New format: Fast Hands (1 hour games)

Before the game starts: A) Each player draws 7 library cards and 4 crypt cards. B) Each player chooses secretly any of his or her crypt cards drawn. The sum (S) of the capacity of each vampire and cost of each imbued must not to exceed 18. See FAQ if you "accidentaly" exceeded 18. C) Each player also chooses secretly any of his or her library cards drawn. When each player is done choosing, proceed step by step. Each step is handled simulteanously for all players: D) The chosen cards are put face down in front of each player in one pile. The other cards are put aside, face down. E) The chosen crypt cards are revealed with blood or life equal to half the capacity or cost, rounded up. The crypt cards that were not chosen are put in the uncontrolled region. Each players burns (S) pool from his or her starting 30 pool. F) The chosen library cards are put in hand. The library cards that were not chosen are moved to the ash heap, and the player draws up to his or her hand size. Then, starting with the first player: G) Each crypt card is put into play one after the other, triggering any "enters play" effect. Cards are not contested until the game starts (step I). H) If less than 9 blood and/or life have been distributed on the vampires and imbued, the player may add the missing blood or life to his or her ready minions (but not uncontrolled), not to exceed the capacity or starting life. I) Game starts. The contest are handled appropriately. The time-limit is set to 1h. Each player receives 3 energy tokens. Starting with the second turn, each player can burn 1 enery token either a) once for each minion per turn to untap that minion after a successful action or b) once per turn to have 2 MPA that turn instead of 1. FAQ: Q: What happens if I choose an Anarch Convert among my crypt cards. A: You can choose in which order your vampires are put in play, so you can choose your Anarch Convert last in order to make another vampire you control anarch (and either draw a card or gain 1 pool). Q: What happens if I choose a 3-capacity vampire and two 6-capacity vampires? A: You burn 3+6+6 = 15 pool, the 3-capacity vampire enters play with 2 blood, the 2 other vampires with 3 blood each. Since you've put only 8 blood on your minions, you can add 1 more blood to any of your vampires. Q: What happens if I choose 3 Imbued (cost: 5, 3, 3) The 5-capacity Imbued comes into play with 3 life, the other two with 2 life each. Since you've put only 3+2+2 = 7 life on your minions, you can add two more life on any of them, but no more than 1 life on each of the 3-cost imbued. Each of them receive a Conviction as usual for entering play. Q: What happens if I choose only Tariq, the Silent? Tariq is capacity 7, so you'll start with 23 pool. He comes into play with 4 blood, but since his capacity is reduced by 4 while in play, he has to burn 1 blood on step G). The extra blood you'd be entitled to is also lost. Q: Can I redistribute the blood Tariq has lost? A: No. Q: What happens if I've chosen Jimmy Dunn, and another player has also chosen him? A: The player who is before the other will have to burn him on step I). The last Jimmy stays in play. Q: What happens if I accidentaly (or not) chose minions worth more than 18, for instance 19 (Alexandra and Anson)? A: At step E, randomize the minions you chose (dices are better considering the small number of cards) and then put the minions one by one in play until the sum of the capacity is 19 or more. The last minion put in play as well as the remaining minions are moved to the uncontrolled region. The sum (S) is equal to the sum of capacity or cost of the minions effectively put in play. In that example, if you randomly draw Alexandra first, Anson stays in the uncontrolled region and you proceed as if Alexandra were the only minion chosen ({S} = 11). Q: Can I burn two energy tokens to untap two different minions during the same turn? A: Yes. Q: Can I burn two energy tokens to untap the same minion during the same turn? A: No. Q: Can I use an energy token on my first turn? A: No. Q: Can I use an energy token to untap a minion that has been put in play after the setup? A: Yes (provided you conform to the other restrictions). Q: Can I gain more energy tokens? A: No. Prince of Paris, France Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director

Interesting. I think I understand the point of the different setup, that saves alot of time. But is the energy counter-thing really called for? I think it´s a too radical change. "My strategy? Luck is my strategy, of course."

The format might need some way to reduce the crypt variability: a star deck that fails to draw its star in the starting crypt is not given any time to recover in this format.

> Ashur wrote: > Interesting. I think I understand the point of the different setup, that saves alot of time. But is the energy counter-thing really called for? I think it´s a too radical change. > Since you skip a few turns of setup, you need a way to catch up with a few things you could have done during those turns such as : - playing some master cards - performs some setup actions such as a Raven Spy etc. That's what the energy counters are for. The restriction about not using them on the first turn is to avoid that the first player gets a too big advantage by equiping a Bowl and an Ivory Bow before the other players have a chance of getting their own setup. Prince of Paris, France Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director

Have you tested the format a lot? To me the half-capacity vampires and energy tokens begs for some aggressive vote/bleed, not for spending any more time on tooling up.

If the goal is to fasten the game then removing several first turns is not a way to go. NC Russia

> Non-existant user wrote: > Have you tested the format a lot? To me the half-capacity vampires and energy tokens begs for some aggressive vote/bleed, not for spending any more time on tooling up. > It does, at least on initial examination, appear to favour decks that can go aggressively with transient cards, and appears to put an extremely large random emphasis on who goes first. Flip out four Dem+/Obf weenies and you can do 12-16 damage in one turn without spending any blood - base bleed for one, +1 from something like Computer Hacking, +1 or +2 from Eyes of Chaos. This is potentially before your prey has done anything at all. Similarly, a combat deck flipping out four vampires stands a decent chance of obliterating its prey (or another Methuselah of its choice) - rush, Immortal Grapple, Disarm, Taste etc.

As an alternative to Energy tokens that does not break the game by adding free Freak Drives, one could change the starting sequence to allow tooling up: Each player secretly chooses any cards from his crypt and hand such that the total capacity + pool cost does not exceed 18. Then players reveal their crypt cards and put them into play. Then they reveal their library cards. Selected equipments, retainers and Master: Location cards can be put into play (costs and requirements apply) or discarded, Other selected cards are discarded.

> Non-existant user wrote: > As an alternative to Energy tokens that does not break the game by adding free Freak Drives, one could change the starting sequence to allow tooling up: > > Each player secretly chooses any cards from his crypt and hand such that the total capacity + pool cost does not exceed 18. Then players reveal their crypt cards and put them into play. Then they reveal their library cards. Selected equipments, retainers and Master: Location cards can be put into play (costs and requirements apply) or discarded, Other selected cards are discarded. > I thought about it, but it's bad to deny a game mecanism as important as intercept / stealth. Interfering with transfers is pretty marginal (Brainwash, Kaymakli Nightmares, Lazar Dobrescu...) so that phase can be sped up. Energy counters are here to simulate the fact that you could have had a few actions more if the game had been played with those extra turns of transfers. Starting the game with a vampire equiped with a Ivory Bow, a Bowl of Convergence or a .44 magnum isn't a good thing. Prince of Paris, France Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director