VTES Philosophy

Haze wrote:

when I started out, I loved reading players' approaches to strategy, whether it's table diplomacy or deck building. I guess it still interests me. I want VTES philosophy. people play the game differently, but they don't always talk about why.

and I don't mean none of that timmy-johnny-spikey-dickie whatever crap invented by a market analyst. I'm more interested in the common sense players have built up over the years. what bizarre table situations have they been in, and how did they react to it? what cards do players always/never want to use, and why?

maybe not everyone would be into this as they don't want to give away all their psychological secrets just yet.

I've come up with some maxims over my time playing:

Don't play a deck that just tools up and/or wastes time. Your time and the other players' time is worth more than that. Have the respect to make an honest effort to survive and oust your prey (unless that game doesn't call for it).

Try to make the game fun. Don't annihilate players just because, don't lock down the table unless it makes you win. People want to play their game. Let them, as long as it won't harm you that much.

Deals are conditional. You are at the table to win, so do what it takes. If another player puts you in a situation where they have screwed you over, what is your allegiance to them worth? Not much.

Don't give up. Many players throw in the towel too early. If you defend yourself and time things right, you may get that VP in front of you, maybe even more.

Anyway, that's a few that I may owe to other players in the first place.

Play the game, play your table, never assume yoir deck has lost you a game.

You cant win if you are ousted, so dont get oisted(without some vps, atleast)

Making everyone truly convinced you cant do amything else at all to the game is 7000% better than makimg everyone, or even most of the table, believe you have a sweep underway at all times.
Similar but opposite, always make it assued you can and will reck anything in combat, even if you hand is 3 blood dolls, a taste of vitae, a get out of jail free card, smiling jack and a green 3 from uno. Everyone looking to bleed without stealth, or block, or rush must think its all grapples, pursuits, etc. But that you can only figjt, not bounce or bleed.

Im not saying bluffing is everything, but playing the table is at least as important as playing your deck.

And, to reiterate, dont get ousted unless you got at least a vp and can by dumb luck get the table anyway.

brandonsantacruz wrote:

Don't play a deck that just tools up and/or wastes time.

This is all Dennis Lein does! Well, that, AND scoop up Game Wins regularly!

TorranceCircle wrote:

brandonsantacruz wrote:

Don't play a deck that just tools up and/or wastes time.

This is all Dennis Lein does! Well, that, AND scoop up Game Wins regularly!

For all of his tooling up, Dennis doesn't waste other players time in doing it. Whether it makes him win, well that depends.

1) VTES is a little Rock-Scissors-Paper... You might bring paper, someone else brings scissors. It happens. You could try make your deck into a Swiss-army-knife but it won't win anything because it has too many answers to too many problems that aren't in your game.

2) Combat is a means to an end. The end being ousting your prey. If you've cleared the path with combat, that's when you start the bleeding and ousting.

3) Smashing players out of the game early does two things: it pisses people off (even a harshly competitive game is supposed to have some fun/enjoyment in it) and it gives another player a 'free-ride' to go forwards. Neither is a great plan.

brandonsantacruz wrote:

TorranceCircle wrote:

brandonsantacruz wrote:

Don't play a deck that just tools up and/or wastes time.

This is all Dennis Lein does! Well, that, AND scoop up Game Wins regularly!

For all of his tooling up, Dennis doesn't waste other players time in doing it.

No, he only refuses to play the game anymore *after* his trick is defeated.