Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

Happy new year! Let´s celebrate with some spectacular preview art by Krzysztof Bieniawski. It will appear on a 2026 version of a classic VTES card - maybe you can guess which one?

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84 cards added to print-on-demand!

Black Chantry Productions have added another 84 cards to the print-on-demand offer of VTES Legacy Singles at Gamepod. This time it is cards of the Malkavian antitribu clan and the Dementation discipline that have been updated to the most recent layout and wording templates. A list of what cards have functional changes was in the official announcement. The same cards are said to appear on Drivethrucards (US printing) soon. A complete list with all Legacy Singles is available separately.

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The 2025 VTES and VEKN recap

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle entered its 31st year of existence, and what a year! Lots of new cards where printed and organised play flourished, with tournaments on all levels, including championships, in almost 40 countries, and Grand Prix circuits on four continents. The number of unique active players (a person that has played a VEKN-sanctioned tournament in the last 18 months) has increased from 2 383 in 2024, to 2 844 this year!

Here´s a very condensed recap of the year:

January: The 30-day “new card legality limit” for tournaments is removed.

February: Hecata preconstructed decks hit the stores.

April: Open playtest of two-player VTES starts, still ongoing.

May: The first tournament ever in Athens, Greece.

June: Martin Weinmayer is the 2025 North American champion!

June: Marc Álvarez is the 2025 Spanish champion, best of 123 players!

June: Joab Rogério is the 2025 champion of Brazil, best of 114 players!

August: The official Vampire: The Eternal Struggle V5 format is introduced.

September: Micon Garcia is the 2025 Asia champion!

September: The tournament rules are updated.

October: Nerijus Mikalajūnas is the European champion of VTES 2025!

October: Ben Szymkow is the 2025 Oceania champion!

October: Gino Sepúlveda is the 2025 South American champion!

October: Four Sabbat-themed preconstructed decks are released, especially celebrated in Italy with spectacular “The Week of Sabbat”.

November: Extremely many tournaments – most ever for a single month? 75 registered tournaments in 26 different countries, among them 12 major events.

If you want to know more about anything of this, check out the VEKN Newsletter archive.

The VEKN wants to thank all volunteers and ALL THE FANTASTIC VTES players for making this community and game staying undead!

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Martin Cuchet is the 2025 champion of France!

This tournament was played on November 8 (sorry for the late report!) with 52 players.

Read the full report: France National Championship 2025

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Martin Weinmayer wins Iberian Grand Prix 2025!

This tournament was attended by 41 Methuselahs on November 29 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Read the full report: Iberian Grand Prix 2025

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Milos Krstic is the 2025 champion of Slovakia!

This event took place in Bratislava on November 22 with 26 players.

Read the full report: Slovakia National Championship 2025

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Darby Keeney wins Grand Prix Vidor 2025!

This tournament took place on December 6 with 22 players.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Vidor 2025

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Darby Keeney wins Gulf Coast Roast 2025!

The final with the top five players of the Gulf Coast Roast Grand Prix circuit was played in Vidor on December 8.

Read the full report: Gulf Coast Roast final 2025

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Ignacio Vázquez wins Lilith´s Call 2025!

This is another exception from our "only reports from National, Grand Prix or Continental level" newsletter rule, included here because of the great cause and the excellent report.

Read the full report: Lilith´s Call 2025

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Überwald League of Temperance - a beginner-friendly tournament

We normally only present National, Grand Prix and Continental level tournament reports here, but we make an exception for this one, to showcase what a neonate playgroup looks like and how to develop it. 

Read the full report: Überwald League of Temperance

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A new way of getting cards in Europe!

Behold, a new fantastic way of getting VTES cards. In the words of the creator Miki Jorge:

TCG Market: A New Era for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Players

Collecting and trading cards have always been an essential part of the soul of games like Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (VTES). Until now, buying or selling cards depended on forums, groups, or direct exchanges between players — but that stage has just changed!

TCG Market has arrived: a marketplace created by and for players, designed to offer a modern, safe, and seamless buying and selling experience.

Since its launch on December 15, TCG Market allows anyone — Antediluvians, neonates, or collectors alike — to list their cards for sale without the need for intermediaries. It’s not a traditional online store, but a community where players themselves are the true protagonists of the market.

The platform’s philosophy is clear: no sales commissions. Neither buyers nor sellers pay any fees to use it. Everything is designed to encourage community participation and make cards circulate more easily among fans of the game.

In addition, payments are completely secure, and shipping rates are very competitive, ensuring a smooth experience from any corner of Europe. TCG Market is now available to buyers across all European countries and already allows sellers from several of them to list their products — with a commitment to expand coverage even further soon.

The first game available is, of course, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle. From the very first Jyhad edition to the rarest promo cards, players can now find or list the cards they need to complete their library or strengthen their decks.

Since its launch, barely a couple of weeks ago, the platform has gathered more than 150 registered accounts, about 15 active sellers, and a total of 7,000 products listed.

If you’re passionate about the game and want to be part of this new open marketplace, visit tcgmarket.es and discover how TCG Market can help you expand your influence... both at the table and beyond.

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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: December 2025

• An article version of Product Director Ben Peal´s product road map presentation was published, including a New Blood preview card.

• Same Ben Peal was interviewed at Reading Between the Lyons.

• The preview season for New Blood Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce soon closes – check out all previews on the product pages at Blackchantry.com. The official store date is February 28.

• Playtest round 2 of the two Brazil and New York-themed sets has ended and reports are compiled for the design team to chew through. First comments indicated most things are looking clear and good, so let´s see if a third round of testing is even needed. Current plan is April or May release for these.

• Legacy Malkavian antitribu and Dementation cards are up at Gamepod (see above in this newsletter), also coming to Drivethrucards soon.

• The two-player set now has a target release in the third quarter 2026. Open playtest is still ongoing, check it out at VEKN.net.

• The following Black Chantry products are currently 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)
Path of Caine (Also Spanish, French)
Path of Cathari (Also Spanish, French)
Path of Death and the Soul (Also Spanish, French)
Path of Power and the Inner Voice (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

December was a rather calm month over at White Wolf, but we want to mention two things:

• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, "where visceral vampire action meets a neo-noir murder mystery", had an Winter Holiday update, as shown in a dedicated video trailer. It brings new customisation options and custom difficulty settings, including an field of view slider, motion blur toggle and choosing to play as only Phyre or Fabien.

• Game designer and Storyteller extraordinaire Jason Carl left his position as Brand Marketing Manager of White Wolf over at Paradox Interactive. This might not mean a lot for you, but Jason has been the marketing contact for VEKN and this newsletter´s editior for 7 years, doing an excellent job. We wish him good luck in his new endevours!

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Calendar

Major events coming up:
February 7-8: National Championship Hungary, Kecskemét
February 28: National Championship Italy, Caldonazzo
February 28: National Championship Lithuania, Vilnius
March 7: National Championship Portugal, Coimbra
April 18: Grand Prix Zagreb, Croatia
April 25: National Championship Finland, Vantaa
April 25: National Championship Ireland, Dublin
May 23: National Championship Brazil, Campina Grande
July 25: Grand Prix Helsinki, Finland
September 19: European Championship 2026, Vilnius, Lithuania
December 13: Grand Prix Cearense, Brazil

Tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Brazil x9
Chile
Czech Republic
Finland x2
France
Germany x2
Hungary
Italy x2
Mexico
Netherlands
Online x3
Portugal x2
Spain x11
Sweden x2
UK
USA x2

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 the 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.

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

This tournament was played with 41 players in Lisbon on November 29. Reported by Ricardo Marta, VEKN National Coordinator of Portugal:

Standings before the final:
1. Pedro Luis 2 GW, 9 VP
2. Mikhail Klokov 2 GW, 7.5 VP
3. Martin Weinmayer 2 GW, 7.5 VP
4. Hilario Cabello 1 GW, 7 VP
5. Paul Direktor 1 GW, 5 VP

Round 1
Hilário: 1 transfer (29 pool)
Paul: 2 transfers (28 pool)
Pedro: 3 transfers (27 pool)
Mikhail: 4 transfers (26 pool)
Brings out Suwira (2 on Aaradhya)
Martin: 4 transfers (26 pool)

Round 2
Hilário: Plays Wider View (28 pool). 4 transfers (24 pool). Brings out Lubomira Hradok and Old Neddacka.
Paul: 4 transfers (24 pool). Brings out Branimira.
Pedro: 4 transfers (23 pool). Brings out Roberto Rivamonte.
Mikhail: Plays Uptown Hunting Ground (24 pool). Suwira calls successful KRC 2 on Martin (24 pool) and 2 on Pedro (21 pool). Transfers 2 back to pool (26 pool).
Martin: 4 transfers (20 pool)

Round 3
Hilário: Plays Vessel and Shanty Town HG (21 pool). Old Neddacka bleeds Paul for 2 with Enthrall, bounced to Pedro (19 pool). Lubomira plays Inside Dirt on Paul (21 pool). 4 transfers (17 pool). Brings out Skulk.
Paul: Villein Branimira for 3 (24 pool). Branimira Deep Song backwards, Direct Intervention from Hilário (16 pool). New Deep Song, Branimira on Lubomira, Lubomira goes to torpor. 4 transfers (20 pool).
Pedro: Roberto bleeds for 3 with Break the Bonds and Power of One, Mikhail (25 pool). 4 transfer (15 pool). Brings out Oleg.
Mikhail: Plays Wider View and Unholy Sacrament (22 pool). Suwira bleed with Entrancement, Martin (18 pool). 4 transfers (18 pool). Brings out Khin Aye.
Martin: 4 transfers (14 pool). Brings out Aaradhya.

Round 4
Hilário: Lubomira plays Inside Dirt (blood) on Branimira. 2 transfers (14 pool). Brings out Bloodfeud.
Paul: Plays Anarch Revolt. 4 transfer (16 pool). Brings out Adrino Manauara.
Pedro: Oleg bleeds for 1, Mikhail (17 pool). Roberto bleeds for 2 with Break the Bonds Mikhail, deflected to Martin (12 pool). 4 transfers (11 pool). Brings out Luciano.
Mikhail: Pays AR (16 pool). Suwira calls vote to break AR, successful. Khin Aye calls Cold War on Martin, out voted. No transfers (16 pool).
Martin: Aaradhya governs down. 4 transfers (8 pool). Brings out Dark Selina.

Round 5
Hilário: Plays Forward Momentum. Bloodfeud plays Night Moves on Paul. Adrino deflects to Pedro. Luciano reduces with Visions of Zapathasura. Old Neddacka bleeds for 1, Paul (15 pool). Skulk plays Inside Dirt on Paul (12 pool). Lubomira bleeds for 1, Paul (11 pool) and untaps with Forward momentum. Lubomira plays Inside Dirt on Paul (8 pool). 4 transfers (13 pool) – draw from crypt.
Paul: Plays Villein for 5 Adrino (13 pool). Plays Carfax Abbey (11 pool). Adrino plays Deep Song rush on Skulk, Skulk goes to torpor
Branimira equips Ivory Bow (10 pool). No transfers (10 pool).
Pedro: Luciano bleeds for 2 with Break the Bonds on Mikhail (14 pool). Roberto bleeds for 3 with Visions of Gehenna on Mikhail (11 pool). 4 transfers (10 pool) – draw from crypt.
Mikhail: Plays Dreams of the Sphinx (10 pool). Khin Aye calls Cold War on Pedro, Oleg plays Delaying. Transfers 1 back to pool from Dreams (11 pool).
Martin: Plays Privileged Position. Aaradhya calls Banishment on Bloodfeud, superior voter cap (10 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Hilário (12 pool). Dark Selina Govern bleed for 3, Hilário (9 pool). Aaradhya plays Eternal Vigilance. No transfers (10 pool).

Round 6
Hilário: Old Neddacka plays Night Moves on Paul (9 pool). 1 transfer (8 pool). Brings out Bloodfeud (again).
Paul: Branimira plays Mr. Winthorp. Adrino plays Deep Song rush on Bloodfeud, both end up in torpor after mandatory press to continue. No transfers (9 pool).
Pedro: Plays Week of Nightmares.
Renato plays Field Training on Luciano.
Luciano bleeds for 4 with Break the Bonds and Power of One, Mikhail (7 pool). Renato bleeds for 4 with Visions of Gehenna, Direct Intervention from Martin (9 pool), moved to 3 with True love’s Face, Mikhail (4 pool). Transfers 1 back to pool (11 pool).
Mikhail: Plays Purchase Pact. Khin Aye calls Cold War on Pedro (8 pool), superior voter cap (6 pool). Khin Aye plays Freak Drive and plays Under Siege (5 pool). Khin Aye plays Freak Drive. Suwira calls Anarchist Uprising: Hilário burns 4 (4 pool), Paul burns 2 (7 pool), Pedro burns 3 (5 pool), Mikhail burns 2 (3 pool) and Martin burns 2 (7 pool). Khin Aye bleeds for 1, Martin (6 pool). Transfers 2 back to pool (5 pool).
Martin: Aaradhya calls Cold War on Pedro (2 pool) and burns Shanty Town HG from Hilário, superior voter cap (8 pool). Dark Selina calls Cold War on Pedro (0 pool) and burns Carfax Abbey from Paul, superior voter cap (10 pool). First VP for Paul (13 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Hilário (3 pool). Aaradhya bleeds for 2 Hilário (1 pool) and plays Enkil Cog. No transfers (10 pool).

Round 7
Hilário: Vessel back (2 pool). Old Neddacka plays Night Moves on Martin (9 pool), untaps with Forward Momentum. Old Neddacka plays Inside Dirt on Paul (10 pool). Lubomira bleeds for 2 with Enthrall, Paul (8 pool). No transfers (2 pool).
Paul: Plays Fame on Suwira. Branimira rescue Adrino. Adrino hunts. No transfers (8 pool).
Mikhail: Plays Dreams of the Sphinx (4 pool). Khin Aye hunts. Martin’s Aaradhya Enkil Cog bleed for 3, Hilário (0 pool). First VP for Martin (15 pool). No transfers (4 pool).
Martin: Gains from Edge (16 pool). Villein for 5 on Dark Selina (21 pool). Plays Monastery of Shadows (18 pool). Aaradhya bleeds for 3 Paul, Adrino fails to block, sends to Mikhail, Khin Aye blocks. Dark Selina bleeds for 1, Paul (7 pool). 4 transfers (17 pool) – draw from crypt.

Round 8
Paul: Branimira hunts. No transfers (7 pool).
Mikhail: No actions.
Martin’s Aaradhya Enkil Cog bleed for 3, plays Direct Intervention (16 pool) on Organized Resistance but Branimira still blocks. Transfers 1 back to pool from Dreams (5 pool).
Martin: Gains from Edge (17 pool). Dark Selina calls Cold War on Paul (4 pool), superior voter cap (19 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Paul (3 pool). Aaradhya bleeds for 3 Paul, Adrino sends to Mikhail, Khin Aye blocks. 4 transfers (18 pool) – draw from crypt.

Round 9
Paul: Plays Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Adrino hunts. Branimira hunts. Martin’s Aaradhya Enkil Cog bleed for 3. Paul (0 pool). Second VP for Martin (24 pool).
Mikhail: Khin Aye bleeds for 5 with Legal Manipulations and Iron Glare, Martin (19 pool), Mikhail (6 pool). Khin Aye plays Freak Drive and calls KRC with Magnetic Authority (for 2 pool), Martin (16 pool), Mikhail (5 pool). Suwira bleeds for 3 with Legal Manipulations, Martin (13 pool). Transfer 2 back from Magnetic Authority (7 pool).
Martin: Plays Villein for 2 Dark Selina paying 1 (14 pool). Plays Ventrue Headquarters (13 pool). Dark Selina governs bleed for 3, Mikhail (4 pool). Aaradhya calls Cold War on Mikhail (1 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Mikhail (0 pool). Third VP for Martin (19 pool)

Martin wins with 4 VPs and GW. Paul 1 VP.

Tournament winning deck: “Cold War” by Martin Weinmayer

Crypt (12 cards)
5x Aaradhya, The Callous Tyrant 10 ANI DOM FOR POT PRE cardinal Ventrue:6
2x Dark Selina 9 CEL POT PRE dom for cardinal Brujah antitribu:5
2x Věnceslava, The Implacable 9 DOM FOR POT PRE cel archbishop Brujah:6
1x Rexton "Savage" Abernathy 8 DOM POT PRE cel archbishop Brujah:6
1x Üresség 8 CEL POT PRE dom for archbishop Brujah:6
1x Khin Aye 7 POT PRE dom for priscus Ventrue:6

Library (90 cards)
Master (22; 6 trifle)
1x Creepshow Casino
2x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Elder Library
1x Giant's Blood
1x Gurchon Hall
1x Information Highway
2x Monastery of Shadows
1x Papillon
1x Privileged Position
1x Secure Haven
2x Ventrue Headquarters
6x Villein

Action (10)
2x Eternal Vigilance
8x Govern the Unaligned

Political Action (16)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancient Influence
1x Ancilla Empowerment
4x Banishment
8x Cold War
1x Political Stranglehold

Equipment (2)
2x Heart of Nizchetus

Action Modifier (28)
4x Dominant Personality
2x Enkil Cog
4x Iron Glare
4x Perfect Paragon
4x Relentlessness
6x Unthinkable Humiliation
4x Voter Captivation

Combat (6)
6x Majesty

Reaction (6)
6x Deflection

Thanks for this report, and thanks to all organisers, sponsors and players!