VTES primer i've been working for new players
29 Jul 2012 16:49 - 30 Jul 2012 14:00 #33924
by gymim
VTES primer i've been working for new players was created by gymim
So I played a game of vtes with 3 of my friends to teach them VTES (they were all new players). We walked through the vtes 3rd ed players kit play scenario. What I found while doing that is that it felt like i was throwing rule after rule after rule at them and it felt like i was confusing them a lot. In response to that, I've been working on a primer to not so much explain the rules of the game, but to get across themes and mainly thematic concepts and how they relate to the game. This way once the player's kit scenario commences, the new players will have some understanding of what is going on conceptually so that they can assimilate the rules easier.
My gut tells me it's too wordy, but I don't know how to trim down a game like vtes. Below is what I have so far.
Conceptual Overview: Vampires are real, even though to the common mortal they are only legend and myth. Vampires also have their own legends and myth, and where the mortal’s folklore tells of the vampires, the vampire’s folklore tells of the methuselahs. But methuselahs are real, you are one of them, and even though all other vampires think your existence is fairy tale or nightmare, your power and influence are also very real. There are none your equal except for the others of your kind, and from the shadows you and your kin exert your wills and use your resources against each other, vying to gain more power until one of you has ultimate supremacy. Since you and your fellow methuselahs fight each other only from the shadows, you exert control over the vampires of the night without them ever knowing and have them do your dirty work for you. In addition to vampires, you also enlist mortals, werewolves, and other minions to ally with the vampires you control. Also, the vampires you take control of are divided amongst themselves into different families called clans, not all of them liking each other. The individual vampires themselves also have supernatural powers of their own, called Disciplines. Disciplines represent individual super powers like super speed (a discipline called “Celerity”) or mind control (called discipline called “Dominate”) which vampires use to get their ways. You use the vampires you control to set fires to your rival methuselahs buildings, computer hack valuable databases the other methuselahs use to store treasured information, and convince politicians to do your desire, and countless other things, and all the while the other methuselahs are doing the same. Other methuselahs, also, will not sit idly by as you send your vampires to destroy what is theirs and they will use the vampires they control to block the actions of nefarious vampires. You may choose to have your vampires act in a more stealthy fashion (so as not to get caught while on their way to cause chaos) but your rival’s vampires could be trained to spot your sneaky vampires and intercept them. All vampires expend their blood, some to fuel their powers, others to heal damage they’ve received, and still others to take control of humans. As blood is a vampires precious fuel, they also hunt for the blood of mortals as well as unknowingly perform their master methuselah’s bidding. Vampires also, to help complete their objectives, use equipment like guns or motorcycles, employ retainers, and make allies. The vampire community also gets bogged down in politics, where vampires bring referendums before their community to vote on which can have far reaching effects not only on the vampire community, but also on Methuselahs powerbases. As vampires work to complete the designs of the hidden Methuselahs, they often come into conflict with each other, ending in spectacular combat. Once a vampire you control and a vampire your rival controls come into confrontation, only violence comes as a result. The two vampires enter into a super human combat the likes of which no mortal can comprehend. Sometimes the vampires can leave combat a little worse for the ware, and sometimes one if not both of the combatants can be beat so savagely that they enter into a supernatural coma called torpor. Also, a special kind of damage called aggravated damage can send a vampire to torpor as well. Once a vampire is in torpor they need another vampire to revive them, or they themselves can bring themselves out of torpor if they have the blood for it. If a vampire remains in torpor too long, there is a chance that another vampire will diablerize it (eat it). If a diablerie happens, a bloodhunt is called where, if successful, can end with the diablerist being permanently killed. In addition to all the machinations involved with the vampire world, the Methuselah can reach out themselves and affect the world in a more direct manner. Once in a while, the Methuselah can cause power shifts themselves, creating great changes. And so this struggle goes between methuselahs, on and on throughout the centuries, with vampires unknowingly caught in the middle, doing the biddings for masters they’ve never seen nor will ever know. And this struggle will continue until one methuselah becomes victorious over all others!
Objective: Methuselahs fight a secret war for power, seeking supremacy over all. To do this, they work to gain victory by destroying the power and resources gathered by rival Methuselahs, until only one Methuselah is left.
What this means in game terms is this: when the game ends, the person with the most VP’s (Victory Points) wins. When the person/methuselah to your left (your “prey”) leaves play you gain 1VP. The person to your left is called your “prey” and the person to your right is called your “predator”. If you are the last person standing in the game (all other players have left play), you gain 1VP. You reduce your prey’s pool by having vampires you control attack your prey, and these attacks (if successful) in turn reduce your prey’s pool.
Pool: A Methuselah’s power and resources are not infinite, but they are potent. A Methuselah uses their power and resources to command vampires, werewolves, banks, airports, and anything else they need to get what they want. And a Methuselah wants everything.
What this means in game terms is this: A player’s “Pool” resource (it takes the form of 30 glass beads) represents a methuselahs influence and power. Pool is expended to take control over vampires (one of the most important parts of the game) and then the player has those vampires attack other players/methuselahs! When you start the game you have 30 “pool” (this is your resource you also use to play cards). Once you have 0 pool, you leave the game, so your “pool” is also akin to life. You gain more “pool” by playing certain cards, and also by causing certain other players to leave the game (you gain six “pool” when the player to your left [your “prey”] reaches 0 “pool” and leaves play).
Vampires (minion): The vampires of the night lead perilous un-lifes. They belong to families called clans that fight against each other as well as within each other. They are ruled by a power structure populated by the eldest vampires who rule with an iron fist. They have impossible powers that are only rivaled by other vampires. They are constantly at war and fighting but unbeknownst to them, they don’t fight for themselves, they fight for Methuselahs. A vampires un-life is scarcely their own, and they will never know this.
What this means in game terms is this: conceptually, you the methuselah (player) never directly attack anyone, you always work from the shadows having other lesser vampires you’ve exerted control over do your bidding. Also, you never really kill the other opposing methuselahs, you instead destroy their influence and power they have amassed (I.E. you remove their “pool”). So you (a methuselah) don’t get into hand to hand combat with another player (methuselah), instead you (for example) exert control over a vampire and have that vampire go burn down a building uptown where vampires controlled by a rival methuselah (your “prey”) hunt for the precious blood they need to survive. Now it is harder for the vampires controlled by your rival methuselah (“prey”) to survive, making it easier for you to have the vampires you control destroy even more of the workings and power your rival methuselah (“prey”) has, maybe even destroying a vampire your rival/“prey” controls! Once you’ve destroyed all your rival/“prey” methuselahs power and influence over the area you are fighting for, your rival is defeated! In other words, once you’ve removed your rivals/“prey’s” pool (their power and influence), you gain a VP.
Minions: Minions represent the different creatures that Methuselahs use to perform their secretive actions. Methuselahs have others do their dirty work for them, and those “others” come in wide varieties, from vampires to werewolves and beyond!
What this means in game terms is this: the player usually uses minions called “vampires” to do a majority of the work (as vampires are the first things a player has available to take control over), but that isn’t the only minion available to a player. Other minions (called “allies”) like humans and werewolves and others are available, but instead of the methuselah bringing them into play, these “other” minions (“allies”) are brought into play by vampires already controlled by the methuselah. Even though these “ally” minions are brought into play by the player’s vampires, the cost of paying for these “allies” is paid for from the player’s “pool”.
Action(s): (I.E. attack and remove pool from another player) Vampires of the night take many different “actions”, some to help allies, some to hurt foes, but all actions taken that are of lasting importance are unwittingly taken on behest of a hidden master, the Methuselah. Vampires work unknowingly and tirelessly towards ends that are the designs of a Methuselah, often to reach an effect that destroys some of the power and influence of a rival Methuselah.
What this means in game terms is this: you the player use vampires you control to commit “actions” that remove your rivals/“prey’s” “pool” (since you the methuselah do not directly attack anyone). Vampires you control can take actions during your turn only, they cannot take “actions” during another players turn! There are many different “actions” that vampires can take. The most basic “action”, and most important, is the “action” called: “Bleed”. The result of a vampire you control doing a “Bleed” “action” is that your rival/”prey” looses 1 “pool”. To do this, you (the player) tap a vampire (rotate a vampire card 90 degrees) you control to represent you are doing an “action”. Then you announce what the “action” the chosen vampire is doing (in this case, a “Bleed” “action”) so other players can understand what you are doing and figure out if they want to have their vampires they control “react” (more on “reactions” below) somehow to your vampires “action”. If your vampires “bleed” “action” is successful, your “prey” losses 1 pool! This action represents a methuselah manipulating a vampire to cause some form of chaos or havoc against another methuselahs power structure.
React(ions): (I.E. how to react to being attacked and stop another player from removing your pool) Methuselahs are constantly struggling against each other as they compete for more power, and as a result vampires controlled by one Methuselah are often sent on missions to destroy resources and power of a rival Methuselah. When this occurs, the Methuselah who is the intended recipient of the aforementioned hostilities rarely sits idly by and watches their hard earned power go up in flames. Instead, a Methuselah that is about to be a victim of a scheme hatched by another Methuselah reacts quickly, sending one of their own vampires out to “react” to the foreign vampire, hopefully catching and “blocking” whatever “action” the rival Methuselah has planned. If one vampire successfully “reacts” and “blocks” the “action” of another vampire, the two vampires then enter combat!
What this means in game terms is this: vampires you control can only tap to do “actions” on your turn. So if it is another player’s turn and they have a vampire tap to do a “bleed” “action” against you, the vampires you control cannot tap to do an “action” in return! But have no fear, for you are not without recourse. To make up for the fact that vampires you control cannot do “actions” during another players turn, you the player can have your vampires do “reactions” during another players turn. “Reactions” are acts that can only be done by your vampires when it is not you-the-player’s turn and when your chosen reacting vampire is untapped. There are many different “reactions” available and almost all of them are cards (your vampire must be untapped to use a reaction card, and your vampire does not tap to use a reaction card), but there is one important reaction a Vampire you control can do innately without any card, and that is “block”. A “block” “reaction” is where you tap a vampire you control in an attempt to block an “action” another player is having their vampire do against you (like a “bleed” action done by another player’s vampire against you). So if another player has a vampire they control take an “action” to “bleed” you, you can have an untapped “vampire” you control preform a “reaction” “block” against the acting vampire that is performing the “bleed” action. If the “reaction” by the vampire you control is successful, then the action the “bleeding” “acting” vampire was performing fails and the acting vampire controlled by the other player and the “reacting” “blocking” vampire you control get into combat! Example: It’s Sarah’s turn. Sarah taps her vampire to do a bleed action against Jeff. Jeff taps one of his vampires to do a block reaction against Sarah’s vampire. Jeff’s vampire has now blocked Sarah’s vampire, which causes the bleed action to fail and combat between the two vampires to commence.
Stealth and Intercept: Sometimes when a vampire performs an action, ignorantly under the bidding of their controlling Methuselah, they find ways to be particularly “stealthy” and cunning about it. If a Methuselah tasks a vampire with an “action” to burn down a location that is controlled by a rival Methuselah, said vampire may stick to the shadows and “stealthfully” use the cover of darkness to his advantage so as not to be seen and “blocked” by rival vampires. But since the ageless Methuselahs know of and often employ vampires that can be this sly and calculating, that means they often also use vampires with great awareness and keen observation to “intercept” and “block” rival Methuselahs “stealthy” vampires that are attempting to harm their power and resources.
What this means in game terms is this: conceptually, stealth represents the measures that the acting vampire is taking to conduct his business discreetly, to avoid attracting the attention of those who would oppose him. Intercept represents the blocking vampire's efforts to discover the plans of the acting vampire and to stalk or chase him in order to detain him (by fighting with him) before he can accomplish his goal. Certain cards in the game allow the player to add stealth to an acting vampire and intercept to a reacting vampire. To see if a block attempt succeeds, compare the acting vampire's stealth to the blocking vampire's intercept. The action is blocked if the blocker's intercept is equal to or greater than the acting vampire's stealth. By default, vampires have 0 stealth and 0 intercept. So a block attempt will normally succeed unless the action has inherent stealth or a card or effect is used to increase the acting vampire's stealth.
Hunt(ing): One of the most important things to a vampire is blood. Not only is blood the sustenance of vampires, it is also that which fuels their extraordinary abilities (their disciplines). Vampires can do a wide variety of things: making their skin as hard as steel, dominating the mind of mortals causing them to do the vampires bidding, and feeding mortals vampire blood to enthrall them causing them to be powerful human allies. All of these activities, and many more, are done by vampires expending the blood the hold they hold in their bodies. Vampires must also expend blood to heal the wounds they garner in combat. To replenish this supply of blood, vampires must hunt. Vampires take to the night in secret, hiding themselves from scrutiny, and feed from mortals. When vampires hunt they take only small amounts of blood over extended periods of time, this is in fear of arousing suspicion of mortals. Where it may be easy to deal with one or even ten angry humans, a whole town or city is a completely different matter, and so vampires have learned to keep their hunting secret for their own preservation.
What this means in game terms is this: there are many cards as well as combat itself that cause vampires to lose blood. To get blood back, a vampire does a “hunt” action where they player taps the vampire and puts 1 blood (glass bead) onto the vampire card.
Equip(ment): When vampires perform actions unsuspectingly dictated to them by hidden Methuselahs, some take a moment to arm themselves first. It is not unknown for a vampire to bring a shotgun along when trying to do something dangerous. Other vampires, when out patrolling the night and looking to block the actions of rival vampires, use sport bikes to quickly intercept their foes. The equipment that these vampires use is not easy to find, nor cheap, so Methuselahs spend some of their own resources to make the desired equipment more accessible to their chosen vampires, all behind the scenes.
What this means in game terms is this: to play an equipment card, the player taps the vampire attempting to get the equipment, the cost of the equipment is paid (which is usually some of the player’s pool), then the equipment card is placed under the vampire.
Retainer(s): Some vampires retain the services of other beings (animals as well as humans), having them around constantly. These retainers work for their vampire either because of direct mind control or from subtle coercion that includes the vampire slowly feeding their blood to the soon-to-be retainer and causing them to feel a deep loyalty. These entities, or “retainers”, are used by vampires for specific functions, each retainer providing their own unique skill. Whereas one vampire my retain the services of a mortal named Mr. Winthorp who keeps an eye out and informs his master about trouble before it happens so as to let his master intercept it, another vampire my retain the services of a single raven to do the same thing.
What this means in game terms is this: to play a retainer card, the player taps the vampire attempting to employ the retainer, pays the cost of the retainer (which is usually some of the vampire’s blood), then places the retainer card under the vampire.
Ally(s) (minions): In addition to vampires keeping humans and animals around them as retainers, vampires also sometimes make powerful allies. An alliance between a vampire and other entities can be tenuous at best, so to help smooth some of that tension and to make sure both vampires and their allies are working together instead of fighting each other, Methuselahs often take time to invest their power and resources into making the ally’s relationship as stable as possible.
What this means in game terms is this: Allies are action cards that become controllable creatures similar to vampires. Allies are minions, which means when they are brought into play they are placed alongside vampire cards and are treated much the same as vampires themselves. Allies tap to do “actions”, untapped allies can “react” to actions taken by other vampires, and allies can equip with equipment among other things.
To play an ally card, the player taps the vampire attempting recruit the ally, the cost of the ally is paid (which is usually pool from the player), then places the ally card in their uncontrolled region (even though it is controlled) to indicate that it cannot act this turn. When an ally is brought into play, they receive counters to represent their life (listed on the ally's card). When an ally loses their last life counter, they are burned (removed from play).
Politics: Vampires live in communities, and like most communities there are accepted rules for order, and power structures to define which entities are in charge and how much power they wield (usually denoted by “titles” for easy reference). And like most communities that have rules, structure, and seats of power, politics are played with profound results on both vampires and the things these vampires control. The results of these politics can, at times, bring changes so radical that the effects can cost Methuselahs a great deal of their control, power, and resources. Because of this, some Methuselahs invest varying amounts of their power and resources into this political environment, some with hopes of having a say in political matters and some with hopes of total control over the politics. In the vampire community, vampires that wish to make big and notable political changes have to follow certain rules. A vampire must come before the vampire community and present a “referendum” (an oral or written statement that provides the information of what they want to happen and who all it affects). Once the “referendum” is presented and all understand what it means, there’s a vote, and only vampires with “titles” (those high in the power structure of the community) can say yea or nay. Also, vampires with “titles” that get to vote don’t all have the same “title”, and with differing “titles” comes differing levels of swaying power in the voting process. A vampire with the title of “Prince” has more clout in his vote than a vampire with the title of “Primogen”, but if enough “Primogen” get together and vote, they can have more sway than a single “Prince”.
Also, getting the resources and influence together to create a “referendum” that the vampire community is willing to hear is no small feat. Often the resources and influence that are behind “referendums” are the resources and influence expended by Methuselahs who are competing against rival Methuselahs. This means that when a “referendum” is called, it in-and-of-itself has a small amount of sway and power in the voting process as well, as there are already assets and power invested in said “referendum” from a Methuselah behind the scenes. And sometimes, if one Methuselah causes an unexpected “referendum” to be called, other Methuselahs may end up using the power and influence invested in a “referendum” that they have not yet had called to get more sway in the current voting process (one of the side effects being the “referendum” that hadn’t been called never comes to fruition). Because of the dynamic and ever changing nature of the vampire community and also the constant battle Methuselahs wage against each other, a Methuselah can only invest enough time and resources in keeping one “referendum” ready and prepared to be called before the vampire community.
An example of this would be that Methuselah “X” has the vampire she controls named Fenzith call a “referendum” entitled “Ancilla Empowerment”. Methuselah “X” has, before the vote was ever brought before the vampire community, invested time and resources in making sure that not only will Fenzith be able to call the “referendum” and have it heard, but also that there is an infrastructure in place so that if the “referendum” passes, the effects the “referendum” calls for will be enforced. “Methuselah “Y” has invested time and resources beforehand into a “referendum” called “Atuarkis Persecution” that he plans on having called before the vampire community by a vampire he controls named Olaph. Methuselah “Y” realizes that if the “Ancilla Empowerment” “referendum” is successful, it would cause him to lose a significant amount of power. So Methuselah “Y” quickly takes all the invested time and resources into preparing the “referendum” “Atuarkis Persecution” and uses it instead to help sway the voting in the current “referendum” (“Ancilla Empowerment”) more towards what he wants. The result of Methuselah “Y” shifting the time and resources away from the “Atuarkis Persecution” “referendum” he was investing it in means that Methuselah “Y” sacrificed his chance to call “Atuarkis Persecution” and must reinvest his time and resources all over again to create another “Atuarkis Persecution” “referendum”.
What this means in game terms is this: another action a Vampire can take, besides “Bleed Actions” and the many other different types of actions, is called a “Political Action”. Whereas a bleed action represents a methuselah manipulating a vampire to cause some form of chaos or havoc against another methuselahs power structure, a political action is different. A political action represents a vampire bringing some sort of “referendum” before the vampire community (this is also through the manipulation of the methuselah). Referendums usually have an effect on every vampire around, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill and sometimes both. To call a “referendum” a player taps the vampire they choose to do “political action” (the result of a “political action” is that a “referendum” is called) and lays down the “referendum” on the table. The player describes the “referendum”, its effects, and its terms. Once that’s done, players tally votes which can be: yea, nay, or abstain. Only certain vampires get to actually vote, and those certain vampires are vampires with “titles”. The “titled” vampires have varying degrees influence, which correlate with said titles: a Justicar has 3 votes, a Prince has 2 votes, a Primogen has 1 vote, and there are many other titles with votes beyond those mentioned. Also, a player may sacrifice one referendum in their hand for 1 vote in the current voting process. The player whose acting vampire is calling the current “referendum” receives 1 vote from the “referendum” being called itself and as such cannot sacrifice any “referendums” from their hands for additional votes.
Combat: when two vampires, each controlled by rival methuselahs, come into conflict with each other, combat ensues. During combat between these two vampires “combat cards” are played which allow these vampires to do things like: jockey for the “high ground”, shoot or punch each other, use supernatural powers to move so quickly that 3 punches land in the same amount of time as 1. Throughout the combat, arms, teeth, and even heads are ripped off of bodies while at other times cars are picked up and lobbed as weapons! Combat can be raw and brutal, and even when one methuselah may think the combat their vampire is engaged in is over, suddenly (to their) surprise it keeps going with devastating consequences.
What this means in game terms is this: Combat is the result of a vampire from one player/methuselah being blocked by a vampire controlled by another player/methuselah.
Combat commences in phases, each phase resolving individual aspects of the overall fight.
Press: this is the end of combat (sort of). If a combat card is play with the word “press” on it during this phase, then a new round of combat starts which mean combat loops to step 1 of combat, “Determine Range”, and proceeds through until step 3 again. If no “press” “combat” card is played, then combat ends.
Damage: When a vampire is wounded and receives physical injury (“damage”), the vampire expends some of its precious blood to heal the damage. If a vampire has no blood to expend and it cannot heal its wounds, the vampire goes into a coma-like state called torpor.
What this means in game terms is this: for each point of damage inflicted on a vampire, he must burn one blood to heal the damage. If a vampire cannot heal all the damage he goes into torpor (a supernatural-like coma).
Some damage is described as “aggravated” damage. Aggravated damage differs from normal damage in two ways: Aggravated damage cannot be healed, and aggravated damage can burn (permanently destroy) a vampire if that vampire is already wounded. Since aggravated damage cannot be healed, a vampire doesn't burn any blood to heal it, but instead the vampire becomes wounded. For each point of aggravated damage that is successfully inflicted on a wounded vampire, he must burn a blood to prevent his destruction. If he doesn't have enough blood, he is burned. If both regular damage and aggravated damage are successfully inflicted on a vampire at the same time, the regular damage is handled first.
1. Krid is ready and has 1 blood when he receives 1 point of aggravated damage. He cannot heal this damage, so he is wounded and goes to torpor with 1 blood.
2. Milo is ready and has 2 blood when he receives 3 points of aggravated damage. He cannot heal any of it. He becomes wounded by 1 point, and so he must burn 2 blood to prevent destruction from the other 2 points (1 blood per point), leaving him empty and in torpor.
3. Barth is ready and has 1 blood when he receives 2 regular damage and 1 aggravated damage. He burns 1 blood to heal the first point of normal damage. He doesn't have enough blood to heal the second point. The aggravated damage burns him, since he already has unhealed damage and cannot burn a blood to prevent his destruction.
Torpor: When a vampire cannot heal his wounds, he enters into a deep sleep known as torpor. A vampire in torpor is particularly weak and vulnerable to attacks from others of his kind. A vampire in torpor may be killed (burned) by a ready vampire through the act of diablerie.
What this means in game terms is this: A vampire in torpor is still considered controlled but is not ready. He still untaps at the start of the untap phase as usual. Vampires in torpor are placed in an area to one side of the uncontrolled region, called the torpor region. A vampire in torpor can take no action except the "leave torpor" action and cannot block or play reaction cards. He can play action modifiers during his actions.
Leaving Torpor, Rescuing a vampire from Torpor, and Diablerizing a vampire in Torpor: If a vampire is wounded enough, it goes into a deep slumber akin to the coma’s mortals sometimes enter into. This deep slumber is called torpor, and for all intents and purposes, the torpored vampire can no longer interact with the world until it leaves this torpored state. Aside from just being hurt enough, a certain kind of damage called “aggravated damage” can send a vampire to torpor. Aggravated damage can be either fire, sunlight, or magical damage. If a vampire enters into torpor they become particularly vulnerable to an attack called diablerization which will destroy the torpored vampire permanently. To avoid diablerization, it is in the vampire’s best interest to leave the torpor state as soon as possible. To leave torpor, the vampire in torpor can either (through dent of will and expending blood in his system[if he has any]) bring himself out of torpor, or another vampire (one not in torpor) can go to the torpored vampire and help him leave his torpored state. If a vampire is not quick enough to leave torpor, diablerie quickly starts to loom as a possible fate. Diablerie is the act where a vampire consumes all the blood out of a torpored vampire, and then continues draining the vampire and consuming its soul. If a vampire diablerizes an older and more powerful vampire, then he also not only gains the blood he drained, but also grows in power and becomes stronger.
What this means in game terms is this: an untapped vampire in torpor can tap itself, spend 2 of its blood (if it has it), and leave torpor. A vampire (not in torpor) can tap to bring a vampire out of torpor, the cost being 2 blood paid by: the acting vampire, or the vampire coming out of torpor, or shared between both vampires (this method of bringing a vampire out of torpor does not tap the vampire coming out of torpor). Also a vampire can diablerize a vampire in torpor. To diablerize, a player taps the vampire they want to commit the diablerization, the player then states the target of the diablerization act, and if the act is successful then the victim of the diablerie act is burned (removed from play), any blood on the victim is transferred to the diablerist, and if the victim was older than the diablerist, than the controller (player) of the daiblerist may search their library, ash heap, and hand for a discipline card and place it on the diablirist. (A discipline card is a special card that allows a vampire to augment their super powers as well as allow them to hold more blood)
Bloodhunt: Because diablerization makes younger vampires more powerful when they diablerize older vampires, there is a very large incentive for younger vampires to rise up and diablerize older vampires (who are also the ones in charge more often than not). In response to this great temptation for the younger vampires to destroy the older vampires, there was a rule set in place called the “blood hunt”. A blood hunt says that whenever a vampire diablerizes another vampire, that the diablerist will be known by all for what they have down and everyone is given free rein to hunt him down and kill him. But in the vampire community the internecine wars and the backroom dealings don’t make any rule an absolute, and because of this, when an act of diablerie occurs a “blood hunt” is not automatic but instead comes before the vampire community as a referendum, and a vote must be held first on whether or not to destroy the diablerist.
What this means in game terms is this: after a diablerie happens, a bloodhunt referendum is automatically called. If the bloodhunt referendum passes, than the diablerist is destroyed permanently. This is not an action performed by any one vampire, and as such it cannot be blocked. This referendum also does not have the innate vote that political action cards have built into them, which means that when this referendum commences, it starts at 0 votes for it.
Influence: Methuselahs live under the cover of shadow, their plans and machinations orchestrated by unknowing minions. To manipulate ignorant vampires to do their work, Methuselahs must use some of their power and influence to first subtly coerce chosen vampires to become their oblivious thralls. In this respect, Methuselahs slowly, over time, transfer their hidden influence they’ve gathered over the vampire community and bring it bare more directly on vampires for which they want direct control over. This more direct control takes time (days if not longer), patience, and resources (the vampire’s friends, media, mind control). The end result of this process is a minion who may be ignorant of the Methuselah’s existence but with an unwavering willingness to complete the tasks assigned even if that means the vampire’s destruction. Sometimes, though, as the war between Methuselahs becomes more intense it is not uncommon for a Methuselah that is in the middle of influencing a vampire to stop and transfer their resources to other purposes that may be more important at that moment. And sometimes the vampires that are available to a Methuselah to control aren’t what that Methuselah needs, so the Methuselah transfers some of their resources and influence towards finding a new vampire in hopes of discovering a more fitting puppet for their ends.
What this means in game terms is this: once during each player’s turn there is a phase in the game called the “Influence Phase” where the player receives 4 opportunities to “transfer” their power and resources (pool) around to garner some sort of benefit for themselves (I.E. players receive 4 “transfers” per turn, only usable during their “Influence Phase”). The different ways that a Methuselah can “transfer” their pool are as follows:
A player can use 2 “transfers” to move 1 counter from an uncontrolled vampire to their “pool”
A player can use 4 “transfers” to sacrifice 1 counter from their “pool” to take the top random vampire from their vampire card pile and put it into their uncontrolled region
Master: While Methuselahs mainly use unknowing vampires to complete their objectives, that doesn’t mean that they don’t exert their power in other more direct ways. Methuselahs are Masters of more than just vampires after all, and their power extends across the globe in countless different fashions. Sometimes a Methuselah may use their power to subtly take control of a heavy traffic airport to allow the vampires they control easier access and ability to do damage towards an opposing Methuselah. Sometimes a Methuselah may use its resources to burden a vampire’s mind that is controlled by an opposing Methuselah, causing difficulty for that vampire to react properly. Although it is more complicated for a Methuselah to exert their will more directly like this, they often do and when they do it can sometimes create a great shift in power among the Methuselahs struggling against each other for supremacy.
What this means in game terms is this: once during each player’s turn there is a phase in the game called the “Master Phase”. During the “Master Phase” a player can play 1 “Master” card. A “Master” card is a card that is played solely by the player, representing the Methuselah exerting their will, although some “Master” cards have to have certain requirements to be played (like a certain vampire or card already in play). A Player can only play 1 “Master” card per turn.
Summary: You’re objective is to get the most Victory Points by the end of the game. To get VP’s, you try to cause the player to your left (your prey) to lose all their pool which earns you 1 VP and six pool, and you can also be the last person standing, which earns you 1 VP. You cause your prey (person to your left) to lose pool by spending your own pool to gain control over vampires (which is a kind of minion) and then having those vampires do bleed actions against your prey, which cause 1 point of pool loss per bleed action. Vampires you take control of are divided into different families called clans. The individual vampires themselves have supernatural powers called Disciplines. Disciplines represent super powers like super speed (a discipline called “Celerity”) or mind control (called discipline called “Dominate”) which vampires use. Some vampires have inferior knowledge about the disciplines they possess, some have superior knowledge. Besides vampires, you can also take control of other minions, like humans and animals. These minions can also do actions similar to vampires, but not exactly and not as powerful. You and your prey have the option to have untapped vampires (as well as other minions) react to actions, like bleed actions, and have them block. An acting vampire may perform their “action” with the use of stealth, at which point a blocking vampire needs intercept equal to or greater than the acting vampire’s stealth to catch them and block them. Vampires can do an action called a “hunt” action, where they tap and gain 1 blood. Vampires (as well as other minions) can do an action called an “equip” action where they tap to get a piece of equipment (the cost usually paid from the player’s pool) which is placed under the vampire card. A vampire can take an action to get a “retainer” which is placed under a vampire card. Vampires can also perform actions to quire allies, which come into play and act like vampires (the can perform actions and reactions as well as other things). Vampires also can perform political actions where a referendum card is played by tapping a vampire and laying the card down and explaining to all the players what the card is and what its terms are. The players then declare how each vampire with a title votes in regards to the referendum. If a vampire’s “action” is blocked, then combat ensues. In combat, vampires determine range, choose strikes, and check to see if there is a press for another round of combat. If a vampire is damaged in combat, it must expend blood to heal the damage. If a vampire cannot heal its damage, it becomes “wounded” and is sent to torpor. A vampire cannot heal aggravated damage, so any aggravated damage done to a vampire wounds that vampire. If a vampire is already wounded and then it takes aggravated damage, it must expend blood so as not to burn, if it fails to expend that blood, it burns. If a vampire is sent into torpor, it can take no action except the "leave torpor" action. Another vampire not in torpor can do an action to bring a vampire in torpor out of torpor. A vampire in torpor can be diablerized (permanently destroyed). If a vampire commits diablerie, a bloodhunt referendum is automatically called. If the bloodhunt referendum is successful, then the diablerist is burned (permanently destroyed). During a players influence phase they receive 4 transfers. A player can: use 1 transfer to move a pool to an uncontrolled vampire, use 2 transfers to move 1 blood from an uncontrolled vampire into the player’s pool, use 4 transfers and sacrifice 1 pool to move a vampire from the player’s vampire deck into the uncontrolled region. A player can also, during their master phase, play 1 master card.
My gut tells me it's too wordy, but I don't know how to trim down a game like vtes. Below is what I have so far.
Conceptual Overview: Vampires are real, even though to the common mortal they are only legend and myth. Vampires also have their own legends and myth, and where the mortal’s folklore tells of the vampires, the vampire’s folklore tells of the methuselahs. But methuselahs are real, you are one of them, and even though all other vampires think your existence is fairy tale or nightmare, your power and influence are also very real. There are none your equal except for the others of your kind, and from the shadows you and your kin exert your wills and use your resources against each other, vying to gain more power until one of you has ultimate supremacy. Since you and your fellow methuselahs fight each other only from the shadows, you exert control over the vampires of the night without them ever knowing and have them do your dirty work for you. In addition to vampires, you also enlist mortals, werewolves, and other minions to ally with the vampires you control. Also, the vampires you take control of are divided amongst themselves into different families called clans, not all of them liking each other. The individual vampires themselves also have supernatural powers of their own, called Disciplines. Disciplines represent individual super powers like super speed (a discipline called “Celerity”) or mind control (called discipline called “Dominate”) which vampires use to get their ways. You use the vampires you control to set fires to your rival methuselahs buildings, computer hack valuable databases the other methuselahs use to store treasured information, and convince politicians to do your desire, and countless other things, and all the while the other methuselahs are doing the same. Other methuselahs, also, will not sit idly by as you send your vampires to destroy what is theirs and they will use the vampires they control to block the actions of nefarious vampires. You may choose to have your vampires act in a more stealthy fashion (so as not to get caught while on their way to cause chaos) but your rival’s vampires could be trained to spot your sneaky vampires and intercept them. All vampires expend their blood, some to fuel their powers, others to heal damage they’ve received, and still others to take control of humans. As blood is a vampires precious fuel, they also hunt for the blood of mortals as well as unknowingly perform their master methuselah’s bidding. Vampires also, to help complete their objectives, use equipment like guns or motorcycles, employ retainers, and make allies. The vampire community also gets bogged down in politics, where vampires bring referendums before their community to vote on which can have far reaching effects not only on the vampire community, but also on Methuselahs powerbases. As vampires work to complete the designs of the hidden Methuselahs, they often come into conflict with each other, ending in spectacular combat. Once a vampire you control and a vampire your rival controls come into confrontation, only violence comes as a result. The two vampires enter into a super human combat the likes of which no mortal can comprehend. Sometimes the vampires can leave combat a little worse for the ware, and sometimes one if not both of the combatants can be beat so savagely that they enter into a supernatural coma called torpor. Also, a special kind of damage called aggravated damage can send a vampire to torpor as well. Once a vampire is in torpor they need another vampire to revive them, or they themselves can bring themselves out of torpor if they have the blood for it. If a vampire remains in torpor too long, there is a chance that another vampire will diablerize it (eat it). If a diablerie happens, a bloodhunt is called where, if successful, can end with the diablerist being permanently killed. In addition to all the machinations involved with the vampire world, the Methuselah can reach out themselves and affect the world in a more direct manner. Once in a while, the Methuselah can cause power shifts themselves, creating great changes. And so this struggle goes between methuselahs, on and on throughout the centuries, with vampires unknowingly caught in the middle, doing the biddings for masters they’ve never seen nor will ever know. And this struggle will continue until one methuselah becomes victorious over all others!
Objective: Methuselahs fight a secret war for power, seeking supremacy over all. To do this, they work to gain victory by destroying the power and resources gathered by rival Methuselahs, until only one Methuselah is left.
What this means in game terms is this: when the game ends, the person with the most VP’s (Victory Points) wins. When the person/methuselah to your left (your “prey”) leaves play you gain 1VP. The person to your left is called your “prey” and the person to your right is called your “predator”. If you are the last person standing in the game (all other players have left play), you gain 1VP. You reduce your prey’s pool by having vampires you control attack your prey, and these attacks (if successful) in turn reduce your prey’s pool.
Pool: A Methuselah’s power and resources are not infinite, but they are potent. A Methuselah uses their power and resources to command vampires, werewolves, banks, airports, and anything else they need to get what they want. And a Methuselah wants everything.
What this means in game terms is this: A player’s “Pool” resource (it takes the form of 30 glass beads) represents a methuselahs influence and power. Pool is expended to take control over vampires (one of the most important parts of the game) and then the player has those vampires attack other players/methuselahs! When you start the game you have 30 “pool” (this is your resource you also use to play cards). Once you have 0 pool, you leave the game, so your “pool” is also akin to life. You gain more “pool” by playing certain cards, and also by causing certain other players to leave the game (you gain six “pool” when the player to your left [your “prey”] reaches 0 “pool” and leaves play).
Vampires (minion): The vampires of the night lead perilous un-lifes. They belong to families called clans that fight against each other as well as within each other. They are ruled by a power structure populated by the eldest vampires who rule with an iron fist. They have impossible powers that are only rivaled by other vampires. They are constantly at war and fighting but unbeknownst to them, they don’t fight for themselves, they fight for Methuselahs. A vampires un-life is scarcely their own, and they will never know this.
What this means in game terms is this: conceptually, you the methuselah (player) never directly attack anyone, you always work from the shadows having other lesser vampires you’ve exerted control over do your bidding. Also, you never really kill the other opposing methuselahs, you instead destroy their influence and power they have amassed (I.E. you remove their “pool”). So you (a methuselah) don’t get into hand to hand combat with another player (methuselah), instead you (for example) exert control over a vampire and have that vampire go burn down a building uptown where vampires controlled by a rival methuselah (your “prey”) hunt for the precious blood they need to survive. Now it is harder for the vampires controlled by your rival methuselah (“prey”) to survive, making it easier for you to have the vampires you control destroy even more of the workings and power your rival methuselah (“prey”) has, maybe even destroying a vampire your rival/“prey” controls! Once you’ve destroyed all your rival/“prey” methuselahs power and influence over the area you are fighting for, your rival is defeated! In other words, once you’ve removed your rivals/“prey’s” pool (their power and influence), you gain a VP.
- Clans: Vampires are organized into different families or “Clans” as it were. These clans have their own internecine quarrels as well as disputes with other clans. Each vampire belongs to a clan and that clan’s symbol is noted on the vampire’s card. There are certain cards that require you-the-player to control a vampire from a certain clan before you can play them.
- Disciplines: Vampires have certain super powers, which (instead of super powers) are called “Disciplines”. There are many different disciplines: from super strength (a discipline called “Potence”), to super stealthy (a discipline called “Obfuscate”), to many others. When a vampire has a discipline, they either have a basic knowledge and understanding of how to use it, or they have superior knowledge and understanding of it. There are some cards that require a vampire to have a certain discipline, and those cards typically have two options to choose from: either a superior option that can only be used if the vampire has superior understanding of that discipline, and an inferior option which can used by a vampire that has either the superior or inferior understanding of the needed discipline.
Minions: Minions represent the different creatures that Methuselahs use to perform their secretive actions. Methuselahs have others do their dirty work for them, and those “others” come in wide varieties, from vampires to werewolves and beyond!
What this means in game terms is this: the player usually uses minions called “vampires” to do a majority of the work (as vampires are the first things a player has available to take control over), but that isn’t the only minion available to a player. Other minions (called “allies”) like humans and werewolves and others are available, but instead of the methuselah bringing them into play, these “other” minions (“allies”) are brought into play by vampires already controlled by the methuselah. Even though these “ally” minions are brought into play by the player’s vampires, the cost of paying for these “allies” is paid for from the player’s “pool”.
Action(s): (I.E. attack and remove pool from another player) Vampires of the night take many different “actions”, some to help allies, some to hurt foes, but all actions taken that are of lasting importance are unwittingly taken on behest of a hidden master, the Methuselah. Vampires work unknowingly and tirelessly towards ends that are the designs of a Methuselah, often to reach an effect that destroys some of the power and influence of a rival Methuselah.
What this means in game terms is this: you the player use vampires you control to commit “actions” that remove your rivals/“prey’s” “pool” (since you the methuselah do not directly attack anyone). Vampires you control can take actions during your turn only, they cannot take “actions” during another players turn! There are many different “actions” that vampires can take. The most basic “action”, and most important, is the “action” called: “Bleed”. The result of a vampire you control doing a “Bleed” “action” is that your rival/”prey” looses 1 “pool”. To do this, you (the player) tap a vampire (rotate a vampire card 90 degrees) you control to represent you are doing an “action”. Then you announce what the “action” the chosen vampire is doing (in this case, a “Bleed” “action”) so other players can understand what you are doing and figure out if they want to have their vampires they control “react” (more on “reactions” below) somehow to your vampires “action”. If your vampires “bleed” “action” is successful, your “prey” losses 1 pool! This action represents a methuselah manipulating a vampire to cause some form of chaos or havoc against another methuselahs power structure.
React(ions): (I.E. how to react to being attacked and stop another player from removing your pool) Methuselahs are constantly struggling against each other as they compete for more power, and as a result vampires controlled by one Methuselah are often sent on missions to destroy resources and power of a rival Methuselah. When this occurs, the Methuselah who is the intended recipient of the aforementioned hostilities rarely sits idly by and watches their hard earned power go up in flames. Instead, a Methuselah that is about to be a victim of a scheme hatched by another Methuselah reacts quickly, sending one of their own vampires out to “react” to the foreign vampire, hopefully catching and “blocking” whatever “action” the rival Methuselah has planned. If one vampire successfully “reacts” and “blocks” the “action” of another vampire, the two vampires then enter combat!
What this means in game terms is this: vampires you control can only tap to do “actions” on your turn. So if it is another player’s turn and they have a vampire tap to do a “bleed” “action” against you, the vampires you control cannot tap to do an “action” in return! But have no fear, for you are not without recourse. To make up for the fact that vampires you control cannot do “actions” during another players turn, you the player can have your vampires do “reactions” during another players turn. “Reactions” are acts that can only be done by your vampires when it is not you-the-player’s turn and when your chosen reacting vampire is untapped. There are many different “reactions” available and almost all of them are cards (your vampire must be untapped to use a reaction card, and your vampire does not tap to use a reaction card), but there is one important reaction a Vampire you control can do innately without any card, and that is “block”. A “block” “reaction” is where you tap a vampire you control in an attempt to block an “action” another player is having their vampire do against you (like a “bleed” action done by another player’s vampire against you). So if another player has a vampire they control take an “action” to “bleed” you, you can have an untapped “vampire” you control preform a “reaction” “block” against the acting vampire that is performing the “bleed” action. If the “reaction” by the vampire you control is successful, then the action the “bleeding” “acting” vampire was performing fails and the acting vampire controlled by the other player and the “reacting” “blocking” vampire you control get into combat! Example: It’s Sarah’s turn. Sarah taps her vampire to do a bleed action against Jeff. Jeff taps one of his vampires to do a block reaction against Sarah’s vampire. Jeff’s vampire has now blocked Sarah’s vampire, which causes the bleed action to fail and combat between the two vampires to commence.
Stealth and Intercept: Sometimes when a vampire performs an action, ignorantly under the bidding of their controlling Methuselah, they find ways to be particularly “stealthy” and cunning about it. If a Methuselah tasks a vampire with an “action” to burn down a location that is controlled by a rival Methuselah, said vampire may stick to the shadows and “stealthfully” use the cover of darkness to his advantage so as not to be seen and “blocked” by rival vampires. But since the ageless Methuselahs know of and often employ vampires that can be this sly and calculating, that means they often also use vampires with great awareness and keen observation to “intercept” and “block” rival Methuselahs “stealthy” vampires that are attempting to harm their power and resources.
What this means in game terms is this: conceptually, stealth represents the measures that the acting vampire is taking to conduct his business discreetly, to avoid attracting the attention of those who would oppose him. Intercept represents the blocking vampire's efforts to discover the plans of the acting vampire and to stalk or chase him in order to detain him (by fighting with him) before he can accomplish his goal. Certain cards in the game allow the player to add stealth to an acting vampire and intercept to a reacting vampire. To see if a block attempt succeeds, compare the acting vampire's stealth to the blocking vampire's intercept. The action is blocked if the blocker's intercept is equal to or greater than the acting vampire's stealth. By default, vampires have 0 stealth and 0 intercept. So a block attempt will normally succeed unless the action has inherent stealth or a card or effect is used to increase the acting vampire's stealth.
Hunt(ing): One of the most important things to a vampire is blood. Not only is blood the sustenance of vampires, it is also that which fuels their extraordinary abilities (their disciplines). Vampires can do a wide variety of things: making their skin as hard as steel, dominating the mind of mortals causing them to do the vampires bidding, and feeding mortals vampire blood to enthrall them causing them to be powerful human allies. All of these activities, and many more, are done by vampires expending the blood the hold they hold in their bodies. Vampires must also expend blood to heal the wounds they garner in combat. To replenish this supply of blood, vampires must hunt. Vampires take to the night in secret, hiding themselves from scrutiny, and feed from mortals. When vampires hunt they take only small amounts of blood over extended periods of time, this is in fear of arousing suspicion of mortals. Where it may be easy to deal with one or even ten angry humans, a whole town or city is a completely different matter, and so vampires have learned to keep their hunting secret for their own preservation.
What this means in game terms is this: there are many cards as well as combat itself that cause vampires to lose blood. To get blood back, a vampire does a “hunt” action where they player taps the vampire and puts 1 blood (glass bead) onto the vampire card.
Equip(ment): When vampires perform actions unsuspectingly dictated to them by hidden Methuselahs, some take a moment to arm themselves first. It is not unknown for a vampire to bring a shotgun along when trying to do something dangerous. Other vampires, when out patrolling the night and looking to block the actions of rival vampires, use sport bikes to quickly intercept their foes. The equipment that these vampires use is not easy to find, nor cheap, so Methuselahs spend some of their own resources to make the desired equipment more accessible to their chosen vampires, all behind the scenes.
What this means in game terms is this: to play an equipment card, the player taps the vampire attempting to get the equipment, the cost of the equipment is paid (which is usually some of the player’s pool), then the equipment card is placed under the vampire.
Retainer(s): Some vampires retain the services of other beings (animals as well as humans), having them around constantly. These retainers work for their vampire either because of direct mind control or from subtle coercion that includes the vampire slowly feeding their blood to the soon-to-be retainer and causing them to feel a deep loyalty. These entities, or “retainers”, are used by vampires for specific functions, each retainer providing their own unique skill. Whereas one vampire my retain the services of a mortal named Mr. Winthorp who keeps an eye out and informs his master about trouble before it happens so as to let his master intercept it, another vampire my retain the services of a single raven to do the same thing.
What this means in game terms is this: to play a retainer card, the player taps the vampire attempting to employ the retainer, pays the cost of the retainer (which is usually some of the vampire’s blood), then places the retainer card under the vampire.
Ally(s) (minions): In addition to vampires keeping humans and animals around them as retainers, vampires also sometimes make powerful allies. An alliance between a vampire and other entities can be tenuous at best, so to help smooth some of that tension and to make sure both vampires and their allies are working together instead of fighting each other, Methuselahs often take time to invest their power and resources into making the ally’s relationship as stable as possible.
What this means in game terms is this: Allies are action cards that become controllable creatures similar to vampires. Allies are minions, which means when they are brought into play they are placed alongside vampire cards and are treated much the same as vampires themselves. Allies tap to do “actions”, untapped allies can “react” to actions taken by other vampires, and allies can equip with equipment among other things.
To play an ally card, the player taps the vampire attempting recruit the ally, the cost of the ally is paid (which is usually pool from the player), then places the ally card in their uncontrolled region (even though it is controlled) to indicate that it cannot act this turn. When an ally is brought into play, they receive counters to represent their life (listed on the ally's card). When an ally loses their last life counter, they are burned (removed from play).
Politics: Vampires live in communities, and like most communities there are accepted rules for order, and power structures to define which entities are in charge and how much power they wield (usually denoted by “titles” for easy reference). And like most communities that have rules, structure, and seats of power, politics are played with profound results on both vampires and the things these vampires control. The results of these politics can, at times, bring changes so radical that the effects can cost Methuselahs a great deal of their control, power, and resources. Because of this, some Methuselahs invest varying amounts of their power and resources into this political environment, some with hopes of having a say in political matters and some with hopes of total control over the politics. In the vampire community, vampires that wish to make big and notable political changes have to follow certain rules. A vampire must come before the vampire community and present a “referendum” (an oral or written statement that provides the information of what they want to happen and who all it affects). Once the “referendum” is presented and all understand what it means, there’s a vote, and only vampires with “titles” (those high in the power structure of the community) can say yea or nay. Also, vampires with “titles” that get to vote don’t all have the same “title”, and with differing “titles” comes differing levels of swaying power in the voting process. A vampire with the title of “Prince” has more clout in his vote than a vampire with the title of “Primogen”, but if enough “Primogen” get together and vote, they can have more sway than a single “Prince”.
Also, getting the resources and influence together to create a “referendum” that the vampire community is willing to hear is no small feat. Often the resources and influence that are behind “referendums” are the resources and influence expended by Methuselahs who are competing against rival Methuselahs. This means that when a “referendum” is called, it in-and-of-itself has a small amount of sway and power in the voting process as well, as there are already assets and power invested in said “referendum” from a Methuselah behind the scenes. And sometimes, if one Methuselah causes an unexpected “referendum” to be called, other Methuselahs may end up using the power and influence invested in a “referendum” that they have not yet had called to get more sway in the current voting process (one of the side effects being the “referendum” that hadn’t been called never comes to fruition). Because of the dynamic and ever changing nature of the vampire community and also the constant battle Methuselahs wage against each other, a Methuselah can only invest enough time and resources in keeping one “referendum” ready and prepared to be called before the vampire community.
An example of this would be that Methuselah “X” has the vampire she controls named Fenzith call a “referendum” entitled “Ancilla Empowerment”. Methuselah “X” has, before the vote was ever brought before the vampire community, invested time and resources in making sure that not only will Fenzith be able to call the “referendum” and have it heard, but also that there is an infrastructure in place so that if the “referendum” passes, the effects the “referendum” calls for will be enforced. “Methuselah “Y” has invested time and resources beforehand into a “referendum” called “Atuarkis Persecution” that he plans on having called before the vampire community by a vampire he controls named Olaph. Methuselah “Y” realizes that if the “Ancilla Empowerment” “referendum” is successful, it would cause him to lose a significant amount of power. So Methuselah “Y” quickly takes all the invested time and resources into preparing the “referendum” “Atuarkis Persecution” and uses it instead to help sway the voting in the current “referendum” (“Ancilla Empowerment”) more towards what he wants. The result of Methuselah “Y” shifting the time and resources away from the “Atuarkis Persecution” “referendum” he was investing it in means that Methuselah “Y” sacrificed his chance to call “Atuarkis Persecution” and must reinvest his time and resources all over again to create another “Atuarkis Persecution” “referendum”.
What this means in game terms is this: another action a Vampire can take, besides “Bleed Actions” and the many other different types of actions, is called a “Political Action”. Whereas a bleed action represents a methuselah manipulating a vampire to cause some form of chaos or havoc against another methuselahs power structure, a political action is different. A political action represents a vampire bringing some sort of “referendum” before the vampire community (this is also through the manipulation of the methuselah). Referendums usually have an effect on every vampire around, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill and sometimes both. To call a “referendum” a player taps the vampire they choose to do “political action” (the result of a “political action” is that a “referendum” is called) and lays down the “referendum” on the table. The player describes the “referendum”, its effects, and its terms. Once that’s done, players tally votes which can be: yea, nay, or abstain. Only certain vampires get to actually vote, and those certain vampires are vampires with “titles”. The “titled” vampires have varying degrees influence, which correlate with said titles: a Justicar has 3 votes, a Prince has 2 votes, a Primogen has 1 vote, and there are many other titles with votes beyond those mentioned. Also, a player may sacrifice one referendum in their hand for 1 vote in the current voting process. The player whose acting vampire is calling the current “referendum” receives 1 vote from the “referendum” being called itself and as such cannot sacrifice any “referendums” from their hands for additional votes.
Combat: when two vampires, each controlled by rival methuselahs, come into conflict with each other, combat ensues. During combat between these two vampires “combat cards” are played which allow these vampires to do things like: jockey for the “high ground”, shoot or punch each other, use supernatural powers to move so quickly that 3 punches land in the same amount of time as 1. Throughout the combat, arms, teeth, and even heads are ripped off of bodies while at other times cars are picked up and lobbed as weapons! Combat can be raw and brutal, and even when one methuselah may think the combat their vampire is engaged in is over, suddenly (to their) surprise it keeps going with devastating consequences.
What this means in game terms is this: Combat is the result of a vampire from one player/methuselah being blocked by a vampire controlled by another player/methuselah.
Combat commences in phases, each phase resolving individual aspects of the overall fight.
- Determine Range
- Strike
- Press
- Determine Range: the range at which the combatants fight is either short (i.e. the two vampires are in each other’s faces and punching each other) or long range (i.e. the vampires are across a parking lot from each other chucking grenades or throwing sewer lids). “Combat” cards with the word “maneuver” on them are used so a vampire can change the current range to its opposite (i.e. if combat is at short range, a vampire can “maneuver” too long or vice versa). If no card is played, combat is automatically set to short range.
- Strike: this is the actual attack a vampire uses to cause harm to their opponent. If no cards are played, a vampire swings their fist (punches) for 1 point of damage as their innate strike (called a hand strike). Damage done by punching can only happen at short range (it’s really hard to punch someone in the face that is a block or two away!). There are also “combat” cards with the word “strike” on them, a vampire can use a “strike” card instead of doing their innate punching strike (the “strike” “combat” card is probably way better!).
- After both players announce what strikes their vampires are doing to each other, they then resolve the effects of the strikes. Example: both players announce they are having their vampires use their innate hand strike against each other (the combat is at short range for this example). Now that everyone knows what strikes each vampire is using, each player then removes 1 blood from their vampires that are in combat.
Damage: When a vampire is wounded and receives physical injury (“damage”), the vampire expends some of its precious blood to heal the damage. If a vampire has no blood to expend and it cannot heal its wounds, the vampire goes into a coma-like state called torpor.
What this means in game terms is this: for each point of damage inflicted on a vampire, he must burn one blood to heal the damage. If a vampire cannot heal all the damage he goes into torpor (a supernatural-like coma).
Some damage is described as “aggravated” damage. Aggravated damage differs from normal damage in two ways: Aggravated damage cannot be healed, and aggravated damage can burn (permanently destroy) a vampire if that vampire is already wounded. Since aggravated damage cannot be healed, a vampire doesn't burn any blood to heal it, but instead the vampire becomes wounded. For each point of aggravated damage that is successfully inflicted on a wounded vampire, he must burn a blood to prevent his destruction. If he doesn't have enough blood, he is burned. If both regular damage and aggravated damage are successfully inflicted on a vampire at the same time, the regular damage is handled first.
1. Krid is ready and has 1 blood when he receives 1 point of aggravated damage. He cannot heal this damage, so he is wounded and goes to torpor with 1 blood.
2. Milo is ready and has 2 blood when he receives 3 points of aggravated damage. He cannot heal any of it. He becomes wounded by 1 point, and so he must burn 2 blood to prevent destruction from the other 2 points (1 blood per point), leaving him empty and in torpor.
3. Barth is ready and has 1 blood when he receives 2 regular damage and 1 aggravated damage. He burns 1 blood to heal the first point of normal damage. He doesn't have enough blood to heal the second point. The aggravated damage burns him, since he already has unhealed damage and cannot burn a blood to prevent his destruction.
Torpor: When a vampire cannot heal his wounds, he enters into a deep sleep known as torpor. A vampire in torpor is particularly weak and vulnerable to attacks from others of his kind. A vampire in torpor may be killed (burned) by a ready vampire through the act of diablerie.
What this means in game terms is this: A vampire in torpor is still considered controlled but is not ready. He still untaps at the start of the untap phase as usual. Vampires in torpor are placed in an area to one side of the uncontrolled region, called the torpor region. A vampire in torpor can take no action except the "leave torpor" action and cannot block or play reaction cards. He can play action modifiers during his actions.
Leaving Torpor, Rescuing a vampire from Torpor, and Diablerizing a vampire in Torpor: If a vampire is wounded enough, it goes into a deep slumber akin to the coma’s mortals sometimes enter into. This deep slumber is called torpor, and for all intents and purposes, the torpored vampire can no longer interact with the world until it leaves this torpored state. Aside from just being hurt enough, a certain kind of damage called “aggravated damage” can send a vampire to torpor. Aggravated damage can be either fire, sunlight, or magical damage. If a vampire enters into torpor they become particularly vulnerable to an attack called diablerization which will destroy the torpored vampire permanently. To avoid diablerization, it is in the vampire’s best interest to leave the torpor state as soon as possible. To leave torpor, the vampire in torpor can either (through dent of will and expending blood in his system[if he has any]) bring himself out of torpor, or another vampire (one not in torpor) can go to the torpored vampire and help him leave his torpored state. If a vampire is not quick enough to leave torpor, diablerie quickly starts to loom as a possible fate. Diablerie is the act where a vampire consumes all the blood out of a torpored vampire, and then continues draining the vampire and consuming its soul. If a vampire diablerizes an older and more powerful vampire, then he also not only gains the blood he drained, but also grows in power and becomes stronger.
What this means in game terms is this: an untapped vampire in torpor can tap itself, spend 2 of its blood (if it has it), and leave torpor. A vampire (not in torpor) can tap to bring a vampire out of torpor, the cost being 2 blood paid by: the acting vampire, or the vampire coming out of torpor, or shared between both vampires (this method of bringing a vampire out of torpor does not tap the vampire coming out of torpor). Also a vampire can diablerize a vampire in torpor. To diablerize, a player taps the vampire they want to commit the diablerization, the player then states the target of the diablerization act, and if the act is successful then the victim of the diablerie act is burned (removed from play), any blood on the victim is transferred to the diablerist, and if the victim was older than the diablerist, than the controller (player) of the daiblerist may search their library, ash heap, and hand for a discipline card and place it on the diablirist. (A discipline card is a special card that allows a vampire to augment their super powers as well as allow them to hold more blood)
Bloodhunt: Because diablerization makes younger vampires more powerful when they diablerize older vampires, there is a very large incentive for younger vampires to rise up and diablerize older vampires (who are also the ones in charge more often than not). In response to this great temptation for the younger vampires to destroy the older vampires, there was a rule set in place called the “blood hunt”. A blood hunt says that whenever a vampire diablerizes another vampire, that the diablerist will be known by all for what they have down and everyone is given free rein to hunt him down and kill him. But in the vampire community the internecine wars and the backroom dealings don’t make any rule an absolute, and because of this, when an act of diablerie occurs a “blood hunt” is not automatic but instead comes before the vampire community as a referendum, and a vote must be held first on whether or not to destroy the diablerist.
What this means in game terms is this: after a diablerie happens, a bloodhunt referendum is automatically called. If the bloodhunt referendum passes, than the diablerist is destroyed permanently. This is not an action performed by any one vampire, and as such it cannot be blocked. This referendum also does not have the innate vote that political action cards have built into them, which means that when this referendum commences, it starts at 0 votes for it.
Influence: Methuselahs live under the cover of shadow, their plans and machinations orchestrated by unknowing minions. To manipulate ignorant vampires to do their work, Methuselahs must use some of their power and influence to first subtly coerce chosen vampires to become their oblivious thralls. In this respect, Methuselahs slowly, over time, transfer their hidden influence they’ve gathered over the vampire community and bring it bare more directly on vampires for which they want direct control over. This more direct control takes time (days if not longer), patience, and resources (the vampire’s friends, media, mind control). The end result of this process is a minion who may be ignorant of the Methuselah’s existence but with an unwavering willingness to complete the tasks assigned even if that means the vampire’s destruction. Sometimes, though, as the war between Methuselahs becomes more intense it is not uncommon for a Methuselah that is in the middle of influencing a vampire to stop and transfer their resources to other purposes that may be more important at that moment. And sometimes the vampires that are available to a Methuselah to control aren’t what that Methuselah needs, so the Methuselah transfers some of their resources and influence towards finding a new vampire in hopes of discovering a more fitting puppet for their ends.
What this means in game terms is this: once during each player’s turn there is a phase in the game called the “Influence Phase” where the player receives 4 opportunities to “transfer” their power and resources (pool) around to garner some sort of benefit for themselves (I.E. players receive 4 “transfers” per turn, only usable during their “Influence Phase”). The different ways that a Methuselah can “transfer” their pool are as follows:
- A player can use 1 “transfer” to move 1 counter from their “pool” to an uncontrolled vampire
- When an uncontrolled vampire has counters on it equal to its capacity (generation [I.E. its age]) it is then considered controlled by the player and comes into play
Master: While Methuselahs mainly use unknowing vampires to complete their objectives, that doesn’t mean that they don’t exert their power in other more direct ways. Methuselahs are Masters of more than just vampires after all, and their power extends across the globe in countless different fashions. Sometimes a Methuselah may use their power to subtly take control of a heavy traffic airport to allow the vampires they control easier access and ability to do damage towards an opposing Methuselah. Sometimes a Methuselah may use its resources to burden a vampire’s mind that is controlled by an opposing Methuselah, causing difficulty for that vampire to react properly. Although it is more complicated for a Methuselah to exert their will more directly like this, they often do and when they do it can sometimes create a great shift in power among the Methuselahs struggling against each other for supremacy.
What this means in game terms is this: once during each player’s turn there is a phase in the game called the “Master Phase”. During the “Master Phase” a player can play 1 “Master” card. A “Master” card is a card that is played solely by the player, representing the Methuselah exerting their will, although some “Master” cards have to have certain requirements to be played (like a certain vampire or card already in play). A Player can only play 1 “Master” card per turn.
Summary: You’re objective is to get the most Victory Points by the end of the game. To get VP’s, you try to cause the player to your left (your prey) to lose all their pool which earns you 1 VP and six pool, and you can also be the last person standing, which earns you 1 VP. You cause your prey (person to your left) to lose pool by spending your own pool to gain control over vampires (which is a kind of minion) and then having those vampires do bleed actions against your prey, which cause 1 point of pool loss per bleed action. Vampires you take control of are divided into different families called clans. The individual vampires themselves have supernatural powers called Disciplines. Disciplines represent super powers like super speed (a discipline called “Celerity”) or mind control (called discipline called “Dominate”) which vampires use. Some vampires have inferior knowledge about the disciplines they possess, some have superior knowledge. Besides vampires, you can also take control of other minions, like humans and animals. These minions can also do actions similar to vampires, but not exactly and not as powerful. You and your prey have the option to have untapped vampires (as well as other minions) react to actions, like bleed actions, and have them block. An acting vampire may perform their “action” with the use of stealth, at which point a blocking vampire needs intercept equal to or greater than the acting vampire’s stealth to catch them and block them. Vampires can do an action called a “hunt” action, where they tap and gain 1 blood. Vampires (as well as other minions) can do an action called an “equip” action where they tap to get a piece of equipment (the cost usually paid from the player’s pool) which is placed under the vampire card. A vampire can take an action to get a “retainer” which is placed under a vampire card. Vampires can also perform actions to quire allies, which come into play and act like vampires (the can perform actions and reactions as well as other things). Vampires also can perform political actions where a referendum card is played by tapping a vampire and laying the card down and explaining to all the players what the card is and what its terms are. The players then declare how each vampire with a title votes in regards to the referendum. If a vampire’s “action” is blocked, then combat ensues. In combat, vampires determine range, choose strikes, and check to see if there is a press for another round of combat. If a vampire is damaged in combat, it must expend blood to heal the damage. If a vampire cannot heal its damage, it becomes “wounded” and is sent to torpor. A vampire cannot heal aggravated damage, so any aggravated damage done to a vampire wounds that vampire. If a vampire is already wounded and then it takes aggravated damage, it must expend blood so as not to burn, if it fails to expend that blood, it burns. If a vampire is sent into torpor, it can take no action except the "leave torpor" action. Another vampire not in torpor can do an action to bring a vampire in torpor out of torpor. A vampire in torpor can be diablerized (permanently destroyed). If a vampire commits diablerie, a bloodhunt referendum is automatically called. If the bloodhunt referendum is successful, then the diablerist is burned (permanently destroyed). During a players influence phase they receive 4 transfers. A player can: use 1 transfer to move a pool to an uncontrolled vampire, use 2 transfers to move 1 blood from an uncontrolled vampire into the player’s pool, use 4 transfers and sacrifice 1 pool to move a vampire from the player’s vampire deck into the uncontrolled region. A player can also, during their master phase, play 1 master card.
Last edit: 30 Jul 2012 14:00 by gymim.
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30 Jul 2012 14:02 #33962
by gymim
Replied by gymim on topic Re: VTES primer i've been working for new players
Did some adjustments: touched up wording, did formatting changes for clarification, added "conceptual overview" at the beginning and also "summary" at the end.
Hopefully it should be clearer now.
Hopefully it should be clearer now.
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31 Jul 2012 06:26 #33989
by Joscha
Baron of Frankfurt
Replied by Joscha on topic Re: VTES primer i've been working for new players
I like your concept of explaning the rules with the help of the very interesting (RPG-) background. I very much think it helps to understand the game.
I recommend not to explain all features right at the beginning. So the concepts of recruiting an ally or or employing a retainter are secondary IMHO and could be explained when need arises. The same goes with equipment. I made the experience, that people asks "What kind of card is this?" when they draw sth. like equipment and can't match the symbols on the left side with the symbols they leaned before (action, reaction, action mod and combat). That is the right moment to tell them about. I think if you tell new players all possibilities of the game you confuse them easily (as you already mentioned).
Good work!
I recommend not to explain all features right at the beginning. So the concepts of recruiting an ally or or employing a retainter are secondary IMHO and could be explained when need arises. The same goes with equipment. I made the experience, that people asks "What kind of card is this?" when they draw sth. like equipment and can't match the symbols on the left side with the symbols they leaned before (action, reaction, action mod and combat). That is the right moment to tell them about. I think if you tell new players all possibilities of the game you confuse them easily (as you already mentioned).
Good work!
Baron of Frankfurt
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31 Aug 2012 11:32 #35688
by LunaSlave
Replied by LunaSlave on topic Re: VTES primer i've been working for new players
this sorta reminds me of something I once put together - although mine was entirely thematic, and confined to a single page to try to generate interest.
www.thelasombra.com/JayGannon-VTES-background-handout.pdf
www.thelasombra.com/JayGannon-VTES-background-handout.pdf
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