UK GT Masters, Strategies and Schemes Part 2

[Serigala]

http://wyrd-games.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26175

I thought I would follow the above thread up with a report as to how the games went. These accounts are very one-sided and are based on a poor memory. I can’t remember all the crews, but I will try and cover the Schemes we each chose, and a brief outline of how they played out.

Game 1

Shared Treasure Hunt, 25ss Scrap, 70min

Ophelia, Raphael, Francois, Rami, 2 x Young LaCroix, 2x Bayou Gremlin, 6ss

Schemes: Hold Out, Gather SS (both announced)

Opponent, Dave (Tarrogon); Neverborn; Lilith, 3 x tots + ?

Schemes: Kidnap, Kill Protegee (unannounced)

As soon as I saw Neverborn, I decided Pere would be a liability (though later realised she doesn’t have Obey, just Incite and Pacify). Also decided that it would be easier to conserve SS with Ophelia than the Viks or Von Schill, settling on my 2nd scheme.

Turn 1, 1st Activation Ophelia, companioned with a Young LaCroix, used Ooo a girl to pull them forward. The Young’un then walked forward and picked up the treasure, covered by a Family-ed Bayou Gremlin ready to pick up the treasure counter if it got dropped. Although the Young’un was killed, the counter was dropped in base contact with the Bayou Gremlin, who picked it up turn two and ran for the hills. Ophelia, Rami, Raphael and Francois covered the retreat, guarding against losing Holdout.

Final score; win 8 : 0

Game 2

Shared Slaughter, 35ss Scrap, 85 min

Viktorias (3x Ronin, Librarian, Desperate Merc, Student Conflict, 8ss)

Schemes: Kill Protegee, Bodyguard (both announced)

Opponent, Aidan (Cunning Stunt); Neverborn; Pandora

Schemes: Kill Protegee, Spread Madness (announced)

A tough game, against Aidan who ultimately placed second in the tournament. As I used to have in my sig… “Win or lose, playing against Pandora is like lying under a burning couch.”

Playing the Doppleganger gave Aidan a positive flip on the initiative. I didn’t win initiative once during the entire game.

I don’t remember the rest of the details, but the Viks are good at killing stuff. Pandora took them down to 1 or 2 wounds twice only to have the Librarian bring them back to full health. Aidan later admitted he should have gone for the Librarian earlier, though I did keep her safely in the backfield.

I did cash in one Ronin (Seppuku) not so much to deny points for Slaughter, but to restock on the SS which I spent keeping the Viks going. I killed more models but not 1.5 x my opponent, so I scored 2 and he scored 1 for the Strategy.

Neither of us killed our Protegee, but I got 2 points for Bodyguard.

Final score; win 4 : 1

Game 3

Shared Reconnoitre, 45ss Brawl, 120 min

Viktorias and Von Schill (Ronin, Taelor, Librarian, Convict Gunslinger, Student of Conflict, Trapper, 10ss?)

Schemes: Stake a Claim, First Blood, Breakthrough

Taking Von Schill avoids the 5ss fine for adding the Viks and gives me 10ss to pay for Von Schill.

Opponent Ant (?); Resurrectionist, Kirai

Schemes; ?

I wasn’t too worried to face Kirai, as the access to magical weapons means that the Viks are not too hampered fighting against spirits, and Kirai’s tendency to surround herself with squishy Seishin are perfect for Whirlwind. Nevertheless, Ant is an experienced Kirai player, and plays them well. He went on to win the tournament.

I was completely out activated from the start. Ant killed the Desperate Merc on his first activation (immediately denying me 2 pts). By the time I had activated all my crew Ant still had all his heavy hitters to play. Putting the pressure on early, generating a Shikome to target Taelor, saw me place the Viks out of position compared to the Student, so when I got an assassination run on Kirai (with a few Masks in hand) I didn’t have Fast on the sword Vik, and Kirai escaped. I got another chance with the Viks in turn 3, and when I killed Kirai (to be brought back on ½ wounds with the Lost Love) with one more action in hand, was the only time I saw Ant look a bit worried all game. It wasn’t to be, and by the end of the game I was nursing Von Schill and the Sword Vik on the terrain marked by Stake a Claim, in his deployment zone, while he helped himself to all 4 quarters and 3 pts worth of schemes.

Final score; loss 4 : 7

End of Day 1.

Game 4

Shared Destroy Evidence, 45ss Scrap, 105 min

Viktorias and Von Schill (4 x Ronin, Von Schill, Desperate Merc, Trapper, 8ss)

Schemes: Thwart (never announced) Grudge (announced)

Opponent: Liam (?); Arcanists, Collette (typical Collette crew with an added Gunsmith)

I’d made a mistake above, and my pretournament strategy had planned for Shared Claim Jump, with Hamelin. When I realised this was Destroy the Evidence I didn’t feel confident I could get around the table so I went with Viks and Von Schill. I switched up my usual crew, ditching the Librarian and the Student, figuring they would be left behind, anyway. In their place I took an extra Ronin (high mobility and Daisho ignoring armour was a bonus), and the Trapper who also had bonuses against constructs.

I was reaching the bottom of the barrel with Schemes, so decided to take Thwart, and Grudge. Liam announced Steal Relic and took Frame for Murder (unannounced).

I grudged a Mannequin (yeah I know, that was stupid) so Liam saced the Mannequin on his first turn. It cost him a 4ss (-ish) model but denied me 2pts. This was after a chain companion with Cassandra and Collette which saw him destroy the neutral evidence marker in his first activation.

Knowing that denying Steal Relic was effectively worth 4pts I was surprised but not overly concerned when Liam killed the Bounty Hunter Vik, with a Red Joker damage on Magicians Duel. I felt dirty, but for the rest of the game she ran away like a little girl, denying Steal Relic and securing 2pts for thwart. As Liam had also taken Frame for Murder, this also meant that this scheme was not achieved.

Liam secured the rest of his evidence counters, with Coryphee duet, Cassandra and blinding flash, and I did the same with Ronin and Von Schill.

We were both surprised when we revealed our Schemes and it scored as a 5: 4 win to me.

Game 5

Shared Claim Jump, 55ss Brawl, 120 min

Viktorias and Von Schill (Ronin, Taelor, Librarian, Bishop, Student of Conflict, Freikorpsman)

Schemes: Assassinate (Zoraida), Steal Relic, Frame for Murder (sword Vik)

Opponent: Alex (?); Neverborn, Pandora, Zoraida, Collodi (lots of puppets and dolls, 4 stitched, Teddy, Insidious madness)

Reclaim Malifaux, Assassinate, Steal Relic

I don’t have any other Master or henchman to accompany Hamelin, so I decided to play Viks and VonSchill again. The centre of the board was in a deep ‘canyon’ between two tall buildings, so it was always going to be a case of blockading the centre. I would have been so much better playing Hamelin, even if I had only fielded 45 or so points. Filling the centre of the board with Rats, with Hamelin and the Ratcatchers close but out of sight, would have been unassailable.

I thought I was rather clever with the Schemes. Assuming that sword Vik would die, meant that I could thrust her forward against a Master for the other 2 schemes.

VonSchill attempted an assassination run on Zoraida on the rooftops. Pandora cast Self-Loathing, which I let through. Red Joker! 8 wounds. Nothing else seemed a threat so I pulled the Librarian off the Viks to grant Von Schill a healing flip. Big Mistake! Sword Vik got hit by Collodi, 3 puppets and 1 doll. I burnt 6 or so stones keeping her alive, but she was reduced to a single wound. She wiped out 3 puppets on her activation, then the Bounty Hunter Vik got her out of danger, but as the Librarian wasn't in position to help them out, neither of them did anything significant for the rest of the game.

In the centre, I held back too many models figuring they would have been picked off by Pandoras death by a thousand cuts or the Stitched’s Gamble your life, had I crowded them into the centre too soon. I planned to use Taelors knockback and Bishop’s toss aside to clear the centre, but Alex had crammed so many Stitched into the centre that there was nowhere to push them.I could have got models into position on turn 2 and it was my second mistake of the game not to do this.

Alex scored 2 points for Claim Jump, 1 for Reclaim Malifaux and 2 for Steal relic.

Final score: Loss, 0 : 5

Overall I placed 17th (out of about 51, I think). I feel that 5 games makes for a good tournament. Whatever the draw for the first round, what goes around, comes around, and had I predicted where I would be before the tournament, 3 wins, 2 losses would be about right. Thanks to all my opponents, for great games (apart from those that played Pandora, of course!!).

Edited November 8, 2011 by Serigala
Lilith not Pandora.

[Tarragon]

Well, was certainly a good set of games you got there! Certainly did much better than me

Just so you know, I was using Lilith, not Pandora. Although I probably should have used Pandora in hindsight.

[Serigala]

Well, was certainly a good set of games you got there! Certainly did much better than me

Just so you know, I was using Lilith, not Pandora. Although I probably should have used Pandora in hindsight.

OOps! Shows how much notice I was taking to the other side of the board!

I remember all the tots now. Edited...

[Tarragon]

No problem XD If you want my exact list, it was Lilith + P.Magic, 3 tots and one Lelu/Lilitu pair. 25SS exactly.

I have to say, I learned a lot from that game. Like, how not to lose that badly in the next game

[Stryder]

Hey, Ian. Ant here. My crew was Kirai, Seamus, 5 Seishin, Lost Love, Jack Daw, Datsuie-ba, Gaki, 2 Insidious Madnesses and a Desperatre Mercenary with a 9 stone cache. My schemes were Frame for Murder (Gaki, unannounced), Eye for an Eye (Announced, stupid thing to do) and Stake a Claim (Announced).