Assamite Newsletter June 2005 Author: Jarkko Suvela ----------------------------- Table of Contents ----------------------------- Passing The Torch, Assamites and Me Ingredients For Bruising New Faces and Old Tech Deck of the Month Passing the Torch: ----------------------------- The previous Assamite newsletter writer, Otto Koskinen, has passed the title to me. This came as a surprise, honestly. But I reckon that anyone seeing my number of posts at www.thepathofblood.com can tell that I am a fanatic Assamite and V:tES player. So I am honored to carry the torch for him. My fascination with the Assamites is based on their status as "supreme killers." I have always enjoyed playing V:tES the most when playing combat-based decks. I'm not keen to play stealth and bleed or politics; they don't grant that much in the way of tactical options Also I'm fond of the Assamite discipline spread, their in-clan disciplines (OBF CEL QUI). Obfuscate grants you the ability to hit the "right" target for your actions, and also helps you to equip deadlier weapons in combat. Celerity counters strike:combat ends and "speeds up" the combat. Quietus makes the combat really variable; for example: you can do ranged aggravated damage, decrease your opponent's hand damage or do unpreventable damage to him/her. Ingredients for bruising: ----------------------------- Since I am seeing fewer and fewer combat decks in play, I want to bring these old cards to light. Maybe folks can learn to see combat as a viable method of ousting in the game, not just as survival or as a way to get other actions through without being blocked. Sometimes you just need casual intercept and a Fame to make the game a bit more spicy. Fame Master, unique "Put this card on a ready vampire. If this vampire goes into torpor, his or her controller burns 3 pool. Each Methuselah burns 1 pool during his or her untap phase if this vampire is in torpor." When I started playing the game, this was the only enhancer for combat-oriented decks. It wasn't impossible to oust your opponents with just this card, but you needed many actions and stealth to do so. I'm speaking of the "Fame-dunk," AKA "Fame-lift"; play Fame on a vampire controlled by your prey and send him/her to torpor. Rescue him from torpor and send him back again. This requires 3 of your minion actions and maybe some extra stealth to get those actions through, but if successful your prey loses 7 pool by the time of his/her untap phase. Tension in the Ranks Master, unique "Put this card in play. Whenever a ready minion is burned or sent to torpor, the controller of the minion burns a pool. Any Methuselah can burn this card by discarding 2 master cards as a master phase action." You have to be careful with this one. Be sure that your own minions won't burn or be sent to torpor, because this affects you as well. So your crypt should be well thought-out when using this. It's very effective, but it may also help your opponents (at least if they are also playing combat decks). Dragonbound Gehenna Event, unique "Do not replace as long as this card is in play. During each Methuselah's discard phase, he or she burns X pool, where X is the number of vampires in torpor he or she controls." The drawback seems a bit heavy at first sight, but you can get around it with, for example, Elder Library if you need to maintain a handsize of seven. What's there to say, really, except that this card changed the course of "meat-wall" techniques; that is, defending larger minions with a shield of smaller, more expendable ones If you have Dragonbound in play, your blocker might not block with a low-capacity vampire but rather block the action with a vampire he/she thinks can defend himself/herself. This shouldn't be a problem, since you are the bruiser and not him. Like Tension in the Ranks, you should be careful about which vampires you put in play, as there's always a slight chance that you will suffer from the effects of Dragonbound too. Leadership Vacuum Master Out-of-Turn, unique "Only usable when a ready titled vampire controlled by another Methuselah is burned or sent to torpor. Usable during your turn. Put this card in play and put X counters on this card where X is the number of votes that vampire has. That Methuselah burns X pool during each of his or her untap phases. During his or her untap phases, if he or she controls a vampire with a capacity above 7 or with a title, burn this card." This card is pretty marginal, because it requires that one of your opponents be playing with a titled vampire. Also, if the controller of that titled vampire has another vampire of capacity eight or higher or any titled vampire during his untap, this card is pretty much useless. The great thing about this card is that you can play it even if it's not your turn, regardless of whether or not it is your minion who burns or sends the titled vampire to torpor. It just might be your lucky day if your grandprey plays a combat deck. Very effective in some cases, but use only if you're sure that the Methuselah you're using it against won't get another titled and/or seven+ capacity vampire into his/her ready region before his next untap phase. Path of Lilith Master, unique "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." I've used this card once. It requires lots of blocking and doesn't do much of damage, but I guess it has its place in a serious combat deck which can intercept and/or block a lot of actions. New faces; Old tech: (in honor of Otto's resignment) --------------------------------- Amaravati Capacity: 8 DOM OBF QUI ani chi Independent Group: 4 Ability: During a political action, Amaravati may burn 2 blood to give each ready Assamite you control an additional vote. Blood Cursed. DOM and OBF? On top of that nasty special he has, coupled with KMW bringing us Web of Knives Recruit? You can make a really offensive Alamut vote &bleed deck now, with BOUNCE! I played a deck featuring Amaravati, Yazid and the other G3-4 Assamites, swept 4 tables with it and saw that you can make really strong deck around this vampire. Joe "Boot" Hill Capacity: 7 CEL QUI obf for Sabbat Group: 4 Ability: Black Hand: Joe can enter combat with a werewolf ally controlled by another Methuselah as a +1 stealth (D) action. Joe gets an optional maneuver in that combat. +1 strength. (The Blood Curse does not affect Joe.) I'm looking at the vampire that some people have said is a reprint of Parnassus, but he isn't, really. Both have awesome discipline spreads and that sweet +1 strength. However, their disciplines separate these two from each other, and Joe also has the Black Hand attribute. A real killer, this vampire has access to multiaction, intercept and combat prowess. What else do you need from a good Assamite? Tariq, Advanced Capacity: 7 AUS FOR OBF QUI cel Sabbat Group: 2 Ability: Black Hand. Red List: Tariq's capacity is reduced by 4 while he is controlled. He may steal 1 blood as a ranged strike. The Blood Curse does not affect Tariq. [MERGED] Independent: Tariq's capacity is not reduced by his card text. This vampire generated lots of discussion even before the actual card was printed. Many have been disappointed by him, but others saw him as a real treat. Theft for 1R is nice, but I don't have much experience with him, so I can't comment about him just yet. I'm sure to test him out soon. Vardar Vardarian Capacity: 6 OBF QUI cel pre Independent Group: 4 Ability: Followers of Set get -1 strength in combat with Vardar. Blood Cursed. I'm a bit disappointed in this vampire; he is like a crappy version of Melek. But if we leave my personal preferences out, this vampire is a solid vampire of capacity 6. OBF QUI let's you do nasty things. Michael diCarlo Capacity: 5 CEL obf qui Sabbat Group: 4 Ability: If Michael successfully performs an action to enter combat with another minion, he may set the range in the first round of the resulting combat to long (skip the determine range step). (The Blood Curse does not affect Michael.) Nice. He is big enough to use Clandestine Contracts and his speciality is awesome, since he is an Assamite. Not much to say about him really, this guy is lethal. Janni Capacity: 5 cel for obf qui Independent Group: 4 Ability: Janni inflicts an additional damage when striking with a weapon. She may enter combat with a ready Follower of Set controlled by another Methuselah as (D) action. Blood Cursed. Oh mama! Even if she doesn't have any superior disciplines, her speciality is something that puts her in my list of the top five Assamites. She turns a Saturday Night Special into a .44 Magnum, a Sengir Dagger into Kali's Fang and an Ivory Bow into a Flamethrower. Also, fortitude is never a bad thing, as she can use it to prevent and multiact. Basir Capacity: 1 qui Independent Group: 4 Ability: Each time you use a master phase action to place a master: Discipline card on Basir, he gains 1 blood fom the blood bank. Basir cannot block or play reaction cards. Blood Cursed. He cannot play Foul Blood? Oh no! Well, I think I can live with that. Let's face it, a vampire with 1 inferior discipline and a drawback, with a clan as a backup, is just sweet. And with the new options to play mono-quietus (mentioned in previous newsletter), Basir isn't just another pretty face. Deck of the Month ------------------------- Deck: "These boots are made for walking" Author: Jarkko Suvela Concept: Black Hand Assamites, bruise and intercept Crypt: 3x Yazid Tamari CEL QUI obf dom ani, Black Hand Seraph, +1bleed 3x Joe "Boot" Hill CEL QUI obf for (introduction above) 2x Reza Fatir CEL QUI obf pro, Black Hand 2x Michael DiCarlo CEL qui obf, (introduction above) 2x Basir qui (introduction above) Master: 16 Corporal Reservoir x5 Blood Doll x5 Watchtower, Four Ride Forth (burn option) Market Square, the Weeping Stone, the Underworld Hunting Ground Path of Blood, the x2 Action: 10 Khabar: Glory x3 Flurry of Action x2 Bum's Rush x5 Retainer: 2 J. S. Simmons Esq. Tasha Morgan Equipment: 2 Learjet x2 Reaction: 20 Black Sunrise x8 Ministry x8 Rooftop Shadow x4 Combat: 38 Dagon's Call x5 Flash x8 Taste of Death x3 Wave of Lethargy x3 Thin Blood x3 Sidestrike x6 Disease x3 Psyche! x4 Blood Sweat x3 Event: 2 Dragonbound x2 Combo: Wave of Lethargy +Thin Blood. Since Wave adds an extra cost for any strike cards your opponent wants to play, if your opponent is reduced to zero blood by the Thin Blood, it's almost certain that he cannot do much harm to you. Next Issue: "Tap'n'Taste" & Gun kata -Signal off-