Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter - March 2001
Volume 1, Issue 1
By Halcyan 2
Halcyan2@aol.com
[Legal stuff to the tune of: I wrote all this (except for the Deck of the
Month), so please give credit where it's due, etc.]
Welcome! I am proud to present the very first issue of the Tremere Antitribu
Newsletter! This newsletter will be devoted to studying one of the most
under-appreciated and undervalued clans which, ironically enough, has perhaps
the most potential. I'll admit that this issue is a bit long and is filled with
various commentary remarks (which you may or may not appreciate) but I really
hope you enjoy reading this! So... if you are brave enough to learn the secrets
of the Tremere Antitribu, please read on...
--------------------------
Contents -
1.1 - Who are the Tremere Antitribu? (Background info)*
1.2 - Why play !Tremere?
1.3 - Sabbat War*
1.4 - Vampire of the Month
1.5 - Card of the Month
1.6 - Deck of the Month
* Please note that there are a handful of meta-plot spoilers in the "Who are
the Tremere Antitribu" [1.1] and "Sabbat War" [1.3] sections. The first deals a
lot with the Saulot/Tremere stuff, while the latter has some of the Clan Novel
spoilers. Be warned! =)
--------------------------
[1.1 - Who are the Tremere Antitribu?]
Centuries ago, there was a mage named Tremere. He belonged to the Tradition of
the Order of Hermes (Traditions are sort of like clans). Unfortunately, the
time of magick was waning and Tremere knew that his powers, along with those of
all mages, would soon fade away. So Tremere sought to find a way to preserve
his magical powers. One of Tremere's followers, another mage named Goratrix,
made some remarkable discoveries after capturing an elder vampire. He convinced
the elder to embrace two apprentices. Using the apprentices and the elder
vampire, Goratrix was able to create a special ritual that would grant
immortality and preserve the magical abilities of the users. Tremere gathered
his closest advisors (including Goratrix, Etrius, and Meerlinda) and they all
partook in the ritual. Unfortunately, things didn't go as expected. The ritual
actually made them vampires and during this transition, their avatars (the
thingies that let them use Mage magick) were torn asunder. Gradually, the
born-again mages began to learn about vampire nature and vampiric society.
Tremere eventually discovered the secrets of diablerie - that of consuming
another vampire's soul and essence in order to gain power.
Tremere did research to find an appropriate "candidate" to diablerize (he was
looking for a third generation Antediluvian). Eventually he decided on the
peaceful Saulot. After diablerizing Saulot, Tremere and his followers, now
called clan Tremere, had to fend off the vicious attacks of the Gangrel,
Nosferatu, and Tzimisce. In addition, the Assamites didn't like the Tremere too
much either. With Saulot dead, Tremere wanted to wipe out all evidence of his
dirty deed so clan Tremere had a sort of pogrom against all the Salubri (think
of the Salubri as the "nice" vampires). They killed them whenever possible and
vilified their name, spreading rumors of Salubri infernalism. Some clans (like
the Brujah) did take offense to this and this increased the tension in Clan
Tremere's inter-clan relations. Eventually though, the Tremere helped form the
Camarilla at the Council of Thorns and became an integral part of it. Years
later, its counterpart, the Sabbat (the Sword of Caine) was formed. And here
the story of the Tremere Antitribu begins...
Somewhere down the line, Goratrix got a little distasteful of his position and
decided to switch sides. He took a handful of his loyal followers and joined
the Sabbat as the Tremere Antitribu. As the years passed, he gradually seduced
quite a few Tremere over to the dark side. The Tremere weren't too happy about
this so they decided to use their magic to cast a powerful ritual which branded
the forehead of each Tremere Antitribu with a special mark. Any Tremere would
be able to see this brand and identify any Tremere Antitribu he/she might
encounter. In addition, the treacherous Tzimisce, ever paranoid of the glorious
!Tremere, deemed that the !Tremere should forever be barred from holding power
within the Sabbat. (This is sort of represented by the card Infamous Warlock,
though interestingly enough, the !Tremere in Jyhad do have a Cardinal,
Archbishop, Priscus, AND Bishop...).
The Tremere Antitribu were at their apex of power during the 2nd Edition of
Vampire the Masquerade. Although small (only around 100 members), they played
an important role in the Sabbat. Their mastery of Thaumaturgy was unchallenged.
Whenever the Sabbat prepared an attack on a city, it was the job of the Tremere
Antitribu to combat the mystical powers of the Tremere.
Unfortunately for the Tremere Antitribu, there was a change of management at
White Wolf, and Justin Achilles became in charge of Vampire. During the
transition to 3rd Edition, Justin thought that the idea of having Tremere
Antitribu was a silly idea. The Tremere were a tight-knit clan with a great
deal of security. It just didn't make sense for so many Tremere to break from
their clan. (For similar reasons, note that there were never any Giovanni
Antitribu). In any case, Justin contrived this little story...
...One day everyone noticed that all the !Tremere had vanished. Then some
Sabbat guy entered the main !Tremere chantry to find it burned down. Inside
were one hundred pillars of ash. Apparently, the !Tremere had all gathered
together and then they all got burned up. Many rumors were spread. Was the deed
done by the Tzimisce? The Assamites? Or the Salubri Antitribu (another long
story). Eventually it was revealed that it was Tremere himself! Apparently
Saulot had been more sinister than was originally thought. When Tremere
diablerized Saulot, Saulot had retained his willpower and for the next several
centuries, the two constantly battled for control. Saulot was starting to get
the upper hand so Tremere knew he had to have a backup plan. He used a special
ritual to temporarily transfer his essence into Etrius. Etrius secured an
audience with Goratrix and the !Tremere on the pretense of joining the Sabbat.
Apparently Tremere could only transfer his soul into someone who had partaken
in the original ritual with him (so Etrius, Goratrix, or Meerlinda). So Tremere
then possessed and took over the body of Goratrix. Now in Goratrix's body,
Tremere proceeded to destroy just about all of the !Tremere. Some say that it
was an act of passion. Others said it was part of an intensive ritual to
temporarily re-grant him the power of a third generation Antediluvian. Either
way, the !Tremere were all but destroyed. (Don't worry though. Goratrix is
still alive. His soul is held in a mirror until Tremere can find a suitable
body).
Unfortunately, this wasn't enough insult nor injury for the Tremere/!Tremere.
The developer of Mage: The Ascension, Jess Heinig, decided to go against
commonly held belief (and what was consistent with multiple sources of canon)
and said that the great Tremere was never actually a true mage! Instead he was
a lowly hedge mage who, through political maneuverings, managed to become
powerful in the Order of Hermes despite his lack of magical power. The whole
transformation into a vampire thing was a deliberate attempt by him to level
the playing field and grant himself more power. To be honest, I think this
whole thing is B.S. but oh well.
For early, early history on the Tremere, there are a few Ars Magicka
supplements out there. The original Clanbook Tremere, the revised Clanbook, and
Libellus Sanguinuous II (kind of like a Dark Ages Clanbook) also provide info
on the clan. Some more recent stuff include House of Tremere (Dark Ages), a bit
in the Mage supplement Blood Treachery, and there's also a new, upcoming Clan
Trilogy for the Tremere.
There's not too much info specifically on the Tremere Antitribu. The best
source is either the 2nd Edition Player's Guide or Storyteller's Guide to the
Sabbat (not sure which). The 3rd Edition Sabbat version has a small blurb about
finding the pillars of ash. Nights of Prophecy and Transylvania Chronicles IV:
The Dragon Ascendent deal extensively with the meta-plot and the actual
destruction of the !Tremere. And if you're willing to go through them, the Clan
Novels have a little bit of a surprise for !Tremere lovers as well!
--------------------------
[1.2 - Why play !Tremere?]
Now some of you out there might be wondering why anyone in their right mind
would play with the !Tremere. What makes them better than the other clans?
First off, if you play !Tremere (or Tremere), you really should be taking
advantage of Thaumaturgy. If you want Auspex and Dominate, you can go with the
Malkavians or Ventrue Antitribu. While Auspex and Dominate are good with the
Tremere, Thaumaturgy is truly their greatest strength.
So now you're wondering what advantage the !Tremere have over the normal
Tremere. If you plan to add one of the more common disciplines (Potence,
Celerity, Fortitude, etc.), you're probably better off with the normal Tremere.
But if for some reason or another you want to play Thaumaturgy/Chimerstry or
Thaumaturgy/Necromancy, the !Tremere clearly have the advantage. Combining a
few discipline cards with Ian Forrestal, Infernal Pact, and (depending on the
meta-game) maybe Ethan Locke, giving your vampires strange disciplines isn't
too hard. Also note that the !Tremere have a decent grasp on Obtenebration. In
addition to Ian Forrestal and Infernal Pact, Ayelea has OBT and Kij has obt. As
a normal Tremere player myself, I have often found the lack of stealth to be
somewhat problematic. None of the clan disciplines provide much stealth and
it's too awkward throwing in a stealthy discipline like Obfuscate or Protean.
The !Tremere on the other hand can use Obtenebration for some badly needed
stealth.
Note: Further comparisons and analyses of Tremere vs. !Tremere will be done in
the future. Hopefully in coordination with the Tremere Newsletter!
In addition, the !Tremere can probably make a more decent political deck since
they have access to various Sabbat cards. They also have some good allies in
the form of Succubus and Nephandus, both of which are non-unique. And of course
both the Spirit Summoning Chamber and Infernal Pact are irreplaceable.
Last of all, the !Tremere can hold quite a surprise value. Imagine going to a
"Sabbat-only" tournament. While everyone else takes out their Tzimisce
intercept, !Brujah bruise, and !Malk sneak and bleed decks, you get to whip out
your crafty !Tremere deck. And while the more experienced players might have
some idea what they're up against, rest assured that all of the newbies will be
baffled at exactly what this "Tremere Antitribu" vampire-thingy is!!
--------------------------
[1.3 - Sabbat War]
My greatest disappointment with Sabbat War was the failure of White Wolf to
include the !Tremere and Thaumaturgy cards. There are two common explanations.
The first (and worst) is that White Wolf is following the canon storyline in
this situation. So since the !Tremere are all eliminated in the RPG, they
decided not to put them in Sabbat War (and probably won't show up in future
expansions as well). The better theory is that they were taken out simply
because there wasn't enough room. While it's still a bit disheartening, this
explanations does offer the possibility of the !Tremere and Thaumaturgy showing
up in the future (maybe even as early as Final Nights!).
I know people on the newsgroup are probably sick of hearing me complain about
the absence of the !Tremere. =)
But once again I'd like to point out why it would be inconsistent if White Wolf
eliminated them solely because of the storyline. The most shocking thing is the
new Lasombra vampire Ambrosio Luis Moncada, Plenipotentiary. The thing is, a
while back in Clan Novel: Assamite, Cardinal Moncada got his head liquefied by
Fatima meaning that he's dead. So if Moncada's dead, why would White Wolf print
a vampire dead in canon? Not printing the !Tremere for that reason and printing
Moncada despite that reason seems like quite a double standard, doesn't it?
Some may argue that Moncada was printed because he played such an intricate
role in the Clan Novel series. To those people, I'd like to point out Leopold
and his sire Nickolai - both !Tremere (surprise, surprise!). In this case,
White Wolf should print out at least two new !Tremere vampires (which is a
step). As a sidenote to White Wolf following canon, I'm really curious if they
end up reprinting Enzo Giovanni in Final Nights (Enzo BTW met his Final Death a
while ago as well).
On the bright side, the !Tremere did get SOME benefits out of Sabbat War. Many
people have previously discussed the value of Telepathic Tracking, including
Xian in the Tremere Newsletter. Just like the normal Tremere, the !Tremere can
greatly improve their combat abilities with this card. Another benefit is all
of the Sabbat geared cards. The !Tremere actually have a chance at playing
politics with Powerbase: Madrid and Regent. !Tremere intercept decks can
utilize the power of Eternal Vigilance. Equipment decks get Pier 13, Port of
Baltimore which, when combined with Magic of the Smith, can make the !Tremere
frighteningly fast. And the Vagabond Mystic can help make sure the Succubi and
Nephandi are in good shape (not to mention that Gargoyle Slaves no longer have
to waste their actions gaining a measly life point).
--------------------------
[1.4 - Vampire of the Month]
Ethan Locke [Sabbat]
Cardtype: Vampire
Clan: Tremere antitribu
Capacity: 9
Discipline: THA DOM pot aus cel
Sabbat Archbishop of Toronto: As a (D) action, Ethan may steal a Master
Discipline card from another vampire if he does not already possess the
superior version of that Discipline.
For my first Vampire of the Month, I decided to choose Ethan Locke - my
favorite !Tremere. Besides having a cool name, good discipline spread, and
Archbishop title, he also has a pretty neat special. Although his picture isn't
*that* good, compared to the rest of the Sabbat artwork (which I'm not a
particular fan of), it's at least decent.
Besides having the staple two votes, as the only !Tremere Archbishop, Ethan can
also utilize all the cards that are specially reserved for Archbishops and
Cardinals. He has access to Eternal Vigilence, Blood of the Sabbat, Private
Audience, and Creation Rites, among other things. Ethan's also fairly
comparable to the three Tremere Princes (all of whom also happen to be 9 caps -
what a coincidence!). In regards to clan disciplines, he's identical to Cardano
(aus DOM THA) and has a slight advantage over Javier and Spiridonas (each of
whom have two at superior). Although Cardano has an extra superior discipline
compared to Ethan, Ethan does have a decent special instead (and one that is
much better than Javier's torpor related special IMO).
Ethan has a rather interesting special - he can steal Discipline cards. There
are only really two reasons you would do this. Either to deny your opponents
from utilizing certain disciplines or to improve Ethan (by giving him a
discipline or increasing his capacity). Unfortunately, having a 9 cap spend his
time stealing disciplines isn't necessary the best use of minion actions. In
most cases, Ethan should be doing far more important things. One solution to
this is Rutor's Hand. With a capacity of 9, Ethan shouldn't have any problems
playing the superior version to keep out of torpor. Now that he has two actions
a turn, the opportunity cost to stealing disciplines isn't so high. When you
need him to, he can perform two other actions. But when he has nothing else to
do, he can always steal stuff.
What Ethan can actually steal depends on the meta-game and the types of decks
the other players are using. Although Ethan can steal Disciplines from any
player, in most cases you should stick to your predator and prey. Doing so
helps strengthen your position directly. Even though you CAN steal cross-table
doing so might cause ill feelings or mess up the plans of a potential ally.
THA DOM aus cel pot is pretty good as well. Superior Thaumaturgy is a must at
this point and like most !Tremere vampires, he's slanted towards Dominate as
opposed to Auspex. Potence isn't really that useful overall, though it always
seems to appear among higher capacity Tremere and !Tremere. Ethan IS the only
!Tremere vampire with celerity. So though a !Tremere tha/cel isn't too likely
to be seen, he may be a valuable resource to tap in a normal Tremere tha/cel
deck. So while Ethan's skill set doesn't really complement any other !Tremere
('cept Ian of course), he does seem to work quite well with Lazarus and Ulugh.
--------------------------
[1.5 - Card of the Month]
Spirit Summoning Chamber [Sabbat]
Cardtype: Master
Clan: Tremere antitribu
Cost: 2 pool
Master: unique location. Tap this card and burn 1 blood from a ready Tremere
Antitribu you control to search your library for a minion card that requires
Thaumaturgy. Reveal that card to all players and put it in your hand. Reshuffle
your library afterwards and discard down to your maximum hand size.
The Spirit Summoning Chamber can be an extremely valuable tool for the
!Tremere. For one, it can greatly speed up decks. One can use the Summoning
Chamber to retrieve Rutor's Hands, which will allow your vampires to take twice
as many actions. Also, the SSC can be vicious when combined in conjunction with
Magic of the Smith (another card that lets you search through your library).
Use SSC to search for a Magic of the Smith, and then use the Magic to search
for whatever equipment suits your fancy. With the SSC, you never have to worry
about going into a combat unprepared. Low on blood? Go grab a Theft of Vitae!
Need to torporize Arika right now? Go grab a Burst of Sunlight! Desperately
need that maneuver? Use that SSC to get that much needed Movement of the Mind
or Apportation!
Oftentimes, when people play Tremere or !Tremere with Thaumaturgy for combat,
they just stick with Thefts and Movements of the Mind / Apportations. That's
fine and all but it doesn't take advantage of all the nice Thaumaturgy combat
cards out there. The problem with many Thaumaturgy combat cards though is that
they tend to be useful in rather specific situations. The beauty of the Spirit
Summoning Chamber is that you can go search for whatever Thaumaturgy card you
need when you really need it. Having one or two Blood to Waters doesn't look
just like a prayer card - it is a readily available resource. Similarly, there
are many cards that might be occasionally useful (Eldritch Glimmer, Soul Burn,
Burst of Sunlight, and maybe even Machine Blitz) but are often left out since
being in the situation AND having that right card in your hand is so rare. With
the SSC, !Tremere decks can afford to be a little more diverse. Throw in a
single Machine Blitz on the off chance you go up against a nasty melee weapon
or gun. Put in one Eldritch Glimmer in case you need to do some massive damage.
The worst case scenario is that you're wasting one or two card slots in your
deck - cards you might end up discarding. But on the bright side, when push
comes to shove you can use the Summoning Chamber to grab these special
situation cards and maximize their use! In addition to having access to cards
you don't want to put too many of in your deck, the Spirit Summoning Chamber
can also help if you simply don't have many copies of the appropriate card. Say
you only have a single copy of Shotgun Ritual. Normally, it's not going to be
doing you much good since you'll have to draw it and then find the appropriate
time to play it. But with the SSC, you can immediately go through your deck to
get it when you need it.
Note that there are some drawbacks. First off, it does cost 1 blood from one of
your !Tremere. On the bright side, the !Tremere with their Thaumaturgy don't
have to worry too much about blood. Also note that you have to show the
retrieved Thaumaturgy card to all of the other players so they know what's
coming. But then again, this is one of the few ways one can legally show other
players a card from one's hand. Even if you don't plan to use whatever card you
retrieve, having a Burst or Walk can be intimidating to other players. Another
problem with the SSC is that you have to discard a card when you "discard down
to your maximum hand size." Not that bad of a proposition for most of the game
but it may become problematic if you have a really good hand and can't figure
out what to get rid of.
--------------------------
[1.6 - Deck of the Month]
Spirit Summoning Chamber by The Lasombra
CRYPT (12 cards) :
2 Ayelea, The Manipulator (AUS DOM OBT pre THA, !Tremere, 10, Cardinal)
2 Bryan Van Duesen (aus DOM pre THA, !Tremere, 7)
2 Ethan Locke (aus cel DOM pot THA, !Tremere, 9, Archbishop)
2 Ian Forestal (AUS DOM THA, !Tremere, 8)
2 Kij Dansky (AUS DOM obt THA, !Tremere, 8, Priscus)
2 Reverend Blackwood (DOM obf THA, !Tremere, 6, Bishop)
LIBRARY (90 cards) :
Master (17 cards)
1 Barrens, The
3 Blood Doll
2 Festivo dello Estinto
2 Infernal Pact
1 KRCG News Radio
1 London Evening Star
3 Minion Tap
1 Mob Connections
1 Rumor Mill, Tabloid Newspaper
1 Spirit Summoning Chamber
1 University Hunting Ground
Actions (3 cards)
1 Covenant of Blood
1 Dominate Kine
1 Rutor's Hand
Combat (36 cards)
3 Apportation
3 Aura Reading
3 Blood Fury
4 Blood to Water
3 Cauldron of Blood
1 Eldritch Glimmer
1 Shotgun Ritual
3 Soul Burn
3 Theft of Vitae
3 Thoughts Betrayed
3 Trap
3 Walk of Flame
3 Weather Control
Equipment (7 cards)
3 Blood Tears of Kephran
3 Leather Jacket
1 Sport Bike
Reactions (25 cards)
3 Deflection
3 Eagle's Sight
3 Enhanced Senses
3 Fast Reaction
1 Melange
3 Precognition
3 Spirit's Touch
3 Telepathic Counter
3 Wake with Evening's Freshness
Retainers (1 card)
1 Mr. Winthrop
GAME ENVIRONMENT:
4 card limit. 90 card library limit.
Always have the right combat card (Spirit Summoning Chamber).
Here's a deck that was designed for a CL environment (which has been a hot
topic recently). The Lasombra recalls that it did well in his 4 CL environment.
In play, he usually used it to get a 2nd round combat if he had a Shotgun
Ritual in his hand, or to get a Shotgun Ritual if he already had a 2nd round
combat card. Most often, he would end up using the SSC to get an Apportation or
other maneuver.
Overall, it is an excellent !Tremere intercept/combat deck. This deck shows yet
another important aspect of the Spirit Summoning Chamber - how it can be even
more useful in a CL environment. The Lasombra's deck incorporates a wide
variety of combat cards (including 10 different Thaumaturgy cards). As a
result, during combat the SSC will provide a large range of options.
I would personally include an extra copy or two of the Spirit Summoning Chamber
and maybe some Forced Awakenings as well. As this deck was made well before the
release of Sabbat War, it could also greatly benefit from Eternal Vigilance.
And of course all those second round combat cards might see some more play if
you add some Telepathic Tracking. Also, I'd prefer to somehow get a little more
bleed in there so you can oust your prey faster. Maybe slip in a Pentex(tm)
Loves You! or a Pulse of the Canaille or two.
--------------------------
Things to Look Forward to in Future Issues: Infernalism in the Sabbat, !Tremere
Politics, and Background Info on Gargoyles, Succubi, and Nephandi!
Signing out,
Halcyan 2