Contents

P.02 - In with the new

P.30 - Professor Pontificates

P.03 - Unleashed Power

P.35 - Modular Structures

P.06 - Genie in the Bottle

P.45 - Makos Rubbish

P.18 - Words by Moonlight

P.54 - The Gallery

P.25 - Showdown: Malifaux

P.27 - Showdown Tactics

Credits
Creative Director
Justin Gibbs

Layout and Editor

David Hanold

Graphic Artist
Redd Cohen

Contributing Writers
Josh Christensen
Justin Gibbs
David Hanold
David Herbert
Matthew Ritter
Mark Rogers
Adrian Scott
Graeme Stevenson

Contributing Artists
Alex Alexandrove
Matthew Bradbury
Hardy Fowler
Christophe Madaru
Pablo Quiligotti
Melvin de Voor

In with the New

A look at whats to come

By David Hanold
Welcome Back!
It has been an exciting new year so far for the Wyrd community. And it has only just begun. A new website is up
for one thing and it has a place to upload your own gallery of art and painted miniatures, a place to link directly
to your blogs and even a chat. I am in the chat quite frequently so feel free to drop on in.
More exciting news, plastics crews for most of the Wave 1 crews are out, with gremlins and a few others due for a
release that is just around the corner! Best yet, Wave 2 files are also available to download here.
In this volume of the Wyrd Chronicles we begin with a short story about Sonnias battle with Rasputina and
Cherufe by Graeme Stevenson. Ripped straight from Justins Drawing Dead blog we delve into the process
that went into the redesigning of the Avatars for Malifaux 2nd Edition. Justin also drops information on the
Showdown design process and makes an exciting announcement for the system.
Letters from the Breach have arrived, but is there more to them than what appears on paper?
Adrian returns to provide an in-depth look at forced movement effects and how to get the most use out of them
against your opponent. Josh Christensen breaks down the Jack of Diamonds Deck for Showdown: Icons. Mark
Rogers explains, in detail, how he imitates artificial lighting and shadows using his Seamus. David Herbert shows
off his process for building even more modular terrain pieces, this time it is buildings with walls, windows and
doors.
As always, if you would like to see one of your pieces in the Wyrd Chronicles you can email me at david.hanold@
wyrd-games.net.
As a reminder you can always click on the page number to bring you back to the table of contents. From the
Contents page you can click on the articles name to bring you to the article.
Enjoy!

Unleashed Power
Designing the Avatar Mechanics

By Justin Gibbs
Originally posted on Justin Drawing Dead here.

Here is my current issue:

Today I wanted to talk a bit about the design of the

Avatar manifest mechanic. This was a particularly
difficult mechanic to design, largely because of design
decisions from 1.5 which we needed to keep in the
game. Essentially, Avatars needed to pop into play, but
balancing this in the current edition was very difficult.

Avatars are supposed to be big, flashy models. Additionally,

by their very definition, bringing them into play removes
your most powerful model (the master). And, on top of all
of this, they only are in play for a very limited number of
turns. To make up for all of these drawbacks, they need to
have an inflated significance on the game.

Here is part of a post I made in the closed beta when we Unfortunately, this generally puts avatars into two camps:
useless because they simply couldnt achieve enough
were designing the manifest mechanic:
considering their limited time on the board and removal
Sometimes, when designing a game, it helps to look of the master, or totally game warping. The line where
at the design process as a game. Here are the rules for they can be balanced is incredibly thin, and although Im
sure we can hit it with a handful, Im not convinced its
avatar design:
possible for every master in the game. In other words,
1) Every Master needs an avatar
rules 3 and 5 (above) arent playing well together.
2) Manifesting rules need to be in the core book out in
August
3) Masters need to turn into their avatar during the
game
4) Avatars need to be purchased at the start of the game
with soulstones
5) Avatars cant screw up the game (obvious, but its one
of the rules, listing them helps)

That post was the basic core from which we started the
manifest design. The issue was that Avatars, by their very
nature, were an all or nothing mechanic. Meaning, they
either failed horribly or dominated the game. An all or
nothing mechanic can be balanced in the sense that it
succeeds as often as it fails, but it frequently leaves players
with a bad taste in their mouths. Close games are generally
more fun, and a mechanic that will either sink or swim is
just generally less fun.

Following those principles, we came up with the current Aaron Darland did a lot of work on the individual
design (rulebook pg. 56-57). Basically, Avatars are designs, and I hope he can give you more insight on
upgrades. When you purchase the Avatar upgrade, you them at some point.
select a manifest card (there are five to choose from).
The manifest card tells you under what conditions
you manifest your Avatar. If you meet your manifest
requirements, flip the Avatar upgrade over and you get
access to some new abilities.
This new system fixed the issues which we previously had
with Avatars. The manifest mechanic was linked to the
upgrade system, so we had an easy way of introducing
it into the game. Because the Avatar was an upgrade,
the master immediately got something for purchasing
it, which makes the mechanic a lot less all or nothing.
In this way, the Avatar adds something to the crew even
if it never manifests. Also, since the Avatar upgrade
simply flipped over and added a few new abilities, the
master was no longer removed from the table when
the avatar came in. In other words, manifesting only
added to what was there, it didnt take anything away.
This made it much more reasonable to balance.
Designing balanced models is very important, but its
impossible to do if the core isnt there. Creating an
environment where you can tweak models without
sending their power levels soaring into the atmosphere
or scuttling them completely is key. And sometimes
even if things are balanced, they still arent fun.
Mechanics which cause a major swing in the game can
be very problematic, and removing them here was the
right move.

Genie in the Bottle

Sonnias inner struggle with Power

By Graeme Stevenson
Winter had come to Malifaux.
Heavy cowls of white draped every rooftop that still resisted
the weight of snow; each night echoed with the muffled
crash of another ruined home, and each mornings pale
sun revealed more splintered black holes that dotted every
street like teeth wrenched from a jaw.

freezing brown sludge that lay in a knee-deep slick on

every street and thoroughfare.

Each morning hopeful eyes cast skyward, but each

morning the same oppressive grey blanket hung over
the city, so low that the uppermost spires and towers
seemed to vanish into cotton wool. The city had been
smothered under this frozen blanket for three weeks
The air was sharper than a blade and sliced into every and there was no end in sight.
pound of exposed flesh, severing all sensation from ears,
noses, fingers, and toes. Those lucky few that had no need Malifaux Station had fared better than most. The
to leave their hearths watched the less fortunate struggling constant trample of rushing passengers, porters,
through thigh-deep drifts from behind a scum of ice almost baggage-handlers, and others had kept most of the
main causeways relatively clear. The blazing hearth fires
as thick as the glass panes themselves.
and braziers around the station interior stood testament
The cold was a palpable thing: it sank long numbing to it being one of the few places that had yet to feel the
fingers deep into the roots of the city, questing through pinch of the citys fuel crisis.
brick, wood, and earth to grasp the living and squeeze
the warmth from them. No one and nothing seemed Barton Bragg looked outwardly calm as he made his
safe. Beggars in gutters, horses in stables, beer in barrels way out onto the platform. The plump woman herding
a half-dozen squealing children past him would never
all were found frozen solid.
have guessed he was in fear for his life, nor did the bentCoal and firewood were quickly becoming scarce and those backed old porter following her with a massive trunk in
too slow or poor to get their share were turning to desperate his arms suspect that he had not slept in three nights for
measures; furniture, carts, and sheds were smashed and fear of capture and interrogation.
burned nightly, books vanished from shelves and libraries,
As was often the way with underhand things, Bartons
all in the effort to live one more night.
anxiety had grown inexorably as the days between him
Snow fell day and night; it piled in great sloping drifts and escape had ticked away, and now that he had reached
against outhouses and buildings and turned to a the final moments before he was beyond the clutches of

the Guild, the fear in him was building to a crescendo. He the Guild had been only too happy to pay his way.
would have been soaking with sweat if not for the biting
chill that was bleeding through his woolen suit.
The reality of Malifaux had turned out to be quite
different and Barton had become one of many slaving
He shifted his satchel from one shoulder to the other and to repay their Guild debt in a subterranean brick maze.
checked again that the distant white mushroom cloud His quick mind and quick smile had saved him and after
of steam had not stopped. The train was still inbound a time he had progressed to an office with a window and
and in a few minutes he would be aboard and free.
a little money, but he had never been happy. The Guilds
leash around his neck had never stopped chafing.
Crunching through the snow that was dappled with
crushed stone for traction, he moved with as much When the pale woman finally found him, he might have
nonchalance as he could muster further along the done what she asked for the promise of freedom alone, but
platform, intending to lose himself among the stacked when he felt that first gold plate in his hands he was lost.
crates and boxes that would be loaded onto the trains
cargo carriages. He had a ticket for the 2nd class The way he viewed it, the information would have leaked
passenger area, but felt it would be better to board the out in any event, the how and when were mere details.
train in secret and take his appointed seat once they were Why shouldnt he make a little profit for himself at the
well underway. It would not do to be so easily located same time? He owed the Guild nothing it had leeched
were interested eyes to review the passenger manifest.
back his debt a dozen times over already and, like all
vampires, would never stop until there was nothing of
The satchel was heavy and he shifted it constantly. He had him left to leech.
wrapped each of the plates individually in cheesecloth
to muffle any clinking, but gold was weighty no matter The train approached, its engines rhythmic chuffing
what you wrapped it in and the leather strap cut cruelly growing steadily louder. He could feel the weight of
into the meat of his shoulder.
it now; the wooden platform throbbed underfoot.
A dozen broad-shouldered laborers appeared from
He had never seen plates quite like them before. Each of a shed behind the platform, tugging on woolen mitts
them was rectangular, perhaps five inches by three and as they reluctantly left their coal brazier behind. He
about half an inch thick, blank on one side and engraved fell in behind them and followed their grumbling and
on the other. He was no expert, but he knew they were hawking until he was almost at the end of the platform.
very old. The carvings were mostly inscrutable, but to The station veranda was long gone now and above him
look at them for too long made his head ache and he hung a grey and pregnant sky more snow was on the
preferred to turn them face-down so his fingers could way and most likely within the hour.
slide over the smooth metal backs. There were seven of
them in his satchel, each one unique, and each worth a His anxiety was momentarily forgotten when the
kings ransom Earthside.
locomotive finally appeared through the swirling ground
fog a long torpedo of black iron that seemed to glower
They were his. Not stolen but earned fair payment for at him as it approached. He had seen the train before a
dark work.
handful of times, but that had been years ago.
Barton Bragg had never liked working for the Guild
and had been only too happy to help out the pale
woman. He had never liked Malifaux and frequently
cursed the day he had boarded that train, but like so
many others, he had been seduced by the prospect of
a New Frontier, a new land rich with opportunity, and

Hundreds of trips through the Breach had twisted the

locomotive until it resembled something more alive
than not. The boilers had grown enormously bloated
and seemed almost to bulge visibly, and scalding hot
steam now blasted from a bifurcated mound like a
great snorting metal bull. Even the steel skin of the

locomotive was different, greasy and warped like an

expanse of wet leather.

I have what you asked for, he continued. It took some

getting, but the source is reliable.

As the fanged maw of the locomotives cattle grid

rumbled past, Barton was enveloped in a billowing
cloud of steam. It stank of blood and hot metal, but
conversely was the warmest he had been in days. As the
steam cloud tore apart on the sharp winds that followed,
he caught a glimpse of movement in the cab.

Good, she said. Her accent was thick and very foreign,
and her voice was much too deep for such a slight frame.
Even with the fur hat atop her head, she wasnt much
taller than his shoulder. And I have what you asked for.
Barton had almost gotten used to the fact that the pale
womans breath didnt steam like everyone elses. He had
no doubt that if he touched her cheek, the cold would
burn his fingers.

The Driver.
Exposed to the same destructive, warping energies as
his engine, the Driver was a subject of great controversy
in Malifaux. No one dared approach the engine now, for
fear of seeing what had become of him. It was enough
for the regulatory board to know that the train still ran;
they fed it water and coal and kept well clear of the
shadows behind the engine cowling and the thing that
moved and chittered there.
Barton had the uncomfortable sensation of being
watched as the train lumbered past, but what he actually
saw was less than a silhouette, only a suggestion of chitin
and hair glistening red in the light from the boiler fire,
and then the engine was past and the carriages began to
rattle and clunk into the station.

Shall we trade, then? he asked hesitantly. Their

previous negotiations had been painless things, but
he was suddenly struck with a doubt that, here at the
eleventh hour, she would betray him.
She smiled again; if possible, her teeth were even whiter
than her skin.
You have always proven trustworthy before, she said,
holding out two gold plates in a fur mitten. I have no
reason to doubt you now.

He took the heavy plates and slipped them into his coat
pocket before the freezing metal could blister his skin.
He understood that the plates were currency of some
sort, but from which ancient civilization he couldnt
He waited while the passengers began to bustle out, guess. The markings were alien, but the glint of gold was
their trunks and crates being unloaded by the puffing familiar enough.
laborers, and then the new travelers began to emerge
from the comparative warmth of the station interior and The pale woman watched him expectantly.
hurry aboard. There was no sign of any Guild officials
anywhere on the platform and the train was filling up She does have one vulnerability, he said. The Mask.
fast, but Barton waited on.
The pale woman waited.
He had one last job before he left Malifaux forever.

It came from the Witch Hunter armory, he elaborated.

She needs it to stay in control.

The pale woman appeared at his elbow; he felt the air

sharpen yet further with her arrival and a tiny spray of frost In control of what? The pale womans questions were
crawled across the metal wheels of the nearest carriage.
always to the point.
I wasnt sure you were going to come, he said, his breath
sending out little locomotive clouds of his own.

I dont know, Barton admitted. The pale womans

brows drew together at this, but he continued. There is
something inside her; some kind of energy or presence.
The woman said nothing, but when she smiled up at Very powerful and very hostile. The Mask is what keeps
him there was no threat in her eyes. He was struck again it trapped, like the cork of a bottle.
by the color of her skin pure white, like porcelain. It
made her eyes very blue and her lips very red.
The pale woman considered this, chewing her cherryred lip. And when I pop it? she asked.

Barton shrugged. Either she will lose control or shell

be fighting so hard to retain it she wont see you coming.
He did not know Sonnia Criid and felt no loyalty
towards her. It was no concern of his if she lived or died.
The only things he cared about now were weighing
down his suit pockets and satchel.
You are sure of this? the pale woman asked.
As sure as I was about everything else I told you.
She nodded they both knew his intelligence had been
sound.

There was a moment when the pale woman seemed

to forget he was there; standing motionless while the
freezing mists curled around her ankles, her ice blue eyes
dulled by whatever inner distance she was gazing across.
When the piercing warble of the station masters whistle
finally brought her back to the present, she seemed to
have returned with some new knowledge or realization.
He had the unpleasant notion that she had been
speaking to someone or something else while they both
stood there.
I will miss you, Barton Bragg, she said, her heavy accent
flattening and distorting the words. You have been very
useful to my cause.
The locomotive engine belched a huge cloud of steam
and began a low shunting as the boiler pressure
increased. The train was going to move out imminently
and there wasnt even a sniff of Guild anywhere on
the half-deserted platform. His heart soared when he
realized that he was nearly free.
Well, next time youre Earthside, the bourbons on me,
he said magnanimously as he stepped up onto the cargo
door of the carriage.
The pale woman pulled a face. Vodka, she said.
Its a date, he said, waving as the carriage shuddered
and the entire train began to slowly inch backwards out
of the station.
The pale woman watched him with a sad smile. She
raised a furry mitt as the train continued to back up and
then she and the laborer shack and the receding station
building were lost in a sudden flurry of snow.
Barton hurried inside to find a warm seat, absurdly
touched by the pale womans sorrowful expression as he
left her behind. She had been a sweet little thing and he
was saddened to think he wouldnt see her again. Well,
who knew what was around the corner he had his life
and his freedom and a wealthy future ahead of him.
Things were definitely looking up.

Rasputina watched the train as it slowly puffed and slit and down her neck. It was a pretty odd sight and,
blustered its way out of the station in reverse, feeling unfortunately for the miners at the bar, one of them had
unhappy and eager in equal measure.
mentioned as much. That was when it hit the fan.
The information about Sonnia Criids Mask rang true;
the thing at the heart of her stirred and told her that it was
so, that Criid now played host to one of their number,
but it was not a welcome house guest. December tasted
outrage and hatred on the winds blowing from the
Guild and Rasputina knew that Criid would be weak.
There would perhaps never be a better time to strike.
And yet she was sad. She had liked Barton; he had
been so agreeable, and so cheap. She had other agents
within the Guild who demanded ten times what he had
accepted, but that was not the issue. She did not feel
she had used him, it had been an equitable relationship
for them both; it was only now that their business was
concluded that she was forced to tie up loose ends.
A silent, blue-skinned figure draped in furs stepped
from around a stack of forgotten crates, stopping a
respectful arms length away.
Bury his gold with him, she said, her eyes following the
train and the motionless figures crouched on its roof,
watching for her signal. He earned it.
The Silent One bowed and turned to vault onto the train
roof. Rasputina watched the shapes turn as one and
stalk along the roof towards the cargo carriages until
they and the train were swallowed by the strengthening
snow storm.

She had surfaced from the melting snow in a cloud

of steam with her fists raised and for a second Samael
thought he was going to have to defend himself, but
then she dropped on her butt. She had laughed then,
but there was no mirth in it.
Eventually, he had hauled her to her feet and helped
her back to her bunk at the Guild House, but he spent
a sleepless night staring at his ceiling. The Mask was
supposed to keep Cherufe in check, but he wasnt
convinced. Hed never seen Criid drink so much in his
life before shed gone through two bottles in the twenty
minutes it had taken her to start a fight and her behavior
was growing steadily more unstable.
She had always been volatile; it was in her nature.
Before, it had given her an edge of unpredictability and
genius that had seen them both through half a hundred
narrow scrapes. Now, she was a liability. Her control
was crumbling and Samael could almost smell the fuse
burning. It pained him to admit it, but in this struggle
for supremacy between the woman and the Tyrant...
Cherufe was winning.
Criid was withdrawn when they met the following
morning. Her eyes were swallowed by the shadows
of the Mask and her head hung as though the weight
of it was too much for her. He noticed her knuckles
were skinned and bruised as she buckled the heavy
runesword across her back.

Whats on the cards for today, boss? he asked, hoping

he sounded more upbeat than he felt.
Sonnias version of events was that she had drunk a little Theres a report of Silent Ones congregating near the
too much whiskey and kicked a few guys around who Quarantine Zone. Sounds like a ritual gathering. Well
most likely deserved it anyway.
take a look, see if theres any truth to it. Her voice was flat.
Samaels version was a little more detailed and featured
him dragging the screaming Criid off nine cowering
miners five of them beaten senseless and throwing
her into a snowbank before the shimmering nimbus that
was scorching her duster burst into fully fledged flame.

Sure.
Criid didnt move for a moment, her tousled hair hiding
the side of the Mask nearest him. Her hands worked
needlessly at the buckles of her scabbard.

In truth he didnt think she could even drink through Last night- she started awkwardly.
that Mask, but with a lot of perseverance she had been
able to flick her head back and throw most of the
contents of a shot glass through the narrow mouth

10

-was nothing, Samael said immediately. A scuffle.

He remembered one miner sobbing an apology on his
knees just before a livid Criid smashed a table over his
head, but he kept his face neutral. Those guys deserved
everything they got.

But the Mask keeps it bound, right? Samael was eager

to introduce the metal talisman and source of their hope.
It never sleeps, Criid said, as though she hadnt heard
him. The nights are the worst. It speaks to me, taunts me.

Probably right, Criid said, but her voice held no Samael began to understand. The whiskey helps you sleep?
conviction. The Mask turned his way, but the expression
was unreadable. Anyway, Im glad you stepped in when It used to. Not so much, now.
you did.
But youre okay, right?
Sure, he said. You betcha.
Criid turned to look at him and the Mask eyes looked
The snow was still falling as they crossed Curmudgeon hollow. Sure, she said. She sounded dreadfully tired.
Square; even through two layers of wool and a thick
leather poncho, Samael could still feel the cold air He thought the conversation was over and followed
circling him like an animal, looking for a way in. Criid her through a brick maze as they ventured further into
was silent other than the white breath huffing from her the Quarantine Zone. She surprised him some minutes
Mask and they made good time until they got away later by speaking again.
from the busy Guild area.
They dont trust me now, she said. You know that, right?
Out of the main streets, the depth of the snow
increased rapidly and they were soon shoving their way Samael knew what she was talking about had seen the
through knee- then thigh- then hip-deep snow as they looks and experienced the awkward silence from other
approached the Quarantine Zone to the south.
Guild members. Despite Sonnias seniority and her
reputation in Malifaux, it was becoming increasingly
Finally, they stopped at a T-junction where the inhabited clear that she was viewed as tainted or damaged. A few
buildings had petered out to a slouched, snow-covered of the junior officers had even displayed open contempt.
ruin of masonry that might once have been a school. He stamped it out whenever he could, but he knew that
Criid took a minute to look around. Samael knew she it was still happening and growing more frequent.
was re-tuning her senses, tweaking whatever internal
antennae she used to hunt down the Arcanist scum, I know it, he said. And you know what? I dont give a damn.
sniffing for traces of their sorcery in the ether.
Criid laughed and for once it sounded genuine. Well,
Boss, he said eventually.
thats good to know.
She never turned, but something in her stance told him
she was listening.
Boss, about theabout that thing inside you, he said.

Samael expressed his opinion of Guild bureaucracy by

spitting into the snow. I put my life in your hands every
day and you aint dropped it yet.

The Tyrant, she said. Cherufe.

He was about to elaborate on exactly where the Governor

Generals personal staff could stuff their opinions when
the snowdrift he had spat into exploded in a blue-white
crackle of energy. Criid was thrown across the alley and
Samael was half-blinded and driven to his knees by the
ferocious hail of stinging ice.

Can you feel it?

Criid pushed deeper into a drift of snow, brushing away
the white powder to touch the broken stone behind.

Sometimes I feel it in my head, she said quietly. Scratching As he shook the snow from his face and hair, he saw the pale
on the inside of my skull. Hunting for a way out.
form of a Silent One race down the alley, long legs pumping
through the snow, her fur cape flying out behind her.

11

Arcanists! he spat.
Criid was up an instant later and haring after their
quarry, her long coat and hair streaming. A fireball
snapped through the air, but the Silent One had already
taken a sharp left turn out of sight the ice-blued alley
momentarily flashed orange as the fireball detonated
against the far wall.
Samael ripped his Collier from its holster and gave chase,
but his eyes were on the crooked rooftops overhead. Silent
Ones didnt have a habit of hiding in snow piles and he had
an uncomfortable feeling she had been waiting for them.
He skidded around the corner, following the churnedup snow trail as Criid blew apart a rickety shack door
and ducked through the building in an effort to cut
off the fleeing Arcanist. Samael was right on her heels,
shouldering through smoking timbers and a murky
hovel half-filled with iron pots and clay bowls.

A furry, snow-covered arm as thick as a tree limb swept

out of a side alley and crunched into his head. Samael
performed a graceless somersault and came down in a
heap, stunned.
Sonnia couldnt remember the last time she had felt so
angry. The burning sensation of that ice blast against her
throat and chest felt like an insult, heaped upon the injury
already dealt by her distrustful peers. She had taken this
damned thing and bottled it up had used her own body
as a prison to save their sorry skins from the Tyrant and
still they looked at her like she was the villain.
The Silent One had bolted like a rabbit, but she wouldnt
escape. Criid would hunt her to the ends of the earth if
necessary, and when she caught her, shed burn the flesh
off her frozen bones.

He burst into another bright morning alley to see Criids

coat tails vanish around a bend fifty yards ahead.
Boss! he hollered, smelling a ruse. Boss! Wait up!
Samael was quick on his feet certainly quicker than
Criid on any other day but the dense alleys were filled
with snow and he stumbled as much as he ran. Also,
something seemed to be lending speed to the Witch
Hunter as she bounded through the thigh-deep snow.
She was pulling away from him.
This was wrong; he felt it in his guts. The old Criid would
never have fallen for an ambush shed have used Witchling
Stalkers and smoked the Arcanists out; cornered and
eradicated them like rats. But now she was racing headlong
after a lone Silent One, launching fireballs and baying like
a hound. Running blindly into whatever snare they had
dreamed up for her. He had to catch her first.
Boss! he roared, rounding another corner and seeing
her away up ahead, legs pumping, smoke and flames
billowing from her raised hands.
Boss! Its a trap! Its-

12

The mounds of snow were lessening, but Criid didnt Those blood-shot eyes widened further when Samaels
care. It only meant she could run faster and catch that gun muzzle thunked into its open mouth and the back
insolent Arcanist all the sooner.
of its skull evaporated in a discharge that rolled the
length of the alley and sifted snow from laden roofs.
The goading voice in her head egged her on; told her to
ignore the crushed snow underfoot, the fact that it was Samael lurched to his feet and swiped at his face with a
flattened by many layers of footprints was irrelevant; sleeve. Blood was speckled across the snow in a rude fan
run, chase, catch, kill! Ignore the alley mouths, the where the Wendigo had collapsed more a cranberryambush points, the kill zones none of that mattered. smeared fur coat now than an animal.
Only catching her impudent prey mattered, making it
suffer, making it squirm and squeal.
Criid was gone. Only the evidence of her bull-like
charge was still visible in the snow. Hed never catch her
She ran on.
now with such deep drifts. His eyes flicked back and
forward across the alley and then he had a thought.
Samaels shouting behind her cut off abruptly, but she
ignored it. Her Arcanist prey would not escape.
With a grunt, he hauled himself up on the nearest roof.
Shapes were moving around her, cold blue-white figures
coming out of shadows and from doorways and around
corners, but Criid ignored them the flying heels before Rasputina sensed the approaching Tyrant before she
her were all that mattered now, the fleeing prey.
saw it, or rather the presence inside her did. December
twisted with anticipation and apprehension as the angry
Run! Chase! Catch! Kill!
entity thundered towards them, spurring on its Guild
vessel like a jockey whipping a thoroughbred.
The thing inside her exalted at the approaching triumph.
Her Silent One bait sprinted across the courtyard; sixty
She ran harder.
feet below Rasputinas perch, bare feet throwing up little
puffs of snow. A streak of fire followed her and then the
blue alley mouth bloomed like an orange flower as Criid
raced into view.
Samael squinted up at the huge shaggy shape, feeling
hot blood drooling over his lips and chin.
The Arcanist had picked her spot carefully. Standing
toe-to-toe would have handed the advantage to Criid;
The Wendigo had a bestial, almost simian face, but she had nothing to match the Witch Hunters bullets
something very much like a grin split open its mouth and blades. Instead, she had set Silent Ones at compass
and thick bone-crushing teeth glinted. Seven feet tall points around the courtyard of the old steam works and
and muscled like an ape, the Totem seemed all the larger she herself stood on the 2nd floor where the southern
with its thick insulating layer of hair.
wall of the building had collapsed into a snow-covered
rubble slope, giving her all the space she needed to flex
A lesser man might have quailed at the sight; might her magical muscles.
have lain insensible from the blow to his head; might
have lost his drawn pistol as he crashed down in a heap. She had clear line of sight down into the kill zone, and
Samael Hopkins was not a lesser man.
Criid was running straight for it.
He shot the Wendigo through the ankle, taking grim
satisfaction from the loud KRACK when bone smashed
and the creature toppled forwards to its knees, wideeyed shock replacing its confident leer.

Not wasting a second, Rasputina crouched and threw

forward her fists, feeling the power of December
streaming from her and whipping the cold air into a
blustering gale. As the temperature dropped sharply
in the gathering cyclone, glistening shards of razor ice
formed, filling the storm front with lethal hail.

13

Some preternatural reflex warned Criid and she twisted

like a cat; an orange whirlpool of flame ignited around
her outstretched palm and the howling gale blasted into
her hasty shield, driving the Witch Hunter back ten
yards on one knee and leaving a deep smoking trench
in the snow.

glistening with frost and others smoking like sulfur,

ricocheted around the enclosure.

Rasputina was straining they were all straining with

the sustained effort. The whole courtyard was now an
icebox growing long ice fangs under the screaming
arctic winds; white frost spider-webbed the brickwork
Rasputina pushed harder and the roaring cone of ice and behind her and the iron railings on the northern side
cold intensified, turning blizzard white and engulfing of the yard squealed as they deformed and snapped, but
Criid. She could see the other womans duster snapping Criid still resisted.
like a flag in high wind the ice shards slashed and
scored it in a dozen places, shredding both sleeves and The Arcanist could hear her teeth squeaking in her
rattling against her steel mask.
gritted jaw as she poured everything she had down into
the courtyard. A section of wall cracked as the spreading
Despite the surprise attack, Criid proved her immense frost spears broke through the ancient mortar; the
capability by regaining her feet and taking two steps north-west corner of the courtyard began to collapse
forward into the ice maelstrom, both palms raised and then stopped dead in mid-air when it grew an inchagainst the winter tempest. Her flame shield was growing thick coating of glacial ice, but Criid still resisted.
and brightening, forming a swirling hemisphere that
flashed and spat at the ice shards.
December had whispered a warning, had shivered at
the prospect of facing Cherufes rage wielded through
Rasputina could feel the power in her opponent like a such a potent Guild weapon, but Rasputina had one
surging wave; it both exhilarated and terrified her. She card left to play.
had suspected the Witch Hunters power would have
magnified under Cherufes influence, but just how much Glinting crystalline figures burst from the frozen-over
had been an unknown quantity until now.
snowbanks around the circumference of the courtyard,
racing on short legs and leaping into the rippling blasts
She wasnt worried, though she had planned for this. of ice that were focused on the staggering Witch Hunter.
The Gamins were blasted straight into Criid crashing
Her Silent Ones were ready and as one they moved through her weakening heat shield and sinking sharp
forward. Magical energy crackled and Criid vanished ice talons into her thighs, shoulders, arms, stomach.
for a second time as streaking white ice slashed out
from every corner of the courtyard. Air currents spun And Mask.
violently while the Witch Hunter was blasted from all
directions by pillars of cold and a massive cloud of Rasputina had known from the outset that the only way
boiling steam belched into the air from her wavering to win was to separate Criid from her Mask everything
heat shield.
else was just window dressing. When the Witch Hunter
was weak and distracted enough, all that was needed
Rasputina could no longer see anything in the howling was one sharp claw to uncork the genie.
tempest other than flashing sleet and ice and the
shimmering distortion of Criids defenses. Jagged ice And then a heavy mud and snow covered boot slammed
formations began to form around the nucleus of the into the small of her back and kicked her clear over the
battle, twisted nightmarish spires that melted and side of the building. She was too astonished and winded
re-froze a hundred times as pulses of flame and ice to manage so much as a scream.
shuddered back and forward.
The center of the courtyard was hissing like a living thing
when the gunshots began. Rasputina flinched, until she
realized it was cobbles in the courtyard exploding from
titanic temperature-induced stress. Pieces of stone, some

14

Samael watched the slender Arcanist tumble head over

heels with blue eyes the size of hen eggs. She crunched
into the snow drift that was now a frozen ice chute
and rolling to a sprawled stop some sixty feet below,
motionless, boneless and quite possibly dead.

They were beginning to melt under this brilliant assault,

sagging like taffy as the center stones of the courtyard
sank into the ground, looking like the glowing mouth
of a volcano.

The courtyard vanished in a fireball so bright Samael

couldnt even shut it out by clapping his arms over his
face. Impossibly high pitched shrieking filled his ears,
but he couldnt tell whether it came from the atomized
Gamins or the steam that blasted from every crevice
and crack in the shattered courtyard.

The shape in the fireball swung to face him and opened

dozens of limbs as if inviting an embrace; through the
shimmering heat distortion, it looked like a burning
forest.

In seconds the entire courtyard would be a pool of

The Silent Ones staggered as the spell broke and their spitting lava and he would be a cinder unless he figured
blasting ice columns were cut off as abruptly as closing out a way to shut down Cherufe.
a faucet.
The Mask had skidded to the very edge of the courtyard
Samael saw Criid at the heart of the former maelstrom, and lay half-buried under the last of the melting snow.
half-engulfed a gang of twisted little Ice Gamins. She
was ripped and bloody, her Mask had been frosted It was his only chance.
over and her clothing was brittle with ice, but she was
unbowed as she clubbed the snarling clawing things He vaulted from the slowly drooping buildings upper
with her fist and pistol butt.
floor, free-fell thirty feet and hit the sloping ramp of
broken rubble, now devoid of snow. Water rushed down
Samael stepped to the edge of the steam factorys upper the slope and came in rivers from the alley mouths as
story, preparing to leap down and wade in when one of tons of snow melted in seconds and huge geysers of
the vicious Gamins slashed at Criids neck. She twisted steam blasted into the air when these tributaries hit the
away, but the glinting talons bit into her jawline and expanding lava pool.
pulled. He saw, as if in slow motion, the Mask being
wrenched upwards and then spinning free like a coin Samael rolled through the steam blasts, the flesh of
flipped from a giant thumb.
his face and hands scalded, and ran for the edge of
the courtyard. The wall of heat chased him, setting
It skidded away across the ice and snow and for just an the trailing edge of his poncho aflame, but he reached
instant Criids naked and familiar face stared up at him the Mask and snatched it up. Incredibly, the metal was
in almost comical surprise. And then her eyes turned still cold and felt abnormally light in his hands, almost
black as volcanic glass.
insubstantial.

Samael swallowed at the prospect of Cherufes flaming

embrace, but Criid was in there too and she needed his
There was a figure moving at the heart of the help.
conflagration but it didnt look even remotely human.
Silent Ones were scattering from the blast and the shape You aint never dropped it yet, boss! he shrieked and
turned to follow. White flame washed across them and ran at the burning apparition.
they instantly turned to ash, leaving a glowing slag of
molten stone behind where the bricks and cobbles
dissolved.
Samael could feel the heat belching from the shape at a
distance of a hundred feet; his clothing started to smoke
as the air turned to unbreathable soup. The building
under him lurched and he realized with horror that
the courtyard and buildings around it were softening.

15

Sonnia was in agony.

Samael was sitting on her chest, his face lobster-red. He

was holding her Mask down with both hands and his
Cherufe had surged out of her like a geyser of black tar; poncho was on fire.
engulfed her in its stinking embrace; swallowed her
whole. It was like being submerged in an oil sea every Get off me! she snapped, shoving him away. He
kick to reach the surface was a monstrous effort and yet immediately set to hopping around, yelping as he
she only sank deeper.
dragged off his burning robe and throwing it to the
ground to stamp on it.
The Tyrant was using her; she could feel its evil will
siphoning her power, pointing her like a weapon as Sonnia coughed bronchially and rolled over, using her
impossible heat and energy boiled out of her.
palms and knees to get at least part of the way upright.
The stones under her were hot to the touch and as she
She fought, but its power was absolute; she could easily opened the other eye she saw she was crouched at the
defeat a thunderstorm with her fists.
edge of a smoking pit almost a hundred feet across. The
cobblestones had been blasted black as far as she could
And it was free. There was nothing that could stop this see and the center of the pit was giving off orange light
avalanche of hatred. Nothing to
and immense heat in equal measure.
Something smashed against her face.
The howling fireball vanished; snuffed in an instant and
she hit hard stone, her back of her skull striking the
ground and making her jaw rattle.

Samael finished kicking his smoking poncho around

and offered her a hand.
Feel better? he asked as he hauled her up.
Compared to what? she retorted.

When the impact subsided, she realized that the As they surveyed the damage, Sonnia became aware
suffocating oil sea was gone Cherufe was gone.
of a dark shadow deep within her, swirling ceaselessly
like a wild beast. So, Cherufe wasnt gone after all, but at
A heavy insistent pressure was bearing down on her least he was back in his cage.
head, pushing something cold and unyielding against Rasputina? she asked.
her face.
No sign, said Samael. Shes a slippery one, though. I
Boss? said an awfully familiar voice. Boss? You right doubt weve seen the last of her.
again?
Thats what worries me. Im a damned fool.
She swallowed and took a breath. The foul reek of
burning stone and hair that filled her lungs didnt really Dont talk that way, boss. We all make mistakes.
qualify as air but it was still the sweetest thing she had
Rookies make mistakes, she snapped. I should have
ever tasted.
seen that ambush a mile off.
Boss, said the voice again, sounding tight with pain.
Well, maybe you had other things on your mind,
You gotta give me a sign here.
Samael offered.
Samael? she croaked. Her voice sounded terrible.
In my mind, you mean.
Youre not gonna freak out on me if I lift off, are you?
he asked. Only, Im kinda on fire here and it hurts like Either way, youre not at your best.
a witchs kiss.
That much is certain. Sonnia looked at her charred,
She cracked open an eye.
scalded companion. You saved me.

16

Sure did, Samael grinned. Figure you just have to buy

me a drink, now.
She chuckled, but inside she was cold with the realization
that Cherufe had very nearly escaped. His forceful will
had been a factor in her headlong rush, but he couldnt
take all the credit. She had let her rage get the better of
her and that was a mistake that she could only afford to
make once.
Samael must have sensed her mood. He nudged her gently.
Hey, boss, it aint all bad, he said, wrestling to keep his
face straight. I like what youve done with your hair.
She reached up with soot-blackened hands and
felt twisted, ratty spirals and smoking ends.
Funny man, huh? You want a drink, or a punch in the
gut?
Samael shrugged, grinning. Ones much like the
other in this town.
Sonnias laughter echoed over the fire-blackened
rooftops as they headed for home.

17

Words by Moonlight
Letters from the Breach

Dear Gerard,

g House 36, Latigo

Processed 1902-5-23 Sortin

By Matthew Ritter

twisted in upon
tell when the dream will turn
that when I sleep, I can always
nge
ones that always
stra
the
is
are
It
e
t.
ligh
thos
e,
and
hom
fire
of
Nightmares. Nightmares
ything is bright, as if I was back
ever
ch
whi
in
,
sun
the
see
can
ch I
itself. The dreams I have in whi
end with true distaste.
elf
it home. Sometimes, I find mys
long enough that I could call
x,
.
ifau
ents
Mal
of
mom
city
ible
k
horr
blac
are
this
y
new world,
squash these thoughts. The
Home. I have been here in this
d roosts, as my home. I always
...
ibal
foul
Arch
so
th
that
dea
a
live,
te
k,
invi
wor
,
to
is
thinking of the place I sleep
born. To feel comfortable here
any human that has ever been
This place is not home, not for
s, like a
is easy to forget, people, building
iliar and yet so very wrong. It
fam
ng is carved
once
ethi
at
som
is
it
way
use
The
.
beca
,
side
k you are anything but Mal
The city is so strange in that way
thin
to
le
ossib
imp
not even the
it
es
aps
mak
Perh
.
something that
city. Not even the second..
normal city. Then you see it,
we are not the first to live in this
that
g
win
kno
e,
uag
lang
ne
into the stone in that arca
third.
ything. Colors
it is as if a fog drifts over ever
gs seem real, but during the day,
thin
, that is the
t
nigh
sleep
I
At
n
e.
whe
plac
and
this
m,
of
t,
Its the colors though, the ligh
under the moon, this is the drea
mps
swa
the
ugh
thro
t
hun
I
Maybe as
are muted, hazy. Dream like?
world as it is...
.
sical education is wasted here
logize. The downfall of my clas
apo
do
I
,
ome
tires
ng
gazi
al
philosophical nav
than I.
Though I know you find my
ibald is more important here
criminals, I send letters. Arch
I truck through swamps after
sets me on edge. He is
ernor General, in particular
theson, the secretary to the Gov
Mat
A raptor. A predator.
ius
.
Luc
bird
a
ful.
like
aste
but
dist
,
are
man
er
Some of those I work with
. Yet he moves, not like a larg
died
and
ly
h. The mouth of a
sick
n
muc
grow
too
s
has
talk
s that
kill. Yet, despite these eyes, he
the
slight, built like a wisp of gras
for
in
g
opin
swo
prey
l not go into details
of
ation of a bird
like Captain Dashel, but I shal
His gaze is the perfect concentr
tive at his duties though. Not
effec
not
is
he
say
not
will
I
politician, the eyes of a killer.
Perhaps next time.
here, I have wasted enough ink.
the ways one
you know anything of some of
hy, my friend. I am curious if
osop
lly nice in
phil
ecia
and
Esp
nts
ng.
plai
resti
com
inte
be
ly to
have always found the practices
This letter is not meant simp
I am no cryptographer, but I
?
sage
mes
ther
ano
de
insi
hides a message
icate without being overseen.
case two people wish to commun
ing cypher. Maybe a
moonlight ink, or a simple shift
this message. Perhaps I used
with
having trouble, look
re
here
g
you
If
thin
it.
silly
a
find
to
such
e
ugh
Just for fun, I have don
Im sure you are clever eno
did,
I
er
atev
Wh
ter?
hun
h
witc
a
flicker of magic borrowed from
to the moon for help.
and
e, I like this city less every day,
unease. I do not like this plac
of
e
sens
ing
grow
by.
my
hob
and
this
nightmares
in. So, indulge me
I need a distraction from my
swamp and never be seen aga
I feel as if I will sink into the
every time I go into the Bayou
-Sincerely
Wilhelm
Your truest of friends. Lasker

, if you would,
d and diligence. Reward him
ght you this letter with due spee
brou
meat or jerky.
has
ed
d
ibal
cook
him
Arch
e
feed
hop
I
you
P.S.
asteful, but he pouts so when
dist
it
find
you
w
kno
I
se.
with a live mou

18

Dear Gerard,

Processed 1902-6-1 So
rting House 36, Latigo

Archibald pouted for alm

ost a full day after returni
ng from you. What did I
quite sensitive. Sometim
say about giving him a live
es I feel he is more owl the
treat? He is
n hawk, wise, but moody
.
I hope you were able to sta
rt our game. Do not worry
if you did not, it isnt tha
me pass the time. I will be
t important. Just someth
doing it again in this not
ing to help
e, and future notes. It tak
sleepless nights.
es time and effort, but it
helps fill my
I told you of the nightmare
s. I have too many of the
m. Though, I hardly feel
nightmares are some sor
I am alone. Sometimes I
t of shared delusion of all
fear my
of us here in this black city
the Breach? They are cra
. Have I ever told you of
zy, and only seem as if the
my theories? Of
y might be true to me un
der the moons light.
Crazy thoughts, like what
if while we are coming to
this world, there are som
What if that is why all of
e of the Neverborn going
these strange, rogue breach
into ours?
es we hear rumors of are
from this world want to
? Why, you might ask, wo
come into our world? Wh
uld anything
at if they too harness the
powers of the soulstones?
What if they cull us, what
if after the last time the Bre
ach closed, they realized
souls to help fill their dar
we were useful, a steady
k magic? Perhaps we are
stream of
a herd, drawn into this wo
sheep: bred and sheared.
rld on purpose now, drawn
to be used as
I will strive to be less mo
rose in future letters. I do
not wish to weigh upon you
Is Martha well? I have not
so. Tell me, how are the chi
seen her in so long. It mu
ldren?
st be hard to get word to
anything, do let me know,
and from them. If you hav
Im sure it will lift my spi
e heard
rits.

Was I about to complain

last time about Captain
Dashel? Perhaps. I was in
unfair to those around me
a dark mood though, and
when I am. I take it back,
I am often
he is good at getting those
would be, at least.
guild recruits in line. Bet
ter than I
Expect another letter wit
hin a week, even if you do
not answer. I have little else
when Archibald is out del
to do when I am not on
ivering messages; I have
the hunt, and
only my own mind to acc
for comfort as I do.
ompany me. As always,
look to the moon

-Sincerely

Your truest of friends. La

sker Wilhelm

alifaux
Sorting House 01, M
-4
-6
02
19
d
se
es
oc
Pr

erfully
wife writes wond
sh you well. My
wi
ey
Th
ll.
we
Breach. They are
from beyond the
her stock.
from my family
rd
do not take from
I
wo
t
le.
go
ab
tly
cc
en
pe
im
is
g
I have rec
itin
wr
nd
there to see to him
words. Her ha
cause I was not
wk we
long letters, many
he pouts, it is be
If
.
is the sharpest ha
fat
r
s
kte
ow
ch
gr
y call on me. Ri
chibald, yes? He
the
Ar
d,
oil
pte
sp
em
u
att
yo
is
t
do know tha
ep Bayou hunt
I miss you. You
ms whenever a de
away often, it see
am
I
lly.
na
swamps.
rso
pe
rmin deep in the
ne.
e I am hunting ve
us
ca
be
have, and he is mi
is
it
,
ter
you letter for let
if I cannot match
in my thoughts,
are
u
yo
t
tha
Know

Truest Lasker,

and friendship,
My greatest love
Gerard Depridieu

19

Dear Gerard,

Processed 1902-6-6 Sorting House 36, Latigo

My dreams have been better this last week. We all have dark times that seem to
settle in and fill us with despair. Im glad that lately Ive
actually been able to dream. My insomnia of weeks past has, well, past.

Archibald is well, but he pouted again after returning from you. Is it so hard to
simply give him a live mouse or two for his trouble? If you
are not there, could you not instruct the ones at the message center to do this in
your absence? He flies very far, and he has never lost a
single message. Just because your bird prefers its meat unnaturally tainted does
not mean some of us do not have hawks that are still closer
to their wild mindsets.
I do not spoil Archibald. I treat him with the dignity he deserves. Growing up, falconry
was one of the few passions I found that could
touch me. To watch the bird fly, oh, sometimes you feel like you yourself are unbound
. It was freeing. After realizing that as the third son
there was not much left for me back home, and deciding to come through the Breach,
I signed up for the Austringer program out of a sort
of lethargy. It sounded familiar.
But when I saw Archibald for the first time. Bits of shell still around him. I know,
they say a newborn hawk has none of the dignity it will
grow into. They are wrong. I saw greatness there. A fearless greatness that I knew
I would spend the rest of my life attempting to live up to.
There are days I am not sorry I came to this dark city, for I would never have met
that Bayou Raptor had I stayed.
Perhaps, I do spoil him. But only as much as he deserves.
It pleased me to get your message that your family is well. I will try and send a
small amount of money with my next message, please use
it to purchase a gift for Reginald, he is the only one of your children I could ever
stand. Though, I miss them all, there are so few children in
this black city.
It is strange, I never liked children, I have never thought about having them, and
here, tonight, realizing it has been over a year since
I have heard one laugh, or felt my anger rise as one shows blatant disregard for
the rules of grownups. I miss children. Without them
around it almost feels like there is no future.
Perhaps as we tame this twisted land their laughter and mischief will come to this

horrid place, and then it will seem less horrid.

I had quite a scare while out on a hunt in the Bayou yesterday. Remind me to give
you the details of it when I am less shaken, it nearly
took my life, but I am lucky enough to have escaped with just a scar. Thanks to
Archibald. Which reminds me, do not forget, a LIVE
mouse for Archibald. His pouting is more than I can bear, and I overfeed him when
he returns if he does it.
May this letter find you well. May you always come back safe.

House
Processed 1902-6-10 Sorting

36, Latigo

-Sincerely
Dear Gerard,
proper treat, or he
Your truest of friends. Lasker Wilhelm
to you. Either youve finally relented and given him a
Archibald did not pout after returning from his last visit
by your pettiness.
has given up on you and refuses to have his feelings hurt

d some, and left

d a neck wound during one of our hunts. It has festere
I do not think I mentioned in my last letter, but I receive
as I have ever been.
r
chippe
as
about
and
up
is on the mend now, and I am
me bed ridden for a few days before the fever broke. It
but Archibald
them,
own
that
those
for
care
truly
ever
to
the predator
I know there are some that feel hawks are far too much
willing to fly a message with me in that state.
watched over me. I do not know if he would have been
sort. I am not like
ed. I feel I can tell you this, but I am not truly the brave
I believe the wound I received may have been deserv
looking for the
not
and charge headlong. While the hunt was on, I was
Archibald, I cannot stare death and danger in the eye
your strict or
on
ding
depen
irony,
myself. In what could be viewed as
quarry, not truly, for fear I might find him. I had hidden
me.
loose definitions, in my attempts to avoid him, he found

d. Perhaps should
s me. I could have died alone in that swamp a cowar
Thanks to Archibalds help, I bested him, but it still shame
I have to a family
thing
closest
The
.
myself
d
beyon
I have done that matters
have. I look at my life and I wonder if there is anything
r.
furthe
no
dwell
nt, but I will
is you and yours. My thoughts turn dark at this mome
n sword? A nice
ed to purchase Reginald something. Perhaps a woode
As I promised with my last letter, find some money enclos
supposed to be
are
they
birds,
carved
ugly
those
of
one
Do not buy him
painted one. Every boy should have a sword to play with.
one that
carved
a
least
at
like we do, he should do so with a real one, or
hawks, but they are hideous. If he is to learn to love them
does not look like a numb fingered imbecile made it.
I am still weak, and will be turning in for the night. May

this letter find you well, and as always look to the moon

for guidance.

Sincerely,
Your truest friend. Lasker Wilhelm

20

Processed 1902-6-14 Sorting House 36, Latigo

Dear Gerard,

, and now that I have sat down to

ink, and the paper, and felt as if I should write
This letter shall not be a long one. I got out the
.
do it, I do not know what words to put down
on forever. Do you know this story?
own shell. Noticing how the spiral seems to go
Some days I feel like the snail, fascinated by its
n that he loses himself. He stares
withi
on its shell, and trying to find the secrets held
The snail becomes so fascinated by the design
dies.
he
and
,
weak
and
thin,
s to devour, and he becomes
and he stares, and he forgets to search for plant
After he wastes away, his shell remains.

a teacher who liked to begin his

but I thought you might enjoy that one. I had
I know you do not normally like such stories,
most important story hed ever tell
his students why, but he said it was perhaps the
classes every year with it. He would never tell
them.
stories and times past, sitting and
little to write, and so I write about snails and
Very telling of myself, is it not? I say that I have
e was coming.
studying. A boy who could not see what futur
snail...
Though, if Malifaux was a shell, and we are the

everything that is not life, obsessed.

Dr. McMourning, the man seems taken with
Perhaps the best illustration of this would be
habit of laughing at almost
the Morgue in town, and has the unfortunate
I do not know if you have ever met him, he runs
ed on death, I do not know if
focus
so
not endear him to others he meets. He seems
everything. It seems a nervous tick, but it does
he has ever truly lived.
not even leave a scar. Ill be
well, the wound has healed quite well, and may
I should have said this right away, but, I am quite
a worrier. Its why you went
were
s
alway
if you worried for me, you can stop. You
back on my normal duties in the marrow. So,
bald, I am sure of it.
for guidance.
s. Probably soon. Remember to look to the moon
As always, my next letter will come when it come
My best wishes,
Your truest friend. Lasker Wilhelm

Processed 1902-6-15 Sortin

g House 01, Malifaux

Dear Lasker,

I have never had the perchan

ce for letter writing that you hav
e. It takes me several attempts,
to the point.
and what I write is
I received the money, and will

always short, dull, and

purchase my son a wooden swo

rd.

I know that sometimes it can

feel like there is no hope. Tha
t courage is an illusion, and ther
that are terrified.
e are only those that are afraid,
and those
My father told me, that courage

is not the absence of fear, but

May these words help you if you

the challenge of it.

ever need them.

My love,
Gerard Depridieu

21

Processed 1902-6-20 Sorting House 36, Latigo

Dear Gerard,

I had quite an event today! You will not believe this, or perhaps you will. But I
was approached by Captain Dashel. He said that people
had been talking about me. Of course, at first I was worried, what with the bed
rest and the reprieve from work I had been forced to take,
but it was much the opposite.
Lad, they say you can handle yourself. Theres talk of promotion. Perhaps even
having you as one of the lessons, spending half your time
here, and half back home. Sounds like you impressed someone in a way I wish
I had.
Were his words. A wink, a pat on the shoulder. I had been too sleep deprived at
the time, but apparently the scoundrel that nearly slit me
ear to ear had been quite high on the list of those wanted by the Guild. Who would
have thought falling asleep on the job could end up
being so very lucky?
I will keep you updated, and if I were to get such a position, I would see about getting
you one as well. I could not guarantee such a thing,
but to be able to see your family on a more constant basis? Is there anything closer
to heaven? To see the sun, the real sun, not this muggy
ball of lies we have Malside... or to see the moon, the real moon. Ah, how I miss
it.
Though, I should not get my hopes up. Talk of promotion is often used in lieu of

actual promotion. You know how it can go.

My best wishes.
-Your truest friend. Lasker Wilhelm

Dear Gerard,

rting House 36, Latigo

Processed 1902-6-25 So

It was in the courtyard,

with Lucius himself today.
ke
spo
I
.
talk
eating
just
n
tha
re
k chunks of meat, without
of promotion seems to be mo
catching, and bringing bac
and
ing
ow
thr
I hope you are well! The talk
,
ald
hib
Arc
h
some basic training wit
where I was going through
sure.
am
I
ll
dri
eting,
them. You know the
court. It was an informal me
y waited at the edge of the
the
but
,
und
aro
still
e
wer
hout his entourage. They
of those moments.
Lucius came up to me, wit
very formal, and this was one
is
g
etin
me
al
rm
info
an
but you can tell when
doffish fellow, but I found
utation for being an odd stan
rep
a
of
bit
a
has
He
r.
late
quite a liking to me.
ed to meet him in his office
self, and he seemed to take
him
any
e
It went well, and I was call
hav
nt
did
he
h the drinks, though
h
him quite charming. Free wit
branch of the guild, throug
coordinate the Austringers
p
hel
ux
uld
lifa
wo
I
Ma
n.
to
itio
ing
pos
com
son
e, and hardly be
I had been promised a liai
almost all my time at hom
ng
ndi
spe
By the time we were done?
be
l
wil
I
,
nds
sou
ng home. The way it
him and home. I will be goi
ough
at all.
these things can just fall thr
is concrete. You know how
this
e
sur
for
w
kno
I
e
onc
,
l push for you to join me
Wonderful news yes? I wil
large
the cracks!
s his meals live? He is but a
remember that he only like
you
Did
er.
lett
r
you
off
r returning from dropping
Archibald pouted again, afte
time, remember.
get his way, so please, next
snt
doe
feathered baby when he
gs are happening!
new meteoric rise. Good thin
I will keep you abreast of my
-Forever
Wilhelm
Your truest friend. Lasker
Gerard!
The promotion is definite! Can you believe it?
Dont forget to look to the moon!

Processed 1902-6-27 Sorting House

36, Latigo
Held scrawled in handwriting Rele
ased 1902-7-9

I am so excited! I will push for you to get much

the same.

Lasker Wilhelm

22

House
Processed 1902-7-16 Sorting

Dear Gerard Depridieu,

36, Latigo

rmally
. Though I miss him every day. No
see mine went mysteriously missing
u
Yo
.
one
ted
trus
my
n
tha
er
re hawk rath
This message comes to you on a spa
I am far luckier!
ard to in this event, but of course,
forw
look
ld
cou
I
a clerical position is all
year. Out of this dark place. How
rse, but only one month out of the
cou
of
k
bac
be
Ill
e!
hom
g
goin
as I told you. Im
The promotion is going through,
wonderful, yes?
I am busier than ever these days,

so this letter must stay short.

Sincerely,

Lasker Wilhelm
Processed 1902-8-14 Sorting House 01 Malifaux

Processed 1902-8-17 Governors Generals Mansion Sorting House

Greetings Lucius Mattheson,

I am sending you an inquest about my fellow Austringer Lasker Wilhelm. He had told me about a promotion
he had received in which he
would be heading home through the Breach. I was most overjoyed for him. Now, I assumed his silence had
meant he had returned, but I got
one of my few and precious letters from my family.
He would never have returned home and not gone to visit them. He is near enough to family to me, and them,
you see. An uncle to my
children, a brother to my wife.
So, I am worried, as the promotion as far as I know came from you personally, perhaps you have some word?
Do write back as soon as
you can.
All the best,
Gerard Depridieu

To whom it may concern,

From the desk of the Governors Secretary

To Be Delivered By Hand to Austringer Friend Person

We regret to inform you that there was a Neverborn attack on the same day that Lasker Wilhelm-Scler was to return
back through the Breach. He valiantly faced the horrors that assaulted us, and saved many lives that day. He himself
was quite badly wounded.
We had hoped he would recover, but he succumbed to his wounds later that evening. How you and the other
Austringers had not been updated immediately upon the event is a travesty that I hope this letter will fix.

As the closest he has to a next of kin within Malifaux, his remains can be collected by you at the morgue run by Dr.
Douglas McMourning. He performed an autopsy on his body, as is standard for any slain by the Neverborn.
He died a hero, and will not soon be forgotten.

All of us here at the governors office feel the sorrow at losing such a diligent and brave soul.
He was a rare man, even for these times, who we could not afford to lose.
There are not enough condolences in the world.
-Sincerely,

Lucius Mattheson

23

Showdown: Malifaux
The Masters Enter the Arena

By Justin Gibbs
Showdown is a fast-paced, bluffing card game. To find out
more about it, watch the Tom Vasel review here. At the
moment the Showdown game is set in a dark, futuristic
world featuring the Icons. This was not always the
plan. Showdown was actually originally designed to be
a Malifaux product. However, at that time our Malifaux
artists were busy getting art ready for M2E so Showdown
needed a new theme. I am very happy with the dark and
gritty sci-fi theme that we ended up with. Its a fun twist
and something a bit different for Wyrd. But Malifaux
is something Im passionate about, so today I proudly
announce that five new Malifaux themed Showdown
decks are in the works! To celebrate this, I wanted to
talk a bit about the Showdown design process.

help introduce more people into the Malifaux universe.

After playing and getting to know Yomi, I got some

ideas for where I wanted to take the design as well. In
Yomi, each player plays a single card face down and then
flips them up simultaneously. A rock, paper, scissors
system is then used to resolve combat: attack cards beat
throws, throws beat blocks and dodges, and blocks and
dodges beat attacks. The winner assigns damage and
play continues until somebody is knocked out. Based on
that brief description play may seem random, but there
is a lot of depth in reading your opponent, knowing
each characters deck mechanics, and trying to perform
thier combos. If you havent played it, I highly suggest
checking it out. However, there were two things about
I was originally inspired to pitch Showdown to Wyrd after Yomi I felt that I would personally like to see changed,
playing Yomi http://www.sirlingames.com/collections/ so I set out to design a system that was inspired by Yomi,
yomi. Yomi is another fast-paced card game focusing on but created its own unique system.
bluffing. Each player has a deck of cards (which doubles
as a regular poker deck) that represents a character in a My first issue with Yomi was that it involved a bit of
martial arts battle. As soon as I saw the concept, I was tracking. Characters generally have between 80 and
intrigued, because I saw the potential for Malifaux. If I 100 health, and players need to keep track of where it
could design a game that would fit onto a regular deck is. This means that the game requires a pen and paper
of cards (aside from the traditional games like Hearts, (or one of the slick Yomi play mats and a counter) to
etc), then we could produce Malifaux fate decks which keep track of health. For Showdown, I wanted players to
players could use during a game of Malifaux as their fate need absolutely nothing other than two decks of cards;
deck and double as a totally separate game. It would give this would make the game much more accessible after a
Malifaux players something to do in between rounds game of Malifaux. So I came up with the system of using
at a tournament while they were waiting for a pick-up the Aces in the deck for health. Basically, each player
game, etc. Additionally, if it was simple enough, it could removes the four aces from their deck at the start of the

24

game. Every time a player loses a battle, they flip one

of their aces face up. When they have no more aces to
flip, they lose. This solved my tracking issue in a neat
little package, and allowed players to need nothing
other than the cards. It also opened up some fun design
space. As aces are flipped face up, they grant the player
some special abilities, which created a fun catch up
mechanic for a player who was getting steam rolled.
It also created some nice variety in play, as the order
in which your aces get flipped up will change up the
gameplay. Finally, having such little health created a
fast (15-20 minute), intense experience that was very
enjoyable during testing and perfect for the in between
space a game of Showdown was designed to fill.
The next place that I wanted Showdown to be
differentiated from Yomi a bit was in the bluffing.
Because Yomi only uses a single card during combat,
knowing your opponents deck is critical. For example,
if you know your opponent has a deck with a lot of
throws in it, you will be more likely to play an attack.
This is great, but for Showdown I wanted to emphasize
knowing the player more than knowing the deck. To
do this, I used a two card system. In Showdown, players
each play one card face up, and then one card face
down. This means that when you play your face down
card, you will have some limited knowledge about what
your opponent is trying to do, as you will be able to see
their face up card. The two card system gave players just
enough information about their opponents plan to make
bluffing interesting without making it predictable. There
is, of course, a bit more to it than that, and if youre
interested I would highly suggest watching the
Tom Vasel video I linked above or checking
out the free online rules at the following
url http://wyrd-games.net/community/
files/download/15-showdown-rules/.

With many of my decisions hinging on selling this as a

Malifaux product (the fast play, the lack of any resources
other than the deck itself, etc), I was a little hesitant to
retheme the game. But once I saw the amazing sci-fi art
that was going on the game, I was all the more excited
for it. Even so, I cant wait for the next five Malifaux
decks we have in store for you.
I also want to note that I wrote this article from my
perspective: David Hanold and Redd Cohen were
instrumental in designing this game, and I dont want
to leave them out here. In fact, they designed the five
Malifaux decks which are coming your way with only
playtesting input from me, and they did an amazing job.
For now I only want to spoil who two of those five decks
will be: Brewmaster and Molly!

I think its interesting that I was able to

create an entirely unique experience by
tweaking two of the dynamics in Yomi.
This is a fun way to look at game design in
general, and I think it shows the flexibility in
the model of game which Yomi pioneered: a
single deck and asymmetric bluffing game.
Personally, I would love to see this catch
on and become its own genre, much like the deck
building games. But, even if it doesnt, Im proud to
have helped add to this space.

25

Showdown Tactics
Jack of Diamonds

By Josh Christensen
Deck Breakdown
Every characters deck in Showdown is made up of a
standard deck of playing cards, including the red and
black jokers. Each deck is composed of forty-eight
cards which are used for combat. Four cards (the Aces)
are used to track health. The remaining two cards (the
Jokers), are used to determine what the characters
Triggers do in the Red Jokers case, or acts as a combat
card that is always available to the character in the Black
Jokers case.
The game uses three Disciplines which act similar to suits.
These disciplines are Cunning, Intellect, and Physical.
Each deck splits the three disciplines evenly between
twelve cards (the 2-13). The remaining twelve cards
provide a pre-built deck that separates it from the other
character decks. For this article I will breakdown the
Jack of Diamonds and the special ability cards found in
his deck.
Special Card Effects
(2) Illusionary Clones - Play after all Feint cards, but
before any Strike cards. Switch your Feint with your
opponents Feint card. For the Black Joker, the edge
selected by the original player must be used.

(3 - 5) Smoke Wall - Play when you are the Attacker. Your

opponent plays the first Feint this turn.
(6 - 9) Explosive Field - When played as a Feint of Strike,
and you win Combat with a Trigger, choose either your
winning Disciplines normal Trigger or any of your
opponents Triggers.
(10 - 12) Sleight of Hand - You may immediately play an
addition Feint after playing this card as a Feint. Return
one of your Feint cards to its owners hand before Strike
cards are revealed.
(13) Grand Finale - Play immediately before Strike cards
are revealed. Discard your current Feint and replace it
with this card.

2
3
4
5
6
7

Intellect
Physical
Physical
Physical
Intellect
Cunning

8 Intellect
9 Cunning
10 Cunning
11 Physical
12 Intellect
13 Cunning

26

What Does it all Mean?

Master of Illusions

With these five special

ability cards and Jacks
Black Joker (7 Cunning
on one edge, 7 Intellect
on the other), it leads to a
character that is very strong
with Cunning and Intellect
mechanics, but is also weak
on the Physical front (more
on this later). Jacks deck has
many high valued Cunning
and Intellect combat cards
and he will focus on these disciplines more often than
his opponent will.

Jack is all about powerful Feints, the first card played

by each player on their turn. He has many abilities that
mess with both his and his opponents Feint portion
of combat. Smoke Wall is one such ability. The Feint
card can give you many clues about what the opponent
might play as a Strike, the second card played by each
player. If they play a high value card as their Feint, are
they trying to activate a trigger or are they just going
to play high valued cards of different disciplines? If
they play a Physical card are they going to go for the
commonly brutal Physical trigger that deals some
form of additional damage? If they go low value are
they just trying to beat out the option they think will
be your Strike? Depending on the game state, and the
tendencies of your opponent, these are the kinds of clues
Curtain Rises
you can expect to gather from playing Smoke Wall. Not
only is Smoke Wall good for deducing your opponents
If you win combat with two cards that share the same intentions, it is equally good at denying information
discipline you may then activate a Trigger found of the about your intentions to your opponent. Smoke Wall is
Red Joker. Jacks Cunning trigger is quite good and one even better when the player has multiple copies of them
I would like to focus on, because it makes the opponent in their hand. Forcing your opponent play their Feint
discard two random cards.
first for five rounds in a row can be devastating for them
and allow Jack to build up some serious momentum.
The Cunning triggers among
the cast in Showdown: Icons Sleight of Hand is a very fun card to use and it can mess
usually resolve with the opponent with your opponents head, while also denying them
having to discard cards, but Jacks information about what you want to play as your Strike.
is among the best, because it There is one trap to avoid though. Sleight of Hand can be
discards random cards. Most of very tempting to take back turn after turn, but in doing
the Cunning triggers on the other this, your opponent will never respect your Sleight of
characters give the opponent the Hand play and will just play as if it wasnt used. This
choice of what cards to discard. card is more frustrating for your opponent when it is not
Forcing the opponent to discard chosen as the card to be returned to the players hand.
random cards means there is a Knowing when to use it and when to take it back is all
chance that they may discard part of Jacks manipulative strategy, and hopefully your
powerful options from their hand. opponent will be caught off guard when it is eventually
your chosen as the card to remain in play.
Activating Jacks Cunning trigger on the first turn is
extremely beneficial. During the early game I try perform Although Illusionary Clones is quite powerful, you should
Cunning triggers as often as I think I can get away with only use it in low risk situations. Careful planning should
them. Players havent had as much time to build up a hand go into the choice of which card to steal after it is played. I
during the early game so they might not have the cards like to save it for my opponents ability cards that only work
to counter a heavy Cunning game. Players only start the when they are played as a Feint. These cards include The
game with five cards, and use one to two cards from their Queen of Hearts Reaping Disarm and Stocked and Loaded,
hand each turn. Therefore, if you can keep robbing your The King of Clubs Raging Barrage or The Jokers Crippling
opponent of two random cards per turn you can really Venom. I usually only play this card when I am playing
keep their options down and make your Feint trickery even the second Feint card for the turn. Most of the time you
more powerful.
should try to exchange the stolen card with a card from

27

another discipline. This card also has the potential to scare

opponents from playing special ability Feint cards and, if
this is the case, Illusionary Clones is still doing its job. Once
it is used your opponent doesnt have to fear it anymore,
so hang on to it for that perfect steal. There are still times
when I would steal a non-ability combat card. One of
these times is when my opponent plays a really high value
Physical card. I would be very tempted to take that from
them in order to stop them from activating their Physical
trigger, and providing me the possibility of activating mine
own Physical trigger.
The Grand Finale cards name says it all. My favorite time
to use this card is when the game is nearing the closing
turns and I have a good chance of winning the game.
Being able to switch out your Feint card for a 13 Cunning
card after Strike cards have been played is quite powerful
and has the potential to completely catch the opponent off
guard yet again. I tend to play a Physical card as my Feint
and then play one of the Cunning versions of Explosive
Field as my Strike. Most of the time my opponent will
think that I am just going for a Physical trigger, so I
punish them by discarding my Feint and hit them with
Grand Finale instead. If this combo wins, it will allow
me to either activate my Cunning trigger or any of my
opponents triggers. Ill usually just go for my opponents
Physical trigger and hit for big damage, hopefully closing
out the game.
Not So Rough
Jack has great Cunning and Intellect options, but his
weakness lies in his Physical discipline. He only has one
combat ability with the Physical discipline. Ive found that
when playing against The Queen of Hearts and the King
of Spades you really want to hang on to your Physical
cards. The King and Queen both love to activate their
Physical triggers and Jack can sometimes finds himself
unable to battle two high valued Physical cards, allowing
the opponent to activate powerful triggers. This is one
reason I find it is useful to hang onto Physical cards.
When playing against the King or Queen I will never
discard 2, 3, 4, or 5 value Physical cards. I keep the low
values for when I think my opponent is going for a high
value Physical Strike. I want to be able to play a low value
Physical Strike and win with the lower combined value. I
dont often try and go for Jacks Physical trigger, because
I am usually low on Physical cards. The only time that I
tend to go for a Physical trigger is when I happen to find
myself with a lot of Physical cards in my hand.

One thing of note here is that the Smoke Wall ability is

on Physical cards, and while I really like this ability, there
are times when I have used it in combat as my Strike.
These times were when I suspected my opponent to be
going for their Physical trigger, and the only Physical
card I had in hand was Smoke Wall. I had no really high
value cards of other disciplines to try and beat out their
high value cards. It was sad to see Smoke Wall go, but it
was well worth winning the combat and avoiding my
opponents Physical trigger.
But the Opponent Knows This
Showdown mainly focuses on reading your opponent.
You should get into their head and anticipate their moves,
but there is more to it than just reading the opponent.
Every win will result in a different outcome, so there is a
lot of weighing out the pros with the cons for any given
decision. All while trying to figure out your chances of
success with a given action. Paying attention to your
opponents discarded cards is pretty crucial.
Earlier in this article I mentioned playing a heavy
Cunning game early on and to only do this if you think
your opponent will let you get away with it. If you play
this way, and your opponent catches on, maybe you
can set up to punish them. For example, you could play
a Cunning Feint, but then play a high value Intellect
Strike. If your opponent expects you to go for a Cunning
trigger he has a good chance at getting caught. Mind
games play an important role in Showdown and Jack
excels at mind games. If your opponent doesnt think
that reading you is important so they play randomly,
just play strong options. You will most likely win and
show them that reading the opponent and making
meaningful choices is a big part to this game.
Curtain Lowers
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this fun and
exciting character for Showdown: Icons. My hope is that
this article provided you with the insight to some of the
cooler abilities that one of the characters can do in this
game, and hopefully, as more articles follow, I can show
you just how different the styles of the characters in this
game are. Thank you for reading and enjoy the games!

28

Professor Pontificates
Lost by a Lure Movement Effects in Malifaux

By Adrian Scott
Not too long ago on a local forum, someone asked what
the best spell or Ability in Malifaux was. For me there
was only one answer, and that answer was Lure. As a
long ranged spell that moves a model its Wk toward the
caster, I feel its easily one of the strongest spells in the
game. Ive made no secret of my love for these sorts of
movement effects. In a game like Malifaux, the ability
to move other models around, whether yours or your
opponents, opens up a huge array of tactical options. So
for this volumes article I thought Id discuss these sorts
of movement effects, specifically why and how they can
be so powerful in-game!
The sort of Actions Im talking about here are those
that can push, move, or otherwise relocate another
model, be it friendly or enemy. The Lure spell is a
classic example, but it could also include things like
the Knockback Trigger on Johans and Taelors Relic
Hammers, Liliths Tangle Shadows spell, or Zoraidas
and Perditas Obey spell.
What I wont discuss are those Actions and Abilities
that move the model thats currently activated or is
used as a defensive Trigger, like Quick Retreat on the
Guild Austringer or Squeel! on many of the Gremlins.
While these are undoubtedly great Abilities, Im
more interested in discussing Actions that allow you
to purposefully move other models outside of their
own activation, which I feel is one of the aspects of
movement effects that make them so useful.

So what are movement effects good for? Well for me it

boils down into three overall uses:
1.
2.
3.

Hurting enemy models

Helping friendly models
Achieving objectives

1.

Hurting enemy models

The most obvious use for movement effects tends to be

for putting your opponents models into danger. Pushing
a model off a building or into hazardous terrain is
always handy with an immediate and occasionally fatal
effect on the targeted model. The next most obvious
use of movement effects is for getting your opponents
models out of safety and into range of your own crews
attacks. The classic example of this is using a Rotten
Belle to Lure a model across the board, and then finish it
off with either some shooting from Seamus or a charge
from Sybelle.
Movement effects also have very clear synergy with
the Pounce Ability, which allows a free attack on any
model that finishes a move in their engagement range
without using a Walk or Charge Action. Rotten Belles
and Terror Tots are two models with Pounce, and so are
able to grant you some nice free strikes on any models
that you happen to push their way.

29

I find that many crews make use of effects to mutually

support their models. The most common example
would be using Companion or Accomplice to activate
two models at a time. But other, potentially more
powerful, effects would be Marcuss Defend Me Trigger
to offload enemy attacks onto other beasts, Franciscos
El Mayor to boost the Wp and Df of a nearby model,
or Nicodems Corpse Conductor to boost the capabilities
of all nearby undead. Moving your opponents models
out of range of those sorts of Abilities will break that
synergy, which in turn can make them much easier to
deal with.

effect to deny or achieve a certain Strategy or Scheme

has won me more than a few games.

For objectives that require you to Interact with certain

parts of the board like Line in the Sand, a first turn push
can give one of your own models enough additional
movement to put a scheme marker on the centerline.
This gives you the breathing space in later turns when
youre trying to get all four of those markers on the
centerline to achieve the Scheme. This also holds true
for Squatters Rights and any schemes that require
you to Interact with far-flung parts of the board, like
Breakthrough or Power Ritual. However its especially
2.
Helping Friendly models
important for Stake a Claim. Since the required Interact
is a (2) Action, pushing your models far enough to
One of the model types that really benefit from get them over the centerline in Turn 1 can give you a
movement effects are those with Flurry or Rapid Fire, distinct advantage when it comes to scoring VPs for the
as (2) AP Actions tend to require a models entire Strategy from Turn 2 onwards.
activation. Therefore, moving a model like the Convict
Gunslinger to ensure hes in range of his target leaves Other schemes require you to make Interact Actions or
him free to use Rapid Fire and get maximum use out place scheme markers near your opponents models, all
of his fearsome Collier Pistol attack. The same would of which are made easier if you can push your models
go for pushing your own models to get into range and or your opponents models into position to achieve such
line of sight of a potential charge target. Taelor is a good Schemes. Examples of this might be Distract, Cursed
example of this. With such an amazing damage output Object, and Plant Explosives, but two of the trickiest
in melee, the last thing you want to do is spend her ones are Deliver a Message and Spring the Trap. The
precious AP making Walk Actions to get into grips with former requires a (2) Interact with your opponents
the enemy. Using a movement effect to get her up the Master, while the latter can be especially tricky,
board and into charge range of a target helps you get requiring your opponent to be within range of multiple
maximum use out of her rather tasty Relic Hammer.
Scheme Markers at the end of a turn. These Schemes
become far easier to achieve with the ability to move
In a similar sense, movement effects can be great for your opponents Master or in the former case, your own
getting your own models out of trouble. Generally you models into range of the Master.
might do this to prevent a potential charge or ranged
attack against your crew, or to simply get someone out Thus far Ive only talked about strategies and schemes
of another models melee range. The latter is particularly that involve making Interact Actions, but a lot of
useful when that model is facing a beatstick like Lady other objectives rely on model positioning to score
Justice, or it simply has more important things to do VPs. Turf War and Reconnoiter both require models
than stay in combat. Naturally, spells that allow a Walk to be positioned within specific parts of the board,
Action, like Obey, are less useful for this since that as does Protect Territory, Outflank, Entourage, and
Walk Action would trigger a disengaging strike.
Take Prisoner. Therefore pushing your models or
your opponents models into or out of position can
3.
Achieving Objectives
very effectively achieve or deny those objectives. For
instance, in Reconnoiter, an effective tactic is to push
Malifaux is a game that favors achieving your Strategies your opponents activated models to within 6 of the
and Schemes over simply slaughtering your opponents center onto the dividing line between two quarters,
models, so its no surprise that the best use for a thereby preventing them from claiming any quarters
movement effect is to help you achieve or deny those for your opponent.
objectives. This alone is why I value movement effects
so highly and in fact the odd, well timed movement

30

Killing vs Moving

Resurrectionists

You may be thinking that many advantages of movement

effects, above, can also be achieved by spending those
same AP on simply killing the offending models. After
all, your opponent cant achieve Outflank or put your
own models in danger if youve removed their crew
from the table! To an extent you might be right, but the
true value of movement effects become apparent when
you think about it in terms of AP efficiency. While a
movement effect normally costs 1 AP to utilize, it will
often require several activations from one or more
models to kill a given model. Needless to say, achieving
or denying an objective with a well-timed movement
effect is a much more efficient use for your crews
available AP. It leaves them more able to complete
other objectives and, of course, kill other parts of your
opponents crew!

If youre after a model with a good movement effect in

the Resurrectionist Faction, where else would you turn
to but the Rotten Belle! As a cheap, resilient minion with
the powerful Lure spell, these models are practically
custom-built to take advantage of these sorts of effects
and most Resurrectionist Masters benefit from taking
at least one. Aside from the Belle, Resurrectionist
crews have several other excellent models with strong
movement effects. For example the Dead Doxy
offers a more flexible (if shorter ranged) variation on
Lure, while the Drowned can push models toward
Hazardous Terrain with their projectile attack. This in
turn synergizes well with Jaakuna Ubumes Hazardous
Terrain Aura, not to mention that she herself also has
Lure!
Arcanists

So now that Ive convinced you of the virtues of

movement effects, Im sure you want to start filling your
crew out with such models, right? With that in mind, I
thought Id go through the Factions and point out a few
examples of models with particularly useful movement
effects.

When it comes to movement effects for the Arcanists,

Cojo is King. Both his attacks have a Trigger to push the
target around and his (0) Action, Rude Sign Language,
pushes all enemy models away within 3 without so
much as a resist flip. The Captain is one model that may
take Cojos crown however with a ranged Airburst
attack for an easy 5 push and an irresistible Eye of the
Guild
Storm (1) Action to push enemy models away. Colettes
The Guild isnt a Faction that utilizes a lot of movement- crew also tends to have good access to movement effects,
based trickery, but even so they still have a few options with Colettes Disappearing Act able to whisk models
up their sleeves. McMourning and Lucius both have away from (or toward) trouble, and the Performer with
Actions that allow them to move friendly models her Siren Call Action to draw models toward her. Even
around, often in association with placing Scheme the traditionally static Rasputina has access to models
Markers. The Ortegas have a variety of movement with great movement effects, with the Ice Golem able
effects too. Amongst other things, they have Obey on to Toss Ht 1 models 10 and Snow Storm having a few
Perdita and Abuela, and Enfrentate a Mi! on Fransisco effects that can move models with Frozen Heart.
to simultaneously push friendly models away and place
Fransico into base contact with the target enemy model.
However one of the more flexible movement effects
comes in the form of Judges, Stand for Judgment. While
it may be a projectile attack with all the associated
limitations, it still allows Judge to push any model
in range toward him, and as a (0) Action, it doesnt
interfere with the rest of his activation.

31

Neverborn
The Neverborn tend to be a Faction that favors mobility
and trickery over direct damage, so its no surprise that
they have arguably the best and most prevalent variety
of movement effects on offer. Almost every Neverborn
Master has some way of moving friendly or enemy
models around, but the undisputed queen of movement
effects is Lilith.
A large part of Liliths rules and Upgrades facilitate a
style of play that encourages you to move enemy models
around. She has Actions and Abilities to both move
other models around (eg. Tangle Shadows, Transfixing
Gaze) and punish those models for making that move
(Thirsty Mandrake, Wicked Vines). Liliths Nephilim
continue this theme. Barbaros is particularly good at

movement effects, and in fact almost every other model

with the Nephilim Characteristic has a way to either
move their target, or punish models that are moved
near them (eg. the Pounce Ability).
Outside of Lilith and her Nephilim, there are still quite
a few models with some kind of movement effect. Baby
Kade and The Beckoner both have access to Lure, and
Teddy in particular is great at pushing enemy models
around with the automatically Triggered Peekaboo!
from his melee attack.
Beyond that, there are too many others to mention.
Suffice to say that regardless of what Neverborn Master
youre using, there will always be more than a few intheme models available with worthwhile movement
effects.
Outcasts
The Outcasts dont have many good movement
effects. Most of them require an additional suit to
activate or have some other restriction, such as
being a Projectile attack. The most useful
movement effects come from some of their
Mercenaries. Bishop, Taelor, and Johan
have Triggers on their attacks that can
push enemy models around. However,
Bishop is the standout of the three,
since he can use Adaptive to give
himself the required suit for his Knock
Around Trigger which in turn, can be used
to push models in any direction he wants
rather than just directly away. Even better, as
a Mercenary, Bishop can be taken by any Master in
the game. So theres no excuse not to have a model
with a solid movement effect in your crew!
Gremlins
The Gremlins actually have a huge variety of
movement effects that target friendly models.
The greatest concentration seems to be
with Ulix and his Pigs, in fact there
are only a few Pigs or Pig-related
models that dont have some
way of pushing another model
around. Ophelias Jug Rocket, the
Teamwork Upgrade, Lenny, and
the Pigapult are also great ways

32

to move friendly models around. But if you want

to target enemy models, your options are greatly
reduced. Mancha Roja and a few models from Mah
Tuckets crew can push enemy models around with
one of their attacks, although the former needs a (2)
Action, while the latter requires a suit for the Trigger.
The best model by far, however, is Trixibelle and her
hilarious, yet excellent, version of the Lure spell Gremlin Lure.

Ten Thunders
If youre after movement effects, the best
10-Thunders Master for it is Mei Feng. Two of
her Upgrades, Thunderous Smash and Seismic Claws,
add some excellent Triggers with movement effects
to her melee attacks, while Kang himself can push
enemy models he strikes with his awesomely named
Whomping Shovel.
Beyond Mei and her crew, the standout 10-Thunders
models would be Mr. Graves, Sensei Yu, and the
Oiran, all of whom have non-damaging attacks with
a movement effect (although the Oiran does require a
suit for her Lure). Last but not least is Fuhatsu. Not only
is he immune to being moved by anything but a Walk
Action, hes also got a (1) Action to push away all enemy
models within a 3 Pulse.
Until next time,
Adrian

33

Modular Structures
One Terrain Set, Infinite Buildings

By David Herbert
Part One: Making the Walls

The material used to make this set was 9mm thick MDF,
because it is durable and fairly cheap. This entire set
I have established in earlier articles that I prefer for was cut from a single 1600mm by 600mm sheet.
terrain to be versatile and mobile. This keeps the game
dynamic and allows for customizing a table to suit Advice for tools required as well as techniques for
certain strategies and schemes. In this article I will be measuring, cutting and gluing MDF can be found in
sharing a method I used to make a set of terrain that Wyrd Chronicles Volume 9, page 34 - Versatile Walls,
allows for a variety of different urban settings, from city although I will be going through some advanced
streets and towns, to a building so large it covers the techniques relating to cutting out doors and windows
in this article.
entire table.
Cost is a consideration when making scenery and this I made three types of sections for this project; several
entire project only cost me $35 for the MDF, paint, smaller T and L shaped pieces and four larger L shaped
sections with a cosmetic second story facade. The
printing and plastic windows.
dimensions for these were calculated to give a variety
of interesting combinations, not all of which are
symmetrical or square based.

Town Layout

Ten L shaped sections were constructed with each wall

being 15cm in length and 7cm in height. Because the
width of the material used was 9mm, this had to be
deducted from the length of one wall, so, when glued
together, the dimensions would not be changed. In
essence, when you glue a 15cm wall to another section
which is 9mm wide, your wall along that part would
become 15.9cm. The other joining wall would remain
15cm. To keep things simple, I rounded off to 1cm and
made the inner wall 14cm long and kept the outer wall
at 15cm.

34

On these plans I have included the size of the windows

and doors for display purposes. Not every L shaped
wall had windows and doors as shown.

L Plans
Although I cut the doors to be 30mm wide and 50mm
high, you can adjust this to suit your own preference for
T Wall
scale. The window frames were cut 1cm up from the
base and to the dimensions required to accommodate I also built four large facades to act as either features
or corners of larger buildings. Once again doors and
the windows I was making.
windows were cut to the same dimensions as the other
pieces. For the larger curved door I allowed just over
50mm in width for larger models to gain access. The
sides were 40mm high before curving up to the peak
at 55mm.

L Wall
Four T shaped sections were made in a similar fashion
and have the same sized doors and windows. As far as
how many doors and windows you include it is really
up to you. Only half of the pieces I made had a door,
window, or a combination of both, as you do need some
walls to completely block line of sight.

Facade Plan

T Plans
The short wall on the T sections can be attached where
ever you like. I preferred to have them balanced and
placed them centrally.

Facade

35

Cutting out doors and window frames can be quite

tricky, but if you take your time they can be done neatly
and effectively using a jig saw and a drill. First ensure
that the diameter of the drill bit is large enough for the
blade of the saw to fit through the hole created without
touching the sides. This is important for safety, because
if the blade is jammed into the hole when the saw is
started it may jump and cause injury.
When you drill the holes for the blade to drop through,
Door Cuts A
try to get them as far into the corner as possible without
Now cut up the other side which should cause the
going outside the lines. You can always remove a little
main block of the door to fall out. This will give the
more wood with the saw, but you cannot replace material
blade room to move as you complete the final cut back
that has been removed by a drill bit.
towards where the hole was drilled, clearing out the last
of the excess wood.
Doors will require a single hole drilled into one of the
upper corners, while windows will need two holes
located at opposite diagonal corners, one at the top and
one at the bottom.

Door Cuts B
Door Hole

Once these four cuts are completed you should have a

nice clean doorway.

Finished Door
Window Holes
When ready to begin working on the doors, the first cut
you should perform will travel up towards the location
of the hole. The second cut should then go across from
the hole to the far corner.

The same process of cutting away from a hole and then

cutting back again is also used to make clean window
frames. From any one of the holes, cut away to an
undrilled corner before turning the saw around and
cutting back towards your starting point. This removes
any unwanted excess.

36

Window Cuts

Set Square

This makes the process trickier, as technically each

window requires eight cuts, two per side, to get a nice
clean finish. It is not much of a chore though, as the
reverse cuts are only removing a small amount of
material.

Because I plan to use this particular terrain set for a

variety of themes I decided that, rather than adding fixed
posters and decorations on the walls, I would magnetize
a few different sets so the space can be quickly changed
from a mad scientists laboratory, to a theatre or saloon.
To accomplish this, the magnets needed to be added
before painting began.

I used small 3mm magnets, although larger ones would

do well too. I carefully drilled shallow holes where
required for signs to be displayed on the facades, and
on some of the inner walls for posters and clocks to be
hung. If you drill a little too deep and the magnet is
recessed far into the MDF it will not have the strength
to hold anything. You can remedy this by packing the
hole with the sticky type of putty used to fix posters to
walls. Once the magnets are in place, fix them with a
Window Done
small drop of super glue. Polarity does not matter at
There are two main points you really must remember this stage so it is not important which way the magnets
to get this working right when it comes to gluing it all are orientated.
together. Firstly, be sure you know which are the inner
walls and which are the outer walls. Get this wrong and
you will end up with a wall 14cm long down one edge
and 16cm down the other. To avoid this happening
label all of your pieces accurately during the measuring
and marking stage. The other thing to remember is to
use a set square or some other material you are sure is
set at 90 degrees to check the angle when gluing. If you
try to do this by eye, even a small variance will end in
wonky walls that will not join properly when placed on
the table together.

Magnets

37

Part Two: Painting the Walls

I then used masking tape to protect the areas around

these features while I moved on to the outer coats.

A few important points about painting when using

spray cans. One, read the directions for use and stick
to them. Allow the recommended time to dry between
coats and hold the can at the recommended distance
from the subject. Every brand is different and if you
want the best results take the time to read the can. Two,
this will get messy. No matter how hard you try, you
are going to spray your hand or something else you
did not intend. Or a small amount of paint will pool
and run causing it to drip. It is always a good idea
to have the relevant cleaning solvent on hand to deal
with these issues, so check on that beforehand and be
Masking Tape
prepared. Most importantly, remember to work in a
well-ventilated area, or even better yet, outdoors if the To protect against overspray I had the excess tape
hanging out over the inside edges of the walls. To
wind permits.
cover the windows and doors I simply stuck tape over
I like to have my terrain with black edging as it looks the features, allowing a few millimeters around each
neat and has a striking visual impact. It also makes to provide a frame. The quickest way to cut your tape
important features such as doors and windows stand to a uniform length is to lay it out on a cutting mat or
out. Therefore, the first step I took in painting my urban surface and then cut several strips all at once using a
terrain was to give a quick coat of black to all edges and steel ruler and scalpel.
around all features, such as doors and windows.
No need at this stage to be neat and tidy, as most of
this will get painted over as we work up the layers. Be
sure to attack each feature from every angle and tip the
pieces upside down and spray the inside edges too.
At this stage you may also notice that MDF edges are
extremely porous and tend to soak up paint. To stop
this from happening coat the edges with PVA glue. This
stuff washes off in water so it is OK to use your finger.
Allow the glue to dry before painting over it.

Cutting the Tape

The look I wanted to go for was a rough industrial red
brick effect. I used a bright red, a cinnamon brown,
and just a little black. If the colors do not suit your
taste then they can be easily substituted, although I
recommend sticking with three different colors to get
the best results.
I chose to have white mortar between my bricks, so this
was applied first as an undercoat and allowed to dry
fully before moving on.

Black Spray

The fastest way to make a brick pattern is to use a

stencil. A stencil is a thin piece of material that masks
or protects the subject in certain parts from the spray

38

of paint, leaving it unmarked. Rather than making my

own I bought the cheapest plastic insect mesh I could
from the local hardware and used that instead. You
will need a piece that covers even your larger walls and
probably a replacement or two, as it quickly becomes
clogged with paint and, although it can be cleaned, it is
hardly worth the effort.

Be very careful to always have the dry side pressed

against the subject and the wet side facing outwards
as you work.
The unfortunate part of using clamps is that it leaves two
small blank areas at the base of the wall. This is easily
remedied by giving the bottom part of each wall a quick
coat with one of the colors used. This will leave you with
a finished product that looks something like this.

Insect Mesh
To hold the mesh and subject in place while I sprayed,
I used two cheap spring clamps, similar to large pegs. I
would recommend covering the ends in a little masking
tape. As they get covered in paint, simply remove the
old tape and apply some new. This will minimize all
sorts of messy mistakes from happening.

Finished Wall Texture

Even though some paints will appear to be dry after a
few hours, care should be taken as they may remain soft
for a very long time. After putting in so much work, it
would be a shame to have a giant finger print appear.
The insides where sprayed with an almond colored
paint and then the entire thing was left to dry properly
overnight. Once everything is dry, you can remove the
masking tape. At this stage you may find that in some
places the paint has seeped under the tape. This is easily
fixed with a touch up brush or even a black marker pen.

Clamps
Your principle color is then applied broadly over
the mesh masked subject to give the entire face a
coat of color. The other two colors are then lightly
sprayed in random sweeps to add a little more effect
before a quick touch up with the principle color. In
my samples I used bright red with quick sweeping
sprays of black and brown before using a very light
pass-over with the red again, especially in areas I had
been overly zealous with the black. The mesh is then
removed and pressed wet side down onto a piece
of scrap paper to remove some of the excess paint.

Leaky Paint Streaks

39

The final touch I added to these walls was window

panes to go inside the frames. A very easy way to make
windows to scale is to use plastic microscope slides.
These measure 76mm long and 25mm wide, so, once
cut in half, they make two parts with the dimensions
38mm by 25mm, the same as the window holes. These
were purchased cheaply online and I only used a very
small number of them.

To make these pieces you will need to make two blocks

of MDF, one rather thick one using three pieces of offcut, and another using two. These can be fixed together
by using PVA glue that is lightly smeared over each
surface before being pressed together.

Glued Block
Plastic Slides
Rather than cutting each hard plastic slide in half it was
easier to just scratch each slide across the middle and
then snap them along the shallow cut. Each was then
pressed into place with one or two requiring a quick rub
on a file to remove a small amount for an easy fit.

While that is drying you can search for textures and

images on the internet matching what you would like
your buildings to be decorated with. I used Google
images and searched for book, liquor and store shelves.
These can then be inserted into a Word document and
set to the appropriate size. The ones I used were all
around 50mm high and 40 mm wide, or the inverse if
they were lying down.

Use the three layered block for shelving. Rather than

measuring out every shelf I simply cut out each texture
Once you have made a great looking town you will and marked off the corners before joining them together
now notice a need for smaller pieces of cover for your using a ruler.
models to hide behind and otherwise interact with. In
this part of the article I am going to cover how to turn
your off cuts from the previous stages into good looking
and functional scenery.

Part Three: Furniture

Marking Shelves

Furniture Examples

If you place them close together, remembering to leave

room for the saws kerf, you should be able to get many
shelves out of the one block. Once again be careful to
mark and label all pieces so that they can be matched
up easily later.

40

Shelf Block

Table

Before you glue the paper textures onto the MDF you
may like to stain it up a darker color. I purchased a
tester pot of decking stain and just dipped each block
in, wiping off the excess and allowing it to thoroughly
dry. If you want a blotchy effect try using a sponge to
dab more stain on the top of the piece.

The final touch for the building set is to add some signs
and posters to go with those magnets. Using the same
process as the shelves I located a few prints I liked and
printed them off. These were then glued on to 2mm MDF.

Be careful when gluing the shelf textures onto the MDF

using PVA. Smear it on very thin and ensure there are
no big white dribbly bits before trying to fix the paper in
place. If you use too much glue it is likely to make the
ink run or even blur the colors.
Now, what about that block made out of two pieces of
MDF? I used those to make tables. Considering models
never actually go under tables the thought of making a
model table with legs seemed pointless. I cut the block
Signs and Posters
into several smaller pieces and stained them using the
same pot I bought for the shelves.
To make these stick to the magnetized areas I glued a
small piece of wire to the back of each. I find this works
especially well, as you not only save money on magnets,
with most people using two per connection, but you
dont have to worry about mixing up the polarities. The
wire will stick to any magnet, no matter which way it is
orientated. For the large signs on the facades I used two
magnets side by side and a longer piece of wire.

Stained Block
Once they were dry I used a black marker to color part
of the bottom piece of MDF, leaving the corners to look
like legs.

Prepping a Sign

41

Wire Backing
Experiment with placing the walls and furniture in
different places, remembering that shelves do not have
to go up against walls. I hope you find that these simple
pieces make for many enjoyable games.

Structure Layout Possibility

Final Board Layout

42

Makos Rubbish
The Redchapel Killer

By Mark Rogers
Intro

Base Build

This time round, I thought Id get Seamus painted up. To

give him that creepy, accidental meeting in a dark alley look,
I decided to use a lamppost as the sole light source for him.
This would mean a slightly different order of painting for
some parts, and some very careful placement of shadows
and highlights. While I shaded each stage separately, the
other way to do this is to paint everything without the main
shade first, then shade everything at the end. This can be
easier, but isnt as convenient for showing each stage.
I also magnetized his bag of tools, so I could put it on the
base depending on if I took that upgrade or not in a game.
One of the odd things about this paintjob was the brushes
I used. When I came to start painting, I realized my size
2 and 1 brushes were getting old and the tips werent very
sharp any more. The best brush I had was actually a size 3,
so almost all of Seamus was painted with this fairly large
brush - a good tip is vital, and smaller brushes are not
necessarily better. Using the largest brush you can paint an
area accurately with means less going back to the palette
and fewer strokes, giving a smoother and more even color
coat. The only other brush I used was a size 0 rigger brush,
which I painted the pinstripes with. This is a narrow but
long bristled brush, with bristles nearly twice as long as my
size 3 standard brush. This means they hold a fair amount
of paint while staying in a narrow line, perfect for painting
long narrow stripes in a single smooth stroke.

Building Stages

44

The first thing to do was lay out the base and work out
where the lamp itself needed to be. That told me where
the sidewalk would go and how I needed to position the
highlights on Seamus. With that done, I drilled a large
hole for the post to sit in and marked out where the
parts of the base would be. The sidewalk was done first,
with a thick strip of green stuff as a basic shape. The
post was poked through this strip to make sure I left
a hole suitable for it. I carved the rough stone patterns
into the green stuff before going back over them with a
clay shaper to refine them. Once again, I checked the fit
of the post before leaving it to cure.
The cobbles were begun by pressing small blobs of putty
onto the base in a random pattern. These were shaped
roughly with tools and then smoothed with a wet clay
shaper to wear them down a bit. I only work on small
areas at a time with this, as the effect is much harder to
achieve once the putty starts to harden. I left one cobble
missing where I planned to fit the magnet.
The lamp and upper post started out as a solid lump of
cured green stuff, cut into the shape of the lamp glass
with a knife. To the top of it I glued a strip of plastic
to form the crosspiece. I then drilled into the strip and
lamp and put in a support wire for the lamp top, and
filed the top of the upright into a ball for decoration.
Plastic strips were cut that would fit in curves between
the post and the lamp, which I filed a groove into that
would fit onto the post with a round file. Several pieces
were cut and fitted before I moved on to sculpting the
metal frame on the lamp, as well as the pyramid top
of it. The final step was to sculpt on connecting points
between the supports and the post, and put a ball on top
of the lamp to neaten it up.
The bottom of the lamp was fairly simple. Once it was
glued in place, I wrapped it in green stuff that I then
pressed the shape I wanted into. After getting the basic
shape, I kept refining and neatening it until I was happy,
and chamfered the top edge to match it to the post. The
base was then left to cure fully before I did anything
with magnets.

Upper Post Stages

45

Lower Post Stages

Magnetizing

Magnet Tools

Lower Post Stages

Magnetizing the base was fairly simple. The first step was to
drill and file a hole in the base that would take the magnet
easily (I was using 2 mm wide, 1 mm deep neodymium
disc magnets). I pushed a blob of putty into the hole from
underneath to fix it to the base, added a bit of superglue to
the top of the blob, and pressed the magnet into position
using a metal tool. Once the magnet was solidly fixed, I
sculpted a new cobble over the top of it.
While not strictly necessary, using a second magnet rather
than just a piece of metal makes for a better hold, especially
if youre magnetizing something heavier than the bag. I
dropped the magnet into place so it attached itself the right
way up, and marked the top edge with some easily visible
paint. The bag was fully prepared and green stuffed before
I drilled a hole into it for the magnet. The metal tool was
again used to hold the magnet, making sure I had it sitting
so the painted side wasnt against the tool.

Again, a little glue held the magnet in position before I

covered it over with a layer of green stuff. This gave me
two magnets hidden in the bag and cobbles that were
easily close enough to hold the bag into position.
Skin
When it comes to painting skin, I generally always begin
with the same basic 5:2:1 mix of Bronze Fleshtone,
Bonewhite and Khaki. If I want aged skin, I add a pale
grey as older skin tends to be more bleached out. Tanned,
Asian and Mediterranean skin tones get Leather Brown
and Camouflage Green added in varying ratios. Pale
Flesh can be added for a lighter, pinker skin tone, such
as for someone with red hair. This allows me to quickly
and easily alter how someone looks while keeping a
fairly natural color that Im familiar with. I also use
a little blue in the shadows to avoid them being very
orangey, and Bonewhite as a highlight for the warmth
(again, adding a little white to it for elderly skin).

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Pants

Skin Stages
I wanted Seamus to have slightly sallow skin, so I mixed
3 parts Pale Flesh and a trace of Leather Brown into the
midtone flesh color. To shade this I used a 3:2:1 mix
of the midtone, Dark Fleshtone and night blue. I then
shaded everywhere that wouldnt be in the lamplight
with a 2:1 mix of Black and hexed Lichen, a mix I would
use for anything that would be in shadow. I repainted
the midtone carefully over the exposed parts of the
face, and highlighted it by mixing in Bonewhite. The
eyes were in shadow so didnt need any color, but the
bottom lip got a very thin coat of Gory Red and Squid
Pink mixed with the flesh midtone. A quick touch of
Leather Brown on the teeth finished the face.

Trousers Stages
The pants began as a 2:1 mix of Charred Brown and
Bonewhite. As I planned to paint freehand on them, I
started with the highlights, progressively adding more
and more Bonewhite until I was using a little more
Bonewhite than Charred Brown. I then used my rigger
brush to paint Bonewhite pinstripes on the cloth, before
shading the whole thing with the Black/Lichen mix. As
the brown was quite dark anyway, there was no need for
an extra shade layer before this. A lot of the freehand was
hidden by the shading, but for the neatest effect its better
to paint it all, not just the areas you think will show up.

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Coat and Hat

Hair

Hair Stages
Orange hair seemed like a good fit for Seamus, which
I began with a 3:1 mix of Dark Fleshtone and Orange
Fire. The next step was the Black/Lichen shade, focused
Having tried the color scheme out on puppet Seamus a on the underside of the hair and around the hat brim.
while back, I wanted to paint his hat and coat a muted As I repainted the midtone, I had to be careful to catch
green. The mix I used started off as an equal mix of Dark the tips of the hair that would show the uneven shape
Green and Camouflage Green, which is fairly vivid. A is more complex to paint than a smooth one as it catches
1:1 mix of the midtone color and Charred Brown was light very differently. I added a bit of Orange Fire to the
used as the first shade, which takes some of the intensity midtone for the highlights, working my way up to a mix
out of the green. The Black/Lichen shade was then used of 2:1 Orange Fire and the midtone.
to mark out where the light was falling, just as it had for
the face and pants. Once again, I then neatened up the
midtone before adding Bonewhite to make a 2:1 mix
of midtone to Bonewhite, then adding more Bonewhite
in a 2:1 ratio again for a final highlight. Using brown
and cream takes a lot of the vibrancy out of the green,
making it a much more subtle color.

Hat Stages

Swatches

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Cravat and Hatband

The midtone, then, was 2:1 Tan and VMC Mahogany

Brown. I used an intermediate shade of 2:1 Charred
Brown and midtone to define the folds in the cloth
a bit better, and then used Black/Lichen to cover
the shadowed areas as usual. The midtone then got
repainted in careful lines over the ridges in the fabric.
These ridges were highlighted by adding Bonewhite in
stages, until it was a 1:1 mix.

When I came to do the cravat and hatband, I realized I

had a difficult choice to make. I was limited in terms of
color choice by the green clothes and orange hair, but
didnt want to just use the hair color again. I settled on a
reddish brown color that Id make from Tan and Vallejo
Model Color Mahogany Brown. The question was, what
mix to use? I eventually made four swatches of color,
ranging from pure Mahogany Brown to pure Tan. I set Leather
up my camera slightly unfocussed on Seamus (a lack
of focus makes the colors show more than the details),
with the swatches behind him, and took a series of
photos. The setup was identical for each shot, but on the
image above the color of the backing seems to change
the color of the clothing. Mahogany Brown (1:0), on the
left, is a little dark, but doesnt alter the green too much.
As the ratio changes over the next shots, first to 1:1,
then 1:2, then to pure Tan (0:1), the green appears more
vivid and yellowy. Swatches like this can be very useful
for choosing colors, especially if the choice is difficult.
In the end I settled on a 1:2 mix, which was the most
comfortable balance between the two extremes for me.

Leather Stages

Cravat Stages

The leather was tricky, as a lot of it was on the legs,

partly, but not fully, hidden from the lamplight. This
meant thinking carefully before placing the shadows
and highlights. I started with a midtone base of Dark
Fleshtone, that I then shaded with the Black/Lichen
mix. Retouching the midtone allowed me to tidy the
shading up and keep it off the lit areas. I followed this

49

with a 1:1 mix of Dark Fleshtone and Leather Brown, Cuffs

which mostly went on the toes of the boots and the
very top parts of the kneepads. The final layer was pure
Leather Brown, kept in small points on only the most
well lit areas.
Metals

Cuff Stages
The last part of Seamus to get painted was his shirt
cuffs. Several coats of VMC Pale Blue Grey were used
as a midtone base, which I added a little Hexed Lichen
and Black to for a first shade. With the shading laid out,
I used the Lichen/Black mix to block out the unlit areas
just like for the other areas. The lit cuff was finished by
working from VMC Pale Blue Grey up to pure White.

Metal Stages
While I would be painting both steel and brass on
Seamus, both of them were begun with a base layer of
2:1 Turquoise and Black. This was shaded down with
the usual Black/Lichen mix. At this point I started
painting the metals differently. The steel midtone was
Black/Turquoise with equal amounts of Vallejo Model
Air Steel, while the brass was a 3:3:1 mix of VMA Bright
Brass, VMA Copper, and the Black/Turquoise mix (the
Copper and Brass have less dense pigments than the
Steel, so you need more for the same effect). The metals
were then finished with pure VMA Steel and VMA
Bright Brass. It was at this point I also used a little Earth
for the laces on Seamus boots, and some Bonewhite for
the watch face. These were barely in the light so didnt
need any work beyond a careful touch of base color.

Dark and Light Angels

With Seamus fully finished, I had a look at him from
above and below. This is a good way to check the
lighting position and confirm that the shadows and
highlights are well placed. From above, there shouldnt
be much indication of the shading, while from below,
there should only be traces of color around the edges of
the shadows.

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time of VMC Deck Tan and Offwhite. A wash made

of equal parts Charred Brown, Sun Yellow, and Black
(with plenty of flow improver) finished the cobbles off.

Tentacles

Tentacle Stages
Most of the bag of tools was already painted, having
been done while I worked on Seamuss leather and
metals. The tentacles were the only part left, and were
painted in Gory Red initially. The normal Black/Lichen
shade was applied, before I reapplied Gory Red. I then
decided to make them a little more like tentacles, so
the outer side of them was highlighted towards Bronze
Fleshtone, while the inner side was a mix of Gory Red
and Pale Flesh. A thin line of Gory Red was left between
the two highlights. This wasnt really necessary as it was
very subtle, but I wanted to accentuate the tentacle feel
a bit more.

Cobble Stone Stages

The cobble highlights were all drybrushed on, as it is

the easiest way to get the right texture. While it is often
considered a beginner technique, drybrushing is one of
the best ways to get certain effects such as rough cloth/
denim, stone, and can be used to great effect with metals
(I personally know a few people that have won plenty of
trophies using drybrushed metals). It isnt so much a
beginner technique, but rather one that is easy to use
for beginners. Done with care and a lot of practice,
it has its place amongst other skills such as blending,
Cobbles
glazing, and freehanding. Every painting technique is
perfectly acceptable at any level, its all about how well
Having practiced cobbles on numerous occasions, Ive you use it and what you use it for.
settled into a standard method of painting them. The
first thing I did was basecoat the whole area with a mid- Lamppost
dark grey made by mixing VMC Pale Blue, Grey, and
Black. I then painted random cobbles with the same The lamp itself needed a White basecoat to get the color
Black-Turquoise mix I used on the metals, and others to settle over the Black primer. I toyed with using yellow
with VMC Mahogany Brown or Charred Brown. The as the initial color, but Bonewhite gave a less heavily
sidewalk was kept browner than the main cobbles colored light. I used Sun Yellow around the edges of
to differentiate the two. The midtone was a random the glass panels, then a thinner band of Orange Fire. A
scattering of Khaki, Earth, and Tan, not following the small bit of 1:1 Orange Fire and Gory Red on the top
pattern of the previous layer, but using Earth mostly corners finished the effect.
on the edge of the sidewalk and Khaki on the paving.
The final highlight was another random scattering, this

51

The metals of the post were painted the same way as the
steel on Seamus, starting with Black/Turquoise, shading
with Black/Lichen, and then working up to pure VMA
Steel. The highlights were kept carefully focused on
areas of metal that would be exposed to the light from
the lamp, leaving the back and top of the lamp in
shadow. This also avoids the lamp drawing focus off
Seamus when viewed from above.

Lamp Stages
Final Lighting Touches
Once Seamus and the base were painted, I attached
him to the cobbles using the pin in his foot. Around
Seamuss feet the light would be fully blocked, so I used
more Black/Lichen mix to paint a shadow beneath him.
To complete the lighting effect, I put one very thin glaze
of Sun Yellow on the top half of Seamus, only covering
the highlights, and a single glaze of Orange Fire over the
cobbles and Seamuss legs in the same manner. This was
a little too subtle to photograph, but small changes like
that help to tie every part of a model together.
The very last thing to do was to protect the model. Gloss
varnish was used to seal the cobbles and bag, as they
would be able to move against each other and so needed
the extra protection. I then made a 1:1 mix of gloss and
matte varnish (which produces a satin varnish) for the
metals and the base edge, and painted the rest of the
model and cobbles with matte varnish to kill the shine.

Finished

52

The Gallery
Painted Submissions from the Community

By The Wyrd Community

Alexandr Zabrodin

Chad Lynch

Aubrey Muldoon

Chris (Tigerstyle) Holloway

Aurora

Chris Parris

53

Claire Hearn

Dustin Smith

Garreth Moreton

Damian (Lord Shaper) Smith

Elinore Rnning

Jame(mythicFOX)Doxey

Dave (Kaled) Knowles

Emily Parris

Jamie Song

54

Jimmie (Kintaro) Harp

Matias Frosterus

John (Lordgimpet) Metzakis

Matthew McFarland

Mads O

Mike (taozenrat) Adams

Robert (THE Dwarf) McPhillips

Owen (Oconlan) Conlan

Riastrad

55

Vlasenko Dmitry

Wojtek (Viruk) Tekielski

Thank you for your

submissions.

56