Assamite Clan Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 3 (July and August 1999) Written by Todd Banister Review of Last Month: Before I begin this month's newsletter, I just want to say that I apologize for having to combine the months of July and August together. DragonCon and moving out of my apartment dominated most of my free time. But do not think that I have not been busy on the Assamite front. I have found several new ways to use the assassins and will be unveiling the ideas over the next couple of months. One of the most educational experiences I have had while playing the Assamites came while attending DragonCon this year. I debated long and hard on what to play for the tourney. I finally decided to have fun rather than to go all out for VPs. I played a modified version of the Information Assassins deck. I came away with no VPs but in each game had my prey down to just a few pool. Ah, so close! The main damage that was done to me in two of the three games were by being on the wrong end of several Kine Resources Contested. Grumble. Grumble. We will have to find a way to stop that. One of the coolest things that happened was seeing everyone's faces when my first assassin came popping out. It was definitely a look of a deer in headlights. This confirms my earlier ideas that if used correctly, the clan can inspire terror in other players. But no matter how I fared in combat (which was excellent by the way) it was readily apparent that the clan lacks punch in other areas. The Assamites have to bleed for more than one per action and they have to have some political defense. In the last newsletter I included the deck called 'Combat Whores!' For whatever reason I did not have very good luck at all with this deck. I increased the copies of Thetmes in the crypt to four and still could not get to him without transferring two more times for new vampires. The main idea behind the deck (Thetmes with Covenant of Blood) just took to long to set up for our group. Sometimes the law of averages just will not work with a given deck no matter how hard you try. Just ask David Davila about his Beast deck when you get a chance if you want proof. I still love the concept of the deck and I am planning on rebuilding it from the ground up sometime. Once I get it working the way I envisioned, I will repost it here in the newsletter. Main Discussion of August - The Presence of the Assamites I stated in the last newsletter that this section was to be the continued discussion of combat. After participating in DragonCon's tourney, I have decided to push this off until another month. This month's main discussion is on the defense of the Assamites. Well, sort of. Two of the biggest problems that I continue to run into are the lack of political muscle and the inability to bleed for more that a pool or two. At first glance there does not seem to be much hope to correct the lack of political influence. The Assamites only have two inherent votes within the clan and these come at a high price (Thetmes). Creating permanent votes for the clan can be a very daunting task. The best chance of becoming a Prince comes with the card Praxis Seizure: Istanbul. When you call this vote, each of your Assamites gain an additional vote during this political action just like a Camarilla clan calling its Justicar vote. But even before one of the Assamites can attempt to become the Prince of Istanbul, they must pass the political action Revocation of Tyre due to the clan being independent. You can get around the independent clan drawback by equipping with a Writ of Acceptance but this will only grant Camarilla status to one vampire instead of the entire clan. The road to being a Prince is definitely not an easy one for the Assamites. So how are the Assamites supposed to pass these two political actions when only two assassins (Melek and Husamettin) have minor presence? You could use Bribes as a way to gain a pool and hope that the other greedy Methuselahs will vote in favor. Another way is to call a favorable vote that everyone would like (i.e. Rumor's of Gehenna) and then Cryptic Rider them through. You could use Legendary Vampire to gain two extra votes and a permanent plus two bleed modifier but unless you can protect the card it is not going to stick around very long. Without a doubt, the best card the Assamites have in the voting arena is Alamut. Alamut's card text says: "If an Assamite you control successfully bleeds another Methuselah, put the pool lost by that Methuselah on this card. During a political action, you may burn X blood from this card to give a minion you control X votes for that action." I will freely admit that before I started playing exclusively the Assamites I used to look at this card and say what's the big deal? Now I know. I can safely say that Alamut may be one of the most important cards for the clan. Don't believe me? There are a couple of important points regarding Alamut's card text that I need to talk about. The blood on Alamut continues to increase each and every time you bleed any Methuselah. And if you have your bleeds bounced to another Methuselah? So what. Put some more counters on Alamut and strike again. In most of my Assamite decks I am bleeding my prey each and every turn with several minions. By the end of the game I will have ten to twelve blood on Alamut without even trying. If you get a bigger bleeder out you will have more counters on Alamut that you know what to do with. Another important point to Alamut is that you must select a single minion to get the votes. Make sure that you are not in danger of falling prey to a Pulling Strings, Demonstration or such. And do not be so quick to cast your votes right away. Use the threat of casting the votes instead. This is absolutely crucial to getting the most out of the card. If you cast all of your votes from Alamut quickly and then a Delaying Tactics gets played your votes are lost forever. A minor drawback to Alamut is that you cannot use any counters during a blood hunt due to the blood hunt not being a political action. But then again how many times do your Assamites commit diablerie? So what do you do with all of these votes? Even if you do not spend any of the blood counters you are still coming out ahead of the game. Over the past three months I cannot tell you how many times I have been on the wrong end of a Kine Resources Contested just because I had no votes and couldn't do anything about it. That is a lot of wasted pool. If Alamut protects you from just one pool loss over a course of a game the card has paid for itself except for the master phase action it took to play it. With Alamut included in your deck you will be able to slip in cards like Banishment, Kine Resources Contested, Conservative Agitation, Dramatic Upheaval, and Consanguineous Boon just to name a few. The Assamites will never be able to vote like the Ventrue or the Toreador but with Alamut they will be able to hold their own. Going hand in hand with Alamut is the presence skill. Now your minions can bleed for more than one and add numerous counters to Alamut each action. Presence offers a way for Melek to bleed for three each action with just a Legal Manipulation. Add a presence skill card and an Aire of Elation and now Melek can bleed for five without any extra retainers or laptops. Now that's some hefty blood counters for Alamut! If you can get superior presence on your Assamites, then other abilities like stealing allies and gaining pool become available. And remember that both of the Assamites that have presence also have major obfuscate to get past any potential blockers. Another great card for the Assamites is Disarming Presence, which will tap any vampire that casts votes. Just call the political action and give the Assamite the votes from Alamut since they will tap with the action anyways. Presence also allows you to use a Bewitching Oration or an Awe to gain a few more votes when needed. Are your vampires running low on blood due to brutal combat? No problem! Just fill your assassin back up with a Voter Captivation. Presence coupled with celerity gives your assassins the ability to strike multiple times with Blood Sweats and then Majesty and potentially remain untapped. Now that's plain nasty! You should now begin to see the power that Alamut brings to your clan. Even if you are not actively calling votes, Alamut offers a wonderful defense to a politically inferior clan. With the addition of the presence skill, the bleeds can now sting a little more and force your prey to hopefully make some difficult decisions. Do you really want to get into combat with the killers? Can you afford not to? August's Fiction Section: As the city of Atlanta quietly streamed by the limousine's tinted windows, Husamettin sank deep within himself. Lost within his thoughts, the assassin replayed the events that had unfolded over the past two months. Thetmes had delivered the first blow to the Camarilla in an attack against the Prince of Pittsburgh. Since then, eleven contracts had been fulfilled during the five-week killing spree. Husamettin had personally been responsible for three of them. The attacks had come to a close after the destruction of a Ventrue political headquarters just outside Washington D.C. He could still feel the heat from the explosion that sent the building crumbling to the ground. The strikes had sent massive ripples through the political arenas within the Camarilla. Everyone knew that the Assamites were responsible for the strikes but no one could figure out who was behind the contracts. All of the clans assumed that their own enemies were purchasing the contracts to settle old scores. The Camarilla Elders thought the Sabbat was behind these killings and each Prince had his own ideas. No one was working together to find the killers because no one would allow themselves to trust their own enemies. Counter strikes against their enemies were beginning to take place around the globe in retaliation to the events. Thetmes' plan to let chaos reign supreme was indeed well underway. Husamettin pulled himself back to reality when the driver of the limousine stated, "We will be arriving within five minutes sir". Melek sat across from him in the back seat of the car inspecting one of his numerous blades. This particular dagger was expertly crafted and had been an artifact of Alamut for many centuries now. The foot long dagger was supposedly used in gladiator fights in ancient Rome. Melek glanced up at him and stated "I know you do not expect trouble tonight but I always come prepared. You never know what will happen when you enter the lion's den." Agreeing with Melek, Husamettin began to review the dossier files on Rake once more. As he shifted through the papers he noted to himself that Rake had made a ton of enemies within the last twenty years but he still managed to hold onto his city. Rake was known to aggravate other Princes on purpose just to show them that he could not be controlled. As a matter of fact, Rake 's headquarters was a local dance club that was aptly named "The Masquerade" . Smiling to himself, Husamettin mused that Rake did indeed have his moments. Tonight's mission was completely different than the ones that were executed over the past two months. The assassins were to deliver important data and a message to the Prince of Atlanta himself from the Elders of Alamut. The Elders felt that no one could be trusted with the information except members within their clan. The limousine finally pulled up to the front door of the two-story dance club as Melek slipped the ancient dagger within his clothing. Within seconds the ghoul escort from the front passenger seat opened up the door and helped Husamettin and Melek out of the vehicle. Stepping out of the limo, Melek took a second to look around as the stench of the city irritated his nose. A chain-linked fence surrounded the parking lot with massive amounts of razor wire on top. He was not sure if the fence was to keep the local anarchs out or to keep them trapped within. As the Assamites entered the front entrance of The Masquerade, the Brujah's ghoul bouncers eyed them suspiciously. The killers' dress was definitely not the normal attire for the local crowd. Once within the walls they understood why. The club was packed with local kids dressed in ripped jeans and leather jackets. Most of them also proudly displayed various body piercings to go along with their T-shirts that read of bands like Slayer, MegaDeth, and Napalm Death just to name a few. Little did the mortals realize that they actually walked within the presence of death themselves. Once within the club, the three of them began to work their way to the back. As they made their way through the sea of people, one of the local anarchs leaning up against the bar began to laugh and point at the Assamites. Thinking that he was a big shot, the local metal head continued his barrage of cutdowns against the assassins. All of his friends that surrounded him at the bar began to join in. It was when the punk shouted "Hey towel head! Can you run down to the 7-11 and get me a slurpie?" that Melek had had enough. Within half a heart beat, Melek was flying in the air at the punk. Even with the loud music blaring from the speed metal bands at the club, everyone around the bar could hear the snapping of the kid's knee as Melek crashed down on it. The anarch collapsed down to the ground screaming in pain as his left knee was now bent at an unnatural ninety degrees forward. Melek was then towering above the punk and chanting in a language that mortals had long forgotten. The friends of the punk were now scattering like the wind and no one was offering any help to the boy. As Melek reached into his clothing to draw forth the fabled dagger, Husamettin put his hand on Melek's shoulder and said harshly "This is not our mission tonight. Remember you Khabar!" But the damage had been done to both the anarch as well as their cover. As the crowd quickly parted away from the fight, several of Rake's bodyguards came rushing up. Husamettin turned to face them with a look of confidence. Seeing the Assamites, the bodyguards decided that pulling out their automatic weapons in the crowded bar was probably not the wisest thing to do. Husamettin stated to the closest bodyguard, "Our business is with your Prince". After a short time the Assamites were led upstairs away from the crowed bar. As the Assamites entered the door at the end of the hallway the escorting bodyguards produced a variety of semiautomatic pistols. Within the room were several other ghouls with assault rifles targeted at each of them. The Brujah were taking no chances with the assassins this close to their leader. Both Melek and Husamettin stood defiantly before Rake and acted as if they did not even notice the small army's vast array of weapons bearing down upon them. The Prince of Atlanta was perched upon a wooden bar stool that sat at the end of a battered conference table. Rake was dressed in worn leather biker's gear and carrying a massive steel chain in his right hand. To complete the look, Rake also had colored his mohawk a bright green and wore his traditional oversized safety pin that he used as his nose ring. Everything the Prince did seemed to be an outward act of insubordination to authority. After a couple of tense moments, Rake ordered his guards to lower their weapons but did not feel secure enough to send them away. Running his free hand through his mohawk, Rake said "I have to admit that I have been impressed with what you have done here recently. It seems that everywhere your clan goes death is close to follow these days. What are your interests within my city?" Husamettin casually stepped forward and announced that he came to deliver information and make a deal with the Prince. With this, Rake shifted uncomfortably on his stool and tried not to outwardly show his nervousness. No one made deals with this clan that came out in anything but the Assamites ' favor. It was almost like making a deal with the Devil. While shaking his steel chain Rake blasted back "This is my city! I do not make deals with anyone. What's going to stop us from sending you three to final death?" Without even wavering Melek answered, "Remember last week when you hired outside contractors to rid this aging club of termites? Well, those were actually allies of our clan. Now the walls are packed with enough C4 plastic explosives to send Atlanta back to the reconstruction era." Casually slipping his hands in his pockets, Melek continued saying, " All I have to do is press the remote in my pocket and Florida is going to get one hell of a fireworks display". Melek took few moments to look around the silenced room and continued by asking, "So, are you willing to listen to our offer now?" August's Deck Idea Clinic: Within the Presence of Death The Crypt: Husamettin (8) OBF CEL QUI pre Husamettin (8) OBF CEL QUI pre Melek (7) OBF cel QUI pre Melek (7) OBF cel QUI pre Melek (7) OBF cel QUI pre Kalinda (6) OBF CEL Rake (6) cel PRE Tansu Bekir (4) OBF cel Itzahk Levine (3) cel pre Itzahk Levine (3) cel pre Kanya Akhtar (2) cel Antoinette DuChamp (1) cel pre CEL - 12 (9 at minor and 3 at superior) PRE - 9 (8 at minor and 1 at superior) OBF - 7 (all at superior) QUI - 5 (all at superior) Total Capacity of crypt: 62 Average Vamp Size: 5.17 The Library: Masters: (18) 4x Alamut 5x Blood Doll 1x Celerity 1x Depravity 1x Dreams of the Sphinx 1x Giant's Blood 1x Market Square 2x Presence Skill Card 1x The Khabar: Community 1x Underworld Hunting Ground Combat: (26) 4x Blur 7x Flash 2x Lucky Blow 5x Majesty 4x Taste of Vitae 4x Taste of Death Actions: (15) 1x .44 Magnum 1x Changeling Skin Mask 1x Entrancement 1x Fifth Tradition 2x Intimidation 1x Ivory Bow 4x Legal Manipulation 3x Media Influence 1x Writ of Acceptance Action Modifiers: (14) 2x Aire of Elation 4x Cloak the Gathering 2x Cryptic Rider 4x Lost in Crowds 2x Swallowed by the Night Political Actions: (8) 1x Conservative Agitation 1x Dramatic Upheaval 2x Kine Resources Contested 2x Praxis Seizure: Istanbul 2x Revocation of Tyre Reactions: (9) 1x Elder Kindred Network 2x Pack Tactics 1x Second Tradition 5x Wake with Evening's Freshness Deck Comments: This month's deck was created to overcome some of the inherent disadvantages of the clan. Just as in this month's fiction section, Melek and Husamettin are the catalyst in this deck. With the use of presence, the Assamites can now bleed for as much as five pool in an action. Try to get a copy of Alamut out quickly so that you can gain as many blood counters as possible. With these votes, you can direct the political actions as you see fit. Do not forget that intimidation of Alamut can be more powerful than the political actions themselves. And if the opportunity arises do not hold back in spending your entire collection of blood counters to cast a lethal Elder Kindred Network at your prey if you have Itzahk Levine out. Now who saw that coming! Without Alamut you will have to work some table favors or pitch the political cards during other Methuselah's votes. The combat is made to survive and occasionally strike back. Melek's special ability to dodge as a strike works great in this type of deck. All in all this is a very fun style of deck but surprisingly effective. It's definitely not what you typically see from the Assamites. Coming in next month's issue: In next month's newsletter I will continue to show that you must be very creative when playing the Assamites and will unveil the single card that could potentially change the way the clan is played forever. In the fiction section you will find out what became of the meeting in Atlanta with Rake and start to learn some of the darker secrets of Thetmes. Todd Banister Prince of Atlanta Scribe of the Assamites Please send all comments to: T_Banister@Premier-Lending.com