Expansion/Set Suggestions and Overlooked Ideas

Recently I have had several discussions with Ankur Gupta (Prince of Indianapolis), where I have offered multiple suggestions on how Ankur can help his fledgling players. I thought it might be helpful to also share those ideas with the VEKN community at large. Of course the focus will be mainly on sets/expansions still currently available. Suggestions include:

1. Expansion/set combinations for particular player foci
2. Commonly neglected (but still very useful) products and ideas


1A. SABBAT

Getting new players functional Sabbat decks is probably the easiest, out of all the factions.

- THIRD EDITION is still widely available. Older players commonly scoff at 3rd (they don't need the reprints, don't like the backs) but they often underestimate how valuable 3rd is for players who *don't* have a giant collection. 3rd also comes with some really great crypt options, for new and old players alike.

- BLACK HAND and SWORD OF CAINE are still readily available, both of which mesh extremely well with 3rd. Some of the crypt cards might not be completely compatible (Group 3 vs Group 5) but the library cards all tend to support each other quite well. I think 3rd/BH/SoC is probably the best arrangement of sets for newer players currently available.

- BLOOD SHADOWED COURT (discussed more thoroughly in 2B) is also a decent supplement, allowing your Sabbat decks to include some support vampires from their Camarilla counterparts (especially weenies and mid-caps). Don't forget that it does also include 10 Sabbat vampires (one from each major clan plus a Pander), 8 of which have not been reprinted since.

- For Gangrel Antitribu players, KINDRED MOST WANTED is a must since it provides many key crypt and library cards. For the other Sabbat clans, KMW provides a sprinkling of crypt cards that may be useful. If you don't need all the other KMW stuff, you might just trade for what you need. GEHENNA is also a reasonably good supplement since half the crypt is full of Sabbat vampires (most of whom have not been reprinted) and there's a decent smattering of Sabbat-focused library cards. LEGACIES OF BLOOD is a little less useful, but don't forget that a lot of the Bloodlines clans are Sabbat. It's especially good if you like to play Lasombra (Kiasyd) or Ventrue Antitribu (Salubri Antitribu). Besides that, your emphasis may depend on the particular clans/themes you like to play. Lasombra players might try some Independent sets since Giovanni share DOM/POT. Brujah Antitribu who like POT/PRE might try Laibon Guruhi. Etc.

- Regarding recently out-of-print sets, KEEPERS OF TRADITION is especially helpful since it is a base set with many useful reprints, lots of great new cards, and wonderful crypt options to supplement your decks. If you can get some HEIRS TO THE BLOOD (harder to get but still acquirable), that will help those who like a Sabbat Bloodlines focus.


1B. INDEPENDENTS

The Independents are also reasonably functional, since their core sets are still widely available.

- Start with LORDS OF THE NIGHT which comes with helpful clan starters and surprisingly useful cards in the boosters, and augment heavily with KINDRED MOST WANTED. Both of these expansions heavily feature the Independent clans.

- An optional specialty is Laibon Independents. Most of the Independent clans (Assamites, Setites, Ravnos) have decent access to the Laibon sect. If you want to try that route, LEGACIES OF BLOOD (a few crypt cards and lots of library cards) and EBONY KINGDOM (mainly library cards) might be worth a try.

- Another optional specialty is Anarchs (which are inherently Independent). Take a look at section "1F" for more information.

- The Giovanni's focus on Necromancy makes a lot of the Bloodlines more appealing, since several Bloodlines clans share Necromancy (Harbingers, Nagaraja). That might make LEGACIES OF BLOOD and HEIRS TO THE BLOOD (if you can get it) more appealing.

- Assamites have a pretty good selection of Sabbat and Black Hand vampires, so they will benefit more (than other Independents) from THIRD EDITION, BLACK HAND, and/or SWORD OF CAINE.

- Most base sets are still useful for all Independent clans because it provides staple cards. THIRD EDITION is the main one you'll probably have access to (KEEPERS OF TRADITION if you are really, really lucky!).

- The majority of the crypt cards you need will be found in LotN and KMW. Besides that there are a sprinkling in BLACK HAND, GEHENNA, LEGACIES OF BLOOD, and a single Assamite in SWORD OF CAINE. If the rest of the set doesn't seem to helpful for your interests, try trading with other players. Offer the Cam/Sabbat vampires you got from KMW in return for the Independent vampires from those other sets.


1C. LAIBON

All the cards for the 4 Laibon clans are still readily available.

- LEGACIES OF BLOOD provides your basic foundation (try beginning with the starters). EBONY KINGDOM also provides new cards for you to play with.

- Besides that, try building up any staple cards you need with base sets like THIRD EDITION (KoT if you can find it).

- If you want to expand to the overall Laibon sect (and not just the 4 main Laibon clans), you can look at the other clans who have access to Laibon tech (Mozambique Allure is a good reference). You will find a sprinkling of Laibon affiliated vampires in Third (Guedado), LotN (Kabede Maru), and HttB (Obaluaye).


1D. CAMARILLA

Even though the Camarilla tends to be the most "new player friendly" sect, making Camarilla decks is *hard* because KEEPERS OF TRADITION is out of print.

- If you can get KEEPERS OF TRADITION boosters, then count yourself very lucky! Otherwise, I will assume that KoT is unobtainable.

- There are a few different routes you can take. The easiest (and best) is probably going for Group 3/4. Unless you have KoT boosters you can't do anything with Group 5. Another faint possibility is going with Group 1, but it may be hard to get the Group 2 vampires you need without trading.

- For Group 3/4, I would suggest buying some KEEPERS OF TRADITON STARTERS (the booster are impossible to get, but the starters are still readily available). This is great for the Brujah, Malkavian, Toreador, and Ventrue. The Nosferatu and Tremere will have it a bit harder since they don't have their own starter decks.

- I would then suggest a couple copies of BLOOD SHADOWED COURT, as your crypt base for Group 3. After that, add in a base set (probably THIRD EDITION) for the key library cards you need, and for some supplemental Sabbat vampires to use as support.

- There aren't too many expansions that contain crypt cards you can use. GEHENNA and KINDRED MOST WANTED contain a sprinkling of crypt cards for each clan. TWILIGHT REBELLION is becoming harder and harder to get, but you really only need the crypt cards from that.

- There actually isn't too much to gain from the more specialized Sabbat, Independent, and/or Laibon sets, so you're probably better off focusing on the more basic sets like THIRD. The Bloodlines sets (LEGACIES OF BLOOD and HEIRS TO THE BLOOD) aren't all that useful either, unless you specifically want to play Tremere Gargoyles.

- The Gangrel are technically Independent now, but have a shared history with the Camarilla. They actually have it the hardest. KEEPERS OF TRADITION is out of print so you can't get the newer Gangrel. Since the Gangrel were featured mainly in ANARCHS (rather than CAMARILLA), their Group 3 vampires are *not* available in BLOOD SHADOWED COURT. Instead, Gangrel players are going to have to probably resort to the original JYHAD, or employ a lot of Gangrel Antitribu (for which KINDRED MOST WANTED and THIRD EDITION are reasonable choices for crypt cards and some Protean staples). You might also want to get one or two copies of the Gangrel Antitribu starter from KMW.

- One other reasonable option is to go for old JYHAD cards. Although technically out-of-print, JYHAD boxes are still readily available (at prices comparable to more recent expansions). For most other factions, I think you are probably better off with THIRD EDITION instead of JYHAD. But JYHAD actually provides a reasonable alternative for Camarilla fans. JYHAD + THIRD will give you a pretty good arrangement of library cards. JYHAD provides all the crypt cards you need for Group 1 (except for 2 promos) which is helpful in the short-run, though it may limit your crypt options later on because you can't add to your crypt as easily as you can if you go with Group 3/4 instead. JYHAD also provides some okay clan cards, and may be the only way you can readily acquire some key Camarilla cards like Parity Shift. See Section "2D" for more details.

- A few other unexpected sources may include the Alastors starter from KINDRED MOST WANTED and the ANARCH & ALASTORS STORYLINE KIT (2C).


1E. BLOODLINES

Bloodlines normally aren't recommended for newer players and though it may be hard to get some cards, it's still potentially do-able.

- LEGACIES OF BLOOD is the only readily available set with a large number of Bloodlines cards. HEIRS TO THE BLOOD is increasingly hard to get, so try to snatch some up if you can. The original BLOODLINES expansion is long out of print, but try to trade for any of the cards you might need.

- One exception is the Baali, in which case you will get KINDRED MOST WANTED *instead of* LEGACIES OF BLOOD. Also, you will probably find the KMW Baali starter to be very useful. Abominations are an additional outlier. Their crypt cards are in KMW (3) and SWORD OF CAINE (1). They don't have any unique disciplines, so just rely on base sets (there's a lot of Protean, Obfuscate, Presence, and Serpentis though). You might be best off combining Abominations with Setites.

- The Bloodlines sets will provide you mainly with clan cards, and cards requiring the specialized disciplines. It *won't* provide too many useful cards for your more traditional disciplines (Animalism, Auspex, Celerity, Dominate, etc.). So you will probably still need to resort to base sets (especially THIRD EDITION, maybe JYHAD) to get some of the basic cards.

- Besides that, your focus will depend on what clans you play. Harbingers / Nagaraja will find a lot in common with the Giovanni (so Independent sets). The Sabbat clans (Ahrimanes, Blood Brothers, Kiasyd, Harbingers, Salubri Antitribu) will benefit a lot from THIRD EDITION, and possibly BLACK HAND and SWORD OF CAINE. The Kiasyd particularly draw a lot from the Lasombra. Several of the Bloodlines (Harbingers, Salubi, Salubri Antitribu) have access to Laibon tech and may want to concentrate more on LEGACIES OF BLOOD and even EBONY KINGDOM. Slave Gargoyles will need to rely on Camarilla Tremere or Sabbat Tremere Antitribu.


1F. ANARCHS

Anarchs are a bit odd because they rely more on a diversity of inferior disciplines (rather than superiors or a clan-based identity). They are technically Independents, but are a special subset within.

- The original ANARCHS expansion is long gone and unfortunately, TWILIGHT REBELLION is increasingly scarce. Try to get some Twilight Rebellion while you still can.

- The ANARCHS & ALASTORS STORYLINE KIT is a crucial and very overlooked resource that you should acquire to get some much needed Anarch staples. See Section "2C" for the contents of the storyline kit. Also consider attending one of the promotional Fee Stake tournaments sponsored by The Lasombra, to get promotional copies of 3 of the Fee Stakes.

- Like most builds, you otherwise want to invest in some base sets (mainly THIRD EDITION, maybe a sprinkling of JYHAD).

- Crypt choice is going to be odd and challenging. Instead of wanting a clan-based approach focusing on specialized expansions, you'll probably end up wanting a few various vampires from a large variety of sets. It's going to be a bit challenging, but you'll probably need to do a lot of trading.

- BLOOD SHADOWED COURT is a very valuable option since it gives you a wide range of vampires with which to choose from.

- If you look in the right places, a few of the ANARCH STARTERS (particularly BARONS and GANGS) are still acquirable.

- The GEHENNA and KINDRED MOST WANTED expansions each include an assortment of common Anarch three-way cards. KMW also includes Groundfighting (common) and Anarch Secession (rare, but one of the very few ways to play Anarchs with inherently titled vampires).


1G. IMBUED

Definitely not recommended for new players. Lots of new and complicated mechanics, and it might not properly utilize a lot of the fundamental aspects of the game (like politics for example). But it is technically available as an option.

- Pretty much all the Imbued stuff is found in a single expansion, NIGHTS OF RECKONING. Since it's a small expansion and not many people like it, it's actually probably quite easy to build a functional Imbued deck. All the crypt cards you need are there, along with the Conviction and Virtue-requiring cards.

- The GEHENNA expansion is likely your next best bet, since it includes a lot of Events that Imbued decks commonly use.

- Since the Imbued have different mechanics, they *don't* need base sets in the same way that any of the other factions do. Instead, the Imbued have to carefully decide what other key cards (Masters, Equipment, Allies) they need and appropriately choose expansions that might address those needs.

OVERLOOKED RESOURCES AND OPTIONS:


2A. STARTER DECKS

- It has been well touted that a good foundation (especially for clan-based decks) is to simply buy 2 copies of the appropriate starter.

- In many cases for Camarilla/Sabbat clans, you should also consider buying a starter of the appropriate Antitribu/Non-Antitribu clan. Since they mostly share several of the key disciplines, you can keep much of the library intact and just swap the crypt out.


2B. BLOOD SHADOWED COURT

- This includes one copy of each of the Group 3 vampires from the original CAMARILLA expansion. A lot of people ignore BSC, but it's actually quite useful.

- It's an easy way to get a large variety of crypt cards. It's an essential resource for new players who like the Camarilla. Even older players may find it the only way to get some key vampires like Maris Streck or Carna the Princess Witch.

- One particularly useful strategy is for a bunch of new players to each get a deck of BLOOD SHADOWED COURT and then to trade clans they don't use with each other. So I trade you all of my Nosferatu vampires for all your Tremere vampires, and trade the other guy my Malks for their Tremere. If each player focuses on a couple of clans, it's a very cost effective way to get multiple copies with a solid crypt options.


2C. ANARCHS & ALASTORS STORYLINE KIT

- Another very commonly neglected resource. This was originally intended for a Limited storyline event (where you auction cards), but it contains *a lot* of critical reprints of staples from the original ANARCHS expansion. IIRC, contents include:

5 x Flames of Insurrection (high in demand!)
5 x Public Enemy
5 x Nergal (Advanced)
5 x Reverend Adams (Advanced)

[Staples for Anarch decks]

Anarch Railroad
Seattle Committee

Anarch Free Press
Diversion
2 x Galaric's Legacy
2 x Go Anarch
Undue Influence

[Other useful cards]

Alastor
Trophy: Diablerie
Trophy: Domain
Trophy: Hunting Ground
Trophy: Revered
Urban Jungle

Anathema
Vessel

[Vampires]

Count Germaine
Count Germaine (Advanced)
Jaroslav Pascek
Lucinde, Alastor
Tatiana Stepanova, Alastor
Yazid Tamari

[Other stuff]

Anarch Revolt
Blood Hunt
Hawg
The Mole
Molotov Cocktail
Red List
Trumped-Up Charges


- So whether you are playing Anarchs or Camarilla, there's some decent stuff (and you can trade what you don't need).

- It's pretty cheap (less than $10) and can be purchased at the White Wolf store or from The Lasombra. After telling Ankur about it, he promptly ordered 7 copies for his playgroup.


2D. JYHAD

- Lots of people may roll their eyes about the original (over-produced) JYHAD expansion, especially for those picky about card backs. But there are a lot of invaluable cards that people often forget are available in the original set.

- It's the only way nowadays to really get:

Embrace, The
Madness Network
Murder of Crows
Parity Shift
Renegade Garou

Other useful Rares include:

Entrancement
Giant's Blood
Golconda: Inner Peace
Ivory Bow
Magic of the Smith
Smiling Jack the Anarch

Although you can get them elsewhere, it doesn't hurt to have more:

Flesh of Marble
Freak Drive
Majesty
Psyche!
Second Tradition: Domain
Torn Signpost

There are lots of staples that are only easily acquirable through JYHAD.

Commonly used DOMINATE cards:

Conditioning
Deflection
Govern the Unaligned

PROTEAN cards (many of which were last available in the out-of-print ANARCHS expansion):

Earth Control
Earth Meld
Form of the Ghost
Homonculus
Wolf Claws

Other forgotten (but still useful cards):

Lucky Blow
Movement of the Mind (better than Apportation for non-combat Thaumaturgy decks)
Police Department
Society Hunting Ground (a printing error prevented a KoT reprint)
Undead Persistance

- It also provides some Camarilla staples, that may be hard to get since KEEPERS OF TRADITION is now out of print. And the crypt options are decent for new Camarilla players.


2E. BOOSTER DRAFT

I have always been very passionate about Limited Play (especially Booster Draft). In fact, I often find it more fun and challenging than Constructed.

Booster Draft does have a reputation for not being newbie-friendly, but I think that perception is undeserved. Sure, newbies should understand the rules first and be familiar with some of the cards. And newbies might need to take some extra time during draft to read all the cards. Yet there are many ways that Booster Draft can be extremely beneficial to newbies:

- It teaches deck-building skills (especially with limited resources). In an era of net-decking, or where experienced players build decks for newbies, newer players are often stunted in their development of their own deck-building skills. Limited play encourages this, making do with the resources at their disposal (which parallels the limited resource base newbies likely have when building Constructed decks).

- In Limited Tournaments, newbies are often on more even footing with veterans, since they are equally limited by card choice. Mr. Suitcase's collection of 20 Summon History and 30 Enkil Cogs won't help him in draft tournaments.

- Draft can be a very valuable way for newbies to enhance their collection. If they're willing to commit to a clan/discipline early, they can accumulate quite a lot of useful cards. It is far better than opening a random booster and keeping all the contents yourself. If I like Gangrel Antitribu and focus on drafting them from the start, I can come up with quite a lot of !Gangrel/Protean cards at the end of the day which will booster my collection.

- Some newbies may be afraid of "losing" out on a card (especially a Rare). I think it's largely a non-issue, especially since in VTES many of the Rares are worse than the Commons. But if they are that concerned, they can always choose to draft the Rare from their initial pack. You're almost always better off drafting (and being able to pick from multiple packs) than getting stuck with the random contents of a single pack. In addition, drafting with veteran players can often be beneficial because many times they will pass Rares that they already have tons of copies of.

- There are many additional provisions in the Draft rules which are commonly ignored, but which can enhance your experience. There are Draft Variants (Restricted Trade; Table/Rochester; Mixed/Elder). Recursion rules exist if limited financial resources restrict the number of boosters you can use. If needed, the tournament organizer can also provide additional cards (as long as everyone gets the same thing). If you want, you could give everyone access to a Blood Doll, a Minion Tap, and an Enkil Cog. This is often a good idea if you are playing with some of the harder-to-use sets.

- For those less familiar with draft, you might want to start with an informal 1-booster Duffin draft to get a feel for things. Then try a couple of boosters with recursion, and then eventually an 8-10 booster draft with no recursion.

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