This tournament was played with 41 players in Lisbon on November 29. Reported by Ricardo Marta, VEKN National Coordinator of Portugal:
Standings before the final:
1. Pedro Luis 2 GW, 9 VP
2. Mikhail Klokov 2 GW, 7.5 VP
3. Martin Weinmayer 2 GW, 7.5 VP
4. Hilario Cabello 1 GW, 7 VP
5. Paul Direktor 1 GW, 5 VP
Round 1
Hilário: 1 transfer (29 pool)
Paul: 2 transfers (28 pool)
Pedro: 3 transfers (27 pool)
Mikhail: 4 transfers (26 pool)
Brings out Suwira (2 on Aaradhya)
Martin: 4 transfers (26 pool)
Round 2
Hilário: Plays Wider View (28 pool). 4 transfers (24 pool). Brings out Lubomira Hradok and Old Neddacka.
Paul: 4 transfers (24 pool). Brings out Branimira.
Pedro: 4 transfers (23 pool). Brings out Roberto Rivamonte.
Mikhail: Plays Uptown Hunting Ground (24 pool). Suwira calls successful KRC 2 on Martin (24 pool) and 2 on Pedro (21 pool). Transfers 2 back to pool (26 pool).
Martin: 4 transfers (20 pool)
Round 3
Hilário: Plays Vessel and Shanty Town HG (21 pool). Old Neddacka bleeds Paul for 2 with Enthrall, bounced to Pedro (19 pool). Lubomira plays Inside Dirt on Paul (21 pool). 4 transfers (17 pool). Brings out Skulk.
Paul: Villein Branimira for 3 (24 pool). Branimira Deep Song backwards, Direct Intervention from Hilário (16 pool). New Deep Song, Branimira on Lubomira, Lubomira goes to torpor. 4 transfers (20 pool).
Pedro: Roberto bleeds for 3 with Break the Bonds and Power of One, Mikhail (25 pool). 4 transfer (15 pool). Brings out Oleg.
Mikhail: Plays Wider View and Unholy Sacrament (22 pool). Suwira bleed with Entrancement, Martin (18 pool). 4 transfers (18 pool). Brings out Khin Aye.
Martin: 4 transfers (14 pool). Brings out Aaradhya.
Round 4
Hilário: Lubomira plays Inside Dirt (blood) on Branimira. 2 transfers (14 pool). Brings out Bloodfeud.
Paul: Plays Anarch Revolt. 4 transfer (16 pool). Brings out Adrino Manauara.
Pedro: Oleg bleeds for 1, Mikhail (17 pool). Roberto bleeds for 2 with Break the Bonds Mikhail, deflected to Martin (12 pool). 4 transfers (11 pool). Brings out Luciano.
Mikhail: Pays AR (16 pool). Suwira calls vote to break AR, successful. Khin Aye calls Cold War on Martin, out voted. No transfers (16 pool).
Martin: Aaradhya governs down. 4 transfers (8 pool). Brings out Dark Selina.
Round 5
Hilário: Plays Forward Momentum. Bloodfeud plays Night Moves on Paul. Adrino deflects to Pedro. Luciano reduces with Visions of Zapathasura. Old Neddacka bleeds for 1, Paul (15 pool). Skulk plays Inside Dirt on Paul (12 pool). Lubomira bleeds for 1, Paul (11 pool) and untaps with Forward momentum. Lubomira plays Inside Dirt on Paul (8 pool). 4 transfers (13 pool) – draw from crypt.
Paul: Plays Villein for 5 Adrino (13 pool). Plays Carfax Abbey (11 pool). Adrino plays Deep Song rush on Skulk, Skulk goes to torpor
Branimira equips Ivory Bow (10 pool). No transfers (10 pool).
Pedro: Luciano bleeds for 2 with Break the Bonds on Mikhail (14 pool). Roberto bleeds for 3 with Visions of Gehenna on Mikhail (11 pool). 4 transfers (10 pool) – draw from crypt.
Mikhail: Plays Dreams of the Sphinx (10 pool). Khin Aye calls Cold War on Pedro, Oleg plays Delaying. Transfers 1 back to pool from Dreams (11 pool).
Martin: Plays Privileged Position. Aaradhya calls Banishment on Bloodfeud, superior voter cap (10 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Hilário (12 pool). Dark Selina Govern bleed for 3, Hilário (9 pool). Aaradhya plays Eternal Vigilance. No transfers (10 pool).
Round 6
Hilário: Old Neddacka plays Night Moves on Paul (9 pool). 1 transfer (8 pool). Brings out Bloodfeud (again).
Paul: Branimira plays Mr. Winthorp. Adrino plays Deep Song rush on Bloodfeud, both end up in torpor after mandatory press to continue. No transfers (9 pool).
Pedro: Plays Week of Nightmares.
Renato plays Field Training on Luciano.
Luciano bleeds for 4 with Break the Bonds and Power of One, Mikhail (7 pool). Renato bleeds for 4 with Visions of Gehenna, Direct Intervention from Martin (9 pool), moved to 3 with True love’s Face, Mikhail (4 pool). Transfers 1 back to pool (11 pool).
Mikhail: Plays Purchase Pact. Khin Aye calls Cold War on Pedro (8 pool), superior voter cap (6 pool). Khin Aye plays Freak Drive and plays Under Siege (5 pool). Khin Aye plays Freak Drive. Suwira calls Anarchist Uprising: Hilário burns 4 (4 pool), Paul burns 2 (7 pool), Pedro burns 3 (5 pool), Mikhail burns 2 (3 pool) and Martin burns 2 (7 pool). Khin Aye bleeds for 1, Martin (6 pool). Transfers 2 back to pool (5 pool).
Martin: Aaradhya calls Cold War on Pedro (2 pool) and burns Shanty Town HG from Hilário, superior voter cap (8 pool). Dark Selina calls Cold War on Pedro (0 pool) and burns Carfax Abbey from Paul, superior voter cap (10 pool). First VP for Paul (13 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Hilário (3 pool). Aaradhya bleeds for 2 Hilário (1 pool) and plays Enkil Cog. No transfers (10 pool).
Round 7
Hilário: Vessel back (2 pool). Old Neddacka plays Night Moves on Martin (9 pool), untaps with Forward Momentum. Old Neddacka plays Inside Dirt on Paul (10 pool). Lubomira bleeds for 2 with Enthrall, Paul (8 pool). No transfers (2 pool).
Paul: Plays Fame on Suwira. Branimira rescue Adrino. Adrino hunts. No transfers (8 pool).
Mikhail: Plays Dreams of the Sphinx (4 pool). Khin Aye hunts. Martin’s Aaradhya Enkil Cog bleed for 3, Hilário (0 pool). First VP for Martin (15 pool). No transfers (4 pool).
Martin: Gains from Edge (16 pool). Villein for 5 on Dark Selina (21 pool). Plays Monastery of Shadows (18 pool). Aaradhya bleeds for 3 Paul, Adrino fails to block, sends to Mikhail, Khin Aye blocks. Dark Selina bleeds for 1, Paul (7 pool). 4 transfers (17 pool) – draw from crypt.
Round 8
Paul: Branimira hunts. No transfers (7 pool).
Mikhail: No actions.
Martin’s Aaradhya Enkil Cog bleed for 3, plays Direct Intervention (16 pool) on Organized Resistance but Branimira still blocks. Transfers 1 back to pool from Dreams (5 pool).
Martin: Gains from Edge (17 pool). Dark Selina calls Cold War on Paul (4 pool), superior voter cap (19 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Paul (3 pool). Aaradhya bleeds for 3 Paul, Adrino sends to Mikhail, Khin Aye blocks. 4 transfers (18 pool) – draw from crypt.
Round 9
Paul: Plays Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Adrino hunts. Branimira hunts. Martin’s Aaradhya Enkil Cog bleed for 3. Paul (0 pool). Second VP for Martin (24 pool).
Mikhail: Khin Aye bleeds for 5 with Legal Manipulations and Iron Glare, Martin (19 pool), Mikhail (6 pool). Khin Aye plays Freak Drive and calls KRC with Magnetic Authority (for 2 pool), Martin (16 pool), Mikhail (5 pool). Suwira bleeds for 3 with Legal Manipulations, Martin (13 pool). Transfer 2 back from Magnetic Authority (7 pool).
Martin: Plays Villein for 2 Dark Selina paying 1 (14 pool). Plays Ventrue Headquarters (13 pool). Dark Selina governs bleed for 3, Mikhail (4 pool). Aaradhya calls Cold War on Mikhail (1 pool). Uses Privileged Position to burn pool on Mikhail (0 pool). Third VP for Martin (19 pool)
Martin wins with 4 VPs and GW. Paul 1 VP.
Tournament winning deck: “Cold War” by Martin Weinmayer
Crypt (12 cards)
5x Aaradhya, The Callous Tyrant 10 ANI DOM FOR POT PRE cardinal Ventrue:6
2x Dark Selina 9 CEL POT PRE dom for cardinal Brujah antitribu:5
2x Věnceslava, The Implacable 9 DOM FOR POT PRE cel archbishop Brujah:6
1x Rexton "Savage" Abernathy 8 DOM POT PRE cel archbishop Brujah:6
1x Üresség 8 CEL POT PRE dom for archbishop Brujah:6
1x Khin Aye 7 POT PRE dom for priscus Ventrue:6
Library (90 cards)
Master (22; 6 trifle)
1x Creepshow Casino
2x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Elder Library
1x Giant's Blood
1x Gurchon Hall
1x Information Highway
2x Monastery of Shadows
1x Papillon
1x Privileged Position
1x Secure Haven
2x Ventrue Headquarters
6x Villein
Action (10)
2x Eternal Vigilance
8x Govern the Unaligned
Political Action (16)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancient Influence
1x Ancilla Empowerment
4x Banishment
8x Cold War
1x Political Stranglehold
Equipment (2)
2x Heart of Nizchetus
Action Modifier (28)
4x Dominant Personality
2x Enkil Cog
4x Iron Glare
4x Perfect Paragon
4x Relentlessness
6x Unthinkable Humiliation
4x Voter Captivation
Combat (6)
6x Majesty
Reaction (6)
6x Deflection
Thanks for this report, and thanks to all organisers, sponsors and players!
Greetings fellow Methuselahs,
Newsletter time again, and as has become tradition, we start with an art and card preview. Righteous Blade is a new library card in the upcoming New Blood Salubri pack, planned for a late February release. The Salubri preconstructed deck has a more bleedy approach, but these new additions lean more into the clan being out to hunt down "fiendish" Kindred (their definition, of course!), and to do so wielding melee weapons, particularly swords, just like holy warriors of old. The fantastic art is by Pablo D. Hidalgo.
Randal Rudstam is the 2025 champion of Sweden!
40 players participated in this event in Stockholm on November 22.
Read the full report: Sweden National Championship 2025
Vincent Keenaghan is the 2025 UK champion!
This tournament was played in Leeds with 27 Methuselahs on November 15.
Read the full report: UK National Championship 2025
Joscha Düll is the 2025 champion of Germany!
... this was determined in Darmstadt on November 8, with 24 Methuselahs.
Read the full report: Germany National Championship 2025
Walbert Ibarra is the 2025 champion of Chile!
20 playes turned up to battle it out at the Piedra Bruja store in Santiago on November 31.
Read the full report: Chile National Championship 2025
Christian Chénard is the 2025 champion of Canada!
18 players played this event in Montreal on November 22.
Read the full report: Canada National Championship 2025
Armen Khachikyan is the 2025 champion of Russia!
10 players turned up for this tourament in Moscow on November 8.
Read the full report: Russia National Championship 2025
Change to the European Grand Prix circuit 2025-2026
A new Grand Prix tournament has been added to the European circuit: Vilnius! These means there is a total of seven GP tournaments now, plus the final.
Also: The winner of the Vilnius GP tournament will automatically qualify for the GP final in Vilnius. So four finalists are determined by the GP ratings, and one is this special Vilnius winner.
Dates and locations so far:
November 29, 2025: Lisbon, Portugal
Feb/March 2026: Florence or Bologna, Italy
April 18, 2026: Zagreb, Croatia
May/June, 2026: France
July 25, 2026: Helsinki, Finland
July 18, 2026: Vienna, Austria
September 18, 2026: Vilnius, Lithuania (at the EC)
September 19, 2026: Final Vilnius, Lithuania (at the EC)
Watchlist Update November 2025
The announcement of November 27:
This is a short announcement about two cards. A full announcement about Vampire: The Eternal Struggle cards and rules on the watchlist will be published towards the end of the year. No changes are expected for cards that are currently banned.
Life Boon
The card Life Boon joins the watchlist.
Why?
This card is very 1994 with its design as it breaks one of the fundamental rules of the game, the Predator-Prey relationship. It has similarities with Kindred Restructure and Dramatic Upheaval.
What next?
The card is under watch and the Design and Rules teams will continue listening to feedback on Life Boon. An update in this matter is expected in May 2026.
Veil of Darkness
The card Veil of Darkness joins the watchlist and is expected to be banned from organised play.
Why?
The card provides a limited effect, and it is problematic to handle at the table with a large amount of rollback issues on tables despite its limited use. It was created based on the old Gehenna End Times storyline, so it is difficult to change in the current storyline.
What next?
The card will not be banned before May 2026. The Design and Rules teams will continue listening to feedback, but it is not expected that any errata would be viable for Veil of Darkness.
Well-thought feedback about this is welcome to !
New VEKN Judges´s Guide is in the works
A draft of the new version of the Judges' Guide has been submitted to judges on Discord for their feedback.
Are you a judge, organiser or normal mortal with ideas about this? Reach out via !
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: November 2025
• The preview season for New Blood Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce is ongoing, as you can see on the top of this newsletter. Spoilers have been distributed, or will be, to a number of sources that have expressed interest in helping spread the word, and everything will of course be collected at the respective product pages at Blackchantry.com.
• Round 2 of the playtest of the Brazil and New York sets was recently sent out to playtesters. This round will end January 4. In the meantime, commissioned art is being delivered – exciting times at the art department! Three of these were already previewed in Ben Peal's presentation at EC 2025 – two pieces by Anastasiia Horbunova (left) and one by Krzysztof Bieniawski (right):
• BCP is playing tournaments, believe it or not! Some words from CEO Hugh Angseesing:
"On 15th November I was lucky enough to attend the UK Nationals at Patriot Games in Leeds. Leeds is quite a busy city and it was nice to see the Chrismtas decorations up already as I passed through it, making it seem even more exciting.
I did not have time to do a lot of preparation with my recent change in circumstances so cribbed a deck from Estel in Brazil and then changed a few things to try and test the new Path of Caine cards.
In round 1 I had Martin Weinmeyer and Mark Roberts as cross table buddies neither of whom saved me from Hecata/Lasombra ally swarm that Mikey Ferguson piloted to kill me before they split the table 2-2, with Mark ousting Mikey and Beth after I was killed.
Round 2 had more Martin but this time as a predator and I could not convince my prey to help stop his votes leading to my death - cannot rush everyone all of the time especially when banished!
In Round 3 the deck worked much better (or I did), but sadly I was unable to oust my prey before timeout.
I got to use the new cards and really enjoyed Abuse of Power and Márcio sent me some Brazilian-Portuguese versions to use:
Hugh ended up with 0.5 VP and a proud 22nd place in this event, so lets talk about something else ...
• Legacy Malkavian antitribu and Dementation cards for print-on-demand are in the very last stages of proofing as this is written. They will be up on both Drivethrucards and Gamepod really soon now, keep watch for that announcement.
• Ginés Quiñonero has started to work on the structure of a version of the VTES rulebook for the two-player variant of the game. Did you know that you still can help out with the playtesting? No registration is needed, just check out the playtest site, try the format and leave feedback.
• 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
Two things that caught our attention from White Wolf this month:
• “Hunter: The Reckoning - A Time of Monsters” is an interactive novel by Paul Wang, set in the World of Darkness, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. Get it at Choiceofgames.com, or check out the five part playthrough at the World of Darkness Youtube channel.
• “The Three Knives at Midnight”, a Vampire: The Masquerade New Year’s Eve story, is out now as a free PDF. This is a short Chicago-based scenario, including a coterie of six powerful, pre-generated characters, but also has advice for use in a longer chronicle. You find this at Renegade Game Studios
Also, we want to mention again the new but classic lines of t-shirts available. Good stuff!
Calendar
Major events coming up:
December 6: Grand Prix Vidor, Texas
December 14: Grand Prix Cearense
Tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia
Brazil 8
Chile
Finland
France
Greece
Hungary 2
Italy
Japan
Online 6
Portugal 5
Serbia
Spain 10
USA 6
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.
It´s fine. I´m fine. Everything is fine.
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
Czech 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.
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