FOLLOWERS OF SET NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 7 October 2003 Author: Andrew 'Wes' Weston ========================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Fiction Deck Construction - Dealing with unknowns Card Analysis - Dismemberment of Osiris Contest Sign Off ========================================================== INTRODUCTION Welcome to the October installment of the Followers of Set newsletter. If you are not a worshiper of our Dark Lord, then please stop reading now. These newsletters are not for infidels. If however you are interested in attending one of our services, we have open houses at the Temple every Saturday (noon for mortals, midnight for immortals). No children under the age of twelve please. ========================================================== FICTION It is surprising how foolish some of these immortals are. Despite the promise of eternal life (if you concede that this constitutes "living") the same old prejudices rear their ugly heads again and again. Racism, classism, sexism... you would think that such concepts would disappear after one becomes undead. Instead, we are cursed with a new "ism", that of clannism. And ageism becomes much more tedious when you remain young eternally. I am... much older than I appear. As you know, I was known in the sixties as a popular screen actor; a fact which has both helped and hindered my new career as a vampire. Many an attractive young fan seeking autographs has instead had the honour of coming backstage for a little bit of fun. More fun for me I might add, since they rarely leave my dressing room with more blood than they entered with. Suffice to say, a little bit of fame goes a long way when one is constantly hungering for blood. I pity the poor kindred who stalk the streets like common muggers. It must be a very dreary existence. The downside of fame of course is that people *know who you are*. The tabloids claim that I am no longer starring in films because of my bad attitude on the set and an addiction to opiates. That bad attitude was always part of the act, I should add. The opiates were real however... and still are. No, the truth is that I would love to continue acting on film, but my clan's unfortunate flaw often gets in the way. Some of my more religious brethren claim this aversion to bright lights is a blessing from Set. A blessing?!? No, I'd much rather have an affliction like the lucky Ventrue have. It's not like I wasn't being picky about my meals already. But once again, I digress. When people know who you are, they constantly ask questions. Questions can be... inconvenient, especially when one is living such a big lie. I suppose all undead must go through this, but none seem to have such a hard time of it as I do. "Why do you only perform on stage these days, Hannibal", they ask me. The women all want to know how I can look so young. The 'rejuvenating cream' excuse is getting rather old, if you will pardon the pun. Being known as an actor has helped me in the world of immortals also. It's funny how many kindred assume that you are a Toreador because you were an 'artist' as a mortal. I've found I can encourage this belief with the occasional stare into space when I see a particularly beautiful piece by an up-and-coming artist. Truth be told, most art bores me immensely. However, not being known as a Follower of Set is very convenient. Yes, even in undeath, vampires have silly prejudices against our clan. Of course, so do I, since the majority of Setites act like they were Hare Krishnas with fangs. Pathetic really. And this fascination with corruption? Please. And so I have become a Toreador, in all ways that matter. The so called "artistes" are seen favourably (more or less) by the other clans and this allows me to deal with vampire society without having to also deal with the unfortunate attitudes towards my true clan. So you see... I never stopped acting. In fact, I am acting right now. As we speak. I hope this answers your questions, young lady. I will assume it does since you appear to be paralyzed at the moment. It's the eyes, you see. Comes with the clan. Now... what blood type did you say you were? ========================================================== DECK CONSTRUCTION -- Dealing with unknowns "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy" --Military maxim I have always been a proponent of building a focused deck. I find that focus, and the speed that comes with it, is far more effective than the versatility of a toolboxy deck. Of late however, I have found that this only goes so far. Once your opponents know what your deck does, they can more easily shut it down by applying pressure in the right areas. I sometimes find myself stuck in neutral with nothing to do. A vote deck faces an intercept prey. A combat deck faces a fortitude prey. Often these situations are unavoidable but sometimes adding a bit of diversity to a deck will allow you to do something other than sit on your hands and wait to be ousted. If your deck is a simple sneak bleeder for example, you'll obviously want a lot of bleed cards and a lot of stealth cards (and a bucket for people to throw up in of course). If all your deck has in it are bleed and stealth cards, then your deck is focused, yes... but it is also boring and easy to shut down. Anti-combat cards will help obviously, as will some intercept. Of course, the more you add, the less focused your deck becomes. But sometimes, sacrificing a little bit of focus can give you an edge in ways that will later become a major benefit. Do you often catch yourself saying "Damn! I wish I had included (such and such power card) in this deck"? Of course, the Hunting Ground that would have helped in one game would be completely useless in another game. It all depends who you sit down next to and what they are playing. When dealing with so many unknowns, what can we do? When we have a hard time going forward, what can we do? It's at times like these that I find it beneficial to make deals with other Methuselahs and encourage random chaos in the rest of the table. If my prey is getting too strong, I turn the table against him. Some people can encourage this kind of behaviour with nothing more than a silver tongue. I find that having a few things to offer them makes the deal a lot sweeter. So I have taken to adding a few "permanents" to many of my decks to give me an edge in deal-making. Adding one of the intercept locations not only gives you the potential to block unwanted actions, it also gives you the potential to make deals. You would be surprised how often your predator will leave you alone if you provide her with a little intercept for one turn. Even if it's for only one turn, that's a lot of pressure taken off of you. When you choose a card to put in your deck, see if there is a similar card that can be used more generally. For example, Morgue Hunting Ground will help you give blood to your vampires, but Leonardo the Mortician will let you give blood to *other vampires* across the table. While this may seem like a piddly thing to offer, there are generally vampires that need blood and their Methuselahs may appreciate it. They may appreciate it enough to offer you something you need in return. Powerbase: Montreal and High Museum of Art, Atlanta are two cards that are generally associated with intercept decks. Since they are able to be stolen by other Methuselahs, decks tend to provide some kind of defense against this. But the other aspect that people often forget about these cards is that they can give other people pool and consequently they can keep them from being ousted. I often "allow" another Methuselah to steal Powerbase: Montreal to give themselves some pool gain. If I think I will be wanting it back, I make it known when the offer is made. Nine times out of ten, people don't mind sharing it. Usually I try this with my predator. Even the action to take my Powerbase is one less bleed or hostile vote, etc. It has often been said that the perfect predator has no minions and lots of pool. With this idea, you are basically tapping one of their minions and giving them some pool. It may be just a temporary reprieve, but you never know when you will need it. My favourite card for deal-making is still the Rumour Mill, Tabloid Newspaper. For more information about how I use this card, please see the August 2002 issue of this newsletter. http://www.mnsi.net/~ghost/jyhad/vol3iss3.htm ========================================================== CARD ANALYSIS -- Dismemberment of Osiris http://monger.vekn.org/showcard.html?ID=1049 Dismemberment of Osiris Serpentis Action 1 Blood [ser] (D) Burn a titled vampire in torpor. This does not constitute diablerie. Each ready vampire of the same clan as the titled vampire burns 1 blood. [SER] As above, and the controller of the titled vampire burns 1 pool. This is one of those "rare" cards that I somehow ended up with a lot of. Unfortunately, it is not a great card. Burning a titled vampire sounds pretty good on paper. The problem is that Followers of Set are not that great at putting vampires in torpor in the first place. Neither OBF, PRE or SER are particularly great combat disciplines. Obfuscate has Disguised Weapon, but relying on this card, plus a weapon to torpor with, and then hoping we happen to hit a titled vampire with the weapon and then having Dismemberment of Osiris in our hand at the perfect time. Suffice to say, the deck built around this prayer combo already sounds like a bit of a joke. Serpentis by all rights *should* be a combat discipline, at least if you compare it to the way the discipline works in the pen-and-paper game of Vampire: the Masquerade. But as things stand, Setites are better at avoiding combats than we are at winning them. Amam the Devourer seems like one of the few ways that Setites have of sending vampires to torpor. Since he does 2 damage, a rush against an empty or anemic vampire might achieve the desired effect. But Amam also has another ability; he can burn vampires in torpor. So Dismemberment of Osiris starts to seem a little redundant. Speaking of this card's redundancy, if we really wanted to burn vampires in torpor, it seems to me that a better way to do it would be to use Samat Ramal-Ra, who can diablerize with impunity. This way we not only burn the vampire, we gain whatever blood or equipment it has on it, and possibly gain a discipline card out of the deal. Of course, other vampires outside of the Setites have Serpentis. (Don't ask me how. We are currently investigating this discrepancy and traitors will be dealt with harshly!). Other clans, notably the Gangrel heathens of Mirembe and Nadima might find it easier to use this card since they are already built for combat. Aziz of the Assamites is another possibility. But frankly, the more I try to find ways to use this card, the less useful it seems. ========================================================== CONTEST It is the untap phase of my second turn and I gain a pool for the Edge. Name two or more ways that this is possible. Winners will receive a free lifetime subscription to this newsletter. ========================================================== SIGN OFF I hope you have enjoyed this most recent installment of the Followers of Set newsletter. As always, questions and comments are appreciated. Cheers, WES