Scaredy-Jack

 A 50ss game of Malifaux on Vassal.

Strategy: Wedge Informants

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

My list:

Jack Daw, Spirit of Betrayal & Lady Ligeia
Montresor
Ferryman
Batsch & Amalie
Carrion Effigy
Hanged
2x Guilty
Dapperling

Cache: 4

Opponent had:

Tiri, Nomad & Oroboro
Iron Matron
Parson
First Light
2x Ancient Construct
2x Aua Warrior

Cache: 2

Turn 1:
Both crews pick Take the Highground.

Bygone started by draining a stone to give everyone in their crew Shielded.

Montresor and Jack Daw claimed the center marker, while Dapperling held the top-right. Aua Warrior did the same for Bygone bottom-left.

Jack Daw had been able to plant Injustice on Iron Matron, who promptly removed the upgrade during her own activation. Good news was that Bygone no longer had any soulstones.

Iron Matron and PArson held the leftmost marker. Oroboro had been there as well, but Montresor had dragged the thing down with noose.

Batsch & Amalie could have gone to contest the marker along with Hanged, but instead decided to maintain status quo and heal the slightly injured Hanged.

Guilty took one Ht 2 terrain, and another Guilty tried to do that as well. However, Tiri made it fall from a roof and become a craven as well, so Ferryman had to take the position instead.

Ancient Construct and Tiri were holding required terrain pieces for Explorer Society. However, neither managed to claim a third terrain. Both had the same number of strategy markers as well, so scores tied at 2-2.

Turn 2:
Both crews pick Make It Look Like an Accident.

Finally we had a proper injustice galore, with Parson getting one, Iron Matron getting one, Ancient Construct and even Tiri having one as well. 

I sunk too many actions into trying score two points from Iron Matron that Jack Daw or Montresor had been able to yank down from building. Oroboro also took a decent beating, even proccing it's demise. It decided to escape the heat and rolled off into my deployment. 

Batsch & Amalie got nearly killed by at least Parson, possibly Iron Matron as well. Eventually Ancient Construct came to toss the fungus back to my deployment. A two health Batsch and three health Oroboro would just have to duke it out between themselves in the coming turns. 

Tiri claimed a point from Ferryman by making it fall with Earthquake. Then she walked down to strategy marker and killed the Guilty there.

First Light and Aua Warrior tried to score second point from Make It Look Like an Accident, but miraculously enough they failed. Just one more damage would have sufficed. Ferryman, however, overperformed by taking two good swings at Aua Warrior, tossing it into fire which eventually melt the thing in the end phase.

However, this wasn't enough to keep Tormented playing the strategy. Scores went 4-3.

Turn 3:
Both crews pick Ensnare.

Surprise! Neither Oroboro or Batsch & Amalie died. 

Another surprise! ... actually, no-one died, although it was not for the lack of trying. Jack Daw, Iron Matron and Ancient Construct in the middle were all at seven. Parson was down to five. Even Ligeia and Hanged took a couple of points here and there.

Tormented spent their early activations trying to deny opponent points from Ensnare. In the end that didn't work out, but at least I made the Society work for it. 

My Ensnare got misplayed, so I didn't get any points from it. However, this time around I was able to take the lead in scenario. Scores went 6-4, which was bad but not insurmountable.

Turn 4:
Both crews pick Search the Area

Ancient Construct and Batsch & Amalie became casualties. 

Carrion Effigy was able to land a Craven token on Oroboro that had skittled to top-right strategy marker that was held by Dapperling.

However, Iron Matron ruined my area searching completely by getting away from melee with Daw and charging the Ferryman, who I wanted to interact twice and third time with Montresor.

First Light messed up it's scheme marker placement for Search the Area, so there was that small hope at least. 

... except that then Tiri activated and landed a nasty Earthquake on Jack Daw, making him Craven and throwing Montresor away from the marker at the center as well. This lead to both players having two strategy markers, so a 8-6 victory for Tiri.

Talent Deep Inside

 A 50ss game of Malifaux, 4th edition.

Strategy: Corner Boundary Dispute

Schemes: Reshape the Land, Ensnare, Harness the Ley Lines

My list:

Seamus AKA Sebastian Baker & White Rabbit & co
Madame Sybelle
Bete Noire
Keepside Strangers
Batsch & Amalie
Dead Doxy
Mourner
Dead Dandy

Pool: 3

Opponent had:

Tiri, Nomad & Oro Boro
Iron Matron
Kett
Parson
First Light
Ancient Construct
Aua Warrior

Pool: 5

Turn 1: Redchapel: Ensnare, Bygone: Harness Ley Lines

There was next to no interaction between players thanks to deployment and strategy. Both players were busy delivering their strategy markers. I made a total of seven or eight interacts on markers, and eventually was able to get two markers past centerline, while Explorers got only one. Tiri did end up shooting Seamus for four points of damage, so my last activation was to teleport Keepside Strangers to him, move Seamus more than 6" away from Tiri, walk past centerline and drop a scheme marker for Frame Job.

Neither player scored schemes, although Explorers certainly could have had a shot at Harness Ley Lines for at least one point with their Toss and Steamroller shenanigans.

Turn 2: Redchapel: Frame Job on Keepside Strangers, Bygone: Scout the Rooftops

First Light shot Keepside Strangers, but attack was tied. I had to cheat to get the damage for Frame Job.

Madame Sybelle beckoned Bete Noire closer, after which Dead Doxy lured Bete Noire closer. Now she was ready to walk and charge to Aua Warrior, who by then was the only model on that flank. I had all of my strategy markers going that way. Sensing danger, Kett repositioned to attack Bete Noire from a mile away.

Batsch & Amalie healed Seamus a little, but had to position poorly to get him in range. 

Dead Dandy walked and scaled a terrain to drop a scheme marker for possible Harness Ley Lines next turn, but that plan went sour when Parson entered same terrain and smacked Dandy to two health points remaining. Tiri and First Light also entered the same terrain complex that was designated as quite a few different terrain pieces, dropping scheme markers as they went. 

Ancient Construct had tossed Iron Matron around, and Tiri goaded her for a wacky activation where she charged Seamus, used Pass Through to get away from melee and eventually went near center point, perhaps to challenge me dominating the strategy next turn. Seamus had a choice to deny Scout the Rooftops or go attack Iron Matron. He went for Iron Matron.

Scores went 4-2 for Resurrectionists.

Turn 3: Redchapel: Harness the Leyline, Bygone: Detonate Charges

Seamus started to search for talent inside Iron Matron, killing the thing in one activation,  although Sybelle helped with two out-of-activation attacks from signature action and masks trigger. This attack could have been even more devastating if Batsch & Amalie had been closer. 

Kett failed to kill Bete Noire, but Bete Noire was able to finalize Aua Warrior before it managed to activate, so it was a double or triple whammy on that side of table after the incident with Iron Matron. 

Dead Doxy had tried to make Madame Sybelle a homing beacon for Bete Noire, but black jokered Ominous Rustling. 

Ancient Construct charged Seamus, not doing much, but Tiri kept dropping scheme markers in contact with the Construct by using Defensive Energy. It was obviously Detonate Charges, because why not. That must be the easiest scheme to score as it is. However, White Rabbit Co. was able to ruin that with a stetson, and even harness some leylines with a fez. 

Keepside Strangers and Mourner also did markers for Harness the Leylines, but as the very last activation First Light was able to walk and scale into position to deny Harness double points and drop a scheme near Mourner for Detonate Charges. 

Scores went 6-3 for Resurrectionists.

Turn 4: Redchapel: Scout the Rooftops, Bygone: Take the Highground

Game was quite clear, but we played anyway to get a full game for this report. By complete accident I started harassing Tiri's claims on highground by trying to engage her to hinder interacting. First Parson knocked aside Batsch & Amalie who scaled next to Tiri to dance, I guess. Mourner went to do the same, but Tiri used Voice of the Aua on Parson, who knocked aside them as well. 

Those were pretty much the relevant model interactions. Remainder of the turn was my models climbing on terrain to drop scheme markers, and Tiri held three pieces of terrain.

Scores went 10-5, with both having scored five from schemes. Strategy somehow had gone completely one-sided in favor of Redchapel.