Chronicles - Malifaux

ChroniclesIssue #4ContentsDesigner’s DiaryPainting TutorialStrategy TipsMultiplayer RulesNew BackgroundThe Never Was FilesFebruary 20131 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Chronicles Resurrected - 3ContentsVolume 4The White Fist - 5By: Graeme StevensonDesigning a Master - 19By: Dan WeberProfessor Pink Pontificates - 22By: Adrian ScottPainting Yan Lo - 26By: Mark RodgersThe Never Was Files - 31By: Dan WeberMultiplayer Malifaux - 34By: Dan WeberIn Support of the LGS - 40By: Justin GibbsEditors:Justin GibbsDavid HanoldLayout:Justin GibbsGraphic Design:Redd CohenContributorsWriters:Justin GibbsMark RodgersAdrian ScottGraeme StevensonDan WeberContributing Artists:Melvin de VoorStephane EnjoralasHardy FowlerChristophe MadaruPablo Quiligotti2 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Chronicles ResurrectedA Note from the editorWelcome to the fourth installment of the Wyrd Chronicles!It’s been a little while, I know. It has been a crazy few years for Wyrd, and for me.Wyrd has grown so much in the past few years; I can’t fit it all in this page. We haveplastics, more books, worldwide campaigns, a party game, a bigger warehouse, abrand new office full of designers, and a role playing game on the way!I got to watch it all, first as a customer, then a volunteer, and finally as an employee.Unfortunately, in all of the commotion, the Chronicles fell to the sideline. So,when I was hired, I decided I wanted to help bring one of my favorite Wyrdproducts back from the dead. I labored long into the night studying foul andforbidden texts (learned InDesign), gathered about me strange powers from the cornersof Malifaux (bugged Eric for art), and spilled the entrails of a goat to read their portents (thisactually happened; my wife still blames me for the stains in the carpet).When I first pitched the idea of bringing the Chronicles back, I had my arguments all lined up. I was goingto explain their value to the company and the fans and fight to get them started. But before I could even getall of my arguments out, the overwhelming response I got from Eric, Nathan, and everyone else was, “Great!We love the Chronicles, the fans love the Chronicles. Do you need a budget? How can we help?”I have to say, it’s fantastic working for a company which is so responsive to ideas, and cares enough aboutits customers to bring this to all of you. I had Eric and Nathan throwing art at me before I knew it. DanWeber jumped on board and started writing some behind the scenes articles on how we design Malifaux, aswell as some new rules content. And I had some incredibly talented fans (Adrian Scott and Mark Rodgers)dedicating their time to get you some amazing strategy and painting articles.It turns out; playing the role of Resurrectionist and bringing the dead back to life was a great experience. Infact, I plan on sticking to a hard release schedule of one new issue every two months, so look for the nextinstallment in April. Until then, I hope you have as much fun reading this thing as we did making it!-Justin Gibbs3 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Now In Stores!© Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

By: Graeme StevensonThe shack growled over his head. Adulio sat hunchedlike a man anticipating a blow and every so oftenglanced at the interlaced boards above him. They movedalmost imperceptibly, making the faintest of grindingsounds and giving glimpses of the night stars beyond.The movement was rhythmic, like the rickety buildingwas breathing. It was also watching him: that much hecould not deny no matter how his rational mind scoffedat the idea.He sat on an upturned iron cauldron atop a stack ofyellowed, curl-edged papers. That was the most orderlypoint in the explosive chaos that surrounded him. Thewalls were hung with bunches of dried grass, vegetablesand weeds, slabs of meat from a variety of sources (notall of them immediately identifiable) and some withskin and hair still attached, twisted pieces of birchand willow threaded with tiny brilliant flowers, lizardbones, snake skins, jumbled talismans made from birdskeletons, hand-carved wooden flutes and hundredsof colored glass shards glued together with a doughtyepoxy that reflected the shack’s firelight in a thousandslices of crimson, violet, emerald, ochre and sapphire.The source of this light came from a smoky, cracklingwood fire set in a pit in the center of the shack, abovewhich sat the largest copper vessel Adulio had everseen. It could be argued that this thing was a cauldron,but a more dented, stained, misshapen cauldron onewould have to try very hard to find. Over the cauldronand fire was a spit made from two y-shaped yew shaftsand a fire-blackened stake impaling a cluster of smalland unappetizing lizards. The heat and smoke fromthe blaze had curled the tiny reptiles into fists and hecouldn’t make up his mind whether this was dinner forthe shack’s sole patron, or yet another unknowable facetof the preparation he had been witnessing.The WHite Fiststench the moment they touched the cauldron’s hot belly.An assortment of other inscrutables were then flickedin with the tip of a curved knife, including the head ofa mouse, a number of chopped and partially crushedseeds and something that might have been either sheepwool or wadded spider thread. She then proceeded tosqueeze the fluid from a plant bulb that still had clods ofearth hanging from its roots. The dripping fluid hissedviolently and evaporated almost instantly, giving off acloud of sweet and pungent steam.‘Good,’ she had grinned as she leaned forward and tookin the scents from the cauldron. ‘Good. Good. Good.’She threw the crushed bulb aside which vanished intothe drifts of clutter and detritus that covered the shack’sfloor space. ‘Now the pledge, boy. The pledge.’Adulio had been fingering the leather bracelet ceaselesslywhile the Hag worked. It had been a gift from Lupitasome weeks before when she had tried to sell them ather stall. Although few people had shown interest, theywere pretty things made from thin strips of animal skinpleated into simple wrist bands. Adulio’s had been herfavorite, she had told him as she fixed it around hiswrist, and that it would bring him luck. It hadn’t strictlybeen a gift as such, but his heart had ached when hesaw how few she had sold and he had spent his last coinwithout another thought.It felt a sin to take it off now – he had worn it religiouslyfrom the day she had tied it in place – but the Hagcackled when he voiced his concerns and reassuredhim he would have it back. Reluctantly, he slipped thebracelet off.Zoraida gripped his bare forearm with one clawed handand took the bracelet with the other, throwing it intothe cauldron. Before Adulio could protest, she drew thecurved knife across the palm of his hand with a singlesure stroke. The pitted steel was much sharper than itDirectly across from him and busy over the cauldron looked and he barely felt the sting, but within seconds awith a selection of curios on a piece of greasy vellum red wound yawned open and blood poured freely intowas Zoraida the Hag. She was mumbling to herself in the cauldron, hissing angrily as it dripped and spattereda preoccupied way, as those who live in comparative on the hot metal.isolation tend to do. Into the empty yet scalding hotcauldron she had already scraped a handful of stalks Adulio cried out in alarm, but the Hag gripped his wristfrom an unknown bog plant that gave off a piercing with ferocious strength, her sunken eyes tight shut5 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

while she muttered. He could not make out the words,but the language sounded old and foul and somehowforbidden. Shadows began to leap and shudder acrossthe walls as the fire guttered, spat and then turned aterrible leprous yellow color. The shack around themgroaned desperately and a sudden wind knifed throughthe slats, but still the Hag held Adulio’s wrist and stillshe chanted.Smoke was boiling from the cauldron as his bloodburned and Adulio questioned his sanity for thehundredth time in coming to this place. Love anddesperation had driven him, as had the unlikelyrecommendation of his friend, Pablo. Allegedly wise inthe ways of the world and a self-confessed exponent ofthe mysterious powers, Pablo hadfilled his head with stories ofZoraida and her charms andpotions. Her potency wasthe stuff of legend; how shecommanded the dark artsfrom her place deep withinthe swamplands and that, ifone could find her, all mannerof boons could be requested.What Pablo had failed totell him was Zoraida was avicious, cantankerous oldmonster who could not befound unless she wanted tobe and was more inclinedto watch ill-fated lothariosbeing sucked beneaththe black waters for her ownamusement than offer any semblanceof assistance. That being said, there had been a curiousgleam in the Hag’s eye when Adulio staggered withinsight of her battered, lamp-lit shack. He had beensearching for hours, was smeared from head to foot inswamp filth, and had barely managed to avoid beingpoisoned or gored by any number of vile bog denizens.Perhaps it was his determination to find her that hadwon him his audience; she was not inclined to say, butshe had listened to his tale of desperate and yearninglove for the beautiful Lupita and she had finally noddedwhen he had asked for her help.And now she was bleeding him dry into her smokingcauldron while jaundiced flames roared at their feet.He could feel his blood pulsing through his wrist andout the wound in his hand: the sensation made himnauseous. Zoraida seemed unconcerned; her gnarledfingers locked around his arm, the knife still held high,her head lowered as barely discernible words spilledfrom her mouth.His head was beginning to swim; whether from theblood loss or the heat or a combination of both he wasn’tsure. There seemed to be no air in the shack despite thehowling wind outside – every breath he took was fumesand hot copper.And then the death-grip on his wrist was releasedand the flames were orange once more and Zoraidawas winding a piece of white silk around his hand. Hewatched dumbly as crimson roses blossomed throughthe layers of bandage.‘Good,’ she said as she yanked the dressing tight. ‘Youare strong. The bond will be strong.’Adulio wiped at his perspiring forehead with hisfree hand. ‘Then it is done?’‘It is,’ Zoraida said. ‘I have given you whatyou asked.’Despite his dizziness, Adulio felt aburgeoning elation. Lupita.The Hag reached into the billowingbrown clouds of the cauldron andwithdrew Lupita’s bracelet. The bloodand heat had shriveled the leather andturned it black, and it smelled strongly of copper andswamp as she re-tied it around his wrist. It was stillpainfully hot, but he bore the pain gladly if it meantLupita would be his.‘There,’ she said when the band was fixed securely.‘Good. Good.’Adulio closed his hand into a fist around the silkbandage, squeezing it experimentally. The dressing wastight and secure, but the silk covering his palm wasalready bright red and sodden. Zoraida grinned at hisexpression.6 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘The price was too high, eh?’ she cackled. ‘You looktroubled, boy. Is she not worth it?’‘Worth it and more,’ he said immediately, filled withrash bluster. ‘Were the price my whole hand, I wouldpay it.’The swamp witch displayed her horrible teeth and hereyes glinted. ‘You offer your hand for her love? What abeauty she must be. The eyes! Oh, the hair!’ She flickedat her ratty grey locks with sharp fingers in a coquettishgesture.Adulio only had eyes for the band around his wrist. ‘Iwill go to her tomorrow,’ he said half to himself. ‘I willtell her how I feel. And she will understand?’Zoraida gripped his injured hand with both of hers andheld it up to his face. ‘This is the bond,’ she said. ‘She isbound to you, and you to her. A price you have paid. Aboon you shall have. Death awaits the man who wouldseek to take her from you. So speaks Zoraida.’Adulio felt his heart swell with exhilaration.‘I will go to her tomorrow,’ he said again, excitedthoughts beginning to jumble in his head. ‘She will loveme and we will be together.’Adulio was so enraptured with his vision of the day tocome that he quite missed the look of devious cunningon the face of the Hag. Had he stopped to listen moreclosely to her words, he may have questioned the factthat she had mentioned nothing of reciprocal affectionfrom Lupita. Were he a more level-headed young man,he may have thought more carefully about what hehad asked for and perhaps found a more subtle way tounearth Lupita’s feelings for him, but his overriding fearhad been that she would fall for another and he hadpleaded that Zoraida ensure she would be for him andhim alone. Time would prove this a tragic oversight onhis part, compounded by the instinctive malice of theswamp witch, but at that moment Adulio truly believedthat his prayers had been answered. The events of thefollowing morning, however, would prove just howwrong he was.Thirty yards from the main doors to the Guild officesstood Curmudgeon Square. Ask any of Malifaux’steeming residents where this title had come from andyou would be rewarded with little more than a shrugor a blank look. Ask where this Square was to befound and that shrug or blank look would always beaccompanied by a pointing finger. Curmudgeon Squarewas one of those places with the dubious honor of beingwell-known among the denizens of the city withoutnecessarily having qualified for its notoriety.The fact that it governed the crossroads of two mainthoroughfares of the city, as well as its proximity to thehuge and brooding Guild offices and the wide-spreadknowledge of its location made Curmudgeon Square apopular favorite among meeting locations. The Squareitself was better than two hundred yards across andpaved in dark (and almost perpetually wet) granite. Thisexpanse was studded with a multitude of statues andobelisks, many of which were so weather-worn or timeeatenthan all features and detail had long since beenerased. On three sides loomed monolithic buildings ofacademia and bureaucracy, remarkable only for theirsize and grey uniformity. The fourth and south-facingside of the Square was open to the crossroads –two busythoroughfares that slashed and back-slashed diagonallythrough the city and sat like the crossed bones beneaththe Square’s granite skull.Despite this dour description, the Square was constantlypopulated by stall vendors, hawkers, jugglers andartisans of every stripe and color, transforming thesoulless expanse into a bustling hive of entrepreneurialcommerce. Cries of merchants and salesmen, soothsayersand mystics mingled with haggling customers and thelaughter of children that darted through the crowds liketiny fish through rough water: all these sounds werebuoyed up on air currents scented with roasted meatand nuts, alcohol, exotic spices and the constant sweetbreeze of honeysuckle and jasmine that drifted from theflower vendors across the southern-most edge of theSquare.Being the only area that escaped the perpetualshadows of the towers beyond, the southern edge ofCurmudgeon Square was where the flower vendorsplied their trade. At first light each morning, wagonsand hand-barrows would rattle into position and a vividexplosion of Nature’s finest would proceed to engulf thearea. There were pots of mauve and turquoise Bell-tops7 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

and clusters of tiny-petalled Jack Limes. Also, vibrantand flame-red Bog Beacons and elegant White Widowswere popular; the latter’s characteristic ivory stems andflamboyant hanging petals were visible clear across thesquare. Persimmons, Violets, Red Betties, Yolandas,Peach Whites, Rouge Whites; even the melodramaticand grandiose Archdrake could be found, whose seedswhen ground to an almond paste were quite deadlybut hidden behind tremendous starburst flowers a fullsixteen inches across.Lupita sold flowers. To look at her, one would guess thathad always been her purpose in life. Naturally sallowskinned,she had the high wide cheekbones of an Asiaticwith large perfectly shaped onyx eyes and hair darkas liquorice. She kept it tied back, but a few strandsinvariably escaped and hung over her eyes, lending anendearing imperfection to an otherwise perfect face.Her fingers were long and nimble, and responsible forthe smattering of little trinkets and talismans she sold inconjunction with her flowers. She was a beauty to beholdand all who did agreed her place was among the delicatebeauties of her wares.Sadly, such beauty brings attention and often unwelcomeat that. There were any number of ill-suited beausthat had made their attentions known to her, most ofwhom flitted from girl to girl much like the insects thatfrequented her stall, sampling whichever nectar wason offer. Mostly harmless, she would laugh dutifully attheir flattery, they would buy a flower to present to her,she would pocket the coin and put the flower back ondisplay the moment they had moved on. It was only atiny dishonesty and besides, there seemed little value inpresenting a flower seller with one of her own stock as atoken of esteem.There were more dangerous visitors to her stall thaninsects, however. Being so close to the Guild officesmeant that a constant traffic of bureaucrats and Guildofficials passed through the Square, any number ofthem corpulent, vain and powerful. This was a difficultcombination to resist at the best of times and one or twowere more persistent than most. The worst by far wasErmine Follop.Short and stooped and balding, and undoubtedly all themore venomous for it, Follop had taken a particular shineto Lupita and would make a point of visiting her stalleach morning. He never bought anything despite havingmore than enough coin – no, he sought something that,while on display, was not for sale. He would take everyopportunity to paw at her, holding her hand, offering tobrush hair from her eyes, enquiring after her like a kindlyuncle, but all the time his rapacious eyes would crawlover her and his pink tongue would move ceaselesslyover his teeth and lips. He was a wretched and repellantman, but occupied a position of great influence withinthe Guild and had a reputation for exploiting it.And then there was Adulio. Handsome, stumbling,mumbling Adulio. Like a boy trapped in a man’s body,he had a strong jaw and broad shoulders, but had not thenerve to meet her eye and blushed dramatically every timehe came to her stall. He was endearingly loyal, having beenthe first to buy a wristband from her when she tentativelybegan to make trinkets to supplement her flower sales,but he was still half a child in her eyes. Perhaps in a fewyears when he had found his confidence…she smiled atthe thought and dismissed it. She could never imagineAdulio being anything other than exactly how he was.‘The most beautiful flower in the whole Square,’ said avoice at her shoulder. ‘And how is my beautiful flowerthis morning?’Follop stood inches from her, his eyes flicking across thehollow of her throat. Were a cold leech to have crawledinto her ear, she couldn’t have been more repelled.‘Good morning to you, sir.’ She acknowledged his arrivalwith a pained smile. The creepy little man insisted ontaking her hand and kissing it with his sticky lips. Hisfingernails were long and yellow and she couldn’t avoidstaring at his bald pate while he bowed; it looked like anegg fringed in ratty animal pelt.‘You are growing more delicious with every passing day,’commented Follop, his eyes crinkling above what hewould probably have described as a smile. ‘Blossominginto a woman before my very eyes. It does my soul goodto see you each morning.’Lupita doubted that he had one, but answered, ‘Kindwords, sir. Would you care to make a purchase thismorning?’‘Pale imitations,’ he said dismissively, gesturing towardsher stock. ‘No stem nor petal can compare to the beautythat stands here before me.’8 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘You have a way with words, sir, but words alone cannotfuel my hearth or fill my stomach. Is there nothing herethat might brighten your office? Some Silver Smock,perhaps? Or a Lily-On-The-Water?’Follop stepped closer in what was undoubtedly aconfidential gesture but only served to bring herinto the radius of his body odor. ‘I understand yourconcerns, sweetling. Times are hard for all concerned,least of all a street vendor. My heart grows heavy at thethought of your beauty standing here day after day invain, ultimately wilting like your displays.’‘I make a living, sir. From those that wish to buy.’His tongue squirmed across his lips like a shaved weasel.‘Being an employee of the Guild, I am considered aninfluential man in some circles and not without finances.I could ensure that you were well looked after – I couldsee to it that you could put all this behind you and livea life of comparative luxury. Those delicate hands neednever feel the sting of another thorn.’‘A generous offer, sir, but I am content with my lot.’Follop chuckled, ignorant to Lupita’s growingdiscomfort. ‘My dear, there is no need to be so humble.Beauty deserves to be treated with favor and delicacy,and you are uncommonly beautiful.’‘Again sir, you flatter me, but I have a business to tend.’She glanced about in the hope of snaring anothercustomer with which to excuse herself but the stand wasfrustratingly empty. Follop made a show of plucking abrilliant purple Moonshade and twirling it in his hand.‘Might I suggest that this is an opportunity you shouldnot brush aside so lightly?’ he said, examining thetrumpet-shaped flower. ‘Have you no desire to wear thefinest silks, nor dine in the most opulent restaurants ofthe city? I would see to it that you were the jewel in thecrown of Malifaux society.’‘I am a flower girl, sir. I could never be a part of suchgrandeur.’‘If you are content with less, then so much the better.Whatever you could wish, I can provide,’ he said.Lupita had inched back as much as she dared, strugglingto find a way to extricate herself from this conversationwithout offending the foul little man.‘I fear the price for such luxury would be too high,’ shesaid then quickly added, ‘Besides – I am my own womanand have the freedom to do as I will. Why would I givethat up?’Follop raised the Moonshade to his lips and brushedthem lightly. ‘Come, my dear. You resist so strongly,but we both know that my offer is more than generous.Surely I am not that unappealing?’Lupita heard a muffled zipp and then Follop’s expressioncontorted with surprise and pain. He twitched backlike a man stung – which was exactly what he was –and clapped a hand to his face. The Moonshade wasthrown from him convulsively and Lupita watched ayellowjacket hornet spiral lazily from the depths of theflower and take to the morning air.The little man howled in pain, clutching at his rapidlyswelling nose and it was then that Lupita did a foolishthing. She giggled.Follop’s face flushed crimson with humiliation and rage.‘Amused, are we?’ he snarled, still gripping his injurednose. ‘You’ll rue the day you rejected me, you willfullittle bitch! Before this day is out, I’ll knock you off thathaughty pedestal – just you wait.’Flustered and boiling with anger, he spun on his heeland barged away across the square, knocking overseveral clay pots and spilling their contents. Lupitawatched him go with growing trepidation.It was an hour or so later when Adulio pushed his wayalong the busy thoroughfare to Curmudgeon Square.He had spent some considerable time washing off theslime and muck of the marshlands and choosing anoutfit in which to meet Lupita. His hair was slicked backwith pomade and he had a fresh daisy in the buttonhole of his best suit. Upon removing the silk bandagehe discovered to his surprise that there was no evidenceof Zoraida’s cut to his palm – the skin was smooth9 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

and unbroken. Trusting this as further evidence of herpower, he fingered the band on his wrist one last timeand set off to meet his true love.He knew something was wrong the moment he reachedthe square. Lupita’s flower stall had been knocked overonto its back and her wares were scattered everywhere.A crowd of concerned-looking vendors stood around it,talking animatedly and stealing frequent glances acrossthe square towards the Guild offices.‘What happened?’ he asked as soon as he got withinarm’s length of the gathering.One hoary old woman he recognized as another of theflower sellers turned and gave him a wide-eyed stare.‘She’s gone. Taken.’‘Taken?’ Adulio didn’t understand. ‘Taken where? Bywho?’‘Guild thugs,’ the woman said, hawking a green wadof protest onto the slabs. ‘A handful of ‘em. Come outof their rat’s nest up north of the square. Said they wasarrestin’ her for assault on a Guild officer. Kicked herstall over and dragged her away, they did.’‘What?’ Adulio looked down at the wreckage of Lupita’sstall. The flowers underfoot had been crushed and hereand there were woven bracelets among the dead plants.The band around his wrist burned.‘That little weasel,’ the old woman said, pointing acrooked finger. ‘He’s to blame for this. Plain enoughknowledge he had designs on her, only the girl’s gotmore sense. Appears he didn’t get the answer he wanted.Poor girl…to come to this…’Adulio set his teeth, his fists clenched. ‘Weasel? Whatweasel?’‘Him what’s been sniffing around her like a dog,’ the oldwoman snarled. ‘Works up at the Guild – some fancylord or mind-your-business or other. Follop, his nameis. Ermine Follop.’He was still in excruciating pain. Touching the tenderbulb of his nose with his fingertips, he could feel it hadswollen dramatically and had turned a purplish red huein the hand mirror he continually examined the damagewith. The hornet’s sting had somehow managed to gethim inside the nostril and the stinging had left his eyesbloodshot with tears.Cursing his luck, he tried to turn his attention back tothe work on his desk, but his mind kept returning tothe flower girl. How dare she laugh at him, after all thegenerosity he had shown her? Well, she wouldn’t belaughing now, not down in the detainment cells. A fewnights in one of those dank brutal holes would knocksome of the vim out of her – he was certain she wouldbe much more hospitable to his advances after that. Hehad already speculated on a few of the ways she coulddemonstrate her gratitude when he deigned to releaseher.His speculations were interrupted by an urgent rap onhis door.‘What?’ he snapped.The door opened and his personal aide stepped tentativelyinto the room. Caravelle always had an apologetic lookabout him; an abject quality that irritated Follop to noend. He looked particularly aggrieved today.‘I’m sorry to trouble you, Mr Follop, only there’s ayoung gentleman out here and he’s most insistent thathe speaks with you at once.’‘Send him away,’ the Guild officer grumbled. ‘I’m busy.’Before Caravelle could say another word, a figurepushed past him and into the office. This newcomerFollop did not recognize – he wore a cheap suit and toomuch pomade, but he looked hale and sturdy and therewas a stubborn set to his jaw that the Guild officer didn’tlike the look of.‘I’m sorry to bust in on you, sir, but I must speak toyou,’ the boy said. He straightened his jacket in a selfconsciousway, but there was a fierce determinationin his gaze that suggested he was here with definitepurpose. ‘This can’t wait.’10 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘Can’t it, indeed,’ Follop commented dryly. He gaveCaravelle a glower that said I’ll deal with you later andtold him, ‘This young man has one minute, after whichtime I want him removed.’Caravelle nodded and hurried out of the office.Follop turned his gaze on the nervous boy. ‘Well?’‘I’m here about Lupita,’ he blurted at once.‘Ah – the flower girl.’ Follop leaned back in his chairand began to re-examine his injured nose in the vanitymirror. ‘And you’re her brother, I suppose?’‘No, I’m…’ the boy looked suddenly awkward. ‘I’m…well, Lupita is with me. We’re together.’‘Is that so?’ Follop prodded his nose delicately. ‘She’snever mentioned you. I must say, you don’t seem the typeshe would associate with.’ He looked at the boy over therim of his mirror. ‘At all.’The boy colored at this, but he held his ground. Definitelydetermined, Follop noted, but out of his depth.‘So,’ the Guild officer continued. ‘You’re here to plead forher release, are you?’The boy didn’t answer at once. He was looking closely atFollop’s face. ‘Did she do that to you?’Now it was Follop’s turn to color. ‘She assaulted an officerof the Guild, if you must know.’‘She attacked you? Lupita?’ The boy sounded incredulous.‘I don’t believe it.’‘She never touched you. The people in the square say youwere making inappropriate advances towards her andshe rejected you. You stormed off and that’s why-‘Follop lurched to his full height, which was unimpressive.‘How dare you!’ he barked. ‘What gives you the right tocome here, into the inner sanctum of the Guild and startbandying about tin-pot theories you heard in the gutter?’‘You are a liar!’ the boy shouted back, jabbing a finger atthe smaller man. ‘What have you done with her?’‘I’ve had quite enough of this nonsense – guards!’‘Where is she?’ the boy demanded.‘Guards!’ Follop cried again. There was a rumble of heavyfeet and his door burst open for the second time thatday to admit two men in Guild uniform. They took amoment to survey the situation. ‘Arrest this fool and takehim down to the detainment cells – he just threatened anofficer of the Guild!’The boy made no attempt to defend himself from theadvancing men, keeping his gaze and his pointing fingerfixed on Follop. ‘Where is she?’ he persevered. If anything,his features had become more determined.‘Get him out of here,’ Follop commanded, his voice stillsteady although his heart had begun fluttering nervously.The Guards took hold of the boy’s cheap suit and hauled,but evidently he was stronger than he looked and leanedover the desk like a man walking into a strong wind.‘Lupita is mine, Follop!’ he shouted. ‘Give her back tome!’Follop’s hackles began to rise. ‘I couldn’t care less whatyou believe. She’ll be tried before the local magistrate andgiven a fitting sentence like all the other criminals whothink they can cross the Guild.’The boy was silent again for a moment, his face frowningwith concentration. ‘You’re lying,’ he said at last.‘I beg your pardon,’ Follop spluttered. The arrogance ofthis boy was astounding.‘You’re lying,’ the boy said again, his conviction growing.11 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘Get him out of here!’ Follop cried, more shrilly thistime. ‘He’s gone mad!’‘Let her go, you lying weasel!’ The boy struggled againstthe two guards; his suit jacket tore and his daisy - freshpluckedthat morning - spiraled to the floor. ‘Let her go!’One of the guards managed to get an arm around theboy’s neck from behind and was trying to haul himbackwards, away from the Guild officer. What troubledFollop the most was that the boy did not fight back –instead he strained against the two men, trying to getthrough them, reaching now with one open hand to getat his true opponent.‘Guards! Guards!’ There was real fear in Follop’s voicenow. ‘Come quickly – he means to murder me!’‘Let her go!’ The boy was still bellowing. ‘Lupita is mine!’There was more running in the corridor outside andanother three men came barreling into the office. Theyquickly grasped the situation and went to subdue theshouting boy. The thwarted lover, however, would notbe denied and suddenly lunged forward with ferociousstrength. His suit jacket and shirt ripped apart in a dozenhands and he momentarily burst free. He reached clearacross the desk and grabbed Follop by the throat.The Guild officer made a gargling sound and his eyesbulged as the boy throttled him one-handed. Though hestruggled, he could get no purchase on the brawny armand the fingers around his throat felt like an iron collar.Kill him! he tried to shout, but all that came out of hismouth was ‘uukkkk…’The guards redoubled their efforts, gripping the attacker’sarm and even trying to pry his fingers from aroundFollop’s throat, but to no avail. The boy was as muscularas a young bull and possessed an unnatural strength – itfelt like Follop’s windpipe was being crushed.One of the Guild guards drew his clockwork pistol andstruck the boy heavily on the back of the head. Thesound was awful, but his assailant’s gaze did not falterand, if anything, his grip grew tighter.‘Boy’s mad,’ grunted another. ‘Hit ‘im again!’The guard struck the boy again with the heavy cast-ironpistol, and then a third time. Blood trickled down theback of his neck, but he would not relinquish his grip.‘Lupita is mine,’ he hissed at the Guild officer.Follop’s eyes felt the size of hen’s eggs and he stareddistractedly at the boy’s arm while the life was beingthrottled out of him. There was a woven black bandaround the wrist that seemed strangely familiar, butErmine couldn’t quite place where he’d seen it before.It was becoming a triviality, really. Had he known it atthe time, his oxygen-starved brain was on the verge ofblacking out.It was right at that moment that Guild Captain Groomstormed into the office; a swaggering mass of brassbuttons, waxed moustache and outraged demeanor.‘What is the meaning of this farce?’ he roared beforecatching sight of the scrum of struggling guardsmenand the puce-faced Follop whose toes had all but liftedfrom the ground. Ever the pragmatic man, Groom drewhis saber with a practiced motion, bellowed ‘Stand aside,that man!’ at the guard trying to peel back the boy’sfingers, and sliced the attacker’s hand off at the wristwith a single stroke.Follop flew backwards into his chair, landing with a thudas the boy went the other way, propelled by a half-dozenstruggling guardsmen. Blood splattered the length of hisdesk.‘Get that lunatic out of here,’ the Captain urged, rootingin his pocket to find a kerchief to wipe his blade. Heturned his attention to Follop and stopped in mid-stride.‘God’s teeth!’Follop had sunk deep into his leather chair, but his facehad lost none of its rude coloring and his mouth was nowagape with a swollen tongue projecting like a length ofraw steak. The mad boy’s hand, sporting its thin leatherband around a stub of wrist, was still latched around theGuild officer’s neck and was constricting visibly.The Captain threw down his saber and launched himselfat the severed appendage – taking it in both hands andhauling with all his might. The hand refused to relinquishits grip and now even the faintest squeak of air could notbe drawn through Follop’s crushed throat.12 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Finally, with a titanic effort and a polished boot onFollop’s chest, the Captain wrenched the severed handfree and threw it across the room with a cry of disgust.Follop immediately sucked in a huge gale of air andbegan violent wracking coughs.The guards had dragged the still-struggling boy to thedoor, leaving a trail of bright blood on the floorboards.‘Lupita is mine!’ the boy howled one last time beforebeing dragged out of sight into the corridor. His protestscould still be heard as he was hauled away.Follop had no strength left in his limbs and slouchedin his chair like a landed fish while his chest heavedin breath after breath of precious air. There were redfurrow marks on his throat where the hand’s nails hadgouged him in the final seconds before Captain Groomwas able to pry it loose.On the floor in the far corner of the room, now bledwhite as milk, the twitching hand curled into a tight anddefiant fist.When he had recovered sufficient poise and dignity,Follop thanked the Guild Captain in a hoarse whisperand decided that taking the rest of the day off might notbe a bad idea. He gingerly stepped over the sweepingtrail of blood on his floor that several cleaners werealready on their knees scrubbing at with stiff-bristledbrushes and soapy water. As he left the office, he heardthe dull clank of the severed hand being dropped in abucket and he shuddered.Not trusting his rubbery legs to see him home, he haileda cab and sat in brooding silence with the curtainsclosed, listening to the sounds of the street and ironshodwheels on cobbles while his fingers probed at thepainful welts around his neck.Follop’s home was one of the upper floors of a prestigiousapartment block less than a mile from the Guild offices.The entrance vestibule was guarded by twin stonegriffins rearing on their hind limbs and clawing at someinvisible foe. They were as storm-ravaged as the rest ofthe building’s exterior – one griffin’s beak was partlysnapped off – and the porous stone had long sinceturned black with accumulated lichen and soot.Beyond the lacquered maple doors and concierge was anelaborate entrance vestibule paved with diagonal blackand-whitetiles, a massive residents’ correspondencerack with a pigeon hole for each of the three hundredabodes, and the elevator.This fabulous device had been one of the very firstinstalled in the city and was quickly renowned as amechanical wonder. Through cunning use of huge steamdrivenpistons and a series of drive-chains, the brassbox (which held a full six patrons quite comfortably)could be elevated to any of the building’s twelve floorswith the simple twist of a mother-of-pearl lever. Follopwas especially grateful for its ingenuity that afternoonin that he did not have to trust his shivering legs on theeleven flights of stairs that led to his apartment.Finally home, he slammed the heavy outer door andlocked it, threw his hat and coat onto the stand andstumbled into his study. He poured himself a generousmeasure of brandy with trembling fingers and boltedit down in three swallows. The alcohol caused his rawthroat to flare up, but it steadied his nerves some. Hehad been badly shaken by the events of that morningand was feeling particularly vulnerable. Still, at least hewas home safe and that savage was behind bars wherehe belonged.Picking the softest lightest neckerchief he possessed, hewrapped it gently around his purpling throat and wentto the larder. He wasn’t hungry, but his pocket watchtold him it was midday and the same lunch-break forthirty years was a difficult impetus to ignore. He cuthimself several slices of cured ham and loaded a platewith bread and cheese and a square of butter. The foodwas tasteless and dry and after two bites he gave up,returning instead to the liquor cabinet and more brandy.Suitably fortified, Follop went through to his study andsettled behind his desk, spreading the day’s broadsheetacross its felt surface. There was a curious reassuranceto be had from sitting behind a desk in any situation, ingeneral the bigger the better. Comforted by this subtlereinforcement of his importance, he settled down toread.Follop awoke shrieking, the crumpled newspaperpartially adhered to his face with saliva. He tore it away,13 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

panting in terror. The boy was gone: his study was quiteempty and late afternoon shadows stretched across thefar wall. He must have dozed off; not surprising reallyconsidering those two large measures of brandy andno food in his stomach. He could still feel the ghostof a strong hand around his throat and swallowingwas painful. On the way to the kitchen for a glass ofwater, he stopped at the hall mirror and pulled aside theneckerchief.The flesh around his throat was livid and hot to thetouch. He could clearly see a negative image of agrasping hand outlined in mottled purple and yellow.That animal. Follop would see to it he never saw thelight of day again.He gulped down a glass of water from a cool clay jug. Ithelped considerably and he began to feel himself again.The discarded meat and bread were still lying on theirplate - his stomach gurgled with sudden interest. Inlight of the day’s events, however, he decided to treathimself to something a little more sophisticated.The cab ride to Le Signataire was quick and Follop’smood was buoyed further by the doorman’s recognition,welcoming him into the exclusive restaurant with atip of his hat. Although there was a sizeable queuefor seating, Follop was quickly ushered by the maîtred’hôtel to a table secluded from the majority of dinersby palm fronds and careful lighting. Looking up fromhis wine list, Follop took pleasure in seeing those samefaces of the queue frowning at him.He ordered duck and a Spanish Gran Reserva andsettled back to wait, smiling insolently at the peoplewho were still waiting to be seated. Being a Guild officercertainly had its privileges. When the fowl arrived, itwas crisp and steaming and juicy and he eagerly forkeda big piece into his mouth. It tasted better than it smelledand he silently congratulated himself on his choice ofrestaurant – an excellent and savory distraction from theday’s unpleasantness. He had quite recovered himself.The food stuck halfway down his throat. Follop pausedin the act of forking another piece of breast into hismouth. The meat was certainly succulent enough andhe could never remember having trouble swallowingbefore. He could still breathe, but the meat formedan uncomfortable lump somewhere behind hisAdam’s apple and seemed unwilling to go any further.Supposing some wine would help, he put down hisladen fork and took a swallow of red. To his alarm, hisgullet immediately filled with liquid.Trying not to gag, Follop tried gulping several timesto force the blockage down. Other than making oddcroaking sounds at the back of his throat, the duck andwine refused to move. With panic rising in his chest andabsurdly conscious of the diners around him, he tuggedat the neckerchief that suddenly felt too constrictiveand began working his neck from side to side. The winehad been a mistake and was stinging the back of histhroat, making his eyes water. Tears began to well up inthe corners of his eyes.Reaching for his water glass, he took a big mouthful,determined to gulp it down and ram the wedge of duckinto his stomach. Instead, the mix of wine and waterbacked up in his throat and with a huge barking cough,he sprayed the liquid all over his dinner and the whitetable linen.Heads twisted his way as Follop began retchinguncontrollably, gripping the sides of his table andhalf-rising from his seat like a man who couldn’t quitemake up his mind whether he was arriving or leaving.The maître d’hôtel was already hurrying towardshim through the maze of tables, his face a picture ofprofessional anxiety as Follop’s face turned puce for thesecond time that day.With a huge donkey-like bray, Follop ejected the wad ofmasticated duck that flew (posthumously) a full thirtyfeet and stuck to the restaurant wall with an audiblethud. He collapsed back in his seat, coughing harshlyand fumbling for a napkin to mop at the wine-laced spitcoating his chin. There was an immediate hubbub ofconversation as a flock of concerned waiters surroundedhis table.‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ Follop wheezed as soon as he wasable, fighting off the swarm of towels and napkins thatdaubed at his face and stained suit. ‘Leave me be, I say!’Monsieur Follop, I am so sorry!’ the maître d’hôtelbabbled. ‘The cook shall be sacked for this – I shall seeto it immediately!’Follop shook his head, suddenly weary and growinglightheaded from the hyperventilation. ‘Just get me a cab,’he croaked.14 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

As they helped him to the door, he glowered at the stillwaitedfaces of the queue; they beamed at him with the airof people whose wait had been worth the while after all.All the way home in the cab, Follop wheezed. His breathinghad become labored shortly after retching up the duckplug and had not eased with his pulse. Slightly anxious,he twisted and fidgeted in his seat, pulling constantly athis neckerchief until he wrenched it off in annoyance andthrew it on the cab floor.He carelessly thrust a handful of scrip into the cabbie’shand and hurried into his building. Cool water – that’swhat he needed. His already abused throat must havebecome inflamed from the wine and what it needednow was something cold and soothing. He cursed thatmeddling boy back through ten generations as he bargedpast the elevator operator, slammed his front door andgulped water straight from the jug, spilling it down hisalready half-ruined evening suit.Rasping, he took the jug through to his study and sat heavily,pulling off his starched collar and opening the top buttonof his shirt. His throat felt incredibly raw both inside andout. More swallows of water eased the discomfort to someextent, but within seconds the burning returned and withit an uncomfortable tightness in his chest. He could hearhis own breath whistling, which was a distressing sound.That damnable boy. Curse him to the lowest depths ofHell – he’d done something to Follop’s throat; woundedhim in some way. He made a mental note to visit theGuild physician first thing in the morning. Exhausted andin pain, Follop shirked off his evening suit, crawled into anightshirt and then into bed, holding the clay jug to hischest like a wizened child and his bedtime toy.Sleep - that was what he needed. Sleep to unwind from thestress of this miserable day. Tomorrow would be better.He felt certain of it.Follop’s night was filled with terrors.He jerked awake innumerable times (the first timesloshing the remnants of the cold water over himself andthe bedclothes), thrashing at his attacker and trying to prythat white hand from his throat. He could feel the fingersaround his neck, squeezing remorselessly.Each time he returned to sleep, the boy’s face came athim out of the dark and those steel fingers closed on himagain, squeezing the breath out of him, crushing the lifeout of him.‘Lupita is mine,’ he hissed, his teeth red as blood and hiseyes empty holes. Sometimes the hand was green andpuffed with decomposition, other times it was just bones,but each time it would grip him like before and throttlehim until his eyes bulged and his tongue squeezed outfrom between his lips like a fat red slug.‘Please,’ he tried to plead, ‘please, no! Forgive me!’ buthe could never speak in his dreams. The phantom of thewhite fist would not allow it.By the first gray threads of dawn, Follop had crawled outof bed and lay on the floor, wrapped in sheets and tooafraid to venture sleep again. Instead he watched the slowblossoming of the new day while his chest worked forair and the phantom fingers around his throat graduallyand inexorably tightened their grip. Every few seconds hewould raise a hand to swat at the hand, only to find hisfingers passing through thin air and his neck unmolested.Yet he could feel it.The concierge’s cheerful grin faltered when Follop emergedfrom the elevator that morning. Unshaven and gray-facedwith his suit collar splayed wide, the Guild officer walkedwith the slow infirmity of the aged, using a hand to steadyhimself as he took the steps down to the street one at atime. He couldn’t manage more than a dozen paces beforerunning out of breath, and stood making a high keeningsound while he dragged in one lungful after another.Unable to face the suffocating crowds of CurmudgeonSquare, he whispered for the cabbie to take him aroundto one of the underground entrances to the Guild officesand there he waited until a guard appeared that he couldrequisition to help him into the building.The Guild physician frowned as he worked towardsa diagnosis, peering critically into Follop’s throat andfeeling around his jawline (which made the little manwince and shy away repeatedly). He took the Guildofficer’s temperature and listened to his pulse and to hisheart before frowning more deeply.15 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

‘Well,’ he said eventually. ‘It may be an inflammationof the digestive glands under the tongue. I’m going toprescribe you a poultice that should take the color out ofthose bruises-‘Follop gripped the man’s white coat and yanked himforward with what little strength he still possessed. ‘Idon’t care about bruises,’ he rattled. ‘I need to breathe.’The physician recoiled, his wire-rimmed glasses askew.‘Of course, of course!’ He fumbled at his physicstation for some time, rattling glasses and vials untilhe finally produced a small stoppered bottle. Thesmoked glass held perhaps an ounce of liquid andhad a cork stopper. ‘If you put five drops of this in aglass of water, three times a-‘Follop snatched the bottle from the physician’s hand,wrenched out the cork and upended it, grimacing ashe gulped down the foul-tasting liquid. The emptybottle was discarded and Follop leaned back againstthe wall, rasping for air. A minute passed whilethe physician waited awkwardly, but Ermine feltno easing of the constriction around his throat. Ifanything, it was growing tighter.‘How soon?’ he hissed.‘The…the effects should be immediate,’ the physicianstammered.Follop snarled and shouldered past the practitioner,weaving unsteadily out into the corridor. His chestwas working like a bellows now and frothy saliva wasbeginning to accumulate at the corners of his mouth– he could barely swallow and every effort broughtintense pain.What was happening to him? Was he going to die?Was there no respite from this awful affliction? Hisface crumpled with grief as he staggered along thedark corridors, leaning first on one wall and thenthe other as he reeled. The white hand – the whitehand had him in its clutches. He could see it with hiswaking eyes, forming a crushing fist on the floor ofhis office. It had him and it would not let go.Lupita is MINE, a voice snarled in his head.He stopped, clinging to a cabinet for support, hishead buzzing with lack of air.The girl. Was that the answer? Was that the key tohis salvation? That boy – that monster – had wantedthe girl – he had refused to let go until he got thegirl. He had refused to let go until he got the girl.Staggering again, but with new purpose, Follopturned about and headed for the detention cells. Itwas a desperate and forlorn hope, but if releasingthem both to be reunited would save him fromthis terrible curse, he would do it and gladly. Hewould apologize to them both, would make themunderstand how lonely and unloved he was, howwrong he had been to abuse his power – but he couldmake amends. It was not too late.A frail hope formed in his chest even as he stumbledand toppled down the winding steps to the lowestlevels, every breath a struggle now. He clung to therusted iron railing, half-sliding down the stairs inhis exhaustion. They would forgive him – surelythey would! Surely they could see they had beenthe actions of a jealous old fool; he had meant noreal harm. He could give them their freedom, evenmoney if they desired it. They would be together andFollop would be released!He crashed into the detention cells like a marionette– one hand latched around his throat, the otherscratching along the rough stone wall seekinganchorage to prevent him toppling full length on thestraw floor. His face contorted horribly with everyintake of breath, which came as a slow high rattle,like a breeze blowing through something dried-upand dead.The jailer gawped at this apparition, not evenrecognizing Follop until he had gripped the man bythe shoulder and hissed at him through gritted teeth.‘The girl…’ came his faint voice.‘Lawks and truths,’ the jailer whispered. ‘Is…is thatyou, Mr Follop, sir?’‘Girl…’ he hissed again, his eyes protrudingdangerously. ‘Where…’‘Girl, sir?’ The jailer chewed his thumb in thoughtuntil his face brightened. ‘Oh, the girl. That pretty16 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

it of fluff you sent down here yesterday? Well, she’sgone, isn’t she, sir? Off to the magistrate just like yousaid.’Follop made a sound somewhere between whineand sob. No matter, he told himself, no matter. Shewould be days at the court jail before her trial – morethan enough time for the wheels of bureaucracy tointervene.‘Boy…boy…’ he gurgled, making a gripping motionwith his free hand – the other was being used to keephimself upright against the burly jailer.‘Don’t you worry, Mr Follop,’ the jailer said, givingthe Guild officer a wide grin. ‘He won’t be troublingyou no more.’Follop’s face creased with confusion. What was thisfool talking about? Where was the boy?‘Where…’ came the barely audible wheeze.‘He’s gone, sir,’ the jailer said amiably. ‘Dead.’Follop could only stare into the idiot’s puffy unshavenface.‘Died about an hour after they dragged him downhere, sir,’ the jailor continued, oblivious to Follop’scollapsing expression. ‘Noisy bugger. They threwhim in that cell right there and left him. Not for thelikes of him to have his wounds seen to – not afterwhat he done. Laying his hand on a gentleman suchas yourself, sir. Got what he deserved, in my opinion.’The jailer’s voice began to echo and distort. Follop’sknees buckled and he slumped back against the walland then slid down it until he sat facing the row ofbare, grotty cells. There was a large brown stain inthe straw of the cell directly across from him.It was over, he realized with a strangled sob. Therewas now no way to reunite Lupita with her love. Theboy had cursed him. He had cursed Follop with hisfinal moments and there was no way to undo whathad been done.There was nothing left to save him from thevengeance of the white fist.17 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

© Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

By: Dan WeberDesigning A MasteRYan LoEnter Yan Lo.Fans of the game often ask us what process goesinto developing and designing our models. With theFebruary release of his Masters of the Path boxed set,I thought it would be appropriate to talk about thedesign process using Yan Lo as an example.Character-Driven SkirmishFirst and foremost when we begin planning for a newbook release we start off with where the storylineis leading us. Malifaux runs on a character-drivenskirmish system with a deep setting populated withrich and colorful characters, so each model is createdwith a primary consideration of where that model fitsinto the setting. During this stage of the design processI don’t see these concepts as wargame models, butinstead as characters being introduced into the evergrowing story that is Malifaux.Rough concepts of the character’s abilities areusually considered as we develop its background andmotivations, but the details of those abilities comelater. For now, the design team is creating characters,not models. While I’m sketching out a characterconcept I ask myself questions along the lines of “whattype of character the model will be in the setting –major, supporting, an extra”, “is that type of characterbelievable in relation to the storyline”, “how similar toan already existing character is the concept”, and soforth.In the case of Storm of Shadows we had alreadydetermined the book would introduce the TenThunders as a Faction, having hinted at their arrivalas playable models since Misaki’s appearance inbook one. The Dual Faction mechanics were beingdiscussed as a way to tangibly demonstrate theFaction’s infiltration into all walks of Malifaux, whileallowing us to generate a stock of pre-existing modelsthe Faction could access, rather than forcing players towait for the Ten Thunders model count to “catch up.”It also allowed us to bring in a new Master for eachFaction and tell a unique story for each.“So, Like…He’s This Old Guy…” Looking at whothe Resurrectionist Master would be for Storm ofShadows I wanted something that supported thetraditional Resurrectionist theme of Undead andrecursion, but was different enough to not feel likejust a variant of prior Masters. We already had Masterswho could summon models, Masters who could beefup their Undead Crews, and a Master who controlledSpirits. The new Master would have to play to theResurrectionist Faction strengths, but in such a waythat was a unique addition to the Faction.With that loose set of guidelines as a starting point, wediscussed different aspects of the Resurrectionist artsand where we could take that experience. Eventually arough concept began to take shape. A cursed characterwho gained strength as his minions crumbled aroundhim. Wait, a necromancer who wanted his minionsto die? It turned the concept of a necromancer whosepower was in the undead hordes he summoned up onits head. Lovely.So what sort of character would the as-yet-unnamedYan Lo be? He longed to be either flesh and bloodor move on to the afterlife, loathing the centuries hehad lived in between the two. That made breakingthe curse his primary motivator. But what made hima Resurrectionist? Unfortunately, the exact reason hewas cursed in the first place had faded in his mind overthe years and no one had been kind enough to providehim with an instruction booklet on how to break thecurse. Although magic continued to exist in the ThreeKingdoms while it declined elsewhere, it still couldn’thelp him solve his predicament. He had turned tonecromancy, convinced that somewhere in the darkart lay the keys to unlocking his prison of undeath. Hewould move heaven and earth to find it, and with hisclan accessing Malifaux – a world awash with magicalenergies, and the place where necromancy was firstdiscovered – he leapt at the opportunity to lend histalents to their machinations.19 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Fleshing Out a GhostNow that we had a functioning concept of the Yan Locharacter in general, we moved on to how to turn himinto a model for the game players would want to use.Initially, Yan Lo’s model began an Encounter in aghostlike form that buffed the Crew’s other modelsand as they were killed he would siphon off soulenergy from their deaths. The soul energy would makehim stronger in a physical way, eventually allowinghim to take solid form as a younger version of himself.This young Yan Lo was more of a melee powerhousethan necromancer and lost much of his power overthe Undead. The earliest concept required two modelsfor the Master. A wizened, crooked old man (in fact,the description of how the old man should look at thisearly stage of development stuck and became the YanLo you see today), and a much more vibrant, youthfulmodel (think Liu Kang on steroids) that would replacethe old man model when he had built up enoughpower.McCabe would be both a mounted and dismountedmodel. Forcing Yan Lo into two models just didn’tfit in the more we thought about it, which meant the“transformation” into flesh and blood would be a fluffyexperience, instead of a tangible experience with themodel itself.Determining the absorption mechanic was nexton the agenda. We knew we wanted him to grow inpower and eventually trigger a transformation intoflesh. However, several early concepts were scrappedbecause the bookkeeping involved, albeit fun, wasmore involved than we wanted.For instance, one concept had players stackingCounters (I can hear your eyes rolling at the thought ofmore Counters) alongside the stat card until reachinga predetermined target number.Setting up this mechanic would require defining howmany Counters he received from each type of Undeadkilled (would it be based on Soulstone Cost, modelsize, base size, should Spirits count, etc.?). It would alsolock players into fielding certain types of Crews justto be sure they could gather the number of Countersneeded to make the transformation worthwhileduring an Encounter. Finally, it felt like we werecreating a low-powered Avatar rather than a trueMaster. So the Counter “clock” idea was discarded.We also decided we did not need another modelthat had to be exchanged with another miniatureon the table at the time. We already hadAvatars requiring model-swapping, and knew20 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Something from Column A, Something fromColumn BInstead of using the “soul points” as a timer, theconcept we latched onto was a more modular Master.Where McCabe was being developed as a “gear Master”who could choose specific upgrades before the gamebegan, Yan Lo’s metamorphosis from intangible totangible seemed to function well by using the pointsas in-game upgrades he could buy to adapt his abilitiesto the force being fought. Fluff-wise he shifted frombeing intangible to tangible, drifting between the twodepending on what upgrades he chose.Two very different concepts on how this should beapplied took shape. One involved the upgrades beingincluded in his statline and checked off when theywere bought with soul points, now called Chi points.Alex Cairns envisioned another which compiled allof these upgrades into themed “Paths” and furtherdefined Yan’s background as a man who has becomelost on the “Paths of life” and death. If you’ve read YanLo, you know which of these clicked and the designteam and playtesters moved forward with.Along with the Chi Paths, we decided to add theconcept of Relics to his suite of models. It was anotherway for players to upgrade Yan Lo while, at the sametime, giving him the ability to summon models. Hewould not summon models in the same way Nicodemor McMourning do, but could field Izamu, allowIzamu to die, benefit from his Relic ability, and thenlater resummon Izamu if the situation called for it.Although his ability to absorb Chi from model deathswas a nod to the early concept of him gaining poweras his minions died, the Relic mechanic capturedit in a colorful method that allows us to create newoptions for him as new models with the Relic abilityare designed in the future. Character-wise it expandednot only Yan Lo’s story, but that of the entire KatanakaClan, as well as gave readers a bit of insight into theThree Kingdoms’ turbulent history.Thrown to the WolvesThroughout the process, we tested Yan Lo’s differentconcepts in-house, tweaking and adjusting beforegiving him to our playtesters. Once the stats werein their eager hands, they helped ensure that ruleslanguage read as clear to a wider audience as it didto us, ensuring the model is fun to play. Even while Iworked on fleshing out Yan Lo’s backstory and fluff thetesters were kicking tires and offering up suggestions.Sometimes those suggestions would require a tweak tohis fluff as we incorporated them into his game stats.Eventually the design and testing process reached aplace where I was happy with the model, locking it asready for the public to enjoy.Whew. I’m tired just thinking about the process!Well, there you have it: a bit of insight into the designprocess that goes into creating a Malifaux model. Frominitial character concept to play style and rules, throughroadblocks and epiphanies, and finally through testingand into your hands, how Yan Lo came to be. I hopeyou enjoy reading about him and the Ten Thunders inStorm of Shadows, and leading his Crew to victory onthe tabletop!21 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

By: Adrian ScottWelcome to the first (and hopefully not last) volumein Professor Pink Pontificates!So who am I, this person who somehow convincedJustin to include his ramblings in the Wyrd Chronicles?Well I would be Adrian, also known as Rathnard onthe Wyrd forums, or Professor Pink to those whodare. I’ve been a wargamer for 16 years, am a multipleMalifaux Tournament winner, Wyrd Henchman, betatester, co-host on the Aethervox Podcast, Moderatorfor the PullMyFinger Wiki and mad-keen Malifauxplayer. I also have a PhD in Genetics and may possiblyonly be known on the Wyrd forums for my obsessionwith posting my replies in pink, hence the “ProfessorPink” reference! I also like to think I know a bit aboutplaying Malifaux, and enjoy passing my advice on toothers, which would probably explain why I agreed towrite this piece for the Wyrd Chronicles!Now with such an extravagant title, I’m sure you’reexpecting amazing things from this article, huh? Wellit’s a big ask, but I’m hoping not to disappoint. I’vegathered here what I hope to be a detailed, yet concise,overview of how you, the reader, can become betterat playing Malifaux. Naturally this is still just myopinion, and as with all things, there may be aspectsyou disagree with. That’s fine of course, although Icertainly hope you can take at least something awayfrom what I’m about to bombard you with.So how do you become the new Chuck Norris ofMalifaux gaming? Let’s get started with my first tipthen!Know The Rules of the GameProfessor Pink PontificatesThis seems pretty obvious, but we have to startsomewhere, right? A basic understanding of the rulesis essential for playing the game, but if you want tobe great, it helps to have a good understanding of allthe intricacies as well. The Ultimate Malifaux Playerknows the rules of his game!Mastering MalifauxHaving a good read of the rules manual and anyavailable FAQs or erratas is the logical way to go aboutthis. However, just sitting and reading PDFs and rulebooks can be rather mind-numbing for some people.Simply playing lots of games will also help identifywhat rules you need to brush up on. You could alsoperuse the Malifaux Rules Forum. A quick glance atthe first few pages will give you a good idea of the rulesthat commonly trip up other players, allowing you tolearn from the mistakes of others! I would especiallyrecommend doing a search on the Rules Forum forspecific rules or models you want to brush up on. Itwill save you a lot of time!Listen to the Advice of Other Players, But Don’tRely Upon ItEven after playing Malifaux for three years, I still findobserving the more experienced players of a crew tobe very helpful before starting that crew for myself. Ifnothing else, it gives me a decent idea of what modelsto start with, as well as the common tricks or combosthat work well with that crew. This is an excellentway of getting a handle on how to use your new crewwell without making too many mistakes or fumblingaround with poor crew choices. The Ultimate MalifauxPlayer considers the wisdom of others!However, an important thing to remember is that thereis never a single “right” way to use a given crew. Therewill always be people (myself included) who will swearby a certain tactic or crew build, but remember thatthis only means that these are approaches that haveworked for them. There may be other tactics or modelsthat resonate better with your own preferred style ofplay. Thus you will only do yourself a disservice if youdidn’t ignore at least some of the advice of others andtry out something that you think might work.The added bonus of this is that when you learn toplay a crew or include models contrary to that crew’stactics, you will often be able to catch your opponent’soff-guard in your games against them. Players havea harder time dealing with models or tactics they’reunfamiliar with, so this is the sort of edge in gamesthat can make you a much more dangerous player.22 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Know Your CrewThis might seem like another obvious tip, but there ismore to knowing your Malifaux crew (or crews) thanyou might first think. It almost goes without sayingthat you need to develop a good understanding of therole and limits of each model in your crew. Are theya resilient melee beater? How much damage can theytake or deal each turn? Are there other models theycan “combo” with to improve their potency in-game?The Ultimate Malifaux Player knows exactly what hisor her crew can and cannot do!A sound understanding of your model’s capabilitiesis essential to using your crew effectively, and a greatstart is to check out your relevant model entries inthe Malifaux Wiki – PullMyFinger. However, whatplayers often tend to overlook, are all those *other*talents and spells possessed by each of those models.You know the ones – they’re the non-essential fluffthat people never seem to talk about. Exampleswould be Abduction on the Stitched Together,Ruthless on the Convict Gunslinger, and Distract onthe Guild Austringer. These are the sort of abilitiesthat are not required for a model to function,but almost all of them are still usefulunder certain situations. A RuthlessGunslinger could do horrible thingsto Pitiful models like Kirai. Distractcould stack your opponent’s deckfor a truly nasty activation bySantiago’s next activation. Andyes – even something as cornercaseas Abduction, could be used tosave your Dreamer from certain death whenyour opponent has somehow drawn the kidaway from his protective Nightmare bubble.It’s true that these sorts of situationsmight only happen once every fewgames, but when they do happen,being able to take advantage ofthem will give you a significantedge against your opponent. Moreimportantly, most of these uncommonabilities are so rarely used that they’re likelyto take your opponent by complete surprise,which is only a good thing.Know Your Opponent’s CrewFor the most part, what I’ve said about knowing theintricacies of how your own crew works also appliesto knowing your opponent’s crew. Unfortunately, thisis perhaps the hardest and most daunting element fornewer players to get into grips with. There are nowclose to 300 model entries in the game, each of whichhas its own unique rules. These include a variety oftricks, combos and synergies with a multitude ofother models. In all honesty, a really great Malifauxplayer has a very good idea of how all of those modelswork – what they can and cannot do in-game, aswell as their strengths, and more importantly, theirweaknesses and how best to neutralize them. Thereis never a surprise in store for the Ultimate MalifauxPlayer!Becoming familiar with the entire Malifaux range isa daunting task for any new player, but it needn’t bethat difficult. For the most part, each model can becategorized into a certain play style (eg. sniper, hit &run melee, slow but resilient melee, etc). After thatthere are a few tricks to keep an eye on for each model,especially if it’s going to be relevant to your crew. Forinstance, Terrifying, anti-construct or antiundeadabilities could be dreadful dependingon your own crew makeup. Having at least abasic idea of how each model in your opponent’screw will function gives you an excellent start tounderstanding how best to deal with them.As an example, it helps a lot to knowthat Coppelius is a melee modelwith Terrifying, who will mostoften use an automatic meleetrigger to paralyze your models. Hewill severely hurt anyone who killshim, but other than a single healingability, he is not overly resilient fora model of his cost. There is muchmore to Coppelius than just thisabove summary, but it at least givesyou a basic idea of how he’ll perform on thetable and thus, allow you to come up with a plan fordealing with him.While not ideal, it helps a great dealto ask your opponent to give you arundown of each model in their crew,23 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

or failing that, have a good look at your opponent’scards. With practice, you’ll be able to quickly identifythe basics of the model, as well as any talents orspells that could cause your crew issues. Identifyingthe more intricate combos within your opponent’screw can be more difficult, but you’ll get better atthis with time. As you play more games against aparticular crew, you will eventually become veryfamiliar with the many ways in which that crew candestroy you!The Importance of Strategies and SchemesForgetting your strategies and schemes can bedeadly. It’s the most common mistake you see inMalifaux games, even amongst the best players. Inthe heat of the game, it can become very easy to getcaught up hunting down your opponent’s modelsor even just keeping your own crew alive. However,unlike most other tabletop wargames, winning isdetermined not by who killed the most models, butwhether you achieved the strategies and schemesfor that game. In fact, I have played two gameswhere my crew was completely wiped out, but I stillwon because I had scored more victory points thanmy opponent. The Ultimate Malifaux Player alwayskeeps his eye on the prize!During games I always keep a record of what bothmine and my opponent’s objectives are, eitherby noting them down on some paper or by usingprinted out cards, freely available from Ratty’sMalifaux site. Having the cards at hand is especiallyuseful, as it becomes much easier to double checkthe achievement conditions and all the rules text.This is important since, if you are not careful, it canbe easy to misinterpret or mix up the achievementconditions for certain strategies and schemes. Forexample, unlike Kill Protégé, Grudge requires youto kill that model in melee with a non-Master. Andwhile both Steal Relic and Deliver a Message requireinteracting with your opponent’s Master, only StealRelic requires you to make a successful opposed Wpduel. Mixing these sorts of schemes up or missingkey details in how they are achieved is a very easyway to lose you the game!Challenge YourselfThe games where I’ve learned the most are notthose games where I’ve convincingly beaten myopponent. Contrary to common opinion, they’re notnecessarily the games where I’ve lost either. My mostinformative games have instead been those timeswhere, win or lose, I’ve felt as though I’m playingat a distinct disadvantage against my opponent. It’stimes like these where my mind goes into overdrive.With the perceived odds against me, I suddenly findmyself carefully weighing odds, coming up withmultiple contingencies and identifying whatevercombo, trick or weakness I can use to squeeze outevery victory point possible and pull out a win. Winor lose, it is during these challenging games whereI feel like I improve the most as a Malifaux player.And it’s a significant part of why I’m always tryingnew and interesting crews or combos in my games.The Ultimate Malifaux Player seeks not the win orthe loss, but the challenge!Fortunately, a game like Malifaux lends itself verywell to challenging yourself in-game withoutdeliberately playing badly, or seeking out the bestplayers in your local gaming community. Forone, not all schemes are created equal. Schemeslike Exterminate and Eye for an Eye are usuallymuch more difficult to achieve than Bodyguardor Holdout; therefore favoring the more difficultschemes in your games is an easy way to make gamesa little more difficult for yourself.Crew selection is another good way to make yourgames more challenging. Unlike large-scale tabletopwargames where you might spend hundreds ofdollars buying new units or regiments to fit intoyour list, Malifaux normally requires the additionof just a few models to completely change how yourcrew will function. It’s often a simple matter ofswapping out your more optimal models, like Lilituand Lelu, for less “appreciated” minions, like Candyand Kade.You can even go as far as buying a completely newcrew! This is actually a very good way of challengingyourself. A new crew not only encourages you tolearn the dynamics of a new set of models, but willinvariably have a very different playstyle to yourold crews. This helps you to better understand the24 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

strengths and weaknesses in other crew types, aswell as train yourself to think a little less rigidly.For instance, I’m most accustomed to using crewslike Marcus or Zoraida, which work very well witha hit and run style of play. But early last year I beganplaying with Lucius, who’s crew works best in closesupport of each other. With Lucius I had to keep mycrew close together as I achieved my objectives, ratherthan spread across the board to harass my opponent.In a sense, such a drastic change in playstyle forcedme to relearn how I played Malifaux. But I feel thechallenges I faced by playing with such a differentstyle of crew made me a better Malifaux playeroverall, and I’m much better able to understand thestrengths and limitations to the sort of playstyle thata Lucius crew encourages.ConclusionIn writing this article, my aim was to give players,both new and old, some helpfuladvice for improving their skills inplaying Malifaux. However, this justscratches the surface ofwhat you can learn aboutStrategies and Tactics forMalifaux. I hope to go furtherdown the rabbit hole in future issues of WyrdChronicles. In the meantime, be sure to checkout the massive amount of other tactical adviceavailable. The previously mentioned Wyrd Forumsand PullMyFinger wiki are always a source of goodinformation, as are the many Malifaux Podcasts andblogs currently available.Until next time,Adrian25 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Painting Yan LoBy: Mark RodgersStep 1: SkinIn this article I’ll be covering how I painted thenew Yan Lo model. He has a fantastic creepy oldman style, and the model is very detailed in places,while also having large smooth areas. This is idealfor painting, as you can go wild with techniques andfreehand on them. Mine has a custom beard afterI sneezed while taking the original off the sprue,but that’s the only change I made during cleaningand prepping. Most of the paints used were VallejoGame Color paints, but a few other brands will belisted here and there.Color SchemeEarthy browns and greens are ideal for Yan Lo’s maincolors, as he is basically the earth element of the TenThunders masters. The contrast to those colors (as apair) is purple, which is perfect, as I wanted to use ablue-purple for the necromancy’s glow. This meantI had to use green-browns, rather than pure greens,to keep the color balance right. I also decided touse blue elsewhere in combination with silvers andgrays to keep the contrast going.Step by StepGood preparation is important, as a mold line canreally spoil an otherwise fine paint-job. Boringthough it may be, don’t rush it to get to the painting!As always when I paint, I worked from the insideoutward, beginning with the skin, then the robes,then the little details such as metals. The base wasthen painted, and as a finishing touch, I added theOSL onto Yan Lo and the skeleton. OSL, or objectsource lighting, involves painting the light comingfrom an object on the surrounding surfaces, toemphasize that the object is giving off light ratherthan reflecting it. In this case, the objects were theground under the skeleton and Yan Lo’s palm. Effectslike this take patience and care, but can completelyalter the mood and style of a model.Asian skin needs a more complex mixture as a basecoat than Caucasian skin, but is otherwise the same.Yan Lo is an old man, and aged skin is normally lesssaturated, but this is often only seen with wrinklesfor Asian skin, so I left it as is.My basic mixture was 6:4:1:1 bronze fleshtone:leatherbrown:bonewhite:GW camo green, with a littlewhite and black mixed in to reduce the colorintensity. I went over this with a soft shade made of5:2:1 mid-tone:tan:midnight blue around the edgesof the flesh and in any shadows, such as the eyesand neck. This was deepened using a 1:1:1 mixtureof the first shade, charred brown and midnight blue.Shading with small amounts of blue counters thewarm orange tones of normal skin, giving a morenatural shadow. I then used a thinned mid-tone torestore the original color. Normally I highlight skinwith bonewhite, but for a more elderly look, I preferto highlight with off-white, so the first highlightwas 4:1 mid-tone to off-white. A second highlightof the first mix with a little more off-white was usedto accentuate the knuckles and paint wrinkling ontothe head. Having the face highlighted a little moreintensely helps to draw focus to it, so I finished theface with pure off-white.As an extra detail, I painted some liver spots on hisforehead and hand. Both the liver spots and lip werepainted using a 3:1:1 mix of mid-tone:tan:charredbrown, with a very small charred brown center on26 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

the spots. I only painted the lower lip; painting theupper lip as well would have ended up with Yan Lowearing lipstick (unless there is some fluff I missed,this probably would not fit with his theme). Hiseyes were painted using VMC deck tan and sincethey were quite small, I didn’t bother with irises,only little black pupils. The final touch was to paintthe nails with bronze fleshtone and charred brownin a 2:1 mix, highlighting up to pure bonewhite.Step 2: Inner Robeoverlapping layers of lines covering smaller andsmaller areas. A final highlight of the previous mix,with an equal volume of off-white, finished theeffect. The weave of the silk on the sleeves wouldbe around the arm, not horizontal, which meantpainting it in loops in order for the effect to work.A final, very diluted, wash of a black and midnightblue mix, aimed into the recesses, reinforced theshadows.Step 3: Outer RobeSince Yan Lo’s model is mostly robes, I decided topaint his inner robe as rough silk for extra interest.I started with a base coat of earth, which was thenshaded by adding in a mixture of midnight blueand black. I painted this over quite a broad area tomake the next steps work better. The mid-tone wasrepainted, not as a smooth thin layer, but as tinyhorizontal strokes. This technique doesn’t showmuch effect initially, but bear with it, as it will withadditional layers.The first highlight was done the same way usinga 4:1:1 mix of mid-tone, GW camo green and offwhite.Adding camo green gives the color changea bit more interest than just using white. Thesecond highlight was similar to the first one, witha little more camo green and off-white added. Eachlayer builds up the robe highlights as a series ofThe outer robe began as charred brown, whichwas shaded using a 4:2:1:1 mix of charred brown,black, midnight blue and GW liche purple. Themid-tone was only repainted over a small area, anda minimal highlight of mid-tone with a bit of offwhitewas painted. As a final step, I used a verydiluted wash of black with a little purple in it tosmooth the colors together and enrich the shadows,allowing me to keep the robe quite dark. NormallyI wouldn’t paint without much more contrastinghighlights, but the freehand would be bright andthe contrast would be stronger this way.The freehand began with a rough sketch in blackthat would serve as an outline for the dragon.I then filled the basic shape in with 2:1 charredbrown:bronze fleshtone. The details were put onwith bronze fleshtone, bonewhite and then offwhite,defining the pattern more each time. Toblend this together, the last step was to carefullyglaze black containing a touch of purple into thefolds of the robe over the freehand.27 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Step 4: Belt and Under-RobeStep 6: StaffThese were base-coated with a 4:1:1 mix ofwhite:black:midnight blue, then shaded twice by addingblack and a tiny amount of charred brown each time.Once the mid-tone was painted back in, I added a littlewhite to give a couple of gentle highlights. As a finaltouch, I added a simplified dark grey ten thunders logoand the symbols for Katanaka to the belt end and useda very thin black-brown wash over the whole belt. Thepaler cold color was designed to break up the otherwisevery dark and drab clothing.At this point I didn’t need to get to the inner robesanymore, so I attached Yan Lo’s arm and fixed the gapswith putty and paint.Step 5: HairYan Lo’s hair was painted with a black/off-white mixcontaining a tiny bit of midnight blue. It was thenshaded with black and highlighted by adding off-whiteto the original color, up to pure off-white. Hair oftenbenefits from a wash to blend the colors together, soa blue/black wash and quick retouch of the highlightscompleted the look.There are two main ways to paint metals on models.True Metallics (TM) are where metallic paint is usedin much the same way that normal paint is used forother areas, with dark metals for shadows and palebright ones for highlights. Non Metallic Metals (NMM)involve painting the shadows and highlights onto thesurface using only non metallic paints (for steel, this iscommonly black, blue-grey and white). NMM involvesknowing where the light would reflect from the metaland where the shadows would fall, painting smooth,but extreme highlights and shadows in those places torepresent the highly reflective surface. It is a difficulttechnique to master and typically only looks perfectfrom one viewing angle, but the understanding of lightthat it requires is useful to have. I paint metals in NMMstyle, but rather than using white to highlight, I usemetallic paints in the same way as the white would beused. In effect, the technique is TM-NMM. This givesthe metals very high contrast between the dark, nonreflectiveshadows and the bright, metallic highlights,without losing the metallic look at different viewingangles.In this case the staff began with a base-coat of 2:2:1white:black:midnight blue, and was shaded down topure black. A little chainmail silver was added to thebase-coat for the mid-tone repainting and then thehighlights were painted working up to pure chainmailsilver, trying to follow where the light would catch thestaff. The six rings were then painted to represent copper,stone, ruby, bone, jade and wood for extra interest onthe staff. Yan Lo’s bracelets were also painted as wood,bone and stone, as too much ruby and jade would lookodd (in part the because of the color combination, butalso in part because we can’t have a grumpy resser withtoo much bling).28 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Step 7: BaseStep 8: SkeletonSince the base was going to need Yan Lo positioningcarefully, I built it with him in place, then took himoff it for painting. This guarantees the model willfit on the base at the end, but makes painting botheasier. The base was just green stuff sculpted aroundthe skeleton, with sand on top and strips of plasticardfor grave markers.The underground glow began with white, then GWice blue was mixed in, then this was blended towardsGW liche purple. The color was left brightest at thebottom of the glow, and darker as it got to groundlevel. This was cleaned up with charred brown onthe surface, which was then dry-brushed with earth,khaki and bonewhite in slightly uneven layers to givethe soil variation.The wooden grave markers were painted with leatherbrown first, then grain was painted on using a mixof leather and dark fleshtone, followed by pure darkfleshtone. The text was carefully painted on withdilute black and red. Finally, patchy glazes of greenand blue-grey were used followed by a smatteredwash of brown/black to age the wood.The skeleton began as a base-coat of 2:1 charredbrown/bronze fleshtone which I shaded with purecharred brown followed by a brown/black mix. Ithen glazed in bronze fleshtone, bleached bone andoff-white to highlight the bones, painting the bonejoints on the skull for extra interest. The armor waspainted similarly to Yan Lo’s staff, but I started witha darker gray and used a blue-black for the shade tomake the iron darker than the staff. The highlightswere kept small, but again, built up to pure chainmailsilver. Rusted patches were painted on using roughlystippled charred brown, dark fleshtone and orangefire, before a black/brown wash was applied unevenlyto tarnish it further. The cloth and straps started asGW liche purple, shaded down with black to a 1:1 mix.Then I repainted the original purple and highlightedusing progressively more bonewhite until it was a 1:1ratio. I also cleaned up the base edges with black, asthe messy part was done.Step 9: GrassTo finish the base, I added tufts of grass in places.The I added long grass for variation, trimmed it andadded a mix of static grasses. Finally, I used someautumn ivy for extra tangled foliage. With the baseand Yan Lo both finished, I attached them to make thefinal step easier.29 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Step 8: Open Source LightingFor the glow effects I used the same purple/blue/whitecolors as I did on the base, but thinned heavily. Whenpainting glazes like this, your paint should look more liketinted water than paint. In a sphere around the source of thelight, and on anything that faced the light (so the bottomsbut not the tops of the bones), I painted four very thin layersof purple, letting them dry fully between each coat. I thenadded eight layers of blue in a smaller sphere leaving somepurple at the far edge of the glow. Then four layers of whitein a smaller area again focused on the nearest surfaces tothe glow. The area covered by the underground glow waslarger than the one on the hand to make it look stronger.To make the process easier, I use a mixture of additivesto slow down the paint drying and thin the color density,without making the paint watery. If you only use water todilute your glaze, you need to paint more layers with lesspaint on your brush so it barely coats the surface as youpaint; otherwise it will pool and run into recesses. Additivessuch as drying retarder, flow aid, and matte medium makethe paint easier to control. However they aren’t necessary,or even useful, if you don’t know how to make them workfor you. It takes time to learn how to get the result youwant from them. It actually took me almost six months torecover my skill when I started using just two of them! But,if you take the time to learn, they can be useful tools. Onemore thing to watch out for is that these additives can oftenturn paint very glossy, as you can see in the final OSL stages.However, this can be fixed after painting.The final step was to clean any dust off the model beforepainting it with matte varnish in order to dull any shine andprotect it a little. I choose to paint it on rather than use aspray because that makes it thick enough to survive somehandling. However, the matte coat dulls the shine, so I thenwent back over the metals, eyes and other shiny areas withgloss varnish.So there he is finished, and a lot of fun it was too. If anyonehas any questions, feel free to find me on the forum (Mako)and ask away! Also, click here for larger tutorial images.30 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

By: Dan WeberThe Never Was FilesBoris the Dancing BearFor every Malifaux model that appears in a bookthere are several that never make it past our inhouseplaytesting for one reason or another. Somehave concepts that never solidify the way we wouldlike them to once the design is tested on the table.Others work, but we find we lack room in thepage count and are forced to set them aside for afuture release. Or we find that the model fills a rolealready occupied by another model, and so on.But there are also character designs which younever see. Character concepts we might havestarted down one path with, but transformed into acompletely different idea by the end of design andtesting. One such model is the Slate Ridge Mauler.Ever wonder why the Mauler lacks a bite attack?Well, the Mauler was once called Boris…Boris, theDancing Bear.Boris was originally conceived as an additionalBeast for Marcus in Twisting Fates. His characterconcept began straightforward enough as anotheranimal transformed by its trip through the Breach.Boris was not intended as a main character, butas an ‘extra’ that fit into the background and didits job on the table. The model concept remainedfairly consistent throughout design and testing:large melee-centric bear that both slowed downand ripped through an opponent. The bear’s lackof a bite attack was a facet of the character concept:as a circus bear, Boris wore a muzzle.But somewhere along the way, bland Boris, theDancing Bear changed. A mutated dancing bearwearing a fez, vest, and muzzle seemed a littlebland. I thought about the bear’s situation andhow silly he must feel. Then a cruel inspirationstruck me. What if the Breach ignited a human’sself-awareness in the bear? How would it react toits years of captivity while wearing a ridiculouscostume night after night dancing for strangers asclownish entertainment? The result is the originalBoris bio written for Twisting Fates, which was verydifferent from the final bio we went with. Once itwas decided a clinically-depressed circus bear witha death wish was a little too over the top for evenMalifaux we transformed Boris into a species ofbear native to Malifaux: the Slate Ridge Mauler.And the rest is history.(I just think it’s because Nathan hated the fez…)Boris, the Dancing BearBlithely unaware of his situation, Boris the DancingBear was one of the star performers of YuriAndrekov’s Traveling Circus Earthside. For years,Boris traveled the countryside entertaining smallvillages and towns, used to the feel of the matchingembroidered fez, vest, and muzzle he wore duringperformances. A bit long in the tooth, he had livedas a performing bear for so long that even the scentof freedom no longer tickled his nostrils.When the circus fell on hard times the animalswere sold off one by one to other traveling showsand zoos. It fell upon Andrekov’s kind-heartedniece, Natalya, to rescue Boris from the butcher’sblock. Words like “Breach” and “the Star” meantnothing to him as Natalya helped her beloved bearsettle into the cage mounted inside a boxcar andsent him through the Breach to his new owners.Boris’ trip through the Breach had a horribly adverseeffect on the normally docile bear. It expanded hisawareness to his predicament. Crushing depressionstruck Boris. He now understood what it meantto spend so many years in captivity, serving asentertainment for crowds of laughing humans. Thebear wanted nothing more than to end the mockeryhe now called his life in an explosion of rage, anddrown the laughter in lakes of blood...31 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Original Book EntryColette knew the bear was trouble the moment shefirst saw him. She could see a deep sadness in Boris’eyes – a sadness which thinly masked the rage shecould see was ready to boil over. She felt those eyesfollowing her every movement as she inspected himin his cage. But, never once did Boris rise up andlunge at her or throw his bulk against the bars.This one, she thought, is a schemer.The Star’s stage crew was ordered to neverbe alone in the cage with Boris, even thoughthe bear followed their commands withouthesitation or resistance. Colette observed theshow rehearsals, watching the bear for theslightest sign of the rage she had observedthat first day.The bear never gave her the satisfaction.Boris knew he was being watched closely andbided his time, waiting for the day wherehe would make his last performanceone the humans would never forget…Optional Rule: Playing Boris ina Friendly Game of MalifauxPlayers who would like to use Boris in anEncounter as he was originally intended may doso by adding the Showgirl Characteristic to theSlate Ridge Mauler’s statistics in their friendlygames. This rule is not an errata to the SlateRidge Mauler, nor should it be consideredlegal in tournaments or other official Malifauxevents. However, you will need to sculpta fez onto the Mauler.32 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Malifaux Multiplayer© Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

By: Dan WeberMultiplayer MalifauxOptional Rules For Multiplayer EncountersCole had a perfect view of the killing ground fromhis vantage point in the upper story of a ruinedbuilding. Nothing would be entering or exitingthe crumbling plaza Von Schill had chosen for theambush without Cole’s eyes catching sight of it andputting a round or two through whatever passed forits skull. He could even mark the stealthy movementsof his fellow Friekorpsmen below as they moved intotheir assigned positions. The Guild escort wouldbe passing through the plaza any minute now, andeveryone wanted to be ready when the fireworksbegan.Guardsman and his horse an instant before thezombies poured into the plaza. Cole was sure heheard the Resurrectionist demand they bring himback the saddlebags he wanted, more than likelythe same saddlebags the Friekorps were enlisted toretrieve as well.Cole fired an instant later, dropping a zombie, andthen another as the Friekorpsmen rushed to join themelee that had ensued. He could almost hear VonSchill cursing their luck, but making it clear thesaddlebags were their top priority. Grinning, Colereloaded and took aim – Guild or Undead, he hadplenty of targets to choose from.Shadowy movement in a side alley drew hisattention. Cole raised his rifle up to take a betterlook at whatever it was through his scope. It couldbe a wandering scavenger, a wolf or whatever passedfor one in Malifaux…or something more serious,like a band of Neverborn. Either way, its untimelyappearance could spell disaster for Von Schill’scareful plans. Dammit, thought Cole, a shambler.He could make out the zombie’s torn and stainedclothing and rotting flesh. He waited for the zombieto fully move into the weak moonlight so he couldpoint it out to his superior but it halted instead,waiting just out of full view of anyone in the plaza.Further movement suggested there were a dozen ormore zombies there with it. But they were contentto hold where they were, as if waiting for somethingthemselves. Oh lord, Cole thought…The clatter of hooves and low murmur of voicesentered the plaza, signaling the Guild’s arrival.Guardsmen both mounted and on foot moved steadilythrough the plaza, talking amongst themselves, butkeeping a wary eye on the shadows in the plaza’sdeepest recesses. A few held weapons at the ready,but not aimed at anything in particular. Wary, butineffective.This Wyrd Chronicles article provides players therules necessary to play Encounters between threeor more Crews.Setting Up a Multiplayer EncounterPlayers should follow the Encounter Setup rules inthe Rules Manual, but with the following changes.Step 4: Choose Deployment Type:Instead of using the Deployment Chart foundin the Rules Manual players should select theDeployment Diagram (found on the followingpage) that matches the number of players in theEncounter. Players may find that when playing inlarger Encounter sizes the deployment areas areinadequate for the number of models being used.In that case, increase the table size and adjust yourDeployment Zones to accommodate your needs.For example, players may find that playing a 40Soulstone Encounter requires a 4’ X 4’ table.The first shot came not from Cole’s party, but fromthe darkened side passage. The shot illuminated afigure wearing a ridiculously tall top hat shoutingat his Undead minions. The shot felled the lead34 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Multiplayer Deployment DiagramsThree Player DeploymentTwo players measure six inches from one long boardedge to determine their Deployment Zones. The thirdplayer’s Deployment Zone is a circular section of theboard with an eight inch radius, measured from thecenter of the game board.Four Player DeploymentEach player has a triangular Deployment Zone, formedby measuring ten inches from one corner of the board.Five Player DeploymentFour players have a triangular Deployment Zone,formed by measuring ten inches from one cornerof the board. The remaining player has a circularDeployment Zone with an eight inch radius, measuredfrom the center of the game board.Six Player DeploymentFour players have triangular Deployment Zones,formed by measuring eight inches from a corner of theboard. Two players have a circular Deployment Zone,with a five inch radius. To determine the center of thecircle, measure eight inches up from a board edge, andthen eighteen inches in.35 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Step 5: Determine Strategies:Instead of using the Encounter Charts found in theRules Manual one player should flip on the followingMultiplayer Encounter Chart to determine theshared Strategy everyone will be using.Even Number of Players Odd Number of PlayersJokers Player’s Choice * Monkeywrench/Stand Fast1-3 Multiplayer Jokers Player’s ChoiceContain Power4-7 MultiplayerMaster of the Hills1-4 MultiplayerContain Power8-10 MultiplayerBeatdown5-8 MultiplayerBeatdown11-13 Multiplayer ClaimJump9-13 MultiplayerClaim Jump*In the case of an odd number of players, the playerchoosing the central Deployment Zone may choosethe Stand Fast Strategy (or, if playing a three playerEncounter, the Monkeywrench Strategy) instead offollowing the Strategy flipped for the other players.Multiplayer BeatdownVictoryAt the end of each Turn after the first, the Crew thatkilled or sacrificed the most enemy models duringthe Turn scores 1 VP up to a maximum of 4 VP.Multiplayer Claim JumpSetupIn the same order used to choose DeploymentZones each player places a 30mm Claim Markercompletely within an opposing player’s DeploymentZone. No more than one Marker may be placed ineach Deployment Zone. The Marker must be placedin such a way that any model could reach it duringthe Encounter (for example, not on the top of a rockspire only reachable by flying models).SpecialInsignificant models do not count toward theVictory condition.VictoryIf a player has more models completely within 3” ofthe Claim Marker it placed in the enemy DeploymentZone than the opponent does at the end of theEncounter, that player scores 2 VP. If the opposingplayer does not have any models completely within3” of the Claim Marker at the end of the Encounter,+2 VP.Multiplayer Contain PowerSpecialAfter Crews have been deployed each player mustnominate an opposing player using the same orderused to choose Deployment Zones. No player maybe nominated more than once.VictoryA player scores 2 VP if his or her nominatedopponent’s leaders are not in the game at the endof the Encounter. The player scores +2 VP if his orher leaders killed or sacrificed all of the nominatedopponent’s leaders.Multiplayer Master of the HillSetupPlace a hill/pyramid/ziggurat/or other applicableterrain piece in the center of the table. The top of theterrain piece must have room for at least two 50mmbases to fit while in base contact. The terrain pieceshould not be set up in such a way that no modelis prevented from moving to its top. For example,a tall pillar of rock with a flat plateau only Flyingmodels can reach should not be used as the “hill” inthis Strategy.VictoryAt the end of each Turn after the first, each playercounts the number of models he or she has withbases completely on the terrain piece. The playerwith the most models scores 1 VP. A model alone atthe top of the terrain piece counts as two models fordetermining how many models are on the terrainpiece. (For Example: you have three models on thehill at the end of turn two, and one model on top ofthe hill. Your model on top of the hill is the only onethere, so it counts as two models. In total, you countas having five models on the hill.) Alternatively, youmay use a 50mm marker instead of a hill. In thiscase, any models within 8” of the marker count asbeing on the hill, and any models in base contactwith the marker count as being on top of the hill.36 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Monkeywrench (3 players only)Hire CrewsIn a three player game, the player in the centerDeployment Zone may choose this Strategy insteadof following the Strategy flipped for the other players.This player receives an additional 5 Soulstones forhiring Minions for each full 15 Soulstones in theEncounter size. For example, in a 25 SoulstoneEncounter this player would receive +5 Soulstonesfor hiring. In a 35 Soulstone Encounter he or shewould receive +10 Soulstones.VictoryThis player scores 2 VP for each Strategy his or heropponents fail to achieve.Stand FastHire CrewsA player in a central Deployment Zone may choosethis Strategy instead of following the one flipped forthe other players, so long as there is an odd numberof players. This player receives an additional 5Soulstones for hiring Minions for each full 10Soulstones in the Encounter size. For example,in a 25 Soulstone Encounter this player wouldreceive +10 Soulstones for hiring. In a 35 SoulstoneEncounter he or she would receive +15 SoulstonesSetupPlace a 30mm Marker at the center of the table.SpecialThis player may not gain VP from the Strategyflipped by the other players. This player’s models docount toward preventing other Crews from achievingtheir Strategy goals, however. For example, if thisplayer’s Crew killed the most models during a Turnin a Beatdown no player would score the Strategy’s1 VP for the Turn.VictoryAt the end of each Turn after the first count thenumber of models each Crew has completely within12” of the table center Marker. This player scores1 VP, up to 4 VP if his or her Crew has the mostmodels.Step 7: Choose Schemes:Because of the chaotic nature of multiplayer gamesa few changes to the Schemes are necessary to keepan Encounter balanced for all players as indicatedbelow. Schemes that may be selected more than oncemay target a different Crew each time. If a changeindicates a player must choose a specific opponentfor the Scheme the player notes the opponent at thesame time as any other information he or she mustnote. The noted opponent must be announced alongwith any other secretly noted details if the Schemeis Announced.If you do not see a Scheme listed here, it remainsunchanged for Multiplayer Encounters.General SchemesAssassination: You do not receive the VP if otheropponents removed the model from play. ThisScheme cannot be selected if Multiplayer ContainPower is the Strategy.Breakthrough: This Scheme cannot be selected ifthe Stand Fast Strategy is being used.Extermination: You must choose a specific opponentfor this Scheme.Eye for an Eye: You must choose a specific opponentfor this Scheme.Frame for Murder: You must choose a specificopponent for this Scheme.Grudge: You must choose a specific opponent forthis Scheme.Hold Out: This Scheme must be announced. ThisScheme cannot be selected if the Stand Fast Strategyis being used.Kill Protégé: You must choose a specific opponentfor this Scheme.Stake a Claim: The terrain piece must be inside orwithin 6” of the opponent’s Deployment Zone.Steal Relic: You must choose a specific opponent forthis Scheme.37 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

Faction Specific SchemesArmy of the Dead: You must choose a specificopponent for this Scheme.Gather Soulstones: This Scheme must be announced.You must choose a specific opponent for thisScheme.Kidnap: You do not receive the VP if other opponentsremoved the models from play. This Scheme cannotbe selected if Multiplayer Contain Power is theStrategy.Power Ritual: In an Encounter with an odd numberof players the table center can count as one cornerof the table. The Interact Action may be performedwithin 8” of the table center.Raid!: You must choose a specific opponent for thisScheme.Round Up: You must choose a specific opponent forthis Scheme.Sabotage: The terrain piece must be completelywithin an opponent’s Deployment Zone.Master Specific SchemesFirst Blood: Replace the Victory condition with:“If the first two models in Crews removed fromthe Encounter by opposing Crews were killed orsacrificed by your Crew, you score 2 VP.”Lay These Souls to Rest: The number of enemyLeaders Lady Justice must put to rest is equal tohalf the number of players in the Encounter, roundup. For example, in a three player Encounter shewould have to lay both of the other Leaders to rest.Likewise in a four player Encounter, she would haveto lay to rest two of the other three leaders.Step 8: Deploy Crews:All players now reshuffle their Decks and flip aCard, reflipping any ties. In order from lowestvalue to highest value, each player deploys his orher entire Crew in the Deployment Zone selectedduring Step 4.Playing a Multiplayer EncounterIn general, the rules for Malifaux have been writtento accommodate a multiplayer Encounter. Forexample, the Flip for Initiative Step of the Turnalready handles more than two players. However,when a Talent or Spell requires a player target/selectthe opposing player/Crew, it is one opposing player/Crew, not every opposing player/Crew.A note on multiple Crews and simultaneouseffects: If multiple Crews’ models are affected bya simultaneous effect such as a blast or Pulse anyreactions to the simultaneous effect such as resolvingTriggers or the Slow to Die response are resolvedstarting with the acting player’s models and thenin activation order with each player resolving all ofhis or her models’ reactions before moving on. Theonly exceptions to this are responses which occur“immediately,” such as Lord Chompy Bits’ OneMaster Ability. Those responses resolve first, thenany remaining responses are resolved in activationorder.Well, what are you waiting for? Grab a few friendsand get a multiplayer Encounter going right now!38

Note: Note: If the If register your store’s at your register LGS does does not not print record product product codes, you maycodes, take you a picture may take of a the picture item next of the to item the receipt. and send All it other with informationthe receipt. © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLCMUST The be shown. receipt MUST have all other information.

In Support of the LGSBy: Justin GibbsI have been hanging out in game stores my wholelife. They have provided me a place to play thegames I love, meet new people, and generally get outof the house. But, more than any of that, they haveexposed me to a whole new world. The games whichwere introduced to me in the back rooms of gamestores have helped to shape my critical thinkingskills. The people I met there are some of the bestfriends I have. In fact, I probably would not have thecareer I do now if it wasn’t for the local game store Ihung out in as a kid.Game stores are not just important to me, personally,but to Wyrd as a company. They should be importantto any game manufacturer, but particularly to onewhich manufactures miniature games. Miniaturegames require terrain and a large amount of spaceto play, which many customers look to their localgame stores for. These games also tend to have a highbarrier to entry through cost, painting, assembly,and learning curve. The local game store provides aplace for demos and painting tutorials to be held, aswell as being a central location for hobby supplies.These things can be critical to whether or not a newplayer has a place to play our games, so the localstore is an incredibly important thing to Wyrd.and the local game store is facing fierce competitionfrom potentially cheaper suppliers. But for everygame store we lose, we also lose countless peoplewho will never be exposed to gaming as a hobby.That’s why I want to encourage you to support yourlocal store; whether you make the extra effort tostop by and play a game, buy a new crew, or justgrab a soda. Every little bit helps. However, morethan anything, I want to make the point that this isnot a moral argument; it is an argument about value.I do not spend my money at my local store becauseI want to be charitable; I spend it there because thestore is providing value which is worth paying for.Regardless of whether you work in the game industry,so long as you play games, a game store always willhave something to offer you; whether it’s a steadyflow of consistent opponents, a ready selectionof modeling and painting supplies, or just advicefrom the person behind the register about what thebest game for you would be. These establishmentsprovide a critical service to your community and tothe gaming industry as a whole. Even if you don’tfrequent them yourself, they help keep the gamemanufacturers you love in business, and odds aregood that some of your opponents might not be apart of the hobby without them.Given all of this, it always saddens me when I hearabout a game store having to close its doors. Timesare not particularly easy for anyone at the moment,40 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC

See you nexttime!!41 © Copyright Wyrd Miniatures, LLC