OFFICIAL VEKN CLAN VENTRUE NEWSLETTER Vol.III No.1 Jan. 2002 "It's better to be tried by twelve than carried by six". INTRODUCTION FICTION - "Wheels within wheels within weels" WAR COUNCIL - Camarilla re-release. POLITICKING YOUR WAY TO A WIN - 'Chain vote study' DECK OF THE MONTH - Ventrue / Daughters of Cacophony _________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Greetings and welcome to the new year edition of the Ventrue newsletter. No! your eyes do not deceive you, I thought I would have a go at a fiction slot this month. It will feature as regularly as I write it ! So look out for the second instalment in about 2004. This edition also features some thoughts on the Camarilla release, a short study of chain voting and a pretty sound Ventrue / Daughters of Cacophony deck. 2002 has seen the introduction of the tablewins rule, in my opinion the most dramatic change to the game mechanics for a number of years. I am coming round to it after initial serious reservations and yes it does change the way the game is played, less deals and more focus is regrettably a good thing. Deckbuilding and strategies are already adapting to fit the new rules. I was going to write a piece on how it has gone down in this neck of the woods but would prefer to do so in Feb when I have a bit more practical experience behind my opinions. _____________________________________________ FICTION - "Wheels within wheels within wheels" Richmond, London, UK. .... The passenger cocoon in the rear of the bespoke security limousine exploded as the air timed grenades detonated in perfect harmony with the timer on the main explosive set. 'Yahhhhhh, EAT that you stinking FUCKS' Jacko screamed at the burning husk of metal still in mid air. He closed on the shell of the 'security' limousine, tore the door off and smashed the broken torso of a ghoul against the wall in one fluid movement. Job done, next. He dropped the Grenade Launcher as if he had forgotten he was holding it and glanced at the ten dollar sunglasses on the tarmac now ruined by the blast. 'Tick, tick, tick ..times a wastin' Jacko drawled in a heavily accented American accent as he walked casually away from the carnage. 'Interesting development, particularly enjoyed the use of expletives and unchecked emotion. You are truly a grand model of manhood' Emerson Bridges, former Prince of Washington D.C. emerged from what used to be the front of the limousine, looked down and shook his head as he assessed the tattered remains of his fifteen hundred pound suit. Jacko took the last delicious pull at the Camel lounging on his bottom lip and channelled delicious blood into the familiar areas of power and speed. A wide smile broke on his ice cold lips as he flicked the butt of the cigarette at Bridges. 'Gonna enjoy this, have to go manual on your dum ass instead' ..... Two miles away on the 18th floor of Havelock Plaza, otherwise known as the Headquarters of clan Ventrue, Queen Anne peered through the high magnification telescope in front of the gold filtered, plexiglass window at the debacle unfolding on her streets below. She could see many curtains twitching around the hotzone and heard familiar sirens a few minutes from the scene, the masquerade would have to wait until this shambles was dealt with. Without looking, she pressed the 'call/emergency' button under her desk. Almost before she took her finger off, the double door to her office opened and a bearded, ruddy-faced man in full top hat and tails regalia rushed into the room. 'M'aaaaaaam ?' 'Telephone the contact and proceed as planned' Queen Anne barked. Simmons pressed a speed dial on the cordless phone already in his hand. He spoke into a head mike that belonged in a call centre. 'If you could pick up our package, we would be...' CLICK 'How rude, he hung up!' Queen Anne shot a warning glance laced with a trickle of the power inherent to her beloved clan. Simmons was a recent 'acquisition' and was still in need of some fine-tuning. 'She is strong, reliable and knows the situation, now leave me' Simmons left, walking on marshmallows, feeling euphoric and not quite remembering why he used to despise Queen Anne so. ...... Fists and feet rained down on Emerson with enough force behind them to rip a hole in reality. A vicious haymaker missed its mark and sliced through the brick, reinforced concrete and steel construct of the building behind as if it were paper. As he 'worked' Jacko cursed, swore and spat like a victim of the tragic but amazingly comical Tourette's syndrome. All the while Emerson, hands over his face, laughed uncontrollably and rolled with the punishment his antagonist dished out. At a convenient break in the abuse, Emerson used the advantage his fortitude had provided and stepped back from the whirling dervish in front of him. Jacko saw Bridges back away and marvelled again at his ability to soak up hurt. He let loose another howl and pulled up the square manhole cover he had been standing on moments before. The fetid stench of the London Victorian sewerage network blasted out and blew back his black jacket and hair. He felt like Michael Jackson in some of his earlier work and he liked that. As Emerson backpeddled he lit the touch-paper on his internal fire and drew back his fist. A dull glow emanated from his right arm as his wrath grew, he looked up to draw a bead on his foe as the cast iron manhole cover cut both his legs of at the knee. Jacko watched as Bridges was ripped in half by the lid and revelled in the updraft from the sewer, screaming into the night laughing like a maniac. He did not see the shadow from the open sewer beneath him slowly taking living form and seeping outward toward him like possessed molasses. Swiftly encased in ethereal tendrils, he recognised all too late the touch of blackness from his own mastery as the mercurial darkness entered his ears, mouth, nose and bound him in black chains. ..... The Lasombra assassin in the sewer outlet viewed the events unfolding with her gift of sight, seeing from the eyes of darkness all around. It was second nature for her to bend the night to her will. Emerging regally from the sewer, she glanced at the prone form of Jacko now entombed in an ever changing prison of her black power and surveyed the devastation. A lake of black-red vitae surrounded the broken form of Emerson Bridges, Lucita shrouded them both in darkness, bent double and drunk deeply. The potent blood of the mad prince sated the hunger the use of her more powerful skills demanded. Two fire crews, a riot van and a patrol car arrived simultaneously as Lucita shouldered Emerson and walked away from the destruction. ..... The grotesque face behind the security monitor twisted into a rictus-like grin or as close to a grin as was possible without a lower jaw. Camera eleven, the 'thaumaturlogically' enhanced peace offering from the mysterious eastern vampire his master had met, switched to tracking mode as he tilted his head and studied the beautiful cloaked figure carrying the crazed Ventrue. The master gripped his bony shoulder and pressed 'eject' on the secondary recording device. "Superb work my beautiful fool, I knew you would be useful for something eventually. Set a meeting with the War Council and email a secure file of this masterpiece to Archbishop Stravinsky". To be continued....... _____________________________________________ WAR COUNCIL - Camarilla re-release As we all know, the next release scheduled for Summer this year is a remake of the Camarilla set. I imagine it to be constructed in much the same way as the relationship between Sabbat and Sabbat War. As discussed, pre-cons backed up with boosters will be the order of the day with a lot of errata'ed cards, VTES essentials and some new toys for the old guard to burn their money on. (I wonder whether stuff like the legendary Torn Signpost / Undead Strength reverse will be corrected with some tasty new artwork ? Hmmmm) Whilst this is an important release, I totally agree with the opinion of a lot of other players that the game should be given a decent cooling down period after the Camarilla set. For me, part of the appeal (and the frustration) over the years has been the lack of expansions and subsequent maturing of the existing cards. The game has developed into something more than a CCG, the sum of its parts and the loyal following has seen the game through some rough times. I have enjoyed meeting, discussing and playing the game with many characters in the VTES community more than words can express. Woah, I'm filling up here. Time to move on :o) One of the effects of this length of inactivity is the establishment of VTES dogma. -Think of 'effective' combat and what pops in your grey matter - Torn Signpost, IG, Blur (add additional cards as required by metagame to taste). My Signposts, IG's, 2nd Trads, Blood Dolls etc. etc. etc. never come out of card sleeves. -Sneak / Bleed is usually Dominate or Presence orientated, one offers Deflections and more powerful bleed, the other solid access to S:CE. Pick and mix the two and roll out those trusted Govern the Unaligned's and Majesties again. All of the classic archetypes in the game have a core of efficient, powerful cards that make up a large part of 'combat' 'vote' etc. IMO those or something like them need to be reprinted to allow new collectors to get up to speed without trading away 2/3 rares for a Second Tradition. The challenge with a new set / reprint is to include old or create new cards that parallel other effects or create new effects but at the same time are not overpowered or destabilising themselves. I do like the new multi-discipline cards in Bloodlines, from what I've seen I think they work very well. As we see, cards like Read the Winds allow a version of Second Tradition at a cost and a high discipline requirement. For my money this is one of the ways forward. By allowing other disciplines / clans / whatever access to the powerful effects such as 2nd, 5th, IG etc. you de-power the existing exclusive cards and the game alters accordingly. I don't think banning or errata is the way forward with cards like Second Tradition. There has been a lot of talk about 5th and 2nd Trad. lately, if players are that concerned about it, there are plenty of ways to cripple Princes / Justicars already (Derange, Command of the Harpies, Fear of Mekhet etc.) why do we not see these more in tourneys ? The most important aspect of the new set IMO is the levelling of the playing field. As a new player, being able to purchase the original, staple cards in quantity will make the game a whole lot more accessible and provides an opportunity to filter out the errata / tat. Someone (I think it was James C.) said quite rightly that there is no point limiting the access of cards like the traditions and alienating eager new players. I will never forget a comment that I overheard at a tourney a year or so ago that sums it up well for me - New player holding his own extremely well in a difficult tourney - "What does Burst of Sunlight do again ?" 'Old' Player - "Aggravated damage at close or long range but don't worry you can't get it anymore and I'm not trading you mine" Needless to say I took IMMENSE pleasure erasing said player from the face of the table in the next round. ______________________________________________ POLITICKING YOUR WAY TO A WIN - A brief study of 'chain voting'. "Hi ho Hi ho, it's of to work we go" Something I was going to look at a while back and had an email the other day 'reminding' me about was the concept of chain voting. When playing a vote deck, clever chain voting can mean the difference between early vote dominance and a tablewin or not. Of course the whole lot is moot if you are packing 20 KRC and nothing else but that's a whole different article. [A quick side note on Storage Annexe. The Annexe never used to make the final cut in my decks, but lately I've started using it in several decks to put together secondary or 'opportunity' combos. One of the most useful cards to put in it is IMO Cryptic Rider. Having the Rider there to use if need be can be a huge asset if you are up against stiff opposition.] Charming Lobby and Cryptic Rider in quantity can be very powerful. Used in the right situation, the successful use of one can run away and pass all of the votes in your hand for you. Eg. Your vote hand consists of Ventrue Justicar Kine Resources Contested Charming Lobby Parity Shift Which way would you play them ? I reckon the textbook answer would be a Charming Lobbied Justicar followed by the other two the first autopassed by the forced Charming vote. However, as we all know "there's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip". Unless sure of passing the Justicar Vote (no intercept, vote superiority etc. etc.) I would be tempted to Charm the Kine Resources or Parity Shift first and offer a good deal with the pool loss thus helping the autoJusticar vote get through. Oh.. and of course lie your ass off about the fact that you have a powervote to pass with the Charming Lobby :o) Of course you may need to sacrifice a vote to get blocked allowing the others to even get to the referendum stage. This often requires careful verbal reeling in of your pred / prey as they have the choice of which vote/s to block. Chances are they don't actually have the amount of wakes and intercept that you think they have. It's a common mistake to overestimate your enemies resources and not call that last vote or go for that last bleed. Think how many times you threaten to pulverise your antagonists minions when your hand is so bad you wouldn't eat your dinner of it. Other players have shit draws, other players 'use up' all their combat, other players bluff. If you remember one thing from this newsletter TAKE A CHANCE. It pays off, believe me. Scrap all that theory though, your only consideration should be 'which vote do I REALLY want to pass ?' your chain of voting should be constructed around the one vote that you really need to get through. That vote obviously depends on tens or hundreds of factors, stage of the game, votes on the table, deck types, threats etc. etc. but I always try to think of the following - Look at what you are capable of. Look at what others are capable of. Construct your turn accordingly. May or may not help ? but it really helps me to 'take stock' at the start of each of my turns. If you are in the early game, the Justicar card could be key. Late in the game your stock KRC can take out consecutive preys with undeflectable bombs. I'll say again. Which vote do you really want to pass ? There are a number of ways to modify a vote, forcing it through. My particular favourite is to hold the modifier back and talk it through offering a good deal to a table ally only using the BO. or whatever if you need to cycle or push. In a deck that does not have inherent vote capability, getting the balance of vote modifiers right is a tricky task. I favour the votes that can offer something around the table because they are in themselves helping you pass said vote. Votes like Rumours of Gehenna, Parity Shift, KRC and to some extent Dramatic Upheaval type cards allow you to bargain away an extra master phase, a few pool or a mutually beneficial place swap to further your own devious needs. With situations like this I think it is important to offer (and keep :o) decent terms and stick to them unless a game depends on it, or use the good deal vote to pass as a precursor to a Cryptic Rider powervote that you are counting on. Just a quick note on Echo of Harmonies, what a peach of a card ! Chain voting at its best. Call a vote and then call it again, double the damage , Dramatic Upheave into one dodgy place to sleaze it through then do it again with Cryptic Rider into the place you really want to be. Oh, that's sooooooooooo very, very filthy. I love it. So there you go, structure your turn, talk the votes through, find out what your vote 'allies' want to let it through, save the push and chain them with backup. __________________________________________ DECK OF THE MONTH - Ventrue / Daughters of Cacophony A submission this month from a modest player wishing to remain anonymous. Fair enough can't argue with that. Half Ventrue, half Daughters it looks pretty sound at first glance with some good opportunities for chain voting :o) Here you go with a few comments to follow. ******** Deck Name: "Sing for your supper." A first try with a weenie and midpoint Ventrue / Daughters of Cacophony deck. It has done well in local games but has only been tested in four player games so far. Trimmed it down and traded in more Bloodlines cards after opening a box. Combat is taking a backseat in our games recently so at the moment it doesn't need a lot of defence and S:CE. Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 11, Max: 23, Avg: 4.25) ---------------------------------------------- 1 Courtland Leighton dom for pre 4, Ventrue 1 Gideon Fontaine PRE 3, Ventrue 1 Ranjan Rishi DOM for PRE 5, Ventrue 1 Roland Loussarian for pre 3, Ventrue 1 Rufina Soledad for 2, Ventrue 1 Sir Walter Nash DOM FOR PRE 7, Ventrue, Prince 1 Violette Prentiss dom PRE 4, Ventrue 1 Celeste mel pre 3, Daughter 1 Delilah Monroe for MEL pre 4, Daughter 2 Angela Preston for MEL PRE 5, Daughter 1 Gael Pilet chi FOR MEL pre 6, Daughter Library: (84 cards) ------------------- Master (12 cards) 1 Bastille Opera House 1 Blood Doll 1 Coven, The 1 Creepshow Casino 1 Dreams of the Sphinx 2 Hostile Takeover 1 Humanitas 1 Paris Opera House 2 Tribute to the Master 1 Ventrue Headquarters Action (6 cards) 4 Charming Lobby 2 Enchant Kindred Action Modifier (15 cards) 2 Business Pressure 4 Cryptic Rider 1 Daring the Dawn 3 Echo of Harmonies 3 Freak Drive 2 Missing Voice, The Political Action (23 cards) 4 Autarkis Persecution 1 Conservative Agitation 2 Dramatic Upheaval 6 Kine Resources Contested 3 Parity Shift 1 Praxis Seizure: Amsterdam 1 Praxis Seizure: Cairo 1 Praxis Seizure: Geneva 1 Praxis Seizure: London 1 Praxis Seizure: Paris 2 Ventrue Justicar Reaction (12 cards) 2 Deflection 4 Tourette's Voice 4 Wake with Evening's Freshness 2 Second Tradition Combat (14 cards) 6 Majesty 2 Skin of Rock 6 Skin of Steel Combo (2 cards) 2 Madrigal ******** Thanks for the deck. Looks pretty solid, if anything maybe a bit light on intercept and deflect for my pools worth ? Some of the Daughters new vote push is great, I really like Echo of Harmonies. Paris Opera House, a stealth location for a voting clan, how cool is that ?? Creepshow and Paris Opera House +3 stealth vote, bloody hell. Bastille is superb as well. Thanks again mysterious benefactor, keep em' coming :o) __________________________________________ That's yer lot this month, thanks to the players who have sent in submissions and abuse, you know who you are you filthy bastards :o) In next months action packed edition I'll try and cover how tablewins has affected the UK game so far and may revisit Ventrue combat in an odd collaboration with the azzkickin' Blood Brothers. Any interesting Ventrue goodies mail me at Rob.Treasure@btinternet.comNOSPAM I have taken the advice of others and added a nospam line to my mail address. All you need to do is delete the NOSPAM bit and send as normal. My inbox will suffer no longer !!