What would you like to see in a new expansion?

The idea of city based cards is brilliant! But we have to make sure that we don't make blood brothers obsolete.

My Ideas for the next expansion :
I agree with most of precedent posts so I will be more specific.

lasombras :
Nowadays we just have 2 lasombras gr5, both black hand, but much less effective than the combo banjoko+lavenant. think about it : 6 pool more, for just +1 stealth on the seraph, and a de-tap and the end of the turn... I prefer to have 1 or 2 little vamps more for this price.
I think we need 4 lasombra gr6 plus 1 black hand with a strong power ( maybe a "theo bell" against minions with a hand contract? or with a detap if you controll a seraph?) I see a 5 or 6 cap vamp like dr julius stuphen with POT obt dom and this power.

We have gr2 lasombras who vote, and are fat guys. Gr 4 is mid-cap based, effective in bleed. We can make a balanced crypt strong in fight, with allies or in magic ( descent into drakness is really hard to use, and it is a shame). I mean, tzimisce have meshenka, ! tremere have uta kovacs, kyassid have omme, and assamite have countless vamps who have an integrated path of " clan discipline". I think a grp 6 lasombra star ( 7-8cap), with obte cost 1 less blood and fortitude can be very interesting to create a new way to play this noble clan.

Tzimisce and !gangrels need a boost to oust their preys. I think about a clan based master
or action with high blood cost ( 2 ou 3) : your prey burns x pool where x is the number of vamps in torpor he or she controls can be one of the solutions to make a viable combat deck based on tzimisce ( with intercept), and !gangrel ( with rushs).

Another card only playable once each game could be : choose a vampire in torpor, the controller looses half of his capacity round up( max 7 pool for a inner circle but we all know that inner circles are villeined to 3 or 4 blood). Violent, but there are clans who need that card.

Ok my ideas or cards may be crappy but I have a suggestion to make for the next expansion.
We will certainly have a pdf format with a few cards, and the problem on the infinite number of prints can be simply solved.
Why all the cards could not be or unique ( such as vampires, masters, locations, equipments, allies, retainers), or playable just once a game ( all other type of cards)?
The maximum of these type of cards is 3 or 4 copies per deck, so what is the matter if a huge number of copies exists? And the idea of city based cards is totally possible with that option.

aria wrote:

I mean, tzimisce have meshenka, ! tremere have uta kovacs, kyassid have omme, and assamite have countless vamps who have an integrated path of " clan discipline". I think a grp 6 lasombra star ( 7-8cap), with obte cost 1 less blood and fortitude can be very interesting to create a new way to play this noble clan.

Unfortunately, the strength of Nocturn decks makes this less likely to happen (though certainly not impossible). You already have the Path of Night. Between the Path of Night and the suggested guy with more Obtenebration reduction, that's a lot of free Nocturns every turn (and free Entombment to boot).

Tzimisce and !gangrels need a boost to oust their preys. I think about a clan based master
or action with high blood cost ( 2 ou 3) : your prey burns x pool where x is the number of vamps in torpor he or she controls can be one of the solutions to make a viable combat deck based on tzimisce ( with intercept), and !gangrel ( with rushs).

!Gangrel, yes. But Tzimisce? They're one of the most competitive clans out there.

They can bleed reasonably well with Fiendish Tongue + Changeling, with some minor stealth. If you want they can also go the Pulse route. Or Living Manse, plus + bleed retainers.

You can play intercept wall with Smiling Jack. Or combat with Fame and Dragonbound. In combat, they have easy access to aggravated damage (both close and long range), S:CE, and a bunch of other useful effects (stacking Horrid Forms, along with maybe Kraken's Kiss, or Starvation of Marena, or basic Carrion Crows + Aid from Bats).

Sorry, but I don't see where the Tzimisce are really hurting. (It's true that their Group 4 is significantly "different" than Group 2 and isn't the traditional intercept/combat that many Tzimisce players seem used to, but I don't think they're necessarily bad either. Just different).

!Gangrel, yes. But Tzimisce? They're one of the most competitive clans out there.

They can bleed reasonably well with Fiendish Tongue + Changeling, with some minor stealth. If you want they can also go the Pulse route. Or Living Manse, plus + bleed retainers.

Wait, what?

Since when are Tzim's one of the most competitive clans out there? They have a whole 5 TWDA entries in 2011 and 6 in 2010. That puts them on par with Daughters of Cacaphony and below Ishtarri. I don't think a lot of people would argue those are "one of the most competitive clans". (**)

Ironically they come with two of the better discipline in the game, ANI and AUS. To top it off VIC isn't too shabby in itself either and I hear War Ghouls are pretty good too. Their main -and probably only- problem is that their crypt is just, well... horrible. Some would argue Group 2 is decent, but if it's even decent, it's not more than that. Group 2 is mostly filled with crypt mismatches, vampires that are too expensive for what they do and then there's Corine and Caliban. Group 3 has a playable crypt card in Kazmir, but mostly continues the theme of the complete lack of in-clan superiors on anything smaller than 8.

Then of course there is G4, which is so mindblowingly awful that trying to even create a deck with it will leave you pulling out your hair in frustration.

Another factor is probably that animalism doesn't really add anything to VIC/AUS nor does Auspex add a lot to VIC/ANI (other than bounce, or for the slang impaired "cards that change the target of a bleed"). Tzims basically come with 2 disciplines, neither of which is actually good at ousting.

It's true that their Group 4 is significantly "different" than Group 2 and isn't the traditional intercept/combat that many Tzimisce players seem used to, but I don't think they're necessarily bad either. Just different).

I hope you're using "different" here as a replacement for "godawful".

(**) Yes, I'm aware that using the TWDA as a measure for competitiveness is not 100% accurate.

Thank you Izaak, to have searched this statistic about TWDA.

Seriouslly, tzimisce have 2 "competitive" decks : trap horrid and war ghoul ( speed and piper). They lack of pool, blood, defense, vote and make hardly more than 1GW5 in a tournament. An you name that "one of the most competitive clan"?
They have 2 new cards I did not played with tzim and seem interesting : mind of the wild to stealth rushs and cancel combat ends, in combination with dabbled because it is easy to use 3 disciplines with a walish ( read the winds+breath^^) or combat ish( mind otw+breath) tzim.
But nothing to oust your prey!

And seriously +2 bleed in 2 cards... Think about it : dominate has 2 ways to do +3 bleed in 1 card!! Even anarchs can do better with no discipline : +3 bleed in 1 card!

About the "entombment is too strong" or " there will be to much nocturns". If you make a 7-cap vamp without superior dominate nor myt, there is no chance this gr6 vamp will be a threat for the actual nocturn deck.
Now, try to make a good combat deck with lasombras... Crypts are awful :vampires with fortitude to prevent and multi act don't have superior potence to strike hard. The crypt with animalism is nice : 4 guys with pot obt dom ani, and nice balance between superior disciplines. But they can't prevent nor multi act and they cost 9+8+6+4=27 pool!
Every combat card in OBT cost 1 or more. And you have no way to defend your path. So the unique solution is marcus vittel path+drink the blood, multi rush... And it is a crappy deck.
This clan needs a fighter crypt and I think a guy with an integrated path of obt, will not be used to make nocturns. He may just have POT OBT for, no dominate integrated path and capa 6. It will be fine.

Izaak wrote:

Wait, what?

Since when are Tzim's one of the most competitive clans out there? They have a whole 5 TWDA entries in 2011 and 6 in 2010. That puts them on par with Daughters of Cacaphony and below Ishtarri. I don't think a lot of people would argue those are "one of the most competitive clans". (**)

So you think the Tzimisce are a "worse clan" than the Baali, and the Guruhi, and the Ahrimanes? Because based on your metric, that's what the TWDA says.

(**) Yes, I'm aware that using the TWDA as a measure for competitiveness is not 100% accurate.

I'm glad that you can admit it's not 100% accurate.

I'd go further and say it isn't very helpful or accurate at all (not even moderately accurate).

Tzimisce intercept/combat is a consistent (and quite safe) choice when it comes to qualifiers and larger events. So yes, I think they're quite competitive. It's a different question whether or not they consistently *win* the whole tournament.

Ironically they come with two of the better discipline in the game, ANI and AUS. To top it off VIC isn't too shabby in itself either and I hear War Ghouls are pretty good too. Their main -and probably only- problem is that their crypt is just, well... horrible. Some would argue Group 2 is decent, but if it's even decent, it's not more than that. Group 2 is mostly filled with crypt mismatches, vampires that are too expensive for what they do and then there's Corine and Caliban. Group 3 has a playable crypt card in Kazmir, but mostly continues the theme of the complete lack of in-clan superiors on anything smaller than 8.

In Group 2, Lolita Houston + Devin Bisley + Caliban + Corine Marcon is an extremely strong and efficient crypt. I think a lot of clans would love a comparable lineup. Dragos and Meshenka are a bit pricier, but come with very strong and useful specials.

Then of course there is G4, which is so mindblowingly awful that trying to even create a deck with it will leave you pulling out your hair in frustration.

Sure, they're hard to play, but it offers different options. Grouping is kind of pointless if it's just the same old vampires but with a new name. There's more of a focus on out-of-clan disciplines in Group 4 (like , , a splash of and and ).

Duality's really strong. Lady Zara and Rustovitch can be brutal in many combat decks. Jane and Yuri are pretty good. And there's lots you can do with Sha-Ennu.

Another factor is probably that animalism doesn't really add anything to VIC/AUS

Cat's Guidance often makes it into intercept combat decks. Or Raven Spies (cheaper than Sport Bikes and stackable). Or Read the Winds.

Carrion Crows is great for burning vampires when combined with agg.

nor does Auspex add a lot to VIC/ANI (other than bounce, or for the slang impaired "cards that change the target of a bleed").

Besides Telepathic Misdirection, Auspex also gives you access to Read the Winds and Eyes of Argus, which let you minimize the cards you need for defense.

For the combat inclined, Telepathic Tracking counters S:CE and keeps your Carrion Crows and Horrid Forms active longer.

Tzims basically come with 2 disciplines, neither of which is actually good at ousting.

I definitely disagree. In fact, I think the Tzimisce are one of the easiest clans to integrate all three of their disciplines.

If you want to talk about underused or wasted clan disciplines, you have:

Giovanni
Lasombra
Toreador/!Toreador (many Toreador decks just ignore the Celerity)
Gargoyle (except for Freak Drive, most of the damage prevention from Fortitude is actually done better with Visceratika)
Harbingers and Nagaraja don't get too much from their (while helps the Giovanni tremendously)
!Gangrel and Samedi have their own discipline issues
Lots of True Brujah decks largely ignore their and and are closer akin to mono-Temporis decks (though that mainly says something about the power level of Temporis)

1. THEME FOR EXPANSION?

I believe something that would balance more the game. A new small expansion for the imbueds, to repair the lack on their mechanics, or a good sabbath expansion.

2. NEW GAME MECHANICS?

We need new mechanics to those on the crypt who are not vampires. New sysetm to balance them and take out the "target" from their heads.

3. NEW CARDS?

It would be nice to see ideas as a path of humanity, and others to balance.