The tournament took place at Athena Games, a venue that pleasantly surprised me with its size. There was plenty of room for our little gathering of Methuselahs, and it was lovely to see familiar faces alongside some new ones. With 17 players attending, we had a proper tournament on our hands.
I was particularly excited about this one. After a quick discussion with the local gang, I had decided to bring my Hecata deck, featuring its newest star, Parijat. The deck had shown promise in friendly games, and I was eager to see how it would perform in a competitive environment. The zombies were ready, the rituals prepared, and my confidence was reasonably high.
As it turned out, confidence is a resource that can disappear even faster than pool.
Game One: Welcome to the Slaughterhouse
Seating: Jaime (Tzimisce) > Me (Hecata) > Hugh (Hecata) > Simon (Nosferatu)
The first game was terrifying from the moment I sat down. I was surrounded by considerably more experienced players, and the seating made me feel as though I had just poured petrol over my head while everyone around me was casually playing with matches.
Things didn't improve when I looked at my starting crypt. Not only was Parijat missing, but the selection was generally awful. To make matters worse, Hugh, playing Hecata himself, started influencing out the very vampires I had hoped to bring into play. With my preferred vampires unavailable, I had little choice but to bring out Abdu. Unfortunately, Jaime's Tzimisce were already getting bloodthirsty, and by around Turn Three they had sent poor Abdu to torpor. With my only vampire temporarily removed from active duty, the road to my pool was wide open.
By the time I managed to influence out a second vampire, I was already down to 10 pool. Hugh had been developing his board and putting pressure on Simon, leaving Jaime free to concentrate on me. The situation deteriorated with remarkable efficiency, and by Turn Six I was ousted. Simon followed in Turn Seven, leaving the Tzimisce and Hecata to settle their differences. Hugh eventually won the table with his zombies and Shrouds, demonstrating what a Hecata deck can accomplish when its vampires actually turn up for work.
One game down. Zero victory points. Several valuable lessons learned, most of them involving sharp objects and Tzimisce.
Game Two: The Dead strike back
Seating: Luke (!Malkavian) > Mark (Mithras and big boys) > Helena (Helena) > Kyle (Salubri swords) > Me (Hecata)
The second game was easily my favourite of the tournament. This time Parijat appeared in my starting crypt, accompanied by a promising opening hand. After the previous disaster, it felt like the universe had finally decided to stop treating my deck as a practical joke. Of course, my predator, Kyle, had other plans. His Salubri started equipping weapons and seemed rather enthusiastic about testing them on my vampires. Fortunately, the table was much more balanced than the first. Everyone had an opportunity to develop their boards without immediately being reduced to a cautionary tale. Luke played some fascinating Malkavian antitribu cards I had never seen before, Mark brought out Mithras and his impressive friends to call referendums and increase the bleeding pressure, while Helena made life difficult for her neighbours by blocking important actions. Kyle, meanwhile, appeared determined to win the local arms race, equipping swords and aggravated-damage daggers as though preparing for a particularly hostile medieval festival.
Pool totals slowly dropped, and eventually most of us were hovering around four to six pool. Every action mattered, every block was potentially decisive, and the table had reached that wonderful stage of VTES where everyone looks simultaneously dangerous and one unfortunate bleed away from extinction. Then I spotted an opportunity!
Luke was sitting on seven pool, and his main vampire (whose name unfortunately escapes me, but who could burn two blood to unlock) was causing problems. I sent my zombie after him, creating just enough disruption to open a path for my bleeders. The undead workforce had finally found a productive use for their talents. First came a superior Shroud of Decay. Then Parijat stepped forward, increased her stealth and delivered a bleed with Conditioning to finish the job. My first victory point of the tournament, and a particularly satisfying one! After the disaster of Game One, watching the Hecata execute a coordinated attack felt wonderful. With Luke gone, I turned my attention towards Mark, but unfortunately time was running out. The game ended with four of us still standing, each receiving half a victory point.
Final result: 1.5 VP. Much better! Parijat had finally demonstrated why she deserved her place in the crypt, and I was feeling rather pleased with the deck again.
Game Three: Everything was going so well...
Seating: Mark (Serpentis) > Me (Hecata) > Nathan (Tzimisce) > Matt (Osebo)
For the final preliminary game, I found myself surrounded by decks whose capabilities were largely a mystery to me. I knew enough about Tzimisce to be nervous, but Serpentis and Osebo were less familiar territory. It felt rather like entering a dark alley and discovering that everyone else knew exactly what was waiting at the other end.
My prey was Nathan's Tzimisce, and after Game One I had developed a healthy respect for the clan. I decided that the best approach was to attack aggressively before they could establish themselves. Meanwhile, Mark and Matt were busy with their own struggles, giving me some breathing room to develop. And develop I did! Family Gatherings accelerated my crypt, I managed to bring out three vampires, and my draws were unusually cooperative. For a while, everything seemed to be working exactly as intended. Servitors delivered bleeds, Shrouds followed at the right moments, and Freak Drives allowed me to squeeze additional actions out of my vampires. The Hecata machinery was finally running smoothly.
Unfortunately, Nathan's Tzimisce proved remarkably difficult to crack. Even my best turns failed to break through completely, although I felt increasingly confident about my position. I had vampires, allies, momentum and a reasonable amount of pool. Surely this was going somewhere good.
Then the table reminded me that this was VTES.
First, Nathan stole my Rotting Behemoth. Watching one of your own zombies change employers is deeply upsetting, particularly when you have invested so much effort in maintaining a loyal undead workforce. Then Abdu succumbed to the temptations of Serpentis. Between the stolen Behemoth and my suddenly unreliable vampire, my carefully assembled board was beginning to resemble a company undergoing a hostile takeover. And the worst was still to come.
On the following turn, Parijat was sent to torpor after an unfortunate combat encounter with the Tzimisce. My attempt to rescue her went spectacularly wrong, resulting in another vampire entering torpor and eventually being diablerised. Within a remarkably short period, my impressive board had transformed into a collection of missing, stolen, incapacitated and permanently deceased assets.
The Hecata Human Resources Department was going to have a very difficult Monday.
With my offensive capabilities effectively dismantled, I switched from conquest to survival. Fortunately, an opening eventually allowed me to rescue one of my vampires, but by then I was no longer thinking about ousting anyone. My ambitions had been reduced to the considerably more modest goal of remaining in the game until the timer expired. And that, at least, I managed.
Time was called with all four Methuselahs still alive, earning each of us half a victory point.
Lessons from the Crypt
So, no final for me this time. My three games produced 2 victory points, some promising moments for the Hecata and several extremely painful lessons about what happens when Tzimisce decide to interfere with your plans. Despite the setbacks, I had a fantastic time. The tournament was well organised, the venue was excellent, and it was a pleasure to spend the day playing with both familiar faces and new opponents. Huge thanks to Simon and everyone involved in organising Praxis Seizure!
I also owe special thanks to Jaime and Nathan, who taught me quite a lot about Tzimisce. Admittedly, their teaching methods involved repeatedly dismantling my board, stealing my creatures and sending my vampires to torpor, but the lessons were effective. And this creates a rather uncomfortable personal dilemma.
For a long time, I have maintained a firm and entirely principled position that I will never build a Tzimisce deck. The clan simply wasn't for me. Too much fleshcrafting, too many unpleasant creatures, and altogether too much enthusiasm for doing horrible things to other people's vampires. But after seeing what Jaime and Nathan could accomplish, I have to admit that my determination is beginning to waver. I still don't like the Tzimisce. I'm just starting to suspect I might enjoy playing them. A disturbing development indeed.
The real treasure was the vampires we traded along the way
There was, however, one final highlight that made the entire trip worthwhile regardless of my tournament performance. Everyone received promotional cards, including Aaradhya, a vampire I have been desperate to acquire more copies of ever since she was first revealed. I've had plans for a Path of Power deck for quite some time, but my ambitions were being held back by the inconvenient reality of not owning enough copies of its intended star. However, a little friendly trading later, I was heading home with three copies of Aaradhya! Three! Suddenly, the defeats, stolen zombies and unfortunate diableries seemed considerably less important. The Path of Power deck I have been dreaming about is finally within reach, and I already have several ideas about how to build it.
The Hecata may not have seized the Praxis of Norwich, but the day was far from a failure. I came home with new cards, new ideas, new friends and a much better understanding of several dangerous decks. And perhaps, just perhaps, a slightly less hostile attitude towards the Tzimisce.
The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.
Custodian Hargrave
