VtES Grouping Rule

From time to time especially new VtES players ask for the reason why the "Grouping Rule" has been introduced to VtES. I'd like to give you some reasons why it is part of the game. As reminder the rulebook states in section 1.5 the grouping rule:

5. Group: Each vampire belongs to a specific group, identified by a number above the upper left corner of the text box. A player’s crypt must be built using vampires from a single group or from two consecutive groups. This does not restrict a Methuselah from stealing vampires from other groups through play, however. Cards from some older sets do not have this designation. For those cards, the ones with an expansion set symbol (an icon in the upper right corner of the card) are treated as Group 2 vampires; the others are Group 1 vampires.

The only exception to this rule are draft tournaments where vampires from any group can be mixed freely.

Reasons for the introduction of the grouping rule are:

• Avoid "power" crypts -- imagine putting all "Presence" or "Dominate" weenies from Groups 1-5 into a single crypt.
  
• Deck building challenge -- crypt construction is supposed to be a bit of a challenge, instead of having the opportunity to build a perfect crypt, you'll have to consider the limitation of having each and every vampire at your disposal.
  
• Variety in play -- when playing a particular clan, e.g. "Lasombra", you do not want to see the same "Lasombra" vampires in each "Lasombra" deck over and over again. With the grouping rule you'll often have distinct crypts even when your opponent is using the same clan.
  
• Avoid contests of titles in the crypt -- while contests are generally part of the game, contesting the same sect title should be avoided. Think of the different groups as vampire which appear (and disappear) from the "World of Darkness" over time. Therefore there should be only one "Archbishop of Chicago" or one "Nosferatu Justicar", at least in your crypt!
  
• The bloodline clans (and especially those with the scarce trait) have been designed under the assumption that they have limited crypt selection. They shouldn't be played in the same way as a full clan. You can mix them into your deck as support for a full clan, or you'll have to live with the restrictions of a small crypt selection.