TMI: Quadro-faux?

I managed to get in four games over the weekend, two on Friday versus Troy and two on Saturday versus the new Michael and Shaffer. I think I only managed to really come out on top in one game. More on that to come.

Originally we had set up to play some Through the Breach on Black Friday, since the kids were going to mom's early and I didn't work till 5. But as I was leaving the other house, after setting up for a birthday party on Sunday, I got a text that Nabors wasn't going to make it. I already had all of my Malifaux stuff as an in case for TTB or for failed TTB, so I sent out a text to see if anyone would be up for Malifaux. Troy was in and Patrick said he would be in later(apparently that meant Saturday). So, I arrived and Troy and I dived into a game. As I was pretty burnt on another iteration of Leveticus, I decided to forgo play testing and bring out Tara. Troy needed to play a Resser for the final of the league and we of course flipped Reckoning, so I brought a beater crew. My crew consisted of Tara with Knowledge of Eternity, Obliteration Symbiote, and Eternal Journey, Dead Rider, Rogue Necromancy with Decaying Aura, Izamu, and two Necro Punks. He took Lillith with Wicked Mistress, Beckon Malifaux, and Living Blade, Barbaros with Fear Given Form and Nephilim Gladiator, Kandy with Nexus of Power and Fear Given Form, Doppleganger, Primordial Magic and a Teddy. I took hidden Line in the Sand and hidden Breakthrough, he took Bodyguard on Kandy, revealed on turn 4, and hidden Spring the Trap. On turn one, I drew 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, stoned for a pair of 2's flipped a 3 and an 8 for initiative, he flipped a 9. Following that was another 2, Black Joker, 2, 11, 11, end of turn. It was awesome, and set the stage for the rest of the game. He lured the Rogue Necromancy in and Tara threw the Dead Rider in right behind. With two beaters in his face, I thought I could do at least some damage, and I did manage to kill the puking snake, but both the Dead Rider and the Rogue Necromancy were down to two wounds. On turn three they both died. Izamu did manage to Red Joker on Dopplegangers Self Loathing. On turn four Tara gets killed by Barbaros, but he triggers his ability to push her, leave her at one wound, and paralyze her. With her pushed into the middle of his stuff with one wound and paralyzed, I spring a Necropunk in to finish her before he could Spring the Trap on her or get the point for Reckoning. Turn five saw my selfless Necropunk go down, as well as the other one clear across the board, who falls for Lillith's alluring something something. Troy then makes use of his nearly full crew to remove three of my six A Line in the Sand markers, leaving me one point for Breakthrough as he couldn't quite make it there with Teddy. He managed two for Reckoning, only getting points on three and five, since he killed two the turn he tabled me. He also got two for Bodyguard on Kandy. The end result... a 4-1 loss.


Game two was a basic reset. Troy took the same crew. We were still playing Reckoning(seriously, I am truly hated). This time I was back to Outcasts. I took Tara with Knowledge of Eternity and Obliteration Symbiote, Bishop with Scramble, Desolation Engine, Vanessa, Student of Conflict, and two Void Wretches. I took hidden Plant Evidence and hidden Distract, he took revealed Murder Protege on the Desolation Engine and revealed Plant Evidence. My plan was to put Vanessa on the center line and use her to light him up with the Student giving her fast. Troy knew that I usually take a big beater to rush forward and tie up my opponent for a turn or two, give me a turn to get ahead, so he knew that Murder Protege would be easy, especially with the Desolation Engine. He was right. It is also a turn of Reckoning as the Aboms go down fairly easy. Turn one I move forward and have Vanessa drop a scheme. Turn two Lillith lure Tara over a hill from behind line of sight and murders he out right. Troy also kills a Wretch, netting Reckoning. At this point I am pretty neutered, but I stick in there, with Bishop doing his thing. On turn three Lillith kills the Engine and the resulting Aboms in one activation, giving him Reckoning, further weakening my crew, and putting me farther behind. On turn four Vanessa goes down. I'm not sure when Bishop ate it, but he was long gone by now. The Student is all that lives. On turn five, I hope to get the Student out of reach so I can have something alive at the end and cost Troy at least one point. Nope, goes down easy. I had tried to move away, but it just didn't happen. Instead, it would likely have been better to go double Defensive and pray. The rest of turn five is cleaning up my Plant Evidence markers, while he cements his own. In the end I got one for Plant Evidence while he got three Reckoning, two Plant Evidence, and three for Murder Protege, in the end a 8-1 loss for me. Not a fine showing. Lillith's no LoS lure really took me out early.


Day two. After getting up and going to work before light had graced the sky, I headed back to Hobby Town for some more brutality. Upon arrival Patrick and Troy were already deep into it, but the new Mike was back for a game. He ran Misaki with Cutpurse, Disguise, and Stalking Bisento, Ototo with Call the Thunder and Smoke and Shadows(later discovered to be not legal), Shang, Ten Thunders Archer, a Torakage, an Oiran and Yamaziko with Misdirection. I pulled out the Viks to give him a more confrontational game. I ran Viktoria of Ash with Howling Wolf Tattoo and Sisters in Fury, Viktoria of Blood, Vanessa with Synchronized Slaying, Bishop, Ronin, Hans, and Miss Demeanor. We had Squatter's Right for the strategy(thank the gods). I took Deliver a Message and Distract, both hidden. He took hidden A Line in the Sand and Distract, also hidden. I move Miss Demeanor into a building, using it for cover while watching from a window. Miss Hans was already on the corner, so she focused and took a shot on an Oiran, knocking her to one wound. The Viks moved up to the end of the street acting as bait, while the Ronin and Bishop went up opposite flanks to snag objectives. He took the bait, and moved everything from behind the jail towards the open lane at the other end of the street. On turn two the Torakage charged Bishop, who managed to use his Cage Fighter to knock the upstart down to one, but was unable to get in any hits on his own. The Oiran popped of in a cloud of smoke, while the Viktoria of Ash manage to knock Ototo down to one wound, but Viktoria of Ash failed to finish the job. Misaki zoomed off after Vaness for I don't know why. Vanessa healed back to full, but should have just Delivered the Message. On turn three Misaki took Vanessa from full to none, and her chance was gone. The Viks took out the weakened Ototo with ease, then worked together to move up on Yamaziko and finished her, ending her charge aura threat. That thing is plenty nasty, especially for a charge oriented crew. At this point neither of us had any VP, Bishop was sitting next to a one wound Torakage, a one wound Oiran, and on a Squatter's Rights marker. The Ronin had moved to try and finish Ototo the turn before, and had failed to flip any Squatter's. My opponent, however, decided that the game was mine and conceded. I tried to explain that he still had a chance, be he called it complete. He chalked it up to Nabors wandering off to play his own game instead of staying to play Mike's game for him. I told him that having someone play for you teaches nothing, but he still refused, so we called it a game, and he wandered off.


Game four was against Shaffer. He was playing Outcasts and was trying to get some points for the league. As it was he took Taelor and an all minion crew. I took Tara, Death Marshal, Void Wretch, two Belles, and two Necropunks. We flipped Reconnoiter(please be a theme). I took hidden Sand and Deliver a Message, he took Take a Prisoner and Deliver a message, both hidden. I took Ressers again, as he needed to face them as well. I didn't take very good note this game, so you may have to bare with me. I had a Death Marshal, a Void Wretch and some Belles, don't remember what else. He ran Taelor, Ronin, Desperate Mercs, Student of Conflict, maybe others. Turn one we moved up and jockeyed for position. This game was mostly me moving the his stuff with Belles and bouncing Necropunks to be annoying, while everything else mostly shuffled around the middle. I did a fair job of destroying his crew, but he held on to the schemes and was able to keep it fairly close. I made the mistake of luring a Ronin across the field into base with one of my Belles, which turned out to be his Take Prisoner. Seamus is gonna be furious. On turn two I was able to get Deliver a Message with one of my Necropunks, but had set myself up so he got is with a Desperate Merc on the very next activation. In the end I snagged Recon on truns 2, 3, 5, he grabbed turn 5. I brought in two points for A Line in the Sand and two for Deliver a Message, he had two for Deliver a Message and three for Take Prisoner. The game ended 7-6 in my favor. A very close game, and one that left me very proud of Shaffer. He has been coming a long way lately, and how he watched his schemes during this game, no matter what I threw at him was very impressive. It was also, more that probably, my best game all weekend. I don't think there was a point where either of us felt helpless against the opponent's crew. I'm excited to see him finally get his hands on his Viktorias crew. Viktorias are definitely becoming the hot crew around the basement with five players soon to own crew, including myself. As its a crew I don't play often, I am not terribly worried about anyone moving into my turf, just excited to see it. One of the players has never really played and another doesn't ever really play either, except in my con tournaments. I'm hoping the new crew will bring them down into the hole. Only time will tell.

Well, that is all for this week. I say that, but it is only two days from this weekend when I plan to throw down some more games, and maybe even paint some Infinity models. *gasp* I know, right? I have also finished my Necropunk and should post pictures someday.

Until next time, may hot dice and happy flips be yours.