Lost Love - A pool event

[Adran]

In My Blog I wrote a post about creating a fixed pool for an event. 

Here will be a series of summaries of the games, with some of my comments on what I picked and how it went. There are no pictures, I'm too much of a luddite. And there will be mistakes, because I never remember to make notes. 

Final Pool

Jack

Rusty (10)

Bishop (10)

Sloth (8)

Lust (8)

Johan (6)

Nurse (5)

Guilty (5)

Obidient Wretch (4)

Hodgepodge Effigy (4)

Malifaux Rat (2)

Twist and Turn (2)

Writhing Torment (2)

Oathkeeper*2 (2)

Tally Sheet (1)

(Aura increasing ) (1)

 

I had a Practise/demo game during the week, and found the effort to get shafted to work was more than I could be bothered with on a regular basis. So I dropped the crooked man. I also decided Scramble was a bit too situational for my taste. And decided a random rat was more likely to be of use. Pre-shadow game 3.

 

Game 1 Interference –Standard with Exhust, Convict Labor, Covert breakthrough, Frame for Murder, show of force.

Jack Daw: 3 curses – Twist and Turn, Writhing torment.

Lust

Rusty (Tallysheet)

Johan (Oathkeeper)

Effigy

Wretch

Rat

Guilty

 

Facing Simon who was playing Colette (sieze the day, dove summoning)

Cassandra: smoke and Mirrors

Angelica: Practise Production

2 Corephyee

Oiran

Performer

Mannequin

 

I set up first on a fairly standard board. I took Convict Labor and exhust their forces.

Simon took covert breakthrough and Frame for murder

I manged to summon a rat of my rat, but didn’t have the crows to get a second.

I tormented Alyce and Johan, and used my pushes to get Alyce to almost the half way line before she activated (Jack made her walk once, and Lust pushed her towards another model, and then a further push as she activated near Jack, gave her 13” movement before she spent an AP)

She was able to Rapid fire the Oiran to death for another card. And gave away frame for murder.

Colette Prompted both Corephyee up on my weaker side and hen were able to join up and kill one of my rats. Johan was sent to go and help that side.

Turn 2. Rusty, Guilty and the hodgepodge all dropped scheme for convict labor. I forgot the double AP requirement to exhaust, and failed to score that this turn.

I ended up holding 2 quarters to one, as hodgepodge, Johan and obedient held up the duet and Cassandra, but looking the worse for wear.

Turn 3 saw Johan die, but the duet and Cassandra fluffed their attacks against the hodgepodge, and I managed to deny that quarter again. Rusty killed the mannequin and gained an abomination. 3 quarters to 1.

After I exhausted this trun, Colette was able to prompt away the exhausted model and shake it off.

Turn 4 saw us end the game with a couple of activations to go. I pushed Jack into the middle to try and get me my exhaust points, but at the time we called time, he had just completed, and I’d passed the turn to Colette, who was able to use her turn to remove the shake it off. There wasn’t then time for me to walk the abomination or Rusty across the line for the points, or for me to use Lust to try and exhust anything.

The end score was 6-4 to Colette. I denyed all interference points, but did not stop the covert breakthrough (there was practised productions and it took me some time to remove angelica).

Reaching the end of turn 4 would certainly have seen me scoring another point. Reaching turn 5 end would probably have got me 2 more points, and probably not have let Colette score again, as she was almost out of models, and with Jack and Lust I ought be able to get something exhausted.

 

Show of Force was ignored by both of us, as models scoring it, couldn’t score interference.

Covert Breakthrough was hard for me to stop against Practised productions, A duet and Cassandra. I didn’t try much, but I think it would have taken too much to manage it.

Convict labor was interesting. At one point I was really worried that when he killed Johan I would be in trouble because it would be too close to my scheme markers to allow me to get the points that turn. I’m also thinking Knockback triggers may be more useful in denying this sort of thing. Whilst I was a little surprised that the performer didn’t blow up any of my scheme markers to deny this, I was always ready to drop another 1 or 2.

Exhaust their forces was harder than I expected. Partially it was Colette just being able to remove it from already activated models, and partially remembering when to pay (1) and when to pay (2).

 

I think I had a decent crew, and I’m not sure I would have made much change if I had all the options. The Strongarm, or Bishop might have been handy, and in light of the frame for murder, perhaps better than Alyce, but her shooting was good, as was the abomination summoning she managed.  I can’t think of a way to fit them in.

Lust suffered from her usual drawback, which was me forgetting her aura. I must learn to always check this. 

 

[Argentbadger]

Nice report as always.  I think that the [aura increasing] upgrade you mention is probably The Creeping Terror.

How did you find the GG2016 schemes?  It seems that Colette did not have any difficulty acheiving the scheme marker one.  In retrospect, do you think it could have been preferable to take Show Of Force and just park Alyce in the centre shooting things?  It would have been one fewer piece for interference but three points for a scheme could have been worth it.

[Adran]

Thast the one. Creeping terror.

I'll probably sum up my overall view of the schemes at the end, and a quick view on each as I go through. But Colette achieved breakthrough about as easily as she would have before. I don't think I could have easily stopped her doing that unless I got a lucky kill on the Duet very early. Removing Practised productions would have meant he actually would have needed to spend AP, moving Cassandra and trhe duet dropping markers, but they then would have been running about my back, and still causing interference problems (And actual;ly, due to his failure to kill a hodgepodge on one turn which then tied up both his models he failed to score that turn.) And between the two of them, they killed my rats, Johan, a guilty and the hodgepodge

I had considered using Lust to move enemy models into the middle area to stop them scoring, and it worked once, leaving angelica there, with her upgrade. 

In Hindsight, I should have probably done Show of force, as it would have been easier than exhust against Colette. I hadn't really considered how well she could remove the conditions. I might have pulled off a frame for murder but the duet was doing more damage than Cassandra., I wouldn't have scored  breakthrough in the game without major different moves. 

[Adran]

Game 2

Corner deployment

Squatters Rights

Tag the forces, Convict Labor, the new outflank, Take prisoner and I can't remember the last

 

 

I went With My Daw load out (This stayed constant for the whole event)

Lust

Johan (oathkeeper)

Bishop (oathkeeper)

Nurse

Obidient Wretch

Guilty

 

I faced Andy with

Douglas McMorning (plastic surgery, Moolighting and spare parts)

Sebatian, (Transfusion and Those are not ours)

Mortimer (Corpse Bloat)

Carrion Emissary with McMorning Upgrade (A nicely converted Ami no Zako figure with wings and a birds head).

2 belles

The Board was a swamp set up with the plasticraft walkways, and shrubs and pools.

 

I started the game by summoning 2 rats with the wretch. I also gave Bishop and Johan +2 wk with the nurse. The guilty turned Bishop tormented and then moved up towards the middle. Bishop pushed off and hot footed it over to one side, although I decided not to go to the corner as McMorning was heading that way. Jack then turned Johan tormented and sped him off to the far corner, whilst staying over his side.

In addition to McMorning going for 1 corner, Mortimer and Seb managed to get 2 dogs summoned. The  Emisarry but a big wall up in the middle and a belle made it to the Marker Bishop was heading towards.

 

Turn 2 McMorning Tagged 1 squat, and a belle tagged a second. The Mindless zombie from the shard and the dogs went to cover the other 2 middle markers.

I managed to summon up 2 more rats, who then turned in to a rat king, which became a rat catcher and a rat, who got reactivated and blighted one of the dogs. Johan got to the squat marker in in the corner, interacting with it, and also dropping a scheme marker.. The Guilty Dropped a scheme near the middle of the table before it was dragged away from the markers by the last belle. The Emissary came up and did a little bit of damage before being sent away by lust to join Mortimer at the back. His belle got 1 marker and Bishop dropped a scheme near the middle. My guilty went to the middle and dropped a 3^rd scheme.

I got convict labor and Squatters. I didn’t give out the tagged condition because the tiem I thought about it I confused myself and though it would take 2 AP.  Andy Scored Squatters and so Gained Destined +1

Turn 3

Bishop charged the belle with a free mask, and hit it twice. The second hit actually killed it thanks to the red joker, but I was knocking it off the marker to let me get the squat.

Mortimer moved up to try and stop me stealing any more markers, but he couldn’t gain any more, as only his belle had the ability to move me away, and I just walked another model up to cover.

Johan and Jack went after Mortimer and the Carrion emissary, and kept them tied up.

Sebastian wasn’t able to do much, and McMorning moved across the severe pond to head towards Bishop. I managed to get 2 tagged models out there.

 

End of turn I scored 3 and Andy scored 0

Turn 4 saw more of the same. Bishop survived McMorning, and went defensive as well as hitting him. I started to clear out the centre, but all that really mattered was it remained a large ball of conflict that no-one could escape from.

Turn 5 saw more of the same and so ended in a resounding win for me. Andy scored take prisoner against Bishop. 

 

 

Apart from the initial confusion where I didn’t tag in turn 2 because I thought it was a 2 action, the game went virtually perfectly. Andy took the outflank scheme and had planned on sending dogs to each edge, but once I sent a decent hitter each way he held back, and never got close again.

I think Andy had a plan when he built the crew to play with poison in the middle of my crew, but as it turned out Sebastian never stayed close to any of my models with poison, and McMorning was over on the otherside.

My Summoning went shockingly well, with the wretch getting 6 rats, and the subsequent rat catcher getting another 2, and I ended with the wretch, a rat catcher, a rat king and a rat on the table, with the king being able to eat away scheme markers.

The nurse was a little disappointing, but was there for the turn 1 giving the bonus walk to allow me to reach the corners to get those squats. It just took her 3 more turns before she got close enough to do anything again. Prehaps on a faster board she would get into the game faster, but she got stuck behind LOS blocking and severe stuff. Jack ended up having to Help Johan out to get him enough movement to get the outer squat, but was able to still help cover the middle of the board.

[Adran]

Game 3 Against Tony on a village board

Standard Deployment, Head Hunter

Convict Labor, Exhust their forces, Make your mark, Explosives

Jack

Bishop – Oathkeeper

Johan- Oathkeepr

Lust

Obdient Wretch

Hodgepodeg

Guilty

 

Vs

Vik of Ash – Survivalist, Sisters in Fury, oathkeeper

Vik of Blood – Mark of Shezuul, Oathkeeper

Malifaux child

Bishop – Scramble

Ronin

Hodgepodge

Montressor

 

I was a little surprised to see the Viks deployed on opposite ends of the table. We debated which was the better Bishop build, and both agreed that on this sort of table, with little severe, the oathkeeper was probably better, but Tonys last game was on a swamp board and Scramble was amazing, but he couldn’t quite justify 3 oathkeepers in his pool.

 

I set up in 1 corner with the effigy and the wretch nearer the middle. I managed 1 rat, and tormented Bishop and Johan. Bishop ended going off to Ashes side whilst Johan stayed to cover Blood. The rest sat sort of middling, with very little advancing from me. He needs to come and kill me,  and I want as few Ap when he reaches me as I can get.

 

Turn 2 saw the child put up fury. I wasn’t thinking and put a rat where it was just in range for an oathkeepered Vik of Blood to reach it on the charge and whirlwind onto lust.

So she charged. And missed the rat. Twice. (I Red jokered the first df flip, and then he black jokered the second attack). Unfortunately melee expert finally put paid to the rat, and the whirlwind put 5 damage

onto lust.

I possible bit too soon and went and killed off Blood, and allowed Ash to come in thanks to her Oath keeper, and take advantage of her + flips takes to no friendly sisters near to hit Jack 3 times, and get the red joker for the last attack, not giving Daw any chance to survive.

Bishop changed his plan slightly and went after the Ronin in the middle of the board. Alas, I failed to kill her this turn. He got pulled away by Montressor and this allowed the ronin to drop a scheme to get the explosives scheme for 2. Bishop with Scramble was able to get to the head marker that Jack dropped, thanks to scramble (I forgot he could reach it, so didn’t try and stop it). My Effigy managed to get Bloods head. Johan got to a place where he could charge Ash next turn, but thanks to the guilty, she couldn’t charge him.

His effigy ran off down the un-opposed side now that my Bishop was in the middle.

 

Turn 3.

He decided to activate Ash before the child, and killed Lust and engaged the Guilty, but didn’t kill it. I managed to kill off Ash with Johan.. His Ronin went for a risky charge against Bishop, as he missed the first attack and went to hard to kill, but hit on the second and killed him. Scramble Bishop  was able to charge Johan (again thanks to scramble, I forgot to include that in my mental calculations).

Montressor was able to go and fetch a head.

Hodgepodge dropped a marker well away from anyone else. To remove at the end of the turn for Marking his territory

Turn 4

Bishop attacked Johan, leaving him on 2 wounds. Johan chose to flurry back, and managed to kill himself thanks to the cage fighter trigger. The few remaining Viks models were able to start collecting heads, the hodgepodge carried on dropping for points from Mark your territory.

Turn 5 More of the same

Viks won by a large amount

Tony outplayed me. I spent too much time attacking models that had already been that turn, rather than models that hadn’t.

Also, I had Rusty Alyce in the pool. She has snares. That Anti charge aura is going to steal at least 1 AP from each Vik in effect. I so should have picked her.

I think I went Convict Labor and exhaust the forces, and managed a couple of exhaust points. I didn’t get a single scheme marker anywhere near the centre line. I also managed to both bunch up too much, and spread out too far.

I looked at Mark and decided it was harder that Protect Territory. Tony made it seem much easier.

[Adran]

Game 4

Flank deployment - Turf war A town square board

Vs Ross and Seamus.

Hunting Party, take prisoner, Mark for death, Convist Labor

 

Jack load out (Hunting Party and Take prisoner)

Sloth with Creeping Terror,

Rusty Alyce with Tally sheet

Johan with Oathkeeper

Guilty

Hodgepodge

Wretch.

 

Seamus with Bag of Tricks and Decaying Aura (hunting party and Mark for death)

2 Rotten belles

Toshiro

Jakuna Unmi with an Aura upgrade

Shikome

 

 

I deployed on the 2 wings of the flank. The Wretch and the hodgepodge were on 1 side, and everything else was on the other wing. Seamus started off by back Allying to the Wretch and then charging it, and after its inevitable death, he raised it as a dead doxy. Toshiro and Jakuna move up into the middle, and he tried luring my Guilty in to the fight.

A tormented Rusty Alyce went on a rapid fire spree, and gunned down Jakuni pretty promptly, and Sloth moved into the turf area, hoping to start causing havoc with his slow aura.

 

Turn 2 I discovered a Fast Shikome backed up by Toshiro is scary. It went after Sloth and left him pretty badly batters My Guilty nearly bit the dust, but my return strike took out the shikome with Alyce, earning me Hunting Party.  Johan went after a belle and brought it low, whilst Seamus took out the Effigy. Sloth died later on this turn.

 

Turn 3 saw Alyce kill the Doxy, and the belle die to Johan, but my guilty died as well, and then Ross announced hunting party as I had no minions left. I throw some attacks against Toshiro, but nothing serious.

Turn 4 Alyce tried a foolhardy charge on a Belle, and spent the last of my stones on trying to Summon an abomination, but was not able too, as I had to use her other trigger to make sure I killed the belle. Toshiro killed off Jack, and Seamus went after Alyce.

Turn 5 saw Alyce die, after being made insignificant, and I was left with only Johan left. On the plus side, thanks to Alyces charge last turn, Seamus and the last belle were away from Toshiro and earned me full points for Take Prisoner.

 

Final result was a draw (9-9).

 

Toshiro was surprisingly painful. The +attack flips removed Jacks defence. Prehaps I should have been a bit more controlly on him. In fact that was something I learnt was that over the course of the event I only put 3 cursed upgrades out, and it was firing squad each time, and it was back on jack by the end of the turn each time. A drowning injustice on him, and pushing him to the end of Johans Ml Range would make difficult choices for the opponent.  

I also played the Shikome attack against Sloth badly. I only had 1 crow, and it was the 12 of crows. My next highest card was a 9. I could have cheated the 12 on the first attack, and made it a tie, and ended the Shikomes activation.

Mark for death seemed tough to achieve. In theory its 3 AP for 3 VP, which seems a decent return, but its not that common that you have the spare AP before you kill something that turn, and once you’ve marked something, your opponent knows you are after killing it.

I should have not spent stones on trying to summon an abomination turn 4. I should have just hurt the belle, and gone for the turn 5 summon, and I might have kept Jack alive, and scored the full 10, as well as having a much better chance to deny 1 point., rather than the huge gamble to try and make him work for 2 VP, which he may have still managed.

 

Only 1 of my 3 minions was killed by an enforcer or Henchman, but I still managed to concede 3 VP from the scheme because I wasn’t paying attention to it, in a way I would have paid a little more attention to Make them suffer. If I had tried to keep the guilty alive, then I would have managed to deny at least one point. Some of that was cunning play by my opponent, by using his master to eliminate minions in the first 2 turns, only leaving 1 left for Toshiro to kill without me realising he had the scheme.

 

The new schemes seem interesting. The down side is that because I don’t know them, I can’t remember which they were, and in Game 3 I can’t really remember doing anything  for scheme points, so can’t remember what they all were.