What if we updated these cards?

But wait, there's more:

Looking at the new Tzimisce vamps, I remembered a card that has seen very little play but turns out I misremebered it along the lines I'd like to improve it now :


The Mole
[Animalism] / [Celerity] / [Dominate]

Requires a ready anarch. Only usable when a non-anarch minion is acting.
ani: Only usable by a locked vampire. This vampire unlocks and attempts to block.
cel: +1 intercept. Not usable if the acting minion has Celerity.
dom: Only usable when you are being bled by a younger vampire. Lock this vampire to cause the action to fail.

Even with the above improvement, the card would be only moderately boosted as it has other restrictions. But surely Tzimisce Anarchs could infiltrate other Anarch groups and having access to an unlock or a bleed fail could be useful...


I found two more cards that were designed as too narrow despite their effect being worthwhile. I attempted to improve them by merely broadening their reach:


Mistrust
Master.
Burn a scarce vampire or an independent vampire with capacity 8 or less in torpor or move a ready scarce vampire or an independent vampire with capacity 8 or less to his or her controller's uncontrolled region, with all cards and counters on him or her (which are out of play as long as the vampire remains out of play).


Mistaken Identity
[costs 0 blood]
Only usable if a Ventrue antitribu Sabbat or Anarch vampire is hunting.
The action fails and if the acting vampire has no blood, they go to the acting vampire goes to torpor.

In www.blackchantry.com/2023/11/14/4207/ , we learned we can finally expect some errata regarding Emerald Legionnaires and Ashur Tablets. We know the changes have already been determined but how about adding some predictions for fun?


My prediction for nerfing the Legionnaires without making them unplayable (meta wording):

Pay 1 pool when successfully resurrecting a Legionnaire.

I heard others (incl. Martin from Vienna) to mention another option:

You can only resurrect one Legionnaire each turn.


As for the tablets, here's what I think could help to add to the card text:

"... choose up to thirteen non-master library cards from your ash heap;"

I heard others mentioning perhaps a weaker erratum idea:

You can only play one Ashur Tablets each turn.



In case we can expect a rule update regarding MMPA in general, this particular one would be great IMHO:

The maximum on non-trifle master cards a methuselah can play each turn is set to 2 (regardless of how many MPAs would otherwise be allowed by effects in play).


Looking forward to the errata reveal

EDIT: Here it is : www.blackchantry.com/2023/12/31/errata-tournament-rule-change-and-new-cards-legality-date/

Let's hope many of the changes posted here and much more may be released as a 30 years special revision.

Many cards have interesting effects but due to too specific restrictions or just an incorrect cost are almost unplayable.

The legionnaires nerf was too harsh, now we need 3 ready HoS anb a legionnaire to be able to use the special once.

Pay the pool again ( without the option to reduce with charisma and similars ) and require at least one HoS for each legionaire would be a more balanced option.

During your unlock phase, you can choose a ready not selected previously this turn and remove 7 cards in your ash heap from the game and pay 1 pool to move an Emerald Legionnaire from your ash heap to the ready region with 2 life.

I very much agree with Sambomb that releasing a legacy product specifically focusing on old cards with updated text would be an amazing gift to the VTES community.

I heard players complain that V5 gets it all under the new license and while that is largely true and also necessary to move the game forward, we have seen in this thread alone that Legacy VTES could also be boosted without having to print new legacy cards...

Today, I am reviewing some locations that were designed with 'flavor over substance' and unfortunately seen very little to no play, which I find very unfortunate as these represent real places, sometimes even tourist destinations. Would be nice to improve their profiles and make them more memorable in VTES and beyond:

Elysium: Sforzesco Castle
Master: unique location.
Costs 0 pool
When a vampire you control blocks a Camarilla vampire, you may lock this card instead of locking the blocking vampire.

While non-Camarilla vampires are likely not to always follow the rules on an Elysium, the effect of the card does not imply to me that a blocked Camarilla vamp would either So maybe this small change could work.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
costs 1 blood
This equipment card represents a location and does not count as equipment while in play. Unique.
The vampire with this location may steal up to 2 blood from an uncontrolled minion in your predator's an uncontrolled region as a +1 stealth Ⓓ action.

Not sure about any lore implications of this change but this poor card does not literally show anywhere in TWDA or PDA. Removing the restriction, you could use the card as an offensive tool against your prey, make cross-table deals, or use it as a pseudo-Vessel. Still does not seem very strong even with the new wording, what do you think?


Ruins of Villers Abbey, Belgium
This equipment card represents a location and does not count as equipment while in play. Unique.
If the action to equip this card is successful, this acting vampire may unlock at the end of the action.
The vampire with this location may burn X blood before range is determined on the first round of a combat to get X optional maneuvers for that combat.

Still distinct enough from Ruins of Ceoris IMHO, I think a free unlock would could make the card relevant for some decks...


And speaking of locations, here's a tip for a card that could even be reprinted in V5 and could perhaps shine for the first time in VTES history:



Political Seizure
costs 1 pool
requires a Lasombra vampire
Choose a location controlled by another Methuselah. This card contests the chosen location as if it were the same card, even if the other location is not unique. You can pay the cost of the contest in blood from a ready Lasombra vampire you control. If the last copy of that location would be yielded, instead burn this card and take control of the other card, face up.

The new Lasombra is coming anyway and this could become a unique tool in their arsenal, slightly more playable this time


I'll be back with more, cheers.

charmer wrote:

I very much agree with Sambomb that releasing a legacy product specifically focusing on old cards with updated text would be an amazing gift to the VTES community.

For what it's worth, I fully agree. The game has a ton of cards which are potentially interesting, but effectively wallpaper due to current/original wording. A "legacy pack" of a select set of these, updated to "playable" power level, would be amazing.

That of course would require a bit of testing, and possibly new art in many cases, so I understand why totally new cards are probably a priority for BCP. But still, one can hope