(I apologize if the following entry is a bit confusing to people; if you are truly interested in a quick primer of the rules and procedures of Malifaux, just leave a comment and I'll do a quick version in a future post!)
Last time I talked about Malifaux, I spent the whole time either giving a brief explanation of the premise of the game or talking about how I felt about actually getting into the wargaming hobby. Well, this time, let's skip all the preamble and get right into it:
Recently, I played my first full game of Malifaux. I had in my possession two entire boxes of models, the Kaeris and Mei Feng box sets, but had not yet completed the assembly and/or painting of all the models. Couple that with the fact that I've yet to find an adequate carrying case and I instead found myself borrowing a few models from my friend (and host for the game) Josh. The other person was another friend named Darren; together, they were the collective force that got me involved with Malifaux and gave me the push to get started with the hobby.
(For the battle report itself, I'm recounting this mostly from memory. There was only two pictures taken of the entire game -- thanks to Darren for those -- and they were at roughly the same time. So I apologize if I get the order of some things mixed up!)
(For the battle report itself, I'm recounting this mostly from memory. There was only two pictures taken of the entire game -- thanks to Darren for those -- and they were at roughly the same time. So I apologize if I get the order of some things mixed up!)
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| Darren is in the middle, Josh and I were on opposite table edges. You may ignore the dots. |
As we were using the multiplayer rules, the 3-person deployment is the picture to the right; we flipped to see who was in the middle and Darren was the "monkey in the middle". The Strategy for the match (the objective to complete to earn Victory Points) was Darren's choice and he chose Shared Contain Power -- all the multiplayer games use shared strategies, meaning all opponents have to complete the same objective. The main difference with multiplayer Contain Power, however, is that each player needs to designate a different target, and no target can be nominated twice. These targets were ultimately decided during the deployment phase, so we'll get to that in a bit.
Crews
With the rest of the setup out of the way, we set off to choose our crews. Because of my self-enforced limited model selection, I didn't worry too much about what Darren or Josh were bringing to the table; I'd seen Josh play Seamus and McMourning before (and am pretty sure he owns the rest of the Resser masters), and I knew Darren owned all the Neverborn masters, but I didn't have enough selection to try and counter a particular enemy.
In the end, our lists looked like the following:
| Nick - Arcanists Mei Feng - 5 SS Cache Emberling (Totem) - 2 SS Kang - 8 SS Rail Worker - 5 SS Rail Worker - 5 SS Gunsmith - 6 SS Fire Gamin - 4 SS 30 SS Total | Darren - Neverborn The Dreamer/Lord Chompy Bits - 6 SS Cache Daydream (Totem) - 2 SS Daydream (Totem) - 2 SS Daydream (Totem) - 2 SS Coppelius - 9 SS Lelu - 7 SS Lilitu - 7 SS 29 SS Total | Josh - Resurrectionists Dr. McMourning - 6 SS Cache Zombie Chihuahua (Totem) - 2 SS Molly Squidpidge - 9 SS Necrotic Machine (Totem) - 2 SS Rotten Belle - 4 SS Rotten Belle - 4 SS Bête Noire - 9 SS 30 SS Total |
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| Fielding Mei Feng is like playing a fighting game, only button-mashing isn't a legitimate strategy anymore. |
Schemes
After our crews were selected and announced, we set about choosing our schemes. Not being sure how best to approach this match-up, I decided to pick two schemes I felt I could accomplish fairly easily. I only announced one of my schemes, however (which was to my detriment/benefit as a purely learning experience), while the others announced both.
| Nick - Arcanists Sabotage (on Recalibration Device) Frame for Murder (on Rail Worker 1) | Darren - Neverborn Kill Protégé (on Kang) Bodyguard | Josh - Resurrectionists Grudge (on Fire Gamin) This One's a Keeper |
Deployment
And then we flipped for deployment. Darren won the flip and decided to deploy first, Josh was next and I was last. Darren decided to nominate Dr. McMourning as his target for Contain Power, Josh nominated Mei Feng, which left me to choose the Dreamer. That kind of sucked -- everything I have read and seen of the Dreamer led me to believe that he is very difficult to finish off for good, and now I needed to kill him. Still, it was a learning experience, so I accepted it and watched deployment.
Darren deployed the Dreamer and all three Daydreams on the far side of the Recalibration Device from me, with one Daydream being up a level and within view of the side that Josh had chosen. Josh deployed most of his forces centrally, though the edge he chose left his forces behind a large wall that separated him from the rest of the table (though there were ladders and stairs to climb up, and a large alley to his left). Bête, as per usual, started off the board (sitting intimidatingly next to McMourning's Flesh Construct).
I deployed Kang, the Emberling and the Fire Gamin off to the right while Mei Feng and the two Rail Workers deployed in the middle (Mei Feng sitting behind her minions to block line of sight). I deployed my Gunsmith between the two groups, but up a level, and in a position to move to cover to fire down onto any enemies below him. The idea was to have the two groups converge on the Dreamer in the middle and have Kang set him up before Mei Feng jumped in and slashed him apart.
Turn One
Darren won initiative for first turn. He started by burying one of his Daydreams, then moving the Dreamer and the remaining Daydreams into an alley nearby.
Josh followed up by moving all of his forces forward and to his left (my right), moving them towards the alley in an effort to get them towards the middle of the board.
I moved all of my forces forward; I placed the Gunsmith up against a railing, looking over the entrance from the alley and the Recalibration Device. The Emberling linked to Kang and they, along with the Fire Gamin, moved towards the entrance to the alley. Mei Feng and her Rail Workers moved towards the Recalibration Device, hiding behind some supports, while Mei Feng used Vent Steam to shroud her presence.
Turn Two
Darren won initiative again, and this time decided to act. He activated both the Dreamer and his present Daydream and flew them over towards Kang. The Dreamer landed, blinked out of existence and allowed Lord Chompy Bits to appear; he instantly went to town on Kang, taking out all of his wounds, all but killing him (thanks to Hard to Kill), before being calmed back into the Dreamer and pulled away by one of the Daydreams. The other Daydream then unburied Coppelius, allowing the eye-snatching nightmare to attack Kang and finish him off, allowing the big man to shovel Coppelius in the face (thanks to Slow to Die) but did little or no damage. (This also gave Darren an early lead, having gained 2VP already for Kill Protégé on Kang.) Coppelius also used one of his abilities to instantly paralyze the Fire Gamin, stopping it from doing anything this turn.
In retaliation, I decided to activate my Gunsmith and lay some fire on one of the Daydreams, hoping to reduce the amount of control Darren was exerting, but both attacks missed their target.
I moved the Emberling into combat, popping Vent Steam and little else. In the center, I moved Mei Feng and Rail Worker 1 (the one I had designated for Frame for Murder) towards the growing brawl while RW2 moved up into base contact with the Recalibration Device.
Josh spent his entire turn moving up, trying to get into the fight, but was only able to cast a few long-range spells at the other forces (most of which failed, thanks to Vent Steam) and a few on his own troops (which succeeded).
Turn Three
Josh won initiative this turn and spent even more time trying to get his forces close enough to be effective. He sent his Zombie Chihuahua sprinting across the field to pick up the corpse counters that Kang had dropped.
I believe I went next. I started by moving RW1 closer towards the Necrotic Machine but remained out of range for an attack, but close enough for Mei Feng to connect to with her next activation.
Darren started by activating the Dreamer and his Daydreams; he unburied a Daydream (one floor under my Gunsmith) and unburied Lelu and Lilitu somewhat on the outskirts of the battle, closer to Josh. Realizing he had perhaps chosen poor spots for his models, he buried them again (Coppelius included) and unburied them; Lelu appeared almost next to my Gunsmith, Lilitu appeared close by, and Coppelius appeared next to RW1. He also used the Dreamer to paralyze the Fire Gamin once more, leaving him standing useless in the middle of a huge brawl.
Josh activated Molly, just pushing his forces forward again.
I activated Mei Feng and cast Railwalker, allowing her to jump across the field. She connected with RW1 and then the Fire Gamin and I declared her Terminus trigger, allowing her to make an immediate Jackhammer Kick against the Dreamer, causing Severe damage (for a total of 6!). A combination of Spirit and a Soulstone damage prevention flip means the Dreamer only took a single wound from the attack, however. Mei Feng finished her turn by popping Vent Steam, shrouding her and all others around her (including the Dreamer); this triggered Superheat, which gave Burning Counters to the Dreamer and a Daydream.
Darren used Coppelius to paralyze my Gunsmith and then attacked RW1 twice, doing a fair bit of damage and giving him some poison counters while the nightmare gained eye counters for his own abilities. This causes my forces to take a morale check which only the Gunsmith fails but, because he is paralyzed, he does not fall back.
Josh, somewhat thwarted from targeting either Mei Feng or any of Darren's troops (thanks to her Vent Steam), senthis Necrotic Machine rushed around the corner and took a swing at my Fire Gamin, doing minor damage.
With half of my remaining models paralyzed, I decided to play it safe and activate the other Rail Worker, using his first action to Sabotage the feature, then following up by activating the feature. The Recalibration Device allows you to target a construct within LoS of the feature; you force the target to pass a Willpower 15 test or it receives your choice of a number of effects (including Nimble, Flurry, Slow or a damage flip of 1/2/3). I used the feature and targeted the Necrotic Machine (an undead construct), who failed the test, and forced it to take the damage flip. Severe damage came up so the Necrotic Machine was reduced to 1 wound remaining. Nasty business!
Darren finished his activations by using Lilitu and Lelu; he started with Lilitu moving and using Lure on the Zombie Chihuahua, declaring Double-Take (which allows a second Lure immediately following). The dog was dragged close enough for an attack and was hit for minor damage. Lilitu did this a few times, trying to kill the undead pup before it could return the body parts to his master, but somehow the dog managed to survive. Lelu, on the other hand, took a few swipes at my paralyzed Gunsmith, reducing it down to 4 wounds.
Josh does some more maneuvering backfield, moving Dr. McMourning forward just around the corner from our forces. I, wanting to bide time, activate my paralyzed Gunsmith and wait to see what Josh does. The Ressers move around some more. Paralyzed Fire Gamin activates. More Resser movement. I finish by having my Emberling take a swing at the Dreamer, to no effect.
Josh finished the rest of the turn with one of his Rotten Belles casting Lure on his Zombie Chihuahua. He successfully casts the spell twice, dragging the pooch back into safety and right next to McMourning (though still in LoS of Lilitu).
As RW2 had survived the turn, I received 2VP for completing my Sabotage scheme. This brought Darren and I tied, while Josh still had yet to get on the board.
Turn Four
And then things got intense.
Initiative flips came up, and I think everyone used a Soulstone to reflip. I came out on top and decided it was time to go to town on the Dreamer. Mei Feng was sandwiched in between the Dreamer and the Necrotic Machine so I directed a Tiger's Claw attack against the Dreamer, hoping to combo off and into the Necrotic Machine, and then back again to finish off the kid. I flip high enough for a hit, get the combo off, and then get a straight flip for damage. I cheated in the Red Joker from my hand and drew an additional weak damage, for a total of 8. Spirit on the Dreamer halved that damage and Darren used a Soulstone for another damage prevention flip, but he only flipped weak, meaning 3 damage got through -- just enough to send the kid packing.
Lord Chompy Bits appeared and I asked if he would be a valid target for the second attack in the Tiger's Fury combo. (As the Dreamer and LCB kind of play as a single model, I wasn't sure if he could be a legal target of the second attack as the trigger requires a different target to be selected.) We consulted the books, no one could find anything to say why not, so I attacked the big Nightmare, dealing moderate damage (though with no combo this time). Mei Feng directed another attack at LCB, not connecting this time, and finished her turn by casting Vent Steam once more, not getting the Superheat trigger either.
Darren went next, with LCB sitting right between two large forces, both waiting to smack him. He used his entire activation attacking McMourning (who he could just see around the corner), dealing some serious damage to the doctor. He then activated a nearby Daydream who used Lead Nightmare to drag LCB out of combat and away from the heat of the fray.
Josh, deciding to take action, had the Necrotic Machine attack my Fire Gamin again. He dealt more than enough damage to kill it, but the resulting explosion was enough to kill the Necrotic Machine, and caught Mei Feng, the Emberling, Lord Chompy Bits and a Daydream in the blast, giving burning counters (except the Emberling, who is immune) and 2Dg to all. This gave Josh 2VP for completing his Grudge against the Fire Gamin, but also had an alternate effect -- with the Necrotic Machine dying, Josh was able to summon Bête Noire onto the board, placing her near my RW1.
Seeing RW1 in trouble, I decided to activate my Emberling; using Magical Extension, he cast Railwalker and teleported next to the Rail Worker. He directed an attack at Coppelius, doing only a little damage.
Darren decided to activate Lelu and Lilitu next; the former beat on my Gunsmith some more while the latter attempted to use Lure on the Zombie Chihuahua again. The animal didn't perish to the blows, though, even despite a number of Double-Take Triggers and constant whip attacks from the demoness.
Josh used a Rotten Belle to Lure the Zombie Chihuahua back towards his forces, bringing the dog back next to McMourning. He also tried to use Undress on LCB but failed in his attempt.
Not sure what else to do at the moment, I decided to use RW1 to take a swing at Coppelius, knocking off a few wounds.
Darren, with only Coppelius remaining to activate, decided to finish off RW1 and easily killed him. With Slow to Die, however, the Rail Worker was able to use his last action to attack Coppelius, destroying the eye-stealing nightmare. It was a vicious back-and-forth resulting in both characters dying.
I took this opportunity to announce my Frame for Murder scheme, claiming the point for RW1 dying, but the guys informed me it has to be a master who delivers the killing blow. I need to pay more attention to the wording of things!
Josh activated McMourning and jumped into the fray; the doctor butchered his Chihuahua and retrieved the body parts it was carrying, rushed around the corner and took a slash at Mei Feng. It managed to deal some damage but I burned a Soulstone for a damage prevention flip and managed to stop any from getting through (3 dealt, 3 prevented). McMourning then finished his turn by using the body parts to summon his Flesh Construct directly behind LCB, blocking an escape.
Being face-to-face with Lelu, my Gunsmith decided it best to lay into him with his guns. Through a combination of abilities and good flips, I managed a triple-positive flip for damage, doing a fair bit of damage to Lelu, but nowhere near enough to kill him.
Darren was out of activations, so Josh was next. Most of his up-front fighters were already in the fray so Molly, still sitting far in the backfield, began to move up.
I finished my turn by moving RW2 closer towards the brawl and waited to see what Josh would do.
Bête activated Flurry and targeted Mei Feng (I believe) but didn't manage to connect with any of the blows. The Flesh Construct takes a heavy swing at LCB, who had been healing with all the death around him but was still starting to hurt. The remaining Belle moves towards the fray, still staying out of sight from the brawl. During the End Phase, the Flesh Construct gets another action, which he used to attack LCB again leaving the Nightmare very close to death.
Turn Five
Initiative again, and this was the big one. Though the turn previous had left almost half of our collected forces out of commission, all of our masters were still on the board which meant that nobody had cashed in on the Contain Power VPs. We all wanted -- needed -- to go first but, after some reflips and what-not, Josh managed to activate first.
My plan was to use Mei Feng to rush over, finish off LCB, and then hightail it out of there. Alas, Josh activated the Flesh Construct and put down the Nightmare for good before moving towards Lelu.
Because my primary objective was now no longer achievable, I decided the best thing to do would be to consolidate my forces and get the hell out of dodge. I companioned Mei Feng and the Emberling for this turn, and activated Mei Feng first. I cast Seismic Punch to shove McMourning, Bête and the Daydream away; when this cast, I triggered Two-Stroke Piston, followed up with a Jackhammer Kick to Bête (killing her in one hit) and triggered Badass Pose for Armour +2 until the end of the turn. Josh (after some deliberation) decided to bury Bête from the board as opposed to death.
Following this single action, I used Railwalker to teleport to the far side of RW2 (standing near the Emberling), then finished Mei Feng's activation by using Vent Steam to obscure any lookers-on. The Emberling followed, using one action to cast Magical Extension and use Seismic Punch, pushing Mei Feng around a corner and out of line of sight (and slamming the Rail Worker against a wall). The totem followed his master and sidled up to Mei Feng, ready for the following turn.
This is the only move that I'm proud of for this match: not only did I manage to move my master out of harm's way, but she moved a combined total of something like 13", around a corner, without having to make a single move action the entire time. It placed her in a position where it was unlikely that she would be attacked next turn, thus denying Josh the VPs for killing her, while allowing me to reevaluate the situation from a distance if the game went long. Yet I digress.
It was at this point that we realized two things, both related to the wording of multiplayer Shared Contain Power; unlike regular Contain Power, where one master must kill another, multiplayer Contain Power merely states that the opponent you designate at the beginning of the game must have no leaders on the board at the end of the game for you to receive points. This meant that, firstly, although I did not deal the killing blow to LCB, I still received 2VP for him being off the board for the game. Secondly, this meant that Darren had to kill both McMourning and Molly (as Molly is a henchmen, they are technically both leaders) in order to receive points for killing Josh's leaders. This changed things drastically.
Darren activated and tried to go into damage control-mode. He activated Lelu and Lilitu and started with the femme; casting Lure on McMourning, she managed to drag him close, trigger Double-Take, and attack him with her whip. Darren managed to chain Double-Take a number of times, continuing the attacks from Lilitu (and burning through most of Josh's remaining Soulstones). After this was done, Lelu activated, killed the Gunsmith, flew past the Flesh Construct (but still in melee range) and proceeded to attack -- and kill -- McMourning.
Josh sent one of his Rotten Belles up a ladder and over the wall very near where Mei Feng now sat. It was a good maneuver, as I believed Mei Feng to be untouchable for the rest of the game, but I was not too concerned with a single Rotten Belle against three of my characters (including my master).
I moved RW2 back into the obscuring aura of Vent Steam, not wanting to allow him to be Lured away by either Josh's Belles or Darren's Lilitu. I also used him to block any possible line of sight to Mei Feng for next turn, when the aura would fall away.
Josh finished up by moving Molly and a Rotten Belle close to the corner where McMourning had been hiding, in line of sight of Lelu and Lilitu but not far enough to see my forces.
Turn Six
At this point, almost our entire forces had been decimated. I had Mei Feng, the Emberling and a single Rail Worker remaining; Josh had two Rotten Belles, Molly and the Flesh Construct; and Darren merely had the twins, Lelu and Lilitu. No one had any Soulstones remaining, so it was truly a case of strategic play and luck, at this point.
I'm not sure who managed to take the initiative this turn. I think it might have been me. Let's go with that:
I companioned Mei Feng and the Emberling and activated Mei Feng, sending her shooting towards the Rotten Belle with a charge. I flipped an average attack but Josh cheated down his total, allowing the attack to get through with a positive flip for damage. I dealt severe damage but was thrown off by Josh allowing the blow to hit so heavily. Not buying it, however, I decided to go for broke and used Scalding Breath, once again flipping an average total for casting. Josh once again cheated down his resist, allowing me to land a severe damage with that attack (with the two blasts going nowhere). This was more than enough to kill the Belle.
And that was when I realized my folly. With the Belle removed from play, Josh was able to summon Bête to the board again, leaving the deathly woman staring into the face of Mei Feng over the body of the fallen Belle.
Luckily, I still had the Emberling to activate, so I used both of his actions to float into position between Mei Feng and Bête, providing some separation between my master and the scary lady with the knives.
I believe Darren went next; he started by having Lilitu Lure Molly towards the twins, triggering Double-Take, and making an attack on the woman. This entire sequence repeated once or twice more but, each time, Darren had to flip to overcome Molly's Pitiful. Every action he took needed to test against it which proved fairly annoying for Darren. Lelu followed up by dealing a bit of damage to Molly but the undead reporter still stood.
Josh, seeing his opportunity, activated Bête and took a swing at the Emberling. She dealt an acceptable amount of damage (thanks to a negative flip) which, when reduced by Spirit and the Emberling's Armour +1, reduced the damage taken to a single point. Josh attacked the Emberling again, trying to get through to Mei Feng, but missed with the blow.
I moved my Rail Worker back around the corner towards my forces, getting out of line of sight from the others, and wanted to use Shovel Faster on Bête, but she was blocked from line of sight so I merely passed the rest of my turn.
Neither Darren nor I had nothing left so Josh finished up the turn. He used the Flesh Construct to attack Lelu, not quite hard enough to kill, and the remaining Belle moved around the corner towards my forces. Molly, right next to the twins, decided to go for broke and attempted to use Philosophy of Uncertainty on Lelu; a successful cast would sacrifice Molly outright but kill Lelu, leaving Darren pretty stuck for the rest of the game. Fortunately (unfortunately?), Molly failed her cast and the action failed before Lelu could even resist, so Molly wasn't sacrificed at all.
Josh, being the last player for the turn, flipped to see if we would continue. We did not.
Aftermath and Thoughts
We totaled our VPs and came to a startling revelation (for me, anyway):
Which means I came out with the win! We'll definitely have to chalk that up to beginner's luck.
Edit: According to the rules experts on the Wyrd forums, the game was actually a tie between Darren and I. See below for more!
After the game, we all agreed that we should have paid closer attention to the wording of the multiplayer Contain Power; we all went into the game assuming our masters would have to personally deal with our designated opponents but the rules clearly state that as long as the designated leaders are not on the table at the end of the game, points are awarded. You get more points if you deal the killing blow, admittedly, but you still receive points regardless of who was responsible.
We also realized that bringing a henchman suddenly makes Contain Power that much more difficult as you are required to kill all of your opponent's leaders, not just their master. This made things unduly difficult for Darren who needed to kill two relatively tough characters (in McMourning and Molly), as opposed to the single model that Josh had to deal with (though I definitely drew the short end of the stick having to kill the Dreamer/LCB). Darren pointed out afterwards that the Dreamer should have been ignoring all the burning counters I was throwing around -- if he had saved the Soulstones he used for healing flips, he might have survived the game and things would've been much different.
All in all, I am very happy with my performance. There was a lot of rules-checking and the guys helped me a lot by clarifying some of the things I was sketchy on but I think I held my own in my first full game of Malifaux. And, of course, I came away with the victory, which is always a plus (especially because I was expecting to have my face kicked in)! That being said, there's still plenty for me to learn and I'm positive things will be entirely different when I play a 1v1 game, as Malifaux is designed to be played.
Edit: So the rules experts on the Wyrd forums were consulted and they have ruled that, though the wording is ambiguous, the intent is that Contain Power only applies to the main master for each crew. As such, Molly was not a necessary casualty in order to gain the VPs for Contain Power; thus, Darren received an additional 2VP for McMourning being removed from play, raising his total to 4VP and enough to call a draw between he and I. Still, a draw on my first match is better than a loss and I will take it gladly!
Also, Darren said that this was the first game he had seen Mei Feng survive: thus, the next time he faces Mei Feng, he will be gunning for her the entire time. Given she's my only full Master at the moment, that kind of struck some fear into me, and his Neverborn crews are scary enough as it is. I'm terrified of facing Pandora, who I know Darren plays semi-often, and Collodi is another of his favourites that seems pretty terrifying to me. We'll see what the future holds, I suppose!
I enjoyed how the Rail Crew played; Mei Feng is a really awesome master with some powerful combos and I feel as though this game gave me some insight on how best to use her. Positioning seems to be absolutely paramount for the Rail Crew in order to get the most out of Mei Feng, so that is something I will have to be mindful of moving forward. I also realized that even the toughest minions can be shut down abruptly if you are not careful. Place Kang that far to the flank, practically unsupported, was a poor choice; the man who was supposed to be the anvil to Mei Feng's hammer proved next to useless this match. I will need to be more mindful of how best to use heavy-hitters like that in the future.
Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for more Malifaux stuff! It's a big hobby and I think I'll be talking about a lot more moving forward. (And next time there will be more pictures, promise!) Cheers!
Darren deployed the Dreamer and all three Daydreams on the far side of the Recalibration Device from me, with one Daydream being up a level and within view of the side that Josh had chosen. Josh deployed most of his forces centrally, though the edge he chose left his forces behind a large wall that separated him from the rest of the table (though there were ladders and stairs to climb up, and a large alley to his left). Bête, as per usual, started off the board (sitting intimidatingly next to McMourning's Flesh Construct).
I deployed Kang, the Emberling and the Fire Gamin off to the right while Mei Feng and the two Rail Workers deployed in the middle (Mei Feng sitting behind her minions to block line of sight). I deployed my Gunsmith between the two groups, but up a level, and in a position to move to cover to fire down onto any enemies below him. The idea was to have the two groups converge on the Dreamer in the middle and have Kang set him up before Mei Feng jumped in and slashed him apart.
Turn One
Darren won initiative for first turn. He started by burying one of his Daydreams, then moving the Dreamer and the remaining Daydreams into an alley nearby.
Josh followed up by moving all of his forces forward and to his left (my right), moving them towards the alley in an effort to get them towards the middle of the board.
I moved all of my forces forward; I placed the Gunsmith up against a railing, looking over the entrance from the alley and the Recalibration Device. The Emberling linked to Kang and they, along with the Fire Gamin, moved towards the entrance to the alley. Mei Feng and her Rail Workers moved towards the Recalibration Device, hiding behind some supports, while Mei Feng used Vent Steam to shroud her presence.
Turn Two
Darren won initiative again, and this time decided to act. He activated both the Dreamer and his present Daydream and flew them over towards Kang. The Dreamer landed, blinked out of existence and allowed Lord Chompy Bits to appear; he instantly went to town on Kang, taking out all of his wounds, all but killing him (thanks to Hard to Kill), before being calmed back into the Dreamer and pulled away by one of the Daydreams. The other Daydream then unburied Coppelius, allowing the eye-snatching nightmare to attack Kang and finish him off, allowing the big man to shovel Coppelius in the face (thanks to Slow to Die) but did little or no damage. (This also gave Darren an early lead, having gained 2VP already for Kill Protégé on Kang.) Coppelius also used one of his abilities to instantly paralyze the Fire Gamin, stopping it from doing anything this turn.
In retaliation, I decided to activate my Gunsmith and lay some fire on one of the Daydreams, hoping to reduce the amount of control Darren was exerting, but both attacks missed their target.
I moved the Emberling into combat, popping Vent Steam and little else. In the center, I moved Mei Feng and Rail Worker 1 (the one I had designated for Frame for Murder) towards the growing brawl while RW2 moved up into base contact with the Recalibration Device.
Josh spent his entire turn moving up, trying to get into the fight, but was only able to cast a few long-range spells at the other forces (most of which failed, thanks to Vent Steam) and a few on his own troops (which succeeded).
Turn Three
Josh won initiative this turn and spent even more time trying to get his forces close enough to be effective. He sent his Zombie Chihuahua sprinting across the field to pick up the corpse counters that Kang had dropped.
I believe I went next. I started by moving RW1 closer towards the Necrotic Machine but remained out of range for an attack, but close enough for Mei Feng to connect to with her next activation.
Darren started by activating the Dreamer and his Daydreams; he unburied a Daydream (one floor under my Gunsmith) and unburied Lelu and Lilitu somewhat on the outskirts of the battle, closer to Josh. Realizing he had perhaps chosen poor spots for his models, he buried them again (Coppelius included) and unburied them; Lelu appeared almost next to my Gunsmith, Lilitu appeared close by, and Coppelius appeared next to RW1. He also used the Dreamer to paralyze the Fire Gamin once more, leaving him standing useless in the middle of a huge brawl.
Josh activated Molly, just pushing his forces forward again.
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| The only stage of the game where we took a picture. Things are about to get messy. (Thanks, Darren!) |
Darren used Coppelius to paralyze my Gunsmith and then attacked RW1 twice, doing a fair bit of damage and giving him some poison counters while the nightmare gained eye counters for his own abilities. This causes my forces to take a morale check which only the Gunsmith fails but, because he is paralyzed, he does not fall back.
Josh, somewhat thwarted from targeting either Mei Feng or any of Darren's troops (thanks to her Vent Steam), senthis Necrotic Machine rushed around the corner and took a swing at my Fire Gamin, doing minor damage.
With half of my remaining models paralyzed, I decided to play it safe and activate the other Rail Worker, using his first action to Sabotage the feature, then following up by activating the feature. The Recalibration Device allows you to target a construct within LoS of the feature; you force the target to pass a Willpower 15 test or it receives your choice of a number of effects (including Nimble, Flurry, Slow or a damage flip of 1/2/3). I used the feature and targeted the Necrotic Machine (an undead construct), who failed the test, and forced it to take the damage flip. Severe damage came up so the Necrotic Machine was reduced to 1 wound remaining. Nasty business!
Darren finished his activations by using Lilitu and Lelu; he started with Lilitu moving and using Lure on the Zombie Chihuahua, declaring Double-Take (which allows a second Lure immediately following). The dog was dragged close enough for an attack and was hit for minor damage. Lilitu did this a few times, trying to kill the undead pup before it could return the body parts to his master, but somehow the dog managed to survive. Lelu, on the other hand, took a few swipes at my paralyzed Gunsmith, reducing it down to 4 wounds.
Josh does some more maneuvering backfield, moving Dr. McMourning forward just around the corner from our forces. I, wanting to bide time, activate my paralyzed Gunsmith and wait to see what Josh does. The Ressers move around some more. Paralyzed Fire Gamin activates. More Resser movement. I finish by having my Emberling take a swing at the Dreamer, to no effect.
Josh finished the rest of the turn with one of his Rotten Belles casting Lure on his Zombie Chihuahua. He successfully casts the spell twice, dragging the pooch back into safety and right next to McMourning (though still in LoS of Lilitu).
As RW2 had survived the turn, I received 2VP for completing my Sabotage scheme. This brought Darren and I tied, while Josh still had yet to get on the board.
Turn Four
And then things got intense.
Initiative flips came up, and I think everyone used a Soulstone to reflip. I came out on top and decided it was time to go to town on the Dreamer. Mei Feng was sandwiched in between the Dreamer and the Necrotic Machine so I directed a Tiger's Claw attack against the Dreamer, hoping to combo off and into the Necrotic Machine, and then back again to finish off the kid. I flip high enough for a hit, get the combo off, and then get a straight flip for damage. I cheated in the Red Joker from my hand and drew an additional weak damage, for a total of 8. Spirit on the Dreamer halved that damage and Darren used a Soulstone for another damage prevention flip, but he only flipped weak, meaning 3 damage got through -- just enough to send the kid packing.
Lord Chompy Bits appeared and I asked if he would be a valid target for the second attack in the Tiger's Fury combo. (As the Dreamer and LCB kind of play as a single model, I wasn't sure if he could be a legal target of the second attack as the trigger requires a different target to be selected.) We consulted the books, no one could find anything to say why not, so I attacked the big Nightmare, dealing moderate damage (though with no combo this time). Mei Feng directed another attack at LCB, not connecting this time, and finished her turn by casting Vent Steam once more, not getting the Superheat trigger either.
Darren went next, with LCB sitting right between two large forces, both waiting to smack him. He used his entire activation attacking McMourning (who he could just see around the corner), dealing some serious damage to the doctor. He then activated a nearby Daydream who used Lead Nightmare to drag LCB out of combat and away from the heat of the fray.
Josh, deciding to take action, had the Necrotic Machine attack my Fire Gamin again. He dealt more than enough damage to kill it, but the resulting explosion was enough to kill the Necrotic Machine, and caught Mei Feng, the Emberling, Lord Chompy Bits and a Daydream in the blast, giving burning counters (except the Emberling, who is immune) and 2Dg to all. This gave Josh 2VP for completing his Grudge against the Fire Gamin, but also had an alternate effect -- with the Necrotic Machine dying, Josh was able to summon Bête Noire onto the board, placing her near my RW1.
Seeing RW1 in trouble, I decided to activate my Emberling; using Magical Extension, he cast Railwalker and teleported next to the Rail Worker. He directed an attack at Coppelius, doing only a little damage.
Darren decided to activate Lelu and Lilitu next; the former beat on my Gunsmith some more while the latter attempted to use Lure on the Zombie Chihuahua again. The animal didn't perish to the blows, though, even despite a number of Double-Take Triggers and constant whip attacks from the demoness.
Josh used a Rotten Belle to Lure the Zombie Chihuahua back towards his forces, bringing the dog back next to McMourning. He also tried to use Undress on LCB but failed in his attempt.
Not sure what else to do at the moment, I decided to use RW1 to take a swing at Coppelius, knocking off a few wounds.
Darren, with only Coppelius remaining to activate, decided to finish off RW1 and easily killed him. With Slow to Die, however, the Rail Worker was able to use his last action to attack Coppelius, destroying the eye-stealing nightmare. It was a vicious back-and-forth resulting in both characters dying.
I took this opportunity to announce my Frame for Murder scheme, claiming the point for RW1 dying, but the guys informed me it has to be a master who delivers the killing blow. I need to pay more attention to the wording of things!
Josh activated McMourning and jumped into the fray; the doctor butchered his Chihuahua and retrieved the body parts it was carrying, rushed around the corner and took a slash at Mei Feng. It managed to deal some damage but I burned a Soulstone for a damage prevention flip and managed to stop any from getting through (3 dealt, 3 prevented). McMourning then finished his turn by using the body parts to summon his Flesh Construct directly behind LCB, blocking an escape.
Being face-to-face with Lelu, my Gunsmith decided it best to lay into him with his guns. Through a combination of abilities and good flips, I managed a triple-positive flip for damage, doing a fair bit of damage to Lelu, but nowhere near enough to kill him.
Darren was out of activations, so Josh was next. Most of his up-front fighters were already in the fray so Molly, still sitting far in the backfield, began to move up.
I finished my turn by moving RW2 closer towards the brawl and waited to see what Josh would do.
Bête activated Flurry and targeted Mei Feng (I believe) but didn't manage to connect with any of the blows. The Flesh Construct takes a heavy swing at LCB, who had been healing with all the death around him but was still starting to hurt. The remaining Belle moves towards the fray, still staying out of sight from the brawl. During the End Phase, the Flesh Construct gets another action, which he used to attack LCB again leaving the Nightmare very close to death.
Turn Five
Initiative again, and this was the big one. Though the turn previous had left almost half of our collected forces out of commission, all of our masters were still on the board which meant that nobody had cashed in on the Contain Power VPs. We all wanted -- needed -- to go first but, after some reflips and what-not, Josh managed to activate first.
My plan was to use Mei Feng to rush over, finish off LCB, and then hightail it out of there. Alas, Josh activated the Flesh Construct and put down the Nightmare for good before moving towards Lelu.
Because my primary objective was now no longer achievable, I decided the best thing to do would be to consolidate my forces and get the hell out of dodge. I companioned Mei Feng and the Emberling for this turn, and activated Mei Feng first. I cast Seismic Punch to shove McMourning, Bête and the Daydream away; when this cast, I triggered Two-Stroke Piston, followed up with a Jackhammer Kick to Bête (killing her in one hit) and triggered Badass Pose for Armour +2 until the end of the turn. Josh (after some deliberation) decided to bury Bête from the board as opposed to death.
Following this single action, I used Railwalker to teleport to the far side of RW2 (standing near the Emberling), then finished Mei Feng's activation by using Vent Steam to obscure any lookers-on. The Emberling followed, using one action to cast Magical Extension and use Seismic Punch, pushing Mei Feng around a corner and out of line of sight (and slamming the Rail Worker against a wall). The totem followed his master and sidled up to Mei Feng, ready for the following turn.
This is the only move that I'm proud of for this match: not only did I manage to move my master out of harm's way, but she moved a combined total of something like 13", around a corner, without having to make a single move action the entire time. It placed her in a position where it was unlikely that she would be attacked next turn, thus denying Josh the VPs for killing her, while allowing me to reevaluate the situation from a distance if the game went long. Yet I digress.
It was at this point that we realized two things, both related to the wording of multiplayer Shared Contain Power; unlike regular Contain Power, where one master must kill another, multiplayer Contain Power merely states that the opponent you designate at the beginning of the game must have no leaders on the board at the end of the game for you to receive points. This meant that, firstly, although I did not deal the killing blow to LCB, I still received 2VP for him being off the board for the game. Secondly, this meant that Darren had to kill both McMourning and Molly (as Molly is a henchmen, they are technically both leaders) in order to receive points for killing Josh's leaders. This changed things drastically.
Darren activated and tried to go into damage control-mode. He activated Lelu and Lilitu and started with the femme; casting Lure on McMourning, she managed to drag him close, trigger Double-Take, and attack him with her whip. Darren managed to chain Double-Take a number of times, continuing the attacks from Lilitu (and burning through most of Josh's remaining Soulstones). After this was done, Lelu activated, killed the Gunsmith, flew past the Flesh Construct (but still in melee range) and proceeded to attack -- and kill -- McMourning.
Josh sent one of his Rotten Belles up a ladder and over the wall very near where Mei Feng now sat. It was a good maneuver, as I believed Mei Feng to be untouchable for the rest of the game, but I was not too concerned with a single Rotten Belle against three of my characters (including my master).
I moved RW2 back into the obscuring aura of Vent Steam, not wanting to allow him to be Lured away by either Josh's Belles or Darren's Lilitu. I also used him to block any possible line of sight to Mei Feng for next turn, when the aura would fall away.
Josh finished up by moving Molly and a Rotten Belle close to the corner where McMourning had been hiding, in line of sight of Lelu and Lilitu but not far enough to see my forces.
Turn Six
At this point, almost our entire forces had been decimated. I had Mei Feng, the Emberling and a single Rail Worker remaining; Josh had two Rotten Belles, Molly and the Flesh Construct; and Darren merely had the twins, Lelu and Lilitu. No one had any Soulstones remaining, so it was truly a case of strategic play and luck, at this point.
I'm not sure who managed to take the initiative this turn. I think it might have been me. Let's go with that:
I companioned Mei Feng and the Emberling and activated Mei Feng, sending her shooting towards the Rotten Belle with a charge. I flipped an average attack but Josh cheated down his total, allowing the attack to get through with a positive flip for damage. I dealt severe damage but was thrown off by Josh allowing the blow to hit so heavily. Not buying it, however, I decided to go for broke and used Scalding Breath, once again flipping an average total for casting. Josh once again cheated down his resist, allowing me to land a severe damage with that attack (with the two blasts going nowhere). This was more than enough to kill the Belle.
And that was when I realized my folly. With the Belle removed from play, Josh was able to summon Bête to the board again, leaving the deathly woman staring into the face of Mei Feng over the body of the fallen Belle.
Luckily, I still had the Emberling to activate, so I used both of his actions to float into position between Mei Feng and Bête, providing some separation between my master and the scary lady with the knives.
I believe Darren went next; he started by having Lilitu Lure Molly towards the twins, triggering Double-Take, and making an attack on the woman. This entire sequence repeated once or twice more but, each time, Darren had to flip to overcome Molly's Pitiful. Every action he took needed to test against it which proved fairly annoying for Darren. Lelu followed up by dealing a bit of damage to Molly but the undead reporter still stood.
Josh, seeing his opportunity, activated Bête and took a swing at the Emberling. She dealt an acceptable amount of damage (thanks to a negative flip) which, when reduced by Spirit and the Emberling's Armour +1, reduced the damage taken to a single point. Josh attacked the Emberling again, trying to get through to Mei Feng, but missed with the blow.
I moved my Rail Worker back around the corner towards my forces, getting out of line of sight from the others, and wanted to use Shovel Faster on Bête, but she was blocked from line of sight so I merely passed the rest of my turn.
Neither Darren nor I had nothing left so Josh finished up the turn. He used the Flesh Construct to attack Lelu, not quite hard enough to kill, and the remaining Belle moved around the corner towards my forces. Molly, right next to the twins, decided to go for broke and attempted to use Philosophy of Uncertainty on Lelu; a successful cast would sacrifice Molly outright but kill Lelu, leaving Darren pretty stuck for the rest of the game. Fortunately (unfortunately?), Molly failed her cast and the action failed before Lelu could even resist, so Molly wasn't sacrificed at all.
Josh, being the last player for the turn, flipped to see if we would continue. We did not.
Aftermath and Thoughts
We totaled our VPs and came to a startling revelation (for me, anyway):
| Nick - Arcanists Strategy: Contain Power (The Dreamer/LCB) - Leader(s) not in play: 2VP Schemes: Sabotage (on Recalibration Device) - Complete: 2VP Frame for Murder (on Rail Worker 1) - Incomplete: 0VP Total: 4VP | Darren - Neverborn Strategy: Contain Power (McMourning/Molly) - Leader(s) still in play: 0VP Schemes: Kill Protégé (on Kang) - Complete: 2VP Bodyguard - Incomplete: 0VP Total: 2VP | Josh - Resurrectionists Strategy: Contain Power (Mei Feng) - Leader(s) still in play: 0VP Schemes: Grudge (on Fire Gamin) - Complete: 2VP This One's a Keeper - Incomplete: 0VP Total: 2VP |
Which means I came out with the win! We'll definitely have to chalk that up to beginner's luck.
Edit: According to the rules experts on the Wyrd forums, the game was actually a tie between Darren and I. See below for more!
After the game, we all agreed that we should have paid closer attention to the wording of the multiplayer Contain Power; we all went into the game assuming our masters would have to personally deal with our designated opponents but the rules clearly state that as long as the designated leaders are not on the table at the end of the game, points are awarded. You get more points if you deal the killing blow, admittedly, but you still receive points regardless of who was responsible.
We also realized that bringing a henchman suddenly makes Contain Power that much more difficult as you are required to kill all of your opponent's leaders, not just their master. This made things unduly difficult for Darren who needed to kill two relatively tough characters (in McMourning and Molly), as opposed to the single model that Josh had to deal with (though I definitely drew the short end of the stick having to kill the Dreamer/LCB). Darren pointed out afterwards that the Dreamer should have been ignoring all the burning counters I was throwing around -- if he had saved the Soulstones he used for healing flips, he might have survived the game and things would've been much different.
All in all, I am very happy with my performance. There was a lot of rules-checking and the guys helped me a lot by clarifying some of the things I was sketchy on but I think I held my own in my first full game of Malifaux. And, of course, I came away with the victory, which is always a plus (especially because I was expecting to have my face kicked in)! That being said, there's still plenty for me to learn and I'm positive things will be entirely different when I play a 1v1 game, as Malifaux is designed to be played.
Edit: So the rules experts on the Wyrd forums were consulted and they have ruled that, though the wording is ambiguous, the intent is that Contain Power only applies to the main master for each crew. As such, Molly was not a necessary casualty in order to gain the VPs for Contain Power; thus, Darren received an additional 2VP for McMourning being removed from play, raising his total to 4VP and enough to call a draw between he and I. Still, a draw on my first match is better than a loss and I will take it gladly!
Also, Darren said that this was the first game he had seen Mei Feng survive: thus, the next time he faces Mei Feng, he will be gunning for her the entire time. Given she's my only full Master at the moment, that kind of struck some fear into me, and his Neverborn crews are scary enough as it is. I'm terrified of facing Pandora, who I know Darren plays semi-often, and Collodi is another of his favourites that seems pretty terrifying to me. We'll see what the future holds, I suppose!
I enjoyed how the Rail Crew played; Mei Feng is a really awesome master with some powerful combos and I feel as though this game gave me some insight on how best to use her. Positioning seems to be absolutely paramount for the Rail Crew in order to get the most out of Mei Feng, so that is something I will have to be mindful of moving forward. I also realized that even the toughest minions can be shut down abruptly if you are not careful. Place Kang that far to the flank, practically unsupported, was a poor choice; the man who was supposed to be the anvil to Mei Feng's hammer proved next to useless this match. I will need to be more mindful of how best to use heavy-hitters like that in the future.
Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for more Malifaux stuff! It's a big hobby and I think I'll be talking about a lot more moving forward. (And next time there will be more pictures, promise!) Cheers!
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