Rules update suggestion: Pre-Range into Preparation Step

Rules revamp: Pre-Range into Preparation Step

We all know of the clause: "Play before range is determined".

It is so well known and widely used templating in cards that it's always asked in combat sequencing. "Do you have any pre-range?" However, "pre-range" is not something that the rulebook acknowledges, and it's strictly a card text driven mechanic.

The rulebook only acknowledge three steps in a combat:

1. Determine Range
2. Strikes
3. Press

Of course there is the added 'note' of effects played before range, but for demoing, learning the ropes, and streamlining the card texts and rulebook, I'd suggest the following:

Add another step into combat (as it effectively exists already):

1. Preparation
2. Determine Range
3. Strikes
4. Press

Change all card text from "Play before range is determined" into "Play in Preparation" or "Prepare.", or anything similar.

Tapping was already widely changed into Locking, so we're beyond the time when we couldn't make vast changes to wording.

Is this change definitely needed? Probably not, but it does make the whole 'read rules, then read cards, then learn the game' process a bit easier. I can see no fault in this change.

This has probably been suggested before, but I can't be bothered to search for those exact threads. Also, I think it's a pretty important change.

Examples:

Name: Carrion Crows
[Sabbat:C, SW:C/PT2, CE:PN2, Anarchs:PG2, BH:PN3, LoB:PA2, Third:C, LotN:PR3, KoT:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Animalism
Preparation.
[ani] The opposing minion takes 1R damage each round of combat during strike resolution. A vampire can play only one Carrion Crows each combat.
[ANI] As above, but for 2R damage.
Artist: Michael Dixon; Richard Thomas


Name: Elysium: The Arboretum
[Jyhad:U, VTES:U, CE:U/PM, KoT:U/PM]
Cardtype: Master
Master: unique location.
Only usable when a Camarilla vampire you control is in combat with another Camarilla vampire. You may lock this card in [the] preparation [step] to end combat. Any Camarilla vampire can call a referendum to burn this card as a +1 stealth political action.
Artist: Brian LeBlanc; Margaret Organ-Kean


Name: Outside the Hourglass
[HttB:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Temporis/Obfuscate
[obf] Strike: dodge.
[tem] Maneuver, or strike: dodge, with an optional maneuver.
[TEM] Preparation. Inflict 2 damage on the opposing minion [in the Preparation step]. A vampire can play only one Outside the Hourglass at superior each round.
Artist: Jim DiBartolo

this would also make it easier to decode the interaction between Pack Alpha and Weather Control, that is, If WC were changed to be played in the Prep step, and do its damage in Range step.

I would rather call it the beginning of the round to avoid adding a new keyword.

1. Start of round/Preparation (before range is determined)
2. Determine Range
2.5 Before strikes/After range is determined
3. Strikes
3.5 After strikes/Before press
4. Press
4.5. End of round
5 End of combat
6 After end of combat
7? After after end of combat

Ankha wrote:

The addition of a new step is being considered, so feel free to write down any idea you may have to make the game easier to understand and to learn.

If the rulebook needs to be made clearer, it would be massively preferable to just have a "before range" step spelled out in 6.4.1, rather than renaming it. There are thousands upon thousands of cards out there that say that, and if the aim is to streamline it for new players, them having to learn about the "preparation step" and what "before range is determined" means because they will see it on cards played by other players all the time - well, that's a whole lot less streamlined and more for them to learn.