Hunter Allies in VTES

In VTES, there are a number of hunter characters. Interestingly, even though most of these hunters have the same background as the Imbued, and have the nicknames on hunter-net.org, they are represented as allies in the game, and not as crypt cards.

• Caiaphas Smith — Caiaphas is a hunter from New England who met and killed his first vampire at the age of 15 in 1830; he has drunk their blood to prolong his life and continue his hunt.
• Dr. Carleton Van Wyk — Van Wyk is known on hunter-net.org as Doctor119. He is somewhat clinical and detached, and approaches the hunt with a scientific mindset. Van Wyk is the signature character for the Judge creed.
• Jackson “Jake” Washington, — Washington is known on hunter-net.org as Bookworm55, and is also one of the Imbued, He is a signature character for the Innocent creed.
• Millicent Smith, Puritan Vampire Hunter — unfortunately I wasn’t able to find any further information on Millicent Smith.
• Wendel Delburton — Delburton is known on hunter-net.org as Crusader17. He is an Imbued member of the Avenger creed.

More information on Hunters can be found on the (unofficial) White Wolf wikia.

Deck Archetypes: Celerity Gun (Update)

Celerity Gun (Cel Gun) is a deck archetype in Vampire: the Eternal Struggle. This deck type has been around for a long time, since there is an abundance of small- to mid-cap vampires with superior Celerity in the early expansions. Cel Gun is a classic Rush combat deck, that is its vampire take actions to attack the opponents vampires directly, i.e. by using Bum’s Rush or Haven Uncovered. It uses the combo Concealed Weapon and .44 Magnum to equip with these guns during combat, and then uses Celerity combat cards to inflict significant damage on the opposing minion. The deck ousts mainly by inflicting damage through Fame, Tension in the Ranks and/or Dragonbound.

How to win with them
Threaten your predator into submission (i.e. he doesn’t do anything against you). Usually you should be careful what kind of predator you let live. You need to kill a Stealth-Bleed/Powerbleed deck right away. No exceptions. When playing against Vote decks, you might need to kill one or two vampires w/ titles, to reduce the ability of the vote deck to dish out damaging votes. Toolbox decks or other combat decks which combat abilities you can trump, are only a small or no threat at all. Usually it’s a good idea to show your strength by crippling one or two vampires of your predator, so he’s both intimidated and busy while defending against his predator.

Results Northeast NAC Qualifier 2015

On February 7th, 2015 the VtES Northeast NAC Qualifier was held in Providence, Rhode Island (USA) with 23 players attending the qualifier tournament (during TempleCon 2015). The final standings were as follows:

1. Matt Morgan (USA) — 2 GW 10 VP — 5 VP — Ventrue feat. Mary-Ann Blair Bleed
2. David Cherryholmes (USA) — 2 GW 5.5 VP — 0 VP — Ravnos G 4/5 Traparition
2. Christopher Malec (USA) — 1 GW 4 VP — 0 VP — Brujah G1/2 Breed&Boon
2. Jennifer Hirsch (USA) — 1 GW 3.5 VP — 0 VP — Malkavian Vote feat. Lutz
2. Mark Danko (USA) — 1 GW 3.5 VP — 0 VP — Malk’94 Stealth Bleed

Congratulations to Matt for his win of the North-East Regional Qualifier 2015.

Results Swedish EC Qualifier 2015

During GothCon XXXIX on April 4th, 2015 the Swedish VtES EC Qualifier was held in Gothenburg, Sweden with 17 players from 4 countries (Sweden, Finland, Germany and the UK) attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings were as follows:

1. Henrik Klippström (SWE) — 2 GW 6 VP — 1.5 VP — Ventrue Princes Grinder
2. Oskar Grindemyr (SWE) — 0 GW 5 VP — 1.5 VP — Ventrue antitribu Powerbleed
2. Randal Rudstam (SWE) — 1 GW 5 VP — 1 VP — Ventrue Lawfirm Breeds
2. Hugh Angseesing (UK) — 2 GW 7 VP — 0 VP — Tremere Cryptic Mission
2. Marko Lindroos (FIN) — 2 GW 7 VP — 0 VP — Toreador AAA Vote

Congratulations to Henrik for his win of the Swedish ECQ 2015.

Results Polish EC Qualifier 2015

On April 25th, 2015 the Polish VtES EC Qualifier 2015 was held in Lublin, Poland with 17 players attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:

1. Marcin Watras (POL) — 3 GW 11 VP — 4 VP — Antonio D’Erlette Nephandus Ashur
2. Tomasz Pietkiewicz (POL) — 1 GW 4.5 VP — 1 VP — Tzimisce Piper War Ghoul
2. Maciej Kozlowski (POL) — 2 GW 7 VP — 0 VP — 0 VP — Giovanni G5/6 Shambling Hordes
2. Aleksander Idziak (POL) — 1 GW 4.5 VP — 0 VP — Lasombra Mind Rape & Purge
2. Lukasz Modzelewski (POL) — 1 GW 4.5 VP — 0 VP — Howler

Congratulations to Marcin for his win of the Polish ECQ 2015.

Announcement North American Championship 2015

The North American VTES Continental Championship 2015 will take place from June 4th to June 7th, 2015. As during the past years, the NAC is part of the Origins convention in Columbus, Ohio.

There will be the Week of Nightmares prior to the actual NAC tournament (from May 31st to June 3rd). The Week of Nightmares is a series of tournament, usually 2R & final, but often these are not standard constructed tournaments, but special formats like for example, a Jyhad-only draft tournament or a Storyline event. This year, the Week of Nightmares begins with the Ohio Valley Qualifier in Newark (OH), on May 31st (starting at 10:30 AM).

The schedule for the NAC 2015 looks like this:

• Thursday, June 4th
  • Last Chance Qualifier — 11 AM
    
  • Last Chance Qualifier (Late Night Edition) — 7 PM
• Friday, June 5th
  • NAC Day 1 (qualification) — 11 AM
  • Shadow Twin (for non-qualified players)
• Saturday, June 6th
  • NAC Day 2 (championship) — 11 AM
  • Shadow Twin (for non-qualified players)
• Sunday, June 7th
  • First Chance Qualifier — 11 AM
    

For more information (especially on the Week of Nightmare tournament schedule) you can check the VEKN event calendar, or you ask around on the VTES North America group on Facebook.

Murk

“Of all the Kindred, the Nosferatu most resemble the Beasts they hide within. But the clan is far more than a motley assembly of twisted freaks. From their first nights to their modern incarnation as informants and spies, the Sewer Rats have as many secrets of their own as they have gathered from other Kindred. Up from the storm drains and tunnels they scuttle, but whether as ally or foe remains to be seen.” — Clanbook: Nosferatu (Revised) (2000)

Full Bleed (Update VI)

More Full Bleed cards (as presented on vekn.net). The creator of these VTES card variants, self-biased, has posted a few new of these “Full Bleed” cards, this time with an emphasis on cards different crypt card layouts.

The full post has three additional vampires (Yasmin the Black, Aisata Swanou, and Shahara al-Rashwa with the same set of variations.

Kindred Lore: Ruins of Ceoris

In the World of Darkness, Ceoris was a chantry operated by the Tremere. Ceoris was located in the mountains of central Transylvania, and was dedicated in a ritual by a group of seven wizards in 980 AD, when the House Tremere was still a group of mortal mages. Those mages were Tremere, Goratrix, Etrius, Meerlinda, Arundinis, Anguisa and Ponticulus.

Ceoris was the primary chantry of the Tremere for centuries, even after the House of Tremere was formed in the vampire clan we know today. It was the site of Goratrix’s research that led him to perform the ritual that transformed Tremere and the original Council of Seven into vampires, and was the haven of Tremere and Etrius for centuries to follow. It was also the birthplace of the Gargoyles and other Thaumaturgical innovations.

During the Middle Ages, Transylvania was the battleground of the War of Omens between Tremere and the Tzimisce, and Ceoris was one of the main strongholds against the Tzimisce. In the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, the Anarch Revolt and especially the uprising of the Gargoyles along with the ongoing war with the Fiends put Ceoris into a very perilous position. This forced Etrius’ hand and he relocated the Tremere’s headquarter from Ceoris to Vienna. Within a century, Ceoris was entirely abandoned, and by the time of the modern nights nothing but ruins would remain.

References:

• Clanbook: Tremere Revised
• Transylvania by Night
• Transylvania Chronicles

Deck Archetypes: Ventrue Lawfirm (Update)

The Ventue Lawfirm deck archetype is along with the Malkavian Dominate/Obfuscate Bleed deck of the oldest existing (and successful) deck types in VtES. Lately the Ventrue Lawfirm has seen a tremendous comeback due to the new crypt choices that came along with the “Keepers of Tradition” expansion. The name derives from the Ventrue appearance as politicians and lawyers, and their ability to set and push a political agenda.

How to win with them
The deck has three angles with provide you with the necessary flexibility to adapt to the table dynamics in most cases. The deck can

• .. bloat with Govern the Unaligned, Enchant Kindred, Voter Captivation and Parity Shift,
• .. bleed with inherent bleed modifiers (e.g. Queen Anne or Arika) or the Dominate and Presence based actions and action modifiers, and
• .. push political actions through like Parity Shift, Kine Resources Contested and Banishment using the Presence-based action modifiers, inherent titles and other permanents.

Announcement Russian National VTES Championship 2015

The Russian National VTES Championship 2015 will take place on May 16th, 2015 in Moscow, Russia. In parallel to the final round, The Red Sign storyline event is offered (as side event).

• Date:
  • May 16th, 2015
• Time:
  • 13:00 – Registration
  • 13:15 – First Round
  • 15:45 – Second Round
  • 18:30 – Final Round (in parallel: Red Sign storyline)
• Location:
  • Neskuchniy sad
    Leninskiy prospect, 24
    Moscow, Russian Federation
• Rounds:
  • 2 rounds + final
• Time Limit:
  • 2:15h each
• Entry Fee:
  • 100 Rubel
• Remarks
  • The tournament allows the use of the new PDF expansions, provided the cards are printed with a color printer, and they are sleeved in opaque card sleeves.
  • The deck for the storyline game may differ from the deck used in the main tournament.

More information can be found on VtES in Moscow (in Russian) or by posting on VEKN.net.

Rule

“Eternity is not merely about power. Power makes up only one part of the Ventrue’s world, though it is an extremely important part. The vampires of Clan Ventrue understand that power has value only as a means to an end, not an end itself. Thus they use their vast resources to extend their reach, all the while watching and waiting for the right moment — the right moment to strike. For there are even worse things in this world than vampires, and the Ventrue know they are the only hope.” — Clanbook: Ventrue (1995)

VEKN: Masika Advanced (Storyline Rewards 2015)

Today (April 16th, 2015), the VEKN revealed the last card from the Storyline Rewards expansion. As usual the card will be tournament legal a month after its release, that is May 16th, 2015. But read the full post for yourself:

This is the final card from the Storyline Rewards 2015 mini-set. It was held from the main release as we were still waiting for its artwork. The previous artist assigned to this card ran to unforeseen complications, so Ginés Quiñonero stepped up and got the artwork done.

As for the card itself, it is the Advanced version of Masika. The card’s origins start in a storyline event in Lisbon, Portugal in May of 2009, regarding the conflict in the power vacuum that appeared after Monçada’s final death:

• sites.google.com/site/storylinelisboa/home/aftermath

This storyline continued in the Friday 13th Storyline at the 2009 EC, where Masika was rewarded for his assistance of the Tremere by being granted the domain of Lisbon:

• sites.google.com/site/friday13storyline/home/aftermath

Download

• Masika Advanced. Size: 2,04 MB (PDF)

Kindred Lore: Hierophants

Generally speaking, a hierophant is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy. The word comes from Ancient Greece, where it was constructed from the combination of ta hiera, “the holy,” and phainein, “to show.” A hierophant is an interpreter of sacred mysteries and arcane principles.

The Hierophant is also one of the cards in a Tarot deck, sometimes used for both playing games and divinatory purposes. See the version of the Hierophant from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck on the right.

In the World of Darkness, a Hierophant is title for the leaders of the Followers of Set. The Hierophants, also known as Eternals, rule the clan in the absence of their founder Set.  These vampires became the ruling body of the clan, and decide on behalf of their founder in all important decisions.

Historically, there was a total of thirteen Hierophants. Seven of them were active during their foundation,after Set had vanished, while six others lie still in torpor in sunken Tanis. Even though the share the same goal of bringing back Set to this world and balancing Ma’at again, they often can’t find an agreement on how this can be achieved. Of these thirteen Hierophants only a few are known by name:

• Nakhthorheb, The First Son
• Seterpenre, Lord of Tinnis
• Maatkare
• Tenermentu
• Shemti

References:

• Libellus Sanguinis III: Wolves at the Door, p.95-97
• Players Guide to the Low Clans, p27

 

Deck Archetypes: Weenie Animalism (Update)

“Weenie Animalism” decks, as the name of this VTES deck archetype suggests, are decks based on small (sometimes also mid-cap) vampires with the Animalism discipline (preferably in the superior version). The deck can be played as rush combat as well as intercept combat deck, but both use the same combat package consisting of a large number of Carrion Crows and Aid from Bats combat cards.

How to win with them
The deck’s strength lies in its cost efficient minions (and therefore often a sizable number of vampires), and a very effective combat package. There are quite a number of low to mid-cap vampires with superior Animalism, and Animalism on its own has some very efficient combat cards (see also Crypt Composition section below). Most notable in this deck archetype is the combat package consisting of Carrion Crows and Aid from Bats, of which the decks incorporates 10 to 20 each.

So the question is how to get in combat, so can you use all those Animalism combat cards? There are generally three ways of doing this:

• by bleeding consistently,
• by rushing other minions,
• by blocking other minions.

Project Deck Archetypes

Inspired by the Bibiliodeque project launched on VEKN France, I want to update the existing posts on Deck Archetypes from the previous years. These updates will include basics like spell checking, a (hopefully) consistent formatting and updated deck links as well as content-related updates. I plan to post one updated Deck Archetype each week, starting with the Weenie Animalism deck as the first update on Tuesday.

Let me know, if you have an ideas for additional articles for certain deck types ..

Rage

“Once they built monuments to eternal peace. Once they spent their time in contemplation of the infinite. There is little more beautiful than the work of those with vision. There is little more deadly than a dreamer betrayed. The betrayers tore down the monuments. The brief life of eternal peace sank into the ravages of time. The hope for infinity burned to ash.

Now when the pounding begins, words will not do. When the fury grows, peace will suffer. When the frenzy erupts, only blood will suffice.” — Clanbook: Brujah

Announcement Belgian EC Qualifier 2015

The Belgian VtES EC Qualifier 2015 will take place in Brussels, Belgium on May 30th, 2015. This tournament is not only the Belgian ECQ for 2015, but also one of the stages of the annual Italian Qualifier Tour.

Here are the details for this constructed tournament:

• Date: Saturday, May 30th, 2015
• Time Schedule:
  • Registration: 11:30
  • First round starting time: 12:00
  • Expected finishing time: 21:00
• Type of Event: European Championship Qualifier & Italian Qualifier Tour
• Format:
  • Standard Constructed, detailed rules can be found on the VEKN Tournament Rules webpage.
  • Number of rounds: 3 rounds + final
  • Time limit per round: 2 hours
• Address of Event:
  

  The Outpost
  Rue de la Tribune 8
  1000 Bruxelles
  Belgium

(Note that it is not allowed to bring your own drinks into the shop, these are available at moderate prices)

• Entry fee: 5 EUR (tbc)

---

• Pre-registration:
  Pre-registration is very useful to ensure appropriate prize support and a timely start of the tournament. If you intend to participate, please sign up as soon as possible by replying to the thread on the Belgian forum or by mailing to “emiliano (/dot/) imeroni (/at/) gmail (/dot/) com”.

---

• Travel:
  • By train: The Outpost is situated less than 10 minutes walking from Brussels Central Station (Gare Centrale).
    Take a look at the map (the Central Station is in the lower left corner).
    If you arrive from Paris/London, you will end up at Brussels South Station (Gare du Midi). From there, take the metro line 2 or line 6, direction “Simonis (Elisabeth)”, get off after about 8 minutes at the stop “Madou”, then walk 5 minutes to the Outpost.
  • By car: there is usually plenty of free parking space around Rue de la Tribune.

Dread Names: Red List

In 2013, I was posting two articles (The Red List & Red List Update) regarding the ongoing work on an upcoming V20 role-playing supplement “Dread Names: Red List“. The book basically is an updated & expanded version of the classic “Kindred Most Wanted” book, and deals with the Anathema in general, and the vampires (and other supernatural creatures) on the current Red List of the Camarilla.

Finally this work seems to come to a conclusion. The publisher, Onyx Path Publishing, has posted an article named Red List: Help Us Finalize the Newest Anathema on its website which (as the name suggests) asks for the reader’s participation in finalizing the book. In particular, the authors ask about the reader’s opinion on of the characters on the Red List named Marisa Santos y Rodriguez. (The first comments on the character, for example, pointed out, that the characters name is actually Spanish, and not Portuguese as it would be more fitting for a vampire from Brazil).

Announcement French EC Qualifier 2015 (South)

This year the French European Championship Qualifier 2015 (South) will take place on June 14th, 2015 in Marseille, France. Along with the ECQ, there will be a qualifier tournament for the French National Championship 2015 as well on the day before (June 13th).

• Place:
  

  Maison de quartier du Liourat
  rue Fernand Benoit
  13127 Vitrolles

• French National Championship Qualifier
  • Date: Saturday, June 13th, 2015
  • Format: Standard Constructed, detailed rules can be found on the VEKN Tournament Rules webpage.
  • Number of rounds: 3 + final
  • Time limit per round: 2 hours
  • Time Table:
    • 09:00 — Registration
    • 10:00 — Start Round 1
    • 20:00 — Expected End
  • Registration Fee: TBD

• Europoean Championship Qualifier
  • Date: Sunday, June 14th, 2015
  • Format: Standard Constructed, detailed rules can be found on the VEKN Tournament Rules webpage.
  • Number of rounds: 3 + final
  • Time limit per round: 2 hours
  • Time Table:
    • 09:00 — Registration
    • 10:00 — Start Round 1
    • 20:00 — Expected End
  • Registration Fee: TBD
• Pre-registration: VEKN.net
• Remarks:
  • A decklist is not mandatory.
  • Opaque sleeves are mandatory.

Deck of the Month Jan/Feb 2015: Heart of Stone

The Deck of the Month for January/February 2015 is the tournament winning deck “Heart of Stone” by Mailton Silva (BRA). The deck is a block/rush combat deck based on the group 4/5 Gargoyles. I have chosen this deck, because you don’t see Gargoyle decks winning tournaments that often if these Gargoyles are not Tupdogs, and in contrast to the typical Tupdog deck, this deck has some decent intercept to stay in the game. The stars of the deck are Chaundice and Rocia, both having a useful combat special ability.

As usual, there were quite a few interesting decks beside the Deck of the Month in January & February. In each case, the decks are not your typical tournament winning powerhouses, but rather toolbox decks with cards that are from the latest expansions or with cards you see rarely at the final table of the tournament, let alone winning it.

• Giovanni mini powerbleed with goods by Lex Pike (USA) — what’s unusual about this deck is the extensive use of Shroud Mastery in this deck, as well as the first inclusion of Funeral’s Wake in a TWD. I regard Funeral’s Wake one of the better cards in The Unaligned, and I think we’ll see that card more often in finals, and not necessarily restricted to Giovanni decks.
• Vem para mim by Tiago Deividy (BRA) — this deck is actually an golden oldie, and is based on the combined use of Free States Rant & Temptation. What I like about the deck is that it remains toolboxish, that is it also uses other cards like Enticement & Entrancement or Disputed Territory to achieve its goals. And as said above, you don’t see it very often in tournaments anymore.
• Locksmith by Marko Lindroos (FIN) — The last deck is an Imbued deck, that doesn’t do its variation of Vigilance & Leather Jacket. I think, it’s really one of the very, very few Imbued decks, that uses cards minion cards requiring a Creed other than a Power card (or a Conviction). The main card of the deck is Lock, which is used to deprive opposing minions of their blood/life. Later in the game Unity allows to retrieve those Locks, that have been burned (or blocked). In this Lock is (indirectly) assisted by other cards like Hunger Moon or Vampiric Disease. Very nice indeed and rarely seen in this shape.

Deck Name: Keystone Kine: Heart of Stone
Author: Mailton Silva
Description:

08 February 2015
Standard Constructed
17 Players
3R + F
vekn.net/event-calendar/event/7911

Crypt (Capacity min=3 max=8 avg=6.33; 12 cards)
==================================================
3x Chaundice 8 vic FOR POT VIS Gargoyle:4
2x Esoara 5 aus for pot DOM !Tremere:4
2x Fustuk 6 obt pot FOR VIS Gargoyle:5
2x Keith Moody 3 DOM !Tremere:4
3x Rocia 8 obf FOR POT VIS Gargoyle:4

Library (90 cards)
=====================
Master (16 cards)
1x Archon Investigation
3x Haven Uncovered
1x Monster
1x Perfectionist
1x Powerbase: Montreal
1x Rack, The
1x Tension in the Ranks
1x University Hunting Ground
5x Vessel
1x Yawp Court

Action (15 cards)
1x Armor of Terra
3x Bum’s Rush
1x Defender of the Haven
5x Dive Bomb
2x Heroic Might
2x Preternatural Strength
1x Soul of the Earth

Retainer (3 cards)
2x Razor Bat
1x Stone Dog

Action Modifier (7 cards)
3x As the Crow
4x Freak Drive

Reaction (19 cards)
6x Forced Awakening
3x On the Qui Vive
2x Patrol
3x Scry the Hearthstone
5x Voices of the Castle

Combat (30 cards)
8x Immortal Grapple
4x Pounce
7x Raking Talons
11x Rolling with the Punches

Created with Secret Library v0.9.4b. (Apr 10, 2014 01:19:47)

World of Darkness MMO: 2010 Trailer

I hadn’t seen this trailer for the World of Darkness MMO before. And it makes me somewhat sad to see the trailer these days, especially because since CCP has canceled (or should I say, abandoned) the development of the MMO about a year ago.

Post Scriptum: I just learned that Project: Dogmat exists. A group of (Russian) developers are creating an MMO RPG that is “inspired by the World Darkness”. I am not exactly sure if or when this game will be finished, but at least it’s nice to see that there are more people in the world sharing the same enthusiasm and spirit:

Madness

“What is this thing called madness? They say those touched by insanity have also been touched by divinity. No they don’t. Madness is often only a step away from enlightenment and, for some, is a step beyond. No it isn’t. Now learn how the Malkavians twist the world for their benefit. You won’t learn a thing. Discover the truth of their madness. It’s too late for that.” — Clanbook: Malkavian

VEKN Newsletter April 4th, 2015

Today (April 4th, 2015) the VEKN released the sixth issue of the VEKN Newsletter with a variety of information regarding VTES, VEKN and related matters.

Of Interest to Scholars and Slanderers:

Many thanks to Milán Horváth and the Hungarian V:TES community for putting on a fantastic weekend of gaming at the Hungarian Grand Prix! Many thanks to everyone who attended! Congratulations to Alain Greiner for winning the Grand Prix event, François Greiner for winning the Hungarian EC qualifier, Otso Saariluoma for winning the Jyhad draft, and Team Česká for winning the Nation’s Cup!

A bunch of announcements, so I’ll get right to it:

Design Team News:

It’s been six months since the release of The Unaligned, so the V:EKN Marketing Team is conducting a survey about the cards:

The Unaligned Survey

Your feedback helps us make better expansions for you!

..

Read the complete VEKN Newsletter 4 April 2015 with additional information on artists, upcoming events, etc. on VEKN.net.

EC 2015 Website

The website for the European VTES Championship 2015 is on-line. One the website you can currently find information regarding

• the general event information
• the hotel, where the tournament is taking place
• the already registered players.

.. and you can register yourself for the event as well.