Changing Plans

 A 50ss game of Malifaux.

Strategy: Standard Stuff the Ballots

Schemes: Protected Territory, Deliver a Message, Ensnare, Let Them Bleed, Power Ritual

My list:

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

Pool: 4

Schemes: Ensnare, Power Ritual

Opponent had:

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

Pool: 2

Schemes: Ensnare, Protected Territory

Here's the thing.

We got presidential elections coming up in Finland. So I printed out the candidates and put them into strategy markers, and randomly distributed the markers over the board. So now we just wait and see if Malifaux matches are a reliable way to predict these things

Turn 1:

Power Ritual in standard deployment, so I placed a scheme marker to both of my corners. White Rabbit & Co. placed it right, and then pushed itself forward a little by tossing a hat to Bete Noire. A Rotten Belle did the same left, except no hats. 

Mortimer managed to dig up a zombie while going far left to offer his votes. Dead Dandy put a scheme marker next to my left strategy marker and begun to wait for the ballots to open.

In the middle Rotten Belle advanced a little and lured Seamus forward. Carlos, also going to middle, put a pyre marker blocking Seamus from using his gun unless he would take some burning in the process.

Madame Sybelle went mid too and activated Undivided Attention. I wanted opponent to activate the dreaded Coryphee Duet, but for some reason he just wouldn't. So I had to offer a bait. Bete Noire. 

Colette and Angelica had moved Coryphee forward, so it charged Bete Noire. Fortunately it failed the first attack with Black Joker, but second had Bete Noire fade away. Coryphees split their duet. 

Copycat Killed transferred Seamus to right wing, and from there he dismantled a piece of destructible terrain, took aim and shot the activated Coryphee. Blam. And now it's a mannikin! Severe 8.

Remaining Coryphee seemed much less threatening until it walked and charged Madame Sybelle, dealing moderate damage even with two negative fate modifiers. Damage block was one. Whee. 

On the performer side of things, Showgirl was waiting in performer-left strategy marker. Carlos and Colette were center-stage, while Angelica, Firestarter and some birds were holding right. 

Turn 2:

Dead Dandy placed a couple of votes on my left strategy marker, while Mortimer went to place one on the far-left. A Mechanical Dove attempted to peck him, but didn't feel that murderous today. A Rotten Belle on the left took a double walk to a corpse that had been dug up by Mordimer prior to his vote. Showgirl also placed two votes on performer-left strategy marker.

Those were the easy parts of the turn, but then there was a sort of cluster copulation in the middle. Coryphee attacked Madame Sybelle twice, dealing moderate damage both times despite having negative modifiers. Three times in a row. Madame Sybelle was burning through my soulstones rapidly.

To offer Madame a degree of protection, White Rabbit & Co. walked and charged Coryphee, and tossed a fancy bullet sponge hat for Madame Sybelle.

This prompted Colette to secure vantage point for her spectacular tricks. She placed a vote to the center ballot, and presto-changoed... changod? White Rabbit & Co. for a Mannikin. Madame Sybelle was not grateful for her hat, but when she lashed where hat crafters had been, a Mannikin fell dead in their place. 

Two murderbirds, Angelica and Carlos ganged up to beat up White Rabbit & Co., or maybe they just wanted new clothes and demanded them rather forcefully. Miraculously White Rabbit survived, but with two health and Burning +1. Rotten Belle lured them away from their way too enthusiastic customers. 

Seamus ran to place a vote far-right, while Firestarter flew to my right corner to place a scheme. 

Copycat Killer tried to shoot Coryphee, but results were not impressive. 

Bete Noire popped up from zombie dug up by Mortimer earlier. She charged and climbed to the stage to place a scheme marker, with the marker and her hat easily within 3" of Colette.

Both players score strategy, but no schemes were revealed. Scores: 1-1.

Turn 3:

Mortimer wrecked Mechanical Dove and moved as far forward as close as possible to performer top-left corner while still being able to vote. However, he wasn't able to dig up a homing beacon for Bete Noire this time around. 

Carlos, Andgelica and a bird are able to finish what they started with White Rabbit & Co., but not until they were able to offer their most magnificent hat to Rotten Belle. Well, not all of their resources went into killing the merchants. They were also able to score Ensnare with Madame Sybelle.

When Colette activated, Resurrectionists scored their Ensnare. Colette removed Coryphee from melee with Madame Sybelle, and went to strike Bete Noire with distracting illusions. Well, most distracting illusion probably was that Bete Noire faded away. 

Rotten Belle on the left walked and tried to lure Showgirl away from top-left strategy marker. It kind of worked, just not the way Belle meant. Lure attack failed, but Showgirl walked in to melee to strike Rotten Belle with a hairpin.

Coryphee nimbled and walked to Dead Dandy and struck him. The puppet was distracted, but still hit. And again the thing scored moderate wound with two negatives on damage flip! Ouch.

Bete Noire popped up from a corpse Mortimer had dug up earlier and charged Showgirl. She was quite distracted, and managed to land one hit of moderate damage. 

Firestarted went to place a vote to bottom-right marker and flew as far from Seamus as possible. 

Carlos had placed a spectacular fire show next to ballot on the far right. Seamus had to make his run through the flames to reach top-right corner with his four actions.

Both players scores strategy and Ensnare, but Resurrectionists got the lead by also scoring Power Ritual. Scores went 3-4.

Turn 4:

Rotten Belle on the left killed Showgirl. Mortimer's decay and Dead Dandy's cane finally killed Coryphee and the ensuing Mannequin. 

Firestarted planted a scheme and went to bottom-right strategy marker, where Dandy had spammed three votes. 

Carlos managed to drop a pyre near the center ballot and. shuffle himself to far-right strategy marker and even place a vote there. I had two there, though. Seamus placed another scheme to top-right corner and went to vote on top-right strategy marker.

Madame Sybelle kept lashing at Mechanical Doves while engaging Angelica. Angelica was trying as hard as she could to cane Madame Sybelle dead. 

I don't remember why Colette walked down from top of the building in the middle, perhaps to place a scheme for Ensnare and/or Protected Territory.

Hatted Rotten Belle started to climb closer to center ballot.

Bete Noire popped up from Showgirl's corpse and went to place two votes to top-left strategy marker. Copycat Killer was speeding towards top-left corner.

Performers failed to score strategy, but got Protected Territory instead.  Ressers got third strategy, for scores of 4-5.

Turn 5:

We didn't play fifth turn past Angelica's activation where she failed to cane Madame Sybelle's hat off and Rotten Belle's vote to center.  This ensured Ensnare end condition for me and tied Colette's hands to come back to center and claim the strategy marker back.

It was apparent that I'd get Power Ritual and Ensnare end conditions, while opponent would get Protected Territory end and strategy for a grand total of 6-7 for Resurrectionists.

Now. One question remains. What did Cassandra do during this entire game? I don't know, somebody has to go and ask her at her slot in carrying case.