How does that Ranged Stike Sequence work again?

Ranged Strikes and Shooting into Melee

So, we have some new players starting to pick up Malifaux in our local group. This is an exciting time as I get to watch a whole new group of people get excited about the game and start to grow in their understanding of the rules. Its also a really helpful time as both an Experienced player and a Henchman. New Players come to the game with fresh eyes and specifically without the baggage that those of us who have played for more than 18 months have. They question things and get confused about parts of the fairly complicated rules in Malifaux. Now, I want to remind everyone that Malifaux can be a complex game as you play more. It falls very solidly into the "Easy to Learn, Hard to Master" style of game, even when compared to other Miniature War Games. The basics are very straight forward and you can play a good dozen or so games with just understanding the basics. Then you start to add the not-so-basic rules in and look at the complexities that come with creating combo's. Inevitably, a Malifaux player eventually builds up a strong set of combos, complexities, and tricks which add to the basics, then they run into a question that stumps them. I have found that some of these questions tend to be around mechanics in the game which seem to be very simple, but can have added complexity when fully explored. To be fair, my experience is this almost always comes after hearing a newer player say something along the lines of:

"That seems a bit unfair, is there some way I can use the rules to make that combo stop working that way?"

I often want to remind those players that Malifaux is a game of complex combo's. Sometimes those combo's seem unfair but as you spend time analyzing them they become more of a challenge or puzzle. I firmly believe there is nothing in the game of Malifaux that cannot be mitigated or overcome by something else in the game.

With that said, a lengthy discussion erupted recently about how the Ranged Strike Sequence works when shooting into a melee. Specifically, our local player could not wrap his head around the fact that the randomization of the shot onto a model in melee but outside LOS did not invalidate the shot. With that said, I did my homework and pulled out the whole sequence from the rules manual. I figured it might be helpful to share this with other players who read the blog, especially those who are newer player.

With that said, its off to the Rules Manual!!!

Strike Sequence (pg 42 in book)
1. Declare Target, then Check Range
2. Strike Duel
    a. Flip starting attack and defense totals
    b. Change Starting Totals or Pass
    c. Determine Final Duel Totals
    d. Declare Triggers
    e. Determine Success
    f. Apply Duel Results

RM Description: (pg 42)

A model must be within the attacker's LOS to be declared the target of a Strike. If there are no Targets within the attacker's LOS, the Strike fails. A model cannot target itself with a strike.

Once the target in LOS has been declared the target of the Strike, ensure that the target is in range by measuring the distance between the two models. All range measurements in Malifaux are made from the attacking model's base edge to the closest point on the target mode's base edge. If the distance is shorter than or equal to the attack's Rg, the target is in range; proceed to 2. Strike Duel below. Otherwise, the target is out of range, is not a legal target, and the Strike fails.

So, if we break that down and take it step by step, it goes as follows:

Step 1 - Declare Target, Then check Range.

For this step we can go to page 14, under the heading Declaring a Target. When I get there is says:

When an effect requires a target, the following should be determined in order:
1. First, check that the item in question is in the targeting model's LOS.
2. Then, check for any special situations that may allow or precent the item to be targeted.
3. Finally, check for talents/Spells that may allow/prevent targeting.

Lastly, we have a special situation for targeting called Firing into Melee on page 44. Its says:

Models may make ranged Strikes and CAst ranged attack spells into melee combat. Because the combatants in a melee are not standing still during the first, blah blah blah

The attacker declares the target of the ranged attack, and then flips one Fate card for the target and each model in the target's melee range as well as any enemy models engaged with the target, regardless of LOS to those models. Flip two fate card for models with a ht of 3 or more. The model with the lowest value card becomes the new target of the attack. In the case of models tied for the lowest card, the attacking model may choose its target from those tied models.

So the "Firing into Melee" sequence would be:

1. Identify the original target is in Melee combat
2. flip a fate card for each model in the melee range and any enemy models engaged with the target
3. Target changes to model identified by the lowest fate card
4. continue on

So, now we have a larger sequence that goes as such:

1. Declare Target, then Check Range
    1a. Declare Target
        1a1. First, check that the item in question is in the targeting model's LOS.
        1a2. Then, check for any special situations that may allow or prevent the item to be targeted.
            1a2a. Identify the original target is in Melee combat
            1a2b. flip a fate card for each model in the melee range and any enemy models engaged with the target
            1a2c. Target changes to model identified by the lowest fate card
            1a2d. continue on
        1a3. Finally, check for talents/Spells that may allow/prevent targeting.
    1b. Check Range
2. Strike Duel
    a. Flip starting attack and defense totals
    b. Change Starting Totals or Pass
    c. Determine Final Duel Totals
    d. Declare Triggers
    e. Determine Success
    f. Apply Duel Results

Ok, lets see if we can put this whole deal into practice, and toss in a couple special rules. Everyone seems to like picking on Hamelin the Plagued since the UK Masters, so lets keep with that. Hamelin has the following special rule:

Hamelin's Rule:
Bully: This model cannot be targeted by Ht 1 or Insignificant models.

So, a Fire Gamin (ht 1) shooting a tot in melee with Hamelin would go like this:

1. I want to shoot the Tot
    1a. I still wanna shoot the Tot
        1a1. I have LOS to the Tot
        1a2. Damn, the Tots in Melee
            1a2a. Yup, he's in melee with Hamelin
            1a2b. Flip Flip damn, I flipped lowest for Hamelin
            1a2c. Now I'm shooting Hamelin
            1a2d. Ok, lets shoot Hamelin
        1a3. Damn, Hamlin's a bully and I can't shoot him
    1b. Screw this, it doesn't matter any more... I just blew an AP
   

 And that it. I know its a lot to digest but this really ends up happening very quickly.