VEKN Brujah Newsletter December 2002
skaffen_amtiskaw
Welcome to the last 2002 edition of the Brujah newsletter. I am very
proud to tell you that it includes Rob Treasure's famous Tyler deck in
the deck section - so behold and learn. For the more theoretically
inclined I have written down some thoughts on tactics, as this is IMHO
an aspect of the game that get's a little neglected in the usual
discussions on the newsgroup which basically center around deck
construction.
One little addition to last month's deck: I forgot to note the 7 Taste
of Vitae which obviously help a lot with blood management. The online
version on my website has the corrected listing
(www.8ung.at/colddawn/nov02.html#deck).
Fiction
Bohemian Rhapsody
"'Cuse me, honey, but you have no business here."
"My name is Tyler, I am an Archon of the clan. Exactly how do you
think I came in here? I have the keys... and one question: Who the
fuck are you?"
Mazz just laughs maniacally and retreats to the wingless hulk of a
SPAD XIII on display amidst other pieces of wreckage from wars
spanning the last three centuries. Tyler wrinkles her nose in disgust
and proceeds towards the back end of the cavernous wine
cellar-turned-garage, where a innocuous looking, padlocked manhole is
ready to admit her into the deeper recesses of the castle Vranov nad
Dyji.
The light of her flickering torch falls on a vast wealth of artefacts:
piles of weaponry, arcane tracts on the natural and supernatural
aspects of warfare "borrowed" from the Secret Library of Alexandria,
relics from the temples to Moloch and Tanith in ancient Carthage,
obscure instruments of torture, their use forgotten by all but the
elders, rusty spikes and fearsome edges dully reflecting the lonely
beam of light... She strides through this panopticum of pain and
kneels down in front of a smallish wooden box - umarked and unopened
for centuries. She opens it and extracts a precious golden ring...
"Might be a good idea to test it", she muses as she strokes the dust
from her Alexander McQueen dress and turns towards the clattering
noise of a Vickers gun, calibre 303, being disassembled above.
Strategy
A rather misleading moniker this time, as I want to share some
thoughts on tactics. I have to start with a disclaimer: This is a
somewhat abstract discussion. I take it for granted that the
strategical bit is sorted out: Your deck is capable of ousting people,
and it has a means to defend. This is obviously not trivial. I also
assume that you are not playing say a speed weenie blitz that doesn't
care about table control. My whole point is that you actually should
care about the rest of the table, because I know no deck that can
reliably ignore it. That's IMHO the main reason why, as often pointed
out by Fred Scott and others, weenie decks might seem abusive, but
don't win tournaments on a big scale.
I want to make a few points about two questions that repeatedly arise:
How to shape a table in your favour, and
How to avoid cross-table hostilities against you.
The Goal
You only need 3 VPs to win the table. No one expects you to sweep. 3
VPs means: Oust your prey and be the last man standing. Or oust three
preys and perish (or sweep). Both approaches have their merrits, and
often it's pretty clear whether you will go one way or the other after
getting your first VP. But never expose yourself when gaining a second
VP! If it falls into your hand: fine. If not: Play defensively - once
you are ousted, your chances to win are gone. 2 VPs is not a GW (*),
and losing too many valuable resources in gaining it spells desaster.
Of course sometimes you just need the 6 pool you gain to stay in the
game, but then something has gone wrong with your defense earlier (see
disclaimer in the beginning).
(*) Of course there is the 2/1/1/1 or 2/1/1 scenario, but as this next
to impossible to control, I advise against counting on it.
Playing to (the) beat
Avoid being the obvious threat. Each table has a rhythm. Normally this
rhythm is established by the majority of decks on the table, it
defines the point when you will be seen as a threat. The slower the
table, the greater the danger becomes to be identified as a threat
when going for the oust too soon. You can either deal with it (being
an "amok deck" that just tries to grab as many VPs as possible as
quickly as possible - say weenie bleed), or you are in trouble. I
think my colleague Sten During was the first to distinguish between
early, mid and end game (as in chess). Let me put it this way: Be
unthreatening in the early game, secure a VP in the middle game
(ideally at a time when someone else is about to do the same) and
quickly proceed towards the end game - either by immediately trying to
collect more VPs, or by consolidating your defense.
Strength through unity
Identify temporary allies. On a five player table (5PT) two players
seem to be natural allies: Your grand prey and your grand predator.
(This is another reason why going for 3 ousts is the more difficult
approach - you have to oust them both to win. But of course I wrote
"temporary allies": If your deck has the forward momentum to carry you
through both of them, don't stop. But I say it again: If your momentum
will barely bring you to a second VP, stop immediately.)
There are a couple of reasons why your grand-predator is better suited
for your needs:
He puts pressure on your prey, helping your defense.
He is not directly affected if he helps you to gain a VP - i.e you
will not be his new predator.
Of course it's perfectly okay to keep your grand-prey in the game when
your prey applies a lot of forward pressure (especially when "riding
the wave" of an aggressive prey - I almost always try to be the
predator of a weenie bleed deck in a final, as they don't defend
against me and with a bit of effort I can get them shortly before they
would get their prey, and that second VP as well). But in the long run
he is not the one you want to gain the other 2 VPs plus the resources
that brings. This gives another reason for not starting too
agressively (apart from becoming the obvious threat): If you force
your prey into prolonged defense, your grand prey has a free run on
your grand predator, which on a 5PT means a strong predator for you.
The Enemy
Your prey is doomed! You have to control (*) your prey at all costs -
if you don't, he can win the game (by ousting all other players) on a
5PT or decline you a GW on a 4PT without you having a direct influence
on this. Oust him, and do it before he ousts anyone. This is the first
and for some decks (intercept, combat) most important step of a game:
Secure 1 VP.
(*) Control can mean many things, but it all boils down to putting
pressure on someone. Be it by direct actions (bleed, rush etc.),
strong defense, or by giving other players breathing space or even
direct help so that they can attack him more efficiently.
Another enemy
Your predator is (almost always) also doomed! Apart from a 5PT with a
3 VP forward sweep where it doesn't matter if he gains the remaining
2, he must be ousted. And it doesn't matter whether you do it or
someone else! It can be a good bargain to let your grand predator get
him if you can also get your first VP at about the same time.
The final crossroad
There is another critical step in every game: the three player game.
We will take it for granted that you are not losing already and have
gained 1 VP, but the table is not "collapsing" yet, meaning that your
advantage is so huge that you can march forward to victory without
major tactical problems. At this point every remaining player still
has a chance to win the game, and eliminating you will most of the
times (apart from when you're original grand predator got a VP on a
5PT already - another reason he's your best "temporary ally") still
give both opponents the chance to win. Only if your prey is really
weak you should aim for a straight oust. Otherwise, try to get him
temporarily into your boat: He needs to oust your predator to win.
Help him, play defensively, but do not let him grow too strong.
Remember: He needs that oust. He has to risk something, make him pay
for it. But avoid an alliance against you!
Card of the month:
Rowan Ring
Equipment, 1 pool
Unique melee weapon. Send the opposing vampire to torpor as a strike.
This card is transferred to that vampire, and he or she doesn't untap
as normal during the untap phase as long as he or she remains in
torpor.
One of the nastier unique weapons. What looks like the Rowan Ring's
greatest weakness is also his biggest strength: It deals no damage.
You just have to strike successfully for its effect to happen, thus
making it completely immune to damage prevention. Apart from that it
is very similar to the (non-unique) Wooden Stake, and thus predestined
to be coupled with Amaranth (which diablerizes instead of sending to
torpor, so you gain back the Ring).
Vampire of the month
Tyler
Brujah 9, CEL dom for obt POT PRE
Camarilla - Primogen. When Tyler diablerizes a vampire, she untaps and
gains a blood from the blood bank. Once per turn, she may burn a blood
to get +1 bleed or an additional vote.
I wrote a good deal about her two issues ago, so I will take this
opportunity to explain why the Archon/Tyler loop works. Here's the
relevant card text:
Archon
Political action
Worth 1 vote. Called by any Prince or Justicar at +1 stealth.
Choose a Camarilla vampire. Successful referendum makes the vampire an
Archon. An Archon may enter combat with a vampire controlled by
another Methusela as a +1 stealth (D)action. Any vampire attempting to
block an Archon burns 1 blood. Blood Hunts cannot be called on an
Archon. Any Camarilla vampire can call a referendum to remove these
abilities as a +1 stealth political action.
As the new NRA rule only forbids repeated actions if they are
bleeding, political, granted by the same action card or by a card in
play, Archon is not affected (as it "makes the vampire an Archon" -
the card itself is placed in the ash heap as normal). Archon also
makes the vampire immune to Blood Hunts. So Tyler as an Archon can
rush a vampire, diablerize him through Amaranth (using the Rowan Ring
to send him to torpor, for example), untap, gain 1 blood and do it
again.
Deck
I have the pleasure to present Rob Treasure's Tyler Amaranth deck in
this issue. It spread mayhem during the Portsmouth storyline
tournament and was subject to quite some speculation/admiration on the
newsgroup. Here's the list with added comments by the master himself.
The BITCH is back.
Notes: Blatant abuse of Archon multi-rush.
- Get Tyler out
- Get Rowan Ring one way or another
- Make her an Archon
- Go to work
All else is really window dressing. You ideally want Tyler titled so
she can use the 2nd Trads and defend the Archon votes. The reason it
works IMO is that the deck can hold its own *before* you get the combo
on the go, one of the most important things if you ask me. Vast Wealth
works so well against intercept cos you can keep trying again and
again for the Ring whilst you decimate the interceptors with your
standard combat. Be careful of Drawing out the Beast, although it
gives you another hand damage :o) There is a good amount of prevention
and additional strikes, so a healthy bit of Disarming can go on.
Psyche was made for this deck, gets round all sorts of unpleasant
stuff and cuts through casual to medium S:CE. Take out vote
problems/Camarilla as early as you can. If you have a choice take
voters down first, even before you get the Archon out. Worth taking a
hit or two to ensure the Archon gets through because after you have
the Ring and Archon most Vote decks are dead anyway. Don't forget
Depravity also gives you +1 stealth on diabs if you are cycling to get
an Amaranth. Try to get FOR or Praxis Seizure: Rome on Tyler
increasing her capacity to get around Obedience 'issues'.
Was considering putting in a few Preternatural Evasions and a Guardian
Angel. Getting the Archon votes burned is not the best, only Camarilla
Vamps can call it, which is good, but a few Delaying Tactics might be
in order. Ira Rivers is good for multiple blocks of the vote to burn
the Archon. Also considered Alacrity or Shroud of Absence :o) but deck
is so tight.
Will probably make up a version with Donut O'Connor and Constanza in
next and try the above changes. Wanted to try and keep the crypt as
small as possible cos Tyler is a monster.
You have to be prepared to make deals to not target a cross table ally
if they have a ton of votes. The deck can make with so many rushes /
burns it is quite easy to offer the utter destruction of a player
before you 'move on' if need be.
Managed through tweaking, playing and advice (cheers Marty, Cooper and
Baker) to get the ratio of cards exactly right (for the UK's sheltered
little environment). The vote push seems good enough to get the
Archons through when you need them. Pretty sweet saving up three or
four Amaranths and Freak Drives and going to town on five or six
unfortunates in one turn. One of three or four decks that really have
a massive fear factor. I like them all but this one in particular
because as I said it can hold its own and function as a watered down
Euro-Brujah type deck until the coast is clear, then explode on the
table taking down pretty much everyone in a few turns. I aimed for an
average burn of three vamps per turn once up and running.
I would put in more pool gain in playing in a non-storyline tourney,
maybe another Minion Tap instead of a Vast Wealth? Not sure.
Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 13, Max: 36, Avg: 6.00)
----------------------------------------------
1 Antoinette DuChamp (Caitiff 1, cel pre)
1 Brachah (Brujah 5, CEL for PRE)
1 Ira Rivers (Toreador 7, ani AUS CEL pre, Prince)
1 Jimmy Dunn (Pander 4, CEL for POT)
1 Mazz (Brujah 3, cel pre)
1 Pug Jackson (Brujah 6, CEL for POT pre, Primogen)
4 Tyler (Brujah 9, CEL dom for obt POT PRE, Primogen)
2 Volker (Brujah 5, CEL pot, Prince)
Library: (91 cards) - take out a card of your choice fair reader :o)
-------------------
Master (14 cards)
1 Creepshow Casino
1 Depravity
1 Dreams of the Sphinx
1 Elysium: The Palace of Versailles
2 Fortitude
1 Giant's Blood
4 Minion Tap
3 Vast Wealth
Action Modifier (12 cards)
2 Awe
1 Bewitching Oration
2 Closed Session
7 Freak Drive
Political Action (10 cards)
5 Archon
3 Brujah Justicar
1 Praxis Seizure: Amsterdam
1 Praxis Seizure: Rome
Reaction (7 cards)
7 Second Tradition: Domain, The
Combat (44 cards)
5 Acrobatics
8 Amaranth
3 Disarm
2 Hidden Strength
9 Psyche!
7 Pursuit
6 Sideslip
4 Skin of Steel
Equipment (4 cards)
1 .44 Magnum
1 Ivory Bow
2 Rowan Ring
My comment: Well done, Rob! It looks very balanced, key to make this
viable. I was among many who expressed doubts whether this would ever
work reliably due to all the moving parts, but your results with this
deck show that these doubts are unfounded. Of course there are many
theoretical weaknesses (IMHO mainly in the early game, as the defense
relies on titles - Second Tradition -, and there is no rush apart from
the Archons), but the true trial is always the game and therefore also
how it is played tactically - a truely good player knows the weak
points of his deck and plays around them. *sweat* Finally made the
connection the strategy bit ;-)
Final Words
A big thanks to Rob for choosing this publication to showcast his
deck, and while I'm at it (this being the second year of
newsletter-writing for me and the 24th issue overall) thanks to my
Munich playgroup for their great competetiveness and friendship. And
thanks to you for reading this!
Skaffen
Archon of The Cold Dawn
www.8ung.at/colddawn
"Don't piss me off. I'm running out of places to hide the bodies."
(Writing on a T-Shirt worn by a murder victim found near Brno, Czech
Republic, in November 2002. The body latter disappeared.)