[Submission] Lake Pontchartrain

Like the saying goes, you just can't keep a good necromancer down.... Another idea to put out there.

Lake Pontchartrain
Master: unique location.
Samedi-specific
Costs 1/2 pool [what's appropriate these days?]

Card text
Tap to give a Samedi you control either an additional blood if they successfully hunt or +1 stealth on any action requiring Thanatosis.

Flavour text
"The time of your life every St. John's Eve".

Art notes
Mambo/Houngan leading a ritual - fire dancing in the background.

World of Darkness reference
The Samedi were never expanded on, a great shame as Louisiana Voodoo is an interesting subject, and White Wolf could have taken some real inspiration from historic/legendary figures such as Marie Laveau and Doctor John. As the source material gives them a Caribbean flavour, with the bloodline often living in communities that believe/are used to the dead, some reference to Louisiana Voodoo was eventually going to happen.

How does this card address a compelling game need?
Samedi have few cards and no hunting ground per se ( Houngan comes close as a unique vampire-specific master). Because of this, I don't think a complete Hunting Ground is required, but one that can give a little hunt/stealth bonus would be welcome from my game-playing experience (as Samedi in my decks seem to go through blood quick quickly, so this would help make them slightly more viable without unbalancing them). The suggestion is somewhat of a cross between a master location like Backways , and cards like Harvest Rites . The location has been associated with Voodoo/Hoodoo/Voudoun: "In 1874 as many as twelve thousand spectators, both black and white, swarmed to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain to catch a glimpse of Marie Laveau II performing her legendary rites on St. John's Eve (June 23–24)" ( Wikipedia citing another source). Being a large lake/swamp associated with Louisiana Voodoo, a location that can give a hunting Samedi more blood or stealth seems sensible.

Created by: Chris Nelson.

Further information for those interested .

I'm sure quite a few VTES players must have caught Gabriel Knight either in the 90s or following the more recent remake .

Alternative name: "Bayou St. John". This is a specific part of the lake, and also the reputed area of many rituals (more info on Wikipedia ).

chrisn101 wrote:

Lake Pontchartrain
Master: unique location.
Samedi-specific
Costs 1/2 pool [what's appropriate these days?]
Card text
Tap to give a Samedi you control either an additional blood if they successfully hunt or +1 stealth on any action requiring Thanatosis.

In isolation, the cost seems reasonable - a clan-restricted but usable on any action stealth modifier costs the Setites 1 pool with Opium Den, and Nosferatu with Labyrinth, and they're also Obfuscate clans. This is restricted to Thanatosis actions, of which there are presently only 4 - and all of those are at +1 stealth already. But none of them are particularly good. Maybe if there are better Thanatosis actions in the future, though.

The extra blood for hunting is probably also reasonable, because it's Samedi only. 2 pool would feel too much to me, anyway, given that Inbase Disoctek, Frankfurt, is generally poor in comparison to other blood gain options - it appears to be in only one tournament winning deck in the last nine or so years - and the +1 stealth on Thanatosis doesn't seem to make up for that.

I would make it free and give it a burn option. It isn't all that strong compared to perfectionist and stealth cards already out there.

Thanks both - I originally thought that the hunt action aspect would be +1 stealth with an extra blood, but wasn't sure how to word - reasoning was there's probably easy access to blood for a Samedi if they have a gathering as a Herd. The other option was, because there'd be a fair number of people, it'd represent Street influence, so +1 intercept on a D action rather than a stealth, but the +1 stealth on Thanatosis actions made more sense (OK, Dreams of the Sphinx is a three-way master, but you have to burn after using it so many times).

Modern cards seem a bit cheaper these days - I'm pretty sure that you'd easily quantify a card back in the day: a minion with five levels of disciplines (say two superior, one inferior) and a title tended to have a capacity of six, because it was five 'points' of disciplines and 'one point' for Primogen, two for Prince etc. Is there an equivalent system these days?

chrisn101 wrote:

Modern cards seem a bit cheaper these days - I'm pretty sure that you'd easily quantify a card back in the day: a minion with five levels of disciplines (say two superior, one inferior) and a title tended to have a capacity of six, because it was five 'points' of disciplines and 'one point' for Primogen, two for Prince etc. Is there an equivalent system these days?

Yes, that's roughly how minions are costed as far as I know.