New Thaumaturgy Cards

Kraus wrote:

You could combine this with other referendums than Banishment. Think Ancient Influence and Reins of Power.

Reins of Power for 9 pool damage... BOOM.

Since the original inspiration for the card seems to be thematic - trying to get some WoD material into the game - it seems to me counter-intuitive that it should work in a way that benefits politics when the Tremere are (largely) terrible at politics. That you might be better off playing it with a decent voting vampire with a viable voting strategy (titles+Presence helps) - say, Lucinde Alastor - would be a bit odd. Once the card is in the game, sure, however it works is however it works, but at the design stage it can be fixed. And if those vampires already have a reasonably viable political strategy (which they definitely can), it's probably better to bolster other areas of the game.

Leaving aside theme:

From the point of view of the Tremere or !Tremere, I'm somewhat unconvinced that the game would benefit from any clan with Dominate getting more bloat (Ancient Influence), when they already have solid bloat from Govern and pretty much the best pool defence in the game from Deflection. They also have decent walling capabilities from Auspex. If this was helping a ragtag barely viable bloodline clawing to survive, that might be better.

I'm also not very convinced that being able to hit a player with 9 pool damage in one action with little real setup is the best thing for the game. (Plus all the potential damage to other Methuselahs.) With something like Revolutionary Council, you can do a ton of damage, but use up quite a few resources. Although Eze the Demon Prince untapping twice to bleed you, boost his capacity, then hit you with 9 from Reins of Power and a voter cap might be hilarious.

Soul Gem of Etrius is realy my biggest concern for Blood of potency.
Do you have any idea how to change the card, that this is not a problem anymore?
A Mono Claus Wegener Deck with Unblockable Govern Bleed is not what i want to have.

Act Mod / Reaction excluded a lot of interesting possibilitys but perhaps it is the best idea.

Imho it is not a problem to give the Tremere some unique vote options. Yes, Blood of potency with Reins of Power is strong but there are a lot of things you can do against this combo (like Delaying Tactics, Intercept, more Votes) and you can play it only once each game. So i don't think it is a game bracker.

Vrumfondel wrote:

Soul Gem of Etrius is realy my biggest concern for Blood of potency.
Do you have any idea how to change the card, that this is not a problem anymore?

Honestly, the simplest thing is to create a different card that works differently. So far, the only things it really seems to function well with are: Soul Gem of Etrius (which isn't wanted), and capacity-relevant votes which don't really help the Tremere.

If you have to keep the current effect, just have some text that makes it not apply. Either mention Soul Gem by name, or make the capacity not apply in that circumstance (without mentioning Soul Gem by name): If this vampire is about to leave the ready region, the increased capacity is lost before doing so. Or something to that effect.

Vrumfondel wrote:

Imho it is not a problem to give the Tremere some unique vote options.

But you're not giving the Tremere a unique vote option. You're giving any functioning big cap vote deck that happens to have some Thaumaturgy lurking around a more powerful vote than they already have.

A card combo like this+Reins requires a little luck already, in terms of drawing the right cards. The !Tremere have Spirit Summoning Chamber, but that's not likely to help you that much, given that it's somewhat sub-par. But you also lack a solid vote-passing strategy in most decks.

Consider the alternative: a potentially solid voting deck that happens to have a fattie or two on hand with Thaumaturgy. If any copies of this card you include are all shuffled to the very bottom of the deck, the rest of the deck still functions as a very good vote deck. You could, for example, include the already mentioned Lucinde Alastor in a very good Ventrue vote deck. She's pretty decent for an Obfuscate Ventrue deck in group 2/3, with obf/PRE/FOR/tha. Have her Blood Potency, pass Parity Shift (and claw all her blood back), and then have any other vampire you happen to have call Reins of Power - because Reins can be called by any vampire, not the fattie.

This is likely to work a lot better than trying to make a poor Tremere vote deck - because the deck already works.

Vrumfondel wrote:

there are a lot of things you can do against this combo (like Delaying Tactics, Intercept, more Votes) and you can play it only once each game. So i don't think it is a game bracker.

All votes can be Delayed or intercepted or outvoted. That doesn't mean almost doubling their intended effect is a good idea. Why only 4 extra damage? Why not 6? It can be Delayed, intercepted and outvoted. Why not 8? It can be Delayed, intercepted and outvoted.