Preference for main theme of a first new set

"Plug existing holes and enable nonviable concepts"

Easy choice as this is what I've been asking for ages.

Lönkka wrote:

"Plug existing holes and enable nonviable concepts"

Easy choice as this is what I've been asking for ages.

Same. There are lots of cards that are underpowered but interesting and fixable, or overpowered but fixable (give us something nasty vs "Bahari" keyword, please! ). A small set to provide those would be awesome.

I'm all for new concepts with a few catches:

- It needs to be a complete idea which is viable for serious use (this set should basically create a new Tier 1 Type based on the new concept)

- It shouldn't be needlessly complicating to VTES (i.e. I don't think VTES needs the wide variety of almost indistinguishable Sabbat 'ranks' or 'roles' throughout its crypt and library cards)


But I'm always happy to see the gaps get plugged in smart, out-of-the-usual-square ways.

I cannot comprehend the logic that says the game's first priority should be to make itself yet more complex with more keywords, more mechanics, and more fiddliness. Why is this option even on the poll?

The game has two problems:

1) There are a variety of areas that are under-powered, under-utilised and just a bit crappy, and which are begging for improvements. This can range from mechanics (Red List and Trophy are quite lack-luster), through to deck types (e.g. non-Camarilla voting), and down to specific clans (e.g. !Nosferatu, !Gangrel, Samedi).

2) Attracting new players. V:TES has long put off players by being perceived as fiddly, complex and cumbersome. (And there are more than a few points where that's probably right - certainly, advances in games mean you wouldn't necessarily create it in the same way. Not just for internal mistakes, but because externally other games have done things better.)

The last thing that V:TES needs to do is to present itself as showing that its priorities are creating yet more cumbersome corner-case rules that will only turn up one game in 20. (i.e. when your opponent brings a Lasombra Antitribu pirate deck to the game - Aquatic minions take one less damage from each source, unless the source is also Aquatic. Oh, and non-Jetski vehicles cost Aquatic minions an additional pool.)

And if you're looking to recruit lapsed players (rather than necessarily brand new players - either or both is fine), handing over a tome of new rules they have to learn? Not so great. Telling them that their crappy Setite vote deck that always looked weak and floppy and lifeless next to a Parity Shift deck has been made +2 fun and +3 awesome? Totally a good way of encouraging them to play. Find ten spaces in that deck and add 2 of this new master, three of this new action modifier and these five votes? Awesome.


Can you address all that at once? Obviously no. Or at least, it would be bad. So my priorities in terms of areas to address would be (alluded to above):

- A fuller set of Sabbat vampires for the most recent groupings
- Better voting options for non-Camarilla vampires (Sabbat, but not only Sabbat). Perhaps that's better votes that stand toe-to-toe with Parity Shift, or perhaps it's ancillary tech that gives you lucrative benefits for passing existing votes ("Tap Floppy's Golfing Umbrella when a referendum you called is successful and deals damage to your prey. Something AWESOME happens to all of my Setites."), or perhaps it's something else entirely.
- Make Red List better.
- Make some of the Bloodlines better.
- Low priority: Possibly make Black Hand a little more flashy (without necessarily making it more powerful).


And when picking from the options, work in a way that will be good for new or existing players. GreenO's suggestion of a set where a subset could be printed to make one playable deck is a good aim. (A PDF with one of every card for normal distribution would be fine, then a PDF with the whole deck in it.)

It's a little awkward (can we reprint Villein? if not, do we include a replacement? if not, do we say that Blood Dolls are common as anything so people can pick them up?), but it's a great aim.

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One thing to avoid.

Do not use multiple cards in the set to 'fix' currently problematic cards. The last thing new or returning players want is a pile of cards that are designed to hose Lilith's Blessing and Ashur's Tablets and every other card that riles us up. A really solid card that just happened, by-the-by, to do something that made a 'problem' card less attractive? Maybe okay. Fiddly cards that are clearly gunning for something else? No.