Confessions of a True Brujah Player

Alright. So I really like the True Brujah. No, not as a V:tES force; that's absurd. They aren't so good as a V:tES force. They only come in huge, fairly unstable packages that require superstar builds. Their in-clan disciplines (less of a failure for the latest batch) give them little access to stealth and no good bounce. Their staple cards have wildly divergent outferior disciplines, making them difficult to pair with supporting cast: obtenebration, or obfuscate. . .dominate, or serpentis, do I want to play with Followers of Set or Lasombra? Whichever I choose limits my access to Temporis cards with other outferiors, or I'm at least trepidacious about including cards only one guy can play. . .

Anyway, they're not so strong. But they're fun, I think. I've been working on several True Brujah decks since I wrote the True Brujah newsletter some time ago. But until recently I'd ignored the four newer Trujah. I decided to give them a look and Shalmath caught my eye.

Shalmath isn't so good. But he untaps a lot. I like that. I ran through some scenarios and decided to give him a try in the next game I played. This is what I eventually created:

Deck Name: Thou Shal Not Math
Created by: Merlin
Description:

Crypt [12 vampires, average capacity: 6.5]
5x Shalmath POT PRE TEM 10 True Brujah:6
1x Tara POT PRE cel 6 Brujah:5 prince
1x Gatjil Munyarryun POT cel obt pre 5 Brujah antitribu:5
1x Paul Calderone cel pot pre 4 Brujah:5
1x Sisocharis cel obf pre 4 Follower of Set:5
1x Slag ani obf pot 4 Nosferatu:5
1x Stephen Milliner nec pre 3 Giovanni:5
1x Honest Abe pre 2 Brujah:5

Library [74 cards]

Master [21]
6x Ashur Tablets
1x Creepshow Casino
5x Development
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Parthenon, The
1x Perfectionist
1x Research
1x Tabriz Assembly
2x Villein
1x Wider View

Action [10]
1x Clio's Kiss
2x Entrancement
2x Kiss of Lachesis
4x Summon History
1x Vaticination

Action Modifier [18]
1x Approximation of Loyalty
4x Domain of Evernight
2x Enkil Cog
2x Iron Glare
4x Pocket Out of Time
2x Recurring Contemplation
3x Tangle Atropos' Hand

Ally [7]
1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)
1x Gypsies
1x Harzomatuili
1x Impundulu
1x Mylan Horseed (Goblin)
1x Tunnel Runner
1x Tye Cooper
1x Veneficti (Mage)

Equipment [6]
1x AK-47
1x Ambulance
1x Amulet of Temporal Perception
1x Ankara Citadel, Turkey, The
1x Assault Rifle
1x Laptop Computer

Reaction [8]
2x Lost in Translation
2x On the Qui Vive
2x Rewind Time
2x Touch of Pain

Retainer [1]
1x Mr. Winthrop

Combat [2]
2x Majesty

Crafted with: Anarch Revolt Deck Builder [Sun Aug 01 23:42:10 2010]

There's a lot of shit going on in there. In fact, the street value of the deck is actually quite astonishing. I realized this as I was playing it.

We had about two hours before our weekly dick-and-fart-joke laced roleplaying session, so I arranged a VTES game beforehand, mostly with the guys who were gonna roleplay anyway, and Ray.

First game, I decided to play my Shalmath deck. I announced to the table that I was playing a "silly" deck, and that I fully expected to lose. Robb said he was playing "filth". Devin and Ray were all mysterious and shit.

Ray(Lucretia Trophy)--->Me(Shalmath)--->Devin(DoC Harmony)--->Robb(Tremere/!Tremere "filth"[DOM bleed])

Things went well for me early on. I played a Wider View and a Dreams of the Sphinx on the first turn. In my mind's eye, when I had built the deck, I imagined a world where I had first turn mastercards to play, and I played them. I lived in that world. I didn't redraw any other masters and I didn't have good cardflow until I had minions. I discarded an AK-47.

Devin brought up the Muse, which signaled to the rest of the table that Shit was Real. Devin did this very smugly, insomuch as it is possible to influence a vampire into play smugly. He said, "Oh, we're playing two games tonight." He was smug, and he said this, because his Choir/Harmony deck is very aggressive. It pretty much crushes forward until it wins or dies.

Robb sighed and put 4 blood on Selena. Ray worked on Lucretia.

I was using Dreams to put a blood on Steve Milliner each turn while I put beads on Shalmath. Devin put a Choir in play with Muse, then had her Drive the Freak bus and Harmony. Then he Freaked again and bled for one. It seemed pretty good. He got Celeste in the Influence phase, smugly.

Robb got Selena and braced for the worst. Ray put more on Lucretia but didn't bring her out. I popped Steve and Shalmath the same turn.

Devin had Muse and Celeste put Choirs into play, and he had the Stealthy Palace of Loud Singing in play, so Robb failed to block one. Devin got Angela Preston and played a Hanging Fermata. He did this in a very smug way.

Robb Governed out Aisling and finished his turn. Ray finally got Lucretia.

I had Steve find the Impundulu. This demon was a last-minute addition to my deck, and I think it was a good one. I have seen it played in limited a bunch and it seems like a decent investment.

Shalmath Summoned an Ankara Citadel, untapped with Domain, bled Devin for three with an Iron Glare, getting an Enkil Cog, untapped, and summoned Carlton Van Wyk.

I got Paul Calderone in my influence phase. I did so with great humility. My hand was starting to pile up with reaction cards to play on bleeds: Rewind Time, Touch of Pain, Lost in Translation. I didn't want to discard them, in case Ray got frisky. But I really couldn't play them either. I decided that there was no reason to rush and didn't discard them.

Devin put some Choirs in play, though Robb and I (Carlton, rather) made him play stealth on nearly all of his actions. Carlton might've blocked one, as I recall, because when Devin finally played his last Choir to burn them he only (only?) hit for 6. I bled for 2 with Shalmath during Devin's minion phase.

Robb said something like "fuck it." and bled Ray for 2 with both his guys, using Bondings and Mirror Walks for stealth. Ray put Red List on the Impundulu and then got out Clitoris. Now I'm a huge fan of Clitoris, but he was sort of numb this game.

Steve had to hunt. I had Shalmath bleed again, and then I realized I was out of useful actions to take. However, I did want to get that AK-47 out of my ash heap with a Kiss of Lachesis. I tapped Shalmath and announced my action to move an action card to my Research Area, and Robb said, "you don't have a Research Area. You have to play the Research card first." I explained that I felt that his talk was crazy, and that in my opinion, all Methuselahs have a Research Area, but most of us can't add cards to it.

I haven't asked LSJ to confirm this, but it actually requires much less effort to assume I'm right and move on.

So I had Shalmath get me a Kiss. I had a Development in hand waiting for it next turn. The demon stole a blood from Muse.

Devin went for more Choir and got them through Carlton and Robb's minions, eventually using a Harmony to hit Robb for 6 again. Robb's pool was looking bad. Robb used Govern on a smaller guy and took two back, leaving Aisling up to block.

Ray decided that Devin's aggressiveness was too much and put a Red List on Angela. He followed with a Freak Drive and an Ivory Bow for Lucretia. That could cramp my style. Clitoris got a Laptop. Maybe I'd get a chance to play my reaction cards anyway, I thought.

Shalmath played Kiss to get me that AK. Then he untapped and got an Ambulance. Then he untapped with Domain and bled for 2. I had Steve and Paul bleed for one. Devin's pool was down to about 8. There was worried mutterings all around.

Devin pushed into Robb but didn't do much damage. He was forced to cut his aggressiveness short due to Carlton making him stealth through just about every action. He still bled Robb for some with Choir/Harmony, putting Robb dangerously low, but he didn't get the oust. Robb again Governed down with Selena and pulled two off during Influence.

Ray decided that he needed to get a Trophy:Domain. He marked with his MPA, then rushed. . .Angela Preston crosstable? Ivory Bow sent her to torpor, then Lucretia played a Forced March and diablerized for the Trophy. Lucretia and Clitoris had vote control. So now the Cess Queen was running some untap and intercept.

I had Shalmath bleed for 2, untap, and get Mr. Winthrop. Paul and Steve bled for one. Devin was on the ropes and wasn't going to live through another turn. Impundulu gained yet another life from a DoC.

Devin was in a tough spot. He tried to do some singing magic, but after tapping the Stealthy Palace of Loud Singing Shalmath caught Celeste and shot her full of bullets. I bled him again on his turn for two with the Cog, ousting him.

Robb said something like "Mark has to go." He played a Pentex on Shalmath, and left his guys untapped to stop my destroying it. Lucretia rushed Paul Calderone and Amaranthed him. I was just wondering how the hell I was going to stop Lucretia from ruining my game when I realized that Ray had done it for me.

I tapped most all my guys getting the Pentex gone. Impundulu finally did it. Shalmath bled for two and again on Robb's turn. During discard I burned Carlton and told Ray that Lucretia could leave. He realized his mistake and Robb conceded defeat soon after (Ray probably would have transferred out to him, but I think I had the endgame) in the name of playing a second game before the roleplaying session started. But first I managed to piss Robb off and foil his bounce with Tangle Atropos' Hand (which might be the main reason I play the card).

Me 3Vp and 1 GW, Robb 1 VP.

Game MVP: Carlton Van Wyk, who singlehandedly foiled the plans of an entire bloodline. Turns out Devin's aggressive Choir deck doesn't like standing intercept on either side of it during its run. I type this. . .smugly.

Devin(Toreador Who Call Banishment Instead of Good Votes)--->Me(Kiasyd Ravagers)--->Ray(Petaniqua Wall)--->Robb(Saulot isn't Big Enough So I Play Fakir Too).

This game was silly. Devin got up Anneke and Isabel De Leon, starting a Grand Ball to keep Anneke unblockable on votes. Anneke got an AK-47 via Alastor soon thereafter. Robb brought up Saulot and eventually Fakir al-Sidi. I got up Rodd March, who Governed out Isanwayan, who Governed out Andrew Emory. My guys all got two Vessels, and I played the Hungry Coyote on turn 1, so they hunted for two. I played Ravager on Roderick, and started influencing Omme Enberbenight, who I realized fucks up an otherwise decent Govern chain.

Ah well.

Ray pulled Almiro, Petaniqua, and Maldavis. He Merged Pantaniqua and then menaced us with her ridiculous "I don't need combat cards" text.

The game devolved quickly into Devin calling damaging votes, then me bloating, or Devin Banishing one of my guys, and me bloating and bringing them back out (only to take the blood back with the Vessel already on them). I bled Ray here and there, but he bounced a fair amount into Robb. I eventually got Omme. I was taunting Devin most of the time about not bleeding me, but then he got Alexandra and began bleeding me in earnest. This allowed me to Deflect quite a few bleeds. Somewhere in there Isanwayan got beat up for trying to hunt by Petaniqua, but I saved him before it became an issue. He became a Ravager the next turn.

I finally drew a Song of Pan, and lunged forward to bleed Ray down to about 4 pool. He untapped and bled for one with Almiro, which Robb was allowing because Ray was in a tough spot.

Rob had managed to get out Lord Ephraim, and he bled Devin for a few every turn with Fakir and Saulot. Robb's guys were all anarchs, but he didn't play any Monkey Wrench. He needed one badly.

I ousted Ray the next turn, drawing four Stone Travels to save my guys in case they found themselves in a fight with Petaniqua. Then Devin dropped The First Tradition and made me pay to play my turns. I pulled from all my Vessels (six in play now) and hunted unblockably with two of them. Robb didn't block. Devin realized that I wasn't going away as quickly as he thought. During the Masquerade I actually held a mini-paty of my own, a Festivo Dello Estinto, and hunted to fill up all my empty Vessels.

Robb got a Super Bowl on Lord Ephraim. He bled Devin down to an inch of his pool, but Devin finally drew Villein and pulled something like 12 from Anneke and Alexandra.

It went on like this. I told Robb that Devin was irritating me, and that I wouldn't bleed much, just hunt, until Devin was gone. This went pretty well. Robb destroyed the Grand Balls in play and then binned Alexandra when she tried to call an Alastor the next turn. Then he ousted Devin on his next go.

Robb and I played for a bit, but the other roleplayers had arrived and they were waiting on us. It was apparent that Robb was playing a lot of bleed reduction, and that I'd need to draw another Song of Pan to hurt him. The game would have taken a long time, as I could always hunt with my Ravagers for blood unblockably, and I had vote control so he wasn't going to diablerize any minions he managed to torporfy. On the flipside, he was playing Detect Authority for bleed reduction, and since most of my bonus bleed in the deck is tied into Song of Pan + Gremlins for a respectable three bleed at one stealth, it was gonna be a slog. Who runs out first: Me of minions or Robb of bleed reduction?

We called the game on account of time, declaring it a draw. No MVP.

-Merlin out