On July 1st, 2020, the VEKN has published its newsletter for June 2020. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely an update of the current VTES tournament situation and an interview Gonazalo del Río (national coordinator of Chile).
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for June 2020 on VEKN.net.
On June 2nd, 2020, the VEKN has published its newsletter for May 2020. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely the open playtest for contesting vampires, a Q&A with regards to the VEKN Facebook group, and interview with Tomasz Izydorczyk (National VTES Coordinator for Poland), along with his favourite deck.
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for May 2020 on VEKN.net.
Black Chantry has released a second promo pack of VTES cards, which is intended to be handed out as rewards for participating in tournaments. This second pack consists of crypt that were previously only available as promo cards during VTES Continental Championships, and a few selected crypt and library for which the card text has been changed recently (or the card was misprinted in a recent expansion (Murmur of the False Will). The first block of cards have a quantity of 10 each, while the second blcok only has a quantity of 1 each.
The tournament packs are not intended for the regular distribution channels and resale, but for tournament organizers as prize support for participating in or winning a tournament.
You can read the original post on the Black Chantry website.
Just for your (and sometimes my) convenience, here’s a list of vampires that will appear in the upcoming VTES 5th Edition, and which have been shown as previews on the Black Chantry website or their Facebook presence. Also note the changed clan symbols, which have been changed to reflect the changes that have been in Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition.
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The VTES 5th Edition will be a boxed set consisting of 5 new starter decks (Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue), and will be published later in Q2/2020.
Yesterday the VEKN/Black Chantry has announced an open playtest for contesting vampires in VTES. Instead of both vampires being turned face down and being out of play, the contested vampires stay in play. The cost of contesting of 1 pool each turn remains until one player yields (or is ousted from the game).
Here are the changes in detail:
The VEKN wants to test if this a viable change, and asks players around the world to test this change (in non-tournament games) and answer a couple of questions regarding the effects.
The rule for contesting vampires was always quite controversial, because if in a given game two players fielded a deck which heavily relied on a single vampire (“star vampire”), typically both player’s game suffered tremendously by the contest. The contest of said star vampire then often allowed a third player to scoop up a game win easily. On the other hand, removing this contest rule can also lead to decreased diversity in decks, that is, players are more willing to play often dominant decks like Stanislava & Friends Dominate, or Unnamed Bleed, etc. With that regard, I like the idea of having an open playtest to be able evaluate the impact of the rules change, instead of just shoving down such a significant change the VTES communities throat and stating “to deal with it”.
Also quite interesting is the fact, that the Imbued are still contested the old way, when even library cards that are put into play as unique vampires are no longer subject to the original contesting rules. I would really like to hear about the reasons why Imbued are handled differently than the other crypt cards.
Read the full announcement on Black Chantry’s website here, which also includes a FAQ on the issue.
Last week, Black Chantry has revealed a lot of information on the upcoming release of VTES 5th Edition. This latest expansion will be a boxed set, consisting of 5 pre-constructed decks, a new rulebook, and blood counters. From the product picture it seems that the blood counters are this time made of cardboard. On the other hand, the pre-constructed decks are full blown starter decks with 77 library and 12 crypt cards. In comparison, the VTES Player’s Kit (3rd Edition) had glass blood counters (120 in total), but only had 4 “half” decks, (6 crypt cards and 44 library cards each).
The starter decks are based on 5 different Camarilla, which are
Black Chantry’s website (the product page for the 5th Edition in particular) already has a wealth of information. Quite interesting is the fact, that Dominate as one of Malkavian’s in-clan disciplines are back, because the library cards contain cards for Auspex, Dominate & Obfuscate, while Dementation is missing. The two crypt shown in the preview both are from group 6. It’s highly likely that the vampires all belong to group 5 or 6. Another interesting side note , that the clan symbols have been slightly adjusted, so that they fit the clan symbols used in Vampire: the Masquerade (5th Edition). But they can clearly be connected/related to the previously used clan symbols.
Currently the price for the boxed set has not been announced. (I expect the price significantly higher than the 2006’s Player’s Kit. My best guess is between 40-50 EUR. Mostly because the 5th Ed. boxed set will contain 445 cards (instead of the 200 from the player’s kit). But you also have to take into account that Black Chantry has a different cost structure than White Wolf had, and in terms of inflation, 14 years have passed since the Player’s Kit has been released. It is also not clear, if it’s possible to acquire the decks individually.
The exact release date is also not yet known, only that it will be some time in Q2/2020.
Post Scriptum:
Post Scriptum (01/June/2020):
On May 1st, 2020, the VEKN has published its newsletter for April 2020. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely an interview with key people from Black Chantry, the unfortunate news that the VTES EC 2020 has been canceled, and finally an interview with Wes Weston (veteran VTES player / national coordinator of Canada).
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for April 2020 on VEKN.net.
On April 1st, 2020, the VEKN has published its newsletter for March 2020. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely
a tournament report of the Grand Prix Ibérico 2020 (along with all 5 finalist decks and an interview with the tournament winner), an interview with VTES artist amy Wilkins, and finally some information on the VTES 5th Edition.
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for March 2020 on VEKN.net.
On March 3rd, 2020, the VEKN has published its newsletter for February 2020. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely the announcement of a number of major tournaments, a tournament report of the South American Cup, a second tournament report of the North American Cup, some card changes of the Assamite/Quietus, and an interview with VTES artist Samuel Araya.
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for February 2020 on VEKN.net.
This year, the first German VTES Grand Prix tournament will take place in Darmstadt, Germany on March 21st, 2020. Here are the details of the tournament:
DRK-Zentrum (Centre of the German Red Cross) Darmstadt-Eberstadt
Eysenbachstraße 1A
64297 Darmstadt
There’s an additional tournament on the following day as well (Sunday, March 22nd, 2020).
For full details on the tournament and the latest news on it, please refer this VEKN.net thread.
This year the German National VTES Championship tournament will take place in Bochum, Germany on May 16th, 2020. Here are the details of the tournament:
Zu den Vier Winden
Hofsteder Str. 94
44809 Bochum
Ayelech by Samuel Araya
On February 1st, 2020, the VEKN has published its newsletter for January 2020. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely the announcement of the VTES 5th Edition “spoiler season”, the announcement of a number of major tournaments, a clarification about so-called limited tournaments, and finally an extensive discussion of the Goratrix Wall deck archetype with Mika Nurmikolu, who won the Finnish Grand Prix 2019 with the deck.
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for January 2020 on VEKN.net.
This is an old article by Paul Peterson and Tom Wylie describing the transition from Jyhad to VTES, and accompanying changes, that took place in 1995 under the Wizards of the Coast leadership. The article is from Duelist #7 (1995), which also features an article of the newly released Dark Sovereigns expansion and a complete list of VTES card, that had been published up to that point.
It has taken over a year for the unlimited version of Jyhad(TM) to hit the streets, but for fans of the game it’s well worth the wait. The rules have been reworked to make them clearer, and there is a new basic game that is easier to learn. A few cards have been replaced, and most of the others have been reworded. All of these changes have been made to give novices and veteran players a more accessible and more enjoyable game: Vampire: The Eternal Struggle(TM).
The New Rules
One of the biggest problems with Jyhad was that players, particularly new players, found the rulebook difficult to understand. In the unlimited edition, the rules have been reorganized and rewritten to make them more accessible. The information about the atmosphere and setting of the game, formerly at the beginning of the rulebook, has been moved to an appendix, to be read after the player is more familiar with the rules of the game. The rules themselves have been clarified and simplified, many of the sections have been rewritten, and the more complex phases of the game have been broken down into outline form to make them easier to follow.
For your (and my future) convenience here’s the list of the 2019 promo crypt cards. The six promo cards are from the five Continental VTES Championships, and the last is an extra card from the VTES 25th Anniversary set (so technically not really a promo vampire).
There are now five mid-cap Anarch barons, which is quite nice, and even though there discipline don’t quite match, there will be some way to combine in future Anarch vote decks. You can also read an in-depth review of the first three cards (Casey, Jaques & Grimgroth) on Information Highway blog.
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Casey Snyder Promo from the North American Championship 2019 (14-Jun-2019 to 16-Jun-2019) |
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Jacques Rouge Promo from the European Championship 2019 (16-Aug-2019 to 18-Aug-2019) |
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Nefertiti (Adv) Promo from the European Championship 2019 (16-Aug-2019 to 18-Aug-2019) |
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Leumeah Promo from the Australian/New Zealand Championship 2019 |
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Bituin Promo from the Asian Championship 2019 |
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Benedito, a Lanterna Promo from the South American Championship 2019 |
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Grimgroth Part of the 25th Anniversary Set |
According to Black Chantry (current publisher of VTES), the five promo cards will be part of a future VTES product. This could be a tournament promo pack, but also part of a regular set or expansion.
On January 7th, 2020, the VEKN has published its newsletter for December 2019. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely an interview with Ben Peal (in his function as Black Chantry product director) on the plans and new products for 2020, a tournament report of the VTES North American Cup 2019 (part II) taking place Heath, Ohio, and finally, a 2019 retrospective with regards to VTES.
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for December 2019 on VEKN.net.
On November 16th, 2019 the Finnish National VTES Championship 2019 was held in Espoo, Finland with 26 players attending the tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:
1. Tommi Hakomaa (FIN) — 2 GW 8.5 VP — 1.5 VP — Presence Powerbleed
2. Matti Palomäki (FIN) — 2 GW 7 VP — 1 VP — Malkavian Anarch Stealth Bleed
2. Matias Frosterus (FIN) — 2 GW 7 VP — 0.5 VP — Samedi Anarch Rush Combat
2. Teemu Sainomaa (FIN) — 1 GW 5.5 VP — 0.5 VP — Gangrel Ani/Pro w/ Aksinya
2. Jyri Puhakka (FIN) — 2 GW 5.5 VP — 0 VP — Guruhi Rush Combat feat. Nana & Nangila
Congratulations to Tommi for his win of the Finnish Nationals 2019. The tournament winning deck can be found on VEKN.net.
On November 23rd, 2019 the VTES Danish National Championship 2019 was held in Copenhagen, Denmark with 20 players attending this constructed tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:
1. Nikolaj Wendt (DEN) — 2 GW 7.5 VP — 1.5 VP — Presence Weenie Tap & Bleed w/ MMPAs
2. Henrik Bjerre Andersen (DEN) — 1 GW 6.5 VP — 1.5 VP — Kiasyd Stealth Bleed
2. Rudolf Scholz (GER) — 1 GW 7.5 VP — 0.5 VP — Harbingers Legionaires feat. Erlik
2. Sebastian Fredenberg (SWE) — 2 GW 5 VP — 0 VP — Toreador antitribu Tap & Bleed
2. Nico Scholz (GER) — 1 GW 3.5 VP — 0 VP — Nephandus Swarm
Congratulations to Nikolaj for his win of the Danish Nationals 2019. The tournament winning deck along with a short tournament report can be found in the November 2019 VEKN Newsletter.
On November 2nd, 2019 the VTES Portuguese National Championship 2019 was held in Lisbon, Portugal with 19 players attending the tournament. The final standings after 3 rounds and the finals were as follows:
1. Ricardo Marta (POR) — 1 GW 5 VP — 0.5 VP — Girls MMPA Stealth/Bleed
2. Tito Teixeira (POR) — 1 GW 5 VP — 0.5 VP — Harbingers Turbo Legionaires
2. Luis Sancho (POR) — 1 GW 4 VP — 0.5 VP — Gangrel antitribu Wall feat. Matasuntha
2. Diogo Pratas (POR) — 1 GW 3 VP — 0.5 VP — Gangrel Stealth Vote/Bleed feat. Stanislava
2. Javier Naranjo Ortiz (POR) — 0 GW 3 VP — 0.5 VP — Tremere Wall feat. Malgorzata/Mistress Fanchion
Congratulations to Ricardo for his win of the Portuguese Nationals 2019. A tournament report can be found in the November 2019 VEKN Newsletter.
On October 27th, 2019 the Hungarian National VTES Championship 2019 was held in Budapest, Hungary with 17 players attending the final tournament. The final standings were as follows:
1. Zsolt Cziraki (HUN) — 2 GW 8 VP — 0.5 VP — Anarch Vote feat. Jacques & Arishat
2. Balazs Kaloczkai (HUN) — 2 GW 5 VP — 0.5 VP — Gangrel antitribu Swarm feat. Aksinya
2. Szilveszter Miklós (HUN) — 1 GW 5 VP — 0.5 VP — Ventrue Vote/Bleed feat. Weirich
2. Sebestyen Balazs (HUN) — 1 GW 4.5 VP — 0.5 VP — Auspex Wall w/ Nephandi
2. Gyula Erdos (HUN) — 1 GW 4.5 VP — 0.5 VP –Harbingers Legionaire Wall
Congratulations to Zsolt for his win of the Hungarian Nationals 2019. A tournament report can be found in the November 2019 VEKN Newsletter.
Here are the results of the VTES South American Championship 2019, which was played on November 16th, 2019 in Campina Grande, Brazil with 20 players attending the final tournament. The standings of the final round were as follows:
1. Rivanildon Frazão (BRA) — 1 GW 5 VP — 4 VP — Ishtarri Vote Bleed
2. Mailton Silva (BRA) — 3 GW 10 VP — 1 VP — Nosferatu Ani Anarchs
2. Andrey Davino (BRA) — 2 GW 9 VP — 0 VP — Gangrel Toolbox
2. Fernanda Nunes (BRA) — 2 GW 7 VP — 0 VP — Auspex Weenie Wall
2. Silvano Rafael Dantas (BRA) — 1 GW 5 VP — 0 VP — Malkavian Stealth Bleed
Congratulations to Rivanildon for winning the South American Championship 2019. The tournament winning deck along with a short tournament report can be found in the November 2019 VEKN Newsletter.
The Australian Continental VTES Championship 2019 has been played on October 5th, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia with 20 players attending the tournament. The standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:
1. Steven Baldwin (AUS) — 2 VP — Malkavian Stealth Bleed
2. Ke Carlton (NZL) — 2 VP — Guruhi MMPA Combat Toolbox
2. Tony Wedd (AUS) — 1 VP –Giovanni Powerbleed feat. Le Dinh Tho
2. Simon Reed (NZL) — 0 VP — Lord Tremere & Friends
2. Matt Prescott (AUS) — 0 VP — Lord Tremere/Capuchin/Malgorzata
Congratulations to Steven for his win of the Australian Continental Championship 2019. You can find a (short) tournament report and the tournament winning deck in the October 2019 VEKN Newsletter.
The Asian Continental VTES Championship 2019 has been played on October 26th, 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan with 13 players attending the tournament. The standings after 3 rounds and the final were as follows:
1. Johann Louie Ong (PHI) — 1 GW 8 VP — Weenie Dementation Bleed
2. Kohei Nomura (JAP) — 2 GW 6.5 VP — Brujah antitribu Bruise & Bleed
2. Keith Lee (SGP) — 1 GW 5 VP — Harbingers Vengeful Spirit/Legionaire Bleed
2. Keng Hung Lum (???) — 1 GW 5 VP — Baali Stealth Vote/Bleed
2. Hessed Ramos (PHI) — 1 GW 4 VP — Baali Anarch Stealth Bleed feat. Unnamed
Congratulations to Johann for his win of the Asian Continental Championship 2019. You can find the tournament winning deck in the October 2019 VEKN Newsletter.
On December 3rd, 2019, the VEKN has published its newsletter for November 2019. The newsletter covers a number of topics, this time a large number of tournament reports, namely the Bologna Grand Prix 2019, South American Continental Championship 2019, the North American Cup 2019, the Finnish National Championship 2019, the Hungarian National Championship 2019, the Danish National Championship 2019, and the Portuguese National Championship 2019. In addition the newsletter contains a short interview with the US National VTES Coordinator, Mark Loughman, and some product news from Black Chantry.
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for November 2019 on VEKN.net.
On November 4th, 2019, the VEKN has published its newsletter for October 2019. The newsletter covers a number of topics, namely the announcement of the North American Cup tournament series, tournament reports of the Australian Continental Championship 2019 and the Asian Continental Championship 2019, and an interview with the German National VTES coordinator, Rudolf Scholz.
Read the complete newsletter here: VEKN Newsletter for October 2019 on VEKN.net.
On September 7th, 2019 the Swedish National VTES Championship 2018 was held in Stockholm, Sweden with 42 players attending the tournament. The final standings after three rounds and final were as follows:
1. Esa-Matti Smolander (FIN) — 2 GW 9.5 VP — 1.5 VP — Baali MMPA Stealth Bleed
2. Kristofer Åkesson (SWE) — 2 GW 9 VP — 0 VP — Lasombra Stealth Vote
2. Lauri Salmi (FIN) — 2 GW 7 VP — 1.5 VP — Guruhi MMPA Anarch Rush
2. Henrik Klippström (SWE) — 2 GW 7 VP — 0.5 VP — Tremere Big Cap Stealth&Bleed
2. Erik Mossberg (SWE) — 2 GW 6 VP — 0 VP — Harbingers Emerald Legionaires
Congratulations to Esa-Matti for his win of the Swedish Nationals 2019. You can find a tournament report and the tournament winning deck in the VEKN Newsletter September 2019.
An oral history of Vampire: the Eternal Struggle
in Berlin, Germany
A blog about vtes and more
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Blog about VtES in the Philippines
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Blog -- Facts, Thoughts and Musings about a Trading Card Game.
a hardcore gamer's view
