Storyline Bounty: EC 2009, Friday 13th
echia...@yahoo.com
storyline tournament on Friday, November 13th, running opposite the
Last Chance Qualifier. Details for the event can be found at:
http://sites.google.com/site/friday13storyline/
Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the EC this year. But
that’s not going to stop me from trying to support the Tremere (and
Tremere Antitribu) in the storyline. I’m therefore offering a BOUNTY
if the storyline winner helps the Tremere.
The basic bounty can be claimed by ANY CLAN. You don’t have to make a
special deck for this. There’s an additional bounty, however, if the
winner is a Tremere Antitribu deck (75% of your crypt is Tremere
Antitribu). Since the final round has no special rules, the winning
player just has to make his intentions clear to the storyline
coordinator as to what he wants to do with Claudio Severino.
BOUNTY #1
- 1. Any winning deck (regardless of clan/faction or your key minion)
can claim this
- 2. The winning player/clan uses the results of the storyline to SAVE
Clan Tremere (nothing treacherous)
- 3. The winning player/clan HELPS Claudio Severino (you can obtain
knowledge and learn from him, but no killing / destroying /
capturing / etc., he has to be kept alive and unharmed)
In exchange, I offer ONE of the following:
- [A.] Almost any single card. I can fulfill 98% of requests, but I am
limited by my collection (e.g. I don’t have any copies of Monastery of
Shadows or New Carthage). But here’s a small sample of highly sought-
after cards you could select if you want (choose ONE):
- Enkil Cog
- Heart of Nizchetus
- Heroic Might
- Preternatural Strength
- Shroud of Absence
- The Unmasking
- Angelo
- Augustus Giovanni
- Baltimore Purge
- Carver’s Meat Packing and Storage
- Charisma
- Dan Murdock
- Derange
- Disarm
- Dreams of the Sphinx
- Dual Form
- The Eldest Are Kholo
- Engling Fury
- Fortschritt Library
- Heart of the City
- Hungry Coyote
- Inconnu Tutelage
- Jake Washington (Hunter)
- Madness Network
- Mariana Gilbert
- Meddling of Semsith
- Monster
- Rock Cat
- Tainted Spring
- Target Vitals
- The Uncoiling
- Ur-Shulgi, The Shepherd
- [B.] Alternatively, I do have some sealed starter decks (many of
which are out-of-print and hard to get) and you could choose ONE of
them:
- Followers of Set (Final Nights)
- Giovanni (Final Nights)
- Ravnos (Final Nights)
- Toreador (Camarilla)
- Ventrue (Camarilla)
- Barons (Anarchs)
- Gangs (Anarchs)
- Anathema (Kindred Most Wanted)
- Baali (Kindred Most Wanted)
- I may also have a Brujah Antitribu (Sabbat War) deck somewhere but
I’d have to look for it
- [C.] If you prefer sealed boosters, I can offer a handful instead.
(If you choose this option you’d get several boosters, not just one).
Looking at some of my old tournament winnings, I have a bunch of
boosters from: Kindred Most Wanted, Nights of Reckoning, Third
Edition, Sword of Caine, Ebony Kingdom, and a couple from Lords of
Night. If you’re looking for harder to get boosters, I do have some
Bloodlines or Anarchs boosters you could choose.
- [D.] I rummaged through some of my old knick-knacks and came up with
some other pieces of old World of Darkness memorabilia that some
people might appreciate. You could choose ONE of the following:
- Followers of Set Clan T-Shirt, the one with Hesha Ruhadze (Sealed
and Unused, Size XL)
- Giovanni Clan T-Shirt, the one with Isabel Giovanni (Sealed and
Unused, Size XL)
- Ravnos Clan T-Shirt, the one with Khalil Ravana (Sealed and Unused,
Size XL)
- Followers of Set letterhead / stationary (Sealed and Unused). Yes,
White Wolf used to produce this.
- Giovanni letterhead / stationary (Sealed and Unused). Yes, White
Wolf used to produce this.
- Ravnos letterhead / stationary (Sealed and Unused). Yes, White Wolf
used to produce this.
- [E.] I’m pretty flexible so if you want something else, please
contact me and we can probably work something out
So if the winning player chooses to save the Tremere and help Claudio
Severino, he could select (for example):
one copy of Enkil Cog
OR one copy of The Unmasking
OR a Final Nights Ravnos Starter (which includes Sensory
Deprivation)
OR a Camarilla Ventrue Starter (which includes Arika, Banishment,
Governs, etc.)
OR several boosters
OR a Giovanni Clan T-Shirt
Etc.
And this is in addition to whatever you’ll already be getting from the
generous prize support provided by Ginés Quiñonero (like the framed
artwork).
No extra effort is needed to earn this bounty (any winning deck can
fulfill the requirements).
So it’ll be like winning, plus getting an extra bonus. And who doesn’t
like something extra?
BOUNTY #2
- 1. This added bounty is only for a winning TREMERE ANTITRIBU deck
(75% of your crypt is Tremere Antitribu)
- 2. The winning player uses the results of the storyline to SAVE Clan
Tremere (same as above)
- 3. The winning player not only HELPS Claudio Severino (kept alive
and unharmed) but actually RECRUITS him to join the Tremere Antitribu!
I’m obviously a big Tremere Antitribu fan. However, it’s not in our
interests to see the Camarilla Tremere destroyed (they provide such
lovely recruits to use in our decks!). If anything, it might be quite
interesting if we get Claudio Severino to join us. If he shows up as a
crypt card, it would be nice to have another Tremere Antitribu vampire
(especially on the presumption that storyline rewards don’t “count”
for the normal number of vampires a clan gets per grouping). Or if he
shows up as an ally, it would be cool to have another mage ally for
the clan (to partner up with Nephandus and who can be recruited by
Antonio d’Erlette).
If you claim this bounty (which is instead of the prior one), I will
offer three times as much. So you could choose THREE of the options
listed above (subject to availability). I do not have 3 Enkil Cogs.
But you could choose for example:
one Enkil Cog AND one Preternatural Strength AND one The Unmasking
OR
one Shroud of Absence AND a Baali Starter AND a Ravnos clan t-shirt
OR
a Final Nights Giovanni Starter AND an Anarchs Gangs Starter AND a
bunch of boosters
etc.
Once again this bounty is on top of whatever you'll already be winning
(framed artwork donated by Ginés Quiñonero), making it a pretty
sizable trophy.
I have been in touch with the relevant storyline coordinators who have
been very supportive of the bounty concept. So it should be quite easy
to confirm that you have met the conditions of the bounty and then I
can promptly send the spoils of victory to you.
If you have any questions or feedback concerning the bounty or need
some clarification, please do not hesitate in contacting me.
Best of luck to all those participating in next week’s European
Championships. For everyone else – it’s not too late to book some last-
minute tickets to Spain! And I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed on the
hope that a Tremere Antitribu deck manages to take the storyline win!
Yours truly,
Eric Chiang
Brum
> Next week at the 2009 European Championship, there will be a special
> storyline tournament on Friday, November 13th, running opposite the
> Last Chance Qualifier. Details for the event can be found at:http://sites.google.com/site/friday13storyline/
>
> Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the EC this year. But
> that’s not going to stop me from trying to support the Tremere (and
> Tremere Antitribu) in the storyline. I’m therefore offering a BOUNTY
> if the storyline winner helps the Tremere.
> Eric Chiang
***************************
WANTED!
Alive and well
<insert picture here>
Bounty given!
This nice man has been seen around Cordoba, may kill you at sight
(specially if you are a kindred), but in fact he is really a nice man.
His parents are also very nice (really deep inside) and should be
protected.
******************************
Eric, you found a great way to make this Storyline more interesting!
As the writer and organiser, it helps me to start thinking on this
possible outcome.
Of course, I'm ready for all possible outcomes.
Cheers,
Tiago Brum
echia...@yahoo.com
have come up with some suggestions and advice. Included are excerpts
from the latest Tremere Antitribu Newsletter (Autumn 2009):
- Note that Recalled to the Founder is banned and Imbued are not
permitted. Instead of a clan-based deck, players also have the option
of going with an Anarch or Black Hand deck (which comes with a
library, rather than crypt, requirement).
- During each player’s turn, he/she gets first pick of the storyline
minions, so you will be able to consistently choose the minion you
want when taking normal actions. (But when it comes to blocking, you
might not get the minion you want).
- But there will be no storyline minions in the final round. So I
suggest not building your deck primarily around the storyline minions.
Be able to exploit their assistance but don’t become overly dependent
on it.
- Combat decks should beware because I foresee that the storyline
minions will be spending a lot of their blood rescuing other vampires
from torpor. At least early on, it’s better to focus on ousting your
prey rather than try an attrition strategy of hurting his vampires.
- Being in torpor can be a particularly dangerous affair since
storyline minions are convenient vehicles for diablerie (even if they
burn, it just costs you a pool to diablerize your opponent’s key
vampire).
- When using a storyline minion feel free to spend blood freely
(because otherwise another player will spend that blood instead). But
normally in combat, save your nastiest cards for your opponent’s
permanent minions rather than wasting it on an expendable storyline
minion. Knocking 7 blood off of Cagliostro is not quite so productive
if you then end up controlling him.
- Heidelberg Castle is an especially good choice for this event,
letting you steal the blood from the storyline minions. Alternatively,
if you’re worried about contesting Heidelberg, you can use cards like
Rave instead.
- Monastery of Shadows is another great option. Since the majority of
storyline minions are large-capacity vampires, you can grant most of
them stealth even if you don’t use any of their disciplines.
- Don’t forget that if you torporize or burn your prey’s storyline
minion, he burns a pool. This also works if the minion leaves play for
some other reason, like Banishment. Combining this with Tension in the
Ranks is particularly nasty for a combat deck.
Let’s take a quick look at how the storyline minions might be helpful
for most Tremere Antitribu decks:
[Round 1]
Antonio Veradas – Bishop.
Claudio Severino – aus DOM THA. Pool gain with Anthelios.
Lucita (Advanced) – DOM. Reaction cancelling special.
Rosa Martinez – Bishop. AUS. +1 bleed.
Sascha Vykos (Advanced) – Archbishop. AUS dom THA.
There’s a fair amount of Auspex and Dominate available. And several
inherent table votes may influence the viability of political decks.
During your turn, choosing Claudio can potentially net you pool.
Sascha gets you two votes for a vote deck. Or Claudio, Lucita, Rosa,
or Sascha can all be used to bleed effectively. During other people’s
turns, select vampires that can play the Auspex and Dominate reactions
in your deck (if any).
[Round 2]
Claudio Severino (Advanced) – AUS DOM THA. Combat wombat. +1
intercept.
Count Germaine (Advanced) – Conditional + bleed.
Joana Simoes – Intercept (by cycling combat cards).
Helena (Advanced) – AUS DOM tha. Free Auspex and Dominate reactions.
Lambach (Advanced) – 2 votes. AUS DOM.
This round is going to be very intercepty. Between Claudio, Joana, and
Helena, it’s going to be difficult getting actions through. So a
slightly different strategy may be needed. Some players may choose an
intercept minion just so that other players can’t use that minion
against them. Lambach can provide votes if needed. Claudio’s good if
you have rush cards in your hand.
[Round 3]
Cagliostro, The Grand Copht – (Not very useful)
Claudio Severino (Mage Ally) – Burn blood from opponent’s vampires.
Decent blocker (maneuver and 2R).
Javier Montoya – Prince. AUS THA. +1 bleed. Really good for rescuing
vampires.
Jorge da Gama – Prince. DOM.
Texas John – Anarch. aus.
A more challenging round for the clan. Watch out for the two Princes,
they can easily alter the balance of political power and allow for
some constant Parity Shifting. Claudio can’t bleed so he’s not that
great of a choice unless you want to burn a blood off of a vampire.
Javier Montoya is probably the best consistent choice unless you need
Jorge’s DOM.
[Final Round]
No storyline minions. You’re on your own! But we’ll definitely be
rooting for you!
- So during the three preliminary rounds, you can always count on
choosing a minion during your turn with at least AUS THA, or a minion
with DOM, or someone with two votes.
- If you’re interested in splashing in an out-of-clan discipline, you
may want to consider the discipline spreads of the storyline minions.
Celerity (best with Group 3/4 or 4/5) is a good pick since 9 of the
storyline minions have some level of Celerity. There are also 9
storyline minions with Presence (Group 3/4 is ideal). Next up is
Obfuscate (Group 3/4 offers the best options) which covers 7 storyline
minions. Fortitude and Potence are less prevalent, but each round you
will be able to choose at least one minion with superior FOR or POT
(Group 3/4 is best for either). Animalism is even scarcer, but each
round has at least one minion with inferior Animalism (Group 2/3 works
best here).
- Keep an eye out for multi-acting decks. All six of the storyline
vampires with Fortitude have it at superior. And of those, four also
have superior Celerity while one has inferior. So expect to see lots
of Freak Drives and Forced Marches flying around.
- An Orlando Oriundus vote deck could work quite well since each round
will essentially give you additional votes. Choosing Vykos (4 votes)
during the first round means you’re up 2 votes (against the two
Bishops), assuming your cross-table allies don’t get the Bishops
instead. During the second round, Lambach is the only titled storyline
minion so choosing him means you’re 4 votes ahead of everyone else.
The third round has two Princes, but once again Orlando’s special
means you’re still gaining at least two votes over the other players.
- If you’re combat-oriented you can try a superstar deck centered
around Goratrix, Uta Kovacs, Lernean, or Ash Harrison. Lately I’ve
successfully experimented with Target Vitals in Tremere Antitribu
decks. It works especially well with Ash Harrison (3R aggravated) or
with Reverend Blackwood (whose +1 damage with Thaumaturgy makes it
more likely that Target Vitals will do the extra 2 damage). In more
conventional !Tremere decks, it makes burning vampires easier since
Ivory Bow essentially does 3R aggravated, and Burst of Sunlight and
Walk of Flame inflict 3R/4R aggravated. You can get extra use out of
the aim cards by also including Light Intensifying Goggles.
- The Tremere Antitribu do intercept quite well so you can’t go wrong
with a wall deck. Be sure to take advantage of media outlets (KRCG
News Radio, Rumor Mill, WMRH Talk Radio, London Evening Star, Wall
Street Night, Channel 10, and Club Zombie) because these allow you to
get the most out of the storyline minions you control during other
player’s turns, regardless of who you end up with. During a
Methuselah’s turn, everyone else gets a free potential blocker so
consider that before Deflecting a 0-stealth bleed to your prey. (It
makes the Codex of the Edenic Groundkeepers less useful, while Spirit
Marionette is better since you are guaranteed to have a target.)
Including Eagle Sights will also let you get extra mileage from your
temporary blockers.
- One final note. Because of the bounty I am offering, expect to see a
greater than normal number of Tremere Antitribu decks. So make your
deck robust enough that it can deal with potentially contesting
minions. While Group 3/4 offers the most number of vampires, some
players may decide to go with Group 2 or Group 5 to lower the chance
of contesting. Also remember that communicating with the other players
can also reduce the problem (okay you get Selena but I get Ladislas
Toth). It would be a travesty if fighting within the clan allowed
someone else to steal the victory. So remember to play nice and bring
glory to the Tremere Antitribu!