How to respond to a less predictable community, playwise

Well, another possibility is to play a wall deck that just sits and doesn't lose. Since youre not doing much, the other guys might ignore you and fight each other.

Bubbles wrote:

elotar wrote: I think you need to be more specific.

But generally people are "crosstable unresonable" when somebody is trying to win big, so just don't do that. The way Hugh plays is a good example (you can fing video from 2013 EC final, i think).

Yes, this was along the lines of what i was thinking too. I just have very much trouble playing/thinking like that. Any suggestions along that line? Just keeping your head down, no attention, but getting the points nonetheless. That should at least keep them off my back more,...they will still do unlogical things, but maybe more to others,...

Bloodartist wrote:

Bubbles wrote:
So here is my question. How do i alter my playstyle or choice of decks, or choice of cards if the table is rather erratic. What would you do?

The answer is relatively simple in terms of strategy... choose a strong linear plan (such as powerbleed) that tries to ignore as much as possible what the other players are doing.

I wonder what the other players are doing that is so random that you can't take advantage of it.. Some effect that affects everyone at the table? edit: or is this the case of crosstable allies being unreasonably cruel to you? In such a case you could try rushing problematic vampires to torpor somehow too..

I usually play quite linear decks actually, and even plain rush decks to "punish them" dont really do the trick. Yeah,..they make them lose, but not alter their ways, and still makes me lose too. Like i said, i have given up on trying to put them on the right way of thinking. I am looking for ways to win, despite them playing that way.

And yes, you can think of unreasonably cruel. Not just to me, just to whoever they dont like at the moment,..or some other reason i dont know. Taking weird deals, king making (perhaps they dont see it?) etc

Machiavelli would say to not cross your enemies if it will leave them in a position to retaliate. If you rush or bleed kill them dead. When all that is left of one's game is spite, that's what you use. If you back rush, be prepared for that player to throw the game to their predator or your prey. It is hard to avoid this dynamic. Being difficult to kill is probably a good start so that you don't find yourself crippled and doing the same thing.

Bubbles wrote:
Yes, this was along the lines of what i was thinking too. I just have very much trouble playing/thinking like that. Any suggestions along that line? Just keeping your head down, no attention, but getting the points nonetheless. That should at least keep them off my back more,...they will still do unlogical things, but maybe more to others,...

See the video.

As i understand main "secret tech" is bleed for 1 and no more than 2 such bleeds in a turn - hunt if you got spare vampires or just stay untepped.

Then, after the table develops, you are bounsing big bleed of your predator and then are unliashing your govern+conditionings to kill your prey in one turn.

Adjusting your deck and tactics can help, but kingmaking situations will happen nonetheless, and when they do, you just don't want be the guy that people like to watch lose. The OP sounded quite condescending to me, and if you ever hinted the same thing to your fellow players, I can understand why they would rather take you out all other things being equal. I know I would. That is Hugh's other secret tech: nice guys win more.

porphyrion wrote: Also, if you play a strong Wall-deck, you automatically have a lot more say at the Table (like with Anneke and 17+ second trads/.44/pursuit). After a few games the people at the table should learn when to make deals, if any.

??! Don´t understand. Yeah, this will turn your meta into a 2+ Pentex Subversion/deck-meta where the whole table will gang up on you, and that´s not what you´re after.

We always play 2+ Pentex
What I meant was that Anneke-Wall is a deck with an almost unlimited amount of table-talk-options as you can block every single action from every Methuselah's minions (providing there's no real combat deck). Once she has that .44, every action gets an additional 'Would Anneke wish to block?'-phase even when she is tapped, on 1 blood and you're not holding any non-master-cards. I've seen it happen, and when it works the table control can be so complete, it is godlike. Sometimes there's nothing like a provocation to start a change in attitude. Also, Anneke's Methuselah should clearly explain why he blocks something by pointing out the huge benefits for the blocked minion's Prey/Predator and thereby current in-game logic should take precedence over out-of-game considerations like WoD-lore or personal dislike. A silent player cannot hope play this deck successfully, so perhaps it could be incentive to try a new style of playing.

And yes, playing the Anneke-archetype to full effect more than once a decade should be strictly forbidden! I fully agree there would be a serious gang-up problem upon repetition.