Hobby Wyrd

In part two of “The Slaughter at Stone Hill,” the gremlins of the bayou are out for revenge after the villagers of Stone Hill were slaughtered by a band of mercenaries led by explorer Christopher Arkwright. http://www.breachsidebroadcast.com/e/the-slaughter-at-stone-hill-pt-2/

Hey Wyrdos! This week, someone used the last of Waldo’s Impishly Hot Sauce and forgot to replace it, sending our cranky imp into a fiery, fuming, pouting menace. While we search for this much-beloved condiment, let’s take a look at some new models experienced at bringing the heat! The Ashbringers are a new cross-division between the Marshals and Witch Hunters. Tasked with the safe disposal of corpses and magical artifacts alike, they are a grim but effective force. These fiery Minions boast several helpful ways to support a crew, from card cycling to Healing. Ashbringers are also a bit resilient themselves, ensuring they have a chance to spread their flame where it’s most potent. That’s all for this week, Wyrdos! Keep your eyes peeled for more Ashes of Malifaux teasers, and let us know how you might incorporate Ashbringers into your crews!

This week we are revisiting some of our classic Waldo terrain and giving it rules for Malifaux and The Other Side! Our more recent holiday Waldos had fun and thematic rules and we wanted to allow you to have the same experience with the Bah Humbug and Grumpus terrain pieces, so let’s have a look. First, let’s take a look at how these pieces are used in Malifaux. Both terrain pieces may be targeted by the Slam Action, allowing them to be Placed around the board. And both can be Placed by the player who is behind in VP after VP is scored, allowing for a fun catch-up mechanic. Where they differ is that the Bah Humbug Waldo focuses on the Interact Action, allowing models near it to hand out the Distracted Condition after Interacting and potentially allowing a Leader to shut off Interactions near it if you choose the Holiday Spirit rules. Meanwhile, the Grumpus Waldo doesn’t let models near it declare the same Action more than once and, if you choose the Holiday Spirit rules, Leaders can even prevent models near it from being Attacked! Next, let’s have a look at how these terrain pieces function in The Other Side. Both of these terrain pieces can be placed by the player with fewer Victory Points after Victory Points are scored, allowing for the losing player to catch up just like in Malifaux. However, the Bah Humbug Waldo increases the value of your Inspired Tokens and, if you choose the Holiday Spirit rules, it can also cut off the ability of nearby units to use Morale Actions. Meanwhile, the Grumpus terrain piece makes it easier for nearby units to flip to Glory although, if you choose the Holiday Spirit rules, Commanders may prevent this. We understand that some of you may have stockings brimming with Waldo terrain, so we wanted to give you a fun way to use as much of it as you can. So, last but not least, we are releasing the Too Many Waldos Malifaux Scenario. This is essentially a supplement to any existing Strategy. Just choose your Strategy and Schemes as normal but, whenever you would normally Drop a Strategy Marker, instead, use a Waldo terrain piece! These cards will be available to order from Wargames Vault and are currently available for free to download from our Dropbox: LINK That's all for today. We hope you enjoy some festive Malifaux and The Other Side games during this holiday season. Happy gaming!

In "Might Is Right," a Malifaux street urchin learns a lesson in leadership from a mysterious tortoise. http://www.breachsidebroadcast.com/e/chronicles-51/

Hey Wyrdos! This week, the oncoming winter chill has been nipping at all of our noses. Waldo’s been parading around the office taunting us (since he doesn’t have a nose) and carrying around some weird thing he pulled out of the fridge. It looks like a turkey leg with a serious case of freezer burn, but you tell us… This new free Augment for Through the Breach explores Marrowbone, a potent Relic of December. While similar to Grimoires, this invaluable object varies in a few key ways. The most devoted Fated can unlock its four Steps and harness the power of the cannibal Tyrant Himself! As a reminder, our Black Friday sale is going on until December 4th. There’s still time to stock up on everything Malifaux, from limited edition models and Nightmare sets to plushies, Fate Decks, and Through the Breach books. (click on image to enlarge) Don’t forget- you get to pick a free model for every $100 you spend! Make sure you get your orders in now so you can nab the ones you’ve had your eyes on. That’s all for this week, Wyrdos. Think up some ways to use Marrowbone in your Through the Breach campaigns while you’re wrapping a new box of Malifaux goodness for a loved one!

Join us in our dual celebration as we combine our birthday festivities with an unmissable Black Friday Event. This is your chance to explore our unique offerings at your leisure, with the event running from November 22nd all the way through to December 3rd. Don't miss out on this year's Nightmare box, Reap and Sow. This box features the Seeker keyword with a new twist: our undead grandma is replaced with The Skeleton King and his ghostly retinue. The Crown and Thorn box set follows this new twist, with The Skeleton King, Forsaken (counts as Jedza, Everlasting), and Mistila and Rogg (counts as Austera and Twigge). For every $100 you spend, before shipping and tax, you get to select a free miniature. This offer now includes our three latest additions: the Alt Doppleganger, Alt Daeva, and Alt Female Executioner. You can choose from these new options or our existing lineup, each selection available for every $100 spent, while supplies last. We've got good news - a fresh batch of restocks has just landed! While it's not the complete list, we've received a substantial number of items you've been waiting for, and there are more on the way! Here’s what’s back in stock: Bayou Engineering, Crime Syndicate Hodgepodge Fate Insomnia Jedza Core Mah Tucket Core Malisaurus Rex Pale Rider See Ya Later Sonnia Core Tell No Tales The Damned The Ten Peaks Waiting in the Wings Wake the Dead Zoraida Core Whether you're looking to ward off nightmares, or perhaps inspire a few, these Bear-ly Together Plushies are your go-to companions. Perfect for collectors of the quirky and unusual, or as a gift for those who appreciate a touch of the bizarre. Adopt yours today and let the eerie cuddles begin! Important: We have a limited quantity on hand, so don't miss out! During our event, we are making a wide range of limited edition models available. These include our Nightmare Editions, Alternative Sculpts, and Vintage Master Models. Here are the latest alternatives that are new for this event: Alt Doppleganger Alt Daeva Alt Female Executioner Alt Pale Rider Alt Frank N. Steen - Even Wilder These limited editions are available for the duration of our event, while supplies last. Great news for fans of The Other Side! We've received an early allotment of Kimon products, despite the majority being delayed due to shipping issues. Currently, we have the Kimon Allegiance Box, Nian, and the Titan Tatarigami in limited stock. These are available for purchase during our event, but quantities are limited, so be sure to act quickly to secure yours! Our Iconics collection continues to grow, and we're thrilled about several new additions that we'll be unveiling soon. For those who haven't had the chance to check out our latest releases, we invite you to take a look now! We've recently introduced some notable figures to the line, including Vagrantsong's own Maco Joe, and from Malifaux, the formidable hard hitters Archie and the Carver. New Shipping Trial for Australia and New Zealand During Our Event For this Black Friday event, we're excited to introduce a trial shipping process specifically for our customers in Australia and New Zealand. We've partnered with a local provider in Sydney to streamline deliveries, aiming to reduce shipping costs and delivery times. Please note, orders placed during this event will be shipped from Sydney starting December 4th. Though not a part of our main sales event, we have some newsworthy information for our community. We are now accepting late pledges for our much-anticipated expansions, Vagrantsong: Encore and Off the Rails. This presents a final chance to be part of these new adventures. Suitable for both long-time fans and newcomers to Vagrantsong, these expansions are set to offer engaging and immersive experiences. Don't miss out on this opportunity to join in! That's all for this week Wyrdos, and for our American friends, Happy Thanksgiving! We're certainly thankful for this great community.

Both the Gaining Grounds Season 4 Schemes & Strategies and the Big Hat Errata bundles are available now on WargameVault for Print-on-Demand https://www.wargamevault.com/product/458771/M3E-Gaining-Grounds-Season-4-BUNDLE https://www.wargamevault.com/product/459187/Big-Hat-Errata-2023-BUNDLE

Calling all new and returning Vagrantsong passengers! We’ve got great news regarding the Vagrantsong: Encore Kickstarter- the Pledge Manager is open! Whether you've backed Vagrantsong: Encore during the original campaign or are just joining us, the Pledge Manager allows you to join and customize your Vagrantsong: Encore experience. What does this mean for Backers? If Backers haven’t found their Pledge Manager email yet, this update will guide you through the process of accessing the Pledge Manager. The Pledge Manager will allow backers to update, change, and add to their pledges. For our “Pick and Choo Choose” tier backers and everyone else- while now is a great time to review and adjust your pledges, don’t worry if the holidays have you busy. The Vagrantsong: Encore Pledge Manager will be open into the New Year and there will be ample time to update or adjust your pledge needs! What can I do with the Pledge Manager? Use the Pledge Manager to: Confirm your pledge Change or Update your address Upgrade you pledge Choose Add-Ons What if there’s an issue with my pledge? If you notice something is awry, you can submit a support request at https://wyrd.pledgemanager.com/projects/vagrantsong-encore/ or send us a message directly to kickstarter@wyrd-games.net and we'll look at it for you. I missed the original project; can I still join? Great news! https://wyrd.pledgemanager.com/projects/vagrantsong-encore/participate/ allows you, or anyone else who missed the original campaign to still get in on the fun!

This Thanksgiving, Waldo has outdone himself in a turkey of a tale! Instead of just feasting on turkey, he's been playing the ultimate game of hide and seek with a flock of them. Imagine Waldo, our master of camouflage, disguised among the turkeys, gobbling and wobbling his way around! It's been a hilarious sight – a mix of feathers, fun, and a few accidental turkey trots. As we try to round up the turkeys and coax Waldo out of his festive disguise, let's not forget the main event that's just around the corner – our exciting Black Friday and Birthday Event! Our annual Black Friday Event, which is also a celebration of our company's birthday, will run from November 22nd through December 3rd, giving you plenty of time to explore and enjoy our special offerings. Don't miss out on this year's Nightmare box, featuring the Seeker keyword with a new twist. The Reap and Sow box features the Skeleton King, replacing our undead grandma, and his ghostly retinue. In the Crown and Thorn box set, we're introducing the Skeleton King, Forsaken (counts as Jedza, Everlasting), and Mistila and Rogg (counts as Austera and Twigge), adding a unique spectral twist. You’ll be able to get the Crown and Thorn box for $40 during the Black Friday and Birthday Event. The Nightmare Jedza box will be available during this annual event, too! Unfortunately, Waldo has been a bit on the naughty side this year, and as a result, we won't have a Waldo-specific model. But there's great news for our shoppers! For every $100 you spend, before shipping and tax, you get to select a free miniature. This offer now includes our three latest additions: the Alt Doppleganger, Alt Daeva, and Alt Female Executioner. You can choose from these new options or our existing lineup, each selection available for every $100 spent, while supplies last. Finally, we're pleased to share some exciting news with our friends in Australia and New Zealand this Black Friday. Understanding your concerns about shipping costs and delivery times for our products and limited editions, we're embarking on a new approach. In partnership with a local shipping provider in Sydney, Australia, we're trialing a new method to make our deliveries to you more efficient and cost-effective. Orders placed from Australia and New Zealand will now be shipped from this Sydney location, which we hope will significantly reduce both shipping costs and waiting times. Orders placed during this sale won't begin shipping until December 4th. This is an initial trial, and we are keen to see how it improves your shopping experience with us. Your feedback on this new approach will be crucial in shaping our future shipping strategies. Thank you for your ongoing support, and we're excited for you to experience the benefits of this new initiative.

An additional reminder, for our voters: All 3 votes must be used in polls otherwise, your votes will not be counted in the final total. We want you to pick 3 every time. :3

This week Waldo rediscovered a relic of media about a failed alien invader. Ever since he’s been singing a song of Doom. You likely know the one. While we’ve got that bouncing around in our heads, let’s take a look at a pair that put a neat twist on being doomed! Today we’ll be looking at two new models for the Explorer’s Society from the upcoming Ashes of Malifaux book, the Alleyway Echo and Host Ducat. These two models personify the statement, ‘If you’re already doomed, why not have fun with it?’ And let's be honest, who understands a devil’s bargain better than Lucas McCabe and English Ivan? The doomed nature of these models makes sense for the lore of their keywords, but Wastrel and Umbra/DUA are not very similar on the table. DUA/Umbra models tend to be slower and Shadow Marker focused, while Wastrel models are known for being faster and Scrap/Corpse Marker focused. To help bridge the Keyword differences, these models were created with two goals. First, they were created with synergistic Triggers and Actions that make them an attractive duo. For example, the Host Ducat can use its Lingering Shadow Trigger to set up the Alleyway Echo’s Flickering Shadow Action. Secondly, they were created with ways to generate resources for their Keywords like the Host Ducat’s Useless Trinket Trigger. Host Ducat The Host Ducat is a study in ‘what’s bad for others is good for me’ as he’s the holder of multiple cursed objects. This is shown on the table via his ability to ignore Hazardous terrain and turn Black Jokers into Red Jokers. He’s also very good at generating Distracted on himself to fuel Ungentlemanly Affairs with the Fang-Edged Umbrella’s built in Distracted and Healing Energy’s Crazed Trigger. In Wastrel In Wastrel, the Host Ducat is a support model who’s surprisingly solid in a fight. Incorporeal combined with the Phantasmal Mask’s Life Leech Ability provides a deceptive amount of survivability. He can also provide some solid front line support thanks to positive flips and Siphon Life. In DUA/Umbra In DUA/Umbra, the Host Ducat is able to focus more on his support and scheming. Healing Energy’s built in Trigger to drop Shadow Markers can easily set up Gibson Dewalt’s Antiluminal Bridge. The Host Ducat is also amazing at getting extra Interact Actions out on the Table, which is especially important in Gaining Grounds 4. The Host Ducat’s Dark Bargain Action is particularly good in English Ivan, Double Agent, as his Stick to the Plan can be used on the Host Ducat to perform a second Dark Bargain each Round. Alleyway Echo The Alleyway Echo is an Umbra model that defies the Umbra stereotype of slow Mv, low Wp, and moderate damage. Starting with Mv 6 the Alleyway Echo is as fast as a Nocturne, but why Walk places when you can teleport with Terror of Widdershins Lane? Turning Fast into a pseudo-Leap lets the Alleyway Echo bound up the board. Once there, the Alleyway Echo’s flat damage track allows him to preserve resources in two card-hungry crews, since he receives so little benefit from Cheating damage flips. While the Alleyway Echo’s Df is a bit lower than other Umbra models, Combat Finesse makes up for it by stopping enemies from Cheating melee Attacks against it. In Wastrel In Wastrel, the Alleyway Echo dispenses Precise Min 3 swings, as many of them as possible. Placing a Timeworn Blade Upgrade on the Alleyway Echo lets it have its choice of a Charge and three Attacks, or a teleport, Charge and two Attacks. This gives the Alleyway Echo an enormous threat range. Combined with a very dependable damage track, things that you want to die can’t put up much of a fight. In DUA/Umbra In DUA/Umbra, the Alleyway Echo loses Precise, but makes up for it in mobility. Easily available Shadow Markers and Gibson’s Burn Out Trigger allow the Alleyway to gain Fast twice a Turn. This means the Alleyway Echo can teleport 12+ inches a Round. Rounding out the package in DUA/Umbra is a lot of sturdiness between easier access to the Reconstitute Trigger and healing from Gibson DeWalt. If there are any situations where charging in and punching isn’t the smartest play, Claustrophobia is there to apply Staggered which the rest of the Keyword can capitalize on. We hope you like these two new offerings for Wastrel and DUA/Umbra players! For those with a keen eye, each model has at least one reference to something from Malifaux’s lore, can you find all of the references?

Hey everyone! As voting continues for Ghost Stories 2023, please keep in mind the following anonymity part of the General Contest Rules: This includes replying to forum or gallery comments that would indicate submission ownership. I've already had to disqualify at least one entry from placement for breaking anonymity, so this friendly reminder is to encourage everyone to be mindful. If you want to comment on your gallery entry (perhaps for a contest giveaway or whatnot,) you can comment on the piece itself, but not your involvement. You could comment on the colors used or even a simple "Great piece!" would be acceptable. We hate having to disqualify any of our amazing entries from a competition, and as always if you have any issues please don't hesitate to reach out!

In part one of “The Slaughter at Stone Hill,” an intrepid explorer arrives at a mysterious ruin in the bayou only to find it inhabited by gremlins. http://www.breachsidebroadcast.com/e/tales-of-malifaux-165/

In roughly 2 weeks, we’ll be releasing our seasonal update to Malifaux’s Strategies and Schemes. It has been over a year since the release of GG3, so we wanted to provide some insight into the design process and goals for Gaining Grounds 4. The development of Gaining Grounds 4 began with several high-level goals in mind: Change the meta from Gaining Grounds 3. Provide a spread of Strategies that would make a wider variety of play styles more viable. Increase the usefulness of Scheme Markers and Interact Actions. Remove some staple Schemes that have been a part of many previous Gaining Grounds. Increase the usefulness of Interacting or Dropping Scheme Markers early in a Round. Defining a Strategy Pool The Strategies available in a Gaining Grounds season have a dramatic impact on which Crews are most viable. As such, having a spread of Strategies focused on different scoring techniques allows for multiple playstyles to exist within the same Gaining Grounds. For this season our goal is to provide a space where every Crew has at least one Strategy that they can excel at. To do that we identified factors that were helpful to score each Strategy and built Strategies that allowed Crews to lean into a variety of strengths. Let’s take a look at the Strategies for Gaining Ground 4. Raid the Vaults This Strategy will be familiar to anyone who has played Guard the Stash. Raid the Vaults uses the same scoring framework, except that Markers on the enemy table half are worth more points. This small change has a big impact on Crew composition, so much so that we felt it beneficial to make this a new Strategy rather than to update Guard the Stash. That way those who enjoy Guard the Stash can continue to play it in GG All. Why is the scoring change a big deal? In Guard the Stash, a Crew needs to have bodies to deny points and to score points themselves. As each Marker is worth 1 point, if a Crew is trying to gain 4 VP from the Strategy, they need to have at least 4 models alive at the end of Turn 5 to score. This favors high model count Crews that can claim the center of the board. In Raid the Vaults, a Crew can score 4 VP by claiming 2 Strategy Markers on the opponent table half. This means that while controlling the center is a valid strategy, an elite crew can also score by focusing on controlling the backfield. Stuff the Ballots In Stuff the Ballots, players attempt to gain control of Strategy Markers by placing Vote Tokens on them. If there are too many Vote Tokens on a Strategy Marker all Vote Tokens are removed. Why is this unusual? First of all, it is very Interact-heavy. In previous Strategies, it generally takes a single Interact to control a Marker. Here a player has to balance ‘locking down’ a Marker with multiple Interact Actions with the threat of a reset. Additionally, as the Strategy Markers are stationary, models with Don’t Mind Me, Agile, Slippery or similar Abilities are more useful than in the past. This Strategy also opens up a new strategic direction. Enemy models can be Obeyed to Interact with Strategy Markers. Allowing enemy models to be Obeyed into Interacting with Strategy Markers is a big change as only allowing ‘friendly controlled’ models to Interact with Strategy Markers has been a standard for most of M3e. In this Strategy we felt that enemy Obeys, while still very strong, were balanced by the volume of Interact Actions that occur in this Strategy. It also feels very fluffy to have someone coerce you into voting against your better wishes. Notice how this compares to and compliments Raid the Vaults. Where Raid the Vaults favors smaller, elite Crews, Stuff the Ballots favors larger Crews with more expendable models that can be used to pump out more Interact Actions. Cloak and Dagger Cloak and Dagger tries to simulate collecting intel from a group of skittish informants. When a player gains an Intel Token from a Strategy Marker that Marker is moved by the opposing player. Models are also able to steal Intel Tokens from each other in this Strategy. This Strategy has a lot going for it. It gives highly mobile, fast, and fragile Keywords a Strategy they can excel at. Enemy-controlled Marker placement makes for some unexpected outcomes, as Markers don’t have a defined direction to move in. For example, a Crew may move a Strategy Marker behind themselves to prevent enemy Interacts or in front of themselves to provide Concealment. Intel Tokens can also be stolen from other models. Allowing models to steal Tokens is something we haven’t seen very often and it changes the way the Strategy has to be approached. Stealing Tokens from enemies early in a Round mixes things up and makes every Activation exciting, not just the last one. Plant Explosives Plant Explosives is a fan favorite Strategy making its return in Gaining Grounds 4. This season, the Strategy has two significant revisions. First, we removed the ‘friendly’ restriction when Dropping a Strategy Marker. Now, Strategy Markers can never be Dropped less than 6” from any other Strategy Marker, friendly or enemy. This change makes Dropping Strategy Markers early worth more as they can deny placement for the opposing player’s Strategy Markers. The second change was the addition of ‘without Summon Upgrades’ to the section regarding who gains Explosive Tokens after a model is killed. We felt this change made the Strategy’s rules with regards to Summoned models more consistent, as previously it was a little confusing that a Summoned model could put down a Strategy Marker, but not pick one up. Scheme Pool Revisions Changes to the Scheme Pool are expected in each new Gaining Grounds. This season focused on three goals: Remove overused Schemes. Increase the potential to bluff your opponent. Place more emphasis on Dropping Scheme Markers. This will be the first M3e Gaining Grounds without Assassinate, Breakthrough, and Vendetta. All three of these Schemes are amazing at showing off the strengths of Malifaux as a game and are good at teaching newer players how to identify threats and move across the board. That being said, with them filling one-fourth of the Scheme Pool it’s easy to choose them over newer offerings. Bluffing has always been a factor in Malifaux, and Scheme marker-focused Schemes have always been great ways to facilitate that ability to bluff. To capitalize on that, this Gaining Grounds has a number of Schemes that are easily bluffed by Dropping a Scheme Marker or two. There are also more Schemes where later points can be scored with Scheme Markers on the friendly table half, which helps bluffing and scoring. Let's look at a couple of the new Schemes. Ensnare The Ensnare Scheme treads well-worn Malifaux territory: Get Scheme Markers near enemy models. But this time, there’s a twist! Instead of needing Markers down at the end of the Turn, they need to be in position before the enemy model’s Activation. This incentivizes Crews to Activate Scheme Runners early to Drop Markers, rather than holding them until the last Activation. By extension, this also means that enemy Scheme Markers will stick around on the table longer, allowing for more opponent interaction. Ensnare also creates difficult choices for opponents and room to bluff. Do I save a model until the end of the Round, making them a target for Ensnare? Or do I Activate them when there is only one Scheme Marker down, and try to deny my opponent’s point? Information Overload Information Overload is a Scheme that rewards volume. As it is scored by having the most Markers on the board, it is a synergistic second Scheme choice for Crews that want to focus on Dropping Scheme Markers. It’s also one that a savvy opponent can easily deny with their own Marker Drops, quickly turning a game into a Scheme Marker arms race. This back and forth separates it from Schemes like Load ‘Em Up as you do not need special tech to deny points, just Interact Actions. Even if you do not take this Scheme, it is an easy one to bluff by Dropping a Scheme Marker or two, which can help you accomplish your real objectives, like Ensnaring an opponent!. Summoned Upgrade Rules Change Finally, let's talk about adjusted rules. This Gaining Grounds, we are closing a loophole regarding Summon Tokens. As many of you noticed during last week’s Big Hat preview, Som’er Teeth Jones’s new Family Gathering Upgrade no longer has the Summon Limitation. That’s because starting with GG4, whenever a model is Summoned, if it does not have a Summon Upgrade it always gets a Summon Token. For example, when Perdita, Neverborn Hunter Summons a Pistolero de Latigo, it will always have a Summon Token, regardless of whether or not it Attaches a Specialty Upgrade. We hope all of you are as excited for the new Gaining Grounds as we are. It will be available on the app within two weeks and that's when it will be considered live but until then enjoy a look at the Gaining Grounds Season 4 Document. Let us know which part of Gaining Grounds 4 you’re the most excited to try out! The image below will also take you to the new GG4 ruleset!

We're estimating 2-3 weeks to get them on the app and up on the digital spaces once everything is finalized!

Som’er Teeth Jones is one of the original, and much beloved, Masters of Malifaux. Long ago, his metallic First-edition form hung proudly in game stores, and he was even the first Master for one of the current Wyrd Developers. Unfortunately his Keyword, Big Hat, doesn’t see as much play as it deserves these days. To rectify that, we are going to Errata every Big Hat model in the game, at the same time, to update and modernize the Keyword. The benefit of this kind of “Keyword Rework,” is that it allows us to freely adjust rules that have been difficult to Errata in the past, due to things such as their presence on multiple cards or their interlocking effects they have on the Crew as a whole. Gremlins might be short, but the Joneses always go big! Big Hat had three major problems that we identified. First, the Bayou Bash Ability forced Big Hat models into a small bubble in order to maintain optimal stats, which made the Keyword feel rigid to play. Second, the Keyword was always short on cards for the number of models it fielded. And lastly, the Pass Token mechanic punished players for utilizing a core mechanic of the Crew: summoning loads of Bayou Gremlins. The Bayou Bash Keyword Ability, while great in a vacuum, was really holding the Keyword back. It forced Big Hat models to bunch up and made players act in ways that were strict and unfun. Big Hat as a whole is all about getting lots of models on the table, and it felt really bad to need to keep them so close to each other, which all but guaranteed that they would get in each other’s way. One of the biggest advantages of having so many models is being able to affect lots of different areas on the table at once. Bayou Bash negated this benefit. Furthermore, Bayou Bash created complications on models with multiple Keywords. It was hard to justify giving a model a Stat 6 Attack in one Keyword, because in Big Hat it would increase to a Stat 8, which is a massive swing in power. Bayou Bash forced Big Hat models to have lower than average Stats so that they wouldn’t be overpowered when they did bunch up. To address this we did two things. We dropped Bayou Bash and upped the Attack Stats of many models in the Keyword so that Big Hat models can now function properly without Bayou Bash. This article will not point out every single stat increase but, if you compare the cards in this article to the older cards, you will quickly see the increases. The next thing we had to do was come up with a new Keyword Ability. We decided to emphasize one of the most unique aspects of Big Hat, the ability to gamble on success in exchange for the potential to fail even harder, and rework an old favorite: This change relieved the pressure on the Big Hat player’s hand; now they will always have a way to Cheat Fate, even without any cards. Because this Ability forces the Big Hat player to declare Triggers if able, it allows us to create tense, risk-reward scenarios, without always having the restriction forced into the Action itself. For example, Big Hat players can now use Actions like Boomstick more reliably without being forced to declare negative Triggers, unless they want to use Bayou Two Card to double-down on success without spending a valuable card from their Hand. This only left the issue of Pass Tokens. Previously, Summoning lots of Bayou Gremlins was often a detriment, because they were (and still are) easy to kill, providing a reliable source of Activation Control for Som’er opponents. To rectify this, we replaced every instance of Demise (Expendable) with a new Ability: With this Ability, summoning Bayou Gremlins is Activation-neutral. If your opponent kills them before they Activate, your opponent loses the Pass Token they gained when the Bayou Gremlin was Summoned. Big Hat players are once more free to unleash their unruly Gremlins on Malifaux to their heart’s content! With the big picture stuff out of the way, let’s look at some of the cards! Keep in mind these are not final, and subject to change. At his core, Som’er Teeth Jones is a Master that focuses on Summoning, so the Gang Up Action is a good place to look first. The Extended Family Action was non-interactive with the opponent. Going forward, we want Summoning to generally be more interactive, for example by requiring Markers as resources, which can be removed or guarded by the Summoner’s opponent, or in this case requiring an opposing model. This makes Summon Masters more interesting and engaging. We have also adjusted the way we have written the Action to make the math involved in Summoning a bit more intuitive. While Som’er now needs a nearby enemy model in order to Summon, the Action remains a Tactical Action. The cards needed to Summon are also lower on average by a value of 2. In addition to that, Som’er’s new play pattern is designed around bogging down your opponents with cheap Minions, (a.k.a. cannon fodder), while he and his Enforcers output damage from a safe distance away. Models with the Drunk And Stupid Upgrade now gain the Hunting Partner Ability, so you can lock your opponents into melee combat and continue blasting away with no penalties. The rest of the Som’er card further rewards this style of play. His Boomer now has a Trigger on every suit, including Coordinated Attack and “Loot ‘em!” which both become stellar Triggers when your target is surrounded by rowdy Gremlins. The “I’m An ‘Expert’ Shot!” Ability also leans into this, making even shots that miss turn into devastating attacks. Finally, Foul-Mouthed Motivation is both an excellent Bonus Action and incredibly thematic for Som’er. There are few characters in all of Malifaux that can rival his foul mouth. Now let’s have a look at the title version! It is probably a good idea to talk about the design goals behind title Masters in general here. The title Master should work just as well with the Keyword as the original Master while introducing a fun new way to play the Keyword. So let’s look at how Loot Monger is a mirror image of Som’er’s non-title version. Where original recipe Som’er throws Gremlins into combat while standing back and shooting into the melee, Loot Monger gets right up into the opponent’s face while encouraging his Crew to rain lead down on the enemy with Gremlin Raid. Similarly, where the original Som’er Summons loads of Bayou Gremlins onto the table, Loot Monger uses “Take this Seriously!” to turn puny Bayou Gremlins into more valuable models. They are each getting as much value out of the Keyword as the other, but in opposite ways. Sack o’ Loot is probably the Action that got the biggest boost with this rework. Now, instead of removing a Scheme Marker for extra damage, it deals +1 damage if there is a Scheme Marker near the target. This gives it a fairly reliable 3/4/5 damage track when a Scheme Marker is near, which is amazing. We should also point out that the Spot the Goods Ability got better as it no longer requires the Cheated card to be of a specific value, while Ransack now allows Som’er to Summon Skeeters in addition to Bayou Gremlins. Loot Monger saw fewer changes than original Som’er because part of his issue was that the Keyword as a whole did not do enough with Scheme Markers to support his mechanics. Luckily, doing a whole Keyword Rework allows us to change that! Look out for things that affect Scheme Markers as you read the rest of the cards (including the Drunk And Stupid Upgrade, featured above). That’s it for the Masters, let’s look at the rest of the Keyword. As you do, keep in mind that this was about updating the Keyword as a whole. As such, some Actions or Abilities may have been taken away or gotten worse, but it was almost always in exchange for something new and exciting. We were not trying to make each specific model better; we were trying to make the entire Keyword better. As you read the cards, think about how this Keyword now functions as a whole. For example, Big Hat pumps out lots of Bayou Gremlins, so keep an eye out for ways to put those bodies to use like Old Cranky’s “You Can Handle it, Sonny!” Without further ado, let’s look at the rest of the cards! Now that you're excited, I'm sure the next question is “how will I get these?” They will be available for free to print from the Wyrd Dropbox and in the Malifaux App. You will also be able to order them from Drive Thru RPG or order a Big Hat Keyword pack with all of the cards directly from the Wyrd store once we get them printed. They will not be a part of the upcoming Gaining Grounds Pack - Season 4 as there are just too many cards in this rework (more on Gaining Grounds next week). That’s it for Big Hat! We hope you enjoy getting your Gremlins with impractically large hats back out of the closet and onto the table as much as we have! If this update goes well, we have our eyes on other Keywords in need of an update to Rework in the future!

The card included is for Lady Justice. Much like how the old Dead Justice model is also Guild. :3

In "The Grass Menagerie," Captain Soory Brydon learns some unsettling truths about the Guild's ideology. http://www.breachsidebroadcast.com/e/chronicles-50/

Hey Wyrdos! This week, Waldo decided to take up yodeling. He brought his overalls and water bottle to a nearby mountain and sang his impish little heart out. What didn’t think Waldo would be so good at it, nor did we expect the cliffs to actually respond… Said to be the source of strange echoes in the mountains, Yamabiko are bound with bells and polished stone weights that help them communicate over vast distances. When provoked, these elusive oni use their strength and speed with devastating results. The Yamabiko are a unit for the upcoming Kimon hordes, which will soon be unleashed upon the world! True to their mythos, these oni isolate enemies and make them highly vulnerable to retaliation. A little card draw and an Area attack don’t hurt, either! In Glory, these mountain-dwellers ignore Difficult and Hazardous Terrain, allowing them to get at hard-to-reach objectives or Commanders. Take a look at some of the sculpts you can expect to see when these feisty orange oni finally grace your battlefields! That’s all for this week, Wyrdos. Keep an eye and an ear out for more news about the Kimon Allegiance releasing very soon, and the Three Kingdoms who will be following after!

Hey Wyrdos! This week, we’re diving head-first into the Halloween season. Waldo’s pitched in tremendously, helping carve pumpkins, hang “creepy” (crêpe) paper around the office, and give the place a sense of spookiness with his presence. Now, how can you add that same ambiance to your favorite Wyrd games? For Malifaux, we have a new Scenario! Crushing Candy pits your crews against one another as they scramble to get the best Rotten Harvest treats. Will you snatch up the best sweets, or will you end up with nothing but rocks? Click on the image above to download this free Scenario for Malifaux! Rotten Harvest in the Bayou is a time of joy rather than fear, thanks to the Great Stumpkin! This Gremlin protects all the families from the Carver’s rampages, replacing vicious shears and fiery pumpkins with glowy lights and fistfuls of candy. Click on the image above to download this brand new Augment for Through the Breach! That’s all for this week, Wyrdos. Let us know how your Crushing Candy games went, and how you’ll be incorporating the Great Stumpkin into your games of Through the Breach! Speaking of ethereal escapades, our Kickstarter for the Vagrantsong Expansions - Encore and Off the Rails - is drawing to a close. It's your last chance to hop on this phantom train! Don't miss out; pledge today before the final whistle!

http://www.breachsidebroadcast.com/e/tales-of-malifaux-164

Hey Wyrdos! You know spooky season is truly upon us when Waldo rolls out his pumpkin stash, turning our office into a Halloween haven. Rumor has it he's been meticulously carving them, hoping to perfect his "Headless Horse-Imp" look for the big day. While he's deep in pumpkin ponderings, trying to select the perfect gourd for his headpiece, let's divert our attention to another iconic pumpkin-headed individual... Remember "Night of the Carver"? It's one of our pioneering One Shots and it's been screaming (pun intended) for an update! We’ve breathed new life into it, overhauling its content while retaining its classic flavor. Dive headfirst into the heart-thumping essence of a slasher flick, now more chilling than ever. Plus, get a taste of terror with the profile of the fully-powered Carver Ascended. Fatemasters, this One Shot promises to drench your Carving Day celebrations in Malifaux with the perfect eerie ambiance. But a word to the wise for the Fated – gear up and prep well; you're about to confront one of the most cryptic menaces the world has ever known. Ready for the chills? Snag your copy of "Night of the Carver" right here on DriveThruRPG for a mere $5! Those who’ve previously embarked on this adventure are in for a treat – the updated version is yours for the taking, at no extra charge. Simply hit download. Now, before we ghost out, here's something to get your pumpkins rattling: Want a Carver of your own? The Iconic Carver is making its grand appearance this month! Get ready to make some eerie memories! So, Wyrdos, are you up for the challenge of going toe-to-toe with the Carver? Do share your battle plans (and survival strategies) in the comments below. Until next time, stay spooky!

Waldo went on a fitness frenzy this week. We thought it was because he wanted to carve out a six-pack before Halloween. But when his version of "working out" included candles and chalk circles in the break room, we thought, "Ah, he meant 'exorcise,' not 'exercise!'" Classic Waldo mix-up! While we get the janitorial team to remove the remnants of Waldo's... shall we say, 'spiritual gym session', let's dive into something equally enchanting and perhaps less messy. Big News from the Crypt (or our office, same thing.) Our Kickstarter for the double-feature Vagrantsong expansions, "Encore" and "Off the Rails", has taken off like a bat out of... well, you know where. Since its debut, we've unlocked a cauldron full of extras: ranging from eerie Junk cards to chilling Scenarios. Hold on to your broomsticks because... drumroll... we're shrinking the supernatural! Yep, your beloved Vagrantsong characters now come in bite-sized miniatures! The inaugural pack showcases the first six Vagrants (and let’s not forget the adorable Runaway’s Pup). But with a sprinkle of your magic (and pledges), we can bring even more mini haunts to ... life. Next in line? The Westbound Vagrants, and, hot on their phantom trails, are minis for each Chapter, including the "Bridge of Leaves" in Vagrantsong: Encore. Snag these ghoulish goodies by either adding them individually to your pledge or, for the sorcerers who want it all, jump onto the First Class Pledge. If we manage to unlock every spectral reward, there’s an All-In Pledge ready to go, bundling everything Vagrantsong has to offer under its ghostly glow. But tick-tock, the witching hour nears! The Kickstarter fades away come October 12th. Pledge now or forever hold your peace... or pieces? Back Vagrantsong: Encore and Off the Rails on Kickstarter today for your exclusive mini of DC, our devilishly delightful demon kitty, and other treasures!

In "Heart of Stone," Guild Sergeant Hiram Moore teams up with Hunter Helena Krause to find a killer on the loose. http://www.breachsidebroadcast.com/e/chronicles-49/