Greetings fellow Methuselahs,
THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF VAMPIRE: THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE CONTINUES
… even though these newsletters are a bit off schedule. The best way to celebrate is of course to play the game, and many of the big annual tournaments are played in this season, September - November. Some you see reported below, and some are coming up next month, like the Asian continental championship, the Iberian Grand Prix in Spain, SA Grand Prix in Chile and national championships in Portugal, Finland, UK, Denmark, Slovakia, Canada and the Netherlands. And the Fifth Edition Lasombra preconstructed deck is now on store shelves. Good times!
Above you see a preview sketch art by Yanis Cardin, for a brand new card for the discipline Oblivion that will be in the upcoming Fifth Edition Hecata preconstructed deck, scheduled for January 2025 release. Spooky! The final art version on the actual card:
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 SUMMARY
Seven tournaments and one Grand Prix finale was played in Warsaw, Poland, between September 24-29.
All good photos by Marko Saari.
Note: The reports linked below contain all the finalists´ deck lists!
Danilo Torrisi is the 2024 European champion!
Read the full report: EC 2024 Day 2
Simone Parmeggiani wins EC 2024 Day 1! (168 players!)
Read the full report: EC 2024 Day 1
Marius Iscru wins the EC 2024 “Last Chance” Friday tournament! (153 players!)
Read the full report: EC 2024 Friday
Sebastian Fredenberg is the 2023-2024 European Grand Prix champion!
Read the full report: 2023-2024 European Grand Prix finale
Michał Kochanowski wins EC 2024 Sunday 30th Anniversary tournament!
Read the full report: EC 2024 30th Sunday Anniversary tournament
Jorge Delgado wins EC 2024 Week of Nightmares 1!
Read the full report: EC 2024 Week of Nightmares 1
Tommi Hakomaa wins EC 2024 Week of Nightmares 2!
Read the full report: EC 2024 Week of Nightmares 2
Tero Aalto wins EC 2024 Week of Nightmares 3!
Read the full report: EC 2024 Week of Nightmares 3
Thanks to all organisers, sponsors and players - hope to see you all in Aarhus 2025!
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Congratulations to your second EC victory! Thanks for agreeing to an interview. So, this was a two day event. How was the Day 1 tournament for you? What deck did you play?
Thanks. On Day 1 I played my Tupdog rocket deck. I got 1 GW and 5 VP. Unfortunaly, in the second round my prey was a deck with too much damage prevention, so not a good result for that day for me.
OK, so what about Day 2 – how did you choose your deck for this tournament?
The deck I played on Day 2 is an idea that I tried when I saw the spoiler of the new Malkavian Justicar. I´ve played some games in my city with it, and then I played it in one of the Week of Nightmares tournaments in Warsaw and got 0 VP´s :-) There were too many combat decks in my games. I chose to play it on Day 2 because in my opinion political decks are very weak in this meta, so probably no one was ready to fight them (not that many Delaying Tactics and not many Auspex intercept decks. And that worked! :-)
The tournament winning deck: “Politico malkarishat ASHUR”
Crypt (12 cards)
4x Juliet Parr 9 AUS DOM OBF cel pot justicar Malkavian:7
2x Alexander Silverson 8 AUS DOM OBF pre prince Malkavian:6
1x Gilbert Duane 7 AUS DOM OBF baron Malkavian:6
4x Arishat 6 DAI OBF PRE 1 vote Baali:6
1x Andi Liu 6 DOM aus obf pre prince Malkavian:6
Library (78 cards)
Master (16; 5 trifle)
6x Ashur Tablets
1x Asylum Hunting Ground
1x Coven, The
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
2x Information Highway
2x Villein
2x Wider View
Action (14)
4x Condemnation: Mute
8x Govern the Unaligned
2x Unleash Hell's Fury
Political Action (16)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancilla Empowerment
6x Kine Resources Contested
2x My Kin Against the World
6x Parity Shift
Equipment (2)
1x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Sargon Fragment, The
Action Modifier (16)
2x Elder Impersonation
7x Forgotten Labyrinth
7x Lost in Crowds
Reaction (14)
8x Deflection
6x Obedience
Tell us about the deck! What is a good table for this deck?
It´s an old style political deck with Obfuscate. I try to get the vote lock with Arishat´s ability and Condemnation: Mute. I have Obedience and Unleash Hell´s Fury against rush decks, and Deflection against bleed decks.
New wall decks like Gangrel and similar are not able to block this kind of deck – with just one card I go to 4 stealth, it´s too much for them.
The only trick is the two My Kin Against the World. No one expected three bleeds with Govern and three Kine Resources Contested on the same turn :-)
I like a seating with no combat, that´s it :-)
You got 2 GW 9 VP in the preliminary rounds. How were does games for you?
In game 1 I got the vote lock easily without Arishat, so I was waiting for the right moment and let my prey take his VP against a War Ghoul deck and my grand predator take his VP against a wall combat deck (my predator), then I closed the game in a single turn.
Game 3 was very hard with four political decks and one combat deck. I made a deal with Martin Weinmeyer to get me 1 VP and 1 GW 4 VP to him. I did that because with 2 GW 9 VP I had a very good chance to became top seed in the final.
When you saw the final table decks and players, what did you think about your chances?
In the final I knew Marius and Nerijus (my grand predator in game 1), but I didn´t know the other two guys. But I saw their decks so I thought I had two strategies to win: Strategy number 1 was to win on timeout – to try to resist my predator and with Parity Shift and some table talk trying to keep every player alive. Strategy number 2 was to save a lot of Deflections in my hand – before my last turn I had 4 – and use those to bounce every bleed on my prey to make him use his defence and maybe take some damage, then on my turn vote and bleed him to death.
The only deck that I feared was Marius because of his rush power.
How did the final play out?
Strategy number 2 didn´t work as I didn´t get many bleed against me, but strategy number 1 worked well for me :-) There wasn´t many interesting moments to tell you about.
Thanks again for taking time for this interview. Do you have any closing words, maybe some thoughts about the future of VTES?
I think we have a lot of new players, and that is great. I hope our number of players grow a lot – many players means much fun :-) The only exception of that is Day 2 at the EC. I prefer a Day 2 tournament woth fewer players. 50 is better than 90 or 70 for me.
KELLY LYONS WINS GRAND PRIX NEW ORLEANS 2024!
The fourth installment of the Gulf Coast Roast Grand Prix circuit was played on October 14 with 18 players.
Read the full report: Grand Prix New Orleans 2024
VINCENT RIPOLL IS THE 2024 CHAMPION OF FRANCE!
This tournament was played in Villeurbanne on October 19 with 50 players.
Read the full report: France National Championship 2024
KEITH LIM IS THE 2024 CHAMPION OF AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND!
36 players gathered in Sydney, Australia, for this event on October 26.
Read the full report: Australia/New Zealand Continental Championship 2024
MARCUS BERG IS THE 2024 CHAMPION OF SWEDEN!
30 Methuselahs turned up in Stockholm for this tournament on October 26.
Read the full report: Sweden National Championship 2024
The full art promo created for this event.
FESTIVO DELLO ESTINTO PART 6 - A SABBAT STORYLINE TOURNAMENT
Some words from Jorge Cerdá and friends, the organisers of Festivo dello Estinto, a big storyline event in Zaragoza, Spain, that took place on October 16:
More than eighty blood-thirsty souls arrived at the venue to battle to the death at the sixth edition of the Festivo dello Estinto. Next day, those very same souls left with a sense of joy and community, full to the brim. Let me show you:
The Festivo dello Estinto is not your typical European, national, or whatever big tournament you name; it’s a call to brothers to experience the living history surrounding our beloved game. Among the attendees were families, partners, newcomers, and children, all gathered to enjoy a weekend with friends that you’re lucky to see even a few times each year. In some sense, VTES is just an excuse for this big family to come together for a weekend.
Two new blood cainites with their sires!
The event was held at Camping de Zaragoza, a wonderful spot surrounded by nature where you can rent a bungalow or stay at the cozy hostel. This, of course, was the perfect opportunity for cheeky nocturnal visits from one place to another, waking up a bunch of friends to share experiences and pints of beer. It was also a fantastic place to explore the city for those who didn’t attend the main matches of the tournament.
Let me explain a bit: the Festivo dello Estinto is an annual tournament based on an unofficial storyline, and it’s the only storyline-based tournament still active in the world. In fact, organizers record anecdotes that happen at the tables in an effort to include some in the chronicles that are written after the event, to be shared in the following year.
Some of the rules set by Zaragoza’s archbishopric (remember, this is the haven of Lucita, Owain Evans, and other powerful Cainites!) for Saturday were as follows: players needed to fill at least 25% of their crypt with Sabbat vampires, and Sabbat minions could hunt with +1 to hunt and +1 stealth. There were also a few other mechanics not seen in the official VTES rule set, enough to drastically alter the metagame (for further reading, visit this website).
After three rounds and a grand finale, Francesc Ros emerged as the conquering winner with his Tremere, fighting against Oriol Pubill’s anarchs, who strove to control the city. Iván Bernal’s Tzimisces, Guillermo Lluch’s Blood Brothers, and Javier de Haro’s crazy-ass Maris Streck were also in the final fight.
Finalists: Guillermo Lluch, Iván Bernal, Javier de Haro, Francesc Ros and Oriol Pubill.
On Sunday, with our undead brains filled with alcohol and memories from the previous day, we held yet another tournament called Blood buff (inspired by the “Fast Hands” format), also with unique rules. This one transformed the game into an absolute frenzy of bleed and speed: twelve transfers were given to each player before the game even began, along with other changes to make the tables turn at a diabolical pace. For example, the final game lasted only 17 minutes!
After all, the real highlight that day was the massive barbecue feast we had for everyone. Massive queues, let me tell you. Did I not say that VTES was only an excuse?
I mean, they had to do something of use during the weekend, right?
At the end of the day, we know what this game is really about. It’s just a channel, a conduit, if you will, for friends to reunite. A perfect opportunity to meet new people (shout-out to all the geeks who made the journey from all around the country, and even from Portugal!). I’d like to end this report by thanking the Quinto Elemento and Estalia Córdoba stores for making the prizes not only possible but very appealing too.
I can’t forget Mariia Todorova, who did a stunning job illustrating some special cards, nor Txogitxu and Jonathan, who provided the unstoppable flood of meat for the barbecue.
Jonathan, Mariia Todorova and Iñigo.
Zaragoza’s primogeniture: Esto es más que un juego (It’s more than a game).
Special thanks to Black Chantry for making our dreams come true once again with the creation of a full-art version for Festivo dello Estinto – truly a masterpiece!
BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: OCTOBER 2024
• A FANTASTIC team of German volunteers showed VTES to many interested people at Asmodee´s booth at the Spiel Essen 2024 game fair. This was a great success - BIG thanks to these noble souls!
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• Essen held the "prerelease" sale of the Fifth Edition Lasombra preconstructed deck, officially released on October 31. This is a very special set for Black Chantry, because it is the first one with a new discipline, Oblivion, that is wholly designed by the Black Chantry design team lead by Ben Peal.
• A reminder: Draft is coming back to VTES! Black Chantry has given VEKN National Coordinators the chance of testing a print-on-demand draft kit for 8-10 players. Are you interested in testing this experience?, talk to your National Coordinator.
• Other projects are in progress: 2025 Fifth Edition Sabbat preconstructed decks are moving towards a second round of playtesting soon, the Hecata preconstructed deck will hopefully be in stores in January, the five next New Blood packs (Lasombra, Hecata, Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce) are planned for late first quarter next year.
• More old legacy single cards for print-on-demand will hopefully be up before Christmas shopping is over – Dementation and Temporis stuff have priority.
• The 2-player VTES variant is still on hold for now.
• Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Gamepod, 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 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)
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 annual Paradox World of Darkness "Month of Darkness" has ended. The full list is at the dedicated page, but our top 5 picks to highlight are:
• Vampire: The Masquerade released for Alchemy Virtual Tabletop
• Double Bloodlines 2 Dev Diary entries; #19 about #19 about hunting and feeding and #20 about #20 about blood resonance
• In Memoriam was revealed - a sourcebook for Vampire: The Masquerade taking the game to another level
• The 20 inch LED Neon wall ankh - a must-have for all true vampires! And yes, there´s a Sabbat ankh too!
• Massive high quality merch-on-demand offer on Amazon: Your choice of World of Darkness graphics on thirts, hoddies and sweaters.
Subscribe to the World of Darkness News show for more news!
CALENDAR
Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Brasil x25
Canada
Chile
Croatia x2
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland x3
France x2
Germany
Hungary x3
Italy x2
Mexico
Netherlands
Online x2
Poland
Philippines x2
Portugal x3
Singapore x2
Slovakia
South Africa
Spain x13
United Kingdom x2
USA x4
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 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.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
