Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Player s Guide White Wolf

Transcription

1 file ple m Sa This book includes: Strategy and tactics articles from the world s top players to help you improve your game A comprehensive guide to deck building and playing for each clan and Discipline. Learn some new tricks for your favorite clan. A visual encyclopedia of the entire Vampire:The Eternal Struggle card catalogue. Over 2,000 card images provide the ultimate reference for deck building and collecting. WW2699 ISBN WW2699 $34.99 U.S. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Player s Guide White Wolf For more than ten years, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle players have enjoyed this richly complex and intriguing game. Its unique social experience and innovative game design continue to captivate new players and inspire its loyal fans. The Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Player s Guide is the perfect resource for new players and veteran players alike, providing the tools you need to increase your enjoyment and understanding of the game.

2 By Robert Goudie, Ben Peal and Ben Swainbank with Tracy Simmons Bitonti, Joshua Duffin, Jay Kristoff, Mike Nudd, Carl Pilhatsch, David J Tatu, and David Wilson

3 2 Credits Written by: Robert Goudie, Ben Peal and Ben Swainbank with Tracy Simmons Bitonti, Joshua Duffin, Jay Kristoff, Mike Nudd, Carl Pilhatsch, David J Tatu, and David Wilson Developed by: Robert Goudie Project Coordinator: Steve Wieck Editor: Tracy Simmons Bitonti Art Director: Becky Jollensten Layout & Typesetting: Becky Jollensten & Mike Chaney Front & Back Cover Design: Becky Jollensten V:TES Design: Richard Garfi eld, with contributions by Matthew Burke, Skaff Elias, Andrew Greenberg, Rhias Hall, Bob Kruger, Jim Lin, Chris Page, Paul Peterson, Dave Pettey, and Mark Rein Hagen V:TES Developer: L. Scott Johnson Original Design for Vampire: The Masquerade: Mark Rein Hagen 1554 Litton Drive Stone Mountain, GA USA 2005 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews. White Wolf, Vampire, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, and Vampire: The Masquerade are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places, and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Wizards of the Coast is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. Deckmaster is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. U.S. Patent #5,662,332 and used under license from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. This game uses the supernatural for settings, characters, and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This game contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. For a free White Wolf catalog, call WOLF Check out White Wolf online at and rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad PRINTED IN CHINA

4 Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Player s Guide PG# 3 Introduction 4 Section One: Guide to the Disciplines Animalism 6 Auspex 8 Celerity 10 Chimerstry 12 Daimoinon 14 Dementation 15 Dominate 17 Flight 19 Fortitude 20 Melpominee 22 Mytherceria 23 Necromancy 24 Obeah 26 Obfuscate 27 Obtenebration 29 Potence 31 Presence 33 Protean 35 Quietus 37 Sanguinus 39 Serpentis 40 Spiritus 42 Temporis 43 Thanatosis 44 Thaumaturgy 45 Valeren 47 Vicissitude 48 Visceratika 50 Section Two: Guide to the Clans Ahrimanes 52 Assamite 53 Baali 55 Blood Brothers 57 Brujah 59 Brujah antitribu 61 Caitiff 62 Daughters of Cacophony 64 Followers of Set 65 Gangrel 68 Gangrel antitribu 69 Table of Contents Gargoyles 71 Giovanni 73 Harbingers of Skulls 75 Kiasyd 76 Lasombra 78 Malkavian 80 Malkavian antitribu 82 Nagaraja 84 Nosferatu 84 Nosferatu antitribu 86 Pander 88 Ravnos 90 Salubri 92 Salubri antitribu 94 Samedi 95 Toreador 97 Toreador antitribu 99 Tremere 101 Tremere antitribu 103 True Brujah 105 Tzimisce 106 Ventrue 108 Ventrue antitribu 110 Section Three: Deck Construction Basic Deck Construction 113 Constructed Format Play 128 Draft Format Play 132 Section Four: Strategy and Tactics Table Dynamics 138 Postures 140 Tertiary Resources 143 Improvised Tactics 146 The Master Table Talker 147 Resources 151 Section Five: Visual Card Encyclopedia Crypt Abominations 152 Ahrimanes 152 Assamites 152 Baali 154 Blood Brothers 155 Brujah 156 Brujah antitribu 158 Caitiff 160 Daughters of Cacophony 161 Followers of Set 162 Gangrel 164 Gangrel antitribu 167 Gargoyles 169 Giovanni 169 Harbingers of Skulls 172 Kiasyd 172 Lasombra 172 Malkavian 174 Malkavian antitribu 177 Nagaraja 178 Nosferatu 178 Nosferatu antitribu 181 Pander 183 Ravnos 184 Salubri 186 Salubri antitribu 186 Samedi 187 Toreador 187 Toreador antitribu 190 Tremere 191 Tremere antitribu 194 True Brujah 196 Tzimisce 196 Ventrue 198 Ventrue antitribu 200 Library Action 203 Action Modifi er 219 Ally 226 Combat 231 Combination 246 Equipment 248 Event 255 Master 257 Political Action 280 Reaction 288 Retainer 294

5 4 One is required to take notice when a trading-card game is still actively produced ten years after its release. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle has this rare distinction and cannot simply be dismissed as a fad or even a money-making scheme by a clever marketer. Heavily produced poor-quality games, no matter what the marketing budget, have come and gone while V:TES continues to defy conventional wisdom with its success. At the core of this success and the secret to its powerful allure is an original and intriguing game design. V:TES rewards good play and not big pocketbooks. Its most powerful cards are usually easy-to-acquire common cards. As well, its lack of card limits allows for the greatest possible number of original and interesting deck designs, while its card designs and mechanics maintain a balanced play environment. Its predator and prey relationship prevents a wild free-for-all but doesn t turn the game into stale, multiplayer solitaire. However, its most important accomplishment is that V:TES inspires social interaction. The game s political system and multiplayer design create an environment that is rich with discussion. This unique combination of a social game with rich mechanics typically puts V:TES out of the purview of kids chasing foil cards and into the realm of adults. As such, V:TES players are all part of a rewarding social community where tournaments are also social gatherings with friends who share a common hobby. It is against this backdrop of fun and camaraderie that the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Player s Guide is presented. As would be expected with any book written about a richly complex topic, this player s guide scratches the surface of only a handful of subjects dealing with V:TES. Many of these topics could themselves fi ll a book of this size. Some sections will have experienced players nodding their heads in agreement with the obviousness of some comments. Of course, few things about this game are obvious to players who are, for the fi rst time, attempting to understand the roles of each clan or Discipline or the ramifi cations of a new card. Those of us who have been around a long time may recall our early experiences, which often resulted in bizarre local interpretations of how the game should be played. These many years later, new players have the benefi t of preconstructed starter decks, a fi nely crafted rulebook, organized play, and online communities. While these resources assist with learning the game, new players must also take in all of the new clans, Disciplines, and card types as well as absorb an increasing universe of cards. Our goal here will be to provide a fi rm foundation for new players while hopefully stirring the imaginations of existing players. Many of the sections will act as head-starts, giving new players knowledge that may otherwise have taken them months or years to obtain on their own. It is also important to recognize that the guide is written from the perspective of creating competitive, tournament-viable decks. We won t spend much time on cards that are merely humorous, nor will we focus on cards that have nice artwork as their only positive characteristic. What players will fi nd are overviews of each clan and Discipline and a quick guide to some basic deck designs, as well as an introduction to multiplayer strategy. We ve intentionally avoided some of the cutting-edge deck ideas and strategic issues, instead opting for generally accepted strategies and tournament-winning deck designs. Of course, one of the greatest draws for longtime players is the ability to continuously create new and successful decks. As part of your learning, be sure to experiment and ignore some of the things you read here.

6 Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Player s Guide 5 5 Returning to the Game If you are returning to the game after a hiatus, you ll be happy to know that V:TES is widely played, and there s a strong likelihood that you can fi nd players near you. Take a look at the Appendix and you ll see a list of resources that direct you to several online forums where you can look for players in your area. In addition, there is a contact list of local volunteer game promoters (called princes) on White Wolf s V:TES page. Send one of them a quick , and you are on your way. If you fi rst started playing back when the card backs had the word Jyhad on them, you ll have the most to catch up on. You ll be pleased to know that those old cards are still playable and may even be freely mixed in with the new cards. You ll also be happy to know that the game play is essentially the same, and many of the rules and cards are easier to understand. All of those original cards have been reprinted, but many of their texts have been adjusted for clarity or game balance. You will want to search out the current card text lists and and the text migrations on White Wolf s website to see how some of those original cards may function a little differently than you remember. Again, you can still play with the old cards, but you will want to make sure they function the way you think they function. A complete catalogue of the current card texts is available on White Wolf s V:TES page. With more than ten years of history under its belt, V: TES has a large universe of cards. Also, since V:TES allows players to use cards from all of its expansions and not just a sub-set of cards from the most recent expansions, you ll almost certainly see cards that you are not familiar with. Take your time and feel free to read the cards or ask questions when they are played. You ll also fi nd that the expansions have introduced entirely new card concepts, new clans and Disciplines, and even a new card type. While all of this new information may seem daunting at fi rst, know that with a good playgroup and a little patience, you ll be up to full speed in no time. Two of the most important changes are that minions are now prohibited from bleeding twice or voting twice in the same turn. Political actions also are done a little differently. The voting rules were changed to keep players from playing multiple political action cards from their hands during a single referendum. The new rule allows each player to play only one political action card for a vote during a single referendum. These big changes and several smaller ones along the way have resulted in a much cleaner version of the game than the one you originally played. Within These Pages Remember that this guide is a snapshot in time describing a moment in the state of a living and breathing game. New expansions will be created and new cards designed. As well, metagame shifts will occur, and the hot deck style this month may be passé the next. However, while the future may create additional Top Cards or Winning Strategies, it is our hope that the concepts presented within these pages will remain useful throughout the lifetime of the game. In some cases we have provided sample decks. While space did not permit commentary on each deck, we believe the explanations of the individual library and crypt cards should make the deck s function mostly self-explanatory. In Section One, you ll fi nd a complete review of each Discipline. For more prominent Disciplines, we discuss some of the better cards and hopefully steer you in the right direction for using the Discipline on its own or in combination with other Disciplines. In some cases, we provided a sample deck for the Discipline. Only Disciplines suited to a mono- Discipline deck will have decks included in this section. In Section Two, you will fi nd a review of all of the clans. We examine each clan s best library card and crypt card options and explain how best to use them. For the smaller bloodlines, the review is more complete, and even less-desirable cards are discussed. The decks found in this section are intended to show a typical use for the clan. Often the decks will use more than one Discipline, and they may even include a couple of advanced card combos. Some of the classic World of Darkness signature characters are highlighted to show you their translation into V:TES. In Section Three, you ll fi nd a guide to the major deck archetypes and an explanation of how to build and play them. We understand that the modular way in which we present the art of deck construction is only one way in which decks can be built. While this section is a great tool for new players or as an entrée into a new deck style, we understand that in the long run, deck creation and tuning is done through a more organic approach. In Section Four, you will fi nd a discussion of strategies and tactics to make you a better player. These will be valuable to new and veteran players, either reinforcing good habits or teaching them for the fi rst time. Section Five is a visual encyclopedia containing a picture of each card s current text and art the perfect reference tool. In the Appendix you ll find a list of valuable resources that will lead you to a world of online activity and information.