BRUJAH ANTITRIBU NEWSLETTER
Volume 2, Issue 1
January 2001
Author: Wes
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
General Tactics
!Brujah Tactics
Deck Analysis
Fiction
Sign Off
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INTRODUCTION
With all due respect to my worthy predecessor James Hamblin, I thought it
best to start from scratch. While most of my views are in line with his
excellent work, I wanted to be able to look a bit deeper at certain cards
and write this newsletter geared more towards the new players of the game.
As of the Sabbat War expansion, approximately one quarter of the new players
will be playing with pre-constructed Brujah Antitribu (herein abbreviated as
!Bru) decks. Therefore, I thought it might help to start this new volume
with the assumption that the player has bought a !Bru pre-con, read the
rules and not much else.
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GENERAL TACTICS
Combat can be the trickiest aspect of the game to learn, but it also can be
the most satisfying. Tearing the arm off your opponent and then whacking him
in the head repeatedly with it... yumm.
The most basic lesson of combat is the order in which cards and strikes are
played:
1) Cards played before range (eg TORN SIGNPOST)
2) Cards played to set range (eg FAKE OUT)
(each round by default starts at close range, if combat continues
into another round, this also starts at close range)
3) Cards played before strikes (eg. IMMORTAL GRAPPLE)
4) Cards played to announce strikes (eg. UNDEAD STRENGTH)
5) Resolve strikes
a) combat ends (eg. MAJESTY)
b) dodge (eg. SIDESLIP)
c) first strike (eg. FAST HANDS)
d) regular strike resolution (and damage from retainers)
6) Resolve damage (Cards can be played at this point to prevent damage such
as SKIN OF STEEL)
7) Play cards to gain additional strikes (eg. BLUR)
8) Resolve additional strikes
9) Play end of round effects or presses (eg. DISARM, DEAD-END ALLEY)
Sometimes, a round of combat will deviate from this order, but usually only
out of player laziness. Sometimes, everyone knows they will only be striking
for a regular point of damage and will forego most of the redundant steps.
Assuming you are playing a !Brujah deck, if you are one of these people, you
are playing the wrong clan! You should be using at least three combat cards
per round of combat.
A good way to learn combat is to gather a bunch of the cards (the ones
mentioned perhaps) and go through the motions of a combat, reading the text
of each card closely. After a while, the order becomes fairly intuitive.
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!BRUJAH TACTICS
The !Brujah like their Camarilla counterparts are built for combat. Potence
and Celerity are probably the deadliest combination of combat disciplines.
If given a choice between hitting someone for six and sending them to torpor
or hitting them for one point of aggravated damage, I'll take the former
every time. My reasoning? An empty vampire can't pull themselves out of
torpor, and even if someone else rescues them, the victim needs to hunt,
wasting two actions and two blood. Aggravated damage is useful certainly,
but leave that for the Tzimisce and Gangrel... what we do best is hit HARD
and FAST.
The other thing that you should know about both Celerity and Potence is that
they are both useful as offensive combat disciplines rather than defensive.
This means that you will usually want to be the one initiating combat
instead of reacting. Celerity provides both additional strikes and a certain
amount of control over the 'pace' of the combat, with maneuvers and presses.
Potence provides damage... pure and simple. Potence provides almost no
defensive tactics. Therefore, when using these disciplines, you will want to
enter combat as much as possible. Including a few defensive cards in a
!Brujah deck is not a bad idea, as you never know when you will face an
opposing vampire that is as combat-ready as yours. (Beware Gangrel!)
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DECK ANALYSIS
The Brujah Antitribu Pre-Constructed deck is a well-balanced and easy to
learn deck. It comes with enough of the 'core' cards of each discipline. The
average capacity of the vampires is 5.4, which is still too high for my
tastes but a lot more workable than the other pre-cons.
Here is the link to the deck:
http://lasombra.tripod.com/precon_brujah_a.htm
Your goal with this deck is to enter combat and beat the snot out of
opposing vampires. Use cards like AMBUSH and BUM'S RUSH to attack the other
player's vampires. The advantage of these cards is that even if they are
blocked you still get into combat. Once you are in combat, play IMMORTAL
GRAPPLE to prevent your opponent from cheezing you with cards that end the
combat before it begins. This card makes sure that you each strike only with
your fists. Most vampires will only be able to cause you a piddling one
point of damage. You however will be using UNDEAD STRENGTH to hit for a lot
more. That didn't finish them off? Play a BLUR and hit them a few more
times. What? They're still conscious??? Use a FLASH to start a new round of
combat and hit them again.
Just don't let them see you sweat. The key to ANY deck involving the
!Bru(tes) is intimidation, intimidation, intimidation. Any player worth
their vitae is going to avoid combat with you. Be persistent. Be that
school-yard bully.
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FICTION
Sela had mixed feelings about her appointment as Bishop.
Although the Brujah Antitribu were the most numerous clan in the Sabbat
outside of the Lasombra and the Fiends, they were also seen as little more
than bullies and thugs. Of course, most of them were bullies and thugs, but
Sela hated being stereotyped as much as any of her clan.
When Lazvernius appointed her as one of his Bishops after the Sabbat
captured Houston, it was plain that this was more as an appeasement to Sela
and her pack than as a true accomplishment. The 'Oddjobs' had been the main
reason for the success of the crusade, easily infiltrating and then
influencing the anarch elements of the city to revolt against the weak-kneed
Camarilla. Lazvernius knew this and like all Ventrue wanted to keep Sela in
a position subservient to himself. You can take the Ventrue out of the
boardroom, but you can't take the boardroom out of the Ventrue.
Sela hated Lazvernius, and was certain the feeling was mutual. He was a
former Camarilla elder, inducted into the Sabbat because the 'brass' felt
his death would serve the Sabbat less than his recruitment. Bullshit! If you
don't join the Sabbat by choice, how are you ever going to be loyal to it's
tenets? Sela would prove he was a fake, even if it meant risking her comfy
new position.
The problem was how to show the Sabbat Laz' true nature without breaking the
Sabbat codes. Barring an actual challenge of Monomancy (which Sela was
ashamed to admit she would probably lose), it was up to Sela to gather (or
manufacture) enough evidence to get a Cardinal to revoke Laz' cushy
Archbishopric.
Being a Brujah (albeit Antitribu), it never crossed Sela's mind that she was
acting as Machiavellian as the Ventrue she so hated.
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SIGN OFF
I hope this newsletter was helpful to you. If you disagree with anything I
say, I hit you for 6 points of damage with your own arm. No, seriously, I
welcome any constructive criticism or commentary. Email me at
ghost@mnsi.net.
Here are some of the things I am working on for future issues:
-!Brujah card analysis
-!Brujah vampire anaylsis
-Honorary !Brujah (ie complementary disciplines)
-How to hose other clans (Hey, we're !Brujah, we hate everyone)
-Cel/Pot/Pre individual card ratings
Cheers,
WES
NAVIGATION
Jyhad Resource Page -> Brujah Antitribu Newsletter Archive -> Brujah Antitribu Newsletter - Volume 2 Issue 1