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In Memoriam Stewart Wieck

Greetings fellow Methuselahs

Firstly we have some sad news to acknowledge ...


Stewart Wieck

IN MEMORIAM: STEWART WIECK 1968-2017
The V:EKN would like to honour the memory of Stewart Wieck who passed away June 22. Among many other things, he was co-founder of White Wolf, co-creator of the World of Darkness and former Chairman of V:EKN. We are eternally grateful for his contribution to millions of hours of entertainment. His legacy lives on in our game and many others. Rest in peace.

About this by Mark Rein-Hagen: “Stewart Wieck, my partner at White Wolf, has died..."
About this by Richard Thomas: "Goodbye, my friend"
About this by White Wolf: "If I have seen further ..."


Origins Game Fair 2017

NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 IS OVER
US National Coordinator Ben Peal reports: Congratulations to Martin Weinmayer of Austria for winning the 2017 North American Championship! This is his third Continental Championship win - he also won the European Championship in 1999 and 2009. His winning deck was Stanislava multi-act. Congratulations as well to the other finalists: Alex Romano, Mariya Hyryk, Brad Cashdollar, and Bill Troxel.

Congratulations are also in order for the other tournament winners at Origins Game Fair! Bill Troxel won Day 1 of the NAC with old-school mid-cap Protean-Dominate. Adam Huse won the Thursday constructed tournament with a Howler-based Ahrimanes deck, and he also won the First Chance Qualifier on Sunday with an Ishtarri multi-act deck.

Many, many thanks to everyone who attended, including competitors from Chile, Mexico, and Canada! Many thanks as well to Jay Kristoff for running the Week of Nightmares!

Decklists are as follows:

Thursday June 18 - Constructed Tournament (22 Players)
Deck Name: Ahrimanes Rule of Four
Created By: Adam Hulse
Description: My Ahrimanes take on my "Toreador Rule of Four" deck. Ahrimanes lose bounce and titles but gain more stealth and more blocking. Lesson Learned: The Claws of the Dead are a good surprise but should probably just be Force of Personality. Lesson Learned: To give prey hard choices - Pentex Loves You could replace Fear of Mekket.

Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 16, Max: 32, Avg: 6.33)
4 Howler      ANI obf PRE SPI8 Ahrimanes
4 Siamese     ani PRE pro SPI7 Ahrimanes
1 Cynthia Ingold    ani for pre SPI6 Ahrimanes
1 Nettie Hale    ani cel pre pro spi5 Ahrimanes
1 Juanita Santiago    ani pre spi 4 Ahrimanes
1 Igo the Hungry    pre pro  1 Caitiff

Library: (90 cards)
Master (19 cards)
2 Wash  
2 Villein
2 Dreams of the Sphinx
2 Wider View
2 Perfectionist
2 Vessel
2 Blood Doll
1 Archon Investigation
1 Barrens, The
1 Fear of Mekhet
1 Anarch Troublemaker
1 Pentex(TM) Subversion

Action (23 cards)
4 Legal Manipulations
4 Public Trust
4 Entrancement
4 Enchant Kindred
4 Engling Fury
2 Abbot
1 Mind Numb

Action Modifier (8 cards)
4 Squirrel Balance
4 Aire of Elation

Reaction (22 cards)
4 Speak with Spirits
4 On the Qui Vive
4 Falcon`s Eye
4 Ears of the Hare
3 Wake with Evening`s Freshness
3 Delaying Tactics

Combat (12 cards)
4 Majesty
4 Claws of the Dead
4 Leapfrog

Equipment (2 cards)
1 Heart of Nizchetus
1 Gran Madre di Dio, Italy

Combo (4 cards)
4 Swiftness of the Stag


Friday June 19 - Day 1 NAC 2017 (25 players)
Deck Name: Good Old PRO-DOM
Author: Bill Troxel
June 2017, Columbus Ohio, USA - NAC Day 1
2nd seed going into final w/1 GW, 7VP. 3 VP in final.
Entire crypt starts w/PRO; some have dom. Handful of dom skill cards, lots of Govern. Decent bleeding, very decent blocking in the late game, some bouncing; decent combat survivability. Iliana stars as prime actor; Caitlin supports as primary blocker. This is a well-tested deck. The Weather Control is for Raptor Decks, which are all too common in my local group, but it can double as stout combat defense when coupled with a Flesh of Marble. Fun to play.

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=3 max=7 avg=5.92)
3x Caitlin   6 aus dom ANI PRO !Gangrel:2
1x Chandler Hungerford 3 PRO   Gangrel:2
1x Daliyah   4 obf PRO  Nosferatu:2
1x Dr. Allan Woodstock 5 ani aus for PRO Gangrel:3
1x Harry Reese   6 cel obf FOR PRO !Gangrel:3
5x Iliana   7 tha DOM FOR PRO Gangrel:2

Library (90 cards)
Master (16)
1x Backways
1x Coven, The
1x Direct Intervention
5x Dominate
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
3x Perfectionist
1x Twisted Forest
2x Wider View
1x Zoo Hunting Ground

Action (21)
1x Abbot
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
16x Govern the Unaligned
3x Under Siege

Equipment (2)
1x Bowl of Convergence
1x Sport Bike

Retainer (1)
1x Mr. Winthrop

Action Modifier (10)
2x Bonding
3x Conditioning
1x Daring the Dawn
4x Earth Control

Reaction (15)
7x Deflection
1x Delaying Tactics
2x Eluding the Arms of Morpheus
5x On the Qui Vive

Combat (25)
1x Claws of the Dead
10x Earth Meld
3x Flesh of Marble
7x Form of Mist
3x Quick Meld
1x Weather Control

Martin Weinmayer
Martin Weinmayer, NAC champion. We will try to get an interview sometime soon!


Saturday June 20 - Day 2 NAC 2017
(25 players)

Deck name: Stansilava goes for a bloody donat
Author: Martin Weinmayer
Description: I usually play this Deck with 80 Cards, but i did some metagame changes because I expected less combat and more bleed. Changes were +2 forced march +4 Sense the Savage Way +2 murmur +1 villein -1 scourge Big thanks to Ben Peal for his ongoing Support of our game, and all the cool People i was blessed to meet there!

Crypt (12):
4x Stanislava
1x Etrius
2x Ingrid Rossler
1x Mark Decker
1x Xaviar
1x Rachel Brandywine
1x Hartmut Stover
1x Genevieve

Library (88):
Master (22):
7x Villein
4x Dreams of the Sphinx
2x Pentex Subversion
2x Papillon
2x Jake Washington
1x Information Highway
1x Ennoias Theater
1x Giants Blood
1x Backways
1x Monastery of Shadows

Minion Cards (66):
9x Govern the Unaligned
1x Seal of Veddartha
7x Parity Shift
1x Ancilla Empowerment
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Reigns of Power

8x Form of Mist
4x Earth Meld
2x Rapid Change
6x Earth Control
4x Instantaneous Transformation
4x Forced March
3x Conditioning
1x Enkil Cog

4x Sense the Savage Way
4x Murmur of thr False Will
6x Deflection


Sunday June 21 - First Chance Qualifier (19 players)
Deck Name: Ishtarri Need No Bounce! (2017 version)
Created By: Adam Hulse
Description: This is the 2017 version of my deck. Minor tweaks to the 2016 version that made finals of Day 2 NAC 2016. The theme of the deck is to abuse meta where there is minimal intercept. Lesson Learned: Maybe a Storage Annex to hold master cards (since doing so many actions) and Talbot's Chainsaw.

Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 17, Max: 31, Avg: 6)
3 Falhu Shibaba    ani CEL CHI FOR PRE8 Ishtarri
2 Ubende      for obf qui CEL PRE7 Ishtarri
1 Honorine Ateba    cel nec FOR PRE6 Ishtarri
1 Mustafa     cel dom FOR PRE6 Ventrue
1 Elizabeth Conde    pre CEL FOR 5 Ishtarri
1 Victor Pelletier    cel dom for PRE5 Ventrue
1 Shasa Abu Badr    cel for PRE 5 Ishtarri
1 Kenyatta     cel for pre 4 Ishtarri
1 Abu Nuwasi     cel for  3 Ishtarri

Library: (80 cards)
Master (17 cards)
1 Anarch Troublemaker
1 Archon Investigation
1 Heidelberg Castle, Germany
1 Misdirection
1 Agent of Power
1 Glutton
2 Perfectionist
1 Dreams of the Sphinx
1 Fear of Mekhet
1 Giant`s Blood
6 Villein

Action (18 cards)
10 Enchant Kindred
2 Entrancement
2 No Secrets From the Magaji
2 Well-Marked
1 Aranthebes, The Immortal
1 Restoration

Action Modifier (20 cards)
15 Forced March
2 Perfect Paragon
2 Aire of Elation
1 Daring the Dawn

Political Action (4 cards)
2 Kine Resources Contested
2 Ancilla Empowerment

Combat (7 cards)
2 Hidden Strength
3 Majesty
2 Superior Mettle

Retainer (2 cards)
1 Mr. Winthrop
1 Shaman

Equipment (6 cards)
1 Kduva`s Mask
1 Laptop Computer
1 Sport Bike
1 Reliquary: Trinket
1 .44 Magnum
1 Talbot`s Chainsaw

Combo (6 cards)
5 Resist Earth`s Grasp
1 Ishtarri Kholo


STORYLINE NEWS: “ASCENSION OF CAINE” AND FUTURE STORYLINE MATERIAL
Storyline Coordinator Mike Nudd reports: In May I had the pleasure of attending the World of Darkness convention in Berlin, a fan convention organised by PDA on behalf of the new White Wolf team. The convention had a varied and busy schedule filled with table top role-playing, live-action role-playing, seminars and of course Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.

White Wolf Keynote Berlin

Vampire the Masquerade Fifth Edition (“V5”)
While most of my time at the event was spent on VTES related matters, I did have the opportunity to see White Wolf’s keynote address on their vision for the classic World of Darkness and the new 5th Edition version of the Vampire: The Masquerade role-playing game.

This new game will follow the timeline of the previous game, but will move the timeline on with some significant changes to the world that vampires live in. One new concept is the Beckoning, a mysterious phenomenon which has called all vampires of the oldest generations away to the far east, leaving their havens unoccupied and their local political positions vacant. In this timeline, the Anarchs have risen in rebellion, causing such a threat that the Camarilla has cast them out, so that they are now enemies and no longer welcome – a true third sect more aligned to the way they are already presented in VTES.

Most shockingly, the mortal world has become aware of supernatural creatures and is mobilising to deal with the threat they represent. Although the public may still be ignorant, large secret organisations are mobilising in what is being called the Second Inquisition, and vampire populations in many cities have already been decimated. As a result, the surviving vampire societies have gone underground, forced to practice their meetings and rituals under the tightest security. Modern technological communications methods can no longer be trusted, and public transport is no longer safe. The hunters are now again the hunted.

Nefertiti Adv Berlin version

Ascension of Caine
One of the Friday events was the Ascension of Caine VTES Storyline tournament, a homage to an original scenario from the Vampire RPG found in the "Berlin by Night" sourcebook. In this scenario Kindred are drawn to the city to witness Caine’s return. Caine demands the abolishment of the Camarilla and Sabbat, and declares that all vampires should pledge fealty to him instead. However this is not Caine, but the ancient Ravnos methuselah Ankla Hotep, who is duped into the charade by his former lover Nefertiti. His powers are enhanced to godlike proportions by a magic amulet crafted by the bane mummy Saatet-Ta.

During the tournament I went around to see what decks people were playing, and what notable story events occurred. Of all the clans, the Setites, Lasombra, Tzimisce and Gangrel were the most well represented. While there isn’t space to cover all the detailed events, some highlights include:
- Baba Yaga entering combat with Arika and inflicting 4 aggravated damage to burn her
- Xaviar (Advanced) Mind Raped by Montano before the latter calls a Baltimore Purge
- Ulugh Beg and Gabrielle di Righetti contesting the title of Tremere Justicar
- Numerous Lasombra diablerised by the Mexico City Circle
- Baba Yaga later being sent to torpor on zero blood by the Neighbourhood Watch Commander
- A tense last-man-standing face-off between Khalil Ravana equipped with the Amulet of Ancients, and Nefertiti (advanced) and a horde of Aabt Kindred

The final took place between a Gangrel deck led by Brunhilde (Petru Makkonen), preying on a Ventrue high cap vote deck (Jeroen Van Oort), preying on Tzimisce (Petri Wessman), preying on a Montano Purge deck (Rudolf Garski), preying on a Malkavian bleed deck (Matti Palomaki). After two hours of play Rudolf was declared the victor, claiming the shiny trophy provided by White Wolf as the prize.

Regards,
Mike



DESIGN TEAM NEWS
Design Team leader Ben Peal reports: Round Two of the Bloodlines playtest concludes this weekend. Playtest Coordinator Hugh Angseesing will compile all the reports and data for us, then we'll make the appropriate adjustements to cards for Round Three. Round Three should begin in mid-to-late July, and we anticipate a September release.



CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
July 8 - Valhala - Paulistão 2017 - LIGA NOVA ERA BRASIL - São Paulo, Brazil
July 8 - QCF Barbecue - Vitrolles, France
July 8 - Townsville Carnage 2017 - Townsville, Australia
July 8 - Campeonato Carioca 2017 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
July 8 - 1st Great Symposium; St. Michel - Mikkeli, Finland
July 9 - Campeonato Amazonense de VTES 2017 - Manaus, Brazil
July 9 - LIGA NOVA ERA BRASIL - PB Howl - Campina Grande, Brazil
July 9 - Ascension of Caine: Bochum - Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
July 15 - Liga "NOVA ERA" Brasil AP - Restricted Vitae - Macapá, Amapá, Brazil
July 15 - Es Julio, y lo sabes - Badía del Vallés, Spain
July 16 - Belgian National Championship 2017 - Brussels, Belgium
July 16 - Spontaneous Power - Palma de Mallorca, Spain
July 19 - Rage Across Appalachia - Asheville, USA
July 28 - Finnish ECQ 2017: Ropecon - Helsinki, Finland
July 30 - Liga "NOVA ERA" Brasil AP - Hunger Moon - Macapá, Brazil

For more information on upcoming events see the V:EKN Event Calendar.



CONTACT V:EKN
You can contact the V:EKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at V:EKN.net. Also follow the official V:TES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and the official V:EKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES

We will not go quietly into the night!