Official VEKN Tremere Antitribu Newsletter – Winter 2009
echia...@yahoo.com
Volume 4, Issue 2
By Eric Chiang
Halc...@aol.com
[Legal stuff to the tune of: I wrote all this, so please give credit
where it’s due, etc.]
--------------------------
Contents –
2.1 – Editor’s Note
2.2 – Rebuilding the Clan Redux
2.3 – Clan Census
2.4 – Looking Ahead
2.5 – Priority List for Group 5
2.6 – Bolstering the Ranks: Recruitment & Promotion
2.7 – Storyline Update
2.8 – Hall of Fame
2.9 – Featured Vampire: Ash Harrison
2.10 – Featured Card: Rego Motus
2.11 – Featured Deck: Maluta by Geoff Chapman
--------------------------
[2.1 – Editor’s Note]
Welcome to the newest issue of our newsletter! After the
overwhelmingly positive reception to my last issue, I couldn’t resist
doing yet another.
My original plan was for this issue to cover the new cards in Heirs to
the Blood (with its original December 2, 2009 launch date). But the
latest production delay (pushed back to February 3, 2010) has required
a change in plans. Trying to get the Winter 2009 issue out within that
small window of time isn’t particularly appealing so I decided to push
the coverage of Heirs to the following issue (Spring 2010).
It actually kind of works out well. Ever since I restarted the
newsletter, I have had tons of ideas on potential topics to cover.
I’ve had to shelve many of them on the backburner because there simply
wasn’t enough space (as if my last newsletter wasn’t long enough!). So
it’s nice that I can tackle these topics now while my ideas are still
fresh.
The main theme for this issue is looking to the future. Heirs will be
released soon enough but what happens next? During the European
Championships 2009, it was announced that the following expansion is
already in the works. So let’s take a little time to assess where the
Tremere Antitribu are, especially compared to the other clans. And
then figure out what the clan needs most in Group 5 and future
expansions.
Once again, it’s recommended that you read this newsletter in
installments, rather than try to tackle everything all at once (but
there’s nothing wrong with doing that if you prefer to).
--------------------------
[2.2 – Rebuilding the Clan Redux]
Every now and then, I feel obligated to explain why the Tremere
Antitribu deserve equal representation in VTES, and how it’s
irrelevant if the clan was largely excised from the RPG during the
transition from Second to Revised Edition. I introduced many of these
possibilities in my November 2002 newsletter, but let’s revisit them
with a little more detail.
First off, many of the complaints from the canon fanboys are largely
moot because of Gehenna and the official end of the old World of
Darkness RPG line. Yeah, so maybe the Tremere Antitribu are supposed
to be dead, but just about everyone else is also dead after Gehenna.
In the Wormwood scenario, *all* vampires are screwed (except for the
small handful chosen by God). In Fair is Foul, *all* vampires are
screwed (except for the small handful who have pledged themselves to
Lilith). In Crucible of God, the entire world is in ruins after the
Antediluvians rise to power and *all* vampires are screwed (or at
least enslaved by their elders). Nightshade perhaps offers the best
chance of survival, but there’s still quite a heavy casualty toll in
that scenario as well. Based on this narrow-minded reasoning, there
shouldn’t be any new vampires printed at all (let alone any new
Tremere Antitribu). Another analogy is the Ahrimanes, who also didn’t
make the transition to the Third Edition RPG (they all went extinct).
Yet I don’t see people rallying that new Ahrimanes shouldn’t be
printed.
Supposedly, all the Tremere Antitribu were destroyed in Mexico City,
but mass purgings never seem able to finish the job. During the Dark
Ages, there were massive pogroms against the Salubri (by the Tremere)
and the Cappadocians (by the Giovanni) yet survivors seem to keep
popping up all over the place in the Modern Nights. In addition to the
traditional seven Salubri, you have the neophyte Salubri Antitribu in
the Sabbat, along with quite a handful in the East (Wu Zao) and in
Africa (Nkulu Zao). Cappadocian remnants can be found with the
Harbingers of Skull and Samedi, the Laibon Mla Watu, along with a
handful who managed to find a place within the Giovanni (Premascines).
The Daughters of Cacophony attempted to cull all of their male
brethren but quite a few survived (cross-dressers and transvestites
were the most successful). And the Ravnos were still regularly
represented even though their numbers were supposed to be decimated
during the Week of Nightmares. If Tremere did such a sloppy job trying
to wipe out the Salubri, who’s to say that maybe a few more Tremere
Antitribu didn’t fall between the cracks?
The canon storyline established that there was at least one Tremere
Antitribu survivor. Nickolai, who featured prominently in the Clan
Novels, attended the Mexico City ritual but somehow managed to
survive, so why couldn’t there have been more survivors? Perhaps the
strongest argument can be found with the Feast of Folly. During the
Dark Ages, Cappadocius decided to purge his clan of those with
alternative philosophies. He called all Cappadocians to Kaymakli.
Those who he deemed unacceptable were sealed away (eventually re-
emerging in the modern nights as the Harbingers of Skull). But it is
explicitly stated that many Cappadocians did not attend the Feast of
Folly and thus avoided the culling. Some weren’t able to travel to
Kaymakli in time, others never received the missive, and those who
were already estranged from their clan decided to ignore the
instructions. These non-attendees were known as the Infitiores and
gradually broke contact with the clan (many were suspicious of the
purge and weren’t sure if they would have been chosen). Some sources
speculate that the Infitiores eventually became the Samedi. But the
point is that purges never seem to be complete. If so many
Cappadocians avoided the Feast of Folly, why couldn’t more Tremere
Antitribu have escaped the Mexico City ritual? Not every Tremere
Antitribu attended the ritual – Jacob the Glitch didn’t make it to
Mexico City. (Instead he committed suicide by walking into the sun but
that could be due to his link to Metathiax and his Numina).
When Tremere usurped Goratrix’s body, Goratrix’s soul was trapped in a
mirror. (He provides crucial information to the player characters in
one of the Gehenna scenarios). Who’s to say that Goratrix might not
find a way to be released from the mirror? If he found a new body to
take over, Goratrix could easily restart the Tremere Antitribu.
During the Clan Novels, Nickolai and his childe Leopold met untimely
demises. If Nickolai found the opportunity to embrace Leopold, why
couldn’t he have embraced other new clan members between the Mexico
City ritual and his final showdown with Cock Robin? During the Clan
Novels, he spends much time pondering the “legacy of his people” and
is fearful that the traditions and knowledge of House Goratrix will
die with him. His desire for a successor who can continue on the
legacy of his bloodline could have led to a contingency plan of
embracing additional childes just in case. Similarly, maybe Leopold
managed to embrace someone who could carry on the Tremere Antitribu
lineage?
In fact, there actually is at least one other antitribu survivor
besides Nickolai and Goratrix. The Anathema Valerius Maior was also
not consumed by the Mexico City ritual. He is referenced in Midnight
Siege and appears in Chaining the Beast, which were both released well
into Revised Edition. In fact, Midnight Siege specifically states:
"Idle rumors of Sabbat magicians regrouping around Goratrix the
Betrayer or the Anathema Valerius Maior notwithstanding, the Camarilla
holds the occult advantage." The references to “Sabbat magicians” and
“regrouping” seems to suggest that other Tremere Antitribu may have
also survived. Furthermore, in San Francisco by Night, the Sabbat
shows interest in recruiting Oliver Thrace into joining their side.
The developers of Revised Edition were always inconsistent regarding
the Tremere Antitribu. The official word was that in Revised Edition,
antitribu is merely a sect difference – a Brujah Antitribu is simply a
Brujah with a Sabbat political affiliation. But then they imply that
the same doesn’t apply to the Tremere Antitribu. The Revised Tremere
Clanbook states that the Tremere Antitribu were all destroyed and that
any future Tremere who joined the Sabbat would simply be Sabbat
Tremere rather than Tremere Antitribu. (But I thought they were saying
antitribu was just a political, sect difference!). Furthermore, there
were some Tremere Antitribu who renounced the Sabbat and eventually
returned to the Tremere fold (see the Double Betrayer flaw in Revised
Clanbook Tremere). Some Tremere conspired with Goratrix in the early
days but didn’t join him when he left. And there were many vampires
descended from Goratrix who were never part of the Sabbat (during the
Dark Ages, Goratrix and his followers embraced in prodigious numbers).
Since all these individuals were affiliated to the Camarilla, they
wouldn’t have perished in Mexico City. But what if they later decided
to defect to the Sabbat? Former antitribu who lapsed into their old
ways would certainly still be Tremere Antitribu (rather than “Sabbat
Tremere”). Former members of House Goratrix (before it broke away)
could re-establish the house with its ancient traditions. And
descendents of Goratrix who joined the Sabbat could easily continue
the blood lineage of House Goratrix.
There are many examples of vampires who fit this criteria. Rutor is
descended from Goratrix yet he is alive and well in The Red Sign (his
lineage goes Rutor Jervais Malgorzata Goratrix). House Tremere
(written during the time of Revised Edition) details Epistatia and
Therimna (a.k.a. Uta Kovacs), both childes of Goratrix. In the modern
nights, Uta Kovacs works as a mercenary and has been posing as an
ancient outcast of the Tzimisce for centuries. And Epistatia is
afflicted with amnesia, running a store in Baltimore. Neither of them
are involved with the Sabbat so obviously they wouldn't have shown up
to the Mexico City ritual. But if any of them later decided to join
the Sabbat and take up where Goratrix left off, they could easily
restart the Tremere Antitribu. As Goratrix’s own children, they would
certainly add legitimacy to a reborn House Goratrix.
--------------------------
[2.3 – Clan Census]
To get a brief snapshot of where the clans stand compared to each
other, I decided to do some number crunching to look at how many crypt
cards and clan cards each clan has, along with the distribution among
Groupings. This is solely for the purpose of presenting information
(it’s not advocating any particular action plans). It’s particularly
useful for newer players who might not understand the historical basis
for some of the quirks (why the Toreador have a slightly larger Group
1 or why the Setites have more clan cards than the Ravnos). Obviously
numbers don’t tell the whole story (i.e. can’t measure the quality of
the cards), but it is one of the few concrete things we can work with,
at least as a starting point. Think of this more as a historical
overview, highlighting some of the more intriguing footnotes from the
game’s rich past.
Caveats:
- In many cases, the baseline (typical number) is arbitrarily chosen.
Do the Gangrel have two less vampires than they should? Or is it the
Brujah that have two more vampires than they should? It’s very much a
matter of perspective so it’s not worth splitting hairs over. For this
analysis, I’m more concerned about comparing clans with each other vis-
à-vis rather than looking at absolute numbers.
- Generally I am discounting storyline reward cards, mainly because
clans should not be penalized for winning. If they’re getting a card
slot that they’d be receiving anyway, it’s not much of a reward.
(However, I consider Fiendish Tongue the Tzimisce reward for the Eye
of Hazimel, rather than Advanced Lambach which is more of an extra
bonus card).
- Advanced vampires present an interesting dilemma. For the sake of
Grouping Distribution, I am only focusing on unique vampires (if the
Advanced copy is the same clan as the Basic copy, it is not counted
here). But it is, however, counted in terms of the total number of
crypt cards allotted (i.e. number of card slots that clans get per
expansion).
- Clan cards don’t count cards usable by multiple clans (Derange,
Create Gargoyle, Defender of the Haven, Soul of the Earth,
Reindoctrination, Treaty of Laibach)
- Several cards are essentially clan cards even if they don’t
technically “require” a ready member of that clan (Carnivale, Eternals
of Sirius, Feral Spirit, Bastille Opera House, Coroner’s Contact,
Legacy of Pander).
[Camarilla Clans (including Gangrel)]
Typical Number of Crypt Cards: 65
Grouping Distribution: 15-9-17-11-11 (plus two Advanced)
65: Brujah, excluding storyline card (Menele). They have one less
unique vampire in Group 3 because one of their Anarchs slots was an
extra Advanced version instead (Jeremy MacNeil).
Tremere have an extra unique vampire in Group 2 because of Advanced
Goratrix (Black Hand expansion). Their only other Advanced vampire is
Lazarus.
64: Toreador, excluding storyline prize (Helena). Compared to the
standard distribution, Toreador have an extra Group 1 vampire (promo
Mariana Gilbert). But they have no Advanced vampires besides Helena.
Ventrue, excluding storyline prizes (Alan Sovereign and Reverend
Adams). Ventrue have one less unique vampire in Group 3 because one of
their Anarchs slots was stolen by the Lasombra (Advanced Marcus
Vitel). But they have two extra unique vampires in Group 4 (storyline
reward Reverend Adams and promo Victor Pelletier). Besides the
storyline prizes, their other Advanced vampire is Jan Pieterzoon.
63: Malkavians. Malkavians have one less unique vampire in Group 3
because one of their Anarchs slots was an Advanced version instead
(Quentin King III). Also, they have one less vampire in Group 4 but
one extra in Group 5. Their only Advanced vampire is currently
Quentin.
Gangrel have 2 less vampires than the norm (they only got 15
vampires in KoT while most clans got 17). As a result, they currently
have 9 Group 5 vampires. (Historical note: From 1995 up until 2005,
the Gangrel had an extra Group 1 vampire since Camille Devereux and
Raven were considered different vampires. This was rectified with the
10th Anniversary sets).
Like the Gangrel, the Nosferatu also only got 15 vampires in KoT.
They have two extra unique vampires in Group 4 (allowing a record-
breaking 30 unique vampires in Group 3/4) because of an extra vampire
in Kindred Most Wanted (Echo) and one less vampire in Group 5 who is
instead Group 4. So they have 13 Group 4 vampires but only 8 Group 5
vampires. Their only Advanced is Tusk.
Typical Number of Clan Cards: 12
13: Brujah have an extra clan card in Dark Sovereigns (but that
counts hosers Artistically Inept and Triole’s Revenge).
Nosferatu and Tremere each have an extra promo card (SchreckNET and
Salt of Thoth).
12: Gangrel and Malkavian (including the banned Madness of the Bard).
11: Toreador and Ventrue (including the banned High Stakes), having
received one less back in Dark Sovereigns.
[Independent Clans]
Typical Number of Crypt Cards: 53
Grouping Distribution: 24-2-16-10 (plus one Advanced)
55: Even after excluding the storyline card (Yazid Tamari), the
Assamites still have two extra vampires compared to all the other
Independent clans. They got an extra crypt card in Anarchs (Advanced
Tegyrius) and were the only Independent clan to get a vampire in Sword
of Caine (Group 5 Nizzam al-Latif).
53: Followers of Set and Giovanni have standard distributions.
Ravnos have one extra Group 4 vampire (Mata Hari from Kindred Most
Wanted) instead of an Advanced Red List vampire.
Typical Number of Clan Cards: 25
26: Followers of Set.
25: Assamites and Giovanni.
24: Ravnos.
Explaining this discrepancy requires looking at the historical
background. In the original Dark Sovereigns expansion, the Giovanni
and Ravnos each got 8 cards. In Ancient Hearts, they got one more
while the Assamites and Setites had 10. (So at this point the
Assamites and Setites had one more than the Giovanni and Ravnos). Fast
forward to Lords of Night, the Giovanni and Setites each got 6 new
cards while the Assamites and Ravnos each got 5 (though Reliquary:
Shango Remains was technically a promo). Crunching those differential
numbers then explains why the Setites have an extra clan card and the
Ravnos have one less (but if it makes you feel better, the Ravnos are
still the only major clan without a traditional clan hoser).
[Sabbat Clans]
Typical Number of Crypt Cards: 41
Grouping Distribution: 15-8-15-2 (plus one Advanced)
53: Gangrel Antitribu are an exception because of the City/Country
split. This allows them to have much larger numbers. They have a
distribution of (17-10-23-2), along with an Advanced vampire.
43: Tzimisce have two extra crypt cards. Both the Tzimisce and
Lasombra were included in Legacies of Blood where they got 2 crypt
cards (while the other Sabbat clans got none). In Third Edition, the
Tzimisce and Lasombra got 12 cards (while the other Sabbat clans got
13). So combining the two expansions, the Tzimisce and Lasombra are
still up one compared to the other Sabbat clans (this is why the
Tzimisce have 16 vampires in Group 4). Tzimisce are up one on top of
that because of an extra promo (Advanced Lambach which they got in
addition to Fiendish Tongue).
42: The above paragraph explains why the Lasombra have one extra crypt
card. They do have the standard distribution though, since one of
their Third Edition slots ended up as an extra Advanced vampire (Dr.
Julius Sutphen) rather than as an additional unique vampire.
41: The Brujah Antitribu, Malkavian Antitribu, and Toreador Antitribu
all have the standard distributions.
Nosferatu Antitribu have one extra Group 4 vampire but only one Group
5 vampire (Nails was the only Group 4 vampire in Sword of Caine).
Since the Tremere Antitribu were excluded from Sabbat War, they have
two less vampires in Group 2, which was then compensated by two extra
vampires in Group 3 (added in Anarchs and Gehenna). They do have an
extra vampire in Group 4 (16) but that compensates for their lack of
an Advanced vampire.
Ventrue Antitribu have one less unique vampire in Group 4 because
their Kindred Most Wanted slot was an Advanced vampire instead
(Dylan).
Typical Number of Clan Cards: 9
11: The Gangrel Antitribu have two extra clan cards, having been
featured in Kindred Most Wanted. This is partly to offset the City/
Country split.
The Lasombra have two extra clan cards – one from Sabbat War (San
Nicolas de los Servitas) and one from Legacies of Blood (Zaire River
Ferry).
10: The Brujah Antitribu have an extra clan card from Third Edition
(Dogs of War).
The Tzimisce have an extra clan card from Legacies of Blood
(Asanbonsam Ghoul).
9: The Malkavian Antitribu, Nosferatu Antitribu, Toreador Antitribu,
Tremere Antitribu, and Ventrue Antitribu all have the standard number.
[Laibon Clans]
Typical Number of Crypt Cards: 16
Grouping Distribution: 2-12-1 (plus one Advanced)
16: All the Laibon clans (Akunanse, Guruhi, Ishtarri, and Osebo) meet
the standard pattern and distribution.
Typical Number of Clan Cards: 8
8: All the Laibon clans (Akunanse, Guruhi, Ishtarri, and Osebo) have
the typical number of clan cards.
[Bloodline Clans]
* These numbers are obviously pre-Heirs to the Blood, since we need to
wait another month before we can see how the Bloodlines look after the
new expansion.
Typical Number of Crypt Cards: 10
Grouping Distribution: 5-1-4
Typical Number of Crypt Cards (Scarce): 6
Grouping Distribution (Scarce): 3-0-3
13: Baali have already filled out their Groups 4 and 5 (5-1-5-1
distribution) since they were featured in Kindred Most Wanted and
storyline tournaments (Nergal and Advanced Nergal).
Like the Gangrel Antitribu, the Blood Brothers are subdivided (into
Circles in this case), which explains their abnormal numbers. They
have two Circles in Group 2, Angelo as a Group 3 bridge vampire, and
one non-unique Circle in Group 4.
12: Gargoyles are also essentially subdivided into three categories
(Tremere Slaves, Tremere Antitribu Slaves, and non-slaves). They
possess a particularly large Group 2 (8 unique vampires plus an
Advanced version) but currently have an abnormally small Group 4 (a
mere two vampires). Their current distribution is (8-1-2). Hopefully
the upcoming set will address their severe lack of Group 4 vampires.
Samedi also have a large number of vampires (6-1-4), plus an Advanced
vampire. One possible explanation is that they have four clan
disciplines.
10: The Ahrimanes, Daughters of Cacophony, Harbingers of Skulls,
Kiasyd, and Salubri Antitribu all fit the standard pattern.
6: The Nagaraja, Salubri, and True Brujah all fit the standard pattern
for Scarce clans.
4: Abominations tend to follow a different trend, with a 1-1-1-1
distribution instead.
Typical Number of Clan Cards: 5
Typical Number of Clan Cards (Scarce): 2
6: Baali got an extra card because they were featured in Kindred Most
Wanted.
Daughters of Cacophony and Harbingers of Skulls each have an extra
promo card (Ensemble and Crematorium).
5: Ahrimanes, Gargoyles, Kiasyd, Salubri Antitribu, and Samedi all
have the typical number.
2: Nagaraja, Salubri, and True Brujah have the normal number for
Scarce clans.
0: Blood Brothers and Abominations are the exception, with absolutely
no clan cards. (Though I suppose you could argue that the Abomination
card introduced in Final Nights is sort of a retroactive clan card).
[Thin Bloods]
Caitiff aren’t technically a clan. They have 32 crypt cards with the
distribution (7-4-6-7-7) and they also have the only ANY Grouping card
(Anarch Convert). They have no clan cards (the closest thing they have
is Revelation of the Sire).
The Pander are actually a clan, but they’re not a major Sabbat clan.
They have 22 crypt cards with the distribution (11-3-7), along with an
Advanced vampire. They currently have 4 clan cards (including Legacy
of Pander but not including Unacceptable Appearance).
[Imbued]
Typical Number of Crypt Cards: 3
Grouping Distribution: 3
3: Avengers, Defenders, Innocents, Martyrs, Redeemers, and
Visionaries.
2: Judges are the odd creed out, with only two members.
Typical Number of Clan Cards: 1
1: Avengers, Defenders, and Visionaries.
0: Innocents, Judges, Martyrs, and Redeemers do not have any special
clan cards.
--------------------------
[2.4 – Looking Ahead]
Let’s begin by looking at when each of the core themes were covered:
Bloodlines – 2010, 2005, 2001
Laibon – 2009, 2005
Camarilla – 2008, 2002
Anarchs – 2008, 2003
Independents – 2007, 2005, 2001
Black Hand – 2007, 2003
Sabbat – 2006, 2000
Imbued – 2006
It has been a while since the Sabbat have seen some love, so I’m
hoping that they’ll get another expansion to better round out their
Group 5.
The Imbued also haven’t been revisited at all since their 2006
introduction. But considering the concern and rampant speculation over
the future of VTES (multiplied by recent production problems), now may
not seem the best time to address one of the most controversial sets.
Finally, both the Anarchs and Black Hand mechanics have gotten
additional support with a second expansion. Some other mechanics which
could use some further fleshing out are Events (first introduced with
Gehenna in 2004), Red List / Trophies (first introduced in Kindred
Most Wanted in 2005), and Advanced vampires (first introduced with
Anarchs in 2003). Some additional themes could be Inconnu (Inconnu
Tutelage, Narrow Minds, Urban Jungle) or Lilith (a lot of the
storyline events have centered on Helena seeking secrets about Lilith
like the Kaymakli Fragment and the Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers,
plus the upcoming Battle Lines storyline is also Lilith themed). And
some of the old-timers are always hoping for an expansion that
includes Advanced versions of the crappier Group 1/2/3 vampires.
Looking at the Groupings, the Independents already seem to be filled
all the way through Group 5 (with 26 or 27 vampires in Group 4/5). It
remains to be seen but hopefully, Heirs to the Blood will fill the
Bloodlines up through at least Group 5 as well. (Update: The latest
White Wolf previews show the introduction of Group 6 Bloodlines
vampires).
Most of the original Camarilla clans have 11-12 vampires in Group 5.
Assuming that historical patterns remain relatively the same, there is
still room for another 4-5 vampires.
There is also plenty of room for the Sabbat. All the clans currently
have two Group 5 vampires (except the Nosferatu Antitribu who got an
extra Group 4 vampire instead). Most of these clans also had 8 Group 3
vampires, meaning there’s probably around 6 slots left for future
Group 5 vampires. And although the Laibon already got some new toys
with Ebony Kingdom, there’s still plenty of room in their Group 5 (and
possibly some in Group 4 depending on how large you want to make their
groupings).
--------------------------
[2.5 – Priority List for Group 5]
Group 3 had 10 Tremere Antitribu vampires because of the clan’s
exclusion from Sabbat War. This is unlikely to be repeated in Group 5.
Assuming that the Tremere Antitribu are harmonized with the other
major Sabbat clans and that Group 5 is comparable to Group 3, there
should probably be about 8 clan members in Group 5. With two slots
already taken (Carmen and Ash Harrison), there are only 6 left, so
let’s look at what is most useful for the Tremere Antitribu:
#1. Better weenies (especially with Thaumaturgy)
This actually covers two separate, but interrelated issues.
Historically, the Tremere Antitribu have had a very wretched lineup of
weenies. Besides Keith Moody, there really aren’t any standout !
Tremere weenies. In contrast, the Tremere have always enjoyed the
lion’s share of excellent weenies with the likes of Blythe Candeleria,
Martin Franckel, Masika St. John, and Sarah Cobbler.
Part of this is due to a scarcity of weenies with a superior
discipline. Besides Keith, there’s only Richard Tauber and Jacob the
Glitch. Richard isn’t terrible (he’s at least decent), but he’s
unnecessarily saddled with a disadvantage. Compare to Remilliard,
Devout Crusader, who’s also a 4-cap with superior AUS and an inferior,
but no intercept penalty. Or Hugo, who has the exact same intercept
penalty but is compensated with an extra discipline. The other is
Jacob, who is hampered with a very debilitating disadvantage. Most
penalties are likely to hose that individual vampire, but Jacob’s is
particularly bad because it can easily ruin your entire strategy or
game. It’s not a coincidence that he was nominated by many players as
one of the worst crypt cards in the game. But the point is, the
Tremere Antitribu have few weenies with a superior and of the few that
they do have, most are below par.
The second issue is a severe lack of Thaumaturgy, the signature
discipline of the clan. It’s also a problem because without any
Thaumaturgy, most Tremere/!Tremere have a difficult time defending
themselves in combat. 3 out of the 4 weenie superiors that the Tremere
have are in superior THA. The only weenie THA the !Tremere have is
Jacob (who is unusable for most decks). The only Tremere that do not
have Thaumaturgy are Almiro Suarez and Mustafa Rahman (understandable
since they are 2-caps) and Kyoko Shinsegawa (annoying, but she has a
good enough special to still see use). The Tremere Antitribu have
Keith Moody (still good with DOM), the twins Ember Wright and Saiz
(really irritating due to the lack of Thaumaturgy support), and Esoara
(quite weak for the clan without Thaumaturgy and without a sufficient
redeeming quality like Kyoko). This isn’t to say that Ember/Saiz/
Esoara are bad vampires per se (they’re costed appropriately), but it
does make them bad Tremere Antitribu. They’re probably more useful for
the Ventrue Antitribu or the Nagaraja than for the Tremere Antitribu.
There are currently no 2-caps in Group 4/5 (the only 2-cap !Tremere
are Heinrick Schlempt and Jacob the Glitch), so this is currently a
hole in the clan lineup. A good 2-cap might be too much to ask, but
hopefully we’ll at least get a usable one (rather than Jacob 2.0). And
I’ll keep up fingers crossed that among the Group 5 weenies, we see
better Thaumaturgy support.
#2. Solid mid-caps
While Group 3 had terrible weenies, it was a golden age for mid-caps.
Selena and Ladislas Toth offered some of the most efficient vampires
with all in-clan superiors. And Yasmin the Black and Elena Mendoza
Vasquez were quite solid as well. Group 4 was okay when combined with
Group 3, but once you remove Group 3 from the equation, you can see
some glaring holes and misalignments:
- Antonio d’Erlette (and Mosfair) lack Auspex
- Esoara lacks Thaumaturgy
- Nickolai has no superiors
- Valerius Maior is both Red List and Infernal
Individually, many of these vampires (like Antonio) are quite good.
But when put together, there’s a severe lack of cohesion, which poses
a major problem going into Group 4/5 when you can no longer rely on
Selena/Ladislas/Yasmin/Elena.
Nickolai is great for trick decks, but with no innate superiors, he
does have limitations (most of the time, you just don’t have the spare
actions to run around using his special). Valerius Maior is a very
corner-case vampire due to Red List and Infernal. His anti-Obfuscate
and anti-Chimerstry ability is strong, but he’s hard to just throw
into any standard deck.
Ash Harrison (filling the shoes of Terrell Harding) and Carmen are a
good start, but there are still major holes in the mid-cap department.
So hopefully Group 5 will help provide some of the basic building
blocks for !Tremere decks. Right now there are four 5-caps, one 6-cap,
and two 7-caps in Group 4/5. Group 5 could therefore use a pair of 6-
caps and maybe another 7-cap.
#3. Good titles
Another thing we’ll be losing, going from Group 3 to Group 5, are some
solid titles. Group 3 offered two Archbishops for the clan – Ladislas
Toth the Torch and Marino Reymundo Vasquez. Ladislas still ranks among
one of the best vampires of the clan (despite the lousy artwork) while
Marino was pretty good at the time (he was a major improvement over
Ethan Locke, though he’s now become overshadowed by Orlando Oriundus).
Group 4 offered a good variety of titles, so hopefully Group 5 can
keep up the momentum. If we’re lucky, we might get two replacement
Archbishops to help take the sting out of leaving Group 3 (especially
since there will probably be fewer Group 5 Tremere Antitribu to choose
from).
#4. Out-of-clan synergy
Group 4 offered some interesting options when it comes to out-of-clan
disciplines. Hopefully any upcoming Group 5 vampires will complement
these discipline spreads and provide new deck options for the clan.
The following disciplines are good choices since at least two Group
4/5 vampires already possess them: Celerity, Fortitude, Obfuscate,
Potence, Presence, Protean, and Vicissitude.
It would be especially helpful to get more out-of-clan disciplines at
superior (mainly for the larger vampires since the weenies and mid-
caps in Group 5 need to focus on the basics).
Getting a different random discipline (Dementation, Quietus,
Animalism, etc.) wouldn’t be *horrible*, but it would be a wasted
opportunity since there currently is no support for such angles in
Group 4/5.
#5. Good clan cards
As discussed in the Autumn 2009 newsletter, it would be helpful if
future clan cards focused on some of the clan themes we already have,
rather than try to spread the clan resources too thin:
Blood Denial (think Succubus or Terrell Harding)
Discipline Access (a la Infernal Pact or Ian Forestal)
Ally Support (support like Antonio d’Erlette rather than another
Hexaped)
Crypt Manipulation (building on Malgorzata and Paul Cordwood)
Equipment (to go with Carmen and Magic of the Smith)
And of course you can never turn down useful clan cards helping with
some of the basic strategies (combat, vote, stealth, intercept, and
pool gain).
#6. Black Hand Seraph
This is more wishful thinking than anything. And I doubt we’ll see
another Tremere Antitribu Black Hand member until Group 6 (though I’d
love to be proven wrong!). But eventually, I’d like to see a !Tremere
Seraph. Looks like we’ve already pretty much gone through all the
canon Seraphs, so maybe it’s time to spread the love to some of the
other Sabbat clans. Assamites have 3, Lasombra have 2, and the !
Gangrel, !Nosferatu, Tzimisce, and !Ventrue each have 1. Maybe Group
6/7 should let the !Brujah, !Malkavian, !Toreador, and !Tremere have a
turn at Black Hand leadership.
#7. More hot vampires
While the card mechanics are paramount, the Toreador part of me would
also like to see some good artwork for future Tremere Antitribu crypt
cards. We’ve been fortunate to get some smoking hot artwork with
Carmen, Malgorzata, Selena, and Kij Dansky. But there’s still lots of
room for improvement. I thought the Third Edition artwork for the
Tremere Antitribu was rather disappointing (except for Malgorzata). So
let’s hope for some more !Tremere hotties (of both genders, of
course).
#8. Less redundancy
One of the major problems with large-capacity Tremere Antitribu (and
Tremere for that matter), is a high degree of redundancy, especially
regarding in-clan disciplines.
Of the 13 !Tremere of capacity 8 or higher, all of them have superior
AUS DOM THA except for one (Ethan Locke who has inferior Auspex).
Similarly, of the 14 White Wolf era Tremere of capacity 8 or higher,
only 2 do not have all the in-clans at superior (Anastasz di Zagreb
and Ardan Lane have inferior Dominate).
Oftentimes, individual vampires may seem balanced in isolation, but in
practice they don’t see play because there are usually better choices
(alternatives) instead.
For example, Lille Haake, Erichtho, and Ardan Lane rarely ever see
play. Anastasz di Zagreb is almost always a better choice than Ardan
Lane. Lille Haake and Erichtho are rarely compelling enough to choose
over Carna (or Ladislas or Selena).
Looking at the Tremere Antitribu you have a similar problem with
Ayelea, The Manipulator and Ethan Locke. Most of the time, you’re
better off paying less and going with Kij Dansky or Ladislas Toth
instead (or if you don’t care about the votes, Selena). Ethan Locke
got eclipsed by Marino Reymundo Vasquez (for the same pool you can get
superior AUS and +1 bleed). But the same thing happened with Marino
when Orlando Oriundus got printed (both have two votes and +1 bleed,
but Orlando will also double all of your other votes as well). Eric
Kressida has the same problem because Paul Cordwood and Uta Kovacs are
usually much better choices. Occasionally it’ll be useful to include a
copy of each vampire. But more often than not, the redundant vampire
rarely sees play and is effectively a wasted slot.
I’m not sure if I’d go so far as to suggest dropping one of the clan
disciplines altogether – Javier Montoya and Spiridonas are examples of
poor implementation (Rebekka works, but mainly because of her inherent
stealth). But I think Cardano is a good model of how to do it right
(inferior Auspex but he offers a Prince title and superior FOR).
Looking at good examples from other clans you have: Gustaphe Brunelle
(inferior Obfuscate, but superior DOM and a rockin’ special), Miller
Delmardigan (inferior Auspex but scary specials with synergy),
Demdemeh (inferior Auspex, but superior CEL and FOR and opens new
possibilities with Laibon affiliation and a critter creating special),
Kyle Strathcona (inferior Fortitude, but Cardinal and superior PRE),
and Enkidu (do I even have to say anything here?). In contrast, just
how often do you see vampires like Muhandis and Szechenyi Jolan in
play? Most of the time, you have better choices available.
To be honest, I’m not sure if the root issue really involves in-clan
disciplines at all. It could easily backfire (i.e. old-timers might
remember the old “Justicar Curse,” when a surprising number of high-
cap Gangrel, Ventrue, and !Ventrue only had inferior Fortitude). But
it could improve variety and allow for some creative new deck ideas.
Since in Group 4 the Tremere Antitribu already have three 8-caps, two
9-caps, and two 10-caps all with AUS DOM THA, I wouldn’t mind a little
more risk taking with the large capacity vampires in Group 5 (I
wouldn’t mind the occasional inferior Auspex or inferior Dominate, but
please keep superior THA). Even if this strategy fails you can always
backtrack with Group 6.
But the main point is that for large vampires to see play, you
(obviously) need some compelling reason to choose them over all the
other options. It could be a decent title, an amazing special, or a
neat out-of-clan superior – but something needs to stand out. And
unfortunately, vampires like Lille Haake and Ethan Locke simply lack
such a convincing X-factor.
--------------------------
[2.6 – Bolstering the Ranks: Recruitment & Promotion]
[Recruitment Targets]
Ever since the Tremere poached one of our crypt slots in the Black
Hand expansion, there has been a friendly rivalry in terms of
“recruiting” members of the other clan (see Valerius Maior as a good
example). I realize it’s mainly wishful thinking (unless we can manage
to win a decent storyline prize), but let’s take a look at some
vampires who would be thematically appropriate additions to the clan:
#1. Erinyi (or any of the Group 2 Gargoyles)
Pugfar is the only Group 2 !Tremere Slave (while there are 4 Tremere
slaves in that group). He’s still lonely because he doesn’t fit well
with Tupdogs. Adding a completely new unique vampire would be
problematic, but an Advanced buddy could balance things out.
Erinyi is the most logical choice since she’s already Sabbat (it would
be as if the basic version got Reindoctrinated into an Advanced
version). Her emphasis on Potence (over Fortitude) would fit well with
both Pugfar and the Tupdogs.
Looking at the other potential options, Ferox is out since he already
has an Advanced. Luma shares out-of-clan Auspex with Pugfar, so that
could be helpful. Obsidian provides the cheapest permanent superior
VIS available. Saxum (FOR VIS) complements Pugfar (POT) by offering
superiors of the other Gargoyle disciplines. Ublo-Satha has all in-
clan superiors. And Fidus has synergy with his masters due to
Thaumaturgy.
#2. Virstania the Great Mother
In the RPG, Virstania was a member of House Goratrix (the Dark Ages
incarnation) – in fact she considered Goratrix to be her only friend!
As such, I’ve always thought she would be more appropriate as a
Tremere Antitribu than a Tremere. Mimicking the Valerius mechanism
would be especially fitting (Advanced could be a Sabbat Tremere
Antitribu to show her affiliation to Goratrix, but then the Merged
version could be an Independent Tremere Antitribu, like Valerius
Maior, to represent her joining with the Gargoyles).
Virstania’s emphasis on Auspex (over Dominate) fits well with many of
the Group 3 !Tremere, like Yasmin, Elena, and Terrell. Her Vicissitude
could be used with Malgorzata and Nickolai in Group 3/4 or with
Goratrix in Group 2/3. Similarly, her Presence has synergy with Yasmin
and Alfred Benezri, and could easily be combined with either Group 2
or 4. Virstania would be especially good support for Malgorzata, since
they share out-of-clan Presence and Vicissitude. That’s thematic since
the two often worked together on thaumaturgical experiments. Finally,
as a 7-cap, she would be perfect for vote decks since she could be
made into a Cardinal (right now, her Camarilla status makes her
unusable in most !Tremere vote decks).
Finally, as Mistress of the Gargoyles, an Advanced Virstania could
offer new options to Pugfar and Tupdog. Perhaps providing new
strategies for the much maligned puppies and lonely little rhino.
#3. Oliver Thrace
San Francisco by Night suggests that if the Sabbat finds out that
Oliver Thrace has betrayed the Camarilla and is working with the Kuei-
jin, that they might try to “rescue” him from Hong Kong and recruit
him into the sect. Perhaps Thrace could then help rebuild a new House
Goratrix.
As a Tremere Antitribu, Thrace would offer some interesting synergies.
His Necromancy would work wonders with Marino Reymundo Vasquez and
either Valerius Maior (Group 4) or Ian Forestal (Group 2). His
Obfuscate combined with Terrell Harding could fit with Reverend
Blackwood & Ian Forestal (Group 2) or Orlando Oriundus and Paul
Cordwood (Group 4). If you’re desperate, you could use his Potence
with Ethan Locke, but you’re probably better off with Group 4 instead.
Thrace has a reputation as a pretty bad-ass vampire (seen for example
with his anti-S:CE ability). So maybe an Advanced version would also
be a good combat wombat who would be a welcome addition to the ranks.
#4. Rutor
I personally find Rutor’s card representation to be a bit bland. But
he’s highlighted here due to his heritage. Rutor is descended from
Goratrix’s line (Rutor, childe of Jervais, childe of Malgorzata,
childe of Goratrix) so claiming him as a member of the Antitribu is
more a matter of principle than of practicality.
As a 7-cap with three superiors and two inferiors, there’s really not
much space to add anything more as an Advanced vampire (unless you
bump up his capacity). Though he pales in comparison to Carna, he’s
still a 7-cap with all the in-clan superiors. With out-of-clan Protean
and Vicissitude, I think Rutor would work better with the Tremere
Antitribu than with the Tremere. Malgorzata and Nickolai would form
the base for the Vicissitude angle (compared to Mistress Fanchon),
while Eric Kressida and Lernean are better Protean options than
William Thorbecke.
[Promotion]
The Tremere Antitribu are still the only major clan without an
Advanced version of one of their own vampires (Valerius is Unique
since his base version is of another clan). Although they were partly
compensated with an extra Group 4 vampire, one day it would be nice to
finally see a new Advanced Tremere Antitribu.
Some of the older players are always holding out hope for an expansion
focused on Advanced versions of older, Group 1/2/3 vampires. Doing
something like that to celebrate the 15th Anniversary would have been
perfect, but alas, that opportunity seems to have come and gone. But
if such a project were to ever come to fruition, here are my thoughts
regarding the best candidates, within the clan, who are most in need
of a promotion to an Advanced version.
Generally, I’m of the philosophy that the best candidates for
Advancement should be weaker, less played vampires rather than the
strong vampires that really don’t need an additional boost. So with
that in mind:
Group 2:
#1. Kurt Strauss. Missing a point. One of the craptacular 5-caps with
only 4 discipline levels. Compare to Devin Bisley, Nigel the Shunned,
Olivia, and Victor Revell who all got an extra discipline point.
Superior DOM is nice, but Ingrid Russo isn’t paying a ridiculous
amount for hers.
#2. Bryan Van Duesen. Missing a point. Quira the Bitch Queen, Sela,
and Sheila Mezarin all have similar spreads (two superiors, two
inferiors, and +1 bleed) but are 6-caps rather than 7-caps. Or even
compared to other 7-caps, Bryan is looking a bit light compared to
Korah, Kendrick, and Zachary.
#3. Kij Dansky. Missing a point. Korah is pretty much the same (all in-
clan superiors, one out-of-clan inferior, and Priscus) but costs one
less pool. Gratiano’s also a much stronger vampire than Kij. Giving up
superior POT is definitely worth +1 bleed and securing the Prisci
bloc.
#4. Ethan Locke. Weak. Ethan (along with Imogen) got the short end of
the Archbishop stick. Contrast with awesome Archbishops like
Lazverinus, Cailean, and Stravinsky. I always thought that an Advanced
version, who could strike: steal discipline card, would be kind of
fun.
#5. Ayelea, The Manipulator. Weak. Worst Cardinal (except for maybe
Donatien). Discipline spread is decent, but her special ability is
pretty atrocious. Even worse than Yong-Sun (who at least gets an
Advanced version). Easily eclipsed by other Cardinals like Lambach and
Hannibal. Even other 10-caps like Lazverinus and Cailean are much
better.
Group 3:
#6. Jacob, The Glitch. Severe disadvantage makes him almost unusable.
One of the top nominees for “Worst Crypt Card Ever” in a recent
newsgroup thread. Weenie superior THA isn’t inherently unbalanced –
look at Magdelena Schaefer, Blythe Candeleria, and Masika St. John.
Such a shame that Jacob ended up wasting one of our Group 3 slots.
#7. Alejandro Aguirre. Weak with no superiors. His special is limited
in use since it requires tapping him for a minimal effect (Mariel,
Lady Thunder is much better). He probably should have gotten an extra
inferior discipline. Look at Nettie Hale, Barry, Abdelsobek, Cristos
Mantigo, Gabriel de Cambrai, and Vincent Day.
Group 4:
#8. Eric Kressida. Not bad in isolation or point-wise. The problem is
that most of the time, you’re better off including Paul Cordwood or
Uta Kovacs instead. Only reason to choose him over the other 8-caps is
if you’re specifically making a !Tremere deck with Celerity or
Protean. An Advanced version wouldn’t have to be particularly strong
(it’s not as if he’s missing any points), but it could provide a
greater incentive to see him in play.
The good news is that the more recent Tremere Antitribu have been much
better – due in no small part to the more generous, modern costing
scheme. So the weakest clan members and those most in need of some
extra help (i.e. Advanced versions) are some of the older Group 2 and
3 vampires.
--------------------------
[2.7 – Storyline Update]
The Eden’s Legacy storyline event has concluded and the final results
are now in. The Guruhi and the Brujah tied for the win, with 6
storyline wins each. The Malkavians were close behind with 4 wins,
while the Ishtarri, Salubri Antitribu, Toreador Antitribu, and Ventrue
were next with 3 wins. The Ahrimanes, Brujah Antitribu, Giovanni,
Harbingers, Kiasyd, Osebo, Pander, and Tremere Antitribu had 2 wins
each, and 11 additional clans and the Imbued have scored one win
apiece. Jyhad was the least popular winning Motivation, while Gehenna,
Knowledge, and Secrecy were roughly on par with each other.
The Tremere Antitribu have been well represented with two victories –
one in Jyvaskyla, Finland by Pasi Karjalainen with an Uta Kovacs
combat deck and the other in Bath, U.K. by Geoff Chapman with a combat
deck centered on both Malgorzata and Uta. Furthermore, there have been
at least four other instances where Tremere Antitribu decks have made
the finals. Jeff Poole placed second in L.A. with a Goratrix Celerity
deck, Julli Petkele made the finals in Finland with Malgorzata, a
David made the finals in Brisbane with a toolbox deck, and I also
placed second in Wisconsin, just narrowly missing victory with an Ash
Harrison deck.
For Eden’s Legacy, I wanted to take advantage of Sennadurek’s special
since the Edge was required for three of the four Motivations. I
decided to go with Group 4/5 Black Hand over Group 3/4 since Ash’s
special made him a significant combat threat and Carmen’s special
could help in equipping with the Codex. As an intercept deck without a
reliable way to secure the Edge, Motivated by Knowledge was the most
flexible choice. I did pretty well in the three preliminary rounds,
never being ousted and consistently scoring at least 1.5 VP’s each
round. The problem was that I wasn’t able to secure any game wins,
which put me at a significant disadvantage in terms of seeding and
seating for the final, which largely determined the final results. If
I had to do it again, I’d drop the Sennadurek angle (using my 3 non-
clan slots for either mid-cap Ventrue Antitribu or Tremere). I’d also
rely on Smiling Jack to prevent stalemated time outs.
The Tremere Antitribu didn’t win the Friday the 13th storyline and
recruit Claudio Severino, but the winner did take my “Save the
Tremere” bounty. The winner was Pedro Luis with the Toreador (Anneke/
Masika/Anson deck) and for his reward he chose an unopened Ravnos deck
from Final Nights. So the Tremere have avoided their doom, at least
for the time being. This gives us more time to recruit their prodigies
and steal their thaumaturgical secrets. And 4 out of the 14 players
did play Tremere Antitribu decks, so my bounty did end up being an
effective recruiting drive!
Finally, some preliminary details have been announced for the next
storyline event. Battle Lines is supposed to take place during the
Spring of 2010. It seems to be focused on the Bloodlines clans with an
underlying Lilith theme. If non-Bloodlines clans are allowed, I’ll
definitely be rooting for the Tremere Antitribu. But if clan selection
is limited (like with Rise of the Imperator), the next best option is
Gargoyles – Tremere Antitribu slaves of course! Let’s see that Pugfar
deck you’ve been meaning to make!
--------------------------
[2.8 – Hall of Fame]
With the end of Eden’s Legacy, we have two new inductees to the !
Tremere Hall of Fame (which chronicles those who have achieved
storyline wins for the !Tremere). Congratulations to Pasi Karjalainen
and Geoff Chapman for their victories on behalf of the clan. And kudos
to all the other players who did their best to represent the Tremere
Antitribu.
STORYLINE DATE LOCATION
WINNING PLAYER
DECK NAME OR DESCRIPTION
STORYLINE DETAILS
The Eye of Hazimel 11/09/2002 Santa Clara, CA
Ian Lee
Long Into the Abyss [Obtenebration stealth bleed]
The Eye of Hazimel 11/16/2002 Chicago, IL
Boris Zaretsky
!Tremere with Pugfar [Intercept wall with Eagle’s Sight + Collapse the
Arches]
The Eye of Hazimel 11/30/2002 St. Louis, MO
Eric Chiang
The !Tremere Make Their Presence Known [Presence vote]
Lambach’s Legion 09/06/2003 Helsinki, Finland
Tuomas Vuokko
!Tremere OBT (The Real Tremere) [Obtenebration bruise bleed]
Lambach’s Legion 09/21/2003 San Diego, CA
Jeff Poole
[Goratrix + Celerity]
The Infernal Plague 11/06/2004 Evanston, IL
Eric Chiang
Survival of the Fittest [Intercept wall with Alejandro Aguirre + True
Faith]
Non-Infernal
The Infernal Plague 11/14/2004 Bloomington, IN
Rick Irvine
The Seven Sisters of Sin [Succubus allies]
Non-Infernal
The Infernal Plague 12/11/2004 Rockville, MD
Greg Williams
Loco Rutor [Obfuscate toolbox]
Non-Infernal
The Return of Nergal 10/16/2005 Ste-Foy, Quebec
Marc-André Tremblay
[Valerius Deck]
The Return of Nergal 12/04/2005 New York City, NY
Eric Chiang
The Magick Emporium [Equipment-based wall]
Millennium Cultist 12/17/2006 Longmont, CO
Darby Keeney
Orlando Is Connected [Obfuscate vote with Orlando Oriundus + Mob Rule]
Millennium Cultist 12/24/2006 Tokyo, Japan
J. Silence
Rotschreck I [Burst of Sunlight + Rotschreck]
Millennium Cultist 01/07/2007 Cresthill, IL
Eric Chiang
The Heirs of Goratrix [Presence vote with Malgorzata + Orlando
Oriundus]
Millennium Cultist 01/20/2007 Rockville, MD
Joshua Duffin
Cloud City [Obfuscate vote with Orlando Oriundus]
Eden’s Legacy 11/21/2009 Jyvaskyla, Finland
Pasi Karjalainen
(Untitled) [Uta Kovacs combat]
Motivated by Gehenna
Key Minion: Uta Kovacs
Eden’s Legacy 12/30/2009 Bath, U.K.
Geoff Chapman
Maluta [Malgorzata + Uta Kovacs combat]
Motivated by Secrecy
Key Minion: Malgorzata
--------------------------
[2.9 – Featured Vampire: Ash Harrison]
Ash Harrison [SoC:V]
Cardtype: Vampire
Clan: Tremere antitribu
Group: 5
Capacity: 7
Discipline: cel dom AUS THA
Sabbat. Black Hand: Once each round, if the range is long, Ash may
strike for 1R aggravated damage.
Artist: Mark Poole
Ash Harrison and Carmen have been around for almost 3 years now,
having been introduced in the Sword of Caine expansion. Until
recently, I must admit that I had not spent much time exploring their
uses. The main challenge with going to Group 4/5 is that Ash and
Carmen are currently the only Group 5 Tremere Antitribu in existence,
and it means giving up the 10 Group 3 Tremere Antitribu, including
Selena, Ladislas, and Yasmin, not to mention Camarilla counterparts
like Carna. But now that I’ve had the opportunity to use them
thoroughly, I am quite impressed.
Ash Harrison is like a hybrid between Yasmin the Black and Terrell
Harding. Like Yasmin, Ash Harrison is Black Hand and has “AUS dom
THA.” You trade in Presence for Celerity. And by paying one more pool
you get Ash’s special. Looking at it another way, Ash is a 7-cap like
Terrell with “AUS cel dom THA.” Instead of Obfuscate and the ability
to steal blood as an action, you get Black Hand and access to
aggravated damage.
Although Selena/Yasmin formed the basis of an interesting AUS/THA
Black Hand deck, their lack of specials never really inspired me to
focus on the Black Hand angle. In contrast, Ash and Carmen have
interesting enough specials to shake things up. Ash’s best use for his
Black Hand trait seems to be Corporal Reservoir, which provides not
only minor blood gain but can also serve as reusable damage
prevention. Dominion might be occasionally helpful, though most
vampires may not be interested in blocking Ash (which makes Guarded
Rubrics a good option). Remover works well with Rutor’s Hand or
Zillah’s Tears. Shakar is great if you expect to see lots of weenies
and mid-caps. And the occasional Psychic Assault may be an unexpected
surprise for Fortitude minions who expected to prevent Ash’s 1R agg.
Ash is also well-suited for a !Tremere Celerity deck, working with
Lernean, Eric Kressida, and fellow Black Hand member Mosfair. (You
could also possibly mix in Camarilla Tremere like Troius or Mistress
Fanchon or even Osebo Cesewayo). Celerity combat support in the form
of maneuvers and additional strikes lets you make the most out of
Ash’s 1R strike. And between Ash and Lernean’s innate abilities, you
can save a lot of card slots. Even if you don’t plan on using much of
Ash’s Celerity, it still provides passive protection against Stunt
Cycle and Waxen Poetica, while reducing the effectiveness of The Mole,
Rooftop Shadow, and Speed of Thought.
Ash’s special makes him all star material. Since combat defaults to
close range, unlike vampires with aggravated hand damage, Ash needs
additional cards before he can make use of his aggravated damage. But
once he does get set up, his agg routine is less vulnerable than the
traditional agg hands technique. Unless you’re going the Celerity
angle, the most reliable choice is with Thaumaturgy combat like
Apportation or Crawling Chamber. In an intercept deck, Spirit’s Touch
offers the much needed maneuver. But for long-term success, you’ll
want to get Ash a permanent maneuver ASAP. Magic of the Smith can
perform that function quite nicely, letting you search your deck for
the Ruins of Ceoris. In a Celerity deck, the Drum of Xipe Totec should
be your first pick since it provides not only a maneuver but also
gives Ash superior CEL. Light Intensifying Goggles are a good choice
if you plan to include Target Vitals, letting Ash effectively strike
for 3R aggravated twice – an excellent way to burn the opposition. One
other option you should consider, especially if you’re worried about
anti-equipment and anti-location cards, is Biothaumaturgic Experiment.
One of the interesting things about Ash’s special is even if you don’t
plan on using it very much, it still serves as a very effective
deterrent – most players are not particularly eager to enter combat
with Ash.
With superior Auspex and inferior Dominate, Ash seems best suited for
intercept decks. Having played Carna intercept decks for many years,
it is interesting to compare how Ash intercept decks differ. Carna
benefits from permanent intercept, a title, and superior Dominate. In
contrast, Ash has Black Hand, out-of-clan Celerity, and innate access
to aggravated damage. Carna gets slightly better clan cards like
Arcane Library, Ankara Citadel, Chantry, Salt of Thoth, and
Ponticulus. Ash isn’t a slouch though, with Ruins of Ceoris, Spirit
Summoning Chamber, and Nephandi. Ash also benefits from Black Hand
cards like Corporal Reservoir (better than Rego Motus) and sect cards
like Abbot, Zillah’s Tears, and Yawp Court. Carna’s superior Dominate
lets her more effectively use Govern the Unaligned and Deflection,
which are less useful for an Ash deck. Carna’s built-in intercept
means you can more reliably block, significantly increasing the
utility of Wake-type cards. However, the main problem is how effective
Carna is going to be in combat once you block – unless you’re packing
a ton of Thefts, Carna is going to rely heavily on a weapon like the
Ivory Bow or a Sniper Rifle. While Carna lets you save slots normally
dedicated to intercept, Ash helps you conserve on combat cards. He may
not be able to block as effectively as Carna, but he can wreak a lot
more havoc than Carna can by consistently torporizing the opposition.
You can get added mileage out of Ash by making him a Monster. One
other point worth mentioning is that Carna tends to be a lot more
vulnerable, especially early on. Until you equip yourself with a
decent weapon, most people will want to block Carna. In contrast,
Ash’s agg deterrent means you can get a lot more actions through. The
main disadvantage for Ash is still the lack of Group 5 support, but
hopefully this will be rectified over the next several sets.
--------------------------
[2.10 – Featured Card: Rego Motus]
Rego Motus [KoT:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Cost: 1 blood
Discipline: Thaumaturgy
[tha] Prevent 2 damage from the opposing minion's strike. A vampire
may play only one Rego Motus each round.
[THA] As above, but for 4 damage.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc
In the distant past, playing with large capacity Tremere was
challenging because it was difficult to get actions through and
because of a lack of combat defense. In the old days of Jyhad, the
Gangrel, Malkavians, and Nosferatu could easily stealth actions
through. The Gangrel and Ventrue could Freak Drive to get additional
actions out of their elders. And even if blocked, the Brujah,
Toreador, and Ventrue could Majesty to untap and take another action.
With the Tremere, actions with large vampires were easily blocked and
had a significant opportunity cost (Rutor’s Hand was a possibility but
that action also tended to be blocked). Furthermore, once you were
blocked, your large Tremere were exceedingly vulnerable with no access
to damage prevention or S:CE. Back then, the best the Tremere/!Tremere
could do was Dodge, with the disciplineness card, or with Auspex Read
Intentions or Primal Instincts.
Bloodlines was the first major turning point. Several new and better
options for dodging were introduced. There were free, replaceable,
outferior dodges for Dominate (Absorb the Mind) and Auspex (Anesthetic
Touch, only for close range though). Back then, I was especially
excited with Bond with the Mountain – the very first Thaumaturgy
dodge. Though it cost a blood, it did give you a press. In those days
there were fewer options so attempting to try second-round THA combat
was more common – yes, there was a period when people actually thought
Shotgun Ritual was an awesome card. Around the time of the Eye of
Hazimel storyline, we got Wind Dance. Free, replaceable dodge for
Thaumaturgy, yay! The superior was an added bonus, giving some extra
protection against Celerity gun decks and still the best defense
against Arms of the Abyss + Entombment. I can still vividly recall how
I eagerly traded for Wind Dances. Several years passed before Third
Edition revolutionized Tremere/!Tremere combat defense even further.
Glancing Blow was a big deal because it helped protect you from aggro-
poke and the occasional ranged agg. Even more important was Mirror
Walk, which was a major innovation for large-capacity thaumaturgists.
In addition to providing much needed stealth, it also served as a
combat trump by proactively protecting your acting vampires. Having
been content with Glancing Blow, I was thrilled when Keepers of
Tradition introduced Rego Motus.
Rego Motus plugs a major weakness in Tremere/!Tremere combat by
offering a not insignificant amount of damage prevention. The prior
history lesson illustrates the gradual evolution of combat defense for
the clan, but Rego Motus marks an important step since it is equally
useful for offensive combat decks as well as purely defensive ones.
The Tremere/!Tremere have traditionally had a difficult time dealing
with aggravated damage, whether it be aggravated claws (from Gangrel
or Tzimisce) or ranged agg (Breath of the Dragon, Taste of Death,
Conflagration, Ivory Bow, Dragon’s Breath Rounds, or Flamethrower).
But now Rego Motus provides an answer, and is particularly helpful for
superstar decks centered around vampires like Goratrix or Uta Kovacs.
Rego Motus works especially well with steal blood effects. Though it
costs a blood, you can pay for it with stolen blood. Thus an empty
vampire can Theft and use the Thefted blood to pay for Rego Motus.
The damage prevention is also very helpful against Potence combat. I
can still remember the embarrassment of being Disarmed by “hands for
one” after I chose to Theft. Generally, four points of damage
prevention should be enough except against the most dedicated Potence/
Grapple combat monsters. In addition to protecting against Disarm,
preventing damage with Rego Motus also reduces the amount of blood
that can be gained by the opponent via Taste of Vitae.
The new card is slightly less helpful against gun combat since those
usually utilize additional strikes. Wind Dance is still the safest
option for avoiding any damage (requiring a superior Blur to hurt
you). Soul Burn is still viable, but the effect can be easily dodged.
Since Rego Motus costs a blood, it isn’t as efficient against .44
Magnums as against Assault Rifles. It does shine, however, when faced
against Flamethrowers or Dragon’s Breath Rounds. It also provides an
answer in case someone manages to equip with the Ivory Bow before you
can stop it.
There are some limitations to Rego Motus which you should consider. It
only prevents damage from the opposing minion’s strikes. Which means
it doesn’t help against environmental damage (Carrion Crows) or the
side effect damage from your own Burst of Sunlight. And though it
works against a Flamethrower, it will get hosed by a Ghoul Retainer
using that Flamethrower. It is also limited to one per round, which
may be a weakness when facing Celerity decks with additional strikes
(CEL gun decks using Blur or CEL/POT that hit you multiple times with
a Torn Signpost). Although you can prevent aggravated damage, watch
out for the occasional Rotschreck (if that’s common in your play
environment, you should pack a few Telepathic Trackings). And though
the blood cost normally shouldn’t be a problem, it can occasionally be
an issue. An empty vampire can’t play Rego Motus (if you don’t have a
Theft in your hand or if the opposing minion doesn’t have any blood
you can steal).
Intercept decks used to stealing blood at long range will appreciate
Rego Motus for its protection against ranged agg. Rego Motus also goes
a long way towards making POT/THA decks viable (Torn Signpost,
Apportation to maneuver to close range, Immortal Grapple followed by
Blood Fury) since it defends against aggro-poke. Rego Motus works
especially well with Uta Kovacs, who plays it for free with her
Thaumaturgy cost reduction. And don’t forget that it is fetchable with
Spirit Summoning Chamber as well. For some more wacky uses, Rego Motus
might be helpful for Thefting allies like Talaq, Rafastio Ghoul, and
Samuel Haight. And you can pass Rego Motus on with an Inscription to
vampires without Thaumaturgy and/or cross-table buddies.
--------------------------
[2.11 – Featured Deck: Maluta by Geoff Chapman]
This time around, our featured deck is one of the two winning !Tremere
decks from the Eden’s Legacy storyline. “Maluta” is named after the
two minions it is centered around – Malgorzata and Uta Kovacs. It’s an
aggressive combat deck that seems fun to play. It might be a
particularly good option for newer players to try, since it lets them
get a handle on the combat aspect of the game. And besides one or two
cases, it shouldn’t be too difficult to acquire the cards needed for
this deck.
Maluta
By Geoff Chapman
[CRYPT: 12 cards]
1 x Ladislas Toth, The Torch (AUS DOM for THA, !Tremere, 7,
Archbishop)
2 x Malgorzata (AUS DOM pre THA VIC, !Tremere, 9, Priscus)
1 x Paul Cordwood (AUS DOM obf pre THA, !Tremere, 8, Bishop)
1 x Selena (AUS DOM THA, !Tremere, 6, Black Hand)
3 x Uta Kovacs (AUS DOM ser THA, !Tremere, 8)
1 x Valerius Maior, Hell’s Fool (Adv) (AUS DAI DOM nec pre THA, !
Tremere, 7, Infernal, Red List)
1 x Carna, The Princess Witch (AUS DOM THA, Tremere, 7, Primogen)
2 x Valerius Maior, Hell’s Fool (AUS DAI DOM nec pre THA, Tremere, 7,
Infernal, Red List)
Min: 27 Max: 34 Average: 7.583
[LIBRARY: 90 cards]
[Master: 12 cards]
1 x Archon Investigation
1 x Barrens, The
3 x Blood Doll
1 x Elder Library
1 x Giant’s Blood
1 x Grooming the Protégé
1 x KRCG News Radio
1 x Mob Connections
1 x Wash
1 x Yawp Court
[Action: 12 cards]
1 x Epiphany
6 x Govern the Unaligned
3 x Nose of the Hound
2 x Rutor’s Hand
[Action Modifier: 6 cards]
4 x Conditioning
2 x Mirror Walk
[Ally: 1 card]
1 x Ponticulus
[Combat: 46 cards]
15 x Apportation
2 x Drain Essence
5 x Rego Motus
15 x Theft of Vitae
3 x Thoughts Betrayed
6 x Walk of Flame
[Equipment: 3 cards]
1 x Bowl of Convergence
1 x Heart of Nizchetus
1 x Ruins of Ceoris
[Reaction: 10 cards]
2 x Eyes of Argus
3 x On the Qui Vive
5 x Telepathic Misdirection
[Experiences with the deck]
Geoff:
“I've been using this deck since I started playing V:TES, about 18
months ago. It has been continuously evolving but is now in a fairly
settled state. Malgorzata is always good, you get so much for your 9
pool. In addition to coming out in the second game for Eden’s Legacy,
she also appeared right at the end of the first game to push through
the last couple of bleeds for my final oust.
I always have an Archon Investigation in any deck I use to deter any
heavy bleeds - I've also been caught with them a couple of times and
know how much they can damage your game.
Drain Essence is a very useful card, particularly against decks which
can prevent Walk of Flames. The blood gain is always good, especially
for Uta when it is free. Also this is handy for Valerius, it allows
him to strip 8 blood from a vamp before burning them within two
rounds.
I've tried Telepathic Tracking and it is good, but against decks with
a lot of strike to end, Thoughts Betrayed is more useful - also it
strips 2 blood off your vamp early so you can fully utilize Theft.
The deck is quite combat heavy, but the intimidation of overwhelming
combat is always useful to help reduce the number of blocks you face.
The intention is to always have at least Theft and Apportation in hand
so if you do get into combat you have options.
In the first game I was cycling combat cards easily, my prey was
Brujah so plenty of prolonged combat. In the second game I did have a
big problem with jamming for the first few rounds. This lasted until I
could finally draw a rush and was then able to take it out on my prey.
In the first game my pool was always very healthy. I got the first
oust relatively early and was pushing back with Blood Dolls. The
second game was much harder. My predator was using a lot of stealth
bleeds early and as I was jammed on combat so I didn't have any
intercept or bounce. I also had no Blood Dolls to help out so had to
push forward and get my pool gain from my prey.”
[Playing the deck]
Geoff:
“- Always bring Malgorzata out first (if you can), then get her to
help bring out the next couple of vamps to discount all the big caps
in the crypt.
- Once you have Uta out, put Rutor's Hand on her as soon as possible
so she can rush and bleed each round.
- Votes are your enemy, always block or use Yawp Court if you don't
have enough votes yourself to swing the decision.
- In combat: use Thoughts Betrayed if you think your opponent may
strike to end, and if you have a hand of red good enough to burn them.
Alternatively, it is useful against any other combat deck that relies
on strike cards (other Tremere, Assamites, and Lasombra are my
personal favorites to use it against).
- In combat: Always go long, this is especially true against any deck
that may use grapples, you want to control the combat in every round.
- The plan for combat with this deck is – go long, steal 2, press, go
long again, use either Drain Essence (if your opponent has a lot of
blood) or use Walk of Flame (if they have zero blood to burn them,
otherwise it will simply put them in torpor). Don't be afraid to use
Rego Motus to prevent any particularly nasty damage (especially agg),
Uta can of course do this for free.
- Bounce big bleeds, block little ones and punish the offender with
heavy damage in combat.
- Never hold back in combat, there are plenty of cards in there so use
them.
- Use the Blood Dolls as often as possible to keep the blood on your
vampires low so that they can make full use of Theft and Drain
Essence.
- This deck takes a while to build up during a game, so don't get
impatient. Be prepared to sit for a few rounds just pulling out vamps
(use Malgorzata, Governs and Grooming to discount the high caps) and
start moving forward once you have two or three good minions out.”
Editor: One other card I’d consider adding is Monster, especially for
Uta. At times, it can be a useful alternative to Rutor’s Hand. Or you
can combine both together for extra fun (and carnage).
[Eden’s Legacy Storyline]
Geoff: “This is only the second storyline event I’ve played, but it is
my favorite so far. The motivations seemed to add some extra impetus
to the game. They helped to push people forward more in an effort to
claim the edge. We only had one Laibon deck on the table and while
searching their library when they pulled out a new minion was useful,
it certainly didn't give them a huge advantage. Only one player used
the Codex, and to good effect. With plenty of DOM bleed I didn't feel
the need to go for it myself.”
Editor: For the storyline, Geoff chose Motivated by Secrecy, which
lets your vampires burn a blood for +1 stealth if you control the
Edge. Here are his thoughts regarding the choice in Motivations.
Geoff: “Knowledge may have been a useful motivation, but extra stealth
on tap can really help in a pinch. I actually used my motivation only
really at the end of each game to push through the last couple of big
bleeds, before that I hadn't needed to. In the second game the Gehenna
motivation would have been far more useful as I was unable to get Uta
out and therefore lacked the rush to cycle my combat cards at times.”
[Words of Wisdom]
Geoff: “Most people don't take !Tremere decks too seriously,
considering THA to be weak. It isn't.”
Editor: Thanks Geoff for taking the time to share your deck with us. I
hope you’ll continue to score further victories for the clan in future
storyline events!
--------------------------
Things to Look Forward to: Heirs to the Blood should be out next
month, so the next newsletter will finally look at what the new
bloodlines cards have to offer. And it will also hopefully include
some additional Featured Decks (an Ash Harrison deck and also the
other winning Eden’s Legacy deck) that couldn’t quite fit into this
issue.
Signing out,
Eric Chiang
Raziel
Rebuilding the clan issue is interesting one, you made many valid
points here. You based your argument about not decreasing next
grouping of sabbat tremere on 'equal numbers of vampires per clan'
precedence. Which seems to be the current rule for major clans*, and
is ultimately based on the same reasoning like keeping the status quo
and not letting vtm revision to influence vtes (unchanged sabbat
ventrue discipline set, blood curse, ravnos as a main clan,
ahrimanes).
I argee that antitribu should be viewed just as sabbat version of the
clan, but i take it step further. Namely all major antitribu clans
should be reintroduced to their parent clans.
*not clans in vtm meaning, but clans in vtes meaning. Tremere, Brujah,
Gangrels, Ventrue, Toreador, Malkavian, Nosferatu (counting antitribu)
all have twice the number of vampires from clans Lasombra, Tzimisce,
Assamite, Setite, Giovanni and Ravnos.
Unfortunately it seems that reintroducing antitribu as common members
of the same clan, and matching the number of boned clans with number
of former cammy clans is not likely. So people who like malks can play
with sabbat malks, mixed malks and camarilla malks (all of them have
great crypts), but people who like lasombra could make sabbat lasombra
or mixed lasombra (all with worse crypts, as lasombra have half of
combined malkavians numbers). And it's actually represented in TWDA as
well. Many Malkavian decks have some !Malkavians and many !Malk decks
have Malkavians.