True Brujah January 2006 Newsletter Mark Merlin Petersen, editor mpeterse@oakland.edu Linguistic corrections/addendum to previous newsletter: Ariokko was kind enough to correct my linguistic misuse of "Al" as an abbreviation for "Al-Muntaquim" and "Ibn" for "Ibn Khaldun". It is the equivalent of using "The" and "Son of" in English as monikers. Those interesting in the linguistic background can check some of these links that Ariokko supplied to me. Al-Muntaquim is one of the 99 names of Allah! http://www.iberr.org/names/almuntaqim.htm http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/ibnkhaldun/ This month I'll check out the last of the new Group 4 True Brujah and then explore the old Bloodlines Temporis cards. Finally I've put together a little something to help keep blood on your True Brujah, because that is no small feat. Card Name: Ibn Khaldun, Scholar Cardtype: Vampire Set: LoB Sect: Independent Clan: True Brujah Group: 4 Capacity: 7 Discipline: for POT PRE TEM Cardtext: During your discard phase, Ibn Khaldun may burn a blood to untap. He cannot use cards that require Celerity. Scarce. Ibn Khaldun is a great, basic True Brujah. He doesn't have much aside from all the in-clan disciplines at superior, but his inferior Fortitude is a breath of fresh air. Damage prevention has long been a problem for the clan, but with Ibn Khaldun and Al-Muntaquim, more efficient transient combat strategies are possible. I'm talking about damage prevention plus Disarm, with Decapitate on the side. Ritual of the Bitter Rose can refill the striking vampire after such a brutal move. Also, Masochism can help to pay for expensive Temporis cards. He's a veritable untap machine with his special and discipline-spread. He can use Freak Drive, Domain of Evernight, and Clotho's Gift for minion-phase untaps, but what to do with all of those actions? A toolbox- or rush- deck will perform better, as both votes and bleeds can only be performed but once per turn. Iron Glare is a good card for a toolbox build featuring superior Potence and Presence, as it doubles as vote- and bleed-boost. The special untap is a little different. Because it happens during the discard phase, it encourages reaction and blocking instead of more action cards. Rewind Time can only be used by an untapped vampire to cancel a master card (can't WWEF w/ no action because it's a reaction card). Deck construction centered on Ibn Khaldun will do well to be toolboxy indeed. Excellent actions for Ibn Khaldun to use when multi-acting include: Heart of the City, Masochism (can be stacked), Ablative Skin (can be stacked), Restoration, Enchant Kindred, Entrancement , The Summoning, Mind Numb, Rampage/Goblinism, Kiss of Lachesis, Hourglass of the Mind (good for toolboxy builds), Frozen Object, Aranthebes the Immortal, Kaymakli Barrier, Jack of Both Sides, and Rastacourere. Temporis, Part II: Ye Olde Schoole Cardname: Clio's Kiss Cardtype: Action Set: BL Cost: 1 blood Discipline: Dominate/Temporis Cardtext: +1 stealth action. [dom] (D) Burn 1 pool from a Methuselah who is contesting a card with you. [tem] Exchange any card in your hand for any non-master, non-unique library card in your ash heap. [TEM] (D) Choose a vampire card another Methuselah is contesting with you. That Methuselah yields that copy. If there are no other Methuselah's contesting the vampire, place your copy of the vampire face up in your controlled region, untapped. All: Recursion is a good thing for any deck built with toolbox-principles in mind. Discard cards that are not necessary and then fish them out of the ash heap when they become necessary. This is not as useful for Nehemiah because of his amazing cycle-special. The inferior Temporis ability of this card can get a crucial card that has already been played back to use as needed (Form of Corruption comes to mind for Synesios/Nehemiah decks). The Dominate outferior and Temporis superior are not as useful unless contestation is a given and not a random event, in other words the deck plan is to contest cards. This is only useful when stealing other vampires via Graverobbing or contesting unique locations or equipment. While is it possible to pull an extra copy of some unique equipment integral to an opponent's strategy out of their ash heap via Kiss of Lachesis, it may never come into play and unreliability is bad in a game with limited resources. Nehemiah, Krassimir, and Ian Forestal: The only sure-fire applications for the outferior and superior versions of this card I can think of are Political Seizure and possibly Graverobbing (if the stolen vampire is a "star" and is necessary for the deck). Krassimir and Ian have Dominate and Potence and Nehemiah possesses Obtenebration and Potence, so they work well with Lasombra and can use the Political Seizure and/or Entombment/Graverobbing angle. Cardname: Clotho's Gift Cardtype: Action Set: BL Cost: 1 blood Discipline: Obfuscate/Temporis Cardtext: +1 stealth action. [obf] Move the top vampire from your crypt to your uncontrolled region. [tem] Move 2 blood from the blood bank to a younger vampire in your uncontrolled region. [TEM] Put this card on this acting vampire. Beginning with your next turn, once during each of your minion phases, this vampire can burn 1 blood to untap. All: This card is a staple in most True Brujah decks because of its great utility. An extra permanent untap means that some cards slots normally devoted to action modifiers used to act multiple times in a turn can be trimmed down, increasing deck efficiency. The cycle-able pool gain/free influence inferior version adds to the card's usefulness. Combined with Enchant Kindred, this card makes up the standard True Brujah "proactive pool defense" module. Perfectionist makes the combo cost one less blood when any of the actions are unblocked with no reaction cards played. Krassimir, Al-Muntaquim: These two vampires do not have superior Presence and therefore do not gain as much from the Enchant/Clotho's module. Al-Muntaquim's inferior Obfuscate helps to bring more vampires out for other Trujah to Enchant, however. Synesios: Synesios can play all three versions of this card and superior Enchant Kindred, and there fore gains the most utility out of the aforementioned proactive pool defense module. Cardname: Frozen Object Cardtype: Action Set: BL Discipline: Serpentis/Temporis Cardtext: +1 stealth action. A Methuselah can have only one Frozen Object in play. [ser] (D) Look at a Methuselah's hand and burn all equipment cards found there. [tem] Put this card on the acting vampire. If this vampire successfully blocks a (D) action, you may burn this card to do 2 unpreventable damage to the acting minion before combat begins. [TEM] Put this card in play. You may burn this card when a bleed against you is successful to do 2 unpreventable damage to the acting minion (inflicted after the action is complete). All: This can be an excellent pool defense card, which the Trujah sorely need. In combination with the Retribution promo, five unpreventable damage can be done to a minion who has successfully bled. Nehemiah: If Nehemiah becomes an anarch, this card can be used with the Obtenebration version of Friend of Mine to punish vampires who are bleeding. He can also use the Serpentis version against an equipment-heavy deck to burn cards. This is best used when the opponent's hand has been seen already via some invasive cards such as Prophecies of Gehenna. Synesios: Synesios can also play the Serpentis version of the card against equipment decks. Nu & Ian: Nu and Ian have a significantly better chance to block actions than most of the other True Brujah because of their access to Auspex for intercept, and therefore the inferior Temporis version of this card is of more use to them. Nu can take the action, burn a blood to untap, and remain untapped to play reaction cards and/or block and do unpreventable damage with Frozen Object. Both Ian and Nu can see an opponent's hand with an Aura Reading, Revelations, or Owl Companion, and Ian can use the Serpentis version to flush any equipment out afterward. Cardname: Kiss of Lachesis Cardtype: Action Set: BL Cost: 1 blood Discipline: Serpentis/Temporis Cardtext: +1 stealth action. [ser] (D) Burn a retainer or a non-unique equipment card. [tem] (D) Burn a retainer, ally or non-unique equipment card. [TEM] Move a non-unique equipment card from any Methuselah's ash heap to this vampire. If the equipment card comes from your ash heap, pay half the cost (round down), otherwise no cost is paid. All: A common card for Trujah decks, for an Assault Rifle only costs two pool if fished from the ash heap. The inferior Temporis version of the card is of value in an ally-heavy environment, and having an assault rifle should dissuade those War Ghouls from getting too frisky to begin with. Also, retainers and equipment are fairly common and sometimes important to a deck's design, so the card is both cycle-able and effective at throwing a wrench into a foe's machinery. Synesios & Al-Muntaquim: These two have the Obfuscate to put stealth on the action and can use Disguised Weapon to get that Assault Rifle in an emergency. Cardname: Domain of Evernight Cardtype: Action Modifier Set: BL Discipline: Obfuscate/Temporis Cardtext: [obf] +1 stealth. [tem] If this action is blocked, all damage done to vampires in the resulting combat is aggravated. [TEM] Only usable when an action is successful. Untap this acting vampire. A vampire can play only one Domain of Evernight at superior each turn. All: This is probably the best Temporis card available. The inferior version is as good as a superior Dawn Operation, and the superior version is as good as an inferior Forced March. This card is great in a "bruise and [whatever ousts: vote, bleed, etc.]" style deck, as when the [whatever] gets blocked, this card at inferior and Lapse make a great aggravated wounds package. Synesios & Al-Muntaquim: These two gain the added benefit of being able to cycle this card for stealth with their Obfuscate, making it yet more efficient. Ibn Khaldun & Al-Muntaquim: These two have Fortitude OOC, and can use Freak Drive or Dawn Operation when this card is canceled by some effect to still untap or make damage in the resulting combat aggravated. Since they both have Fortitude these cards could be included for support vampires without Temporis to achieve similar effects. Cardname: Lapse Cardtype: Combat Set: BL Cost: 2 blood Discipline: Potence/Temporis Cardtext: Only usable before range is determined. [pot] This vampire gets +2 strength this round. [tem] The opposing minion cannot maneuver this round. [TEM] The opposing minion cannot strike during the initial strike phase this round (other strike resolution effects are not affected). All: The only Temporis combat card, Lapse is another prominent card in True Brujah decks. The superior version is one of the last sure-fire ways to beat S:CE with the recent addition of cards that cancel grapples like Disengage and Fae Contortion. Any Temporis combat deck will have several copies of this card, but the cost is high, and Taste of Vitae is necessary to recoup, so hit hard. Ibn Khaldun and Al-Muntaquim: Again with the Fortitude! These two enjoy Lapse even more than other True Brujah. Access to damage prevention and heavy Potence strikes enables cards like Disarm and Decapitate. Nehemiah: Nehemiah can play Typhonic Beast at superior, as well as Skin of the Adder and Grasp of the Serpent. Using Lapse on the first round to guarantee the first hand strike with GotP (at +2 with TB and SotA), Nehemiah can continue to play Grasp throughout the combat, and his pile of presses should knock his opponent into torpor. Of course, this combo costs five blood on the first round, and so isn't the greatest idea without copious amounts Taste of Vitae in-hand to handle the cost. Cardname: Internal Recursion Cardtype: Reaction Set: BL Cost: 1 blood Discipline: Presence/Temporis Cardtext: Only usable by a vampire who successfully blocks. [pre] This blocking vampire can end combat as a strike during the resulting combat. If he or she does so and the acting minion is an ally or a younger vampire, this blocking vampire untaps. [tem] This blocking minion sets the range for the first round of the resulting combat. Skip the Determine Range step for that round. [TEM] The acting minion doesn't untap during his or her next untap phase. All: The True Brujah are not known for their ability to block actions. However, in a deck that taps opponents' minions with Mind Numb or other cards, this can be a decent reaction-based complement. The outferior version is actually excellent for older vampires with inferior Presence who are going to block actions (say, Helena), as Majesty only gives an untap with superior Presence. Nehemiah: Nehemiah has some transient intercept options with his inferior Obtenebration, and the ability to set range can be advantageous with the many "only useable at long range" Potence and Obtenebration strikes available to him. Also, Disarm and Pulled Fangs are only useable at close range. Krassimir: Krassimir's inferior Necromancy isn't great for intercept, but she can still play Divine Sign and if she becomes an anarch, Friend of Mine. See above for range-setting goodness. Nu & Ian: Again I am forced to lump these two together because they have the best intercept possibilities of the bunch. Auspex and access to Animalism for Raven Spies gives them the best chance to block actions, and Nu can take an action and untap to be ready for defense with his special to play "Iron Man" V:tES. Cardname: Rewind Time Cardtype: Reaction Set: BL Cost: 2 blood Discipline: Presence/Temporis Cardtext: [pre] Reduce a bleed against you by 1. [tem] Cancel an action card as it is played. That card has no effect (the acting minion is not tapped). [TEM] Cancel a non-out-of-turn master card as it is played during any other Methuselah's master phase (usable by a ready, untapped vampire even though there is no action). That master card has no effect. No cost is paid. The Methuselah who played that card gains another master phase action. All: This is one of the more powerful Temporis cards. Being able to cancel a master card is simply huge. Most decks are carefully constructed and only contain certain amounts of master cards, chosen from the 359 (non-out-of-turn) available in the game to perform specific tasks. Canceling one or more of them can crush an opponent's chance at ousting or surviving. The inferior version is also excellent when an opponent is playing pesky actions like Sensory Deprivation. I used this card twice the other day to prevent my prey from ousting my grand-prey w/ Govern the Unaligned. Expensive, but I managed to oust him before he could get my grand-prey. The outferior version is underpowered and overcosted. It is useful in a dire situation, but I would never place it in a deck with the intent to use only the Presence version. Synesios: His special allows use of Sudden Reversal and Rewind Time to completely shut down the opposition's master phases. Bleeding the Vine is a nice addition to this type of deck. Blood Management The True Brujah are known to squirt blood for Temporis cards like a bloated tick that's been squeezed in a vice. Keeping the Trujah healthy is not an easy prospect and it requires quite a few deck slots. Taking extra actions often takes its toll in blood. Luckily, there are many options available. Master Cards Blood Doll You were using this one anyway, right? Quite possibly the most-often played card in the entire game, Trujah often need to be given blood instead of feeding their controller. Giant's Blood The one-shot refill. This card can turn a game from rags to riches in a single swift motion. It's excellent in combination with Hourglass of the Mind. Empty a vampire by spending blood on hourglass counters, and then refill them with Giant's Blood. Playing it early is possible with the Trujah due to their blood-spending ways, and it can stymie an opponent who was counting on a late-game GB. Jake Washington (Hunter) Jake is a pretty cool dude. He hangs out at your pad, plays Doom and eats all of your Doritos, but when the shit hits the fan he puts four blood on a empty Trujah for you, and he can be thrown in front of an action if necessary. Some Methuselahs forget that Jake is an ally and toss a no-stealth ousting action at you while your defenses are down, and Jake proves his worth even more. Four blood happens to put the vampire in Entrenching range as well. Gird Minions This is a strange card to include in a deck, but if the deck's pool engine is non-master based, it can afford the slots. Trujah have excellent pool gain options with Clotho's Gift and Enchant Kindred, so this card can be used after Nu et al sponser younger fodder for the battlefields. Life in the City This card is another fantastic addition to a True Brujah deck. Gaining a blood to vampire can put it in range for an Entrenching to gain yet more, or enable them to take the ousting action to gain six pool and a VP. Since it is a trifle, after constructing the skeleton of a deck, check the size and master slots. I usually add about a third as many trifles as normal masters (e.g. 6 trifles for 18 masters, 4 for 12, etc) and it seems to work out for me. Beware out-of-turn masters, as they can interrupt the trifle card-flow, and should be counted against the available master slots prior to adding trifles (e.g. 12 masters and 2 out-of-turn masters is actually 10 masters for the purpose of adding trifles instead of 14, and only 3 trifles should be added) Try your own combinations, and try to make some room for trifles like this one; they can make all the difference during a game. If you are playing with Blood Dolls, this card may as well read: "Gain a pool and gain another master phase action." Hunt "Accelerators" Inbase Discotek, Frankfurt and other plus-blood hunt-help is welcome in a True Brujah deck to help regain blood lost to Temporis cards. Archetypes Curmudgeon will help in a blocky true Brujah build, and Perfectionist is a multi-acting vampire's ally. Tabriz Assembly This one is a no-brainer. It is a free master card that will at the very least increase hand-size for a turn. If opponents allow it to stay on the board it will prove it's worth every single turn. Minion Cards Hunt "Accelerators" Again, hunt help is a good thing. Aaron's Feeding Razor and other hunt-help will keep the Trujah able to pay for expensive card-combinations like Clotho's Gift, untap with a permanent Clotho's Gift, Enchant Kindred, which also moves four blood to a younger vampire in the uncontrolled region. Voter Captivation Access to Presence is great for refilling the True Brujah, but getting political actions to referendum and referendums to pass can be difficult. The new cards Tangle Atropos' Hand and Recurring Contemplation should help in the former, and Presence vote push from Awe and Bewitching Oration the latter. Iron Glare also shines in this department. Taste of Vitae Every single Trujah has superior Potence, so a few Torn Signpost and Immortal Grapple can combine with this card to replenish blood-supply. Long-range strikes like Stunt Cycle and Thrown Sewer Lid are also excellent when combined with this card. The Trujah access to Assault Rifles at a minor cost of two pool is possibly the best combination with Taste of Vitae, as it gives a maneuver, four ranged damage, and a bloat package. Adding in Lapse for target acquisition during the fight is the final trump. Entrenching Most of the Trujah have high enough capacity that this action is worth it for them. Nu can fill back up from four blood with a Perfectionist and Entrenching, and from zero with the addition of Jake Washington. Forgery Often underrated, Forgery can be used in combination with Iron Glare and Perfectionist to bleed for three and gain the acting vampire two blood. Not bad at all. Deck Name : Felonies and Misdemeanors Author : Mark Merlin Petersen Description : Ibn Khaldun is the star of a bleed-fest that uses Iron Glare, Aire of Elation and/or Heart of the City to pump bleeds to the threshold of Archon Investigation, but no further. Allonzo or a random Settite then plays Enticement to further frustrate your prey. Recurring Contemplation is great to frustrate younger blocking minions and can be cycled against any younger minion on the board if you are unlucky enough to be bleeding Saulot. Change of Target and Spying Mission are included for responsible bleeding. Use the Stranger Among Us to get either Ibn Khaldun or Allonzo if they are absent from the opening crypt. There is also some crypt-pumping tech available to Ibn Khaldun with Clotho's, and multi-action is possible through that card and Domain of Evernight. The other minions can also Clotho's to find new vampires for end-game. Enchant Kindred can be used in a pinch for pool gain. To make the deck more focussed in it's endeavors, drop the reactions entirely and add more of the actions and modifiers. The Obfuscate skills are for Ibn Khaldun and Reverend Djoser Jones and the Presence is for Allonzo (so that he can play Majesty). The combat section is also token and could probably be dropped significantly if not entirely for more offensive actions. Alter to your taste. The arsons are for &$%ing media outlets. :) Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 2 max: 7 average: 5.34 ------------------------------------------------------------ 3x Ibn Khaldun, Schol 7 POT PRE TEM for True Bruj:4 2x Allonzo Montoya 6 OBF SER ani aus Abominati:3 2x Ankh-sen-Sutekh 6 PRE SER obf Follower :4 2x Zhenga 5 SER obf pre Follower :4 1x Sahira Siraj 4 obf ser tha Follower :4 1x Reverend Djoser Jo 3 pre ser Follower :4 1x Hanna Redmonds 2 obf tha Caitiff:3 Library [90 cards] ------------------------------------------------------------ Action [25] 2x Arson 4x Clotho's Gift 2x Enchant Kindred 7x Enticement 2x Entrancement 7x Forgery 1x Heart of the City Action Modifier [29] 2x Aire of Elation 3x Change of Target 3x Cloak the Gathering 3x Domain of Evernight 2x Elder Impersonation 3x Faceless Night 3x Iron Glare 3x Lost in Crowds 3x Recurring Contemplation 4x Spying Mission Combat [9] 1x Disengage 8x Majesty Master [17] 5x Blood Doll 3x Life in the City 4x Obfuscate 2x Perfectionist 1x Presence 2x Stranger Among Us, The Reaction [10] 4x Ecstasy 2x Rewind Time 4x Wake with Evening's Freshness Crafted with : Anarch Revolt Deck Builder. [Tue Jan 10 21:25:04 2006]