Saturday, July 19, 2025

Sterilize it with ethanol

A 50ss game of Malifaux 4th edition over Vassal.


 Strategy: Corner Recover Evidence

Schemes: Frame Job, Detonate Charges, Ensnare


Plague

Hamelin, the Plaguebringer & Obedient Wretch
Nix
Fumigator
Tunnel Rats
Rat Catcher
3x Stolen
Malifaux Rat

Pool: 5


Tri-Chi

Brewmaster the Proof-Prophet & Wesley
Whiskey Golem
Fingers Leong
Shojo
... an effing TANUKI!
2x Moon Shinobi
Whiskey Gamin

Pool: 5


Turn 1:  Plague picks Frame Job, Tri-Chi picks Detonate Charges to abandon it.

Moon Shinobi: Drunken dash through forest, double walk in contact with my evidence, trying to deny a point for me.

Tunnel Rats: Walk and interact a scheme marker within 2" of Moon Shinobi to bluff Detonate Charges.

Whiskey Golem: Walk, Hulking Leap to Tunnel Rats, which scores doubles from Frame Job for Plague. Attack with mask trigger kills Tunnel Rats, though.

Stolen: Walks, slams a terrain piece and walks with Onward to a silo type building, scaling it.

Whiskey Gamin: Walks and prepares, fails Liquid Courage.

Rat Catcher: Walk, Moldy Cheese for two rats and prepare for Shielded.

Tanuki: Interacts a scheme, walk to a building and scale. Lifting Spirits heals Whiskey Golem.

Obedient Wretch: Resupply to get Tomes for Fumigator, and double walk to scale on top of terrain.

Moon Shinobi: Dash over Tanuki's scheme marker to get poison, double walk next to strategy marker.

Malifaux Rat: Activates.

Brewmaster: Double walk and Drunken Clarity on Moon Shinobi to claim strategy. Last Call fails.

Opponent passes long enough that Fumigator does the last remaining Malifaux Rat and walks on top of a building, and then the Rats form into Rat King. Rat King attempts to Prey on Moon Shinobi guarding my strategy marker. Fails.

Stolen: Walks and stuns a Moon Shinoby that scored strategy.

Apprentice Wesley: Walks and fails.

Hamelin: Walks twice, and lures Stolen nearer and Moon Shinobi away from my strategy marker.

Fingers Leong: Secret Passage nearby to go walk over my strategy marker. Toast checks were passed by everyone involved.

Nix: Walks on top of a building, uses Red Death on Whiskey Golem, charges Moon Shinobi. Fails.

Shojo: Walks and tries to lure Nix, but fails. False Claim to give charge to Whiskey Golem, who goes for Hamelin.

Stolen: Onward, charge and fill power bar with Moon Shinobi.

Tri-Chi got strategy, and abandoned scheme for Red Joker. Plague got two points from Frame Job.


Turn 2: Plague picks Public Demonstration, Tri-Chi picks Take the Highground 

Moon Shinobi: Poison Nix with melee and dashes out of melee. Nix canceled one attack with Loose Bowels.

Nix: Charges Moon Shinobi to block LoS to nearby Stolen. Three points from melee, then one additional point from The Red Death. He used soulstone trigger to blight Whiskey Golem, too. Healed back to full with Drink Spirit.

Whiskey Golem: Took two hits at Nix, one from trigger. Last action was made to fail with Loose Bowels. Hulking Leap on top of building where Obedient Wretch had gone.

Hamelin: Pustulent Tumors on Nix, dealing two to Fingers Leon. Moon Shinobi passed. Lured Shinobi closer to get hazardous terrain. Two strikes versus the Shinobi, and it dies. 

Apprentice Wesley: Walkin' and Failin'.

Stolen: Walked and scaled to terrain and dropped a scheme marker near Whiskey Golem and Obedient Wretch.

Brewmaster: Walked and scaled to same terrain, charged Stolen and killed it with two strikes. Crew action to heal Whiskey Golem.

Rat Catcher: Walk and charge to Fingers Leon, not doing anything. Summoned two rats, which went to annoy Shojo & Whiskey Gamin, and Wesley.

Moon Shinobi: walks on top of terrain to pick up Stolen's strategy marker. It was becoming crowded there, with Shinobi, Brewmaster, Whiskey Golem and Obedient Wretch.

Yet another Stolen: Onward + Walk to get on top of the Whiskey Golem terrain to raise Pox bar by one, and act as one of the two minions required for Public Demo.

Opponent passes both Malifaux Rat activations before activating Tanuki, who was walking on top of building, dangerously drunk. The abominable fur sack was far enough from deployment to count for Taking the Highground.

Obedient Wretch: does pustules on Stolen, and a couple of melee swipes at Whiskey Golem.

Shojo: interacts strategy marker left from Tunnel Rats, walked and scaled on top of terrain for Take the Highground.

Rat King walks and charges on top of a terrain, just to act as the second minion for Public Demonstration.

Whiskey Gamin: Gets on the same terrain with Shojo. Also tried to Froth Over three of my models, but all passed the test.

Stolen: took Onward and Walk to get on the same terrain with Shojo and Gamin, charged Gamin and slapped it down to two remaining, plus Blight.

Fingers Leong: walked and scaled right next to the Stolen and did three points in. He healed Gamin back to full, plus poison to mitigate my blight.

Fumigator: took double walk to Whiskey Golem's terrain and got off a Caustic Spray, which in itself didn't do much to enemy models. However, he summoned an extra Tunnel Rats.

Tri-Chi got one point from strategy and one from Take the Highground, while Plague got only their scheme - but with two points.


Turn 3: Plague picks Detonate Charges, Tri-Chi picks Make It Look Like an Accident.

Whiskey Golem: High Pressure Dispenser twice on Stolen. Stolen flips black joker for defense, so off he went. Second dispensation killed the Stolen, netting two scheme points from Make It Look Like an Accident. Last action was to hit Obedient Wretch for three damage.

Rat Catcher: Picks up strategy marker and drops a scheme, summons one rat.

Brewmaster: Three attacks at Obedient Wretch, killing her. Last Call to Rat King, but fails.

Nix: Walk and charge to Moon Shinobi on top of tower, killing it. Diseased Embrace to max out power bar and heal himself.

Apprentice Wesley: Resupply, tries to Last Call Nix but fails, Last Calls on Whiskey Golem to heal it up a bit.

Stolen: Two coughs at Whiskey Gamin, missing both. Crew bonus to Fingers Leon to give him Blight and heal himself.

Whiskey Gamin: Didn't help. Gamin kills the kid with moonshine.

Malifaux Rat: Walks.

Malifaux Rat: Walks and scales terrain.

Malifaux Rat: Prepares for Shielded.

Tanuki: Double walk to stand on my strategy marker, and to lift Whiskey Golem's spirits. 

Hamelin: Walks to pick up strategy, lure Tanuki off from the strategy marker and smack the disgusting little thing with black staff for two points of damage and stun.

Rat King: Opponent passes yet again, so the king tries to maul Tanuki. Prey on the Weak succeeds, as is proper, for Tanukis are weak, and an attack hits too. But Tanuki survives, albeit with only one health remaining, ready to die to blight.

Shojo: Walks to spam False Claim on my side of the table for four scheme markers. Opponent considered the action crazy effective.

Fumigator: Fails Caustic Spray, but deals two chemical foggers on Brewmaster, both with blast to damage Whiskey Golem too.

Fingers Leon: Fails Secret Passage, toasts and walks away from Plague scheme marker, as opponent was guessing I had Detonate Charges.

Tunnel Rats: Prepare focus, use focus and empower with crows to get Secret Passage off, to get second scheme marker for Detonate Charges near Apprentice Wesley.

This time Plague got strategy but Tri-Chi didn't, but only one point from Detonate Charges while the Bayou scoring two from their scheme.


Turn 4: Plague picks Runic Binding, Tri-Chi picks Reshape the Land with scheme markers.

Whiskey Golem: tries to beat Nix, but doesn't do it well enough thanks to Loose Bowels.

Malifaux Rat: Exists

Whiskey Gamin: Goes pick up strategy marker.

Malifaux Rat: Exists

Rat Catcher: Opponent starts passing, so Rat Catcher went to pick up strategy marker and summoned more rats, which summoned more rats - meaning second Rat King. Newly summoned Rat King charged Apprentice Wesley. The earlier one went to protect Rat Catcher's earlier scheme marker.

Fingers Leong: tried to secret passage twice and succeeded once at that, bringing Chatty aura near Hamelin. Toast poisoned just about everyone involved.

Tunnel Rats: secret passages next to Whiskey Golem and drops a scheme marker with trigger.

Shojo: False Claimed even more scheme markers as far as possible before walking nearer action to try and lure Nix away from engaging Brewmaster, but failed.

Hamelin interacted a scheme, picked up strategy and went to guard the scheme marker just in case.

Apprentice Wesley: moved Nix full 12", and Plague revealed Runic Binding.

Nix: moved right back. 

Brewmaster tried to shoo Nix off from engagement, but I made the mistake of canceling that attack. Second Last Call hit just fine, and Brewmaster was free to pick up two strategy markers. Had I left the blight on, Brewmaster would have only been able to pick one and game would have been a draw.


So, it was a really close 8-7 win for Tri-Chi.

Monday, July 14, 2025

Dawn of Verpowere

 So, finally Clinging Mists led Golimato, Tremuli, Rahlovia and Leiha to a new settlement. This is a continuation from the 

This time population was whopping 14, and when Golimato invented new and improved language for the survivor swarm. This made him a Matchmaker, and first year began with five endeavors.

Tremuli braved the storm and got blinded as a result. 

Endeavors:

1: Settlement innovates Paint
2-4: Organ Grinder, Skinnery, Bone Smith
5: Matchmaker procs both New Life and Society principles.

Settlement chooses Survival of the Fittest, and Neliprinso, the first baby, was born a rageholic.

Society Principle in turn gives settlement the Death Principle, which was Graves.

It took three re-rolls to get +1 permanent luck for aichmophobic Leiha, but now we had a Fist & Tooth master in training. What a smashing start for Verpowere settlement!

Settlement produced Bone Axe and started hunting more Gorms. 


Year 1 hunt & showdown - Gorm level 1

Confidently Leiha, Rahlovia, Neliprinso and Urvivo set out to hunt a gorm.

Neliprinso gets Priority Target token from getting her face painted by an experienced sportsman. 

Urvivo steered the hunting party clear from a Mourning Bull. 

Leiha leads the survivors down a Tomb of Excellence, where everyone gets depressed how weak they look when compared to murals. Damn strong murals. 

Survivors found the Gorm munching on a generic dead monster. Turned out it was Gorm, and survivors were able to skin a hide out of the corpse.

Despite having the ambush, survivors landed only two wounds on the first turn. And before Gorm had activated, it had also dealt two points of damage to Rahlovia. He was walloped for another two points. 

Rahlovia continued to inflict two wounds, while everyone else failed. Gorm was the first to break this cycle by trying to backslap Rahlovia, which he dodged. 

Survivors hacked three more wounds in, and Gorm had had enough of this pathetic display. It flattened Neliprinso, the first born of Verpowere settlement. Every single attack hit, although hit on the head was dodged while she still could. No severe injuries happened just yet, but waist and legs were on heavy injury level.

With Flatten now in the last three cards was threatening to say the least. And also trap was coming up.

Rahlovia decided to take a walloping and trigger the upcoming trap. Flatten was now next in line. Leiha messed up her attacks, but at least Rib Blade wielding Neliprinso did not. Anticipating smooth sailing now, right?

Well, I was adamant in trying to get at least one wound in with Leiha to start training Fist & Tooth. There even were flank locations coming up next. 

Urvivo tanked two wallopings, Leiha failed to wound both flank locations. Urvivo went down to zero survival, so tanker had to be changed. Rahlovia took a backslap to his chest, and finally - Leiha's ninth hit in the fight was finally a wound. Not a critical wound, though. She pulled Gorm by the tail and inflicted a normal wound with flank bonus.

Finally. 

Neliprinso took a walloping before Gorm was finally put down - in style. Rahlovia scored the only critical during this fight when there was only a single AI card left in Gorm's deck. But that was a crit with Bone Axe. 

Killing blow: Rahlovia.


Lantern Year 2: Gorm Climate

Random event was Gorm Climate, which forced the entire team to skip next hunt. 

Golimato and Urvivo duke it out with Spidicules, Urvivo being the one to die in Young Rivals.

Endless Screams made Rahlovia a figure who now stand in the beginning and the end - he became Matchmaker as well as gained the Orator of Death fighting art.

Endeavors:

1: Settlement innovated Face Painting
2-3: Being entirely new innovation, survivors quite weren't able to get it right straight away. It took two attempts to get a +1. 
4: Matchmaker from Rahlovia. Timac and Eebon, who had used their re-rolls last turn digging graves, welcomed their newborn Timbon to settlement.
5: Augury gives an intimacy. Timac and Eebon were at it again, and Timbon got a sibling, Eemac

Settlement develops Gorment Boots and Greater Gaxe.


Lantern Year 2 hunt & showdown - Gorm level 1

Right after being born Timbon and Eemac go on a hunt, lead by Golimato and Seresteheen.

All the survivors are too dumb to understand what enormous, smooth boulders might mean. Horizon of Bones is also closed off because of incompetency, and instead Seresteheen investigates one of the stone faces. She is struck with loneliness and loses all survival.

Lastly, the hunting party braved through a jagged bones storm. Results were... rough. Two heads and one body was starting the showdown with heavy injury level already.

Terrain cards were some stone pillars and flowers. 

Gorm started hiccups right off the bat. I guess it was intoxicated, as the showdown went so sorry for the great beast. Despite inexperienced survivors, this showdown went a lot more effortlessly than the first year one. 


Lantern Year 3: Hunt Re-Enactment

Well, the enactment was all about Gorm, wasn't it? No other monsters killed yet, not even prologue lion! Leiha and Timac play their parts, but only Leiha exits the stage, alive. 

Gorm climate forces another new lineup for the next hunt.

1: Settlement innovates Albedo, because the other choice (Ammonia) might come from upcoming Gorm hunts. Yeah, I'm going to farm this quarry.
2: Settlement builds Barber Surgeon
3-4: Face Painting x2
5: Golimato's matchmaker, Eebon and Odge have their first chiled, Eedge.
6: Augury gives Intimacy right away, although I was fishing for +1 Understanding. Oh well. Odge and Roficien barely manage to make a baby, Odcien.

Settlement develops Gorm helmet, Monster Grease and Dried Acanthus.


Lantern Year 3 hunt & showdown - Gorm level 1

Leiha, Rahlovia, Neliprinso and Talwar begin the hunt.

All survivors investigate the mating fields, finding a mammoth hand and triggering bold for Neliprinso. She got +1 speed token. And was using Rib Blade. Yaaay.

Once more a mourning bull looks too threatening, and survivors steer clear from its sight. I had three stone noses and two survivors were already down to injured brain, so might as well.

Leiha discovers the coveted Object of Desire, and takes even more brain damage out of it. 

Showdown began with advanced AI, Eat and Run. Talwar, being the freshest face, was picked up as the target, but she dashes out of reach. Neliprinso is knocked back as a collateral damage.

Leiha begins to miss her attacks, but also encourages Neliprinso back up. Rahlovia gets one hit after rolling six dice of attacks, but at least that one was a wound. Neliprinso missed with a one. Somehow it looks like the A-team is doing worse than the newbies.

Neliprinso is walloped for a bit. and the whole survivor turn becomes a mess. Wounding on 2+, Rahlovia fails to wound Gorm and Gorm makes a basic attack. It tramples over Leiha, who is eventually encouraged back up by Talwar. Forming a deep bond already, I see!

Well, Leiha struck Gorm and made it retch, Leiha getting hit right to the head.

A total of one wound was dealt with a Catgut Bow by Talwar. 

Hiccups start next, and Neliprinso is retched all over. 

Leiha manages to crit a flank location, but those were the testes. Not wanting to look any worse, Rahlovia crits Gorm with Greater Gaxe, and scores three hits. Wow. Too bad the crit was to a location that caused Gorm to run away. This showdown... Sheesh.

Thunder Footing Gorm pushed Leiha and Rahlovia around, and Neliprinso that had been heavily injured by a retch was encouraged up. At least her blade struck true. One turn there had been two wounds done to the monster, but otherwise it had been a steady "1".

AI deck went over, and of course the thing started again with Eat and Run. Rahlovia was the target, but he managed to dodge the only hit. That was his last survival point, though.

A turn went by without survivors dealing ANY wounds. Resources started to run out. But then, the hunting party finally got their act together and landed three wounds, leaving the beast with only one AI card  left. Last attack from blind spot even moved the monster away from survival-less Rahlovia. 

Neliprinso managed to strike last AI card away, which was Aggravated Bite anyway. And now, three cards left in hit location deck, and there was Death Blow coming up. Looked like a job for Rib Blade's singular attack.

...

And it took six turns for Neliprinso to score the required hit! Leiha was taking the hits, and she was inside Tall Grass, so she was still at one survival point after the showdown. 

But what a farce. At least nobody died.

Talwar, never having hunted Gorm before, wasn't aware of the dangers of picking up the Pure Bulb. She went blind.

Rahlovia got Axe proficiency online.


Lantern Year 4 - Open Maw

Talwar, blinded by the pure bulb didn't see quite well enough when she came back to the settlement and instead strayed to Bone Witch's hut. 

It took one re-roll to get Eedge to draw courage from Gorm Climate instead of losing language again.

1: Talwar's Bone Witch does nothing. Oh well.
2: Settlement innovates Hovel, which blew up the innovation deck. Oh well.
3: Eebon tried the Open Maw, making it close its jaws. Oh well. 
4: Matchmaker. Tremuli and Odge have a baby, but it takes two re-rolls. Oh well.
5: Seresteheen was tutored a bit, but she just received useless Fighting Art from aging. Thrill Seeker.

Settlement completes Gorm armor set. 

And as a little bit of a risk, survivors dabble in Gormchymy, getting a... whoop-de-doo... Steadfast Potion.

And next, Butcher.


Lantern Year 4 Nemesis Showdown - Butcher level 1

Tregde, Rahlovia, Neliprinso and Seresteheen were the champions of the settlement. 

Butcher started with some bad news. Embrace the Pain on the first turn, plus Hack City and Kick going into the discard pile. 

At least only one wound was made this turn, when Butcher had cornered all survivors and bashed three of them knocked down. Well well. All survivors knocked down at the start of monster turn 2. 

Carefully gritting teeth the showdown continued on, and while survivors were slowly and steadily getting mauled, the damage was spread over pretty much each of the brave defenders. Double Wild Carve gave some use for bandages, but for a few turns that was the worst threat faced by the team. But there was the psychological factor of knowing Hack City was in the deck, and deck had already been reshuffled. There were only four cards left in the deck when it got confirmed that the City had been thrown out. Phew! Kick was the most threatening card, but surely enough that was threatening.

Bleed tokens start piling up, and last two AI cards are Wild Carve and Kick. Things might very well go south, still. 

Tregde patches up Rahlovia, who is no longer suffering from bleed tokens. However, Tregde had two and Neliprinso three, so only Rahlovia dared to challenge Butcher after Seresteheen missed with Catgut Bow. And look at that, three hits! With Axe proficiency! Butcher might go down now.

My teeth couldn't have taken much more of the pressure, and Rahlovia decided to spare me a bill from dental services. First, Butcher's Mask fell off. Next, Butcher's Cape. And lastly, killing blow was struck through Pig Iron Shoulders.

Hooray!

As a reward, Butcher just vanishes without giving resources. 


Lantern Year 5: Dark Seamstress

Butcher vanished in a flashing light, and in its place was standing an innocent looking Dark Seamstress, willing to craft sub-par items for exorbitant prices. Could have been worse, though.

Seresteheen experiments with lanterns during Hand of Heat, and burns four re-rolls from the settlement in getting the best result. Only one re-roll available now - ironically on Seresteheen.

Endeavors:

1: Settlement innovates Pictograph. What can I say. Innovation deck is bloated now.
2-3: Face-Painting, one success.
4-5: Matchmakers from Seresteheen and Rahlovia. Odge and Roficien have the siblings Rofige and Egifor.
6: Battle Paint is a success. 

Before moving on to level 2 quarries, I decided to give Ammonia a one more try. I also had the Pure Bulb, and wanted to try Riot Mace for the first time. So a level 1 Gorm it was.

Lantern Year 5 hunt & showdown - Gorm level 1

Hunters were Leiha, Rahlovia, Neliprinso and Seresteheen. Lonely Tree made an appearance again, this time straight out of deck. 

Neliprinso encounters Horizon of Bones, and Rahlovia takes the lead. This triggered Bold from Leiha. Do those have a thing going on between them?

Mating Fields gives Jiggling Lard and a bunch of brain damage for the hunters.

Last hunt event is Bone Storm. Rare indeed to get a total of +12 Courage during a level 1 quarry hunt, but I guess it happens.

Gorm starts showdown with a body check on Rahlovia, but misses. Rahlovia returns the favor by missing eleven times before landing a successful hit. That single hit required three points of survival. Probably not worth it. All other survivors missed, so this might be the case of curse of A-team again.

Gorm strobes all but Leiha down. Leiha manages to crit the beast, but got trampled over as a result. Face palm moment there. Well, at least that caused Gorm just to illuminate. 

Gorm's attacks were no longer much of a threat for survivors, so I delayed attacks to that each survivor got their wound in for weapon proficiency. And as an added bonus, last card in AI deck was the Posturing Piss. 

Showdown was a miserable stooge fest - survivors were not getting injured, but damaging Gorm didn't quite succeed either. When 2+ wounding, accuracy 7+ Rahlovia scored three hits, first two locations were a "1" to damage. Axe proficiency made the other into a wound, but second cancelled the rest of wound attempts. Bah.

Finally showdown ended by Leiha critting the Mammoth Testes. Again.

Hoarder causes Rahlovia to see the truth. He needs to protect his waist from now on, but has the Sweet Battle ability.


Lantern Year 6 - Acid Storm

Neliprinso has to skip next hunt after she runs into the acid storm, flailing wildly. 

And then, the white speaker appears and explodes into black water that makes returning survivors forget fighting arts. Most consequential was Rahlovia losing Orator of Death.

A lion-like figure was watching all over this, stoically, without moving. Neliprinso encounters this monster and worships it during her acid rain trip and gains Tunnel Vision.

Hovel protects survivors from Gorm Climate second year in a row. Weather, however, is getting really bad - need to innovate Drums and Song of the Brave, fast. And survivors didn't even receive all the materials for Riot Mace. But I don't know if I want to tackle a level 2 Gorm just yet. Well, let's look at the endeavor results first.

1: Settlement innovates Family. That's no Drums. 
2-3: Face Painting succeeds twice, thanks to Acid Storm. 
4: Matchmaker from Seresteheen marries Seresteheen and Golimato. They form a deep bond and choose Bowister as their surname. Goleheen Bowister inherits a point of bow proficiency.
5: Matchmaker from Rahlovia confirms that there was a thing going on between Leiha and Rahlovia. They pick up the surname of Toothon, and Leiha gives birth to Leihovia Toothon, who inherits a point of Fist & Tooth proficiency.

Settlement develops Scavenger Kit. 

To aim for Amber Poleaxe or Silk Whip, next hunt it going to be Spidicules level 2.


Lantern Year 6 hunt & showdown - Spidicules level 2

Leiha, Rahlovia, Golimato and Seresteheen start to track the gigantic spider. Golimato only because he had to, to avenge Urvivo.

Right outside of settlement Rahlovia was grabbed by the feet by spiderlings. His leg was saved.

Golimato took some brain damage from encountering a formation of cocoons.

Antler-gouged terrain tears Rahlovia's leg muscles.

Golimato took a heavy injury level to head from spiderlings when attempting to retrieve the Weaver.

First Overwhelming Darkness of the game! All the survivors were able to walk the path of the brave, and Leiha even gained a fighting art. Golimato and Seresteheen got some minor damage, but -1 accuracy token for Rahlovia... damn, that hurt.

Terrain cards were Debris and Survivor Corpse, so no help from there.

Echoing Screech didn't amount to much, but Spidicules was also out of reach.

But for the longest time that was the only relatively good news about the showdown. It was stressful, it was intense. Somehow survivors just wouldn't land hits or wound even the spiderlings. While survivors were able to get by, number of survival point and armor was finite. It was going to badly that Rahlovia tossed  a Founding Stone at the Spidicules, giving it a -1 toughness token. 

That course of action also revealed that there was trap coming up, so survivors had to spend even more turns just to remove spiderlings. 

Soon enough survivors were at one or two survival points lost and multiple heavy injuries, and the beast itself was only down to about half wounds remaining! Eight spiderlings on board!

But then Golimato had had enough, and suffered Frenzy brain trauma. He was knocked down before he actually did anything, but that seemed to signal the survivors to get their act together. Two AI cards remaining. Necrotoxins and Echoing Screech. 

Maybe there was still some hope, although every survivor was about one hit away from severe injuries?

Spiderlings were blocking the way for Golimato to reach Spidicules, but after Seresteheen hit with bow and triggered a spiderling-shuffling wound reaction, she was able to encourage Golimato up and go frenzy against Spidicules. No hits, though. So there was a new Spidicules turn with nine spiderlings.

Leiha went deaf. Seresteheen got gaping chest wound. Golimato was disemboweled. Seresteheen succumbed to bleed tokens. Rahlovia had to spend his last survival point to go out of range of spiderlings.

Oh my. Last turn, I reckon.

Rahlovia attacks Spidicules, but triggers a spiderling action response. He also takes a severe injury, but it's prevented by Dried Acanthus. He had heavy injury levels at body, waist and legs, plus light injury level at hands.

Still two wounds left. 

And there it is! Golimato's AWESOME revenge, frenzying with a rib blade. Both attacks cut off a leg from Spidicules, giving the narrowest of victory for survivors!

While it was annoying that I lost Red Fist, at least the stars of settlement didn't go down. Leiha unfortunately did not get a point of fist & tooth proficiency, though. She also gained a fighting art from second Age milestone, boo!

... oh no. I had completely forgotten about Taken. 

As a final act of stress and aggravation, Spidicules took Golimato! Golimato! Nooo!


Lantern Year 7 - Dark Seamstress

Well okay, Dark Seamstress stuck around, then. 

Rahlovia dared to pick Phoenix Feather, and Goliheen Bowister challenged Gorm Climate, getting a bit more courageous.

Endeavors:

1: Settlement innovates Cooking
2: Settlement build Leather Worker
3: Face-Painting is a success
4: Matchmaker from Rahlovia, Timbon and Egifor Brees get twins, Timbifor and Egibon
5: Battle-Paint is a success
6-7: Rahlovia and Leihovia worshiped the lion statue together, Rahlovia getting Tinkerer as a result.
8: Rahlovia's Insight lead to also Timbifor Brees to worship lion statue.

Settlement develops Bug Trap.


Lantern Year 7 hunt & showdown - Spidicules level 1

Since my team power level dropped dramatically and the last showdown was such a stressful occasion, Leiha, Tregde, Neliprinso take Goliheen Bowister with them to avenge his mother and rescue his father from a level 1 Spidicules before settlement is slapped with an onslaught of Nemesis monsters.

Hunt party crosses the lonely bridge without issues, and bad vibrations increase the number of spiderlings at the start of showdown.

Goliheen, on the other hand, stumbles on his lantern and burns his clothing. What a champ.

Showdown starts with Tregde and Goliheen picking up some silk and getting knocked down, and Neliprinso finding a second Scrap Sword. Leiha misses her attacks, but so had Spidicules done because of Tall Grass terrain.

Although survivors proved themselves capable of messing up a staggering number of attacks, Tall Grass made it easy to farm all the egg sacs, and three out of four survivors went to dig through Silk Nest. Pidicule was found there, as well as a skull.

Goliheen had to spend his re-roll to rescue dad. Golimato had either seen too much or suffered too much spider venom, and suffered from seizures from now on.


Lantern Year 8 - Gorm Climate

This settlement is making history in a particular way - Only seven settlement events in, and already twice has there been duplicates. Hovel protected survivors from the worst of Gorm Climate.

Tremuli witnessed the falling meteorite, and felt destined because of it. 

Neliprinso felt another calling, becoming obsessed by vermin after witnessing a gigantic beetle rolling a ball up and down a hill. 

Tremuli, Egibon, Tregde and Goliheen were chosen for the play. Goliheen gains Anxious disorder from the stage fright.


Endeavors:

1: Settlement innovates Citrinitas
2: Settlement builds the Silk Mill
3: Settlement makes 3x Leather
4-5: One successful Face Painting
6-7: Leihovia and Timbifor worships the lion statue, but something has changed. They whip each other into a religious frenzy and give +10 survival for departing survivors. 

Roficien and Eedge Nimportan made a new baby, Eedgien Nimportan, by drinking a Love Juice.

Settlement develops Amber Poleaxe, Wisdom Potion, Leather Mask and First-Aid Kit

And now, the less interesting years have passed. From now on, Verwpowere is going to get physical instead of Tabletop Simulator.

Population: 21


This entry was actually written back in November, last year, but it took me this long to copy settlement and survivor details to paper format. 


Monday, July 7, 2025

Survival Elections

 A 50ss game of Malifaux, 3rd edition. My intention was to use options that I have used less often, and that I can't use in 4th edition. 

Strategy: Standard Cursed Objects

Schemes: Breakthrough, Load 'em Up, In Your Face, Spread Them Out, Leave Your Mark

My list:

Leveticus & 2x Hollow Waif
Yannic Waller
Ashes and Dust
Marlena Webster
Hard Stop Herbert
2x Catalan Rifleman
Abomination

Pool: 5
Schemes: Load' Em Up (schemes), In Your Face

Opponent had:

Charles Hoffman & Mechanical Attendant
Melissa KORE
Peacekeeper
Guild Steward
Hunter
Warden
2x Watcher

Pool: 5
Schemes: Spread Them Out, Leave Your Mark


Turn 1:

Hollow Waifs spent their activations concentrating, while Hoffman loaded up Peacekeeper, Melissa and Attendant, before double-walking to the center of the board. Mechanical Attendant slammed a piece of destructible hazardous terrain to open up way for Peacekeeper.

Yannic Waller tried to take a cautious walk, taking cover from a wall and consolidating a Catalan Rifleman closer. 

Melissa punished Yannic with her gatling gun, dealing in a total of three damage after a damage block..I got worried for her safety, because Peacekeeper was yet to keep its peace for the turn. Marlena Webster took a double walk inside tall grass to tether Yannic's soul.

However, Peacekeeper was more into leaving a lasting mark, and took a double walk to place a scheme marker near center point. 

There were now Peacekeeper, Hoffman and Melissa near each other in the center. Although Guild Stewanuki and Mechanical Attendant were also near the trio, they had already activated. Catalan Rifleman was able to stun both Peacekeeper and Hoffman before Leveticus activated. Hoo boy. First action point was to transfer some of Hollow Waif's essence for Yannic Waller, and then blast Peacekeeper twice with Unmaking. After he was done, Peacekeeper was down to two health remaining.

One Watcher was hugging both table edges. Warden was kind of aiding the one to the right, and Hunter was with the left one. Ashes and Dust took a walk+charge at the left Watcher, dealing just one point of damage, but scoring Like the Wind for some additional movement.

Another Catalan Rifleman landed a solid two-pointer on rightmost Watcher. Augmented saw Hard Stop Herbert rolling slightly past centerline on the right, and they were hating. Oh dear. That meme betrays my age. Anyway, he dropped a scheme there. Abomination was on the same flank, trying to figure out what to do.


Turn 2:

Augmented won initiative, and so Hoffman activated. He took a walk to get near Peacekeeper and healed it for four. 

Before Watchers would do something annoying like drop their cursed token on my models, Ashes and Dust activated and secured a strategy point for me, along with a scheme marker.

Guild Steward healed Peacekeeper back to full and removed its stun. Oh well. There's plenty more irreducible damage where it came from. To keep Peacekeeper within 3" of Hoffman for In Your Face, Yannic decided to sacrifice herself for democracy. She walked near Hoffman and blasted democratic elections, healing herself, Catalan Rifleman and Leveticus, while damaging Hoffman, Peacekeeper and Warden.

Her sacrifice was in vain, though, since Peacekeeper wanted to keep peace elsewhere. It walked, charged and flurried Marlena Webster... dead. Strategy point for Augmented. So, Leveticus would have to get within 3" of the thing, then.

I started trying to soften it up first, and Catalan Rifleman was indeed able to flip a double severe with negative modifiers. I think he also stunned somebody, perhaps Melissa. However, Mechanical Attendant took a double walk to heal Peacekeeper for a bit.

So... Leveticus walked and charged in, right on top of Marlena's corpse. He managed to flip a double severe with negative modifiers with double Necrotic Decay. Boom. Peacekeeper gone. Then he casually unmade Mechanical Attendant dead. Ew. That's all I have to say. Eww. However, Leveticus was now at four health remaining without Augmented having dealt even one point. It was all my own handiwork.

Melissa and Warden dealt with Yannic, bringing her down to one health remaining. 

Hunter was speeding towards my deployment zone.

Hard Stop Herbert pushed onward, dropped a scheme near Watcher on the right, and charged the steel pterodactyl, not doing much.

The Watcher disengaged and flew to receive cover from my remaining attacks. But Catalan Rifleman didn't shoot it - he took a double walk behind a cage, where centerline meets the table edge. Hollow Waif walked and siphoned Watcher instead, but dealing only one point of damage, so it now had just one point remaining. Unfortunately Abomination that had ran to Herbert's first scheme wasn't close enough to cover Watcher inside Entropy aura.

Hunter kept creeping towards my deployment zone, which had me believe opponent might have picked Breakthrough.

So, Amalgam got their In Your Face, but so did Augmented get their Leave Your Mark. Both got strategy points for a 2-2 tie.


Turn 3:

Augmented got initiative again, and decided to fly with the Watcher who had one point remaining to place a scheme.

Yannic had to activate to advocate for democracy again, giving her the sorely needed health point to get her above Hard-to-Kill threshold. Other than that she didn't do much, except drain action points from opponent. Because of Hard-to-Kill, it took both Melissa and Warden to kill her. Melissa did shoot Catalan Rifleman down to one health remaining. I wanted to try to save him, and brought Abomination in to the fray instead. Unfortunatly it was only able to get Warden within no-heal aura, but at least it took Hoffman's entire activation. Augmented got their strategy point that way. 

Either the Catalan Rifleman at one health or Hollow Waif to the right killed Watcher, scoring strategy for Amalgam.

Hunter did a scheme marker NOT in my deployment zone, so it wasn't the breakthrough I suspected. Now my guess was all spread out. 

Hard Stop Herbert climbed on top of hill to place a scheme marker, while the Catalan Rifleman hiding behind a cage did the same. Ashes and Dust dropped sixth marker.

Leveticus took a double walk out from tall grass, and charged in between Hoffman, Melissa and Warden. At the end of turn. Warden went down to one health remaining.

Guild Steward only healed Warden for a bit, and went to place a scheme marker suspiciously more than 10" away from both Watcher's scheme, and one that Hunter placed earlier this turn. 

So, Augmented got their Spread Them Out, but so did Amalgam get their Load 'Em Up. Both got strategy for a 4-4 tie.


Turn 4:

Leveticus wrecked Warden for strategy point, and dealt some damage to Melissa. As he was engaging both Melissa and Hoffman, he was quite annoyingly there, blocking interacts. And he had used Necrotic Decay to get to two health remaining, so a very juicy target indeed. Somehow Hoffman had to spend all of his action points in killing the old man, before he got teleported to Hollow Waif to the right. 

Since Melissa was now unengaged, I was worried that she might do some miraculous flips and yeet Leveticus to the Waif on the left, so Hard Stop Herbert took a point of falling damage, Onward and walk to stand in front of Leveticus. 

Melissa did indeed try after dropping a scheme marker, and dealt moderate with negative modifiers against Herbert. No blast trigger though.

Guild Steward also dropped a scheme marker and walked into position to do even more next turn. Hunter dropped a marker and went to tease Hollow Waif. Hollow Waif teased Hunter back, and tried to position so that Deadly Pursuit couldn't be used to best effect.

Ashes and Dust just kept hanging around in the enemy deployment zone.

My easiest curse token targets had been the Catalan Riflemen, but the one who had a single point of health left had started running towards bottom-right corner, and was out of reach. The other one was hiding behind the cage. Warden had carried a curse token, so Amalgam gained a narrow lead of 5-4.


Turn 5:

Melissa did the unimaginable, and walked and charged to take a shot at the Catalan Rifleman who was literally in contact with two table edges. And scored the kill. 

Opponent was able to place all and every scheme marker for Leave Your Mark and Spread Them Out without me being able to do anything to that. Ashes and Dust got In Your Face uncontested.

However, the other Catalan Rifleman took a double walk to Melissa and bonus action interacted her his own curse token. Herbert charged Melissa, but she was able to block all damage with soulstones.

So, it was Leveticus' job to deal the last remaining three wounds in. However... there was a 13 and Red Joker coming up with Sanguine Evocations, so game was pretty much decided there and then. Leveticus unmade Melissa and took a double walk to get within three scheme markers for a close 8-7 victory for Outcasts.


Game 2:

Strategy: Flank Covert Operations

Schemes: Load 'Em Up, Set the Trap, In Your Face, Catch and Release, Public Demonstration

My list:

Hamelin, the Piper & 3x Stolen
Nix
Benny Wolcomb
Yannic Waller
Fumigator
Disease Containment Unit
Tunnel Rats
Malifaux Child

Pool: 4
Schemes: Set the Trap, Public Demonstration (Malifaux Child, DCU, Fumigator)

Opponen had:

Jakob Lynch & Hungering Darkness
Gwyneth Maddox
Mr. Graves
Mr. Tannen
2x Illuminated
Beckoner
Tanuki

Pool: 3
Schemes: Catch & Release (Illuminated), Set the Trap


Turn 1:

At least Gwyneth, Mr. Tannen, Mr. Graves, Lynch and Tanuki were funneling though a narrow gap from the center of their deployment zone. Gwyneth had been moved around by various effects so that she was able to go to center-left strategy marker and drop a scheme marker.

Catching and Releasing Illuminated was going towards center-right strategy marker along with Hungering Darkness. Beckoner was almost hugging the table edge and running towards top-right strategy marker. Bottom-left was covered by the other Illuminated.

I realized I had not remember to hire a Malifaux Rat to my crew to do the final act of coronation. But I still carried on with the task of making enough rats to form a Rat King. 

Tunnel Rats and Fumigator placed one scheme markers and traveled towards the upper half of the board. Yannic Waller was leading the way. She took a point of burning along the way from hazardous terrain, because Fumigator and Tunnel Rats had managed to block other ways.

After placing her own scheme marker, Disease Containment Unit managed to lure a rat out of Fumigator's scheme marker with Rapid Response. 

Malifaux Child slapped the fourth marker and went to benefit from concealment from inside the tall grass. 

Nix went kind of halfway between bottom-left and center-left strategy marker. 

Hamelin took a walk forward and removed the scheme marker Gwyneth had placed, before obeying Mr. Graves to charge Tanuki. Bwahahaha. Unfortunately the little **** didn't die to fencepost-to-face.

Benny did a bunch of rats and walked on top of a hill.


Turn 2:

... and that was eight pass tokens for Ten Thunders. 

Hungering Darkness walked and charged Yannic Waller, slapping  her for severe damage. So she was at one health remaining, and burning. Fortunately democracy saved the day! Or... at least the turn. She did the elections and healed her back to two.

Beckoner went to top-right strategy marker and placed a scheme marker. Tunnel Rats did the same. 

Catch-and-releasing Illuminated walked near center-right strategy marker and tried to scintillate clouds somewhere. Benny, who was able to snatch Fast from a free scheme marker, walked within 2" of center-right marker and started shooting the Illuminated without much of a result.

Mr. Tannen, Mr. Graves, Lynch and Gwyneth claimed the center, re-establishing a scheme marker. Lynch was able to shoot respectable damage in to Hamelin with unrespectable Derringer.

Disease Containment Unit had been slowed by Hungering Darkness, so she wasn't able to move far enough to score Public Demonstration. Malifaux Child couldn't either. 

Rats formed into Rat King and tried to get closer to action with its two actions - remaining vigor from a delicious cheese offered by Stolen.

Last Illuminated went to bottom-left strategy marker and placed a scheme marker there.

Fumigator and Nix went to place required markers for Set the Trap. Hamelin obeyed Disease Containment Unit and Malifaux Child near Jakob Lynch. 

Outcasts managed to get both of their schemes, and claimed top-right strategy marker. Opponent took center-left, which seemed to be a hotspot to contest.

Scorest went 3-1 in favor or Hamelin.


Turn 3:

Since there was no tanukis nearby, Mr. Graves applied fencepost to Malifaux Child for lethal results. 

Rat King wanted to avenge the boy, and did get three attacks out to Mr. Graves, bringing him down to one health remaining. But Tanuki cheered him up above Hard-to-Kill threshold.

Benny Wolcomb went fast again and charged Illuminated that was holding center-right strategy marker. My intent was to kill the thing and claim that marker, but Benny did only like two points of damage. Tunnel Rats teleported nearby and tried to shoot the Illuminated with trench gun, without much of a result. Irony here was that I essentially offered Ten Thunders their Catch & Release this way. Oh well.

Yannic Waller managed to activate before Hungering Darkness, and used the power of democracy to survive for yet another turn. Hungering Darkness did bring her back down to one health remaining, though, and she still had burning. Fumigator had to assist that away for her not to die.

Gwyneth had done quite the move. She managed to call Hamelin, Disease Containment Unit and Rat King to play at her table - Hamelin being far from Stolen now, with only five or seven health remaining. I think she did some additional damage in to Plague master, so not only one but two Stolen had to walk close by. But even so, Hamelin decided to ditch the situation and went  outside of Boring Conversation range. He obeyed already activated bottom-left Illuminated away from strategy marker, and tried to remove scheme marker from under Gwyneth Maddox, failing at that. 

Nix walked in front of Hamelin to act as a bodyguard. 

Lynch went to place a scheme near Benny. 

Beckoner claimed top-right strategy marker, I claimed center-left. Ten Thunders got their Set the Trap, but also Catch and Release from Benny's voluntary embrace. 

Scores evened out to 4-4 tie.


Turn 4:

...and then everybody died. Hungering Darkness finally killed Yannic. Benny and Tunnel Rats were able to catch and release Illuminated from his life, thus denying a point.

Gwyneth and Mr. Graves killed Disease Containment Unit and Rat King. Hamelin obeyed Mr. Graves to raise Tanuki to fencepost. I think Mr. Graves actually passed the resist, he just obeyed Hamelin out of his own volition. However, Tanuki didn't die. Instead, Tanuki was obeyed to swing at Mr. Graves who was at one health remaining. Unfortunately Tanuki missed, too.

It was probably Nix that then was able to kill Mr. Graves, but not finish Tanuki.

Ten Thunders claimed bottom-left marker, Outcasts center-right for a 5-5 tie.


Turn 5:

Hungering Darkness and Lynch were able to kill my last public demonstrator, so that was a point off from me.

Tunnel Rats were able to teleport behind Lynch and drop a scheme with trigger, and charge him to engage. Mr. Tannen had come to center-right strategy to perhaps claim it, but Nix was obeyed to engage him.

Hamelin was able to walk and disengage to bottom-left strategy marker to claim it.

Game looked very much like a stalemate, as Lynch had a scheme marker next to Benny who was at less than half health remaining. He had already tried to injure Lynch down to half health remaining.

... and once again, rude, spitting kids won me the game. He started throwing up at Lynch from top of a hill, missing with first attack, but landing a solid (ew...) three points in with his last attack. Lynch was not at half of his health remaining.

It was a close fought 7-6 game in favor of Outcasts. 

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Local Eldritchlife Preservation Act

 During my Kuhmo visit, we had a 4 player Arkham Horror, 3rd edition.


Scenario was the main guy itself, Cthulhu and the Echoes of the Deep.

Investigators chosen were:

Diana Stanley, Redeemed Cultist

Mark Harrigan, Soldier

Zoey Samaras (sp?) Chef

Stella Clark, Letter Carrier 


I played Diana. I wanted the lightning skill in favor of the extra action point, but at least in this scenario that seemed like a mistake. Throughout the game I was able to land a couple of solid lightnings, yes, but most of the time when there was a juicy target, there was already two Doom tokens on the space. Blasting that would have meant spawning an anomaly.

However, fairly early Diana was able to grab Blessed from the observatory. This made her quite the warder. And Stella had one automatic success most of the time, and even Zoey had enough lore for the trio to keep anomalies on the board to the minimum.

Mark Harrigan was... delayed. Sure, his contributions were valuable - him delayed usually meant a monster or a cultist carcass (or two) somewhere, before listening to an exciting football match from the radio with an old man in the park.

Because investigators were so efficient at removing monsters and doom tokens, Cthulhu kept sleeping without a slightest care in the world. It wasn't until newspapers ran out when game picked up pace.

However, by then my investigator - the redeemed cultist - had reached an absolute monster of a build. Her character ability gave her a +1 for as many dice as there were doom on her space. She was blessed, which meant 3+ successes if there was Doom. She also had Rabbit Foot for a single re-roll, plus Lucky Charm for an option to re-roll multiple dice. She had Lucky Cigarette Case to give +1 to a roll, so a success with 2+ if there was doom in her space.

That was impressive and all, but she went completely bonkers when she received True Magic (+3 lore for spell actions) and Astral Projection. She was able to, for example, observe all her clues to the scenario sheet and then astral project herself to observatory to advance scenario. She only had to do that once, though, because when it was relevant, Zoey was camping at the observatory, until she went to kill some elite monster that spawned from three doom tokens on scenario sheet. She became blessed. Mark Harrigan became blessed, too. Stella Clark, well, she wasn't blessed, but she was the letter carrier, and had one guaranteed success most of the time.

However, as the newspapers ran out, investigators didn't have THAT many turns to stall around, unless they picked up pace.

And they did. Stella got the pocket watch, which made her super efficient at the scenario. And if Diana had already been bonkers with her kit, she absolutely broke the game when she picked up Leo de Luca as an ally. She had become a proper octopus with at least eight tentacle remnants, so spamming Astral Projection wasn't a problem. Astral Projecting a warding action wherever needed, then moving and warding another space with Leo was silly strong. In the last turns she also picked up Token of Faith so that in case remnants ran out, she'd stay net sanity neutral for a long time if she removed at least two doom tokens even if she used two astral projections.

Despite all this, investigators were racing against the time. There were seven doom tokens on scenario sheet, when mythos phase decided to spam the board with monsters and anomalies. However, the monsters that investigators had become, were able to stabilize the situation and go seal Cthulhu's gate when there was eight doom tokens on scenario sheet. 

My best guess is the gate was sealed to protect Cthulhu from Diana, Mark, Stella and Zoey, according to Local Eldritchlife Preservation Act.


 A couple of rounds of summer yatzy, just diligently noted here for completeness sake.