Spirit Touch
Shikome
Enslaved Spirit
Seishin

Pool: 6
Schemes: Deliver a Message (Datsue Ba), Power Ritual

Opponent had:

Lucas McCabe, Relic Hunter & Luna
Sidir Alchibal
Desper LaRaux
Mr. Ngaatoro
2x Rough Rider
Ruffian

Pool: 5
Schemes: In Your Face, Ouflank

Turn 1:

Sidir in such a central position was scary to me, so I started by laying schemes to both of my deployment corners, activating Shikome, Ikiryo, Enslaved Spirit, Seishin and even Datsue Ba before even starting to consider my wedge front of Gwisin, Goryo, Kirai and Lost Love. 

Opponent, however, was equally waiting to activate Sidir. Rough Riders at both table edges placed a scheme marker to top-left corner and center-right outflank area. Ruffian was holding left flank. Luna dug up a scrap marker for McCabe to dig up a Timeworn Blade for himself. To my relief Lucas didn't go and toss it to Sidir and held a strategy marker instead. 

This gave me confidence to activate Kirai, put a concealment on her and swirl Gwisin, herself and Goryo up a little. She managed to land Adversary on Sidir and Mr. Ngaatoro before walking outside of Sidir's machine gun range. 

Ngaatoro had taken a double walk to get almost to the centerpoint. Desper was desperately trying to pull Datsue Ba with hooks and chains, not doing much.

I had Gwisin, Goryo and Lost Love left to activate, opponent had Sidir. So I had to bring either Goryo or Gwisin to killing range if I wanted to have access to healing. Goryo went to pick an intel token, and was blasted with a severe damage from Sidir. Yeaaaah. So close.

Lost Love teleported to Datsue Ba and managed to heal Goryo back to full, but this took a 13 from my hand. Gwisin charged Mr. Ngaatoro, but didn't do even a single point of damage. 

Turn 2:

Explorer Society won the initiative, and Lucas charged Goryo who had my only intel token. Fortunately he wasn't able to do much damage. Concerned about the fate of my intel, Kirai activated and climbed on top of a boulder. She tried to shoot adversary to Lucas, but failed. Then she did Swirling Spirits twice, moving Goryo to safety and triggering four TN 12 Wp duels on Explorers. Kirai didn't manage to summon any models, but at least opponent had to burn all but one card from his hand. 

Lucas had tossed Timeworn Blade to Sidir, who now began to shoot all around the board. Five machine gun attacks could have been a lot worse - only two points to Lost Love and two points to Datsue Ba. But this also left me with only one card in hand. Three models activated in total, and both players had one card. Remaining round had the potential to become what I have heard termed as: crapshoot.

Datsue Ba went to deliver a message to Lucas McCabe, tried to carve it in his flesh with a skinning knife, but missed.

Luna started trekking through a forest to center of the board. Since most threats in the middle had activated, Lost Love started to leisurely heal Goryo, and healed it for two. Still it remained at two, because of a burn-out. 

Mr. Ngaatoro was beating Gwisin with his paddle sort of thing but scored only minimal damage. Gwisin took a double walk through Mr. Ngaatoro and Lucas, and then Lucas and Mr. Ngaatoro. Still no fails. 

Ruffian pushed Rough Rider a bit forward and took a double walk to a strategy marker. Seishin gave Shikome two walks, and she went to the same strategy marker with Ruffian.

Rough Rider rode to shoot Shikome, but missed. To deter enemy from chasing Shikome, I decided not to interact with the marker and instead take a full 14" move towards top-left corner. 

Another Rough Rider tried to shoot Lost Love, who miraculously survived. Goryo had concentrated and took double walk away from the middle and behind rocks. 

Desper LaRaux interacted a scheme marker and went to secure Outflank. Ikiryo, however, charged Desper and took away its intel. Enslaved Spirit just shuffled Lost Love around a little.

Scores went 2-1 for Resurrectionists thanks to Ikiryo who denied victory point from strategy.

Turn 3:

Opponent started by engaging Shikome with a Rough Rider. Kirai healed Datsue Ba and Lost Love, gave Adversary to Sidir and Lucas, plus triggered Chained Spirit tests for Mr. Ngaatoro and Lucas with Gwisin. No fails. 

Luna dug up a scrap marker, while Shikome spent all of my high cards from my hand and killed Rough Rider with one activation.

Lucas dug up a Phantasmal Mask from scrap marker and tossed it to Sidir. Then he started whipping the living hell out of an innocent grandmother. It took just about all of my cards and most soulstones to keep her at four health remaining. But still the onslaught was so concerning, that Lost Love came to heal her at least to six.

Next Sidir charged, and I had to spend all of my remaining resources to give Datsue Ba a chance to survive. Unfortunately she was left with one health remaining, and Sidir had the Phantasmal Mask. 

I did figure out an escape plan - Gwisin took two walks, past Ngaatoro and Lucas. Both failed once, and Kirai summoned... Seishins. This way Datsue Ba would heal first and then take a damage point from Phantasmal Mask. Otherwise a solid plan, but Desper activated and went to deal the remaining damage to the grandmother. And no wonder he did - opponent revealed In Your Face. So that was why killing a granny had been so important - to rub it in Kirai's face. 

This opened up right flank somewhat, and Ikiryo charged Rough Rider. First attack dealt severe damage, but second attack missed. Rough Rider then escaped and started practicing shooting against innocent Seishins who had already lost their function.

Ruffian took an intel token, and Goryo took its second intel aided by Seishin.

I had eleven cards in my deck and Black Joker hadn't come up. Rough Rider was at two health remaining. I just didn't dare to walk and charge Rough Rider with Enslaved Spirit and declare Doomed trigger to kill it. So instead it walked to Ikiryo, chain ganged her forward and picked up intel.

Losing Datsue Ba was a serious blow, and now I pretty much had only Gwisin and Kirai in the middle, while opponent had their master plus three henchmen.

Also, scores went 3-3 when opponent got their scheme and first point from strategy. 

Turn 4:

Situation looked grim for Urami, but when Kirai won initiative there was a glimmer of hope. Finally she managed to summon some ghostly meat shield! Surely enough that took the entirety of her action points. First Gwisin passed through Luna and Mr. Ngaatoro, then through Mr. Ngaatoro and Luna, and then through Sidir, Lucas and Desper LaRaux. Luna was passing the tests like a champ, and so did Ngaatoro although he had to cheat to pass them. But Sidir and Lucas who had Adversary failed, and so did Desper. Two Gakis and an Enslaved Spirit eased my position in the middle a lot. But still... if we discount the fact (we shouldn't, but still let's do it) that Chained Spirit tests made a heavy toll with opponent's hand, it had taken me at least twelve action points (and double the amount of Wp tests!) to summon two cost 4 models, one cost 3 and two cost 2. My impression of Kirai2 certainly wasn't powerful, but annoying for opponent for sure. 

Luna bit Seishin engaging Mr. Ngaatoro to pieces and dug up a scrap marker. Enslaved Spirit on the left chain ganged Ikiryo forward as much as possible and then walked to interact an intel token.

Rough Rider didn't approve, and rode to a better position to start shooting Enslaved Spirit that had two intels. It took me high cards from hand, but the Spirit was left alive with one health remaining. 

Ikiryo charged Rough Rider, but missed first attack. Second attack was enough, but she would have needed an additional walk to go closer to top-right Power Ritual corner.

Desper interacted an intel, leaped away from melee and charged Enslaved Spirit dead. Good bye, strategy point for this round.

At least Lose Love was able to deny a point from Wastrels, too, by teleporting to Ikiryo, stealing Desper's intel and even frantically flailing a point of damage. 

Mr. Ngaatoro, who had been released from melee engagement, ran to my deployment zone to secure In Your Face.

Shikome schemed Power Ritual, and McCabe dug up a Faded Mirror for Sidir. He started whipping Enslaved Spirit, but scored only a single hit which dealt one point of damage. Thus, Enslaved Spirit was able to chain gang a Gaki into contact with Sidir and go there itself, too. 

Sidir killed Enslaved Spirit and scratched Gaki a little, while tossing Phantasmal Mask to McCabe. Gaki tried to eat McCabe's horse, but managed only to heal it thanks to the mask.

Gwisin was a little more successful when it slapped McCabe for a severe damage, but second attack failed to dismount.

Seishin gave a walk for Goryo, who walked next to strategy marker that had a Ruffian standing nearby. Opponent kept using his pass tokens, so Goryo had no other options than curse Ruffian with Adversary and charge him dead. However... no matter how little options there seems to be, you must always remember that it's impossible to see the grand picture and the strands of fate that fork into unseen paths. There are always options. This time it was Goryo missing with two plus modifiers for attack. At least second attack missed, but scored only moderate damage which was not enough to kill the Ruffian.

Ruffian disengaged and swaggered off, nearer an as of yet untouched strategy marker and outflank end condition.

No strategy points were scored by either player, but Resurrectionists finally got Power Ritual for a lead of 4-3. 

Turn 5:

Desper tries to attack Lost Love, but he transfers the attack to Ikiryo. Good then he did, because opponent scored double rams with critical strike. He did not continue attacks and instead placed a scheme marker and leaped almost wholly on top of it. 

Ikiryo runs to top-right corner before anyone engages her. 

Ruffian walks to outflank position on left and picks up intel. 

Lost Love teleports to Ikiryo and secures Power Ritual end condition with Shikome. 

After whipping grandmothers and sad, enslaved spirits, Lucas ditches his entire crew and rides away into sunset, far away from any messages Urami might want to deliver to him.

Goryo picks an intel and tries to kill Ruffian with Violent Spirits, but Ruffian is unimpressed by their display. He has seen worse. He had been worse.

Seishin gave a walk to Gwisin, who went into contact with strategy marker. After Gaki went to engage Sidir, game was finished. Sidir wound not be able to score a point alone and neither player had any more options to deny a point from the other. Gwisin picked up intel, and game ended in 6-5 victory for Resurrectionists when they got Power Ritual end and third strategy, and Wastrels got Mr. Ngaatoro In My Face and Outflank. 

A tough game, and a fresh experience. This strategy plays so unlike any other from any of the earlier Gaining Grounds.