A Walk in the Park
Where: Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois
When: Last night
Abd al-Rashid now had his Contract from Ramiel DuPre on Lucia Pacciolli. Abd
had accepted contracts for harder targets, but Lucia still wouldn't be easy.
It only took a few days to locate Lucia within the city. The Ventrue were
relatively easy to track because of their involvements in mortal
affairs. Using contacts throughout Kindred society in Chicago, Abd had learned
that Lucia had a close ally in a Gangrel Childe that lurked in
Grant Park along Lake Michigan.
The Gangrel are different than most of the other clans. They have this weird
affinity for protecting nature in all its forms. This Gangrel had
taken it upon himself to make sure Grant Park remained as natural as possible.
Lucia, as many Ventrue in Chicago, had her hand in politics. Specifically,
she had heavy control over the Chicago Park District. Lucia, being the clever
one, had convinced the Gangrel that she wanted to help him keep Grant Park in
good shape.
All Abd al-Rashid had to do now was to watch the Gangrel and wait for Lucia to
appear. A confrontation in the park will damage the
Camarilla's poor Masquerade, but it is of no consequence to him.
Watch for next month's newsletter to see what happens next.
------------------------------------------------------
The New Rulings and their Effects on Assamites
The new rulings have created quite a ruckus in many places. For the
Assamites, the direct effects are few. The only card that has been changed
and directly affects the Assamites is Rotschreck. Now, you can make sure
someone doesn't combat ends away from your Taste of Death. Or you can use it
against a Thoughts Betrayed if you use Ivory Bow, Sengir Dagger, or Kali's
Fang.
Fame could be a consideration. However, with Assamites being best at burning
rather than just torporizing, the slots for Fame is better used
for something else.
One other benefit for Assamites is that you don't have to worry about
cross-table bleeds anymore just because you're torporizing or burning
everything in sight.
------------------------------------------------------
Deck Building - Combining with Other Clans
In this week's installment, we'll see how we can combine the Assamites with
other clans, specifically the Tremere.
With three Assamites having Thaumaturgy, they make a great combination for the
Tremere. The same Assamites also have Auspex except
for Kalinda. However, this is more or less a pure rush deck. It includes
Anathema as you could possibly have vote dominance after a few
precise rushes. With such large vampires, some form of pool gain beyond Blood
Doll is absolutely necessary. The crypt selection uses +1
bleed vampires wherever possible.
Crypt (12 vampires)
2x Parnassus, Assamite 7, tha, aus, CEL, QUI, +2 hand damage
2x Al-Ashrad, Assamite 9, obf, aus, CEL, THA, QUI, +1 bleed, can burn
Camarilla locations as a (D) action
2x Kalinda, Assamite 6, tha, OBF, CEL, bleed at +1 with +1 stealth
and burn to blood
2x Javier Montoya, Tremere 9, ani, cel, AUS, THA, Prince of Barcelona, +1
bleed, burns 1 less when rescuing from torpor
Lazarus, Tremere 9, cel, pot, AUS, DOM, THA, Primogen, can inflict 1R as
a strike
Cardano, Tremere 9, ani, aus, cel, DOM, FOR, THA, Prince of Boston
2x Ulugh Begh, Tremere 10, cel, pot, for, DOM, AUS, THA, Justicar, may
discard one card extra at end of turn if he is ready
Library (90 cards)
Master (12 cards)
4x Haven Uncovered
2x Information Highway
2x Blood Doll
2x Celerity
2x Thaumaturgy
Action (10 cards)
6x Bum's Rush
4x Ambush
4x Anathema
Combat (66 cards)
8x Flash
8x Blood Fury
10x Theft of Vitae
6x Walk of Flame
4x Blood to Water
4x Burst of Sunlight
8x Blur
6x Sideslip
6x Taste of Vitae
6x Psyche
------------------------------------------------------
Dealing with Fast Stealth and Bleed
When faced with fast stealth and bleed, an Assamite deck has a hard time
keeping up. They just don't have enough good small vampires. In environments
where heavy bleed is common, you need to play with more Bum's Rushes,
Ambushes, and Haven Uncovereds. Without them, you won't be able to make sure
Ozmo goes to torpor or is burned. Permanent aggravated strikes are also
important like Sengir Dagger, Ivory Bow, and Kali's Fang. Without those, you
will run out of maneuvers fast.
These are your best hopes if you are playing a standard Assamite deck and are
faced with heavy bleed
------------------------------------------------------
Next Month
Abd al-Rashid faces Lucia Paccioli
Deckbuilding: Assamite Sniper's?
Card Slots - The Biggest Asset of Any Rush Deck
--
Mike Bohlmann, MAIP - Prince of Urbana-Champaign