Preview art by Francisco Tébar for an upcoming Vampire: The Eternal Struggle card.
Greetings fellow Methuselahs,
THE VTES EC 2023 SITE IS UP - WITH REGISTRATION!
Welcome to Barcelona on October 13-15! Check out the official Vampire: The Eternal Struggle European Championship 2023 website, and please register as soon as you find possible. If you do so before July 15, you get the event exclusive playmat. The VEKN and all involved aim to make this the largest and best VTES event ever - hope to see you there!
MORE EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX 2023 DATES SET!
The Grand Prix coordinator Orian Gissler tells us the following dates are now set:
• Grand Prix Liverpool, UK: May 20 at Kimos.
• Grand Prix Brussels, Belgium: July 16 at Outpost.
• Grand Prix Essen, Germany: September 17 at White Rabbit.
For more information about this, keep an eye on:
• The Grand Prix Facebook page
• The VEKN Event announcement forum
• The VEKN European Grand Prix page
ARNAU DÍEZ SANS IS THE SPANISH CHAMPION 2023!
Words by Ginés Quiñonero:
On March 25th, 146 Methuselahs gathered to participate in the Spanish Championship of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, which was held at the conference rooms of the Hilton Garden Inn hotel in the beautiful city of Seville.
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There were players from up to seven different nationalities (Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Chile) as well as a wide range of ages, ranging from 12 years old and above.
Both new and old blood mixed in such a great contest within a magnificent atmosphere of camaraderie, respect, and savoir faire.
Streaming of some previous rounds is at Twitch: videos/1775091845 and videos/1775301643
Standings before the final:
Arnau Diez Sans: 3 GW’s and 13 VP’s
David Tomasetti: 3 GW’s and 12 P’s
David Fraile: 3 GW’s and 8 VP’s
Alejandro Rodríguez: 2 GW’s and 10 VP’s
Tomàs López Jiménez: 2 GW’s and 9 VP’s
Congratulations Arnau Díez, 2023 Spanish champion! Final standings and all finalist deck lists are available at bcncrisis. Streaming of the final round is at Twitch: videos/1775522766.
Arnau´s tournament winning deck: "Atraco" (“robbery” in English)
Crypt (12 cards, min=17 max=30 avg=6)
1x Abraham Mellon 8 AUS DOM OBF for tha Malkavian:6
1x Alexander Silverson 8 AUS DOM OBF pre prince Malkavian:6
1x Gilbert Duane 7 AUS DOM OBF baron Malkavian:6
1x Jason "Son" Newberry 7 AUS DOM OBF pre primogen Malkavian:6
1x Nathaniel Bordruff 7 DOM OBF POT ani Nosferatu:6
1x Andi Liu 6 DOM aus obf pre prince Malkavian:6
1x Darius Shirazi 6 AUS DOM obf Malkavian:5
1x Gelasia Fotiou 6 AUS DOM obf pre Malkavian:6
1x Colette 5 AUS OBF dom Malkavian:6
1x Evan Klein 5 OBF aus dom pre Malkavian:6
1x Sully 4 aus dom obf Malkavian:6
1x Ashley 3 dom obf Malkavian:6
Library (90 cards)
Master (14; 4 trifle)
1x Anarch Troublemaker
1x Barrens, The
1x Coven, The
3x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Elder Library
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Misdirection
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
3x Wash
Event (1)
1x Bitter and Sweet Story, The
Action (17)
17x Govern the Unaligned
Action Modifier (39)
3x Bonding
4x Cloak the Gathering
7x Conditioning
4x Elder Impersonation
3x Faceless Night
2x Foreshadowing Destruction
5x Lost in Crowds
4x Seduction
7x Spying Mission
Action Modifier/Combat (6)
3x Hide the Mind
3x Swallowed by the Night
Reaction (13)
6x Deflection
2x Delaying Tactics
1x My Enemy's Enemy
3x On the Qui Vive
1x Telepathic Misdirection
Some players recreated the scene from the new illustration of Archon Investigation, the promo card commemorating the Spanish national championship that was given to each participant. Original art by Ginés Quinoñero.
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Many thanks to the organizers, who made this tournament a memorable event.
And also, many thanks to all the sponsors: sevillavtes.com/patrocinadores
THE FIRST OFFICIAL VEKN JUDGE TEST
During the Spanish championship weekend, on Sunday, March 26th, the test for judges of the Vampire: Elder Kindred Network organized by Arnau Díez, the national coordinator of Spain, and his small team, was taken at the Empire Games store in Seville. It gathered 24 players who wanted to test their knowledge of VTES and tournament rules, and that of card interactions.
Each player received a booklet of sheets with 100 multiple-choice test questions, which also included photocopies of all the cards mentioned in the questions for easy reference.
The required score to pass this test is 80 out of 100 points. After such an intense weekend, Arnau has finally graded all the tests, and five players have obtained their accreditation as VEKN Judges:
| Judge test results | Examinees | % |
| <50 | 1 | 4% |
| 50-59 | 2 | 8% |
| 60-69 | 9 | 38% |
| 70-79 | 7 | 29% |
| 80-86 | 5 | 21% |
Judge license.
Q & A WITH BLACK CHANTRY CEO HUGH ANGSEESING
Hugh was lucky enough to travel to the Spanish Nationals in Seville and received a few questions that deserve a write up for everyone:
Q: Will Black Chantry be printing randomised boosters for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle?
A: We have been asked this a lot since day 1, for various reasons: Some players like random boosters. Some shops (but not the majority I have talked to) like random sets to drive sales. Some formats (e.g., draft) work better with random sets. But no, we do not expect to print randomised boosters, but will continue to look at what works for the VTES playerbase and other stakeholders.
Q: Why is Echoes of Gehenna a direct product?
A: This set is a test to see if it is a better way to get older out-of-print cards to players, over print-on-demand, which has some limitations. As the cards relate to historical and/or potential plot points in the World of Darkness, they are not part of Fifth Edition, and that means they cannot be placed into our normal retail or distribution channels. The selection or makeup perhaps could have been better. For our New Bood Banu Haqim, Brujah, Gangrel and Ministry demo decks (coming soon!) we have added a few more volunteers to help us design a good mix.
Q: In Echoes of Gehenna, why 5 copies of vampires that rarely see play and most players already have? Wouldn't 2 copies of each suffice?
A: Possibly, but we've generally assumed more of the new cards would be useful.
Q: Shouldn't Fortschritt Library have been obvious reprint in Echoes of Gehenna?
A: This is a test to see if it is useful or a better way to get cards out to the community. We cannot fit everything in there.
Q: What should I do if an attendee at an event wants a receipt for tax purposes?
A: Black Chantry cannot offer tax or accountancy advice to you. However, if a player would like a receipt or some way to make their attendance official, we would recommend you look at what the requirements are in your jurisdiction (e.g., across much of Europe, it is relatively easy to from non-profit clubs and societies, which can receive funds from members -e.g., subscriptions or event costs.) Things to think about:
- Treat organisers, host venues and attendees with respect.
- Players should not be running events to make a profit. You should cover costs, but not profit.
- Shops, stores, restaurants, hotels and other venues organisers hire may, of course, want and need to make profit on hosting events.
For answers to more Vampire: The Eternal Struggle FAQ, check out the Black Chantry FAQ page.
WANT TO HELP AT UK GAMES EXPO?
Black Chantry Productions will be demoing VTES at UK Games Expo; the UK’s largest board game convention. The Team will be sharing space with our friends at Null Signal games, who continue to support Netrunner.
There is space for some volunteers on the team. If you’re interested in working half or one of the days Friday 2nd June - Sunday 4th June, please contact .
Words by Vincent Ripoll.
Welcome to our column dedicated to underrated cards you may not even know about, or that never make the cut into your deck. Today, let’s take a look at a card you can play with a (Scalpel) tongue in cheek.
Scalpel Tongue is originally a Toreador primogen power in Vampire: The Masquerade, but fortunately it can be used by a broader audience in VTES. The tournament winning deck archive has quite a few decks including it, but probably not as many as it should. Let me tell you why.
First of all, the card is really easy to include Discipline-wise. Of course, almost all Toreador and Brujah (and their antitribu counterparts) can play the card, but basic Celerity and Presence are widely spread out-of-clan Disciplines. And the card’s true beauty resides in the inferior level of the card rather than in its superior effect that just adds insult to injury.
Of course, one’s first thought would be to ask yourself the questions “Do I need to protect myself from political actions?” and “Is it better in that case than a Delaying Tactics?” or, if you like the spotlights of the stage, “Will it be enough to help me pass the referendums I call?”
If you don’t care about political actions, or if you don’t play those Disciplines, or if your swarm deck really fears that Ancilla Empowerment, you may want to either disregard this issue, or play safe with a Delaying Tactics.
But, if you want to expand your playstyle, read out:
Recently, we have seen a rise of tournament-winning decks based on Arishat’s ability that tend to show that forcing vampires to abstain can be an effective strategy to pass votes as it can easily negate between 2 and 4 votes (or the Prisci block) when played as an action modifier (much like a Bewitching Oration), and even more when played as a reaction since vote modifiers (such as Bewitching Oration, Awe, or Perfect Paragon) are always played by the acting vampire. But the true beauty of the card resides elsewhere: I am talking about the ability to instantaneously lock a vampire.
Usually, before you play your first copy, players will tend to toss all their votes blindly. Even if you don’t have an active part in the referendum (it may be a Kine Resources Contested that’s not specifically against you), you can play a Scalpel Tongue on the right vampire to:
• lock a would-be blocker or bouncer (or any vampire that would like to play reaction cards, such as Delaying Tactics), either during your turn or during another player’s turn. Oh, the fun to lock your prey’s vampire who is giving support to another player's political action!
• lock a vampire before they can act (Lutz is calling a vote? Sorry, Raphael de Corazon, you’ll have to wait until your next turn to do your Flurry of Action + vote trick)
Of course, this works better if you are stuck between two political decks. But if it’s not the case, then the voters are your allies, which is great too.
After you have played your first copy, you’ll notice that players will start to chicken out and to be reluctant to cast votes, making your referendums easier to pass, and the other players’ harder. Choices will have to be made (especially if you are playing Voter Captivation: do we want to cast votes to reduce the number of votes by which the referendum passes, and thus expose our vampires to a Scalpel Tongue, or not?)
The cool thing is that you can also play the card to improve your tap’n’bleed strategy, even if you are not playing votes yourself. The tables are full of cheap barons and princes these days. Chances are that you can play the card at some point for a surprise killing move.
So, keep your tongue sharp, and your opponents in doubt.
BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: MARCH 2023
• Like mentioned above, CEO Hugh Angeseesing and art director Ginés Quiñonero from Black Chantry had the pleasure to attend the Spanish championshop in Seville. Of course, this is one of the things they enjoy the most about running the company - it´s always fun to meet the nice and beautiful players of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle!
Ginés Quiñonero signing cards with his art.
• The 54 card Echoes of Gehenna set was revealed, ready to preorder exclusively from blackchantry.shop (why is explained by Hugh in the FAQ above).
• There will be another 54 card set called Shadows of Berlin - the details about that will be revealed really soon!
• The third, and likely last, round of playtesting of the next three preconstructed decks (Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce) is starting soon, but in the meantime some playtest groups have again received extra assigments related to possible errata of problematic cards. That help is invaluable!
• More cards are now available in the very important language Latin! This time it´s the New Blood decks: Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue, and a big bundle with one of each deck.
• The Baali and Daughters of Cacophony added to Drivethrucards Legacy Card Singles are very popular. Top sellers at this moment are Siren's Lure, Unleash Hell's Fury, Contagion, Cybele and Hoitzil ... Hutzily ... that guy, you know who we mean!
Currently these 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 (Also Spanish, French)
Libertine Ball Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
Pact with Nephandi Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
Parliament of Shadows Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
Anthology I bundle
VTES Card Creator (Drivethrucards only)
25th Anniversary
First Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French)
VTES Legacy Card Singles (Drivethrucards only)
Promo Pack 1 (Drivethrucards only)
Promo Pack 2 (Event promos 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)
Fifth Edition: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Toreador (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Tremere (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French)
Promo Pack 3 (Event promos only)
Fifth Edition: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Brujah (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French)
The Fall of London (Also Spanish, French)
Echoes of Gehenna (Presale)
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.
RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS
Some highlights from the last thirty days:
• Have you tried any recent Vampire: The Masquerade interactive fiction? “Sins of the Sires” by Natalia Theodoridou is nominated for a Nebula Award in Game Writing category, so that is probably an excellent place to start.
• The World of Darkness News show did a nice preview episode about the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade Players Guide, highlighting Clan Bane variants, new Salubri character archetypes and much more. The PDF is out April 10!
• The Tremere update for Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodhunt is here, giving us a new archetype: The Tremere Scholar. Available now for free on PS5 and PC!
Subscribe to the World of Darkness News show for more news!
CALENDAR
Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Austria
Belgium
Brazil x6
Czech Republic
Chile x2
Croatia
Finland
France x4
Italy x2
Mexico
Online
Poland x2
Portugal
Spain x5
USA
For details about these events, see the VEKN Event Calendar.
Remember: Online tournaments are possible - just check the box "Online tournament" when you add the event to the calendar!
CONTACT V:EKN
You can contact the V:EKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at V:EKN.net. Also follow the official V:TES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and the official V:EKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES
Audio, video, disco. (I hear, I see, I learn.)