BBT 2010 - De Struise Brouwers

The Alvinne guys called De Struise and warned them four thirsty swedes were on their way so we were welcomed with open arms. Their new locals are in an old school and for the first time in my life I had a beer-tasting in a class room. Urban and Carlo were very informative and a pleasure to listen to. We were there for more than one and a half hour and extended their official closing time. We had some great beer and in the first day of our trip we had visited what I believe is the two most experimental breweries in Belgium. We couldn't have had a better start!


Struise Pannepeut 2007
Belgium
ABV: 10%
Rating: 3
A nice taste of wild strawberries. Rough in a nice way but little or none after-taste. A round taste but nothing special.













Struise Pannepot 2008
Belgium
ABV: 10%
Rating: 4
A powerful stout with a heavy and nice taste of chocolate. Strawberry notes finds their way trough the heavy base. Earthy notes and a weird kind of acidic after-taste makes this beer stand out.











Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva 2005
Belgium
ABV: 10%
Rating: 4
Even more fruity than the younger Pannepot but with a lighter alcohol taste. Pretty similar but a little more powerful and a little sweeter.












De Molen / Struise Black Damnation
Netherlands / Belgium
ABV: 12%
Rating: 4
Very well hidden alcohol. Heavy taste of coffee and smoke with notes of salt and tar. Pleasantly acidic after-taste. We were told that this nice brew is now maturing on whisky casks (I don't remember if it was Mackmyra but I think so) and I'm really looking forward to tasting the result of that.

BBT 2010 - Restaurant ´t Rusteel

After some serious testing at Alvinne we were more than hungry and we were directed to Restaurant ´t Rusteel for dinner. They have their own house brewery and I tried one of their beer. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as their food.

Brouwkot Manten
Belgium
ABV: 6%
Rating: 2
A pretty dull double. Weak in taste and the only slightly interesting thin was the caramel after-taste.

BBT 2010 - Picobrouwerij Alvinne

The first stop of our Belgian Beer Trip (furthermore referred to as BBT 2010) was a really lucky one. We didn't know what to expect and none of us had been drinking any of their beer before. After struggling a bit finding our way there we finally arrived at this very small brewery and was welcomed by Davy and Glenn. We were directly led upstairs to their cosy tasting room and offered our first beer.

We thought we would be there for max one hour but we were there for more than three since they genuinely seemed to enjoy our company and interest in their beer. We had eight different beer from them and many of them were really good. We actually tasted more than eight of their beers but the ones not listed below was either too small samples to rate or work in progress.
A great brewery run by real enthusiasts and very worth a visit. If Davy or Glenn is reading this, we won't forget our promise - an Oppigårds Amarillo Spring and some more surprises will be posted to you shortly.

Alvinne Hop Trilogy Centennial
Belgium
ABV: 7.1%
Rating: 4
A very bitter and hop-tasting beer. It's like an IPA without the sweetness but it's very drink- and enjoyable anyway. A rare and appealing experience.












Alvinne Chelmsford Oak Smoked Porter
Belgium
ABV: 5.1%
Rating: 3
A smooth and drinkable porter with notes of caramel. A little tame and not my style of porter but still ok.













Alvinne Cuvee Freddy
Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 4
Heavy alcohol taste in a good way. It has an after-taste like from a good lager but the beer itself is very acidic. A very pleasant and also rare experience.












Alvinne Bolleville
Belgium
ABV: 10%
Rating: 4.
Distinct notes of apple and coffee. A round taste and very drinkable with a well-balanced bitter after-taste.













Alvinne Melchoir Mackmyra Oak Aged
Belgium
ABV: 11.5%
Rating: 5
Apple and vanilla. It's like it's melting in the mouth and throat. A perfect balance between bitterness and sweetness. Perfect!












Alvinne Melchoir Bourgogne Oak Aged
Belgium
ABV: 11.5%
Rating: 3
Much more fruit than the Mackmyra one and much more alcohol taste as well. Not close to as good but still a nice base.













Alvinne Mano Negro
Belgium
ABV: 10%
Rating: 3
Smokey but a little too mild really appeal to me. After-taste of Tar.













Alvinne Hop Trilogy Columbus
Belgium
ABV: 7.1%
Rating: 4
Tastes and smells heavy of hops. Extremely bitter but still very drinkable. A great end of a pleasant visit.

Belgian Beer Trip 2010

Tomorrow we leave for our longed for trip for some serious beer consuming in Belgium. We have finally managed to produce a working schedule for the weekend and this is where we are planning to go:

Thursday
Alvinne
De Struise Brouwers
Café 't Brugs Beertje

Friday
Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs
Brasserie Caracole
Fantôme Brasserie
La Chouffe
Drankencentrale 't Sas

Saturday
In De Vrede
Bierparadijs
La Trappe
Achel

I will write about this trip afterwards and even during it if I find time so keep updated!

Ocean and Oatgoop

Ocean India Pale Ale

Sweden
ABV: 5.4%
Rating: 3
The first sip is promising with a nice hop bitterness and some sweetness but the aftertaste confuses me and suddenly I think I'm drinking a lager. As I reach down the glass the lager-taste takes over more and more. It is not bad but not what I hoped for and certainly not what I expected.










Three Floyds Mikkeller Oatgoop
USA
ABV: 10.4%
Rating: 4
Bitter and very acidic. Sweetness grows and so does the flowery and fruity tastes. After a while it starts to show even more hoppy bitterness and notes of almond and cherry gives this co-production a nice Dr. Peppery feel. Nothing outstanding but the different aspects makes it well worth its rating.

The Horde

Since I put the unnamed as the top vampire from Heirs to the Blood I had to try and make a deck with him. I started toying with different ideas and when I read the Maleficia cards I thought I make something from that angle. I mean Evil Eye at mal has to be good with the unnamed, has it not? I decided to go all Baali and of course some copies of The Horde found their place. The more I thought about it the more I felt like building a pure The Horde deck and what you are about to read is the first draft of it.

I need input and ideas here. I have never played Baali and as far as I can remember I have never included a single Infernal minion in any deck I ever built. There will be things I have missed and others I just have got wrong. Anyhow - here is the decklist and I present my thoughts about it later:

Deck Name : The Horde
Author : Stefan Karlsson

Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 3 max: 3 average: 3
12x Horde, The 3 dai obf pre Baali:6

Library [80 cards]
Action [21]
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
12x Barrenness
8x Greater Curse

Action Modifier [19]
1x Cloak the Gathering
1x Domain of Evernight
2x Faceless Night
2x I am Legion
2x Lost in Crowds
5x Psalm of the Damned
1x Spying Mission
5x True Love's Face

Action Modifier/Combat [1]
1x Swallowed by the Night

Ally [1]
1x Veneficti (Mage)

Combat/Reaction [5]
5x Evil Eye

Equipment [2]
2x Kaymakli Fragment

Event [2]
1x Anthelios, The Red Star
1x Scourge of the Enochians

Master [29]
1x Coven, The
3x Effective Management
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Jake Washington (Hunter)
10x Maleficia
3x Parthenon, The
4x Path of Evil Revelations
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Ruins of Charizel
3x Tribute to the Master

The idea is to weaken and possibly destroy other vampires with Barrenness. The untap granted by Barrenness opens for a poolgaining bleed at +1 stealth with outferior Greater Curse. There is some stealth and a few True Love's Face to increase the bleed amount. Psalm of the Damned and Evil Eye are great cards that have to be included to some amount. Because of the need of multiple Maleficia-cards I decided to go Master heavy all over. Some crypt acceleration, blood and pool gain dominates that section. Kaymakli Fragment is insanely good if no one steals it. If you can use it without problems everything you have to do is to "pay one to see one" to get a fresh Horde every round.
My idea is that this deck should be able to do pretty much damage and still survive without any real defensive package. These are rough guesses and I bet there are many things that can go wrong. I have a feeling that this is a deck that should be 60 cards with 6 Ashur Tablets but to build such a deck you need some real knowledge about the different parts of it and relevant amounts of the different cards.
I really like the idea and would love to get it good enough to be competitive and that's why I publish it this early asking for advice. I really need all input I can get so shoot!

Alltid rött alltid rätt - Tournament Report

We suffered from the Greater Curse of Eleven Players and I had a bad feeling about that from the start. Fortunately I wasn't playing in the first round so I both had the time to do some scouting and play two games of Battle Line with Alex. I knew from scouting that it would be a hard time for me reaching the finals with my specialized deck.

Round 2
Me -> Ida Olsson (Laibon Ravnos Breed/Boon) -> Roger Carhult (Nakthoreb Trafficing) -> Alex Ek (Ventrue Breed/Boon) -> Peter ??? (Followers Bleed/Entice)
My predator had a hard time with Alex getting a great start. I wasn't bled for more than I could handle which was furtunate since my crypt draw wasn't the best. I started with three Anarch Converts and one Delilah Monroe. The top two vampires in my crypt turned out to be the remaining two Anarch Converts so it took a while before I could get my first Baron. I also didn't draw any vote master until late mid-game so I spent most of the game with no permanent votes. The breeding worked fine since the whole table was completely intercept-free and Alex helped me pass some Con Boons for survival and even some Kines.

Roger fought hard and managed to corrupt some Embraces, Third Traditions and Tumnimoses from his prey and predator but it was just a matter of time before Alex got his first VP. Ida's vote engine started to work and in one round she succeeded with two Con Boons for a total of 16 pool. I had Revolutionary Council in hand and 8 Anarchs, one of them being Baron so I knew I could make Ida burn 14 pool with one action but not being able to handle the last two pool. I was also running low on pool and I made a deal with Alex that he would let me get my Victory Point before trying to oust me. I did my thing and Ida was on two pool. Alex turned out to have the perfect hand so after some bleeds and two 3-1 Kines he ousted me and Ida at the same time. Sad times and a beautifully sneaky way of honouring his deal.
I should have played it cool. I had the Museum in play and I could demand to bloat for some rounds before damaging Ida. Alex would probably have had to work with me anyhow since Ida would have been too strong without me being able to deal her massive damage. Bad mistake but a good game.
Alex GW 2.5VP Me 1VP Roger 0.5VP

Round 3
Me -> Martin Svenneryd (Beast&Co Combat) -> Mattias Thörnkvist (True Brujah/Brujah something) -> Peter Kärrberg (Akunanse Toolbox)
I knew I would never get trough my first prey without help. The situation wasn't better since he had seen me execute the Revolutionary Council for 14 in the previous round. Fortunately Peter had been slammed by his combat in round 2 so he wasn't willing to oust me before I ousted Martin.
Both me and Mattias got a good share of Potence and Animalism-combat in our faces while Peter was free to do his set-up. Soon Martin had both Information Network and Rumour Mill in play plus intercept-reactions on hand so my Barons couldn't act at all since I only had Creepshow Casino in play. I made him take some vote damage and the whole table was turned against him. Peter and I made a deal he shouldn't oust me before I ousted Martin. This time I thought I would prepare for a double-oust and getting 12 fresh pool for the duel since Mattias was totally crippled but I influenced one vampire too many to my controlled region. Peter was able to do the same thing Alex did to me the round before with an Anarchist Uprising ousting me and Martin at the same time. Who was the fool of the day?
Peter GW 3VP Me 1VP

I made one mistake in each game against smart predators and that cost me the chances of entering the finals. The greatest lesson learned from this is that it is hard to play a specialized deck that focuses on only one strategy. I don't think I am a good enough player yet to succeed when I need to. I have to start playing safer decks for a while and analyzing the different aspects of the game before I try these crazy attempts again.
There is nothing wrong with the deck I played. I will keep it for a while but the three Dodges will probably be traded for one more Con Boon, one more damaging vote and a third copy of Conductor. There are also some new cards to play with from Heirs to the Blood and most of the Con Boons should be traded for Benefit Performances. About half of the Kines should be Lily Preludes as well but other than that none of the new cards adds anything good to this deck.

Staropramen Dark

Staropramen Dark

Czech Republic
ABV: 4.4%
Rating: 3
This is a good and bitter lager that is refreshing and actually surprisingly rich in taste for its low ABV and the fact that it is a lager. Nothing exciting, nothing special but nice to drink together with hamburger and fries.

The Expectation Analysis Experiment - Part 2 - The Pop Star

Time again for a monthly Gothenburg tournament and another expectation analysis. I'm writing this Thursday 11 February but you will be reading it earliest Saturday 13 February since I don't want to spoil the deck to the other participants.
The deck I will play this time is a remade version of Matt Morgans winning deck from day 1 of NAC 2008. I have made what I feel is improvements to it and slimmed it down to 60 cards witch should be enough. The most important change is of course that I changed clan from Assamites to Daughters of Cacophony. Alex Ek and Erik Torstensson helped me with the last polishing of details so credits should go to them.

Before I discuss further, here is the deck list:

Deck Name : The Pop Star
Author : Stefan Karlsson

Crypt (13 vampires) Capacity min: 1 max: 6 average: 3.30769
------------------------------------------------------------
5x Anarch Convert 1 Caitiff:0
2x Yseult 6 FOR MEL PRE Daughter :3
2x Angela Preston 5 MEL PRE for Daughter :2
1x Gael Pilet 6 FOR MEL chi pre Daughter :2
1x Delilah Monroe 4 MEL for pre Daughter :2
1x Celeste, The Voice 3 mel pre Daughter :2
1x Muse 3 ani for mel Daughter :2

Library (60 cards)
------------------------------------------------------------
Action (14)
8x Embrace, The
1x Entrancement
1x Fee Stake: Boston
1x Fee Stake: Corte
1x Fee Stake: Los Angeles
1x Fee Stake: Perth
1x Fee Stake: Seattle

Action Modifier (11)
1x Cryptic Rider
2x Daring the Dawn
2x Freak Drive
4x Missing Voice, The
2x Voter Captivation

Action Modifier/Reaction (4)
4x Madrigal

Combat (3)
3x Dodge

Event (1)
1x Uncoiling, The

Master (13)
1x Anarch Railroad
2x Bastille Opera House
2x Conductor
1x Coven, The
1x Creepshow Casino
1x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Giant's Blood
1x Paris Opera House
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
2x Seattle Committee

Political Action (14)
7x Consanguineous Boon
5x Kine Resources Contested
2x Revolutionary Council

The general idea is to survive my predator's pressure via the Consanguineous Boons and seem like no big threat towards my prey (yeah right, good luck!) until I drop Revolutionary Council for 10+ pool damage. I have chosen Daughters since they have access to some very strong cards while I am aware that I lose some of the strengths of the Assamite version.
I know this deck will drop dead at some tables and my hopes are for 2 game wins in the preliminary rounds but 1 is more realistic and I will be happy with that. In the final I will probably not encounter as much combat as in the preliminaries and if I read and flow with the table balance I should be able to achieve a 3-2 or 3-1-1 win.
The good thing with this deck is that when it gets hammered by another deck, be it rush, wall or fast bleed, you can easily grow strong again if you plead for your cross table buddies for help. I suspect that that will be key to my success this Saturday.

I will give you some short comments on the different card categories in this deck so you see why I have chosen what I have chosen:

Crypt (13 vampires) Capacity min: 1 max: 6 average: 3.30769
------------------------------------------------------------
5x Anarch Convert 1 Caitiff:0
2x Yseult 6 FOR MEL PRE Daughter :3
2x Angela Preston 5 MEL PRE for Daughter :2
1x Gael Pilet 6 FOR MEL chi pre Daughter :2
1x Delilah Monroe 4 MEL for pre Daughter :2
1x Celeste, The Voice 3 mel pre Daughter :2
1x Muse 3 ani for mel Daughter :2

I want at least 5 vampires with capacity 5 or higher to have a good chance of an early Baron. This is one of the parts where this deck is inferior to the Assamite version since thy have a better Baron crypt. Erik made me put in a fifth Anarch Convert and I have to trust him there, I have not done the maths myself yet. This crypt has never disappointed me in play testing so far.

Action (14)
8x Embrace, The
1x Entrancement
1x Fee Stake: Boston
1x Fee Stake: Corte
1x Fee Stake: Los Angeles
1x Fee Stake: Perth
1x Fee Stake: Seattle

The 8 Embraces may seem a little over the top but it is really important to play two or three early so I can gain enough pool to survive with my Con Boons. 5 Fee Stakes feels about right and the Entrancement is simply too good to exclude.

Action Modifier (11)
1x Cryptic Rider
2x Daring the Dawn
2x Freak Drive
4x Missing Voice, The
2x Voter Captivation

Action Modifier/Reaction (4)
4x Madrigal

In the first versions of this deck I had plenty of Freak Drives but multi-acting isn't really that important for the deck. The two that are left are more there to be able to make that last unexpected ousting action than anything else. Earlier I also had more stealth but still with the 4 Missing Voice I have left I tend to discard them as often as I play them. I still want to keep them because I know I need them when facing a real block deck. Daring the Dawn is there for the crucial Revolutionary Council and Voter Captivation is actually there more for blood- than pool gain. Madrigal is a wonderful card that can make people do stupid mistakes out of greed so they are auto-include in this deck. Also all my Daughters gets one blood if I tap Bastille Opera House or have Conductor in play.

Combat (3)
3x Dodge

Maybe the best choice would be no combat defence at all but an Embrace playing Dodge can be just that little extra surprise that will grant me an oust. In earlier versions I packed some Majesties but Dodge feels like a more versatile choice for this deck.

Event (1)
1x Uncoiling, The

Main targets: Unmasking and Scourge of the Enochians.

Master (13)
1x Anarch Railroad
2x Bastille Opera House
2x Conductor
1x Coven, The
1x Creepshow Casino
1x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Giant's Blood
1x Paris Opera House
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
2x Seattle Committee

Three different stealth locations is a great asset for this deck. It's important to get Bastille Opera House and/or Conductor in play as fast as possible, thereby two copies each. I also want to get Seattle Committee in play before mid-game since it's the only sane way in making Embraces Anarchs. Some blood gain, the mandatory Pentex and the real Pop Star - Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. That is probably the best card in the deck since it allows me to get one Revolutionary Council each round when I need them.

Political Action (14)
7x Consanguineous Boon
5x Kine Resources Contested
2x Revolutionary Council

7 Con Boons might be one or two to few but I hope not. The Kines are there as a second ousting mechanism and 2 Revolutionary Council should be enough together with Garibaldi-Meucci Museum.

Beer and Jyhad-night

Yesterday a jolly bunch gathered at Alex's place for some beer and Jyhad. I won the first game but was never even fighting for the win in the last two games. Maybe because of these:

Rochefort 10
Belgium
ABV: 11.3%
Rating: 4
A very rich and tasteful beer. Clear and nice almond notes. The heavy alcohol taste is growing during the experience but is never a problem. It's hard to tell why but some beer can have a heavy alcohol taste and still be great. Rochefort 10 is one of them.









Midtfyns Imperial Stout
Denmark
ABV: 9,5%
Rating: 4
Tastes like butterscotch and smokey tar. After a while the smokiness alters and reminds more of tobacco. A very pleasant drinking and I have to drink more Imperial Stouts.

Oppigårds Amarillo Spring

Sweden
ABV: 5.9%
Rating: 5
This is labeled an American Pale Ale but I find this the perfect IPA and finally I can rest easy not giving Sierra Nevada Torpedo a rating of 5. This ale is a perfect mix between the bitter Amarillo hop and sweetness. After a while notes of honey finds their way trough. Perfect.

The Yakuza Shirt

One of my readers, Kyabetsu, asked me if I would rate his Hawaiian shirt if he sent me a picture of it. Since this is a public service medium I can't say no to such a request so here is a little trip beyond this blog's normal boundaries:

The Yakuza Shirt
Japan
ABV: ?%
Rating: 3
For being non-authentic Hawaiian it is a pretty decent shirt. Nice big pattern and striking colours without being an optical noise. I would wear it with straight back but it wouldn't be my first choice in the wardrobe.

Top 15 expensive rares from Hiers to the Blood

Australia Online was the first to sell rares from Heirs to the Blood on Ebay. This is the list of the 15 most expensive rares from their first wave of auctions:

1. I am Legion $17.00
2. Summon History $15.65
3. Unleash Hell's Fury $11.50
4. Code of Samiel $11.04
5. Harmony $10.52
6. Blessing of the Beast $6.50
7. Infernal Servitor $6.50
8. Charge of the Buffalo $5.77
9. Joumlon's Axe $5.50
10. The Rising $5.25
11. Veneficti (Mage) $5.25
12. The Path of Harmony $4.20
13. Thicker than Blood $3.56
14. Potio Martyrium $3.28
15. Barreness $3.26

I'm not sure but I don't think he put up copies of all rares for auctions so this list might be a little misleading.

A dull end of the week

De Koninck
Belgium
ABV: 5%
Rating: 2
A very dull ale. It's like a Belgian Ale that isn't fermented at all. After half of it it has gotten a bit rounder in taste and I sense some nut notes but they are not interesting enough to save this meaningless ale.

An IPA and half an idiot

Saturday night with Jonas and a kid that had sense enough to sleep for at least one hour called for some beer.

Stensbogaard India Pale Ale
Denmark
ABV: 5%
Rating: 3
Very promising and bitter scent but the taste is not powerful enough to match it. It is bitter enough but I miss the hidden sweetness the best IPAs have. A good but not great beer.











Dugges ½ Idjit
Sweden
ABV: 7%
Rating: 4
A great and special porter. There is a nice note of coffee but it is overwhelmed by the very interesting licorice taste. I really love it and had there been more subtle flavours it would have been a 5. This is a beer I guess you either love or hate.

Hiers to the Blood - Top 10 library cards

As in my last post I'm putting together a top list of cards that I want to play from this new interesting set. They don't need to be the best cards but my personal taste and some impulsive deck ideas is the main resources behind this list.

1. Death Seeker
This is a very personal choice since I'm a sucker for !Salubri. A very versatile card that can trump both combat defence (combat ends, prevent, maneuver, dodge etc.) and combat offence in most cases. Sure, a potence deck will have several red cards and can in many cases play a new copy when the first gets cancelled but in reality they will not have an extra copy at hand often enough. If you face decks that completely denies the existence of combat cards it will of course be useless but that is worth some discards. And against such decks, the decks I plan on putting Death Seeker into should not have any problems.


2. Blessing of the Beast
I have never played Ahrimanes or Spiritus but it is and have more so become a great multi-purpose discipline. With a couple of Blessing of the Beast in a Spiritus-heavy deck you are basically getting a giant hand size and that is a tried and true way to succeed in this game.







3. Lily Prelude
Another of my favourite clans gets a great card. Had it only required DoC instead of mel it would probably be my number one but it is still very promising. The potential bribe when playing on superior should put you in a decent negotiation spot, especially together with Prostitu.. er.. Madrigal.







4. Wider View
This is a card that needs some serious testing before knowing if it is as good as it could be. I'm thinking maybe putting 7 copies of the star vampire in a deck instead of 5 since you can remove the extra copies if you get a Wider View in play early. Maybe it's worth it maybe it's not. I have still to figure out if you can do some really nasty trick with it but I'm sure you can and I wont be the first to figure it out. Where I think this card really will shine is in a deck without star vampire but with a restricted crypt choice. If you for example field 3 copies each of 4 different vampires you are guaranteed to see a minimum of 2 in your starting draw. On the other hand you will seldom be able to field all 4 of them without this card or some similar effect.

5. Gremlins
A very nice card for a Kiasyd bleed deck to trade some of your Governs for. Your support vampires without MYT can play it using dom and the myt effect is a nice bonus.








6. Oppugnant Night
Worst case you get blocked and get to fight a combat. Best case you get to rush with all of your Blood Brothers. I wouldn't trade all rush-cards in a deck for this one but some of these should be gold in a Blood Brother combat deck.







7. Infernal Servitor
I'm thinking The unnamed bleeding with Heart of the City at the CEL level of Flurry of Action and then recruiting this to go for another direct bleed for 3, probably with obf-stealth. Maybe you can do something nasty with this and the more obscure Obeah and Valeren cards to bleed with it multiple times in the same round. I find this card very interesting and hopefully a decent source of cheesy exploiting.





8. I am Legion
Perfect when facing Auspex-decks, still a good card when you don't. A couple of these should go in every Baali bleed deck.









9. Shatter the Gate
The effect of this card is one of the most powerful in the game. The effort of gaining that effect is probably one of the hardest in the game.









10. Great Symposium
An auto-include for any deck that plans on fielding 2 or more Kiasyd.

Hiers to the Blood - Top 5 crypt cards

I have read trough all crypt cards in Hiers to the Blood and compiled a top 5 list. They are maybe not the best vampires but they caught my attention and made me get ideas for new decks. I will give you a new top 5 in about a month and we will see what have changed.

1. The unnamed
The nice discipline spread and great abilities makes this a very interesting star vampire to exploit in several different ways. I'm currently toying with the idea of giving it Striga and/or Maleficia for some really insane combos.








2. Scout Youngwood
Too bad she is group 6. Great special and I'm thinking of some sort of breed/boon (or should we call it breed/benefit now?) with Veil the Legions for the Embraces to pass their actions. Concert Tour is worth it for an 8-cap and if I'm not wrong you can benefit from it after paying for her special.






3. Asguresh
Insane special for a mid-cap with CEL. Yes, I'm thinking guns rush.










4. Anu Diptinatpa
Great support for a classic Giovanni powerbleed deck. Works well in the new decade's version of the Guillame Giovanni-deck









5. Isanwayen
A second Parthenon for only 6 pool? Yes please. Granting extra master phase actions is always good and this is the youngest vampire that does it so far. Also works well with Guillame Giovanni.

Is that a half size pen in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

How did people blog before internet and computers? With a notebook or so called journal and an ordinary pen. As we will leave for our longed for Belgium beer trip in some weeks I thought I get ready for the field. I got myself a notebook and a pen.

Since I started this blog I have already noticed that I quickly forget small and sometimes big things about the beer I try so it will come in handy ordinary pub nights and even at home.


The notebook is of A6 format, perfect size for putting in the back pocket of my jeans or in the pocket of an ordinary Hawaiian shirt. It is soft backed with lined pages and it feels like its going to be a nice travel companion.
The pen is even more interesting. At the book store my wife had to listen to my standard oration about how worthless everything is and that there is no point in making pens the length they are. I want to put a pen in a pocket and a standard sized one is simply to long to feel comfortable. I said that I was going to invent a short pen and become a millionaire. Then, there at the counter it was - my red short pen. Perfect in hand, unnoticed in pocket.
I'm ready to go to Belgium and note every subtle note of every obscure beer I have!

Swedish ECQ and the annual GothCon Draft

Swedish ECQ
When: April 3 2010 11.00-21.00
Where: GothCon - Hvitfeltska Gymnasiet, Göteborg

The 2010 Swedish V:tES ECQ hosted at the GothCon convention during the Easter weekend.

Cost to attend is 50 SEK + the convention entrance fee.

Feel free to spread this to all V:tES players you know who might be interested. We would love to see lots of domestic and foreign guests.

If you have any questions feel free to send me a facebook mail or a regular mail (alexander.s.ek[at]gmail.com).

The day before there will be a draft tournament at the same location and I guess both tournaments will have 40+ maybe even more participants. I'll be happy to see as many of you there as possible.

First glance analysis of the new cards

I want to try and comment these cards before I have actually done to much thinking or reading others opinions on them. My comments will be very unreliable and not thought trough at all and I'm sure I will miss important aspects.

Uriel
!Salubri, G4, cap 8
AUS FOR VAL ani obe
Sabbat bishop: In combat, the controller of the opposing minion plays
with an open hand.

My first thought on this guy is that he is the first titled !Salubri and that that opens up for Trophy-play. My second thought is that trophies are bad so back at square one. His special is great and he teams up nice with Dela Eden or Saulot but I tend to go with the small-caps when I play !Salubri so I doubt I'll use him that much.

Hide the Heart
Reaction, aus/val, no cost
[aus] Reduce a bleed against you by 1.
[val] The action ends (unsuccessfully). The acting minion may burn 1 blood to cancel this card as it is played. Only one Hide the Heart may be played at [val] each action.
[VAL] Reduce a bleed against you by 2, or tap to reduce a bleed against any Methuselah by 2.

A tricky little card that can find its usage but cards like this are seldom good enough to actually see serious play.

Death Seeker
Combat, !Salubri, costs 1 pool
Cancel a combat card played by the opposing minion as it is played (no cost is paid). A vampire can play only one Death Seeker each round.

This is my favourite card seen so far from HttB. It might look expensive to pay 1 pool but I find it a minor cost to cancel any combat card. Anti Majesty and anti Immortal Grapple at the same time are simply superb. I already have a deck idea.

Baroque
Samedi, G5, cap 7
NEC THA aus for obf
Independent: Baroque can enter combat with a younger vampire who is not Giovanni or Nosferatu as a (D) action.

Nothing special or great here but THA together with some Samedi-tech may make him shine, I don't know.

Off Kilter
Action, Samedi, no cost
+1 stealth action
Gain 1 pool. If you do not have the Edge, you get the Edge. Otherwise, you may burn the Edge to gain 1 additional pool.

Doesn't look any good but maybe with Freak Drives and combined with Little Mountain Cemetery maybe it can be used for some extra bloat.

Under my Skin
Action Modifier, obf/thn, 1 blood
[obf] +1 stealth
[thn] +1 stealth and put this card on this vampire. On any action after this one, this vampire may burn this card to get +1 stealth.
[THN] As [thn] above, but for +2 stealth when played.

A good card for the classical Reanimated Corpse / Little Mountain Cemetery deck.

Isanwayen
Kiasyd, G4, cap 6
DOM MYT OBT
Sabbat: While ready Isanwayen may tap to give you an additional master phase action. Rescuing him from torpor costs an additional blood. Cold iron vulnerability.

Will probably see some serious exploitation since it will be the youngest vampire in the game that grants an extra master phase action. Traditional master deck will not see the tapping as such a big cost.

Wider View
Master, no requirements, 1 pool
Master: Trifle
Put this card in play. You may use a transfer to move the top card from your crypt to your uncontrolled region and then remove a crypt card in your uncontrolled region from the game. You may use four transfers to burn this card and gain 2 pool.

I haven't started any mathematics for this but it has to be good in some decks. Since its not unique you can include a handful of copies in a deck and get your investment back just by using four transfers. I'm not sure if I have read it right when I assume you can use this card's first effect as many times as you have transfers in your influence phase. If that is correct it can be a new way to fish for your star vamp.

Tinglestripe
Equipment, requires Mytherceria, no cost
Weapon.
[myt]Strike: 2R damage. This weapon can be used as a strike only once each round.
[MYT] As above, or strike: 1R damage, with an optional maneuver each combat.

Nothing for the standard Kiasyd-deck but I guess it will see some use.

Rusticus
Gargoyle, G5, cap 4
VIS for
Camarilla. Tremere Slave: Flight.

The youngest vampire so far, except for Tupdog, with VIS should be useful enough to be seen in some decks

Voices of the Castle
Reaction, tha/vis, no cost
[tha] This vampire burns 1 blood to get +1 intercept.
[vis] +1 intercept, or give +1 intercept to a vampire to whom this vampire is enslaved.
[VIS] Reduce a bleed against you by 2.

Yet another of those cards that has some versatility but is not really good enough to see serious play.

Lead Fist
Combat, tha/vis, no cost
[tha] Strike: hand strike at +1 damage.
[vis] As [tha] above, an once this round this vampire can burn a blood to get a press, only usable to continue combat.
[VIS] As [vis] above, but at +2 damage.

A nice card but there are Potence-cards that does about the same so I don't think it will be used that much.

Please give me some comments on my opinions and we'll see how much I have missed or misinterpreted!

Hiers to the Blood Starter Spoilers

Copied and pasted from the newsgroup below are the contents of the four starter decks for the upcoming expansion Hiers to the Blood. There is also card texts for the previously unreleased cards in the starters. Enjoy.

!VENTRUE-!SALUBRI

1 Titus Camille
1 Polly Kay Fisher
1 Jefferson Foster
1 Mariel St. John
1 Jephta Hester
1 Neighbor John
1 Aredhel
1 Langa
1 Nkechi
1 Rashiel
2 Uriel

Uriel
!Salubri, G4, cap 8
AUS FOR VAL ani obe
Sabbat bishop: In combat, the controller of the opposing minion plays
with an open hand.

2 Villein
2 Vessel
2 Blooding by the Code
1 Path of Retribution, The
1 Corporate Hunting Ground
1 Information Highway
1 Fame
1 Fortitude
1 Auspex

4 Govern the Unaligned
3 Abbot
2 Brother in Arms
2 Rumble
2 Sense of Death
1 Graverobbing
1 Blessing of the Name

5 Baseball Bat

2 Dawn Operation

5 Indomitability
5 Unflinching Persistence
3 Vengence of Samiel
3 Sword of the Righteous
3 Target Vitals
2 Death Seeker
1 Blissful Agony
1 Eye of Unforgiving Heaven

5 Wake with Evening's Freshness
3 Eyes of Argus
3 Enhanced Senses
3 Precognition
2 Telepathic Counter
2 Hide the Heart
1 Melange

1 Dragonbound

Hide the Heart
Reaction, aus/val, no cost
[aus] Reduce a bleed against you by 1.
[val] The action ends (unsuccessfully). The acting minion may burn 1
blood to cancel this card as it is played. Onle one Hide the Heart may
be played ay [val] each action.
[VAL] Reduce a bleed against you by 2, or tap to reduce a bleed
against any Methuselah by 2.

Death Seeker
Combat, !Salubri, costs 1 pool
Cancel a combat card played by the opposing minion as it is played (no
cost is paid). A vampire can play only one Death Seeker each round.

-----------------------------
NOSFERATU-SAMEDI

1 Federico di Padua
1 Shahid
1 Topaz
1 Harold Tanner
1 Petra
1 Slag
1 Troglodytia
1 Tanginé
1 Macoute
1 Abebe
2 Baroque

Baroque
Samedi, G5, cap 7
NEC THA aus for obf
Independent: Baroque can enter combat with a younger vampire who is
not Giovanni or Nosferatu as a (D) action.

4 Agent of Power
2 Villein
2 Vessel
2 Coroner's Contact
1 Warsaw Station
1 Dummy Corporation
1 Dreams of the Sphinx
1 Houngan

4 Computer Hacking
3 Night Moves
2 Little Mountain Cemetery
2 Deep Song
2 Horseshoes
2 Off Kilter
1 Divine Sign
1 Rampage
1 Patagia: Flaps Allowing Limited Flight

3 Sport Bike
3 Camera Phone

3 Reanimated Corpse
1 Underbridge Stray

4 Lost in Crowds
4 Veil the Legions
4 Cloak the Gathering
2 Mask of a Thousand Faces
2 Freak Drive
2 Under my Skin
1 Marked Path
1 Hag's Wrinkles

2 Cold Aura
2 Compress
2 Soak

4 On the Qui Vive
3 Steadfastness
2 Elder Intervention

Off Kilter
Action, Samedi, no cost
+1 stealth action
Gain 1 pool. If you do not have the Edge, you get the Edge. Otherwise,
you may burn the Edge to gain 1 additional pool.

Under my Skin
Action Modifier, obf/thn, 1 blood
[obf] +1 stealth
[thn] +1 stealth and put this card on this vampire. On any action
after this one, this vampire may burn this card to get +1 stealth.
[THN] As [thn] above, but for +2 stealth when played.

----------------
LASOMBRA-KIASYD

1 Luca Italicus
1 Lord Vauxhall
1 Black Wallace
1 Virginie, Prodigy
1 Ermenegildo, the Rake
1 Andrew Emory
1 Pherydima
1 Omme Enberbenight
1 Roderick Phillips March
1 Dame Hollerton
2 Isanwayen

Isanwayen
Kiasyd, G4, cap 6
DOM MYT OBT
Sabbat: While ready Isanwayen may tap to give you an additional master
phase action. Recuing him from torpor costs an additional blood. Cold
iron vulnerability.

2 Villein
2 Wider View
2 Blind Spot
2 Capitalist
1 Vessel
1 Obtenebration
1 Dominate
1 Political Hunting Ground
1 Channel 10
1 Sudden Reversal

6 Govern the Unaligned
1 Eternal Vigilance
1 Goblinism
1 Song of Pan

2 Tinglestripe
1 Zaire River Ferry

2 Nocturn

1 Mr. Winthrop

6 Bonding
6 Stone Travel
4 Shadow Play

1 Shroud of Absence
1 Blanket of Night
4 Aura Absorption
4 Murmur the False Will
3 Fae Contortion

3 Absob the Mind
3 Oubliette
2 Darkness Within
1 Autonomic Mastery

3 Obedience
3 On the Qui Vive
2 Covincraft
2 Folderol

Wider View
Master, no requirements, 1 pool
Master: Trifle
Put this card in play. You may use a transfer to move the top card
from your crypt to your uncontrolled region and then remove a crypt
card in your uncontrolled region from the game. You may use four
transfers to burn this card and gain 2 pool.

Tinglestripe
Equipment, requires Mytherceria, no cost
Weapon.
[myt]Strike: 2R damage. This weapon can be used as a strike only once
each round.
[MYT] As above, or strike: 1R damage, with an optional maneuver each
combat.

---------------------------
TREMERE-GARGOYLE

1 Lord Ephraim Wainwright
1 Muhsin Samir
1 Claus Wegener
1 Hector Trelane
1 Tarrence Moore
1 Frank Weisshadel
2 Cedric
2 Rocia
2 Rusticus

Rusticus
Gargoyle, G5, cap 4
VIS for
Camarilla. Tremere Slave: Flight.

2 Villein
2 Effective Management
1 Thaumaturgy
1 Fame
1 Guardian Angel
1 Depravity
1 Antediluvian Awakening
1 Barrens, The
1 Wasserschloss Anif, Austria
1 Chantry

3 Bum's Rush

1 Defender of the Haven
1 Create Gargoyle

1 Soul of the Earth
1 Hatchling

1 Rock Cat

3 Razor Bat
1 J.S. Simmons, Esq.

4 Conditioning

4 Stonestrength
4 Rockheart
4 Slam
4 Soak
3 Torn Signpost
3 Immortal Grapple
3 Raking Talons
2 Pounce
2 Lead Fist

6 Wake with Evening's Freshness
4 Scry the Hearthstone
4 Patrol
4 Deflection
2 Voices of the Castle

Voices of the Castle
Reaction, tha/vis, no cost
[tha] This vampire burns 1 blood to get +1 intercept.
[vis] +1 intercept, or give +1 intecept to a vampire to whom this
vampire is enslaved.
[VIS] Reduce a bleed against you by 2.

Lead Fist
Combat, tha/vis, no cost
[tha] Strike: hand strike at +1 damage.
[vis] As [tha] above, an once this round this vampire can burn a blood
to get a press, only usable to continue combat.
[VIS] As [vis] above, but at +2 damage.