Card Idea: Close Quarters Tactics

Well I have a problem with three ways in that most of them just don't have any real synergy with their different abilities, or they require so weird discplines that its next to impossible to build coherent crypts around them. So here is a thought of a three way card that could actually be decently good simply because the discplines are actually fairly common, even if none of the abilities is really super strong in itself.

Close Quarters Tactics
Card Type: Combat
Requires a ready anarch.
Prevent up to three damage from the opposing minions strike
Manuever, only usable to go to close range, with an optional press, only usable to continue combat.
Make a hand or melee weapon strike at +2 damage.

Picture would show two vampires fighting hand to hand.

The card itself, while maybe a bit powerful, seem to be more or less where it should be to be worth the trouble of going anarch. And there is actually a useable crypt of small-to-mid cap that can actually use this card and some immortal grapple to grind skull into fine paste.

Now, you still can't add any other three-way to a deck using this one, since all three way use different discipline, but non-discipline anarch card are still useable.

The card also tend even more to remove the original flavor intent of anarch three-way and make it a gameplay-only concept. But then again, the whole anarch mechanism is pretty much flawed, so...

Keystone Kine and improvised Tactics offer interesting templates for anarch cards. Instead of being a "card of many effects; choose one" these templates say a "card of many effects; choose as many as you can or need." In fact, if Improvised Tactics protean was obfuscate instead it might be pretty hot -- but that's more of an issue of selecting disciplines well for certain effects.

Speaking of which, most auspex anarch 3-ways are pretty crap. Overly cautious in initial design really hurts. (But not as much as not enough caution, as the heap of dead CCGs attest.)

Azel wrote:

improvised Tactics offer interesting templates for anarch cards. Instead of being a "card of many effects; choose one" these templates say a "card of many effects; choose as many as you can or need."

Improvised tactic don't offer to play more than one option if I am not mistaken. Maybe you think of another card, or I misread the card ?

Azel wrote:

Speaking of which, most auspex anarch 3-ways are pretty crap. Overly cautious in initial design really hurts. (But not as much as not enough caution, as the heap of dead CCGs attest.)

It's not only power level ; the concept is to allow to have a lot of discipline different on your vampires, and use them all. That's why most have disciplines that share no clan, and fundamentally that concept can't work, because it's too unreliable.

Other than that, I do agree that most are weak even without the discipline problem, and that caution can be better than arm race.

Inspired craziness came to me. Must vomit out efore I forget!

I Knew You'd Do That

Requires a ready anarch. Only usable before range is determined on the first round. A minion can play only 1 I Knew You'd Do That each combat.
Once each round, this vampire may burn 1 blood to get one maneuver.
Before strikes are chosen, each round, this vampire may gain first strike on its initial strike this round.
During strike resolution, each round, this vampire may prevent one non-aggravated damage.

crrraaazy!

Ohlmann wrote:

The card itself, while maybe a bit powerful, seem to be more or less where it should be to be worth the trouble of going anarch.

As it is, it does feel a little too good, but a blood cost would be over the top. I'd be tempted to make it "Do not replace until after combat" or something reasonably subtle like that.

I could see a re-invention of Peter Bakija's weenie Obf/Pot decks liking it quite a lot. e.g. a modern rework of this sort of deck (Hasina Kesi, Koko, Duck, Agatha, Nigel etc. and a pile of Obf/Pot combat), with a few Anarch Converts thrown in.