Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Short Story
Story Encounter
Malifaux Strategies
Crew Tactics
Terrain Building
Accursed Preview
Seasons Review
Competitive Painting
Painting The Depleted
October 2013
MicAal Flynn (order #9846080) 5
Contents
Volume 8
Contributors
Editing and Layout: Graphic Design:
David Hanold Redd Cohen
Welcome to the eighth installment of the Wyrd Chronicles! We have a lot of exciting things for you this
issue, from terrain building to a new story encounter. But, I want to talk about a change we are making to
the Chronicles as a whole.
Starting with this issue, we will begin featuring material and games from other companies. The Chronicles
will, of course, remain an excellent source of Wyrd-related articles. We strive to include as many or more
articles on Wyrd products as we have always done. However, we will begin doing reviews of other games
as well.
The logic behind this is simple; the more people we have reading the Chronicles, the better it is for us,
because it features our games prominently. And as we feature more games and add a wider variety of
articles, we will gain a wider variety of readers. And we give you, the reader, more articles to enjoy. This
whole prospect is a little experimental, because we will be actively promoting companies and games who
may compete with us. However, I firmly believe that what is good for the industry as a whole is good for us
all. So long as people are going into stores, playing games, talking about games, and buying games, we all
benefit. And I am lucky enough to work for a company that is willing to give this idea a shot.
I want to say up front that all of our reviews will be positive ones. Its tacky to review another companys
product and give it a bad review. Additionally, I think people are more interested in what is exciting and
fun, and I see no reason to waste space with bad reviews. That said, we will only review games which we
genuinely think are good and which we enjoy.
We are kicking this endeavor off with an inside look at the Accursed Kickstarter by Ross Watson and his
team, and a review of the game Seasons by Redd Cohen. If this goes over well, expect to see more of this
in future issues. Tell your friends and spread the word, the Wyrd Chronicles is a free, general gaming
magazine which covers more things than just Malifaux (but dont worry, we have plenty of Malifaux).
Finally, if you have a product which you would like us to review, email Justin@wyrd-games.net.
Enjoy!
-Justin Gibbs
Sticky Bill ran. pinching beggar Flavios soul) that he had begun idle
speculation into his retirement plans. He was only four-
He ran fast, skinny legs knifing up and down, rubber- and-thirty, but already his hidey-hole under the brick
soled shoes thumping the dirt. The alley stretched away mantle of his safe house had grown a prodigious nest
in front like a narrow finger, black as tar the only egg. Another year, perhaps even less, and he would buy
light was the moon reflected in the puddles he splashed his ticket back Earth-side and, whats more, hed come
through. back through that Breach a gentleman.
Sticky Bill was no stranger to running; hed been running He ran on, his wind puffing out through drawn pock-
all his life in one manner or another. Mostly on account marked cheeks.
of his sticky fingers, but there were other things equally
catalytic of his sharp exit; things like commitment and Thats right a gentleman, with fine cotton and silk
responsibility. about him and a watch chain and a top hat shiny with
mercury and perhaps even a cane. Hed have means and
It wasnt that he was afraid of such things, merely that the lower orders would tip their caps to him and have
he considered them disagreeable on the whole and not the slightest thought he was anything less than a
contrary to the manner in which he liked to conduct proper lad.
his affairs. And when it came to the manner in which
he liked to conduct his affairs that mostly involved him Hed have port and sherry with every meal, and a
grabbing something and retreating. beautiful hourglass wife with eyes like sapphires, and
perhaps even a town house where
Unscientific though this approach may seem to the
layman, it had proven extremely effective over the A bullet shrieked along the alley and a chunk of brick
years. It was astonishing how much revenue a quick- exploded at his ear.
footed thief could generate if he were to hang around
an opportunistic neighborhood. And by opportunistic Instinctively, he switched direction and flew along a
he meant rich. side-alley between two crooked slums, so narrow as to
skim his shoulders on both sides as he ran. He vaulted
Any number of wealthy industrialists wives could be a heap of rags and newspaper and a few seconds after
found at this hour of the evening, literally dripping with that scrabbled over a rude fence of old splintery wood
emeralds, diamonds, gold and pearls and all it took and wire.
was a nimble half-second with a sharp knife or a pair
of shears and he was away down this alley, over that The sounds of pursuit were still behind him, but more
wall, through a derelict basement and gone beyond all distant. This was always the way. Theyd give chase for
hope of capture. a short spell with a good deal of bluster and shouting,
enough to put on a show of effort for the disadvantaged
Mr. Flavio was most obliging when it came to the re- lady, you understand, then theyd head back with a
settlement of wayward items of jewelry, most obliging rueful shake of the head and send an urchin to find a
indeed. Why, it almost seemed his civic duty to find Guardsman. It was the accepted order of things.
a new home for all those bracelets, necklaces, and
pendants that became separated from their former The lady would take a snort of brandy to soothe her
owners and were desirous of a new home. nerves and her rich industrialist husband would buy
her an even more lavish and exquisite piece to replace
In the last six months in particular, Sticky Bill had the stolen one. Everyone was happy.
earned such an amount of scrip (and that was at little
more than a fifth of his sparkles actual worth rot that
He pounded down to Sturgeon Cross, head back, elbows Or so they thought. Sticky Bill still had one trick up
high, arms and legs pumping. The thunderous deluge his sleeve.
behind him did not abate instead the rumble became
a heavy rhythmic pounding that sent shock waves up He ran as far as he dared along the quay (the planking
through his feet to rattle his skull. was uneven and spongy with rot in places) and then
swerved to his right, skidding to a panting halt behind
He dared not look back to see what behemoth had now a mound of crates in their cargo net. The rope net was
joined the chase but as he skirted through the busy as thick as his wrist and stank of river mud; the crates
Cross, he saw a hundred astonished faces staring back within marked with some unintelligible dialect.
the way he had come, and when he swerved around an
immobilized hearse (the horses were shying), in the The thumping footsteps had slowed and given ground
polished side window he saw the reflection of a giant as he entered the quay, but he could hear them again
figure loping after him, smeared with blue and red light. now something enormous and heavy was coming
down the cobble steps.
Saints an Lords protect me, he gasped, his legs
becoming a blur as terror lent fresh speed to his flight. He sneaked a quick peek around the edge of the crate pile.
People were shouting and scattering behind him as he cut At first he thought it was a machine, like those huge
through the Cross, half-fell down a dozen cobble steps clanking Guild things that sometimes patrolled
and took off along the wooden front of Rottenrow Quay. Curmudgeon Square outside the Guild offices, but as it
drew closer he saw it was a woman - a woman wearing
He was accustomed to running prided himself on a massive armored suit. It must have been ten feet tall,
great reserves of stamina, in fact but the strangeness with a fat iron chimney emerging from its back and
of his pursers and this latest absurd twist had disturbed venting a curious purple exhaust. In fact, the entire
him greatly. His heart was running much too quick and mechanism gave off a queer blue-purple blush, offering
he could feel the fear soaking up the strength in his legs, weak illumination to the dark riverside.
leaving a rubbery infirmity.
Three figures followed it down his gentlemen pursuers,
He had to go to ground, and soon. he reckoned. He saw them defer up to the mechanized
woman. She spoke to them briefly and Bill strained his
And out here was probably the worst place to try and ears, but the distance swallowed the sense of it. They
find a hiding spot. To his left, the quay spread a crazy turned and lost themselves among the crate piles and
array of plank jetties out onto the dark river, most of the woman continued along the quay. She took careful
which held a moored ship. To his right were netted piles slow steps while the quay planking protested loudly at
of crates, none higher than a man and widely spaced. her mechanized weight, but her attention was fixed on
There were no more alleys or basements, nothing under Bills hiding place.
him but wood and the mud of the riverbed, nothing
around but open air. He couldnt shake the feeling that Well, he thought, she might have seen him duck in here,
he had been driven here deliberately herded to this but that wasnt to say hed still be here when she arrived.
wooden platform with the stairs in plain view and his It was a curious and ultimately fortuitous skill that he
back to the river. Bill was no swimmer and the thought had inherited on his journey through the Breach. Back
of leaping into that churning black water was even Earth-side he had been a moderately good thief and
worse than capture. a better runner. In Malifaux he had discovered a new
string to his criminal bow.
Hed been flushed out like a grouse and run to ground
by those trench-coated dogs. His pursuers his hunters
would be at the top of the stairs already; whichever
It didnt always work the denser and thicker the Yes, youve mentioned that, she said.
barrier, the harder the challenge. A single layer of porous
brick was manageable, but a heavy stone wall was as Her three gun-dogs appeared out of the dark, the
impenetrable a barrier to him as to any other common rifleman resting his weapon over a shoulder.
thief. Wood was easy, though. He could slip through a
closed door or a fence with barely a moments pause. You were right, Hannah, the rifleman said, chuckling.
He did go for Fiddlers Den.
The gnarled old planks of the quay shouldnt prove
much more difficult. Of course he did, she said with eyes still on the sobbing
thief.
He crouched and took a deep breath if there was water
under the quay he didnt want to drown himself for want Von Schill has been after this guy for months, the
of a lung full of air. The familiar flower image formed in rifleman continued, and you catch him in one night?
his mind and he focused on it, imagining the layers of
petals slowly beginning to slide back. Its a simple matter of probabilities, the mechanized
woman said. Any animal will go for cover in a pinch
The warped planking underfoot softened, then became and when you close off its bolt-hole itll run anywhere
insubstantial. He closed his eyes despite the mechanized you like in its efforts to escape. All I had to figure out
womans heavy footsteps being almost upon him and felt was where to place the lure.
himself starting to slip. His body was sinking, sliding
down through the planks like a hot stone melting Sticky Bill wasnt so agonized as to miss this last
through snow. inference and avarice made him reach for the sparkle
in his pocket. By the light of the mechanized suit, he
The womans voice filled the air she shouted in a saw that the necklaces heavy opals as they really were
language Bill had never clapped ears on in his life and varnished pebbles. He threw it down with venom.
his downward progress halted abruptly. One moment
the flower was almost fully open the next it had You tricked me! he said.
vanished from his mind and all sense of dislocation had
been ripped away. Dont flatter yourself, Hannah sniffed. It wasnt that hard.
He shrieked when he felt the biting pressure on his legs and Theres a lot of people after this fellow, the rifleman
looked down, expecting to see an alligator or some other said. Quite a pay-day for the Freikorps.
swamp critter gripping him in its jaws. Instead he saw
his knees and shins vanishing into the twisted boards of
the jetty. He had been stopped less than halfway through
the boards and had fused with the wood. He could feel it
grinding against the bones of his legs.
... under the third brick on the right hand side of the
hearth, Hannah said, her eyes like black pools sucking
the images from Bills head. They flashed before his
eyes as they passed. The upstairs hearth. Last house
on Crookmonger Alley. It has a mark scratched on the
door, like a sideways S.
Bill goggled at her, his jaw hanging slack. She had taken
it taken it right out of his head.
The contest runs from September 25th through October 31st. Entries can be submitted at any time during
the contest. Voting will occur from November 1st - 7th, done anonymously through the Wyrd forums.
Also, during voting, anyone may leave comments and critiques, which previous entrants have appreciated.
The winners will be announced soon after the voting ends, and Wyrd will send prizes to those winners,
along with random prizes that we give away with every contest.
The specific rules for the contest can be found under Contest Rules and Info. Everyone should read the rules,
because we want to avoid any misunderstanding of the contest, including the theme and disqualifying criteria.
Due to the sheer number of people that have entered unedited photographs in the past we will no longer
do any editing for you. There are many free photo re-sizing programs out there. Wyrd staff will attempt to
notify anyone whos pictures were deleted due to size or for any reason, but can not guarantee notification.
Not Quite Dead Yet Still stumbling around after all the major organ functions have shut
down? Have a beef with the living? This category is for the Undead, or as they like to be
called Living Impaired.
Things that go Bump in the Night Creatures, critters, monsters and other things that have
a tendency towards anti-social behavior and prowl the night looking for victims. Caution,
here be Monsters!
The Trick or the Treat This is our catch-all category as there are some miniatures that
are just right for the theme but just dont seem to fall into any other category. Zombie
Hunters, pumpkin characters, and certainly several miniatures we never would have even
contemplated.
The Harrowing Harvest A diorama with two or more miniatures locked in combat, or
something as equally disturbing.
Tre
Special
mblefrom
Models , queither nd try to hide,
a may perform a (1) Interact
iver, Crew Masks: To Carve Another Day. At the end of the game,
Action while in base contact with a pumpkin marker the defender earns 4 VP if the Carver is still in play.
to remove it from play. When
y o u . Y
the o u r
notedes ca p e,
pumpkin denied.
he Carv er will from d
fin play, the defender places a
Tmarker is removed
Carver in base contact with the model which took
the interact Action. The Carver
st le a n d sn ic k it y
is snack, to be
considered
ru defenders Crew in every way (at least
stleof, the
Ra upart
until a joker is flipped, see Carvers card). Once per
turn, during the draw phase, the
k es o n ce a n d th en
defender strikeates back.
may
er stri candy to look at one pumpkin
e CaofrvHalloween
Ta hpiece
marker to see if it is the noted pumpkin marker, and
then put it back in the exact same location without
revealing it to the other player.
Attacker Victory
At the end of the game, the attacker scores 1 VP
for each pumpkin marker which was removed
(regardless of which Crew removed it). The attacker
does not score any VP for removing the noted
pumpkin marker.
Download Carvers
Card Here
MicAal Flynn (order #9846080)
10 5
MicAal Flynn (order #9846080)
11 Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC
5
Winning Malifaux By: Michael Kelmelis
Parts of the
flooring will be
marked as floor
boards. I have
seen this done
with hundreds
of stirring sticks,
but I much
prefer working
with fewer,
larger pieces.
You will need a
Here I have used foam to build up the base of where black pen and a ruler. Use a ball point because the dried
I want my building to go. Apart from its fragility, coffee will kill a felt tip. The ball point pen will need constant
foam is a great building medium, even when coated wiping on a scrap piece of paper to remove coffee build up.
in PVA glue. In this instance I am using it just to
provide some height.
Build up the basic shape you are after and then start
to think about where models will exit and enter.
Also give consideration to which models you want
to enter and exit at certain points. It can be fun
to make a small door for 30mm models to escape
through while trapping the larger models on the
other side. Dont forget to allow some extra wriggle
room and to take into account adding walls. If
the boards you are using are 2mm thick then you
will need to allow for that. Easy solution, always
be generous. A door that is a little large is usable,
where as one that is too small will ruin your piece.
I hope that has been of some help and you all have
fun on your Hobby Nights!
Covering the frame can be achieved in a variety of ~David Pagan Wolfe Herbert
ways and for this project I chose to go for a tin roof.
Corrugated cardboard is great for this. As you peel
off one of the outer layers you are left with a surface
that looks just like the corrugations on a tin roof.
Cheap boxes work better, as the glue comes away
easily. I used the box my Gen Con order came in
for this model and I must say that the postage boxes
The Witchbreeds
There are six common types of Accursed in Morden.
Each type of Accursed is unique, and collectively,
these types are known as the Witchbreeds.
Dhampir
The dhampir are also called half-vampires,
and the most human-looking of all Accursed.
Much like their vampiric kin, dhampir have a
hunger for blood and suffer grievous wounds
from weapons made of wood. Dhampir are lithe,
graceful, and charming, agile in both combat
and conversation.
Golems
Physically the largest and most robust of the
Accursed, golems are humanoid creatures
formed of unliving materialsmost often dead
flesh, wood and straw, stone and clay. These
beings contain a human soul, the only remnant
of their former selves.
Vargr
The vargr are werewolves, able to shift between
human and bestial forms at will. Vargr possess
extremely sharp senses and are swift and savage foes
on the battlefield.
For $20, you get the full Accursed book PDF with a
plot-point campaign, tons of more information on
the setting, and the Witches that serve as Accurseds
primary antagonists. If you go up to $30, not only
do you receive the full book, you also get access
to purchase a print on demand copy of the book
through DriveThruRPG at manufacturers cost!
Components
As soon as you open the box, the game has a nice
vacuum-formed insert to neatly place all of your
components. The cards that come with the game
are made from a solid card stock and have a nice
matte coating on them; this ensures that your cards Next are the huge dice that come with the game.
will remain in top shape for a while. The tokens Seasons includes twenty very large plastic dice.
that come with this game are beautiful and are When I first saw these dice, I was absolutely floored
made from a high-quality chip board. Even though by how much game information they displayed and
these tokens are being picked up for the entirety how far away from the game I could sit and still
of the game, more so than any other components, translate what was on each side.
they still show no signs
of wear and tear. Each
player is also provided
with a large player aid
where element tokens
and stats are stored. This
player aid is fantastic!
It seats your element
tokens (a component
used to summon cards)
Okay, so theres a lot of gaming to be done at Gen two metres away, often through cabinet glass, so
Con. There are also things to buy, people to meet, you want it to stand out from whichever angle they
and all that kind of stuff (that I did a lot of ). But come from. Having caught their eye, theyll be
for folks like me, the main attraction is something I looking from two feet away (or closer), so you need
view with a strange mix of hatred and delight the things to be smooth and neat at that range, as well
painting contest. I think we all know I like painting, as having things to keep their interest. What that
and I do it for fun and relaxation, rather than out boils down to is having a bold style or look to your
of competitiveness. I know a few painters that live piece to catch the eye from a distance (similar to
for the win, but Im not really one of them. Which tabletop work), but then having small subtle touches
raises the question, why do I enter? Its a lot of work, like thematic freehand, good blends, and so on that
stress, and tension to put myself through when I judges can discover as they look closer.
dont actually care that much about the win.
Its also good to show a range of skills in a piece, as
Painting for competitions is a very different thing it looks more impressive if done right (dont overdo
to painting for gaming. This is where I get to stretch it just for the sake of it though). Having different
myself a bit, try things that Ive never done before, fabrics and textures, as well as doing freehand, object
and go all out to get the best result. It also comes source lighting (OSL), and getting your metals right
with a built in deadline to force me to stop at a all adds to the time that gets taken looking at your
certain point, instead of endlessly fiddling with each piece and lets you show off all your skills.
tiny bit and not ever getting the piece finished. And
thats why I enter competitions from time to time I The general guidelines of competition painting can
enjoy the way I can push myself to my limits with my really be summed up as follows. This is the way to
entries, and feel satisfied when I hand them in. I like a happy, rewarding competition day with very little
doing well of course (who doesnt), but really the stress:
entering is my favorite part that moment where
I say to myself This is the best I can do, and Im + Look at the categories, restrictions and rules
happy to call it done and show it off publicly. Its a carefully, and follow them
good feeling that far outweighs the stress that often
occurs in the final weeks. + Plan carefully and only do as many entries as you
can comfortably manage
Competition vs. Tabletop
+ Start early, and work steadily so you dont end up
The obvious difference between everyday painting rushing
and competition painting is that you need to try and
get every part the best you can. But there are other + Do things the proper way, not the shortcut way
differences that are less obvious. You have to plan
your time and efforts carefully to make the best use + Stay focussed on your entries until theyre
of them, for one thing. Thats the key point in many finished
ways you can try every trick to improve your
competition entries, but in the end you do have to + Work out how to pack them best, and make sure
paint to your absolute best regardless of what you they cant break
add in!
The Project
For the walls, I made half a dozen stones and cast With the repairs finished, I was able to push on and
them in silicon. That meant I could cast them in complete the base, fitting a wooden frame around
plaster quickly and easily. I added cheap black it to neaten the edges, providing a way to handle it
acrylic to my plaster to tint the stones, so even if without touching the paint work, and protecting the
they got chipped or I missed a bit when painting walls and rubble a little more.
them, it didnt really show (useful when youre
transporting things a long way). This also meant
that rubble could be produced easily, by hitting
spare bricks with heavy things.
The fencing was made from plastic rods and strip, filed
and drilled to slot together. I drilled them right into
the foam core to provide extra support for the wall,
and then bent them using heat (carefully). It was at this
point that I managed to wreck the sections of fence Id
nearly finished with a slightly careless mistake. Cue a
long stream of interesting words
Judge
Marshals
This was probably my favorite part of the whole project. Miss Terious really worked out well as her undead
counterpart, Miss Treated. The green stuff chains made her match the other marshals more, and the rest of
the adjustments were quite simple, ripping up her jacket a bit, breaking her leg, and so on. Her paint job
was like the other marshals, except with paler skin and a fair amount of blood down her back.
The Event
So, on the day how did it go? Well, I put my entry in without it getting damaged (thats a victory right
there), and settled in to look at the other entries. After investigating the cabinets, I could see some really
stunning paint jobs, both Wyrd stuff and others. That was awesome to see, as despite being pretty sure I
wasnt getting top place, I could admire some beautiful painting and maybe learn from what theyd done.
Theres no fun in a painting contest without a bunch of top notch entries! I was surprised to discover that
most of the units were placed on wooden plinths, not in a group scenic base, as is more common in Europe.
This kind of thing is where knowing your competition comes in I spent a lot of effort on that base that
could have been used to improve the crew instead. In the end though, you either tune your entry carefully
to win, or you paint what you want and see how you do. I prefer the second approach, its more fun.
As Ive said many times, Im not the best painter in the world. Gen Con proved that very definitely I was
happy to walk away with 2nd place Wyrd diorama and 4th place Gen Con Unit category and I dont think
I deserved any more than that. More importantly, I got some great ideas from the other entries, and got to
chat to some really top class painters and get good advice to help me improve. Thats what matters at these
things to me I put in what I could achieve in the time, and I learned a lot from the event.
I used curved
fingernail-cutting
scissors as theyre
slightly bent at the
edges, which makes
getting circular
shapes easier. If the
AWOL
Grandpapanurgle
Damian (Lord Shaper) Smith
MicAal Flynn (order #9846080)
49 5
Darkside David (Pagan Wolfe) Herbert Denis (Dgraz) Graziano
Neil of Orange
Merlin (Mergoth) Goss Nate (Big Ned) Zettle
Mikael Lindh
Sigmund
Sephiroa