Gangrel Newsletter October 2001 Contents Section 1.0 Welcome Section 1.1 Feral Whispers Section 1.2 Talking point Section 1.3 Vampire of the month Section 1.4 Card of the Month Section 1.5 Ritual Challenge Section 1.6 Conclusion --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1.0 WELCOME Come, brother, sit by my fire and listen to our tales of old. We are Gangrel and we are the beast. In this months newsletter, we will be looking at some tough choices for cards, some more on table dealing, and the usual stuff. Also, we have a winner for last months Mythic Form deck. Enjoy! DH --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1.1 FERAL WHISPERS After last months effort on the high damage score (which went a bit awry!), here is a deck that was submitted to me by Jesper Bųje in answer to the call for a Mythic Form deck. A good stab, commentary follows from Jesper... "DECK: ---------------------------------------------------------- Name Hit 'em Eat'em Vampires: 3 - Pieter Gangrel-Antitribu 6 for tha PRO OBF 3 - Darrell Boyce, Consul Gangrel-Antitribu 6 CEL PRO OBF 2 - Zachary Gangrel-Antitribu 7 for pre CEL PRO OBF 2 - Ellen Fence, the Tracker Gangrel-Antitribu 8 aus CEL OBF PRO 2 - Samantha Gangrel-Antitribu 10 ani CEL OBF PRO tha Total: 12 Masters: 2 Information Highway 3 Path of the Feral Heart, The 2 Campground Hunting Ground 2 Blood Dolls 1 Festivo della estinto 5 rotschreck Combat: 14 Mythic Forms 10 Pursuit 5 Acrobatics Actions: 10 Bums rushes 10 Sacrificial Lamb Action modiferes: 7 Lost in Crowds 7 Cloak the Gathering 5 Faceless night Reaction: 7 Forced Awakening Total: 90 ---------------------------------------------------------- I've chosen the !Gangrels since they have "The Path of the Feral Heart" which will mean cheaper Mythic Forms. I've also only chosen vampires there have PRO and OBF since it's these two disciplines that make the deck. Of course there are 3 City Gangrel disiplines, so 9 of the vampires in my cryt have CEL, but it isn't heavily used since Mythic Form does most of the work for me! The choice of !Gangrel with OBF PRO limited me to only those 5 vampires, which is why I have 2 or 3 of each in my crypt. I've tried to keep the deck simple. The Information Highway is in there to have a chance to get a vampire out the first round. Path of the Feral Heart, Campground and the Blood Doll's should be in there for obvious reasons BLOOOOOOD, whice I may think the vampires run out of quick :o( I only use three combat cards "Mythic Forms" "Acrobatics" and "Pursuit". In combat I play a Mythic Form at sup. Then I've got a maneuver from the "Mythic Form", probely a maneuver from "Bum Rush" and if that isn't enough I do have some Pursuits for back up, to make it short, I want Long Range. The if the minion has a big gun I play acrobatics and strike him for 2R agg. Otherwise I'll take the damage from anything he shoots with, preventing some of it with my Mythic Form. The when somebody has been dumped into torpor, I use "Sacrificial Lamb" to eat 'em (Yummy!). To back it all up I do have some OBF stealth, since neither Bum's Rush or Sacrificial Lamb has stealth. The main problem I see with this deck is prevention. I don't care if they dodge, I can always use my "Pursuit" to get an Additional strike, but if they prevent it all, there ain't much I can do :o( In an attempt to get around preventing and Strike Combat ends, I've include 5 rotschreck - they should do the trick. So the Basics: 1. Get Vampires out as fast as you can 2. Bums Rush your opponents Vampires (Use OBF if necessery) 3 a. Use Mythic Forms 3 b. Get on long range 3 c. Send opponent to torpor 4 Send your second vampire in with "Sacrificial Lamb" and eat the opponent (Use OBF if necessery) 5 Win the game =) Well hope it can be used" Thanks Jesper. I would have maybe done things a little differently, (especially the Rostchecks, since you have very little intercept to intercept and use them with...) but it certainly seems to have a bloody mindedness about it! Nice one. Feel free to comment either to the group or to my email address: davecrazy@hotmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1.2 TALKING POINT A Bluffers Guide to Table Dealing, part three... The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. How good are you at lying? Really. Can you do it convincingly? Or do you have a nervous twitch / a wandering glance / a lump in your throat whenever you try any act of subterfuge? If the above sounds familiar, you are not alone. However, when playing VTES, there will always be at least one time in every game where the subtle bluff can be of gamesaving importance. If not you, your predator or prey will be doing it, so you are going to have to learn! The most common bluff is the "I've got a card in my hand that could ruin your plan" bluff. For example, you have tapped all your vampires out, and whilst your predator or prey is thinking about making a move, you are making a big noise about having some sort of untapping capacity: "Yes, I make LOOK tapped out, but I have 3 wakes in my hand, so I am safe as houses - bring it on!" Now, how often is it the case that you have no wakes at all, in fact none left in the deck, but you still have said it to dissuade the opposition. If you are anything like me, quite a few times. Does it work? Not always, but for me it works about one time in 3 (by my estimation). That's one time in three times I am spared having to act, which is a good thing since I clearly couldn't anyway! This also works with Suddens, Delaying Tactics, DI's, and so on. In any event, a lot of how you pull this off is down to your personality and your ability to effect peoples reason. You have to be able to look people in the eye and tell them that you have the necessary means to stop them. Even if you haven't! Eye contact can be critical. It doesn't matter too much if you have a lisp, comedy voice, or have the most sarcastic accent in the world, make eye contact and the other player will start paying attention. It takes a great deal of confidence to do it and so will make your commments all the more beliveable. Trust me on this, it does work! Practice at home in the mirror if you have to, and post up when you have tried it a few times. The Power of Persuasion... People naturally take the easy route - it is human nature to take the path of least resistance, and it is a real effort of will to go against the flow. When making loud assertations of power, give the person you are diussuading an infinitely better sounding option... "Yes, you COULD try and rush me, but I have a few Obediences in my hand, and my vampire is bigger than any of yours. Why not rush your Predators vampires? He's got dominate, so is bound to start something any minute!" Or "Yes, Leandro could bleed me, but I have a good couple of deflections just waiting for you. Why not call the vote to get rid of that Anarch Revolt? I'll back you up with it too!" And so on. Don't just say "No - I'll ruin the action," say "There's something else you can do - and it's easier / in your interests, too!". This may sound obvious, but I have seen so many games lately where I have heard one player say "do that and I'll block you" - not giving any other thought to an alternative. Yes, you can make threats, but that aggrivates people to the extent that they will probabaly do what they were going to anyway just to force your hand and piss you off! By suggesting an attractive alternative, you effectively can develop a good working realtionship (the earlier the better) with the other player(s) and in some ways get extra minions to do some of your dirty work! This, with any luck allows you more minion actions to do what you do best, therefore taking pressure off you. So to summarise: 1) If you need to persuade someone that you can stop their action with a card in your hand, make eye contact to improve your chances of getting them to acquiesce. 2) Offer an alternative - preferably something in your "mutual interest" - i.e. your interest since it takes pressure off you and means you get to save your minion actions for what you should be doing. More next time. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1.3 VAMPIRE OF THE MONTH Daliyah Clan: Nosferatu Capacity: 4 Artist(s): Mark Tedin Disciplines : Inferior Obfuscate Superior Protean Well, she's not Gangrel. She's not got fortitude or animalism, and she's not even pretty! However, this little lady is quite a useful tool for any Gangrel or !Gangrel deck. A few Gangrels have obfuscate, so the second skill isn't too far off centre, but the fact she has superior Protean makes her a godsend. The fact she is a camerilla vampire also gives her the edge for coming accross to the country end of the Gangrel spectrum - she can still be a useful target for a prince vote and doesn't cost you if a Judgement: Camerilla Segregation occurs. Other than that, the fact she is so cheap makes her the great catch she is. Sure, she hasn't got the skills for a great rush deck, but she is a useful, protean heavy vampire that's great for fleshing out the ranks. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1.4 CARD OF THE MONTH Terror Frenzy Type(s): Combat Discipline: Animalism Blood Cost: 1 Rarity: Rare Artist(s): Jeff Klimek Card Text: Basic Only usable before range is determined on the first round. During this combat, the opposing minion cannot use maneuvers to maneuver to close range, cannot use presses to continue combat and cannot use equipment. Superior Only usable before range is determined. Opposing vampire burns an additional blood when playing combat cards this combat. A vampire may play only one Terror Frenzy at superior each combat A great card! Not the best for a Gangrel Beats deck, but VERY good for a Gangrel Sneak deck. It can almost guarantee you a long range sneak away, allowing you to S:CE or Body Flare! Since there are a number of ways to maneuver with the Gangrel (Unflinching Persistance, Form of the Ghost, Dissolution, Aid from Bats, etc) you can get there quite easily. The basic is the same but opposite (sort of) to Drawing out the Beast. The card neuters equipment (Hello Sniper Rifle! Hello Deer Rifle!), stops you pressing to continue, and means you have to run away. Nothing bad at all, unlike Drawing out the Beast's payoff of giving the opposition extra hand damage. The 1 blood cost is nothing compared to the benefits of this. The Superior isn't actually as good on a level playing field. If you are the person calling the shots (i.e. acting, i.e. laying pre-range first) then it is good - especially against a rush deck... That's one for the Torn Signpost, one for the Increased Strength, TWO for Fists of Death, one for the Flash, one for the Immortal Grapple, and one for the Undead Strength - and one for the Taste of Vitae! On a typical rush (using Cel / Pot), that means 4 blood for the usual 4 card combo (Signpost / Flash / Grapple / Taste). Good versus weenies, but it won't save you versus Beast! And it is very expensive if someone S:CE's. Compared to the Basic (which is ALWAYS useful in a combat avoidance arena) it is fairly poor. So, there you have it - a card which has possibly a worse Superior than Basic. Comments? --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1.5 RITUAL CHALLENGE There has to be mileage out of Torpor deck, maybe using Crimson Furys, Regenerations, Minion Taps, and so on. Anyone got a good variant they want to share? Answers to the usual address, or to the newsgroup. Best of luck. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1.6 CONCLUSION Thanks for reading. Next month I think I will take a look at the pros and cons of similar cards, location strategies, and some more table dealing thoughts. As before, any comments or ideas, feel free to post, or mail to me at davecrazy@hotmail.com. Any abuse, mail to ghoulsbestfriend@hotmail.com. See y'all David Hammond UGPOW