wyrd chronicles volume 7

7/27/2019 Wyrd Chronicles Volume 7

1/41

ContentShort Story

Taras Crew

Malifaux 2nd Edi

Ask a Gremlin

Kings of Artifi

Jetpack Unicor

Showdown: Ico

Building a modular B

Henchmen SHowc

August 20


2/41 Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Contents

Contributors

Volume 7

Editor:David Hanold

Layout:David Hanold

Graphic Design:Redd Cohen

Web Comic:Paul Villar

Writers:Justin Gibbs

David HanoldAdrian Scott

Graeme Stevenson

Redd CohenMichael KelmelisMarko Paunovic

Contributing Artists:Melvin de Voor

Stephane EnjoralasHardy Fowler

Christophe MadaruPablo Quiligotti



Welcome to the seventh instal lment o the Wyrd Chronicles!

Back in April, I hinted at how busy we have been here at Wyrd, but I was unable to share much morethan that. Now, I am happy to announce, that this issue o the Wryd Chronicles lits that curtain.

Maliaux 2nd Edition is a huge release or Gen Con Indy 2013 and we cant wait to get it into yourhands. Along with M2E we will be previewing and selling other games that we have been working ontoo. With weeks to go until Gen Con Indy 2013, this issue o the Wyrd Chronicles will provide the WyrdCommunity with an early look at the things they should expect see.

For the Maliaux side, you can read about and view the ull stat cards or the new Outcast Master, ara,and her crew. Graeme Stevensons short story oretells Mollys uture in the Maliaux 2nd Edition setting.We also tracked down that pesky gremlin to answer more o your questions. Also, check out this issues,A Gremlins Luck.

We have other exciting products that will be sold at Gen Con Indy 2013. Get a irst look at the Kings

o Artiice, a board game set in a antasy setting where players compete or victory points by buildsprawling empires. Fans o party games should check out he World Needs A Jetpack Unicorn, a cardgame packed with crazy questions and un! Adrian Scotts provides you with a strategy article orShowdown, an intense card battle system which pits two characters against one another in quick bouts.Adrian breaks down the deeper mind games woven within Showdowns easy-to-learn system and themechanics behind each characters deck.

Cratsmen who have wondered about building a modular gaming board can read about how UMSAgram and Figure Painting Magazine were able to build their own modular gaming board. hen,continuing with the craters, we wrap up this issue with a gallery o wonderul models painted by

henchmen rom al l over.

Its been another busy year or us, but I am glad to inally have the opportunity to share so many o theprojects that we have been working on with our community. I look orward to demoing these games atGen Con Indy 2013 and meeting anyone that stops by our booth.

By: David HaThe Best Four Days In Gaming

-David Hanold



By: Graeme SteveThere s Something About MollyShe sat despondently on the crate, knees together, eetsplayed, head in hands. A ew paces away, beyond themouth o the alley, the world continued to turn.

Horses and carts rumbled over the cobbles, gaggles oservant girls jostled and shrieked over gossip on theirway to work, hawkers with barrows and baskets criedout their wares o owers, resh bread, roasted nuts, anda hundred other things to entice the passing commuters.

Molly watched the ow o lie and purpose,uncomortably aware that she possessed neither. Tishadnt always been the case, but it was getting dicultto remember her lie beore well, beore it ended.Tere were certain moments that still shone brightly in

her memory, sparkling gems that reminded her o whoshe had once been. However, these moments were ewand ar between now, like stars in a cloudy night sky.And one by one, those stars were going out.

It was an unpleasant realization, but there might comea day when Molly had no memory o ever having livedat all.

Ah, said a mued voice. Chestnuts. I used to love

them so.

Molly had orgotten about Philip. She lied the velvetbag and sat it on her knees, opening the drawstring andliing out the mottled head.

I didnt know you liked chestnuts, she said.

Oh yes. Philip would probably have nodded, given thechance. Freshly roasted, still piping hot rom the coals.Especially on cold nights. Te severed head smacked

his lips.

Molly would have oered to piler him a handul, wereit not or the need to clean semi-masticated chestnutpaste out o the bottom o the bag later.

I used to like lemon cakes, she said wistully. Toselittle round ones with the icing sugar on top and a littlecurl o rind.

Never was one or conection, Philip mused. Rotsthe teeth.

Molly could remember the bakery she used to go to

on the corner o White Arch Lane. hey mostly soldbread, but they had a cake stand in one corner o thecounter that the bakers wie used to populate eachmorning. hey were simple recipes, but light andtasty and always sold out by mid-morning. Mollywould always make a point o detouring there earlyon her way totoshe had orgotten.

She realized that she was stroking Philips headabsently, but he didnt seem to mind.

Didnt Seamus tell you to go and wait or him by thelibrary? ombers enquired presently.

He did. Molly could eel the compulsion in her,trying to haul her to her eet and usher toward thethe huge gray building, but it was held in check byanother part o her that reused a part that hadbeen growing gradually stronger. She had alwaysharbored a secret loathing or the Hatter and whathe had done to her, but she had been bound to obey

his will by the same dark powers that had broughther back rom oblivion. Beore, disobeying or evenpostponing one o Seamus commands would havebeen unthinkable, impossible.

Yet here she sat, petting Philip and musing on herlot.

Dont you think you should go? prompted ombers.

Instead, she dropped the head back into its bag and

got to her eet. At the mouth o the alley, she hoveredor a moment. he library was to the east.

She turned west.



Seamus lited his oversized hat and drew a linenkerchie across his brow.

Mercy sakes, but shes a hot one, he said.

he weather had been unseasonably humid orseveral weeks and a hazy cloud o vapor hungover the entire city, turning its black stone spires

into translucent strips o gauze. Although the sunwasnt visible through the haze, its heat was like anoppressive weight across the citizenrys shoulders.

here had been no wind or days; moisture trickleddown every pane o glass and clothes clung to bodiesin a most uncomortable manner.

He looked again still no sign o Molly.

Where is that blasted girl? he wondered aloud,ingering the aint scar in the center o his oreheadthrough the kerchie.

he rotten belle at his elbow made no comment.Her ace had turned a disturbing guacamole coloreven through the pancaked ace powder and therewas a ripe, ecund stench permeating her perume.his heat was not conducive to good necromancy.

Wait here, I tells her, Seamus continued. Here, I

says, not there, but here. And where is she, I askyer? Nowhere to be seen, thats where.

he truth o the matter was that Seamus had oundMolly an increasingly capable lieutenant in recentmonths, despite his tendency to berate and belittleher suggestions (which he would implement at alater date when the credit could be claimedas his own). Something he had been slowerto spot was Mollys eiciency in relaying hisorders, and he needed that eiciency now.

When he gave instructions to his belles they tendedto be rather haphazard in their execution and itwas as much ortune as planning that yieldedpositive results most o the time. Relaying thoseinstructions through Molly, however, consistentlyensured a better resolution. He hadnt managedto put his inger on why that was, but there wasdeinitely something about the way she interacedwith the belles well, with all his projects, truth

be told almost as i they were listening to hermore closely, or were able to garner more rom herinstructions. She had her inger on the pulse o hisundead subordinates, i the pun could be pardonedhey just worked better when she was involved.

Tis was why the sweat that was sticking his shirt to hisshoulders was not generated solely by the urnace-like

midday heat. He was genuinely nervous, though hednever admit it.



Damn that girl, he said, stung the damp kerchie backin a coat pocket.

His plan was simple enough. he armored wagonwould pull up outside the bank in about iveminutes time. heyd pick up the gold dust and gemsbrought in by prospectors and drop o a remittanceo newly-minted scrip or the laborer wages due on

Friday. Seamus was going to relieve them o both.

Aer all, he had several projects in various stages odevelopment back in the Quarantine Zone and undingor illegal experimentation didnt grow on trees.

From his vantage point across the street, in the alleybetween the City Library and a shipping merchantheadquarters, Seamus had an uninterrupted view othe Forbes & Clarke Municipal Assurance Co. and

the street or a hundred yards in either direction oit. He had belles down the alleys on either side othe bank building, a ew more dallying on the street(with parasols to hide their unortunate complexionsin daylight), and Seamus secret weapon.

He grinned at the thought o it. Assuming things wentto plan, one o the doxys would get the keys to thewagon rom the dead guard and theyd clean the thingout while the others were helping themselves to thevault. Seamus had calculated there was always a chance

that the keys might be lost in the conusion and all thisrisk was pointless i there was no reward, so he hadengineered a little something extra just in case.

A heavy-looking wagon with eight wheels and sixrothy Clydesdale horses came around the corner.It was made o dense hardwood and lacqueredblack, lined with iron rivets and iron sheeting onthe underside and lanks. Even the wheels and axleswere strengthened with iron.

As it turned the corner, he saw the Guild insigniablazoned arrogantly across the lank.

Showtime, ladies, Seamus said, resettling his hat.And remember smile!

He was there, as always.

Molly was hovering amid a collection o reightcontainers piled outside a warehouse, swinging herparasol and doing her best to look inconspicuous,which can be a diicult ambiance to strike whenone is an undead woman wearing a blood-stainedorange silk dress with a severed head in a bag

lingering around a dockyard ull o sweating cursinglaborers. She did her best under the circumstances.

he reason she was loitering in that exact spotwas the clerks oice o the Roe Clancy Shipping& ransport Company a short distance across thecobbles. Or, to be more precise, the ellow hunchedin the arthest-let window o said building, bentover his quill and inkpot and oblivious to the world

She had irst seen him one oggy evening whenSeamus had tasked her with tipping a sack-ull obody parts over the port wall. he man had emergedlocked up the oice, and hurried o up the street.

She was struck with his unassuming devotionto his work and his simple humanity. He was anastonishingly unremarkable individual, alwayswrapped in a long wool scar and wearing the samescued winkle pickers, small moon glasses, andside-swept mousy hair.

And so long as there was a shred o sunlight, he wouldbe in that oce, hunched over his ledger. Molly oundhersel sympathetic to the endless labor and thethanklessness o it all frst in and last out, and mostlikely or a pittance o a wage and scant recognition iany at all notions she strongly identifed with bothbeore and aer death.

Tere had been no more sacks o chopped-up bodiesto be disposed o, but Molly had ound hersel down bythe Roe Clancy Shipping & ransport Company moreand more oen, simply lingering in the shadows o thewarehouses across the way and watching him work.

She had no idea what he did or the company,although she suspected it was some orm o book-keeping or accountancy. She didnt even know hisname, but she was ascinated by him all the same.



His hair was getting long, she noticed. She couldprobably have cut that or him, i hed a notion. Asshe watched, it ell over his eyes and he swished itaway with a habitual gesture. She would have beenhappy to do that or him, too.

It was a pleasant iction, this daydreaming. She wassurprised by the eagerness she elt at such a vocation

spending her day at his shoulder, watching himwork, and parting his hair or him when it got in theway o his ledger.

She speculated on what color his eyes were. Brownlike hers, most likely, but blue would be nice too. Ormaybe green.

She chewed her lip, pondering.

Molly, a muled voice interrupted.

he world returned with a bump.

Molly, where are we?

Nowhere, Philip, she said. Go back to sleep.

Are we at the library yet?

No, were not at the library. Im She paused.

What could she tell him? hat she was mooningover some mystery shipping clerk while her Masterwas waiting impatiently halway across the city?

Molly, Seamus is not going to be pleased, omberscontinued.

Molly bristled at the thought, flled with savagesatisaction, rather than the terror that would once havestruck her. Let him hang around and ume, she thought.Perhaps he would stop taking her or granted i shedidnt come running every time he whistled.Good, she heard hersel say. Good.

Molly! ombers sounded shocked.

Well, what do you expect, Philip? she said. Hemurdered me and brought me back as his undeadservant! And look at you youre a head in a bag!You dont owe him any loyalty.

I was dead already, Molly, the velvet bag said. Idbe the irst to admit that my predicament is ar romideal, but even this is preerable to the grave.

But I wasnt dead, the ex-reporter said, as much tohersel as to Philip. I had a lie and a career. Andhe took those things away rom me. She lookedacross the street at the window and the clerk as a

single tear rolled down her white cheek. He tookeverything away rom me.

You are bound to him, Molly, ombers remindedher. He brought you back.

And made a botched job o it, she retorted, lookingdown at her dress. Ill never get these stains out.

hat may be, but he is your Master and you must

serve him.

Molly said nothing. She had believed that or a longtime. A time beore the Gorgons ear, when shewas weak and disorientated and retching blood. Shehad elt the truth o it right at her core. I Seamushad told her to throw hersel into a urnace shedhave obeyed without question.

But now it elt like that leash had loosened. Seamushadnt brought her back that second time, the

Gorgons ear had. She stayed with Seamus throughloyalty and the understanding that her old lie wasgone beyond recall, but as time passed and herconidence grew she had begun to realize that shedidnt really need Seamus at all.

It was he that needed her.

What are you going to do? ombers asked when itbecame clear that Molly wasnt going anywhere.

Ill think o something, she said.



It was all going to Hell in a hand-cart, and Mollywas to blame.

hings had started promisingly enough. he wagonhad drawn up outside Forbes & Clarke and a burlyGuardsman with a scatter gun had hopped downand unlocked the back o the wagon with a key roma ring on his belt. wo more Guardsmen had exited

through the armored door in the rear o the wagonand carried our heavy leather bags between theminto the bank.

A hal dozen o Seamus rotten belles had ollowedthem in with sti approximations o an alluringsashay. he rest had converged on the openedwagon with its two remaining guards and driverwhile Seamus swaggered across the street, hisaccompanying belles cool hand through his arm.

op o the mornin to yer, big eller, hed calledto the burly scatter gun Guardsman, intending towaylay the man and secure the keys or himselbeore anything could go wrong. he scatter gunnerhad taken one look at the top hat, heavy elt coatand boots and massive pistol in his ree hand andhad brought up his gun with a shout o alarm.

Gentlemans got somethin or ye, my dear, Seamussaid briskly and ducked behind his slack-aced

lady riend as the scatter gun roared. He elt theundead girl take the ull brunt o the buckshotand she lopped over in a silk heap. While theGuardsmans expression collapsed into shock athaving inadvertently killed a parasol-sporting lady,Seamus returned ire with his hand cannon. hehuge bore pistol boomed like a warships cannonand the Guardsman executed a very passable back-lip beore hitting the ground with a red hole in hischest the size o an apple.

And that was where things started to unravelaster with alarming rapidity. Belles dragged thedriver o the wagons bench, but not beore he haddrawn a clockwork pistol and started iring wildly.Rapid gunire and angry shouting had also startedup inside the bank, sending bullets through thewindows and across the street. And then anothertwo scatter gun wielding Guardsmen ran out o theback o the wagon.

In seconds, the air was ull o lead hornets andSeamus was orced to run or cover while bulletsnipped holes in his coat tails.

Lawks an saints! he hollered, ducking behind a gnarledknotwood tree while chunks o bark and wet woodexploded around him. Would ye look at this, now?

Te rotten belles staggered into the ray, but theGuardsmen rom the wagons rear had none o thechivalrous sensibilities o their allen compatriot. Oneshot a belle ull in the ace and dropped her in a cloud oputrid esh and ace powder. Another had her slenderlegs blown o at the knees by a swarm o buckshot andtoppled to the ground. She gamely crawled another ewyards until she was given another barrel in the back othe head and that was that.

Seamus attempted to even up the odds by shootinga scatter gunner in the back while he was wrestlingwith a hissing belle. he bullet struck home, butthere was a spark and a lash and, although theman staggered, he didnt go down. he strugglingcontinued unabated and Seamus saw the glint ometal through his torn duster.

he scatter gunners were wearing metal breastplatesunder their uniorms.

Well, sure i that aint a dastardly thing to do, hegrumbled. Heres a decent eller tryin to shoot aman in the back to give his ladies a chance, and thesly dogs wearin an armored vest. He shook his headin remorse. Whats the world comin to, I ask ye.

He went or a head shot instead, squinting andprojecting his tongue rom the corner o his mouthhe man and his belle staggered in a rough circlelike drunken waltzers, but he saw his window andired. In the atermath o the muzzle lash, he sawhis ighting belles head smash like a pumpkin, asthe huge bullet tore through it.

Sorry about that, Flo, my dear, he said with a winceas the dead belle slumped against the Guardsmanschest. he man shoved the corpse away in surpriseand looked back to where Seamus was peering romaround the tree. His scatter gun roared and theHatter linched as more wood smashed to splintersaround him.



Oh yes, very nice! he shouted back. Im doin yerjob or ye and thats the thanks I get, is it?

he gunire had intensiied inside the bank andthen one o his belles pitched through the window,landing in the street like a straw dummy with adozen smoking holes in her. It would appear thatthe bank robbery was not going quite to plan.

Te remaining belles on the street had managed to pullone o the armored scatter gunners down and werebeating him with their frsts, but the other gunner hadducked back inside the wagon and slammed the heavydoor shut aer him. Seamus cursed, realizing belatedlythat the belles lacked the initiative and reexes to getthe job done by themselves.

Where was that blasted Squidpiddge when he

needed her?

He ran to the back o the wagon, giving the strugglingscatter gunner a hety kick on his way past, butthe armored door was securely locked. He lookedaround or the keys, but they were nowhere to beseen. he burly Guardsman hed shot had vanishedinto thin air.

Wheres that slippery bugger got to, then? hemuttered to himsel.

here was another volley o gunire rom inside thebank and another o his belles lopped hal out othe broken window, hanging like a marionette withits strings cut.

Sure and its not going as well as Id hoped, Seamuslamented. he bank was lost, but there would stillbe scrip in the wagon. I he could get the door open.He pursed his lips and whistled. It was time or hissecret weapon.

O course, most civilizations used a dierent yardstick to measure their sophistication by, but lie in theWai iki tribe was ar rom typical, Philip was saying.

He had been droning on or some time abouthis travels and exploits which, while no doubt

interesting to another historian, had very nearlykilled o Molly or the third time.

She had been tempted to leave him in his bag andmove out o earshot, but it would have been askinga lot o the dock workers to ignore a severed headchattering animatedly about extinct oreign cultures,and so she bore it heroically.

he clerk was still there, still poring over his work.She watched him periodically dip the nib o his peninto the inkwell, scrape it twice, and then scribbleanother line. Every once in a while, he would turna page and Molly would catch a glimpse o blockso dense, economical script with row upon row onumbers. None o it made any sense to her, but shetook some comort in the knowledge that the clerkseemed to have the matter well in hand.

he most amusing part was that Montgomery andBilliers had unwittingly labeled the pots as 13thcentury, Philip was saying. It was only when thecurator came around to check the exhibit that henoticed the tags were the wrong way around and inact the pots were late 12th century. How we laughed!

He was so diligent, Molly mused to hersel. Hebarely took time to stop and stretch beore gettingback to it. She liked that about him; she liked his

industry, but caught hersel wondering i a man likethat had time or anything else in his lie.

Or perhaps he had embraced his work wholeheartedlybecause he had nothing else to take up his time.Perhaps i he encountered something new anddistracting, he might pour all o his attention anddevotion into that.

She chewed her lip some more.

A ascinating piece, and indelible evidence o theMatchu Pitchus belie in a solar deity more than threehundred years beore that academic hack Wrigleysclaim in his absurd paper Belies o the Pitchu o theAmazon Basin published in 1851, Philip was sayingI met the man once, you know. It was at a conventionin Venezuela on bone sculptures o

Blue eyes, Molly decided. She hoped he had blue eyes



In retrospect, Seamus should have seen it coming.

When his special project lumbered out o theshadows, hed thought it was in the bag. Hed taken

the body parts o three o his biggest and strongestgirls and, with some guidance rom that lunaticMcMourning, had used the muscle and bonestructure o their upper torsos together. he resultwas a wire-bound hulk with arms like tree trunksand shoulders that looked wide enough to carry ahorse without breaking a sweat.

heres my girls, he beamed proudly as the hugeabomination came to a halt a ew eet rom thewagon and looked down at him with a slack grey

ace. My Lucy-Sue-Ellie. Ye know what to do, girls.

wo huge meaty ists, laced with ragged stitchingand bits o metal, reached out and grasped the lip othe wagon door. Muscles bulged and the iron ramebegan to squeal in protest.

hats it, gals, he encouraged. Rip that door o oryour uncle Seamus. Make me a wealthy man.

he sounds o tortured metal grew louder and theedge o the door started to peel back ractionally.

You know, Seamus said critically as the huge igurestrained. Im not so sure the dress was a good idea...

It was the click that alerted him. He had just enoughtime to see the twin scatter gun mouths emerging romthe shadows under the wagon beore a blast o orangefre lit up the giant belle and her head shattered intochunks o esh, bone and two rather apathetic eyes.

It was the burly Guardsman. He turned out tobe considerably less dead than Seamus had irstthought and had managed to crawl under the wagonduring the conusion.

Whereupon he had blown the head o o Seamussecret weapon.

is a brave thing that yeve done er yer guild, boyo,he said with a philosophical air, as he stepped on the

weapon barrel while the other man was trying toreload, and Id do me hat to you i there were timeor it, but the truth o the matter is yeve only goneand killed yersel slower. He drew a long sharp knierom his belt and grinned. Ill do me best to make itlast, i thats a consolation at all.

Right then the doors to the bank burst open to expel

two Guardsmen and hal a dozen bank security menholding ries, all o them shouting and looking morelike a lynch mob than a responsible arm o the law.

Seamus became aware o two things at the sametime. One: there were now ar too many hostilemen with guns on the street or his liking, and two:his giant belle had managed to bend the door backenough to open a narrow gap into the wagon, beorebeing separated rom her remaining aculties.

Chorus line, ladies! he shouted, thrusting his armthrough the buckled door and grasping desperatelyor some kind o pay-o.

he ighting belles immediately lurched to their eetabandoning the surprised scatter gunner and driverand sculing into an untidy line between Seamusand the gunmen. hey stared in raw astonishmentas the undead women began a shambolic high-kicking can-can dance. One man was smacked in

the head with a lying shoe.

Seamus ingers closed around a leather bag and heyanked it ree with a cry o triumph.

he blatant robbery sparked the men into action andthey opened up, blasting at the top-hatted maniac ashe made a run or it with his bag. he belles somehowmanaged to get in the way and were blown to pieces,still gamely high-kicking as they toppled.

By the time the men had shot and clubbed their waythrough the rotten vaudeville act, Seamus was long gone

Molly had been humming to hersel and swingingher legs or some time when the clerk inally putdown his pen, wrapped his long scar around hisneck, and blew out the parain lamp.



It was almost ully dark and the dock was quiet, thesailors and laborers long since having retired to thenearest tavern. Sot sounds o snoring came romPhilips bag and, other than the distant rush o riveragainst the jetty pilings, all was quiet.

Had it still been beating, Mollys heart would have

quickened at the sight o the clerk leaving, but as itwas, she had to settle or shiting nervously whenhe emerged to lock up the oice. She moved a biturther into the shadows to be more unobtrusive,but quickly regretted it when he rattled the doorhandle, pocketed the key and set o back up thestreet towards the city.

She stepped out o the shadows to watch him go,wringing her parasol anxiously. She wanted to call

out to him, but it would have been an absurd thingto do. he antasy had been un, but the likelihoodo a successul relationship proposal rom a deadwoman was unlikely to say the least.

Te clerk strode briskly up the slope away rom the dock.

And then he did something strange. He stopped inthe middle o the lane. Molly watched anxiously;it was clear that there was some sort o internalstruggle going on, that he was debating something.

he clerk turned around and looked back down thehill, straight at the shadows where she waited. Shevery nearly ducked back on relex, but somehowmanaged to stand her ground.

he igure on the hill hesitated, turned away, turnedback, then squared his shoulders and marchedback down the hill. He walked ast and it was scantseconds beore he was standing right in ront o her.It was dark down by the warehouses, and she wishedthe moon had been brighter as it was she couldntsee much more than the outline o his ace.

Why are you always watching? he asked. His voicewas soter than shed expected and his accent wasunny. European, perhaps.

Molly said nothing, shrinking back a ractiondeeper into the shadows and painully conscious othe dried blood on her dress.

I see you almost every day, Miss, the clerk saidSometimes you just sit there the whole day, watchingDo I know you? Are you waiting or someone?

he undead reporter ingered her parasol, trying tothink ast.

Well she started.

So there she is! cried Seamus as he strode out o thedarkness. Been searchin the whole day and wheredo I ind her? Down by the river, o course! Beenishin, have we?

He was grinning at her, but Molly knew him betterthan that. here was a smoldering rage just beneaththe surace that would burst into lame at any second

Hello, Seamus.

he Hatter was looking the clerk up and down withan unimpressed air.

Fishin not your strong suit, eh, Molly? he snorted.Caught yersel a minnow, by the looks o it. Id throwthat one back, i I were you.

he clerk was looking baled.

What do you want, Seamus? Molly asked.

What do I want? the Hatter laughed. Oh, nothin,Molly dear. I was just wonderin where you waswhile me and the belles were gettin shot to piecesby the Guild. Yell maybe not remember our date atthe library earlier today, what with being so busyan all.

I remembered, she said.

Ah, Seamus nodded, throwing down a leather bagat her eet. Stacks o blank paper slips and rubberForbes & Clarke stamps spilled out. Good girlHeres yer share o the spoils, by the way. Pity yemissed it. We mighta made an actual proit.

He still seemed to be operating under the assumptionthat she was his property. She decided to take thebull by the horns.



Im not yours to command any more, Seamus, she said.

Is that so? he whispered and there was a dangerousglint in his eye. Molly could see other shapes movingout o the darkness; rotten belles, at least a dozeno them. Something else, lower and quicker, skirtedaround the pack and a warm leather dome pushedagainst her hand. Ponto.

Ive been thinking and Ive realized something thatmaybe you missed, she said. I was yours once, justlike all these other enslaved women you surroundyoursel with. But you let me die again, Seamus. Youlet me die and you didnt bring me back.

he Hatter snorted with laughter. No?

No. Molly reached out and tapped Seamus orehead,

tapping the bullet wound. Remember this?

he Hatter linched and something like an animalsnarl lickered across his ace.

You were dead, just like me, she said. And theGorgons ear brought you back. Just like me.

Yere mine, Seamus snapped, his joviality gone.Yell always be mine, Molly.

Not anymore, she said, shaking her head. I answerto the power o the Gorgons ear now. She pausedor the impending explosion. And so do you.

Seamus snapped. His arms shot up to wrap aroundher throat and choke whatever passed or lie out oher, but his ace suddenly contorted in pain and thegreen o his eyes lashed with unnatural brilliance.He clapped a hand to his orehead, cursing.See what I mean?

Ye think yere sae, Molly dear? Seamus growled.Tis thing ye stuck in my head might not let me killye personally, but theres plenty more will do it or me.

Molly turned to look at the crowd o silent belles. Teywere all Seamus creations, but she had a theory aboutthat, too.

I dont think they will, she said. I think they like mebetter than you.

Likes got nothin to do with it, he spat. Belles, pullthis ungrateul brats arms and legs o. I want to hearher scream.

Te belles shued in the darkness, but none o themstepped orward.

Kill her, I says! Seamus roared, stabbing a fnger at

Molly. Kill her!

Te silence drew out awkwardly as Molly waited andthe belles stalled uncertainly.

Why ye ungrateul bunch o witches, he swore, turningto glower at the sheepish undead. All this time? Allthis time?

Molly might have toppled over then with sheer nervous

exhaustion, but orced hersel to remain outwardlystoic. Shed had no proo that Seamus belles wouldntattack her other than a gut eeling. One o the ewthings she had le in this world was her anity withher ellow undead, and the more tragic the individual,seemingly the stronger the bond.

Like her aithul Ponto, the necrotic machine currentlynuzzling her leg, and Philips severed head, whomanyone else would have thrown into the river aerthe frst hour o brain-reezing monologue. Tey were

lies hard luck cases, big players in a tragic comedy oundeath and, or whatever reason, she seemed to haveemerged as their ambassador.

IllIll be o now, said the clerk.

With Seamus explosive appearance, Molly hadorgotten all about him.rembling with rage, Seamus turned on him, histeeth bared in the dark.

So this is the reason my bank job went to the wall,is it? he hissed. his lanky cretin? Well, at leasttheres somethin I cn do about that.

He drew a shiny small-caliber pistol rom his belt asquick as a snake but, or perhaps the irst time in orater her li e, Molly was quicker.

She spun and threw her arms around the clerk justas the gun went o with a loud crack and lit the



whole lane with a lash o yellow. he bullet impactelt like a ist against her ribs and she staggered, butsomehow between the two o them, they managedto retain an untidy sort o balance.

here was an immediate scule and much cursingbehind her. When she turned to look, Seamus wasbeing man-handled by his belles, snarling and

kicking his over-sized boots while they grappledhim into submission.

Let me go, ye treacherous jezebels! he was shouting.Ill have the lot o ye minced! Let me go!

Ladies, Seamus is not sae here, she said as theclerk helped to steady her. Molly knew she couldntmake the Belles turn on Seamus outright, but theycould be misled. Would you take him somewhere

sae, please?

Still cursing and howling in ury, the struggling Hatterwas dragged back up the lane by the cluster o bellesand although not one o them said a word, there wasa certain satisied air about the whole endeavor.

Miss! the clerk was saying, sounding very alarmed.Miss! Youve been shot! Miss!

Molly could eel the bullet rattling around inside

her, but the new hole in her dress was a distantconcern and she couldnt stop hersel rom smiling.

For just a moment, the world had been illuminatedby the gunshot; everything had been bathed inbright daylight or just a single instant, but that hadbeen enough or Molly to see.

Blue eyes. he clerk had blue eyes.



Meet ara, our newest master or the Outcasts and Resurrectionists and this years Nightmare box sethis set will only be available at our booth or online during Gen Con Indy 2013, although a regular, non-Nightmare version will be released later. ara and her crew use some very unique mechanics. I could goon and on about them, but we have an exclusive sneak peak at some stat cards and a page right out o the

book, so you can judge or yoursel! Read more about ara here.

Tara and Crew

6/13/13

ABILITIESHeartless: This model is immune to Horror

Duels and gains +2 Df and Wp while

defending against Ca Attack Actions.

Df (M)Through the Hole: After failingagainst a Sh Attack Action, the Attack

deals no damage to this model.

Stutter Time: This model may choose to

reflip the results of flips made to end the

Encounter.

5 5 12 4 7 2

30mm

ATTACK ACTIONS

(1) Soulstone Sword (Ml 6t / Rst: Df/ Rg: y1): Target suffers 2/3/5 damage.CCSympathetic Echoes: After succeeding, all other models with thesame name as the target inp8 suffer 2 damage ignoring Armor.tGlimpse the Void: After damaging, if no other models are buried, thetarget must pass a TN 13 Wp duel or become buried. The next time a

model in play is killed, unbury the target in base contact with the killed

model before removing it.

(1) Peacebringer (Sh 5 / Rst: Df/ Rg: z10): Target suffers 2/3/5 damage.

TACTICAL ACTIONS

(1) Temporal Shift: All models inp6 gain Fast. Then, this model discards three cards,or its whole hand. This action may only be taken if at least one enemy model would gain

Fast from this Action.

(0) Eternal Moment: This Action may only be taken if this was the first friendly

model to Activate this Turn. This model gains the following Condition until theend of the Turn: "Eternal: Once all other friendly models have Activated, this

model gains the Reactivate Condition."

(0) Lost Instants: Until the end of the Turn, enemy models within a6 may nottake Interact Actions.

6/13/13

ABILITIES

Accomplice: After this model ends its

Activation a friendly model within 6 may

Activate immediately.

Price of Eternity: Enemy models with Fast

beginning their activation within a6 must

pass a TN 14 Wp duel or suffer 2 damage.

Shattered Memories: If another living

model is killed within 4" of this model,

this model may discard the Red Joker.

If it does, summon a Death Marshal

within 4" of this model. The summoned

Death Marshal permanently exchanges

the Living characteristic for the Undead

characteristic.

5 4 6 4 5 2

30mm

ATTACK ACTIONS

(1) Bash (Ml 3 / Rst: Df/ Rg: y1): Target suffers 0/1/2 damage.C ...in the head with a rock: After damaging, immediately kill thetarget unless it discards two Control Cards or two Soulstones.

(1) Peacebringer (Sh 5 / Rst: Df/ Rg: z10): Target suffers 2/3/5 damage.

(1) Energies of the Void (Ca 5 / Rst: Wp): Before performing the duel, choose Fast

or Slow. Target enemy model gains the chosen Condition. This action may only

target buried models and does not require LoS or range

TACTICAL ACTIONS

(1) Flames of the Void: Every buried model must pass a TN 14 Wp duel or gain

the Burning +2 Condition. This Action may only be taken once per Turn.

6/13/13

ABILITIES

Pure Nothingness: At the start of every duel

this model suffers -1 Dffor each card in its

hand for the remainder of the duel.

Terrifying (All) 10: Enemy models must

pass a TN 10 Horror Duel if they end a

Walk action within this models engagement

range or target this model with an action.

Incorporeal: This model ignores, and is

ignored by, other models and terrain during any

movement or push. Reduce all damage this

model suffers from Sh and Ml Attack Actions

by half.

Casting Expert: This model gains 1

additional AP which may only be used to

take Ca actions.

9 6 7 6 6 3

30mm50mm

ATTACK ACTIONS

(1) Obliterate (Ca 7t / Rst: Wp / Rg: y3): Target suffers 2/5/7 damage.tGlimpse the Void: After damaging, if no other models are buried, thetarget must pass a TN 13 Wp duel or become buried. The next time a



TACTICAL ACTIONS

(1) Truth in Nothingness (Ca 7C / TN: 12C / Rg: p6):This Action may only betaken once per Turn. Enemy models with the Fast Condition within p6 mustsuffer 2 damage or gain the following Condition until the end of the Turn:

"Revelation: This model suffers - on all Wp duels."

(0) Void: This model may discard a control card to gain the following Condition

until the end of the turn: "Voided: After another model resolves a successful

Ml Attack Action against this model, this model may immediately take an

Obliterate Attack Action against the attacking model."
http://www.malifaux.com/Downloads/DeadofWinter.pdfhttp://www.malifaux.com/Downloads/DeadofWinter.pdf


16/41

6/13/13

ABILITIES

Pure Nothingness: At the start of every duel

this model suffers -1 Dffor each card in its

controllers hand for the remainder of the

duel.

Time is Meaningless: This model gains

++ on all duels with models with the FastCondition.

Incorporeal: This model ignores, and is

ignored by, other models and terrain during any

movement or push. Reduce all damage this

model suffers from Sh and Ml Attack Actions

by half.

8 5 4 5 5 1

30mm30mm

ATTACK ACTIONS

(1) Siphon Existence (Ml 4 / Rst: Wp / Rg:y1): Target suffers 2/3/4 Damage.tGlimpse the Void: After damaging, if no other models are buried, thetarget must pass a TN 13 Wp duel or become buried. The next time a



(2) Void Maw (Ml 4 / Rst: Df/ Rg:y1): Target buried model suffers 2/3/4 damage.This Attack may only target buried models, and does not require LoS or range. This

Attack may not be used to make disengaging strikes.

(0) The Hectic Glow (Ca 5 / TN: 10 / Rst: Df/ Rg: 4): Before performing the duel,

choose Fast or Slow. Target enemy model gains the chosen Condition.

TACTICAL ACTIONS

(2) Satiating Void (Ca 4 / TN: 12): Choose a buried model. Remove all Conditions on

the chosen buried model and heal it 2/3/5 damage.

6/13/13

Cost: SS2Tara gains the following Attack Action:

(2) Echoes of the Void ( Ca 7t / TN 14tC/ Rst: Wp):

Unbury target buried enemy non-Leader model intobase contact with this model. The target activates

immediately after this models Activation ends. This

model controls the target during this Activation. This

Activation does not count as the targets Activation

this Turn, but does count as a Chain Activation for

this model's Crew.

Tara gains the following Tactical Action:

(1) Faces in the Void ( Ca 7t / TN 14tC): Unbury

target buried friendly model into base contact with

this model. If the target is elidgible to Activate this

Turn, the target may Activate immediately after this

models Activation ends as a Chain Activation.

Tara

6/13/13

Cost: SS

Tara gains the following Abilities:

The Darlings: Crews lead by this model may hire

models from the following list that are not the Crewsdeclared Faction: Death Marshal, The Nothing Beast,

and Void Wretch. Death Marshals hired in this way

lose the Living characteristic and gain the Undead

characteristic permanently.

The Price of Haste: Enemy models in a6 with the

Fast Condition suffer Wp -2.

Tara

1

6/13/13

Cost: SS1Tara gains the ollowing Tactical Actions:

(0) Eternal Journey: Place this model anywhere

within its Deployment Zone, not in terrain. ThisAction may only be taken i this model is the frst

riendly model to Activate during the Turn.

(1) Whispers From Darkness ( Ca: 5t / TN 13t):

Select a (1) Action rom any buried model which does

not list a model by name. This model immediately

takes that Action, but may not declare Triggers.

Tara

6

/13/13

Cost: SS2Tara gains the ollowing Ability:

Knowledge of Eternity: This model's Crew gains +to initiative fips.

Tara gains the ollowing Attack Action:

(1) Pull the Void (Ca 7t / TN: 14t / Rst: Wp / Rg: 8):Beore perorming the duel, choose Fast or Slow.

Target model gains the chosen Condition and suers

1 damage. This Action cannot be taken i there are

no other riendly models let to Activate.

t Glimpse the Void: Ater damaging, i no othermodels are buried, the target must pass a TN 13

Wp duel or become buried. The next time a model in

play is killed, unbury the target in base contact with

the killed model beore removing it.

Tara

6

/13/13

Cost: SS

Karina gains the ollowing Ability:

Long Forgotten Magics: When another model within

a8 would be killed, this model may discard a card

to sacrifce the model instead.

Karina

1

6

/13/13

Cost: SS1This model and riendly Void Wretch models within LoS

o this model gain the ollowing Ability:

Into the Abyss: Ater this model is killed or sacrifced by an

enemy model, the enemy model must succeed on a TN 13

Wp duel or be buried. The model's controller unburies it at

the end o the Turn in its Deployment Zone.

Nothing Beast or Tara, Rare 1

5 Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC



Back in July, Wyrd closed out its irst Open Beta estwith the irst wave o Maliaux 2nd Edition (M2E)

models. For six weeks prior, anyone who wantedto visit their orums could get their hands on theupdated rules or M2E, as well as the stat cards orany o the Wave 1 models.

When the rules irst hit the public, it was shocking tosome to see just how much had changed. he ruleswere dierent, seeing large-scale changes to thingslike strategies and schemes, changes to soulstones,and the introduction o wholly new upgrade system.here were smaller, but no less signiicant, changes

to amiliar parts like the way Fast and Slow work, orhow Burning and Poison unction.

he Maliaux models themselves met just as muchchange. Some abilities and attacks o models wereremoved wholesale. Others were altered. A ewnew ones were added. No model walked out o M2Ethe same as it was in the irst edition.

A lot o players, veterans since book 1 and playerswho picked up their irst crew ater Storm o Shadowsalike, struggled with this shit. Suggestions weretossed about on how to deal with the changes. Lookat M2E as a new game in order to better understandhow the game works. Fantastic advice, but it mustbe tempered with the other side. So here is someseemingly mutually-exclusive comments I haveoered others.

Maliaux Second Edition is a New Game

he core rules and the rules to your models haveall changed. I you walk into M2E expecting yourmodels to behave exactly like they did in the past,youre going to lose out on what the models arecapable o. Expect the things your models did inthe past to change.

Maliaux Second Edition is the Same Game

it Was Beore

Rotten Belles are still undead hookers. he DeathMarshals are still undead-hunters. Nephilim arestill the demonic natives to this world. Zoraida stillweaves ate and lives out in the swamps, Rasputinais still the undisputed Ice Queen, and the VonSchill still leads a crack team o mercenary soldiersveterans o many battles.

Understanding and accepting both o the abovepoints is one o the best ways to move through into

M2E. Find your avorite model, and understand thatchanges happened to that model going into M2EAccept that the old tactics you once used or thatmodel, no longer work in M2E. hose two stepswill help with saying goodbye to the last version.his next step will help you with embracing M2E.

Maliaux is Still Tactically Deep, and is StillCharacter Driven

Recognize that there are plenty o new strategiesand tactics waiting to be learned or your avoritemodels. he character o models has not been lostin their transition. I you liked utilizing Nicodembecause he was a master o zombies, youll be gladto see that he still resurrects undead better thananyone. Lady Justice is still the leader o minionsand carries a huge sword that will mess you uphese models may play dierently than they usedto, but they still are, at their core, the same personthey used to be.

Lets take a look at three masters across threeactions that have seen varying levels o shit, but allo whom stay true to who they were beore.

By: Michael KelmelisMalifaux 2nd EditionThe Same and Different



Perdita

First, well start in the Guild side with Perdita.When talking about her themes, she was always thedeadliest gunslinger in Maliaux, and the leader o aamily o gunighters. She was the astest draw, andher amily worked together incredibly well, backingeach other up.

alking about her in version one, her theme waslargely realized by the alpha strike, the ability orher crew to all Companion with each other and setdown a series o actions that all occurred withoutyour opponent able to respond to it. Perdita inversion one was an interest ing master - one thatnewer players tended to eel was ar too powerul,but once they learned how to deal with her onetrick, tended to eel she was ar too weak.

In M2E, the Chain Activations rule limits thenumber o models that can activate in a row beorean opponent gets a chance. Even though the Familymodels still have Companion, the alpha strikewent away. he eel o the Family looking out oreach other and working together like an oiled team,though, was kept through abilities like PerditasRelocate and Obey, Franciscos El Mayor, Papa LocosHold his, and Santiagos Covering Fire. Perditaand her Family still exempliy ranged combat in

Maliaux, and she leads a crack team o gunslingers.

Pandora

Moving into the Neverborn action, well take alook at Pandora. She was always the unsettlingo the original Neverborn masters, the one whowould break your mind, ind cracks in your psyche,and turn you against yoursel. She would rely onbreaking your will and letting you suer or it.

In version one, she was a diicult master or mostopponents to ace. She was incredibly ast, could hitrom a ar range, was very hard to hurt, and couldmake models run simply by tossing a Crow, otentimes with a Soulstone, to ensure that models wouldturn and lee at the sight o her. It was hard to pinher down and i you went ater her and ailed, youwould end up taking damage as a result.

In M2E, she remains the willpower-attacking masterShe can use Upgrades like Cry For Me to break anenemys resistances, and then Sel Loathing and SelHarm to take what an enemy can do and turn itagainst themselves. Misery rom both Pandora andthe Sorrows still doles out damage when a modelails a willpower check. However, in the past whereshe was hard to pin down due to her speed, she is

going to be ar easier with the act that Incite cannotcontinue to cycle beyond twice.Additionally, her best spell againstmost models, Sel Loathing, is amuch shorter range orcing her tocome in close to her opponents.No longer will she stand on theother side o the board wreakinghavoc. Now she will be themaster who walks casually

down the street, unleashinghell rom in your ace.



Seamus

he last master I want to talk about is Seamus romthe Resurrectionists. Seamus has been described asa mix between Jack the Ripper and the Mad Hatter,with an unhealthy appetite or undead hookers. Heis the master who most exempliies the things youear in the city streets. He oozes terror, knows it,and enjoys it.

In version one, it was diicult to properly portrayjust how scary he was. erriying worked only onliving models, and as the game progressed, therewere more and more models that outright ignoredits main beneits. He still had other things to allback on - he had a massive gun with a hety damagerating, and he was quite diicult to inally put in theground, but on the whole, he elt weaker than many

other masters around him.

In M2E, Seamus is one o the models who, I eel,beneitted the most rom being distilled back towhat his story was and rebuilt accordingly. Withthe changes to erriying, he can now be terriyingto every model on the board, spreading the ear he issupposed to. Abilities like Back Alley and Upgradeslike Red Chapel Killer leave him eeling like thekind o model who can pop out rom anywhere,kill a model, and then drag the corpse back into the

alley, and then disappear with it orever. he trueJack the Ripper type killer.

In Closing

A player who comes into the game trying to win thesame way they used to with any o the above threemasters is going to run into a world o diiculty.Simply put, none o them work the same as theyused to. In Pandoras case, her abilities have shitedsuch that she cannot stay back in saety i she wantsto inluence the game. Core rules in the game, likeCompanion or Perdita and erriying or Seamus,have changed giving birth to new ways to play them

I encourage all players to reach back, however ar itmight be, to when you irst started playing versionone o Maliaux. Remember how it was you learnedto play those models and ollow the same path againSavor those moments when you igure out a newtrick, or master a new ability. hose are some o the

best moments o learning Maliaux. Relive them.

Some will learn better by taking a model and puttingit on the table, playing with ull upgrades, trying outcombination ater combination on the table. Otherswill learn better by leaving upgrades on the side orthe beginning, playing models bare and learningcore abilities. But regardless o how you learn bestdo so by playing the models with an open mind andbe ready to learn the new ways they work.


21/41

Ask A Gremlin

Q: If a greased pig was released into the Wyrd ofces, who would be mostlikely to catch it, Nathan or Eric?

A: I thinks it be sort o a team effort. Neither one o dem seems the pigwrastin type. My bets r on the pig.

Q: What do gremlins enjoy eating most, bacon/ham/pork notwithstanding?

A: Looks like you done covered the major food groups. Shine I guess.

Q: hey bro, whysit we gots no melee heavy guys? with the hackin and

slashin and whackin...

A: Cause we got more brains den most. If youre a shootin somethinfrom far way it cant hit ya.

Q: Hey Gremlin. Which way is up?

A: Uh, that way?

Q: When will you make the rule drifter have meaning?

A: Drifters has lots o meanin. Playin on the banjo all night, nobody doneboss ya round. Dats the life.

Q: what makes up for good slop and is there a gremlin chef coordinatingall the slop haulers?

A: Anythin that ts in the pot done make good slop an coordinatin aint

really our cup o slop.



22/41

Q: Oi, ugly green thing! Why do you always run off with my dear Mollysmakeup bag? Do you even know how long it take to get her dressed upfor an outing?

A: What? Humans think they have some sort o monopamonopatite

moonpie on lookin perty.

Q: Who is prettier, Collette, or Sonnia?A: If I don say Ophelia she gonna clobber me.

Q: When is Ophellia going to master her Avatar of Perforation? The onewho Kin see right through you

A: It be a lookin like during beta wave two.

Q: how dyer getcher bro so fas? seen tree at once!

A: Fast legs, mostly. An if they too slow we shoots em, sos mostly fastuns left. Its natural, read it in a book an some such, Survival o thefastest and least annoyin cuz slow an annoyin gremlins is pig food.

2



A Gremlins LuckBy: Paul Villar



New Worlds Await By: Redd Cohen

If you may not have noticed, weve beenworking on some really cool and brand new

stuff at Wyrd. When we rst started The World

Needs An Evil Baby Orphanage, we wanted to

see how the public would react to us coming out

with something a bit offbeat from Malifaux. The

reactions were awesome! So, in the last year,

we decided we wanted to broaden our horizons

on the tabletop and bring a game that would turn

heads. This is where Kings of Artice came in.

Kings of Artifice is a Euro-style board game

we are going to release at Gen Con Indy 2013.

The story behind Kings of Artifice is that you,

the player, have come to the land of Artifice to

dominate the land and build the best kingdom.

To do so, you will use a set of wooden blocks to

form structures built by your special character

classes.

Players will create buildings, fortify battlements,

and cast table-flipping abilities, all on a board

where different events unfold and change the

way each game is played.

Each person is represented by one of the four

races: felines, skeletal undead, humans, as

well as an interesting slug-like race.

As for how the game plays, you start with your

king coming to the land of Artifice on a boat.

The game itself is played on an island mapped

out by a grid. Players will utilize their king using

the games Action Point system. Each player

is given five Action Points on their turn. Using

these action points, you can move characterssummon characters, build structures, cast

spells, or carry out special character commands.

The best part is that, since you have five Action

Points, you can do all of the actions previously

stated multiple times. This gives the game a

very fluid feel.

Each race is has a King and seven character

other different classes. These include: two

Horses, two Farmers, a Knight, Thief, Warlock

and Artisan.

Horse

For two Action points, you

can summon two horses

These characters are

the most mobile units in

the game and can carry

characters on their back as

they move around the board. A horses movementdoes not cost any action points, however, a horse

may only move once during a turn.

Farmer

Your basic workers of

the game, Farmers are

summoned in pairs (just

like the Horses) next to the

King. They can lay downWalls faster than any other

class in the game. Walls

are the most basic structure you use to build in

the game and can be advanced to other structures

later in the game. Walls are placed on the grid

and are upgraded into larger and more elaborate

structures with other characters. Farmers also

have the special ability to make Houses, which

can be later converted into Towers or Palaces.


25/41

(Box Cover Front)


Knight

This is probably the most

aggressive unit in the game.

The Knight can spend one

Action Point to annihilate

one of his foes in a square

with him or near him. Thiscauses the character to be

sent back to the supply and forces your opponent

to summon that character back in before they can

use it again.

Thief

Being really sneaky

as he is, the Thief can

steal Action Points from

your opponents, giving

them to you. This not

only cripples what your

opponents can do on

their turn, but gives you a leg up in the game

as well if youre falling behind.

Warlock

The Warlock is a game-

changing force. He

utilizes spells ipped

out at the beginning of

the game and forces

opponents to alter theirstrategies. Some spells

can move blocks around, zap and kill characters,

some can even morph the Warlock into any

character class in the game!

Artisan

The biggest jewel in the

game is going to be your

Artisan. This characters

usefulness shines most

when he is paired with

other classes. He is

required to convert walls

and houses into massive structures that score

you Victory Points (points used to win the game)

For example, a Warlock in the same space as an

Artisan can convert a house into a Tower. The

Warlock can then use that Tower to increase the

range of his spells. As you can see, the Artisan is

a seriously advantageous character to have out.


26/41

(Game Board)

If you havent picked it up yet, Artice is a game with a large amount of options at your ngertips

Both passive players (players who sit back and just build) and aggressive players (players wh

want to step forward and hack away at their opponents) can enjoy the game. Kings of Artice can

t many different player styles and really draw you into the world. This is a game that board gamer

from all spectrums will love. Gen Con Indy 2013 is around the corner and that means its time t

ready up and build your empire in the Kings of Artice.




What game has monsters made oglowing sweat, and unicorns withjetpacks on them? What gamehas wizard castles in bubbles

and teddy bears riding dragons?And who in the world would evercreate that game? Simple answerWyrd and that game is he WorldNeeds A Jetpack Unicorn.

Wyrd has paired up with eamHypercube (a great blogging group who plays and reviews games) to create a rad story-telling game thatwill take your mind and shove an active stick o dynamite in it. Well, it wont literally blow your mind, butyou get what I mean.

In this game, players will be asked a would-you-rather-type question and its up to the other players toconvince the person asking the question that their subject is better, worse, or just downright weird. Youand your riends will be aced with some very interesting questions like, Which is worse? Continuouslyclapping or a random hour o each day? Or orgetting to speak or a random hour each day?

Gamers will then have to give a witty response usingwords rom their hands called ransmogs. he

game is balanced and is great or all occasions. heWorld Needs A Jetpack Unicorns length can changedepending on how ast you want itto go. Be warned though, you willlaugh so hard, you just might peeyoursel. his game was designedto be absolutely insane and un,so i youre a an o he WorldNeeds An Evil Baby Orphanage,we suggest you get this game too.



So with the release o this issue, werejust weeks away rom Gen Con Indy 2013, andthe new goodies that Wyrd has prepared or

delicious consumption (note: please dont eat theminiatures). he big release is, o course, MaliauxSecond Edition and all the new plastic sets that arecoming with it, but along with that theres a pile oother games, including the topic o todays article Showdown!

I was ortunate enough to be a part o the playtestor Showdown and Ill tell you now Im VERYexcited to see this inally come out! So or thisissues article, I thought Id give a bit o advice or

people picking up the game.

Gameplay Summary

he rules or Showdown itsel will be availableelsewhere, but or the sake o those who haventyet read those rules, I thought Id give a very brierundown o how the game works.

he mechanics o Showdown are simple players

each play a eint card rom their hand ace up,then each player plays a strike card ace down.Strike cards are revealed and added to the value othe eint card, with the highest total winning anddealing one damage (denoted by lipping over oneo your our Ace cards that are kept separate romyour deck). Complicating this are disciplines. Eachcard has one o three disciplines marked (Physical,Intellect and Cunning) and i both strikes are othe same discipline, it is the player with the lowest

total who wins that combat! In addition to thisthere are triggers, which are bonuses that are

applied i you win combat while your owneint and strike disciplines match (notedon the Red Joker and kept separate romyour deck). A number o combat cards havevarious actions, reacts, and ongoing eectsthat may be played beore or during combat,

and might alter the results o that particular roundFinally, there are a variety o immediate or ongoingeects on the Ace cards themselves, which come

into play as you and your opponent suer damageand lip them over. he game ends once one playerhas taken enough damage to have lipped over all otheir own Aces.

Overview

Winning a game o Showdown isnt just a mattero luck. Having all the highest cards in your handto win every combat and push through a pile o

damage is certainly helpul, but its rare youll bethat ortunate. Instead, what it comes down to istwo things;

he irst is, managing the cards you have at yourdisposal. Youre not going to have high valued cardsto play every combat, so being able to get the bestuse out o those low to moderate cards is what willwin you games.

he second is iguring out what your opponent is

likely to do in each combat. his isnt necessarilya matter o being a mind reader (something Imabysmal at), but a sound knowledge o the rulesand what your opponent is likely to be doing whenthey play a certain card (whether its a eint card oran action/react card). Knowing these can help youplan a response accordingly.

Professor Pontificates By: Adrian Scott



Combat and Disciplines

So when it comes tocombat, the most importantquestion each player shouldbe asking is, should I betrying to get the highest total

to win combat, or should Iattempt to use lower cards,match disciplines with myopponent on the strike andwin combat with the lowesttotal? Just on probabilityits more likely that youand your opponent will ipdierent disciplines or thestrike cards, which is why

winning combat with the highest total value is the most

likely result youll see. However, this is where resourcemanagement comes in. Youll only have so many highcards on hand to ensure you win combat this way. So iyou can win a ew combats by matching disciplines onthe strike with your opponent, youre making worthwhileuse o the lower cards in your hand too.

So how do you match disciplines or alternatively,avoid matching disciplines with your opponent? Wellit comes down to gathering what inormation

you can about your opponents state o playduring that combat, and using that to work outwhat theyll most likely play or a strike. Forme, this boils down to what my opponent andI have played or the eint, the possibility oany triggers, what I know about my opponent;shand and the inluence o any Aces or action,react and combat cards that have been or maybe played.

Playing the Feint

Players take it in turns to play the irst eintcard each combat, and the player who eintsirst is generally at a disadvantage. Ater all, theiropponent gets to respond to whatever theyveplayed. I the irst player einted high, then its clearthat theyre hoping to play another moderate/highcard and win combat with the highest total. I theyeint low however, then theyre probably aiming tomatch disciplines and win with the lowest total. I

Im einting irst, I eel that its almost always best toplay a mid-range card (ie. 7-9). hat way, aside romthe cards discipline Im giving no obvious clues as towhat kind o card Im hoping to play or my strike.

I Im einting second, most o the time I like to tryand either match or play a slightly higher value cardthan what my opponent played. his oers a slight

advantage should you both try the usual approacho winning with the highest combat total, but stillmakes it possible to cheat a low card and sti ll win by(hopeully) matching disciplines.

I your opponent goes all out and plays a high cardor their eint, you have two choices either einta high card yoursel and beat them at their owngame, or play a moderate card and attempt to matchdisciplines on the strike. he reason I suggest a

moderate card and not a low one, is to encourageyour opponent to stick with their plan o cheatingone o their best cards on the strike, just in caseyou strike with a high card o your own. hat way,even i you lose the combat and take damage, youropponent had to spend two o their best cards to doso, giving you a potential advantage in later combats

Triggers

I you can win combatwhile activating atrigger (ie. get the samediscipline on both youreint and strike cards), theresultant eect tends tobe well worth the eortwhether its drawingextra cards, orcing youropponent to discard ordealing an additional

point o damage to youropponent. However youropponent knows this tooso actually getting those

triggers o can be harder than it looks. Generally, therewill be moments when your opponent will be particularlydesperate to get a certain trigger o. For instance, itheyre down to 1-2 cards in hand, then an Intellecttrigger to draw additional cards might be tempting. Onthe other hand, a player is unlikely to try or an Intellect


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trigger i they have a ull hand o 7 cards already. Tis isthe kind o inormation you can use to work out whethertheyre more or less likely to use a given discipline ortheir strike card. Players can always try to ignore thetriggers and attempt to play more randomly, but humannature makes that dicult the benefts that getting atrigger oers can just be too tempting sometimes!

Tis is also where theBlack Joker comes in.For every deck, theBlack Joker is a cardthat is always availableand can be played as aeint in any turn. EachBlack Joker has twovalues and, most o thetime, two disciplines

on it (eg. an 8 Intellectand a 6 Cunning), soyou can use either onewhen playing it. I preerto eint with the BlackJoker in almost all o

my combats. It tends to give you a moderate value tostart with (usually around 7-8), plus it helps to saveyou rom draining your own hand too quickly. Tedisadvantage o overusing it, is that it becomes quitedicult to activate a trigger or a discipline thats

not on the Black Joker. Aer all, playing a eint witha discipline not on your Joker, tends to send a clearmessage to your opponent that youre hoping to getthat trigger. A better option is to eint cards withthe discipline you want that are higher than whatyou could play with the Black Joker. Tat way youropponent cant be sure whether youre playing the cardor the discipline, or or the higher starting value. Solong as youre not being predictable by always goingor the trigger, this should give you your best chanceo activating that trigger.

The Hazards and Rewards of Spying

Most Showdown decks have at least one way or youto look at some or all o the cards in your opponentshand. his kind o inormation can give you a strongadvantage in subsequent combats; in particularwhat their best cards might be and what disciplinesthey have or havent. However i youre not careul,

your opponent might be able to use that knowledgeagainst you.

For instance, lets say that you look at youropponents hand ater a combat and see that he hasno Physical cards. Logic dictates that their strikenext turn wont be rom the Physical disciplineso you might, or instance, attempt to win combat

with a high Physical card or the strike. But youropponent knows this too, so i they happen to drawa Physical beore the next combat (the odds owhich are about 56%, i they draw two cards in thedraw phase), theyll almost deinitely use it. Whatthis boils down to is that planning your next combaton what disciplines your opponent doesnt have isactually very risky. he most success Ive had withlooking at my opponents cards is, to instead, takenote o what their best cards are. his additional

inormation gives me a good idea on how healthytheir hand is compared to mine and by extensionwhether I should be trying to beat them with thehighest combat total, or by matching disciplines.

Discarding Cards

At the simplest level, orcing your opponent todiscard cards will limit their options or what theycan play in later combats. Getting your opponent todiscard most or all o their cards is certainly a bigadvantage what they eint or strike with becomesmuch more reliant on the luck o what they draw inthe previous turn.

he less obvious advantage o orcing discards, isthat you get to see what your opponent doesnt valuein their hand. Generally, any player should try andkeep cards rom all three disciplines in their handso the cards that are discarded are oten going to berom the disciplines they already have good cards

or. In other words, i your opponent chooses todiscard a Cunning and Intellect card, it may meanthat theyre low on useul Physical cards.

Ive mentioned disciplines, but what value cardsshould you be discarding i youre required to? Inpractice, the least valuable cards are not the lowestcards in your hand, but the moderate ones - the 6-9cards. Low cards may not be as broadly useul as



high value cards or winning combats, but theyreexactly what you want when trying to win combatby matching disciplines. Moderates, on the otherhand, sit in an uncomortable middle ground toolow to win via having the highest combat total andtoo high to really win with by matching disciplines.You can use them to eint (as above I am a ano einting with moderates), but most o the time

youre better o just using your Black Joker.

The Aces and Effect Cards

As mentioned, each deck has their own set o eectcards and Aces, all o which will have some inuenceover combats rom turn to turn. Its dicult to give toomuch advice over a variable that can change so muchbetween decks, suce to say that it defnitely helps toknow what eects your opponents deck can potentially

pull o. For instance, the King o Clubs has an eect cardthat prevents a triggerrom activating. Iyour opponent isholding one o thosecards, theyre unlikelyto be worried aboutyou getting anytriggers. Hence, youcan adjust your ownplan accordingly,either by not worryingabout triggers yourselor (i they know youknow about the card),aiming or triggerson a ar more regularbasis.

The Decks

I thought Id inish this small (ha!) discourse with anoverview o the irst ive decks that will be availableor Showdown. As youll see, each deck has a verydistinct playstyle with their own strengths. You maypreer one style over the others, but in the end, Ihope you come to enjoy this new game as much asI have!

King of Clubs

he King o Clubs is the master o attrition, withaccess to a wide variety o ways to both heal damageand negate the damage his opponent might dealhim. his ranges rom his Physical rigger, whichallows him to heal instead o deal extra damage aterwinning combat, to a variety o cards that can negateopponents triggers, prevent damage i they dontdiscard cards and in one case, heal two damage iyou win combat ater einting with the two o clubshe latter is a huge gamble, but the eective swingo three damage can easily turn a game around.ogether, with more than a ew ways to discardhis opponents cards and even a card that lets himrecover something rom his discard pile, the King oSpades specializes in wearing his opponent down,draining their resources and eventually inishing

them o when they have nothing let to give.

Queen of Hearts

he Queen is a gambler with a love or the Physicaldiscipline. Many o her cards make her Physicaldiscipline even better, either by increasing theirvalue or you, or punishing your opponent i theyuse Physical cards. Not only that, but one o hereect cards can be played to either make the damagedealt by the Queen unpreventable, or (my avourite)deal an additional damage to whoever loses combatI shes willing to take the risk, the Queen o Heartscan get maximum use out o her Physical triggerand eect cards to deal a lot o damage within ashort space o time.

Jack of Diamonds

Jack is the master o subteruge, with access to manyways in which he can hide his plans during combat

and maneuver his opponents into a bad position. Jacksaction, react, and combat cards can do such things asallowing him to play two eint cards (returning one tothe hand beore strikes are revealed), orce his opponentto eint frst, or pick his opponents trigger upon winningcombat. His Cunning trigger is also very useul, sinceit orces the opponent to discard two random cards,rather than two cards o their choice. Opponents othe Jack o Diamonds need to be especially wary whenJack eints with a low card, since he has a way to either



replace that low Feint with a 13 or swap eints with hisopponent, both o which can easily sway the combat inJacks avor. Opponents can never truly know what theJack o Diamonds is up to during combat.

Ace of Spades

he Ace o Spades has two major strengths drawing cards and getting maximum advantagerom her own Aces. he Intellect discipline andcard-draw in general is a large part o her playstyle.Her Intellect trigger allows her to draw three insteado two cards, two o her Aces give her additionalcards, and Intellect is only discipline on her BlackJoker. Hal o the Ace o Spades action and reactcards also deal with her Aces themselves, eitherallowing you to choose which Ace to reveal upontaking damage, or to repeat their immediate eectas i they had just been lipped over beore combat.he latter is especially powerul when you considerthat one o her Aces lets you look at your opponentshand, giving her the only way any deck, thus ar,has o looking at your opponents cards right beorecombat! Her Ace-manipulation tricks grant some

extraordinary control and lexibility to the Ace oSpades, allowing her to choose the eect rom herAces that will best suit the situation at hand.

The Jokers

Denial is the name o the game when it comes to

the Jokers. hey dont like it when the opponenttries to pull any tricks, and they have many waysto neutralize them. More than hal o the Jokersaction, react, and combat cards, plus one o theirAces, allow you to neutralize your opponents eectcards. his in itsel is quite strong, especially whenyour opponent is relying on those cards to wincombat or them. hey can also drop the value othe opponents Black Joker with one o their lippedAce cards, and have two other Aces that allow themto look at their opponents hand.

he Jokers also like dealing damage by matchingdisciplines on the strike with their opponent. Oneo their action cards reduces the value o a singlediscipline by two or that combat, while anotherdeals an additional damage i the Jokers win combatwith the lowest total. All in all, it makes or a veryinteresting playstyle. he Jokers worry less thanother decks about being caught o-guard by theiropponents eect cards. In addition, the abilityto reduce card values and beneit rom winningcombat with the lowest total, means theyre in abetter position than other decks when they indthemselves without high cards to play.

-Adrian



Last April, I was approached by theeditor o Figure Painter Magazine(FPM) to undertake a long term

project that would be eatured inthe magazine as a series o monthlyarticles detailing the building o aully electriied gaming board orMaliaux.

he goal o the articles is to closelyollow the building process o thisproject, rom the concept throughthe designing right down to the

execution and actual build o eachboard section. Every detail on theboard will be shown with a how-to-build explanation.

I contacted ellow UMS Agram members Ana Polanscak (Gujozec) and Andrija Jurisic to help with thebuild, each ocusing on dierent elements. he team write about as many details as possible, so in thearticles, you can ind useul tips where to buy certain items, how to manuacture a huge amount o samebits at a reasonable cost and in a relativelyshort time rame. As the board beingthoroughly electriied to power things

like LED lights and servo motors, thearticles will eature a short theoreticalexplanation about electronics. hiswill enable the reader who hasnthad any prior contact with theelectronics to, not only be able tobuild his own electronic circuits,but understand where and whycertain parts are used.

he table itsel will consist onine, thirty centimetre squaredunderground modules, our owhich will be generic tunnelsand hallways, while the otherive will be ocused on certain Maliaux Masters. he team decided to go or the older Masters (nowto be re-issued), one rom each action. he McMourning section will be based around a morgue and aguild prison while the Nicodem area will be a crypt. he Hamelin section will be a sewers and the Ramosarea will eature a steampunk laboratory. One newer Master, Hungering Darkness will be covering theremaining two actions.

Building a Modular Gaming Board By: Marko Paunovic



Each module has been designed to beinterchangeable with every other so manydierent combinations can be used. oenable this, each section module has eightconnectors, a male and emale at eachcorner. he boards power source will be atransormer 230V AC to 24V DC which willhave enough voltage and amperage to power

the whole thing while keeping it sae enoughto use.

At the time o writing this article, themodules rames have built and the wiringis being done throughout the nine sections.Parallel to the main build, Ana and Andrijaare doing a lot o smaller details likeembossed stone tiles, bulkhead light coversand a mechanism or a sliding door system

that will be incorporated into all our sideso each Master module.

UMS Agram is a non-proit organization rom Zagreb, Croatia, that ocuses onpainting and converting miniatures, workmanship o terrain pieces or table-top wargaming and playing strategic table top games. Its other activities concern technicalculture, history, antasy and science iction. It was ounded in 2003 and has over 120members rom the ages o ten to orty. It has been a member o Zagrebs Communityo echnical Culture late 2003. heir programmes, which are co-inanced by theCitys Oice or Social Welare and the Citys Oice or Culture as well as Zagrebs

Community o echnical Culture, include ree terrain workshops, ree war gaming demonstrations andschools that include Maliaux, ree local tournaments and leagues as well as two annual major internationalwar gaming events, Agram Arena Summer and Winter.

Figure Painter Magazine (ISSN 2052-8507) is a new independent magazinededicated to sculpting, painting, displaying, collecting and gaming withminiature igures rom all genres and scales .

For more inormation about the progression o the gaming board visit theFPM website at www.igurepaintermagazine.co.uk



NowIn

Stores!


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Brendon (Boshea) OShea Chris Parris

David (Tiny) Arrebola David (Pagan Wole) HerbeChristopher (Curlydesign) Dick

Demonn Agram Dennis (MudgeBlack) Dechance


Henchmen Showcase


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Dgraz Gabriel (Bruglyother) Hart James Kroesch

Jimmie Harp

Liam (Osoi) Tenna

Huang Da Wei

frey (Fetid Strumpet) Hannah

Markus LjudvgMDL1113



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Matthew (Evilbleachman) HauptMartin Lindblom Mike Marshall

Moorhed

Oliver Nicholls Steve (Zero) Quinn

Nate (Big Ned) Zettle Will (Pierowmaniac) Lamb



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Soipha Tayakorn (Nickie) Kupakanjana

Mydnight

Thank you to all of our henchmenwho submitted an entry for this

months Wyrd Chronicles.



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Seeyou nexttime!!

wyrd chronicles volume 7

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