Starters - Improving Starters for Newbies guide.

I can list out best easy mods if you want, just tell me what your working with.
For example, bh nos deck has good cards to part into other decks, as does the bh malk and tremere antis.

Alastors has part cards, and anathema has much utility as well. Anti gangrel from kmw has solidness, but the keepers and httb starters were the closest to playable, although they are harx to get now.

With one malk starter from bh, third, or keepers, add the other two, get a good crypt, use all the ks, and some eyes and confusion with a mix of stealth, waeks, on the q and yelepathic misdirection, and yiur good. The keepers ventrue yiu need to remove bad votes, make fourth trad into govern, turn haymaker to indomitability or hidden strength, and you have a chance. You get two kos ventrue starters, and a pair of bh tremere anti starters, you have one solid ventrue deck, with some crypt options even. Add in parts other starters and yiur twda level ready.

Non starter cards findable and combinable with starter cards are huge.

4 owain evans, 3 blackhorse tanner, 2 neighbor johnjephta hester, and 2 more weenies, add in 6-8 deflections from starters, 8 governs, 4-8 freak drives, 7-8 wakes of various stripeds, walking sticks, vessels, blood dolls, powerbasexmonty, powerbase barranquilla, smiling jack, and fortitude that lets you prevwnt and press and you have a solid grinder with mostly library from starters and crypt attainable in third or bh.

Lots of options, just tell us what angle and what you have for ppl to work with.

If i had to say the best starters other than httb, id say get 3 ventrue from keepers, and 3 anti tremere from bh. Then, add them together and you have good ventrue or ok tremere. Pick up 2 third ed tremere anti decks, and you are really good.
Or, buy one of each httb deck, akunanse and osebo from lob, and a case of the bh and a case of the kot starters, and your good for many decks. Picking up a box of kmw and lotn starters will build upon the options you have after thexother decks.

Thanks for all the good replies, I knew something good would come from this request.

ReverendRevolver wrote:

Lots of options, just tell us what angle and what you have for ppl to work with.
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I can tell you what we have at the moment. (_No_ HttB - simply because we came in late, and the decks are to rare, to expensive and difficult to get these days, and when we finally find one, its in the US, and the postal alone, make the price double)

Just to give you an idea of what decks/Cards we have among us in the group, and how many cards, I'll give you the list of decks and boosters we have bought.

The goal is to end up with around ~10 Good Decks, that can be played. - so sorry for the long list.

In our Disposal we have (they are all unpacked but far from all used.):

• (Jyhad) 8x Starters - random cards back then.
• (Jyhad) +50x boosters (random Cards) (can't remember how many but it's a lot)
• (Sabbat Wars) +20x Boosters from Sabbat Wars
• (Sabbat Wars) 1x Tzimices Starter (Untouched)
• (Sabbat Wars) 1x Brujah Antitribu Stater (Slightly modified with more Direct Attacks)
• (Sabbat Wars) 1x Lasombra Starter (Modified, with more bruise)
• (Sabbat Wars) 1x Ventrue Antitribu Starter (Un-modified)
• (Dark Sovereigns) +36x Boosters
• (Black Hand) 1x Tremere Antitribu Stater (Un-modified)
• (Black Hand) 1x Nosferatu Antitribu Starer (Un-modified)
• (Black Hand) 1x Malkavian Antitribu Starter (Un-modified)
• (Black Hand) 1x Toreador Antitribu Stater (Un-modified)
• (Black Hand) +36x Boosters (random cards)
• (KMW) 1x Gangrel Antitribu Starter (Un-modified)
• (KMW) 1x Baali Starter (Un-modified) - this is hopeless
• (KMW) 1x Alastors Starter (Un-modified)
• (KMW) 1x Anathema Starter (Un-modified)
• (KMW) +36x Boosters (random cards)
• (KOT) 1x Brujah Starter (Un-modified)
• (KOT) 1x Malkavian Starter (Un-modified)
• (KOT) 1x Venture Starter (Un-modified)
• (KOT) 1x Toreador Starter (Un-modified)
• (Final Nights) 1x Followers of Set - Modified for a OBF/PRE Bleed
• (Final Nights) 1x Giovanni - Bruise Deck'ish...
• (Final Nights) +10x Boosters
• (Blood Shadowed Court) 3x Starters
• (Legacies of Blood) 2x Akunanse (Un-modified)
• (Legacies of Blood) 2x Guruhi (Un-modified)
• (Legacies of Blood) 2x Ishtarri (Un-modified)
• (Legacies of Blood) 2x Osebo (Un-modified)
• (Ebony Kingdom) +36x Boosters
• (The Lords of the Night) 1x Assamite (Un-modified)
• (The Lords of the Night) 1x Followers of Set (modified, SEP/OBT Toolboxie)
• (The Lords of the Night) 1x Giovanni (Modified, Allies and Stealth)
• (The Lords of the Night) 1x Ravnos (Un-modified)
• ...and we have 36 unopened Twilight Rebellion boosters, but since none of us have Anarchs it's a bit of a waste

... again -sorry- for spam it's not meant to show off just give those of you with a trained eye and idea of what we have to play around with.

Our Group is consisting of the following traits.: (understand we all come from the Vampire the Masquerade role-playing game so our decks reflect our like of that game system)

- I personally love bleed decks, FoS/Malkavians, or the more direct decks like Giovanni and Tzimices/Lasombra.(Sabbat themed)
- We have someone who loves Toreador Stalls+Votes,
- Someone who loves Tremere Magic (just for the theme of it), or Ventrue Vote.
- We have a guy who loves Gangrels so much I believe he's taken up rat traits.
- A Bruiser who loves Nosferatu and Brujahs.
- And we have a guy who plays what ever is left.

We have played against each other 3-4 times now, with the group we are, so we are still in the "get into the rythem" of the game, most of us have been away for 10 years, so just a "bit" rusty.

...

I don't know if I just added word count to this thread, as you might detect we lack "goals" for our decks, and since it's just more or less "for fun" we lack proper guidance to pick what we really want.

In essence this is only something that comes with game play, but I can already say that the Baali deck is absolute rubbish.

//Tallens'out

What usually helps a lot is to have 2 of the same starter, like the situation you have with LoB.

Try giving 2xOsebo to bruiser, 2xAkunanse to Gangrel, 2xIshtari to vote lover and and 2xIshtari to Torrie-lover (as per clan/gameplay similarities). Using two of the same starter allows you to discard the cards do not work (crypt too) and replace them with those that do (without actually introducing "new" cards to the starters). That would vastly improve the crypt (you have less vamps you don't want to see in that version of the deck) and tune the deck engine (e.g. if you want to beat vamps up, you defiantely don't want to lack combat cards).

none of us have Anarchs it's a bit of a waste

Any untitled (non-anarch) vampire can become an anarch (and of Independent sect) as a cardless action at 1 stealth for 2 blood (1 blood if you control any other anarchs). B-)

kombainas wrote:

What usually helps a lot is to have 2 of the same starter, like the situation you have with LoB.

Try giving 2xOsebo to bruiser, 2xAkunanse to Gangrel, 2xIshtari to vote lover and and 2xIshtari to Torrie-lover (as per clan/gameplay similarities). Using two of the same starter allows you to discard the cards do not work (crypt too) and replace them with those that do (without actually introducing "new" cards to the starters). That would vastly improve the crypt (you have less vamps you don't want to see in that version of the deck) and tune the deck engine (e.g. if you want to beat vamps up, you defiantely don't want to lack combat cards).

none of us have Anarchs it's a bit of a waste

Any untitled (non-anarch) vampire can become an anarch (and of Independent sect) as a cardless action at 1 stealth for 2 blood (1 blood if you control any other anarchs). B-)

Actually, and i know you have a background in vtm, but if you read kindred of the ebony kingdom, osebo are brujah, ishtari are torries and akunanse are gangrel. Just read thier weaknesses and such and it clicks.

Kombainas is 100% truthful with the 2 decks thing, but now knowing what you have, i should have lists in a few hours.

Also, twilight rebelion is a support set as far as vamps are concerned, and while having some anarch edition cards is helpful, and the gangrel lover could benefit from snagging some ae gangrel, having ae to fill out anarch stuff isnt a must, if you have enough goodness in your tr box.

Again, lists or guilines for decks at least in a bit.

Ok, all i have right now is my phone for internet, so im not posting decklists, just basically blueprints for the base or the decks.

Bleeder: use all 16 kindred spirits from the precons, use 3 of each of: swallowed by the night, faceless night, spying mission, elder impersonation. 4 lost in crowds. 3-4 of both eyes of chaos and confusion. As many copies of the call as available. 5-6 of a mixture of wake with evenings freshness and on the que vive. 3-5 telepathic misdirection, 1 eagles sight, 1 telepathic counter. 2-3 vessel. 1-2 secure haven, 3 sudden reversal, anarch troublemaker. 2 coma, and if you want, some glancing blow.
For a crypt, use midget if available, uncle george, persia, and evan klein. Then, decide if you prefer group 2 or 4 to go with them. Id reccomend group 4 since you have solid vamps from precons. Apache jones, 2 of morel jackie, adelaide, bearegard, persephone, quentin king. You care mostly about having superior dementation and obfuscate.

The gangrel lover is unfortunately going to have to use african gangrel to succeed.
Luckily, the akunanse are better anyway. Combine the 2 akunanse decks, remove all of kimiri wa itherto basic and replace with better crypt. Use 4 of uchenna, and at least one of eaxh of these, if you have them: socrate, nestor, sanjo, hasini, jubal, kikiyoan, amavi, matata, and if he likes fatties, kamiri advanced.

Now, leave in freak drives, and predators communions, they are optimal. Make the combat focus on carrion crows, invoking the beast, rolling with the punches, indomitability, hidden strength, taste of vitae, and a few canine hordes and decil channel hands.
Add in rushes from other decks, and terror frenzys from the guruhi deck.

The torrie lover should focus on calling votes like kine resources contested and consanguineous boon, pumping votes if titled vamps with bewitching oration and awe, and playing voter captivation with minion taps to gain lots of pool. They should load up on disengage, staredown, and most important, majesty, for acoiding combat. Also, crocs tongue, aching beauty, and change of target makecthem harx to block. Second tradition is good defense for them, and maybe life in the city if they are tooow on blood.
The bruiser needs to get at least 8 grapples and utilize who his favorite vamls are with signpost, sewer lids, grapez, slams, disarms, and tastes, using tension in the ranks, fame, and dragonbound to oust.

My phone wil die soon, so feel free to ask questions, but real quick

The tremere should use uta, carna, and selena and use govern the unaligned to bloat and bleed, rutors hand to multi act, and should be bleeding some, blocking some, and rushing, and using combat like theft of vitae, apportation, and walk of flame. Graverobs, deflections, and bowl of convergance\ ivory bow help. The can go all out with theft and farm baxk to thier pool with blood dolls or vessels

As many copies of the call as available.

Sorry for the offtopic, but I always wondered why is this card is so highly rated? From my own experience, I ALWAYS regret having it in my hand instead of Kindred Spirits which usually allows to bleed for 3 on average (vamps with installed +1 bleed are quite common in my crypt), gaining a pool and exerting threats of cross table bleeds around table when needed.

Call, The
Action
Auspex & Dementation
+1 stealth action.
[aus] [dem] Move 2 blood from the blood bank to a younger vampire with Dementation [dem] in your uncontrolled region.
[AUS] [DEM] As above, but move 3 blood.

Kindred Spirits
Action
Dementation
[dem] Bleed any Methuselah. Gain 1 pool if this bleed is successful (for 1 or more).
[DEM] As above, with +1 bleed.