Greetings fellow Methuselahs
November, november, what a month to remember! The tournament scene has never been better – the major events are hard to fit in a newsletter!
ALESSANDRO DONATI WINS GRAND PRIX BOLOGNA 2019
Organizer Simone Zanni describes the Italian Grand Prix 2019 tournament as “a total success”, and judging by the attendance and the many lovely photos posted on Facebook, one has to agree! 50 players showed up in Bologna on November 23. After three preliminary rounds, these were the standings:
1. Danilo Torrisi 2 gw, 8.5 vp
2. Andrea Paderni 2 gw, 8 vp
3. Alessandro Donati 2 gw, 7 vp
4. Alain Greiner 2 gw, 7 vp
5. Stefano Tarozzi 2 gw, 6.5 vp 
Final results: Danilo 1 vp, Alain 1 vp, Alessandro 3 vp – congratulations Alessandro Donati!
Tournament winning deck: TWD Italian Gran Prix 2019/20
VEKN thanks our sponsor Ultra Pro, the organizers, photographer Emma Tuttofumo Wilde and all the players for yet another fantastic tournament in Italy. All attendants as well as all future attendants of the European Grand Prix 2019-2020 events will be awarded the nice playmat depicted below, with brutal artwork by the great Carmen Cornet.
RIVANILDON FRAZÃO IS THE 2019 SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPION
20 players gathered in Campina Grande, Brazil, on November 16 to decide who the best Methuselah of the continent is.
Standings before the final:
1. Mailton 3 gw, 10 vp
2. Andrey 2 gw 9 vp
3. Fernanda 2 gw 7 vp
4. Silvano 1 gw 5 vp
5. Rivanildon 1 gw 5 vp
Final results: Mailton 1 victory point, Rivanildon 4 victory points – congratulations, Rivanildon!
Tournament winning deck: TWD - South American Championship 2019
Thanks to tournament organizer Kleber Bertazzo, all helpers and attendants!
KARL SCHAEFER WINS NORTH AMERICAN CUP 2019: DENVER
No less than four VTES tournaments were played in Denver and Seattle the weekend of November 8-10, under the supervision of Darby Keeney (Denver) and Grayson Nootenboom (Seattle). The image above shows the four winners Marshall T Hogue, Bill Troxel, Karl Schaefer and Darby Keeney. Congratulations all!
The main event was the Denver part of the North American Cup 2019, known as “Well-Aimed Car” in the VEKN.net calendar. It attracted 17 players of which the top five before the final were:
1. David Litwin 2 gw, 7 vp
2. Darby Keeney 1 gw, 7 vp
3. Bill Troxel 1 gw, 6 vp
4. Karl Schaefer 1 gw, 5 vp, 150 TP
5. Kevin Mitcham 1 GW, 5 VP, 90 TP
Final results: Karl 1.5 vp, David, Bill and Kevin 0.5 vp – Congratulations, Karl Schaefer!
Read more at VTES in North America
Karl's tournament winning deck, with comments: TWD: Well-Aimed Car, Denver CO
Thanks to organizers and players – and good luck with the rest of the Cup!
TOMMI HAKOMAA IS THE FINLAND 2019 CHAMPION
26 players turned up in Espoo to play this year's Finnish championship.
Top 5 standings after last preliminary round:
1. Tommi Hakomaa 2 gw, 8.5 vp
2. Matias Frosterus 2 gw, 7 vp
3. Matti Palomäki 2 gw, 7 vp
4. Jyri Puhakka 2 gw, 5.5 vp
5. Teemu Sainomaa 1, 5.5 vp
Final result: Tommi 1.5 vp, Matti 1 vp, Matias 0.5 vp, Teemu 0.5 vp – congratulations, Tommi Hakomaa!
Tournament winning deck: TWD: Finnish Nationals 2019
The champion Tommi Hakomaa (left) is awarded by organizer Tero Aalto.Thanks to organizers, photographer Marko Saari, the sponsor Ultra Pro and all the Finnish Methuselahs – we hope to see all of you in Helsinki for the European Championship this summer!
ZSOLT CIRAKI IS THE HUNGARIAN CHAMPION 2019
Budapest was the place, October 27 was the time, and 17 players attended. Standings after 3 rounds of battle:
1. Zsolt Cziraki 2 gw, 7.5 vp
2. Balazs Kaloczkai 2 gw, 4.5 vp
3. Szilveszter Miklós 1 gw, 4.5 vp
4. Sebestyen Balazs 1 gw, 4 vp
5. Gyula Erdos 1 gw, 4 vp
Final results: All players 0.5 vp - congratulations Zsolt Cziraki, top seed and new champion of Hungary!
Tournament winning deck: Hungarian Championship 2019 (VEKN.net)
Thanks to organizer Vaka Máté and all attendants!
Tito Teixeira organized the Portuguese championship this year, held in Lisbon on November 2. 19 players attended and judging by the Archon report, the preliminary rounds were TENSE.
The top five before the final were:
1. Ricardo Marta 1 gw, 5 vp, 156 tp
2. Tito Teixeira 1 gw, 5 vp, 132 tp
3. Luis Sancho 1 gw, 4 vp
4. Diogo Pratas 1 gw, 3 vp
5. Javier Naranjo 0 gw, 3 vp
The final was also TENSE! Result: All players 0.5 vp - congratulations, Ricardo Marta, Portuguese champion 2019!
Tournament winning deck: Girls Will Find Inner Peace - Gambas version
“Based on Otso Saariluoma's from Finnish NC 2018, Girls post Anthelios. Changed a DT for a Confusion because of the Parity Shifts, 2 Mental Maze against allies like Legionnaires and Nephandus. Missing one Perfect Paragon, but not sure what to take out for it.”
Crypt (12)
1x Lucian, the Perfect 11 ANI AUS DOM OBF POT PRE Guruhi:4
1x Lutz von Hohenzollern 11 pot AUS DEM OBF PRE Malkavian:4
2x Nana Buruku 8 ANI POT PRE Guruhi:4
1x Nergal 10 AUS DAI FOR OBF PRE THA Baali:5
1x Rafael de Corazon 11 AUS CEL DOM OBF PRE Toreador:4
3x Aksinya Daclau 9 cel tha ANI FOR PRE PRO Gangrel antitribu:4
3x Cybele 10 ANI DAI OBF PRE SER THA Baali:4
Library: 90
Master (57)
1x Giant's Blood
1x Golconda: Inner Peace
2x Information Highway
1x Jake Washington
9x Liquidation
1x Archon Investigation
1x Metro Underground
1x Misdirection
1x Monastery of Shadows
3x Parthenon, The
15x Ashur Tablets
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
7x Villein
1x Wider View
6x Zillah's Valley
1x Blind Spot
1x Coven, The
1x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
Action (6)
2x Entrancement
1x Intimidation
2x Unleash Hell's Fury
1x Call the Great Beast
Action Modifier (15)
2x Elder Impersonation
1x Enkil Cog
2x Faceless Night
1x Into Thin Air
2x Lost in Crowds
1x Mirror Walk
1x Perfect Clarity
1x Veil the Legions
2x Aire of Elation
2x Cloak the Gathering
Action Modifier/Combat (1)
1x Hide the Mind
Combat (4)
4x Majesty
Reaction (6)
1x Guard Dogs
1x Lost in Translation
2x Mental Maze
1x Confusion of the Eye
1x Delaying Tactics
Event (1)
1x Narrow Minds
Thanks to our sponsor Ultra Pro, volounteers and players!
NIKOLAJ WENDT IS THE 2019 DANISH CHAMPION
Played on November 23. Excellent report from organizer Christian Nislev:
The attendance has been dropping in the last few years, but this year the trend turned upwards with 20 players participating – not least due to a strong turnout by non-Danes, for example Swedes from Malmö, who seem to have come out of torpor and hungry for blood.
The Danish meta is typically combat-heavy compared with elsewhere, but this year saw a more moderate metagame with an even distribution of stealth-bleed, fat cap voters, ally-decks and a bit of combat.
The following players reached the final:
1. Nikolaj Wendt 2 gw, 7.5 vp
2. Sebastian Fredenberg 2 gw, 5 vp
3. Rudolf Scholz 1 gw, 7.5 vp
4. Henrik Andersen 1 gw, 6.5 vp
5. Nico Scholz 1 gw, 5 vp
While the ally decks were setting up at one end of the table, the bleed decks were pressing forward from early on, and the bleed-bouncing was intense. After more than an hour’s play, Sebastian was ousted by Henrik who had three vampires out and another one on the way.
The last part of the final saw intense activity with Nikolaj promising Nico to hold off with bleeds so she could go forward in the hope of ousting Rudolf in a few turns. Henrik pushed forward against Nikolaj but Nikolaj kept bouncing bleeds to Nico with Aksinya’s ability and Lost in Translation. To cycle cards, Henrik stealthed past Nico’s blocking minions to deliver a strong bleed against her. Nikolaj saw his chance and informed Nico that he would break the deal since she was now within ousting range. Shortly after, she was ousted.
With a few minutes left, Rudolf pressed Henrik hard and came close to ousting him, but he ran out of time before the final few bleed actions could be carried out.
With Nikolaj and Henrik on 1.5 VPs each, Nikolaj won the Danish National Championship 2019 due to entering the final in top position.
A highly unusual final of a Danish championship, with neither combat or vote decks present. The winner was, however, not unexpectedly, Nikolaj Wendt – a former Prince of Copenhagen (now in exile in Serbia) and enfant terrible of the Danish V:TES scene who has for many years been THE player to beat in Denmark (rumour has it that ousting him in casual games is worth 1.5 VPs...).
Tournament winning deck: Aksinya weenie PRE - Danish Nationals 2019
Nikolaj's comment: "Aksinya is one of my favorite vampires, and I have been trying to slot her into different archetypes (previously the obvious ANI one). She offers great support for the problems that I feel weenie PRE decks normally face."
Crypt (12)
4x Anarch Convert 1 -none- Caitiff:ANY
1x Jayne Jonestown 2 PRE Brujah antitribu:4
1x Loonar 4 cel PRE Toreador antitribu:4
1x Lumumba 4 ani PRE Guruhi:4
1x Marla Kenyon 4 ser PRE Follower of Set:4
1x Reginald Moore 4 PRE Brujah:4
3x Aksinya Daclau 9 cel tha ANI FOR PRE PRO Gangrel antitribu:4
Library: 67
Master (31)
2x Anarch Revolt
1x Anarch Troublemaker
1x Giant's Blood
3x Information Highway
1x Jake Washington
3x Liquidation
2x Misdirection
4x Parthenon, The
9x Ashur Tablets
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Barrens, The
1x Coven, The
1x Direct Intervention
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
Action (15)
2x Entrancement
5x Mind Numb
8x Public Trust
Action Modifier (4)
4x Aire of Elation
Combat (7)
5x Majesty
2x Staredown
Reaction (10)
5x Guard Dogs
3x Lost in Translation
2x Delaying Tactics
Congratulations Nikolaj, and thanks to all players and special thanks to Christian for the nice report.
This month we have the privilege to ask Mark Loughman some questions. He has 25+ entries in the Tournament Winning Deck Archive, and is the newly appointed VEKN National Coordinator for USA.
Hi Mark! When did you start playing VTES?
- I started playing in 1994. I opened the first box that came into my shop. My first deck, Gangrel rush combat with Garou. We were all very concerned about contesting, so you had to pick what clan you were playing for the game that week in advance.
What do you like most about the game?
- The group play aspect is most important. I am an old school gamer. I started playing D&D in the 1970s and was on the Magic pro tour circuit for a couple of years. V:TES combines the best of both worlds for me. It offers the interactivity of a group game but is in 2 hour increments. Plus, showing how clever I am with my new deck – when one of them actually works – is very rewarding.
What is your all-time favorite deck?
- Tremere Carna toolbox. I have had success with Tremere and Nosferatu and tend to play more reactive decks, and am most comfortable with Carna or Sheldon leading the way. I really enjoyed playtesting the Harbingers.
Do you have any new exciting deck “cooking” right now?
- I plan on testing a Baali/Setite Enticement deck this week. Wish me luck.
Do you think you have a special “style” of playing?
- I try to be flexible, but have been known to bleed with Govern the Unaligned. I have had my least success with purely political decks. That being said, the game itself is very political. It is rare that one can win a table just on the merits of the deck. Deal-making is important.
You are the newly appointed National Coordinator for USA – congratulations on this honourable assignment! What do you do to spread VTES in your country?
- Thank you. I have hosted more than 60 tournaments to date and usually run about 4 per year. I help out at the Week of Nightmares and NAC every year, and my group are playtesters.
What do you think others can do?
- Spread the word! We are back in print! It is so good seeing former players rising from torpor. Seeing new names hosting tournaments is awesome as well. Demo for your friends or at your FLGS. We have the best gaming community in the world, and the best game.
Thanks for volounteering Mark, and for talking to us. Good luck with your new mission, and with the Enticements!
BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: NOVEMBER 2019
It´s been a bit quiet from Black Chantry the past months, but no worries – things are happening!
• Both the five First Blood decks and the 25th Anniversary set are now on print-on-demand! Check it out at Drivethrucards
• Design director Ben Peal has been polishing the VTES Fifth Edition box decks for some kind of third round of playtesting, which will begin within shortly. Especially the Banu Haqim deck has required extra attention, and balancing the decks against each other is not easy.
• Rules director Vincent Ripoll is in charge of editing a brand new illustrated VTES rulebook. This is a big project which involves all of Black Chantry, as well as some external eyes and hands, including selected playtesting groups, and the circle of reviewers and testers will widen with time. There will also be a shorter, simplified rulebook for the Fifth Edition box, that will omit rules that won´t appear in that box set.
• Art director Ginés Quiñonero is in charge all things artwork-related, in recent time some late commissions for Fifth Edition and some 2020 promo cards. As was told earlier, almost all Fifth Edition artwork is already done, and “spoiler season” begins right now, with Carmen Cornet's violent piece found at the top of this newsletter. Just wait til we show the actual card!
• Currently 17 Black Chantry products are available through Drivethrucards.com and other stores:
- Lost Kindred bundle
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2
- Den of Fiends Preconstructed Deck
- Libertine Ball Preconstructed Deck
- Pact with Nephandi Preconstructed Deck
- Parliament of Shadows Preconstructed Deck
- Anthology I bundle
- VTES Card Creator
- 25th Anniversary
- First Blood: Malkavian
- First Blood: Nosferatu
- First Blood: Toreador
- First Blood: Tremere
- First Blood: Ventrue
Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.
RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS
Lots of things are happening concerning Vampire: The Masquerade. Some highlights this month:
• The highly praised “L A by Night” streamed tv-series is paused after three seasons, but its storyteller Jason Carl now leads “Seattle by Night”. The city is the setting for the upcoming “Bloodlines 2” game, so this will surely be interesting. Check it out at twitch.tv/pennyarcade
• Draw Distance-created “Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York” is close to launch on Steam (Windows, Mac, Linux). These past months we have seen previews of more characters from the game – take a peek at the Steam page.
• 874 backers supported the The Mega Board Game “Vampire: the Masquerade - Blood Feud” with over 100,000 dollar at Kickstarter. Late pledges are possible!
• You can now play a prologue of the story driven board game “Vampire the Masquerade - Chapters” at Tabletopia. All eight characters that will be available in the core box have been revealed, now also the The Ministry one. The Kickstarter for this game launches February 4 2020.
CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
December 1: Churrascarta - São Paulo, Brazil
December 6: Demo First Blood - Logroño, Spain
December 7: Blood Hunt - Palma, Spain
December 7: Pszcyna the Final Polish VtES League - Pszcyna, Poland
December 8: Último Torneio do ano - Maceió, Brazil
December 8: Zillah's Tears IV - Chill of Oblivion - Vantaa, Finland
December 14: Battle for Santiago - Santiago, Chile
December 14: Y el PTO pa cuando? - Algeciras, Spain
December 14: Granada by Night Dec 2019 - Granada, Spain
December 14: Y el PTO pa cuando? - Algeciras, Spain
December 14: Anarch Secession - Madrid, Spain
December 14: Tokyo Creepshow - Tokyo, Japan
December 14: Battle for Skåne "Claiming the throne " - Malmö, Sweden
December 14: Grand Prix 2019 Ohio Valley - Heath, United States
December 14: Christmas Celebration Sealed - Magdeburg, Germany
December 15: Marató TV3 - Barcelona, Spain
December 15: Rapid Healing - Heath, United States
December 15: Powerbase: Mexico City 2019 - Mexico City, Mexico
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 V:EKN Facebook group, the official V:TES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and the official V:EKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES
“Life is short, and art long, opportunity fleeting, experimentations perilous, and judgment difficult.”
