VTES is Still a Thing

I "played" in a VTES "tournament" run by our local "prince" a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be sweet but wound up being 6 guys playing casual games of VTES with multiple decks.

I brought a Kyasid Ravager Bloat and lunge deck, which I never quite got to work. It does super well at the Bloat part, with Vessels and Goblinism to seek out the Hungry Coyote, and a couple Ravagers later I can reliably get 4 pool per turn by hunting. Of course, going forward at that point can be difficult. It depends on whether I got an extra guy out with my Governs to still press forward or stay up to bounce.

Ahmed (Lasombra PRE vote) > Neil (Ravnos with aus) > Matt (Nahkthorheb gets a big bleed and then bleeds) > Me > Robb (Ferox and Tupdogs)

Ahmed and Matt had little predator most of the game. Neil bled Matt for a bit, but Ahmed was hammering Neil, so it wasn't going well overall. Matt bled me hard, which I often bounced. Robb often blocked with Ferox and didn't hurt Nahkthorheb or Ankh-Sen Sutekh. I got the Arcadian and Rod March, and proceeded to wade my way through Robb's substantial pool (7 for Ferox, 1 to merge him, the rest for Tupdogs, but Robb was waiting for the Clan Impersonation). I mauled him pretty badly, and Fae Contortion saved me from several rushes, but it wasn't for much. Ahmed ousted Neil. Matt ousted me and Robb, and then managed to get Ahmed as well.

Decks which rely on Clan Impersonating almost never work (unless you're Qadir).

Game two we decided to tap Ray in and play different decks. I'd only brought the one so I borrowed one of Matt's.

Neil (!Ventrue midcap block with guns) > Ray (Hooge Baali from G5+) > Matt (Tzimisce block and kung fu) > Ahmed (Harbingers don't really do much) > Me (ambrogino zombies)

My deck turned out to be like 25 Shambling Hordes and 10 Graverobbing, so it was super thematic. It was totally lame against intercept on the left from Neighbor John and to the right on Matthias. There were three blocky decks at the table. I did manage to get like 4 Hordes in play, but all Neil's vampires got guns. Neil ousted Ray quickly, Matt more slowly, and I backousted Ahmed because he was making me discard like 4-6 cards per turn needlessly. Neil won the table.

Game three we switched decks, and since Neil ousted Ray all the way back to his house Robb tagged back in.

Neil (Malkavians...?) > Ahmed (Long Range Black Hand Assamites) > Robb (I want to say Saulot? He wasn't there long) > Me (Matt's Taco Bell with Beef POT rushathon) > Matt (Lucita Assault Rifle Rush)

The game was silly. I bullied everyone with my rushes and managed to backoust Robb (as I do). Then I got Matt by a hair, and Neil by more. Then Ahmed and I slogged it out and I ran out of Immortal Grapple and Maneuvers before he ran out of Flash and Taste of Death. Ahmed won that table.

Overall it was fun to get some VTES in. It's the first I've played in about 9 months.

-Merlin out


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