James Wilson Codes

I was excited about this game because I was curious to see how I’d fare against Lucius now that I know what he does. Also, Geraint is a great opponent to play against. I also picked Kastore because I haven’t played him for a while - since I’ve been trying out Reva 2.

I was also eager to use a clock and stick to it. I’m heading to A Breach In The North, and since my last few games didn't last the full five turns, I wanted to regain some discipline. I told Geraint that I was going to stick to the clock - and stop activating models or using Cheating Fate if I clocked out. I think I need that threat - otherwise I rock up on a weeknight, get the clock out, and keep playing when we hit zero, even though we’re having fun. While that’s enjoyable, it doesn’t help me train with the clock - and sometimes makes the game less satisfying because we aren’t playing a full match.

Also, I wanted to try out Batsch and Amalie with Kastore 2 - I had a feeling that The Power of Dance could work beautifully with Faith in the Flesh. In fact, I even tested my unpack on the kitchen table at lunchtime to incorporate this.

As far as scheme selection went, I believed that Kastore 2 was Killy enough to justify a Death Beds pick - and I also went for Ensnare. Gwyll’s Prepare the Ritual trigger lets her Drop two scheme markers, which can be great for setting this up.

I’d practised my unpack, and I think Batsch and Amalie provide a great model for this. By using The Power of Dance on all of the Returned models, they can push Kastore 6 inches with Faith in the Flesh while also granting the Urnbearer 7 Shielded from Fill the Urns. On the second turn, the Urnbearer pings off 1 Shielded to move Kastore, then repeats the process by having him land in her Pools of Blood aura before Charging him to move him again. Afterwards, she uses Empty the Urns on him and gives him Focused before moving Gwyll. On Flank, he can be at the centre with Focused by the end of two activations - two Focused and four more inches if you devote Gwyll’s activation to him.

That was the plan until Geraint’s Lone Marshall rode up and shot my Blood Vessel, reducing him to his Hard to Kill limit. This forced a change of plan; the Urnbearer healed him and granted him Focused instead. I then considered moving the Blood Vessel to Interact to gain intel, using Rite of Sacrifice as a quick action and then escaping with Sacred Duty. However, he didn’t quite have enough movement for this, so I activated the Leech King. The Leech King double-walked into the Urnbearer’s aura and healed from Pools of Blood, using I’ll Have What They’re Having to pass that benefit on to the Blood Vessel, who then used Faith in the Flesh to move close enough.

However, during these activations, Lucius jumped in via Secret Passage and murdered the Leech King. I’d warned him in my ‘Welcome to Kastore’ talk at the beginning that he was squishy. That was a significant blow - made even worse when White Eyes, whom Geraint had been cunningly advancing, charged in and murdered the Blood Vessel. On the bright side, both Lucius and White Eyes took two damage from Black Blood pings, though it was very nasty. And White Eyes had a Lead Lined Coat as well!

This led to a difficult choice that had me pondering for quite some time, even with my commitment to the clock. Kastore had two options: he could follow my original plan - charge northwards with Blood Rush, hit a Guild Lawyer, and blast both the Injured Lone Marshall and The Scribe. I could probably have one-shotted the Lawyer by using Focused and pinged 4 damage onto the others. However, after several minutes of indecision, I concluded that Lucius and White Eyes near my other models posed the greater threat.

I suspect Geraint had forgotten that Kastore can move through other models thanks to Towering Figure. With Marathine hitting Kastore and the ever-helpful Pools of Blood aura, I moved him into position to charge. Now, White Eyes possesses Hard to Wound and Inhuman Physiology, meaning you’ll always face a negative to hit him (I’ve used him in my crew too, so I know him well). However, he is Df 4 and was on 7 health. Armour +1 from his Lead Lined Coat bolstered him somewhat, but that initial hit - which could reach Lucius with the Double Blast - dealt 5 - 1 = 4 damage, leaving him with 3, and Lucius was looking quite peaky. Between that activation and the first activation of Turn 2, those two threats were eliminated - and Geraint was low on Soulstones.

However, the Lone Marshall then rode up and shot the Urnbearer off the board. I’m always very sad when that happens, but they do find guns very tiring. I’ve even hired a Gwisin in the past to protect them with Take the Hit.

This was shaping up to be a brutal game. The Cavern Nephilim used Echolocation on Agent 46, dropping a Scheme Marker and interacting to gain intel before simply running away with Ambush.

Gwyll managed to drop another Scheme Marker near Agent 46 just before he activated to score Ensnare. Batsch & Amalie then used Endless Waltz to nip away after he mimicked the Lone Marshall’s gun and shot them. On their subsequent activation, they dropped another Scheme Marker in time for Kastore to Walk (no charging allowed due to Disguised) in and use Blood Rush to force through enough damage to kill Agent 46 and score Death Beds from Strategy Markers. With his remaining activation, he Charged the Guild Steward, killing him and taking 6 damage from his Demise (Reprisal). This was a calculated risk, but Kastore was at full health - and only the Lone Marshall posed a real threat, and he had already activated.

After that, we both switched our focus to point scoring. I’d missed a Cloak and Dagger point but managed to secure it in turns 2 and 4. There was some additional shooting from the Lone Marshall, but nothing was killed. Kastore’s final activation involved a double walk/interact to drop a Scheme Marker in a Strategy Marker, setting up for the final Death Beds point, while also sending the Marathine to charge Gwyll (I’m now realising as I write that I didn’t have to declare the melee action - I could have simply moved) in order to be closer to the corner where Geraint was setting up for Outflank.

I was set up to score Death Beds; I wasn’t aiming for Cloak and Dagger, and I had missed my opportunity to set up the second point of Ensnare. I knew Geraint had Information Overload, so while he replaced it immediately, the Marathine used Remove Their Claim to eliminate a Scheme Marker.

The final activation belonged to the Cavern Nephilim. Geraint was deliberating over where to place the 30mm Scribe on top of his 30mm Scheme Marker. Unfortunately, even with the Lone Marshall blocking his way, the Cavern Nephilim’s significant mobility (and ability to move through models) meant that either a Faith in the Flesh -> Ambush -> Walk -> Interact sequence or a Faith in the Flesh -> Walk -> Walk -> Forage sequence allowed me to remove it, denying him the second Outflank point.

It was an incredibly close game. Geraint later remarked that it was one of those matches where you almost don’t care about the score because it’s just so much fun - and I agree. I was so focused that I only managed to take a few pictures. In the end, I won, but only because Geraint had the Initiative in the final turn, which meant that I hadn’t yet removed my Scheme Markers for Death Beds when he had to score Information Overload - and at that point, we each had three.

I’m also pleased to report that neither of us clocked out! I had 5 minutes remaining on the clock, even after some intense deliberation following the Leech King’s demise. Knowing that I had a clock penalty helped me stick to my time, and I think I’ll enforce that with myself whenever I use clocks outside of events.