Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

Sorry for being late with this newsletter - there are a lot of things happening that need attention! Cardwise, of course, the upcoming four Sabbat preconstructed decks are the main thing. There is no shortage of excitement about this judging from the amount of questions pouring in and discussions everywhere. Even though the release is close at hand, on October 26, all has not been revealed properly yet, but will be within shortly. Here are some previews, all from the Path of Caine deck:

 

Berenguela, The Vicious has art by Krasen Maximov. Vicious indeed, this Nosferatu is the all-in clan disiciplines 6-cap that we know and love.

Twisted Bloodhound has art by Peter Scholtz. Everything but a cute puppy, this is perfect to mix with the previously previewed Dread Mastiff for a full nightmare kennel theme deck!

Ensnare the Beast, with art by Paolo Puggioni, can come in handy when that rushed minion tries to hunt after being rescued from torpor. No blood, no nasty strike card = smack down again!

If you missed it, read Alex Romano´s report from the preview tournament in June - he won with the Path of Caine deck!

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Introducing the official Vampire: The Eternal Struggle V5 format

It has now been five years since the release of the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition (“V5”) boxed set. After that, Black Chantry Productions have made 28 products that players have come to recognise as “V5” products, i.e. non-Legacy products.

The V5 format is intended to serve the needs of new player groups and local game shops who don’t have access to the full range of VTES cards spanning over 30 years of sets. Many of these cards are not available in game shops or have yet to be made available through our print-on-demand partners.

The V5 format is intended as an alternate option and will not replace the Standard Constructed format. The Standard Constructed format will remain the format used for major VEKN-sanctioned tournaments, including Continental Championships, National Championships, and Grand Prix tournaments.

The V5 format includes all cards found in the following:

Fifth Edition preconstructed decks (14 decks):
Banu Haqim
Brujah
Gangrel
Hecata
Lasombra
Malkavian
Ministry
Nosferatu
Ravnos
Salubri
Toreador
Tremere
Tzimisce
Ventrue

Fifth Edition New Blood packs (11 packs):
Banu Haqim
Brujah
Gangrel
Hecata
Lasombra
Malkavian
Ministry
Nosferatu
Toreador
Tremere
Ventrue

Other releases (3 packs):
Fall of London
Shadows of Berlin
30th Anniversary

In addition, the following promotional cards not yet printed in other products are also included:
Bolesław Gutowski (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Conquer the Beast (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Depravity (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Fiorenza Savona (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Gabriel Tremblay (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Gilbert Duane G6 (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Island of Yiaros (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Jake Washington (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Karl Schrekt (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Maila (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Malkavian Rider Clause (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Mind of the Wilds (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Nosferatu Bestial (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Okulos (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Tegyrius, Vizier (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
The Meddling of Semsith (Promo pack 4 – Rebels)
Tremere Convocation (Promo pack 3 – Icons)
Victoria Ash G7 (Promo pack 3 – Icons)

New releases that will be added upon their release date:
Sabbat Fifth Edition preconstructed decks (26th October 2025):
Path of Caine
Path of Cathari
Path of the Dead and the Soul
Path of the Power and the Inner Voice

New Blood decks (Release date to be confirmed):
Ravnos
Salubri
Tzimisce

Clarifications
Any Vampire. The Eternal Struggle legal print version of the above cards is legal e.g.:
A Latin Govern the Unaligned from Malkavian Fifth Edition New Blood - legal
Govern the Unaligned from 1994 Jyhad base set - legal

For an easy way to check on what cards are in what products, try vdb.im.

The official VEKN tournament calendar tool has been adjusted - just pick “V5 Constructed” if you run a V5 format event.

Don´t forget: At the European Championship 2025 in Aarhus, Denmark, there will be a V5 tournament on Friday October 17!

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Sabbat decks available at EC 2025 in Aarhus!

Just one week before the official release date, the four new Sabbat preconstructed decks will be available for purchase at the European Championship venue in Aarhus, Denmark. If you already know you want to pick up your order at the EC, place it on the webshop Blackschantry.shop now and choose “Pick up at EC2025 in Aarhus” – that way, it’ll be ready and waiting for you.

PLEASE pre-register for the EC at vtes-ec2025.org!

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Martin Weinmayer wins Grand Prix Herne 2025!

49 proud Methuselahs battled it out in Herne, Germany, on August 16.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Herne 2025

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Parth Patel wins Gulfport Grand Prix 2025!

This was the 3rd leg of the current Gulf Coast Roast series of tournaments, played on August 23 by 19 participants.

Read the full report: Gulfport Grand Prix 2025

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Simon Reed is the 2025 champion of New Zealand!

This event had 14 players in Auckland on August 30.

Read the full report: New Zealand National Championship 2025

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James Snowball is the 2025 champion of South Africa!

13 players attended this tournament in Cape Town on August 17.

Read the full report: South Africa National Championship 2025

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Ole Andreas Gresholt is the 2025 champion of Norway!

8 players turned up for this in Moss on August 9.

Read the full report: Norway National Championship 2025

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Benjamín Rojas wins Grand Prix Santiago!

8 Methuselahs played this event on August 23.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Santiago 2025  

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Reminder: Please join the World of Darkness Community Map!

Please, advertise your VTES playgroup and/or VTES events on the World of Darkness Community Map! This is important to help the game grow. But only things that happen in public places where anyone is welcome (nothing played at someone´s home) and no online events.

Check out the map here: World of Darkness Community Map

Submit here: Map submission form

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Sabbat preview report: Brad Cashdollar

Above we mentioned Alex Romano winning the Sabbat preconstructed preview tournament in June. Someone else who played that event was veteran VTES aficionado Brad Cashdollar. Here are some words from him:

The Sabbat pre-release was a highly anticipated and fun event – not that I won either of my games.

 

In game 1, I ended up with the Path of Cathari deck, which I felt would do fine, as stealth-bleed definitely does well. And I did do well, especially initially. I had Jürgen, The Libertine, who has a cool special that vampires must burn a blood lid to block, but he costs 8, and it took me 3 turns to influence him out. He started bleeding immediately, and his special was nice too. Seeds of Terror was nice, with an occasional Swift Cover for stealth. My prey was playing the Path of Death and Soul deck, and he had hard time trying to block.

Unfortunately, while I whittled him down, my predator was playing the Path of Caine deck which is just brutal. He was rushing me almost every turn and if I didn’t have a dodge, I got hit hard. Once I got 3 vampires in torpor, he played an Augury of Doom, which is better than Dragonbound – for the person who plays it!

I got my prey down to 2 pool but couldn’t quite finish the job, and I died. The Path of Caine deck won the table.

 

In game 2, I got Agnieszka out with her built-in combat ends, and though, man, if I’d had her first game, I might’ve won. Her ability is awesome, unless of course you’re facing Immortal Grapples.

I was preying on a Path of Caine deck, who was easy for me to get most bleeds though, but of course when I got rushed backwards, it was a challenge.

I was first one out, dying to an Empires Fall of a Path of Power and the Inner Voice deck with vote lock.

The tournament was very fun, with lots of new cards and vampires with new possibilities and strategies for winning. It seemed that overall, the Path of Caine decks did very well which was kind of refreshing, because pure combat is hard to win with.

I am really looking forward to the new decks, especially the Path of Caine ones.

It was also nice having a limited format tournament again – the dual-purpose text on some of the cards gave a feel for old style draft tournaments.

Well done, Black Chantry!

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Black Chantry Summary: August 2025

• As mentioned above, the official release date for the four new Sabbat preconstructed decks is October 26, but they will we available on EC 2025 in Aarhus. Full deck lists have been revealed at the product pages on Blackchantry.com. Please, tell your favourite store to preorder for you!

• Ginés Quiñonero, Black Chantry Art Director among other things, tells us that this month he has been translating the Sabbat starters into Latin, updating the Spanish translation of the Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce New Blood decks, and working on the art direction of the New York set (first stages), and on the development of the two·player format and related products.

• Vincent Ripoll, Black Chantry Rules Director among other things, reports that he has been busy finalizing the upcoming New Blood decks (Ravnos, Salubri, Tzimisce), producing playtest files, and working on the Brazilian version of the Sabbat decks. He´s also caught up on archiving tournament winning decks, and is now tackling updating the VEKN website.

• So product-wise, those above mentioned New Blood decks are getting near printing, and the playtest of the New York and Brazil sets are in their second round.

• Please, join the open playtest of VTES 1v1! No registration needed for this one. All rules are at the dedicated playtest site. Many thanks for any feedback. So far most seem positive to the format.

• Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Gamepod, Drivethrucards.com and other stores:
Lost Kindred bundle (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Den of Fiends Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Libertine Ball Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Pact with Nephandi Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Parliament of Shadows Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Anthology I bundle
VTES Card Creator (Drivethrucards only)
25th Anniversary
First Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
VTES Legacy Card Singles (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 3 (For promotion only)
Promo Pack 4 (For promotion only)
VTES "Parity Shift" playmat
VTES card sleeves
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition (Stores only)
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition Latin (Drivethrucards only)
Fifth Edition: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Promo Pack 3 (Event promos only)
Fifth Edition: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Brujah (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
The Fall of London (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Echoes of Gehenna
Shadows of Berlin (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Brujah (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Ravnos (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Salubri (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Tzimisce (Also Spanish, French)
30th Anniversary (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Lasombra (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Hecata (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Hecata (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Lasombra (Also Spanish, French)

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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Recent news in the World of Darkness

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will be released October 21. Previews and reviews are everywhere, and a video roadmap has been released so you don´t miss the official messages:


We want to highlight the recent two clan-themed trailers, for Tremere and Ventrue respectively, where you quickly get a good look at a loot of relevant stuff.

Also, Vampire: The Masquerade is being published in Ukranian - a wonderful initiative from Paradox!

Check out the episode on the World of Darkness Youtube channel

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Calendar

Major events coming up:
September 6: Asian Championship, Mandaluyong, Philippines
September 6: Grand Prix Sul Americano (Campina Grande, Brazil)
September 6: National Championship Czech Republic
September 13: Grand Prix Harmelen
October 4: Grand Prix New Orleans, Louisiana
October 13-16: Week of Nightmares Aarhus
October 17: European Championship Aarhus
October 25: Oceania Championship, Melbourne, Australia
October 25: South American Championship, Chile
November 8: French National Championship
November 8: German National Championship
November 15: UK National Championship
November 22: National Championship Sweden, Stockholm
November 22: National Championship Canada, Montreal
December 6: Grand Prix Vidor, Texas
December 14: Grand Prix Cearense

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia x2
Brazil x5
Chile
Denmark x9
Deutschland
Hungary x2
Online x2
Philippines
Portugal
Serbia
Spain x3
UK
USA x4

For details about these events, see the VEKN Event Calendar. Also, check out the World of Darkness Community Map.

Remember: Online tournaments are possible - just check the box "Online tournament" when you add the event to the calendar!

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Contact VEKN

You can contact the VEKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at VEKN.net. Also follow the official VTES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, the official VEKN X (Twitter) account @VEKN_VTES and the official VTES Discord server.

Ignorance is the handmaiden of tyranny.

 
Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

Hot summer here, and hot Sabbat precon previews continues! Above you find the stunning art for Eulogio Sánchez de los Reyes by Raquel Cornejo, incredible right? We also want to show Putrescent Sustenance, with cool art by Peter Scholtz. Make sure to read the card texts carefully - these are stronger than they look at first glance!

 

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VTES celebrities from the past return to judge EC 2025!

We are very excited to spread the news that two real Vampire: The Eternal Struggle heavyweights will return to the scene as judges at the European Championship 2025 in Aarhus, Denmark: 

• L. Scott Johnson, known as “LSJ”, is most likely the person that has shaped VTES the most after it first was designed. He was the lead designer of the game at White Wolf from 2000 (the Sabbat War set) until 2010, and responsible for not only many set designs, but also plenty excellent rules changes, tournament play rules and all those rulings and clarifications that we still find online with his initials.

• Pascal Bertrand became the official VEKN Rules Director in 2011, after many years as a succesful player and also the National Coordinator of France. He continued Johnson´s rulemongering online for many years - things signed "PBE" or "Floppy" are his work. 

So when it comes to rules knowledge, the EC is in VERY good hands. If you plan to attend, if not only to meet these extraordinairy gentlemen, PLEASE pre-register at vtes-ec2025.org!

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VTES keeps growing!

The number of active players of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle keeps rising:
2019: 1 363 players
2020: 1 700 players
2021: No data collected (Covid)
2022: 1 389 players
2023: 1 831 players
2024: 2 383 players
2025: 2 736 players

With “active player” we mean one who has played a tournament in the last 18 months.

Between 2022 and 2025, the game gained a total of 1 347 new active players, which is an average increase of around 449 players per year. Of course we aim for more, this means we will be over 3 000 active players in 2026!

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VTES rulebook now also in Brazilian Portuguese!

English - of course! Spanish - yes! French - yes! Italian - yes! Japanese - yes! Latin - believe it or not, it´s true! And now also you can download the VTES rulebook in Brazilian Portuguese, totally free at Blackchantry.com > Utilities > Rulebook. This translation is by Fernando “Sydnelson” Cesar with help from Alexandre Marçal, Kleber Bertazzo, Marcelo Oliveira and Wiliam Fonseca Lino. BIG thanks to you guys!

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Tomasz Pietkiewicz wins Grand Prix Poland 2025!

56 eager players turned up for this event in Warsaw on July 5.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Poland 2025

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Jozef Patrnciak is the 2025 champion of Poland!

This event was played with 53 Methuselahs on July 6 in Warsaw.

Read the full report: Poland National Championship 2025

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Jesper Bøje is the 2025 champion of Belgium!

30 Methuselahs attended this tournament in Mechelen on July 6.

Read the full report: Belgium National Championship 2025

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Ruben Feldman is the 2025 champion of Switzerland!

This event had 20 players in Geneva on July 12.

Read the full report: Switzerland National Championship 2025

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Matt Hodsdon is the North American Cup winner 2025! 

Reported by Darby Keeney:

First, I want to congratulate all the finalists and the eventual winner, Matt Hodsdon. The tour as a whole was another fantastic series of events ending in a resounding Cup Win at Origins. 2024/25 saw continued upticks in both interest and attendance. Three of this season's events represented a resurgence of organized play in those regions after lengthy periods of torpor, so I couldn't be happier with that progress.

The 2024/25 Cup Final seating was:
• Karl Schaefer, winner from Madison WI playing Malgorzata & Co Bloat
• Matt Hodsdon, winner from Dallas TX playing Legacy Tzimisce Combat Wall
• Albert Presto, winner from Lancaster PA playing Malkavian Bleed
• Alexandre Bustros, winner from Quebec CA playing Anarch Tzimisce Toolbox and
• Darby Keeney who stood in for Mask Jasper, the absent winner from Los Angeles CA, playing Anarch Brujah Bruise Bleed.

The game started with most of the interactions occurring on one side of the table: Alexandre working on Darby with bleeds and bounces while Darby first made certain that Malgorzata could not get an early foothold, then turning around to address a growing Dominate threat behind. All the while, Matt quietly built his playspace.

Karl finally made a bit of a recovery but Matt was right there to do wallish things while Darby continued to be mostly right-facing. In the end, Matt's well-established defensive deck did what you might expect... winning in the endgame. Congratulations Matt, on your well-deserved victory!

We'll continue to run the NA Cup for at least one more year, though there has been some discussion about breaking the series into smaller regional pieces after this year. The 2025/26 tour begins with Chris Malec hosting in Albany NY over the September 5-7th weekend. Jason Ketcham will host West Coast leg in San Diego CA, tentatively scheduled for November 21-23th. We're accepting applications for the 3 remaining tournament weekends, trying to maintain some level of geographical diversity. If you have an interest in hosting, reach out to me and we'll see what can be done.

Again, thanks to all the North American organizers and players for making this another successful series of events!

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Ropecon 2025 – 28th time for Petri!

VTES at Ropecon in Helsinki, Finland, this year was not a NC, CC or GP level event, so it doesn´t get the formal write up here, but we want to acknowledge that this 47 player tournament was the 28th time around for organizer Petri Wessman – a spectacular record! He first held VTES at Ropecon 1995, and with a gap in late 90s and during Covid, he has been persistent. What a VTES hero!

Read the full tournament report at the VEKN forum: Ropecon 2025 (In Memoriam Lauri Salmi)

The Garou Rim Gazette also had a nice report: VTES report from Ropecon 2025

Photo by Marko Saari.

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Marius Iscru wins Grand Prix London 2025!

This tournament was played with 40 beautiful people on May 17, but it is not until now that facts and images found their way to the editor of this newsletter.

Read the full report: Grand Prix London 2025  

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The first VTES 1v1 tournament in Barcelona

On July 19th, 2025, eight players gathered at La Cendra - Espai Veïnal in Barcelona to participate in the very first tournament testing the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle format for two players – a significant shift from the traditional multiplayer experience. Held over three rounds, each consisting of best-of-three matches.

Players described the format as “fast and furious,” with a pace that leaves little room for long-term plotting. “You don't have time to think too much about your next turn – because your next turn is already here”, one participant noted. The streamlined mechanics and continuous tension from turn one made it an engaging and accessible format, especially for newcomers. As one player put it, “It's an intelligent game - two distinct styles clashing, and you commit to your strategy from the start”.

The game’s mechanics, especially the first-turn transfer rules, were praised for adapting well to the duel format. However, as expected with a pioneering event, certain imbalances were noticed. Several participants highlighted the need to revisit specific cards, especially Break the Bonds, which in this format can dominate with its three effects. Vampires with built-in dodge, such as Phaibun, were also flagged as possibly overperforming. Nevertheless, these issues were met with understanding: "It’s normal. The format is just taking its first steps – there’s room for refinement."

Decks and results
The undefeated winner was Aleix, who piloted a stealth-heavy Ravnos deck, which won all six games it played. He attributed his success partly to lucky pairings: “I never faced a true wall. Nosferatu with Animalism, Auspex, and cards like Second Tradition or Elder Intervention are key counters to stealth in this format – but I didn’t run into them.”

“Shhhhh, a dormir” by xiela

Crypt (12 cards)
4x Sreelekha     8 ANI FOR OBF PRE   Ravnos:7
2x Doc Martina     6 ANI OBF for pre   Ravnos:7
2x Roberto Rivamonte  6 ANI OBF PRE     Ravnos:7
1x Luciano Carvalho  6 ANI OBF pre     Ravnos:7
2x Phaibun       5 OBF PRE ani     Ravnos:7
1x Gathii       5 ANI PRE obf     Ravnos:7

Library (50 cards)
Master (6; 1 trifle)
2x Dummy Corporation
1x Elder Library
2x Grooming the Protégé
1x Wider View

Action (10)
10x Break the Bonds

Ally (1)
1x City Star Taxi

Action Modifier (18)
3x Cloak the Gathering
3x Faceless Night
3x Lost in Crowds
3x Spying Mission
6x True Love's Face

Action Modifier/Combat (3)
3x Swallowed by the Night

Combat (4)
4x Voracious Vermin

Reaction (8)
2x Guard Dogs
6x Party Out Of Bounds

Second place went to a Brujah deck focusing on Line Brawl and Enchant Kindred, with a combat package delivering up to 6 potential damage per action. The player noted that matchups heavily influenced outcomes, and wished for more opportunities to test the deck against a wider variety of archetypes, especially those played by Tomàs and Monaru.

“Two player brujah hardcore” by Leolegna

Crypt (12 cards)
3x Saku Pihlajamäki  8 CEL PRE POT pro for baron Brujah:6
3x Valeriya Zinovieva 7 POT cel pro pre   baron Brujah:6
2x Atiena   6 CEL obf pre pot   baron Brujah:6
2x Octane   6 CEL PRE POT    Brujah:6
1x Leumeah    6 PRE cel pot for   baron Brujah:6
1x Siarhei Levchenko  5 CEL PRE pot         Brujah:6

Library (60 cards)
Master (7)
2x Celerity
2x Fame
1x Misdirection
1x Perfectionist
1x Tension in the Ranks

Action (13)
8x Line Brawl
5x Enchant Kindred

Combat (29)
9x Dust Up
9x Pursuit
6x Taste of Vitae
5x Slam

Political Action (1)
1x Kine Resources Contested

Reaction (10)
7x Organized Resistance
3x Protection Racket

Standings:
1. Ravnos
2. Brujah
3. Malkavian
4. Nosferatu
5. Salubri
6. Nosferatu
7. Salubri
8. Ani/pre Anarch

Deck construction was one of the early challenges. With little meta history to draw on, players approached the format intuitively. Despite this, most found the experience rewarding and instructive.

If there’s one thing that stood out even more than the game, it was the atmosphere. The camaraderie, shared meals, and good spirits made for a memorable day. “It had been a long time since I’d seen such a positive environment playing Vampire”, one participant reflected.

The success of the event has sparked enthusiasm for continued experimentation. Suggestions include designing cards specifically for the 1v1 format to better tailor strategies and pacing. Weekly meetups were even proposed to further explore and grow this alternative mode.

Special thanks to Rémi and Monaru for organizing the event, and to everyone who came out to test, laugh, and play.

All you need to know about the 1v1 VTES playtest can be found at the dedicated playtest site. 

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Reminder: Please join the World of Darkness Community Map!

Please, advertise your VTES playgroup and/or VTES events on the World of Darkness Community Map! This is important to help the game grow. But only things that happen in public places where anyone is welcome (nothing played at someone´s home) and no online events.

Check out the map here: World of Darkness Community Map

Submit here: Map submission form

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Black Chantry Summary: July 2025

• Release date for the four new Sabbat preconstructed decks will be October 26. Yes, there is a gap between the preview tournament in mid June and this, but a series of fortunate and unfortunate factors played in, and it is what it is. Great thing to look forward to though! Full deck lists have been revealed at the product pages on Blackchantry.com, have a look there, and then immediatelly rush to your favourite store and force them to preorder for you.

• These Sabbat decks will also appear in Brazilian Portuguese fairly soon - translation is ongoing as we speak.

• The design team is not lazy! The first round of playtesting of the two upcoming sets "Brazil by Night" and "Shadows of New York" has just begun. The editor had a quick look at no less than 61 cards, and WOW it looks interesting. Camarilla, Sabbat and Anarchs all have stuff there, for example Primogen only-cards, new funny combat tricks and several "discard a card to do something cool"-effects. Some illustrations are already commissioned. Release of both is scheduled for the first half of 2026. Do you have an experienced playgroup and want to apply to become playtesters? Contact your test coordinator: English language: Norman Brown, Spanish: Darío Canto, French: Edouard Menneson and Portuguese: Claudinei Mendonça.

• Please, join the open playtest of VTES 1v1! No registration needed for this one. All rules are at the dedicated playtest site. Many thanks for any feedback. So far most seem positive to the format - see the Barcelona report above in this newsletter!

• Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Gamepod, Drivethrucards.com and other stores:
Lost Kindred bundle (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Den of Fiends Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Libertine Ball Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Pact with Nephandi Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Parliament of Shadows Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Anthology I bundle
VTES Card Creator (Drivethrucards only)
25th Anniversary
First Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
First Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French) (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
VTES Legacy Card Singles (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 3 (For promotion only)
Promo Pack 4 (For promotion only)
VTES "Parity Shift" playmat
VTES card sleeves
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition (Stores only)
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition Latin (Drivethrucards only)
Fifth Edition: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Promo Pack 3 (Event promos only)
Fifth Edition: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Brujah (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
The Fall of London (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Echoes of Gehenna
Shadows of Berlin (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Brujah (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Ravnos (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Salubri (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Tzimisce (Also Spanish, French)
30th Anniversary (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Lasombra (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Hecata (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Hecata (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Lasombra (Also Spanish, French)

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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Recent news in the World of Darkness

Check out the episode on the World of Darkness Youtube channel

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Calendar

Major events coming up:
August 9: National Championship Norway
August 16: Grand Prix Herne, Germany
August 16: National Championship Ireland
August 16: National Championship South Africa
August 23: Grand Prix Biloxi/Gulfport, Mississippi
August 23: Grand Prix Santiago, Chile
August 30: Grand Prix Auckland
September 6: Asian Championship, Mandaluyong, Philippines
September 6: Grand Prix Sul Americano (Campina Grande, Brazil)
September 6: National Championship Czech Republic
September 13: Grand Prix Harmelen
October 4: Grand Prix New Orleans, Louisiana
October 13-16: Week of Nightmares Aarhus
October 17: European Championship Aarhus
October 25: Oceania Championship, Melbourne, Australia
November 22: National Championship Sweden, Stockholm
December 6: Grand Prix Vidor, Texas
December 14: Grand Prix Cearense

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia
Brazil x14
Canada
Chile x2
Denmark
Hungary
Ireland
Italy x2
Mexico
New Zealand
Norway
Online x3
Poland x4
Russia
South Africa
Spain x2
Sweden
USA x4

For details about these events, see the VEKN Event Calendar. Also, check out the World of Darkness Community Map.

Remember: Online tournaments are possible - just check the box "Online tournament" when you add the event to the calendar!

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Contact VEKN

You can contact the VEKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at VEKN.net. Also follow the official VTES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, the official VEKN X (Twitter) account @VEKN_VTES and the official VTES Discord server.

We think we understand the rules when we become adults, but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination.