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.
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."