Thanks to various V:TES Facebook pages, I've been able to take a look at a number of other blogs and websites dedicated to the game. Here are a few of the more interesting ones, in no particular order.
VTES ONE - managed by extrala, this blog has been one of the primary news sources for the game, posting reports on various tournaments, as well as news of new releases and products. It also has a number of posts on deck archetypes, which are helpful for those who need inspiration for building decks. It is, by far, one of the most comprehensive sources of news and information on the game.
Bindusara's Jyhad Diary - managed by Stu McLeod, the Diary provides, as it notes, "oral histories" of those who have worked on or played V:TES. Posting interviews with such luminaries as former rules master LSJ, among others, the Diary provides a colorful look at those who involve themselves in the Jyhad, from insights on the game to the manner by which they play.
Information Highway - managed by a coterie of 3, the Highway provides interesting articles about the game, from reactions to changes in the game (Parity Shift!), to reviews of upcoming products, to deck-building strategies. All in all, it's a grab-bag of whatever interests the coterier the, and what they post is interesting, indeed.
The Secret Library - Before the Amaranth, there was the Library. Like Amaranth, the Library
provides tools for building one's deck: the database, an inventory tool, and a deck-builder, all of which are online. I'm not too familiar with it, since my default program for VTES is the Fragment of Elder Library Deck Builder, but, for those who prefer to work online, both the Library and Amaranth provide the online means to explore the game.
And, that's all for now. For those who are looking for resources for the game, I hope you find these useful. As for my own writing, there are one or two posts I'm working on, and, hopefully, I'll be able to post them later this week.
Showing posts with label game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game. Show all posts
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Saturday, June 08, 2019
Back to One's Roots (Sort of) - The City Gangrel
When I started playing V:TES, I came in using clan Gangrel, mainly because I liked the idea of combat, of which the Gangrel were masters in spades. Using the Disciplines of Fortitude (FOR), Animalism (ANI), and Protean (PRO), the Gangrel, especially the older ones, could take out opposing minions, and live to tell about it, often without a scratch. One of the first Gangrel decks I built, a toolbox, managed to make it to the finals of one of the old storyline tournaments.
After more than a decade and a half of playing the game, I've tried out a number of deck concepts, and, finally got to include Dominate in one or two of my decks this year (that'll probably be the next post after this). I've also managed to use the FELDB app more efficiently to keep track of the decks I've built. Yesterday, at the friendly games, I playtested the City Gangrel deck, a deck type I'd been tinkering with ever since I started playing. I only played one game, but the deck managed to win the one round I played in, and I'm likely to reward the deck by finally placing it in sleeves.
The City Gangrel, in the role-playing game, are Gangrel antitribu who have adapted to hunting in the urban jungle, hence their name. Instead of the regular Gangrel Disciplines, the City Gangrel use the Disciplines of Celerity (CEL), Obfuscate (OBF), and Protean (PRO), which means they are preternaturally fast and agile, they can efficiently hide themselves, and, with Protean, they can do a number of nasty actions. So, how does one play a City Gangrel deck? There are several options.
One can focus on two of the clan Disciplines, and create either a combat deck (using CEL and OBF) that focuses on fighting with weapons, or one can go the stealth method, combining OBF and PRO to get the minion's actions through. Or, of course, one can focus on the three clan Disciplines, and this can be a combat deck.
For the combat part, the Gangrel, with PRO, are masters of aggravated "poke" damage. This entails getting into fights, and there are a host of options to get this done: actions, such as Bum's Rush or Ambush, Haven Uncovered, or a minion's built-in ability, such as that of Ellen Fence, the Tracker.
Once in combat, one can ensure one's strike will get through, courtesy of Shadow Feint. Then, one sets the range to close, either by using CEL or OBF maneuvers. When range is close, a hand strike using PRO aggravated damage can send the opponent into torpor.
With the Gangrel antitribu in general, once a minion is in torpor, diablerie is a usable action, since the ensuing blood hunt can be canceled by Gangrel Conspiracy. A good combo at this point is to play Ritual of the Bitter Rose, which will then give all of your vampires an amount of blood equivalent to that of the blood on the diablerized minion. Fortunately, for me, the right cards came out in the game yesterday, which allowed me to fill up my vamps with blood, PRO being a blood-intensive Discipline (Note to self: include Path of the Feral Heart in the deck).
In our group chat, one of the players who wasn't able to make it asked what ousting mechanism the deck relied on, to which another answered Computer Hacking. While the Computer Hacking came out early enough for me, there are a number of ousting mechanisms I can turn to, such as the use of Fame, or Tension in the Ranks, or the Path of Lilith, none of which came out. Instead, I had to rely on table dynamics, wherein the other players expended their resources and made it easier for me to exploit the gaps.
It also helped that my prey and grandprey were using Nosferatu antitribu and the EuroBrujah archetype, respectively. Neither clan has built in FOR, or else they would have shrugged off my aggropoking. As the case was, I was able to take out or diablerize Tarbaby Jack, Volker, the Puppet Prince, and Constanza Vinti, which paved the way for me taking the table.
As with any deck in V:TES, no deck is truly unbeatable; there will always be some trump card or deck or player who will make life miserable for your deck. In all likelihood, it's entirely possible that, given a different seating position or different decks used in the game, the City Gangrel deck would have gotten stomped. Still, it will depend on what you do in the game that will result in failure or success. In the end, as we players are wont to say, play your game.
After more than a decade and a half of playing the game, I've tried out a number of deck concepts, and, finally got to include Dominate in one or two of my decks this year (that'll probably be the next post after this). I've also managed to use the FELDB app more efficiently to keep track of the decks I've built. Yesterday, at the friendly games, I playtested the City Gangrel deck, a deck type I'd been tinkering with ever since I started playing. I only played one game, but the deck managed to win the one round I played in, and I'm likely to reward the deck by finally placing it in sleeves.
The City Gangrel, in the role-playing game, are Gangrel antitribu who have adapted to hunting in the urban jungle, hence their name. Instead of the regular Gangrel Disciplines, the City Gangrel use the Disciplines of Celerity (CEL), Obfuscate (OBF), and Protean (PRO), which means they are preternaturally fast and agile, they can efficiently hide themselves, and, with Protean, they can do a number of nasty actions. So, how does one play a City Gangrel deck? There are several options.
One can focus on two of the clan Disciplines, and create either a combat deck (using CEL and OBF) that focuses on fighting with weapons, or one can go the stealth method, combining OBF and PRO to get the minion's actions through. Or, of course, one can focus on the three clan Disciplines, and this can be a combat deck.
For the combat part, the Gangrel, with PRO, are masters of aggravated "poke" damage. This entails getting into fights, and there are a host of options to get this done: actions, such as Bum's Rush or Ambush, Haven Uncovered, or a minion's built-in ability, such as that of Ellen Fence, the Tracker.
Once in combat, one can ensure one's strike will get through, courtesy of Shadow Feint. Then, one sets the range to close, either by using CEL or OBF maneuvers. When range is close, a hand strike using PRO aggravated damage can send the opponent into torpor.
With the Gangrel antitribu in general, once a minion is in torpor, diablerie is a usable action, since the ensuing blood hunt can be canceled by Gangrel Conspiracy. A good combo at this point is to play Ritual of the Bitter Rose, which will then give all of your vampires an amount of blood equivalent to that of the blood on the diablerized minion. Fortunately, for me, the right cards came out in the game yesterday, which allowed me to fill up my vamps with blood, PRO being a blood-intensive Discipline (Note to self: include Path of the Feral Heart in the deck).
In our group chat, one of the players who wasn't able to make it asked what ousting mechanism the deck relied on, to which another answered Computer Hacking. While the Computer Hacking came out early enough for me, there are a number of ousting mechanisms I can turn to, such as the use of Fame, or Tension in the Ranks, or the Path of Lilith, none of which came out. Instead, I had to rely on table dynamics, wherein the other players expended their resources and made it easier for me to exploit the gaps.
It also helped that my prey and grandprey were using Nosferatu antitribu and the EuroBrujah archetype, respectively. Neither clan has built in FOR, or else they would have shrugged off my aggropoking. As the case was, I was able to take out or diablerize Tarbaby Jack, Volker, the Puppet Prince, and Constanza Vinti, which paved the way for me taking the table.
As with any deck in V:TES, no deck is truly unbeatable; there will always be some trump card or deck or player who will make life miserable for your deck. In all likelihood, it's entirely possible that, given a different seating position or different decks used in the game, the City Gangrel deck would have gotten stomped. Still, it will depend on what you do in the game that will result in failure or success. In the end, as we players are wont to say, play your game.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Midcap Play
For the longest time, the deck type I've most often played were weenie decks. Weenie, of course, means the crypt contains vampires of capacity 4 or less. I've always appreciated the speed with which the decks operated; getting 2-3 vampires ahead of your prey and predator means that, if I'm lucky, I can do some damage before my opponents are up and runni,ng.
However, there is a downside to playing weenies. Unless they were incredibly unlucky, veteran players would remain unfazed by sheer numbers, and had contingencies to deal with them. Usually, this meant some means of unlocking the vampires, whether by waking cards such as Forced Awakening or On the Qui Vive, or unlocking after combat, provided by such cards as Majesty and Earth Meld.
Also, since vets tended to play with larger vampires, there was, more often than not, a wider range of options that they had at hand. In my case, I would have to hope that my combat cards were enough to either do damage or get away from the bigger minion. However, such was not always the case, and I often wound up with a field of torpored minions.
With new cards coming into play, and new decks becoming available, I've taken another look at my single Discipline decks, and have decided to use vamps that had the superior version of the Discipline. Generally speaking, this meant that I would be using vampires with capacities from 4-5, which would slow down getting minions out, but not by much. It would still be relatively faster than using the big vamps, which would allow me to set up more quickly, and do some damage before I get blocked.
Having vamps with the superior Discipline meant that I wouldn't have to pack Discipline Masters in my deck, which was the case with the weenie deck. This would streamline my deck designs by a little bit; normally, I packed 2-3 Discipline Master cards in the weenie decks. It also meant that I would have the full range provided by the superior Discipline. For example, this meant that I could bounce bleeds using Telepathic Misdirection, instead of using just +1 intercept.
So far, I've built the following single Discipline midcap decks (deck lists to be posted soon):
At any rate, how the deck will do will depend on who is at the table, and what deck each player has brought. This means that the deck will do well at times, and crash and burn on other occasions. In my case, hopefully, the extra speed provided by the smaller vampires will make winning easier.
However, there is a downside to playing weenies. Unless they were incredibly unlucky, veteran players would remain unfazed by sheer numbers, and had contingencies to deal with them. Usually, this meant some means of unlocking the vampires, whether by waking cards such as Forced Awakening or On the Qui Vive, or unlocking after combat, provided by such cards as Majesty and Earth Meld.
Also, since vets tended to play with larger vampires, there was, more often than not, a wider range of options that they had at hand. In my case, I would have to hope that my combat cards were enough to either do damage or get away from the bigger minion. However, such was not always the case, and I often wound up with a field of torpored minions.
With new cards coming into play, and new decks becoming available, I've taken another look at my single Discipline decks, and have decided to use vamps that had the superior version of the Discipline. Generally speaking, this meant that I would be using vampires with capacities from 4-5, which would slow down getting minions out, but not by much. It would still be relatively faster than using the big vamps, which would allow me to set up more quickly, and do some damage before I get blocked.
Having vamps with the superior Discipline meant that I wouldn't have to pack Discipline Masters in my deck, which was the case with the weenie deck. This would streamline my deck designs by a little bit; normally, I packed 2-3 Discipline Master cards in the weenie decks. It also meant that I would have the full range provided by the superior Discipline. For example, this meant that I could bounce bleeds using Telepathic Misdirection, instead of using just +1 intercept.
So far, I've built the following single Discipline midcap decks (deck lists to be posted soon):
- Obfuscate (OBF, group 4-5) - Using a combo of Night Moves and Spying Mission, the deck has done relatively well so far;
- Presence (PRE, group 3-4) - This is a vote and bleed deck. It's still experimental, but getting a number of Princes made the voting more difficult to counter;
- Celerity (CEL, group 2-3) - This is my version of the Celerity gun deck, but it had difficulty getting going in the one game I played it. It still needs a little tweaking.
- Auspex (AUS, group 2-3) - Bounce the bleed, and defend the Jack. That's pretty much it.
At any rate, how the deck will do will depend on who is at the table, and what deck each player has brought. This means that the deck will do well at times, and crash and burn on other occasions. In my case, hopefully, the extra speed provided by the smaller vampires will make winning easier.
Saturday, March 09, 2019
Resource Management
Well, rising from torpor apparently takes some time. Even my enthusiasm for V:TES cannot stop necessary things such as work and home priorities from existing. While I'd like to write more regularly than I'd like, realities doesn't make it possible, so, for now, I will be posting on Saturdays, once a week. However, if time permits, I may write more than one post on any particular Saturday, so do visit regularly.
The blog is a bit of a mess at the moment, but, with the summer vacations coming up, I'm hoping to get up to speed, and update, and maybe upgrade. As I mentioned in my previous post, now is an exciting time to be playing, so I'd like to be able to get into the thick of things. For now, though, the blog will have to stay the way it is; I may tweak it here and there, but the general look will stay the same.
With so many expansions, and no dialing out of sets a la Magic: the Gathering, there are so many cards to play with. Based on the Fragment of Elder Library Deck Builder app, there are 1519 crypt cards and 2212 library cards, which can make for a staggering array of decks one may build.
Fortunately, there are a number of apps, and resource sites, which can aid you in finding your way around the game. Below are some of the more useful ones I've found:
SITES
Vampire Elder Kindred Network (VEKN) - The home of the game's governing body, VEKN is the main resource site for players. Aside from the online rulebook, along with accompanying rulings and such, it also lists tournament schedules and new product announcements.
VTES One - One of the enduring sites. Combining news, deck tips, and commentaries, the site is an excellent resource for players.
VTES Information Network - I actually just discovered this site as of this writing. At initial glance, it contains articles on deckbuilding, as well as deck lists and commentaries on the game.
APPS
Fragment of Elder Library Deck Builder (FELDB) - This seems to be the key PC/laptop app, although I'm not too keen on its layout. Still, if you want to manage your collection, do research on cards, or build decks and save the decklists, this is a pretty handy application. (Download here.)
Anarch Revolt Deck Builder (ARDB) - This is my personal favorite app. It does pretty much the same functions as FELDB, but I like the UI better. My only complaint is, for some reason, there's a glitch that doesn't display sect when I'm searching for cards. It also isn't currently updated for the new Sabbat preconstructed decks, so that's a bummer. (Download here, although only updated to the Danse Macabre set. I think it's possible to update the database once the app is downloaded.)
Amaranth - Amaranth is an online site, and an Android app (download link is on the site). What distinguishes it from the other apps is that it contains decklists for sample decks one can use as demo decks for new players. One of my co-players actually printed out all of the decks, sleeved them with VTES cards, and has them ready for demonstration play. My co-teacher was one of the beneficiaries of these demo decks; he currently has the Euro Brujah demo.
This is just a sampling of what's out there. There are even apps which allow for online play, such as Jyhad Online (JOL) and Lackey CCG, but I have extremely limited experience with either. Perhaps, time permitting, I'll try them out and write about them in the future.
Hopefully, this list will be of help for those who are getting back into play, or those who are looking for ways to streamline their deckbuilding.
The blog is a bit of a mess at the moment, but, with the summer vacations coming up, I'm hoping to get up to speed, and update, and maybe upgrade. As I mentioned in my previous post, now is an exciting time to be playing, so I'd like to be able to get into the thick of things. For now, though, the blog will have to stay the way it is; I may tweak it here and there, but the general look will stay the same.
With so many expansions, and no dialing out of sets a la Magic: the Gathering, there are so many cards to play with. Based on the Fragment of Elder Library Deck Builder app, there are 1519 crypt cards and 2212 library cards, which can make for a staggering array of decks one may build.
Fortunately, there are a number of apps, and resource sites, which can aid you in finding your way around the game. Below are some of the more useful ones I've found:
SITES
Vampire Elder Kindred Network (VEKN) - The home of the game's governing body, VEKN is the main resource site for players. Aside from the online rulebook, along with accompanying rulings and such, it also lists tournament schedules and new product announcements.
VTES One - One of the enduring sites. Combining news, deck tips, and commentaries, the site is an excellent resource for players.
VTES Information Network - I actually just discovered this site as of this writing. At initial glance, it contains articles on deckbuilding, as well as deck lists and commentaries on the game.
APPS
Fragment of Elder Library Deck Builder (FELDB) - This seems to be the key PC/laptop app, although I'm not too keen on its layout. Still, if you want to manage your collection, do research on cards, or build decks and save the decklists, this is a pretty handy application. (Download here.)
Anarch Revolt Deck Builder (ARDB) - This is my personal favorite app. It does pretty much the same functions as FELDB, but I like the UI better. My only complaint is, for some reason, there's a glitch that doesn't display sect when I'm searching for cards. It also isn't currently updated for the new Sabbat preconstructed decks, so that's a bummer. (Download here, although only updated to the Danse Macabre set. I think it's possible to update the database once the app is downloaded.)
Amaranth - Amaranth is an online site, and an Android app (download link is on the site). What distinguishes it from the other apps is that it contains decklists for sample decks one can use as demo decks for new players. One of my co-players actually printed out all of the decks, sleeved them with VTES cards, and has them ready for demonstration play. My co-teacher was one of the beneficiaries of these demo decks; he currently has the Euro Brujah demo.
This is just a sampling of what's out there. There are even apps which allow for online play, such as Jyhad Online (JOL) and Lackey CCG, but I have extremely limited experience with either. Perhaps, time permitting, I'll try them out and write about them in the future.
Hopefully, this list will be of help for those who are getting back into play, or those who are looking for ways to streamline their deckbuilding.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
On a Personal Note
I didn't realize that my last post on this blog before the previous one was five years ago.
Despite the game's going out of print in 2010, I've remained relatively active in the Manila VTES games. I competed in the local legs of the Asian Continental Championships: in 2011, in 2014 (Iloilo), and last year. Whenever I could, I would join the local games, first at Starbucks Tomas Morato, then Coco, just off T. Morato, and, then, finally, at a friend's house.
Late last year, though, I had a bit of a breakthrough, as I found two of my co-teachers who were interested in learning the games. This allowed me to introduce new players into the game, and, at the same time, form a gaming group at work (to play after hours, of course). By doing so, I rediscovered the thrill of teaching new players the game that I love.
At the same time, with new cards coming out, I started taking another look at my collection, and started getting ideas for new decks. I've also begun tweaking existing decks, by reconfiguring what they do; I'll probably be posting the deck lists in this blog.
And this blog. With the game coming back into print last year, I've been thinking of writing in the blog again, and at a more regular pace.
Not that I'm an expert at the game, not by a long shot. With the game's complexity, and having seen other players build decks that I wouldn't have imagined, I still have a long way to go in mastering this game. By writing in this blog again, I hope to make my thoughts more concrete, sort of a workbook for my ideas for decks and the game.
Despite the game's going out of print in 2010, I've remained relatively active in the Manila VTES games. I competed in the local legs of the Asian Continental Championships: in 2011, in 2014 (Iloilo), and last year. Whenever I could, I would join the local games, first at Starbucks Tomas Morato, then Coco, just off T. Morato, and, then, finally, at a friend's house.
Late last year, though, I had a bit of a breakthrough, as I found two of my co-teachers who were interested in learning the games. This allowed me to introduce new players into the game, and, at the same time, form a gaming group at work (to play after hours, of course). By doing so, I rediscovered the thrill of teaching new players the game that I love.
At the same time, with new cards coming out, I started taking another look at my collection, and started getting ideas for new decks. I've also begun tweaking existing decks, by reconfiguring what they do; I'll probably be posting the deck lists in this blog.
And this blog. With the game coming back into print last year, I've been thinking of writing in the blog again, and at a more regular pace.
Not that I'm an expert at the game, not by a long shot. With the game's complexity, and having seen other players build decks that I wouldn't have imagined, I still have a long way to go in mastering this game. By writing in this blog again, I hope to make my thoughts more concrete, sort of a workbook for my ideas for decks and the game.
Rising From Torpor
When V:TES went out of print eight years ago, it was a sad day for many of us who had enjoyed the game.
However, happily, players did not take the game's apparent demise sitting down. Despite the game going out of print, players from around the globe kept the game alive, and continued to hold tournaments, such as the Asian Continental Championships (ACC) and the European Championships (EC).
During the game's hiatus, the Vampire Elder Kindred Network (VEKN), the game's governing body, with the help of dedicated players, came out with several PDF card sets, wherein players could download the files, print them out, and, after sleeving them with valid VTES cards, players could use them in tournament play.
Then, during the EC tournament in Berlin in 2017, a 100-card anthology set, made up of popular cards, as well as cards from the PDF sets, was distributed to participants. This was a milestone, since it marked the first time new cards were printed ever since the game went down in 2010. What was even more exciting was that there were leftover anthology sets available, and players such as myself snapped them up.
Thanks to the efforts of Hugh Angseeing and others, the game came back in a big way last year with the formation of Black Chantry Productions, which now oversees the publication of the game. To start of the game's resurrection, the company came out with several reprint sets of the most recent expansions, Keepers of Tradition and Heirs to the Blood, followed by a new set for the bloodlines, Lost Kindred.
Then, late last year, it announced that it would be coming out with preconstructed decks, focusing on four clans of the Sabbat:
Still, the major difference between the Black Chantry decks and previous "starter" decks is that the new decks are more playable out of the box. Unlike the older starter decks, which needed several (to many) cards to be added for them to be competitive, the new decks appear to have been designed to stand up and hold their own in standard play.
With the release of the new decks this month, and with the promise of deck designs for new players in the making from Black Chantry, it's an exciting time to come back to, or get into, Vampire: the Eternal Struggle.
However, happily, players did not take the game's apparent demise sitting down. Despite the game going out of print, players from around the globe kept the game alive, and continued to hold tournaments, such as the Asian Continental Championships (ACC) and the European Championships (EC).
During the game's hiatus, the Vampire Elder Kindred Network (VEKN), the game's governing body, with the help of dedicated players, came out with several PDF card sets, wherein players could download the files, print them out, and, after sleeving them with valid VTES cards, players could use them in tournament play.
Then, during the EC tournament in Berlin in 2017, a 100-card anthology set, made up of popular cards, as well as cards from the PDF sets, was distributed to participants. This was a milestone, since it marked the first time new cards were printed ever since the game went down in 2010. What was even more exciting was that there were leftover anthology sets available, and players such as myself snapped them up.
Thanks to the efforts of Hugh Angseeing and others, the game came back in a big way last year with the formation of Black Chantry Productions, which now oversees the publication of the game. To start of the game's resurrection, the company came out with several reprint sets of the most recent expansions, Keepers of Tradition and Heirs to the Blood, followed by a new set for the bloodlines, Lost Kindred.
Then, late last year, it announced that it would be coming out with preconstructed decks, focusing on four clans of the Sabbat:
- Parliament of Shadows, featuring the Lasombra;
- Den of Fiends, featuring the Tzimisce;
- Libertine Ball, featuring the Toreador antitribu (!Tor), and
- Pact with the Nephandi, featuring the Tremere antitribu (!Tre).
Still, the major difference between the Black Chantry decks and previous "starter" decks is that the new decks are more playable out of the box. Unlike the older starter decks, which needed several (to many) cards to be added for them to be competitive, the new decks appear to have been designed to stand up and hold their own in standard play.
With the release of the new decks this month, and with the promise of deck designs for new players in the making from Black Chantry, it's an exciting time to come back to, or get into, Vampire: the Eternal Struggle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)