Foreshadowing Destruction by Javier Santos. New card art for the 25th Anniversary set.

Greetings fellow Methuselahs
Last month I mentioned that staying calm while you play the Eternal Struggle is wise if you want success. But of course some babbling fools disagree. A particulary moronic Brujah even sent an ugly ghoul messenger with a threatening, misspelled letter to me. I should “minds my own bizniz” and “not interfere with his stylez”. I, of course, dominated the messenger to eat that letter, return home and puke it up on his masters lap. I´m very sad I was not present to witness that scene.

FIRST BLOOD – NEW INTRO DECKS SOON AVAILABLE

First Blood are five 55-card preconstructed decks for introductory games of VTES. The decks are simpler than tournament level decks, but showcase all the basic mechanics of the game.

Hugh Angseesing, CEO of Black Chantry Productions, why are you making First Blood?
- We’re making First Blood to help players be introduced to VTES. It´s five decks that help people get started.

How will it be available?
- We´re doing both traditional print distributed to stores and print-on-demand on Drivethrucards.

What will it cost?
- That is determined by distributors and stores, but Black Chantry charges significalty less for First Blood compared to our other products.

Are the cards in First Blood tournament legal?
- Yes.

First Blood hits the shelves in September. The Tremere and Ventrue decks features the card Bonding with new artwork. For the full deck lists, check out the full announcement at Blackchantry.com

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP IN PARIS COMING UP

• Please register as soon as possible! The registration will be open until the tournament begins August 17, but you are helping the organiers a lot by letting them know that you plan to attend. Register at www.vekn.fr/ec2019

• Please also register for the three “Week of Nightmares” tournaments held 12-15 August at different places in Paris. These have only a limited number of seats available, so there is a risk you miss out playing if you don´t preregister. Do so when you register for the EC, or by mail to , or on any of the associated Facebook events. Details about these tournaments are found at www.vekn.fr/ec2019/week-of-nightmares

• The official release date of the 25th Anniversary set is August 16, coinciding with the EC welcome party and the actual birthday of the game.

• Surplus European Grand Prix playmats from our sponsor Ultra Pro (the ones with Evil Jensen) will be handed out among EC participants. Yet another reason to attend! Please check out Janne Lönnqvists announcement about this - he also askes for ideas about future playmats.

MARTIN WEINMAYER WINS GRAND PRIX HELSINKI 2019!
GP Helsinki was played at Ropecon 2019, as usual with perfect Finnish organization and great hospitality. 55 players turned up from near and far for the main tournament.



This year, not only the final was streamed, but also three English-speaking “feature games”– watch it all at Ropecons Youtube-channel, and look out for video greetings from VTES players around the world between the rounds.

Congratulations Martin Weinmayer, GP Helsinki champion, scoring 2 victory points in the final before it timed out. Martin´s tournament winning deck is fairly similar to the “Reign of Stanislava” deck that is soon available for purchase in the 25th Anniversary set.

Antti, Otso, Martin (champion), Magnus and Jonas.

This was the last of the Grand Prix tournaments, now only the final remains. It will be played during the EC 2019 weekend in Paris, France, with the five Grand Prix players present with most rating points (See the V:TES European Grand Prix page about rating.)

On Sunday, a booster draft using a Sabbat-themed draft “cube” gathered 20 players. It is safe to say that everybody had very much fun, but most fun had Kari Hyll, who won with a !Brujah bruise-bleedish deck. Congrats Kari!

Thanks to organizers Petri Wessman and Janne Lönnqvist, our sponsor Ultra Pro and everyone else involved in the Ropecon weekend!

 
MORE VIDEO CONTENT FROM SPAIN
VEKN always wants to promote strong VTES content, be it blogs, video, events or anything else. Spanish Generación V has three new videos out, including subtitles - check it out!

• Episode 2.5: The Minion Phase: Combat

• Episode 3: Influence Phase and Discard Phase

• Interview with Hugh Angseesing of Black Chantry and VEKN

If you have created (or found!) any great VTES content that you want the VEKN to promote, please contact the VEKN Community Manager.

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: JULY 2019

• Early this month yet another promo card was revealed, this time the Nosferatu Jacques Rouge, baron of Versailles. He will be handed out to participants at EC 2019 in Paris, but also appear in a future (probably anarch-themed) product.

• As this is written, designers Ben Peal and Mike Nudd are putting the last touches to round 2 playtesting of the big 6-deck Camarilla-themed VTES Fifth Edition box. Playtesters can look forward to putting their fangs into this material in the upcoming days.

• Will Tremere mage allies be the next big thing? A very special new crypt card will appear in the 25th Anniversary product; Grimgroth, childe of Tremere himself. It features artwork by Edward Beard, Jr originally made in 1995 for the Dark Sovereigns set. The release date has now been nailed to August 16, which means the card changes introduced in the set will be tournament legal September 15. Also, note the new art for Foreshadowing Destruction by Javier Santos in this set (see the top of this newsletter). An interview with Javier can be found in the February newsletter.

• Art director Ginés Quinonero has received sketches or final results of most of the art for the above mentioned Fifth Edition set, and it looks fabulous. This is one department were you can be absolutely sure of success – VTES are blessed with some incredibly talented artists that cannot be praised enough!

• Marketing war ghoul Henrik Klippström attended Ropecon and Grand Prix Helsinki. A small but sweet interview with him can be found hidden in the 11 hour stream from the event.

• For more information about current projects and the future, see Ben Peal's product update in the March newsletter.


• Currently ten 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
- UPCOMING: 25th Anniversary
- UPCOMING: First Blood

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.

LATEST NEWS FROM WHITE WOLF

Vampire-related highlights from White Wolf licensees this month:

• Another exciting Vampire-themed card game has been announced. “Vampire: The Masquerade Vendetta” by Horrible Games is scheduled for a 2020 release. According to co-designer Bruno Faidutti (most known for Citadels) it is a “standalone card game”, so VTES fans can stop worrying about competition – the more games the merrier! Check out the teaser trailer at https://youtu.be/qicwrG2VlY4

• Likewise exciting is Renegade Game Studios "Vampire: The Masquerade Expandable Card Game", announced at Gen Con. We can not tell more about this right now, but when we can, we will.

• Onyx Path has sent the first pdf version of “Chicago by Night” to Kickstarter backers, and it is MASSIVE. With no less than 357 pages, all colour, this is the largest VTM setting book ever. It also includes rules for the much anticipated Lasombra clan and the Oblivion discipline.

• “Coteries of New York” developers Draw Distance have revealed some more artwork. Looking very promising, check it out at Steam.

• Modiphius Entertainment tells “The Fall of London” is in development, the first official chronicle for VTM 5th Edition. Lead developer is Steffie De Vaan. Next up after that is “VTM 5th Edition Players Guide”, and then a “VTM 5th Edition Starter Set” for newbie roleplayers, with an abridged rulebook, a starter chronicle, dice and pre-generated characters. Modiphius is also preparing “Organised Play” of VTM, a series of free chronicles for use at conventions, stores and home games.

 
CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
August 3: Multideck Mollina 2019 – Mollina, Spain
August 3: Wicked games – Santiago, Chile
August 4: Toulouse – Ramonville, France
August 4: Freak Drive: Charlotte – Pineville, USA
August 4: Powerbase: Berkeley – Blessings of the Loa – Berkeley, USA
August 11: Better call Saulot – Palma de Mallorca, Spain
August 11: Agosto en Badia – Badia de Vallés, Spain
August 11: Gran torneo de festejo del 25 aniversario – Mexico City, Mexico
August 12: EC WoN 2019 – Monday – Paris, France
August 13: EC WoN 2019 - Tuesday – Paris, France
August 14: EC WoN 2019 - Wednesday – Paris, France
August 16: EC 2019 - Draft – Paris, France
August 16: EC 2019 - Last Chance Qualifier– Paris, France
August 17: EC 2019 - Day 1 – Paris, France
August 17: Juizforano 2019 – Juiz de Fora, France
August 18: EC 2019 - Day 2 – Paris, France
August 18: EC 2019 - Brighter Future – Paris, France
August 24: VTES Granada Tournament – Granada, Spain
August 25: Rutor´s Hand – Sao Paolo, Brazil
August 31: Pulled fang #8 – Jihlava, Czech Republic

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

"Say not always what you know, but always know what you say."

Parity Shift by Mark Kelly. New card art for the 25th Anniversary set.

Greetings fellow Methuselahs
Have you ever considered how you play the game? Or do you prefer not to ponder such matters? Maybe you just succumb to your Inner Beast? Unless you are a Brujah or Gangrel (both excused by innate clan stupidity), I recommend thinking about your behavior. How you are perceived at the table is key to success. Few Methuselahs win games by flaunting their power early, or by being crude and threatening. On the contrary, you should dam your heart´s river and bite your tongue. "Flying under the radar" has been a thing among old Cainites since long before the radar was invented! Wait until the time is right to be aggressive and blunt. Not only have you had time to set up for your ousts without much intervention, but you will find yourself in a situation where your words weigh heavy…

REGISTER FOR EC 2019 NOW!
If you have decided to appear at the European Championship in Paris, France, please register at the official EC 2019 site now. As always, knowing early how many will attend helps out a lot for the organizers. This year we celebrate 25 years of VTES, so we will try to make this EC the greatest so far – the very nice Edge marker picture above is just one of the giveaways.

NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2019
13 tournaments were played at Origins Game Fair. Ben Peal reports:

Congratulations to Corwin Brindley for winning the 2019 North American Championship! More on Corey's big win in a moment!

Same as every year, we have the Week of Nightmares leading into the Origins weekend. It's a grueling test of your VTES fortitude, with seven tournaments over four days. Fabian's, a bar and pizza joint in downtown Columbus, is gracious enough to host it every year. Many thanks to Jay Kristoff and Mark Loughman running the tournaments and we had over twenty die-hard Methuselahs battling it out over the course of the week. Congratulations to the winners!

Week of Nightmares 1: Bill Troxel
Week of Nightmares 2: Hugh Angseesing
Week of Nightmares 3: Karl Schaefer
Week of Nightmares 4: Mark Loughman
Week of Nightmares 5: Karl Schaefer
Week of Nightmares 6: David Paul Bowles
Week of Nightmares 7: Kelly Schultz

The grueling pace continued into Origins with two tournaments that Thursday. The first tournament, attended by 20 players, was won by Corwin Brindley using a master-heavy, big Camarilla all-star deck (which may make an appearance later...). Also in the finals were Keith Cooley (War Ghoul), Bill Troxel (Obf-Pre Anarch bleed), David Cherryholmes (Anarch Ravnos bleed 'n stuff), and Mark Jasper (Lasombra bleed 'n vote). After a quick dinner break, 19 players battled it out in the second tournament. It was won by Bill Troxel using a Kindred Spirits bleed deck which also included damaging master cards for additional offense. For his last play in the finals, he dropped a Curse of Nitocris and passed his turn, getting the final oust as his prey only had one pool remaining. Stylish! Also in the finals were Mark Loughman (Black Hand swarm), Karl Schaefer (!Ventrue Anarch), Corwin Brindley (Obf-Dem bleed), and Darby Keeney (Mimir Christmas tree). The decks of your winners:

Thursday Tournament #1 (20 players)

Finalists:
Corwin Brindley (4 VP)
Bill Troxel
Keith Cooley
Mark Jasper
David Cherryholmes (1 VP)

Deck Name: Camarilla Master Phase All-Stars! Ft. Kephamos

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=8 max=11 avg=9.333333)
==================
4x Anson   8 aus dom CEL PRE  Toreador:1
1x Kephamos, High Priest of Marrakech8 dom obf pre SER  Follower of Set:2
2x Leandro   11 cel dom AUS OBF PRE  Malkavian:2
2x Arika   11 aus cel DOM FOR OBF PRE  Ventrue:2
2x Queen Anne   10 aus obf DOM FOR PRE  Ventrue:2
1x Sarrasine (ADV)  8 aus nec OBF PRE SER  Follower of Set:2

Library: 90 cards
Master (49 cards)
==================
18x Ashur Tablets
1x Barrens, The
1x Direct Intervention
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Golconda: Inner Peace
3x Information Highway
1x Jake Washington
7x Liquidation
1x Monastery of Shadows
1x Not to Be
2x Obfuscate
3x Parthenon, The
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Secure Haven
1x Wider View
6x Villein

Action (5 cards)
3x Entrancement
2x Intimidation

Action Modifier (19 cards)
1x Cloak the Gathering
1x Conditioning
4x Elder Impersonation
1x Faceless Night
5x Lost in Crowds
2x Perfect Paragon
2x Spying Mission
1x True Love's Face
2x Voter Captivation

Action Modifier/Combat (1 cards)
1x Swallowed by the Night

Political Action (3 cards)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Banishment
1x Parity Shift

Combat (6 cards)
4x Majesty
2x Staredown

Reaction (6 cards)
2x Deflection
1x Eluding the Arms of Morpheus
1x Obedience
1x Redirection
1x Second Tradition: Domain

Event (1 cards)
1x Scourge of the Enochians


***************************************************


Thursday Tournament #2 (19 players)

Finalists:
Bill Troxel (4 VP)
Karl Schaefer
Mark Loughman
Darby Keeney (1 VP)
Corwin Brindley

Deck Name: Mean Mister Master

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=3 max=8 avg=5.83)
===============================================
2x Arthur Denholm 5 obf AUS DEM Malkavian:5
2x Bloody Mary 8 pre AUS DEM OBF Malkavian:5
1x Gem Ghastly 6 aus DEM OBF Malkavian:5
2x Hagar Stone 6 obf AUS DEM !Malkavian:5
2x Jackie 3 DEM !Malkavian:4
2x Morel 6 AUS DEM OBF Malkavian:4
1x Persephone Tar-Anis 8 cel pot AUS DEM OBF !Malkavian:4

Library (90 cards)
==================
Master (20)
2x Antediluvian Awakening
2x Archon Investigation
2x Curse of Nitocris
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Gambit Accepted
2x Golconda: Inner Peace
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
2x Sudden Reversal
3x Villein
2x Wider View

Action (17)
17x Kindred Spirits

Action Modifier (32)
4x Cloak the Gathering
10x Confusion
3x Elder Impersonation
7x Eyes of Chaos
1x Faceless Night
4x Lost in Crowds
2x Mind Tricks
1x Spying Mission

Reaction (8)
2x Eyes of Argus
1x On the Qui Vive
5x Telepathic Misdirection

Combat (3)
1x Coma
2x No Trace

Combo (10)
5x Deny
5x Swallowed by the Night


***************************************************


Friday of Origins gave us Day One of the North American Championship. 39 players attended from four different nations - the United States, Canada, France, and Austria. Day One also gave us the introduction of a new promo card, Gangrel Casey Snyder, the Anarch Baron of Columbus! Everyone in attendance received a copy and we'll be making Casey available globally later this year.



After three rounds, our finalists were Corwin Brindley (Kiasyd bleed), Mehdi Mazni (Ventrue stickmen), Bill Troxel (Shambling Hordes + Legionnaires), David Bowles (Giant Tremere), and Connor Bell (Obf-Dom bleed). It was a tough finals, timing out with Mehdi Mazni getting the win with 1.5 VP. Mehdi's winning decklist:

NAC Day One (39 Players)

Finalists:
Mehdi Mazni (1.5 VP)
David Bowles (0.5 VP)
Connor Bell (1 VP)
Corwin Brindley (0.5 VP)
Bill Troxel

Deck Name: Ventrue Stickman

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=5 max=8 avg=5.875)
==================
1x Emily Carson  5  for pre DOM  Ventrue:5
2x Graham Gottesman  7  obf pre tha DOM FOR  Ventrue:5
1x Jephta Hester  5  aus DOM FOR  Ventrue antitribu:4
1x Joao Bile  5  pre DOM FOR  Ventrue:4
3x Lodin (Olaf Holte)  8  aus pro DOM FOR PRE  Ventrue:5
1x Mustafa, The Heir  6  cel dom FOR PRE  Ventrue:4
2x Victor Donaldson  6  for pre DOM  Ventrue:5
1x Victor Pelletier  5  cel dom for PRE  Ventrue:4

Library: 84 cards
Master (15 cards)
1x Anarch Troublemaker
1x Direct Intervention
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Fear of Mekhet
1x Giant's Blood
1x Misdirection
1x Papillon
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Ventrue Headquarters
2x Vessel
2x Villein
1x Wash

Action (14 cards)
1x Dominate Kine
2x Entrancement
11x Govern the Unaligned

Action Modifier (16 cards)
2x Bonding
5x Conditioning
3x Daring the Dawn
1x Foreshadowing Destruction
3x Freak Drive
2x Seduction

Political Action (5 cards)
1x Justicar Retribution
4x Parity Shift

Combat (16 cards)
5x Hidden Strength
5x Indomitability
2x Rolling with the Punches
4x Weighted Walking Stick

Equipment (2 cards)
2x Heart of Nizchetus

Reaction (16 cards)
8x Deflection
8x Second Tradition: Domain

NAC 2019 Day 1 final.

***************************************************


On Saturday, 25 players advanced to Day Two of the North American Championship. As it was last year, the high offense and dynamic games of Day One gave way to tighter, more defensive struggles in Day Two. After three rounds, the finalists were Shane Strait (!Tremere bruise-bleed), Corwin Brindley (big Cam all-stars again), Martin Weinmayer (his classic Stanislava deck), Bill Troxel (master-heavy Kiasyd bleed), Mehdi Mazni (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun). Martin Weinmayer was first to fall to Corey. Medhi then ousted Shane. Corey ousted Bill and not long afterward time expired. And with that, Corwin Brindley is the 2019 North American Champion!

NAC 2019 Day 2 final.

That's two years in a row that our Ohio hosts emerged victorious – Bob Joseph won the NAC in 2018. Here's the 2019 champion's decklist:

NAC Day Two (25 players)

Finalists:
Corwin Brindley (4 VP)
Bill Troxel
Keith Cooley
Mark Jasper
David Cherryholmes (1 VP)

Deck Name: Camarilla Master Phase All-Stars! Ft. Kephamos

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=8 max=11 avg=9.333333)
==================
4x Anson   8 aus dom CEL PRE  Toreador:1
2x Arika   11 aus cel DOM FOR OBF PRE  Ventrue:2
1x Kephamos, High Priest of Marrakech    8 dom obf pre SER  Follower of Set:2
2x Leandro   11 cel dom AUS OBF PRE  Malkavian:2
2x Queen Anne   10 aus obf DOM FOR PRE  Ventrue:2
1x Sarrasine (ADV)  8 aus nec OBF PRE SER  Follower of Set:2

Library: 90 cards
==================
Master (49 cards)
18x Ashur Tablets
1x Barrens, The
1x Direct Intervention
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Golconda: Inner Peace
3x Information Highway
1x Jake Washington
7x Liquidation
1x Monastery of Shadows
1x Not to Be
2x Obfuscate
3x Parthenon, The
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Secure Haven
6x Villein
1x Wider View

Action (5 cards)
3x Entrancement
2x Intimidation

Action Modifier (19 cards)
1x Cloak the Gathering
1x Conditioning
4x Elder Impersonation
1x Faceless Night
5x Lost in Crowds
2x Perfect Paragon
2x Spying Mission
1x True Love's Face
2x Voter Captivation

Action Modifier/Combat (1 cards)
1x Swallowed by the Night

Political Action (3 cards)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Banishment
1x Parity Shift

Combat (6 cards)
4x Majesty
2x Staredown

Reaction (6 cards)
1x Eluding the Arms of Morpheus
1x Obedience
1x Redirection
1x Second Tradition: Domain
2x Deflection

Event (1 cards)
1x Scourge of the Enochians


***************************************************


Attendance remained strong again this year, giving us another Shadow Twin tournament running parallel to Day Two of the NAC.  Twelve players competed, with the finalists being Rob Dudock (Legionnaires), David Cherryholmes (Ravnos bleed 'n stuff), Jamie Coombs (Arika), Norman Brown (Pro-Ser something-or-other), Jay Kristoff (!Brujah vote boon something). David Cherryholmes emerged as the winner!


NAC 2019 Shadow twin final.

Shadow Twin (12 players)

Finalists:
Rob Dudock
David Cherryholmes (2.5 VP)
Jaime Coombs
Norman Brown
Jay Kristoff (1.5 VP)

Deck Name: So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 2 max: 8 average: 5.58333
------------------------------------------------------------
3x Gabrin  8  ANI CHI dom for  Ravnos:2
2x Joaquina Amaya  6  ANI CHI FOR  Ravnos:2
2x Salbatore Bokkengr  4  CHI for pro  Ravnos:2
1x Natalia  7  ANI chi dom for  Ravnos:2
1x Sarisha Veliku  6  ANI FOR chi dom  Ravnos:2
1x Khalil Ravana  5  CHI ani for pre  Ravnos:2
1x Tsigane  3  aus chi  Ravnos:2
1x Sasha Miklos  2  chi  Ravnos:2

Library [85 cards]
------------------------------------------------------------
Master [15]
2x Chimerstry
1x Dominate
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Dummy Corporation
1x Fortune Teller Shop
1x Giant's Blood
1x Park Hunting Ground
2x Path of Paradox, The
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Secure Haven
1x Storage Annex
2x Week of Nightmares

Action [24]
1x Dominate Kine
1x Far Mastery
3x Fatuus Mastery
2x Govern the Unaligned
2x Illusory Resources
4x Nightmare Curse
1x Scouting Mission
3x Sensory Deprivation
1x Sensory Overload
1x Slaughtering the Herd
1x Spirit Marionette
4x Suspension of Disbelief

Equipment [3]
1x Karavalanisha Vrana
1x Shilmulo Tarot
1x Treasured Samadji

Retainer [1]
1x Raven Spy

Action Modifier [21]
2x False Resonance
8x Fata Morgana
2x Mirror's Visage
8x Red Herring
1x Will-o'-the-Wisp

Action Modifier/Combat [6]
4x Mirror Image
2x Occlusion

Action/Reaction [3]
3x Draba

Combat [3]
3x Illusions of the Kindred

Reaction [9]
2x Army of Apparitions
3x Deflection
2x Guard Dogs
2x On the Qui Vive


***************************************************


Closing out the Origins weekend was Sunday's First Chance Qualifier. Twenty Methuselahs battled it one last time, with Medhi Mazni as the victor, sweeping the final table with a Ravnos clown car deck:

First Chance Qualifier (20 players)

Finalists:
Mehdi Mazni (5 VP)
Martin Weinmayer
Jay Kristoff
Alain Greiner
Darby Keeney

Deck name: Ravnos clown car

Crypt (12 cards; Capacity min=2 max=5 avg=3.5)
==============================================
1x Andrei Puxon  5  ani cel chi for  Ravnos:2
1x Anka, Priestess of Thorns  4  ani chi pro  Ravnos:2
1x Ghivran Dalaal, The Dead God  5  ani aus chi FOR  Ravnos:2
1x Khalil Ravana  5  ani for pre CHI  Ravnos:2
1x Lázár Dobrescu  3  for  Ravnos:2
1x Salbatore Bokkengro  4  for pro CHI  Ravnos:2
1x Sasha Miklos  2  chi  Ravnos:2
1x Sennuwy, The Promoter  4  ani chi for  Ravnos:2
1x Spleen, Georgio Gutterpunk  2  ani chi  Ravnos:2
1x Tsigane   3  aus chi  Ravnos:2
1x Vedel Esbreno  3  chi for  Ravnos:2
1x Zip   2  ani  Ravnos:3

Library (65 cards)
==================
Master (13)
2x Gird Minions
1x Life Boon
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
6x Ravnos Carnival
2x Week of Nightmares

Event (1)
1x Uncoiling, The

Action (29)
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
4x Bamba
14x Embrace, The
10x Mozambique Allure

Political Action (11)
1x Autarkis Persecution
8x Consanguineous Boon
2x Kine Resources Contested

Equipment (1)
1x Heart of Nizchetus

Combo (10)
10x Eldest Are Kholo, The


***************************************************


And with that, we close out another North American Championship weekend at Origins! Many thanks to Black Chantry Productions and Steve Wieck for their generous prize support! Many thanks to John Pattie for his help in getting the prize support to Columbus! Thanks as always to all of you who attended and all of you who watched from afar! I look forward to seeing you again in Columbus next year!
 

PLAYER INTERVIEW: CORWIN BRINDLEY, NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION 2019
Interview by Henrik Klippström:

Congratulations Corwin! You came out on top in the final, but the NAC is a two day event, so it must have gone somewhat good for you for two days. How was your day 1 tournament?
- Day 1 I was playing a multiple-master phase action (MMPA) deck featuring Isanwayen and mid-to-small capacity dom/obt. I made the finals with 2 game wins and 7.5 victory points and lost pretty handily. I thought I had a good shot but I had to dig for Isanwayen 3 times and got no The Parthenon, so my hand was horrible and I was afraid of being ousted for most of the game. Bad library/crypt draw combined with playing with good players made for a losing proposition. I took way too long to get set up to go forward. Mehdi was my prey and he played well so I couldn’t really get any traction against him.

How did you choose deck for day 2?
- My day 2 deck is something that I’ve had great success with both in live games and online. I had won a local tournament and an earlier tournament at Origins on Thursday with it. I think MMPA decks are probably “S tier” at the moment and I don’t see that changing without a significant change in either the staple cards or the release of a strong counter. As it stands I think it’s the best deck out there (hence 3 MMPA decks in the finals), and I have lots of experience piloting my version. (See Corwins decklist in the report above!)

Are there any special prey and predators you like or don´t like when playing that deck?
- The deck kind of sucks in the early game – that goes for all MMPA decks in my experience. You can’t reliably find answers to blocking or combat so you are really squishy and not super aggressive early on. Tupdogs are probably the most potent against the deck, followed by any combat and then as a predator any weenie style bleed. Early game pressure can take the deck out before it can “build” the best deck with Ashur Tablets, and any combat that beats majesty will eventually knock the vamps to torpor. Blocking decks can be a pain early but with Pentex Subversion and block fails it becomes easier as the game goes on.

How were the preliminary rounds for you on day 2?
- I had a lot of good games. There were a lot of talented players at the tournament and I had a lot of fun. First game went to time, second game was fun but contentious, third game lined up for me perfectly. 

What were your thoughts when you were getting ready for the final table?
- I knew what everyone was playing, and that three people were playing MMPA and I didn’t want to be near any of them. I was second seed so I didn’t have full control as Mehdi got to pick his seat last. Shane and I played earlier and I knew he had limited stealth so I figured I could get some chump blocks on bleeds and stay alive worst case so I wanted him as a predator. The only other non-MMPA was Martin so I wanted to be preying on him. I got lucky that Martin picked to prey on Bill and I slipped right in the middle.

 

How did the final play out for you? Any particular turning points you remember?
- The finals were a lot of fun. A lot of good plays all around. I really didn’t know how I was going to pull off a win given the early state of the game. Shane went to low pool very quickly, and was bouncing to me which I couldn’t really handle. Beyond that he had lots of bleed, so I was feeling the heat early.
  I know Martin’s deck very well as I stole it from him and have played a lot with it. With that info, I knew I needed to keep him from voting which meant bringing up 3 minions. He didn’t find a Villein to keep his pool up so I had an oust for him. When the oust was coming, he offered to Parity Shift Bill and give me all 5 pool if I kept him alive. It was a deal I couldn’t refuse and probably changed the game considerably.
  The second point was when I was on low pool and Shane was in ousting range, I asked Mehdi to remove the Pentex Subversion on my potentially blocking minion. He refused but offered to play Golconda: Inner Peace one of my minions. I allowed the Golconda on Leandro to give me a big cushion of pool. I don’t think Mehdi expected what would happen next on his minion phase, which was to oust Shane with his first bleed. The Golconda gave me enough cushion to make sure I would stay alive and I still maintained vote lock. I think given the table state Mehdi made the right choice – he could not have known Shane would not have a block or bounce.
  The last point was when I was able to use Ashur Tablets to get a Anarchist Uprising to oust Bill and secure my second VP.
  To me it was an exciting game and an exciting finish. I honestly thought I was outgunned going into the game so it was nice to pull out the victory.

How long have you played VTES? How did you start?
- I started playing VTES in 1999 with my dad and his group of friends. I played pretty steadily up to 2005 when I lost interest due to some sloppy card design. After that I have made some jaunts back into the game but finally fully returned in 2017, and then in 2018 Lackey made me go even deeper.
  Big shout-out to Martin and Karl for organizing leagues on Lackey. My knowledge of the game and skills have improved drastically because of the accessibility of the game and the level of competition in those leagues. If you have a little patience it is worth it 100% to hop in and learn the interface to get some great games in.

How do you generally behave at the table?
- I really don’t like deals, especially early in games. Talking and theorizing about chopping up tables takes up so much time and can get frustrating. I feel like deals should be reserved for a last ditch effort or when there is some uncertainty in the results of a turn. Discussing game state is something I welcome though.

Do you prefer a certain type of deck?
- I prefer to take matters into my own hands with aggressive decks that can have blow-out turns and not depend on other players. Ventrue Grinders are one of my favorite deck architypes, probably followed by vote decks. Now that I have the championship and Hall of fame under my belt I may switch it up to explore more of the card pool and see what else there is to the game. I saw a Turbo-Erlik deck at Origins that may be my next exploration :)

Big thanks to Corwin for this thorough chat, and good luck to him in the future! For some additional reading about NAC 2019, check out Martin Weinmayer´s report at the VEKN.net forum.

MEET THE VEKN: KLEBER BERTAZZO, NATIONAL COORDINATOR BRAZIL
An interview series with the VEKN volunteers seem very approriate for a VEKN newsletter! These people put a lot of effort to promote our game and deserve every bit of praise we can give them. All of them are of course also accomplished VTES players with interesting stories and opinions. Let’s start with Kleber Bertazzo, recently appointed National Coordinator for Brazil.

Hello Kleber! When did you start playing VTES?
- In 1995. Back then, my friends and I didn´t have much money to buy cards. So, we took the money (what we had!) to buy some decks and boosters. After that, we used to make a common library and a common crypt, so everybody should draw from the same pile. The lucky one that drew Basilia was already halfway to the game win :)

What do you like most about the game?
- Everything!!! But there are three things I have special feelings for: 1) Politics: The game played with 4 or 5 players has, from my point of view, the best mechanics ever. We can talk with each other and with our convincing power, we can change all the table history. 2) The battle system that give you a RPG battle feeling. 3) There is no invincible deck, in fact, at a tournament you will always play against your “antagonist deck” at one table at least – that’s Murphy´s law!

What is your all-time favorite deck?
- Tzimisce War Ghoul. I love it because it causes fear in all Methuselahs´ hearts! :)

What other decks do you currently like playing?
- I like to play with Nana Buruku weenie-Aid from Bats, weenie guns and Anneke toolbox.

Do you think you have a special “style” of playing?
- I don’t have anything special, but I like to play without making “noise”. The people from Minas Gerais are known in Brazil as the people that don´t like to get attention. So, I like to play this way, calling as little attention as possible in order to, at the end, surprise everybody when they are unprepared!

You are the new National Coordinator for Brazil – congratulations! What do you think is most important for you, as the new NC, to deal with?
- Thanks! I would like to thank all the people that put his trust in me, and I hope to be above of their expectations. I think that the most important thing that we have to deal with here in Brazil, as you know, is our vanity. We have to be above any personal wills to make this adorable game grow. This is what I will try to do, and make Brazil just one incredible playgroup!

Thanks for the interview Kleber. Now that VTES is being translated to Brazilian Portuguese we hope his work with recruiting new players will go easier.

 


BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: JUNE 2019

• Ben Peal and Hugh Angseesing of Black Chantry attended the North American Championship at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, and had the opportunity to play VTES, talk to players and hand out the special NAC promo card Casey Snyder. Good times!

• Various material for bringing new players into the game are being planned and prepared – entry level products, new rulebook, tutorials and new tools for demo games. More about these things will be announced as each item gets ready. If you have input, feel free to contact Black Chantry!


• Full content and card changes for 25th Anniversary was revealed early this month. The set has been sent to the printer, so there is good hope for a mid-August release. Ideally the set will be available for sale at the EC 2019 in Paris – the day 1 tournament is played exactly 25 years after the release of the Jyhad set! There are still some new artwork to spoil (like Freak Drive and Form of Mist above), and also a new crypt card – stay tuned for these in the coming weeks.

• Black Chantry will attend PDXCon 2019 in Berlin on October 18-20 to run demo games. The event is VTES licensor Paradox Interactive's early event, and this time the greatest highlight is the first opportunity to play Bloodlines 2. So if you´re interested in that and/or other Paradox games, get tickets now!

• Black Chantry will also attend the Spiel´19 game fair in Essen on October 24-27, for demo games and meeting players – hopefully you? Spiel is THE event for all kinds of analogue games, so if you´re into that, you will not regret attending at least once in your life.

• For more information about current projects and the future, see Ben Peal's product update in the March newsletter.


• Currently ten 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
- UPCOMING: 25th Anniversary

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.

“WELCOME TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR DEATH”

Four highlights in recent White Wolf activities:

• VTES “mother game” Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition claimed both the judges and fan favourite awards for Best Roleplaying Game at the Origins Awards. This means VTM became the second game ever to win the award twice (D&D had done so before). Congratulations to White Wolf, Paradox Interactive, Modiphius and everyone else involved!

• The first gameplay video from the highly anticipated “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2” was revealed at gaming show E3 2019. The image above is from it – check out the trailer at Paradox Interactives Youtube-channel.

• Yet another Vampire-themed game has been announced! “Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York” by Draw Distance will be run on both PC and Nintendo Switch. The game “presents the struggle for power between two vampiric factions: Camarilla and Anarchs among the iconic buildings and night lights of Big Apple. It's a single-player narrative experience, set in a rich, fully licensed, globally recognized universe of Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition.” More information at Steam.

• Season 3 of “Vampire: The Masquerade: L.A. By Night“ RPG actual play streams each Friday on Twitch, with White Wolfs own Jason Carl as Storyteller. Check it out at Geek & Sundry!
 

 
CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
July 6: Winter is here – Santiago, Chile
July 13: VTES Presentation & Constructed Tournament – Madrid, Spain
July 20: King's Rising: Dallas 2019 – Arlington, Texas, USA
July 21: Belgian National Championship 2019 – Brussels, Belgium
July 27: Finnish Grand Prix (Ropecon 2019) – Helsinki, Finland
July 28: Shatter the Gate: Asco de verano 2 – Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain

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

"Revenge is a dish best served forever."