SALUBRI ANTITRIBU NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Issue 3 July 2002 Author: Atrovent the German Chainsaw =================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Card of the Moment - Concealed Weapon Things to be feared - Weapon Hosers Deck of the Moment - Weapon Variants Sign Off =================================================== INTRODUCTION Okay, first of all, I wasn't able to do a June edition for real life interfered to much, sorry about that. On top of this, we got some new players over here and played some prerealese decks to show them the game, so I got few new experiences with the chainsaw gang. On the other hand, the new (or old) cards of Camarilla Edition will surely have you occupied instead, more on this later on. So this issue will relight (argh, redark of course) the topic of Melee Weapons once again - the good, the bad and the ugly. Atrovent, the German Chainsaw. =================================================== CARD OF THE MOMENT: Concealed Weapon (aka: The Good) Expectations are high - a new set is coming. But it's a Camarilla set, so is there something in it for us? Indeed there is. But don't count on the 10 vampires from non-camarilla clans in the Camarilla Edition, they won't all be Salubri AT. Okay, I'd have been more than happy if even one was to be a Salubri AT, but this won't happen, they are of the major Sabbat clans and we aren't major. But we have seen a "new" card in the preview already that is very good for our beloved clan: Concealed Weapon. For those few of you who haven't seen it yet, it's the old card from the Jyhad set with a "minor" change: You don't need Obfuscate any more to play it (what made it inferior to Disguised Weapon until now and was a misprint from the beginning IMHO). It has some other changes, too, but I won't dig in those for no one will play the old version in these few days left before the new one is legal. The new Concealed Weapon Cardtype: Combat Cost: Nothing Discipline: None Equip this minion with a non-unique weapon card from your hand at the beginning of a round. Pay weapon's equip cost, as normal. The weapon cannot cost more than 2 pool or inflict (with a regular strike) aggravated damage or more than three damage. Why should we use this card? Let them see what's gonna get them! Err, no, this is not that good. More often than you'll need it, some early or casual intercept will stop your guys from equipping, and that will be the beginning of the end if you can't play Gift of Bellona, circumvent equipping with Port of Baltimore or somesuch. Adding to this, Concealed Weapon saves you an action. So there is a lonely weenie defender with presence? Go for a bleed. If he blocks to play Majesty (costs one blood now), you'll equip and go home. Or you don't equip and sent your next minion without weapon yet. You may even play the bluffing game versus big opponents with no weapon or Concealed in your hand, they won't know for sure and may let you pass (they won't if you have Pulse of the Canaille). It's risky, but you have more options now and aren't that obvious. So now you're convinced without doubts, I'll check Concealed Weapon with the Melee Weapons in mind that I analysed back in April (Issue 1 of the Salubri AT newsletter). You'll remember that our clan is the one using only melee weapons (we may do otherwise, but with even less success), so we'll just look at those kind of tools. With a Concealed Weapon you can't equip with unique weapons and those that do aggravated damage. This skips (some of those for both reasons) the Kali's Fang, the Femur of Toomler, the unique Crimson Sentinel, the Rowan Ring (if he stays unique in the new set) and last but not least the Sengir Dagger. Keeping Sword of the Righteous in mind we don't need aggravated damage that much, and the non-unique clause won't hamper us much since the unique weapons mentioned above weren't in the top tier of my analysis in April (this may change with reprints, of course). Note that the aggravated damage must be caused with a regular strike, so Sword of the Righteous is of course playable. On to the two other clauses, the weapon cannot cost more than 2 pool or inflict more than three damage. This painful exceptions limit us to … all other melee weapons. The Bang Nakh (strength +2 damage each strike) is at 2 pool the most expensive weapon, the gas-powered chainsaw and the Bang Nakh again are with 3 damage the most crippling melee tools (before we "righteous" them). Meat Cleaver, Bastard Sword, Poker, Brass Knuckles, Garotte and so on are all cheaper and less devasting. On the other hand, Concealed Weapon will hose us in an indirect way. I'll expect many Weenies Hordes with Concealed Magnums (or, to a lesser degree, Poker and Meat Hook) in the near future, and this will bring in Anti-weapon technics and more maneuvers. Both of those will hose us, too, though nobody in his right mind will metagame against Salubri Antitribu. It's just an unfortunate side effect. Sigh. And, another one: Your opponents may use other Non-Melee-Weapons against you, too. =================================================== THINGS TO BE FEARED: Cards hosing Melee Weapons (aka: The Bad) To continue the implications of Metagame versus Concealed Weapon, I'll analyse some of those techniques that'll get us killed. Some of those anti-weapon devices will seldom see the dark of the night, Concealed Weapon or not. The Anarch Troublemaker may burn a piece of equipment belonging to a minion your prey controls, the Arcanum Investigator can burn an equipment card possessed by a minion controlled by your predator or prey. The Werewolf Pack is immun to damage from melee weapons, but not from Magnums so won't appear more often then you're used to. Erosion is another Anti-Melee-Weapon card of the same cathegorie. Fractured Armament and Shattering Blow destroy equipment, but I don't think they'll be used much due to the long distance problem (I may be wrong here). On the other hand, the Canine Horde destroys equipment even at long range and will give us some hard nights. It's even first strike… Frozen Objekt (in the Serpentis version) and Sleight of Hand discard equipment from the hand, King of the Mountain destroys melee weapons (but not Magnums) and Kiss of Lachesis shatters non-unique equipment. We may see more of those, but I doubt it, with the exception of the Canine Horde. We have no Dodge and additional strike like the Celerity decks, so this will be a problem. Some other cards will steal our equipment. Those cards will normally function only at close range, so they hopefully won't be packed that much, for they hose us, but not a .44 weenie horde (without maneuvers, that is). To this group belong Blessing of Durga Syn, Fast Hands, Fleecing the Gaje (we have auspex and should be able to block this action) and even Lucian the Malkavian. Some of those cards may appear in the near future time will tell. The fourth class of cards denies weapon strikes. Blood Fury/Rage and Soul Burn (it's even long range) comes to mind, even Personal Scourge and the Spiritual Protector. Drawing out the Beast and Terror Frenzy (expensive) are fearsome, for they prevent maneuvers and the use of equipment, even of Leather Jackets. Frenzy denies equipment, and Machine Blitz turns our weapon against us (even the "holyness" of an righteous chainsaw). Up yours! tries to do the same as the Machine Blitz, but with the pool cost of the weapon, which won't bother us much (okay, maybe with Tiger Claws, but a Gas-powered Chainsaw is turned for but 1 point of damage and it costs them 1 blood. Jippiie!). With the exception of Up Yours! I'll expect those cards making a bigger impact in the coming months. Immortal Grapple still hoses Weapon decks, is already around much and won't get away if they didn't reprint it without the weapon clause. And pigs will fly… Finally, some few cards are good vs. weenie hordes with Magnums, but not vs. us. Darkling Tickery is one of those. Illegal Search and Seizure does only affect bigger weapons than usually used by us (costs more than 2 pool or inflicts more than 3 damage), Peace Treaty is a nuisance, but our weapons are usually cheap (though this low costs may heap. Auspex may be able to stop the political action if it's not on the far end of the table). Ups, I just forgot the scourge of every equipment deck: The much feared and overactive Tutu the Doubly Evil One may steal an equipment card from a vampire in torpor as a (D) action. Beware the Bane Mummy! ;) =================================================== DECK OF THE MOMENT: Weapon Variants (aka: The Ugly) This time I'll try some weapon variants in the light of coming Concealed Weapon searching for the best of them and exploring the Fortitude Angle a bit more, though maybe it'll be too much of these. Lazverinus, the ventrue Antitribu, might fit in here and replace one or even two Adonais. On weapons, Pokers have the advantage (besides being free) that anyone stealing them from you isn't going to want to use them against you. Crypt: ---------------------------------------------- 1 Doris McMillon val 2, Salubri Antitribu 1 Kervos aus val 3, Salubri Antitribu 2 Wolf Valentine for VAL 4, Salubri Antitribu 2 Thomas Steed, The Angry val aus ani 4, Salubri Antitribu 4 Adonai AUS for VAL 7, Salubri Antitribu 2 Omaya ANI AUS FOR pro 7, Gangrel Antitribu Library: (90 cards) -------------------- Master (15 cards) 7 Blood Doll 2 Direct Intervention 1 Fortitude 2 Metro Undergrounds 1 The Hungry Coyote 1 Guardian Angel 1 The Barrens Action (15 cards) 6 Blessing of the Name 5 Nose of the Hound (these may be Laptops or somesuch if you won't go the sniffing lane) 2 Pulse of the Canaille 2 Restoration Action Modifier (4 cards) 2 Freak Drive (they are uncommon now, maybe I'll get some more) 2 Gift of Bellona Reaction (11 cards) 2 Enhanced Senses 3 Forced Awakening 2 Spirit's Touch 3 Wake with Evening's Freshness 1 Delaying Tactics Combat (36 cards) 4 Blissful Agony 6 Fast Reaction 3 Rolling with the Punches 2 Skin of Rock 3 Skin of Steel (the Fortitude Angle isn't tested that much yet, this may be to much prevention cards) 6 Sword of the Righteous 2 Taste of Vitae 4 Fake out 6 Vengeance of Samiel Equipment (9 cards) 2 Gas-Powered Chainsaw 2 Pokers 1 The Crimson Sentinel 2 Meat Hook 2 Leather Jacket =================================================== SIGN OFF Okay, this was the third newsletter for the Salubri Antitribu. I hope you enjoyed it (again?) and you didn't cry too much about it missing last month (though a bit crying would be okay). ;) Comments and help are always welcome, Atrovent the German Chainsaw, Oliver.volland@gmx.net