A 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.
Strategy: Flank Cloak and Dagger
Schemes: Take Prisoner, Let Them Bleed, Sweating Bullets, Death Beds, Information Overload
My list:
Hamelin & 3x Stolen
Nix
Fumigator
Johan Creedy
Tunnel Rats
Rat Catcher
Prospector
2x Winged Plague
Pool: 2
Schemes: Let Them Bleed, Information Overload
Opponent had:
Youko Hamasaki & Chiyo
Shojo
2x Kunoichi
2x Bunraku
2x Geisha
2x Tanuki
Pool: 2
Schemes: Take Prisoner (Johan), Death Beds (strategy)
Turn 1:
There was relatively little engagement in the first turn, probably because of the enormous, obstructive building in the middle. But it was enough for quite a set-up.
A single Bunraku was sent to top-left corner, and was greeted by Prospector and a Winged Plague.
Another Bunraku sped towards bottom-right corner, and there I only had Rat Catcher trying to get to a strategy marker there. Well, Hamelin was also nearby, but he was kind of busy, facing Youko, Geisha and Tanuki as he was.
Hamelin had walked and lured Tanuki within charge range, but failed the attack. Unclean Influence aided another Winger Plague in gathering an intel first turn, and I must say I'm warming up for Winged Plagues for this scenario. The end-phase movement certainly helped in delivering the plague gamin to relative safety.
Tunnel Rats were also able to teleport inside central building and claim an intel.
Geishas were pulling Ten Thunders models around, and another Tanuki placed a highly suspicious scheme marker to enemy deployment side.
Stolen did little else than ate enemy activations.
Fumigator had shot a scheme marker near center point, and Nix went to guard it like a good boy. Shojo managed to land a bad boy insult on the dog.
Youko's activation was a tad distressing. First she riddled Nix, presumably something like "well are you a good boy or a bad boy?" Nix was nihilistic over the question and discarded black joker. Rat Catcher took a quick follow-up riddle, but only got distracted. Youko had ran out of pass tokens (well, they had one...) so she concentrated and asked Nix again: "Well ARE you?"
Nix blinked, and finally question got through his skin. He did no know. He was Distracted +3, because I didn't want to discard my twelve of crows. In the hindsight, bad mistake.
Kunoichis started activating left and right, and managed to get their hands on Red Joker. Apparently opponent had enough rams in hand to trivialize landing Unexpected Ferocity.
I also had Johan Creedy who could have tried to yell rebelliously how good of a boy Nix was, but didn't consider a confusedly low self-esteem to be a critical threat to a dog's well-being. So little I know about dogs. One charge attack and one shuriken later Nix was still at five health remaining, but I had only one soulstone now, and six points of damage were prevented by soulstones and incorporeal.
Lastly, Chiyo ran to have her toes on my side of table for her inconspiousnesses.
Turn 2:
With a moderate damage block Nix would be able to tank two minimum damages, so I tried to fish for those. I was able to give a negative modifier to damage flip, but even then damage was moderate and damage block was not a severe.
I did have a 12 in my hand, but I knew for sure opponent had Red Joker. Buh-bye, Nix.
It took two strikes for Hamelin to take part in the important duty of population management of Tanuki species. A rat that emerged from the corpse charged Youko with Unclean Influence. Hamelin's Lure of Bunraku failed because of concealment. The Bunraku then proceeded to strike Rat Catcher down to two health remaining.
Concerned, I activated Winged Plague at top-left before second Bunraku butchered it. First attack hit, and second action crafted a scheme marker out of two Blight tokens Bunraku had.
Shojo walked closer to activate Boring Conversation. Johan tried to misplace his gigantic runic sledgehammer on top of Chiyo with high velocity... twice... but didn't quite succeed.
Youko activated, walked and charged Rat Catcher and riddled Hamelin for a bit. Hamelin shrugged at the riddle he did not quite understand and discarded a four of crows not to be distracted.
Kids started demonstrating their disapproval of killing a doggo, and spat three points of damage to Kunoichi in the middle. This kind of opened up a possibility for me to score Let Them Bleed this turn... except a Tanuki came to heal the dog slayer for two.
I tried to activate a Stolen to go engage Youko and her and Bunraku blight tokens. Youko forced Fumigator to activate instead. I no longer had cards in my hand and didn't want to try to fish a tome from top of deck, so he took a double walk towards Youko and Bunraku.
A Geisha called Chiyo away from Johan's sledgehammer, and another Geisha dropped a scheme marker. Second Kunoichi charged Johan and did a couple of damage points.
Bunraku at top-left got away from melee with Risky Maneuver, walked and took intel from strategy marker. And since Chiyo picked another Intel later, Prospector did not go and steal Bunraku's intel. Instead, he picked his own and charged Bunraku for two points of damage through armor.
My future killing potential did not seem great, so Tunnel Rats started shooting Kunoichi with their trench gun. Miraculously despite Boring Conversation both attacks hit and dealt a point of damage, and even a minefield was dug up.
Winged Plague in center went to place a potential scheme marker for Information Overload.
Both players scored strategy, Outcasts revealed Let Them Bleed and Ten Thunders got their prisoner from engaged Johan. Scores were 2-2 tie.
Turn 3:
Top-left, Bunraku began acting disagreeably, stunning Prospector, so Prospector had to put it down and interact with a strategy marker. Wingman Winged Plague Plagueman went to place a scheme near the corner.
After being declared a prisoner, Johan failed to hit Kunoichi twice. At least flurry attack hit, but by then I had nothing to cheat with. Boom. Dead Kunoichi, even with negative modifiers. Top-left quarter was now entirely uncontested by Ten Thunders.
Tunnel Rats had picked up an intel and teleported away from action to score points. Strategy marker went pretty much where it left, when Tanuki picked up intel and healed injured Kunoichi for a bit before escaping with intel.
One Stolen went to guard Hamelin, and another managed to damage Kunoichi after a concentrated attack.
Third kid, well, that one was beaten into a pulp rat by Youko's horrible, horrible words. Ensuing rat was also talked off the board by Qi and Gong master. But Youko still had treasured a few, choice words inside her heart. She delivered them to Hamelin with not much of an effect other than removing cards from Hamelin's hand via Nihilism.
I had not drawn any Tomes into my starting hand, so Fumigator was not able to reliably fume scheme markers around the board. He concentrated and charged Youko, missing the attack.
Shojo was late to activate that turn, and only managed to affect Hamelin with Boring Conversation in any meaningful way. She also scored a hit with melee attack, delivering poison to Hamelin.
Before Stolen and Fumigator had activated, Hamelin had tried to show Youko his cool, black staff in close proximity. He was distracted, though, so first attack was understandably a failure. I had to cheat my last card to pass the conversation check, though. Concentration went just fine, but when Hamelin tried to attack Youko for that Injured +5, conversation proved too boring.
Winged Plague below had flown to place a scheme near a strategy marker. Damaged Kunoichi took a double walk nearby, and a Geisha came to place a scheme marker right next to Plague's scheme. I had the suspicion that opponent was suspecting me of Information Overload. However, I failed to take into account that that was a good set-up for Death Beds, too.
Bunraku below had picked up intel and did... I don't remember, something. Chiyo ran to touch centerline.
I had four scheme markers on opponent's side of the table, and opponent had five scheme markers in total, so no point for Outcasts from that. But at least opponent didn't reveal anything either.
Scores continued in 3-3 tie.
Turn 4:
Going from top to bottom, Winged Plague picked up intel from strategy marker and Prospector placed a total of two scheme markers - one with trigger from Malifaux Mining Law.
Tunnel Rats failed to teleport, so they just placed a scheme marker on my side of table for Information Overload end condition. Johan did the same, while he went inside the building in the middle to shrug his shoulders.
Geisha nearer center placed a scheme marker and walked close to my side, and Tanuki continued to run like the drunk little coward it was. Chiyo was just just about the last model to activate, and just placed a scheme marker.
Kunoichi had killed the Winged Plague below, and scored Death Beds that way. Geisha was able to go and collect an intel from the marker that Winged Plague had been guarding.
And then, the big melee... Uh, oh. Maybe I should have just disengage last turn with Hamelin so that he might have done anything useful this turn. But I just could not resist trying to land that Injured +5 on her, before Boring Conversation was even on!
Focus from last turn gave me an opportunity for two clear strikes, but Hamelin missed both. Losing Nix after first activation was one of the game defining moments for sure, but achieving absolutely nothing with six action points on turns three and four with my master certainly had an impact, too!
At least Youko's action points weren't that grand either - just a dead Stolen -, but she only needed to stand there to mess up with my activation order.
Fumigator had charged to steal an intel from Shojo, and Bunraku killed a rat and came to steal intel from Fumigator.
A Stolen tried to spit at Youko, but failed at that and split into two Malifaux Rats because of the shame.
Ten Thunders took the lead by 5-4, since they got Death Beds but had spawned enough scheme markers to deny Outcasts a hypothetical Information Overload.
Turn 5:
I had plans to try to get a miraculous Let Them Bleed end condition with pustulent tumors, but an abominable Bunraku managed to kill Hamelin, as Fumigator wasn't able to land even a single hit to discourage any manner of risky maneuvers.
After that turn was pretty straightforward wrestle of Outcasts gaining hypothetical Information Overload or not - and in the end it was ten scheme markers versus ten scheme markers.
So, a 5-4 victory for Youko.
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