Deckbot
From V:TES Wiki
Deckbot is a way to play a textbased version of vtes online. Deckbot is located in #vtes-game and it is also here all the gaming goes on. Deckbot is programmed, maintained and hosted by Derek Ray. Gotbeer is his sockpuppet. To get to know deckbot send him the word "help" and you will get instructions. Below is the tutorial on how to play vtes online with deckbot:
| Table of contents |
Getting to know Deckbot
First things first you’re going to need an IRC client that supports query windows among other things. I recommend mIRC or Trillian. Trillian also supports other chat mediums like AIM and YIM. Find the website for one of these programs, download them, and install them. Once installed connect to irc.sorcery.net and join us at #vtes-game.
Help and What’s New
If you’re new to Deckbot you should start by familiarizing yourself with the help function as well as getting used to checking help whatsnew to look for recent updates. Help <command> gives you the syntax and a small explanation for the command listed.
Deck Input
When submitting a deck to Deckbot it must be in the following format.
CRYPT <password> <deckname>
Example vamp
Example vamp
…
ENDREG
LIBRARY
BS card
BS card
…
ENDREG
Note: If you are using a .jol file exported from ELDB make sure you remove the space between ENDREG and LIBRARY as well as the extra jol specific markers after LIBRARY and CRYPT.
When you have the deck in the correct format, send Deckbot the send command. This will be followed by some instructions by Deckbot shown here.
<deckbot> OK, ready to receive. Anything you send after this will be considered a line in the <deckbot> deck file itself. To signify that you're done transferring, send me ENDFILE on a line <deckbot> by itself. Also, if you use ELDB, I heartily recommend trimming the disciplines off <deckbot> and only sending the names of the vampires. <deckbot> BE PATIENT! Most IRC clients paste slowly. It will take a few minutes to upload.
Paste your deck to the query window and add ENDFILE to the end of the deck. After a minute or two Deckbot will come back to let you know the deck has been received successfully.
To delete a deck, simply type erase # <password>.
Joining and starting a game
Once Deckbot has successfully received your deck you can join a game by sending the register # <password> command to it. This will add you to the current game. If a game is already in progress you will be added to the waitlist, which will automatically add you to the next game. Upon starting the game deckbot determines seating order and first player, to recall this information use the order command. You can see what decks you have loaded on deckbot by sending the decklist command.
Playing the game, regions and commands
Here’s what you came for. I’m gonna lay out some instructions on the main commands for Deckbot.
The game consists of your hand and a tabletop. The table has different regions associated with it. These are ready, inplay, torpor, ashheap, ashvamp, and uncontrolled. Deckbot will start the game by dealing you seven cards to your hand and 4 vampires to your uncontrolled region. Cards in your hand and cards on the table have a number to identify it. Ex. INPLAY: [1] Form of Corruption. You use these numbers with the commands.
Status
You can check the table top with the status command. Status defaults to displaying your portion of the table. It gives you information such as cards inplay, vampires in your ready region, vampires in torpor, and vampires in your uncontrolled region. You can view other people’s cards with status <nick>.
Look
If you need to see someone’s vampire and the things they have on them you use the look # (region) <nick> command.
Hand
You can look at your hand at any time with hand.
Untap/Tap
Untap/tap # region (default: ready) This command lets you tap and untap vampires and cards in play. Untap all untaps all of your cards, it’s useful at the beginning of your turn. Ex. Tap 1 (this would tap the first vampire in your ready region.)
Put
Put #1 #2 (player) (#1 is the number of the card in your hand, #2 is the number of the vampire you would like to place the card on. Without #2 the card goes to the inplay region.)(Player defaults to you). You can also do put # ready to put cards like progeny, creation rites or allies in your ready region.
Deckbot window:
<deckbot> player’s hand: [1] Serpentis, [2] Form of corruption… <deckbot>put 1 1 <deckbot>hand <deckbot>player’s hand: [1] Form of Corruption. <deckbot>put 1
- vtes-game window:
<deckbot> player puts Serpentis on Count Ormonde. <deckbot> player puts Form of Corruption into play
Pickup/Take
Pickup/Take #1 #2 is the opposite of the put command. This takes the permanent and puts it back into your hand. Ex. INPLAY: [1] Form of Corruption. Take 1 would take the form and put it back in your hand.
Play
Play # (replace) (# is the number of the card in your hand) This command plays transient effect cards from your hand and puts them in the ashheap. Play plays a card without replacing while adding the argument: replace does. Ex. HAND [1] Wake with evening’s freshness, [2] Forced awakening. You would want to play 1 or play 2 replace.
Add/Remove
Add/remove X # region (X is the amount of blood/counters, # is the number of the permanent, region defaults to ready.) This function adds and removes blood or counters from permanents on the table. Ex. INPLAY: [1] Dreams of the Sphinx, tapped; READY: [1] Count Ormonde (5). Add 1 1 inplay puts a counter on the dreams. Remove 2 1 would remove 2 blood from the Count.
Burn/Gain
Burn/gain X burns or gains pool as necessary. Ex. Burn 3 would burn 3 pool. Gain 1 would gain you 1 pool.
Transfer
Transfer X # (off) (X is the amount of pool, # is the number of the vampire in your uncontrolled region) by adding off to the end of this command you can transfer pool back from your uncontrolled vampire. Ex. UNCONTROLLED: [1] Nepata (1), [2] Lalitha. Transfer 1 1 off would pull the blood off Nepata and place it in your pool. Transfer 2 2 places to blood on Lalitha from your pool.
Move
Move # region (from) region (to) moves vampires from region to region. Ex. UNCONTROLLED: [1] Nepata, [2] Lalitha (2). Move 2 uncon ready would move Lalitha to your ready region. During the course of the game she can be moved to torpor or the ashheap.
Deckbot window:
<deckbot>move 2 uncon ready <deckbot>READY: [1] Lalitha (2) <deckbot>move 1 ready torpor
Effect in #vtes-game window:
<deckbot> player moves Lalitha (2) into the ready region. <deckbot> player moves Lalitha (2) into torpor.
Search
Search (pile). Allows you to search through (pile) for a card and move it to your hand or uncontrolled region. Searches happen from the top down always. Use next, next #, or stop to control the search while in progress.
Deckbot window
<player> search library <deckbot> Send NEXT to see the next few cards, PICK # to select one, or STOP to give up. <deckbot> : [1]Legal Manipulations, [2]Barrens, The, [3]Enchant Kindred, <deckbot> [4]Staredown,..., [8]Temptation, [9]Cloak the Gathering, [10]Forgotten Labyrinth <player> pick 9 <deckbot> OK.
Effect in #vtes-game window:
<deckbot> player begins searching his library. <deckbot> player fishes Cloak the Gathering out from LIBRARY and puts it in his hand. <deckbot> player reshuffled his library (78 cards left).
Show
Show hand <nick> or <all> shows your hand to a player of your choosing or all players if you use the all tag.
Give
Give # (region) <nick> (# is the number of the card in that particular region) will change the ownership of a card in a region to the person of your choosing.
Flip
Flip # region will change a card’s status to <facedown> until flipped back over. Ex. READY: [1] Lalitha (2). Flip 2 will flip Lalitha over and give you: READY: [1] <facedown> (2). This works on cards in play as well. Ex. INPLAY: [1] Info Highway. Flip 1 inplay will flip it over.
Draw
Draw X <> or <crypt> draws X number of cards from your library to your hand. Ex. Draw 2 puts two more cards in your hand. Draw crypt moves the top vampire of your crypt to your uncontrolled region.
Discard
Discard # (replace) will discard the # of the card in your hand. Discard # replace will discard a card and give you a replacement as well.
Edge
Edge (burn) or (who) will give you the edge. You can add burn to this command to burn the edge or who to see who currently has the edge.
Screwing Up
Takeback
Takeback will take the card on top of your ashheap and put it in your hand.
Putback
Putback # (top or bottom) (# is the number of the card in your hand) will shuffle the chosen card back into your library. Adding top or bottom will place the card at the top or bottom of your library instead of shuffling.
Resources
http://absolutvodka.no-ip.com/vtesreg/main.htm No longer maintained, but some information about regular players
