Assamite Clan Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 7 (February 2001) Written by Todd Banister Review of Recent Events: So much has happened since the last newsletter I hardly know where to begin. As everyone knows by now, White Wolf has taken over our favorite game and has given us our first expansion in over four years. I'm not sure anyone can say "thank you" enough to Steve but here is another big one. White Wolf has also recently published the new Revised Assamite Clanbook and completely turned the clan upside down. I was extremely nervous/excited about this book and I can safely say that (in my opinion) this is the best book published by White Wolf since Ends of Empire. If you love the Assamites like I do and haven't checked the new Clanbook out - what are you waiting on! Oh, and I almost forgot (yeh right), White Wolf has announced the coming of the Final Nights expansion in June which will have new cards for the assassins! Holy crap - do you think I'm just a tad bit excited? One lesson that I have learned in recent gaming - if you play any type of combat deck - you need to include at least one copy of Fame in your deck. This single card has tremendously improved my play with the Assamites. You do not have to necessarily include the support cards (Catacombs and Humanitas) but Fame is an absolute must. Main Discussion of February: Assamites and Strike: Combat Ends Since Steve Wieck announced that Final Nights would center on the independent clans, I have read numerous players' posts on what they believe each of the clans need in order to bring them up to a playable level. Hands down, the most common post regarding Final Nights and the Assamites is that the clan needs to have access to a card that prevents an opponent from playing Strike: Combat Ends (S:CE) against them in combat. While I understand an Assamite player's frustrations with this common anti-combat strategy, I personally do not believe that the Assamites need a card like this at all. Now that I have undoubtedly caught your attention and set myself up for a hefty dose of criticism, please allow me to explain why I am not clinically insane. First off, how common are decks that use S:CE for combat protection? This is a very difficult question to answer due to the various meta-games and playing styles found in gaming groups from around the world. In order to get a good sample of tournament winning decks, I visited Jeff Thompson's website (http://members.tripod.com/~Lasombra/twd.htm) and began analyzing the list. The results showed that of the 77 winning decks - 35 (or 45%) of them used a form of S:CE. In these 35 decks, a total of 280 S:CE cards were used for an average of exactly 8.0 per deck. With almost half of the winning decks dedicating around 8 card slots for S:CE - in order for the Assamites to be successful in a tournament - they must prepare to deal with this anti-combat strategy. (As a side note: While reviewing the data, I found that 29 decks (or 37.6%) also used the Elysium: Arboretum. I expect that this card will drop in use since the latest version only works against other members of the Camarilla. As an Assamite player, this change was very welcome indeed.) Why on Earth then would I say that they do not need a Thoughts Betrayed type of card? Surely the Assamites would greatly benefit from a card that costs a couple of blood that prevented their opponents from escaping certain death. Maybe. Why then? The simple answer is that the assassins already have access to a card that is, in all likelihood far superior in total number of combat options to anything that could be created, in Psyche. Psyche has been around since the beginning and may be one of the most underrated cards in the game. Psyche: Combat, Celerity, No Cost (Inferior) Press. (Superior) Only usable at the end of a combat when both combatants are still ready. Combat starts again. This is considered an entirely new combat: weapons can contribute their maneuvers for a second time, and so forth. There are two different types of cards (proactive and reactive) that work against the S:CE strategy. The proactive type contains cards that prevent an opponent from playing a S:CE card. These cards are very specific in their intent and include Dog Pack, Immortal Grapple and Thoughts Betrayed. The reactive type contains cards such as Psyche and Telepathic Tracking and allows combat to begin again after a S:CE effect has been played. This gives you another chance to strike back in the ensuing combat but does not prevent the opponent from playing an additional S:CE. (Note: Hidden Lurker falls somewhere in between the proactive and reactive types and will be discussed at a later time.) Since you need one reactive type of card for each S:CE effect, many people believe that the reactive cards are vastly inferior to the proactive cards. The proactive cards may be superior for 45% of the decks that do include S:CE but, in some cases, become nearly worthless against the other 55% of decks. It is in these 55% of the decks that the reactive cards shine and show their hidden strengths. The card Psyche essentially has three aspects: a press to end, a press to continue and an option to restart combat. Using a Psyche to press to end allows an Assamite to get out of an unexpected combat that includes nasties such as Traps, Tremere second round strikes, and Undead Persistences. Currently for the Assamites, there is hardly any reason why you would opt to press to continue combat outside of using a Blood Agony or perhaps a Blood to Water. Instead, you want to allow combat to end and then use Psyche to begin the fight again. What does beginning combat again do besides temporarily getting around S:CE? More than you originally might think. When you restart combat, you can escape from a host of heinous effects that last for the duration of the current combat. These lasting effects generally fall into three categories. Offensive effects include Carrion Crows, Fire in the Blood, Fists of Death, Horrid Realities, Illusions of the Kindred, Increased Strength and Torn Signposts. Defensive effects include the nasty Apparition, Flesh of Marble Song of Serenity and Superior Mettle. Miscellaneous effects include the hated Drawing out the Beast, Horrid Form, Terror Frenzy as well as Thoughts Betrayed. When in combat against one of these powerful effects that last until the end of the current combat, simply (or forcefully if need be) allow combat to end without using your precious Quietus strikes and then restart everything with a well-aimed Psyche. This forces your opponent to burn through their resources (cards and blood) while allowing you to conserve yours until they can be used to strike for maximum damage. You should always be looking for the subtle advantages of restarting combat. Another aspect besides nullifying a host of combat card played by your opponent is that Psyche allows you to reset equipment and some character's special abilities. A great strategy is to equip with IR Goggles and Flak Jackets and then use the Psyches in order to continue receiving free maneuvers and damage preventions. Couple the Gas-Powered Chainsaw and Psyches and you get a lot of chewed up minions. Want to build up that Crimson Sentinel quickly? Just keep starting combat over. Think resetting equipment is fun with Psyche? Try using it with certain character's special abilities. Who wouldn't want to use Melek's dodge or Jacko's free additional strike multiple times in Psyched combats? As you can see, Psyche can be used for a lot more than simply a way to fight back against S:CE and this ultra-useful card has no cost thus saving arguably the Assamites' most precious resource - their blood. As I've mentioned before, always be creative. Psyche opens up a lot of doors for the clan. Don't be afraid to step though and find what's on the other side. The numerous combat options combined add up, in my mind, to a card that should be found at the center of any successful Assamite deck. February's Deck Idea Clinic: Being a Thorn in Your Prey's Side The Crypt: 4 Parnassus (7) CEL QUI tha aus 3 Abd al-Rashid (5) CEL QUI obf Felicia Mostrom (5) AUS CEL Victor Revel (5) aus CEL Colin Flynn (3) aus cel Zoë (3) AUS cel obf Kanya Ahktar (2) cel CEL - 12 (3 at minor and 9 at superior) QUI - 7 (all at superior) AUS - 8 (6 at minor and 2 at superior) Total Capacity of Crypt: 61 Average Vamp Size: 5.08 The Library: Masters: (13) 4x Blood Doll 1x Dream of the Sphinx 1x Fame 1x Giant's Blood 1x Guardian Angel 1x Market Square 2x Quietus 1x Sudden Reversal 1x Underworld Hunting Ground Combat: (40) 2x Acrobatics 4x Aura Reading 5x Blood Sweat 5x Flash 8x Psyche 6x Pursuit 2x Side Strike 5x Taste of Death 3x Taste of Vitae Actions: (13) 1x .44 Magnum 1x Ambush 3x Bum's Rush 4x Computer Hacking 1x Flak Jacket 2x IR Goggle 1x Ivory Bow Reactions: (14) 2x Enhanced Senses 7x Forced Awakening 1x Foul Blood 1x Precognition 2x Spirit's Touch 1x Telepathic Misdirection Deck Comments: (This deck is built as a training tool to demonstrate the versatility of Psyche.) As you can see by the crypt, this deck is built around Abd al-Rashid and Parnassus (the two cheapest vampires in the game with the combination of superior celerity and quietus). These two assassins will be the muscle for the deck until you can upgrade the other vamps with quietus skill cards. Early in the game, try to focus on learning as much as you can about your prey's deck and building up your assassins with the permanent equipment. This will allow you to use the Psyches to their maximum effect later in the game. Try to restart combat with an Assamite equipped with an IR Goggle in order to save the Pursuits for additional strikes. Try to remember (if facing a non-combat deck) to maneuver to long with IR Goggles and strike with hands and see what your opponent will do. If they play a S:CE then you have not lost any resources and can play a Psyche to begin the dance again. If they choose to strike with hands as well then you can generate an additional strike in order to fight back against your helpless victim. Coming in next month's issue: In the next newsletter, the fiction section will return and we shall see what happens when a wish comes true. The newsletter will also finally reveal how to fight back against the growing number of weenie hordes. Until then, stay out of the shadows and always remember to look over your shoulder in case someone might be. ah, too late. Todd Banister Prince of Atlanta Scribe of the Assamites Please send all comments and stories using the Assamites to: vtesratings@white-wolf.com ---------- Want V:tES Prize Support? See http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/veknPrizeSupport.html ----------