The Dead Hate the Tanuki

 A 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.

Strategy: Wedge Raid the Vaults

Schemes: Death Beds, Information Overload, Let Them Bleed, Ensnare, Power Ritual

My list:

Dr. McMourning, Insanitary & Zombie Chihuahua
Sebastian
Dead Rider
Corpse Curator
Kentauroi with Grave Spirit Touch
Nurse
Guild Autopsy

Pool: 4
Schemes: Death Beds (corpse), Ensnare

Opponent had:

Jakob Lynch, Dark Bet & Hungering Darkness
Kitty Dumont
Mr. Graves
2x Illuminated
2x Beckoner
Tanuki

Pool: 4
Schemes: Information Overload, Ensnare

Turn 1:

I deployed Kentauroi to top-left corner, Dead Rider to top-right. Only Dead Rider dropped a scheme marker to bluff Power Ritual and counteract Information Overload. Once the situation in the middle started to look clear, I decided I had no time to make such bluffs. 

As is usual for my McMourning, turn started real slow. Sebastian crafted a dog out of Corpse Curator, and the dog crafted a corpse out of the corpse curator. I realized this was actually the extent of corpse markers this turn, so, yeah, it took me a lot of activations to accomplish... nothing, really. Oh well. At least Sebastian got a new head, and Corpse Curator sported a fancy trio of legs. Sebastian was amputated for a second corpse marker first turn.

Corpse Curator had been mauled by my own troops down to two health remaining, but Nurse, Catalyst and poison heal from end phase brought it back to full. It went to place a scheme marker right past the right flank of my deployment wedge, where Guild Autopsy had crafted a soulstone out of curator-dog-corpse. 

So yeah, there Experimentals were. Barely out of their deployment zone.

Beckoner had placed a Power Ritual looking scheme marker to Ten Thunders left corner and was still hugging wedge deployment line, but everyone else was within about 3.5" of centerline, on centerline, or past it. That did not bode well for my strategy game.

In the center there was Lynch as the spearhead, Beckoner just about on the center point and Hungering Darkness right next to strategy marker. It had placed a scheme marker with its third action point. Death Beds? Ensnare? Information Overload?

Tanuki and Kitty were a little behind the center bunch. Mr. Graves and an Illuminated were approaching from the left, and then we had a single Illuminated coming from right.

Turn 2:

Resurrectionists got the initiative, and Canine Remains picked up a bone and delivered it near Lynch, and interacted a scheme marker, too. 

With their first activation Hungering Darkness charged Sebastian right away. Thanks to good damage blocks, Sebastian was only reduced down to two health remaining. Well, he did still have a spare head.

So I decided to take a little risk with Sebastian and drag a scheme marker close to Lynch with Corpse Curator. It managed to make a sludge marker, too, so that's a bonus. 

From then on my memory on activation order is gone, so let's go from right to left.

Illuminated placed a scheme marker on bridge. Dead Rider was pushed a bit forward with Desperate Pace, and on its own activation it rode into the river, charged the dastardly scheming Illuminated and went to control strategy marker at bottom-right, worth two points for Resurrectionists.

Guild Autopsy was just crafting soulstones and shooting dogs. It had tried to shoot a Beckoner, but Black Jokered the damage after declaring Wild Shot. What a champ.

Kitty tried to charge Corpse Curator, but the curator proved to be just as unassuming as Kitty's attacks were. All missed. However, she left a scheme marker with bonus action, and things were looking a lot like Information Overload. 

Nurse had healer Sebastian for three, and Sebastian healed one from Catalyst and two from poison. 

McMourning was swimming in corpses like Scrooge McDuck in coins, but he wasn't nearly as greedy. He crafted a fine Flesh Construct out of the surplus before climbing on top of crates to pace Dead Rider forward.

After Lynch had charged and killed Canine Remains (and placing a scheme marker) Sebastian made a new puppy with whom to play fetch. Remaining attacks, as well as Flesh Construct's attacks, brought Hungering Darkness down to four health remaining until I remembered how useless it is to attack Endlessly Hungering Darkness. Oh well. 

Tanuki and Illuminated went to raid the center-left marker. We all know what Tanuki was raiding from that. Well, we might even have a pretty decent guess what Illuminated was craving, too.

To block Mr. Graves from walking and charging Kentauroi, Kentauroi charged in first. Unfortunately charge attack missed, but the second one scored a bit of damage and a trickle of poison.

Beckoner in the middle went to contest center-right marker, and the other Beckoner at Ten Thunders bottom-left corner took a double walk to maybe become relevant one day.

Resurrectionists had been able to score Ensnare from Lynch, but so were the Ten Thunders able to score Information Overload. Both players got strategy for a 2-2 tie.

Turn 3:

And then we had a bit of a weird turn. 

This time going from left to right, Mr. Graves beat Kentauroi down to one health, so it had to activate right away to regenerate at least a little. It was able to infect Mr. Graves with poison, and cut him down to two health remaining. Last attack scored Like The Wind trigger, which was more appropriately Like Brave Sir Robin. Illuminated tried to walk and charge to finish the centaur, but missed. As I didn't Sir Robin to hold that flank all alone, I sent Canine Remains to bolster that front. Yup. Doesn't look good, there in the west.

Tanuki healed Mr. Graves for one and schemed, while Beckoner also dropped a scheme marker and walked to secure center-left strategy marker. 

Lynch and Hungering Darkness weren't really up to the task in holding center, but at least the real master healed itself back to full. 

Flesh Construct did more than anyone could have expected - all three attacks hit Lynch, and even scored one severe in the process. This had a heavy toll on Honeypot's soulstone stash, and so the former master survived with four health remaining. 

Kitty had activated early enough to drop a scheme marker near Corpse Curator, who soon enough triggered Ensnare for Ten Thunders. Curator went to place a scheme marker near already activated Illuminated on the bridge. 

Most of my brain's processing power went into figuring out how to score Death Beds this turn. And surely enough, that plan worked! Nurse with movement of 7 was able to charge then un-activated Illuminated with accompanied stun and 3" push past centerline. That didn't help me too much, as Illuminated activated next, healed back to four and charged Nurse for two points of damage.

My problem was that while there was a scheme marker close enough, there was no corpse marker within 2" of the Illuminated. So, McMourning had to abandon center and charge the Illuminated and do an impromptu amputation, before killing Illuminated next to a scheme and a corpse marker. 

Situation was tough. Opponent had Kitty and Beckoner near center-right strategy marker, while I only had Corpse Curator there. Opponent also had center-left marker, while I had bottom-right that's worth two. So, it was up to Sebastian to try to deny Ten Thunders a point. He walked through Hungering Darkness and disengaged with -2 Mv. He was able to get within 2" of the Vault, but he was in a precarious position. He was ending his activation, which prompted a check from Feed the Darkness. Cheating would give Brilliance for Sebastian because of Beckoner, which in turn would trigger Delirium, getting him out of strategy marker's reach. And that's exactly what happened.

However, as the very last activation on this turn, Dead Rider was able to get line of sight to Beckoner that was contesting center-right. Rider passed the check for Revel in Death, and made a melee attack against the Beckoner that had four health and Poison +1. Flips were excessive, and that contestant went down. 

Scores went 4-3, lead being that of Resurrectionists.

Turn 4:

... and carnage ensued. 

Ten Thunders got the initiative, and Lynch butchered Flesh Construct before it was able to activate.

Kentauroi used this opportunity to regenerate to five health, ride away from melee and stampede Mr. Graves down to one health. Charge attack scored a hit with my only 13, killing the bouncer. This left Kentauroi free to charge Tanuki and Beckoner, stampeding both but missing the attack.

Sebastian had healed back to full, but he had been dodging his fate long enough. Nine action points from Hungering Darkness finally did its trick. Sebastian, gone. 

Illuminated at top-left strategy marker claimed the vault and massacred Canine Remains. 

Tanuki, then, went on a drunken rampage and smashed Kentauroi dead with a jug. It also went to talk dirty to Lynch before deliriously wandering towards center. Later in the turn, that heinous Tanuki had to pay for it sins, when Dead Rider walked, raised three Mindless Zombies and rode back to bottom-right strategy marker. One of the Zombies with respectable melee stat of 6 put wrong to right by removing Tanuki from board with a double severes with negative modifiers. Justice!

Remainder of the turn was more peaceful. Nurse just went to scheme with a corpse, and Corpse Curator lobbed a scheme marker near another corpse marker. McMourning ran into the river to, perhaps, one day plant a scheme marker for Ensnare end. I'm not quite sure what Kitty did, and Zombie Chihuahua was not sure what it was doing when it tried to bite Beckoner. 

Guild Autopse went to place a scheme marker near top-right strategy marker, if Hungering Darkness or someone decided to reposition there next turn.

Both players got their strategy, and scores continued 5-4 in favor for Resurrectionists

Turn 5:

Last turn was kind of intense wrestling on the activation order. Ten Thunders gave Resurrectionists the initiative, which meant I would have to score first - all but giving Information Overload for Ten Thunders.

Resurrectionists kept activating Mindless Zombies, Chihuahuas and whatnot no delay important activations. 

Lynch killed a zombie, placed a scheme, charged and killed another zombie, and walked in delirium to control center-left marker along with Beckoner. Mindless Zombies and Chihuahuas had been trying to kill the pleasant distraction, but it didn't work out. 

Eventually Hungering Darkness activated, disengaged, concentrated and charged Nurse. Good thing that she had an extra leg, because she fell from no damage taken to one health remaining with a Red Joker. 

Guild Autopsy had to pick up the scheme it had planted earlier and carry it a couple of inches closer to Hungering Darkness for a possible Ensnare end condition.

I was running out of action points, so Corpse Curator dragged a scheme marker originally planned for Death Beds to Ensnare Hungering Darkness. Nurse was healed herself for a bit, pulled herself away from melee and walked to bottom-right strategy marker to place a scheme marker. 

Finally it was clear that I would have the last activation, and last to activate from Ten Thunders would be Kitty Dumont. I had the markers for Ensnare on Hungering Darkness, but not Death Beds. Opponent was sure to get Information Overload and the strategy while Ensnare looked unlikely.

My last two models to activate were McMourning and Dead Rider. I chose Dead Rider to ride to control bottom-left strategy marker. So it was up to Kitty to decide the game now. She dislodged from melee with a bonus action, and went to remove Guild Autopsy's sorry scheme marker. 

Now I could score either Ensnare or Death Beds, but not both. And sure enough, opponent got the Information Overload and strategy point. But so did Resurrectionists, barely claiming victory by 7-6.