Official VEKN Nosferatu Newsletter for August, 2005
Peter D Bakija
In an act of shameless clan (and self) promotion, I'll first mention that I
won a 30 person some odd tournament at Origins last month with, essentially,
the same Nosferatu based deck published in Nosferatu Newsletter #51 (June
2005)--"Bats with Birds in Their Mouths." Go team Nosferatu! The tournament
winning version of the deck can be found on the Tournament Winning Deck
Archive at:
http://www.thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#2k5originsfri
Right. Now that that is out of the way, on to the business at hand. While
thinking of subjects for a new newsletter, I was looking at the many new bad
decks I had built last week. Focusing specifically on a really atrocious
Brujah based Ghouled Ally deck, I thought to myself "Self, this deck would
probably work much better if the allies had a default bleed of 1. Hmm. What
mortal allies have a default bleed of 1...", which led to this particularly
atrocious Nosferatu based Ghouled ally deck, which, while highly
questionable, might be so crazy, it just might work!
"I Ain't Gonna Be No Repo Man!"
Crypt:
2x Teresita, The Godmother (7) ANI, OBF, POT
2x Chritianus Lionel, The Mad Chronicler (6) ANI, OBF, pot
2x Ox, Viceroy of the Hollows (6) ANI, OBF, POT
2x Cicatriz (5) ani, obf, pot
1x Agatha (4) POT, obf
1x Josef (4) ani, obf
1x Shannon Price, the Whisperer (3) ani, obf
1x Tommy (3) ani, pot
Avg of 5.16
Library:
2x Channel 10
2x Nosferatu Kingdom
1x KRCG News Radio
1x The Rack
1x Shanty Town Hunting Ground
1x Sunset Strip, Hollywood
1x The Coven
1x Festivo dello Estinto
1x Using the Advantage
1x Archon Investigation
1x Left for Dead
1x Charisma
1x Memories of Mortality
15x Thrown Gate
10x Lost in Crowds
4x Psychic Veil
8x Animal Magnetism
10x Courier
2x Vagabond Mystic
1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter!)
1x Caiaphas Smith
1x Repo Man
3x Unlicensed Taxicab
10x Ghouled
8x Autarkis Persecution
2x The Unmasking
Clearly a silly and flawed deck from the get go, but even then, it has some
entertaining angles. What got me to this point was, as mentioned above,
trying to make a Ghouled Ally deck that had some forward momentum. As most
mortal allies have no default bleed, I had to pack my deck with Computer
Hackings, which was a losing proposition, as there were never enough
Hackings to bleed as much as I needed, especially when most of the Hacking
bleeds were destined to be blocked. Thus, I fell back to the !Nosferatu, and
their goofy ally, Courier, who comes with a default bleed of 1. On the up
side, this means that a Ghouled Ally deck has some forward momentum. On the
down side Couriers, especially Ghouled Couriers, are expensive, at 3 blood
per successful recruitment. So I messed around, trying to cover all angles,
and came up with this monstrosity.
In the Crypt, there are two each of the three medium sized no brainers for
the deck, Teresita, Christisanus, and Ox, all of whom can use Animal
Magnetism at superior. Then, however, the crypt selection becomes a bit
trickier. With no other !Nos with ANI/OBF in a smaller size, I had to start
weighing the advantages of the various !Nos with mostly inferior
disciplines. Two Cicatriz seems like a good idea, as he gets a vote (kind of
making up for the inferior disciplines) and has a useful special ability.
Then I find myself in the weird situation of saying "Man. How come the !Nos
don't have a Sammy?". Which is weird, as I rarely ever use Sammy. But if he
were !Nos, I'd be using him now. Anyway, in goes Agatha, who is cute and can
Gate people well when blocked; Josef, who can sneak around and use inferior
Animal Magnetism; Shannon, who apparently is in every deck I build; and
Tommy who, really, is just a 3 cap body for making a Courier.
The Master selection contains intercept locations (so allies can block), an
ally support infrastructure (Charisma, Left for Dead, Sunset Strip,
Memories), and ways to get blood back on my vampires (Rack, Hunting Ground,
Coven, Festivo, which synergizes nicely with the hunting option of Sunset
Strip). In a deck with all !Nosferatu, two Nosferatu Kingdom are kind of a
necessity (as they are so good, you want one early), Using the Advantage is
a surprisingly useful card in a long game, and I'm currently in a phase of
including Archon Investigation in every deck I build, just so people will
worry about it locally.
In the minion card selection, there are allies, cards that make the allies
work, and general deck support. The core of the deck are the Ghouleds and
the Allies, so there are a lot of both--10 Couriers seems like a reasonable
number; 2 free Mystics as healers seem like a reasonable number; Carlton as
primary blocker; Caiaphas, surprisingly, seems like a reasonable plan in
this deck--he'll usually be able to intercept something as soon as you bring
him out, and between your prey and your predator, he should be ok, and he
can always go out and recruit his pal Carlton; and Repo Man (the impetus
behind the questionable deck title), while he can't be Ghouled, exists to
pull the Taxicabs out of the deck. With a lot of Ghouled allies who can play
a pot strike card, and pretty much everyone in the crypt having Potence at
some level, 15 Thrown Gates isn't at all unreasonable, as a lot of time, a
Courier will go to bleed for 1, get blocked, and then maneuver and fling a
gate. 10 Lost in Crowds for general stealth. 4 Psychic Veils for en masse
bleeding--play the Veil and send ten or so minions to go bleed for 1 each at
+1 stealth. The Unmasking let the allies block--granted, the Couriers start
with -1 intercept, but with the Unmasking, they can block the zero stealth
actions, and Channel 10 lets them block a lot of stuff, while Carlton or
Caiaphas can start blocking like crazy with The Unmasking in play. Then
there is the most dubious aspect of the deck--the Autarkis Persecutions. As
most of the master slots are taken up with blood management (as opposed to
pool management), and most of my minions will be not real useful for
harvesting pool off of anyway, this deck is kind of stuck for pool gain
options. Clearly, the best option available to it is Autarkis
Persecution--gain 1 pool for every minion you have in play. The obvious
flaw, is, well, it gives *everyone* pool, including your prey, who you are
pretty slow to oust anyway. This being said, I don't think the card is that
crazy, as this deck will likely be generating twice the pool on each vote
than everyone else will, people cross table will often help you pass the
vote, it will help keep your grand prey alive, and with a couple turns of
Psychic Veil masse bleeds can oust when unexpected, especially if your prey
over extends himself with all the extra pool you give him.
How does the deck work? Well, get out some !Nosferatu, start building an
army of Ghouled Couriers, and hope you don't get ousted too quickly. Call
Autarkis Persecutions when you are low on pool. Occasionally bleed forward,
possibly using the secondary "discard cards off the top of your prey's deck"
function if you don't think you can get Couriers through to bleed that
turn--given that this deck might make any game a long one, it isn't at all
unreasonable to run someone out of a deck (hey--I clearly need a
Brinksmanship in here!). When it looks convenient, send Couriers forward to
bleed for 1, and if they are blocked, have them fling a gate. When it looks
like a good time, play a Veil and bleed a lot at +1 stealth. This might just
work!
What are the flaws of the deck? Well, clearly, there are many. It might get
ousted early by a speedy bleed predator before it can get set up. A
persistent rush deck will probably eat it for lunch. Your minions run out of
blood really quickly. On the up side, it can generate a lot of pool, set up
a reasonably consistent blocking defense, has a reasonable amount of
stealth, can sometimes accidentally torporize folks, and might actually be
able to oust folks.
So there you have it. Another preposterous Nosferatu based deck out of the
Nosferatu Newsletter camp (yeah, yeah, Nosferatu Antitribu. I know. I still
maintain that they are essentially the same clan.)
If you wanna check out all the previous Nosferatu Newsletters, you can find
them at:
http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6/vtes.html
Peter D Bakija
pd...@lightlink.com
http://www.lightlink.com/pdb6
"So in conclusion, our business plan is to sell hot,
easily spilled liquids to naked people."
-Brittni Meil
Matthew T. Morgan
> "I Ain't Gonna Be No Repo Man!"
>
> Crypt:
> 2x Teresita, The Godmother (7) ANI, OBF, POT
> 2x Chritianus Lionel, The Mad Chronicler (6) ANI, OBF, pot
> 2x Ox, Viceroy of the Hollows (6) ANI, OBF, POT
> 2x Cicatriz (5) ani, obf, pot
> 1x Agatha (4) POT, obf
> 1x Josef (4) ani, obf
> 1x Shannon Price, the Whisperer (3) ani, obf
> 1x Tommy (3) ani, pot
Kendrick in for a Teresita? He's not as Animal Magnetismy, but he makes
up for it by having a title.
> Avg of 5.16
>
> Library:
> 2x Channel 10
> 2x Nosferatu Kingdom
> 1x KRCG News Radio
> 1x The Rack
> 1x Shanty Town Hunting Ground
> 1x Sunset Strip, Hollywood
> 1x The Coven
> 1x Festivo dello Estinto
> 1x Using the Advantage
> 1x Archon Investigation
> 1x Left for Dead
> 1x Charisma
> 1x Memories of Mortality
Additional blood gain options could be Hungry Coyote (maybe more than you
want to spend) and Perfectionist. Perfectionist is probably a good idea
as the recruit actions often go unblocked. I always forget to put
Perfectionist in decks. Don't be like me!
If you have trouble passing votes even with the Animal Magnetism, you
could add a Powerbase: Madrid. In that case, I'd probably replace one
Teresita with Kendrick and one Ox with Olivia (no animalism, but she can
use the powerbase).
> 15x Thrown Gate
> 10x Lost in Crowds
More diversity. I think you certainly want a couple Spying Missions and
Faceless Nights.
> 4x Psychic Veil
> 8x Animal Magnetism
> 10x Courier
> 2x Vagabond Mystic
> 1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter!)
> 1x Caiaphas Smith
> 1x Repo Man
> 3x Unlicensed Taxicab
> 10x Ghouled
> 8x Autarkis Persecution
> 2x The Unmasking
I might swap 2 Animal Magnetisms for Bribes. Yeah, it's kind of lame to
be putting even more pool on the table, but you don't really have a lot of
defense other than bloat.
For a little surprise, add 2 Leather Jackets and 2 Disarms. Everyone will
have Potence. Nobody expects you to burn a Jacket off hands for 1 and
play a Disarm. Most decks won't bother to prevent your hands for 1. You
can also have Agatha or Ox use a gate at close range of course. Don't
know what you'd take out for that though.
Matt Morgan
Peter D Bakija
> Kendrick in for a Teresita? He's not as Animal Magnetismy, but he makes
> up for it by having a title.
Yeah, I considered him for a while, but figured I'd go with Teresita for the
+1 intercept as well. But we'lls ee how it goes. He might go in.
> Additional blood gain options could be Hungry Coyote (maybe more than you
> want to spend) and Perfectionist. Perfectionist is probably a good idea
> as the recruit actions often go unblocked. I always forget to put
> Perfectionist in decks. Don't be like me!
Dude! I totally forgot to put a Perfectionist in this deck! Yeah, I'm
putting one of those in. Probably in place of the Using the Advantage.
And sadly, man, Hungry Coyote Ugly? I have never, ever owned one. Even when
Sabbat came out. Its crazy. I should get one of those.
> If you have trouble passing votes even with the Animal Magnetism, you
> could add a Powerbase: Madrid. In that case, I'd probably replace one
> Teresita with Kendrick and one Ox with Olivia (no animalism, but she can
> use the powerbase).
Ooh! Nice!
> More diversity. I think you certainly want a couple Spying Missions and
> Faceless Nights.
Likely. I suffer a lot from having this bizzare OCD when it comes to
building decks, and I like symetry. It is really freaky, as I'm generally
not OCD anywhere else. Anyway, I often make irrational building decisions
based on not wanting, like, 7 of a card, or wanting a symetrical number of
two cards. Anyway, yeah, probably.
> I might swap 2 Animal Magnetisms for Bribes. Yeah, it's kind of lame to
> be putting even more pool on the table, but you don't really have a lot of
> defense other than bloat.
Reasonable.
> For a little surprise, add 2 Leather Jackets and 2 Disarms. Everyone will
> have Potence. Nobody expects you to burn a Jacket off hands for 1 and
> play a Disarm. Most decks won't bother to prevent your hands for 1. You
> can also have Agatha or Ox use a gate at close range of course. Don't
> know what you'd take out for that though.
Heh. That is pretty funny too.
Thanks!
ksch...@icarnegie.com
> 10x Courier
> 2x Vagabond Mystic
> 1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter!)
> 1x Caiaphas Smith
> 1x Repo Man
> number; 2 free Mystics as healers seem like a reasonable number; Carlton as
Ditch the Mystics. They are only useful for Carlton and Caiaphas,
since you will not be able to heal a Ghouled Courier, since it's
starting life is 1 and not 2.
Karl
Prince of Pittsburgh
Michael
Peter D Bakija wrote:
> Matthew T. Morgan wrote:
>
> > If you have trouble passing votes even with the Animal Magnetism, you
> > could add a Powerbase: Madrid.
>
>
Use Dia de los Muertos too, as you're Sabbat.
Peter D Bakija
> Ditch the Mystics. They are only useful for Carlton and Caiaphas,
> since you will not be able to heal a Ghouled Courier, since it's
> starting life is 1 and not 2.
Aw man. Damn those "rules". Always getting in the way. Gotta find some more
kooky allies now...
Peter D Bakija
> Use Dia de los Muertos too, as you're Sabbat.
Ooh. Reasonable idea! Probably a betterplan if I get my hands on a
Brinksmanship. Well, that and a Dia de los Muertos, for that matter...
Peter D Bakija
> Ditch the Mystics. They are only useful for Carlton and Caiaphas,
> since you will not be able to heal a Ghouled Courier, since it's
> starting life is 1 and not 2.
Ooh! Maybe Procurers? Are they mortal? Yeah, maybe I'll go look for
myself...
ksch...@icarnegie.com
Peter D Bakija wrote:
> Aw man. Damn those "rules". Always getting in the way. Gotta find some more
> kooky allies now...
about some NWCs?
BTW, I thought this month we were going to see a startling expose on
Fade from View: The Lost Technology of Sabbat.
Karl
Prince of Pittsburgh
Peter D Bakija
> Mylan's always a good choice, but kind of counter to the theme. How
> about some NWCs?
Yeah, he would be good, except that no one in the crypt is 8+ capacity.
Stupid fickle Mylan.
Yeah, I was looking at the Neighborhood Watch, but after seeing that they
cost as much as the Procurers, I went with the Procurers (replacing the
Mystics). Granted, they can't be Ghouled (as they are, ya know, Ghouls), but
they still benefit from the Ally infrastructure (well, except Sunser Strip,
but, ya know, whatever), can block in a pinch, and will likely pay off a lot
on the long run. Might still use the Neighborhood Watch instead, but I wanna
try out the Procurers first.
> BTW, I thought this month we were going to see a startling expose on
> Fade from View: The Lost Technology of Sabbat.
I'm still doing deep level research. I have interviews with some anonymous
sources. Oh yes. There will be an expose! That shakes the foundation of
reality as you know it!
mummy
> including Archon Investigation in every deck I build, just so people will
> worry about it locally.
So I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this logic. You go to
Origins and see a buncch of people bleedzookaing irresponsibly, so you
pack AI's in tyour decks after you come home, with a playgroup that
doesn't really bleedzooka in the first place? :)
Peter D Bakija
> So I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this logic. You go to
> Origins and see a buncch of people bleedzookaing irresponsibly, so you
> pack AI's in tyour decks after you come home, with a playgroup that
> doesn't really bleedzooka in the first place? :)
Well, ya know, Sackett will bleed for 4-5 occasionally. And you will too,
but usually due to some sort of wacky anti-AI tech. So I figure, though, if
there are more AI's in use, people will be more afraid of AI. Or
something...
quickbeam
Peter D Bakija wrote:
> mummy wrote:
>
> > So I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this logic. You go to
> > Origins and see a buncch of people bleedzookaing irresponsibly, so you
> > pack AI's in tyour decks after you come home, with a playgroup that
> > doesn't really bleedzooka in the first place? :)
So I figure, though, if
> there are more AI's in use, people will be more afraid of AI. Or
> something...
>
>
> Peter D Bakija
Archon investigation rules, and requires no justification.
Also, I think Cloak the Gathering might be a good card for stealth
diversity, since as I understand it, tapped super obfuscate minions can
use on couriers who bleed. Presumably, they can do this even after
recruiting a different courier. Lost in Crowds is still my favorite
Obfuscate card, though.
By the way Peter, and this is off topic, I've been meaning to ask you
why you bother typing in Valley Girl speak into your online messages.
As a longtime Jyhad player with an interest in English, grammar, and
subculture, it has been vexing me, and I'm terribly curious.
-Dave Clooney
Its hard to win with no minions.
Peter D Bakija
> Archon investigation rules, and requires no justification.
Agreed!
> Also, I think Cloak the Gathering might be a good card for stealth
> diversity, since as I understand it, tapped super obfuscate minions can
> use on couriers who bleed. Presumably, they can do this even after
> recruiting a different courier. Lost in Crowds is still my favorite
> Obfuscate card, though.
Yeah, I considered that, but figured:
A) All my Cloaks were in other decks.
B) I'd rather have relaible +2 stealth to get important actions through
(like the Veil) than have diversity. I usually tend to lean towards
consistiency over variety in deck design.
> By the way Peter, and this is off topic, I've been meaning to ask you
> why you bother typing in Valley Girl speak into your online messages.
> As a longtime Jyhad player with an interest in English, grammar, and
> subculture, it has been vexing me, and I'm terribly curious.
'Cause it is how I talk. Use of the word "like", for instance, has many,
varried, subtle meanings that are evident by context, and not easily
replaced by other words. So I type the word "like" a lot. Or whatever. But
basically, I type the way I speak. Not to say that I sound like a burned out
hippie surfer or anything, but when I'm typing on the interweb, I'm not
typing for the written word, I'm typing as I would speak, generally. Which
is funny, 'cause when I meet people in reality who I only have known on the
internet, they are often, like, "Man. You really don't sound any different
than you do on the internet". Which cracks me up.
I'm often find myself put off by people who are wildly different in real
life than how they portray themselves on the internet--in either direction.
If someone is highly articulate in real life, but their e-mail or posts are
verging on illiterate (i.e. they freely ignore punctuation, spelling, basic
scentence structure, whatever), I find myself annoyed. On the other hand, if
someone is articulate on the internet, and in real life, they come off as
inarticulate or generally stupid, I'll also find myself annoyed. So I like
to come off on the internet pretty much exactly like I do in real life, for
the good or the bad.
> Its hard to win with no minions.
I keep working on that too, but it is yet to pay off.
quickbeam
Peter D Bakija wrote:
> 'Cause it is how I talk. Use of the word "like", for instance, has many,
> varried, subtle meanings that are evident by context, and not easily
> replaced by other words. So I type the word "like" a lot. Or whatever. But
> basically, I type the way I speak. Not to say that I sound like a burned out
> hippie surfer or anything, but when I'm typing on the interweb, I'm not
> typing for the written word, I'm typing as I would speak, generally. Which
> is funny, 'cause when I meet people in reality who I only have known on the
> internet, they are often, like, "Man. You really don't sound any different
> than you do on the internet". Which cracks me up.
>
> to come off on the internet pretty much exactly like I do in real life, for
> the good or the bad.
>
Fair enough. I love the word interweb, and use it all the time and
seek to further promote its use. As far as consistency goes, I've
never come across anyone with as distinctive a "speech" pattern on the
interweb as you, although I am not a huge net guy.
> > Its hard to win with no minions.
>
> I keep working on that too, but it is yet to pay off.
>
Are you trying to win with no minions? I mean for you (or whomever) to
stack up burned minions of their prey at least 3 deep by games end.
I guess this is an attempt to move the discussion to the merits of
cross table rush, and combat toolbox, but I digress.
-Dave Clooney
I have never won without minions.
Peter D Bakija
> Fair enough. I love the word interweb, and use it all the time and
> seek to further promote its use. As far as consistency goes, I've
> never come across anyone with as distinctive a "speech" pattern on the
> interweb as you, although I am not a huge net guy.
Reasonable!
> Are you trying to win with no minions?
Well, not really. But that was what I was talking about. I think the only
vaguely possible way to win without minions was the ever popular Betrayer
deck (ya know--your crypt contains every vampire ever printed, and your
library is, like, nothing but Recruitments and Betrayers), but the grouping
rules made that deck not work anymore. Secretly, I think we all know that
the grouping rules were specifically instituted just to foil this
overpowered strategy...
quickbeam
>
> > Are you trying to win with no minions?
>
> Well, not really. But that was what I was talking about. I think the only
> vaguely possible way to win without minions was the ever popular Betrayer
> deck (ya know--your crypt contains every vampire ever printed, and your
> library is, like, nothing but Recruitments and Betrayers), but the grouping
> rules made that deck not work anymore. Secretly, I think we all know that
> the grouping rules were specifically instituted just to foil this
> overpowered strategy...
>
>
The grouping rule had been a total mystery to me- now I will quit my
bitching about it and wait until the end of the world to deploy the
'Betrayer' deck.
You know, when no new cards are being produced and all we have is
subsistence farming and VTES.
It is then that I will say to new players (i.e. - children) who ask
"What do these little numbers mean?" what I have always wanted to say:
"Nothing, ignore them. By the way, you are Betrayed."
-Dave Clooney
quickbeam
>
> > Are you trying to win with no minions?
>
> Well, not really. But that was what I was talking about. I think the only
> vaguely possible way to win without minions was the ever popular Betrayer
> deck (ya know--your crypt contains every vampire ever printed, and your
> library is, like, nothing but Recruitments and Betrayers), but the grouping
> rules made that deck not work anymore. Secretly, I think we all know that
> the grouping rules were specifically instituted just to foil this
> overpowered strategy...
>
>
Peter D Bakija
> The grouping rule had been a total mystery to me- now I will quit my
> bitching about it and wait until the end of the world to deploy the
> 'Betrayer' deck.
Well, ya know, in reality, the Grouping rule lets the designers make an
infinite supply of new vampires without having to worry about crypts getting
uber maximized. Without the Grouping rule, the designers would be like "Huh.
Let's make another 5 point vampire with POT, OBF, something. Oh, wait, we
can't really do that, as that would make POT/obf decks considerably
stronger...", or whatever.
With the grouping rule, they can make vampires for ever and ever, and as
long as their is enough minor variation and different special abilities,
people will keep buying them and keep using them.
> You know, when no new cards are being produced and all we have is
> subsistence farming and VTES.
And we'll also have Group 15 vampires!
> It is then that I will say to new players (i.e. - children) who ask
> "What do these little numbers mean?" what I have always wanted to say:
>
> "Nothing, ignore them. By the way, you are Betrayed."
And that will clearly be your greatest moment! Bwahahahah!
Janne Hägglund
> quickbeam wrote:
> > You know, when no new cards are being produced and all we have is
> > subsistence farming and VTES.
>
> And we'll also have Group 15 vampires!
>
> > It is then that I will say to new players (i.e. - children) who ask
> > "What do these little numbers mean?" what I have always wanted to say:
> >
> > "Nothing, ignore them. By the way, you are Betrayed."
>
> And that will clearly be your greatest moment! Bwahahahah!
Until the children proceed to whup his ass with their crypt of seven
one-caps and fifteen two-caps with dom. And a library full of Pox Flies,
which were mistakenly printed in the 2031 "Sabbat Deteriorated Trans-Sect
Relations Requiring Careful Diplomacy", the sixth reworked re-release of
Sabbat.
--
hg@ "If you can't offend part of your audience,
iki.fi there is no point in being an artist at all." -Hakim Bey