Robb and I managed to plan a game night recently. It started off with more Hulk and then evolved into VTES. Robb wanted to play the 6th Hulk mission again, with me as the marines. He thought he'd made some serious mistakes that cost the marines the game, and that it was a totally winable scenario. We'll see.
Mission VI: Alarm Call (again)
I placed Zael first, instead of Lorenzo. This was because I thought I'd need the Flamer to clear the halls of bugs early on. I also used some of my placements to block entire sections of the Hulk, as sleeping marines block movement. I neglected to mention this to Robb again, and I actually had assumed he didn't know that, so that was a total dick move on my part. It was a night of many dick moves on my part, really.
Robb put Lorenzo far far away. Then we placed the rest of the marines, and I used my last two to put guys in front of doorways to keep too many bugs from slipping in behind me. I ran Claudio o' the lighntning claws and Calistarius the Librarian to rescue Zael ASAP. The bugs filled the halls around us. Then the marines dashed across the final hallway to rescue random marine 1 and then Lorenzo, who was in the farthest room. One of the marine win conditions is that they rescue 3 guys before bailing. All that went down. I used Claudio as a stop-gap marine in the end hallway. I was hoping that he'd be able to maul a few bugs while the rest of the rescue went on. Alas. He took the third close assault on the chin and went down in a heap. Lame.
After waking the final marines, I had to make sure Calistarius and at least two other doods got off the boat. This looked difficult. The hallway near the exit was teeming with Genestealers, just as it was during our other play of Mission VI. I used Zael and my vanilla marine to slowly push down toward that hallway while waiting for Lorenzo and the Librarian to catch up. Eventually those guys caught up, but they brought a world of Genestealers right behind them, and I managed to really suck at rolling kills with Calistarius' psychic storm power, so I was burning psi points to little gain.
Robb and I had independently come to the conclusion that the force barrier power was where it was at by this point. I used barriers to cover my ass and Lorenzo managed to kill the last bugs crawling at him as he caught up to Zael and Calistarius. However, I'd lost the vanilla marine by this point.
So, at this point I looked at the board. Robb had like 6 bugs behind my guys but several squares away, and there were something like 10 in the two branches of the final hallway just "off-screen". Zael blasted a flamer burst down the hall to keep them busy, and then ducked down a hall to let Calistarius run closer for the final push. It was Calistarius, then Zael, then Lorenzo in the final rush. I made some poor rolls and Robb got a bug up in Calistarius' face, but i dropped a force barrier to block that hallway and had left a smoking ruin behind me with Zael to gather the troops.
If the librarian died in close assault the game would be over. Robb had one roll. We tied. I spent one of my final two psi points to kill the Genestealer, and then prepared for the final push. Calistarius rushed across the deadly hallway, and Zael cooked the intersection behind him to block the bugs. Then Zael and Lorenzo moved up, just out of Genestealer reach.
I counted my guys, and then I counted how much movement I needed to win. IF I drew six command points AND I used my last psi point to regain a command point, I would win. Otherwise, Lorenzo would probably be left with his back to a hallway full of close assaults.
I drew the six.
Marines win! But damn, just barely. Brutal mission.
Mission VII: The Artefact, or Get Some Shit and Leave
Robb and Devin took the marines on this one, and I filled the hulk with bugs. The mission was pretty straightforward: move across the hulk, get the mcguffin, and then return the mcguffin to the marine entry squares. It looked rough, but the marines did have Calistarius and Claudio to back up Lorenzo's squad. Robb and Devin decided that Lorenzo, Zael, and Calistarius should go get the artefact, while Claudio and the three basic marines tried to stem the tide in the entrance of the ship.
The plan went pretty well at first. The advance team made a lot of progress. Their progress was slightly hampered by the fact that I drew 18 Genestealers in the first two turns, and revealed them so as to spread them all over the hulk. Claudio once again proved a victim early, as my bugs killed him in his very first close assault. Unfortunately, Claudio's backup, Brother Goriel, was an absolute crack shot, and on Overwatch he managed to kill something like 8 Genestealers before I got him. That was huge.
I got one more marine in the front of the boat in the late game, but Robb and Devin had managed to get the artefact and move it far closer to victory than I would have liked. I managed to flank the librarian twice, but the bastard was lucky in close assault and he didn't waste too many psi points fending off the bugs. That was a damn shame, and it proved my undoing.
In the final throes of the game Lorenzo, who was carrying the mcguffin, passed it off to Calistarius, who made a mad dash for the entry and then placed a force barrier in the way of my Genestealers to keep them off of him. I conceded victory, as there was no way I'd get to him before he stepped into a victory square.
The marines win again, although to be clear, Lorenzo and Deino probably weren't going to survive the pile of bugs I had accumulated in the hulk by that point.
Marines rating: 3.5. Genestealers rating: 3.5. Lots of fun and villainy.
Alayna arrived soon after the second Hulk mission so we decided to play some VTES, having four players.
I'm really starting to hate four player vtes. It feels like the games are decided by turn 5.
Game 1:
Devin (Hermanas Menor)--->Me(Eyes on Africa)--->Alayna (Jaroslav bruise/bleed)--->Robb(Saulot is a Fakir)
Things went pretty well, since Devin went first and therefore his little sister machine wasn’t a whole turn ahead of me. I had Homa down and managed to get a ready minion by the time Devin had two sistahs to fire at me. Better yet I got a Blood Shield on Homa, so they did a little less damage to me.
While this was afoot, Alayna and Robb got out Jaroslav and Saulot the hard way. Then Robb started the slow train to getting Fakir al-Sidi up with Saulot and transfers, and Alayna got Tyler.
Devin and I locked into a two-player struggle, with him getting all four of his opening hermanas up and getting them some blood via hunting. I got up Kisha Bhimji in addition to Homa, and managed to call a Neonate Breach past Jaroslav to plink Alayna for 1 and Devin for 4. Devin was miffed. But then, his deck has little answer to pool attacks, and lots of minion threatening. He dropped Fame on Kisha and then tried to rush with Oppugnant Night, but I had a ridiculous amount of wakes in my hand and Homa stepped in front of the rushes. He finally decided to bleed instead, which I bounced at Alayna.
Alayna’s gameplan seemed to be bruise/bleed, which is always dubious. In this case she had combat cards she couldn’t play because no one would fight her, and no bleed boost. Robb did as many would when Jaroslav is bleeding them for one: he took the bleeds. Tyler’s arrival complicated things, but by then Robb had Fakir up and anarched out (because his deck doesn’t have enough moving parts without anarchy) to defend.
Saulot and Fakir actually discarded a lot of Sense Death, instead Saulot got a Phone and proceeded to bleed for 3 each turn. Devin took these faithfully, tapping out to try and hurt me and then taking pool damage on the chin. I never quite understood the “full left even if I get ousted” mentality, but his deck looked like a cannonball that never really fired. He’s trying to go Lilith’s Blessing on his empty sisters, but he never actually has Blessing in play early enough for it to make a difference, and there’s enough other masters in the deck he’s always doing something else. One turn he dropped Agent of Power on one of his girls, then they did a Sanguine Instruction chain to hook up with superior wo-Man-love all around.
It was hot.
The game broke in Robb’s favor, as Devin didn’t have much answer to Saulot’s bleeds at zero stealth, and I wasn’t drawing any of my damaging votes, instead relying on toolboxy bleed such as Kduva’s Mask, Ancestor Spirit, and Ancestor’s Insight. Still, I wasn’t making much of a dent in Alayna’s pool before Robb rounded the corner. He’d played Minion Tap on Fakir and then gotten up Lord Ephraim Wainwright to round out his crew. I played Sudden Reversal on his next Minion Tap, and Jaroslav played a Burning Wrath on Saulot to cook him (no anarch, no prevent?).
But Alayna was still only bleeding for two per turn with Tyler, and Lord Ephraim was reducing that with Detect Authority quite easily. Without much pressure Robb recouped his lost pool, bought another Saulot, and started grinding on my already-beat-up-by-sisters minions. Kisha was Famous for the second time, and she took a dirt nap from whence she would never return. My game was sealed, and Robb beat Alayna in the head’s up.
Robb 4 VP, GW
Game MVP: Saulot is pretty strong.
Game 2:
Robb(Nergal+Unnamed Baali)--->Me(Huge G2-3 FoS Eternals)--->Alayna(DoC)--->Devin(G2 Salubri Marionette bleed)
Devin seemed upset that I drew an early Eternals of Sirius. He was more upset when I played the second in as many turns, and downright scowling when I played my third. BY turn three Sutekh, the Dark God and Nefertiti graced my ready region. That was awesome. Now what to do with them? That’s the rub.
Meanwhile, Robb got out Nergal, Alayna got up Sashiya and Aimee Leroux, and Devin got up Matthias. Soon after Devin got Miriam Benyona as well, and Alayna used her Wider View to pick up Yseult.
I bled with Sutehk every turn, and that seemed pretty good. Nergal bled me for 4 with his first action, and that actually stung a bit. I’d accelerated my ready region, but my pool was still aching for a Villein, which I hadn’t drawn in all my Eternals-playing. I did have a Pentex Subversion, however.
Very early on, after that first bleed and before Alayna had dug out Yseult but after Devin had gotten Miriam, I decided to Pentex Subvert poor Nergal. Robb scowled and pissed about me backousting him, but hey, he’s playing Nergal, right? I was hoping Devin would bleed him for a few and keep him honest while I dug for more poolgain.
Robb did what most good players do: he begged for crosstable assistance. This was good play on his part. Alayna eventually decided (after Robb had suggested it several times) to use her 2-cap, who couldn’t call Lily Prelude anyway, to try and remove Pentex. This took me by surprise. I knew Robb had been sort of jokingly mentioning that she should help, but I’d never considered that she might take him seriously. I was pissed. I became an asshole. I asked her why she was actually listening to Robb? I ranted. I may have frothed a bit. I certainly recall calling her action retarded.
I felt bad later. It was an overreaction. She’s a newer player. Though Robb does assure me that she is beyond suggestion and actually plays better than he does, she is not and does not. She sometimes does things without weighing the consequences, and therein lies my frustration. For you see, Alayna couldn’t give me a cost/benefits analysis of having me backousted instead of me backousting Robb (that’s what my Pentex play boiled down to in the end). I’m convinced she was better off with me as a predator instead of Nergal, while Robb is convinced that allowing Devin (her prey) a victory point is a worse play.
We only got one side of the story, as I had a wake to block her attempt at destroying Pentex (which Robb felt should make me stop my bitching immediately, but that isn’t the case. . .) and my vitriol (and logic, to be fair: I explained that removing the Pentex the first turn it sits actually bleeds me for 2+whatever Nergal bleeds for next turn) either convinced or cowed her into not taking any more actions to remove it.
So, probably good on me, then, despite the douchebaggery? Still not sure. My venom wasn’t the result of calculated social engineering, so. . .
Anyway, the game devolved quickly. Robb later told me he had a Horde down, but was reluctant to pull it up, instead going for the unnamed, which is a whopping 20 pool of infernal vampires. His allegations that I backousted him were starting to ring a little more hollow.
I bled for two with Sutekh and Nefertiti, but it seemed wrong that I had a fistful of stealth and wasn’t moving cards fast enough. Alayna drew her Conductor and good stuff and mugged Devin but good. Devin stole the unnamed and gained two pool via Spirit Marionette. Then Miriam bled with her Pulse of the Canaille.
Robb looked at me and gave the “hope you’re happy, because you’ve backousted me” speech. I nodded and said that I was aware, but that I’d allow him to remove the Pentex now (he said he didn’t have stealth. . .?), as I’d drawn a Villein. He did, and I regained some pool, bleeding for a bit with Sutekh as well.
Alayna was keeping up with my meager bleeds quite handily. She called a Benefit Performance every turn, and sometimes with a Voter Captivation. So she could ignore me at her leisure. She ran out of forward moves on Devin, though, and he slipped in to oust Robb with a Spirit Marionette bleed from Nergal.
Robb gone, I managed to draw a Mokole’ Blood, which is an important card for my deck, as it allows a giant snake to get four Snake Drive from my deck and put it on himself. Sutekh promptly did so, then untapped and bled. Then he untapped and called a vote of KRC. Passing the vote was a bear, as I wasn’t cycling well enough to draw push, but I did manage to hit my prey for seven that turn with Nefertiti’s bleed.
Alayna was actually a little low on pool. She regained a few with a Cap, and went full bore into Devin. He tried to block some with Matthias but the Lure of Sirens was too much for his third eye, and all those actions went through. Lily Prelude is incredibly strong.
I had a chance to oust Alayna, and I almost danced for Joy when Devin bled me for four with Matthias using a Pulse and Spirit Marionette, as I was going to have Nefertiti Lost in Translation the bleed to my prey for an oust, but alas, I’d forgotten that Alayna put Narrow Minds into play early, and Nefertiti couldn’t afford the bounce.
Ousted. Damn. I had a chance at least.
In the head’s up Devin steadily lost ground to Alayna’s bloat and brutal vote damage, and they tied in the end.
Alayna: 2 VP, Devin: 2 VP, no GW.
Getting Sutekh, the Dark God into my ready region for any game is a secondary win condition for me, so I was a happy guy, but I still feel like an asshole.
;)
-Merlin out
I just loved the report of the second game, Merlin, thanks for your time :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, sir. I try to report events as they happen, but of course my subectivity can't be wholly eradicated.
ReplyDeleteNo hard feelings, depite what Robb says I am easily swayed early in the game when I have not centered my focus. Though, for the record, I had the strongest urge to tweak your nose the whole time you ranted at me.
ReplyDeleteThat makes me feel better, if that be Alayna. However, while my douchebaggery is sanctioned, actual nose tweaking would be considered poor sportsmanship. Urges are all goo tho. ;)
ReplyDeleteI have no real interest in in-game arguments anymore. I know that getting people to do things in your favor is the path to victory, but I just don't care enough about winning while I do care about playing cards without the game being talked to death.
ReplyDeleteEven taking my biases into account, we are talking about removing one of the dumbest cards around. The card is supposed to be burnt, otherwise, in cases like this, it is just giving VPs away - in theory, your defense against a predator is not entirely based on one card. Of course, the card does disproportionately punish decks built around particular minions and larger vampires in general, and everyone should know that it exists, so it's not unfair that it sees play. Still, the game is likely more fun when people actually play it rather than just wait for it to end.
I won't debate how un-fun Pentex Subversion is. I feel that point. It's mainly in my deck to contest, but as it happens it's a terribly useful card. Both Robb and I were playing decks that want multiple 10 caps in the ready region, so as far as giving away vps part of our deck concept is probably as much at fault as anything else.
ReplyDeleteI actually try not o wear my heart on my sleeve at the vtes table, but in this instance I failed.
Well, I am a little late weighing in on this post, but whatever, better late than never. Now, how best to deconstruct the bullshit you've posted here ...
ReplyDeleteI'll leave the Hulk reports alone, since they seem accurate enough, but I take some exception to the V:TES reports so let me start with Game 1.
Saulot's bleeds were at zero stealth only because Devin was not blocking. He knows my Saulot deck and knows that either I could win the combat or I had stealth. So, its worth saying I had stealth in hand every time I needed it, as shown by the first three times Jaroslav caught me and I played Mirror Walk, which avoided an ass beating, even if it did not get the action through. It should also be noted that the Brujah deck is not just bruise and bleed, its meant to block and beat people to death as well. Unfortunately for Alayna, blocking me wasn't getting her anywhere early on and blocking you was back ousting, which she saw was not a good choice. I swept, but barely, as the Brujah (like most combat monsters) know how to kick ass heartily in the one on one.
What the hell did your deck do anyway?
Your report on Game 2 is pure shit, Merlin and here are a list of reasons why:
ReplyDelete1) You talk about me foolishly playing two ten cap infernals, as you roll out an eleven cap and a ten cap. Sure, your's were not infernal and sure, you got them at a very slightly reduced cost using Eternals, but the hypocrisy is starting to become clear.
2) You talk about how I brought out The unnamed instead of a Horde, when I told you specifically that the deck's two pool gain mechanisms are The unnamed and Tend the Flock to the Horde. I was discarding like a fiend in an attempt to find one of the 9 or 10 Flocks (or one of the two Pentex) while trying to get The unnamed in play after Nergal was Pentexed.
3) You can try to justify your child-like rant all you wish, but you were and still are wrong about several things. First, you were backousting me. You knew it and said so, saying something along the lines of that's what one should expect playing Nergal, but somehow Alayna, removing Pentex (helping her cross table ally) and perhaps getting you (back) ousted is not a good choice? WTF? The simple fact is Alayna does weigh her decisions and it was a good one to remove it. Apparently you're right that she can be swayed when a 6'4" man she respects has a flaming tantrum. In the end, Alayna got 2 VPs, because she had to bleed through an extra 12 pool that Devin accumulated by ousting me (thanks in great part to your Pentex) and then you. You're backousting Pentex did nothing but rob her of more VPs. Had she removed the Pentex, she would have ousted Devin at the same time or even before I got you. She was playing Daughters and she knows her only defense is bloat. She knows my Nergal deck (no votes, blocks mostly D actions and bleed reduction) and has beaten it before. She knew the deck Devin was playing. Your deck was the only unknown. Why the f*#k wouldn't she help her cross table ally and keep pressure on you, even get you ousted if she knows it will keep Devin from getting 6 more pool and that she can bloat past my bleeds all night? By accepting your view, she was more than likely cheated of a game win. Besides ... WTF does your deck do besides get out monster Setites and then bleed for a whole 3 a turn?
You do a lot of back and cross table ousting and it usually falls your way and I respect that. This time, you (or your deck) didn't have the moxie to back up the BS.
Your post has the feel of someone that felt bad for kinda being an ass to a newer player, but instead of just saying so or even tossing out a thoughtful, if unnecessary apology, you try instead to justify yourself.
The fact is, such rants are common in V:TES and especially among friends. I've done it before, as has the rest of the group and I am very glad that our newest player got to see if from a friend instead of from a stranger at a tournament. We all know that we're all very competitive and its all good in the end. Hell, I've seen Alayna herself have a fit.
Still, you were and are still wrong on the whole account and I take exception to your Fox News style slant on the game.
And with that, I am done. I hope we can play again soon, my friend.
Robb
Re: Robb's game 1 vitriol
ReplyDeleteMy deck called votes and bled with Laibon that had AUS to oust. I had trouble because Devin's deck fucks up the guy to his left and then gets ousted by bleeds for 3 at zero stealth once per turn. Even if his deck gets ousted by bleeds for 3 at 1 stealth I'm not sure that's much better. I talked to Devin about this last Saturday when we played at GS. He's got some decks that have a great oust plan in place but zero "how do I not get ousted while I'm doing it."
A deck that gets ousted by bleeds for 3 from a single minion isn't good, and I was in full defense most of the game. I did manage to bleed Alayna a bit. Whether or not her deck is any good is up to debate. I didn't see a second tradition, so Jaroslav's intercept isn't getting used to its full potential. Maybe she just had a bad draw and it stayed that way for 9 turns. Shit like that does happen. Maybe it's awesome. It was totally ineffective as a predator. It bled for 3 with TWO giant minions every turn. That's not great, and it turns out your Saulot deck has an answer for that. Imagine!
Re: Game 2 vitriol
Look, you and I are both the type of person who has an answer for everything. We could go around and around for days about who was right and what is what and what constitutes a great deck or whatever. When we talked after the game, in person, and I said that "I had to play Pentex on you" and you said "You wouldn't have had to if you were playing a better deck" I realized that debating the points of the game with you was fucking pointless. You've got the answer.
But if you like to go around and around, I'm an insufferable fucking know-it-all too.
Point one: Yeah, I got out 21 pool worth of vampires on turn four, for 18 pool. You got out 20 pool worth of infernal vampires by turn seven for 20 pool. By then Devin had four bleed behind you. I'll admit my deck is still in its infancy and I'm working out the kinks, but I'm pretty happy with how it shotguns out the gate, if not with the performance afterward. To whit: we're BOTH asking to get fucked by an aggressive predator, but you're giving them lubricant.
I posted some more point by point analysis but I've decided that I don't need to be that stubborn. If you've already read it, then I can't erase your memory, but I've erased the comment.
ReplyDeletePeace out, homies. Keep it less than totally real. Simulated. The third order of simulacra - the model, endlessly iterable. That which no longer has a natural referent.