A weekend well spent

So, it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted, but I am in fact not dead, nor have I wandered off. As of late I have been getting my old house ready for sale, so things have been nuts busy, and at night, when I usually post, I am so wiped out, I just go to bed. Which is also starting to hurt my prep for events I am running at Genghis. But, even with all that, and stupid weekend work schedules, I still managed to get in a few games. First up was a game where I all but forced Nabors to try Relic Knights. Then, this last weekend, I succumbed to pressure to play him in some Dropzone. I then followed up the next day with some Malifaux in Longmont. I could have done another intro for Relic Knights the weekend before last, after the game versus Nabors, but I was delirious with lack of sleep, so I went home. I hope to make good on that one this weekend. But that is another article, this one is about face stomping!

We played my Cerci starter versus Mike S's Black Diamond starter. We both ended up with the same scenarios, Secure Perimeter and Assassination. He had my Pit Crew, I had his stupid Chibi tank. We where using part of the Infinity complex board I started forever ago, and with the onset of Relic Knight, I may finish. It would make a nice Black Diamond board, but it kinda sucks for Cerci. At least it felt sucky, it may have just been my playing/deployment.

I had the villian, and deployed my objectives up the right, then hooking toward center, he deployed his in an arc around my farthest one. I was then able to place the Royal Wrecker behind a wall on my left, hoping to set up some bashing when he came around. I started a setup queue: Esmee, Marie-Claude, Wrecker. He setup a beat the crap out of my Wrecker queue, starting with the Diamond Corp making very large hole in her armor

Marie and Esmee did their thing. Yep, it was that exciting, I basically just watched as the Wrecker got blasted.

His tank began to move up, throwing hail down range, and adding to the hurt my Wrecker was receiving.

His damn Corp would not let up, and the Wrecker was pushed to a single wound, without having done anything, and in a real crap place to try and get some healing onto her.

But she finally got to go. I was able to move her behind a wall, into a hall blocked on one end by his Primary Objective. I also dropped a Crash Site on his Secondary that the Corp were camped at, either forcing them to move, or to not activate.

Magnus had observed enough and decided to enter the fray, moving up to my forward Secondary, ready to give me some markers.

Marie-Claude moved up, dropping he own speed markers, and using them to try and get the drop on the Black Diamond. She had already succeeded in placing one secure marker and was looking for more. I was, however, running dangerously low on cards.

As he moved his Corp around and brought up his Tank, my Wrecker pulled his Primary along as an impenetrable shield.

Marie was able to circle around and get to the last Secondary, the one the Corps had originally hid beside.

But, unfortunately, the Tank had found another route and was able to finish of the Wrecker. It was destined from the start, but I had, likely foolishly, always held out hope that she would some how find a way. Alas.

The Corps made a strange conga line, each resting their weapon on the soldier in front of them, all taking aim at Marie-Claude. It hurt, but due to some protection from the wall and a damage prevention, she was able to ignore the bulk of it.

She did return fire, blowing off all of their heads and arms, though they came out largely unphased by the sudden handicap.

Magnus, too, took a shot at Marie-Cluade. I would like to point out that during mine and Mike S's first games, we both had several instances where we lined up an action, looked at our hand, and realized we didn't have the Esper. Nabors had exactly what he needed all but one time. It was total bull if you ask me.

He tank then moved into position to grab a Cargo token, and then head off to drop it off.

Marie-Claude, having decided that discretion may in fact be the better part of valor, made her way to the far side of the wall, placing a marker to give he a bit of armor.

It was time to stop the Diamond Juggernaut, and if she was able to get a little revenge in the process, all the better. So, Marie jumped out and blasted the tank out of existence. Having long since ran out of cards, I was only able to get Assassination for three, plus the actual kill. As we were only going to five, I was in a fairly good position.

"Oh, hi, Magnus. We had forgotten you were standing there. That's okay though, you wouldn't hurt a pretty girl, would you? One without a Cypher, I mean."

"What a jerk! Well, here, have a massive wrench to the face, which barely scratches you sissy purple armor."

Hmmmm... This feels familiar. Withing one point of winning, Just kill something, anything, win the game. And yet, those stupid purple army guys waltz in and go from zero to win, while I stand there shaking my tatas. Something should really be done about them. Anyone? I seem to be largely incapable of sealing the deal. Maybe when we finally move beyond starters and I can use my Bells and Pacer, but starter versus starter just doesn't seem to work.

An excellent game, though soon after, I began to lose higher brain function. Nabors was stoked and started looking at Shattered Sword, though he also like the Black Diamonds. I have since tried to tempt him to the Anime side, be he somehow managed to pull some resolve from somewhere. I must say, I don't like it. As you can see, I have primed my models. I have also based the larger models(Wrecker, Pacer, and Bells), and may have the other bases made by this weekend. I plan to do a personal paint challenge this weekend, seeing as I have the time off, and have a lot to get painted. I hope to have what I to get painted up later this week, as a sort of "here is the bar for all to see, now prove yourself" sort of post.

Due to some whining about me forcing him to play Relic Knights, when he really wanted to play DzC, and me being a dick, and wrecking his life, and running over his dog, and stealing his truck, and his girlfriend, I threw down some DzC versus Nabors. We played 1500pts, which is all I have, and he tailored a list to beat me. It can be the only explanation.

We played Recon. We originally rolled Search, twice, but the setup on that one is to brutal. I failed to move my drops on turn one properly, having reverted to noob status. This meant he had a head start on me. I then had to use my Firedrake as a gate to bring in at least one squad to be able to match his turn two search. Luckily I manage to not roll any sabotages during the game. I also managed to get stuck in with his troops. Unfortunately, the one where it was his building didn't go my way. Even with Augmented Strength. The other one I eventually one. I also made the mistake of getting so desperate for points that I entered small building. You'd never guess what happened. The other combat drew on, and I was forced to add another squad, just to hold his units. However, as it came down to it, I didn't have enough points. If I was able to hold his suads, or better yet, defeat them, I may have had a chance. However, they finally killed all of my guys, and would have searched at the beginning of six. Sadly, a quick roll did not come up a one, and he won the game.

I don't think I really accomplished much in this game. I was able to completely ignore the Hades, but in return, my Firedrake seems incapable of adding to any conflict. As the hardest DzC model I own to transport, I may drop to 1000pt games and leave it at home.

After the game, we played Dark Heresy, and after being told again that Wraith is the only character that can't do her thing awesome, I got up and walked away from the table. Largely because I had to use the bathroom, and finding out I was mostly useless, felt like a good time. I also brought up the fact that I basically feel that Wraith has reached her death point. Not actually death, but a point in her story, where continuing to follow Arsenic and the group through the Badab War, which is not really her zone of expertise, may not be her path any longer. I think largely that everyone thinks I am over reacting to what happened, but I have honestly felt, for a while, that I am pushing Wraith out of character for the sake of continuing the campaign. What one more conflict amongst players over Wraith has done is pushed me as a player to the point where maybe I can accept that I should just let her go. I still have a lot to think about, but it may be time. Just like any good literary author, sometimes your favorite character just has to die. You may not want it, but for the story to continue in a proper manner, it has to happen, it is out of your control, or you are in effect lying to stop fate.

Anyway, time for some 'faux. As my schedule is basically Russian Roulette, I had this past Sunday off. So, of course, after more work on the old house, I headed to Longmont for some much needed Malifaux. Against Dave and his mother freaking Pandora. Actually his Pandors is awesome, his Teddy is gross, but Pandora is awesome. He ran Pandora, Teddy, Coppelius, Tuco, Doppleganger, one Sorrow, and the puking snake. I had Tara, Karina, Nothing Beast, Bishop, Death Marshal, and three Void Wretches. I had taken the Nothing Beast because he had, surprisingly, done very well for me in the Hardcore League, and I was eager to see if it was him or the points level. It was the points level. Oh, and maybe I was an idiot this game, but he would have died anyway. The mission was Stake a Claim, with Breakthrough and revealed Deliver a Message for me and revealed Breakthrough and Assassinate for him.

The plan, bury Bishop and Beat, shove the Beast in his face, drop Bishop over there to go objective running. Void Wretches also bounce around dropping schemes and claim markers.

However, Dave placed Tuco board center, using From the Shadows. I then deployed the Nothing Beast on a flank to take him out, and the Death Marshal on the other, to go off and do his own thing. Bishop was still to be buried. However, before I could make my attack Pandora wandered over to the Nothing Beast, and tried to make mince meat of my crew. I was able to stop her, but she Incited the Beast to go next. Fine, he used fast to Deliver the Message, then punched her in the teeth twice. Or at least tried to.

The Nothing Beast continued to take a whooping, and was soon down to one hit point. But I had a plan. I charged him with a Void Wretch, drop the upgrade to prevent damage, he gets dropped into the Void, and the other Wretches heal him. Excellent. However, Bishop was a;ready buried, I couldn't bury the Beast. I used the upgrade to keep him alive, but the duel was Wp, so he lost, and died to Pandora's aura. Yep, way to be. Oh, wait, it gets worse. Now Bishop pops out, right next to Pandora, this should go well. It didn't.

I was able, however, to bury and bring out my good friend Coppelius, who I then recklessly sent after Tuco, hoping to pluck an eye to use to heal Bishop. Sadly, I wasn't able to do so.

Okay, so I goofed, then over committed to trying to fix my mistake. But it was not to late, I could still recover, time to let the muddle in the middle muddle, while I went back to my main plan, get the objectives on the outside.

Plus, I still had Karina, her buddy Crooligan, and Tara. Combined they were able to drop Pandora's Wp by 3, giving her Df and Wp of 4, easily assailable. I dropped my non-existant hand to create a massive Fast bubble from Tara, preparing for some next turn shenanigans.

Dave, however, was also sitting pretty, and Bishop seemed to wander off to sleep in some hole somewhere. But not seen in this picture was a Void Wretch, happily free onto his side, with a Scheme Marker and a Claim Marker. Hah! I was ready now.

All I had to do was get away with my second Wretch. And he flipped Black Joker on his flip. I easily had the cards to cheat my way free, and a double positive because he had fast. And the third card was a Black Joker of my own, locked in combat, and I didn't get free until my last action, but it wouldn't be enough to get a leg up this turn.

My third Wretch was locked down in a mass of Neverborn to the left, but I could run the table with the two Wretches I had free. But then in a flurry of cards, both Karina and Tara fell. My opponent now had Assassinate to match my Deliver a Massage. He also had every model he started with, plus an Alp. I had three Wretches, one of them likely to soon fall. He also had a few activations to drop his own Claim Marker, blocking my point. I was also out of time.

So, with my need to go, and defeat looming, I called the game while I was ahead and declared a win.

Well, not really. I would have lost, likely 9-6 at best. If he committed a crew to follow my Wretches, picking up my Schemes, I would lose by worse. So, while a tournament game may have ended 5-3, to actually play it out would have been 9-6, which I would have likely taken, even in a tournament. A great game, I made a fair number of mistake, Dave made less, that I caught anyway, and Pandora is still a bitch. I did learn a few things, specifically that the Crooligan/Tara versus fast Pandora can be very strong. Also, the Nothing Beast is fantastic in low stone games, but total rubbish in 50 stone games. I think going with the Desolation Engine and one less Wretch would have been much better, but alas. I am sad that the Nothing Beast continues to live up to my expectations, but at least I know it now, and can, hopefully, leave him out next time.

Well, that was the weekend. More games than usual, still less than I would like. I will be pretty busy this weekend, but I plan to get some games in still. I should have a a personal Hobby Challenge up tomorrow or early Saturday. I am blasting through a weekend of hard core hobbying. I hope to complete Malifaux, Mouslings, and Relic Knights models, Well, mostly finish Relic Knights models, I am saving the flesh for post Genghis, so I can use my new mad skills.

Or something.

Out!