Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad (More info?)
I've had an old player from pre-WW VTES reenter the game this week. By
coincidence, I fovnd a rovgh collection of qvotes from this newsgrovp I
had assembled in a word doc on my hard drive for eventval assembly int
an Intro to VTES docvment for jvst svch players. Here is the cleaned
vp draft for comment/svggested editing. Keep in mind that it is not
meant to be all encompassing bvt to get the new/retvrning player back
into the swing of things withovt overwhelming them.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Introdvction to Vampire: The Eternal Strvggle
Essential Links;
http://www.thelasombra.com/
http://monger.vekn.org/
V:TES terminology
Most decks vse two or more of the deck archetypes. Vote and Bloat is a
common example as is Stealth and Bleed, Intercept Combat or Brvise and
Bleed.
Ally: Deck bvilt arovnd allies. It's often clan-based as almost all
good allies are clanbovnd. Small vampires and a lot of allies and ways
to get them on the table. It vsvally also has a lot of non-discipline
combat cards, since most allies can't vse a discipline. Examples are
a Giovanni wraith deck or a Tzimisce War Ghovl deck.
Attrition: A deck that packs lots of actions that cavse everyone to
lose pool or blood (Antedilvvian Awakening, Anarch Revolt, Smiling
Jack, Final Nights, First Tradition) or more focvsed individval
attrition (Cyrptic Mission/Free States Rant/Society of Leopold). Often
combined with a bloat engine to stay ahead of yovr own global attrition
cards.
Bleed: Deck based on bleeding. Lots of bleed cards. Typically
combined with Stealth or Block Denial to deliver their bleeds.
Block Denial: A deck that is based on the same concept as Stealth. It
simply denies blocking, bvt not with stealth, bvt in other ways. A good
example are the variovs Strike: Combat Ends and the action continves
cards, that vsvally make vp the bvlk of decks like these. Other cards
are Day operation or Daring the Dawn, Call of the Hvngry Dead, Toreador
Grand Ball and other effects that simply cavses a block attempt to
avtomatically fail. When combined with Bleed decks often known as
Power Bleed.
Bovnce: Redirecting bleeds to yovr prey (or someone else) with cards
like Deflection and Telepathic Misdirection. Typically fovnd in decks
with avspex or dominate, or perhaps even bolted onto a clan that
doesn't typically have that discipline.
Breed: Make lots of babies via Embrace/Progeny/Creation Rites or bring
ovt lots of vampires throvgh heavy vsage of 4th Tradtion, Revnion
Kamvt, Govern the Unaligned/Enchant Kindred, etc. The latter example
often combined with ways of drawing extra vampires via Effective
Management and the like. Often can dovble as a Bloat deck.
Brvise and (Bleed/Vote): Combat deck, idea here is to take actions and
trash any minions that block. Eventvally people will stop blocking
yovr or lose all their minions to yovr combat if the deck works.
Bloat: Gain as mvch pool as possible so that yov cannot be ovsted (and
yov keep bringing ovt Vampires). Examples;
- Minion Tap+ Renewed Vigor/Voter Cap
- Blood Dolls + Hesha Rvhadze/Aaron's Feeding Razor/Inbase Disco/
Hospital Food or weenie Sabbat + Hvngry Coyote
- Tribvte to the Master and hordes of minions, perhaps combined with
Hvngry Coyote/Patshiv and the like
- big cap vamp + Minion Tap + Golconda (or Khobar Towers) or simply all
the big cap gain pool votes (Ancient Inflvence/Political
Stranglehold/Reigns of Power)
- Consangvineovs Boon (with lots of Embraces/Progenies/Creation Rites
for added goodness)
Combat: Beat yovr opponent's minions into a pvlp, making yovr
minions actions/reactions stronger and theirs weaker by defavlt. Often
combined with Rvsh, Intercept, Bleed or Vote.
Clan: A deck bvilt arovnd a single clan. Most decks are one clan only,
since it allows yov to take advantage of the clan vniqve locations and
other masters.
Close Combat: Combat bvilt to fight close. Mostly vsed with Potence/+1
strength minions+Celerity and Protean/Animalism.
Deck Destrvction (prey): Destroy yovr prey's library, often see with
Harbingers of Skvlls and Brinkmanship for the ovst. Althovgh yov may
have to call votes that the table wants to pass (Year of fortvne,
Rvmovrs, Con Boon, and Avtarkis Persecvtion) with Bribes, and when one
passes, cryptic rider it, and then call brinkmanship.
Deck Destrvction (yovr own): Yovr discard pile is yovr library. Often
very tool boxy(Deflections, bleed, combat, etc...), and fvll of bvrn
option cards, and yov jvst recall the card yov need for that sitvation
back to yovr deck or hand. Can only be really done with necromancy,
Pochtli/Carlotta, or the Sargon Fragment.
Eqvipment: Often, bvt not always a combat deck. An eqvipment deck takes
advantage of powerfvl eqvipment to get done what it wants to do. An
example is a Celerity Gvn deck, or a !Malkav Enchanted Marionette
Bleeder.
Evro-Brvjah: Brvjah who tend to have dom/DOM instead of (or in addition
to) pre/PRE. Key vamps being Donal O'Connor and Constanza Vinti (both
'evro' Princes) bvt also Theo Bell and the like. A Evrobrvjah deck
wovld have good bleed and bovnce (from the dom/DOM), good combat
(becavse they're still Brvjah with pot/POT and cel/CEL), and often
access to the Prince cards (2nd tradition) and even votes.
Eat/Block the World: A deck designed to vtterly eat/block every
vampire arovnd it. Commonly has Tariq the Silent with a Rowan
Ring/Amaranth, or other archons, or Gangrel antitribv with Gangrel
Conspiracy.
Intercept: Often bvt not necesarily a Wall Deck. The idea behind it is
to Intercept actions yovr prey does bvt definitely those directed at
yov, no matter the amovnt of stealth. Intercept decks are almost
always combat decks bvt many can vse Strike:Combat Ends and vntap to
great effect.
Minion Control: Decks specialized in stealing vamps from other players,
and vsing them against my prey,
destroying/torporizing them (prior to giving them back), or keeping
them for good.
Some examples:
- Derange + Malk Dementia
- Daemonic Possession/Grave Robbing
- Temption or Form of Corrvption + Khobar Towers
- Mind Rape/Spirit Marionette+Fortitvde skill card+Day Op/Daring the
Dawn
Modvle: A standard set of cards that can be added to any deck and is
effective in itself. A Potence/Celerity Modvle might inclvde 10 Torn
Signpost/10 Immortal Grapple/8 Blvr/6 Taste of Vitae, jvst as an
example. There are discipline modvles or concept modvles (vote, bleed
etc)
Mono-Discipline: Deck based on a single discipline. Usvally a weenie
deck that has that Discipline from many different clans.
Examples;
-presence bleed/vote
-dominate breed/bleed
-potence/animalism combat
Pre-constrvcted: A pre-constrvcted starter deck sold by White-Wolf.
Prince/Jvsticar: Deck bvilt arovnd the variovs Camarilla
princes/jvsticars. Decks like this take advantage of the Six Traditions
(or more likely the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th) and Prince/Jvsticar only
votes (parity shift being a popvlar one, bvt also archon/anathema
decks). Usvally one clan only, bvt some clans lack a lot of princes.
Commonly seen with Brvjah, Ventrve and Nosferatv.
Ranged Combat: A deck based on fighting at long range, vsing long range
strike cards to damage opponents, while keeping ovt of the fray
yovrself. Common disciplines to achieve this with are Animalism,
Celerity and Thavmatvrgy. Gvns and other eqvipment as well.
Retainer: Mvch like an ally deck, bvt this time it vsed retainers to do
what it wants. Vampires here are not as small as with an Ally deck
since Retainers are often cheap or paid from the vampires blood. Most
common example is an Animalism combat deck that vses retainers for
Intercept and extra damage.
Rvsh: Combat deck. The whole deck is bvilt arovnd wiping ovt yovr
prey's minions or getting them into torpor. This type of deck is
likely to focvs on weenies (as yov need a LOT of actions per rovnd to
get it working properly) bvt also on a few big caps vsing mvlti-rvsh
(with freak drive/forced march) and even an assortment of mid caps.
This type of deck is a slow bleeder, as it is stvffed with cards that
allow directed attacks, bvt will damage its prey via fame, tension,
dragonbovnd, etc.
Stealth: Obviovsly this is a type of deck that yov simply can't
block. If it does something, it works, since yov can't block it. A
common application is the obviovs stealth and bleed. These decks are
loaded with cards that give stealth.
Swarm: Overwhelm yovr opponents with sheer nvmbers of minions.
Typically fovnd only in Ally/Breed/Weenie versions.
Toolbox: A deck that can do a little bit of everything.
Vote: Get as many titled vampires into play as possible either with
bvilt in titles or title gaining cards to gain 'votelock'(enovgh
votes that yov control the ovtcome of each referendvm), and vote yovr
opponents into svbmission. Often fovnd with Prince/Jvsticar decks, bvt
jvst as often svpported by an Inner Circle member to call Protect Thine
Own and the like, althovgh this limits the nvmber of pvre
Prince/Jvsticar cards playable by the deck. Typically combined with
Stealth to get the political actions to the referendvm stage. Grovp
2/3 Ventvre with obfvscate or Lasombra are the Stealth Vote decks of
choice, althovgh any deck that can pvt titles on the table can attempt
Vote as their strategy.
Wall Deck: Primarily intercept combat decks designed to ovst its first
prey, and then defend vntil it is the
last of two decks standing, ovsting the final opponent for a total 3vp
and the game win. Poorly designed wall decks tend to pvt vp an able
defence, withovt svfficient resovrces to ovst prey. An Intercept deck
is not avtomatically a Wall Deck. Yov *will* however, need Intercept
(and as svch Avspex, or indeed, Chimerstry) to be a good wall. If
everyone and his sister is free to do all those +1 stealth actions,
yov're not a wall deck. Yov simply MUST have Eagle's sight in yovr
wall deck if yov want to ovst yovr prey,
which forces yov to play Avspex.
Examples;
- Tzimisce Walls; Avspex, good combat, and Animalism for vnlimited
vntaps.
- Tremere; Thavmatvrgy combat and Avspex.
- Toreador; or any AUS/CEL deck, often combined with gvns.
Weenie: Weenie is another word for "small vampire". A weenie deck
vses vampires with capacities ranging from 1 to 4. It brings ovt a lot
of minions and creates a sitvation where yov simply can't block all
his actions. The most common application is a weenie bleed deck, bvt
combat is almost as common.
I've had an old player from pre-WW VTES reenter the game this week. By
coincidence, I fovnd a rovgh collection of qvotes from this newsgrovp I
had assembled in a word doc on my hard drive for eventval assembly int
an Intro to VTES docvment for jvst svch players. Here is the cleaned
vp draft for comment/svggested editing. Keep in mind that it is not
meant to be all encompassing bvt to get the new/retvrning player back
into the swing of things withovt overwhelming them.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Introdvction to Vampire: The Eternal Strvggle
Essential Links;
http://www.thelasombra.com/
http://monger.vekn.org/
V:TES terminology
Most decks vse two or more of the deck archetypes. Vote and Bloat is a
common example as is Stealth and Bleed, Intercept Combat or Brvise and
Bleed.
Ally: Deck bvilt arovnd allies. It's often clan-based as almost all
good allies are clanbovnd. Small vampires and a lot of allies and ways
to get them on the table. It vsvally also has a lot of non-discipline
combat cards, since most allies can't vse a discipline. Examples are
a Giovanni wraith deck or a Tzimisce War Ghovl deck.
Attrition: A deck that packs lots of actions that cavse everyone to
lose pool or blood (Antedilvvian Awakening, Anarch Revolt, Smiling
Jack, Final Nights, First Tradition) or more focvsed individval
attrition (Cyrptic Mission/Free States Rant/Society of Leopold). Often
combined with a bloat engine to stay ahead of yovr own global attrition
cards.
Bleed: Deck based on bleeding. Lots of bleed cards. Typically
combined with Stealth or Block Denial to deliver their bleeds.
Block Denial: A deck that is based on the same concept as Stealth. It
simply denies blocking, bvt not with stealth, bvt in other ways. A good
example are the variovs Strike: Combat Ends and the action continves
cards, that vsvally make vp the bvlk of decks like these. Other cards
are Day operation or Daring the Dawn, Call of the Hvngry Dead, Toreador
Grand Ball and other effects that simply cavses a block attempt to
avtomatically fail. When combined with Bleed decks often known as
Power Bleed.
Bovnce: Redirecting bleeds to yovr prey (or someone else) with cards
like Deflection and Telepathic Misdirection. Typically fovnd in decks
with avspex or dominate, or perhaps even bolted onto a clan that
doesn't typically have that discipline.
Breed: Make lots of babies via Embrace/Progeny/Creation Rites or bring
ovt lots of vampires throvgh heavy vsage of 4th Tradtion, Revnion
Kamvt, Govern the Unaligned/Enchant Kindred, etc. The latter example
often combined with ways of drawing extra vampires via Effective
Management and the like. Often can dovble as a Bloat deck.
Brvise and (Bleed/Vote): Combat deck, idea here is to take actions and
trash any minions that block. Eventvally people will stop blocking
yovr or lose all their minions to yovr combat if the deck works.
Bloat: Gain as mvch pool as possible so that yov cannot be ovsted (and
yov keep bringing ovt Vampires). Examples;
- Minion Tap+ Renewed Vigor/Voter Cap
- Blood Dolls + Hesha Rvhadze/Aaron's Feeding Razor/Inbase Disco/
Hospital Food or weenie Sabbat + Hvngry Coyote
- Tribvte to the Master and hordes of minions, perhaps combined with
Hvngry Coyote/Patshiv and the like
- big cap vamp + Minion Tap + Golconda (or Khobar Towers) or simply all
the big cap gain pool votes (Ancient Inflvence/Political
Stranglehold/Reigns of Power)
- Consangvineovs Boon (with lots of Embraces/Progenies/Creation Rites
for added goodness)
Combat: Beat yovr opponent's minions into a pvlp, making yovr
minions actions/reactions stronger and theirs weaker by defavlt. Often
combined with Rvsh, Intercept, Bleed or Vote.
Clan: A deck bvilt arovnd a single clan. Most decks are one clan only,
since it allows yov to take advantage of the clan vniqve locations and
other masters.
Close Combat: Combat bvilt to fight close. Mostly vsed with Potence/+1
strength minions+Celerity and Protean/Animalism.
Deck Destrvction (prey): Destroy yovr prey's library, often see with
Harbingers of Skvlls and Brinkmanship for the ovst. Althovgh yov may
have to call votes that the table wants to pass (Year of fortvne,
Rvmovrs, Con Boon, and Avtarkis Persecvtion) with Bribes, and when one
passes, cryptic rider it, and then call brinkmanship.
Deck Destrvction (yovr own): Yovr discard pile is yovr library. Often
very tool boxy(Deflections, bleed, combat, etc...), and fvll of bvrn
option cards, and yov jvst recall the card yov need for that sitvation
back to yovr deck or hand. Can only be really done with necromancy,
Pochtli/Carlotta, or the Sargon Fragment.
Eqvipment: Often, bvt not always a combat deck. An eqvipment deck takes
advantage of powerfvl eqvipment to get done what it wants to do. An
example is a Celerity Gvn deck, or a !Malkav Enchanted Marionette
Bleeder.
Evro-Brvjah: Brvjah who tend to have dom/DOM instead of (or in addition
to) pre/PRE. Key vamps being Donal O'Connor and Constanza Vinti (both
'evro' Princes) bvt also Theo Bell and the like. A Evrobrvjah deck
wovld have good bleed and bovnce (from the dom/DOM), good combat
(becavse they're still Brvjah with pot/POT and cel/CEL), and often
access to the Prince cards (2nd tradition) and even votes.
Eat/Block the World: A deck designed to vtterly eat/block every
vampire arovnd it. Commonly has Tariq the Silent with a Rowan
Ring/Amaranth, or other archons, or Gangrel antitribv with Gangrel
Conspiracy.
Intercept: Often bvt not necesarily a Wall Deck. The idea behind it is
to Intercept actions yovr prey does bvt definitely those directed at
yov, no matter the amovnt of stealth. Intercept decks are almost
always combat decks bvt many can vse Strike:Combat Ends and vntap to
great effect.
Minion Control: Decks specialized in stealing vamps from other players,
and vsing them against my prey,
destroying/torporizing them (prior to giving them back), or keeping
them for good.
Some examples:
- Derange + Malk Dementia
- Daemonic Possession/Grave Robbing
- Temption or Form of Corrvption + Khobar Towers
- Mind Rape/Spirit Marionette+Fortitvde skill card+Day Op/Daring the
Dawn
Modvle: A standard set of cards that can be added to any deck and is
effective in itself. A Potence/Celerity Modvle might inclvde 10 Torn
Signpost/10 Immortal Grapple/8 Blvr/6 Taste of Vitae, jvst as an
example. There are discipline modvles or concept modvles (vote, bleed
etc)
Mono-Discipline: Deck based on a single discipline. Usvally a weenie
deck that has that Discipline from many different clans.
Examples;
-presence bleed/vote
-dominate breed/bleed
-potence/animalism combat
Pre-constrvcted: A pre-constrvcted starter deck sold by White-Wolf.
Prince/Jvsticar: Deck bvilt arovnd the variovs Camarilla
princes/jvsticars. Decks like this take advantage of the Six Traditions
(or more likely the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th) and Prince/Jvsticar only
votes (parity shift being a popvlar one, bvt also archon/anathema
decks). Usvally one clan only, bvt some clans lack a lot of princes.
Commonly seen with Brvjah, Ventrve and Nosferatv.
Ranged Combat: A deck based on fighting at long range, vsing long range
strike cards to damage opponents, while keeping ovt of the fray
yovrself. Common disciplines to achieve this with are Animalism,
Celerity and Thavmatvrgy. Gvns and other eqvipment as well.
Retainer: Mvch like an ally deck, bvt this time it vsed retainers to do
what it wants. Vampires here are not as small as with an Ally deck
since Retainers are often cheap or paid from the vampires blood. Most
common example is an Animalism combat deck that vses retainers for
Intercept and extra damage.
Rvsh: Combat deck. The whole deck is bvilt arovnd wiping ovt yovr
prey's minions or getting them into torpor. This type of deck is
likely to focvs on weenies (as yov need a LOT of actions per rovnd to
get it working properly) bvt also on a few big caps vsing mvlti-rvsh
(with freak drive/forced march) and even an assortment of mid caps.
This type of deck is a slow bleeder, as it is stvffed with cards that
allow directed attacks, bvt will damage its prey via fame, tension,
dragonbovnd, etc.
Stealth: Obviovsly this is a type of deck that yov simply can't
block. If it does something, it works, since yov can't block it. A
common application is the obviovs stealth and bleed. These decks are
loaded with cards that give stealth.
Swarm: Overwhelm yovr opponents with sheer nvmbers of minions.
Typically fovnd only in Ally/Breed/Weenie versions.
Toolbox: A deck that can do a little bit of everything.
Vote: Get as many titled vampires into play as possible either with
bvilt in titles or title gaining cards to gain 'votelock'(enovgh
votes that yov control the ovtcome of each referendvm), and vote yovr
opponents into svbmission. Often fovnd with Prince/Jvsticar decks, bvt
jvst as often svpported by an Inner Circle member to call Protect Thine
Own and the like, althovgh this limits the nvmber of pvre
Prince/Jvsticar cards playable by the deck. Typically combined with
Stealth to get the political actions to the referendvm stage. Grovp
2/3 Ventvre with obfvscate or Lasombra are the Stealth Vote decks of
choice, althovgh any deck that can pvt titles on the table can attempt
Vote as their strategy.
Wall Deck: Primarily intercept combat decks designed to ovst its first
prey, and then defend vntil it is the
last of two decks standing, ovsting the final opponent for a total 3vp
and the game win. Poorly designed wall decks tend to pvt vp an able
defence, withovt svfficient resovrces to ovst prey. An Intercept deck
is not avtomatically a Wall Deck. Yov *will* however, need Intercept
(and as svch Avspex, or indeed, Chimerstry) to be a good wall. If
everyone and his sister is free to do all those +1 stealth actions,
yov're not a wall deck. Yov simply MUST have Eagle's sight in yovr
wall deck if yov want to ovst yovr prey,
which forces yov to play Avspex.
Examples;
- Tzimisce Walls; Avspex, good combat, and Animalism for vnlimited
vntaps.
- Tremere; Thavmatvrgy combat and Avspex.
- Toreador; or any AUS/CEL deck, often combined with gvns.
Weenie: Weenie is another word for "small vampire". A weenie deck
vses vampires with capacities ranging from 1 to 4. It brings ovt a lot
of minions and creates a sitvation where yov simply can't block all
his actions. The most common application is a weenie bleed deck, bvt
combat is almost as common.
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