Proposal for a new set: 'IV'

So here's the deal. A manifesto, if you will.

VTES has a deep bench of cards. Plenty of depth and complexity, both in the base rules and the numerous card effects, and that's what makes it great.

What makes it not so great is, amongst other things, a steep learning curve and knowledge imbalance for new players. Most of us have had years to develop weirdly interesting card interactions and highly specialised strategies, but these can be turn-offs for new players.

Many LCGs are starting to face issues with this; I'm sure we've all got friends who are getting overwhelmed with the regular release cycles of these popular games, and we smile our wry smiles and think 'been there...'. New players without deep pockets or an excess of free time can't hit the ground running in these games as they used to.

That's where VTES can step in and show them how it's done.

The game stays as it is. Master cards, combat, politics, everything. There's plenty of games that are BETTER than VTES in aspects, but let's agree that - until we have some rebooted version that takes elements and themes rather than rule sets - we've pretty much got what we've got.

So, what can we do about it, to repackage that and make it more palatable?

The proposal is this: a curated set of cards that offer depth and complexity for existing and new players alike, but without being overwhelming or instantly 'solvable'. A set to be explored, by everyone.

Old-timers like me can think back to the First Torpor, between The Sabbat and Sabbat War, and how the game's strategies thrived with its limitations and wonky power curves. VTES players operate well within boundaries, self imposed or otherwise.

Don't think of this as a base set. Or do, if that helps. A base set for our game's latest decade, a set that creates a new foundation that honours the game and its history, acknowledges its strengths and weaknesses, and recognises Onyx Path's successes in reigniting the fan base.

How do we share our love of the game? Use the curated list as THE official card list for certain tournaments. Play with this list, and this list only, for playing in gaming shops and bringing in new players. Print out PDFs of these cards, have them at the ready for people to look at and digest. Hell, lean on some of our more gifted designers to create full-bleed versions and clear up any confusing text while they're at it. Print-outs are as 'real' and 'official' in this format. The emphasis isn't on playing with the existing WOTC/WWGS/CCP physical artefacts, or about necessarily using this as an immediate gateway to the thousands of other cards or effects. The ideas on the cards, and the interaction between them, is the artefact here.

This is what I envision as 'IV'. The fourth edition of Vampire, a new iteration of around 400 cards that are carefully and deliberately chosen to help us gain new blood, to generate attention and word of mouth. IV lets you play the game you love in a refreshed way, and in a way that others can approach and learn more easily. Get people playing, get people talking, get people having fun again with the best multi-player card game ever made.

So that's the concept. I'll put up my proposed list soon, but if you've got any first impressions of the idea I'd be keen to hear them.

Cheers

Disco Stu

Let's start with the clans first.

Camarilla are represented by Brujah, Malkavian, Toreador and Ventrue. Classic clans who are moderately well-recognised both as common vampiric archetypes and as brand-names in their own right thanks to PC games that remained popular for years after their original release. Clans have overlap with Auspex, Celerity and Presence.

The Sabbat give us Lasombra, Tzimisce and Nosferatu antitribu. More different from one another than the Cam vampires, but with Potence and Animalism crossing over between 2 of the 3.

Lastly, Independents are represented by Assamite and Gangrel. Few memories for me compare to playing a game with a handful of Ancient Hearts boosters added to my Jyhad collection (the first of that set owned by anyone in our small, dedicated group), and the surprise and terror that other players had when seeing an Assamite hit the table for the first time ever. The reality may have failed to live up to that moment, but in a more limited environment the Assassins may thrive.

Let's take Dominate as the first discipline to hone for a new audience. Using 10 cards as our limit, let's say:
Conditioning
Dominate Kine
Far Mastery
Grave robbing
Obedience
Murmur of the False Will
Scouting Mission
Seduction
The Sleeping Mind
Still the Mortal Flesh

The intent here is to keep Dominate as a premiere bleed discipline, but to diversify it out of the box. STMF is a contender to be removed, replaced with perhaps Bonding or Foreshadowing Destruction. Seeing as only Ventrue and Lasombra have DOM as clan disciplines, Bonding may be the better option to give them some stealth.

This array of cards is close to what you'd see in a core set, but in the limited environment of IV it's not going to be quickly supplanted or undermined by other extant cards, such as Govern or Deflection.

Disco_Stu wrote:

This is what I envision as 'IV'. The fourth edition of Vampire, a new iteration of around 400 cards that are carefully and deliberately chosen…

I like the way you're thinking, Disco Stu, but that's an awful long way to say "So, I was thinking we could play Cube."

So, does Thaumaturgy go away?

Disco_Stu wrote:

This is what I envision as 'IV'. The fourth edition of Vampire, a new iteration of around 400 cards that are carefully and deliberately chosen to help us gain new blood, to generate attention and word of mouth. IV lets you play the game you love in a refreshed way, and in a way that others can approach and learn more easily. Get people playing, get people talking, get people having fun again with the best multi-player card game ever made.

I agree that having a basic format of VTES is the only way to really attract new players. Old-timers will have little to no interest, BTW.

I envision it as a set with the 13 base clans plus Caitiff. No antitribu, no bloodlines. 6 Camarilla clans, 5 independent clans, 2 Sabbat clans. 11-12 cards per discipline. No anarch mechanic.