Showing posts with label MalfiauxMusingsNytheraCampaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MalfiauxMusingsNytheraCampaign. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

The Cavalry Is Here! (and a quick update on the Campaign League!)

Just a brief one today taking a look at a roster list I’ve been mulling over recently (Author’s note: I thought of this before the impromptu Malifools episode where Joel Henry brought it up. That said, Joel is smarter than me, and was likely thinking about this before Book 3 came out, or something, and was just keeping it to himself.)

Let’s start with the list:

Cavalry Charge!

Guild 50SS


Lucas McCabe-Badge of Speed, Glowing Sabre, Promises
3x Mounted Guard
Pale Rider
The Lone Marshall
6SS

So, obviously this list is built to capitalize on the Book 3 guild minion the Mounted Guards. Individually, these horsemen provide a lot of good abilities. They’re fast; relatively tough with armor +1, 8 wounds, and a 0 action to give themselves and everything near them a + to defense flips; and a Melee 6 saber and ever popular Guild Peacebringer (both with critical strike built in, of course) to dish out punishment. Their real value to the crew, however, comes from their interaction with other models in the crew. Whenever they declare a charge against a target, they can bring any other friendly model with a Cg of 7 or more that’s nearby along for the ride, placing within 2” of where the Mounted Guardsman ends up, creating the titular “Cavalry Charge!” effect on the game board.  This creates some awesome maneuverability, especially since their other front of the card ability, “Reinforcements” lets them push friendly models engaged with their charge targets away. This bonus movement is a key advantage for the crew, and can help overcome its lower model count.
So obviously this crew needs a mounted master to lead them, and that brings us to Lucas McCabe. He’s fast enough, and since Mounted Guardsmen are all minions, his upgrade tossing shenanigans grant them the full benefits of the thrown upgrades as well as "Promises." A glowing sabre being tossed to someone with a cavalry charge action could lead to some very injured faces. Also, its not like anyone doesn’t take Badge of Speed anyways, but its clutch for this crew as a means of overcoming their reduced number of activations. As for the rest of the crew, the options for staying within the Cg of  7+ theme are a little limited in Guild (there are more if you take Lucius with his upgrade and hire Mounted Guards into the Neverborn, but that’s for somebody else’s blog post.) Just to stay with the mounted combat theme, I went with Pale Rider and The Lone Marshall. Lone Marshal is no slouch in melee and can tank, but I sort of envision a bubble of McCabe and Mounted Guards taking the fight directly to the enemy while Lone Marshal and/or Pale Rider take flank sweeping duty followed by scheme running. Once you reach later turns, Pale Rider will be better suited to get into the mix and try to capitalize on his big-time damage outputs, but as usual with the Riders its best to keep him distant early on until he can protect himself. Also, his zero action lets him drop scheme markers rapidly as well, filling what is very obviously a gap in the crew. There are some other models you can take in their place that make the charge numbers (Lady Justice is one slightly terrifying option, surprisingly Sonnia’s Purifying Flame totem is a less frightening one.) McCabe has always had strong synergy with Guild Hounds using his totem, Luna, and they can charge right along with the Guardsmen as well.
Is it a great crew? I don’t really know. The only model I’ve ever used on the tabletop was a Lone Marshall once in the early days of Wave 1, and he got mulched by a Red Joker damage flip with Lady Justice that left a bad taste in my mouth. The big risk, as I’ve kept mentioning, is that you’re going to get out activated in most games so you’re going to have to make those activations count by having a plan, sticking to it, and executing it. Chances are, a more mixed force with some elements of the cavalry mixed with strong support models like Austringers will end up being more competitive, but I still think you could beat some people with this crew. Be the bullies (this is the Guild, after all), and pick on the weaker models to get them out of the way so you can focus fire the big-bads down as a team. Use McCabe to protect the other members of the crew, as he’s much more tanky and frankly if you start losing models your crew is going to fall apart in chunks. I think they’ll be very good for some scheme pool/strategy combinations, less effective for others where they have to split up to claim quadrants, but I love the theme, so I want to see what they can do.

You know, after I get done with this narrative campaign thing, that is.

Speaking of which, time for a quick update!

MMNCL Week 2 Standings

Total
TP
Diff
VP
Ryle's Retaliators
0
-4
13
Hannah's Hellions
6
9
18
Anna's Executioners
6
7
14
Wu Kang
3
4
14
Tokkun
3
-5
11
Rolling Thunder
3
-1
9
Big Hats
3
0
11


The Outcast and Restrictionist crews are both off to strong starts thus far, with both winning by healthy margins in the first two games. A lucky injury flip on a belle has resulted in a belle that drops multiple corpse markers when it dies, which is troubling since Anna’s bringing Spare Parts. The Outcasts have notably made it through the first two weeks with a clean slate for injuries, and Hannah’s suit currently sports a fearsome steam gatling gun for ranged support. Bringing up the rear are the brave forces of the Guild (clearly their defeats coming due to treachery and deceit,) but early reports from Week 3 suggest that Ryle’s Retaliators’ fortunes may have changed.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Malfaux Musings Week 1: Four Quadrants, A Funeral, and an Information Broker

The mysterious stranger stood amongst the abandoned ruins, immaculately dressed despite the dust and grit that seemed to blow its way into everything in the Badlands. His masked face was unreadable as he stared into the bloody charnel pit, still smoldering with the remains of whatever poor souls had been ritualistically destroyed here some time in the past. He reached into his vest pocket, retrieving a gold pocket watch. He flipped it open and nodded. "Ten minutes to midnight," he said to himself, nodding. "They'll be here soon." He looked up, eyes peering unnaturally into the gloom. They would come for Nythera, the fools. They would come thinking they could claim for themselves that which was unclaimable, and what once was would be again. And, as always, he would profit from their sorrow. That was his nature.

As the shadowy forms became visible on the horizon, eight small groups dashing towards him at full tilt, he let out a quiet, high-pitched titter of laughter. "Time to let the killing start..." 

The arsenals have been assembled, the rules are finalized, and we are underway with the Malifaux Musings Vassal Campaign League (MMVCL? sure, we'll go with that.) And the week one scenario is...

Deployment: Standard
Strategy: Interference
Scheme Pool: A Line in the Sand, Assassination, Bodyguard, Cursed Object, Plant Explosive
Vassal Map: Funeral Home
Weekly Event: 
The Information Broker
Tales tell of a masked information broker, in a dapper suit and top hat, who seems to know a little too much... Reports have sighted him all over Breachside, telling tales in the city and through the Badlands. Whether it is one man or many is uncertain, but only a fool would pass up this chance...

An Information Broker joins every Encounter this week. Place a 30mm Information Broker Marker in the center of the table (or as close as possible). This Marker is Ht 2, impassable, blocking, and it may be attacked. When it is attacked it is considered to have Df and Wp of 6 and 8 Wd. The Crew which is not Attacking it flips and cheats for it. It can only be damaged by attacks which directly target it.

Any model within 1” of the Information Broker may make a (1) Interact Action targeting it to ask it for guidance. When this happens, flip on the following chart (this flip may not be cheated): 

Black Joker
The model is immediately killed.
Ram
Heal all damage on the model.
Tome
The model’s controller may place a Scheme Marker anywhere on the table.
Crow
The model’s controller gains 2 Scrip.
Mask
The model’s controller gains 2 Scrip.
Red Joker
The model’s controller makes an additional Barter flip at the end of the game.

Alternately, any model within 1" of the Information Broker may make a (1) Interact Action targeting it to ask it for information. The player may spend 1 Scrip to gain 2 LP in any non-Nythera location controlled by another Faction. A player may not earn more than 6 LP from this event during Week 3.

Wanted to use Wyrd's weekly event, but of course there's a hiccup because we're only in week 1 and nobody has any scrip to spend on the information broker. Solution: add in the ability to use the action this guy is based on from Shifting Loyalties and get some scrip or other bonuses from him, which you could theoretically use later in the game to get some LP for your faction. 

And here are the week 1 crews. 

Player NameAndrew CasterlineScripCurrent BountyDo the job. Get paid.
Crew NameHannah's HellionsProgress0/3
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Hannah10Survivalist – 1SS
Hodgepodge Effigy4
Sue8
Freikorps Librarian7
Freikorpsmann5
Total Models34
Maximum Game Size39


Player NameDoctorWhatScripCurrent BountyHit-List
Crew NameAnna's ExecutionersProgress0/2
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Anna Lovelace9Spare Parts (2 SS)
Canine Remains4
Carrion Emissary10
Rotten Belle5
Rotten Belle5
Total Models33
Maximum Game Size38

Player NameBrian SchonerScripCurrent BountyCovert Operations
Crew NameRolling Thunder0Progress0/2
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Ototo10Call the Thunder
Katanaka Sniper7
Komainu5
Wastrel4
Yin the Penangalan8
Total Models34
Maximum Game Size39

Player NameJoe BScripCurrent BountyLessons learned in Blood 0/4
Crew NameFlash of BrillianceProgress
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Hungering Darkness8Nexus of Power (1)
The Illuminated7
Beckoner7
Beckoner7
The Depleted4
Total Models33
Maximum Game Size38

Player NameAdam RogersScripCurrent BountyStrange Times
Crew NameRyle's Retaliators0Progress0/2
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Ryle10Wade In!
Francisco Ortega8
Austringer6
Death Marshall Burns6
Brutal Effigy4
Total Models34
Maximum Game Size39

Player NameTravis DeVollScripCurrent BountyClean up crew
Crew NameTokkun0Progress0/3
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Yamazaki7Blot the Sky [1]
Takehiko (Thunder Archer)7
Yuuto (Thunder Archer)7
Jorogumo Takaide9
Tengu Asuka4
Total Models34
Maximum Game Size39

Player NameJon / Sensei PhiascoScripCurrent BountyMark our Territory
Crew NameWu Kang0Progress0/2
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Kang9Misdirection
Chiaki the Niece6
The Thunder Brother 5
Katanaka Sniper7
Guild Pathfinder6
Total Models33
Maximum Game Size38

Player NameLittleGreenGuyScripCurrent Bounty
Crew NameBig Hats0Progress
Model NameSS CostSkillsInjuriesEquipmentUpgrades
Francois (Leader)7I'll Love It And Pet It (Lenny) (1)
Lenny9
War Pig9
Piglet4
Hog Whisperer5
Total Models34
Maximum Game Size39