Art by Noora Hirvonen.

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

Time again for a monthly update from the VEKN, official player organisation of the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle game. A number of significant tournaments was played, reported below. The artwork above is for the reprint of Diversion, featured in the New Blood: Brujah deck that was published this month.

BRAM VAN STAPPEN WINS GRAND PRIX BRUSSELS 2023!

On July 16, no less than 49 Methuselahs gathered at the Outpost store in Brussels, Belgium to play Grand Prix Brussels. This was a very European event, with participants from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, Czechia, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, UK, Denmark and Finland!

The great photos are by Marko Saari.

Standings before the final:
1. Frédéric Pin 2 GW 8.5 VP
2. Bram Van Stappen 2 GW 7.5 VP
3. Tero Aalto 2 GW 5.5 VP 144 TP
4. Javier Naranjo Ortiz 2 GW 5.5 138 TP
5. Héctor Javier Ordóñez 1 GW 5.5 VP

Congratulations Bram Van Stappen, who ousted his prey Héctor after 1 hour and 58 minutes. Tero, Javier and Frédéric thus got 0,5 VP each. Bram also won the Jyhad draft held on the day before – what a player!

A bit more information and opportunity for discussion is at the dedicated VTES forum thread.

Bram’s tournament winning deck: "Blame it on Didi"

Crypt (12)
1x Goratrix 10 vic ANI AUS DOM THA Tremere antitribu:2
1x Idalia, Prophet of Guadalajara4 dem AUS Malkavian antitribu:2
1x Isabel de Leon 3 AUS Toreador:2
3x Omaya 7 pro ANI AUS FOR Gangrel antitribu:2
1x Remilliard, Devout Crusader 4 pre AUS Toreador antitribu:2
1x Richard Tauber, Ayelea's Puppet4 tha AUS Tremere antitribu:2
1x Zoe 3 cel obf AUS Malkavian:2
1x Caliban 6 ANI AUS VIC Tzimisce:2
1x Aleph 4 dom AUS Malkavian:1
1x Devin Bisley 5 vic ANI AUS Tzimisce:2

Library: 90
Master (23)
6x Ashur Tablets
1x Blood Doll
1x Direct Intervention
1x Erciyes Fragments, The
1x Giant's Blood
2x Parthenon, The
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Powerbase: Montreal
1x Rack, The
1x Smiling Jack, The Anarch
1x Talons of the Dead
1x Vessel
4x Villein
1x Wider View

Action (2)
1x Anonymous Freight
1x Army of Rats

Ally (1)
1x Ossian

Retainer (1)
1x Mr. Winthrop

Equipment (9)
4x .44 Magnum
1x Bowl of Convergence
1x Ivory Bow
1x Kevlar Vest
1x Sniper Rifle
1x Sport Bike

Combat (16)
3x Aura Reading
1x Canine Horde
3x Carrion Crows
4x Concealed Weapon
2x Target Vitals
3x Taste of Vitae

Reaction (38)
1x Delaying Tactics
5x Eagle's Sight
4x Enhanced Senses
8x Eyes of Argus
1x Forced Awakening
3x My Enemy's Enemy
6x On the Qui Vive
1x Precognition
1x Spirit's Touch
8x Telepathic Misdirection

Thanks to organiser Emiliano Imeroni, other volunteers, sponsors, the venue, and of course all the fantastic players!

MARIUS ISCRU IS THE 2023 SWISS CHAMPION!

Words by Pablo Carnino:

It was a great group of 30 Methuselahs ready to bleed one another to extinction in the peaceful summer of Geneva. The population was about a third of local players and two thirds of guests from the rest of Switzerland and Europe. I'd like to repeat here the extent of my gratitude to the participants as well as to my local co-organisers. The private setting in a house and in the garden outside provided a cozy and intimate context which likely contributed to the general good spirit of the event.

Standings after round 3:
1. Ruben Feldman 2 GW 9 VP
2. Thomas Cornaz 2 GW 6,5 VP
3. Filippo Mengoli 2 GW 6 VP
4. Attila Délczeg 1 GW 6,5 VP
5. Marius Iscru 1 GW 5 VP

The contesting Legionnaire decks and the 2 hour and 30 minutes limit allowed plenty of time for Marius to set up his wall and prepare the Smiling Jack. While Ruben is able to go through the bounce-less Banu Haqim, he cannot find the way around Carna. After she gets rid of the Emeralds, the time limit is looming in the final duel between Vignes and Carna, but he dies from the Smiling Jack with only a couple of seconds left on the clock.

Final count: 1 victory point for Ruben and 4 for Marius, the new Swiss Champion!

The tournament winning deck: “Carnawall”
Creator: Marius Iscru inspired by Danilo

Crypt (12)
4x Carna, The Princess Witch 7 AUS DOM THA primogen Tremere:3
1x Elena Mendoza Vasquez 6 AUS THA dom obt Tremere antitribu:3
1x Eugenio Estevez 6 AUS THA dom for Tremere:3
1x Selena 6 AUS DOM THA Tremere antitribu:3
1x Valois Sang, The Watcher 6 AUS DOM nec tha Tremere:3
1x Aisling Sturbridge 5 AUS THA dom Tremere:2
1x Hannigan 5 AUS THA dom Tremere antitribu:2
1x Martin Franckel 3 AUS tha Tremere:3
1x Anarch Convert 1 Caitiff:ANY

Library (90)
Master (21; 7 trifle)
1x Academic Hunting Ground
1x Arcane Library
1x Chantry
1x Dark Influences
1x KRCG News Radio
1x Life Boon
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
2x Powerbase: Montreal
2x Rack, The
3x Smiling Jack, The Anarch
6x Vessel
1x Wider View

Action (8)
2x Anonymous Freight
6x Magic of the Smith

Equipment (11)
2x .44 Magnum
1x Bowl of Convergence
2x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Ivory Bow
1x Kevlar Vest
1x Sawed-Off Shotgun
2x Sniper Rifle
1x Sport Bike

Retainer (1)
1x Mr. Winthrop

Action Modifier (2)
2x Conditioning

Combat (8)
4x Rego Motum
4x Theft of Vitae

Reaction (39)
8x Deflection
3x Delaying Tactics
4x Eagle's Sight
4x Enhanced Senses
8x Eyes of Argus
3x Forced Awakening
2x My Enemy's Enemy
3x On the Qui Vive
4x Telepathic Misdirection

Thanks to organisers, sponsors and players! 

Finalists with champion in the middle.

EDUARDO MATEUS IS THE 2023 PORTUGAL CHAMPION!

Words by Tito Teixeira:

17 players came together for this year’s Portuguese Championship at the Versus Gamecenter in Lisbon.

There was a wide range of decks being played, and after 3 rounds the finalists were:

1. Ricardo Marta (2 GW, 7 VP), playing a Stanislava deck
2. Sandro Rodrigues (2 GW, 5.5 VP), playing a Tzimisce wall deck
3. Eduardo Mateus (1 GW, 4.5 VP), playing an Inner Circle deck
4. Bernardo Cardoso (1 GW, 4.5 VP), playing an Imbued deck
5. Sérgio Martins (1 GW, 3 VP), playing a Joaquin Murietta + Valerius wall deck
(Luis Santos placed actual 5th with 1GW and 3.5VP, but had to drop out from the final)

Ricardo was counting on Stanislava being unblockable by the imbued to make an easy VP, but Bernardo managed to get both a Champion and Wendell in play before Stanislava was even out, ruining his plans. Wedged between two wall decks Eduardo also had trouble making any progress, and so all five players were still in play as time was about to run out, but then there was a dramatic finish:

Between the Wendell rushes and the intercept decks both Inner Circle decks (Ricardo and Eduardo) were down to just one ready minion each, but still Eduardo had managed to run Sérgio down to 5 pool. Bernardo was also down to 2 pool, 'aided' by a contested Smiling Jack that Sérgio had put in play earlier. Sérgio chose to keep the contest going to avoid killing off Bernardo, so he finished his turn at 4 pool. Betting that he would not get to play another turn due to the clock, Bernardo gave up the contest to save his pool (he was left at 2).

Back on his turn Eduardo then attempted a Petra Resonance to bring Sérgio down to 3 pool, as he was unaware that the card he was playing had been changed to interact with the Imbued and thought he could burn 1 pool from every player (including his prey) with it. But since there was a high likelihood that the Imbued would be ousted instead, Bernardo played a Direct Intervention (that he saved his pool for) on Petra Resonance. Eduardo then bled for 3 successfully (as Sérgio had run out of wakes), and unable to do any more damage passed with Sérgio still at 1 pool. As Eduardo had not realized that Bernardo had given up the contest he was surprised when Sérgio was ousted to his own Smiling Jack. Ricardo had no way to make the oust and the clock ran out as he was beginning his turn anyway, giving the win to Eduardo with 1,5 victory points.

Eduardo´s tournament winning deck: “Death & Taxes”

Crypt (12)
4x Leandro 11 cel dom AUS OBF PRE Camarilla Inner Circle Malkavian:2
3x Arika 11 aus cel DOM FOR OBF PRE Camarilla Inner Circle Ventrue:2
1x Harrod 11 aus pre ANI CEL OBF POT Camarilla Inner Circle Nosferatu:2
1x Etrius 11 pro AUS DOM OBF THA Camarilla Inner Circle Tremere:2
3x Maris Streck 9 ani dem dom AUS OBF Camarilla Justicar Malkavian:3

Library (90)
Master (22, 7 trifles)
7x Villein
1x Giant’s Blood
1x The Barrens
1x Jake Washington
1x Monastery of Shadows
1x Metro Underground
2x Information Highway
5x Zillah’s Valley
3x Dreams of the Sphinx

Action (2)
2x Petra Resonance

Political Action (18)
4x Alastor
5x Banishment
3x Kine Resources Contested
2x Conservative Agitation
1x Reinforcements
1x Political Stranglehold
1x Ancient Influence
1x Reins of Power

Ally (2)
1x Carlton van Wyk
1x Muddled Vampire Hunter

Equipment (4)
2x Helicopter
1x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Bowl of Convergence

Action Modifier (26)
2x Elder Impersonation
6x Into Thin Air
3x Forgotten Labyrinth
5x Perfect Paragon
2x Awe
8x Voter Captivation

Combat (6)
6x Majesty

Reaction (10)
5x Eyes of Argus
5x Telepathic Misdirection

Thanks to organisers, sponsors and players!

PLAYER INTERVIEW: KELLY SCHULTZ, NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION 2023

A bit late, but now we found Kelly Schultz for the annual NAC winner Q & A:

Hello Kelly! Thanks for talking to us. Let´s start from the beginning. How long have you played VTES? How did you start?
- I've actively played VTES since the very beginning... Okay that's a bit of an exaggeration. I did start basically the week it came out in 1994. However there were only ever two other kids who bought any at that time and we didn't really understand the game. I did find my way to a college group for one night where I got my naive little bottom spanked. I was playing with all the cool Tremere cards, and basically no blood recursion or way to recoup it. Little understanding of what to do, and even less experience playing properly. Still the experience stayed with me. So around ten years later when I stumbled across a group playing it in my local gaming store I dug out my old cards, built a deck, and jumped right in. Amazingly a Protean + Obfuscate weenie stealth-bleed deck was still competitive. The fact I needed to mix those two disciplines to pack in enough stealth should give you an idea of the size of my collection at that point.

What do you enjoy most about the game?
- The creativity that goes into building decks. Trying to find the next fun and unique method of combining the thousands of possible cards.

How do you generally behave at the table?
- I never break a deal, I'll do anything to play just one more turn, and it's commonly been said that the most dangerous place to sit is to my right. Sorry Bill.

Do you prefer a certain type of deck?
- I have been a fan of vote decks for a long time. To give you an idea: The first NAC I went to I played both a Tupdog/Inner circle/Banishment/Memories Fading Glimpse-deck and a weenie pre-obf Kholo vote bleed-deck. That was in 2007. I've been attending the NAC every year I could since. I really don't like bleed decks. Mainly because I find them generally to be boring to play and without a lot of nuance. Don't get me wrong, they work, as the various Kiyased, Malk ´94, Malk ´22 etc decks show, but it is one of the less interesting methods so I rarely play pure bleed. And I also almost always am trying to adapt to the meta.

For clarity, we repeat Kelly´s tournament winning deck list:

Crypt (12)
3x Lutz von Hohenzollern 11 AUS DEM OBF PRE pot inner circle Malkavian:4
3x Undele  9 CEL FOR obf pre ser magaji Ishtarri:5
2x Dmitra Ilyanova  9 CEL FOR POT PRE obf justicar Brujah:5
1x Adana de Sforza 11 CEL OBF POT PRE PRO aus inner circle Brujah:4
1x Orlando Oriundus 9 AUS DOM THA obf  bishop Tremere antitribu:4
1x Rafael de Corazon 11 AUS CEL DOM OBF PRE inner circle Toreador:4
1x Stavros  7 AUS OBF PRE dem  priscus Malkavian antitribu:4

Library (80)
Master (23; 1 trifle)
1x Barrens, The
1x Creepshow Casino
1x Dreams of the Sphinx
5x Information Highway
7x Minion Tap
1x Monastery of Shadows
1x Secure Haven
1x Wider View
5x Zillah's Valley

Action (1)
1x Entrancement

Political Action (20)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancient Influence
1x Ancilla Empowerment
3x Banishment
3x Conservative Agitation
1x Disputed Territory
1x Honor the Elders
6x Kine Resources Contested
1x Neonate Breach
1x Political Stranglehold
1x Reins of Power

Action Modifier (30)
2x Awe
2x Bewitching Oration
3x Elder Impersonation
1x Faceless Night
3x Forgotten Labyrinth
5x Lost in Crowds
6x Perfect Paragon
8x Voter Captivation

Action Modifier/Combat (6)
6x Force of Personality

How did you choose deck for this North American Championship tournament?
- I sat down with Bill Troxel that morning. I wasn't feeling that great and so we talked to each other. I talked him out of playing a completely nutty Laibon Madness Network thing, he convinced me not to go with something too complicated. So I ended up shelving the two semi-wall decks I had been originally planning to pick between and instead went with what I consider to be the current archetypal vote deck. It's something I have had together for years but very rarely play. To be honest mostly I use it as a starting point to make variations on vote decks that explore a different aspect or theme.
  Bill Troxel and I have been playing in the same group since that 2007 NAC until he finally moved out of state a couple years ago and he is a close friend. We also faced off against one another in the 2022 NAC final where he ousted me for the win. So he's both a good friend and a fierce competitor. There might be a reason I spent a few rounds 4+ voting Banishment at him backwards when we reached the final ... Sorry Bill.

Are there any special prey and predators you like or don´t like when playing this deck?
- A rush predator is the worst, a back rushing prey next. Other than that some of the bleed archtypes that are truly aggressive can be an issue, but when you still have minions they can be played around. Which of course explains why I chose to put Bill, the only person with a rush deck as my predator for the final table. Sorry Bill.

How were the preliminary rounds for you?
- They went pretty well. The second round got a bit dicey when my predator managed two improbable blocks with about 5 intercept. I probably would have been ousted but my cross table accidentally called a vote when was Lutz out. It passed and that was the final point of damage needed to get my first victory point.

What were your thoughts when you were getting ready for the final table?
- I was thinking a lot about how the politics of the voting would shake out. With two other vote decks I really wanted to figure out a seat where I could have at least one ally. During seating that didn't really work out, as Ian decided that he prefered Mark as a cross table voting ally. Choosing to sit in front of Bill was a hard choice, but I hoped I would have enough time to get moving before the Great Beast hit the table, and I also wanted to keep Mark's votes on my side. I didn't want to sit in front of the other Kelly while preying on Mark because fighting for votes while being speed bled didn't sound like a good idea, and sitting in front of Mark while better also seemed like a recipe for no vote support.    
  I would like to take a moment to promote the idea of random seating at final tables. I think that the first seed already has a very strong advantage going in, and that being able to choose seating on top of that is too much. It also gives a significant advantage to those who had the chance to scout another players deck and with that on top of the tie-breaking nature of being a high seed is too strong. Random seating I think fixes that issue a lot. Still showing 3 vampires is good and one of the best recent changes, but that combined with a random seat, with seed only used for tiebreaks would be the fairest way in my opinion and I say this coming in as second seed.

How did the final play out for you?
- Bill got off to an absolutely great start. However... I got Lutz up first, so before The Unnamed could take an action I banished him backward. This got me Mark's vote support, and I managed to pull Undele out that same round. This actually set me up as a lame duck methuselah very well, and gave me minimal but existing forward pressure, and helped fracture what had looked to be a very firm vote alliance between the two Ventrue decks.
 For the next four or five turns I was stuck with two simple actions, get back Banishment, Banishment on The Unnamed. Sorry Bill. Net result, 2 pool from a Voter Captivation, 2 pool damage because of two successful votes. Mark liked it because his prey had no minion. Ian disliked it because he was taking 2 pool a turn, and any vote he or Mark called would hurt him. To help further fracture the voting I voted Banishment one of the other Kelly's bleed minions cross table, helping Mark, hurting Ian, and keeping any firm alliances from forming on the table.
  Eventually I made an agreement with Bill about no Banishment for not rushing about the same time I got Orlando Oriundus out which shifted the table balance entirely. From there I watched as Kelly Lyons got his two VP's Mark and Bill, while I slowly but inevitably burned through Ian's pool. Heads up I was down a VP, but finally began to see my Minion Tap's and then it was just a case of careful Banishment and bleed/Kine Resources Contested/Voter Captivation to stay ahead of the incoming bleed.

Thanks again for your time Kelly, and good luck in the future!

GREETINGS FROM CASABLANCA, CHILE

VTES is played all over the world, also in smaller places! This last month, both a monthly league and a Gehenna Storyline event were played at the J_Juegos store in Casablanca, Chile, a city most known for world-class Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

In the words of organiser Paulo Otto: “In addition to its wine culture, Casablanca is also home to a small yet thriving community of Cainites. These individuals, embracing their unique nature as decendants of Caine, the biblical figure cursed with vampirism, have found solace and camaraderie in the serene surroundings of Casablanca.”

DO YOU WANT TO HOST THE 2024 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP?

Thanks for your application!

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: JULY 2023

• The four New Blood decks (Banu Haqim, Brujah, Gangrel and The Ministry) turn up in stores in the beginning of August, so the tournament legality date has been set to August 31, 2023.

• One of the new cards in the New Blood: Brujah deck is Saku Pihlajamäki, Baron of Helsinki. The artwork of this card is (as some that follow these newsletters might remember) depicting the former, long time Finland National Coordinator Janne Lönnqvist, painted in oil by Finnish artist and VTES player Noora Hirvonen. A special full art promo version of Saku was created for this year's Ropecon tournament, and it was kept secret from Janne until the day of the event. A nice way to show appreciation for many years in the VEKN!

• Speaking of promo cards, yet another one is for the upcoming 2023 Mineiro Championship in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: a full art variant of Hesha Ruhadze (Group 6) with art by Carmen Cornet!

• New sleeves are soon in stores! Not only is there a refill of the classic marble ones, but also packs with Carmen Cornet´s Theo Bell art and with Samuel Araya´s Faceless Night art. Both look truely gorgeous on the table!

• The next preconstructed decks (Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce) are undergoing a final round of proofreading before it is time for print in September.

• Regarding print-on-demand, Tremere Antitribu cards are to be physically proofed before launch at Drivethrucards. After that we will see Dementation cards or more cards for bloodlines.

• The playtesting of the next two preconstructed decks has begun! It is clans Lasombra and Hecata, who both share the common discipline of Oblivion, brand new for VTES. Read more about it at the Vampire: The Masquerade wiki.

• After that, there will be Sabbat - more about that when more is decided!

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, 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)
  
  

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

The crowdfunding campaign for "Vampire: The Masquerade - Milan Uprising"  is now live at Gamefound! This is a narrative-driven boardgame for 1-4 players that combine a physical board with the digital Teburu system to keep track of game progression. Check it out, and also have look at the interview with the developers at the World of Darkness News show. Rumour has it that Vampire: The Eternal Struggle developer Mike Nudd is doing writing for this game, so your quality is of course ensured.

Subscribe to the World of Darkness News show for more news!

CALENDAR

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia x2
Brazil x8
Chile x3
Finland
France
Ireland
Norway
Poland
Spain x7
USA x2

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 

Failing to plan is planning to fail.