Game report 06.11.15 50SS Tara vs Colette

Game report - 06.11.2015

50SS Tara (daniello_s) vs Colette (Owen)

Deployment: Close Deployment
Strategy: Reconnoitre
Schemes: ALITS, Protect Territory, Breakthrough, Frame for Murder, Distract

Owen brought:
Colette (4SS pool) - Practised Production, Cabaret Choreography
Cassandra - Smoke and Mirrors
2x Coryphee
Joss
2xPerformer
Mechanical Dove

I took:
Tara (4SS pool) - Dead of Winter, Knowledge of Eternity, Obliteration Symbiote
(bury/unbury and Slow/Fast shenanigans)
Malifaux Child
(Slow/Fast caster; healing support)
Death Marshal
(burying shenanigans; Breakthrough runner)
Desolation Engine
(heavy hitter and target for Tara's burying/unburying shenanigans)
Johan
(heavy hitter and Construct-killer)
Nothing Beast - Void Shield
(very mobile heavy hitter and target for Tara's burying/unburying shenanigans)
2x Void Wretch
(ALITS scheme runners; healers for friendly buried models)

Owen picked: ALITS and Breakthrough (both revealed).
I took: Breakthrough (revealed) and Frame for Murder (Engine).

I was thinking about taking Killjoy but because I haven't used Desolation Engine for a long time and because his after-death Abominations summon I decide to pick him. 
Because of the close deployment and Colette's Prompt action I knew the game will be really bloody.

Deployment:

Turn 1
Initiative duel: Tara - Colette allowed to go first.

I didn't go with Tara as first model to activate as I did expect something to be Prompted heavily towards her ans then attacking her. Now I think I should just move, bury Engine giving him Fast as well and then just move in some save position.
Anyway, Marshal put Engine into the pine-box (I think it was rather big pine-box :D) and moved together with one Void Wretch to my right flank. Malifaux Child pinged Nothing Beast with Fast.
Colette's crew advanced towards the middle dropping as many scheme markers on the centreline as possible.

I decided to inflict first casualty and double walked Nothing Beast behind the building, Focused and swung at Coryphee. I had two high cards (13 and 11) so I was ready to cheat for attack if necessary and then for 7 damage which would remove Coryphee. Of course plan was good but Owen disrupt it by cheating defensive flip with Red Joker which put me on negative damage flip and effectively on 1 damage on Coryphee.
Colette used Prompt on Performer who pushed toward Nothing Beast and hit it for 1 damage and +2 Poison. Also Joss was prompted to take position to attack Nothing Beast.
Now it was time to evacuate Nothing Beast from this situation - Tara unburied Desolation Engine and buried Nothing Beast.
Cassandra moved and charged Desolation Engine hurting it, then she used Southern Hospitality.
With Desolation Engine left to activate I focused him and swung at Cassandra for 3 damage which was fully prevented with soulstones. Second hit missed. She also suffered 1 damage fro Engine's pulses (some damage prevention done here as well) . Joss moved closer to Cassandra and my guys.

Situation looked really bleak to me...

Upkeep phase - No VP score by either side;

Score after turn 1: Tara 0 - Colette 0


Turn 2
Initiative duel: Tara

I had two choices - activate Engine and try to kill Cassandra unburying heavily bruised Nothing Beast in the process which would expose it to Joss or activate one of the Void Wretches and heal Beast so even if Desolation Engine dies it will be quite healthy after unburying and might survive the turn.
I picked option 2 - Nothing Beast was healed and Poison removed from it.
Joss charged Nothing Beast - first attack went through but Black Joker on the damage saved Engine. Second hit went through but wasn't enough to kill the construct.
Now it was Desolation Engine's time to attack - first went through - 1 damage in total (damage prevention). Second went through - Red Joker on damage! Cassandra was dead and Desolation Engine fully healed himself! Yay! Nothing Beast unburied close to Joss. Engine's last attack hit Joss for minimal damage which was reduced by armour to 1 wound. 
Owen was quite devastated with Cassandra's deathso he lured Joss away from Nothing Beast with his Performer.
Nothing Beast moved, focused and hit Performer killing her.
Owen pushed his crew along my left flank to secure points from Breakthrough. One Coryphee went to support Colette who was engaged with Nothing Beast at this stage.
Marshal and Void Wretch moved foward which secured two table quarters and also Wretch dropped first scheme marker for Breakthrough.
Child pinged Johana with Fast who was immediately tarpit with Dove. Tara buried Johana, moved and unbury her so she could walk and then charge Coryphee. Here we forgot Coryphee couldn't be charged. Either way Johana hit it once (I did cheat the attack flip) and double positive damage flip showed only weak damage (I had nothing to cheat  it with...). Second hit missed. So even if I didn't charge Coryphee I would walk twice and hit it once anyway.

Now the situation looked bleak for Owen :D

Upkeep phase:
Tara: +1VP Strategy
Colette: +1VP Strategy,

Score after turn 2: Tara 1 - Colette 1
 
Turn 3
Initiative duel: Tara

Johana flurried and killed Coryphee.
With 4 significant models left Owen decided to call the game.

We agreed that the game would end up around 10-4 to Tara with my VPs max out and extra 3VPs for Breakthrough on Colette's side.

The most decisive moment in the game was Desolation Engine surviving Joss' charge and Cassandra's brutal death. If that didn't happen I would be in huuuuge trouble. Well, it seems bad things happen to others as well in Malifaux :D

Till next time! 


 

Game report 06.11.15 50SS Viks vs Colette

Game report - 06.11.2015

50SS Viks (daniello_s) vs Colette (Owen)

Deployment: Corner Deployment
Strategy: Reckoning
Schemes: ALITS, Assassinate, Distract, Cursed Object, Spring the Trap

Owen brought:
Colette (7SS pool) - Practised Production, Cabaret Choreography
Cassandra - Smoke and Mirrors
Howard
Joss
Performer
Mannequin
Mechanical Dove

I took:
Ash Viki (6SS pool) - Sisters in Fury, Sisters in Spirit, Synch Slaying
(standard sling-shot set-up - nasty and extremely killy)
Blood Viki - Mark of Shez'uul, Oathkeeper
(see above :D)
Malifaux Child
(Sister of Fury caster; healing support)
Taelor - Oathkeeper
(heavy hitter with lots of interesting triggers; Construct-killer)
Johana - Oathkeeper
(heavy hitter; Construct-killer; ALITS runner if needed)
Freikorps Trapper
(forwardly deployed model who harass enemy with long-shot fire; ALITS runner)
Freikorps Librarian
(healing support)
Void Wretch       
(ALITS runner) 

Owen picked: ALITS (revealed) and Distract
I took: ALITS (revealed) and Assassinate.

With Colette as my opponent supported by Joss, Howard and Cassandra I knew this game will be typical cat and mouse game - whoever make a first mistake would probably loose :D
My plan was simple - remove one of the heavy hitters at the end of the turn with Blood Viki, then survive start of the next turn with heavy soulstone usage and try to remove other heavy hitter. Even if Blood would die after that task, I would have enough killing power in Ash, Taelor and Johana to score some points for Strategy later in the game.

Deployment:

Turn 1
Initiative duel: Viks but allowed Colette to go first.
 
Only one attack was reported during that turn - Trapper tagged Joss for 1 damage. Rest of the activations were spent on walk and drop tons of scheme markers on Colette's side :D
I moved my crew towards centre of the table with only Void Wretch running along my right flank towards Trapper.
Thankfully Owen didn't dispersed his crew too much but kept them rather together (except Doves and Cassandra) behind LOS blocking wall (we played all walls as Ht2).

Upkeep phase - No VP score by either side;
Score after turn 1: Viks 0 - Colette 0

Turn 2
Initiative duel: Viks but allowed Colette to go first.

With summoning Doves, Owen out-activated me this turn so I decided to let him go first to have some possible attack options at the down of the turn.
I positioned Trapper, Johana and Void Wretch ready to drop ALITS scheme markers next turn and Child cast Sisters in Fury. Owen dropped more markers as usual.
Then he had Joss, Cassandra and Howard to activate and I had both Viks left.
Joss double walk but couldn't stay clear 5'' of Howard which was a signal for my Viks to general assault. Ash double walk and called Blood in base contact. Then Blood chain-activated, she burned Oathkeeper, used 0 action walk positive damage flip, walked once and charged Howard to be in 2'' range from Joss as well.
I had really, really good hand with 13 Mask in it so the only thing which would wreck my day would be Black Joker on Terrifying duel against Howard. Thankfully that didn't happen so I had now 3 attacks (Melee Expert because in LOS from Ash). Long story short - with two swings triggering Whirlwind on both, Pokey was able to kill both enemies (5/6/8 damage track ignoring all defence abilities is crazy).
Owen charged Blood with Cassandra but she missed with her swings. Right after that he called a game s there was no sense in playing any more and we both agreed it is more sensible to play another game this evening :D

 I think the game would end around 6(7)-4 to Viks as I probably would get full VPs from ALITS and at least one another point from Strategy and Colette would dodge my attempts to kill her and she would score full ALITS and at possible a point from Distract.

Game was quick and bloody as I expected. Thankfully there was more blood on Arcanists side than on mine :D
Till next time!