New round structure - OPTION A - we'd like your feedback!

Ankha wrote:

4. Press step
    4.a Start
    4.b Press ( = During the press step)
    4.c End

Should superior Drawing out the Beast be errated to resolve in 4.a rather than 4b? That would follow the general guidelines of resolving mandatory effects first.

Drawing Out the Beast
Combat
Animalism
[...]
As above, and the opposing vampire takes 1 unpreventable damage during the press step each round.

Non-existant user wrote:

As above, and the opposing vampire takes 1 unpreventable damage during the press step each round.

Would that then be:

As above, and the opposing vampire takes 1 unpreventable damage at the start of the press step each round.

?

Basically, the proposed system is what our playgroup is de facto already using, just with other labels for the "new" steps.
So yes, I do agree to this proposal.

Like some other players here noted: We should not use "start" in the rules, and then "beginning" on cards; there needs to be one wording only.

brandonsantacruz wrote:

For the sake of new players I would argue the opposite. If they are getting cards from Black Chantry they should have the clearest, most modern wording possible. The game has morphed through a series of erratas and the addition of new, implicit, timing windows to the point where it is hard to follow and, dare I say, annoying at times.

If we don't update the rules and card rulings, then the game is basically just catering to the existing (dwindling) player base. Catering to current (legacy?) players is ok, but we know what direction the player base has been headed with that strategy. I don't envision some mass exodus of VTES players based on their Torn Signposts doing the same exact thing that they used to, but where some cards say it differently.

But I'm not arguing for not updating the rules. I'm arguing for updating the rules to codify the steps of combat, but not inventing new terminology where it isn't required.

If the rulebook says: "Here are the steps of combat. They go in the following order: a).... b)...", then there is nothing inherently better about calling a step "Start of maneuvers" vs "Before range is determined", or even just "play before range" or something if you prefer to make it shorter. If you spell out what the steps are and in which order they go, it's completely unambiguous as to when it happens - and new players will have to learn both sets of terminology unless Black Chantry proposes banning old cards.

"Start of maneuvers" (or whatever) would only be 'the most modern wording possible' because a change had been made. The point is whether that change is actually necessary.