I'm thinking of building an Anarch deck. The 3-way cards like Loose Cannon and Diversion look like serious flexibility and Political Actions like Revolutionary Council, Reckless Agitation and Free States Rant look very tempting. And its fun to run people over with weenie/mid-cap vampires. Is it possible to build a Death Star deck (abusing Revo Council) w/o going the Assamite route (Amaravati, Alamut)?
I have no Anarch or Twilight Rebellion expansion cards so i'm hesitant to put down money on just a thought experiment.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Malk AUS wall deck
Played a G3/4 Malk AUS wall deck and got to the finals of the 13player Eden storyline at Santa Clara. Just needed to get bragging rights for not using DEM at all.
bloodsuckers in stanford
I was introduced to V:TES by the Paradigm Infinitum community back in Singapore. Back then i was burning out from warhammer 40k (god awful rules and even worse rules for the Tau) and needed a relief. Especially after June's S'porecon where Black Hand starters were given out free, there's been a resurgence in V:TES' popularity in Sg.Gee Hwan really helped me out by lending me a deck (obf Mistress Fanchion deck) and literally sitting beside me while i played.
The V:TES community there played twice a week, with a very comfortable and amazing store (the aformentioned PI) which let us use a couple of tables until midnight (!) every day. From what I heard there are two regular nights each week, Tues and Fri, where usually two full tables get used. The active community is in excess of twenty.
Having a sizeable group and frequent gaming is very critical to the life of V:TES. Frequent gaming means that decks get refreshed and new ideas explored, while size allows for a wider experience and more leads to draw new blood in. The very very open policy that PI has with regards to playing makes it incredibly easy to walk in and game without extensive pre-prep to get sufficient players. Plus it gets eyeballs (to borrow a web 2.0 term) because the tables are right in the middle of the gaming store. The players gain a secure Elysium, and the store wins because the players gives free demos and help generate new income from new players.
Why this whole story about my nostalgic past? That's because I find that situation is one that would reignite V:TES. Thankfully Ian and Brandon are trying to make the Santa Clara playgroup work by playing at Game Kastle (held the Eden storyline there couple weeks ago). On the other hand, there isn't a community here at Stanford (think there's a total of 2 players here) which is a shame considering the possible youngblood potential from the students.
I'm considering getting some 3rd Ed starter kits and some KoT and 3rd Ed starters to hold some form of demo here. Unfortunately that's expensive; want to know how PI got them Black Hand starters to give out. I will have to set up a flowchart detailing the various turn phases, combat sequences, card types (seriously confusing when i first started) etc. Need to find a regular location (bright lights, safe, lotsa tables, nearby food) on campus and some people to help with the teaching. But most importantly, i need a way to identify and pull in the interested. And eyeball-ability.
I'm thinking possibly the lounge in the Old Student Union. Plenty of chairs, tables and people walking. Plus food from the Axe and Palm.
The V:TES community there played twice a week, with a very comfortable and amazing store (the aformentioned PI) which let us use a couple of tables until midnight (!) every day. From what I heard there are two regular nights each week, Tues and Fri, where usually two full tables get used. The active community is in excess of twenty.
Having a sizeable group and frequent gaming is very critical to the life of V:TES. Frequent gaming means that decks get refreshed and new ideas explored, while size allows for a wider experience and more leads to draw new blood in. The very very open policy that PI has with regards to playing makes it incredibly easy to walk in and game without extensive pre-prep to get sufficient players. Plus it gets eyeballs (to borrow a web 2.0 term) because the tables are right in the middle of the gaming store. The players gain a secure Elysium, and the store wins because the players gives free demos and help generate new income from new players.
Why this whole story about my nostalgic past? That's because I find that situation is one that would reignite V:TES. Thankfully Ian and Brandon are trying to make the Santa Clara playgroup work by playing at Game Kastle (held the Eden storyline there couple weeks ago). On the other hand, there isn't a community here at Stanford (think there's a total of 2 players here) which is a shame considering the possible youngblood potential from the students.
I'm considering getting some 3rd Ed starter kits and some KoT and 3rd Ed starters to hold some form of demo here. Unfortunately that's expensive; want to know how PI got them Black Hand starters to give out. I will have to set up a flowchart detailing the various turn phases, combat sequences, card types (seriously confusing when i first started) etc. Need to find a regular location (bright lights, safe, lotsa tables, nearby food) on campus and some people to help with the teaching. But most importantly, i need a way to identify and pull in the interested. And eyeball-ability.
I'm thinking possibly the lounge in the Old Student Union. Plenty of chairs, tables and people walking. Plus food from the Axe and Palm.
New Brujah looking for New Carthage
This is a deck that's pretty dear to my cold undead heart. Gee Hwan helped me with its setup way back in July and i've tweaked it along the way, picking up hints and tips from VTES forums and theLasombra's TWD. My latest incarnation involves Alastor-ing Carlak (cheap Assault Rifles!) and rushing any obnoxious vamps, while Parity Shifting my prey to death. Pool gain is with Voter Cap, Minion Tap and Dmitra's blood gain special w/ Vessels.
The premise is the use of the new KoT Brujah titled Vampires to vote my prey(s) off the table, aided by New Carthage. There are excellent Bru titled vampire of 6-9 caps with funky abilities:
Tara 6 cel POT PRE Prince of San Diego
Karen Suadela 7 CEL POT pre Prince of Houston (w/ +1 stealth on undirected actions)
Carlak 8 CEL pot PRE Prince of Prague (free press and gains blood when Meths vote against referendums)
Dmitra Ilyanova 9 CEL POT PRE FOR obf Bru Justicar (+1 stealth political action to put 4 blood on 1 or more ready vamps)
With mid-cap princes and an excellent Justicar, I can pull them out earlier, get vote lock easier and 2nd Trad block early stealth bleeders before they get too painful. With New Carthage in play, usually vote lock is a done deal, along with Scalpel Tongue for the truly onerous vampires trying to Awe/Bewitching Oration their way through. New Carthage is unburnable (unlike Ventrue Directorate Assembly).
In the first draft I eschewed combat, using Majesties to get out of it, but it didn't go so well. Figured the Cel and Pot should be used and in went Torn Signposts, Immortal Grapple and Acrobatics. I remembered an early game where my pred rushed me the first time and i got out of it with Majesty. Thinking that i'm not offensive in combat, he rushed me again. This time i used TSP, IG and Acrobatics to torpor him.
Later my actions kept being blocked (especially the key Parity Shifts) and I added Forced March (for Dmitra) and Resist Earth's Grasp, which had option of a maneuver and press in combat, useful against ANI and CEL combat to force an IG.
Karen is great for getting essential PAs though (+2 stealth at base, +1 more from Resist Earth's Grasp or Creepshow Casino), while Dmitra votes to give blood and Voter Caps for pool gain. Alastor-ed Carlak rushes and 2nd Traditions to fend off my pred.
So far it works fine, but with so many moving parts it hard to get it moving consistently. POT combat is card intensive and risky, with TSP, IG and Taste of Vitae plus Acrobatics to avoid aggra poke and Resist Earth's Grasp for maneuver. Coupled with the fact that there's no Fort to prevent damage... Sideslip to prevent 1pt for 1 round (non-stackable with itself) just doesn't do it for me.
Unlike ANI where Carrion Crows and many Aid from Bats ruins TSP + presses, or Cel guns where the Concealed Weapon, .44, Blur combo is deadly to those without a maneuver plus IG. There are too many counters which are starting to appear in my playgroup: Brandon built a Ravnos ANI FOR deck that handled the deck pretty well.
Until i have new ideas for this deck i'm probably going to hold off on this deck for now. Having said that, i'm itching to build a EuroBrujah deck just to have a feel for the old school.
The premise is the use of the new KoT Brujah titled Vampires to vote my prey(s) off the table, aided by New Carthage. There are excellent Bru titled vampire of 6-9 caps with funky abilities:
Tara 6 cel POT PRE Prince of San Diego
Karen Suadela 7 CEL POT pre Prince of Houston (w/ +1 stealth on undirected actions)
Carlak 8 CEL pot PRE Prince of Prague (free press and gains blood when Meths vote against referendums)
Dmitra Ilyanova 9 CEL POT PRE FOR obf Bru Justicar (+1 stealth political action to put 4 blood on 1 or more ready vamps)
With mid-cap princes and an excellent Justicar, I can pull them out earlier, get vote lock easier and 2nd Trad block early stealth bleeders before they get too painful. With New Carthage in play, usually vote lock is a done deal, along with Scalpel Tongue for the truly onerous vampires trying to Awe/Bewitching Oration their way through. New Carthage is unburnable (unlike Ventrue Directorate Assembly).
In the first draft I eschewed combat, using Majesties to get out of it, but it didn't go so well. Figured the Cel and Pot should be used and in went Torn Signposts, Immortal Grapple and Acrobatics. I remembered an early game where my pred rushed me the first time and i got out of it with Majesty. Thinking that i'm not offensive in combat, he rushed me again. This time i used TSP, IG and Acrobatics to torpor him.
Later my actions kept being blocked (especially the key Parity Shifts) and I added Forced March (for Dmitra) and Resist Earth's Grasp, which had option of a maneuver and press in combat, useful against ANI and CEL combat to force an IG.
Karen is great for getting essential PAs though (+2 stealth at base, +1 more from Resist Earth's Grasp or Creepshow Casino), while Dmitra votes to give blood and Voter Caps for pool gain. Alastor-ed Carlak rushes and 2nd Traditions to fend off my pred.
So far it works fine, but with so many moving parts it hard to get it moving consistently. POT combat is card intensive and risky, with TSP, IG and Taste of Vitae plus Acrobatics to avoid aggra poke and Resist Earth's Grasp for maneuver. Coupled with the fact that there's no Fort to prevent damage... Sideslip to prevent 1pt for 1 round (non-stackable with itself) just doesn't do it for me.
Unlike ANI where Carrion Crows and many Aid from Bats ruins TSP + presses, or Cel guns where the Concealed Weapon, .44, Blur combo is deadly to those without a maneuver plus IG. There are too many counters which are starting to appear in my playgroup: Brandon built a Ravnos ANI FOR deck that handled the deck pretty well.
Until i have new ideas for this deck i'm probably going to hold off on this deck for now. Having said that, i'm itching to build a EuroBrujah deck just to have a feel for the old school.
F1r5t P05T!
So i decided to set up a blog catering to my passion for VTES. I started VTES earlier this year (~june 09) in Singapore, and having relocated to Stanford, I've been playing with the Santa Clara domain once every two weeks. Its a little too infrequent compared to what i'm used to back in Sg, but it fits with my crazy schedule here in school.
~ger
~ger
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