Equipment for Kuei-Jin

Ohlmann wrote:

Then again, they are wrong, and Kyoko Shinsegawa is a typical example of vampires inhabiting Japan. Kuei Jin a&re chinese, and a significant part of them are indian IIRC, but they are not japanese.

Huh? The Kindred of the East sourcebook makes references to Japanese keui-jin, Tokyo business, Indochinese pirates, Viet Cong and Khmer Rouge guerillas.

The book further states: 'Following World War II, however, Asian vampires permuted the word to "Kuei-jin". By grafting a Japanese suffix to a Chinese word, the Kuei-jin hope to foster the illusion of unity between the Middle Kingdom's two most powerful clusters of vampires."

So the Japanese are one of the two most powerful clusters of Kuei-jin!

The martial arts mastered by (some) Kuei-jin include karate and aikido.

Japanese courts (uji) are based on the "aristocratic families of old Japan". The bishasmon are a "traditionalist society, concerned with Dharmic redemption through the protection of Japan's customs and Chi." Genji are a "wild and loose uji, heavily involved in Japan's modern coporate culture."

One of the artefacts listed (the Star Shower Blade) is specifically from Japanese Kuei-jin tales.


White Wolf seem pretty clear that Kuei-jin can be Japanese, with Japanese background, Japanese training, Japanese cultural association and Japanese religions. It doesn't seem impossible for them to use some Japan-themed items, as a result.

So, now that we have determined that Kuei-Jin can be also Japanese, what do we think about the cards themselves? Overcosted, too powerful, etc.?

glaswanderer wrote:

Kabuto of Death
Cost: 3 pool
Unique equipment.
The Kuei-Jin with this equipment gets +1 bleed and +1 intercept.

Hard to evaluate in isolation. It's somewhat similar to Enchanted Marionette (3 pool, +1 bleed, +1 stealth, !Malk) or Kduva's Mask (2 pool, Laibon, +1 bleed, 2 votes, reaction cards for Auspex are more expensive when acting).

In isolation, 3 pool feels a shade on the expensive side. But it would depend quite a lot on what Kuei-jin did in V:TES. Perhaps they don't have good access to intercept (for some reason), and so being more expensive isn't so bad. They presumably pretty much have to be able to bleed semi-reasonably, in order to fit in with the rest of the game.

glaswanderer wrote:

Armor of the Sengoku
Cost: 2 pool
Unique equipment.
The minion with this equipment may prevent 1 damage from an opposing minion's strike each round. If this bearer is a Kuei-Jin, once each combat, he or she may burn a blood to gain a press, only usable to continue combat.

It seems a bit... unexciting. But it seems okay in isolation. Will Kuei-jin vampires have any reason to go to the second round? Will they be able to thwart S:CE (perhaps by playing Telepathic Tracking or a similar card)? Pressing to continue isn't typically that useful, unless you see a lot of dodges or similar. But there looks to be potential.

glaswanderer wrote:

Daisho of the Geisha
Cost: 1 pool
Unique melee weapon.
Strike: strength+1 damage. If this minion is Kuei-Jin, he or she may turn this weapon face down (out of play) until your next untap phase, to end combat as a strike.

Kama
Cost: 1 pool
Melee weapon. Cold iron.
You may put a second Kama from your hand or ash heap on this minion when you equip this Kama from your hand. Strike: strength+1 damage. Burn this weapon if any damage from it is prevented. If bearer has another Kama, he or she gets an optional additional strike, only usable to strike with that Kama.

Naginata
Cost: 2 pool
Melee weapon.
Strength+1 damage each strike only usable once each combat. For each level of Potence this minion has, this weapon does an additional +1 damage.

All three melee weapons leave me in a slightly awkward position. What I'd personally love is for one or two really good melee weapon enhancements to be added to the game, somehow. Maybe a master, maybe a couple of combat cards to work with them, maybe a rush action that works well with them, maybe something else. And at that point, it'd try to make some or all of the existing melee weapons work a lot better. So there's always a slightly difficult "Is this melee weapon playable now?" vs "What happens if the game makes 'melee weapon' as a class better?" because it could push good cards over the top. (Bundi, which seems to be one attempt to avoid this, is kind of okay since if new tech were to make melee weapons equivalently powerful to hand strikes, Bundi's already there, it'd just have a new option.) That said...


Naginata is potentially interesting. However, one of the powers of Potence in combat is Immortal Grapple, and we're in the awkward state where you really need that for S:CE. Also, a vampire with [pot] is dealing 3 damage with a weapon once per combat for 2 pool - which they can already do with Sawed-Off Shotgun, and no-one uses that. So you really need either POT, or to be playing extra tech (e.g. Torn Signpost) to make it worthwhile when you've already used an action and 2 pool (or possibly a Concealed Weapon). And you probably aren't playing Celerity (for the additional strikes) which makes this somewhat more restricted to other potence users. The Giovanni aren't that combative or wally, usually. The Nos/!Nos maybe - maneuvers to stay at close aren't so easy. The Blood Brothers? They do, or at least can, have reasonable untap potential and reasonable pool gain to support a few of these, and some meneuver to close potential (Unflinching Persistence, maybe Three's a Crowd). But again, lack of anti-S:CE if they don't play IG.


Daisho feels over the top. Not for the melee weapon aspect, but for the perma-S:CE. Like Kabuto earlier, we'd really need to see what a Kuei-jin deck(s) looked like in order to really see if it's a problem, but being able to S:CE once a turn seems like a stretch to me.


Kama looks pretty solid, somewhat like a Beretta. I'd be interested to see it combo with Sword of the Righteous - it would give !Salubri access to an additional strike, and you play SotR to affect the Kama that's used second, so you get a hunk of damage topped off with a couple of points of agg. Yes, still the anti-S:CE problem, but that might be worth fighting here. (Telepathic Tracking, maybe.) The difference here is that it gives them something they don't currently have easy access to.