The one where we Battle for Malifaux!

Welcome, Welcome one and all! It’s been a while since I’ve really chatted about Malifaux and what I’m doing with it (in great depth at least)! I’ve got my #ToMB crew with Dreamer and Pandora and I’m getting those painted (slowly)  but I’ve turned my attention back to my first love… Ten Thunders! 

You may recall in my last Malifaux blog that Nigel (@NigelSBartlett) was painting my Ten Thunders and he still is! The change in scenario now is that I’ve got the majority back, I’m just waiting on one or two things which will come later on! (Can I point out that Nigel is available for all good painting services not just 40k and Malifaux!)

Anyway, back to the games in hand. Today we are looking at a Campaign called Battle for Malifaux which is being held at my LGS (Titan Games - @TitanGames). I had a hand in writing the rules pack with the idea that many of the gamers in the store are new to Malifaux or haven’t played many games. For myself, I’ve only picked it up in 2^nd ed. Before this when I was down my LGS I thought it was a stupid waste of time flipping cards but then again, I didn’t really look in to it like I did in M2E! And I’m really glad I did!

So, this month it is 35 Soulstones (about the size of a crew box...apart from Rasputina which is 25 SS, there or there abouts!) and a fixed Scheme for everyone! The scheme for this week - Turf War

Now Strategies... Well... there are 2 fixed strat for each faction every month! This was for 2 reasons: 1. If we had to randomly generate strats then everyone wouldn't be familiar with the game and it would be a passing phase. 2. As a gaming group, we want players to get used to different strats and trying to adapt how their play style. It does mean that different players of different factions will have a 'dominant week' because the strats change!

This week the Strats look like this: 

Guild: Bodyguard, Frame for Murder

Resurrectionists: Entourage, Power Ritual

Arcanists: Outflank, Plant Explosives

Neverborn: Make the Suffer, Vendetta

Outcasts: Plant Evidence, Take Prisoner

Gremlins: Cursed Object, Deliver a Message

Ten Thunders: Assassinate, Vendetta

At the beginning of the campaign you must declare a faction allegiance. This doesn't have to be the faction you are using but it will be the faction you a fighting for and use the strats from to try and control Malifaux!

 

We had 6 players at this event, which isn't too bad considering the Malifaux community around this area isn't like it is in other parts of the country! We had 2 Guild players...dirty guild, 1 Resser, 1 Arcanist, 1 Neverborn...*shudder* and me... Ten Thunders! Ta-da!!!

Each month will be random first opponents and then seeded games to ensure no one gets battered all the time! 

So Vendetta and Assassinate... not bad, not bad! I'd take that for the first week. 

My Crew:

Lynch

Huggy (The Hungering Darkness)

2 Torekage (Ninjas)

2 Wastrels

Beckoner (I've used the Orian model for this because...well...it looks better and it's painted!)

Yakazima 

Smoke and Shadow upgrade

My first game was against Keith and the Neverborn (Pandora). Keith used the Pandy box set which made for an interesting game. It's a running joke in the shop that Keith always loses, no matter what the game! I wanted to win, of course you do, but I wanted to make sure he had a good game and it lasted for a length of time. He told me the last game he had was over in 20 minutes when he had none of his crew left!

I set first and chose Yamaziko to take the Vendetta out against Candy...damn Candy *shakes fist* and obviously the Assassinate against Pandy. I think Keith's mistake was setting Pandora up on the right flank (as you can see in the last picture...just). Pandy couldn't cause havoc because she wasn't anywhere near my crew! The game actually finished on Turn 4 due to both of us trying to work through our crews. It didn't make much difference as I got rid of Candy with Yamaziko and controlled the middle of the board to take the points for Turf War!

We ended up with Pandy sitting around doing jack shit and the sorrows in combat with Huggy. Now, that suits me just fine, I've got no problem with any of that as long as he leaves my Wastrels alone! I loved my Beckoner in this game. She drew Candy out for Yama to just smash in the face! Boom!

The game ended with an 8 - 4 win! Taking the board and Candy gave me a good boost which enabled me to take a commanding lead before the Keith started to score! A good game and one that lasted 1hr 30mins!!!
A win to start and onwards and upwards.

A guy from a Tattoo parlor dropped off a battleboard he made for Mordehiem but is perfect for Malifaux because he couldn't have it in his house while he was moving, so he lent it to the store for the duration. We thought it would be an awesome 'top table'/'show table' which would house the top players for this week. Well, I made it! I'm up there! Woo!

A really great 3x3 board! And awesome to play on!

Anyway, on to my second game! I was playing Guild! This time the Perdita box set! It was the only person that used a 'mixed crew' in the respect that I deviated away from the starter box theme..until the final game...but I'll come on to that!

Right... So Nino, the gatling gun Ortega, was camped out in the watch tower and with focus could reach across the whole board! What worked in my favour was the fact that there was so my LOS blocking terrain I could get away with hiding like a little girl for most of the game! 

Vendetta, yet again, went with Yama and went on to Papa Loco. I was trying to decide which member of the crew to put Vendetta on and I asked my opponent what SS costs were. Upon asking the question his reply started with "Are you actually playing competitively?!" To be fair, I wasn't sure what my reply should be. I was going to say something like: "Yes, because I have a tournament in 2 weeks!" but my reply was "Well, I don't know your SS costs for each model!" His comment was an odd one but something which was hypercritical later on in the day when he played Steve (one of the store owners) and beat him 9-2, saying "I wouldn't have pushed so hard if it wasn't a tournament/campaign." Hmm...

Anway, back to it! I managed to hide EVERYTHING away from Nino and just get in line for the onslaught that is Perdita and the rest of her crew. I forgot that stuff chain activates and as I was about to take my turn, something else activated! It did mean that he had basically played his hand before I got to go which gave me an upper hand. Yet again, the beckoner summoned in Papa in to her for Yama to smash! Yet again, Yama killed her Vendetta target. This time, flipping the Red Joker for damage gave me a massive advantage! It also meant that the 5 damage Papa caused when he blew up went on to Santiago as well as Yama! This made great inroads as he had bodyguard on Santiago so I could get Lynch to shoot at him with the Watrels too! 

The end of the game... Perdita was left on the board with Nino and the Nephlim while Lynch cowered in a corner! By the end of the game though, it was too late and I had picked up 8 VPs to 5! So another win! Huzzah! This would mean that I was currently leading the campaign but be on the same number of wins as my next opponent who walked all over Steve (something like 8-2). 

Now, the lad I am playing I've always had a laugh with down the store no matter what we're playing and today was no different! Pete was using Guild... Lady J! I kept threatening to use Mei and the Rail Golem against him but in the end, I decided that I would stick to the crew that I have used all day! Pete used Lady J, Executioner, Judge and 3 Guild Riflemen. He set up first and put all 3 riflemen in LOS of the middle of the board. During the game with all the focus that was on them, it would prove deadly! 

Yet again, Yama was the tool I would use for Vendetta against the Executioner! With a low model count, Pete would be up against it for a large part as I could control the board and the turn. He put bodyguard on the Judge and used the Executioner as a shield! What he didn't count on... the beckoner to lure him away. So away he comes...right in to the path of... YAMAZIKO!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOM! One round... DEAD! The rest of my crew, those who could see, shot at The Judge! 

I forgot also that Lady J is complete bollocks and can charge without LOS... so when I put huggy near the Judge to lure him closer to me and Lady J smashed through a wall like the Cool-ade jug it was game time! J just went through him, preceded to go through 2 Torekage before getting involved with Lynch! 

Before this though, Yama and Lynch ploughed in to the Judge in Turn 3, getting rid of him, denying full bodyguard points! 

Then Lynch tried to cower away again after having enough of the Guild for one day before Lady J smashed in! I got J down to 1 wound...at one point before he Juggernaughted it up. He did this 3 times...each time healing 4 wounds... unreal! 

Yet again, the damage was done early by killing off the Executioner and getting close to the counter in the centre of the board! Another 8-5 win!

This put me as Campaign leader and Faction Leader (not hard as I'm the only one in my faction!). 

I've had a great day and I'm really looking forward to the next event. I think for the next event I am going to be using a different Master (still within the TT range!), I'm tempted with Mei Feng and use the Rail Golem! The problem is, it's only 35 SS so I might wait until it gets to 40 or 45 in weeks 3-5 to use her and get Misaki on the case! I'm hoping that Nige will do McCabe at some point so I can use him, which would be fun! 

Throughout the day I have seen some awesome minis and one of the crews which will be playing (Outcasts) next time is just sweet!

This week I am very fortunate to be going to the gaming club of the one and only Joel Henry (@Joel_Henry), UK's number 1 Malifaux player. Since I've been in to Malifaux I've listened to the Malifools podcast, of which he is a regular, and it will be a great experience to meet him and get a game against someone in his circle! If I'm REALLY lucky I may even get a game against him... although I think he'd want someone who could actually give him a game and not a 20 minute training exercise!

There has been a little peak of interest on Twitter with a few people who are looking to get in to Malifaux either because of the models or the simple game design/system! I'm going to have a little go with Mark (@79sponge) and Pete (@PeteHumpage), two of my 40k gaming regulars, in the coming weeks to see if they will be interested in playing! Mark has already bought a Raspy crew so I look forward to playing against Arcanists! 

Tonight I shall leave you with something which has nothing to do with Malifaux or even 40k but there are a ton of models down at my LGS with no apparent rules system for them...or none that I know of! 

Thanks for reading,

I'll see you soon!