Political Actions (Ideas)

Goal is to introduce political actions that aren't glorified bleeds for 3-5. Political Actions should be splashy, given that a referendum has two 'stages' before it can be successful (stealth minigame and voting minigame) effects that aren't burning pool should be stronger than comparable Action cards, i.e. they should be impactful and interesting. They should apply to more than one player and they should represent the vampiric control over the kine. They should support strategies and enable cards that are currently wallpaper. The political aspect of VTES is one of the coolest parts and biggest selling points of the game IMO. Please, Black Chantry, don't ignore it!

An Iron Grip
If the referendum has more votes “for”, each Methuselah burns 1 pool for each Power Base location their predator controls and each City title amongst vampires their predator controls. If the referendum has more votes “against”, each Methuselah gains 1 pool for each Power Base location they control, and each City title amongst vampires they control. If the votes “for” and “against” are tied, you may return this Political Action to your hand (discard down afterwards.)

Codified Airwaves
Successful referendum means this card is put this card into play. Vampires in the uncontrolled region of each other Methuselah who voted “for” this referendum are considered to have -1 capacity during the influence phase. Vampires in your uncontrolled region are considered to have -2 capacity during your influence phase. You may lock this card and burn 1 pool to draw 1 crypt card.

Travel Ban
Successful referendum means this card is put into play. Minions cannot take more than one action per turn. No more than one action to put a vampire into play, employ a retainer, or recruit an ally can be taken per turn. Any titled vampire can call a referendum to burn this card as a +1 stealth action.

Unorthodox Proceedings
Successful referendum means this card is put into play. Each Methuselah who voted “for” must choose two of their phases (the phases are Untap, Master, Minion, Influence, and Discard). They skip one of the chosen phases and repeat the other chosen phase. Each Methuselah who voted “against” or abstained chooses one of their phases; they skip that phase or burn 2 pool.

Science Grant
Successful referendum means choose at least half of the Methuselah’s in the game. Each of those players gains 1 pool and may search his or her library for up to five cards (shuffle afterwards) and place them face-down in his or her research area (you may look at these at any time.)

The 2nd Inquisition, Directed
Choose a Methuselah. This Political Action is considered a action directed at the chosen player. Successful referendum means the chosen player either burns 4 pool, or burns the top 15 cards of their library. If the votes for this referendum were unanimously “for”, that player burns the top half of their library, rounded up, instead.

Monopolized Higher Education
Successful referendum means (choose one) ---

• Each Methuselah that voted “for” can play Master: Discipline cards as Out-of-Turn Trifles for the rest of the game.
• Each Methuselah that voted “for” and has three or more Master: Discipline cards in play gains 2 pool.
• Each Methuselah that voted “for” can can search his or her library for a Master: Discipline card and put it into play on a vampire. (Shuffle afterwards.)

An Iron Grip lets you use all those Praxis Seizure, Crusade, and Disputed Territory cards sitting in your closet. Also you may even consider playing otherwise lame Power Bases just to play this card for a massive 8+ pool damage or pool gain. Codified Airwaves is Methuselah's manipulating the radio and news to get other vampires (uncontrolled vampires) involved in the Jyhad. Travel Ban exists because I despise breed-y swarm decks and it might as well hit multi-acting vamps as well. Unorthodox Proceedings is fun and maybe interesting, inspired by a Magic card. Science Grant lets you build that R&D deck you've always wanted to. The 2nd Inquisition, Directed aka book burning, is to enable Brinksmanship and deck-mill strategy. Monopolized Higher Education represents vampires controlling everything, even our universities. Also, it makes Master:Discipline cards playable and is flexible so it's never really a dead draw.

They are creative, that's for sure. Ideas have to start out as creative. I'll give points for that.

Your idea of having variable effects on amount of votes is interesting. "Bribes" already has a template for this. The problem with many of your wordings is that a 'methuselah' doesn't cast votes. The minions do. Different minions controlled by a methuselah can vote differently.

You'd need to find a wording to take that into account.

Unorthodox Proceedings and Travel Ban seem the most powerful out of these. The rest are too narrow in their effects, and/or too ineffective to warrant a slot for their niche. Iron Grip has a fun premise.

Still, the two I mentioned suffer slightly from the problem of restricting the play instead of speeding things up. Restricting actions and play slows down tables instead of speeding things up, which is something that the game doesn't really need. Rather bolster strategies, maybe?

Unorthodox is fun, sure, but the main benefit of it is just doubling your master phase. Not healthy for the game, really. There is no point in repeating unlock or minion phase, so in almost all situations you'll sacrifice your discard phase for another master phase or influence phase. Which is kinda cool, kinda. Still, the restriction part is more interesting. Usually will mostly affect only discard phase though, I reckon. The idea has merit though.

Kraus wrote:

The problem with many of your wordings is that a 'methuselah' doesn't cast votes. The minions do. Different minions controlled by a methuselah can vote differently.

Sometimes Methuselahs do cast votes. Burning the edge, ventrue HQ.. In this case however, I'm not sure how to word those cards.

ps. OT: Instead of saying 'votes for' say 'votes in favor'.

TLDR, but there are already a TON of votes that never ever get used.

Because of the few staple vote cards.

Kraus wrote:

The problem with many of your wordings is that a 'methuselah' doesn't cast votes. The minions do.

The Methuselah also casts those votes. All the votes from a single source must be cast the same way (so a vampire votes for or against etc.), but the Methuselah can mix things up between the different sources of votes.

Rulebook, wrote:

Each vote or ballot cast is cast either "for" or "against" the referendum, and a Methuselah may cast some of her votes and ballots in favor and some against, as she chooses, with the restriction that all of the votes and ballots from a each given vampire or other source must be cast in agreement as a group.

LivesByProxy wrote:

Unorthodox Proceedings
Successful referendum means this card is put into play. Each Methuselah who voted “for” must choose two of their phases (the phases are Untap, Master, Minion, Influence, and Discard). They skip one of the chosen phases and repeat the other chosen phase. Each Methuselah who voted “against” or abstained chooses one of their phases; they skip that phase or burn 2 pool.

This one gives me concerns, in that an MMPA deck choosing to skip its discard or influence phase and double its master phase is probably a very uncomfortable evolution of the game. And since one good MMPA deck is Anson + supporting titled Toreador, with the option of splurging on Awe to push the vote, it would seem like a massive shot in the arm for them.

Given that they could more quickly dump a lot of master cards, they could potentially make up for missing their discard phase via Barrens, Fragments, Capuchin, Dreams etc. Or if they draw this later in the game when they already have a bunch of vampires out, they could ditch their influence phase, maybe.

Also, as worded, could I have two in play, repeat my master phase twice, and ditch my discard phase twice? (That could be fixed in a number of ways - making it unique being the most obvious.)