Too Sheltered

 A 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.

Strategy: Flank Boundary Dispute

Schemes: Runic Binding, Public Demonstration, Breakthrough

My list:

Kirai, Lady of Vengeance & Ikiryo
Datsue Ba
Kuchisake-Onna
Lost Love
Oskar
Shikome
Gwisin
Enslaved Spirit

Cache: 3

Opponent had:

Jakob Lynch, Wildcard & Hungering Darkness
Gwyneth Maddox
Kitty Dumont
Mr. Tannen
Kara
2x Illuminated
2x Amai

Cache: 3

Turn 1:
Both crews picks Runic Binding

In short, Resurrectionists were not able to get even one strategy marker past the centerline, while Ten Thunders delivered them all. I don't even think I was building up anything. Somehow my moves and choices were rather ineffective.

However, I did manage to get a point from Runic Binding, which could have been nice had not Datsue Ba given Runic Binding for opponent as well. I was counting on Kara going to place one scheme to get Datsue Ba inside the triangle, but instead I didn't take into account opponent already had three scheme markers on board... And in the end Datsue Ba wasn't even able to do what I sent her in for. Three swings at adversary Illuminated at six health left could not do the trick. But at least I got ahead in attrition, right?

Right??

Turn 2:
Resurrectionists pick Ensnare, Ten Thunders take Leave Your Mark

Hungering Darkness starts the turn by killing Lost Love outright. He could not even use the soulstone to teleport away, because Hungering Darkness was not engaged so he'd just charge in again.

I did have a good hand for this round, so Datsue Ba was able to kill Illuminated with one strike, put Adversary on Kitty and whack her with a Red Joker. From hand, though. Later Gwisin removed the Adversary and teleported in contact with enemy strategy marker. With two attacks it clawed a couple of points in to Kitty, which brought her down to two health remaining. Eventually Kitty activated to strike at Gwisin and brought it down to one health remaining - which would have been a vengeance kill had not Kitty healed for a bit with Brilliance.

As her last activation thing Datsue Ba was able to land Adversary on Kitty, but failed to kill her with charge attack. As irony would have it, had I charged first Datsue would have killed Kitty already.

Shikome delivered a strategy marker to enemy deployment zone. Amai brought Kara to deal with it, so the marker was pushed back - and Kara had activated. I was a bit afraid she'd go yank Hungering Darkness off from where it was. But like this Oskar was able to walk and charge to the Honeypot totem, and Ikiryo planted two schemes next to him for Ensnare.

Center was rather interesting as well. 

Lynch telegraphed Leave Your Mark early on by dropping three schemes to centerpoint. My soul was aching to burst out some Gaki's. But first I had to wait for Gwyneth and else to activate. I made my advance a tad too soon. Enslaved Spirit tried to go and engage Gwyneth, after which Kuchisake-Onna summoned a Seishin and a Gaki near Lynch. 

But... Gwyneth had a spell action as well to shoot the Gaki. Oh well, I still got Kirai to summon another.

However, by then I was out of cards, and there was a TN 5 to pass, and another TN 4 after that. 

Without cards in hand, yeah, those were insurmountable odds. 

At least Resurrectionists were able to deliver all strategy markers past the centerline so that they got a point as well.

Scores went 5-4 for Ten Thunders.

Turn 3:
Resurrectionists pick a high stakes Frame Job on Shikome. Ten Thunders made it look like an accident.

Funnily enough, there was a full month between the first two turns and these latter two turns. 

Datsue Ba killed Gwyneth early in turn, and Gwisin tried to bluff Search the Area at bottom-left table quarter. 

Before Lynch and Gwyneth were able to activate, Shikome escaped the clutches of Amais and charged to them. I didn't think it was that obvious, since there wasn't even a scheme marker nearby - and it wasn't. One point scored from Frame Job, although that came at the expense of Shikome's existence.

Opponent was trying to grab Make It Look Like an Accident from Enslaved Spirit with Hungering Darkness, but I was able to burn high cards from hand to resist. Eventually Kara had to come and hope for a proper trigger - which incidentally did happen, and Honeypot got their two accidental points.

Ikiryo did a phenomenal job at killing Hungering Darkness in one activation. Of course that was due to Red Joker from deck, like usual. This left Oskar free to take a double walk to get to one of my strategy markers that Amai's had thrown away from Ten Thunders deployment zone, but at least not back to my table side.

Kuchisake-Onna was able to lob one strategy marker back to enemy deployment. Datsue Ba activated by killing a Seishin and threw an enemy strategy marker back to their table side. This evened out the strategy points. 

Scores went 7-6 for Ten Thunders.

Turn 4:
Resurrectionists pick Harness the Leyline, and Ten Thunders try to Breakthrough.

After some aggressive disputes over placement of strategy markers, the end result became a tie on strategy. Both crews received their two pointers.

However, this time around Kara stopped getting proper triggers, and was not able to drop a scheme marker to my deployment with Shelter in the Trees.

Urami on the other hand had nothing to stop them from getting two points out of Harness the Leyline.

Game barely turned around for a 10-9 victory for Kirai.