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