Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter - November 2002 Volume 1, Issue 8 By Halcyan 2 Halcyan2@aol.com [Legal stuff to the tune of: I wrote all this, so please give credit where it's due, etc.] -------------------------- Contents - 1.1 - Editor's Note 1.2 - Reclaim the Eye of Hazimel! (IC) 1.3 - Forbidden Lore: Rebuilding the Clan, Part I 1.4 - Deal Making and Deal Breaking 1.5 - Vampire of the Month 1.6 - Card of the Month 1.7 - Deck of the Month -------------------------- [1.1 - Editor's Note] Greetings and salutations! Welcome to the latest edition of the Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter! As I mentioned before, my sincerest apologies for the long period of time since my last newsletter. You see, the Tremere Antitribu have been experimenting with Temporis and this has had some unfortunate... side-effects. This is also why it may be slightly confusing why this is Issue #8 when the last officially released newsletter was Issue #2. Their tinkerings with temporal mechanics have resulted in all sorts of temporal anomalies, including time dilations and whatnot. Yeah, that's the ticket... Honestly speaking, I've just been so caught up in the minutia of that "real life" thing. In addition, I'm a perfectionist and thus the type of guy who only wants to publish top-notch quality newsletters. I want to provide an in-depth look at the !Tremere as well as provide insightful information that only helps to enrich the background of the clan and the game. Thus I usually have to devote a great deal of time and effort to every newsletter I write and up till now, I just haven't had much of an opportunity to do so. I have several editions of the !Tremere Newsletter (issues between #2 and #8) that have been started (and some are even almost finished) but I just haven't had the chance to actually polish them up for publication. Maybe some day... Well, hopefully you'll find this particular issue up to the industry standard. Even better, maybe you'll actually enjoy it! The Tremere Antitribu may be down but they're certainly not out for the count just quite yet! -------------------------- [1.2 - Reclaim the Eye of Hazimel! (IC)] The Eye of Hazimel has been unearthed and the city of San Diego is now in upheaval. While the other clans bicker amongst themselves, now is the perfect opportunity for us, brothers and sisters, to regroup and bring the Tremere Antitribu back to the forefront where we belong! I understand that the conflagration in Mexico City was a major, if not nearly fatal, setback for our clan. But we are a very resilient clan. We are survivors. With our mastery of Blood Magic and our unrivaled subterfuge, the House of Goratrix will live on! I understand that during the recent struggle for control over Baltimore, many of you were hesitant to expose yourselves by revealing your identity to Kindred society. But now, with the Eye of Hazimel at stake, perhaps it is time for the Tremere Antitribu to make their presence felt once again! If you recall, the Eye of Hazimel was last controlled by one of our very own - the neonate Leopold. Unfortunately, he was murdered by a wretched Gangrel bitch and a sneaky Setite managed to make off with the Eye. Perhaps it is now time to reclaim the Eye and offer a little "payback." The possession of such a powerful artifact would surely be of great assistance in re-establishing our clan. So I beseech you, my brethren, in the name of blessed Goratrix himself, to do your utmost in securing the Eye for the Tremere Antitribu. I know that it may be tempting to help another one of the clans secure this item instead and probably much more convenient at times. But this clan needs you. Even now, the fiendish Tzimisce strive for control of the Eye but we cannot allow them to have an item of such great power. If you are unable to claim the Eye for our own clan, then perhaps we'd be better off if the Eye was won by a pack of Gangrel or some scheming Ventrue. For we most do our best to deny such a victory to our sworn enemies the Tzimisce. And I suppose we should also be alert in case our wayward Tremere cousins require our assistance. Though they hunt our kind mercilessly, it is due to ignorance not malice. Perhaps one day the estrangement between our two clans can finally come to an end. The Final Nights are upon us and we must do what we can to keep our clan alive. Glory to the House of Goratrix! -------------------------- [1.3 - Forbidden Lore: Rebuilding the Clan, Part I] There are some out there who do not support the Tremere Antitribu. They believe that the clan is completely, permanently, and irrevocably destroyed and that it is futile to attempt to re-establish it. They feebly cling to the canon story-line, unable to accept the mere possibility that a single !Tremere might have survived or that House Goratrix might one day be re-built. They wonder why one should bother playing the !Tremere in story-line tournaments when they have been utterly destroyed. This new section of the newsletter is devoted to exploring the myriad of ways that House Goratrix might continue on. It is intended to provide possible theories and other bits of forbidden lore to those who wish to learn the secrets of the !Tremere. And most importantly, it serves as a bastion of hope for those Jyhad/VTES players who want to re-introduce the !Tremere into the Vampire storyline. First off, we'll just briefly summarize some of the more common possibilities as well as some of the theories that have already been discussed in previous newsletters. Goratrix, the founder and uber-Tremere Antitribu, was not destroyed in Mexico City. Tremere has possessed his body and Goratrix's soul is temporarily held in some magic mirror (according to Transylvania Chronicles IV). It is possible that once Tremere no longer needs Goratrix's body, Goratrix might be returned to his former self and from there, completely rebuild the !Tremere pyramid from the bottom up (actually top down but you get the idea). In the quasi-canon clan novels, there was at least one survivor of the Mexico City disaster - Nickolai. Nickolai sires Leopold. Leopold finds the Eye of Hazimel, causes some havoc, and is then killed by Ramona. And Cock Robin then kills Nickolai at the end of the series. But the mere fact that there was one survivor (Nickolai) implies the possibility that there might have been others. And of course there's always the simple, logical question of "what about !Tremere vampires who couldn't logistically reach Mexico City in time?" Not being able to arrive in time, being in torpor, and being imprisoned are all possible ways that an individual !Tremere might not have been able to attend the grand convocation. Furthermore, if Nickolai managed to sire Leopold during the clan novels, who knows if he sired other vampires as well and maybe even Leopold sired a few whelps during his short unlife as a vampire... And finally we have the case of Valerius Maior, one of the most notorious Tremere/!Tremere. The Camarilla fears Valerius so much that it has placed him on the infamous Red List. The Anathema Valerius started as a Tremere, later joined the Tremere Antitribu, and after that left the Sabbat, presumably becoming Independent. (So he's something between Tremere, Tremere Antitribu, and Independent. His history is detailed more thoroughly in Kindred's Most Wanted). Valerius managed to survive the Mexico City purge as well (as confirmed in Midnight Siege). As a former Tremere Antitribu, Valerius could always return to the fold. And if an ex-!Tremere survived, that implies that other ex-!Tremere could also have survived (any of which could also re-establish House Goratrix). And of course there are always other far-out possibilities such as True Brujah with Temporis and Oracles of Time messing around... In addition, it is also important to note that one of the *real* reasons for the Tremere Antitribu's disappearance and continued non-existence is due to the current Vampire the Masquerade developer - Justin Achilli. Not that I'd ever advocate such a thing, but in the future, if some other individual took over this position, an individual much more sympathetic to our cause, the Tremere Antitribu might very well return to the World of Darkness. But in this month's installment of Forbidden Lore we are going to shed light upon another avenue with which House Goratrix can be re-created. Though Goratrix is currently indisposed and the vast majority of his line are but pillars of ash, there are still those of his blood who live their undead lives in the World of Darkness. This month we will reveal the continued existence of Goratrix's first child - Epistatia. Well before The Becoming in 1022, Epistatia had long been a mage of House Tremere. Her particular specialty field dealt with soul migration and the nature of the soul. Many of her experiments involved temporarily separating a soul from its body and attempting to manipulate it. At Goratrix's behest, Epistatia used her expertise to aid him in formulating the ritual of transformation. After the ritual was performed in 1022, Epistatia was Embraced by Goratrix, thus having the honor of becoming the first Tremere vampire outside of Tremere and the Inner Council of Seven. Epistatia accomplished much during those early years. During the time when Goratrix reigned over Ceoris, Epistatia, working alongside with Goratrix, Virstania, and Malgorzata (another of Goratrix's childes) was able to perfect the gargoyle creation process. It was this creation that was able to turn the tide against the rampaging Tzimisce hordes. Later on, after Goratrix was sent to the Paris chantry and Etrius took over Ceoris, Epistatia served as the Mistress of the Hunt, providing the residents of Ceoris with the kine necessary to slake their thirst. In 1282, Epistatia mysteriously disappeared. During this time Clan Tremere was warring with various mages from the Order of Hermes so it was suspected that Epistatia had been captured by such mages. The truth however was that even during her days as a mortal mage, Epistatia had suffered from a fairly severe form of amnesia. Her disappearance in 1282 was a result of completely succumbing to that amnesia. She utterly forgot about her membership in Clan/House Tremere and managed to survive during the ensuing centuries. In 1932, Epistatia opened a nickel and dime convenience store in Baltimore, Maryland and she remains there to this very day, occasionally slating her blood thirst with unsuspecting shoplifters. (Source: House of Tremere, December 2000) So there you have it! Not only one of Goratrix's childes but Goratrix's *first* childe and the first Tremere vampire to be Embraced - is still in existence even in these Modern Nights. Perhaps one day Epistatia will recall her lineage and help re-establish the bloodline of her sire. Now of course, this would have been the perfect way to re-introduce the Tremere Antitribu during the Meddling of Semsith Story-line Tournament, since that involved the struggle for control of Baltimore. Think about how fitting it would have been if Epistatia, childe of Goratrix, had participated in the Jyhad and won Baltimore for the Tremere Antitribu! But nonetheless, one should still take solace in the fact that we have a potential sleeper agent in Baltimore and that some of Goratrix's very blood live on. And, I suppose, this also serves as sort of a warning to those who might be tempted to shoplift while in Baltimore! -------------------------- [1.4 - Deal Making and Deal Breaking] Recently, events at the Portsmouth, U.K. story-line tournament have re-ignited the difficult issue of deal making and deal breaking. I thought that it might be neat to include a section in this month's newsletter to put my two cents in. So as a *casual* Jyhad/VTES player who has seen this issue erupt several times on the newsgroup in the past, here's my two cents: The simple answer is that there is no single, right answer. I'm not going go off and say that you should always keep all of your deals nor am I going to say that you should always break a deal whenever it's in your interest. How a Jyhad/VTES player deals with deals is part of their personal playing style. If you want to be known as always being true to your word and are willing to martyr yourself then that's your choice. That's nice. How noble of you. And if you want to be known as a treacherous bastard who would gladly stab your mother in the back, sell your soul, and give up your first new-born son just for an extra VP and maybe a table win, then that's also your choice. More power to you. Different players play Jyhad/VTES for different reasons and I don't think it's right for someone to simply get on a soapbox and tell everyone how they should be playing the game (and remember that, it IS only a "game"). All in all, I think a major factor in how deals are dealt with is based on geography. This is why some players from some regions are utterly horrified by stories about deals from other regions. And why sometimes, at the larger conventions, we end up with more disputes and conflicts. When some players who deal with this aspect of this game one way end up playing with other players who tackle the same issue in a completely different manner, of course it's not going to be as simple as "everyone just gettin' along." Let's pretend there's a scale from 1 to 10. A region with a 10 is full of honest, well-meaning do-gooders. In places with a rating of 1, you really gotta watch your back. For example, from my experiences and from what I've heard, L.A. and England (apparently) tend to be populated by some of the most ruthless Jyhad players known to mankind. And the games are just as cutthroat as the players! Definitely a "1". In Quebec, Canada however, deal keeping is some sacred sacrament that fits somewhere between communion and confession - clearly a 10. I'd have to rate the Chicago scene to be somewhere around an 8. Generally, deals are kept. Deals are usually only broken when the entire game depends on it. When this is done, it is understandable, though not necessarily without consequences. Another area of possible contention is following the letter of a deal as opposed to its spirit or intent. I'm sure that in the more upright regions, a deal with poor wording might still be kept as a matter of honor. But even in playgroups which generally honor deals (such as around Chicago), honoring deals only goes as far as honoring the exact terms of the deal. If someone can find a loophole with the wording, more likely than not, they're going to exploit it. When playing in such regions, even if you make a deal with someone with a good reputation, be careful that you haven't left enough ambiguity to be taken advantage of. If I had to choose between the two extremes, I'd probably prefer playing with deal keepers as opposed to deal breakers, if only because they tend to be more reliable, dependable, and predictable in such matters. I find such environments to be more conducive to my enjoyment of the game as well as cooperation and community among the VTES players. The cutthroat aspect of deal making isn't always compatible with such friendly goals. Of course I am not intending in any way to criticize the L.A. (or possibly U.K.) playgroups for their playing style. Over the summer at GenCon 2002, some of the coolest and best VTES players I met were from the L.A. region (such as Alex Harmon, Stephan Fazio, and even the *treacherous* Mr. Goudie). But nevertheless, after playing with the likes of Hugues Bertrand and Christian (both from Quebec) I couldn't help but appreciate how I could let my guard down a bit and relax for a while at times. However, another danger for groups that place a high priority on deal keeping is that sometimes it can have unfortunate effects on a game. A game may linger on and on due to inactivity if players are too fearful of even appearing to want to break a deal. In addition, the threat of being labeled as a deal breaker may be used to coerce or intimidate other players. Take for example a while back when I was playing in a Jyhad sealed-deck tournament. During the final round it was down to me, my prey, and my predator (who had already gotten 2 VP's). My predator called a nasty vote that I didn't have enough intercept to block. My prey however had the intercept and asked me if I wanted him to block it. Considering how the only thing I could do was try to oust my prey next turn and that I didn't mind him tapping out his last untapped minion, I told him that I'd really like him to block it if he could (no mention of not bleeding him during my turn was made). Thus he successfully blocked the political action and then on my turn I announced that I was going to try to bleed him out. My prey was a bit surprised since he had *assumed* that I wasn't going to bleed him in return for blocking the vote (despite the fact that no actual deal was ever made) and went off about how I could bleed him out but if so, then he would always remember me as a deal breaker, wouldn't make deals with me in the future, etc. At this point, I was getting really annoyed since I hadn't broken any deal at all yet this guy was trying to pin me with a bad rap. However, since this was supposed to be a friendly tournament, I decided that it probably wasn't worth the hassle and decided to not bleed out my prey. Nonetheless, let this be a lesson to all you deal keepers. Never allow deal keeping to become so important that players can manipulate each other by threatening to give them the scarlet letter. Similarly, you should always be prepared for the worst when you make a deal with the devil, as they say. At the North American Championship at GenCon 2002, my second round I ended up with Goudie the Betrayer as my grandpredator. He was playing some sort of Malkavian deck relying on Mask1K tricks. My predator was playing some sort of Malkavian dominate deck with some Setites. My prey was playing Lasombra. And my grandprey was playing a Ventrue fattie deck based on multiple 1st Traditions and Parity Shifts. The beginning wasn't too bad since Goudie was bleeding fairly responsibly (not throwing on massive bleed modifiers) since his prey (my predator) had quite a few Deflections. Eventually it reached a point where it seemed that my grandprey was going to get close to sweeping. My predator was kind of a moron and kept trying to screw up the table balance. He was taking some pretty heavy bleeds from Goudie but Goudie was willing to hold back a bit if he didn't put so much pressure on me. But my predator goes on to Corrupt a pair of my minions, ignoring the imminent danger of the 1st Traditions. Absolutely frustrated with my predator, I knew that he had to go though I wasn't sure if Goudie would be much better. When Goudie bled for a pretty hefty amount (maybe around 6) that would ensure an oust, my predator deflected the bleed to me. I also had a Deflection in my hand but instead of deflecting to my prey I made an offer to Goudie. I would deflect the nasty bleed back to my predator (thus ensuring his oust) if he would give me a little time (i.e. he wouldn't bleed me for two of his turns not including that one). He agreed and my predator was ousted. Knowing that I had a little breathing room, I tapped out my minions trying to put as much pressure on my prey as I could. Unfortunately, my grandprey was able to get his wheels into motion on his turn and on his turn Goudie figured that the only way to keep the 1st Tradition deck from getting the Table Win was by breaking the deal and trying to bleed me out. He apologized for having to break the deal and then attempted to bleed me. I was able to Wake and Deflect the first big bleed but the other one was enough to oust me. Goudie, you treacherous bastard! =) Of course, during the course of this game I was well aware that Goudie was from L.A. and that the L.A. players had a certain reputation for breaking deals. When I made my deal with Goudie the Betrayer, I was well aware of the possibility that he might attempt to stab me in the back. But it still was the best decision I could make in that position and anyway, it makes a great story. Truth be told, I don't think that Robert really knew who I was at the time - he probably thought he was just betraying some unknown, old, homeless bum! And I honestly don't think it would have made too much of a difference. At best, I would have gotten a single VP which wouldn't have done much good for me and would actually have *excluded* me from membership to the Triple-Zero Club. I understand Goudie's position and decision during that game and I don't really hold it against him... too much that is. And anyway, now I get to refer to him as "Goudie the Betrayer!" So that's the end of that story. Overall, most players' styles will be heavily influenced by the regional group that they play with. Of course, some particular individuals may be inclined to go against the grain in their group and if you choose to, then more power to you but be aware of possible consequences. My advice to new players (and even more experienced ones) is to just play in whatever way you find to be most enjoyable and also in the way that you want to be perceived (due to your reputation). And when you make deals with others be aware and be prepared in case they prefer a different playing style. And once again, never forget that Jyhad/VTES is only a game and that the goal is to have Fun! =P -------------------------- [1.5 - Vampire of the Month] Alfred Benezri [CE] Cardtype: Vampire Clan: Pander Group: 3 Capacity: 6 Discipline: aus dom PRE THA Sabbat Bishop: Alfred gets -1 strength in combat with an ally. In the World of Darkness, the Pander are supposed to be the Sabbat equivalent to the clanless Caitiff except that they have actually gained acknowledgment as a cohesive clan. If that is so, then it shouldn't be too hard to figure out which clan Alfred can trace his lineage too! According to the official canon storyline, Alfred Benezri was Embraced in 1769 in Damascus. Early on in his unlife, he moved to Montreal, a city ripe with powerful demons and rampant infernalism. Benezri served as a Sabbat inquisitor for quite some time and even helped develop the structure of the Inquisition as it stands today. During 2nd Edition Vampire, Benezri was the leader of the Shepherds of Caine coven and was also one of the three Bishops of Montreal during the reign of Archbishop Carolina Valez. (Source: Montreal By Night). According to Nights of Prophecy, Archbishop Valez apparently abdicates her position and Benezri supposedly takes over as Archbishop of Montreal. Although some players have displayed some consternation that Benezri's Jyhad/VTES representation is "merely" a Bishop, I do think that it was done for the best. I don't want to delve too much into this since it can be a bit of a touchy subject but, while I do respect the official Vampire storyline, I do not think that Jyhad/VTES should be straitjacketed into matching every detail. Anyway, Polonia is no longer Archbishop of New York, Quentin King III is no longer Prince of Boston, Vitel is no longer Prince of Washington D.C., and Saxum, Luma, and Fidus won their freedom from the Tremere long ago, and that doesn't even begin on all the Kindred who have crypt cards despite having met Final Death. And most importantly of course, a 6-cap Archbishop might introduce some balance issues. The Pander should already be thankful that they are getting a Bishop and rest assured that the Tremere Antitribu are more than happy with Benezri as he already is! Alfred Benezri truly is an honorary Tremere Antitribu. With auspex, dominate, and thaumaturgy, Benezri can easily fit into a standard !Tremere deck. In particular, his superior thaumaturgy proves to be a big boon for the clan since so many of its members are lacking um... "big pentagram." I mean, if you go straight with clan disciplines (4 points), he's on par with other mid-caps such as 5-cap Kurt Strauss (aus DOM tha) and 6-cap Reverend Blackwood (DOM THA). And at this point we've only begun to explore his uses. Another important area that Benezri helps supplement the !Tremere with is the area of Sabbat political influence. For far too long, the !Tremere have been excluded from the innermost circles of the Sabbat hierarchy (not the least due to the supposed "demise" of the clan). Many players might easily write off the Bishop title since in so many cases, Primogen and Bishop titles are marginal add-ons at best. But at least for !Tremere voting decks, every vote counts. Although technically a Pander, Benezri essentially functions as a 6-cap !Tremere Bishop, a rough complement to the good Reverend. And finally, Benezri also further opens up the possibility of Presence for the !Tremere. Currently, the only !Tremere with Presence are Ayelea, the Manipulator and Bryan van Duesen (with the addition of Ian Forestal who can play Presence cards). Benezri, with his PRE, helps make this discipline mesh much more viable. The other members of the clan will probably need to rely on discipline cards, Infernal Familiars, or Infernal Pacts but a !Tremere deck with Presence really opens an entirely new dimension on !Tremere political decks. Instead of being at the whim of table dynamics, !Tremere can be more proactive with the use of Bewitching Oration and Awe, the latter of which is much more easily accessible now due to the Camarilla Edition. Presence S:CE can also greatly supplement the combat defense of !Tremere voting decks, something which I have found rather lacking in my personal experience. Manuevering to long and Thefting vitae is a good tactic, but often isn't enough to save you when up against heavy combat decks. Similarly, Bond with the Mountain's dodge is nice, but sometimes the !Tremere really need that S:CE. Furthermore, Voter Captivation can help offset the use of Awe to push votes through as well as provide some pool gain. Of course Presence does have other uses, but I feel that its politically related cards combined with more reliable combat defense are the greatest boon for the !Tremere. Most of the bleed cards are redundant since Dominate already provides similar options. The Summoning might be useful for some !Tremere decks relying on Succubi or Nephandi. The !Tremere also have the Auspex necessarily to use Soul Painting, which might keep your opponent's minions busy. And another great card with both defensive and offensive capabilities is Mind Numb. With PRE, Alfred is the perfect choice to tap out your prey's only untapped minion or to keep your predator's ravenous Beast, villainous Tariq, or (after CE) the dastardly dangerous Tyler off your back. Or at least for a turn or two. Despite being a lowly Pander, Alfred Benezri has the skill set and political connections that could greatly serve the interests of the Tremere Antitribu. During our clan's struggle for survival, it would be foolish to overlook this valuable resource solely because he is not of our blood. Anyway, in the eternal Jyhad, some details such as this are only trivial at best. -------------------------- [1.6 - Card of the Month] Wind Dance [Promotional?] Cardtype: Combat Discipline: Thaumaturgy tha: Strike: dodge THA: Strike: dodge with an additional strike: dodge this round In case you missed it, Wind Dance is a future promotional card that, due to some slipup with the printer, ended up in a few very lucky Camarilla Edition pre-constructed starters. Wind Dance isn't widely available at the current moment, but hopefully that will change soon, as this card will prove to be quite a major boon for the Tremere and !Tremere. [Bad_Joke] And White Wolf isn't even asking you to take a bleed for them in return! [/Bad _Joke] If you want more details, see: From: LSJ (vtesrep@white-wolf.com) Subject: Xaviar, Eye of Hazimel, and Wind Dance Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad Date: 2002-08-26 07:23:33 PST There are three cards floating about that are the topic of quite a few conversations: Xaviar Eye of Hazimel Wind Dance Officially, those cards don't exist, since they have not been officially released yet. But apparently there was a slip up at the printer and a very small number of those cards have been accidentally included in various Camarilla Edition preconstructed starters. So, they aren't fakes, but they aren't official, either. They will not be legal for inclusion in any VEKN tournament (until such time as they are officially released, of course). If you have rules questions about using them in your house games, I'll be happy to field those. Questions about the timetable for the official release of those will have to wait until the official answers are available, of course. We'll announce the release schedule when it is ready. Sorry for the confusion, Scott -- LSJ (vtesrep@white-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep for White Wolf, Inc. Links to V:TES news, rules, cards, utilities, and tournament calendar: http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/ I'll be honest with you - I am simply drooling over Wind Dance. Bond with the Mountain is a great card but the 1 blood cost can sometimes be a pain. A single blood might not seem like a steep price to pay when you've just influenced out a 10-cap, but believe me it makes all the difference when your empty 10-cap is blocked while hunting. The blood cost hurts the !Tremere much more than the mainstream Tremere due to the scarcity of THA, which means your weenies and mid-caps usually only steal 1 blood instead of 2 with Theft. Of course Bond with the Mountain is still useful even with the presence of Wind Dance but I simply see them as having different functions. Bond with the Mountain is a great boon to 2nd round Thaumaturgy combat. While Thaumaturgy has plenty of nasty 2nd round combat cards, I'm sure any Tremere/!Tremere player can tell you that sometimes it's hard enough surviving to the 2nd round. Bond with the Mountain provides a dodge to help you get through round one, and also comes with a built-in press. In the period after Bloodlines but before CE, the press was essential since Apportations were scarce but even now with much more abundant Apportations (finally!), the built-in press lets you save the Apportations for maneuvers. Another use for Bond with the Mountain is for !Tremere decks that are utilizing gargoyles (since Bond with the Mountain has several Visceratika effects). But if you intend to play a straight !Tremere deck and really want focused combat defense, Wind Dance is now your card. It really is past time for Thaumaturgy to get a free, replaceable dodge. The Dodge card only gets you so far and ever since Bloodlines gave Dominate(!) an outferior dodge with Absorb the Mind, Thaumaturgy's been feeling rather left out! At first glance, the superior version of Wind Dance might seem rather corner-case or frivolous, but it only further adds to the defensive capability of Wind Dance. The THA version provides some modicum of protection against Celerity decks. The Assamites, City Gangrel, and Brujah pitch decks are going to need to work a bit harder to catch the !Tremere now. Before Wind Dance, the !Tremere had absolutely no defense against and no cards that provided additional strikes. Wind Dance provides protection from most non-CEL vampires (since celerity cards can only provide one additional strike at inferior - for more you need superior Blur, Quickness, or Lightning Reflexes). Another nifty aspect is that Wind Dance also provides protection against those nasty Obtenebration shenanigans involving Arms of the Abyss + Entombment. Now you can scoff at the Lasombra while you dance right past them! Overall, Wind Dance is helpful to Thaumaturgy because it helps open up some more options. For far too long, Thaumaturgy has been constrained in the role as a 2nd-tier combat discipline with little defense. Hopefully Wind Dance and future Thaumaturgy cards will break such a stereotype and give Thaumaturgy the versatility it so thoroughly enjoys in the RPG. While Wind Dance is a heaven-send for combat fearing !Tremere, note however that it is not full proof. As a dodge strike, it is still vulnerable to Scorpion Sting, Veil of Silence, Shadow Feint, and Vengeance of Samiel, among others. And that's on top of Thoughts Betrayed and the traditional anti-dodge, anti-S:CE - Immortal Grapple. And, as mentioned earlier, you still have to worry about vampires who can gain more than one additional strike (i.e. CEL vampires, Jacko's special, etc.) That doesn't mean that Wind Dance isn't a great Thaumaturgy card, but it's just a reminder to be prepared. Finally, there are a few other combos for those who wish to dance upon the wind. One question you might have is "how does Primal Instincts interact with Wind Dance." The answer, according to LSJ, is: From: LSJ(vtesrep@white-wolf.com) Subject: Re: LSJ Wind Dance Question Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad Date: 2002-08-27 04:53:00 PST > If a Tremere were to play Wind Dance at superior, could he or she then play > Primal Instincts to cancel the second dodge, and then have the addtional > strike to use with whatever strike? Sure, if the Tremere were acting and the opposing minion gained an additional strike (as required by PI). -- LSJ (vtesrep@white-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep for White Wolf, Inc. Links to V:TES news, rules, cards, utilities, and tournament calendar: http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/ Thus the situation is rather corner-case since it requires so many conditions, but there is a potential use for Primal Instincts and Wind Dance. And who knows, maybe your opponents will get a bit of a surprise when you stop Dancing and instead do the Walk of Flame. Another additional benefit is that since Wind Dance requires Thaumaturgy, you can use the !Tremere's Spirit Summoning Chamber to go fetch a copy if you really need that dodge right now! Knowing that some combat defense is only a tap away can be quite a reassurance in these dangerous times. -------------------------- [1.7 - Deck of the Month] The Last Temptation of Goratrix by Halcyan 2 * Story-line Legal [CRYPT: 12 cards] Aisling Sturbridge 5 Tremere AUS dom THA Alejandro Aguirre 5 !Tremere ani aus dom tha Blythe Candeleria 3 Tremere aus THA Brooke 3 !Tremere dom tha Hannigan 5 !Tremere AUS dom THA Heinrick Schlempt 2 !Tremere tha Ian Forestal x 2 8 !Tremere AUS DOM [ser] THA [vis] Kurt Strauss 5 !Tremere aus DOM tha Masika St. John 3 Tremere THA Richard Tauber 4 !Tremere AUS tha Thelonius 4 !Tremere aus dom tha [LIBRARY: 90 cards] [Misc.: 9 cards] 2 Arson 5 Change of Target 2 Wake with Evening's Freshness [Clan Toys: 9 cards] 1 Charnas, The Imp 4 Create Gargoyle 1 Nephandus 2 Succubus 1 Thadius Zho, Mage [Discipline: 50 cards] [3 Auspex, 8 Dominate, 13 Serpentis, 26 Thaumaturgy] 3 Telepathic Misdirection 3 Conditioning 5 Deflection 3 Form of Corruption 5 Form of the Serpent 5 Temptation 3 Bond with the Mountain 2 Burst of Sunlight 13 Cryptic Mission 3 Skin of the Chameleon 5 Theft of Vitae [Master: 22 cards] 1 Academic Hunting Ground 5 Blood Doll 1 Creepshow Casino 1 Infernal Pact 1 KRCG Newsradio 1 Rumor Mill, Tabloid Newspaper, The 5 Serpentis 4 Society of Leopold 1 University Hunting Ground 2 Vampiric Disease For lack of something better to feature, this month I decided to feature the Tremere Antitribu storyline deck that I decided to play at the Naperville Storyline Tournament. Even though the !Tremere have already scored some wins, I've decided to hold off featuring those winning decks until after the Storyline Tourneys are all over. I wanted to play something new and refreshing for this storyline tournament so I decided to try using a novel discipline with the !Tremere. I was really leaning towards either Serpentis or Chimerstry (for the Hazimel theme) but I ended up with Serpentis since it meshed better with the deck types I was considering. What I ended up doing was taking my favorite and best deck (my version of a Tremere/!Tremere weenie Cryptic Mission deck), focusing it on the Tremere Antitribu (to meet the 75% clan requirement), and adding a dose of Serpentis. Of course the deck is still rather rough (didn't get as much time to fine-tune it as I would have liked), but it serves as a framework to build a more effective !Tremere Serpentis deck. I use blood-stealing allies (Succubi, Thadius Zho) to supplement the limited number of Cryptic Missions in the deck. Gregory Winter would also work but I just couldn't fit him into the deck. I chose to use my out-of-clan crypt slots to get as much small THA as I could (Blythe, Masika, and Aisling). Pretty much the best you can do using Group 2 & 3 (Aisling far outstrips Magdelena Schaefer in this deck). What you want to do is try to get as many vampires as possible who can play Serpentis cards. You're much more interested in two vampires with inferior Serpentis than one with superior. Truth be told, all you really need is one or two Serpentis-playing vamps and the rest of your minions can then act as support, but since most of the deck only relies on inferior Serpentis, it never hurts to have more minions who can play Form of the Serpent for stealth. You have several avenues to get your Tempter and Corrupter vampire(s). Ian Forestal is always an easy choice if he shows up in your uncontrolled region. Otherwise you can wait until you draw one of the Serpentis skill cards and place it on one of your other Tremere/!Tremere. You can also hope that one of your !Tremere manages to make some sort of an Infernal Pact. Last of all, you can also Create a Gargoyle, choosing Serpentis as your discipline. If you do, it's best to move as much blood as you can (preferably 3) to the Gargoyle since Temptation, Form of the Serpent, and Skin of the Chameleon all cost a blood. But of course that allows you to Tempt a vampire at +2 stealth, a rather nice surprise for opponents who traditionally don't expect much stealth from the !Tremere. It's possible to go through an entire game without utilizing the Serpentis angle (it's happened to me several times). In such cases, the deck functions more or less like a standard Cryptic Mission deck (burning empty vampires with the Society instead of Tempting them). If you do manage to get the Serpentis gears working, you're then able to take full advantage of how Cryptic Mission complements Temptation and Form of Corruption. Theme: In order to re-build the clan, our great leader Goratrix has decreed that we Create new Gargoyles, Recruit powerful Allies, and most importantly, Tempt other vampires into joining our ranks. We manipulate the Society of Leopold into destroying those who would refuse our generous offer. This deck didn't do too bad in the Naperville Storyline Tournament, which was actually really my deck's trial run. It managed to squeeze its way into finals in a 12-player tournament, though I was then quickly stomped by the Great Beast. Well, at least I have bragging rights about Diseasing and Tempting Mr. Infernal himself. A more detailed summary of my storyline experiences will be enclosed next issue. -------------------------- Things to Look Forward to: The next chronological issue will discuss the fallout of the Eye of Hazimel Storyline Tournaments. It will also include a special Hall of Fame for all the glorious VTES players who managed storyline wins for the Tremere Antitribu. Also stay tuned to future issues to learn about other childes of Goratrix who have survived into the Modern Nights and may be instrumental in re-building the clan. Things to NOT Look Forward to: Friends and comrades, please shed a tear for me as early next month, I turn the dreaded two-one. ::gasp:: Damn am I getting old! I feel like such an old geezer sometimes! Oh the days of my youth... ='( In addition, as the !Tremere manage to work the kinks out of Temporis, don't be surprised if some of the older, "lost" newsletters manage to slip their way out of the time stream... Signing out, Halcyan 2