My Teddy Wants To Tell You Something

 A 50ss game of Malifaux

Strategy: Standard Raid the Vaults

Schemes: Deliver a Message, Hold Up Their Forces, Death Beds, Espionage, Protected Territory

My list:

Molly with The Whisper & Necrotic Machine
Philip & Nanny
Rogue Necromancy
Keepside Strangers
Rabble Riser
Night Terror
Crooligan
Enslaved Spirit

Pool: 5
Schemes: Deliver a Message (Crooligan), Protected Territory

Opponent had:

Shenlong & 2x Aspiring Students
Sensei Yu
High River Monk
Thunder Archer
Fermented River Monk
2x Wandering River Monk
Low River Monk with Trained Ninja

Pool: 4
Schemes: Protected Territory, Espionage

Turn 1:

Monks started concentrating on their Chi, barely exiting their deployment zone. Except for that one Wandering River Monk that ended up less than five inches away from my deployment zone. Although Night Terror helped the guy a little. Presumably the flapping of bat wings inspire butterfly jumps. 

Early on Molly took a double walk to within 2" of center-left strategy marker and concentrated to spread some Lethe's Caress. I don't think anyone took the damage just yet, though, but at least it complicated Chi generation.

Monks had bunched up nicely. Stone pillar hides Shenlong himself and Aspiring Student from the picture. I was concerned about High River Monk and his ruthlessness, so that's where Keepside Strangers aimed their snakes at. Attack hit and dealt moderate damage, the blast splashing on Aspiring Student. 

I was tempted to try and finish off those two, but eventually walked Keepside Strangers away so that Thunder Archer would have to walk to get within range. And so it did, dealing two points through Shielded. 

It was probably Low River Monk that healed Aspiring Student so that it would not die to poison. Opponent was now wary of blasts, and moved Sensei Yu to contest top-right strategy marker instead of standing in the middle of everything.

And that was when Rogue Necromancy did Projectile Vomit on Yu, dealing three points to him and two blasts reached Low River Monk and Thunder Archer. 

For sure it was oppressive situation for Monks. Especially after Necrotic Machine went to heal the only damage Resurrectionists had taken. And High River Monk was at one health remaining, Sensei Yu had taken four, and some random points here and there. I also had a pass token.

Turn 2:

So I got the initiative easily enough. I had some options how to deal with High River Monk, and I decided to jam Rogue Necromancy in the middle of enemy crew. I figured I might lose Rogue Necromancy because of that, but at least it would considerably slow down Ten Thunders strategy options. 

Rogue ambushed, walked over the small wall section and charged High River Monk, using focus point. Stat 6, three cards, bonus to damage flips. Had a 13 in hand. Everything. 

Black Joker. Bad things happen, yeah.

Low River Monk did a double heal on High River Monk, healing it back up to five. 

Next Shenlong would have ample time to heal just about everyone, so Molly had to activate next and premonition her cards away. First she did two damage with Disturbing Story, and remaining three came from another Disturbing Story that needed a cheat. 

Shenlong probably healed Thunder Archer for a bit and switched his fighting style to that horrifying dragon kick thing. Two hits landed on Rogue Necromancy, some of which was healed by Necrotic Machine.

So, in the end, Rogue Necromancy died on turn two. But at least it took, uh, two actions from Shenlong, two actions from an insignificant totem and two actions from Fermented River Monk. Oh. Right. So nothing to write home about.

At least handful of snakes scored a big one again, damaging Thunder Archer and blasting Low River Monk dead. They even had time to place a scheme marker next to center-right strategy marker. 

Thunder Archer was no slouch either, removing Enslaved Spirit with a single shot and killing it again with target practice. 

A Wandering Monk leaped to bottom-left strategy marker and placed a scheme to my deployment. The other one did a scheme to centerline, too, so looked a bit like Espionage. Philip & Nanny was able to slow somebody with a question, and remove an enemy scheme marker, which by the time had been the one in Ten Thunders deployment zone. 

Rabble Riser redirected itself from centerline to attack the Monk that had jumped to bottom-left. I believe he missed his attack. 

However, Enslaved Spirit and Night Terror had procured Protected Territory for me, and Crooligan teleported to hand over a message to Shenlong. I was controlling at least one strategy marker, not sure about the one Yu is standing next to. 

That was a 3-1 lead to Resurrectionists.

Turn 3:

Aspiring Student started beating a kid in the face with the pointy end of a broom. That's how students aspire these days? Dragonfly kick even set her and her teddy bear on fire. She figured out her messages were not appreciated, teleported to Philip & Nanny and went to place a scheme marker and contest top-left strategy marker. One problem, though. She had Burning +2, one health remaining.

Necrotic Machine and Molly tied their best at taking down Sensei Yu. But damn those chi tokens. Not a single injector broke Yu's skin, and his mind was fazed only a little by Molly's disturbing stories. Juggernaut healed back whatever she managed to do. He was able to kill Keepside Strangers before they were able to activate.

Night Terror walked to assist Crooligan with her burning, but managed to smother only the teddy bear. Not the kid herself. It tried to take better cover with reposition from Negation Aura. 

However, Yu had given Fast to Thunder Archer. He walked back to Ten Thunders deployment and took two shots at the bat. One attack hit, and dealt weak damage, so Night Terror was down to two health remaining.

Philip & Nanny managed to kill an Aspiring Student that had charged them. As I didn't want Shenlong to come and engage top-left corner marker, they Pram-Rammed Shenlong.

That backfired, when Shenlong used four winds punch to push the prams away - and one of my scheme markers to centerline. Ten Thunders master gave an interact for Thunder Archer, andwalked to contest center-left marker instead. 

Rabble Riser didn't manage to finish off a Wandering River Monk. He needed a moderate for that. Didn't get. And instead, the duo kicked the Riser out of Rabble. 

Resurrectionists got a second strategy point, while Ten Thunders claimed their first. They also got Protected Territory, so they caught up a little, to 4-3 lead for Molly.

Turn 4:

Then, things went wrong for Resurrectionists. It took every damn action point I had on board to kill Yu. Finally it did happen, but I wasn't able to play for points... much.

Shenlong switches to the unpredictable river style, and, huh. YEAAH. Molly had graciously even gifted Shenlong Distracted beforehand so that she was pretty much doomed. After spending most of my soulstones, Molly was still standing with five health remaining. But another such barrage next turn... I didn't look forward to that.

Thunder Archer shot Night Terror dead, and Remaining monks just schemed as if their lives depended on it. 

Both players scored strategy, for a 5-4 lead for Resurrectionists.

Turn 5:

Thunder Archer's Target Practice was my biggest concern right now, so Necrotic Machine healed Molly for a couple of points and walked to charge Thunder Archer. The archer had one health remaining from all the Lethe's Caress procs. But that one health was too many - it might just disengage and shoot my scheme markers anyway.

Philip & Nanny was able to activate before Archer did and gave Slow for it. No damage though, since the damn thing had no melee range, so wasn't engaging anyone for the damage instance from One More Question.

Shenlong made a gambit and tried to hit Molly twice with four-winds punch to get my scheme marker away from where it should be. Second punch failed to connect - that style is far more predictable with Serene Countenance than the drunken swings Shenlong was doing earlier. 

Molly was able to spend pass tokens and wait until all the monks had done their things. She removed the only scheme marker opponent had on the centerline She was, however, both stunned and staggered, so she wasn't going to make it to top-right strategy marker with two actions even if she disengaged successfully.

Ten Thunders got third strategy point and Protected Territory.

Resurrectionists got either Deliver a Message or Protected Territory, but not both. So, it was a 6-6 draw.