Blood, betrayal, and one very smug Tremere

On Friday evening, I performed a minor miracle: I convinced three of my friends to play VTES instead of going to the pub. Only one of them had played before, the other two had never touched a blood pool in their lives. The pressure was real as these people sacrificed beer for vampires, and I didn't want to be responsible for their regret.

I gave the usual crash course: crypt, library, goal of the game, card types, and how betrayal is basically a core mechanic. The moment I explained that you win by ousting your prey, the two new players' eyes lit up. They immediately understood the spirit of the game: backstab your friends, but make it funny.

My objectives for the evening were simple:

1. Everyone has fun.

2. Spread the gospel of VTES to new mortals.

3. Test my freshly "upgraded" decks (read: probably ruined).

I laid out five decks and gave each a two-sentence sales pitch. Player A chose the Nosferatu Animalism deck. Player B went for the Lasombra combat deck. The player with some experience took the Tremere and I picked the Ventrue, because if you can't win, at least look important while losing. My poor, neglected Toreador deck stayed in the bag, waiting for an audience that appreciates fine art and mild narcissism.

The Amaranth app decided our seating: Tremere > Ventrue > Nosferatu > Lasombra. Perfect. I felt good. The Tremere would take time to set up, the Nosferatu would gnaw on their prey, and the Lasombra would keep my predator busy. A flawless plan.

I started strong, influenced out Mary Anne and Sybren, ready to make Ventrue politics great again. Being the only political deck at the table should've made voting easy. It didn't. My grand prey, the Lasombra, turned out to be my campaign manager. Every vote required negotiations, promises, and minor acts of self-sabotage. Still, it worked… for a while.

Then the Lasombra deck started doing Lasombra things. At one point, one of his vampires tore a signpost out of the ground and followed it up with a roundhouse kick. Six damage in one strike. The Tremere minion went straight to torpor. It was brutal, cinematic, and beautiful like an action movie directed by a goth. Fortunately, the Tremere's Chantry saved the night, because apparently, magic fixes everything.

The Nosferatu were the real surprise. Their player, despite being new, managed to flood the table with minions faster than I could say "corporate hierarchy". Every time I tried to act, I got intercepted by a small zoo. My Ventrue aristocrats were swarmed by bats, crows, and dogs like some kind of undead Disney princess nightmare. Where was Majesty when I needed it most?

Two hours later, everyone was low on pool: me at 5, Nosferatu at 3, Tremere and Lasombra at 4. Then I saw it: the perfect opportunity. The move that would define the evening. I played Kine Resources Contested. The Lasombra agreed to allocate 3 damage to the Nosferatu and 1 to his prey, the Tremere. Victory point secured! Easy!

Except… I remembered I hadn't explained one tiny rule: when you oust your prey, you gain six pool. Trying to be fair, I paused and clarified this before the vote. Big mistake. With his newfound understanding, my Lasombra ally immediately renegotiated. Two damage to Nosferatu, two to Tremere. My grand political maneuver imploded faster than a Toreador's attention span.

That missing 6 pool cost me dearly. Locked minions, open board, and a Tremere smelling weakness. In the next round, I was ousted. The Nosferatu followed shortly after.

The finale was glorious. The Lasombra and Tremere went toe-to-toe, blood and shadows flying. But with an extra 12 pool, the Tremere simply outlasted everyone, calmly summoning more minions like a smug necromantic accountant. 4VP went to Tremere. Well done!

Did my Ventrue lose again? Absolutely. Did I still love it? 100%. My Tremere deck proved quite decent, my friends had a good time, and no one wished they'd gone to the pub instead. That's what I call a successful evening in the Eternal Struggle. We laughed, we bled and I only lost a tiny bit of dignity. 

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave 

The Night I Took Career Advice from a Lasombra

I've always preferred Camarilla characters in the TTRPG. Structured, superior, and slightly unbearable. My Tremere in one campaign embodied all three: the kind of vampire who would correct your Latin mid-combat. My coterie was an odd pairing: a Gangrel whose entire strategy was "growl louder", and a Toreador who believed subtlety meant switching from red velvet to burgundy.

Our mission? Investigate some Sabbat activity. Easy. I had wards, chants, and more smugness than sense. Then the Lasombra showed up. He didn't walk into the room, he deleted the light. One second we were in an old church, the next we were in what felt like the inside of my own poor decisions.

The Gangrel charged. The Lasombra caught him mid-air and tossed him into a wall with Potence; the supernatural equivalent of "I am the boss, boy". The Toreador tried to flirt; he used Dominate, and she froze mid-wink, like a particularly fashionable mannequin.

I began an offensive chanting.  Full incantation, flawless hand gestures, ten out of ten on the presentation,  but Obtenebration had other ideas. His shadows moved like they had opinions. One of them patted my shoulder in disappointment.

Then the Lasombra turned to me, smiling that perfect "I own this cathedral and your dignity" smile. He said, "Sit. And listen".
And I did. Oh, I sat. Because when a man who can punch the moon out of orbit gives you life advice, you listen.

Technically, we survived. Spiritually, I'm still recovering. The Lasombra left, the light returned, and I discovered my Gangrel friend had embedded himself in a confessional booth. I congratulated him on rediscovering religion. Then we went home and never talked about it again.

That encounter taught me two things: one, shadows have better PR than the Tremere; and two, sometimes raw power is the most elegant answer.

Funnily enough, a few months later, that same Lasombra defected to the Camarilla. Then half the clan followed in the V5 timeline. I pretended to be skeptical (you know, for political consistency) but secretly, I was thrilled. Finally, I could stay loyal to the Cam and play these edge lords without guilt. Nothing says character growth like embracing the darkness under official supervision.

I wanted my first Lasombra deck focus on punching and punishing. No political niceties or careful rituals. Just raw, elegant brutality.

I started with the combat module, because we all know that Lasombra diplomacy begins and ends with Potence. I built the deck around Immortal Grapple, Torn Signpost, Roundhouse, and Arms of Ahriman, the kind of card combination that politely removes the concept of  "survivors".

To make sure no one gets too comfortable, I added Umbrous Clutch, perfect for dragging unsuspecting minions into combat and teaching them the value of better life insurance. For defense? Well… there's Deflection. Just Deflection. A single thread of hope and denial holding the whole strategy together. I will almost certainly regret that.

My card pool is still pretty limited, so I'm not posting the full deck list yet. I'd rather test it first and make sure it can actually function outside the safety of theorycraft. If it performs as terrifyingly as I hope, I'll be bold enough to share the full list later, possibly along with a triumphant battle report or a detailed account of my spectacular failure. Either way, it'll be entertaining.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave

Smells Like Progress: Tinkering with the Nosferatu Deck

I may be a newcomer in VTES, but I've already heard the whispers: apparently, Nosferatu don't have the best tournament track record. That intrigued me. On paper, they seem perfectly capable: Obfuscate to vanish into the shadows, Potence to smash your face, and Animalism to summon half the local wildlife for backup. It's the full sewer-to-table package. So why aren't these sneaky sewer monsters dominating the tournament scene?

You won't find the answer here, dear reader. I'm far too inexperienced (and wise enough not to say anything bad about the Nosferatu) to pretend I know. But if Vampire: The Masquerade has taught me anything, it's this: make friends with at least one Nosferatu, or you'll eventually find yourself explaining a crime you didn't commit to your Prince… while your Nosferatu "buddy" is the only witness.

Since one of my friends loves the Nosferatu and always grabs their deck when we play, I decided to upgrade it. My Tremere have had their ritual tune-up, the Ventrue their noble refinements, it only felt fair to crawl into the dumpster and see if I could polish up the clan of dirt and secrets.

The Crypt

I wanted to prioritize Animalism and Obfuscate, so I picked multiple copies of Oskar, Lenny, Larissa, and the Dowager, then topped it off with Horace (wearing that lovely top hat that any Ventrue would covet, if it hadn't come from a landfill) and Baixinho. What a charmingly unsettling family portrait!

The Library

I cleared out the Potence-heavy cards. While punching things is fun, I wanted to lean into the Nosferatu's feral elegance. In came the Animalism classics: Carrion Crows and Aid from Bats. My main action card is Deep Song, because nothing says "healthy communication" like a song that starts a brawl anywhere on the table.

The plan is simple: bully my prey into regrettable fights or sneak past their defenses entirely. My defense plan is even simpler: hit my predator before they hit me. After all, if all of your minions are in torpor, you're not bleeding anyone, are you? To round things out, I added Guard Dogs and Underbridge Strays, because the Nosferatu love animals… in the same way the Malkavians love mental stability: theoretically.

Here's what the deck looks like at the moment:

Deck: From the Gutter, with love
Crypt (12, G6):
3x Larissa Moreira
3x Lenny Burkhead
2x Oskar Anasov
2x The Dowager
1x Horace Radcliffe
1x Baixinho

Library:
1x Slum Hunting Ground
4x Vessel
1x Rebel
1x Warsaw Station
1x Fame
1x Smiling Jack, The Anarch
1x The Labirynth
1x Haven Uncovered
1x Guardian Angel

2x Underbridge Stray
9x Deep Song
2x Army of Rats
1x Creeping Sabotage

2x Swallowed by the Night
1x Spying Mission
7x Lost in Crowds

6x On the Qui Vive
4x Protected District
4x Guard Dogs
4x Cat's Guidance

8x Carrion Crows
6x Aid from Bats
4x Taste of Vitae

I'm probably missing a few extra copies of key cards, but I'll test it anyway. As any good Nosferatu would say, perfection is overrated, function is what matters. Next week I'll put this deck through the wringer and share the results. If it goes well, fantastic. If it doesn't… well, the Nosferatu are used to hiding in shame.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave

Team Red, Team Purple, and a Midlife Malifaux Crisis

I started playing Malifaux about two years ago, which means I've been living in equal parts excitement, regret, and paint fumes ever since. The crew selection process was… painful. Picture me spending a solid month researching factions, scrolling through endless model photos like I was swiping on a dating app for miniature murderers. In the end, four factions made the shortlist:

Arcanists: Spellcasters. My natural habitat. Fireballs are basically my love language.
Guild: Guns, badges, and that gritty Western "shoot first, ask later" aesthetic.
Ten Thunders: One word: ninjas. Need I elaborate?
Neverborn: Actual nightmare fuel, and somehow I still found them charming.

Of course, "research" quickly became "shopping spree". I ended up with multiple core boxes: Misaki for the Ten Thunders, Rasputina for the Arcanists, and Dashel for the Guild. I painted Misaki's crew first and played my very first game with her. It was fun… but something didn't quite click. Apparently, ninjas sneaking wasn't my spiritual calling.

Then came Rasputina. Frosty, elegant, and definitely the queen of "please stay six inches away from me". Painting her crew was fun, but the rest of the Arcanists just didn't grab me. I realized Rasputina was the only one in the faction who interested me and I didn't want to build an entire ice empire around her.

As for the Neverborn… they terrified me. Not in-game, in real life. The assembly instructions looked like dark rituals, and the painting complexity made me question my sanity. So, I retreated. I may love monsters, but I wasn't ready to build them.

And that's how I landed on the Guild, my first true love. Dashel was a revelation, commanding, violent, and just the right mix of oppression and carnage. I was halfway through painting the Guard keyword when Lucius joined the roster. Dual faction! Guild and Neverborn! My inner lore nerd was delighted. My inner hobbyist was doomed.

I played countless games with Dashel's crew. Executioners executed. Mounted Guards galloped majestically toward certain death. Every gunfight turned into a glorious charge, followed by deeply satisfying murder. I was ready to expand my collection (Perdita? Lady J? I couldn't decide) then, bam, Fourth Edition was announced.

The hype was real. I was reading updates daily, refreshing the news like a caffeine-deprived acolyte of Wyrd. When I finally played my first 4E game (Dashel vs. Zoraida, the local swamp hag), I was hooked. The game felt tighter, meaner, faster. Everything I loved, just with more pain. Perfect!

Then came the Great Faction Divorce. Dual factions? Gone. Each master had to pick a side. Many players wailed, switched factions, or sold entire collections in protest. Me? I shrugged. Lucius left the Neverborn to fully embrace his Guild career, and honestly, I was proud. He finally settled down.

But then… something strange happened. As the weeks went by, I found myself reading fewer Guild reports and more and more Neverborn ones. Those creepy, elegant mechanics whispered to me. Before I knew it, I was deep in their lore and rationalizing new purchases with the enthusiasm of a man possessed. Within months, I'd acquired three Neverborn crews:

Returned: Kastore and his charming vampire entourage, bringing Hunger to the table.
Woe: Pandora and her unsettling children, spreading paranoia like a contagious mood.
Fae: Titania and her forest horrors, proving plants can hold a grudge

So here I am, torn between Team Red and Team Purple, Guild tyranny and Neverborn chaos. Over the next few months, I'll be sharing my adventures (and misadventures) with these crews. Expect tactical insights, hobby failures, and the occasional existential crisis. After all, this is Malifaux, so no one comes out unscathed, but at least the miniatures look fabulous.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave 

Building my custom Tremere deck - part one

I remember holding my first Vampire: The Masquerade book in the early 2000s, nervously trying to make a character. My friend looked at me and said: "Read the Tremere chapter. You always play the wizard types". He was absolutely right. Within minutes I was hooked. Over the next two decades, I played mostly Tremere and Ventrue (with a short and regrettable "rebellious Nosferatu era", which thankfully passed before I started dumpster-diving in real life).

The Tremere fascinated me because they took their place in Kindred society. While everyone else inherited vampirism like bad family jewelry, the Tremere stole it with forbidden magic. Mortality? No thank you. They cracked reality until it gave up its secrets. A little hubris? Definitely. But you can't deny the ambition.

I also loved their discipline (in every sense of the word). Unlike most clans, constantly tripping over their own politics, Tremere built a pyramid of ranks: apprentices, regents, lords, it's basically Hogwarts, but with more blood theft and fewer owls. Sure, the pyramid collapsed eventually… but honestly, what Tremere ritual doesn't end in a little smoke and rubble?

In VTES, the Tremere feel just as versatile as in the RPG. Auspex lets them catch sneaky Nosferatu and Malkavians in the act, Dominate means extra bleed, and Blood Sorcery (aka. Thaumaturgy) adds that magical "oops, did I just set you on fire?" flair.Thank Caine masquerade breaches aren't a mechanic, because half my library would trigger SWAT raids.

When I set out to build my Tremere deck, I did what any Tremere would do: I cheated. Or rather, I found Orpheus' excellent Tremere deck upgrade guide and treated it as a "lost grimoire". (Thanks Orpheus, I promise to cite you in my next ritual, MUHAHAAAA.)

The crypt

Between the V5 and New Blood decks, I stuck to G6 and G7 vampires. Abraham, Chrysanthemum, and Trevor made the cut. Lloyd, Nassir, and Patrik? Out. Weaklings have no place in a cabal of the greatest mages. Ayse and Mason joined in, and it looked solid… but I still needed a star. Abraham could've done it, but I wanted more power. So I chose Ian Carfax, Justicar, with that sweet +1 intercept. Problem: I owned zero copies of Ian. Luckily, I found an online seller, grabbed three copies along with some other good cards, and even scored community intel in the process (Thanks Tibo). Tremere call it "mentorship". I call it: this community is awesome.

 

 

 

The library

I went classic: Conditioning, Mirror Walk, On the Qui Vive, Telepathic Misdirection, Deflections, Eyes of Argus. Sprinkled in some items, the Tremere combat module (Apportation, Theft of Vitae), and, of course, Govern. Lots of Govern. Because you want that wall as soon as possible right?

Deck: Please Let Me Intercept This Time V1
Crypt (12, G6-7):

3x Ian Carfax
1x Abraham DuSable
2x Ayelech
1x Ines Tristao
1x Trevon Parker
1x Chrysanthemum
1x Mason Ha
1x Ayse Dhanial
1x Lauren

Library (77):

1x Academic Hunting Ground
1x Arcane Library
1x Chantry
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Powerbase: Montreal
2x Vessel
2x Villein
1x Misdirection
1x Fragment of the Book of Nod
1x The Rumor Mill, Tabloid Newspaper

8x Govern the Unaligned
1x Judgment: Camarilla Segregation
4x Magic of the Smith

1x Bowl of Convergence
1x Sport Bike
1x Ivory Bow
1x Kevlar Vest
1x Sniper Rifle

4x Conditioning
6x Mirror Walk

4x Deflection
2x Eagle's Sight
1x Enhanced Senses
5x Eyes of Argus
2x My Enemy's Enemy
2x On the Qui Vive
5x Second Tradition: Domain
4x Telepathic Misdirection

4x Apportation
2x Rego Motum
6x Theft of Vitae

So this is just version one of the deck, more like a science fair project than a finished masterpiece. As a good Tremere, I fully expect a few experiments to blow up in my face before I get it right. Stealthy decks, beware: my Auspex might not catch everything yet, but when it does, my Blood Sorcery is ready to do… something dramatic. Exactly what? We'll find out together, that's the fun of testing. And if any Tremere elders are reading this, I humbly invite your wisdom, feel free to share your secrets for improvement with this eager apprentice!

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave