Wyrd Chronicles - Ezine - Issue 05 (12131258)

Contents
Puppet Wars:
Unstitched!
Malifaux Campaign
Designer’s Diary
Painting Tutorial
Strategy Tips
Web Comic
Gaining Grounds
Showdown
Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 1 April 2013

© Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC
Contents
Volume 5
Contributors
Editors: Writers:
Justin Gibbs Justin Gibbs
David Hanold Mark Rodgers
Adrian Scott
Graeme Stevenson
Layout: Dan Weber
David Hanold Bill Anderson
Graphic Design:
Contributing Artists:
Redd Cohen
Melvin de Voor
Stephane Enjoralas
Web Comic: Hardy Fowler
Paul Villar Christophe Madaru
Pablo Quiligotti
Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 2 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Out to Play
A Note from the editor
Welcome to the fifth installment of the Wyrd Chronicles!
There are only a couple of months until GenCon 2013. We are busy here at Wyrd working diligently on products
that I can’t wait to be shared with the Wyrd community. However, we still have Chronicles due out prior to GenCon
2013, so we will have to wait until then for more details and highlights.
Justin has privileged me with the task to edit and layout this volume of the Wyrd Chronicles. I wanted to spice up
the look first and foremost, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of our in-house graphic artist, Redd Cohen.
Together we hope this new look is easier and more thrilling to read.
As a fan of living campaigns, I was honored to edit and layout Justin’s Malifaux campaign rules. With these rules the
player will acquire Guild scrip to shape a crew’s fate with the purchase of upgrades. Fate unfortunately cannot be
controlled so easily and members of a crew could find themselves permanently lost to the abyss, while others may
walk away from a duel with but a mere flesh wound. Now you will be able to create a living story with your friends
in which the events of one battle carry on to the next. You can find the rules for running a living Malifaux campaign
in the final section of this volume.
Other exciting news is the new release of Puppet Wars Unstitched! Justin provided an article in which he explains
the design process we went through to make Puppet Wars Unstitched. I had my share of work cut out for me on this
project and I am excited to see it in the final stage. This was the first major project I had the opportunity to work
with Justin on and I learned a lot through his lessons during the design process.
I had fun working with fans and co-workers on this volume of Wyrd Chronicles! Be sure to check out all contributions.
We have another gripping story to start you off with by Mr. Stevenson. Dan Webber takes us through the creation
of three gremlins. The Professor lectures us on controlling the Fate Deck. Mako’s step by step painting guide brings
Misaki to life. Don’t miss the web comic featuring everyone’s favorite little runts, the Gremlins! Also included is an
article on the brand new tournament format changes by Bill Anderson.
In closing, I am very thrilled to be apart of our announcement for our new Showdown card battles system. What is
Showdown? Well I will allow Justin to answer that in his article at the end of this month’s Chronicles. In a later issue
I will provide a detailed look on the design process for Showdown. Til’ then..
- David Hanold

’ Ball
The Assassins By: Graeme Stevenson
He placed a single candle in the center of the table. Bolivia was complimented by the candle light. Burke
The weak flame was enough to outline the faces knew her as a plain and androgynous woman with
huddled around it and little else, but this suited overly large hands and feet, but in this darkness only
his purpose. Besides, most underhand things were her eyes and lips were visible and Burke’s imagination
better done in the dark. fed on the chocolate tones in her voice.
‘I hope you know what you’re doing,’ said a nervous voice. The others waited in the dark: Kudryashov cracking his
knuckles in the growing silence, Alvarez with eyes so
Burke recognized the speaker’s profile as readily as his deeply sunken in his skull that they were undetectable
high, nasal voice. Fisser was a creature of arithmetic and at midday, let alone by candle light, and Dougherty who,
calculus. Pale-skinned and bird-boned, all the juices of other than the glint of a watch chain across his expansive
life and humor and humanity had been sucked out of breeches, was but a mere silhouette.
him at an early age. He was a despicable individual in
most respects, but his formidable intellect and devotion Burke had not been comfortable with Dougherty’s
had proved him a valuable asset in Burke’s rise to power. inclusion in their little group. He felt that lean and
hungry should be reflected in appearance as well as
‘He doesn’t have to,’ replied the woman directly across demeanor. He found Dougherty’s girth and ruddy
from him. ‘That’s my job.’ complexion distasteful; there was a man too comfortable
in his surroundings, a man too long at the trough. A
compromise had been reached, however – the bloated
hog had the connections and influence they needed
and, as it turned out, was far from sated with his current
slice of Life’s pie.
‘He’s definitely going to be there?’ Kudryashov asked.
‘Definitely,’ Dougherty said. ‘I heard it from Lady

Tannery only the other day. He returned the invitation
with a case of Spanish wine.’
‘Pompous ass,’ Burke said. ‘Well, let him swagger. By

this time tomorrow, he’ll be worm food.’
Bolivia tapped her fingernails on the table. ‘At my hand,

naturally,’ she said.
Kudryashov chuckled. ‘You think so? The bonus is mine.’
Burke had hired three assassins and had promised

the first to kill their mark a healthy scrip bonus. He
cared little for which of them actually drove the knife
home, only about what came after. Alvarez had cost
substantially more than the others combined, and as
of yet, the man was still to say a word. He turned his
attention towards Dougherty.
‘Everything is in place?’ he asked the aristocrat.

‘It has all been arranged, Minister,’ grinned Dougherty. The Minister was aware that their little gathering would
not go unnoticed for long. The only purpose of the
Burke laid a hand on the fleshy man’s shoulder and meeting was to confirm their quarry would be attending
squeezed. ‘You’re quite sure? A power vacuum so Lady Tannery’s ball, which had been done. The longer
high in the Guild won’t stay open for long. He has no this drew out, the likelier their discovery was.
shortage of competitors and I wouldn’t want the wrong
man stepping into his shoes.’ ‘We proceed with the plan, then,’ he said. ‘Enough for
tonight - he has spies everywhere and it would not do
Dougherty’s grin remained fixed, but the mirth lines well for us to be seen together.’ He lifted the candle and
around his eyes faded. ‘My people have been briefed, shielded it with a hand. ‘Sleep well, if you can. Tomorrow
Mr. Burke. When the time comes, they know who to we change the future of Malifaux forever.’
stand behind.’
He looked at the ring of shadowed faces. ‘Tomorrow, we
‘They’d better,’ Burke warned, squeezing harder. ‘There’s kill Lucius.’
a lot more than money riding on this.’
‘I’ve fulfilled my side of the bargain,’ Dougherty shot

back, his false smile finally sloughing off. ‘I believe you
have still to do yours.’ When the carriage rolled up and the door opened, it was
like the parting of the Red Sea.
The Minister ground his teeth at the arrogance of the
man, but held his peace. The confusion of silk gowns, waistcoats, top hats,
parasols and walking sticks opened like the flesh of an
Dougherty worked a thin flask from his coat pocket and oyster to receive the pearl, conversation faded, and all
unscrewed the top. A whiff of expensive brandy caught in eyes wheeled to the lacquered oak door and the figure
Burke’s nose. ‘He’s smarter than you may think, sir. One emerging from within.
doesn’t hold such a position without certain qualities.’ He
waved a hand, citing examples. ‘Cunning. Ruthlessness.’ The Governor General’s Secretary stepped down onto
the cobbles. He set the tip of his cane at his feet and
‘Arrogance,’ Burke continued. ‘Distain. Greed.’ surveyed the murmuring scrum of society’s finest.
His immaculate gold steel mask moved impassively to
‘Touché.’ Dougherty raised his flask in salute and tipped take in the throng and, although the eyes within were
it to his lips. His jowls quivered when he swallowed. invisible, every man and woman felt its gaze when it
fell upon them.
‘He’ll die,’ said Bolivia, touching the hand Burke had
clamped around Dougherty’s shoulder. ‘Your money There was an intangible sense of power about him, a
was well spent, Minister.’ subtle nimbus that was somehow more than the sum of
parts that all men of influence possessed – more than
‘That remains to be seen,’ chirped Fisser. ‘He will be well- attire or demeanor or reputation. Standing there quite
protected. He always travels with an elite contingent.’ casually on the cobbles, he exuded absolute confidence
and authority. To the suddenly cowed onlookers, he was
The woman giggled and continued to squeeze Burke’s the closest thing to a physical manifestation of the Guild
hand. ‘No man is a match for my womanly wiles.’ they would ever see.
Burke relaxed his grip on the fat man, but only a little. And he was completely alone.
He didn’t trust the aristocrat any further than he could
throw him. From his position near the back of the throng,
Minister Burke was suddenly suspicious. Lucius
‘To success,’ toasted Dougherty, apparently ignorant of never went anywhere alone. Being the right hand
Burke’s palpable loathing. of the Governor General had made Lucius a much

disliked fellow within rival factions and his public place. The Guild would be a very different animal once
appearances were always carefully orchestrated he wore the gold mask of office.
security ballets. Why should tonight be different?
As he watched, people were beginning to follow in
Lucius tapped his cane and stepped up onto the sidewalk. Lucius’s wake, drifting through the open doors and into
He was immediately engulfed by a wave of sycophantic Tannery Hall. Having recently returned from the Orient,
well-wishers who crushed and shoved one another to Lord and Lady Tannery had clearly been influenced by the
bask in his attention, although the man himself never culture of the Three Kingdoms as colored paper lanterns
seemed crowded or inconvenienced in any way. He slid festooned the ironwork outside the hall. A many-legged
through his fawning admirers like a shark through an dragon rushed through the crowd, undulating like a
ocean of cloth, bestowing a nod here, the touch of a centipede while its trap-jaw mouth snapped impotently
glove there. at the guests. Music was already playing from within the
hall; an exotic clash of cymbals and the hum of some
Burke allowed himself to be elbowed aside, letting the unknown stringed instrument.
Governor’s Secretary pass him and enter the hall to meet
the evening’s host, Lady Charlique Tannery. He moved along with the current and soon passed
through the huge knotwood doorway and into the
The society ball had been the obvious choice for entrance hall, where petite women in pink and gold
Lucius’s assassination – a swirling mass of loud drunken cheongsams were handing out equally petite ornate
socialites where physical proximity was impossible to glass receptacles. Burke took one and sniffed – rice
avoid. His unfortunate demise would finally open the wine. Normally, nothing so blasé would be found within
door to Burke’s ascension and perhaps even bring the a hundred yards of Tannery Hall, but the guests on the
governorship itself within his grasp. The Guild was whole seemed quite tickled by this taste of the East.
uniquely placed to dominate all of Malifaux, but it
would take a strong man to do it, not this laced and The crowd moved on, past the famous Midsummer
perfumed fop. Staircase – a gigantic marble construction that formed
a double-helix between the first and second stories of
He disliked relying on the bloated Dougherty’s Tannery Hall. Lady Tannery’s architect had arranged
machinations to secure his promotion but had found for the stairs to glow like polished brass all through
that in his years under the Secretary’s yoke, there were the summer evenings while the burnished sun shone
certain qualities he lacked that were proving more and through specially-designed elliptical windows. It
more essential in his rise to power. He had political was rumored that Lord Tannery had arranged the
acumen, intelligence and boundless ambition, but the condemnation and demolition of several brick slums
areas where he felt himself lacking were in the spongier, that were contributing inconvenient shadows to his
more indulgent qualities that corpulent men such as wife’s society evenings.
Dougherty positively reveled in.
And then they reached the ballroom itself. It stood three
Burke was a grim and purposeful man by nature, and stories high with a balcony around the circumference of
found he had little tolerance for frivolity and merry- the second floor and a handful of more secluded viewing
making. Unfortunately, the further he rose within the galleries on the third. The walls were decorated with
Guild, the more his peers seemed motivated by exactly silk murals of crimson, peach and gold thread. A single
this sort of base decadence. He needed Dougherty and titanic chandelier hung from the ceiling, perhaps forty
his fellow hogs; he needed their shoulders to stand feet tall and comprised of infinite facets of crystal glass.
on if he were ever to climb high enough to assume A winch and cable system was cunningly hidden that
Lucius’s position. allowed the monstrous thing to be lowered and each of
its hundred and fifty candles to be lit individually.
And stand on them he would. What’s more, when he had
the Governor General’s ear, he would have Dougherty At the far end of the ballroom stood a wall of tables
and his pigs rounded up and slaughtered. He had his drowned in white linen, punch bowls, goblets, wine
own pack of hungry young wolves ready to take their and spirit decanters, heaped fruit, roasted fish and fowl,

cream pastries and a hundred other confections and Bolivia had chosen her mark early.
sweet-meats that comprised the sole diet of Malifaux’s
highest echelon of society. He was likely a minor noble, or the son of some
industrialist or other - round-shouldered and paunchy
The alien, yet compelling music was drifting down and full of free wine. He was already unsteady on his feet
from the second floor balcony, where a cluster of small and had spilled punch down the front of his starched
Eastern musicians worked their craft in deft oblivion. shirt and cummerbund. He would do nicely.
It only took seconds for Burke’s eye to locate the She spent twenty minutes or so drifting past his eye-
Governor’s Secretary. As expected, he was standing a line until she could see his head turning to follow her
short way into the ballroom with Lady Tannery’s gloved with each pass. All it took after that was a smile and a
hand resting like a white bird on his forearm. These were momentary touch of fingertips reaching for the punch
the times when Burke could appreciate the benefits of ladle and he was blustering and bowing, a rogue lick
the Secretary’s gold mask. of hair hanging between his eyes. She took his elbow
and gently steered him away from the banquet table and
More than a representation of the uniformity of towards the center of the ballroom – she wanted him
the Guild, more than presenting an expressionless dizzy and pliable, but much drunker and he wouldn’t be
and implacable face to the world in general, it was able to dance at all.
impossible to tell quite what Lucius was discussing with
Lady Tannery out-with earshot. No facial expression, After a grinding eternity of alcohol breath and loud but
no moving lips: Lucius could deliver a platitude or empty conversation, the musicians struck up a waltz
a motion to war with the same inscrutability to the and she all but threw him onto the floor ahead of her,
casual observer. Burke guessed there had been nothing smiling all the while and exclaiming to her surprised
more than empty compliments thus far by the way she beau that she’d love to dance.
laughed and flicked her silk fan at him, as was expected
when greeting the host of such a lavish event. He adapted quickly, gladly pressing a hand to the back
of her waist and then they were off into the building
But there were many powerful figures of industry and whirlpool of fellow dancers. As she had hoped, his
commerce here this evening and he was quite certain the balance and coordination were poor and she was the
Secretary’s mask would soon be hiding conversations of sole focus of his attention rather than the couples around
a different sort. them, so they bumped and stumbled and excused their
way around the floor.
Talk, Lucius, he thought. Spin your webs, while you can.
Whatever poisoned seeds you plant tonight will die with By their third revolution, she had found Lucius. He
you. was dancing with a portly coiffure-haired matron in a
crimson gown that probably cost more than Bolivia’s fee
Lady Tannery had planned her event well. At the end for this job.
of the first hour as the brass clock struck eight chimes,
the Three Kingdoms musicians were replaced by more She had to admit that the Governor’s Secretary was
western counterparts and the crowd immediately began skilled. He floated around the hall with his red lady in
to liven up. Exotic was all very well, but there was no tow as though there was no one else in the room and by
substitute for traditional ballroom dancing. his partner’s glowing expression Bolivia suspected that
was just how the matron was feeling, too.
Almost immediately, the more inebriated and liberated
couples began to dance and the infection quickly spread. In contrast, her partner stepped on her toes. Again.
This was what Burke had been waiting for.
‘It seemed almost a shame to kill the man,’ she mused
as they drew ever closer. Lucius may have been
proclaimed a fop and a dandy by her superior, but
she could not envision Burke in a similar setting –

she suspected the man had never danced a step in his in black wool coats were waiting in the shadows and
life. Instead, he would retire to a smoky games room each gripped her with a ham-sized fist.
somewhere in the bowels of the house to sink into
leather upholstery and snort brandy with the moguls. The servant door slammed shut as quickly as it had
opened and the last things Bolivia saw before the darkness
They were close now, only one couple behind. Bolivia enveloped her were the pitiless eyes of her captors.
eased the fingers of her right hand loose and used her
thumb to twist the silver ring around her index finger.
Its delicate rosebud relief extended a half-inch needle
not much thicker than a human hair and glistening
with a green sap. A single jab with this – the slightest Up on the third floor gallery, Kudryashov watched
scratch – and Lucius would be dead in minutes. Bolivia and her partner swerve out of the flow of
dancers and vanish. He waited, expecting them to re-
The wound would be undetectable, the poison appear with much laughter at this latest slip from her
metabolized within the hour. And no one would drunken companion.
put together the momentary dance floor collision
of the drunken noble and his plain partner with the The seconds stretched to minutes and she did not
Secretary’s collapse a few seconds later. return. Something had gone wrong, although he
couldn’t quite figure out what. Had she changed her
They swept around the floor. Lucius and his crimson mind? Panicked at the last instant? Burke would have
lady reached the corner of the hall and slowed to turn. her head on a spike if she had run out on him.
This was Bolivia’s chance – as her quarry began to
swing left to re-join the whirl of dancers, she pushed Bolivia hadn’t seemed the flighty kind, but in a plot
her right hand wide, intending to swat the Secretary’s where the stakes were this high one could be forgiven
linen glove in passing and deliver her deadly payload. for getting cold feet. Assassinating the Governor
General’s Secretary was not a task for the faint of heart.
And right at that moment, she felt her drunken
partner’s fist close over hers, crushing her fingers and So it was particularly fortunate that Kudryashov
thumb together. She opened her mouth in surprise enjoyed his work.
and pain but she had already registered the needle’s
sting into the ball of her thumb. He preferred knives and knew half a hundred ways to
kill a man with a single stab, but Burke had wanted
She stared up at him in astonishment even as he it done softly-softly. A metaphorical dagger in the
tightened his grip around her waist and spun her away back allowed a smoother passage to promotion than
from the throng of dancers. He still wore that slightly a literal one.
drunken expression, but his eyes were suddenly sharp
and focused. It hit her that her dance partner was Still, there was more than one way to skin a cat.
stone cold sober.
He had affected a fairly convincing limp ever since
A terrible coldness was spreading down her right arm Minister Burke had commissioned him and had
and the world began to tilt away from her. She had been using a cane to get around the city. Kudryashov
killed with this poison many times, but had never knew that Lucius would have eyes on him as soon as
experienced its effects for herself until now. It was his name appeared on the guest list so he’d taken the
stealing the heat from her body, and her head felt like precaution of keeping sharp stones in his right boot.
it about to float free of her shoulders. It helped with the wincing and hobbling, and made
sure he was putting a genuine amount of weight on
Her dance partner used his arm around her waist his walking stick - the Secretary’s security men were
to lift her bodily and, with a strength that belied his no fools.
paunchy frame, carried her through a narrow servant
door into a dark corridor. Two bulky, slab-faced men

The walking stick looked innocent enough, but he’d had At long last, sometime after the chiming of nine bells,
it made by a master craftsman in Germany years ago. Lucius bowed low to his hundredth partner and left the
A twist of the stick’s head opened an aperture in the floor to considerable applause. He made his way to the far
base and cocked the weapon. The stud trigger under side of the ballroom where he struck up a conversation
the handle sparked an internal magnesium strip and a with Lord Tannery and a vast Prussian whose handlebar
black powder charge, firing a two-inch steel dart at high moustache looked to be carved from wood.
velocity. There were no flights on this dart; instead the
barrel had been carefully rifled to maintain accuracy. The It was a clean shot, far from the mayhem of the dance
projectile would punch deep into the target’s body and be floor and well lit by the giant chandelier. Kudryashov
all but undetectable from the surface save a tiny hole in suspected he could wait the entire evening and never get
his clothing and perhaps a spot of blood. a better opportunity.
Kudryashov had found that shooting into dark cloth He made a show of reaching down to rub his good leg,
worked best, where holes and minute stains were easily which was only a half-ruse. Standing mostly on his left
overlooked. He’d had considerable success with his dart- leg for so long had caused the muscles to start cramping
cane, although he found it less satisfying to use than a up. While he reached low, he picked up his cane and
knife. With the money he was being paid for this job, he rested it on the carved oak balcony.
felt he could cope with the disappointment.
There was a burst of laughter from below and he used
A steel dart in the right spot could be lethal, but taking the sound to mask the click-snap of the firing mechanism
the shot from sixty feet up meant he’d have to go for the being loaded with a quick twist. Still rubbing at his thigh
torso and a reduced likelihood of a kill shot. For this with one hand, he swung the cane out in a distracted
reason, he had carefully coated his dart with the same manner, placing a finger on the firing stud and sighting
nasty toxin Bolivia had used on her needle ring. down its length.
The waltz was continuing unabated. Kudryashov decided Strangely, Lucius’s expressionless gold mask was upturned.
to wait. A stationary target would be easier to hit than a The Secretary appeared to be looking straight at him.
spinning one and Lucius would be doing a lot of glad-
handing as the evening wore on. Kudryashov sensed movement at his ear and turned
sharply. The little balding waiter had returned, splayed
He re-settled his weight, feeling the stones in his boot fingers holding up his tray of glasses, more than half of
prickling his tender sole. It would be a relief to walk which had now been drained. The Russian hadn’t heard
normally again after tonight. him approach.
A short balding servant swept past carrying a silver tray ‘More champagne, sir?’ the waiter enquired.
cluttered with champagne flutes. He stopped the little
man and took one, downing the sweet fizzy liquid in a He was about to refuse when something cold and razor
single gulp. The alcohol would soften the pain in his foot. sharp slid between his ribs. He twitched in shock and his
dart-cane fired with a hollow pop. The dart thudded into
Besides, why not enjoy a few of the free luxuries? the wall thirty feet above Lucius’s head.
The dancing continued with slow waltz after polka after There was almost no pain, but Kudryashov’s legs turned
foxtrot. A few couples drifted up to the gallery, leaning to rubber instantly. A surprised and slightly envious
over the rail to watch the guests below or to find a part of his brain realized what had happened even as
quiet corner for a whispered conversation. Kudryashov the waiter adopted an expression of fake concern. The
ignored them. At this height, the report from his dart- blade had already vanished.
cane would be no more intrusive than the irregular
popping of champagne corks. A long knife must have been used, between the ribs and
behind the upper left arm but still getting around the
shoulder blade and directly into the heart. Kudryashov

was bleeding out inside, the chambers of his heart people as a rule, but even he could see the merit in
punctured. It wouldn’t be obvious, of course – the strike having social skills when loyalty and favor were such
had been snake-quick and the blood would pool mostly powerful tools at these giddy heights.
on the inside.
After a while, though, the endless posturing and
Only a master assassin could have accomplished such a anecdotes began to bore him. He reasoned that
wound while balancing a tray of drinks in his free hand. Kudryashov had been given ample time to take his shot.
He was tired of waiting.
‘Just a dizzy spell, sir,’ the little man was saying as he
pulled the sagging Russian back a few steps and dropped He moved himself to a quieter corner of the ballroom,
him into a chair. ‘You’d best sit there for a moment until away from the knots of laughter and jubilation and
you get your bearings.’ the rustling vortex of the dance floor. There were any
number of silk cushioned seats along the tapestry
Kudryashov looked blearily up at the little man. wall and he slumped into one, feigning a mixture of
Strangely, he felt no rage or fear – only a rather sheepish drunkenness and fatigue.
feeling about the sudden turn of events. He’d fancied
himself a gifted killer but, as his pulse faltered and his With a familiar sense of dislocation, he slid out of his body.
eyes lost focus, he looked into the face of the genuine
article and knew he’d lost to a better man. The ballroom looked much the same, although the colors
and sounds were noticeably more anemic, like a faded
The little waiter gave him a smile, a faint nod that was water-color portrait. He looked back at his corporeal
perhaps a professional courtesy, and walked away. self, still slumped and comatose in the chair. He looked
asleep, which was more or less the truth.
Bleached and slightly fuzzy figures stood around him,

making sounds like whale song. The dance floor was
Ten bells had struck and still the Russian had not taken a kaleidoscope of pastels and twisting limbs – more
his shot, although Alvarez could not understand why. like a swirling cloud of colored gas than a collection of
He had followed the Governor General’s Secretary for individuals. He drifted past them, invisible, intangible.
hours now and had not seen any cause for concern. If
there were personal guards here, they were all waiting Lucius was much where he had last seen him,
outside with the carriage. sandwiched between two young blonde women, each
vying to thrust more pale cleavage into the Secretary’s
Lucius had moved from one small cluster of aristocrats view than the other. An older gentleman in a European
to the next and submerged himself in whatever military uniform stood with them, his alcohol-purpled
conversation was being fielded at the time. This had been face split in a wide grin at something the Secretary had
going on since he left the dance floor and Alvarez would just said. A ribald jest, perhaps – whatever it was, the
have put money on him having spoken to everyone of two girls hid their giggles behind lace fans and batted
influence by now. But no; there was always another their eyelids frantically.
arch-Duke, another Countess, another company
director, another council member. They seemed to be Alvarez drifted closer, floating through the old war horse
coming out of the woodwork. and tasted rich fortified wine and port. The old boy must
have been doing a power of drinking for his incorporeal
At first it had disturbed him to see how many strands form to pick that up.
there were to the Secretary’s social web and how
warmly he was greeted by them. He had seen Burke He was mere feet from Lucius now, close enough to see
around the peripheral of the floor a number of times the powder on his wig and the embroidered lace trim of
and the bitter-looking man was ever standing alone, or his spotless gloves. He reached out a pale, translucent
leaning close and conspiring with a worried-looking hand towards the Secretary’s chest.
Guild official or fellow Minister. Alvarez disliked

This was his talent – this was why he could demand through his white shirt and the jacket he had bought
three times the coin Burke had paid his compatriots. in London. He opened his mouth to shriek, but all that
The others were skilled and stealthy, yes, but he came from him was a miles-distant keening, like wind
was completely undetectable. He would reach into knifing through a derelict house
Lucius’s chest and squeeze his heart, killing the man
stone dead right here in front of a hundred witnesses The ballroom swirled and blackened, and then there
and not one of them would have the slightest idea was nothing.
what had really happened.
His fingers were inches from the embroidered purple

silk of Lucius’s coat when the hairs on the back of his
neck prickled. He was being watched. The Minister’s teeth were grinding themselves into
stubs. His head was giddy from the wine he had been
An absurd thought, but he could feel someone’s gaze on supping to wet his parched throat, and his stomach
him as surely as a man feels the heat of the sun against squirmed anxiously like an imprisoned animal. It was
his skin. There was a woman standing a dozen paces all going wrong.
away, staring at him. Staring right at him.
He had seen Bolivia vanish into a side room and had
He had seen her a dozen times over the course of the concluded that her nerve had failed her. She had always
evening, nibbling at sweet meats, conversing with guests. been too boastful for his taste, compensating for some
Her only distinction was the way her copper-colored inner doubt, and now he saw her true mettle. He
hair had been scraped back from her temples and scalp hadn’t been concerned about the money he’d paid her,
into a huge cone, making her skull appear all the more reasoning that there would be plenty of time to get it
stark and bulbous. Not a complimentary look, he felt, back when he was Secretary.
and worsened by her deep eye sockets.
By ten bells, he was no longer feeling so confident.
Now that he thought about it, she had lingered in Lucius’s Kudryashov had not fired and he had eventually been
vicinity for the latter half of the evening – never close driven to find Fisser and sent him up to the balcony
enough to be included in his conversations, but never floor to hunt for the absent Russian. The clerk had soon
very far away either. returned, looking positively stricken, and Burke had
begun to understand.
And she could see him – she could see his incorporeal
form floating a hands breadth from the Secretary. While the ballroom’s huge brass timepiece ticked out
each minute that Alvarez sat inert and Lucius persisted
She smiled at him, flashing small and uneven gray in not dying, his suspicion congealed into certainty.
teeth. He saw her lips moving and although there was They had been foiled.
no sound, he could make out the words easily enough.
‘Naughty, naughty.’ He did not understand quite how, but the Secretary
had out-maneuvered him. His three assassins were
He watched with sudden alarm as her sunken eyes slid either dead or incapacitated and Lucius had the nerve
to her right, back to where his body was slouched against to continue the evening’s activities as though nothing
the tapestry wall. There was a slight, balding waiter had happened.
standing at his body’s shoulder, a tray of drinks balanced
flawlessly in one hand and an expectant look on his face. But that was just it, he thought bitterly. Nothing
had happened.
The pale-skulled woman nodded once.
Humiliated and boiling with rage, Burke stood alone
Alvarez was already moving, but not fast enough. near the Midsummer Staircase while servants slid to
Something gleamed in the little man’s hand – he saw and fro, bringing heavy overcoats and furs to guard the
rather than felt his body twitch – and then blood swelled homeward bound against the evening’s chill.

Fisser appeared, already clad in coat and hat. He night before. The Secretary had smelled it on his breath.
paused at Burke’s elbow, a damned expression on his
narrow face. He felt overpowering hatred for the man bubbling up
his throat. ‘I hadn’t noticed,’ he said.
‘I…’’ he stammered. ‘No matter,’ dismissed Lucius. ‘It has been quite an
evening. Most enthusiastic dancing, certainly – I had a
‘Go home, Fisser,’ was all Burke had the will to say. near miss myself at one point.’
The frail clerk snapped his mouth shut and walked out Burke swallowed involuntarily.
to the street with all the enthusiasm of a man on his way
to the gallows. ‘Still,’ the Secretary continued, ‘bound to happen when one
is in sole attendance. My entourage was most upset when
Burke lifted his wine glass and gulped the contents they heard of my intention to spend the evening without
angrily. He’d had several glasses too many already, but them. They were quite convinced that some villain would
at this late stage it appeared his getting drunk was of no take a pot-shot at me. An absurd notion, of course.’
consequence whatsoever. His plan was over. Someone
had sold him out, and he had a good idea who. Burke’s heart was stuttering. ‘Oh. Absurd,’ he managed.
Tomorrow, he would have Dougherty dragged to Guild ‘Just so.’ Lucius watched him inscrutably for a moment
headquarters by his thumbs. He’d have the truth from before continuing. ‘However, I must say that liberation
him, one slice at a time if necessary. ‘That bucket of lard agrees with me. I feel revitalized – on a spiritual level, one
was the only one who –’ might say – and my heart beats all the stronger for it.’
Lucius was walking towards him. The Secretary had Burke didn’t utter a word. He knows, was all his panicking
emerged from the ballroom and was clicking across the brain could manage.
marble expanse of the hallway, his blank golden mask
showing neither welcome nor warning. A servant settled a thick cape around the Secretary’s
shoulders and handed him his cane.
Burke stiffened his shoulders, trying to blink the alcohol
fog from his eyes. ‘Well, a good evening to you, Minister. I’m sure that we
shall talk again very soon.’ The mask tipped in farewell
‘Good evening, Minister,’ Lucius said as he drew up. ‘A and Lucius turned on his heel, striding out through the
successful evening, wouldn’t you say?’ entrance hall where the tiny women in cheongsams were
bowing to all the departing guests.
Like everything else about the Governor’s Secretary, his
voice was cultured and luxuriant. The shadows behind Burke knew that he would not survive the night if he
the mask were too deep to see any glint of life – it was allowed Lucius to leave. The Secretary had known his
like conversing with a mannequin. plan and had set his own people in motion – it was the
only explanation for how he could have countered Burke’s
‘Secretary,’ Burke said by way of sullen reply. His words assassins so effectively. Nothing would happen while he
sounded a touch slurred. Am I really that drunk? stood here in plain view of the dwindling socialites, but by
morning he would be just another pale corpse face-down
The mask angled just faintly to the side and Burke heard in the mud. If he was lucky.
a slow inhalation. ‘The ’59,’ Lucius said. ‘An excellent
vintage. I approve.’ Lucius had to die, and he had to die right now.
Burke was lost for a moment, and then it dawned on Lurching into action, Burke snatched up a silver knife
him. The wine that was churning his stomach and from the table at his back and rushed through the
poaching his brain – it was the Spanish vintage Lucius entrance hall. He could see Lucius just entering the street,
had sent to Lady Tannery, the one he had snorted at the illuminated by the paper lanterns hanging from Tannery

Hall’s iron railings. The curb and a waiting carriage lay a The women hurried past, giving the supposed
dozen strides ahead, with the driver standing attentively vagrant a wide berth.
at its open door.
Lucius nodded to the waiting carriage driver and
It had to be now. stepped up into the vehicle. The driver closed the
door and climbed up onto the bench and was joined
Accelerating to a shambolic run, Burke charged through a moment later by Bowler Hat, sans coat.
the knotwood doorway, knocking a tiny Oriental woman
to her knees, shoving past a burly man in a bowler hat The carriage jolted forward with a crack of the reins,
with a coat over his arm, and out to the slab sidewalk. leaving Tannery Hall and its unfortunate vagrant behind.
Part of him screamed at this rash madness, but a larger

pragmatic part of him understood that the pieces were
still in place – if Lucius died now, he could still maneuver
himself into the void. And once he donned that gold Lucius sat in comfortable silence for some minutes
mask, all manner of sins could be washed beyond recall. while the carriage rattled and rocked its way through
the dark Malifaux streets. He seemed quite oblivious
He raced forward, raising the silver knife to bury it to the wheezing at his side.
in the Secretary’s back. Despite the rapid clatter of his
shoes on the slabs, Lucius had not even deigned to turn Eventually, he turned to acknowledge the other passenger.
around. A final arrogance – that suited Burke just fine.
‘A most enjoyable evening,’ he said.
He registered a momentary flash from a rooftop across
the street and he was immediately struck in the chest Dougherty nodded, although he looked preoccupied
by an invisible hammer. He flew backwards as though and abnormally ruddy-faced, which in his case
kicked by a horse and crashed into the iron railings. The meant puce.
stolen knife whickered through the air and vanished
somewhere in the dark. ‘I am glad that I was able to provide some small
service,’ he said. His voice was devoid of its previous
booming confidence.
‘Indeed. Your forecast of Minister Burke’s plan

Up among the slates and crooked chimneys, the sniper proved to be quite accurate.’
lowered his rifle and began unscrewing its sound suppressor.
The bloated man looked suitably gratified, but this
expression soon collapsed into a grimace as though
something pained him greatly.
As Burke’s corpse slid into a pile at the foot of the ‘Are you well, Mr. Dougherty?’
railings, the burly man in the bowler hat threw his coat
over the body, masking the Minister’s contorted face ‘It is nothing, Secretary,’ the aristocrat admonished.
and bloody shirt. ‘Merely some digestive trouble.’
A cluster of giggling ladies spilled from the hall just as the ‘I am relieved.’
man dug a hand into his pocket and scattered a few coins
on the slab at the corpse’s feet. This seemed to be the end of the conversation, but after
several clearings of his throat and swabbing his wet brow
‘Poor bugger,’ he grunted to the passing ladies as he with a kerchief, Dougherty soldiered on breathlessly.
touched the brim of his hat. ‘Probably sleeps out in ‘I wonder, Secretary, if this might be a good time
all weathers. Get yourself a tot of rum on me, mate.’ to broach the subject of the conclusion to our

arrangement,’ he began. ‘With Minister Burke’s always wins, Mr. Dougherty.’
assassination attempt safely averted, I thought that
we might now be free to discuss…any residual ‘…helped…’ wheezed the aristocrat, his face a tumult of
obligations of our agreement.’ alarm and confusion. One fat finger was trying to worm
between the folds of his chins and his starched collar.
‘Ah yes,’ Lucius said, the mask turning to regard the
fat man impassively. ‘The reward for your treachery.’ ‘Helped yourself, you mean. You played one side
against the other for personal gain, Mr. Dougherty.
Dougherty attempted a laugh, but it turned into a Minister Burke died trying to remove me from office
syrupy cough and his entire bulk shivered with evident because he felt he was the worthier man. However
pain. ‘Strongly phrased, Secretary, but I’m sure you’ll misguided that judgment might have been, his intent
agree that I was acting in your best interests.’ was to better the Guild and by proxy all of Malifaux.’
‘Oh, I doubt that very much.’ Lucius was twirling the It looked like Dougherty was trying to swallow a
head of his cane with long nimble fingers. ‘I suspect baseball. His face had gone from puce to violet.
your concern has yet to venture beyond the generous
bounds of your own body. If they had, you may have ‘And you?’ Lucius leaned back in his seat and tapped
better understood the qualities that I deem most the roof of the carriage with his cane. The vehicle
important in a business associate.’ immediately slowed and stopped. ‘You squandered a
principled man’s life and had the temerity to ask me
The heavy aristocrat’s breathing had become for a reward.’
noticeably more labored, though it was unclear
whether through anxiety or increasing infirmity. The aristocrat was shivering with pain now, his shirt
soaking through with sweat.
‘I cannot abide treachery,’ Lucius was saying. ‘It
plays its part, of course, but I have never found ‘That afternoon when you came to my office to betray
the flavor palatable. That is why Mr. Fisser is still a your fellow conspirators,’ Lucius said as the carriage
clerk of the Guild despite his rather poor choice in door opened and Bowler Hat appeared. ‘Do you recall
leadership. He remained loyal to his superior in the the Napoleonic brandy in the crystal decanter that
face of certain defeat and has undoubtedly set his was offered after our discussion, that you imbibed so
shoulders against whatever retribution he expects greedily and even, I venture, went so far as to fill your
to be delivered on the morrow. Such a man may yet hip flask with when my back was turned?’
prove useful, because I know he has dependability.’
Dougherty’s widening eyes were testament that he
Dougherty was either having trouble absorbing this, did indeed remember, even as Bowler Hat took hold
or was asphyxiating. In either case, he had at least of his arm.
become quiet.
‘The poison is quite slow acting, but very thorough,’
‘Even Minister Burke was loyal to his cause,’ Lucius Lucius explained. ‘I killed you two days ago, the
said, ‘though it was to his ultimate ruin. There would moment you betrayed your friends. I believe that is all
have been a place in the Guild for his concision and the reward you deserve.’
drive, had he not acted so rashly. He did not meet the
end I would have wished for him.’ Eyes still goggling, the choking Dougherty was dragged
out into the dark.
‘He…He tried to have you killed,’ gurgled Dougherty.
‘He displayed courage and ambition,’ Lucius retorted.

‘He gambled everything, and only lacked the clarity to
see that he had bet against the House.’ The gold mask
watched Dougherty’s trembling face. ‘And the House

The carriage rumbled and clattered along the darkened
street, while watchful shadows kept pace on the
rooftops above.
Inside, Lucius settled further into the soft leather, re-

adjusting the lay of his cape across his shoulders and
resting his cane across his knees.
After a moment, he began to hum a waltz.

Needle and Thread By: Justin Gibbs
Designing Puppet Wars Unstitched

As you probably know, Unstitched is a relaunch higher the animation requirement. This system
of the game Puppet Wars which initially debuted allowed us to just set a number of puppets each
at Gen Con 2011. Since then, Puppet Wars has player could bring while still remaining balanced,
come a very long way and it has now matured into because if a player picked all of the best puppets,
Unstitched. To tell the story of how Unstitched he or she would quickly run out of cards to animate
came to be, I have to start with the design of the them. The animation card system was a powerful
original Puppet Wars. design tool with a lot of potential, and we were
very excited about it.
Right around the time that the Rising Powers
playtest was wrapping up, I got an email from Eric This was a good skeleton, but we still weren’t there
about a new idea he had for a game called Puppet yet. We still had to figure out how to properly use
Wars. Basically, artist Melvin De Voor had come this awesome tool that we had created. Initially
up with some cute voodoo puppet art for some of (and as late as the early days of the beta test) we had
the Malifaux characters, and Wyrd was going to be players forming an “animation stack.” Basically,
sculpting them into models. Eric thought it would players would draw five cards and place them in a
be fun to pump out a quick, beer and pretzels game stack. Each turn, each player would reveal one card
in time for Gen Con 2010. Myself, Eric, and a from the stack and that was their animation card.
few of the other Rising Powers playtesters started This method did lead to some interesting long
bouncing some ideas around in that initial email term planning, but it also created a large amount
chain. We knew the game would use miniatures, we of “analysis paralysis.” Basically, players spent half
knew it would be played on a board, and we wanted the game arranging cards into piles and, as it turns
it to be light and fun. But, other than that, the out, this isn’t very fun. So, we kept our new tool,
concept wasn’t entirely fleshed out. In those first but put it to better use. We got rid of the animation
few weeks Puppet Wars got completely rewritten stack and just allowed players to use the top card of
almost every other day as we experimented with their deck to animate a puppet. Overnight, Puppet
different designs. It even spent some time as a Wars started feeling like the quick, streamlined
chess variant. little game that it should be.
We realized pretty quickly that we wouldn’t have Another unique mechanic which we came up with
anything for Gen Con 2010, but that was fine; it for Puppet Wars was upgrades. Basically, every
gave us plenty of time to develop the game. We stat card was double sided and, when a puppet was
spent that year coming up with different iterations, torn apart (killed), the upgrade side represented a
trying them out, and then scrapping them or piece of the puppet which other models could pick
refining. One of the most difficult challenges up and use. This was another fantastic design tool
that we ran into was in list selection. We wanted which allowed us to build all sorts of fun combos
to allow players to build their own puppet army into the game. It also greatly increased replay value
and discover different combinations of puppets, as players tried out different upgrades on different
but we felt that giving puppets a point value and puppets. But it was another tool which we needed
allowing players to purchase them made it feel far to figure out how to use properly.
too close to a wargame. To solve this, we developed
the animation requirement. In Puppet Wars, Eric’s initial idea for upgrades was to allow
when you use a puppet, you need to play a card puppets to immediately attach the upgrade of an
with a value equal to or higher than the puppet’s enemy puppet after tearing it apart. I fought very
animation requirement; the better the puppet, the hard against this idea. I argued that allowing the

enemy puppet to immediately attach the upgrade
would take away the fun list building aspect of
upgrades. Sure, you could include all of these cool
upgrades which combo well with your puppets, but
it wouldn’t work if your opponent could just snatch
them up. Also, I argued that it would make having a
puppet with an awesome upgrade a negative, which
was counter-intuitive. Ultimately, we decided to
only allow puppets to attach upgrades if they could
make it to specific spaces on the board.
The initial Puppet Wars was a neat little game. It

never exploded in popularity, but the people who
played it tended to really like it. However, there
were a few issues. The game contained all metal
pieces, and metal is expensive, driving the base
game up to $90. Also, the packaging was rather
poor. The box was flimsy and there was very little
information about the game on it. Once people
opened the $90 mystery box, they tended to like
the game, but this was a hard sell.
On top of all of this, there was another game

which Puppet Wars just couldn’t compete with.
It had a similar theme and mechanics and most
of our target audience tended to choose it over
Puppet Wars. That game was called Malifaux. In
the process of designing Puppet Wars, we had
given many of the models as many abilities as their
Malifaux counterparts! Our quick, simple beer The components also got a redesign. The markers
and pretzels board game had become a full force are all plastic and are now hexagonal with imprinted
miniatures game which took over an hour to play. symbols on them, big enough to balance a model
It was a good game, but with the amount of time it on. And the board is 18” x 18” with new, full color
took, many people simply preferred Malifaux. art.
Unstitched
When we were told that Puppet Wars would be
re-released in plastic, we knew it was the perfect
opportunity to fix these issues. Because the puppets
would be in plastic, we were able to drop the price
point to $75 and include 44 high quality miniatures
in the core box. Additionally, we changed the
packaging. The box is now 18.5” X 9.5” and is
sturdy enough to hold all of the components long
after you have purchased the game.

With all of this new stuff, we had ample opportunity The final lesson I learned was this: the players
to fix some of the issues with the game itself and are playing the game, not you. The initial Puppet
apply some game design lessons which we had Wars had a number of rules which prevented
learned in the past year. certain types of play because we were afraid of
what would happen if we gave the player too much
One of the hardest lessons I learned was this: it is control. Afraid mobile puppets will be dominant?
easier to design a complex game than it is to design a Make the blocking rule which hampers everyone’s
simple one. This may seem odd, but it is absolutely movement. Afraid that allowing enemy puppets to
true. Let’s assume I’m designing a puppet which I attach upgrades will hamper list building? Don’t let
want to be fast, good in combat, but weak against them try to attach upgrades after tearing apart a
Lady Justice. This is very easy to accomplish for puppet. A designer definitely needs to anticipate
a designer in a more complex game; all I have to how models will be used and try to balance them
do is give the puppet one rule which makes it fast, accordingly, but he or she should not try to force
another which makes it hard hitting, and another players to play the game a certain way. At the
which specifically states it has a disadvantage end of the day, it turns out Eric was right about
against Lady Justice. It is much more difficult to upgrades; players loved tearing apart a puppet and
design a puppet in such a way that it is intrinsically wearing its stuffing. Balancing this was easily done
weak against Lady Justice without specifically by requiring a test to attach the enemy upgrade
stating so. This is to game design what “show, don’t while allowing puppets to attach friendly upgrades
tell” is to writing, and it can be a hard lesson to more easily.
learn.
We hit our tough spots with the original Puppet
When we started in on Unstitched design, we had Wars, but it was ultimately all worth it once we
to fix this problem. To do so, we revised the abilities had Unstitched in our hands. The game is now the
and actions on the puppets. Initially, when we quick, fun, streamlined little board game that we
designed a puppet, we thought of how we wanted it always imagined it would be.
to be used and spelled it all out on the card. With
Unstitched, we thought of how we wanted a puppet
to be used, and gave it one or two abilities which
just pointed the player in that direction. This both
simplified the puppets and allowed the players to
define how they would be used, rather than the
designers.
The next design lesson I learned was this: design your

rules to be intuitive, don’t expect people’s intuition to
bend to your design. With the initial Puppet Wars,
we had players using the top card of their deck as
their animation card, with the opportunity to cheat
a new card from their hand. Whenever I taught the
game to new players, they always wanted to draw
the top card and then play an animation card from
their hand. After explaining how the rules were
supposed to work over and over, I finally decided
to try out changing the rules to reflect how people
wanted to play them. The result was much cleaner
game play, and I’m happy we went this route.

Designing Gracie Wong and Bert By: Dan Weber
With last month’s release of Bert Jebsen; and the endure. Then there’s the oft-mentioned connection
impending release of his loyal sow, Gracie, and slightly between Coppelius and the author Hoffmann, and
insane partner, Wong, it seemed like a good time to Nathaniel’s pretty eyes. Some models have been heavily
talk about a unique and entertaining aspect of model influenced from ancient myths as well. Both the Lelu
design: the homage. and Lilitu are mythological demons. The pantheon of
Asian-themed nightmares and ghosts we’ve dredged
Homages in Miniature Gaming from Kirai’s dark subconscious, dominated much of
Rising Powers’ Resurrectionists entries. We wanted to
“What’s an homage?” I can hear some of you asking bring these myths to life for the readers. Where on our
your monitors. Well, for the sake of this article we’re Earth magic has waned to a point where such beings
defining homage as a public show of respect or honor could not manifest comfortably…,well outside the
towards someone or something (especially in the Three Kingdoms anyway, but that’s another story...on
phrases pay or do homage to). the other side of the Breach these creatures not only
manifest, but live dark and comfortable existences,
It’s essentially a public nod to something we respect, raising the question: what came first, Earth’s legends, or
appreciate, or feel is noteworthy of some sort of praise. the beings in Malifaux? We’ll talk about that in a future
You find it all the time in gaming, a model’s name or article.
combination of abilities – even its art or sculpt often
times reminds you of a specific character in literature Back to our homages. Sometimes they are subtle,
or on film. Case in point, a popular homage these days like the frequent nods in the Gremlins toward a film
is to generate a crew of characters who bear more starring Lara Croft’s father and a river rafting trip he
than a passing resemblance to a particular group of would never forget. Other times they are plain to the
star-wandering freight haulers of questionable repute, reader who or what the homage is to, such as in Sue’s
whose show was cancelled well before its time to shine case. In either situation, they’re there because we have
(or shiny?). found an opportunity to work in a ‘tip o’ the hat’ to
our favorite influences. Heck, if you look inside the
Over the past four books Malifaux has given a nod to Warpig’s metal body you’ll see the words Porkchop
more than one personality. Anyone who has read Sue’s Express etched into the side. This, of course, brings us
rules can’t help but think of a particular musician for to this month’s models: Bert, Gracie, and Wong*.
whom Nathan’s respect is boundless. Similarities to a
red and gold armored playboy are hopefully not lost “You were not put on this Earth to get it!”
on folks when they read the Strongarm’s
entry in Storm of Shadows, and the look of Not long after Twisting Fates was released
the Stitched Together from Rising Powers there was talk around the virtual water cooler
should evoke a mental picture of a corpulent about how much the quirky sensibilities of
bogeyman who likes to play with dice. Malifaux and a movie from the 1980’s (a
time period many of our fans were
These homages are different than not in existence for) involving a
the creatures we have drawn scoundrel of a truck driver,
from Earth’s legends, lore, ancient Chinese mysticism,
and history. For instance, the and James Hong
author Carlo Collodi, wrote a had in common.
tale of an enchanted puppet Initially, there was
in 1880. We’ve twisted talk of creating a
Collodi’s story and history a Story Encounter
bit, but his animated puppets involving some of

these characters. That fell by the wayside, but started moonshine jugs, so we moved past the idea. Instead,
the thinking of how these characters may appear in the since everyone else used the Gremlins as scapegoats
Malifaux setting. and all around punching bags, the thought was that the
Ten Thunders were also doing their best to eradicate
A few brainstorming sessions later, early stats for the green folk by swooping into the Bayou and
Burt Jackson and Wong surfaced, along with the first kidnapping them. The Thunders’ intentions were what
drafts of the “Ten Thunders Gang Members” and amounted to a slave labor force nobody would miss,
three characters ‘loosely’ based on other personalities working their secret drug laboratories and mining sites
from the movie: Ahngii-Shiji (Lightning), Suwa- until the green wretches dropped dead in their chains.
Shiji (Thunder), and Riyun-Shiji (Rain) as their main A pleasant bunch, right?
story-driven adversaries. A Yan Lo design had not
surfaced, although there was discussion about James Enter Bert and Wong.
Hong’s character and how he would fit into the setting
at the time. It would take two books for it to happen, Story-wise, the idea of a heroic Gremlin on a path of
but when Yan Lo made his appearance Mr. Hong’s nod bloody revenge sells itself. It helped tie the Gremlins
was complete. to humans in a manner less threatening than previous
stories involving the Bayou dwellers. Something I had
Neither Burt’s nor Wong’s characters were Gremlins hoped to do for a while now, implying there’s more
at that time, but intended to be tried and true heroes interaction between the groups than the lore to date
trying to thwart the Ten Thunders’ power grab in had indicated. The willingness to work with non-
Malifaux. However, when we hit Rising Powers model Gremlins in a manner that befit someone on a path
design directions shifted away from spotlighting the of vengeance kept Bert and Wong accessible by more
Ten Thunders and the model concepts were shelved. than just Gremlin players – anyone could be counted
Shelved, but not forgotten. as an ally against the Ten Thunders as far as the pair
were concerned.
Gremlin-Size Me
Converting the human mercenary, Burt Jackson, to
While working on Storm of Shadows there was the Gremlin, Bert Jebsen, was surprisingly smooth.
discussion about how best to approach the Gremlin The truck driving character Burt/Bert was originally
question. How would the Gremlins work into the modeled after was a bit of a loudmouth and screw-
overarching Ten Thunders narrative? At first there up who got through most of the film on a mixture
was consideration the Gremlins would also have of bravado and luck. That pretty much sounds like a
an operative within their ranks, but that idea was Gremlin to begin with, so with a few tweaks and stat
discarded. A Gremlin spy for the Ten Thunders simply
did not make sense and although there was an early
attempt to squeeze a rationale in, the Gremlins rejected
it and pelted us with swamp mud and empty

revisions Bert the Gremlin was born! Her statistics lent to Gracie being included in Crews
Wong was a little more of a mystery. His original concept that included Bert, but even without her longtime
was very much in line with the film’s protagonist mystic. companion by her side, Gracie’s a force to be reckoned
Converting him over to a Gremlin-styled sorcerer took with. She gives Gremlin players who want to play
some doing, but analyzing what Wong was originally Pig Crews a little more control and focus for their
capable of doing and then ‘tipping’ each of those things Pigcharges. Include her with Bert, or make it a triple-
into “Gremlinized” territory eventually brought a threat with Wong and the three revenge-seekers can
vision to the Gremlin character. Of course for the story make short work of most opponents.
to work, Wong being a Bayou native, would make his
Asian mystic talents hard to explain. Fortunately he These characters don’t stop writing their own tales
had this bag…a with demons in it…I thought, “What once the books are published. For instance, I often
could be more Gremlin than for the bag to reach out wonder who will make the ultimate sacrifice for whom
and speak with whomever possessed it?” down the road: Gracie for Bert or vice versa…have you
found out in your games yet? Whose love is stronger?
The beauty of it being a Gremlin, is their simple-
mindedness ensures that a bit of Gremlin remains, “Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?”
riding under the radar – as it were – while the demons
direct his actions. In conclusion this month, I hope you enjoyed this bit
of insight into where the Gremlin models in Storm of
So, with a revenge-minded, accident-prone, wandering Shadows originated from and how they fit into the larger
salesman and semi-possessed Gremlin sorcerer Malifaux storyline. Each of the models traveled its own
completed and ready to face the Ten Thunders, road from their original incarnations to the printed
everything was as it should be. What could be missing? versions in the book, sometimes taking years to make
Well, you can never have too much bacon, right? their appearances. It has been a delight to be able to
give a few nods to favorite movies, quotes, and personas
Porcine Love while working on Malifaux, hopefully readers out there
enjoy them as well.
Adding at least one Pig model for the Gremlins in Storm
of Shadows was something I also wanted to ensure (*Bonus points to whoever can tell me where the name
occurred. The eerily deep – some say unhealthily so “Wong” came from…)
– symbiotic relationship between Gremlins and Pigs
is further examined in Bert’s relationship with his pet/
companion/pack sow, “Gracie.” Yes, I realize that for
some readers naming a massive elderly sow after the
female lead in the film we are paying homage to, may
be in poor taste, but it in no way was intended
to be anything but flattering.
Gracie’s artwork captures her personality

perfectly. The tired and angry eyes
evoke a worldly awareness that should
be beyond a simple pig. Bert has lovingly
covered his “best gal” in makeshift armor to
protect her from harm while they fight the
good fight against the Ten Thunders,
and to help her with her sagging belly
he’s fashioned a rolling platform where
she can rest her mid drift.

Professor Pink Pontificates By: Adrian Scott
Card Tricks
Well here we are for another episode of me attempting that model’s activation. This isn’t always necessary - if
to provide advice on all aspects of playing Malifaux! the model in question cannot draw a bead on anything
While last issue’s article was quite broad, I thought I’d important in your crew, then you should be much less
use this article to start addressing more specific aspects concerned about them pulling off such an attack.
of the game of Malifaux. In this case, I’ve decided to
discuss one of the major things every player must deal When it comes to cheating, it’s also worth mentioning
with - your control hand. Hamelin the Plagued. Hamelin’s rules allow him to draw
the top card of his fate deck or discard pile whenever you
Your Control Hand and Cheating cheat a card. I’ve therefore found it best to only cheat on
actions that are geniunely important to your objectives,
When I draw my hand for the turn, the first thing I do is especially if he’s got a high card on top of his discard pile.
mentally prioritize some of my cards according to what I In fact, against Hamelin, I’ve found that it helps alot to
most want to use them for that turn. Cheating away your simply play most of the turn as if you have a hand full of
cards to stop whatever attacks come your way is going to bad cards (see “Drawing a Bad Hand”, below).
run you out of good cards very quickly. Chances are that
your opponents will take advantage of that by saving the Cheating against Damaging Attacks
more dangerous attacks (such as throwing Lady Justice
into your Master) for when your hand is empty. I have a rule when it comes to cheating against attacks
that will cause a damage flip; if you can’t or aren’t
Instead, at the beginning of a turn you should have a willing to beat your opponent’s attack duel, cheat
good idea of what major interactions are going to occur high enough to ensure they’re damaging on a negative
between your models and your opponent’s models. You flip. The idea behind this is with a single negative to
should therefore be able to figure out which of those the damage flip your opponent can’t cheat, and their
interactions will be most important to your plans and chances of dealing weak or no damage goes from 39%
prioritize your cards accordingly. Typically this means (for a straight flip) to 62%, or 75% if a double-negative
you’ll want to save certain cards for a combat you is applied to the damage flip. A lot of models will only
absolutely must win or a spell you need to cast, but it deal 1-2 damage on weak and they normally won’t be
could even be for more ‘mundane’ eventualities. For able to place blasts either, so it’s usually well worth the
instance most Resurrectionist players might want to cost of a moderate or low value card from your hand.
keep a high Crow handy for summoning new models,
or Silurid players may save a few 7+ cards to cast Leap, I also find that most of the time, it’s not worth cheating
and a Jakob Lynch player might mentally set aside a pair a good card from your hand to prevent an attack
of same-value cards to re-summon the Hungry Hippo that will only deal 1-2 wounds to your model. This
(Wyrd maintains that it’s actually called the Hungering is especially true when it comes to models who can
Darkness, but I know better...). mitigate the damage dealt to them, such as through
Armor, Hard to Wound, or the Spirit characteristic.
Regardless of what kind of cards are in your hand, there In such cases, unless your opponent has a way of
are times when you should avoid cheating most or all of ignoring the damage mitigation or they’re able to
your cards away. This is mostly due to “discard or die” deal severe damage, your opponent is going to have
effects, where a certain trigger or attack requires a player trouble dealing more than 1-2 damage against such
to discard two cards or a targeted model is killed. Key a model anyway. So, unless that 1-2 damage is going
examples here are Nino’s Headshot trigger and the king to cause you problems (such as when your model has
of discard effects - Jack Daw himself. When such effects 1-2 wounds left!), you’re probably best off letting the
are on the table, it pays to be more conservative with attack go and saving your cards for more important
your hand and ensure you have enough cards to survive duels later on.

The Jokers that you need to get off, that’s exactly what you should be
aiming to do. Being able to use your Red Joker in such a
Almost any Malifaux player will have a story about way means beating your opponent’s dual total by enough
the Black and Red Jokers, and they can often end to actually cheat the damage flip. Charges and Focused or
in either a crushing defeat or victory as a result of Channeled attacks all help, thanks to the positive twist to
a flipped or cheated joker. There is no other factor the damage flip they grant, as do models with a natural
in the game that can swing the result of the game so positive twists to damage on their weapons like Lady
wildly. It therefore goes without saying that having Justice and Lilith. The one exception to this is when you’re
one or both of the Jokers in your hand is a great facing crews filled with Hard to Wound models, against
advantage, but for different reasons. whom it’s much more difficult to cheat the damage flip
(Seamus being the classic example). In such cases, you’re
The Black Joker is the card nobody wants to flip (well, normally better off using the Red Joker on the turn you
except perhaps Rasputina). It almost always results in draw it, to ensure that it will be in your fate deck next
a failed action and if it comes up at the wrong time, turn. With luck, you’ll wind up flipping it for a damage
can rapidly shorten the life-span of the model you flip later on.
flipped it for. Having the Black Joker
in your hand therefore means you’ll be Counting Cards
confident knowing that you’ll never flip
that card at an inconvenient moment. This is a topic that
So if you do happen to draw it into comes up on the forums
your hand, you should ABSOLUTELY every now and then and
hold onto it for most of the game. I people’s opinions on it
say most of the game, because there can vary quite a bit. Card
will occasionally be a turn in which counting is basically when
you know victory or defeat will be a player keeps mental
determined, usually due to whether track of what cards have or
a certain duel or set of duels will haven’t been flipped during
go your way. In such instances, I’d the turn. In theory, this
recommend actually discarding the allows them to work out the
Black Joker from your hand before odds of flipping the right
drawing a fresh set of cards in the card to cast a certain spell or
draw phase. The Black Joker itself get a certain trigger. There is
will be safe in the discard pile (at plenty of literature available
least until you have to reshuffle), to learn how to card count,
and the extra card you gain from and I’m sure some players are
not keeping the Black Joker in your even capable of calculating the
hand could be enough to give you the edge that turn. odds of flipping certain cards
on the fly.
Having a Red Joker in your hand can be a double-
edged sword. Being able to put that card down to In theory, this should give card counters an advantage,
deal massive damage to a single target or almost but I feel that it’s generally not worth the effort to
guaranteeing the successful casting of a powerful learn such a skill. In fact, I imagine all that effort spent
spell, but you need to avoid keeping the Red Joker memorizing cards would compromise your focus on
in your hand for multiple turns as you wait for that actually playing the game! As I hope you’re aware of
“perfect” moment to use it. Even if you do find that by now, Malifaux is already very deep strategic game.
moment, the turns spent without the Red Joker in So it would be all too easy to make mistakes if you’re
your Fate deck may not make the payoff worth while. also trying to count cards and calculate the odds of
winning/losing certain duels!
Red Jokers are most effectively used to cheat damage
flips, and unless you have a game-winning spell or action

Having said that, I do think it’s worth making a mental Taking a more practical approach to dealing with
note of whether you and your opponent has flipped a low-value hand, the best advice I can give is to
the Black and Red Jokers that turn. As above, these play more defensively that turn. Avoid putting
can have a significant effect on the game, so knowing your models in vulnerable positions and hold off
that the Black Joker is still in your rapidly diminishing on making key assaults if you can afford it. You
deck might encourage you to play more cautiously. For could also throw the more expendable minions at
instance, you might use one of your more expendable your opponent’s key models to prevent them from
models to flurry against another model with hard to hammering on the important parts of your crew.
wound. You’re unlikely to deal much damage, but all This is actually part the reason I love taking the very
those cards you’d flip would improve your chances cheap and very fast Malifaux Raptors in my Marcus
of flushing out the Black Joker before you move on to crew. Throw one or two in your opponent’s way, and
more important activations. Given how strong they tend they’re wasting AP on killing my birds rather than
to be when flipped, you also could try and make note taking out Marcus.
of whether many of the high (11-13) cards have been
flipped but honestly - I’ve rarely found that to give me It also pays to do everything in your power to take
much of an advantage in-game. advantage of positive (for you) and negative (for
your opponent) flips to duels. Negative card flips
Drawing a Bad Hand for your opponent prevents them from cheating and
makes it much harder for them to connect with their
Yes, it happens to everyone at some point - that critical attacks. By contrast positive flips improve your own
turn rolls around and you draw your control hand... chance of getting a high starting total, which both
only to discover that the highest card you have is a 5 or reduces the need to cheat a card from your own
6! Now if Perdita or Jacob Lynch are in your crew then hand, and may force your opponent to cheat one
it isn’t so bad - both Masters have ways to discard and of their good cards to connect. Good examples of
replace particularly awful hands. For every other this would be to keep your models in cover
crew however, you’re stuck with your against shooting attacks, using Defensive
crappy cards until the Stance, Channeling or Focusing your attacks
next turn rolls and taking advantage of any specific talents
around. Drawing of spells that might grant positive (eg. the
a hand full of low Gunsmith) or negative flips (eg. Zoraida’s
cards needn’t be a Proper Manners).
disaster. Personally,
I like to take a more Bluffing
optimistic approach
it. After all, if they’re Much like poker, or any other card-
sitting in my hand then related game for that matter, bluffing
those low cards aren’t can play a large role in your games of
in my deck, giving me Malifaux. Now to be honest the art of
a slightly better chance bluffing - of reading people’s facial
of flipping a high card expressions and hiding your own
when I need it. It’s not a in order to read minds and deceive
major advantage, but it others - is something I’m no good
at least keeps me positive at. Fortunately, there are twice as
and the moment you take many books on bluffing than there
a defeatist attitude in are on card counting (at least according
this or any game, is the to my internet search engine) so if you are really
moment you guarantee interested in learning how to fool your opponent,
that you’ll lose. there is more than enough literature out there to study!

One thing I will say is that I’ve always believed that
actions speak louder than words. So if you want
to know what kind of hand your opponent has,
pay attention to what they cheat or discard. For
instance, if your opponent uses the Surge trigger to
discard a card, that card will almost definitely have
been the lowest one in his hand (ie. start worrying
if it was a 9!). In a similar sense, if he’s cheating
moderate cards on what you feel should have been
an important duel for him/her, there’s a good chance
they have few or no high cards left in their hand.
Of course you could also turn this on it’s head - it
might pay to discard a decent card on your Surge
trigger to throw your opponent off and make them
think that your hand is alot better than it actually is!
The Final Word
So here endeth this Chronicle’s lesson! Once again,

this article wound up focusing on much less than
what I initially hoped to cover. I have plenty of
other topics I could delve into but if you have a
suggestion, by all means let me know! The easiest
way to contact me is probably via private message
on the Wyrd forums using my username - Rathnard.
Until next time,
-Adrian

Painting Misaki By: Mark Rodgers
This time, I’m going to be painting the mistress of the Step 1: Skin
ten thunders herself. Misaki’s model is very dynamic
and pretty, which makes her ideal for a more interesting Since not much of Misaki’s skin is showing, it makes
base and a bright clean color scheme, quite different to the small area around her eyes even more important. It’s
Yan Lo. I am however going to paint a dragon onto worth taking extra time over this, as it serves as a focal
her somewhere, since all my ten thunders masters will point for the model.
have one. Once again, I’m mostly using Vallejo Game
Color paints, but a few others are noted in here too. I started with a 3:2:1:1:1 mix of bronzed fleshtone:
Color Scheme
The colors I picked for my Katanaka clan were yellow

and purple (which if I’m honest, is a color scheme
I picked up from an episode of Scooby Doo). All the
Katanaka minions will have them in places, and the
named Katanaka leaders will have them as more
dominant colors.
With purple and yellow as my major colors, I needed

to choose my contrast carefully. Yellow and purple
are direct opposites on the color wheel so there is no
obvious complement to use in a three point (triad)
color scheme. This meant using other colors carefully
and sparingly, and making sure I picked the right khaki: bonewhite: leather brown: camouflage green.
shade of yellow and purple to avoid a clash. I decided The khaki, leather brown and camouflage green are
to move the yellow a little towards brown/orange, used to darken the skin and give it a more olive cast.
making green a good choice for shading the armor. Shading was done in two stages, first using a 4:2:1
midtone: dark fleshtone: night blue mixture, and then
Step by Step using a 3:2:1 mix of the first shade: dark fleshtone:
night blue. This last shade was applied sparingly in
As usual, the first thing to do is thoroughly clean up the deepest shadows. Too much blue makes the skin
each piece. With the more fragile pieces like her hair, look sickly and bruised, so it’s important to only use
it can help to clean off the mold lines before removing enough to counter the orange in the flesh colors. As
them from the sprue, that way you have less to do when usual, after shading I repainted the midtone color back
they’re loose and easier to break. Test fit everything in, thinned so it doesn’t totally cover the shadows. I
before gluing it together, and fill any gaps before you highlighted the skin using a 2:1 mix of midtone and
start painting. Having chosen to paint Misaki partly bonewhite, and then brought it up further using
yellow, priming black might seem an odd choice, but 2:1 first highlight: bonewhite. A final touch of pure
the majority of the model will be better served by bonewhite on the brow ridges and knuckles finished
black primer. I only use white when the whole model the flesh tones off.
used pale colors. Prior to painting anything, I drilled
a hole through the underside of Misaki’s foot and
halfway up her shin. A pin would later run up the hole
to prevent her ankle from snapping and also allow her
face covering to be angled vertically.

The eyes were started with a careful stripe of colors have much better pigment density, so the
charred brown at the bottom of the eye, and black ratios are skewed very heavily towards yellow to
at the top. The eyelashes are typically thinner and keep them subtler. The midtone repaint is very
lighter at the bottom so brown works better there, important here, as the yellow can easily become
although if there isn’t space to do both then a single hidden under the shades and highlights if you’re
stripe of black works fine. The whites of the eyes not careful. Again, the highlight mixes were very
were painted in VMC deck tan, which gives a more heavily skewed towards yellow, the first being 5:1
natural look than pure white. I then dotted some sun yellow: dead white, and the second 4:1 first
jade green into the center of the eyes, and followed highlight: dead white.
that with thinned black for the pupils and eyebrows.
Her fingernails were painted on last, using the
first shade color for the main nail area followed by
bonewhite for the tips.
Step 2: Clothing
The purple was easier in terms of laying down

the basecoat, which was simply hexed lichen. I
painted the diagonal that I wanted at this stage,
but as a sharp line. The shading was done using
3:1:1 hexed lichen: black: charred brown (brown is
close to being a dark yellow), followed by further
shading with 2:1:1 shade: black: charred brown.
The shades were layered and feathered onto the
yellow where the two areas met to begin creating
the fade I wanted. When I repainted the midtone, I
made sure I did the same at the boundary of purple
and yellow, bringing the fade across the midtone
as well as the shade. The highlights were a 3:1 mix
of hexed lichen: dead white followed by a second
highlight of the previous color with a little extra
white added in. Again, the blends over the yellow
Misaki’s clothing began with a lot of coats of sun had to be carefully layered on to keep the color
yellow. To speed the process up when going from fade consistent without losing the shaded folds in
a black undercoat, you can add in some white to the cloth.
your yellow (the pigment density of white paint
is better and so you get faster coverage) but even Step 3: Freehand
doing that, this section began with three coats of
white-yellow mix and over a dozen coats of yellow. The dragon on Misaki was going on her leg and
The first shade was an 8:2:1 mix sun yellow: earth: would be made of flowers, so the initial roughed
hexed lichen. The addition of hexed lichen (a dark out skeleton was a branch, painted in earth. A thin
purple) makes the shading more interesting. The highlight of camouflage green was then added
second, very minimal shade was a 4:1:1 mixture along the upper edges of the branches, and used
of the first shade: earth: hexed lichen. The shade to form leaves on the dragon’s head. A very small

amount of charred brown was used to shade under in thinned leather brown, before adding a very dilute
the branches and form the head details a little wash made of charred brown with a touch of black, sun
further, before the flowers were painted on. yellow and GW scab red. The wash at the end is very
faint, but ties the grain pattern to the wood a bit more.
The pink flowers began as circles of GW tentacle

pink with a little hexed lichen mixed in. While the
white flowers were circles of VMC deck tan with a
tiny dab of night blue; just enough to lend it a faint
blue hue. The petals, in pure GW tentacle pink or
white, were done by simply painting four or five
small blobs around the edge of the darker circle. As
a final touch, tiny dots of either GW warlock purple
or sun yellow were put in the center of each flower.
This leaves the original circle showing between the
petals as a shading line. The final step, as always,
was to shade the freehand carefully to match the
clothing. This meant glazing a very dilute purple,
black and charred brown mixture on it in the folds.
After thinking back to some of the book 3 art, I painted
At this point I have to admit something– in total, the bisento and Misaki’s necklace as jade, increasing the
from starting the yellow basecoat on her clothing green contrast on her. This was started with a 4:1 mix of
to finishing the shading of the freehand, I spent dark green and jade green, and then shaded by adding
a total of twenty one hours on these two stages. a 1:1 mix of black and hexed lichen gradually, with a
Eighteen of them were on the clothing and only final shade of pure black in the deepest shadows. After
three on the freehand. These kinds of things repainting the midtone, I highlighted using increasing
(especially yellows) don’t happen quickly! amounts of dead white, until I reached a 1:1 ratio of
green to white. The last step was to put a few small
Step 4: Bisento points of white onto the jade to make it look glossier.
Because of the details on the sculpt, picking the next

part to paint was difficult. I decided to start with the
bisento haft, painting it Khaki and highlighting the top
side with a glaze of bonewhite. The grain was painted

Step 5: Metals hexed lichen. Further shading was done using pure
deck tan with a little black and hexed lichen mixed
in. The bonewhite was repainted, then mixed 1:1 with
dead white for the first highlight. The final highlight
on the cloth was dead white, after which I went back
and neatened the trouser bottoms, blending them to
black around the ankles. With Misaki finished it was
now time to work on her base.
I started the metals with a basecoat of 5:1 VMC deck
tan and black, to give me a slightly warm grey. This was Step 8: Base
shaded using a 6:2:1 mix of the base color, black and
dark green. The second shade was a 2:1 mix of dark
green and black. The midtone had a little chainmail
silver added before it was repainted, and since the
metallic areas were so small, I then went straight to
thinned chainmail silver for a final highlight.
The arc from Misaki’s foot gave me the idea to have
Step 6: Hair her perched on a lily pad ‘Crouching Tiger’ style.
I decided to sculpt the water myself, so to get a
snapshot of her as she kicks out, flinging water and
a rather surprised carp into the air. The first step in
this process was to build a recessed base by cutting
the center out of a standard base, putting a plasticard
disk in the bottom, and applying green stuff to the
sides to seal it. A short section of plastic rod was cut,
a lily pad sculpted, and both had a hole drilled in
them. When I started Misaki I drilled a hole through
her foot for a pin to fit in. The lily pad and rod were
Misaki’s hair began with a 1:1 mix of black and dark slid onto the pin and I drilled a hole into the base
fleshtone. This was shaded with black, and then repainted before gluing the rod, lily and base together.
as neater strands. Bonewhite was added progressively to
create the highlights, until pure bonewhite was used. I
then used the basecoat diluted, to make a wash, to blend
the colors together. The final step was to add fairly sharp
highlights to the hair, on the sides of the braid and in a
halo around the head. Clean hair is quite glossy, which
causes the halo effect.
Step 7: Cloth Straps

After undercoating black to hide the rod, I painted
stones onto the base using earth, dark fleshtone and
VMC mahogany brown. Some were then highlighted
with khaki, others with VMC deck tan, and the rest
with bonewhite. This meant there was now six different
colored stones, some of which I highlighted a little
more using dead white, and some glazed with black
The cloth was basecoated with several layers of (shown together in the picture). The pad was painted
bonewhite. This was shaded using a 1:1 mix of with camouflage green, and shaded by adding charred
bonewhite and VMC deck tan, containing a hint of brown and then black to the mix. After repainting the

green, I added VMC deck tan to highlight with. With
the base’s look done, I attached Misaki to the base and
glazed some black under her foot.
The carp was painted in a 1:1 mix of VMC deck tan

and dead white, then shaded with deck tan containing
a little hexed lichen and black. I added a little more
black and hexed lichen for the second shade layer.
The midtone was neatened up, keeping some areas of
the fish darker as they would be facing away from the To start the arc of water, I needed a strip of baking
light source above. I then highlighted using a 2:1 mix paper and my trusty yellow tube of UHU all purpose
of dead white and metallic medium, to give the scales glue. I ran a line of the colorless glue along the paper
a little bit of shine. The orange began as an 8:2:1 mix strip and attached it to Misaki’s foot and the base, to
of blazing orange: khaki: GW scab red, painted in a form the initial support for the later stages. To keep it
common koi pattern known as, “kohaku.” I shaded curved nicely as it cured overnight, I used a support
the orange by adding more scab red and some black, wire (from a pack of cookies). The koi was also put
then I repainted the midtone without a second shade. into rough place, still on the wire. Once the glue
The highlight consisted of 1:2:1 midtone, bonewhite cured, I carefully peeled away the paper and eased
and metallic medium to pick out the scales more. I the koi into place against the curved band of glue. I
also painted the eyes black at this point, with a dot then added a layer of Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel
of white on the upper side as a reflection, and added over the glue using a blunt bladed sculpting tool, and
some faint black stripes to the tail. The wire was used shaped it with an old damp brush. It’s important not
as a sculpting support, but during painting I pulled it to add too much at once, or it doesn’t cure properly.
out until it was just in the mouth to act as a support Each time I added a little more to the main water arc
that could be easily removed later. and sculpted the splashes coming off it. I made sure
the edges of the splash were up as high as the top edge
of the base, as the last step was to carefully pour clear
resin into the base around the splash effect, making
sure it reached the lily pad but didn’t overflow into
the sculpted splash. After the resin cured, I painted
matte varnish on all of Misaki except the metals, jade
and fish, where I used gloss varnish.

Step 9: Finished
So here’s the Mistress of the Ten Thunders, in all her glory. As always, if anyone wants to talk paint with me,
I’m on the forums as Mako so feel free!
Click here to see these images at their original size.

Wyrd Organized Play 2013 By: Bill Anderson
The end of February saw the release of the new for Official competitive tournaments. Governor’s
Gaining Ground 2013 organized play format from Decree also specifies three encounter formats, two
Wyrd. This release updated the older Gaining hiring formats, and a single scoring method.
Grounds document along with introducing a
number of changes to organized play overall. Players
worldwide will be experiencing these changes
Changes to the Organized Play
moving forward, and this is a great opportunity to format
gain some insight into the new format and to take a
close look at the updated recommended strategies. General Changes
Two documents, why? Organized Play 2013 introduces a number of small

changes from the older Gaining Grounds documents
Originally, the Gaining Grounds document beyond the split between official and unofficial
provided a framework for all organized play - both tournament frameworks.
Official Wyrd events and community-organized
events. The new documents provide the Gaining Proxy Rules and Pre-Release models
Grounds for unofficial organized play and the
Governor’s decree for Official Wyrd events, such Gaining Grounds 2013 maintains the Tournament
as the Gencon competitive tournaments. This Organizer’s (TO) discretion on the use of proxy models.
was done to maintain the current options that Governor’s Decree removes this allowance, forbidding
Henchmen have grown accustomed to and to also proxy models for official Wyrd-sponsored tournaments.
provide a more constrained competitive framework
for Official Wyrd tournaments. Pre-Release models are now defined and specifically
identified in both documents. This addresses one of the
Gaining Grounds 2013 concerns that many Henchmen and TOs have expressed
regarding models released at large conventions or other
Gaining Grounds 2013 is intended for tournaments events. Pre-Release models are allowed based on TO
organized by Malifaux Henchmen and the approval for Gaining Grounds, and expressly allowed
community. This document updates the strategies under Governor’s Decree if they were released at the
and general rules to be synchronized with the event or previously announced as permitted. These
Governor’s Decree document, but continues to models are defined as models not yet available as a
provide a wider range of options for tournaments. general release, including models sold during GenCon
Gaining Grounds 2013 provides guidelines for four and other events.
different encounter formats, five different hiring
formats, and three different scoring methods to Round Times
determine a winner. Many of these formats and
methods will be familiar to existing Henchmen The timing of rounds in competitive tournaments has
from the older Gaining Grounds document. been a topic of discussion among players and TOs
for a while. There were many concerns raised during
Governor’s Decree 2013 the competitive events at GenCon 2012, and the new
formats address these concerns. Rounds now begin
Governor’s Decree 2013 is intended for use in when players are assigned their tables, beginning with
Official Wyrd-sponsored tournaments such as a 10-minute period for encounter setup. This is the
GenCon competitive tournaments. It institutes a time when players can hire their crews, select schemes,
number of limits from the Gaining Grounds 2013 and prepare for the game. Play is allowed to commence
document to provide a recommended framework during this period should both players be prepared.

• Models that do not cost Soulstones (i.e. 0 cost
Following the encounter setup period the rounds have models) do not need to be listed.
all been lengthened with the goal of allowing players
to complete a full 6-round game of Malfaux. The • Summonable models do not need to be listed unless
breakdown for the new timing is as follows: the crew will also hire them.
Scraps New Strategies

• 20 – 29 Soulstones: 80 minute Rounds
• 30 – 39 Soulstones: 95 minute Rounds Gaining Grounds 2013 and Governor’s Decree have
• 40 – 55 Soulstones: 115 minute Rounds introduced five new strategies for competitive play.
These strategies are adaptations of existing strategies
Brawls that provide player familiarity and strategy updates
• 30 – 39 Soulstones: 110 minute Rounds with an eye toward competitive balance and cumulative
• 40 – 54 Soulstones: 130 minute Rounds victory point accrual.
• 55 – 80 Soulstones: 155 minute Rounds
The five new strategies are combined with an established
Hiring Pool strategy (Contain Power) to provide a selection of
6 strategies to be used in competitive tournaments.
The Hiring Pool is a new hiring format that appears in These strategies are intended to provide different
both Gaining Grounds and Governor’s Decree. This considerations for the tactics used in competitive play.
deviates from the rulebook-defined hiring pool by Previously, Movement-based tactics and speed of
limiting the models that a player can hire their crew play heavily influenced success in competitive games.
from. This addition is intended to help provide an The new strategies incorporate additional tactics
alternative to the “Suitcase Gamer” who shows up at an such as Kill-based, Resilience-based, and Control-
event with every model available for his or her faction. based. Combining these new tactical considerations
Utilizing a hiring pool creates a subset of a faction that with round-by-round accumulation of victory point’s
the player can then hire from during the tournament. changes the way competitive strategies will be played
and reduces the dominance of a speed based tactic.
Hiring Pools have the player commit to a single faction
at the start of the tournament, then provide a list of
models to the TO that he or she will hire from during the
tournament. This list is equal to double the Soulstone
Size of the Encounter (i.e. 60 Soulstone Hiring Pool list
for a 30 Soulstone tournament). The creation of this list
has a number of specifics on how to calculate the costs
of models:
• Leaders are not factored into the Hiring Pool

Soulstones, but should be listed.
• Avatars cost a flat 2 Soulstones, which allow the use

of any Avatar that could be connected to a listed
master.If a Henchman is going to be hired with
another Master that is leader of a crew, then the
henchman’s cost is included in the pool.
• Out of Faction models can be listed if they could

be hired by one of the leaders listed. They cost their
basic Soulstone cost when added to the pool.

Contain Power
Most players will be familiar with the Contain Power Strategy. It is a typical kill strategy in which the objective
is to eliminate your opponent’s leader before the end of the game. The strategy provides a very straightforward
Kill-based objective in which both the individual and shared strategies earn victory points (vp) in the same way.
Players earns 2vp if their opponent’s leader is no longer in the game at the end of the encounter, and 4vp if their
own leader killed or sacrificed the opponent’s leader during the encounter.
Treasure Hunt (Gaining Grounds Variant)

Treasure Hunt has been modified to play differently for the new Gaining Grounds 2013 format. Victory points are
now cumulatively earned at the end of each turn, starting with turn 2. In addition, there is no longer a requirement
to move the Treasure back to your deployment zone. Treasure Hunt is now similar to an elaborate game of “Keep
Away” in Malifaux.
One of the largest changes players will notice in this variant of the strategy will be the restriction on picking up the
treasure. Models cannot pick up the treasure counter on turn 1, but now must wait until round 2. In addition to
this, a model cannot pick up the treasure while engaged. Previously, Treasure Hunt was a strategy that catered to the
fastest crews being able to move to the center of the board as quickly as possible (during turn 1) and grabbing the
treasure while there. These two changes to this variant introduce additional tactics to slower crews, allowing them
to reach the center of the table and protect the treasure during turn 1, and reducing the impact of faster crews.
The next significant change to expand upon is the removal of the deployment zone requirement. In this variant of
Treasure Hunt, a player scores victory points by holding the treasure with an unengaged model. This means the
model holding the treasure no longer needs to rush back to the crew’s deployment zone, but just needs to stay away
from enemy models. This introduces a Movement-based tactic and combines it with a Control-based tactic for
protecting your model holding the treasure.
Land Grab
A number of competitive players have spoken about how challenging Reconnoiter is as a strategy. This was a
strategy that previously required you to keep enough of your models alive until the end of the game to contest the
number of models your opponent had spread across the four table quarters. Land Grab updates this strategy to fit
into the new goal of cumulative victory points.
In Land Grab, a player will attempt to control table quarters on a turn-by-turn basis. Insignificant models still do
not count toward victory conditions, but the strategy has changed by removing the center table area where models
also did not count toward victory. Now players will count the number of significant models completely within a
table quarter. The player with more models in a quarter will control that quarter. This gives an edge to Resilience-
based tactics with crews that can hold the center of the table and shift to be completely within contested quarters
during the game. An additional consideration is given to Control-based tactics that can shift opponent models
out of specific board quarters to weaken an opponent’s quarter control.
Beat Down
At first glance it may appear that Beat Down is just a renamed version of ‘Slaughter’ with the addition of cumulative
victory point scoring. This assumption would be a mistake, as Beat Down introduces a fairly drastic change in how
a Kill-based Strategy is played.

Slaughter had a very heavy focus on killing your opponent’s most expensive models in terms of their Soulstone
cost. This encouraged players to only bring expensive models that were highly resilient within the game and
focus very heavily on killing power. Additionally, the assigned Soulstone value of 10ss for Masters (12ss for Dual
Masters) created a situation where competitive players would focus on removing masters from the game to gain
advantage in the strategy. Beat Down removes the cost consideration from the equation and condenses the focus
of the strategy on the number of models killed. This new strategy also makes it more important to kill a larger
number of models per turn than your opponent. The shift from cost of model to number of models, greatly
increases the Resilience-based tactics, while maintaining the Kill-based tactics previously utilized.
Testing and early uses of this strategy in competitive tournaments are demonstrating a shift in tactics to address
the new considerations of the strategy. Players are bringing smaller elite crews with higher cost models to the
table, focusing on expensive models that can dish out damage. This reduces the potential to remove multiple
small models in a turn, swinging the victory conditions for that turn. Crews that contain a smaller number of
highly resilient models can focus on attacking and killing one or two models in a turn, gaining the victory point
by staying just 1 model killed ahead of their opponent. Beat Down seems to greatly increase the importance of
abilities such as Hard to Kill and Slow to Die, along with the importance of Poison and Burning tokens weakening
enemy models.
Line in the Sand (Gaining Grounds Variant)

Line in the Sand was updated to remove the need of an attacker and defender for the determination of handling
the dynamite markers. Many players have commented that the defender’s role in the rules manual version of this
strategy is a pretty big handicap on the game. To address this concern, the interact action to disarm a dynamite
marker was reduced to 1ap.
Further changes were made to the strategy to adapt it for the cumulative victory point earning that is in line with
the overall changes. This change really pushed the strategy to require a significant Control-based tactic and less
of a Movement-based tactic. It is also one of the few variant strategies in which the scoring is different for the
individual and shared versions.
Players will find a number of ways to protect their dynamite and assure they are the ones earning points during
the game. Models must take a 1ap interact to arm the dynamite, but are not allowed to do this while engaged
with enemy models or if they are insignificant. Players can set models over the dynamite markers to protect
them, forcing their opponent to remove the model before arming the dynamite. A Player could also make use of
Movement-based tactics to move and disarm armed dynamite before the end of the turn.
Individual
On individual Line in the Sand, the player with the strategy must arm at least three dynamite markers to begin
earning points. The change to the opponent being able to disarm dynamite for a single ap makes it more important
to maintain an area of control around your armed dynamite. Each turn after the second, the player must have three
or more dynamite armed in order to earn a victory point.
Shared
In the shared version of this strategy, both players are trying to arm the dynamite. Players will need to mark off the
dynamite when they arm it for their side, with the goal of having more dynamite armed than their opponent. This
is a new change in the strategy, allowing the accumulation of victory points while only having a single dynamite
marker armed. If a player can protect the disarmed dynamite and keep their opponent from arming any, or disarm
any their opponent has armed before the end of the turn, they will earn a victory point. This has created a highly
interactive strategy in which the game can swing between opponents before settling out at the end of the turn.

Master of the Hill
Master of the Hill is a new strategy that adapts the standard Claim Jump strategy and incorporates board terrain
as part of scoring. The Gaining Grounds 2013 document recommends that a Hill or Ziggurat terrain feature be
set-up in the center of the board to the specifications in the document. Following these guidelines provides a fairly
large piece of terrain that not only blocks line of sight across the board, but also provides a large scoring area.
Players aim to get more models on the hill than their opponent, with any model standing alone at the top of the
hill gaining a benefit in the strategy.
One of the key aspects of this strategy is the lack of restriction on Significant or Insignificant models. All models
in a crew count toward the victory conditions in this strategy, shifting the ideas toward crew building. This aspect
combined with the victory conditions for the strategy is ideal for Resilience-based tactics.
There are community comments about the fact that a model on the top of the hill can gain line of sight nearly
anywhere on the board. This is true, but many people are missing some aspects of how the terrain can be structured.
While the hill terrain has its size specified, there is no restriction to adding additional line of sight blocking features
onto the hill terrain. The Malifaux Vassal module has this implemented nicely in the Battle of Bunker Hill board.
In the situation where players do not have a appropriately sized hill to use for this scenario, an alternate means of
scoring is provided. This alternate means is to place a 50mm marker in the center of the table. This will represent
the “top of the hill” while an area 8 inches surrounding the marker represents the hill. Regardless of using an actual
hill terrain or marker, players score victory points by having more models on the hill than their opponents at the
end of the turn.
Approaching this scenario with a Control-based tactic would seem to be a great way to go. Abilities such as Lure
and Bury, along with other abilities that can reposition the opponent’s models will appear to be very powerful in
this strategy. These types of Control-based tactics work very well for controlling the top of the hill, but start to
break down for overall scoring due to the size of the hill. It is much tougher to completely remove the opponent’s
models off the hill, making the use of Kill-based and Resilience-based tactics much stronger for this strategy.

A Gremlin’s Luck By: Paul Villar

Ask A Gremlin
Welcome to ask a gremlin. This be the first time we done tried this. I know all
you humans has lots o’ questions ‘bout gremlin life, it bein’ better than yours
‘an all. I done figured I’d answer some o’ dem.
Q: As Hamelin was revisited because he was deemed TOO powerful, will any
masters be revisited because they’re not powerful ENOUGH? e.g. Rasputina.
Also, how do you like your bacon?
A: We done visited Rasputina once. Went and froze all the moonshine, won’t
be goin’ round her too much. And I like my bacon how I like my hats…er…
next question.
Q: How-dee cousinn! I’ve been a finkin’. How’s comes no more of our kin puts
on dem big hats and become Bosses?
A: Shoot, you dun think big hats grows on trees? An’ o’ course you need to
take accountin’ o’ head size an all. Can’t have just any gremlin runnin’ round
with a hat over his eyes.
Q: Are gremlin teeth supposed to be sharp when taken care of or is burt an

anomaly?
A: Well that there’s a tricky one. Never seen gremlin teeth that done bin
taken care of.
Q: Dear Gremlin. Who taught you to read and answer advice columns anyway?
Skeptical in San Francisco.
A: Help! They’ve had me chained up in a hut for months forcing me to write

these stupid answers. His dictations make no sense. Send help!
Q: Long time listener, first time caller. Love the show. So, if the Big Hat were
to get another avatar, could it be something that doesn’t have to ride a pig?
A: Now there’s usin’ yur head. We don’t ride no more pigs, means more
bacon. Avatar bacon!

Q: Who makes the best ‘Shine?
A: Sometimes when you crack open one o’ them there metal spidery thing o’
majigs you can drink wut comes out. That’s some pretty good ‘shine, if I do
say so meself, but the brewmaster makes some good stuff.
Q: What kind of hat is your favorite and if you could steal any Guildies hat
which one would it be?
A: The scrawny feller has a big o’ metal hat for his whole body. I think I done
want that one.
Q: What is best in life?
A: To have a finger to be pulled, to see yer kin run from the hut, and to hear
the squeals of their pigs.
Q: Will we get more vermin at some point for somer? Rats and mosquitoes
are okay, but will there be anything else like for instance gremlin vandals
(kids).
A: There be plenty o’ vermin fer everyone. Vermin gumbo, sautéed vermin,

barbecued vermin, broiled vermin, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. Dey’s, uh,
vermin kabobs, peppered vermin…
Well, that be all o’ the time set aside fer today. I’ll try to git more o’ yur
questions answered next time ‘round. Just cause I didn’t git it this time don’t
mean I won’t next time. Sides, this human is gittin’ all squirmy and the pigs
is gittin’ hungry…wait, send help! Send help! For the love of
Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 40

Malifaux Campaign
© Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258)
Malifaux Campaign By: Justin Gibbs
Optional Rules For Running a Campaign

Cole trudged through the murky sludge, cursing silently to himself as he tried to keep his rifle above water.
If they had been able to keep the saddle bags away from the undead before they escaped he wouldn’t be
wading through the bayou right now.
He could hear his fellow Friekorpsmen around him, but it was difficult to see through the thick mist that
had settled over the dreary water. Slowly, the noises around him began to change. The myriad of insects
stopped buzzing and he could tell that his crew had come to a halt. Cole readied his rifle, and waited.
One of the zombies burst from the mist, its mouth gaping with yellowing teeth. It had a savage wound in
its chest. Cole briefly wondered if he had already put a round in this thing, before leveling his rifle with its
head and pulling the trigger.
As the echoes of Cole’s rifle rippled across the bayou, it was followed by a chorus of groans in the distance.
The rest of the horde was coming. Good, Cole grinned, time to get those saddle bags back to town and get
paid…
(Example: Jack creates a 25 Soulstone Seamus
Running a Malifaux Campaign Crew for the campaign. He spends 22 Soulstones
on models and 3 go to his Soulstone Pool. During
The purpose of this article is to give you and your
his first game, he uses the Soulstones in his Pool to
friends all the tools you need to run a Malifaux
increase his Attack Flips, and he also summons a
campaign, in which your models can gain equipment
Rotten Belle. During his second game, the Rotten
and injuries over a series of multiple games. These
Belle is not added to his Crew, and he will still have
are optional rules which are strictly for fun, and
3 Soulstones in his Pool, unless a campaign effect
they are not tournament legal. Any number of
specifically states otherwise.)
people may participate in the campaign, making it
a great thing to run as a league. It is recommended
that each player print out a Crew Sheet (available
here to help keep track of the changes in their Crew
over the duration of the campaign.
At the start of the campaign, each person who

is participating builds a 25 Soulstone Crew (or
another amount agreed on by all players), using
the normal hiring rules. This Crew will be used for
the duration of the campaign, however it may grow
or change as you earn more Soulstones to hire
models, buy upgrades, and as models are killed

or injured. Models summoned or otherwise
created during a game do not carry over
between games. A player’s Soulstone Pool
is considered to be a part of the Crew, and will
remain consistent in subsequent games, even if the
Soulstones had been used during a game.

Set Up multiple times during the game, it only flips to see if it was
Finished Off once, the first time it is killed or sacrificed.
After choosing Schemes, place three 30mm Artifact
Upgrade and Injury Cards
Markers on the board. Place one in the exact center
of the board, or as close as possible depending on
Some models may have Upgrade or Injury cards
terrain and other Markers. Then each player places one
associated with them. These are cards which were
additional Marker anywhere on the board which is not
acquired during previous campaign games, but now
within 6” of a Deployment Zone or another Artifact
affect the model’s rules or stats. Upgrade and Injury
Marker. Determine who places first randomly. In the
cards will specify what they do and, for all purposes, are
case of a multiplayer game, place a number of Artifact
treated as if they are printed on the model’s own card.
Markers equal to the number of players plus one, with
Because these cards are only obtained as games are
one Marker always going in the center.
played, during the first game of the campaign, there will
not be any Upgrade or Injury cards in play. Upgrade
(Example: In a three player game, place one Artifact
and Injury cards are always applied to a specific model.
Marker in the center of the board, and then each player
If that model leaves play for any reason, its Upgrade and
places one Marker, for a total of four Markers.)
Injury cards have no more effect on the game unless
noted otherwise.
Gameplay Note: There are many models in Malifaux which turn into
other models through the course of the game. If the model
Campaign games are played exactly like normal games was killed or sacrificed to summon other models (such
of Malifaux with a few exceptions. as when an Arachnid Swarm splits apart) any Upgrade
and Injury cards on the original models are discarded
Injured (although the model will still have them in subsequent
games). If the model was Replaced or manifested an
When a model is reduced to zero Wounds, we generally Avatar, all Upgrade and Injury cards carry over to the
refer to it as being killed. However, this isn’t always new model. Models which were replaced revert back to
the case, as it may simply represent the model being their regular states in subsequent games. (For example,
injured and taken out of action such that it can no a Master Manifesting an Avatar would still start the next
longer participate in the skirmish. In a normal game of game as the regular Master, a Terror Tot which grows into
Malifaux, this doesn’t really matter, but over the course a Young Nephilim will still be a Terror Tot in following
of a campaign it is important to keep track of which games, etc.)
models were simply injured, and which ones were
actually killed. Artifact Markers
Whenever a model without the printed Insignificant Artifact Markers are placed at the
characteristic which was hired as a part of a player’s start of the Encounter, as detailed
starting Crew is Killed or Sacrificed, the player who above. They follow all of the
killed or sacrificed it flips a card. This flip may be normal rules for Markers (Rules
cheated. If the flip is ten or higher, the model was Manual pg. 18) and remain in play
“Finished Off.” Models which have been Finished Off for the duration of the game. At the
drop no counters upon being removed from the table. end of the game, the player with
Keep track of which models have been Finished Off, as the most non-insignificant models
this will have an effect during the Aftermath Step. within 2” of an Artifact Marker scores
that Marker. More on what this means
Note: Keep in mind; models which were summoned or is described in the Aftermath section.
otherwise generated during the game never perform this Otherwise, Artifact Markers have
flip. Also, if a model happens to be killed or sacrificed no effect on the game.

Strategic Withdraw (Run away!) Phase 1: Determine Injuries
A campaign game is different than a regular game of Players shuffle all cards into their Fate Decks. Any
Malifaux, because a player not only has to worry about model which was Finished Off must flip one card on the
accomplishing his or her objectives, but keeping the following chart to determine its Injury. This Flip may not
Crew alive to fight another day. As such, it is sometimes
be modified in any way. These Injuries are permanent
a better idea to play a little more defensively. and affect subsequent games. You can download Injury
Cards here and print them out to help you remember
At the start of any turn, a Crew which has lost 25% or what each model has.
more of its starting models due to them being killed or
sacrificed may make a Strategic Withdraw. When a Crew If a model Flips an Injury which it currently has, discard
makes a Strategic Withdraw, the game immediately ends. the Flip with no effect; the model was lucky and is not
The Crew which made the Strategic Withdraw calculates Injured this game. If a model’s stat would be reduced to
VP as if the game had ended at that point normally. The zero or below by an Injury, it is reduced to one instead.
opposing Crew scores a full 8 VP and is automatically
counted as the winner. Each player scores Artifact Permanently Killed: Some Injury results state that the
Markers as normal. model is Permanently Killed. If this happens, remove
this model from your Crew Sheet, it has been killed,
Aftermath obliterated, or otherwise damaged beyond repair. It is

no longer part of the campaign. All Upgrades attached
to it are discarded.
Aftermath is a special step which is added to every
campaign game after the Determine Winner step. The
Aftermath step is used to determine what happened
to the models during the course of the game. The
Aftermath step is Broken into four phases:
Rams
Card
1R Knocked Out: This model misses the next game.
2R Sickly: Easy to wound 1
5R Shaky Nerves: This model may not Charge.
9R Amputation: Reduce this model’s Wd stat by 2.
12R Street Fight: Your opponent temporarily controls Bishop (Malifaux 1.5 pg. 185). Each player shuffles
their deck and draws six cards; neither player has a Soulstone Pool. Bishop charges the injured model
and performs a full Activation. When it is done, the Injured model performs an Activation. Continue
until one of the models is killed. If Bishop is killed, the Injured model’s Crew gains 2 Guild Scrip and
makes an additional Barter Flip. If the Injured model is killed, it is Permanently Killed.
13R Immune to Influence: This model is immune to Wp duels when it is the defender.

Crows
Card
1C Knocked Out: This model misses the next game.
2C Knocked Out: This model misses the next game.
3C If this model is a non-Unique minion, it is Permanently Killed. Otherwise, it suffers no effect.
7C If this model is a minion, it is Permanently Killed. Otherwise, it suffers no effect.
8C If this model is a minion, it is Permanently Killed. Otherwise, it suffers no effect.
9C If this model is not a Master, it is Permanently Killed. Otherwise, it suffers no effect.
10C If this model is not a Master, it is Permanently Killed. Otherwise, it suffers no effect.
11C This model is Permanently Killed.
12C This model is Permanently Killed.
13C Restless Spirit: Reduce this model’s wounds by half, rounded up. It gains the Spirit Characteristic. If
this model is already a Spirit, reflip on this chart.
Tomes
Card
1T Knocked Out: This model misses the next game.
2T Hearing Voices: Reduce this model’s Wp by 2.
5T Crippling Pain: This model suffers -1 Wk and gains “Shambling: This model ignores severe terrain
penalties.”
penalties.”
penalties.”
penalties.”
9T Missing Fingers: Reduce this model’s Ca by 2.
12T Arcane Encounter: This model must immediately make a Ca -> 12 simple duel. This duel may not be
cheated or modified. If the model passes, it gains (+1) Fast. If it fails, flip two more times on this chart,
ignoring any further flips of this result.
13T Replacement Parts: This model gains the Construct characteristic and Armor +1.

Masks
Card
1M Knocked Out: This model misses the next game.
2M Blow to the Head: This model gains Slow.
5M Slowed Reflexes: Reduce this model’s Df by 2.
9M Cursed: This model loses all Suits printed on all Statistics.
12M Deal with the Devil: If this was a two player game, each player shuffles their deck and reveals the top
four cards to all players, before placing them in their hands. After that, each player draws one more
card which is not revealed. Then each player plays a single card from their hand face down on the
table. After both players have played a card, flip them face up. The player with the higher card wins if
the suits on the two cards are different. If the suits on the two cards are the same, the lower card wins.
If the opposing player wins, they gain 2 Guild Scrip and the Injured model is Permanently Killed. If
the Injured model’s controller wins or ties, it gains Black Blood and Flight. In the case of a multiplayer
game, the player who flipped this result chooses one opponent and follows the steps above.
13M Terrifying -> 11. If this model already had Terrifying, increase it by 1.
Red Joker: Avatar: The first time this model kills or sacrifices an opposing model each game, it gains: +4 Wd, +2
Ca, and receives ++ on all Duels for the rest of the game.
Black Joker: Traitor: This model’s Crew counts this model as Permanently Killed. The opposing Crew adds this
model and all Upgrades and Injury cards to their Crew Sheet, regardless of Faction or hiring restrictions. This
represents the model changing sides, being hexed or enchanted into obedience, or just your average slavery.

Phase 2: Payday Phase 4: Requisitions
During this phase, each player gains Guild Scrip for During this phase, each player decides to save the Guild
achieving various things. Guild Scrip will be spent to Scrip they earned, or spend it. If a player chooses to save
hire new models and buy Upgrades as described during their Guild Scrip, they simply note the amount they are
Phase 3. Players gain Guild Scrip for the following saving on their Crew Sheet and may spend it after a
things: subsequent game during the Requisitions Phase. If the
player decides to spend their Guild Scrip immediately,
• 1 Guild Scrip for every 2 VP scored. they have the following options:
• 1 Guild Scrip if the Crew’s leader is on the table.
• 1 Guild Scrip for winning. •Increase their Soulstone Pool. Players may spend two
• 1 Guild Scrip for every 2 Enemy models which Guild Scrip earned during the game to increase their
had to flip on the Injury chart. Soulstone Pool by one. This may be done until the player
• If the Enemy Crew had a greater Crew Total has no more Guild Scrip to spend, or they have reached
(explained later) at the start of the game, gain the maximum Soulstone Pool allowed for Scraps (8).
Guild Scrip equal to ½ of the difference in Crew
Totals rounded up. •Hire new models. Players may hire new models for
their Crew. These models must be models which they
A player always gains a minimum of 1 Guild Scrip, even may legally be able to hire into their Crew (Rules Manual
if none of these conditions are met. pg. 70-71). The cost to hire the model is one Guild Scrip
for every Soulstone in its hiring cost based on the Crew
Example: Jill just finished playing a campaign game hiring rules, plus one. It must be paid in full.
of Malifaux against Jack. Jill won; this nets her 1 Guild
Scrip.Her leader is still on the table, this is another Guild Example 1: Jill wants to hire a Witchling Stalker for
Scrip. At the start of the game, Jack’s Crew was worth her Guild Crew. She must pay 4 Guild Scrip for the 4
31 Soulstones and Jill’s Crew was worth 26 Soulstones, Soulstones in the Stalker’s cost plus 1, for a total of 5 Guild
meaning there was a difference of 5 Soulstones between Scrip to hire the Stalker.
their Crews. Because the Enemy Crew started with more Example 2: Jill wants to hire an Oiran for her Guild
Soulstones, Jill gains a bonus of ½ of the difference rounded Crew. She must pay 4 Soulstones in the Oiran’s cost plus 1
up, so she gains a bonus of 3 Guild Scrip. Additionally, for hiring a mercenary plus 1, for a total of 6 Guild Scrip
Jill scored 5 Victory Points, so she gains 2 Guild Scrip. to hire the Oiran.
Finally, Jack had to flip for three models on the Injury
Table, resulting in 1 more Guild Scrip for Jill. Jill gains a •Buy Upgrades. To buy an Upgrade, a player must
grand total of 8 Guild Scrip! discard one Barter card equal to or greater than that
Upgrade’s Barter Rating, and then pay the Upgrade’s
Phase 3: Search the Rubble Cost in Guild Scrip. The Cost must be paid in full.
Barter Cards do not carry over from game to game, so
During this phase, each player shuffles their Fate Deck if a player does not use them, they are lost. Barter Cards
and then flips a number of cards equal to the number may not be combined; a player may only use one Barter
of Artifact Markers they scored during the game plus Card to get one Upgrade.
one. These Flips may not be modified in any way. Keep
these cards on the table; these are your Barter cards.
They represent rare artifacts which you can trade to try
to keep the cost of what you want down, and they will
determine which Upgrades you may buy during the
next phase.
Example: Jill scored two Artifact Markers during her

game, so she flips three cards (one for each Artifact
Marker she scored plus one more).

Trading
Upgrades Two players who chose the same Faction for the
campaign may trade Equipment Upgrade cards in
Upgrades represent new spells, talents, or equipment
between games. These trades may not be carried out
gained throughout the course of the campaign. They
while either player is playing a game. Guild Scrip which
are purchased during the Requisitions phase (described
the players have saved may be exchanged during the
above). Upgrades describe what they do on the card.
trade.
Once an Upgrade is purchased, it is placed on a model,
make a note of which model has which Upgrade on
your Crew Sheet. Insignificant models may not receive Faction Specific Upgrades
Upgrades, and no model may receive more than one
Upgrade of the same name. Minions may equip any Some Upgrades are listed as Faction Specific. These
number of Upgrades. Masters and Henchmen may Upgrades may only be purchased by the listed Faction.
receive a maximum of two upgrades, they already carry
enough! A player may move Equipment Upgrades from Discarding
one model to another in between games, but may not do
so during a game. Permanent Upgrades remain on the Some Upgrades will note that they need to be Dicsarded
model for which they were selected for the remainder after use. These are Upgrades which only work once and
of the campaign. If a model is Permanently Killed or then are used up. In this case, remove the Upgrade from
otherwise leaves a Crew during the Determine Injuries that Crew’s List, that Crew no longer has that Upgrade.
phase, its Upgrades are lost as well.
Upgrade List
Here is the list of Upgrades available for a Malifaux campaign.
Guild
Guild Attitude (Permanent BR 3 Cost 1): Note a faction on this model’s entry on your Crew Sheet. This
model’s Attack and Damage Flips receive + when attacking a model from the indicated Faction.
Keys to the Armory (Equipment BR 7 Cost 2): This model gains an additional R in all Cb duels it
makes.
Deputy Executioner (Permanent BR 11 Cost 2): List a melee weapon. This model gains the trigger
Cb (RC) Decapitate [Weapon]: When damaging defender with this weapon, kill defender unless its
Controller discards two Control Cards or Soulstones. Only models with the Use Soulstone ability may
discard Soulstones.
Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 48

Resurrectionists
Teach them Fear (Permanent BR 7 Cost 2): Anathema: This model’s Terrifying Ability affects all enemy models
that do not have the Anathema Ability. This model’s Terrifying Ability ignores any Immunity to Morale Duels.
Spare Parts (Equipment BR 8 Cost 2): At the start of the game, place up to 2 corpse counters on this model.
Numb (Permanent BR 12 Cost 5): Slow to Die: After this model is killed, it may immediately take and resolve 1 AP
Action. This Action’s results are applied before the model is removed from play. If the model is healed 1 or more
Wd while resolving the Action, it is not killed and remains in play.
Arcanists
Union Backing (Permanent BR 7 Cost 3): Increase this Crew’s hand size by one. There may only be one copy of
this Upgrade in a Crew.
Hydraulic Enhancements (Equipment BR 10 Cost 2): (+1) Nimble: This model receives one additional specific
AP during its Activation that can only be used for Walk Actions.
Advanced Training (Permanent BR 13 Cost 1): Advanced Counterspell: When this model or any model within
3” of it is targeted by a Spell this model’s controller may discard two Control Cards or one t suit Control Card to
cancel the Spell before the starting casting total is generated.
Neverborn
Lizard Skin (Permanent BR 5 Cost 1): (0) Chameleon: This model receives soft cover until it performs any Action
other than Walk or Pass.
Lilith’s Welcome (Permanent BR 7 Cost 2): Black Blood p1: All non-Neverborn models suffer 1 Wd when this
model Suffers Wd from a Melee Strike or Melee Spell. If this model already had Black Blood before attaching this
Upgrade, it deals 2 Wd instead.
Delight in Pain (Permanent BR 11 Cost 1): Wicked: This model’s Strikes against disengaging models deal damage
in addition to ending the Action.
Outcasts
Moonshine (Equipment BR 4 Cost 3): (+1) Reckless: This model may suffer one wound to receive Fast.
Negotiation (Permanent BR 12 Cost 2): This Crew gains one additional Guild Scrip during the Payday phase and
may reflip one card during the Search the Rubble phase. There may only be one copy of this Upgrade in a Crew.

Strongarm Suit (Equipment BR 14 Cost 5): This model gains Armor +2 along with the following:
Enhanced Armor 2: If this model suffers two or less damage before applying Armor, it suffers no
damage instead. Effects that ignore Armor also ignore Enhanced Armor.
Giant Metal Fists: This model’s melee strikes deal 2 additional damage.
(0) Leap (CC: 10 M/Rst:-/Rg: C): Move this model up to its Cg. This model receives Flight during
the move. This spell cannot be cast if this model is in melee.
Ten Thunders
Infiltrate (Permanent BR 12 Cost 2): From the Shadows: This model may be deployed after all other models, in
or behind any terrain more than 12” away from the enemy, or the objective of any Strategy or Scheme. This model
may not be targeted by Charges or ranged attacks until it performs an Action other than Pass if deployed this way.
If multiple models with this ability are in play players alternate deploying them using the deployment order of
their Crews.
True Loyalty (Permanent BR 13 Cost 0): Companion (Ten Thunders)
Secret Agenda (Permanent BR 13 Cost 3): This Crew gains VP from one unannounced Scheme as if it had been
announced. Which Scheme is receiving the bonus must be written down when it is chosen. There may only be one
copy of this Upgrade in a Crew.
General
Can O’ Beans (Equipment BR 1 Cost 1): (1) “Pull My Finger” (CC: 12/Rst:-/Rg: p3): Non-Gremlins suffer Dg 2.
Discard this Upgrade after use.
Coffee (Equipment BR 2 Cost 1): You may Discard this Upgrade at the start of this model’s Activation. If you do,
this model gains (+1) Fast.
Whiskey (Equipment BR 2 Cost 1): Discard this Upgrade at any time during a game. This model receives + on all
duels for the remainder of the turn.
Courier (Equipment BR 3 Cost 1): In between games, you may discard this Upgrade to make one trade with a
player from a different Faction. If that player is using Resurrectionists or Neverborn, that player gains one Corpse
or Blood Counter (their choice) on their Leader at the start of their next game.
Lucky Gremlin’s Foot (Equipment BR 4 Cost 1): After this model flips on the Injury Chart, discard this Upgrade
to reflip the result.
Helmet (Equipment BR 4 Cost 3): Hard to Kill: While this model has 2 or more Wd remaining when it suffers Dg,
it may only be reduced to 1 Wd by a single damage source.

Goggles (Equipment BR 4 Cost 1): This model ignores any enemy Spell or Talent that affects LoS.
The Hag’s Kiss (Equipment BR 5 Cost 3): Poison 2: This model’s weapons gain Poison 2.
Expanded Pallet (Permanent BR 5 Cost 1): Graverobber. (1) “Jerky Time!”: This model discards any number of
carried Corpse Counters. Heal this model 1 Wd per Corpse Counter discarded.
Tool Kit (Equipment BR 6 Cost 1): This model may make the (1) Interact Action as a (0) Action.
Gambling Background (Permanent BR 6 Cost 2): Wp +1
Backup (Equipment BR 7 Cost 2): List a weapon on this model. The weapon gains Paired.
Melee Training (Permanent BR 7 Cost 2): (+1) Melee Expert: This model receives one additional specific AP
during its Activation that can only be used for melee Strike Actions.
Spell Training (Permanent BR 7 Cost 2): (+1) Casting Expert: This model receives one additional specific AP
during its Activation that can only be used for Cast Actions.
Field Experience (Permanent BR 7 Cost 1): This model is not affected by Slow or Paralyzed.
Ranged Training (Permanent BR 7 Cost 2): (+1) Ranged Expert: This model receives one additional specific AP
during its activation that can only be used for Ranged Strike Actions.
Steady Aim (Permanent BR 7 Cost 2): Cb(R) Critical Strike: This model inflicts +1 Dg for each R in this model’s
Cb duel total.
Soulstone Ale (Equipment BR 7 Cost 2): Discard this Upgrade during this model’s Activation. This model gains
Reactivate.
Hard Labor Background (Permanent BR 7 Cost 2): Wk +1
Berserk (Permanent BR 8 Cost 2): (2) Flurry: Discard a Control Card. This model immediately makes up to three
melee Strike Actions against a single target.
Machete (Equipment BR 8 Cost 1): This model ignores severe terrain movement penalties.
Quick Study (Permanent BR 8 Cost 2): (2) Furious Casting: Discard a Control Card. This model immediately
receives 3 AP that must immediately be used for Cast Actions.
Fan the Hammer (Permanent BR 8 Cost 2): (2) Rapid Fire: Discard a Control Card. This model immediately
makes up to three ranged Strike Actions against a single target.
Arcane Background (Permanent BR 8 Cost 2): Ca +1
Metal Plate (Equipment BR 9 Cost 3): Armor +2

City Experience (Permanent BR 9 Cost 1): Immune to Influence: This model is immune to Wp Duels when it is
the defender.
Dodge (Permanent BR 9 Cost 1): Evasive 2: This model gains Armor +2 against b.
Scope (Equipment BR 9 Cost 1): Hunter: This model ignores cover penalties when targeting models and increases
its LoS into and within obscuring terrain to 6”.
Improved Reach (Equipment BR 9 Cost 2): List one of this model’s melee weapons. That weapon gains +1 Rg.
Hag’s Blessing (Permanent BR 10 Cost 1): List a weapon on this model. The weapon gains Magical.
Determination (Permanent BR 10 Cost 2): Hard to Wound 1: Damage Flips against this model receive one -.
Always Prepared (Permanent BR 10 Cost 1): This model may not suffer damage from Poison or Burning tokens.
Thick Hide (Permanent BR 10 Cost 2): Regeneration 1: Heal this model 1 Wd at the start of its Activation.
Hex Bag (Equipment BR 10 Cost 1): (1) Obey (CC: 14 M/ Rst: Wp/ Rg: 12) Target non-Master model immediately
performs a (1) Action or Charge controlled by this model. The Action selected may not cause the model to be
killed or sacrificed as part of the Action. Discard this Upgrade after use.
Combat Background (Permanent BR 10 Cost 2): Cb +2 to a single weapon, note it on the Crew Sheet. This
Upgrade may be attached to a model multiple times, up to a maximum of one per weapon the model has.
Dynamite (Equipment BR 10 Cost 3): BOOM!: p3 Dg 5 when this model is killed.
Experimental Jet Pack (Equipment BR 11 Cost 3): (0) Leap (CC: 10 M/Rst:-/Rg: C): Move this model up to its Cg.
This model receives Flight during the move. This spell cannot be cast if this model is in melee.
Bond (Permanent BR 11 Cost 1): Companion (Leader)
Hydraulics (Equipment BR 11 Cost 2): Cb(RM) Onslaught: After damaging defender with a melee weapon,
immediately perform a Strike with this weapon against the defender.
Improved Sights (Equipment BR 11 Cost 1): List one of this model’s ranged weapons. That weapon gains +2 Rg.
Tracker (Permanent BR 12 Cost 3): (0) Link: This model and target model in base contact with it are Linked.
After the model this model is Linked to completes a Walk Action or ends its Activation, push this model into base
contact with the Linked model. Link ends if the two models are not in base contact at the Start Closing Phase.
Fated (Permanent BR 12 Cost 3): Damage flips against this model may not be cheated.
Bayonet (Equipment BR 12 Cost 2): This model may make the (2) Charge Action as a (1) Action.

Instincts (Permanent BR 13 Cost 2): (+1) Instinctual: This model may perform two different (0) Actions during
its Activation.
Epiphany (Permanent BR 13 Cost 4): This model gains Use Soulstones.
Fully Tested Jet Pack (Equipment BR 13 Cost 1): Flight: This model may move over terrain and other models
without penalty but may not end its move on impassable terrain or other models.
Careful Study (Permanent BR 13 Cost 3): (1) Magical Extension (CC: * Rst: * Rg: *) This spell may be cast only
once per Activation. Cast one of your Leader’s (1) Spells. During this casting, this model may use a Soulstone to
change its starting total.
Healing Salve (Equipment BR 13 Cost 2): In between games discard this Upgrade to discard an Injury Card from
this model.
Unshakable (Permanent BR 13 Cost 3): This model may cheat Flips with a - twist as if there was no -.
Relic Hammer (Equipment BR 14 Cost 4): Relic Hammer: Rg: 3 Cb: 7 Dg: 3/4/6 Magical. Ignores Armor.
Cb (M) Knockback [Relic Hammer]: After damaging defender with this weapon, push defender 3” directly away
from this model.
Gattling Gun (Equipment BR 14 Cost 4): Gattling Gun: Rg: 10” Cb: 5 Dg: 2/3/4 (1) Spray and Pray: Discard a
number of cards from your hand. Make a number of ranged Strikes with the Gattling Gun equal to the number of
cards discarded.
Losing a Leader Crew Total

It is possible that the Leader originally hired into a Crew A Crew’s Crew Total will change throughout the course
will leave that Crew over the course of a campaign, of a campaign. It is important to keep track of these
whether by being Permanently Killed or some other changes, as it may affect how much Guild Scrip a Crew
effect. If this happens, that player selects a Unique will get during the Payday phase. A Crew’s Crew Total is
model in the Crew to become the new Leader. If there the sum of the Soulstone cost of all models hired into that
are no Unique models, any model may be selected. The crew, plus one for each Soulstone in the Crew’s Soulstone
new Leader gains the Use Soulstone ability and counts Pool (not including the Master’s original cache, if any),
as a Leader for any Strategies and Schemes. plus the cost in Guild Scrip of any Upgrades carried by
the Crew. If the Crew’s original Leader was Permanently
Any Soulstones from the killed leader’s cache remain in Killed, subtract 10 from the Crew’s Crew Total. A Crew’s
the Crew’s Soulstone Pool without raising that Crew’s Crew Total should be noted on the Crew Sheet.
Crew Total. Any Master-specific totems attached to that
Master are also Permanently Killed. If the Crew obtained a second Master (through the
Traitor result on the Injury Chart) add 10 to its total.
Example: Jack has 25 Soulstones worth of models in his

Crew, this adds 25 to his Crew Total. He has 7 Soulstones
in his Pool, but 2 of them are from his Master’s Cache, so
this adds 5 to his Crew Total. Jack only has one Upgrade,
and it is worth 1 Guild Scrip, which will add 1 more to his
Crew Total. In all, Jack’s Crew Total is 31.

Running a Competitive Campaign
Some groups may wish to run a more competitive
campaign which will result in a single winner. If your
group wishes to do this, agree on an allotted time (we
suggest six weeks) and a set number of games per week
(we would suggest one, two if you have a very active
group). Each player plays the designated number of
campaign games per week. After each game, each player
denotes whether they won, tied, or lost. Player’s mark
this on their Crew Sheet under “Campaign Points.” A
win is worth 3 Campaign Points, a tie is 2, and a loss
is 1. At the end of the allotted time, the player with the
most campaign points is the winner.
In a competitive campaign, players should denote how

many VP they scored each game as well. There is a
place for this on the Crew Sheet. In the case that one or
more players are tied for Campaign Points at the end of
the allotted time, highest total VP will be used as a tie
breaker.
If you need help organizing a competitive

campaign, contact your local Henchman
at http://www.malifaux.com/Henchman.php.
Links
For your convenience, here are all of the links referenced
in this article.
Crew Sheet
Upgrade and Injury Cards
Henchmen Locator
Have fun seeking your fortune in Malifaux!

Now In Stores!
Sneak Peek By: Justin Gibbs
An Introduction to the Showdown System

I am incredibly excited to give you all a sneak peek which give you some knowledge of what is in the
at Wyrd’s newest game: Showdown. Showdown is opponent’s hand. Maybe you know your opponent’s
a dueling system in which two players each have highest card is cunning, so you can adjust for
a preconstructed deck of cards representing a that. But, even with this knowledge, victory is not
character and all of the attacks that character has guaranteed. The base mechanics alone are enough,
at their disposal. These decks cannot be modified but there are a number of action cards, unique to
(so, no spending heaps of money on a collectible each character’s deck, which give the player even
game) and they form a regular 54 card poker deck, more fun choices.
perfect for use in the Malifaux tabletop game.
Finally, I am very proud of the damage system.
Each deck represents one of Malifaux’s iconic Before the game, each player removes the aces
characters. The first five will be: Molly, Von Schill, from their deck and places them in a row, face
Lucius, Kaeris, and Collodi. The deck is designed down. Each ace represents a soulstone (basically
to reflect that character’s personality through its a hit point) and, when you run out of soulstones,
playstyle; the Lucius’s deck is tricky, Molly is hard you are out of the game. However, as soulstones
to kill,Von Schill hits hard, etc. In addition, this are flipped over, they grant various abilities. This
gives Wyrd a great place to show off some new art provides some great utility in the game; it helps to
for those characters. define each character, allows a “catch up” mechanic
so that the player who is behind still has a chance,
The game is primarily focused around bluffing and it greatly increases replay value as your games
and reading your opponent. Every card in the deck will change depending on which soulstones you see.
has one of three disciplines: physical, cunning, At this point you might be thinking that this means
and magic. Each turn, each player plays a card every character only has four hit points. However,
face up. This card is referred to as the feint. Then many characters can “burn” a face up soulstone
each player plays a card face down, this card is the to prevent one damage, effectively allowing us to
strike. After each player has played both a feint and vary how many hit points a character has. One of
strike, the strikes are flipped face up. If the strikes my favorite things about this method of tracking
are from different disciplines, then the player with damage is that it requires no bookkeeping; two
the highest total (the values of their feint and strike showdown decks are literally everything you and
cards added together) is the winner. However, if the an opponent need to play the game.
strikes are from the same discipline, then the player
with the lowest total is the winner. Additionally, The game has a lot of great points. It plays quickly,
characters have different “triggers” which happen between 10 and 20 minutes, which makes it perfect
if they win and both their feint and strike are from for playing between rounds in a tournament, or
the same discipline. using to determine who goes first in a game of
Malifaux. Also, it’s easy to learn, making it great
This creates a lot of fun, as each player attempts to to get in your Malifaux fix with your non-gamer
read their opponent. Maybe your friend just played friends.
a physical as his feint. Is he going to play a second
physical to try to get in an extra point of damage I’m really excited to see this game released. The
because he’s playing Von Schill? If so, maybe you art is going to be amazing, and we have five
should play a low physical yourself. The game is all more Malifaux decks lined up besides the ones I
about reading your opponent and out guessing him mentioned.
or her. Additionally, there are a number of cards

One final positive point about the rules system is
that it is universal enough to be adapted to other
genres. Who knows, we may even see a puppet or
an evil baby Showdown deck at some point. In fact,
we have already crossed genres in partnering with
Job Hunters.
Job Hunters is an amazing web series which you can

watch here. Job Hunters takes place in a dystopian
world where young people are forced to fight to
the death to get a job offer. We felt that Showdown
would be the perfect system to create a great game
out of that theme, so we will be producing five Job
Hunters Showdown decks which you can purchase
from the Job Hunters Kickstarter here. At the
moment, this is the only place to get Showdown.
And, if you do, they will be compatible with
Malifaux Showdown when it comes out.
Alright, I hope all of you are as excited as I am to

see this game come to fruition. You might be able
to track down some of the Showdown playtesters
on the Wyrd forums, and they can tell you all about
their experiences with the game. It was fun giving
you a sneak peek, I can’t wait to see people playing
the game!

See you next time!!

Wyrd Chronicles - Ezine - Issue 05 (12131258)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wyrd Chronicles - Ezine - Issue 05 (12131258)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Contents

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 1 April 2013

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 2 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 3 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘He’s definitely going to be there?’ Kudryashov asked.

‘Definitely,’ Dougherty said. ‘I heard it from Lady

‘Pompous ass,’ Burke said. ‘Well, let him swagger. By

Bolivia tapped her fingernails on the table. ‘At my hand,

Kudryashov chuckled. ‘You think so? The bonus is mine.’

Burke had hired three assassins and had promised

‘Everything is in place?’ he asked the aristocrat.

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 5 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘I’ve fulfilled my side of the bargain,’ Dougherty shot

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 6 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 7 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 8 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 9 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 10 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Bleached and slightly fuzzy figures stood around him,

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 11 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

His fingers were inches from the embroidered purple

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 12 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 13 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Part of him screamed at this rash madness, but a larger

‘Indeed. Your forecast of Minister Burke’s plan

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 14 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘He displayed courage and ambition,’ Lucius retorted.

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 15 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Inside, Lucius settled further into the soft leather, re-

After a moment, he began to hum a waltz.

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 16 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Designing Puppet Wars Unstitched

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 17 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

The initial Puppet Wars was a neat little game. It

On top of all of this, there was another game

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 18 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

The next design lesson I learned was this: design your

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 19 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 20 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 21 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Gracie’s artwork captures her personality

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 22 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 23 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 24 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 25 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

The Final Word

So here endeth this Chronicle’s lesson! Once again,

Until next time,

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 26 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

The colors I picked for my Katanaka clan were yellow

With purple and yellow as my major colors, I needed

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 27 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

The purple was easier in terms of laying down

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 28 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

The pink flowers began as circles of GW tentacle

Because of the details on the sculpt, picking the next

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 29 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Step 7: Cloth Straps

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 30 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

The carp was painted in a 1:1 mix of VMC deck tan

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 31 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Click here to see these images at their original size.

Micéal Flynn (Order #12131258) 32 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Two documents, why? Organized Play 2013 introduces a number of small