UNMASK!

UNMASK!
The event of the season.

PRODUCTION PURGATORY
That's a biiiiig ...

Mako's Miss Ery.

WRETCHED RATS!
An interesting take on using ... well ... rats.

14

Vol.

CONTENTS
WYRD
CHRONICLES

14

FOREWORD............................................................................... 1
Diving into the Deep End of the Scheme Pool...................2
UNMASK! UNMASK!....................................................................9
AN EASY MARK (starter TTB Adventure}......................................... 22
MR.STICKS' HALLOWEEN..........................................................29
Production Purgatory [SCENARIO]..........................................38
Professor Pontificates......................................................39
JUNIOR WHATNOTS.................................................................42
A Malifaux Battle Report...................................................43
WRETCHED RATS.....................................................................50
MISS ERY LOVES COMPANY {Mako's Rubbish}..................................52

content guide

stories

terrain

game sessions

Credits

mechanics

fun & tactics

painting

battle-reports

gallery

Creative Director

Graphic Artist

Contributing Authors

Nathan Caroland

Jorge Gomez
Alex Cairns

Justin Gibbs
Michael Kelmelis
Mark Rodgers
Adrian Scott
Graeme Stevenson
Andrew Weakland
Aaron Darland
Matthew Farrer

Layout and Editing

David Hanold
Jorge Gomez
Aaron Darland
Alex Cairns

Illustrations
Aleksandar Aleksandrov
Hardy Fowler
Christophe Madura

FOREWORD
Nathan Caroland

Heck yeah!
October has arrived, arguably one of my favorite months as the weather
starts to get cooler, the bad horror movies start to cycle through the
television, and the spooks and goblins appear in one form or another
to have a grand time.
And if I'm really lucky (or industrious!), I get to scare the bejesus out of
the local kids as we give away goodies later in the month. We've had to
hose off the walkway a few times over the years ... ah yes, good times,
good times.
In the mean time, between painting, gaming, scaring the kids and
watching the absolute best halloween versions of Scooby Doo, we bring
you another Wyrd Chronicles, in which we explore the harvest month in
Malifaux, and as with all things, there are some deadly twists involved!
Dive in, devour, and let us know what you think!

Diving into the Deep End

of the Scheme Pool
Michael Kelmelis
Michael is a regular writer on the Guessing Zero
gaming website at guessingzero.com, and is a co-host
of the podcast Gaming Done Right on the Guessing
Zero Network.

deeper than that. A savvy player will be able to pull

advantage out of the entire Scheme mechanic and
be in a better position for victory.

There is little better on a lazy afternoon than pushing

painted models around on a beautifully rendered
western town, flipping cards, and making sound
effects as Seamus hand cannon rips the head off
an offending Guild Guard. (The sound effects, in my
opinion, are the most important part.)

Understanding the Scheme Pool

The depth to which the Scheme Pool interacts with
every game of Malifaux is substantial. It helps push
into each game the sense that each time you play
is going to be vastly different. With this one simple
feature, Malifaux opens up a wealth of possibility.
The depth of the Scheme Pool is matched by its
simplicity. To fully understand how the Scheme
Pool can impact a game, first lets make sure we
understand the Scheme Pool itself and where it fits
into the game as a whole.

Malifaux is a dynamic game filled with dozens of

moving parts that players have to remember and
balance. There are the abilities of the models on
the table, combined with the cards in your deck and
in your opponents, plus the Strategy in play and the
current Victory Points counts, and soon it becomes
dizzying. Every aspect of the game creates a unique
experience when brought together.

What Has Already Happened

During the setup of a game, after Defining and
Placing Terrain, after Determining the Encounter
Size and Announcing Faction, and after Determining
Deployment, the players will determine the Strategy
and available Schemes.

One of the big differentiators between Malifaux and

other games is the way the game handles victory.
It is not all about killing. Its about Victory Points,
and most of those Victory Points come from its
Schemes. From the Scheme Pool to the timing
of when the Schemes are selected, Schemes are
entwined flawlessly with the game. While many
may look at Schemes as a simple (but important)
part of the game, accounting for potentially 60%
of the available Victory Points, Schemes are much

Most of what has happened to this point is just

setting up the preamble to the game. Players have
only had to make a single decision up until this point
that will narrow the scope of their game: determine

which Faction they are playing. Everything

else to this point has not been a decision
the players are able to make themselves; it
has been decided for them.

Value Schemes come up less frequently and

tend to be more complex ones to achieve.
Not every Faction will be equally prepared to
accomplish every Value Scheme, and even if
they are, they tend to be a little more difficult
than your standard Suit Schemes. However
they have the advantage of being seen
less often in Scheme Pools and, therefore,
it is easier to surprise your opponent by
selecting them. Your opponent will likely be
less experienced facing them.

How to Determine Available Schemes

Once the Strategy is randomly selected,
the players generate Scheme options. One
player shuffles his or her deck and flips the
top two cards, reflipping any Jokers that might
come up. The result is two cards, each with
a Suit and a Value. From this combination,
five schemes will be selected.

Distract only comes up when two Suits or

two Values are identical in the cards that
are flipped. The odds of it coming up are
closer to the Suit Schemes. Because of
that, I tend to consider it to be a fifth Suit
Scheme in probability, though its rules
make it align better with the Value Schemes
as it is trickier in the game.

There is always one scheme available:

A Line in the Sand.
Each Suit corresponds to a different
Scheme.

I will not take the time to talk through

each Scheme and the best way to achieve
them. The Pull My Finger Malifaux Tactica
Wikipedia
at
pullmyfinger.wikispaces.
com has a great overview of the different
Strategies and Schemes that can help
players formulate plans for each individual
one, and I encourage you to take a look at it.

Each Value corresponds to a different

Scheme.
If either the Suit or the Value are
duplicates, the Distract Scheme is
available.
By following these basic rules, every Scheme
Pool will have five available choices, no more,
no less.

What Will Happen Later

While the Schemes are random in their determination,

there are clearly some Schemes that will be more
likely to show up than others. A Line in the Sand,
for example, will always be an available choice. It is
a Scheme that utilizes Scheme Markers, but is one
of the hardest Schemes with which to achieve full
Victory Points.

Once the Scheme Pool has been created, most

of the decision-making will begin. With the new
information of what you could be doing in the
game, you and your opponent will hire and reveal
your Crews, choose the Schemes you will be using,
deploy, and begin.

The Schemes that correspond to the Suits are

far more likely to come up than the ones that
correspond to Values and you are likely to see two
each game. Among the Suit Schemes, two of them
require Scheme Markers, one requires killing an
opposing model, and the last requires keeping one
of your models safe. They tend to be more universal
Schemes that every Faction has a number of tools
to help achieve.

What the Scheme Pool Tells You

about Your Opponent
With an understanding of where the Scheme Pool
creation fits into the game setup, its time to look
at how this feature can change the way you play
the game. Learning what the Strategy and Scheme
Pool for a game is can be the most crucial piece of
information you get about a game during setup, yet

too often I see people ignore it and impatiently jump

straight into playing. If victory is what you crave, you
need to take every advantage you can. Knowing and
analyzing the Scheme Pool is a huge opportunity
that is too often wasted.

Understanding how the Scheme Pool can help dictate

your opponents choices, helps you to understand
what flavor of Crew your opponent might be taking,
and that gives you the opportunity to create your
Crew to combat again them.

Before even considering how your Crew choices

can possibly achieve a particular set of Schemes,
you should first consider how your opponents Crew
options can achieve them. Building your Crew
involves so many different factors that if you jump
into it without having all the information you need,
you will miss a step. Creating your Crew, then
considering what Crew your opponent might be
creating will leave you having to go back and re-tailor
your Crew to face what you expect he will bring.
Better not to waste time. Get all the information
you can before building your list. Consider your
opponents plan.

Building a Crew with Schemes in Mind

Now that you have determined the course you predict
your opponent will take with the Schemes available, it
is time for you to consider the same path for yourself.
You have, by now, read over all the Schemes so they
should be well-planted in your mind.
Start by looking at the Value Schemes for the same
reason I suggest paying particular attention to them
when considering your opponents choices. They are
not as easy for every Faction to complete, but they
may fit well in with the choices you have available
to you. They give you a chance to twist the game
and hit your opponent sideways. Consider all your
model choices, know which ones are more likely to
help with your Value Schemes, and plan accordingly.

This, of course, requires an understanding of what your

opponent can bring to the table. Your list of potential
options has already been narrowed by your opponent
announcing his Faction. But with seven Masters and
dozens of Henchmen, Enforcers, Minions and Peons
at his disposal, it is still a daunting task to figure out
precisely what he might bring.

There will be times, of course, that the Value

Schemes do not line up with what you have available
to you. In this case, you still have your Suit Schemes
available to you. These tend to be easier to achieve
for all Factions, and can be more easily planned for.

Once you know the Scheme Pool, however, you can

start to formulate what you are likely to see on the
table, even if you cannot narrow it down to specific
models. If the majority of the Schemes available
require placing Scheme Markers, it becomes likely
that your Neverborn opponent will take a fast,
objective-grabbing model like Terror Tots or Silurids.
If Bodyguard and Protect Territory are options, they
may be looking to take higher cost, more defensive
models like Barbaros. And if there are a lot of killing
Schemes available, your opponent may be looking
to load up on offensive power with Teddy.

Finally, you always have A Line in the Sand as an

option. It is, as I said earlier, a harder Scheme to
achieve than most, but it is always available.
This brings me to a suggestion I give all players.
When I was going through college, one of my
professors suggested that in any important decision,
you should already plan through what your choice
would be given the options available. Plan for
several expected contingences as well, but primarily
consider what your choice would be if that question
came to you quickly.

The most important Schemes to consider here

are the Value Schemes. These are the ones that
a player will choose most often to try to twist the
game and surprise their opponent. They are usually
not as easy for every Faction to complete, and while
some sound incredibly difficult, there are sneaky
ways that opponents could achieve them. Read the
Schemes. Read them again. And know what your
opponents options are for achieving them.

His primary reason for making this observation was

because often the process of making a decision
takes time, and you may not have that time available
to you. When he told us this, he said I know the
precise point at which I would make the choice to

kill a person. Well thanks; I think Ill be passing on

the invitation to join you for beers after class. It did
make me feel a little less comfortable around him,
but in the balance, he had a point.

All Your Eggs in One Basket

Simply put, this is the idea that when you plan
your Schemes, consider your Strategy and Scheme
Pool and pick ones that will be easier to achieve
together. Breakthrough requires fast-moving models
to create Scheme Markers, so take another Scheme
that requires Scheme Markers like Plant Evidence
and use the same fast-moving objective-grabbing
models to achieve both. If two Terror Tots are all you
expect to need to achieve Breakthrough, and two
are all you expect to need to achieve Plant Evidence,
you would probably be able to achieve both with only
three Terror Tots, saving you points.

Making a decision before the situation happens

helps remove the time it takes to make that decision
so you can act quickly. But it also does something
else, which is more valuable to Malifaux players.
Making that decision beforehand lets you reallocate
the time you would be considering building your
Crew to achieve each Scheme and instead use that
time to analyze what your opponent may be bringing
to face you down and prepare accordingly.

The advantages here are that you can double-up what

some of your models are doing. Often in games,
once my Silurid has achieved its Breakthrough
points, it has little else to do for the rest of the
game other than make a nuisance of itself in combat
somewhere. By giving another Scheme that plays on
the Silurids abilities, it can continue to help win the
game to the best of its ability. This also will usually
save you Soulstones in Crew creation that will allow
you to focus more on stopping your opponent from
achieving their goals.

I recommend looking over each of the Suit Schemes,

and A Line in the Sand, and consider for the Crews
you intend to take, how would you achieve them?
Give yourself two or three options for each one.
That way when you are building your Crew, youre
putting together different sets of models that you
know will work together well for what you are trying
to achieve. You may know, for example, that two
Necropunks or two Crooligans would work perfectly
for achieving Breakthrough. So when Breakthrough
comes up, your Breakthrough package may be two
Necropunks. Slide that option in and know that
Breakthrough has been set.

The drawback, however, is that if you find your

opponent has selected a Crew or built a situation
that prevents you from achieving one of your
Schemes, it is very likely he may have been able to
prevent you from doing both.

One other thing to consider with building a Crew in

relation to Schemes is how to apply the knowledge
you got during the last section: knowing what your
opponent intends to do to achieve their potential
Schemes. Winning the game requires more than
just you achieving your Victory Points; you must also
deny your opponent his or hers. If you expect a lot
of fast-moving objective-grabbers, bring something
to counter them. Fast-moving offensive pieces or
ranged attacks to kill them, or models with Lure or
pushes to move them out of position.

Spread the Wealth

On the other hand, you could take two Schemes
from the Scheme Pool that are not related to each
other at all. Outflank and Assassinate, for example.
Neither one requires the same models, and neither
one really asks for the same gameplay. You may want
a pair of Guild Guards for Outflank to take position
and hold there, while achieving Assassinate may call
for something with more power, like a Peacekeeper.
Those models dont overlap well in what they would
be attempting to do. A Guild Guard will have a hard
time achieving Assassinate against most models,
and while a Peacekeeper could grab one side for
Outflank, it tends to be a waste of points to do so.

How to Select Schemes

While you are creating your Crew, you should also
be considering and selecting the Schemes you
intend to complete. There are two major schools of
thought around how to choose which Schemes you
intend to achieve.

Taking a Scheme that could give you an additional

point if it is revealed, and then intentionally not
revealing it is a great way to throw off your opponent.
Most times if a player does not reveal a Scheme,
his or her opponent will assume the player has one
of the Schemes that does not grant a bonus from
being revealed and will play accordingly. If you can
force your opponent to spend resources blocking
a Scheme you do not have, you are more likely to
achieve your other Victory Points.

The
advantages
and
disadvantages
are,
unsurprisingly, opposite to those above.
The
advantage is that an opponent will need to use two
drastically different sets of tactics to stop you from
achieving one Scheme than he will need to stop you
from achieving the other. The disadvantage is that
you will need to devote more overall resources to
achieving both Schemes, as your models will not be
able to cross from one to the other as easily.
Personally, I always prefer putting my eggs in one
basket. Spreading the wealth is a great defensive
ploy, helping to protect your points, but I find that if
you want to win, protecting your Victory Points is only
part of the equation. Spend too many resources
defending your own points and you run the risk of
not having enough left to stop your opponent from
getting their points.

Using Schemes to Formulate a Game Plan

Your Schemes have been selected and revealed.
Your opponent has done the same. Now all that is
left is to set up and play the game.
Of course, now is not the time to sit back and stop
planning. In fact, once you know your opponents
Crew, his or her revealed Schemes, and how they
are deploying, you have the most information you
can get to plan out your course of attack. Note
the location of your opponents models. If your
opponent has two objective-grabbing models near
one side of the board, plan your attack accordingly.
If they have no support, it might be worth devoting
several attacking models to that flank, forcing your
opponent to either risk the engagement or move off
that side of the board.

That said, what works for me may not work for

others, and I have found players who have been
quite talented at spreading the wealth when it
comes to Schemes.

To Reveal or Not to Reveal

You and your opponent have both selected your
Schemes, and now is the time to reveal the ones
you want. Do you reveal your Schemes?

Know what your models are intended to do as

well. Plan for your Schemes, and have your models
positioned to address each of them. Do your best
to conceal what your plan is so your opponent
cannot react to it. If you have a fast-moving
objective-grabber, it might be worth deploying them
somewhere farther away from your target so your
opponent does not deploy to counter you.

No doubt, it is always a consideration. And not

one that is easily answered. Schemes that are
unrevealed are easier to achieve. Your opponent
does not precisely know what is happening with
them, so he will be less able to stop you from
accomplishing at least some of the points.

Consider every Scheme you know your opponent

has, and then consider what they might not have.
If they revealed both of their Schemes, you know
exactly how to stop them. If they kept any of them
hidden, recall the Scheme Pool and what those
might be and begin to figure out how to block points.
Bodyguard gives full points only if your opponent is
far from their Deployment Zone and has more than
half wounds, so put some damage into the potential
Bodyguard targets. If Outflank is an option, hold one
of the sides of the board with one of your models to
make sure your opponent cannot reach that middle
line uncontested.

When you look over your selected Schemes, the

first thing to determine is if there is actual value in
revealing the Scheme. Many Schemes will offer an
extra Victory Point if they are revealed and achieved.
Just because a Scheme offers a potential extra
Victory Point does not mean it should automatically
be revealed, though.
Achieving a full ten points is rarely required to win
a game of Malifaux, especially if your plan for the
game includes blocking points from your opponent.

Bluffing like this requires a lot of things to go

correctly. You need to have the right combination of
Schemes available in the Scheme Pool, you need to
have your Crew set up with enough redundancy that
you can afford using the Action Points to bluff, and
your opponent needs to bite when you do so. It is
not a trick I recommend trying every game, but when
the stars align, it is the stuff of legends.

How Schemes Change the Game

We have spent a long time talking about how
Schemes and the Scheme Pool impact the pregame, but they have a great impact on the game
itself as well, and in more ways than just helping to
determine the final Victory Points.

Using Action Points for Schemes

Huh So Schemes Are Important!

Schemes, especially those that use Scheme

Markers, require an investment of Action Points for
no other purpose than gaining Victory Points. Kill
Schemes have the advantage of also potentially
disrupting your opponent, but they carry the risk of
allowing your opponent more opportunity to stop
you from achieving them.

By now Ive demonstrated how important Schemes

and the Scheme Pool can be, even beyond offering
an opportunity for majority of your Victory Points.
There is a wealth of information to be gathered
just by knowing what Schemes are available in a
game. It informs you what choices you should be
considering for your Crew, and whispers hints of what
your opponent will be taking in the game before they
even show their Crew. Choosing whether to hide
or reveal your Schemes gives you the potential to
force your opponent into accounting for a wide array
of ways to stop you from getting your Victory Points.

Using the Schemes that require Scheme Markers,

however, means that in a game where your Minions
get at most ten Actions will require precise
application of those Actions (barring a game that
goes beyond the normal turn 5). If it requires two
moves to get to a spot to drop a Scheme Marker
and one Action to drop it, you should expect no
more than two Scheme Markers from your Minion in
a game, allowing a little bit of room for maneuvering
or fighting.

Malifaux is very deep. Schemes are but one thread

in this rich weave of rules and details that make
up the game we all love. Like so many parts of
this game, taking the time to understand how the
Scheme Pool interacts with the rest of Malifaux will
improve your skill, make you a stronger opponent,
and make you more likely to achieve victory.

Because Scheme Markers are AP-intensive, you will

have to play some of your models very strictly. Even
if an opportunity arises to have a Doppleganger
move in and knock off the last two wounds from
an enemy Master, remember your plan. If that
Doppleganger is earmarked for Victory Points, do
not let them be pulled off mark.

Bluffing
Schemes involving Scheme Markers, especially
those that are unrevealed, can be fantastic tools to
try to misdirect your opponent. It is not a situation
that always presents itself, but when it does and
when you can pull it off, it has the makings of an
epic game. Use a few of your Action Points to
drop Scheme Markers as though you have Protect
Territory, and when your opponent moves forward
to block that Scheme, move quickly past and
accomplish your true objective.

UNMASK! UNMASK!
MATTHEW FARRER
Jacques looks up and the thing is looming over him,
seeming to fill the Manors double doorway. For a
moment he is only able to take it in as disparate
glimpses: the bizarrely wide torso. The strange
mess of angles and protrusions jutting from the
broad shoulders. Gleaming metal patterning its
limbs. Its face is in shadow. Its holding something
out to him.
Jacques does not so much as blink.
smiles and takes the little white card.

My husband is Industry, so I am Art! She flourishes

the flute and scroll she carries. Her white tunic is
mock-Grecian, and her mask is a netted veil hung
from a wreath around her brow.
Elegant and striking, maam, Jacques says.
Please, if you will follow Robert through to the
main hall? His Excellency hopes you will enjoy the
evening to the fullest.

He bows,
Another carriage is already pulling up at the foot of
the steps. Jacques hurries to greet it, tossing the
card onto a table with a scattering of its siblings.
The gold border is thick enough to clink faintly
when it lands.

Good evening, Mister Schuster, and welcome to

the Manor. Jaques turns to the figures companion.
And Mrs Schuster, His Excellency is delighted to
have your company.

The card reads:

Im Industry, you see, says a genial, whiskyroughened voice.
See?
Industry!
Industry
supporting Malifaux and all of Earthside! In the
better light of the hall more details become apparent:
stylised pistons and engine-rods swarm about the
figures limbs, its belly is a mock furnace, its face a
fanciful rendering of an industrial constructs mask.
The strange shapes across its shoulders are models
of buildings. Jacques recognises the Malifaux Spire
in among the Earthside landmarks.

Mr. Wentworth and Mrs. Elizabeth Schuster

are invited to provide the pleasure of their company
at the inaugural
Vice-Regal All-Hallows Masked Ball
to be held in the Governor-Generals Manor from
8pm at All-Hallows Eve
Costumed so as to symbolize their role and station
here in Malifaux, with a general Unmasking to take
place upon the stroke of Midnight.

And you, Mrs Schuster?

The script is an elegant copperplate, so precise

that it looks mechanically done. But tonight is
too important to trust even such a tiny detail to
machinery, and the handwriting on the cards is that
of Lucius Mattheson himself.

together to light the fuse and then oof come

running back right into the Guilds arms, because
nobody stayed back to keep the escape route clear?
Every one of them, you numpty. Guild. Something
occurs to him. Did you say fuse? You havent put
an actual powder-fuse in there, have you? Because
the number of ways that could-

>>><<<
In the tunnels below there is also lantern-light, but
the light is hooded, furtive and frightened. Theres
a quick and heartfelt curse, and then with the click
of a shutter the light is gone again.

Will you keep your voice down and relax? Cadwall

cuts him off. No, were not going to have to put
a taper to a fuse like a pair of old blackpowder
Charlies. Give me a little credit. Do I ask you if your
bomb is just a barrel stuffed with cheap dynamite
sticks? No, because I trust that someone of your
reputation knows how to -

Cant you leave the damn thing open? I didnt get

a proper look.
Shut up, or at least dont talk so loud. I got a look.
Theres space, we just have to be careful. The
second voices owner gives a loud and marshy sniff.

Alright, alright. Grimes grits his teeth and they

heave the barrel clear of the gate, setting it down on
its thick wooden trestle. Come on. Shut the light
again, if you want, we can manage this next bit in
the dark. In the last moments before the lantern
closes it illuminates his scowl. This close to the
Manor tunnels, though, he mutters. Cant believe
nobodys watching them.

Some gall telling me to be quiet. Those sinuses

of yours are going to shake the bloody roof down on
our heads before we get there.
Im not used to breathing sewer-fug. Unlike you,
apparently. A moment of aggrieved silence and the
voice relents. Alright, fine, wait a moment. The
lantern unshutters again.

>>><<<
This close to the Manor tunnels, though,
mutters Viktor Ramos, Cant believe nobodys
watching them.

Cadwall and Grimes are facing one another over

the fat barrel-casing of the bomb. It really is a
barrel, appropriated from a brewhouse on the
station road. The idea was that the wood will thud
rather than clang against brickwork or gates, less
likely to alert a guard.

Ramos isnt talking to anyone in particular. In fact,

hes alone in his laboratory. The apparatus carries
pictures but not sounds, so Ramos has become a
competent lip-reader. He finds it helps to echo the
words as he watches them being spoken.

They two men in the tunnel, and the others who

have helped them to get here, have all taken it for
granted that there would be guards. Particularly on
this night of all nights.

The light from the treated quartz plate bathes Ramos

face and glances off his spectacle lenses. His sharp,
mobile features are pinched with concentration.

Where is everyone? Grimes asks as they

manhandle the bomb through the grate.

His tiny electric spider has been tracking the pair for
half an hour, ever since he found out the hotheaded
idiots defied his specific instructions and went
haring off on this quixotic stupidity. He knows where
they are now. He knows all the tunnels around the

Everyone who? You know its just us for the final

push. Or do you fancy the whole lot of us going in

10

Manor, has mapped them personally. Many of

the secret accesses and vandalised locks are
his own work. The bribes that ensure the Guild
security blind spots stay blind come out of his
own damned pocket.

Take those, would you? Lucius says into the

gloom. A whisper of sound and movement nearby
and suddenly Jacques hand is empty.
You are welcoming the guests properly, Jacques?
Of course you are.
The Governor-Generals
expectations are quite specific. There has been
enough disruption to our plans for this night.

Ramos had very specific goals in mind for all that

trouble. This stunt is not one of them. Ramos
steps back from the worktable and runs a hand
through his wiry, flyaway grey hair.

Disruption, sir? I trust that if there is any way in

which I can assist in... Jacques voice trails off; a
slight tilt of Lucius masked head has been enough
to silence him.

I didnt get an invitation to the Ball either, he snaps

to the empty lab, but do you see me running off to
blow the place up? The joke fails to lift his mood.

Assist? You have some way of reversing the recent

tragedy that opened so many unfortunate gaps in
our guest list for tonight?

Letting their plan go ahead is out of the question,

of course. Even if their reckless delusions come
true and their decapitation strike cracks Malifaux
wide open, what do they expect to happen next?
Worse, what becomes of him? Ramos told us it
couldnt be done and forbade us from trying, but we
did it anyway and we pulled it off! Where might that
sort of talk lead?

Ah. You refer to the massacre at the Gray Lord.

I do.
I regret I have not. I mistook your reference, sir.

Ramos cant see a good way out of this, only a

range of bad ones. He considers the best of the
bad options for a moment, faces up to it, and makes
his decision.

You did. Lucius hand steals out, his fingers begin

to tap on the aethervox case, then to drum on it.
Jacques watches, fascinated: its the first blemish
hes ever seen in the Secretarys seamless poise.

His aethervox is under a cloth shroud by the

overstuffed armchair in the corner. Occasions
like these remind Ramos why he keeps it in here
and to himself.

If that will be all, sir, he says finally, I shall return

to the doors and leave you to make your call.
Oh, the call was made. Lucius hand falls still.
Routed directly to my office, although only a handful
of devices ought to be able to do that. And masked
so that the voice was unrecognisable to me. And I
pride myself on the acuity of my hearing.

>>><<<
Was there something, Jacques?

I see, sir.

I... Jacques swallows have some more cards,

sir. He glances about the great empty chamber
and then looks again at the aethervox on its little
wheeled stand at Lucius Matthesons elbow. The
Governor-Generals Secretary stretches catlike in
his chair, crosses his legs delicately at the ankles
and regards Jacques in silence. Mister and Mrs
Schuster, Colonel and Lady St Foix, Lady Duffield,
Mister Hilale and his son...

Do you, Jacques? How clever of you. And since

you have so kindly offered to assist, why dont you
send Mister Hoffman to see me. Leave Robert in
charge of the door and go. The green eyepieces
glitter in Matthesons mask. Waste no time,
Jacques. None.
>>><<<

11

The dark and the fetid air are bad, but the worst of
it is their own nerves. Grimes and Cadwall know
theyre deep in enemy territory now. Any moment
could bring lanterns and voices and shots.

So there we are, he says, and he cant quite hide

the tremor in his voice.

Its been a few minutes since they found that

the directions on their dog-eared wax-paper map
have run out. While Cadwall squints at it, Grimes
lets his eyes wander as he waits for his breath
to return. Suddenly, Grimes understands why the
map has stopped.

Timer and trap. The whole chassis is sprung now,

so if anyone finds it and tries to-

Timer going?

No, no, thats enough!

You asked.

Were here!

Timers going. Thats enough. If you dont tell me

how the timer works and I dont tell you how exactly
I brewed up the charge...

What?

Ah, says Cadwall, right. Of course. He reaches

out to the barrel to steady himself as he stands,
then pulls his hand back. Grimes, noticing his
reaction, looks at the bomb and sees it anew. Now
armed, it seems alive in a quiet, menacing way that
even his foundry machines dont.

Look. Grimes takes the lantern, shines it around

them. Five-sided chamber, old gray brickwork
showing reddish where its chipped. Dark tide mark
at knee height... he has to dip the lantern to see
it, but its there. Three stone pillars, brick for the
rest, three-sided design on the ceiling in black tile.

And it doesnt help that Grimes knows exactly

what the mixture inside of it is going to do at the
designated time.

Cadwall starts grinning, and Grimes feels the

excitement too. The decapitation strike. The start of
the true revolt. The thing Ramos said was impossible.
Grimes wishes hed brought his hip flask. One little
nip would suit the occasion beautifully.

Timers set for just after midnight, right? That, at

least, is no secret. Grimes had to know so that he
could work out how long he needed to keep his mix
stable for.

Lets get it set, he says instead. He grabs a rope

handle and yanks out one end of the barrel casing.
Hunkering down, he smells a sharp, oily stink with
an odd hint of ozone. He listens carefully to the
rhythmic bubbling from the central glass retort. He
reaches in and, eyes closed, tightens a valve, then
screws a pressure-stop through an agonisingly slow
three-quarter-turn. Done, he breathes.

Four minutes after, Cadwall confirms. Unmask,

ladies and gentleman, unmask! Boom! Theres a
slight brittleness to his laughter.
What time do you make it?
Six after eleven. Timer set accordingly.

Where Grimes worked by smell and sound, Cadwall

goes by feel. With his long, deft fingers he trips the
catch to set the timer in motion, and disengages
the locking plate. Then, with the same focused care
that Grimes used to prime the charge, he clips two
small gear wheels into a little device bolted to the
bomb-trestle, tightens a chain running up into the
barrel, drops a latch into place, then sits back on
his haunches.

It feels later to Grimes, but he shrugs. Cadwalls

the specialist. And Malifaux does odd things to the
tracking of time anyway. Another part of its constant
background strangeness that nobody ever really
talks about.
Cadwall?

12

Hunh? The mechanist starts, blinks, jerkily

pushes a flop of blond hair back up off his forehead.
Grimes is about to snipe at him, but he remembers
his own reaction to the arming of the bomb. He
gentles his voice a little.

He is starting to understand what she means. As

the musicians strike up and the throng sorts itself
into pairs he can see it everywhere. Tonights
dances have strange names and odd rhythms that
nobody seems familiar with, and everyones dance
cards were handed out pre-filled, but still everyone
is moving in unison. People are looking around in
puzzlement as they dance, as though they are not
sure how they even know the steps. The revellers
move past with an odd, forced briskness that
Samuels is more used to seeing when his men are
forcibly escorting someone off the premises.

Off we go, then, mate. Nothing more to do here.

We can be proud of our handiwork from a safe
distance, hey?
Cadwall swallows, rubs his hands, and gives Grimes
a grateful look.

Good, the woman says, looking at him. Her mask

is half a silver-painted crescent moon and half a
radiating star.

Off we go, then, just as you say. Funny, he says, as

they pick their way back in damp gloom. I thought
thered be more to it, at the end like that. Thought
it would feel, well, different.

Good? he says, distractedly, as the music carries

them across the floor. They are moving in a twisting
double-step pattern that reminds him of some of the
stick-fighting drills he teaches in the pits, although
hes never learned this dance or any other.

>>><<<
Do you feel, well, different? asks the woman as
the third promenade around the ballroom finishes.
The air is a cocktail of alcohol, cigar smoke, cologne,
and perfume.

Good. You do see it. Somethings going on here,

isnt it?

I feel bloo- Jacob Samuels catches himself.

Pardon me, madam, I feel dashed awkward, being
honest with you. I confess this is all a little foreign
to me.

Somethings always going on at the Manor, maam,

he says, to buy time. I dont suppose tonight is any
different.
I dont believe that any more than you do. Im new
to this city, sir, but I can feel it. So can most of
us. We just dont know what were feeling. I think
somethings going to happen.

The invitation said to dress symbolizing his position

and Samuels, rather astonished at being invited at
all, had to puzzle over how to symbolize the running of
fighting-pits. He finally settled on an uncomfortable
rented suit adorned with a pair of heavy bronzestudded leather cestus, bought at an Earthside
antiquities auction. His mask is a likeness of Jack
Broughton, a man Samuels admires immensely.
Samuels has no time for this new foppish Marquis
of Queensberry nonsense, all his fights use old
Jacks rules. All his legal fights, anyway.

He looks down at her. Her gunmetal-gray hair is

fastened with jewelled pins whose heads are stylised
stars. Her midnight-blue gown is embroidered with
constellations Samuels remembers from Earthside,
her shawl is a dark red and patterned after the night
sky of Malifaux. Lady Duffield, the Guild astronomer.
Samuels wants to make another noncommittal
remark to deflect the womans sharp words, but what
comes out of his mouth is foreign on his tongue:

He realises hes drifted and tries to focus back on

the womans voice.
like the feeling of being on a river-punt, have you
ever ridden one of those? If you dont pay attention
and check the bank you dont realize youre being
quietly carried along.

Yes. Yes, I think something is.

>>><<<

13

Where is it? Charles Hoffman doesnt realise hes

mouthing the words in time with the metallic beat
of his steps. Its close, it has to be. Where, where?!
He reaches a junction, concentrates for
a moment, and swerves. Ahead
he can just see his Hunter
construct accelerating away
into the gloom.
He grabs the metal
beast with his mind,
pulls on it. He can
feel the mechanical
power of its lunging body,
and he threads that power
back through himself and the
walking-frame into which he is
strapped. A moment later, a pulse
of power sends veins starting on his
forehead, and with a screech of metal on
brickwork he skids to the corner on the metal
beasts heels.
Where is it? He can even see the thing in his mind:
his Watcher came upon it minutes ago, but although
Hoffman can sense the Watcher, he doesnt know
the tunnel layout between here and there. He has
already wasted excruciating minutes on two different
dead ends.
Damn Mattheson! Didnt he have guards down here?
Why the hell did he order me down here alone? How
am I supposed to get there in time?
In the ghostly vision drawn from the Watcher, the
bomb in the barrel ticks and ticks. Hoffman fights
down the urge to have his machine claw the bomb to
pieces. He can see enough to know that its trapped
against exactly that kind of interference.
He pushes on. Fate has a sick sense of humor, to
choose him of all people for a race against time with
who knows how many lives at stake. The stolen
speed from the Hunter isnt enough. He has to get
there faster.
It starts to stir.

14

He can feel it, wanting to push out again. That...

thing that burst into existence after the energy wave,
the great metal body that took him up and cradled
him in its arms. He has felt it since, needling,
wanting to manifest through him again. Each time
its felt subtler, less separate, more a part of him.
Hoffman isnt sure what that means. He has tried
not to think about it.

I have a trusted special agent ensuring that if these

reports are true and I stress, sir, that all we are
going on is a single anonymous message that they
are defeated and brought to justice. These are the
facts of the matter, sir, I know of no others.
The Governor-General leans his great form forward
in his chair, glaring at his secretary. A bright purple
spark arises in his right eye, shades into a brilliant
electric blue, and dances across to the left eye
where it flares azure and indigo then fades again.
Lucius doesnt react.

But hes too far into the tunnels to turn back and
run. The blast will catch him. He needs that power
again. He remembers it, reaches out in a direction
he cannot describe and touches it. His eyelids
flutter closed and he gives rein to it.

I let you talk me into this whole business, you

know, Lucius.

>>><<<
The truth, now, Lucius. The truth.
important for your parlour-games.

A wise decision on your part, sir, if I may be

immodest enough to say so.

This is too

Be that as it may. What is happening tonight is

your doing. You were behind its instigation, so you
will be responsible for its successful completion. In
every respect. Do I make myself clear, Mattheson?

Lucius Matthesons body remains almost as

motionless and unreadable as his metal mask.
Tucked behind his back, where the Governor-General
cant see it, the little finger of his right hand curls
and taps against the haft of his cane.

I would expect nothing else, Your Excellency.

Staying mindful of which, shall I have your valet help
you finish dressing? It is almost midnight. You
will be required to announce the unmasking since
we both agree that everything about tonight must
happen precisely to plan.

I know you called in Hoffman on a matter of high

urgency and sent him packing off somewhere. I know
he took some constructs with him. Somethings
happening. So out with it.
I received a report that radical elements of our
opposition planned to sabotage our plans for tonight.

>>><<<

15

His walking frame has stretched out as though the

heavy alloy were soft toffee, flowing into Hoffmans
body. This is no crude and bloody patch-and-stitch
affair: the metal softens, flesh hardens and shines,
until they blur together. Bronze tendrils like vines
wrap Hoffmans arms and creep up his shaved scalp.
The iron-shod boots have splayed and deformed into
simulacra of clawed feet.

Hoffman convulses as though he has just jolted

awake from a nightmare, bucking against the walking
harness. He looks wildly about him, then down at
the barrel-bomb and the shine and tick of the metal
underneath it. He was tramping through the tunnels
and then... it felt like...
His eyes half-close. He brings one thin, workhardened hand up and deals himself a slap across
his face. No time. No time!

His eyes are still closed. He is smiling.

He drops to all fours, the metal growing out to
lengthen his arms into running limbs, carrying him
in powerful, springing strides. He runs in a ghostly
whirl of angular shadows and the clash of metal,
as though a phantom pair of mechanical wings is
beating behind him.

His frame hinges at the knees and he lowers himself

with a groan to look at the thing.
This is why Mattheson sent him. The trigger is
devilishly complex, the trap equally so. Hoffman
doesnt dare touch with his hand, barely dares
with his mind. Careful as a trainer trying to calm a
panicking animal, he moves through the machinery.

In the five-sided cavern, the Watchers crystal eye

illuminates the ticking timer beneath the barrel of
alchemical charge. A handful of minutes to go.

He can hear himself taking hoarse, panting

breaths. He can feel the timer ticking. Less than
a minute to go.

>>><<<
My lords and ladies, my gentlemen and worthy
officers of Malifaux! the voice booms, a great, husky
baritone that sends a quiet jitter up and down the
costumed crowd in the dimness of the ballroom.

No brute force. Too many complexities, and some of

them are dead ends, dummy components but it will
take too long to unpick which ones, no time no time!
He gulps. Gaps, too, where gaps shouldnt be, part
of the puzzle? You can do this, Ryle would tell you
that, do it and go home to your brother...

For all this All-Hallows Eve, my friends, you have

presented yourselves by your offices! But now,
now as we hear the voice of midnight striking, your
Governor-General bids you show yourselves for
yourselves! Let the light see your faces! My loyal
friends... Unmask! Unmask!

Hoffman bites down on his lip hard enough to draw

blood, and reaches out again.
>>><<<

And the lanterns burst their shutters and fill the

Gallery with a great white light.

The ripple of excitement grows into a cheer. The

revellers cant resist: masks are not just doffed, but
thrown into the air. Nobody has been in any doubt
about anyones identity but the spirit of the moment
still takes hold and the guests point and laughing in
delight at familiar faces.

>>><<<
Am I...
what

On the landing of the processional stair stands their

host, in dazzling dress uniform, face set in grim
triumph. The ten-foot canvas behind him shows the

is this
Its here!

16

Breach, the paintings border decked with the ViceRegal arms and a miniature Zodiac of Guild badges:
a rams head, a set of scales, a construct gauntlet,
crossed revolvers, a steel mask. Slowly, majestically,
he stands at attention and salutes the room.

>>><<<
What have you done now, you vermin? Lilith growls
into the dark. What have you gone and done to my
world now?

The revellers burst into cheers.

>>><<<

And it happens.

How? It... but... how?

>>><<<

Shaking, Hoffman sags against the side of the

barrel. Sweat plasters his shirt to him. The Hunter
and Watcher look on.

Spinning and whirling in a sword drill alone in her

hall, Lady Justice feels her balance go and her
senses distort. She twists like a cat to land but
the floor is not where it should be and she crashes
hard. Struggling for equilibrium, for the first time in
many years she feels truly blind.

He knows he had it. He had found the spring

anchored into the timing gears, and the cunning
assembly that mated it to the trap. He had it in his
minds eye, ready to be disarmed.

>>><<<

Then that jolt had hit him, that strange instant of

fugue. For a moment he had been a piece in a
delicate lattice of machinery almost organic in its
complexity, and somewhere a monstrous lever had
just shifted it all into a new gear.

Douglas McMourning looks up from his work.

Everything in his lab, his animated studies, his
servants, even the half-dissected or half-rebuilt
things on the slabs or floating in the vats, all are
staring as though they could see through the wall.
Staring in the direction of the Governors Manor.

Then the fugue passed. Hoffman had just enough

time to realize his mental grip had slipped. He felt
the timer finish, and the trigger-catch drop to the
detonation position.

>>><<<
His puppets dance for his attention in a rattle of
wood, but Collodi ignores them, spreading his arms
for balance and trying to understand why he feels as
though he is once again standing on a stage, a great
brightly-lit stage, his strings tugged by a puppeteer
he cannot see.

And yet here he is.

What happened?
>>><<<

>>><<<

Its not finished, the Governor-General says as the

clouds part and the strange stars come out. After
the heat and closeness of the ballroom the clean
chill is wonderful. Its not even started. Dont
go thinking your jobs done, Lucius. Theres no
harshness there, just the satisfied weariness of one
who has got a tough job out of the way.

Changing the board once the game is under way?

Hamelin says to the glossy black rat that perches
on His knee as He in turn perches on a roof
gable, pipes in hand. He looks toward the Manor.
How audacious.

17

Of course not, sir, Lucius answers, but I

congratulate you on a superbly-executed first step. I
am pleased to see Your Excellencys work furthered
in such a manner.

They couldnt stop us tonight, and the more I

control the more isolated theyll be. There will come
a time, Lucius, when every human soul in Malifaux
will move to my will as though they were drilling
on a parade ground. And where will these rioting,
treason-talking vermin have to hide then, eh?

I thought I felt something. Did you feel it?

He stretches, grunts at the pops from his back

and shoulders.

I did, I think, perceive it taking hold, sir. I believe it

was an unqualified success. I think you will see the
full effects very soon.

There are great times ahead. Great times. Happy

Halloween, Lucius.

Only on the Guild and the city folk, though, eh?

And to you, Excellency. Especially to you.
Such is the nature of what we did tonight. The
effects may spread, but they will not cover the world.
As you observed, sir, we have more work to do.

>>><<<
Its deep night in the bayou, and the chill of the
season is starting to make itself felt. Patches of
pale mist have formed over the water. Zoraida has
gone so far as to wrap a shawl around her to sit out
on her step. Silent, she sits among the complex
songs of the insects and frogs.

But its a start. The Viceroy leans forward over

the stone parapet watching the lights of the last few
carriages make their way toward the gates. They
pushed me to this, Lucius.
Just so, sir.

She doesnt move when she hears the soft

footsteps, simply smiles.

An empty land full of such wealth, such potential.

If these people just accepted a little order. If people
understood, each of them, what their job was. Quit
their complaining and their blasted chafing at the
leash. Do they think I hand down these laws just
for my own entertainment? A strong leader, Lucius,
able to make the hard decisions. Its the only thing
that will make this place work. They dont see that.

There is a soft thud in front of her. A gentle clink of

metal. A soft rattle. Zoraida opens her eyes.
The Carrion Effigy is standing in front of her. The
eyes of its beaked plague-mask are fixed on her.
She can sense nothing in it except expectation. It
tosses the little spring it is carrying down onto the
ground, to join the length of brass rod, the glinting
gear-wheel and the half-dozen delicate little screws.

You did what you had to, sir, I am sure.

Hm. Below in the middle distance the Manor
gates creak closed behind the last carriage. A
thought crosses the Governor-Generals mind.

The Hodgepodge, Shadow and Mysterious Effigies

stand a few paces away. The masks they wear for
faces watch Carrion as it shuffles over to them.
The Arcane Effigy glides forward, holds up a ratchet
mechanism for Zoraida to see, and then tosses
it onto the pile also. The Lucky Effigy adds the
matching spring-catch. The Brutal Effigy completes
the pile with a copper valve, nods curtly and steps
back into the group.

The saboteurs were caught, then?

Foiled, certainly sir. We will have them before long.
We will. The craggy face splits in a savage grin.

18

Zoraida is still smiling.

The sledgehammer bluntness of the GovernorGenerals spell was not to Zoraidas taste, but she
admires its cleverness and its ambition. She can
even appreciate its style. She is no stranger to the
magic of distilling and drawing a concept down into
its symbol the evidence of her expertise in that is
standing assembled in front of her.

I thought you might hear me. We have our

squabbles from time to time, but youre good little
ones underneath it all, arent you? So good. I miss
the times when you used to come and visit me.

If the Effigies feel anything at these words, they

do not show it clearly. Half-vanished in the moonshadows, they make soft sounds in what might
almost be voices, like a baby breathing little nonwords in its sleep.

But the Effigies were made things. The masquerade

guests were living people, who had created their
guises themselves and donned them willingly,
voluntarily shifting themselves from the material
to the symbolic. The magical ramifications of that
fascinate Zoraida.

Zoraida looks down at the pile of components. She

knows what they are, right enough. Cadwall would
recognize them, too, although he might refuse to
believe that they could have been removed from
his machine without detonating it. And Charles
Hoffman would surely remember the gaps in the
trigger mechanism that these pieces fill exactly.

She wonders if anyone in the Manor knew that their

dances and promenades were precisely calculated,
moving them through the ritual patterns that would
bind them to their hosts will. She wonders if any
of them felt the spell lock in like a manacle as
they unmasked, binding the magical grip on their
symbolic self to their actual self. Fine work, Zoraida
concedes. Damn fine work.

The bomb conspiracy had been impossible to miss,

a bright firework aimed into the centre of the crude
spiderweb that was the Governor-Generals ritual.
Zoraida had watched them both develop, reading
their twists and turns in the patterns of the clouds
over the bayou, the crisscrossing ripples in the
gators wakes and the paths of the birds through
the trees. The conspiracy, and the conspiracy to kill
the conspiracy. It hadnt been a difficult choice as
to which one she would allow to go ahead.

Of course, you had help, she murmurs. For a

moment the smoke from her pipe seems to curl into
the shape of a haughty metal mask with gleaming
green stones for eyes. Not forgetting that.
He would never know how much help he had, she
thinks. No need to share it with him. Not after what
she has seen. Ambition. Ah, what a two-edged
sword that is.

19

There is fire in your ending, Your Excellency

Zoraida says aloud to the night. But not that
fire. Not yet. You listen to Zoraida, now:
you have more to do before you burn.
And she sits in silence, the glow of
her pipe a tiny pulsing orange eye
in the night.

20

AN
EASY
MARK
A STARTER ADVENTURE FOR THROUGH THE BREACH
Starting a roleplaying game can be a bit of a tricky
experience. You need to go through character
creation, after which youre thrown into a world
you dont really know. All the players have to start
working together, and they have to work with the
Fatemaster in order to tell a successful story.

Set Up
Since this is your first time playing Through the Breach,
well spend a moment talking about set up. Youll
need a couple of Fate Decks to play, and each player
should have a copy of their character sheet. If players
are playing Barney and Francis, copy the shortform
character sheets out of Chronicles to use. The only
other thing you need is a copy of this adventure, but
a copy of the Fated Almanac could come in handy in
case you want to look something up.

I understand how difficult the first session or two

can be, and it is made even more complicated when
players dont know the rules. In order to help get
the Through the Breach pistons firing, Ive created
this introductory adventure designed to highlight the
rules of the game. Maybe itll help you start on the
right foot when youve crossed the Breach.

Youll need at least two people to play: one to be the

Fatemaster and one to play a Fated. The Fatemasters
job is to host the story, and this adventure is written
for the perspective of the Fatemaster. Anyone playing
one of the Fated are focusing on just one character
and trying to navigate the story and challenges the
Fatemaster presents.

Reading this adventure may help you understand

the game even if you dont actually play it, so Id
encourage anyone considering the journey into
Malifaux to read this story.

If youve never played a tabletop RPG before, this

may sound a bit confusing. Id encourage anyone
looking to know more about RPGs in general to look
around on the net. There are a lot of great sources
out there that will help explain the genre to you.
Heres a link with some videos that may help:

This starter adventure includes a couple of pregenerated characters to use: Barnabus Hatrick
and Francis DuMont. Feel free to substitute these
characters with your own, use them as is, or add
more characters to the story. It can support up to
four players.

http://learntabletoprpgs.com/see-how-a-game-is-played.html

22

OK. Lets get on with set up. Grab one of the Fate
Decks. Start by sorting the cards by suit and number,
as this deck is going to end up as four individual
decks called Twist Decks. Any players (i.e. not the
Fatemaster) should take the 1, 5, 9, and 13 of one
suit, the 4, 8, and 12 of a different suit, the 3, 7,
and 11 of a third suit, and the 2, 6, and 10 of the
remaining suit. Players will not be able to choose the
same suit as another player in this set-up as were
only dividing up one deck (in a normal game you
could, youd just need more Fate Decks to divide up).

Prologue
This session focuses on Barnabus Hatrick, a smalltime criminal and petty thief looking to escape his
past. Paraphrase the below or read it aloud:
Youve been living on Earth since your momma
brought you into the world, and youre not convinced
its so great. Livings hard, and youve tried to scratch
out what livelihood you can, but its just not borne
any fruit. Youve managed to do OK borrowing
things from others, but it seems this time maybe you
borrowed the wrong thing and wouldnt you know
it, before you could put it back people were calling
you thief. Whats the world coming to?

Once each player has their cards, they should

combine and shuffle them. Now you have your Twist
Decks for play. Youll notice that the two Jokers
arent used here, so you can just set them aside.

So last night you made your way to the station, looking

to hop on the high noon to Malifaux. Surely any place is
better than this At night, the station was gloomy and
mostly deserted, so you took your meager possessions
and fell asleep on a bench. Come morning, youre out
of here come hell or high water.

The remaining Fate Deck should be shuffled and

placed in the middle of the table (with all of its
cards). This deck is referred to as the Fate Deck
below, and is how most conflict will be resolved.
The last thing we need is for each player should
draw the top 3 cards of their personal Twist Deck.
Theyll be able to use these cards during the course
of the game.

Sometime during the night and early morning, a few

others drifted in, finding their way to the station.
Everyone who comes here is looking to leave, and in
a few hours, youll all be gone assuming you can
get a ticket.

The Game
Estimated time to play: 20 minutes/player

Players would normally pick their Pursuits here.

As this is the first adventure, the pre-generated
characters already have their starting Pursuits chosen
and factored in, as this happens during character
creation. If you have multiple players in the game, you
can have each player describe what their character
looks like as they make their way in at night.

Tarot tie-ins: CRSC 12C

Summary: The Fated are at a train station looking
for a way to get on the train to go to Malifaux.
When we present TTB adventures, well give you
this information as a quick summary, which may
When we present TTB adventures, well give
help you in your own games. The Tarot tie-ins, in
you this information as a quick summary,
particular, might be useful for you. The CRSC 12C,
which may help you in your own games. The
for example, is the Cross Roads Tarot Southern
Tarot tie-ins, in particular, might be useful
Card: As you strain to see through the high noon
for you. The CRSC 12C, for example, is the
veil. This adventure will take place at noon, thus
Cross Roads Tarot Southern Card: As you
the tie-in.
strain to see through the high noon veil.
will take place
at noon,
thus
TheThis
goaladventure
of this information
is to make
Fatemastering
the
tie-in.
as simple as possible so that you can focus on
the experience and enjoyment of the game. This
The goal of this information is to make
example is fairly straightforward, but there are a lot
Fatemastering as simple as possible so
of creative ways you can weave the Destiny Steps
that you can focus on the experience and
into your game!
enjoyment of the game. This example is
fairly straightforward, but there are a lot of
creative ways you can weave the Destiny
Steps into your game!

The Prologue is used in Through The Breach to set

The Prologue
is used in Through
The
Breach
the scene
for the adventure.
It lets the
players
know
to
set
the
scene
for
the
adventure.
letsalso
not only what type of conflict theyll face,Itbut
players
know isnot
of
whichtheFateds
destiny
in only
play. what
In thistype
example,
conflict
theyll
face,
but
also
which
Fateds
Barnabus is the key player, and the conflict revolves
destiny
is intoplay.
this example,
Barnabus
around
wanting
get aInticket
on the train.
You dont
is
the
key
player,
and
the
conflict
revolves
need to spell everything out in the Prologue,
but it
around
wanting
to tone
get ayou
ticket
onfor
the
train.
can really
help
set the
want
the
game.
You dont need to spell everything out in the
Prologue, but it can really help set the tone
you want
theFatemasters
game.
If youve
readforthe
Almanac, this is
Phase 1 of an adventure, Awareness mentioned
on page 21.
If youve read the Fatemasters Almanac, this
is Phase 1 of an adventure, Awareness
mentioned on page 21.

23

target for a con, a simple pick pocketing, or maybe

even convincing his servants to just let the Fated
have something to help them get a ticket. Any of
these are possibilities, and you should let the
players determine how they want to proceed.

Scene 1
The morning mist is just beginning to break as the
players all wake up (or start paying attention if they
didnt sleep). Give the players some time to greet
each other and get to know a bit about each other.
If theyre not inclined to do so, give them a few
indicators that these fellow vagabonds may also not
have a ticket, and maybe working together is the
best course of action.

Make sure that you are describing Cornelius to the

players. The way in which you present the narrative
will help give the players the clues they need to
complete their journey, but the answers arent just
dropped in front of them. Its important that players
have a sense of agency and choice!

Its not long until the noon train will thunder into
the station. Take a moment to remind Barnabus
that his past is after him, and the other players may
have similar trouble coming their way. Essentially,
you want the Fated to know that its this train or no
train. Its important to convey a sense of urgency,
otherwise the players might just see it like a morning
commute (which is unpleasant and not really the
stuff of stories).

This might be a good time to try out describing

the scene, but if youre not quite ready you can
paraphrase or read the below:
A man walks into the train station, and the people
milling about seem to make way for him. He walks
with an air of authority, and he is followed by a
number of individuals that, based on their dress and
deference to him are clearly his servants.

You can let the players talk to the disinterested clerk

selling tickets, but the price is set in stone. Roleplay
this out a bit, with the clerk barely answering their
questions and have his eyes glazed over. None of
the players should have more than 10 Scrip on them
from character creation, and all the tickets into
Malifaux cost 20 Scrip. More and more travelers are
beginning to arrive at the station now.

The man suddenly blurts out I will not ride in anything

but first class, Larot! How dare you even suggest it!
You can see the servant, presumably Larot, frown
deeply. To think that youd suggest Cornelius Trefast
ride with the likes of these people. Cornelius
looks around at the other people in the station with
disdain in his eyes. Give the clerk whatever amount
is necessary that I can be left to my own devices,
Larot. Another mistake like this and youll be fired just
like Ollander!

In
Alamanc, this
this isis Establishing
Establishing
In the Fatemasters Alamanc,
the
Stakes.
It
is
important
to
the
story
that the
the
the
important to the story that
players
know
that
getting
on
that
train
is
important
players
on that train is important
to
they dont
dont bad
bad things
thingsmight
mighthappen.
happen.
to them, and if they
The
exact
reason
for
their
motivation
will
vary by
by
The
their motivation will vary
Fated;
for
Barnabus,
some
thugs
have
been
sent
Fated;
some thugs have been sent
after
after him
him because
because of
of something
something he
he recently
recently stole.
stole.

Cornelius seems to puff himself up with his own air of

self-importance while Larot talks to another servant.
A large purse is pulled out and some money handed
to Larot as both servants shake their heads, casting
sidelong glances at Cornelius.

One of the travelers arriving is hard to ignore.

He is a wealthy man, possibly an aristocrat, in a
brightly colored outfit with a veritable gaggle of
assistants. You should stress the casual wealth this
man displays, and the way he is dismissive of his
servants. This man, Barnabus should note, is an
easy mark.

With the outburst finished, activity at the station has

resumed, but people are giving Cornelius Trefast an
even wider berth.
However the players approach Cornelius, theyll need
to see if they are successful getting on the train.
Theyll do this by flipping cards off the top of the Fate
deck (the communal deck each player flips from).

Do what you can to point the players in this mans

direction. His name is Cornelius Trefast, and he is
fairly easy to dislike. That said, hes also an easy

24

How they approach Cornelius makes a difference in

how the card is interpreted. If they try to con him,
theyll be using their Deceive skill. If they try to steal
from him, it should be Pick Pocketing. If they try to
convince a servant, it should be the Convince skill.
Regardless, the player will flip a card off the Fate
Deck for their character and add their skill.

This This
is is
establishing
Fatemasters
establishing Fear ininthethe
Fatemasters
Almanac.
TheThe
players
thereis is a
Almanac.
playersneed
needto
to know there
legitimate
chancechance
of failure
here, and
that
this
will be
a legitimate
of failure
here,
and
that
a challenge.
how youllThis
build
this will This
be a ischallenge.
is tension,
how youllwhich
will make
the upcoming
Climax
phase
a reward
build tension,
which will
make the
upcoming
evenClimax
without them
experience
points.
phasegaining
a reward
even without
them
gaining experience points.

For the purposes of this game, well assume that

any Duel (which is what flipping a card is called)
against Cornelius needs an 8 to succeed. If the
player to approach him flips a card and the total of
that card plus their relevant skill is 8 or more, then
theyll succeed.

Feel free to paraphrase or read the below to help

set this scene:
If you look over at Cornelius, he seems lost in thought.
Slowly, his eyes get wider and wider, and his jaw
slowly drops open. It reminds you for all the world like
a slow motion version of surprise maybe Cornelius
is just a bit slow himself.

If its not, the player can use one of the cards in his
hand instead of the card they flipped. If he does,
reveal that card and discard it next to your Twist
Deck. This is now added to the skill instead of the
card from the Fate Deck.

GUARDS! his scream cracks into your thoughts.

GUARDS! Cornelius starts looking frantically around
the station as two guards rush over to him. He begins
talking hastily to them, gesticulating wildly. You cant
make out every word from where youre standing, but
the word robbed really stands out in your head.

It is not difficult for the players to succeed against

Cornelius, but you should try to play out the scene
as a narrative. Describe the conversation and
circumstances, and let the player (once successful)
describe how they pulled off getting the money
to buy some tickets. It is possible for one player
to steal enough Scrip for all the players, but its
your job as Fatemaster to make the scene both
entertaining and challenging, even if the Duel itself
isnt particularly challenging.

Cornelius head swings back toward the crowd, and

hes clearly looking for you. You try to slink back into
the crowd, but more guards have arrived and theyre
starting to question the nearby onlookers. With more
guards probably on the way and the train not in the
station, its only a matter of time before they start
asking you questions.

Scene 2

The guards will start coming through the crowd.

Describing the way they are coming closer to the
players and how more guards seem to be arriving
will ratchet up the tension. The train is not at the
station yet, and the players will need to figure out
what to do about the guards (and they might each
try something different).

The Fated succeeded (or not) against Cornelius,

but its not long before he realizes hes been had.
Cornelius will loudly and melodramatically call for
the guards, who will come jogging over to him to
discover the issue.
It will quickly become apparent that the guards are
going to be checking through the milling travelers
looking for any shady individuals. Unfortunately
for the players, not only are they largely shady
individuals but they ALSO happen to be guilty.

If they try to hide, they will need to flip a Stealth

Duel against the guards Notice skill (6). Make the
players make a few flips, broken up by narrative
of them going through the crowd, before the train
arrives. Remember that the players can use their
hand to increase their Duel total!

25

This is an example NPC guard that can be used for

these Duels.

Feel free to paraphrase or read the below, regardless

of which actions the players took:

Guild Guard (Minion)

Oh. Oh! OH! THERE THEY ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!

Cornelius voice is shrill and unfortunately carries
well over the sound of the huge steam engine pulling
into the station. You risk a glance and see Cornelius
pointing you out to a couple of guards, and they start
to run over.

Guild Guard (Minion)

Character Breakdown
straight from the Fatemasters Almanac page 139.
Character Breakdown straight from the
Fatemasters Almanac page 139.
For example, this Guard would have a Notice of
For example,
this -1
Guard
would haveAspect)
a
6: Notice
2 + Cunning
(its associated
Notice
of
6:
Notice
2
+
Cunning
-1
(its
+ NPC rank of 5. This means the Fated needs to
Aspect)
+ NPC
of greater
5. This than
get a associated
Stealth + flip
number
equalrank
to or
means
the
Fated
needs
to
get
a
Stealth
5 to succeed.
+ flip number equal to or greater than
5 to succeed.

Your heart starts beating wildly, knowing there are

few ways out. A huge burst of steam is released from
the train behind you, and for a moment you lose sight
of the guards. But a moment is enough for you to get
your bearings and realize the train is finally here.
The steam clears quickly, and you see the incoming
guards pulling their guns from their holsters as you
hear your salvation from behind: All aboard! You
turn and begin to move toward the train, fighting past
the crowd trying to board.

If they try to fight, they will need to flip Defense

against the guards melee (9) to avoid getting hurt.
They can attack back by flipping their own AV, or
Attack Value, against the guards defense (9). A
fight will be difficult for the players at this phase, so
if they go this road make sure the other guards are
distracted. The guards will not use their guns if the
players decide to fight.

The guards should take a few shots at them. The

guards would normally have an AV 9, but because of
the crowd of people theyll receive a -2 if the Fated
use the crowd for cover. This will make it an AV 7
against the Fateds defensive flips. After a few flips
and some discussing what is happening, the trains
doors should open and the players should safely
make it on the train.

A player that gets hit by an attack or succeeds at an

attack will need to flip for damage.
If they try to convince the guards they are legitimate,
theyll need to use Convince or Deceive (their choice)
against the guards Scrutiny (-1). This is by far the
easiest way to go, and if youre worried about your
players surviving through a fight try to coax them in
this direction.

WhatWhat
if theif
Fate
theDeck
Fateruns
Deckout of cards?

runs out of cards?

If thisIf happens,
the Fatemaster
should should
shuffle the
this happens,
the Fatemaster
discard
pile
to
create
a
new
Fate
Deck,
shuffle the discard pile to create a and
neweach
playerFate
should
draw
a
card
from
their
Twist
Deck
Deck, and each player should draw a into
their card
hand.from their Twist Deck into their hand.

This is the Climax and Dramatic Ending mentioned

is the Climax
and Dramatic
Ending
in theThis
Fatemasters
Almanac.
Theyve encountered
mentioned
in
the
Fatemasters
Almanac.
some challenges now and risked failure, and not
encountered
some
challenges
its allTheyve
on the line
in these final
moments.
Will they
now
and
risked
failure,
and
not
all on
succeed or fail? By following the steps its
of Awareness,
the line the
in these
finaland
moments.
Will they
Establishing
Stakes,
Fear, youve
created
succeed
or
fail?
By
following
the
stepsshine.
of
enough tension to allow the climax to really
Awareness, Establishing the Stakes, and
Fear, youve created enough tension to
allow the climax to really shine.

Epilogue
The whistle blows and the train pulls away from the
station, heading toward the Breach. The Guild Guards
stand glancing around the platform, some of them
looking in the windows of the train rapidly speeding
up. Cornelius is standing there screaming at them,
seemingly unconcerned about missing his own train.
Thank goodness youll be in Malifaux soon, things
have to be better there.

26

Players may spend their Experience Points on skills,

but players may only choose from 4 different skills
per session. You should choose 3 skills that you
feel were relevant to the player during the game,
and they have those choices plus 1 choice from
their Pursuit. It costs the current level in Experience
Points to raise a skill by 1, including a free skill if
one is offered that the player has at 0. A player
cannot gain more than 1 free skill per session.

Discuss with the players, and Barnabus in particular,

whether or not his destiny of As you strain to
see through the high noon veil was accepted or
rejected. The veil can mean many things here, and
high noon probably refers to the train. Did Barnabus
see where the train was really taking him? Did he
accept his destiny to go Through the Breach?
Barnabus, since his destiny was in play, can choose
to increase one of his Aspects by 1 or to gain a
Manifested Power. We wont go into Manifested
Powers here, but suffice it to say that this is a large
decision for Barnabus to make and should not be
made lightly.

Finally, players will gain one Step in their Pursuit,

giving them access to a Pursuit specific Talent or a
general Talent, as described by their Pursuit. Once
chosen, the Epilogue is complete and the session
is concluded.

Only Barnabus gets the above options, but every

player gets something. Each player will receive 1
Experience Point for their characters. It is possible
to earn more for particularly significant story
milestones, but that didnt occur this game.

With that, youve learned the basics of Through the

Breach, and have taken the first step toward your
destiny. Your next adventure will be Breachside
as you learn to navigate the dangerous world
that is Malifaux.

Characters
In the characters presented below, the Skill already includes the relevant
Aspect, so you are always flipping based on the number presented.

Barnabus Hatrick

Frankie Wallace

Fated Character, Pursuit: Criminal

Might -2, Grace +3, Speed 0, Resilience -1
Charm +1, Intellect 0, Cunning +3, Tenacity -2
Defense 2, Walk 4, Height 2
Willpower 2, Charge 4, Wounds 4

Fated Character, Pursuit: Wastrel

Might +1, Grace +1, Speed 0, Resilience 0
Charm -1, Intellect +1, Cunning -2, Tenacity +2
Defense 2, Walk 4, Height 2
Willpower 4, Charge 4, Wounds 4

Skills: Barter (0), Convince (1), Notice (6), Art (4), Literacy
(4), Music (2), Lockpicking (6), Scrutiny (6), Pick Pocket (1),
Pugilism (-1)

Skills: Appraise (1), Melee (3), History (4), Barter (5),

Literacy (0), Deceive (3), Pistol (3)
Talents: Luck of the Draw This character draws 2 cards
when the Fatemaster shuffles the deck, instead of 1.

Talents: Just a Graze This character may Cheat Damage

Flips that he suffers, as long as the Damage Flip has no +.

(1) B&D Pocket: AV (3), Rg: z6, Resist: Df

Target suffers 2/3/3 damage.

(1)Bowie Knife: AV (-2), Rg: y1, Resist: Df

Target suffers 1/3/4 damage.

Other Equipment: Forgery toolkit, 3 scrip

(1)Maucher Three-Barrel: AV (3), Rg: z6. Resist: Df
Target suffers 2/2/5 damage.

Notes: If this character fails an Expertise duel (any duel

involving: Appraise, Doctor, Explosives, Forgery, Gambling,
Husbandry, Lockpicking, Music, Navigation, Pick Pocket,
Scrutiny, Track, or Wilderness), he may draw a card. During the
Epilogue, this character may advance in any Expertise skill.

Other Equipment: Lockpicking toolkit, watch, banjo

Notes: If this character fails an Expertise duel (any duel
involving: Appraise, Doctor, Explosives, Forgery, Gambling,
Husbandry, Lockpicking, Music, Navigation, Pick Pocket,
Scrutiny, Track, or Wilderness), he may draw a card. During the
Epilogue, this character may advance in any Expertise skill.

27

MR.STICKS' HALLOWEEN
Graeme Stevenson
The world is a very curious and inexplicable place,
as most people will agree. Malifaux is doubly so.

Awful specters walk the dark streets of Malifaux on

All Hallows Eve. The Flesher and the Seamster are
out, plying their trades and leaving grisly souvenirs
for the dawn light to find. Needle-Tooth Jack crawls
down unlit chimneys and eats sleeping children in
their beds, and the Beast of Hawking Street returns
once again to terrorize the residents of Calumny for
a single blood-soaked evening.

This inexplicability surges and ebbs apparently at

its own whim, but there are certain loci where the
abnormal seems most potent, a handful of specific
nights marked by some celestial calendar when the
shadows grow long and the wise remain at home
with a bright burning hearth and a locked door.

But there are other, less malignant happenings,

too. Events that while not necessarily evil are
nonetheless exceedingly strange.

Perhaps the most terrible of these is All Hallows Eve.

The lords and their ladies hold balls and gala
events in their great halls, to make mock of the
occasion with paper masks; to laugh and trough
on rich fare and ignore the darkness that presses
against their windows. Only when the celebration
is done, the tables eaten bare and the musicians
silent will they turn up their collars and hurry to
waiting handsome cabs to be rushed home, where
the servants have gas lamps burning in every room
to hold back the night.

Events like those that befell an otherwise insignificant

lad by the name of Archie Rottbrick.
Young Archie had been dealt an especially poor hand
in the game of life. For most youngsters, having
parents who were incarcerated in a debtors prison
was bad enough because it left them in the less than
capable hands of one of the Guilds poorhouses.
For said parents then to die from consumption
while incarcerated and leave the youngster in
the permanent care of Blade Street Childrens
Workhouse under the gimlet eye of Ms. Gilda Gawk
could be considered a depth of misfortune that one
was unlikely to top.

In the slums, the diversions are fewer. Those

with a roof over their heads and a lit candle think
themselves lucky on All Hallows Eve. The less
fortunate quest for a forgotten corner; a doorway
to crouch in or mound of paper to burrow beneath;
there to wait silent and still until the dawn, and hope
to be overlooked.

However, the cruel Gods had seen fit to bequeath

upon Archie both a smallness of person that belied

29

his nine years, and a club foot. Any one of these

afflictions in the harsh and predatory environment
of a Guild poorhouse would have been enough to
make any childs life a misery, so it went without
saying that Archies childhood to this point had been
an exceptionally rough road.

But enough of this. Strange events have been

promised, and strange events shall be delivered.

Life at the Blade Street Childrens Workhouse was

meager, repetitive and often dangerous. They would
rise at five each morning and recite the Guild Pledge
to thank their betters for their morning gruel and
black bread, then the dining hall would be swept and
its flagstones scrubbed with pails of water, lye soap
and horse-hair brushes. The factory began work at
seven and, but for a half-hour lunch break at midday,
ran on until seven in the evening more due to the
"generous" benefactors grudging concern that the
gas lamps run any longer than any concern over the
exhausted work force. The weaving machines were
re-set, the floors were swept, and the days produce
folded and wrapped in huge canvas sheets, ready
for collection the next morning. The children filed
back through to the dining hall for barley soup and
more black bread, and were put to bed by nine.
And so it was every day, with the exception of Sunday
where the children were allowed the comparative
luxury of a seven oclock rise and a day of cleaning
the entire poorhouse from top to bottom, finishing
with a huge Sunday dinner of potato and onion stew
and a spoonful or two of semolina if one could bolt
down the stew and get back in line fast enough.
The rest of the evening was their own to spend in
whatever idle frivolity could be found before lights
out at nine oclock.

Archie was a lonely boy. Most of the young ones

latched on to an older boy for protection or formed
a gang. Archie was in the unenviable position
of already being an older boy, but one that was
both small and lame and unemployable in terms
of gang membership. This made him a rich goldmine of entertainment for the gaffers and undergaffers wiry, tough boys of fourteen and fifteen
who controlled the workhouse floor and naturally
assumed this authority extended to all other areas
of life at Blade Street.
Archie would do his best to keep out of their eye line
but all too frequently he would be spotted scrubbing
a quiet corner of the poorhouse or stumping on
his club foot to the back of the food queue. Cries
of Stumpy! and Jack of Clubs! followed him
everywhere and he was regularly tripped or barged
hard enough to send him sprawling while the older
boys charged by.
This just seemed to be the way life was and Archie
got on with living his as best he could. While many
of his fellow boys could be cruel in a casual sort
of way, there were a few pernicious individuals
who possessed uncommon spite when it came to
matters of Archies well-being. The chief pebble in
his club shoe was Dale Farber, or Salt Cod as he
was often referred to behind his back. He was a
workhouse gaffer, fifteen years old, both tall and
strong for his age and proud possessor of a downy
moustache that may or may not have come off with
a lick from a cats tongue.

Archie, being so small for his age, was a piercer;

that is to say, his job in the workroom was repairing
yarn breakages in the spinning mules. He tended
two mules, both operated by one minder. The cotton
brought from the creeling room was coarse and of
low quality and frequently snapped on the rollers.
Archie was required to race in and repair the thread
before the rattling mule returned the length of the
machine and crushed him. He worked with another
boy, Moffat, who was the side piercer. Moffat was
only six, but was already an inch taller than Archie
and quicker on his feet. Archie, in return, was more
skilled and had survived four years as a piercer.
Most boys grew too large for the dangerous work
within two, or were maimed or even killed before
they could progress.

About a year ago, Mr. Bartlett, the poorhouse

director, had purchased several barrels of preserved
fish from a trader, with the intent of varying the diet
of his orphan charges without necessarily impacting
the allotted food budget. That evening, as the
children queued for their supper, each had a dried
and wrinkled-looking fish deposited in his or her bowl
rather than the expected barley soup. The fish had
proven to be both tough and almost unbearably salty
and the resultant grimaces that filled the dining hall
that evening were remarked on being reminiscent
of the expression that usually adorned Dales sour
face while watching the workhouse floor.

30

Had Archie the wisdom to see it, he would have

recognized that Salt Cods extreme rancor was
borne of fear. The boy would turn sixteen in the New
Year and by law would be too old to remain housed
within the Childrens Workhouse. He would be sent
to Blackvault Mill with grown men twice his age and
size, where Salt Cods bravado and authority would
vanish faster than his dandelion moustache in a
stiff breeze.

of inferior cotton with loose threads and gaps was

inspected at the end of the day.
Archie liked working on Burts mules the best
because only Burt would stand up to the malevolent
gaffer. Big Burt, as the other kids called him, was
thirteen and so deep in the chest it looked like he
was smuggling a beer barrel inside his apron. Burt
wasnt afraid of anyone and wouldnt stand for any
of Salt Cods nonsense about pulling a side piercer
off the spinning mules when they were running.

For the moment, though, he was still a gaffer

and had apparently made it his lifes work to ruin
Archies at every possible opportunity. He regularly
gave the smaller boy awkward cleaning duties like
the attic staircase which was little more than a
three-foot broad spiral of stone steps, none of which
were quite large enough for his club foot to gain
secure purchase. The distant sound of a small body
and accompanying pail of water clattering down the
staircase to halt with a thump on the third floor
landing regularly invoked gales of laughter from the
malicious gaffer.

While Salt Cod was the most obvious antagonist

in Archies small life, Misses Gawk was no less
repugnant or cruel, simply more removed. She
was the Dormitory Master and as such controlled
all aspects of the orphans lives outside of the
workhouse. She supervised the food that they ate,
instructed the sewers in making the other orphans
clothes (if you can call shapeless rags clothes),
organized the laundry shifts and controlled all other
movements of her charges when they were not
directly involved in manufacturing.

He was also resentful of Archies notable skill on

the workhouse floor. While Salt Cod had held most
of the positions at one time or another during his
inexorable rise to gaffer, he had never demonstrated
more than mediocre ability in any of them. The
only area in which he excelled was his merciless
exploitation and intimidation of his fellow workers,
which ironically made him ideally suited for the role
of gaffer.

She was a skinny angular woman, apparently

constructed of elbows and rope under her pinafore
and work dress, which she was never seen without.
The severe bun atop her head gave some indication
of her character, as did the long nose like a stiletto
blade and the small, exceedingly suspicious eyes.
She never trusted an answer to her seemingly
bottomless well of questions unless it had been
lubricated with pain, which is why it was a common
sight to see a wincing child up on tip-toes trying to
alleviate the fiery agony of having their ear twisted
almost entirely around by Misses Gawks long, ropey
fingers while she quizzed them mercilessly about
where theyd been and just what they thought they
were doing out here in the corridor when the dining
hall was needing swept.

He would regularly find some excuse to pull Moffat

away on a vague errand, leaving Archie to pierce for
both spinning mules. Not only did this make his job
twice as hard, but twice as dangerous. Each mule
was over sixty feet in length and having to dart back
and forward between the two of them while avoiding
getting tangled in the machinery was an almost
impossible task.
Archie never suspected that Salt Cod was actively
trying to kill him, but he felt that the gaffer might
not mind his losing a few fingers to balance off all
the commendations that Salt Cod himself had never
received for a job well done.

It was such a common occurrence that many of

the older orphans had markedly differing ears; one
quite normal, the other shell-shaped and perpetually
ruddy from years of twisting and contorting. This
Blade Street phenomenon was colloquially referred
to as being gawked.

The minders complained bitterly of course when

Salt Cod played this little game after all they were
the ones that would get it in the neck when a sheet

Misses Gawk was in many ways a worse monster than

Salt Cod, but her lofty position within the poorhouse
demanded that she spread her malicious attention

31

across all the orphans equally, and as such she was

never as an immediate source of terror to Archie.
More nebulous still was Mr. Bartlett, the poorhouse
Overseer. He was the pinnacle of authority within
the poorhouse, albeit a hugely fat and balding one.
His cruelty was in some ways the worst in that he
never really seemed to be aware of the orphans
at all they were so insignificant a detail in his
ceaseless quest for wealth that he never registered
their presence let alone have it occur to him that
they should be tormented.
Every Friday afternoon, a wagon from Slope, Bark
& Cutteridge would arrive at the back door of the
poorhouse. A detail of boys would be picked from
the workhouse to load it with the fruits of that weeks
cotton labor and the wagon would rattle away again
with Mr. Bartlett perched atop it like an especially
fat cherry on a meringue (not that Archie had any
real idea what either a cherry or a meringue were).
A handsome cab would return Mr. Bartlett to the
poorhouse some hours later, devoid of the huge
pile of cotton sheeting, but now with a heavy jingling
pouch attached to his belt, which was a fearsome
thing of thick leather and heavy iron studs. He would
trot up to his office on the second floor, humming to
himself, and when he re-appeared around eight-thirty
to take himself to the Gentlemens Club on Farlow
Street, the pouch was substantially diminished but
still jingling.
Someone would see him reeling back to his office in
the early hours of the following morning, every once
in a while. The pouch was always flat as a pancake.
It was supposed that the remainder of the coinage
was ensconced in the hefty iron safe in his office,
which was the source of many orphan legends.
Some said it was stuffed with gold coins hundreds
and thousands of them, all the ill-gotten gains of his
forced labor. Others had grimmer suggestions, that
it was filled with the heads of the boys that were
sent off to Blackvault Mill, to keep mum about
how much income the poorhouse was really making,
instead of the meager portion that was siphoned off
to the Guild on the first of each month.

32

The retelling of this latter myth was usually rewarded

with a thump from Salt Cod if he was within ear-shot
at the time.

like his home, leaning back at a jaunty angle behind

a hip-deep mound of potato eyes, burned barley
kernels and rotten onions. He never seemed to
mind the smell and always had that cheeky, knowing
grin on his face whenever Archie found a few spare
minutes to visit him.

However, no matter how unpleasant the world got,

Archie knew he could always depend on Mr. Sticks.
With so many unsavory characters in Archies midst
and precious few fellow orphans willing to risk befriending him, Archie had resolved to make his
own. He hadnt set out with the intention to create
a companion, but things just sort of fell together
that way.

Mr. Sticks became Archies confidant. Archie found

that he could tell his friend anything; he wasnt
judged, wasnt scoffed at or ridiculed. Mr. Sticks just
listened with his one black eye fixed on the middle
distance, as though deep in thought and weighing
every one of Archies words carefully. Archie liked to
think that Mr. Sticks enjoyed his visits as much as
Archie did, and hoped that his taciturn friend shared
his outlook on life.

Mr. Sticks was, rather predictably, made from the

remnants of an old switch broom whose binding had
come undone. With some fairly deft twisting and
twirling (simple enough after countless hours on
the spinning mules), Archie had managed to craft
a fairly passable body, with arms and legs, splayed
feet and long scratchy hands.

Archie told him all about Salt Cod and his tyrannical
rule over the workhouse, and about Misses Gawk
who was never satisfied with any answer unless
shed wrung and twisted it out of you, and about
fat old Mr. Bartlett who hoarded all the coin from
the workhouse in his office, and who gorged every
night on rich food at the Gentlemans Club while the
orphans ate black bread.

Of course, he would never have thought to build a

body had he not first found the head.
Hed come across it quite by accident, in the refuse
pile behind the kitchens where the unwanted scraps
(few that there were) were dumped for the cats and
rats and other desperate denizens of the streets to
pick over.

He told Mr. Sticks about the little piece of green glass

wedged in the attic window and how sometimes,
while he was sweeping the attic floor, the sun would
catch the window in just the right way and a thin
green lance of light would crawl slowly all the way
across the room.

It was a turnip; a large and rather misshapen turnip.

Someone had started to cut into it, only to find at
the core it had gone quite rotten and had thrown it
away. The long slice that had been cut out made
a mouth of sorts and where the rot had begun to
blister the surface a single black eye was formed.
The two combined to form a winking face with a
rather sardonic grin that had appealed to Archie.
Thrust atop a sharpened stick with limbs projecting
out below, Mr. Sticks had taken shape.

He told Mr. Sticks about Goddfreys milky eye and

how sometimes it would shine like a cats in the
candlelight. He told his friend about the family of
mice that lived under the floor of the kitchens and
how, if you were very still and patient, the piebald
one would eat crumbs of bread right out of your
hand. Archie was always desperate to stroke the
mouses fur, but he never did, fearing it would bolt
away and never come back.

Of course, it just wouldnt do for a Blade Street

orphan to be seen wandering around and dragging
a man-sized doll behind him, made of twigs and
rotting vegetables. Archie had resolved that Mr.
Sticks would have to live behind the refuse dump,
in the corner where no one would notice him. He
had propped his new friend up against the kitchen
wall and arrayed his limbs in what looked the most
comfortable position.

He told Mr. Sticks about Burts barrel chest and how

he could do push-ups with a boy sitting on his back.
Archie had tried to do push-ups once and couldnt
manage any. He told him about how the dormitories
got so cold in winter that ice formed on the insides
of the windows and how one time Wooly Paul lost
the skin on his palm when his hand stuck to the iron
rail of his bed.

All things considered, Mr. Sticks seemed to quite

33

He talked about the time he found a beetle in his

potato and onion stew and when he spooned it
out onto the table, it fluttered its wing casings to
shake off the residue and marched away as proud
as you please.

on stale black bread while Mr. Bartlett huffed and

juddered his way across the dining hall with gravy
stains down the front of his blazer, and he had his
stolen moments hunkered down behind the refuse
heap with Mr. Sticks.

He even told Mr. Sticks about the time he was

cleaning in Mr. Bartletts office and found a
periodical laying open on his desk. There had an
advert for The Incredible Panopticon of New York
and Archie had found himself being drawn back
again and again to the fantastic images of acrobats
and strongmen and lions and elephants and even
performing children six of them in a pyramid, all
standing on each others shoulders.

And so it may have continued indefinitely, had not

one particular evening arrived and settled an eerie
pall over the city. It seemed an evening like any
other for the orphans, but the privileged laughed
and played macabre parlor games and ate sweet
meats and thumbed their noses while outside the
shadows grew long, and wise people locked their
doors and threw another log on the fire.
The shadows stretched across the whole city that
evening, filling all the alleys and crooks and corners
with inky blackness. As night fell over Malifaux on All
Hallows Eve, the shadows stretched over the Blade
Street Childrens Workhouse, pouring into the alcove
behind the refuse heap.

Archie would have dearly loved to have seen the

Incredible Panopticon. He wondered whether he
might even have been able to get a job standing in
the pyramid. He was small and light, so he reasoned
he would be ideally placed to stand at the top, and
had spent hours agonizing over whether they would
allow a child performer with a club foot.

And in that black silence, there was heard a soft

scraping of twigs.

He knew he could never really see the Incredible

Panopticon, he told Mr. Sticks. It was in a place
called New York that Sammy had told him was miles
and miles and miles away on a railroad and he could
never walk so far, especially not with a club foot.

**********
Morning brought Archie awake with a snap. There
was shouting and screaming and the thunder of
small feet all around him.

Besides, no one was allowed to leave the poorhouse.

The front doors were kept locked at all times and
the building was surrounded by an old iron fence
topped with spikes almost as tall as Archie. Hed
never be able to climb over it, and even if he had
somehow escaped, how could he hope to get all
the way to New York? He didnt even know which
direction it was in.

He rolled out of bed and was immediately shouldered

aside by a larger boy racing by. Others followed and
although he could make no sense from the garbled
shouting, he knew instinctively that something
very strange was afoot. In all the time he had lived
in the poorhouse, the morning routine had never
deviated once.

He confided all this to Mr. Sticks who, in his

wisdom, listened politely and objectively and never
once disagreed with anything Archie said. He just
slouched there, grinning that same knowing grin.

A tide of anxious children washed him downstairs

and he heard half a hundred wild speculations
and dread whispers on what was the cause of this
sudden anarchy. There were orphans everywhere
and not a one of them was doing any work. No
brooms, no pails of water and horse-hair brushes,
no subdued down-cast faces anxious to avoid being
singled out and made an example of. Where were
the gaffers? Where was Misses Gawk?

And so life went on in tiny, laborious increments.

Archie retained his fingers in the workhouse despite
the best efforts of Salt Cod, and dangled by his
ear while Misses Gawk interrogated him on how
thoroughly he had swept the attic, and he chewed

34

Archie found her in the dining hall, surrounded by

a tight throng of staring, whispering children. Many
looked shocked, a few were tearful, a few others
hiding smirks behind filthy hands.

normality, but had clearly found something not to

their liking.

Misses Gawk was sitting on the end of one of the

long bench tables that was normally ringed by hungry
children at this time of the morning. She was sitting
facing the far wall, yet her pinched (and somewhat
surprised-looking) face was staring back at them, on
account of having been twisted around back-to-front.
Her arms were twisted around in their sockets,
her legs had been twisted so far round that they

The mob of orphans swarmed through the double

doors to investigate, a growing wave of excitement
building along with the volume of their animated
discussions on what was happening.
Salt Cod was in the spinning mules. To say he was
in the spinning mules was no understatement, and
whats more, he seemed to be in most of them. A
part of him, at least.

In all honesty, it would have been very difficult to

say which unfortunate souls body was crushed and
snarled and mangled amid the heavy iron machinery,
had the instigator of this new outrage not foreseen
a potential difficulty in identification and placed the
sour-faced boys severed head atop the nearest
machine, quite untouched by the general carnage
surrounding it.

crossed over each other and both feet stuck up at

crazy angles (perhaps the source of the sniggering).
Even her hands and feet had been twisted to point
the wrong way.
Ironically, her ears were quite untouched.
Archie stared at the contorted Dormitory Master,
as astonished as the rest of them. That she was
quite dead was immediately obvious, but who was
responsible for the dreadful deed was less so.
Fresh shrill cries started up from the workhouse.
Some of the more institutionalized orphans had gone
seeking a gaffer to try and re-anchor themselves in

35

More squeals and shrieks and gasps exploded from

the gathered orphans, but there was an increasingly
prevalent sense of wicked elation among all this
exclamation. Salt Cod had not been well liked at
Blade Street indeed, had possibly been even more
unpopular than Misses Gawk and it seemed that a
fair proportion of the crowd was more titillated than
horrified at his grisly demise.

Archie didnt know how to feel. He, as had all of the

orphans at one time or another, had wished a bad
end to both the Dormitory Master and workhouse
gaffer, although he had done so with the glib
recklessness of one who knows such a thing would
never actually come to pass.

And there sat Mr. Sticks, as he always did. Slouched

against the wall with a crooked grin and nonchalant
air, he looked exactly the same as he had when
Archie had last spoken to him.
Only, this morning there was a heavy leather pouch
on the ground by his right hand.

Or so he thought.
Archie stared at it. The pouch looked awfully
reminiscent of the one that habitually dangled from
Mr. Bartletts heavy belt every Friday afternoon when
he returned from Slope, Bark & Cutteridge. Only, it
couldnt be. It was Wednesday morning and the only
coin anywhere in the poorhouse was locked up in
Mr. Bartletts safe.

More shrieking this time from the kitchens. Archie

was swept away with the rest of them to find the
source of this third outrage, although a great many
of them already suspected what they would find.
Mr. Bartlett lay spread-eagled on his back in the
middle of the kitchen. To say that he had put on
fresh weight would have been an understatement.
His stomach bulged like a dirigible over his
motionless corpse, so enormously swollen that it
had burst his vest, breeches, waistcoat and leather
belt all. It looked like a vast pale balloon projecting
from his clothes. All around him were empty bread
sacks; dozens and dozens of them that held the
small black loaves fed to the orphans each morning.
His mouth was wide open and still stuffed full of
black bread as, presumably, was the rest of him.

He poked at it cautiously with his club shoe. The bag

settled fractionally, jingling.
Archie swallowed, peering hard at Mr. Sticks.
Surely not. Surely not.

On one of his chins perched a little piebald mouse,

munching contentedly on a crumb of bread.
The swarm of children finally broke. They ran every
which way, some shrieking in terror, others in
elation. They ran hither and thither, ignorant of the
few remaining under-gaffers who tried fruitlessly to
retain some shred of authority.

He looked around, convinced this was some sort of

jape that Mr. Bartlett and Misses Gawk and Salt
Cod would all suddenly appear behind him, laughing
cruelly at the elaborate prank they had pulled. They
had heard him whispering to Mr. Sticks and decided
to play this cruel deception.
Only no one appeared. Other than the distant
sounds of destruction from inside the poorhouse,
the yard was deserted and silent.
Archie chewed his lip and experimentally hefted
the bag. It was really heavy, and clinked and jingled
loudly as he struggled to lift it off the ground. He had
no idea how much money was in there, but it was a
whole lot. More than enough to get him away from
here, away from Blade Street Childrens Workhouse,
enough to get him out of Malifaux.

Archie ran with them, stumping as quickly as he

could through the open kitchen door and out into
the yard to escape the chaos. Behind him was a
clamor of crockery and heavy copper kettles being
thrown around as the rampaging orphans destroyed
everything in their path.
Almost on instinct, Archie retreated to the one place
he felt safe; behind the refuse heap where no one
would find him.

Maybe even enough to get him all the way to the

Incredible Panopticon in New York, a small hopeful
voice whispered in his head.

36

But no he was just an orphan boy with a club foot

who couldnt even get out of the backyard without
a step-ladder. The fence was twenty feet high and
greased to discourage apprentice climbers, all the
windows were barred and the front door was locked.
The guildsmen would come and theyd take his bag
of coins and put him back to work on the spinning
mule with a new gaffer, even more monstrous than
the last.
A black despair would have probably crushed him
there and then, had he not noticed that Mr. Sticks
wasnt sitting quite exactly as hed last seen him,
after all. His left hand was sort of poking out, with
one long sticky finger pointing over into the corner of
the building, where the kitchen wall met the fence.
Archie followed the direction of the finger and found
he was looking at the furthest away iron fence railing,
which had been bent outward by some unseen force
to create a gap between the fence and the wall. Not
a large gap by any stretch of the imagination, but
certainly enough for a boy to squeeze through. If he
was unusually small for his age.
Mr. Sticks grinned.

37

SCENARIO

Production Purgatory
Grab your crew and your gear, its time to brave the wilds
of Malifaux! Just fill out these forms first, in triplicate. Then
wait three to six weeks for a response and call customs
extension 296, apparently our crew members have been
labelled as produce and are held up in Bolivia. Andwerent
you shorter a minute ago?

deploy first. Each model which is deployed at this time

must flip a card, which may be cheated as normal. The
models Ht stat is permanently changed to the following,
depending on the suit of the card flipped:
Black Joker: Ht 0
Crow: Ht 1
Tome: Ht 2

Set up
Divide the table into four 18 x 18 table Quarters. These
Quarters are labelled 1-4.

Mask: Ht 3
Ram: Ht 4
Red Joker: Ht 10

This scenario uses Standard Deployment.

Victory Points

Special

At the end of each Turn after the first, a Crew earns 1 VP

if it controls two or more table Quarters.

While deploying, each player splits their Crew into two

groups. Both of a Crews groups should contain an equal
number of models (or as close as is possible). Then the
player selects a group to deploy as normal. The undeployed
group is held up in customs.
After flipping for Initiative on the second Turn, each player
deploys the group which was held up in customs using
Standard Deployment. The player who won Initiative must

To control a table Quarter, the Crew must have the most

non-Peon models within the table Quarter. Only models with
a Ht equal to the table Quarters number may be counted
towards that Quarter (for example, only Ht 1 models are
counted when determining which player controls Quarter
1, etc). Models which straddle one or more table Quarters
may count as being in any of the Quarters which they are
straddling (just keep in mind that they may only help to
control the Quarter corresponding to their Ht).

Professor
Pontificates
A WORD {OR MORE} ABOUT FOCUS AND DEFENSIVE
Adrian Scott
Focus and Defensive Stance. While they can be used
by any model in the game, players new to Malifaux
and even some veterans tend to underutilize them.
In all honesty however, I cannot stress enough how
important these Conditions can be in a game! Games
of Malifaux can and be won or lost on their use.
They are so important in fact, that I decided to write
an article about it. So here we have it, the essay
about two seemingly basic Actions!

preserve your cards while your opponent wastes

their own, and youre in a better position to win more
important duels later on in the turn!
And that card efficiency is especially useful if you
happened to draw a bad hand for that Turn. Weve
all had those nightmare hands at some point, where
your highest card is a 6 and its that critical Turn on
which the game hinges. During those dark times,
when you have few, if any decent cards to cheat,
Focus and Defensive Stance really come into their
own. After all, if you have nothing to cheat with, your
best chance at winning duels is to put your fate into
the hands of your deck. And adding positive flips
to as many duels as possible should shift that fate
much more in your favor!

The benefits of both

As Ive already said, Focus and Defensive Stance
are two General Actions that every model has
access to. The former costs (1) AP and grants a
Focused +1 Condition to gain a + to the attack
and damage flip for the next Action that Turn. The
latter costs (X) AP plus a card from your hand to
grant the Defensive +X Condition, giving positive
flips to all of that models Df duels until its next
Activation. The first is offensive while the other is
defensive in nature, but both basically grant the
same thing positive flips to subsequent duels for
that model.But the power of the positive flip should
not be underestimated! Flipping an extra card for
your starting duel improves your chances of having
the higher starting total and winning the duel. This
places more pressure on your opponent to cheat a
good card from his hand while reducing your own
need to cheat. This can help quite a lot to draw out
your opponents good cards while preserving your
own. In other words, its simple card efficiency

The positive flip from both conditions will also

effectively negate any - on your initial flip. Whether
its from shooting into cover or the result of an
enemy attack (Mollys Whispered Secret) or an
ability (Zoraidas Proper Manners), making any
duel on a - is a very bad thing. Not only does it
reduce the chances of winning that initial duel, but
it prevents you from cheating that flip too, making
it very difficult to win the duel or at least force your
opponent to cheat a good card. As my Jack Daw will
attest, winning duels on a - will occasionally happen
(damn you December Acolyte!), but it tends to be
the exception. My own rule of thumb is that, unless
my own base stat is at least 3-4 points higher than
the opponents and/or I really dont mind losing the

39

duel, I will never try winning a duel on a -. In such

a case, Id much rather spend an AP (and card, in
the case of Defensive Stance) to give the model
Focused or Defensive and give that model a fighting
chance to win the subsequent duel/s.

Focus
Especially important for projectile attacks, which are
often affected by soft/hard cover
As I alluded to above, using Focus is especially
important in conjunction with projectile Attacks. If
you have a Crew full of gunslingers, any opponent
worth his or her salt will inevitably hide their Crew in
cover, forcing a - on your projectile Attacks. So while
youd only be putting out half the shots, using the
Focused Condition to negate that - is well worth it
to ensure youll actually hit those cowardly targets!
The additional benefit of using Focus before an attack
is that it also grants a + on the damage flip. The
vast majority of the time Ive found that my models
will win an attack duel by 1-5, which translates to a to damage. However with a + to damage from Focus
that 1-5 band for winning a duel gives you a straight
flip for damage and most importantly, the ability to
cheat that flip to a higher damage bracket! This is
especially powerful if you happen to be holding a
Red Joker to cheat in for severe plus weak damage!
However its also excellent for models who either
have blast damage they want to get off (Sonnia or
Rasputina with their respective ranged spells), or
models where one moderate or severe hit is going
to do more damage to the target than two weak hits.
Great examples of the latter would be the Terror Tot
(with a damage track of 1/3/4) and especially
Montressor (who deals 1/4/7 damage).

40

Unfortunately the biggest weakness with Defensive

Stance is that it wont help against Wp-based
attacks, so when facing crews like Pandora youll
rarely find yourself utilising it. Well, unless Pandora
happens to have what I like to call a Plan B hanging
around (ie. a model that doesnt rely on Wp-based
attacks to kill things, like Teddy)!

Defensive
I find that the best time to use Defensive Stance
is when you really dont want a given model to die.
Okay, that may sound quite obvious but allow me to
elaborate. As Im sure you should know by now, a
game of Malifaux is won or lost on achieving your
objectives rather than simply killing enemy models.
So youll often find that spending AP on keeping a
model alive is a better idea than attempting to kill
whatever is threatening them. This is especially
relevant for Tank-style models those with some
great resilience but limited damage output.

Disciplined must be their middle name

As one might expect, there are plenty of models
who can utilize Focus and Defensive Stance better
than others. The Ten Thunders seem to get the
lions share of these. For instance the Monk of Low
River, Thunder Archer, and Samurai all gain an extra
Focused +1 when taking a Focus Action (Reading
the Wind), while the Oiran and Thunder Brother both
gain their own benefits when taking a Defensive
Stance Action. Good non-Ten Thunders examples
would be any model with a sniper rifle-style weapon,
like Hans or Nino (who increase their weapon range
when using the Focused Condition on Attacks). Then
theres the Guild Riflemen, who can not only keep
their Focused Condition from turn to turn (Hold!),
but can spend it to deal damage to models in range
who make a Charge Action (Stand and Fire)!

Of course if you really, really dont want that model

to die then remember that Defensive Stance is an
(X) action. So you could spend 2 AP or occasionally
even 3 AP on Defensive stance (still discarding just
one card) to add a ++ or +++ to subsequent
Df duels!
Defensive is an uncommon condition in that it lasts
until the beginning of the models next Activation, as
opposed to the end of Turn. I shouldnt have to tell
you how handy this is Activate early with the model
and you can get almost two Turns worth of use out
of any Defensive Condition that you give it. If youve
put Defensive on your key model/s it also makes
you less reliant on winning the initiative flip on that
next turn, which can certainly save a lot of stress
during those more critical parts of the game.

Other Masters also offer some great synergy with

the Focus and Defensive Stance. For instance
the Triggers on Luciuss Issue Command Action
can grant the Focus +1 or Defensive +1 Condition
to friendly models, while Collodi can either hand
Focused or Defensive to nearby Puppets or steal
it from the aforementioned Puppets for himself,
depending on which limited Upgrade hes taken. Of
course, its perhaps not surprising that the King of
the Focused and Defensive Conditions is aligned
to the Ten Thunders Shenlong himself. Not only
can he hold the Focused Condition for the next turn
like a Guild Rifleman can (with Flow Like Water),
but he can steal both Focused and Defensive off
enemy models (Burn Like Fire) and allows friendly
models to take Focus and (1) Defensive Stance as
(0) Actions (Knowing the Wind and Stone). That in
itself is a potent trick, but its especially great when
you consider how many 10-Thunders models gain
additional benefits from taking those Actions!

Defensive Stance has the benefit of being

proportionately more useful the higher your models
Defense stat is. For instance if you use Defensive
Stance on a Flesh Golem (Df 3) you might force your
opponent to cheat the odd card, but its unlikely that
the Flesh Golem will actually dodge many of those
attacks. However giving it to Baby Kade (Df 7) makes
him remarkably difficult to hit. Few models have an
attack that can match his high Df, so most of the
time your opponent will be forced to cheat a very high
card to even hit Kade, it hitting him is even possible.
This isnt to say that Defensive Stance is useless for
low Df models. After all, forcing the odd discard is a
benefit in itself (especially with the aforementioned
Flesh Construct and his Ceaseless Advance ability)
and sometimes having a slightly better chance of the
model surviving is better than almost none at all.

Later,

Adrian

41

JUNIOR WHATNOTS
Nathan Caroland
Wyrd is currently looking for two Junior Whatnots to work on,
well, whatever we want! Youll have the opportunity to get
involved in game design while learning fun new skills like how
to carry 5 cups of coffee with only 2 hands (no special drink
carriers allowed). We dont need you to have designed games
before, but a healthy love of games may be the only thing that
keeps you safe when the one true Viktoria comes knocking.
These positions are located in Marietta, GA.

What youre going to do

The things we ask you to. Things like writing rules and
editing and doing layout.
Come to trade shows and smile like you mean it!

What youre not going to do

Listen to the voices in your head.

Quote Nathan! Some things should never be uttered twice.

Requirements

The ability to answer any question about any game without using the internet to do
so. Or, you know, a good understanding of games overall.

The ability to make your boss happy, which is often about communication and
deadlines, but could also mean occasionally standing very still with an apple on
your head. Its probably better if you close your eyes.

Special consideration will be given to candidates who have experience in graphic design/
layout, web development, or mobile app development. No joke here, wed really like that.
What Makes You a Good Fit at Wyrd
At Wyrd, we come in all shapes and scalings, but at the end of the day were all Neverb
people. You must be eager to jump into the deep end, regardless of any Silurids. You must
be willing to talk to others without either of you needing to take a Terrifying duel. It would
help if your Armor is rated at least +1, but you have to at least be comfortable filling any
of the roles in Lucius crew.
If you want to know more (and really, why wouldnt you), head over to our website to check
out the more complete job posting:
http://wyrd-games.net/community/page/index.html/_/wyrd-news/jobs-junior-game-designer-r44

42

A AMalifaux
Battle
Report
LIVE DISPATCH FROM KADETON'S TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA
Andrew Weakland
The allure of the non-stop gaming behemoth that is
Gen Con draws Wyrd aficionados from across the
globe. Luckily for those in my local Malifaux group,
New York City can have a similar effect on those
visiting America from abroad, and our gaming club
had our fair share of new faces stopping by during
the weeks surrounding Gen Con.

BATTLE REPORT 50 SS
Von SCHILL (

vs.

Marcus (

Its always great to get a chance to play folks from

other locales, as it allows you to see the varied
strategies and perhaps learn a new approach. The
week prior to Gen Con Adrian Scott, hailing from
Perth, Australia, was passing through the city and
gave me a proper thrashing using an Obedient Wretch
and Malifaux Rats in a Misaki Crew something I
had simply never seen before! Chris Gorham, also
coincidently from Perth, came through town a few
weeks later. I was able to witness his match against
Arash Afghahi, one of our regulars, and the back
and forth swings in the game were quite
fun to witness. I hope you enjoy the
tale of their climactic match as
much as I enjoyed watching
it unfold!

Strategy: Turf War

Deployment: Standard
Scheme Pool: Breakthrough, Distract, Frame for
Murder, Plant Explosives, Line in the Sand

43

Chris deployed first, with Von Schill front and center

and his legion of Freikorps alongside him. Marcus
also favored a central approach, surrounding
himself with his heavy hitters in the center of the
deployment zone, with a Silurid on each flank ready
to run objectives. Trappers emerged from the
shadow, each one far to their respective flank and
near the Centerline, drawing a bead on the Silurids
across from them.

Outcasts
Von Schill 4 SS Pool
- Spoils of War
- I Pay Better
- Survivalist
Strongarm Suit
- Oath Keeper
Freikorps Specialist
- Scout the Field
Freikorps Librarian
Freikorps Trapper
Freikorps Trapper
Freikorpsmann
Announced Schemes: None

Arcanists
Marcus 5 SS Pool
- The Trail of the Gods
- The Hunger Cry
- Arcane Reservoir
Jackalope
Sabretooth Cerberus
- Imbued Energies
Cojo
Silurid
Silurid
Razorspine Rattler
Canine Remains
Announced Schemes: Breakthrough

44

Turn 1:
for later advances, with Cojo, the Cerberus and
Canine Remains all edging forward. Likewise, Von
Schill also moved up, ensuring that his Crew would
easily be in range to pressure the center next turn
without overexposing themselves to the threatening
beasts. The Razorspine Rattler decided to end
the dtente and rushed towards the Trapper on
the Northern flank while hugging cover. The sole
Outcast left to activate was the Freikorpsmann, who
was fortunate to flip the Red Joker while shooting at
the Rattler in cover and scored two wounds. Marcus
then executed his early assault, edging up within
8 of the advancing Rattler, buffing its attack with
Darzees Chant and then using Alpha to goad the
serpentine terror to action. Unimpeded by the water
obstacle, the Rattler was easily able to charge the
Trapper, and in a deadly sequence of poisonous
strikes dispatched him.

A loud crack rang out from the Trapper along the

southern edge, announcing that battle had been
joined. The single focused shot was able to find
a camouflaged Silurid, reducing it to a single
wound. The badly-injured overgrown catfish quickly
leapt forward behind a building to avoid further
punishment. A second rifle sounded and Cojo
roared with rage as the shot struck him for three
wounds. With the two threats currently in range
having Activated, Marcus begun to stage his Crew

Turn 2
The Arcanists seized the initiative to start the
second Turn and Cojo charged into the tightly
bunched Freikorps in the center, targeting Von Schill.
A series of low flips saw no damage being dealt, but
Cojos Rude Sign Language pushed the mercenaries
back and bought some breathing room for cadre of
beasts. With no clear targets, the Specialist took up
residence behind the central building within 6 of

45

The other Silurid, still licking his wounds, leapt

onto the raised platform to tie up the sniper. The
Trapper, already having put down the Jackalope
outside of his activation, decided to give the Silurid
engaging him the same treatment only to miss
the beast twice!

the center for the Strategy, and also difficult for the
enemy to draw sight to. Looking to neutralize the
remaining sniper, the Jackalope took full advantage
of his feral speed and charged in, but armor deflected
the crazed beast. Von Schill simply wouldnt stand
for such bad manners from Cojo, and charged in
and slayed the gorilla with his Jack Knife. With a
glance to his left, Schill also pronounced that the
Trapper should Finish the Cur, and he gladly obliged,
dispatching the Jackalope. The Rattler attempted to
repeat his deadly performance from the previous
turn and charged the Freikorpsmann, but his Fangs
were blunted by armor, although a dose of venomous
ichor was delivered. Despite being injected with
virulent poison, the Freikorpsmann kept his cool,

With one of Chris Schemes now known, Arash

decided to be aggressive, and advanced the
Sabretooth to threaten the center. The Librarian
unleashed a torrent of magical energy into the
Cerberus, doing just enough damage to cancel
the Three-headed bonus. With the Strongarm still
available to finish off the threat of the Cerberus,
Marcus acted decisively, advancing and targeting
the beast with Alpha. The Librarians armor proved
tough for the overgrown feline to pierce, but a timely
Maul Action was able to overcome the mercenarys
Hard to Kill and bring her down.
Valuing Victory Points over bloodshed, the Strongarm
decided to spend his Oathkeeper, sprinting across
the battlefield to Distract the Silurid! The Canine
remains could do nothing but advance further to
ensure a score for Turf War. At the conclusion of
Turn 2 Chris snagged the early lead, scoring Distract
while both players claimed Turf War.

Turn 3
Arash won initiative for the third Turn in a row, and
immediately sent the Cerberus charging into Von
Schill. Between a lack of the Three-headed bonus
and Von Schills armor the impact was minimal, and
the Friekorps leader quickly retaliated to finish off
the beast before Marcus himself could weigh in,
and once again urged his Trapper to Finish the Cur.
This time a juicier target in the Silurid was finished
off, but only to summon the Jackalope right back
into the mix! Schill used his final action to enter a
Defensive stance, as Marcus was clearly a threat to
take matters into his own hands.
Marcus obliged, taking the calculated risk of placing
himself in harms way to possibly finish off Von
Schill, and charged in. Although he scored two
successful hits, Marcus damage was mitigated by
the combination of armor and Soulstones.

Distracting the Rattler and stabbing it for good

measure. To retaliate, the Silurid on the Northern
flank continued the advance, leaping forward to drop
a Scheme Marker and then walking to engage the
now out-numbered Freikorpsmann.

46

and bring down the unhurt opposing Master. After

successfully slashing Marcus with his first two
attacks, Von Schill finally hit a hurdle when Marcus
defended with a 13 from the top of the deck.
However, Chris cheated a Red Joker from his hand
to ensure the blow landed! Marcus looked done
for on a single wound and facing a final attack
from Finish the Cur, but the final blow missed!
Before any further punishment could come his way,
Marcus Activated and enraged himself with Darzees
Chaunt. The punishing series of blows that followed
seemed sure to slay the diehard mercenary captain,
but despite a Red Joker showing on the final attack,
Hard to Kill kept Von Schill alive. The Trapper
sensed his master was in peril, and after stabbing
the Jackalope to death yet again, set his crosshairs
upon the brutal melee in the center of the battlefield.
Undeterred by the risk of accidentally slaying Von
Schill, the Trappers attack found its target. Unable
to defend himself while invigorated by the Chaunt,
Marcus fell, brought down by the very aggression
that had seemed sure to win him the day. Although
finding little consolation with their Master defeated,
the remaining beasts were able to reposition and
shrug off Distract. The Canine Remains showed
particular valor, placing a Marker near Von Schill
and the Strongarm Suit as they guarded the center.
This marker was detonated at the end of the Turn to
narrow the margin to 8-6.

After a bloody second Turn and an aggressive start to

the third, the game suddenly took an about face. As
both Crews had taken heavy losses early, it became
clear that both players were trying to protect their
remaining forces.

The remaining Silurid started off by leaping to avoid

the deadly fists of the Strongarm Suit and placed
another Scheme Marker. Arash opted not to place
the Marker within the edge of Chris Deployment
Zone for an apparent Breakthrough score, but
instead ensured that the Marker was within 3 of
the both the Specialist and the Strongarm Suit,
which Chris picked up on immediately as a Plant
Explosives threat.

Turn 5

The Suit continued his streak of deferring violence

for position and backpedaled towards the center
and then placed a Marker. The Rattler looked
content to tie down the Friekorpsmann within 3
of a Scheme Marker, but a Red Joker on a doublenegative damage flip unexpectedly finished of the
mercenary. This also opened up a clear shot for the
Specialist to lay waste to the Rattler with flame
but instead the veteran advanced betwixt the snake
and the Silurid and dropped a Scheme Marker for
Plant Explosives! Successfully tagging the Silurid,
Rattler and Marcus himself, Chris jumped out to a
7-3 lead.

Arash won the initiative flip and sent the Silurid to kill
Von Schill before he could wreak more havoc. Chris
put his hand to work for his Master, cheating a 13
to keep Schill alive. Von Schill responded by slaying
the Silurid with three Jack Knife strikes, once again
bringing out the Jackalope! The Canine Remains
tried his luck at the indomitable Freikorps leader and

Turn 4
Chris finally won an initiative flip at the most
opportune time and activated Von Schill to try

47

applied two points of Poison despite his damage

being prevented by Soulstones. The Strongarm Suit
turned his attention to the Razorspine Rattler, who
had been a thorn in Chris side the whole match.
Scrambling the aether around the creature slowed
it and brought it to three Wounds, but that was not
enough. The snake continued its deadly strike,
tearing into the Friekorps specialist, who was unable
to connect with his retaliatory strikes. Von Schill
spent yet another stone to prevent poison damage
and stay alive. With both players scoring Turf War
and only a single Marker placed in Chris deployment
zone for a potential Breakthrough score, it looked as
though the match was headed for a 9-8 final score,
but Arash flipped an 11 and the game continued!

out of the grasp of the Strongarm and placing a

second Scheme Marker in Chris Deployment Zone!
Although the Rattler then died from Burning, Chris
was distraught that the unthinkable had happened
and he had seized a 10-9 defeat from the jaws of
victory. Chris was taciturn as he flipped the final
card from the top of his deck a Red Joker! The
game would continue to Turn 7!

Turn 7
The fickle winds of fate continued to blow strong,
and Arash flipped a Red Joker for initiative and set
about trying to protect his narrow 10-9 lead in this
marathon of a game. The lowly Jackalope leapt
forward and charged the Strongarm Suit. Although his
thrashing antlers fell far from killing the Herculean
hybrid of man and machine, the engagement had
the potential of thwarting the Suit from interacting
to stop Breakthrough. Von Schill knew the balance
of the conflict was held in his hands alone. He
swiftly doubled back towards his Deployment Zone
and brandished his clockwork seeker. He fired into
the swirling mess of combat, but even Von Schills
veteran eye could not discern tiny whirling demonrabbit from his ally. With a final last ditch effort,
Von Schill demanded the Strongarm Finish the Cur.
It seemed that even that was destined to fail when
Arash cheated a 12 to defend, but Chris was able to
cheat a 12 of his own to tie, and with no Black Joker
rearing its ugly head, the Jackalope was crushed into
a pulp with nary a whimper. Freed from the fanatical
fiend, the Strongarms servomotors groaned as he
staggered back and then discarded the Scheme
Marker securing a nail-biting 9-8 victory. Despite
the job being seen through, Von Schill was not able
to collect his bounty. Instead he slumped to his
knees, and then fell face first into the bloodstained
cobblestones - dead from the poisonous drool of a
lowly zombified mutt.

Turn 6
Chris won initiative convincingly and set to wiping
out the remaining beasts. The Strongarm Suit
charged up and barreled at the Rattler, only to be
foiled by weak flips and no support available in

Chris hand. The loyal Canine Remains continue

to chew at Von Schill, once again not dealing any
damage but increasing the Poison count back to
+2. The defensive dog managed to easily dodge
Von Schills first two attempts to kill him, only to be
brought down convincingly with the final attack. The
Rattler, miraculously clinging to life, struck out with
his first attack and killed the Freikorps Specialist.
The resulting explosion set the beast ablaze, but
the Rattler was able to trigger Reposition, pushing

48

vs

9 8

vp vp
MVP:
Strongarm Suit
Honorable Mention:
Canine Remains

49

WRETCHED RATS
Adrian Scott
As Andrew mentioned in the Battle Report, Adrian used
a unique Crew build to win with against him in a game.
Adrian was kind enough to point me to a strategy
write up for this build and I wanted to include it for
everyone to read.

1-3. 
Malifaux Rats move up, remaining within
Shooting Range (6) of the Obedient Wretch
4. Obedient Wretch Activates and Attacks the
Rats twice with Tossed Rat, triggering Stink
of Death with a flipped/cheated C.
5. First summoned Rat Activates (ideally outside
3 of 3 other Rats) and does whatever.

Enjoy!

6. Second summoned Rat Activates and being

within 3 of 3 other Rats, is sacrificed to
create a Rat King.

----

7. Rat King Activates, then uses Rat Problem

to sacrifice itself and summon a Rat Catcher
and Malifaux Rat.

So lately Ive been burning through the Outcast

Faction, trying their various Masters for my Rainbow
Challenge and getting an idea of how they work.
They were also the Faction I decided to take to
Gen Con, so I suppose it was inevitable that I start
looking at the Faction as a whole and whether there
were any combos I could use to deal with perceived
weaknesses. As it turns out theres one set of models
Ive developed a particular fondness for. So without
further ado, lets just get straight into the details;

8. 
Rat Catcher Activates and casts Moldy
Cheese on the Malifaux Rat, giving it
Reactivate.
9-10. Final Malifaux Rat Activates twice, probably
doing nothing of importance.
Thats 10 activations for 10SS, but even if you only
summon one Rat with the Obedient Wretch and/
or dont summon the Rat Catcher, thats more than
enough to out-activate most other Crews in the
game. The above requires your opponent to leave
those models alone for the Turn (likely, if you deploy
them well enough) and requires C (for Stink of
Death) and a 4+ of any suit (Moldy Cheese). The
worst that can happen is if you flip severe Damage
for the Obedient Wretchs Tossed Rat (killing it) or
as usual, if you flip a Black Joker for anything.

Obedient Wretch (4)

3x Malifaux Rats (3x2) = 10SS Total
It may not seem like much, but this little team offers
some incredible utility for a paltry 10SS. If you know
anything about these models youll quickly realize
their greatest advantage Activation Control. Heres
how their first Turn Activations would typically go;

50

and Drawn to Contagion (for (1) Action Charges

vs Blighted models). But the main reason Ive
been loving this model can be summed up in one
word: Gnaw. Games can be won or lost on Scheme
Markers, so being able to just remove them from
under your opponents nose with this (0) Action from
a Rat King is fantastic.

Ive found that the Activation Control this Crew offers

is a great boon for both Misaki and the Viktorias, both
of whom value Activating later in the Turn to avoid too
many models counter-attacking them after theyve
killed something. Though I havent tried it myself, I
can only assume Tara would like them for the same
reason. I dont care enough about Von Schill to make
a judgement call for him, and Hamelin, well hes going
to have these models in his Crew anyway. Leveticus
might not need the Activation Control but with his
need for 6SS models and the fragility of Hollow Waifs,
he might appreciate the ability to activate some chaff
regardless. Having said that, activation control isnt
all that this combo offers. Lets look at the models in
more detail, shall we?

Rat Catcher
The Rat Catcher is sort of a mix of the between
Rat King and Obedient Wretch. His average Melee
Abilities are supplemented with some great
automatic triggers, including granting Slow, extra
damage to Blighted models and summoning a
Malifaux Rat. Covered in Rats gives him some good
resilience in the form of Armor +1 when his Rats
are nearby but similar to the Rat King, I like the
Rat Catcher for its Dont Mind Me ability to place
Scheme Markers whilst engaged.

Obedient Wretch
Even after throwing the initial few Rats to get the
combo running, the Wretch is still a nice cheap
Minion to chew up an Activation and plant Scheme
Markers as needed. If worst comes to worst she
could always sacrifice herself with Inevitable Fate to
summon two more Rats (and by extension, hopefully
another Rat King), but her real ace in the hole (apart
from summoning Rats) is her Bleeding Disease
Attack. Every model in this Rat-combo can add
Blighted to enemy models, either with their basic
attack or in the case of the Wretch, through her
Diseased Aura. As the Blighted Condition adds up,
the Bleeding Disease Attack starts dealing some
obscene Damage, giving the Wretch some great
potential as a way to finish off particularly tough
enemy models.

So not only does this 10SS combo give you excellent

Activation Control when you need it, but it also lets
you summon models that help deal with another
common weakness with Outcasts Scheme Marker
manipulation. Even without Scheme Markers to
mess with theyre still useful for Turf War and
Reconnoiter (its basically 2 non-Peons for 10SS).
Reckoning is definitely their weakest Strategy but
even then they can prove useful, since you could just
avoid exposing the Rats to your opponent and the
Rat King with Bleeding Disease is from the Wretch
could definitely claim a few heads of their own.
I hope this has convinced you all of the value of
these models to the Outcasts. What started for
me as some niche models to deal with a specific
problem has fast become the first models I take in
most of my Outcast Crews, and I can only assume
theyll wind up being a common addition to other
players Crews as well.

Malifaux Rat
Useless, right? Wrong! I often feel like people
underestimate the value of Peons. They may
not be able to Interact or count for scoring most
Strategies or Schemes, but they can still prevent
engaged models from Charging/Interacting, cant be
interacted with (for Cursed Object/Distract) and will
in fact prevent certain Schemes of your opponents
(eg. Protect Territory).

Later,

Adrian
Rat King
It may not be a killing machine, but it still packs a
respectable punch and has some nice tricks in the
form of Bore (to give models in base contact Slow)

51

MISS ERY Makos

LOVES
COMPANY
Rubbish
Mark Rodgers
This Chronicles, Ive got my brushes on the 2014
GenCon special, Miss Ery. Shes a neat little model,
full of character, and with the new plastic Dreamer
coming out soon I decided to paint her to fit in
with that crew. My plan was to have the real world
being overwritten by the Dreamers playroom, the
magic changing the drab stones into bright clean
toys. Its pretty common to see dark furred Teddies,
so I decided to start with a light color instead and
see where it ended up. As always, Ive used Vallejo
Game Color paint, except for one or two that Ill
mention on the way.

PALE FUR

Prepping Miss Ery was pretty simple, the pieces

fitted easily and there werent any difficult mold lines
to clean up. I did gently scrape some of the large flat
areas with a knife to smooth any slight ridges on
the larger areas of the body though, as they could
have interfered with the technique I wanted to use.
I primed her black, and then it was on to my usual
midtone shade midtone highlight process.

The Body
I decided once I started basecoating the main body
that Khaki was too pale as a midtone color. To fix
this, I used a 1:1 mix of Earth and Khaki, which has

52

a deeper warmer tone to it. After getting a smooth

color down for my midtone base, I then added an
equal parts mix of Black, Hexed Lichen and Charred
Brown to some Earth and began shading. The black
and brown provide the dark color equivalent of the
midtone, while the Hexed Lichen (a purple color) adds
some extra contrast to the shading. This increased
contrast is important you have to exaggerate the
contrasts in painting if you want to avoid the piece
looking like a close up view of a small model, rather
than a distant view of something full size. Of course,
how much exaggeration you should use depends on
personal preference, painting style, and the result
you want.

Off-hand
I decided to give Miss Ery one mismatched hand
and foot, to accentuate her patchwork look. For this,
I went with a darker fur that started as a basecoat
of Charred Brown. This was shaded with a 2:1 mix
of Black and Hexed Lichen, maintaining the black/
purple tint to the shadows. As I did with the paler fur,
I went back over with the midtone in a series of small
strokes, pointing towards the fingers. The next layer
was a 2:1 mix of Charred Brown and Earth, followed
by a 1:2 mix of Charred Brown and Earth. To finish
the darker fur, I used very small strokes of Earth, then
a final touch of Khaki on the highest points.

The midtone then got repainted, but rather than

blending it in smooth coats I used a series of uneven
strokes, avoiding the deepest shadows. Each body
panel had the strokes running in the direction of
the fur, so the arms had them pointing towards the
hands, the body was towards the hips, and so on.
The strokes dont have to be even, a little roughness
lends itself to the tangled fur look. I next did the
same with thin strokes of Khaki, leaving areas of
the midtone uncovered and allowing the strokes to
change angle and length as I worked. This effect
was built up even further using Bonewhite, then
finished with small amounts of Offwhite on the
highest points, and particularly on the face extra
highlighting on the face draws focus to it, helping to
give the model personality.

TARTAN PATCHES

DARK FUR

Tartan patches
With the main body areas finished, I started work
on the patches. I decided not to paint each one
differently, as it would have made the model overly
detailed and scattered the focus across the whole
piece. I did however want to expand the color palette

53

Pale to mark the hearts out before glazing white

onto them for highlights. I then used the original
shading mix to glaze onto the hearts, to match the
shading and highlights on the main cloth.

as the whole model was shades of brown thus far. I

decided that the left foot, right hip, and back of the
head would all be tartan. This meant basecoating
the areas with Vallejo Model Color Blue Grey Pale
(Note: I do mean Blue Grey Pale, not the other one
they do, Pale Blue Grey), in order to keep the
colors bright and clean but not too vivid, as a white
base would be. The detail of the pattern made it
easier to paint it all without highlighting, and shade
the whole panel at the end.

PURPLE PATCHES

Tartan looks difficult, but breaking it down into steps

actually makes it quite simple. The first step was
to paint on a wide grid of Dark Green, the key part
being to keep the width of the stripes and the gaps
even. Along the vertical gaps, I used a glaze of 1:1
Gory Red and Bloody red. This doesnt make the
white squares quite red enough, but its ideal for the
areas where the two colors overlap. I then glazed
horizontal lines of the same red between the green
ones, making the pink squares much redder and
finishing the red/green/brown grid pattern. The next
step helped mute the bright red and add detail and
definition, but it can easily be left out for a simpler
pattern. In this step a dilute, equal parts mix of
Black and Hexed Lichen was painted in very thin
lines down the center of the red stripes. The final
touch was to use a 1:1 mix of Black and Charred
Brown as a very dilute wash, aiming it around the
edges and into the creases carefully to neaten
the panel. Brown was used rather than purple, as
it matched the tartan colors better and contrasted
with the purple shading on the surrounding fur.

Purple patches
The patches under the left arm and on the top of
the head were going to be in a purple patterned
material. Originally, I planned to use lilac with a dark
pattern, but the pale fur meant that a darker purple
with a pale pattern would be a better contrast. This
started as a 3:2 mix of White and Hexed Lichen,
with a dash of Black in it using just the purple
would have been too intense of a color, so adding
white and black desaturates it towards gray. The
shading was done with a 1:2 mix of Black and Hexed
Lichen, making sure that under the arm was shaded
more heavily, as that would naturally be the deepest
shadow. The midtone was repainted as a thinned
down coat, before a drop of white was added for the
highlighting. For the pattern, I used VMC Blue Grey

54

LEATHER PATCH

ORANGE

Leather patch

Orange

For the shoulders, I decided to use variations of

brown this would frame the face, but not be so
bright as to draw focus away from the face. Leather
is a texture change from the fur, but still has a
similar palette. I used my standard leather recipe,
which began with a mix of Leather Brown and Dark
Fleshtone, which was then shaded with a mix of Dark
Fleshtone and Black. After repainting the midtone
color, I then mixed equal parts of Leather Brown and
Khaki and painted this on. I focused on the edges
of the panel, around the creases, and in small
scuff marks, without blending it in fully. This gives
the leather a creased and cracked appearance. I
finished this off with further scuff highlights using
pure Khaki, making sure to highlight the panel edges
unevenly to give it a roughened appearance.

The second shoulder panel would be orange, but

again this needed muting to avoid it being too
intense. For this, I took some Khaki and added
Orange Fire slowly until I got the color I wanted
(about 75% Orange Fire). The shading was done
using equal parts of that midtone color, Charred
Brown, and Hexed Lichen. This produces quite a
muted shade, but one that still has some color in
it. Once again, I thinned and repainted the midtone
before adding Bonewhite and using that to highlight
the panel. This was still a little bright for my liking, so
I painted pinstripes on it in a mix of Charred Brown
and Earth. I use a rigger brush for this, as they have
very long bristles that are ideal for painting smooth
lines without needing to refill the brush repeatedly.
Its perfectly possible to do them with a standard
brush though. To settle these into the orange fabric
more, I went back over the panel with the shade mix
and deepened the shadows a little.

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then painted back on, starting the mesh look on the

eye surround. An equal mix of Blue Grey Pale and
White was then used as an initial highlight, followed
by pure White. To define the boundary between
stuffing and fur, deepen the shade around the eye
and make the fabric mesh look more smoothly
curved, I then used a wash made of Black and
Hexed Lichen, avoiding getting it on the highlights
so they stayed bright.

STUFFING

Stitching
Because of the paler fur, I didnt want to paint the
standard pale cream stitches. Then I remembered
that in the old fluff, the widow weaver uses a black
thread to stitch a new teddy together. That seemed
ideal, so I started with a 2:1 mix of Night Blue
and Black. Because of the small area the stitches
covered, I moved straight to highlighting by adding a
little Blue Grey Pale. A second highlight with some
more Blue Grey Pale brought the stitching out a bit
more. To soften the highlights a little, and darken the
folds and creases around the stitches, I used the
black/purple wash from the stuffing very carefully
over each stitch and line.

STITCHING

Stuffing
When I started the stuffing, I decided to paint
the surrounding of the left eye in a similar color. I
decided to use crosshatched lines, to make it look
like the back of the fur fabric, where the excess
had been folded out rather than neatly hidden. The
colors would be the same as the stuffing, to unify
the look across the model, but the eye area would
be painted as a grid of narrow lines instead of the
smooth blends of the stuffing.
I started with a basecoat of VMC Blue Grey Pale,
making sure it fully covered the black primer. This
was shaded using a 2:2:1 mix of Blue Grey Pale,
Black, and Hexed Lichen. This was the last smooth
layer for the eye surround. The Blue Grey Pale was

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Eyes

TALONS

Something about the patchwork, ripped and beaten

up teddy made me think of mismatched eyes.
Having one green and one red glowing eye seemed
like a good plan, so I started by painting the eyes
with a few coats of Dark Green or Gory Red. These
were highlighted with Jade Green and Bloody Red,
then a final point of Scorpion Green and Orange Fire
was put at the front of the eye. I highlighted towards
the front rather than the main area of the eye in
order to have her appear to look forwards. This is
something that can really help when painting faces,
as the direction of someones gaze can alter their
whole demeanor. To finish the eyes, I once again
used the black/purple wash around the sides of the
eyes, avoiding getting it on the highlights to keep
them bright and clean.

EYES

Talons
I started the talons with a basecoat of Charred
Brown, as this wouldnt need shading its often
easier to work down the talons from shade to
highlight rather than doing the midtone first. Before
beginning to work on the highlights, I decided to
have a few of the teeth and one or two talons in
metal, to keep up the mismatched look. These parts
I left alone, while the other talons were painted with
a layer of a Charred Brown and Bronze Fleshtone
mix. The next layer was the previous color with
several drops of Bonewhite mixed into it, which was
then followed by pure Bonewhite, and then White.
Each time, I painted towards the tip of the talons
with the layer color, making sure that I left some of
the previous color visible. Dragging the paint in this
direction leaves the paint thicker at the talon tip, so
the color builds up better.

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The metal teeth and talons started as a basecoat

of 2:1 Night Blue and Black. I added equal amounts
of Vallejo Model Air Steel to this, and painted about
two thirds of the talon length. After adding more
Steel, I painted the end half of the talons, paying
more attention to the ridges than the flatter areas.
A final touch of Steel on the tip of the talons finished
the effect.

Basing
The base was a simple sculpt, starting off as a flat
plate of green stuff, with a raised area to one side
that would become the pavement. I then marked
out half-inch squares and shaped the edge to the
paving. Where the real world would be, I cut the
dividing lines deeply, where the playroom would be, I
only made shallow grooves. This effectively gave me
book shapes at one end of the pavement section,
and jointed stonework at the other. I then pushed
a scrunched ball of kitchen foil onto the stone
areas repeatedly to roughen them, while keeping
the playroom tile area smooth. This I sculpted into
toothed shapes as if the tiles were designed to lock
together. Once the putty cured, I cut the outer edge
smooth and went on to painting.

BASE SCULPT

The Playroom
The playroom tiles started out as Magic Blue, Jade
Green or Hexed Lichen. These colors were mixed
with equal parts of Black and the edges of the tiles
were shaded with these mixes. I then repainted the
original colors again, leaving only a small area of
shading at the edges of the tiles. I didnt want stark

THE PLAYROOM

58

colors, so I chose to add two parts of Bonewhite to

one part of each color, highlighting subtly towards
the upper left corner of each tile. With the basic
colors done, I used diluted Black to outline a large
letter on each tile, using several coats and being
careful to keep them evenly spaced. The inner area
of each letter was then painted with Blue Grey Pale.
As the tiles are basically a flat surface, the highlights
and shades were quite subtle except for in the joins
between tiles.

MAGIC

The books that formed the play-sidewalk started

off as Gory Red, which was shaded with an equal
mix of Dark Fleshtone and black. After repainting
the midtone, it was highlighted using Bloody Red,
then had the same dilute black and Blue Grey Pale
lettering done for the title and spines of the books.

The Real World

The dingy stonework of the streets of Malifaux began
with a basecoat of Somber Grey, which was then
broken up by painting some of the stones Charred
Brown, and others Night Blue. Over this uneven
base I drybrushed either Tan or Earth, choosing the
color randomly for each tile. The final layer was a
drybrushing of either Offwhite or Vallejo Model Color
Deck Tan, again chosen randomly for each tile. This
creates a range of colors on the tiles, making it much
more natural looking. To tone these down, I then
mixed equal parts of Black, Charred Brown and Sun
Yellow into a wash and added this to the stone areas.

The Boundary
The last step on the base was to create the
magical boundary that was creating the playroom
in Malifaux. I first built up the underneath color by
glazing on a mix of Blue Grey Pale, White, Hexed
Lichen and Vallejo Model Air Steel. I tried to keep
the leading edge of the curve as a shorter fade,
with a broader trailing edge, to imply direction. The
next step was to take a cotton ball and pull a small
amount of cotton into a line the right length to go
across the base. To secure it, I painted a line of
Matte Varnish containing tiny amounts of Hexed
Lichen and Steel along the leading edge of the
band, and pressed the wool into it gently with the
back of some tweezers. I then painted more Matte
Varnish (without any colors in it) across the back
of the wool, working back over the trailing edge of
the band to stretch the fibers in that direction, then
towards the leading edge to tip the wool forwards.
After letting this cure for a while, I went back with
some tweezers and a knife point to break up any
clumping, remove excess cotton and fluff up the
smoke wisps, until I was happy with the effect.

STONE

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Finished

The very last step was to attach Miss Ery to the base, and varnish her for protection and looks. As usual,
I painted the entire piece with Vallejo Matte Varnish, the used a 1:1 mix of Matte and Gloss Varnish for
anything I wanted to shine. In this case that was the eyes, the stitches, and the metals.
And there she is, finished and ready to make new friends! If there are any questions or comments, Im always
happy to be contacted on the Wyrd Forums, under the name Mako.

Mako

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