Independence limited, freedom of choice is made for you my friend.
Freedom of speech is words that they will bend.
Freedom no longer frees you.
- Metallica,
True Brujah Newsletter, February 2006
Mark Merlin Petersen, editor
hallofhadescourt@sbcglobal.net
Independence Limited
There are a lot more card-options available for the Camarilla, Sabbat
and Laibon than the Independent kindred in V: tES, but there are indeed
some options to explore. What does it mean to be independent?
"Non-Camarilla" cards
The Sabbat can use these too, so be sure to mix Trujah with !Brujah or
other Sabbat brethren.
Cardname: Covenant of Blood
Cardtype: Action
Set: Tenth, AH
Cost: 1 blood
Cardtext: Requires a ready non-Camarilla vampire with a capacity above
7.Put this card in play. Any non-Camarilla vampire may enter combat
with any Camarilla vampire controlled by another Methuselah as a (D)
action. Any vampire may burn this card as a (D) action. Camarilla
vampires get -1 stealth when attempting that action.
This card is a little too costly, conditional, and fragile to use
reliably in a True Brujah (well, in almost any) rush-deck. If most
players in a playgroup are using Camarilla, it becomes more useful, but
since it is a no-stealth action it is likely to be blocked, and not by
the minion that needs the beating. It's tough to argue that this card
could ever be better than another Bum's Rush or Haven uncovered.
Cardname: The Path of Lilith
Cardtype: Master
Set: Gehenna
Cardtext: Unique master.
Put this card in play. When a non-Camarilla vampire you control sends
an opposing vampire to torpor in combat, you may tap this card to put a
torture counter on the opposing vampire. During your untap phase, each
Methuselah who controls any vampires with torture counters burns 1
pool. Any minion may burn this card as a (D) action. Burn all torture
counters when this card leaves play.
This is another card that helps combat decks oust, but i find it hard
to justify including this in a deck instead of another copy of Fame. It
is useful in wall-ish decks that can block the burn action
consistently, but the True Brujah are not known for blocking ability
and therefore gain little use from this card.
Cardname: Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
Cardtype: Ally
Set: KMW, Gehenna
Cost: 1 pool
Cardtext: Unique changeling with 1 life. 0 strength, 1 bleed.
Mylan can untap a ready non-Camarilla vampire with a capacity above 7
as a +1 stealth action. Once each combat, he may dodge as a strike.
Mylan cannot block vampires.
Mylan is pretty amazing and is getting used a lot in the southeast
Michigan area these days. His ability to untap a large non-Camarilla
vampire is gold for decks without other ways to multi-act. The Trujah
can use The Summoning to recruit Mylan out of the library in the early
game, which can cause other Methuselahs to discard their copies of
Mylan later instead of contesting. In a Mylan-heavy environment, the
Dominate outferior of
Clio's Kiss could be used to burn pool from the contester.
"Independent"-only cards
Cardname: Banner of Neutrality
Cardtype: Reaction
Set: FN
Cardtext: Requires a ready Independent vampire.
Only usable when a Camarilla or Sabbat vampire is bleeding you. Reduce
the bleed by 1.
Here we go - an often-overlooked card that is more useful to bloodlines
than to core clans. The Followers of Set have Ecstasy and Confusion of
the Eye, the Giovanni have Dominate for bounce, the Assamites have
Aversion and Confusion of the Eye, and the Ravnos have Ignis Fatuus.
While the Trujah now have Quicksilver Contemplation for reduction, they
are notoriously bad at blood and pool management, and this card may be
a boon for that. In conjunction with QC, a Trujah can reduce a bleed by
three from a Sabbat or Camarilla vampire. Any word on Laibon errata? ;)
Cardname: Free States Rant
Cardtype: Political Action
Set: KMW, FN, Anarchs
Cardtext: Political Card -- Worth 1 Vote. Called by any Independent
vampire at +1 stealth.
Allocate X points among one or more ready vampires, where X is half the
capacity of the acting vampire (rounded up). No more than 3 points can
be allocated to a single vampire. Successful referendum means each
vampire burns 1 blood for each point assigned. In this referendum,
titles are worth 1 fewer vote each (even in the prisci sub-referendum),
and burning the Edge is worth an additional vote.
This has always been a favorite jewel of the Independent clans. The
True Brujah can be particularly vicious with it, using Presence and
their natural high-capacity to burn large amounts of blood from
opponents' vampires. Combined with nasty low-blood steal and burn
tricks such as Form of Corruption and Society of Leopold, Free States
Rant can be the cornerstone of a great Indy vote-deck
Cardname: Rise of the Nephtali
Cardtype: Event
Set: Gehenna
Cardtext: Gehenna. Do not replace until a vampire becomes a Liaison.
Requires at least one other Gehenna card in play. Any Independent
vampire may take an action to become liaison. Liaison is a unique
Independent title worth 4 votes. If this title would be contested with
a younger vampire, the younger vampire immediately yields instead of
contesting.
Another cornerstone for an Indy deck that uses votes and large capacity
vampires, this can help to insure vote-lock with clans that have little
access to votes. The True Brujah only have one ready voter in each
grouping, and if that vampire is not the star of the deck, this card
deserves some consideration. Gehenna cards are great for Al-Muntaquim
as well.
I suggest Thirst and Nightmares upon Nightmares for enabling events, as
they tend to throw a wrench in the weenie-works. If playing Trujah you
need all the help you can get against weenies.
Anarchy
Ah, anarchy. One of my favorite mechanics introduced in the last few
sets. While it is difficult to go anarch and even more difficult to win
with anarchs, I find the challenge refreshing and rewarding when it
actually works. Anarchy offers some great opportunities for the True
Brujah that should not go unexplored.
Anarch Free Press
This is an excellent way to get intercept to your True Brujah and can
be an asset to getting blood back onto them after paying for Temporis
cards.
Anarch Railroad
Stealth is strong. This can be pivotal for the Trujah, especially with
the new Trujah action-push cards Recurring Contemplation and Tangle
Atropos' Hand. An extra stealth prior to canceling the action and/or
failing a block and tapping a minion is helpful.
Anarch Revolt
An excellent way to burn pool from foe's reserves, it works best when
combined with the Parthenon, Anson, etc. for extra master phase actions
and some kind of rush-module to terminate opponent's anarchs. Nu and
the Eye of Hazimel may have found a better ousting module in this.
Anarch Salon
Bloat is a good thing, and putting blood back on the anarchs is even
better. Tribute to the Master and many Presence or Potence weenies
could combine well with this card. Just be sure to Seattle Committee
those weenies into anarchs.
Anarch Secession
The only way to go anarch with Nehemiah and Synesios, this takes some
planning and a decent stealth module for insurance. Though only titled
vampire can block it, run some Temporis action-push just to make sure.
Bear-Baiting
Pretty conditional setup for a permanent bleed: I'd rather run Heart
of the City most of the time instead. Of course, in conjunction with
Heart of the City it grants an even larger bleed, so it is worth some
consideration.
Border Skirmish
Hhhmmmmmmm. No sir. I don't like it.
Car Bomb
Nice flavor, but difficult to use. Perhaps if using Sport Bikes and
Filchware's Pawnshop to entice enemies to equip....Nah.
Cry Wolf
I don't know why I love this card, but I do. I think it's awesome,
but it's so tough to use that few even try.
Diversion
Lame for Trujah. Awesome for Assamites. If building a G3-4
Trujah/Assamite deck in an attempt to abuse the Quietus version of
Undue Influence, these may find some fit with Trujah.
Emissary
A difficult card to use effectively. It may be wallpaper.
Fee Stakes
Permanent titles that are actions instead of political actions! If
there is anything the Trujah have in surplus it is actions. Mid-cap
anarch decks with Trujah support should probably take these cards into
consideration, since Presence vote-push and Hall of Hades' Court adds
up pretty fast with a title attached.
Firebrand
A way to untap other vampires. If running True Brujah, they are likely
the largest vampires in the deck, so plan on that vampire being the
sponsor to other minions with this card. It costs yet another blood,
but could be worth it in a Domain Challenge vote.
Friend of Mine
This is a decent bleed-reduction card for vampires with Fortitude and
an even better bleed-punishment card for vampires with Obtenebration.
Combining this with Frozen Object and/or Retribution can virtually
guarantee a vampire will be sent to torpor for bleeding.
Galaric's Legacy
Being a trifle, this card makes anarchs quickly.
Gear Up
The first time I saw this card, I thought that it is much better for a
multi-acting minion than a standard minion. The Presence +1 stealth and
the Vicissitude agg-hands are much better when multiple actions can be
taken in a turn. The Trujah are great at this.
Go Anarch
It does the trick. It's better with stealth.
Groundfighting
Awesome for the Trujah for avoiding Immortal Grapple when Majesty is
the preferred strike. Also nice against Drawing out the Beast and
Terror Frenzy when the Trujah has a gun and has not yet Scorched his
Heart.
Hospital Food
Free hunt-bloat. This is a good thing.
Improvised Tactics
Not so great. Nu can use all three versions of the card, but since only
one can be played per combat it doesn't really work out.
Loose Cannon
Irrelevant to the True Brujah.
The Mole
The G2 Trujah can use it a little, but it isn't that great for them.
A Deflection is better for Krassimir and a Wake or Guard Dogs is better
for Nu.
Powerbase: Los Angeles
This is a great anarch card that parallels The Barrens with a nice
addition. I try to include it in all of my anarch decks. The Barrens
are considered strong as is, but PB: LA is gravy. Make sure it can be
stolen back if opponents choose to go anarch.
Principia Discordia
A not-as-good variant of Kiss of Lachesis when using the Auspex effect.
Better for Serpentis Trujah, but still not worth the action, most
likely. It could combine well with excess actions and Free States Rants
and Recurring Contemplations.
Rant!
An interesting card, fairly worthless to the Trujah, who have access to
Presence. However, in a metagame of heavy anti-vote such as Confusion
in My Eye and Scalpel Tongue, this card can help get that vote pushed.
Reformation
Lame for the Trujah. Krassimir steals a hunting ground: Okay. Synesios
and Nehemiah can drop corruption counters with this, but they require
the most setup to go anarch.
Seattle Committee
The rare among the "make-a-vampire-anarch" cards, it's a good
one. If one is played early then all of one's vampires can become
anarchs as the turns progress. A good play in breed decks that put many
vampires into play throughout the course of the game.
Skullduggery
Quite a lame Presence bleed, really, but the Obfuscate and Protean
effects are okay. Al-Muntaquim and Nu dig on it a little, but Undue
Influence really blows this card out of the water, providing a Presence
bleed at stealth (all Trujah have Presence at some level) that also
bloats. So this card was made obsolete for the Trujah with the release
of KMW.
Smash and Grab
Nu digs the ability to burn a pesky media outlet, that stupid Chantry,
or a retainer that has become a nuisance. Only a couple can fit into
any given deck because of the opportunity cost associated--opponents
must have targets--and are best in Rush-decks that need to eliminate
Secure Havens to get the job done.
Smoke and Mirrors
Only Nehemiah can use the Obtenebration effect of this card. I consider
the Obfuscate effect of the card fairly worthless as it cannot be used
on either of the best oust-options, and when rushing with Trujah who
have Obfuscate, how is a Smoke and Mirrors better in the deck when more
Domain of Evernight is much more useful?
Sowing Dissension
Combined with Gear up and the Trujah ability to Multi-act, this could
actually be pretty nasty, especially when combined with Recurring
Contemplation and Nu + Abombwe (it's a trifle and can pump capacity
on Protean-havin' vampires with little opportunity cost).
The Status Perfectus
This is a pretty sweet card, all-in-all. Other anarchs can give blood
to the Trujah and if they block the Trujah can fast react to thump with
that cheap Assault Rifle!
Undue Influence
I've been trying to get around the Scarce flaw/cost by using the
Quietus version of this card, but it is a fairly difficult thing to do,
actually.
Deck Name : Nu goes Nuts
Author : Mark Merlin Petersen
Description :
Nu takes several actions per turn. Of course, at least one of those
should be an Enchant-ish action to bloat and/or bring up a weenie
horde. Key actions are to get Mylan Horseed and Carlton Van Wyk early,
both to contest others and to use their useful abilities. Use the
Summoning for this. Procurers back up the Goblin/Van Wyk combo. There
is whole lot of stuff in here to help w/ Nu's blood management, but it
is still a problem at times. Try to maintain at least two procurers and
a perfectionist to keep the blood flowing.
Use Dreams to get Nu out as early as possible and then use Hourglass of
the Mind to set your hand up as perfectly as possible with inferior
Temporis. Gear up + multiple actions at +1 stealth is pretty sweet.
Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 9 average: 5.34
------------------------------------------------------------
5x Nu, The Pillar 9 POT PRE TEM ani aus pro True Bruj:2
1x Hadrian Garrick 4 obf pre Follower :2
1x Nepata 4 obf pre ser Follower :2
1x Tock 4 obf pot pre !Nosferatu:3
1x Lena Rowe 3 aus obf pre Pander:2
1x Frederick the Weak 2 pre !Brujah:2
1x Angela Decker 1 pre Pander:2
1x Antoinette DuChamp 1 cel pre Caitiff:2
Library [90 cards]
------------------------------------------------------------
Action [35]
6x Clotho's Gift
5x Enchant Kindred
2x Entrenching
5x Gear Up
2x Go Anarch
2x Heart of the City
4x Hourglass of the Mind
4x Kiss of Lachesis
1x Path of the Scorched Heart, The
3x Summoning, The
1x Undue Influence
Action Modifier [13]
5x Domain of Evernight
4x Recurring Contemplation
4x Tangle Atropos' Hand
Ally [6]
1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)
1x Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
4x Procurer
Combat [9]
1x Disengage
2x Lapse
6x Majesty
Equipment [7]
4x Assault Rifle
1x Bowl of Convergence
2x Cooler
Event [2]
2x Port Authority
Master [18]
1x Archon Investigation
1x Barrens, The
2x Blood Doll
1x Creepshow Casino
4x Dreams of the Sphinx
2x Galaric's Legacy
1x Giant's Blood
1x Jake Washington (Hunter)
1x Perfectionist
1x Powerbase: Los Angeles
2x Seattle Committee
1x Tabriz Assembly
Crafted with : Anarch Revolt Deck Builder. [Tue Feb 14 20:31:14 2006]
Deck Name : True Brujah - Toolbox
Author : Mark Merlin Petersen
Description :
This is a deck that attempts to capture the basics of playing True
Brujah. They are essentially a toolbox clan, but their methods of
attack and defense, while strong and expensive, are not the norm.
Iron Heart is useful against a vote 'n' bloat by canceling a Voter Cap.
It can also cancel a Conditioning, a Shroud of Absence, or a Seduction.
I see those all the time, myself. It actually has more use in a
competitive environment than in a casual game, which i think is cool.
Rewind Time is great PTO/lockdown actions like Sensory Deprivation
defense. I use it at the inferior Temporis effect more than the
superior. I have actually used it to reduce bleeds which would have
ousted me and come back to get the GW.
Mylan and Carlton are both amazing additions to almost any large-cap
non-Camarilla deck, but they appear here because of their ubiquitous
ness as much as anything else (for contestation).
Tangle Atropos' Hand is an amazing offensive card for the Trujah.
Combined with some Domain of Evernight and Recurring Contemplation
Synesios should be able to burn some Wakes and push those actions
through.
Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 9 average: 5.82
------------------------------------------------------------
3x Synesios 8 POT PRE TEM obf ser 2 votes True Bruj:2
1x Nu, The Pillar 9 POT PRE TEM ani aus pro True Bruj:2
1x Ian Forestal 8 AUS DOM THA !Tremere:2
1x Krassimir 7 POT TEM dom nec pre True Bruj:2
1x Ezekiel, Lord of M 6 PRE SER obf pot Follower:3
1x Sir Henry Johnson 4 aus pot pre Toreador:3
1x Michael Luther 4 aus pre Toreador: 4
1x Lena Rowe 3 aus obf pre Pander:2
1x Frederick the Weak 2 pre !Brujah:2
1x Angela Decker 1 pre Pander:2
Library [90 cards]
------------------------------------------------------------
Action [19]
6x Clotho's Gift
6x Enchant Kindred
1x Form of Corruption
2x Frozen Object
2x Heart of the City
2x Hourglass of the Mind
Action Modifier [17]
8x Domain of Evernight
4x Recurring Contemplation
5x Tangle Atropos' Hand
Action Modifier / Reaction [2]
2x Quicksilver Contemplation
Ally [6]
1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)
1x Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
4x Procurer
Combat [9]
1x Disengage
7x Majesty
1x Mask Empathy
Equipment [5]
4x Cooler
1x Sport Bike
Master [19]
1x Archon Investigation
8x Blood Doll
1x Creepshow Casino
2x Direct Intervention
1x Dummy Corporation
1x Emergency Preparations
1x Giant's Blood
1x Retribution
2x Sudden Reversal
1x Tabriz Assembly
Reaction [10]
2x Iron Heart
4x Rewind Time
4x Wake with Evening's Freshness
Retainer [3]
1x J. S. Simmons, Esq.
1x Mr. Winthrop
1x Tasha Morgan
Crafted with : Anarch Revolt Deck Builder. [Sun Feb 26 23:27:58 2006]