Hateful Darkblack

Tread the Line seems like it's great if you're facing Pandora (since it blocks Incite & Pacify) or Zoraida (since it blocks Obey) or Perdita (since it blocks Obey.) I sort of think of Sue as the unit you field if you're expecting to face Pandora.

This looks like it could be a lot of fun. I would love to hear how it works out. Two thoughts: The Cast list/points seems like it may be a lot of complication and extra bookkeeping for very minimal and frustrating results. What is gained from it? It sounds like the "Risk" strategy part of the game would take way less time than the Malifaux part. That seems reasonable, but what happens if some players get into more skirmishes than others do? You could have stray players waiting while whoever's in the middle finishes their games out.

I like the idea of a bunch of gears covered in snow. But I suspect what you'll have to do is pick one or the other and use that.

I'm excited about Book 3. They added 20 semi-new Masters (which is pretty much how I see the Avatars), some of which are really tactically intriguing. They're not more powerful than the base Avatar, generally (except maybe aZoraida) -- just a different option, and often a different option that the Master in question might want to switch to around turn 4 anyway. And it seems like most crews got some consideration. Usually in the form of "Hmm, what does this crew need?" Lilith needs a ranged attack? Check. Collidi needs a summoner? Check. Lazarus needs a Scavenger? Check. Perdita needs disposable thugs? Check. ...and so on. It's not as much new rules content as Book 2, but I like the writing, and the characterization. And the rules content that's in there is a lot of fun.

As someone who usually plays Neverborn, I'm going to have to say, "Delicious." UPDATE: Hmm. People from Bordeaux are called Bordelais. So maybe people from Malifaux would be Malifelais?

Here's an incomplete list that I hope you find useful: All gremlins except Lenny (especially interesting ones: Ophelia, Rene LaCroix, Most totems All Effigies Ice and Fire Gamins Steampunk Arachnids (and Steampunk Arachnid Swarm) Necropunks Crooligans Night Terrors All dog-based minions (Guild Hound, Canine Remains, Nix) Hoarcat Pride Moleman Alps Baby Kade Candy Gupps Sorrows Terror Tots Piglets Stuffed Pig But I think with the Viks you can't hire any non-Mercenaries. At least, the crew creator http://www.malifaux.com/Crew.php seems to think so.

I've had a lot of fun when playing this Story Encounter. I hope you'll try it too, sometime when you have a free Malifaux game.

Yesterday I was playing Zoraida/Collodi against a friend with Colette. Zoraida was up on very very high flat elevation, about 10 inches up. Colette was getting sick of Zoraida's Voodoo Doll harassing her Coryphees, but she didn't have any tough units with Flight. So she buried her own Manikin with Disappearing Act and then unburied it up next to Zoraida at the end of the round, then used Illusionist to switch places on her next turn so that she would be right up in Zoraida's grill and able to attack with Magician's Duel. It was clever way to get up there.... ...but Zoraida just pushed her off the elevation with Repulsive (and spent a Soulstone to make it stick) and Colette plummeted down 10" to her death -- she tried Death Defying as a Slow to Die and failed. My opponent politely resigned at that point.

Once or twice, I've seen suggestions of using Soulstone Miners with Colette to keep the soulstones coming.

(one update to this encounter FWIW: The WP duel to stop someone from grabbing Loot ignores Immune to Influence, because otherwise Immune to Influence models would be perfect thieves.)

We have played this a few times in playtest now and it turns out to be a lot of fun. It's possible, once the Juggernauts get close, that a juggernaut may decide to back away and go pick on other models instead. That's okay: it'll need to Charge again the next round, and it's actually not as advantageous as it may look since you'll probably lose out on VP that way.

A Story Encounter for Malifaux (PDF) by TedPro (co-written by megnc86, with huge thanks to lifeblood, kasul, and The Bad Man for feedback and playtesting) "This old heap of gears and springs ain't much now, but if we can get it fixed up in time, it will be unstoppable!" SETUP: The setting should be a city or town layout, with buildings, laboratories, and possibly crumbling ruins and strange obelisks, but also enough open outdoor space that the Clockwork Juggernauts can reach each other. No Special Effects or Features are needed. Place four 30mm Parts Counters on the board. Each must be at least 6" away from any other Parts Counters, scheme objectives, models, or deployment zones. These should be marked as Ram (:rams), Crow (:crows), Tomes (:tomes), and Mask (:masks). Each side begins with one additional model, The Clockwork Juggernaut (See below). Deploy this model with the rest of your crew. This model is activated normally during each turn, but has special abilities, restrictions, and objectives. (Recommended models to repesent the Clockwork Juggernaut: Peacekeeper, Pigapult, Teddy, Ice Golem, Steamborg Executioner, Mature Nephilim, Bad Juju, Any Rider, Killjoy, Desolation Engine. You can also use an appropriate model from another game as long as it has a 50mm base and looks about Ht 3.) VICTORY CONDITIONS: 2VP if your Clockwork Juggernaut inflicts at least 6 Wd on any enemy Clockwork Juggernauts. 4VP if your Clockwork Juggernaut kills an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut. PARTS COUNTERS: Any non-Insignificant model can pick up a Parts Counter as a (1) Interact action, or drop the Parts Counter into base contact at any point during its activation at no cost or Action. A model can only carry one Parts Counter at a time. If a model carrying a Parts Counter leaves play, place the Parts Counter in base contact with the model before removing the model. UPGRADES: Any non-Insignificant friendly minion carrying a Parts Token can take a (1) Interact action to upgrade the Clockwork Juggernaut while in base contact with it. To upgrade, flip a card. Combine the suit of the card flip with the suit of the Parts Token and consult the Upgrade Chart below. Order doesn't matter. If a Joker comes up on the flip, use that instead of any suits. This flip cannot be cheated. After an upgrade, the Clockwork Juggernaut gains the effects or bonuses listed until the end of the enounter (or a Black Joker Accident! result.) If the Clockwork Juggernaut already has the effect, the Clockwork Juggernaut gains a healing flip instead. Black Joker: Accident! Lose all existing upgrades. Flip twice to gain one random upgrade. Ram + Ram :rams :rams: Huge Blade! Clockwork Spike gains Cb +2 :rams and Critical Strike trigger. Ram + Crow :rams :crows: Stabilizers! Regeneration 2. Ram + Tome :rams :tomes: Repair Assembly! Ca +1 :rams and Scavenger. Gain a spell: (1) Combat Mechanic (CC: 10 :tomes:rams/Rst: - /Rg: 6) Discard 1 Scrap Counter, or kill 1 friendly Construct within range. This model or target friendly Construct within range makes a Healing Flip. Ram + Mask :rams :masks: Long Limbs! Wk/Cg +1/+2, Cb +1, and Clockwork Spike gains Rg 2" . Crow + Crow :crows :crows: Redundant Gears! Hard to Wound 2, Hard to Kill and Slow to Die. Crow + Tome :crows :tomes: Creepy Gyroscope! Ca +1(:crows). Gain a spell: (1) Decay (CC: 14 :crows/Rst: Wp /Rg: 10 ) Dg 2/3 :blast/5 . Friendly Undead hit by this spell or by any b heal 2 Wd instead of suffering damage. Crow + Mask :crows :masks: Self-Preservation Apparatus! Df +1 and Wp +1. Tome + Tome :tomes :tomes: Spark Array! Ca +2 :tomes. Gain a spell: (1) Electrical Fire (CC: 14 :tomes /Rst: Df / Rg 12) Dg 2/3/4, ignoring Armor. Tome + Mask :tomes :masks: Hypnotic Metronome! Gain a spell: (1) Obey (CC: 14 :masks /Rst: Wp /Rg: 12) Target non-Master model immediately makes a (1) Action or a Charge controlled by you. The Action selected may not cause the model to be killed or sacrificed as part of the action. This spell may be cast once per activation. Mask + Mask :masks :masks: Ornithopter! Df +2. Flight. This model can Charge as a (1) Action. Red Joker: Awakened! Gain your choice of either Fast (+1) or Use Soulstone. Also gain a spell: (0) Inferno (CC: 14 / Rst: - / Rg: C) Models within 3 of this model suffer 3 Dg at the start of the Closing Phase. If this model is killed before the Closing Phase, immediately apply the effect and increase to 6 Dg. REPAIRS: Any non-Insignificant friendly minion carrying a Parts Token can take a (1) Interact action to Repair the Clockwork Juggernaut while in base contact with it. The Clockwork Juggernaut then makes a healing flip. CONTINUED PARTS: After any repair or upgrade, an enemy player then places the Parts Counter used back on the board, at least 6 inches from all models and at least 12 inches from all Clockwork Juggernauts. (You can place a Parts Counter adjacent to other Part Counters during this placement.) If there is no valid place to put the Parts Counter, remove it from the game. (Recommend that you print out the sheet below, with one copy per player so you can mark up as it gains new abilities.) THE CLOCKWORK JUGGERNAUT: Construct, Insignificant 50 mm base Soulstone Cost (Scenario) Wk/Cg: 2/3 Ht: 3 Df: 3 Wp: 5 Ca: 4 Wd: 12 Weapons Clockwork Spike Range: 1" Cb: 3 Dg: 2/4/6 Talents: Epic: Clockwork Juggernaut is immune to all damage and all effects that come from a source other than a Clockwork Juggernaut, except for Interact actions to Upgrade or Repair using Parts Counters. Clockwork Juggernaut is immune to disengaging strikes. Brutal Protocol: If this model does not begin its turn within melee range of an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut, this model's first action must be to Charge an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut. This Charge must travel up to its maximum Cg or into melee range of an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut. During the Charge, this model must move directly toward an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut, except to move out of the way of terrain. If any other models are in the way of this Charge, push them up to 3” out of the way. This model can make this Charge even without LoS. If no enemy Clockwork Juggernaut is in play when this model begins its turn, end this model’s activation. Simple Algorithm: This model cannot target any model except Clockworth Juggernaut, unless this model has at least one spell. Coiled Springs: This model gains Wk/Cg +1/+1 for each Upgrade it possesses. Shambling: This model ignores severe terrain penalties. Melee Expert (+1) Casting Expert (+1)

Other things I would want to copy: Any Master's or Henchman's Use Soulstone. Colette's Soulstone Manipulation. Lilith or Perdita's Df. Zoraida's Wp. Coryphee Duet's Sword Dance. Von Schill's Augmented Jump. Taelor's Relic Hammer. Perdita's or Zoraida's or Hamelin's Obey. Freikorps Librarian's Rapid Casting and Healing Energy. Jack Daw's The Oldest of Magics. Anyone's Fast or Melee Master or Three-Headed. McMourning's Organ Donor.

The list of model fixes is here: http://www.malifaux.com/Fixes.php It doesn't include every official ruling, just errata to existing models and cards.

It seems like most enemy AIs would totally lack the finesse that you could get from a real enemy player. Maybe, for solo encounters, it might be better to fight things like the Living Impaired from this Story Encounter: http://wyrd-games.net/Ezine/storyencounters/HalloweenStoryEncounters.pdf Or one or two Krampuses from this one: http://wyrd-games.net/Ezine/storyencounters/ChristmasStoryEncounters09.pdf

Bete is very much not fragile. She can disappear as her Slow to Die action -- just make sure you have 10 or better in your hand.

Thanks, SoulG! I'm having fun doing it! I have another Story Encounter coming soon. You may be right about Train Supplies. There's already a Special Terrain that lets you take a (1) Interact to gain a Corpse Counter, I believe. (The Graveyard.) So I think it won't be too broken. I just like the idea of someone dragging passengers off the train to perform horrible experiments on them mid-combat. I will try the scenario with more Graverobbers and see if it comes across as very broken. If it looks like it's not working, I'll post a suggested change. Give it a try, too! I'd love to hear your experiences.

Levi could always take Collodi as a Henchman, I guess...

We played this again this weekend, and a question came up: What if one model hanging off a train is pushed (when the train moves) so it bumps into another model standing on the ground in the way? The answer we came up with was this: It'll move around without any damage to either model. If the space where it would end up is occupied by another model, push it up as close as you can to where it would end up. Seemed to work out fine, and only came up once.

I just posted a story encounter: http://wyrd-games.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27506 On the thread, someone suggested in comments that it would be nice to have a separate forum for those so they would be easier to find. Would that be possible? Consider this a request from a new and fanatical player.

Yes, Nix, that is exactly correct. And Car 1 will only leave play if you continue into an extra turn.

Kasin, great questions, thanks! You're right, both are different, and I did have a reason for suggesting both of them. The special escape was kind of necessary for trains leaving the area, since that is a likely possibility in the game and not necessarily undesirable. If you give it a try, you'll see what I mean. I just fixed the rules problem you noted: now any tokens and counters they carry leave with them, which was my intent. I know that it's different for Treasure Hunt, but because the trains are moving, there's a big advantage to pulling the Loot counter off in the first place, since any defenders will probably be whisked away shortly after. That's why I said non-Insignificant minions couldn't be the first to pick it up.

I'm hoping to play this again this weekend. My friends get together on Saturdays at our FLGS, so I'm planning to try it again, and to try to convince others to do so too. I'd love to see a special forum for story encounters! I am writing another one right now, actually. But I won't post it until I've playtested it at least once.

I didn't see a particular place for fan-made Story Encounters, but here's one that I wrote. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!

THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (PDF) A Story Encounter for Malifaux by TedPro (with thanks to megnc86, lifeblood, and kasul for feedback and playtesting) SETUP Choose one player to be the Train Operators, and the other to be the Bandit. This can be either by agreement or using the following rule: "The most likely factions to be Train Operators are, in descending order, Arcanist, Guild, Outcast, Resurrectionist, and Neverborn." Place train cars across a diagonal of the board, similar to a Diagonal Deployment. Each train car should be about 2 inches wide by 6 inches long, and about 3 inches high. (If you don't have terrain, you can pretty easily fold 8.5" x 11" paper into 2.125" x 5.5" paper, which is close enough. You can also probably just use any index cards that you're not using for the game) These should be evenly spaced, about two inches apart. Train cars are easily climbable, blocking, obscuring, Ht 3 flat elevation. There should be no other terrain within 3" of the train cars. The first car should be in base contact with the Train Operator's corner, and there should be seven cars total. The cars should take up the whole map: this is a very long train. The rest of the board should be an outdoor setting, with cliff faces, cactus, bushes, and rock formations. For game purposes, it's not possible to go inside the train cars. Place a 30mm Loot counter on top of each of the back three cars. (The three cars furthest from the Bandit side's deployment.) DEPLOYMENT: The Train Operators deploy first, and must place all models on top of the train, or climbing the train, on the Operator's half of the board. Then, the Bandits deploy using a standard diagonal deployment. SPECIAL ESCAPE: Any model at the edge of the board that is not within the melee range of an enemy model can take a (2) Interact action to Get Away. Models that Get Away are buried and cannot be unburied, but are considered still alive for the purpose of schemes and strategies. Any tokens or counters they are carrying are buried along with them. TRAIN MOVEMENT: During the Resolve Effects stage of each round, push all train cars 8 inches toward the Bandits' side edge in a straight line. If you're using a different size or spacing, the movement should always be enough to put each car in the exact position of the next car ahead. Add new cars to the back of the train as needed, 2 inches behind the next train car. The train is infinitely long for game purposes. If it's easier, you can represent this by moving all models, tokens, counters, and so on to the same position the next car up. Any models or markers that are on the train, or climbing the train, are pushed as well at the same rate, so they're in contact with the same spot with respect to the train. Any models or markers that are moved out of the game space are considered to Get Away (even if they are within the melee range of an enemy model). (If a model climbing the side of the train is pushed, move it to the appropriate place on the next train, or as close as possible short of that distance if that spot is occupied. This doesn't cause any damage.) TRAIN COLLISION: Any model that is within the Train's path to any degree must make a Df->14 duel during the Start Closing Phase. If the model succeeds, push the model to the closest point out of the train's way. If the model fails, the model takes a 2/4/6 damage flip that cannot be cheated. A Ht 1 takes no damage on a Severe damage flip -- the train passes over them harmlessly! FALLING OFF A MOVING TRAIN: Falling off a train car causes a 2/4/6 damage flip as if Falling from a greater height. A model on top of a train can Jump (2) to land safely either side of the train, half an inch away from the train. TRAIN SUPPLIES: Any Scavenger in base contact with any train car can take a (1) Interact action to gain a Scrap Counter. Any Gravedigger in base contact with any train can can take a (1) Interact action to gain a Corpse Counter. BREAKING THE TRAIN: Models controlled by the Bandit can try to break the train by damaging any car. The train cars have Hardness 3, but do not leave play if broken. Instead, the whole train gets the Busted Train condition if any train cars are successful broken. Any new terrain placed on a moving train car (or in the space in front of a moving train car) is destroyed during the Start Closing Phase. This also makes the train a Busted Train. TINKER: Any non-Insignificant model with Scavenger (on any side) in base contact with any train car can take a (1) Interact action and spend any number of Scrap counters to Tinker with the broken train. This gives one positive or negative twist (your choice) to the Self-Repair check that will occur at the end of the round. BUSTED TRAIN: During the Start Closing Phase, if the train has the Busted Train condition, the Train Operator makes a Self-Repair check. This cannot be Cheated, but see Tinker above. Self-Repair flip: Black Joker: Still broken! Train does not move this round, and anyone in base contact takes 1 Dg. Check next round. 1-10: Still broken! Train does not move this round. Check next round. 11-13: Fixed. Train is no longer a Busted Train. All train cars lose the broken condition, and the train moves this round. Red Joker: Improved! Train is no longer a Busted Train. All train cars lose the broken condition, and the train moves this round. Raise the train's hardness by 1 until the end of the encounter -- this stacks if it happens multiple times. LOOT: Any non-Insignificant Bandit model in base contact with a train car can make an Interact action pick up an uncarried Loot counter on that train car. One non-Insignificant Train Operator model in base contact with the train can make a Wp->Wp duel to cancel this action. This duel ignores any immunity to Wp duels. Models carrying the Loot counter can climb and jump while carrying the Treasure. A model carrying a Loot counter does not drop from the normal movement of train cars, but can drop it due to a push from Train Collision. Loot is otherwise treated the same as the Treasure Counter of the Treasure Hunt strategy -- it reduces Wk to 4", removes Flight and Float, can be picked up by either side after first dropped, and so on. VICTORY CONDITIONS: Bandit: 2VP if at least one friendly non-Insignificant model is carrying a Loot counter at the end of the encounter, while at least 6 inches away from the train. 4VP if at least one friendly non-Insignificant model Gets Away while carrying a Loot counters at the end of the encounter, while at least 6 inches away from the train. Train Operator: 2VP if at least two Loot counters are on the train at the end of the encounter. 4VP if all three Loot counters are on the train at the end of the encounter. For the purpose of this strategy, a Loot counter is considered to be on the train if it's on top of the train, or carried by any model (of any side) that is on the train or in base contact with the train. A Loot counter is also considered to be on the train if a model Gets Away while on or in base contact with the train. EXTRA PLAYERS: If playing with more than two players, pick two players to be Train Operator and Bandit. Other players are deployed in a diagonal deployment and flip for strategies as usual.