Die Hölle von Bochum

[hardyrange]

12 Spieler kamen zum Storyline zusammen, und der Preis für die Seelen war hoch:
Nachdem bei 20 Pool Gebot 5 Leute gleichzeitig die Hand hoben, musste ich dann bis 34 Pool gehen, um den sechsten "Freiwilligen" zu finden.

Gut, dass wir immer 4er-Tische spielten - dadurch war genug Platz für alle, um ihre 64 Pool auszubreiten...

Und die Teufelsanbeter setzen sich durch:

The Infernal Plague: Bochum, 21.11.2004
Final Standings

Final Rank Name Prelim GWs Prelim VPs Final VPs TPs Clan
1 Martin Schumacher 2 9 1,5 174 infernal Ventrue
2 Ralf Lammert 2 4 1,5 138 infernal Ventrue
3 Patrik Reinhard 1 3 0,5 106 infernal Tzimisce
4 Katja Weber 1 4 0 136 Tremere
5 Michael Bartsch 1 3 0 106 Nosferatu
6 Sebastian Zielinski 1 3 90 Brujah
7 Thorsten Weber 0 3 114 Blood Brothers
8 Stefan Krämer 0 2 114 infernal !Malkavian
9 Markus Hißnauer 0 2 90 !Malkavian
10 Dieter Ahrweiler 0 1 84 infernal Toreador
11 Sascha Müller 0 1 72 Malkavian
11 Jörg Epping 0 1 72 infernal Lasombra

Alles weitere, wie Deckliste des Gewinners und den Fragebogen zum Storyline, gibt es später, wenn ich die Zeit zum Abtippen hatte.

[zivi]

Ja, ich geb es ja zu.

Nachdem ich mich zum ersten Mal entschieden hatte, Antimalks zu spielen ( Stealth Bleed) wollte ich eigentlich noninfernal sein.

In der Auktion waren wir dann bei 20 Extrapool und 5 Spieler zeigten auf. Ich hab mich schon gefreut. Das waren ja nichtb gerade viel extra Pool.

Als wir dann bei dreißig ankamen, war ich schon nervös; soviel wegbleeden ist schon schwer.

Bei 34 Extrapool habe ich dann auch aufgezeigt und schwupps waren wir fertig.
Natürlich kann man jetzt sagen: Hey, du hast dich ja kaufen lassen. Aber ich wollte den Feind nur unterminieren und von innen heraus missionieren

Hat nicht ganz geklappt.

Aber noch ein paar Facts zu meinem Turnierverlauf.

Insgesamt in allen drei Spielen musste ich 9 Judgement Camarilla Segregation ertragen und wurde 7 mal geparity shifted.

So ne kacke - da sind 64 Pool schnell futsch.

Trotzdem 2 VP´s gemacht.

Alles wird gut.

Bis zum Wochenende

Zivi

[Tobias]

Hey Martin, I missed this one, cool, congrats!

Hope you're not playing a wall deck in Heidelberg... you'd be toast!

[hardyrange]

Und hier ist der "offizielle" Fragebogen, den ich weggeschickt habe, auf dass wir in die Geschichte eingehen...

**** INFERNAL PLAGUE EVENT HISTORIAN'S RECORD ****

EVENT INFORMATION
=================
Organizer Name: Gerhard Range
Historian Name: Gerhard Range
Event Date: 21.11.2004
Event Location: Zu den Vier Winden
Event City & State/Region: Bochum
Event Country: Germany

A. TOURNAMENT WINNING CLAN:
Ventrue

B. WAS THE WINNER PLAYING FOR THE INFERNAL FACTION?:
Yes

C. WINNING PLAYER'S NAME:
Martin Schumacher

D. HOW MUCH EXTRA POOL DID THE INFERNAL PLAYERS BEGIN PLAY WITH:
34

E. WINNING DECKLIST:

Crypt
----------------------

3x Arika
2x Marcus Vitel
2x Queen Anne
1x Catherine du Bois
1x Michael Luther
1x Leandro
1x Jaroslav Pascek
1x Lucinde Alastor


Library
--------------------------

Action [4]
4x Govern the Unaligned

Action Modifier [26]
6x Elder Impersonation
6x Forgotten Labyrinth
6x Lost in Crowds
8x Voter Captivation

Combat [10]
8x Majesty
2x Skin of Steel

Event [2]
2x Anthelios, The Red Star

Master [23]
2x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Fear of Mekhet
1x Giant's Blood
8x Minion Tap
2x Protected Resources
1x Ventrue Headquarters
6x Zillah's Valley

Political Action [18]
1x Ancient Influence
2x Banishment
2x Conservative Agitation
2x Dramatic Upheaval
1x Kindred Restructure
4x Kine Resources Contested
1x Political Stranglehold
2x Protect Thine Own
1x Reins of Power
2x Rumors of Gehenna

Reaction [5]
5x Deflection


INSTRUCTIONS AND QUESTIONS COVERING ALL ROUNDS
==============================================
1. Did Barbaro Lucchese make an impact in any game?
No.

2. Did Sela, Alan Sovereign or Quentin King III make an impact in any
game?
No.

3. Please send us direct quotes of interesting things said during your
event. Do not edit the quotes.

- "Those Lasombra don't have any arms left."
(Blood Brother player about the state of his predator's minions after playing several Disarms.)

- "Arika and Lucinde are Etrius' bitches."
(After both Ventrue had been blocked by Etrius, who was cap. 12 due to a Fortitude discipline card and so could use Obedience to show even the other Inner Circle members their places...)

- "Those little rats are below my radar, it seems."
(Infernal Ventrue player, after his predator's Etrius used Cloak the Gathering to give aditional stealth to Ingrid Russo's bleed. Ingrid was one of the youngest vampires on the table at that time.)


FINALS SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
============================
4. Please describe any interesting exchanges involving titled vampires.
5. Please describe any interesting Political Actions, if any.
6. Please describe any interesting combats.
7. Please describe any interesting deals made between players playing
clans from different sects.
8. Please describe any other surprising or interesting situations from
your event.

The answers to all of these questions lumped together, in chronological order as they occurred in the finals:

The seating order was:
infernal Ventrue -> Tremere -> infernal Ventrue -> Nosferatu -> infernal Tzmisce

- The two players who used Ventrue knew they had very similar crypts and immediately started talking about which vampires to bring out, so they did not contest during the game.

- The finals were vote-heavy: Every player brought at least one titled vampire.
During the late mid-game, there were about 40 votes at the table.
This led to quite some negotiating when one of the three players who used political actions in their decks (the both Ventrue and the Nosferatu) tried to get a referendum through.

- Murat successfully uses Temptation on his prey's infernal Meshenka, after using Lost in Crowds, Cloak the Gathering and Forgotten Labyrinth to beat Meshenka's Enhanced Senses and Precognition.

- Murat attempts to hunt, which his prey's infernal Meshenka blocks with Precognition. Murat maneuvers away with Thrown Gate, Meshenka closes again with Chiropteran Marauder. Murat uses the Thrown Gate as strike, and Meshenka uses hands with Chiropteran Marauder for aggravated damage. Murat then falls to a Rötschreck played by his prey and enters torpor.

- Infernal Marcus Vitel calls a Banishment and announces his predator's infernal Meshenka as the target. Meshenka tries to block, but his Read the Winds and Enhanced Senses get beaten by Marcus' Lost in Crowds and Elder Impersonation. The vote passes in favor, with some cross-table help from another infernal Ventrue and Meshenka's Nosferatu predator, who uses a Political Action card to get the vote through.

- Infernal Lucinde attempts an Ancient Influence and uses Seduction against her predator's Etrius. The player has to deal cross-table to get the votes of his grand-predator (who playes infernal Ventrue, too), promoising to give his votes to a later Kine Resources Contested. Again, the coalition of the two infernal Ventrue and the Nosferatu Princes (Murat, Nikolaus Vermeulen) succeeds. The infernal Tzimisce player, who is prey of the Nosferatu, loses pool, because his Meshenka is still in torpor (see above).

- Infernal Lucinde attempts to equip with an Assault Rifle, but gets blocked by Nikolaus Vermeulen with a 2nd Tradition: Domain. She ends the resulting combat with Majesty.

- Infernal Lambach attempts to get an Army of Rats into play, which is cancelled via Direct Intervention by his infernal Ventrue prey, who reasons he would never be able to burn the Army against the Tzimisces intercept.

- Infernal Arika attempts a Kine Resourcs Contested, but is blocked by her predator's Etrius with an Enhanced Senses. Etrius, who has capacity 12 by that time due to a Fortitude discipline card, just uses Obedience to cancel the combat.

- Murat uses a Parity Shift to move 5 pool away from his infernal Tzimisce prey. After some negotiations, he gives 3 to his own player's pool, and 1 each to his grandprey (infernal Ventrue) and grand-predator (Tremere) to get their votes.

- Infernal Lucinde attempts a Disputed Territory and announces she would like to get her grand-prey's Library Hunting Ground, but is blocked nonetheless by her predator's Etrius with Enhanced Senses. Again, Etrius uses Obedience to cancel the combat (leading to the quote given above under 3.)

- Infernal Arika tries to use Alastor, but is blocked by her prey's Nikolaus Vermeulen with 2nd Tradition: Domain. She ends the combat with Majesty.

- Murat successfully plays Temptation on his predator's infernal Arika.

- Infernal Marcus Vitel attempts a Kine Resources Contested, which his predator's infernal Lambach tries to block with Enhanced Senses. Marcus uses Forgotten Labyrinth to get more stealth, and Lambach's player uses Telepathic Misdirection to get more intercept, but fails to draw into another interept card, so the block attempt fails. Marcus' Tremere prey loses 3 pool, his Nosferatu grand-predator 1 pool, and the earlier deal between the two infernal Ventrue regarding the KRC (see above) is fulfilled.

- Ingrid Russo attempt a bleed, which her prey's infernal Queen Anne tries to block. But Etrius gives Ingrid stealth with Cloak the Gathering, so the bleed succeeds (leading to the quote given above under 3.)

- Infernal Leandro, who has joined the infernal Ventrue, tries to call Rumors if Gehenna. His prey's infernal Lambach uses Forced Awakening and Precognition to attempt a block, but Leandro uses Forgotten Labyrinth. Lambach adds intercept with Spirit's Touch and Telepathic Misdirection, but again, his player does not draw another intercept card. The block fails. Both infernal Ventrue players get additional master phase actions, and, since his votes are needed, the infernal Tzimisce player, who just attempted to block, is chosen for the Rumors, too.

- Suhailah, who is on the side of the Nosferatu, attempts a bleed. Her prey's infernal Lambach uses Eternal Vigilance to try to block, but Suhailah stealthes through with Lost in Crowds and Cloak the Gathering against Lambach's Telepathic Misdirection and Spirit's Touch. The bleed is successful.

- Murat successfully hunts, after his player promised to his infernal Tzimisce predator not to bring a Judgement: Camarilla Segregation into play that turn, so the Tzmisce did not block. The deal is broken immediately, when Nikolaus Vermeulen successfully uses Judgement: Camarilla Segregation.

- The first oust:
Infernal Arika bleeds the Nosferatu prey for 3, unlocked.
Infernal Queen Anne the attempts a bleed for the Nosferatu's last 2 pool. Suhailah attempts to block that with a 2nd Tradition: Domain.
Since time in the finals is running out, dealing sets in. The infernal Ventrue player of Queen Anne knows that his grand-predator, who also has infernal Ventrue, has a Direct Intervention in his hand (he used Anthelios earlier to get it back from the ash heap). So he offers his help in a table split, promising to help his ally against the infernal Tzimisce and the Tremere, if the Direct Intervention is used to cancel the 2nd Tradition.
The deal is made, the DI is used, and the Nosferatu are ousted.

- The infernal Tzmisce are getting quite low on pool, so that the player choses not to untap his minions anymore, relying on Lambach's Eternal Vigilance to block anything from now on.

- Infernal Arika attempts Protect Thine Own, promising to use it on her prey's infernal Lambach, in agreement with his allied infernal Ventrue player, who is the Tzimisce's prey. She uses the Creepshow Casino to get additional stealth. Lambach uses Eternal Vigilance, Spirit's Touch and Cat's Guidance to attempts to intercept that, but Arika uses Elder Impersonation to stop Lambach's efforts. The referendum is successful (both infernal Ventrue vote for, the Tzmisce and the Tremere against), so Lambach is burned.

- Infernal Queen Anne attempts a Domain Challenge, which her predator's Etrius blocks with Enhanced Senses. Arika uses Mask of 1000 Faces to reveal that she was in fact acting. Etrius, not surprisingly, again uses Obedience to cancel the combat.

- The second oust:
Infernal Queen Anne uses the Creepshow Casino for Reins of Power. Everybody starts counting their pool, then her predator's Etrius desperately attempts to block the political action with Enhanced Senses. But Anne has Mask of 1000 Faces to get more stealth.
The infernal Ventrue coalition gets the vote to pass, and the Tremere player is ousted because she loses exactly all of her pool, since her predator chose Leandro as his minion for the Reins of Power.
Anne uses Freak Drive to untap.
Both infernal Ventrue players now have 1 VP each.

- Leandro calls a Protect Thin Own, which is unblocked. His predator's Stravinsky is burned (the second Tzimisce to fall to PTO in the game), leaving the infernal Tzimisce player with only one vampire, Meshenka.

- Infernal Lucinde uses a Parity Shift to make the Tzimisce lose 3 pool and give them to her player.

- Infernal Arika tries to bleed, which her prey's Meshenka attempts to block. But she uses Kiss of Ra to send Meshenka to torpor. The infernal Tzimisce now have no ready minion left.

- There are now some hints that one of the infernal Ventrue players (the one who is predator of the helpless Tzimisce) is thinking about breaking the earlier deal for the table split and going for the Game Win.
So, the other infernal Ventrue player uses Fear of Mekhet on his ally's Arika, so she is burned.
All possible thoughts of breaking the deal are brough to an end.

- Infernal Lucinde diablerizes infernal Meshenka, just before the game times out.

[Azrael]

War ein gutes Endspiel, bis Martin meine 2nd Tradition DI´d hat und ich dadurch geoustet wurde...

Ich bin mir sicher, daß wenn er es nicht getan hätte, hätte ich den Tisch gemacht...

Ich hatte bereits eine Temptation auf Arika und eine auf Meschenka und bei beiden fehlte nur ein Counter zur Übernahme. Mit den beiden Minions hätte ich die Stimmenmehrheit am Tisch gehabt (für eine Runde) und konnte definitiv meinen Prey ousten und mich dann hinter Martins Prey setzen um sie in der gleichen Runde zu ousten. Meschenka und Arika wären gegangen und ich hätte nur ein paar Runden (drei oder so) warten müssen um Arika wieder in die Finger zu bekommen, die dann via Clan Impersonation zum Baali geworden wäre. Es lagen 3 J:CS auf dem Tisch und es wäre eine Frage der Zeit gewesen, bis Martin und ich alleine dagesessen hätten. Er mit drei Minions die jedesmal zum untappen Blut brauchen und ich mit 3-4 Minions die Temptations auf seine Vampire spielen können...

Wie das ausgegangen wäre, weiß ich nicht, aber der Plan stand, es gab nur ein paar "hätte" zuviel...

War trotzdem lustig und spannend...

[extrala]

Ich bin mir sicher, daß wenn er es nicht getan hätte, hätte ich den Tisch gemacht...

Dann bin ich ja froh, dass ich (fast) alles richtig gemacht habe.

Ich hatte bereits eine Temptation auf Arika und eine auf Meschenka und bei beiden fehlte nur ein Counter zur Übernahme.

Den Deal mit Martin habe ich aus zwei Gründen gemacht:
- erstens wusste ich zwar nicht genau, was Azrael mit Arika macht, aber mit Sicherheit nix gutes; ich dachte daran, dass Azrael sofort Arika zum Independent (=Stimmverlust) macht. Das wär's dann für mich gewesen.
- zweitens war mir klar, dass ich gegen Martin nur sehr schwer gewinnen konnte, da er von seinem Prey wenig Druck bekam, und ich durch den grössen Druck von Katjas Dominate Minions doch schon recht viel Pool verloren hatte. Dadurch hätte Martin im Fall der Fälle mal eben Queen Anne, die noch in seiner Crypt war, locker rausbringen und contesten können. Ich hätte wahrscheinlich auch irgendwie mit Azrael dealen können, der Deal wäre aber auf wackeligeren Beinen gestanden. Von der Kindred Restructure auf Azraels Hand hatte ich auch erst nach dessen Oust gehört.

Kurz vor dem Rauswurf Katjas habe ich dann noch einen kapitalen Fehler gemacht, der dann das Spiel endgültig für Martin entschieden hat. Ich hatte zwei Minion Taps auf der Hand, einen hatte ich gerade per Anthelios rausgeholt. Ich wusste Katja hat einen SR auf der Hand. Ich liess mich dan von Martin überreden, sofort den Minion Tap zu spielen, denn Katja reverseln musste, um noch eine Chance auf den Oust zu haben. Martin wollte dann die Fear of Mekhet spielen, die den Etrius von Katja aus dem Spiel genommen hätte.
Leider habe ich es dann auch so gemacht. Ich spiele dann auch noch den Reins of Power, und anschliessend bekomme dann ich (anstelle von Katja, die zu diesem Zeitpunkt geousted war) in der übernächsten Runde den Fear Of Mekhet ab. Ab da war das Spiel dann wirklich entschieden.

[Azrael]

@extrala

Du hättest, nachdem du mich geoustet hast, locker noch den nächsten VP machen können...
...wenn du den deal mit Martin gebrochen hättest(wie es sich für einen korrupten infernal Spieler gehört)...


...dann mit Katja gegen Martin verbünden und alles wäre anders gewesen...