Brewmaster

It's been said higher up in the thread, but good effort all! I definitely need to up my game.

Personal Preference: Trixiebelle leader Francois Bert Old Cranky Deadly Cheater and a Gun on Trixie. You're going to be close, so run Cranky in the middle for defense, you use Trixie and Bert to manipulate the Turf War points, you're rocking some heavy firepower, and you can shunt attacks to the other Gremlins keeping Trixie safe.

*nodnod* totally makes sense. I think there's an Almond Joy/ Mounds riff in here somewhere

DANGIT Bobby! They changes those in the final cards... Nevermind what I said, nothing to see here 10 wounds, HtW, Immune to Conditions, and SUPER useful support piece makes the cost worth it for my playstyle. I'm cool with the opponent focusing his heavys towards Lenny because that's heavys that AREN'T squishing my more squishable guys. 15 points for a Tarpit that also provides moves for my guys, helpful auras for my guys, and a solid attack option for the Voodoo Doll seems worth it. Grem-raida hits the board when I need location control; Lenny can push my Gremlins where I need them, Zoraida can Obey anyone where I want them, the Nurse/Voodoo can prevent a person from moving, Lenny the tarpit buys me time to keep someone from moving.

A perfectly reasonable way of doing stuff (blahblah mileage may vary, people play games differently blahblah ) My method is actually a carry-over from my DnD GMing where after 2 rounds of combat I tell my players what the defenses are on my guys and I always roll in front of the screen. I would argue that the tension (Which ultimately boils down to "Does this next card hit or doesn't it?") still exists; it's simply more in the players head, allowing me to focus on different spots of the story-telling. I recognize that my style of running games isn't everyone elses though

Grem-raida is (in my opinion) in the top 3 of Gremlin masters because of her awesomeness at 'Location Control' strategies and schemes. Grem-raida is also what I'd call the Trick Shot master. With Waldegeists, Nurses, Iggy, Bad Juju, Swamp Mother and Gupps, Kenku and the Generic Ten Thunders totem that I'm blanking on, you have some completely crazy pieces that can help you complete what you need to in unexpected ways. I'm STILL fond of the combo of Nurse and Lenny for practically guaranted Bodyguard points. TL/DR: Grem-raida thrives from thinking outside the box and "ZOMG HAX" thinking.

I keep the numbers 90% known. One of the big benefits of this is it allows the players to get involved in the narrative more. Since they know if they hit or not, I don't need to know if they hit or not so much as "describe that thing you do or dont do". With known numbers, you can describe how cool your action is.

LLLLLADIES and GGGENTLEMEN! I'm, like, back or something.

Nearly forgot! 1503 words, all ingredients used. "You've got to be kidding me." Maxwell exclaimed with a balled up fist. "Just one time, it would be so nice if something made sense for a change." When Maxwell joined the Guild, he had grandiose aspirations. It was to be the start of something greater. When he got to work today, reality finally won the bare-knuckled brawl it had Maxwell embroiled in for 2 years. Sergeant Rigby puffed on a cigar for a moment too long, placing an ample buffer between Maxwell's rage and his response. Tapping out the ashes, Rigby finally ruffled out an answer through his thick beard. "I don't MAKE jokes. Comedy is not my talent. I manage. And right now, we have a murder in the Industrial Zone that requires investigation. I also have a cadet that requires instruction. This seems like the perfect managerial opportunity to kill two metaphorical birds." "It's falderal and you know it! We start looking for witnesses, M&SU clamps down, case not solved. DONE. I just saved you 2 weeks of wasting department resources." Maxwell replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. Rigby set the cigar down in a carved wooden ashtray, then steepled his hands on his desk. "Officer Maxwell, your opinion will be noted in the final report of the investigation that you will do. The Guild appreciates opinionated individuals that take the initiative and seek to improve themselves. If there's nothing else, Cadet Tabitha Serling will accompany you to the investigation." Rigby commented in a maddeningly even keel. Maxwell relaxed his fist, took a deep breath, then said. "...sir." Cadet Serling was an irritating contrast to Maxwell. She had that freshly washed, crisp sheen to her where Maxwell showed the battle scars of life in the Guild. The optimistic pep in her step versus the exhausted gait he maintained. Even her hair was a vibrant red where his was a muted brown with wispy hints of grey. It took all his power to not groan when she snapped him a textbook salute, said "Cadet Serling. Pleasure to work with you sir." Maxwell worked up half a smile, then shook her hand, offering back, "Max. My dad was sir. Before you get all talkative, let's run through a couple things. You will learn how to do things my way. This isn't some penny dreadful where the cops get clever sayings and combat criminals on rooftops to catch them and take them to jail. People will take advantage of you. We do a job because it's necessary, not because people like us. You understand?" Tabitha nodded quietly as Maxwell spoke. "I am correct in the field. You follow what I say. If the criminals get any sense of division, they will exploit it to get as far as they can. You have any questions about what I say or do, you ask them back here in this building where it's only Guild. Now, let's go get this out of the way." ~~~ After a 15 minute ride over to the Industrial Zone, Maxwell idly tossed his horses reins to Tabitha as he hopped off to examine the scene. There was a single body face down between two buildings, surrounded by storage crates, and random bits of detritus from the manufacturing near the area. The ground was a soft wet black in the immediate area around the body, and a thin mist of soot had begun collecting on the body. It was a young man, dressed in fairly expensive looking clothing. Content that he wasn't missing anything, Maxwell proceeded to flip the body over. "Well Cadet, time to show off. Tell me about the stiff." Tabitha finished securing the horses, then circled around the body, pausing occasionally to crouch and examine. "Young male, round 30ish. Well kept facial hair and lack of callouses on his hands suggests owner, not a worker. Clothes were made, not bought." Tabitha chewed on he thumb as she processed. "Single pistol shot, up close. Caught him by surprise." Tabitha rifled through the man's clothes. "Hmm... money's still here. Means the bullet was personal. Level of soot on him... Body's been here for half a day at most. " Tabitha stood up and looked to Maxwell, pausing slightly before saying, "It was a personal dispute. The shooter was caught up in the moment, figured they could just drop the body." Tabitha looked around with a quizzical expression. "Then where's the drag marks... I think the victim owns something around here." Maxwell offered her a simple nod. "This upstanding citizen is Nigel Haddley; textile owner. Multiple accounts of being a complete bastard, nothing stuck. Looks like a bullet did." Maxwell crouched down, tugging at a bit of paper sticking out of Nigels vest. Maxwell pulled out what looked like a tarot card with the picture muddled by the blood. "And this?" Maxwell asked, showing the card to Tabitha. Tabitha stared blankly before responding, "Either he's superstitious, or its something the shooter left." Maxwell could see the gears turning in Tabitha's head as she processed the scene. "We have any other murders with tarot card connections?" She asked. "Nope." Maxwell responded. Tabitha seemed ready to say something, but paused as they both noticed a burly worker stomping his way over to investigate them. The man who approached was nearly 2 feet taller than Maxwell and looked like he was carved from wood. He blew into a raggedy red kerchief with a tug boat whistle bellow, then barked at the two, "Sumthin I can 'elp you with, coppers?" The man was making a show of his excess muscle, and didn't seem deterred by the clearly visible firearms each officer carried. "Yeah. I could use a cup of coffee. One for the lady as well." Maxwell answered, eyes locked on the big man. The man guffawed, taking a step into Maxwell's personal space. "You're having a laugh, right? I mean no one could be as daft as to try an maid Big George?" George declared. Maxwell took a step forward as well, puffing up as he stared George down. After a few tense moments, Big George finally flinched, stepping back. "There ya go." Maxwell responded, the tenseness of his body dropping slightly. "I'm not interested in a pissing contest here George." Maxwell pointed to the dead body. "Someone killed Nigel here, and I gotta make sure it stops here." George gave another confident laugh. "You shedding a tear for this muckender? Especially since he gives you lot enough coin to stay in proper posh settings? Well, turns out, it's done and over copper." George exclaimed. "You want the other body?" It was Maxwell's turn to look quizzical. "Other?" Maxwell asked. "Other." George answered. "Business partner. Felt guilty about his doins an took his own life." A hint of a smile flitted across Maxwell's face, followed by him saying, "Yup. Due diligence and all that. It's only one body?" Maxwell asked. George gave him a big nod with a knowing smile. "Oh yeah. The fight was between the two of them. We could ask around, see if anyone heard them arguing. Nigel has always been a drinker." George offered. Maxwell scratched the side of his cheek, commenting after a moment's pause, "It's always unfortunate when people can't hold their drink. I will have to ask around, make sure I'm not missing anything." George's smile grew slightly as he nodded. "Whatever helps you out, copper." George replied, leading the way for the officers. ~~~ Tabitha watched Maxwell quietly as he placed most of a deck of tarot cards into a small box, writing information on top of the box before placing it into a spot on the shelf in front of him. "Why are we ending the case here Max?" She finally asked, chewing on her thumb. "Two days of pretending to investigate, then we just write it up like it's all copacetic? I don't understand why this works." Maxwell slid the box snugly into its spot, exhaled, then replied, "Because the case is done. We found a pistol on the partner, coroner managed to dig out bullets from both bodies that are similar, and the partner had tarot deck with the card missing from it." Maxwell answered. " As for your actual question... There are some things you don't challenge. Not everyone relies on us to solve their problems; most of the time they keep it to themselves. We follow this up, where does it go? You really think you can get through to the people who hate you because of that badge you're wearing?" Maxwell grabbed a stool to sit on, scratching at three day old stubble. "Way I see it, they're keeping things moving on their end, we keep things moving on ours, and those poor suckers in the middle can still eke out a living. Long as they're just garbage men, life is still ticking. And maybe, if we give people their own little sandbox to play in instead of forcing them to play in ours all the time, life will tick forward."

The Next Session: SO, I ran the players through the boss fight, and I think I learned some interesting things. To set the scene, the Fated are still in the caves when they come across one human-ish person, and 3 ice creatures. The creatures are pick-axing away at the walls, and the human is busy chipping away at a sigil that's been carved into the wall... oh, and dead guy on an altar, lots of blood ritual stuff, pile of spent soulstones. Mechanics: So I used the stats for 3 Fire Gaiman, and most of the stats I set up above for my boss. The flavor adjustment I went with was the "burning" was frostbite from how cold things got. Another element I added into the game were three "Power Points". They were locations on the board that provided a 'freezing' hazard (ending your turn within them would cause would cause slow on a Df duel) and they improve the stats on the Boss. I started out using Rank 8 for the Boss, and each turn the Fated didn't destory the power points, the Boss' rank would increase by 1. When the Fated made an attack against the Boss, I flavorfully described the power points flashing brightly, the air around the boss freezes, and the damage dealt to the Boss would drop. The final element I added to the game was changeable terrain. I placed 2 50mm markers on the table and I gave them the Cover 3 characteristic. Reading through the 2nd 2E book, I REALLY like the "Ice Shield" ability on Raethford, so I applied it to the Cover concept. Each time the marker was used as cover, the number would drop by 1, then get removed once it dropped to 0. One hardcore fight later after two Fated went unconsious, the players have been collecting bigger pieces of the story. The boss had a grimoire on him with super spooky Cult words in it. The spooky death altar with spent soulstones seems to be tied with breaking a container. And the boss gave another "December is coming" speech before collapsing. The Fated let Rebecca know what was going down, and were told their involvement in this case was done. The Fated managed to catch that she was afraid of something (thanks to a Red Joker), but decided to return back to Natalie with a sealed note that Rebecca wrote for her. For some character background stuff, Davis was interested in branching into healer territory, so while he was getting some assistance for Amelia's wounds, the mining doctor hooked Davis up with a 3rd edition Gray's Anatomy (Grimoire, WINK).

I've got a few things on my writing plate, but I can definitely write up the "Murder on the Rails" game I ran at Gencon since it was designed to be a starting adventure.

Paulos has hit on the big thing I use when writing my game stories: between Ripper Street, Copper, and Mike Mignola works, I have all the background influences I need to build a solid foundation.

Random other combo I noticed in a game against Von Schill: that Waldegeist has that whole "Rooted" condition thing going, and Trixiebelle can abuse it nicely.

The three Gremlin boxes have some solid options. Somer is good for just about any situation, Ophelia if you want to just go killy, and Zoraida if you want some good board control. The biggest bang for the buck if you only want to stick with plastics would be Ophelia followed VERY closely by Somer. Zoraida will pick up once some of the other pieces come in, but if you've got lots of moving stuff strategies/ schemes and Bodyguard? Kinda hard to beat Nurse/ Lenny

There needs to be a table-flip emoticon on here Good catch Aesop. Still a reasonable group of figs to mess with.

One of the things I've noticed with Malifaux is that "Solo fights" are a bit tricky to manage. The Players have 10AP to my 2, and much like the skirmish game, THAT is really awkward to deal with. So... my first plan is to test "Solo with a trash mob". Thus, our Cultist boss gets some Ice Gaiman. I do need to make SOME changes since A) I don't want to start using the Frozen Heart ability yet (We'll level up to that) and 2) I can't help but constantly tinker with everything just to satisfy my building itch SO: Explosive Demise, Frozen Heart, and Bite of Winter get dropped. In exchange, they pick up the Latch On ability from the Steam Arachnids. Boss 4 Ice Arachnids The next big discussion is terrain. I could throw up some pictures here, but I'm a lazy bum, so I'll go through set piece building. The LIST (Shamelessly stolen from Order 66 podcast, starting to be modded for Malifaux): A Large Area: Your fighting space should be one 50mm Marker wide by one 50mm tall for each party member. Cover: The skirmish game likes terrain, so you should in theory as well! Easily accessible and spread out. Get creative with cover as well! Concealment: There's a reason "The Mist" is one of the more irritating things to deal with. The more interesting fights are ones during inclement weather, ones with smoke, low lighting, etc. Hazards: One of the more fiddly bits with Through the Breach is the fact that FMs have static numbers. This is something that can lead to just awkward situations with players trying to hit a fixed number, and getting discouraged by just flipping poopy. Hazards are an element FMs can build into a set piece where the threat level is between two levels. The big thing about hazards is they affect players and NFCs EQUALLY. They should also be adjustable, or 'Escape-able" Skill-Users: This one's a bit more tricky, but it's still something to look at. Have an element in the game that players can manipulate with "non-combat" skills. Here's an example: Let's say I've put some 50mm 'Crowd' markers in a combat. The Crowd markers provide soft cover (you could argue Armor dependant on what the scene calls for), and if the players or the NFCs spend a (1) TN 8 Social Skill action, they can place the marker up to (margins of success) yards in a direction of their choice.

Just wanted to share a lil extra since the next session has some extra prep to it. Here's a behind the scenes look at a Single Important Session prep: So, getting prepped for the next game, I've decided to do my biggest kitbashing work yet. I need a good sub villain to start bringing up the "cult of December vibe", so having the group's first Boss Fight seems like a thing to do. Looking through the stat cards, I'm kinda drawn to Vanessa's stats. Little bit of magic, little bit of fighty, and some interesting actions. But some of her things just won't work in a RPG Setting. Beginning fixes: since I intend this boss fight to be her and a bunch of mooks running around, Fates Entwined is being changed to "May make a 1/2/3 healing flip at start of activation, must have construct within (3), construct takes that much damage." Using the flavor from the Mechanical Doves, this mini-boss sees her constructs as an expendable resource, drawing energy from them when necessary. The visual of her creating Ice Beasties, and occasionally snapping one to feed from it seems interesting. Intuition is "this model generates a card point each turn.", and Harness Ley Line I'm switching to "Amplification: when within LoS and (6) of 3 or more friendly constructs, gain +2T Ca". Attacks can be left alone, with the Order action in the book, the Command thing can be dropped. Since I don't want to double up on healing (because drawing out fights is boring to me), the Ley Stone Tac Action can get dropped as well, to be replaced by... Something... Honestly, since I have a "Robo user", I want to give the mini-boss a 0 action that can improve robo fighty fighty. I MIGHT just yank the Mobile Toolkits 0. Next post: the mooks and the terrain.

Lemme see... Amelia started branching into Gunfighter, but everyone kept to their original pursuits. Davis is looking into developing some magical power, but isn't really interested in a full pursuit, so I'll prolly work out a session for his destiny that could turn into a manifested power. Speaking of, I gave Winifred an option last game since she basically grabbed a Soulstone that she could develop a power of her own. Since she likes Teleport and setting her sword on fire, what about "teleporting" some fire at an enemy (elemental projectile).

Session 2: The long plot After getting some book-keeping done, I started with the Prologue for this session; Natalie Maunder offering the players a job the next day that pays handsomely, but will probably put them into direct opposition with the Mayor's people (Common Public Knowledge that it's either Team Natalie or Team Carlyle). Natalie was informed by Rebecca Haddley, the leader of the miners, that there's been Soulstones getting skimmed. Agreeing to the job, Natalie introduced the group to her personal blacksmith {And person the group will probably talk to for building their equipment and whatnot} Armand, then headed the days ride to the mines. As the Fated arrived, they were greeted by Rebecca, and told that a half ton of Soulstones was missing. Out in the open where everyone could hear, Rebecca said that this was a rather daring heist. In private, when the players started questioning the purposefully inaccurate timeline I gave them, Rebecca explained the truth that those in charge have been hiding for weeks now; a creature known as the Wendigo has been guerilla-attacking this mine, and stones have gone missing over the whole time (not necessarily connected.) So, exploring the mine, got to play up Aaron's "Werewolf bite acting up", then the players found a creature. I was rather proud of myself with the Wendigo dropping a "I smell such delicious hunger. You wouldn't believe how tired I've grown of the same boring desire to 'get ahead in the world'. You guys are the first fresh meals I've had in a while." Fighty in a tunnel, followed by the Wastrel practically breaking his cane through the Wendigo's leg, causing him to... fall to the ground, crack like ice, and explode, sending a shower of ice at the two players around him? That's not what Wendigo's do... Before he died though, he helped drop the big plot. "It matter's not. December comes for you all." Mechanics: The big thing on this session was a reminder of the players in town, the introduction of a possible patron (Natalie), and establishing what type of relationship the players could expect with her. Natalie purposefully gave them incorrect-ish information, so their reactions when they get back will make for an interesting story. This session was also about seeding plot, give players a glimpse at what's coming. The 3 that play Malifaux will be looking for clues ERRYwhere now that they got "December, Wendigo, December Acolyte", and the others can definitely tell something bigger's dropping. I ran Wendigo as a soft Enforcer during the fight, I dropped the "Casting shwoopty" in exchange for the Jakalope's "Leap" ability.

Let me see if I can provide some help. The boxes that don't depend on the tarot flips: The inside left is what you use to keep track of the talents your character picks up. Each session you complete, you move one step on a pursuit (Pg 79 of hte Fated book). This is a quick place you can keep track of the pursuits you have taken. Inside right, the twist deck is largely your decision as long as you follow pg 63's rules The bottom of inside right only matters if you're using magic. It's where you record what magic your character has access to.

I was kinda thinking Musashi when I was writing, but it seems I have been officially schooled. Thank you for the correction And thank you for the interesting way of handling it. You tie abilities to how skilled the Fated is to using them. So: Precise: when you have 4 or more ranks in Melee, this weapon gains the following trigger Riposte: when you have 4 or more ranks in this weapons skill, you gain the following trigger "while wielding this weapon, you gain + to Df". This opens the gate to talents that compliment weapon styles. For example: Strike Back Req: 4 or more ranks in Katana You totally gain a retribution attack on a defense trigger

So I think the next three pieces for this are Sammy, The Sow, and Crystal Ball. Iggy messes with Willpower, so THAT whole thing is a direction, and with Sue, Merris, and Crystal Ball, I KINDA have good card control... Probably put in Trixie just to ensure control.

Since I created Sadie Reed, I've been toying with the more accurate weapons (Rapiers, Katanas, etc). And thanks to Dr. Douglas McMourning, I believe I have an answer: Precise keyword While damaging, this weapon gains the trigger MASK: this weapon's damage ignores armor and hard to wound So, a rapier would be a one-handed melee weapon, reach 2 (since you're lunging with it a lot), Precise, and... lets call it a 1/1/2 profile for a basic. Katana one-handed melee, reach 1, 1/3/5, Precise

Iggy has Living Willpower 4 or less... I'm inclined to think it's good to go

Sue Iggy Merris Lacroix That upgrade that I'm blanking on, but if you're picking up on the hints, is that one with the burning trigger. Question: with this as the core crew, what strats and schemes do you lean towards?