Twin Coronation

 A 50ss game of Malifaux

Strategy: Flank Boundary Dispute

Schemes: Breakthrough, Make It Look Like an Accident, Take the Highground

My list:

Hamelin, Piper & Benny
Fumigator
Angel Eyes
Tuco Ortega
Tunnel Rats
2x Rat Catcher
2x Stolen

Pool: 3

Opponent had:

Clampetts, Fisherfolk & Bruce
Uncle Bogg
Aunty Mel
Sir Vantes
Mossbeard
Buckaroo
Skulker Skin
Swashbuckler

Pool: 4

Turn 1: Plague: Breakthrough, Angler: Make It Look Like an Accident

Since I had deployed so many of my models on the roof of a building, Sir Vantes had easy time with pulling Angel Eyes down. She was also the White Whale of Aunty Mel. Fortunately she had already activated, so Angel Eyes was safe for now. 

Benny and both Rat Catchers and even Hamelin himself were spawning rats, while Clampetts was clearing the vermin with dynamite. But the rats just kept multiplying, and were finally able to coalesce into a Rat King, who in turn tried to go harass Bruce. 

Various models of mine had sneakily dropped some scheme markers on my deployment and centerline, and Tunnel Rats were able to teleport deep into enemy deployment zone. Crows gave a scheme marker, and so did interact. Mossbeard was able to remove one of those, but couldn't stop Breakthrough.

Clampetts went to sit next to one of my strategy markers that I had not been able to toss over the centerline yet.

Both players took the scenario, but Outcasts took the lead with 3-2 because of schemes.

Turn 2: Plague: Public Demonstration for Uncle Bogg, Angler: Reshape the Land

Aunty Mel wrecked her whale, no surprises there. 

Uncle Bogg charged the Rat King and brought it down to one health. But that was all Rat King needed to kill Bruce, who was sitting with a strategy marker still in Bayou deployment.

Stolen placed a scheme marker near the uncle and went to remove a piece of destructible terrain. Unfortunately that marker was removed by Mossbeard, which forced Hamelin's flute to disengage a Rat Catcher so that it can place another. At that that point most of my crew had

Fumigator summoned a new Tunnel Rats because the earlier ones just scored their breakthrough and ceased to exist.

Sir Vantes lanced a Stolen and trampled even deeper to Outcast crew. I think it was he who summoned Bruce back, which made both of them prime targets for first Blight tokens of the game.

Reshape the Land yielded only a single point for Anglers. Both scored strategy, and Plague received two from their scheme for a 6-4 lead.

Turn 3: Plague: Assassinate on Sir Vantes, Angler: Breakthrough

I mean...

It took way too many action points to remove my assassination target, despite Sir Vantes having a negative modifier to most resists. At least nine confirmed action points went into it, and I am likely forgetting a few. Sure, Bruce healed Sir Vantes once. But still that performance was atrocious, considering that Sir Vantes had been already damaged a little. I could have used some of those action points for pushing strategy markers for sure.

A Rat King walked and charged Mossbeard, dealing solid damage as well as denying interaction. Clampetts went to place a scheme marker to Outcasts deployment, and it was up to Mossbeard to make or break the breakthrough. Fortunately he failed his second Haphazard Topography, because it was Once Per Turn anyway.

Second King received their crown and went to munch on a tide marker.

However, Plague had been so pre-occupied with Sir Vantes that Anglers were able to deny Hamelin any strategy points this turn. 

Scores went 8-6, still for Plague.

Turn 4: Angler: Assassinate on Tunnel Rats

Well.

I just found the Tunnel Rats's greatest wea


kness. They are an amazing pick for Assassinate. Which Bayou did. Two points with a one smack.

The gremlins also were leaping around and throwing Hamelin's strategy markers back to his deployment. I didn't act soon enough, and lost my chance to try to score strategy. Only option was to figure out if I could dislodge the only enemy strategy marker away from my deployment as well.

All the pieces were there, but I was lacking either a friendly token on Rat Catcher, or one action point. But since those don't just grow on trees, Anglers claimed a 10-8 victory despite having been lagging behind all game.

I miss Richard

 The very first Malifaux 4th edition game.

Strategy: Corner Recover Evidence

Schemes: Assassinate, Scout the Rooftops, Take High Ground

My list:

Dr. McMourning, Malpractitioner & Zombie Chihuahua
Sebastian
Rogue Necromancy
Rafkin
2x Flesh Construct
2x Little Gasser

Pool: 4
Starting scheme: Scout the Rooftops

Opponent had:

Clampetts Fisherfolk & Bruce
Uncle Bogg
Aunty Mel
Sir Vantes
Mossbeard
Buckaroo
Skulker Skin
Hermits

Pool: 4
Starting scheme: Scout the Rooftops

Turn 1:

Oh boy, were there roofs to scout. Corner deployment did make getting bonus points difficult, but neither player had problems delivering those markers in place. I could have done that with excessive ease had I remembered Drag Behind from Little Gassers. But, I didn't, so a Flesh Construct had to walk to make a marker on top of a nearby building. Rogue Necromancy went to place the other, because, wow... Speed 7 and a bonus leap of 7" + base? I'm not sure if I'm okay with such mobility.

Buckaroo with hastened speed of 8 took a double walk to pick up strategy marker near Rogue Necromany's building. Somehow I'm okay with that, though. At least it took some set-up, and it wasn't on a 10-point murder machine.

Kentauroi had dragged Rafkin near centerline in the middle, and McMourning... again with speed 7... took a double walk to pick up strategy marker before anyone got any ideas about denial. 

Sir Vantes attempted to deny Kentauroi a peaceful life right after. Hastened and leaping from puddle to puddle, it was able to charge a bunch of damage in, which fortunately didn't have that much of an impact thanks to crew upgrade. 

Rafkin patched up Kentauroi as well as he could, which meant one point. Yaaaay.

Sebastian took a walk and a charge at Sir Vantes, popping out a Little Gasser out of Sir Vantes. 

Zombie Chihuahua and a Little Gasser got left behind after turbo moves from remaining crew. 

What about the Angler angle? Aunty Mel was the one who delivered a scheme on top of the high tower, while Mossbeard did the same to a multi-part building top-center. 

Clampetts began stomping about, accidentally stepping on a Little Gasser that exploded for a bit of damage and poison next to Sebastian, McMourning and Sir Vantes. 

Uncle Bogg, Skulker Skin and Hermits were approaching from left table edge, but what they had in mind was anybody's guess. 

Both players scored strategy and a scheme for 2-2 tie.

Turn 2:

But this is where our scheme paths diverged. McMourning picked up assassination on Sir Vantes, and Clampetts proceeded to light the beacons instead. 

McMourning spent his entire activation trying to erase Sir Vantes, but after Douglas was done the knight was still standing with two hit points remaining, which went down to one right after. At least he wasn't able to kill Kentauroi, who in turn slapped Sir Vantes dead and harvested. It grabbed McMourning by the collar and rode away to sunset with the good doctor. Reason being that McMourning was already damaged and poisoned, and I needed time to figure out how to deal with that.

Sebastian went past centerline to drop a scheme marker for Frame Job, perhaps. 

Mossbeard told such a harrowing story for Kentauroi - yelled it far away from top of building no less - that killed the horse. I don't quite remember who picked up the intel, but I figure it was Clampetts, whose silurid stomping shenanigans are crazy. They also placed a scheme marker to a noose.

Aided by Uncle Bogg's shenanigans Skulker Skin was able to go and place a scheme marker past centerline, just a little over 10" away from Clampetts' scheme. And then there was Buckaroo, who took a triple walk to drop a scheme marker.

Zombie Chihuahua and Little Gasser ganged up on the Buckaroo. If you can call a yapping Chihuahua and the smelly kid asking to pull its finger "ganging up." A Flesh Construct came to add some projectile vomit to the mix. 

Buckaroo was nearly dead. And I wanted him dead, so Rogue Necromancy walked down from the scouted building and tried to leap to Buckaroo... twice. No luck.

Uncle Bogg came to contest the center. Rafkin managed to land poison on the henchman with charge attack, and even did serious damage with a medical procedure (that's how you're supposed to do it, right?) as well as popping a NASTY zit that turned out to be a Little Gasser. Somehow Sebastian was cured of poison by that spectacle. 

Hermits charged in to engage Sebastian, and Flesh Construct in the middle walked and charged to engage Aunty Mel. No damage thanks to cover.

Anyway, both players scored strategy and scheme, but Bayou managed to double down on lighting the beacons for a 5-4 lead.

Turn 3:

Frame Job was where it was at for me. Anglers, on the other hand, seemed to act  more coherently than a bunch of murderhobos. Looked like they had an agenda other than murdering people and framing murdering people. After lighting the beacons, they proceeded to harness ley lines.

With all their combined might, McMourning, Rafkin and Little Gassers barely managed to kill Uncle Boggs - a feat that was possible by misplaying new and improved hazardous terrain. It was kind of a bummer, as it affected scoring this turn, because Rafkin was able to pick up the ensuing strategy marker. 

Mossbeard went to convert Sebastian's scheme marker, which was annoying as by then Uncle Boggs was still alive, and I had planned for Rogue Necromancy to kill him. Instead, it black jokered its leap. Ah. Well, it attempted again, spent a stone and was able to make a scheme within 2" of Sebastian. And just in time, as Hermits landed a blow on Sebastian, thus securing Frame Job for me.

Aunty Mel dispatched Flesh Construct in the center. 

Zombie Chihuahua and Little Gasser were able to drop Buckaroo down to one health and Poisoned. 

Skulker Skin and Clampetts secured another two-point scheme for Bayou, but received no strategy this turn. Resurrectionists scored a two-point Frame Job and strategy for a 7-7 tie.

Turn 4:

Anglers had harnessed all the power they could, so it was nothing but strategy for them from now on. Resurrectionists, on the other hand, still had not caused mayhem enough and wanted to detonate charges on top of their slaughter.

Eventually the game boiled down to if Clampetts would get two strategy markers - then  I would need to kill Bruce who was at one or two health remaining and collect the strategy. Failing that was certainly a possibility - after all McMourning had already activated, trying to saw that fishdog in two halves. I could have tried to projectile vomit the dog once with Flesh Construct, leap next to Bruce with Rogue Necromancy with an empowered trigger, take a swing and interact.

But, it didn't come even that far as Clampetts botched their Silurid Stomp while they either had no cards in hand, or not high enough. Game ended 9-7 for Resurrectionists.

So... how did I like my first game of fourth edition? Game is still action packed with crucially important decisions at every turn, so that's good. The flow does feel different, however. This was the corner deployment, and yet even Experimental - not known for its base speed, although exceptions apply - was easily able to go past centerline on turn one. It does feel like movement has been overcompensated for requirement to score on turn one. 

Also, the ease of spawning more and more Little Gassers felt almost abusive. Okay, it can explode into your own face, like it happened with Sebastian and McMourning. But two points of damage feels like a lot especially when three models in keyword have that trigger, and the models can explode themselves the turn they come into play.

But all in all fourth edition shows potential for a faster Malifaux that still feels like what Malifaux means for me.