November 2015

Onebookshelf V:TES project stopped
As many of you already know, OneBookShelf was in negotiations with Wizards of the Coast for the Wizards license and with CCP Games for the World of Darkness license, in order to bring V:TES back in print.

WIZARDS OF THE COAST FRONT
On the one hand, the cost of the Wizards license, which was not disclosed, was never mentioned as an issue by Onebookshelf, so negotiations continued.

Managing the project would involve a review and approval process for artwork and content before the Wizards imprint could be added to a product. Unfortunately there was nobody at Wizards who had ever worked on Jyhad/V:TES, which, added to the lack of interest by anyone internally at Wizards to manage the project, led Wizards to inform Onbookshelf that they were definitely not interested in pursuing a V:TES project.

Ben Peal sent a message to personal contacts in Wizards' Research and Development department inquiring about the possibility of anyone they knew of in the company who would be interested in managing the project. But no response was received.

CCP GAMES FRONT
On the other hand, CCP Games suspended the negotiations after they cancelled the World of Darkness Online, saying that they were re-evaluating their properties to determine what to do with them going forward, which led to a sale of the White Wolf properties to Paradox.

Furthermore, the V:EKN Design Team, at the request of Onebookshelf back in November 2014, developed a concept for a boxed set of Sabbat-themed starter decks intended as the launch product for a Kickstarter if the licenses were obtained. That Product was almost entirely reprints, but with about a dozen new crypt cards and one new library card.

A graphic designer was contracted and created a mock-up of the box design.

Consequently, the starter decks and the new cards, which were part of the project proposal to Wizards and CCP, were tested from December 2014 to January 2015. So had the licenses been acquired, the Kickstarter would have been launched the very next day.

The V:EKN Design Team is to release those cards designed as part of a Sabbat-themed PDF mini-set in 2016.

MEETING WITH STEVE WIECK
After this chain of events, there was an in-person meeting with Steve Wieck (owner of OneBookShelf.com, on the board of directors for CCP), Johannes Walch (partner in OneBookShelf.com and member of the VEKN Inner Circle), and Ben Peal (Design Team Leader) in Germany.

Steve pointed out that OneBookShelf was only interested in publishing V:TES, not any other WOD-themed CCG. Therefore, a non-VTES WOD-themed CCG would require a different publisher.

Steve Wieck also informed that CCP was not interested in licensing the World of Darkness IP for a V:TES-compatible collectible card game that cut out the Wizards properties, mainly because CCP was concerned about a possible lawsuit from Wizards.


WHICH ALTERNATIVES DO WE HAVE NOW?

1. Continuing the production of PDF sets to keep promoting V:TES, while contacting Paradox for the publication of V:TES.

2. Allowing proxy cards in tournaments, so that new players can have access to difficult-to-acquire cards, in which regard, the VEKN is conducting as of today an online survey for everyone interested to give their opinion on the subject.