Introduction:
I've been doing this newsletter for close to a year now, and during
that time we've seen two new sets of cards - ok the second one is
still a week away. Blood Lines didn't add that much to the Toreador
as it turned out, but a brand new Camarilla Expansion is bound to
impact on the clan.
The new Camarilla set:
During november last year I courted the idea of playing Toreador with
obfuscate. There were two vampires with that discipline.
Francois Villon Tor 10 Prince CEL, AUS, PRE, chi, obf, pot
+1 bleed. May steel two blood from a younger
vampire as a +1 stealth D-action.
Klaus van der Veken Tor 9 Prince PRE, CEL, tha, aus, obf
May cancel effect of one of preys
hunting grounds.
My main problem turned out being forced to rely on multiple copies of
those two vampires, which often created a less than perfect opening
uncontrolled region.
The new set brings us another two vampires with obfuscate.
Suzanne Kadim Tor 7 CEL, PRE, aus, obf, dom
+1 bleed
Joaquin Murietta Tor 9 AUS, CEL, pre, obf, qui
Optional additional strike first round of
combat. +1 damage with guns at long range.
As both of the already existing vampires belong to group 2 you may
mix all four.
Looking at the discipline spread a gun-deck seems obvious, and
Disguised Weapon is the most effective way to get them. Another useful
card is Forgotten Labyrinth giving the acting vampire an additional 2
stealth, something that comes in handy if you want to vote or equip or
reqruit.
The really painful combination, though, is Mask of a 1000 Faces and
Aching Beauty. If you create a crypt that uses the four vampires as a
backbone and fill it up with smaller vampires you can take agressive
actions with your small ones. If you're not blocked, well that's fine,
but if you are blocked you can substitute your defensless, acting, vamp
for a gunwielding monster, and the player blocking you pays pool before
combat begins.
During combat you can make good use of the fact that all four of the
vampires presented here have CEL. Psyche has two uses - first it allows
you another chance at gunning down your opposition even if they play
Strike: Combat Ends. The other one is to protect you from the effect
of Rotschreck. Sideslip allows you choose between dodging or preventing
one point of damage. Pursuit and Sidestrike are cards that cost you
nothing and gives you the choise between an additional strike and either
a maneouver or a dodge.
Don't forget to add in some Taste of Vitae to your gun-deck. The card
has been slightly changed so that you may only use if at the very end
of a round. This change is a vast improvement to anyone basing their
combat on celerity as your opposition is no longer allowed to taste back
whatever damage he/she inflicted on your Toreador during the initial
strikeresolution. This is very often the difference between actually
managing to put your opponent into torpor or not. For you, though, the
change should usually make very little difference as the initial strike-
resolution ought to determine if your vampire will go to torpor during
the combatround or not.
The Toreador also have access to a retainer that works like a Flack
Jacket. Resplendent Protector is a retainer without any cost, and if
your gunslinging days are hampered by Animalism combat, usually Drawing
out the Beast, this retainer is to be preferred as the
equipmentpenalizing effect doesn't stop the retainer from preventing
damage done to you.
Afterwords:
A totally different line of thought is the deck that's based around
Toreador Grand Ball, Toreador Princes, Progeny, Obfsuscate discipline
cards, Night Moves and Clothos Gift, but we really don't want to go
there now.
Next newsletter we'll know better what the Camarilla Expansion has
brought us. I'm looking forward to that knowledge.
Sten During