Vlad Tepes Anarch Secession

1. Can Vlad Tepes, as-is (untitled Independent), play Anarch Secession? If no, why not?
2. If yes to 1, is he considered to be spoofing a specific title when he Secedes, or a non-specific title?
3. If it’s a specific title, can he choose the title he spoofs? For instance, can he play Anarch Secession spoofing the Prince of Seattle to become the Baron of Seattle?

Thanks Much!
-Bill Troxel

Vlad Tepes
[aus][ANI][DOM][PRO][THA][VIC]
[Tzimisce] Tzimisce
Capacity: 10
Group: 3
Independent: Vlad can play and use cards requiring a title or a sect as if he had that title or were of that sect. +1 bleed.

Anarch Secession
[Action] Action
+1 stealth action. Requires a ready, non-anarch, titled vampire.
Put an anarch counter on this acting vampire. This vampire becomes anarch (and Independent). If he or she had a city title, put this card on him or her as a title card to represent the title of baron of the same city. Minions without titles cannot block this action. Burn the anarch counter if this vampire changes sects.

Followup: If Vlad plays a Fee Stake while he is not an anarch, does he become anarch as a result of becoming a Baron? If not, does he get to keep and use the Baron title whilst not being anarch (as-an-anarch)?

Fee Stake: Perth
[Action] Action
Requires a ready anarch with capacity above 4. +1 stealth action. Title.
Put this card on the acting anarch to represent the unique anarch title of Baron of Perth. This may lead to a contested title. Any vampire can call a referendum to burn this card as a +1 stealth political action. In that referendum, non-anarch titles are worth 1 fewer votes.

Killiam wrote:

1. Can Vlad Tepes, as-is (untitled Independent), play Anarch Secession? If no, why not?

Yes.

Killiam wrote:

2. If yes to 1, is he considered to be spoofing a specific title when he Secedes, or a non-specific title?

Yes, you pick.

Killiam wrote:

3. If it’s a specific title, can he choose the title he spoofs? For instance, can he play Anarch Secession spoofing the Prince of Seattle to become the Baron of Seattle?

Yes. He can spoof any city as a Prince or Archbishop even one not used in the game, such as Denver. If he does, he will become the Baron of <city> for the purposes of interacting with Anarch Secession for the remainder of the game.

Followup: If Vlad plays a Fee Stake while he is not an anarch, does he become anarch as a result of becoming a Baron? If not, does he get to keep and use the Baron title whilst not being anarch (as-an-anarch)?

No, he does not become Anarch. He can still use the Baron title because of his special text "use" ability.

I thought of another followup — let’s get weird with this.

If Vlad has a Fee Stake, is he always considered to be a titled vampire, or only when he is ‘using’ the Fee Stake ‘as’ an anarch per his special?

If he is only considered titled some of the time, I have the following questions:
- If the Baron would be a contested title, can he choose not to be the Baron during his own untap phase, but to be the Baron during the other contesting Methuselah’s untap? Could he avoid the contestation cost this way, while forcing the other vampire to pay it?
- Is Vlad free to get a different title while he has the Fee Stake (but is not using it) without losing the Fee Stake? Could he stack up multiple Fee Stakes? Could he stack up a Fee Stake, a Praxis Seizure AND a Crusade? Could he somehow use all of those votes during the same referendum?

(I'm thinking through the implications of being able to 'use' a title card to get the right sect for it, on a semi-permanent basis. It's an interesting angle that I don't think was fully explored when he first came out.)

Killiam wrote:

If Vlad has a Fee Stake, is he always considered to be a titled vampire, or only when he is ‘using’ the Fee Stake ‘as’ an anarch per his special?

If you're the wrong sect for a title, the title goes inert - you still have it, but it doesn't have any game relevance except for: a) contesting the title (you immediately yield instead) or b) receiving a new title (you lose the old one, even if it's inert).

Killiam wrote:

- If the Baron would be a contested title, can he choose not to be the Baron during his own untap phase,

If he's not of the appropriate sect, the title goes inert and he yields it.

Killiam wrote:

- Is Vlad free to get a different title while he has the Fee Stake (but is not using it) without losing the Fee Stake?

No. Even if he's not using the card (with his special), the title is still on him (but inert) and is yielded when he gets a new title.

See also: a vampire with a Praxis Seizure goes Sabbat somehow, then successfully gets a Crusade. The Praxis Seizure goes away.

Killiam wrote:

Could he stack up multiple Fee Stakes? Could he stack up a Fee Stake, a Praxis Seizure AND a Crusade? Could he somehow use all of those votes during the same referendum?

No.

Does he count as untitled while the title is inert? If you are targeted by Eat the Rich, do you lose 1 pool or 4?