Greetings fellow Methuselahs,
The Sabbat precons are upon us - but no rest for the preview editor! Allow us to introduce this breathtaking piece of art by Francisco Tébar, and the actual card, a fairly competent Ravnos gentleman available early next year:
Nerijus Mikalajūnas is the European champion of VTES 2025!
142 Methuselahs turned up in Aarhus, Denmark, for the continental championship.
Read the full report: EC 2025
Rulings of the VEKN Ethics Committee - November 3, 2025
All tournament organisers need to read this statement. One player is suspended, one is banned.
Ben Szymkow is the 2025 Oceania champion!
31 people turned up for this tournament held in Melbourne, Australia on October 25.
Read the full report: Oceanian Championship 2025
Gino Sepulveda is the 2025 South American champion!
Chile and Brazil take turns hosting this, and this year it was Chile's time - 19 Methuselahs turned up in Santiago.
Read the full report: SAC 2025
Richard Aumann is the 2025 Oceania Grand Prix winner!
This was when the top five players from this season's Oceania Grand Prix circuit met up to battle it out. Four combat decks and one brave stealth-bleeder!
Read the full report: Oceania Grand Prix final
Andy Smith wins Grand Prix Metairie 2025!
Time for the 4th leg of the Gulf Coast Roast tour, this time in Louisiana.
Read the full report: Grand Prix Metairie 2025
The Week of Sabbat – Italy celebrating the new release
Some words from Miro Albertazzi, VEKN National Coordinator of Italy:
The Italian VTES community, thanks to the efforts of our national distributor, Mistlore, successfully organized The Week of Sabbat — a nationwide celebration marking the release of the new Sabbat preconstructed decks.
From October 18th to 26th, 2025, players across Italy gathered in their local Domains to play sealed format events using the new Sabbat decks. Each local event contributed to a national ranking, creating a shared competitive experience that connected players across regions.
Participation and coverage
• 16 Domains hosted official events
• Nearly 100 players participated nationwide
• Format: Sealed deck (using the four Sabbat precons)
• Structure: 3 rounds per event, without final, results reported to a national scoreboard
• The goal was celebrating the new expansion, and the return of an entire sect, engaging both veteran and new players through a unified, story-driven experience.
Results summary
| Path | National score | Victories |
| Path of Power and the Inner Voice | 155.5 | 4 |
| Path of Death and the Soul | 100 | 4 |
| Path of Cathari | 95.5 | 3 |
| Path of Caine | 72.5 | 2 |
Highlights by City (Domains)
| Path | Domains |
| Path of Power and the Inner Voice | Bologna, Parma, Torino, Genova, Treviso |
| Path of Death and the Soul | Barga, Massa, Milano, Modena |
| Path of Cathari | Firenze, Prato, Roma, Verona, Mantova |
| Path of Caine |
Pordenone, Trento |
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Community impact
The Week of Sabbat confirmed the strength and vitality of the Italian VTES network:
• Local groups coordinated under a shared national event structure.
• Dozens of old and new players joined through the preconstructed format.
• Thematic and narrative cohesion (the “Paths” competition) boosted engagement and storytelling, without losing the amusing and funny side of the main theme of the event: “let’s try together new cards! wohoooo!”
• Players interacted daily through national chats and live ranking updates, sharing opinions and experience on gameplay, situations and of course rulings. But all these things enhanced the sense of unity between us.
Product impact
As a standalone product, for many players it was immediately clear that the four decks have different levels in ousting power and card flow; apart from the final ranking, Power and Inner Voice turned out to be the “easy button”; so the general standing was that totally fresh players could find the game boring after three or four games.
But we all know that VTES is not only a card game, where metagame and social part can take the scene totally, so our national coordinator could say, at the end of all the events, “there were days and night running our beloved game together, debating and struggling as the game itself calls for, having a lot of fun, and that’s what matters the most!”
Media coverage
The Week of Sabbat received excellent online coverage, with daily updates and photo posts published on Facebook by players, Domain organizers, and the national VTES Italy page. These posts showcased the enthusiasm and atmosphere of the events across Italy – from first unboxings and table setups to final standings and group photos – helping to spread awareness and attract interest from new and returning players alike. The coverage effectively turned the event into a nationwide storytelling thread, connecting all Domains under one shared narrative week.
Conclusions
The event demonstrated how narrative-driven, decentralized initiatives, far from standard constructed tournaments, can successfully mobilize local communities. It was also a phenomenal opportunity to promote the game in shops, gaming clubs, pubs, and other public venues, where curious onlookers could see the game – and in some cases, start playing with us. Let us be proud and pleased with the results: the Italian network proved capable of coordinating multi-city, synchronized play with enthusiasm and reliability.
Acknowledgments
A special mention goes to Mistlore Publishing, which wholeheartedly embraced this project and made a great effort to secure and distribute a large number of decks to each city in advance.
Thanks, Patrizio! The Week of Sabbat – Italy stands as a strong model for global launch events that combine organized play, community storytelling, and marketing impact for future expansions. For us, it’s a huge yes to having this kind of product launch – four or five decks released at once – to make the game shine!
Thanks Miro for this very uplifting report. Good times in Italy, great heart and commitment to the game!
From the deepest VTES video vaults...
From the depths of TheLasombra's collections comes this fabulous documentation of the 2002 European Championship finals, surely of interest to true VTES aficionados. Have a look, and see if you can spot any modern day VTES "celebrities" looking like newborn, fuzzy kittens. One of the finalists is Walter Paolini, an Austrian player who passed away and whose likeness has been used for the Osvaldo Kühnemann crypt card in the recent Path of Cathari Sabbat deck. Also notice the spectacular startup show. Winning decklists in the shownotes!
Since earlier, you can also watch the 2004 European Championship final on the same magnificent channel.
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
Black Chantry Summary: October 2025
• The Sabbat precons are FINALLY in stores and seem appreciated. Also available in Latin, of course.
• Another new promo card was presented: Orgy of Blood, for participants in all National Championships 2026.
• Product Director Ben Peal held a short but sweet presentation at the EC in Aarhus, caught on tape too. He talks about what has been done, what is coming soon, and what the plans for VTES in the future are. We´ll try to edit this into an article later, maybe with some more details and a timeline.
• Some previews from the upcoming New Blood packs for Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce were previewed in Ben's talk, repeated below. Note the fantastic art by Peter Scholtz, Raquel Cornejo and Krasen Maximov. January was mentioned for release, but now it looks more like February.
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• Black Chantry is preparing a real Sabbat legacy card bonanza for print-on-demand on Drivethrucards and Gamepod, starting with Malkavian Antitribu and Dementation, and then with the rest of all old Sabbat goodies during 2026.
• The second round of playtesting of the two Brazil- and New York-themed sets is being sent to the playtesting groups really soon. These are currently set for an April/May release.
• Join the open playtest of VTES 1v1! No registration needed, and all rules are on the dedicated playtest site. All kinds of feedback are welcome, and now we know that at least one actual product is planned, a 2-deck pack, ideal for a first try of VTES.
• The following Black Chantry products are currently available through Gamepod, Drivethrucard
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
Recent news in the World of Darkness
The White Wolf team over at Paradox ended their “Month of Darkness” with some really cool stuff, much of course centered around the highly anticipated and FINALLY launched Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 game. Among many other things, we got the official release trailer, more Outstar playthrough, the offical game soundtrack and a Halloween update with new ways to customize your character visually.
Maybe of even more interest for VTES fans, there´s two new lines of t-shirts available. All the classic cover art by Tim Bradstreet and John Van Fleet available for your torso once again! Need thicker materials? Have a look at the fantastic new VTM winter clothes. No joke!
Calendar
Major events coming up:
November 8: French National Championship, Vitrolles
November 8: German National Championship, Darmstadt-Eberstadt
November 8: Russian National Championship, Moscow
November 15: UK National Championship, Leeds
November 22: National Championship Sweden, Stockholm
November 22: National Championship Canada, Montreal
November 22: Slovakian Championship, Bratislava
November 22: North American Cup, San Diego
November 29: National Championship Chile, Santiago
November 29: Iberian Grand Prix, Lisboa
November 30: Mexian National Championship, Mexico City
December 6: Grand Prix Vidor, Texas
December 14: Grand Prix Cearense
Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia
Brazil x18
Canada
Chile
Croatia
Czach Republic
Finland x3
France x2
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy x2
Mexico
Netherland
Online x5
Philippines
Poland
Portugal x4
Russia x3
Serbia
Slovakia
South Africa
Spain x12
Sweden
Switzerland
UK
USA x7
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!
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.
Be as you wish to be perceived.
