Camille Défarge preview

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

It´s newsletter time again, and again we have the pleasure to start it with another preview of Camille Défarge art from an upcoming VTES card. Cool, right?


THE 30TH YEAR OF VTES CONTINUES

Some words by Hugh Angseesing, VEKN chairman and CEO of Black Chantry Productions:

Hello! I wanted to write a little about what I have been doing recently as we move into the 30th year of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.

In December I was lucky enough to visit Milan for the start of the GP season. It was great seeing Miro, Massimo and the rest of the team including some cos players acting as promo giver outers. It was also the first time that players received Sense the Savage Way with beautiful new artwork from Noora Hirvonen. I also got an excellent shot of me and a castle as well as enjoying much gelato.

GP Milan 2023 floor GP Milan 2023 promo card

In January, I headed up for my birthday event (I considered it as such!) in Leeds where we had 16 players and I was able to demonstrate that cards from 2009 and before still do the job when needed.

In February I visited Vilnius for the Lithuanian nationals, this was my first time in Lithuania and I was very excited to meet some new players and do some sightseeing. The event was rather poignant as it was held in honour of Julius Stonis a Lithuanian player who died during covid, and coincided with the second year day of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It was good to see so many players gathered to celebrate a friend. Daniel and Nerijus who hosted the event treated us to an excellent lunch at a local Ukrainian restaurant. I spent a lot of time walking; the city is very walkable. I highly recommend a trip there.

VTES Lithuania 2024

In the middle of these exciting events I took delivery of all the new decks and reprints and with the team, arranged the next promo pack for the printers.

Thanks for that short report Hugh - hope this high energy of yours lasts the whole year, because it will be intense!


Lituania National Championship 2024

BARTOSZ KULINCZUK IS THE 2024 CHAMPION OF LITHUANIA

23 Methuselahas played this event in Vilnius on February 24th.

Read the full report: Lithuania National Championship 2024


VTES rulebook 1.1

VTES HAS A REVISED RULEBOOK!

A version 1.1 of the Fifth Edition rulebook is now available for download under "Utilities" at www.blackchantry.com. While no rules have actually changed, a number of clarifications have been made, as well as changes in the layout that we think will help players both old and new to more easily understand some of the trickier things in the game. Have a read through the full list of changes; maybe you find something that is new to you!


 VTES Grand Prix Europe 2023-2024

MORE GP DATES SET!

The European VTES Grand Prix tournaments of the 2023-2024 circuit are currently:

• December 9 Milan, Italy
• March 9 Lisbon, Portugal
• April 20 Paris, France
• May 19 Aarhus, Denmark
• July 20 Helsinki, Finland

... and then there will be a final of course, with the top five players, sometime during the European Championship weekend in Warsaw, Poland later this year. More information about that when we have it.


VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza

PLAYING LIKE IT´S 1994 - A ZARAGOZA SEALED DECK CHRONICLE

On February 2, a Jyhad sealed deck event was played in Zaragoza, Spain. Words by Ivan Castro.

There is something particular about yearning.

I remember very well when I started playing VTES (back when Bloodlines was the new thing and Camarilla just came out). I experienced the card frame transition without too much thought and I kept exploring the game with teenager intensity. Vampire was such a different game from others like MTG or L5R, and the social and psychological dimension of it struck me quite hard and made me delve into the game.

I got in touch with classic strategies and started to collect my favourite cards. After some time I saw the (not so old back in the day) Jyhad collection of a friend of mine and I was instantly hooked! You see, I have always gravitated towards handcrafted and distinctive things, I am quite particular about this and oh dear, how outstandingly gorey VTES was showing itself!

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza
Would something like that pass the filter nowadays?

The art was so primitive, explicit and dark, the frame so cryptic, and so many cards had references to music that I was yet to discover and poetry that I had to read!

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza
All of my friends were obsessed with power metal, but... What the hell was Clan of Xymox?

Ages have passed since, and for most of them I have been apart from the game for personal circumstances. Last November and after eight years without playing I attended the European Championship in Barcelona, where a friend of mine offered me the chance to participate in 2024 in a small tournament: a sealed Jyhad. I was left baffled and I said "yes, even if I have to raise from the dead". How lucky could I be? Something like this in other games would be a grand event, but for some obscure reason that I do not grasp Jyhad is totally overlooked by the majority of VTES players. I was so excited!

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza
Have you ever seen something more tempting?

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza
I prayed so much to open this; we would be playing with the texts as originally printed!

After the European championship I played other small events across the north of Spain, and the eagerness was in crescendo every time we spoke about the Jyhad sealed.  "C'mon, we are adults, what's all that hype about?". I believe that now we savor every moment with gratitude, and perhaps we are old fogeys, but we enjoy the hobby in a different way. And a word about the community: I cannot describe with words how much the scene has changed since 2010. There is a sense of fraternity and glee that was totally absent back in the day, and every time we see each other is a small celebration.

What a lovely bunch!

So finally the 3rd of February came. The Second Succubus Club tournament was about to commence, held in a nice roleplaying club called “La Goblinera” (shout-out to those guys, very generous of them to having us!). Around the tables, sixteen Methuselahs from the city and some coming from the nearby Pamplona. We would open five boosters each player, and then pick from another three. Do you know the smell of old sealed cardboard? I had this feeling of guilt for opening all those old boosters, older than some of the participants! What would be inside? What would other players play? At my left sat my friend Iker who was showing a menacing grin: one Parity Shift! Was he mocking me? I opened my first booster in retaliation...

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza
My luck was sealed at the first glance: I will show them pain!

Two preliminary rounds were played in the morning. I was able to experience firsthand the vast playability of a first edition card game, it is awe-inspiring. How Richard Garfield could have learned so many lessons from the feedback of a single year of M:tG releases only? Yes, if we judge the individual cards from a modern perspective there is no such thing as balance, but we have to think that Mr. Garfield intended the game to be interactive more than collectible, and although the internet existed, there was not such a thing as "I put together 15 Governs and 10 Conditionings because that is the winning list of X tournament". You played with what you had the luck to open, and that was it. We now see things like Ante as absurd mechanics, but there was an effort to create alternative atmospheres within the game:

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza
There was no intent to create a competitive product. It was all about role-playing!

I would like to acknowledge too the fantastic direction of Sandra Everingham in the art department, and how her 80's inclinations permeated through and through the game, creating a consistent and immersive universe. Now we are accustomed to clean, almost (if not mostly) digital  illustrations, but the resource was not there back in 1994. As a photographer I hold the opinion that it's the very limitations of our artistic processes what set free our imagination. And Jyhad had such an explosive expressiveness, there is no denying it.


A reference to a pulp fiction book? Such style!

There were so many anecdotes to share (like the insistence of players of drafting again and again Masika). I made a really bad assessment during the construction of my deck. I believed that between Basilia and a good bunch of Protean aggravated strikes I would have a fantastic run, but clearly the baseline of common cards is filled with manoeuvers and dodges, and in two tables I managed to somehow land only two strikes. I lost my chance to participate as a finalist!

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza
A nice lunch all together after the second round!

The final looked like this: Luis Blasco » Jorge Cerdá » Iker Feliu » Raúl Perfecto » Nicolás (I don’t recall his surname. Sorry buddy!)

Again, four of the five finalists included Masika in their crypts, and they had to negotiate even before the first turn’s influence! After a few rounds, the table looked like this:

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza

Luis -> Natasha Volfchek and Ignatius.
Jorge -> Masika and Dorian Strack.
Iker -> Don Cruez and Tatiana Romanov.
Raúl -> Andreas, Bard of Crete, Black Cat and Zebulon.
Nico -> Lucian and Lydia Van Cuelen.

Iker, in a display of political prowess, plays minion tap Don Cruez of eight and manages to negotiate with Nico some votes to steal the Hunting Ground just played by Jorge. He was not so satisfied when immediately Raúl decides to Arson the stolen Hunting Ground. The room started laughing our arses off.

Nico, in turn, manages to successfully play a Parity Shift against Luis, but in order to pass the action he has to give 3 pool to Raúl, under the threat of Andreas blocking with an Assault Rifle… Dreadful!

Luis is under a lot of pressure, five points of pool is not a joke, even more so when being preyed upon by Lucian, so he decides to glass-cannon his turn with a Natasha playing Govern + Conditioning. Bleed of seven, the exact amount of Jorge’s pool! First victory point! Terrible bleed, and Jorge left the table like a gentleman. Maybe a little bit pale, but who is to blame?

Iker and Nico start to play Kine Resources Contested against Raúl and Luis, and in reply Luis bleeds without mercy. As a last resort, Iker decides to contest Luis’s Ignatius. Perhaps one less action could stop the onslaught?!

And here comes the moment of the tournament: Raúl plays a Malkavian Dementia on Lucian, the only vampire Nico left to defend (equipped with a Submachine Gun). Black Cat picks up the weapon of the Malkavian Justicar and the rest of Raúl’s minions go all-in with bleed and Kine Resources. Another victory point, this one for Raúl!

Iker’s efforts were insufficient to stop Luis playing another Govern the Unaligned paired with a Seduction. Second victory point for Luis, what a terrible deck!

In the one-on-one, Luis found himself at a significant disadvantage as his vampires were practically drained of blood. Conversely, Raúl's were well-fed thanks to a Hunting Ground.

With his forces fully equipped and ready for execution, Raúl stood poised for victory! Congratulations, Raúl!

What an intense final. We left with many promises of trying again next year, if the circumstances allow and there is another chance to buy Jyhad sealed material. Now I can truly say that although I was not playing this game back in 1994, I am now part of it in the intended way. It is a different feeling than playing a well sharpened and measured deck: you get to play as an explorer of a game that was hidden right in front of your very eyes, with all its beauties and where all its faults were really part of the charm. Do yourself a favor: play sealed. Not even Jyhad, that is not really important. Draft some crappy decks with your friends and let the game speak for itself...

VTES Jyhad Sealed Zaragoza

... And you’ll never say again that a card is bad!

Many thanks to David Villalva for hosting. You are my hero from now on. <3

Thanks to Iván for this very nice report, and we hope he returns with more stories from other events. Have you played something similar and want to share your thoughts? Please, contact the newletter editor at .
 


VTES EC 2023 Barcelona

DO YOU WANT TO HOST EC 2025?

The application period is now open for the 2025 Vampire: The Eternal Struggle European Championship.

Interested organisers are encouraged to submit their proposals for consideration between today and August 31st to

The proposals should include the following information (fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.), in addition to any other information that the organisers deem relevant:
• Country:
• City:
• Approximate dates:
• Scheduled off season (Y/N):
• Organizer(s):
• Head judge:

VENUE
• All inclusive location (room, hotel, food, refreshments) (Y/N):
• Accommodations close to venue (Y/N):
• Snacks and meals on-site (or within 5 minutes) (Y/N):
• Distance to major hubs:
• Distance to major city:
• Non-smoking venue (Y/N):
• Air-conditioned venue (Y/N):
• Enough area suited for mass registration (Y/N):
• Free WiFi available (Y/N):
• Microphone/loudspeaker announcements (sound system) (Y/N):
• Video projection system (remaining time) (Y/N):
• Opening hours:

ROOM(S)
• Enough room for 200 players (Y/N):
• Separate rooms for side events (Y/N):
• Comfortable chairs (Y/N):
• Table cloths (Y/N):
• Round tables for 5 players (Y/N):
• Are toilets close to reduce game delays? (Y/N):

ORGANIZATION
• On-site registration on multiple computers (number of players/30) (Y/N):
• On time registration, breaks and events (Y/N):
• Using armbands to indicate registration type (Y/N):
• FAQ (handout at registration) (Y/N):
• Lunch breaks (Y/N):
• Two head organisers (side events/main tournament) (Y/N):
• Organizers and judges properly identified (Y/N):
• Assistants (non VTES players) (Y/N):
• Documentation/archiving person (traceability) (Y/N):
• Spouse info/events (Y/N):
• Seating print-outs on multiple spots (Y/N):

SCHEDULE
• Last Chance Qualifier:
• EC Day 1:
• EC Day 2:
• Side events:

COVERAGE
• Live webcam as weekend documentation (Y/N):
• Detailed final round(s) report (Y/N):
• Final round video recording/streaming (Y/N):
 


 

Black Chantry logo

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: FEBRUARY 2024

• As mentioned above, the revised edition of the Fifth Edition VTES rulebook is now available for download at www.blackchantry.com/utilities. For a list of all changes, check out the original announcement. The changes are all clarifications, no actual new rules.

• On February 15, Black Chantry top ghoul Hugh Angseesing was interviewed on the official World of Darkness News show. This is recommended viewing for all who want to know about current and future VTES products!

• Another reprint promo card was revealed, Mythic Form for the Spanish National Championship in April, and then later also for distribution to other tournaments on that level. VERY NICE brutal and terrifying new artwork by Black Chantry's own Ginés Quiñonero!

VTES Mythic Form promo

• The design team is still digesting the report of the second round of playtesting of the Hecata/Lasombra decks, the Hecata/Lasombra/Ravnos/Salubri/Tzimisce New Blood decks and the 30th Anniversary preconstructed deck. We´ll probably need another round of testing of at least one of these three sets.

• The two-player variant of VTES, that has already gone through one round of playtesting, is put on hold. It needs more work, and the sets mentioned above have priority for 2024.

VTES Fifth Edition 

Ravnos Salubri Tzimisce

Black Chantry Products 2022 October

Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Gamepod, Drivethrucards.com and other stores:

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mailFacebookInstagram or Twitter.


WoD News 

RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

Of course we think the World of Darkness News interview with Black Chantry mention above is the most interesting thing from the World of Darkness team over at Paradox this past month, but, of course, there are other things too:

Dev Diary #9 for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is out, this time about clan Brujah, how they were re-invented in the current edition of the role-playing game and how that has been treated in the development of the upcoming computer game.

• The boardgame Vampire: The Masquerade - Chapters is back on Kickstarter with a Definite Edition, bigger, better and (optionally) more digital than before.

• At their virtual event Renegade Con, Renegade Game Studio revealed a lot of new stuff in their pipeline for all the World of Darkness games. We are especially hyped to hear about the Gehenna War sourcebook for Vampire: The Masquerade, preliminary out this August. If you are not up to date on what the Gehenna War is, investigate that and you will understand why we are so excited!

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


CALENDAR

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia
Brazil x9
Finland
Italy x2
Online x2
Poland x2
Portugal x2
South Africa
Spain x9
Sweden
UK
USA x6

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.


Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.

VTES Krasen Maximov preview 2024

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

Once again we have the privilege of previewing some new Vampire: The Eternal Struggle art above, this time by Krasen Maximov. Cool huh?! Previously behind illustrations for Priority Contract, Spoils of War and Suspension of Disbelief, he has a very nice style that we are delighted to see more of in the upcoming sets. Thanks Krasen!


VTES on Gamepod

FINALLY! VAMPIRE: THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE ON PRINT-ON-DEMAND IN EUROPE!

While Drivethrucards has been an excellent place to produce cards, Black Chantry Productions has since its start been looking for a print-on-demand partner also in Europe. Many of the most vibrant VTES communities are located in that part of the world, and shipping from the United States is expensive. And now it´s finally in place!

Gamepod produce cards in Spain and use a quality that is similar to Drivethrucards and Carta Mundi (who print VTES for normal store distribution). The “pick and mix freely” model is in place, so you can chose any cards to print for EUR 0.45 per card. So far 895 different cards are available, but more will be added in “batches”, just as at Drivethrucards.

You find the webshop at Gamepod.es, and you can browse VTESdecks.com for some extra filter possibilities when choosing cards.


VTES Grand Prix Iberia 2024

WELCOME TO THE IBERIAN GRAND PRIX 2024!

The registration for Grand Prix Iberia 2024 is open. The tournament will be played at the VIP Executive Zurique Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal on March 9 – hope to see you there!

Link: Event page on Facebook

Link: VEKN Forum thread


VTES Atlantic Cup 2024

WHO WILL BE THE ATLANTIC CUP CHAMPION 2024?

Words by organiser Martin Weinmayer:

We are happy to announce the prizes for the Atlantic Cup 2024 online tournament!

• Day 2 qualification for EC in Warsaw

• Free SAC entry

• Origins weekend pass for NAC

• 50 Euro for the winner, and 20 Euro for each finalist on Drivethrucards

• Huge bunch of promo cards sponsored by Black Chantry

Register now on the tournament discord channel.

The Atlantic Cup is an international online tournament designed to give players from both sides of the Atlantic a chance to play together and compete for the crown of Atlantic Champion. It is a single-deck 3R+F standard constructed tournament, played on the LackeyCCG online platform over the VTES Discord server. Preliminary rounds will occur on March 2nd at 16:00, 18:30, and 21:00 CET (Central European Time). Finals will be played the next day, March 3rd, at 17:00 CET. Rounds (preliminaries and finals) will have a 2-hour time limit.

The Atlantic Cup is sponsored by Black Chantry Productions and Midnight Sun VTES Store.

Black Chantry Productions   Midnight Sun VTES Store

 


 


THIS GULF COAST ROAST 2024 TRAILER IS FANTASTIC!

As we told earlier, the southeast USA tournament series Gulf Coast Roast will be played throughout 2024 in Lafayette, Dallas, Gulfport, New Orleans and Vidor, with finals also in Vidor in December. Now we also know that organiser Kelly is a great musician - you MUST check out the trailer above, for it might be the best piece of VTES related content ever!

More information is on the official Gulf Coast Roast Facebook page and other places!


King of the Dead

THE KING OF THE DEAD - A MANAUS STORYLINE EVENT

Words by Eduardo Simões, Baron of Manaus:

On January 13, Manaus played a single game with 8 players and experimented with a game system created by me, Eduardo, with the great support of Daniel Simões. The game lasted for 3 hours and 30 minutes. The player positions in the game were as follows:

1st Daniel Simões (Malkavian Dementation)
2nd Izael Beckman (Banu Haqim V5 Rush & Block)
3rd Tiago Sant'Ana (Gangrel V5 Camera Phone & Block) 2 VPs
4th Oliver Barbosa (Ministry Power Bleed) 1 VP
5th Eliomar (Toreador V5 Grand Ball)
6th R. B. (Lasombra Bleed & Vote)
7th Giuseppe "Kela" (Lutz Vote) 4 VPs - GW
8th Eduardo "Baron de Manaus" (Giovanni Zombies Hordes) 1 VP

The storyline followed, essentially, the effects of the cards Archenemy and Defiance:

VTES Storyline VTES Storyline card VTES Storyline card

They had a deck for the Archenemy, which tells a story before the game, 3 alternative endings, and a trophy for the champion (who finishes with GW). Whoever holds the GW has to survive until the end to receive the best ending of the story; if any Methuselah who left the game has the GW, then they would have a divided ending; and if the main archenemy survives in the game, with or without GW, he wins the storyline, and the others receive the worst ending.

Giuseppe was the winner!

VTES Manaus storyline winner
Here is Giuseppe's deck: “Lutz Vote”

Crypt (12 cards, min=36 max=44 avg=10.25)
3x Lutz von Hohenzollern  11 AUS DEM OBF PRE pot  inner circle Malkavian:4
2x Adana de Sforza  11 CEL OBF POT PRE PRO aus  inner circle  Brujah:4
2x Rafael de Corazon  11 AUS CEL DOM OBF PRE  inner circle  Toreador:4
2x Unmada  10 AUS DEM OBF VIC cel for  justicar  Malkavian:5
1x Tryphosa  10 AUS DEM DOM OBF POT  prince  Malkavian:4
1x Dmitra Ilyanova  9 CEL FOR POT PRE obf  justicar  Brujah:5
1x Stavros  7 AUS OBF PRE dem  priscus  Malkavian antitribu:4

Library (80 cards)
Master (21; 8 trifle)
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Metro Underground
1x Monastery of Shadows
7x Villein
1x Wider View
7x Zillah's Valley

Political Action (17)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancient Influence
1x Ancilla Empowerment
2x Banishment
6x Kine Resources Contested
4x Parity Shift
1x Political Stranglehold
1x Reins of Power

Action Modifier (26)
1x Bewitching Oration
2x Elder Impersonation
1x Faceless Night
5x Forgotten Labyrinth
4x Into Thin Air
2x Lost in Crowds
3x Perfect Paragon
8x Voter Captivation

Action Modifier/Combat (4)
2x Force of Personality
2x Swallowed by the Night

Reaction (7)
4x Mental Maze
1x On the Qui Vive
2x Telepathic Misdirection

Combat (5)
4x Majesty
1x No Trace

VTES Manaus storyline
The Story: Jurupari, the Shadow of Cadaverous Spirits, the King of the Dead

Prologue:
Manaus, where the shadows of the Amazon rainforest weave their enigmas, witnesses the sinister awakening of Jurupari. This Methuselah, feared as the incarnation of cadaverous spirits, emerges to cast a web of darkness over the city.
    Under a sky where the stars hush their murmurs and the moon retreats before the imminent threat, Manaus finds itself at the mercy of the looming shadow. The moans of the resurrected dead intertwine with the echoes of Amazonian spirits summoned by Jurupari to march in sinister harmony with his undead.

Development:
The Methuselahs, selfish by nature, realize that the only way to preserve their supremacy is to deal with the imminent threat of Jurupari. While attempting to unite forces to contain the invasion of the dead, their rivalries persist, and the city becomes a board of sanguinary intrigues.
    Amidst the chaos, protagonists emerge as reluctant rivals forced to set aside their disputes amidst the chaos created by the King of the Dead, eager to eliminate Jurupari and claim the city for themselves. Internal disputes among the Methuselahs intensify, as death and betrayal become allies to each strategy.

Conclusion:
With the dissipation of Jurupari's influence and the other Methuselahs, Manaus remains divided but with a new order established by Methuselah Giuseppe. The city becomes fertile ground for incessant political battles, where vampires continue to vie for control, taking advantage of the instability left by the war against Jurupari while all remain subjects of the new sovereign Methuselah.

Commentary: To enhance the game, I created a vampire using artificial intelligence (all illustrations were done through this feature) and a new ally to help illustrate the scenario during the game. I consider it a success! We followed through with the storyline of the story, and we had a winner who suffered a lot to achieve the prize; in the end, it was 3 hours and 30 minutes of gameplay. During the event, Magic players stopped to check out what we were doing; I heard comments from people who were thinking of quitting Magic to play V:tES and also heard comments from a V:tES player who was watching us (volunteered to take our photos) and confessed not being so excited to face a competitive tournament but loved the idea and the way the storyline unfolded. She mentioned feeling like in an RPG, and all of this made me believe that we are heading in the right direction!

VTES Manaus storyline VTES Manaus storyline

 


VTES Philippines 2023-2024

VTES IN THE PHILIPPINES - THE RETURN OF THE GAME

We asked Joscar Malacaman, the Prince of Taguig, to tell us about the health of Philippine VTES. This is his report.

Embracing New Blood
With the Covid-19 pandemic putting the Philippine VTES scene on hold for more than three years, it proved to be quite the challenge to regain the momentum in the years leading up to it. Our main haven in Metro Manila closed down as well, which left us without a regular place to play in and most of our Methuselahs entered torpor following the strict lockdowns.
    However, in September 2023, we received an invite to demo the game to a bunch of new players who were interested in finding a new game for their playgroup. One demo led to another and then another until we found ourselves meeting almost weekly for demos to prospective players and then some casual game nights. Soon enough we have enough new bloods to run tables on their own and introduce the game to even wider circles.

Waking the Elders
With the community facebook group abuzz with activity, it was bound to happen that our little neonate recruitment drive would attract the elders and wake them from torpor. By October 2023, our weekly demo and game days had blossomed into regular community events frequented by new players and veterans alike. The community chat is active 24-7 and requests for game nights are a regular occurence. Our National Coordinator even paid us a visit in early November and the Metro Manila community welcomed him with a game night in his honor.

VTES Philippines 2023-2024
New Havens, New Princes
A huge part of the VTES revival in the Philippines is the discovery of two new Havens who welcomed the community with open arms: 89 Panay and The Office by Rollplay. These two venues would cater to our larger events in North and Central Metro Manila respectively.
    We also welcomed two new Princes to help keep the community engaged and organize events regularly. These two are Joscar Malacaman, the Prince of Taguig, and Micon Garcia, the Prince of Manila. Micon would take care of the community in the South of Metro Manila, while Joscar would take care of the community in the North and Center.

VTES Philippines 2023-2024 VTES Philippines 2023-2024

Barnett's Birthday Basagan ng Bungo
It was time to put the community to the test with our first Sanctioned Event in the post-pandemic era. This event took place in 89 Panay on November 25, 2023. As fate would have it, it was also the birthday of one of the pillars of our community, Richard Barnett. We had 17 players vying for packs of Twilight Rebellion, Black Chantry promos, and other prizes. Richard Barnett, a lifelong Brujah combat Methuselah, also gave our special prizes for the Methuselahs with the most number of burns and torpors during the day.

VTES Philippines 2023-2024
While Haig Bobis took home the title of King of Combat, it was Joscar Malacaman who would take the day with his Banu Haqim Anathema deck with 2 GW, 6 VP and 4 VP in the Final.

The other finalists were:
Paul Castillo: Palla Grande 2 GW 7 VP with 1 VP in the final
Paul Tio: Gangrel Anarchs 1 GW 4 VP
Richard Barnett: Brujah Amaranth/Lay Low 1 GW 3 VP
Mara Narciso: Nosferatu Animalism 1 GW 3 VP

December Danse Macabre
The second sanctioned tournament took place in the Office by Rollplay on December 16, 2023 and we had 19 players vying for League promos, Anarch Converts, and Direct Intervention sketch promos. We also gave away special prizes for the King of Combat (most burns and torpors), Prince of Politics (highest votes for a successful referendum), and the Baron of Bleed (highest successful bleed on one's prey).

VTES Philippines 2023-2024
Joscar Malacaman takes home his second tournament win with his Unforgiven Stanislava stealth multi-Act/MMPA (2 GW 7 VP, 4 VP in the final).

The other finalists were:
Ernest Andew Ellis: Ministry Platinum Protocol 1 GW 6 VP
Hesed Samuel Ramos: Anu Procurer bleed 1 GW 4 VP with 1 VP in the final
Haig Bobis: Potence rush 1 GW 3 VP
Kevin Michael Cabrera: Ministry stealth-bleed 0 GW 2VP
Kevin replaced Troy Espiritu in the final as Troy had to bow out from the tournament.

January's Jocular Jawbreaking Jamboree
With the new year comes a new tournament season and we kicked it off with an 11 player tournament last January 27, 2024. Our prize for this tournament was a sealed copy of the Berlin Anthology gifted to us by the Prince of Taipei, James Lin. Despite the smaller turnout due to the flu season, this tournament marks the first time we've used the 3 rounds + finals format in order to accommodate the awkward number of participants. Players who were sitting out the first round also introduced the game to two curious onlookers who played their first game of VTES as the tournament was happening. Participants were also treated to some pizza and drinks courtesy of the Prince of Taguig as he opted to celebrate his birthday with the community.

VTES Philippines 2023-2024
With a little bit of birthday luck, The Prince of Taguig makes it 3 for 3 in the post-pandemic tournament series as he bags another tournament win with his Matasuntha Guardian Vigil wall (2GW 7VP with 3 VP in the final).

Other finalists:
Richard Barnett: Bell and Barons 2 GW 7 VP
Ernest Ellis: Ministry Platinum Protocol 1 GW 4 VP with 1 VP in the final
Adrian Nuyda: Tremere V5 toolbox 1 GW 3 VP
Hesed Ramos: Baali Blood Storm 1 VP

Forward unto 2024
With the momentum from the community's effort to continuously embrace new players and create a welcoming environment for the game to thrive, it is about time to bring back the Philippine National Championships which will take place on May 25, 2024. Before that there will be monthly tournaments to keep the competitive scene growing in order to reach our goal of breaking 30 participants (for the 30th anniversary of the game) come Nationals.
    We are currently commissioning a local artist for a customized playmat reserved for finalists of the event. Constructed rating will also matter as our participation prize for nationals will be a set of player seating order cards representing the top 5 players of the country. We are very excited for this year and we have so much more in store for the community.

VTES Philippines 2024


VTES Perth trophy
 
WHO DOESN´T WANT TO WIN THAT?!
 
We have to show you this exquisite tournament trophy statue created by Shaune for the local gaming group in Perth, Australia. 3D printed and painted it with a marble finish.
 
Do you too have a cool VTES trophy to show off? Send a pic to , maybe it ends up in a newsletter!
 

 

Black Chantry logo

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: JANUARY 2024

• The Spanish print-on-demand service Gamepod now makes VTES! See above.

• There´s a revised edition of the Fifth Edition VTES rulebook that soon will be revealed, it maybe even by the time you read this. Have a look at www.blackchantry.com/utilities.

• The Ravnos, Salubri, and Tzimisce preconstructed decks are now in stores everywhere, and the reviews are great! If you can´t find these decks in your favorite store, please show them the list of distributors and maybe they can get them. If you need some strategy tips, make sure to check out the Fifth Edition helpsheets and look for videos about the decks online, for example Lies From The Tabletop (not all lies!)

• The second rounds of playtest of both the Hecata/Lasombra, the Ravnos/Salubri/Tzimisce New Blood and the 30th Anniversary preconstructed decks ended on January 31, and playtest coordinator Norman Brown compiled a 131 pages long report of the results that are now being digested by the design team. Big thanks to him and all the playtesters!

• Playtest of the two-player variant of VTES is also going on, we look forward to telling you more about that later.

VTES Fifth Edition 

Ravnos Salubri Tzimisce

Black Chantry Products 2022 October

Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Drivethrucards.com and other stores:

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mailFacebookInstagram or Twitter.


RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

The long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Extended Gameplay Reveal video is OUT. Check it out, or start with the shortened, spoiler-free trailer!

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


CALENDAR

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Brazil x10
Chile x2
Deutschland
Finland
France
Hungary
Italy x2
Lithuania
Online x2
Serbia
Spain x12
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 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.


“Every now and then a man's mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions.”.

VTES 

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

Traditionally, we take a look at the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle year that passed. As usual tournaments are a big part of the VEKN activities, and now we really left the pandemic behind us. 2023 was truly a year of tournaments, both big and small. Everywhere, but Spain and Brasil stand out. Yearly tournament statistics from the VEKN Event Calendar:
2019: 292
2020: 133
2021: 218
2022: 328
2023: 700!

This means we are not only back to pre-pandemic numbers, but we are growing A LOT!  The VEKN now has about 2 200 active tournament players all over the world!

Let's have a look at the highlights of the year, with the big tournaments in focus:

March: Arnau Díez Sans wins the Spanish championship with an old school, but group 6, Malkavian stealth-bleed deck. 146 players!

April: Rafael Barbosa wins is the 2023 Brazil championship with a Banu Haqim Anathema rush deck.

The first official VEKN judges are certified.

May: Nina Nilsson wins Grand Prix Liverpool 2023 with a Ministry Dabbler stealth-bleed deck.

Bram van Stappen becomes the 2023 Belgian champion with a Tzimisce wall with 19 bleed-bounce cards!

June: Kelly Schultz is the 2023 North American champion after getting 3 victory points in the final with a Lutz & Undele stealth-voter without any reaction cards.

VTES GP Brussels 2023 finalists
July: Bram Van Stappen (again!) wins Grand Prix Brussels 2023 playing another Auspex-based wall, this time Omaya-centered.

Marius Iscru becomes the 2023 Swiss champion with a Tremere Carna equipment-wall. Congratulations!

Eduardo Mateus takes home the Portugal championship piloting a group 2-3 Inner Circle stealth-vote deck.

August: The first ever VTES cards in German, a couple of promos, are published.

Joab Rogerio wins Grand Prix Campina Grande in Brazil with a Gangrel Anarch Thing-heavy toolbox.

Jon Grønset is the 2023 Norwegian champion, playing a Babalawo Emerald Legionnarie deck.

Irish champion is Lotte Siebert, playing a G5-6 Malkavian stealth-bleeder. 16 Govern the Unaligned and 8 Conditioning is underrated!

GP Germany 2023 floor

September: Jeroen Van Oort wins Grand Prix Germany 2023 with Ministry Dabbler stealth-bleed. 18 The Platinum Protocol and 15 Revelation of the Serpent, who knew that could work?

Keith Lim is the 2023 Australia/New Zealand continental champion, also with a Ministry Dabbler deck. Only 16 The Platinum Protocol and 10 Revelation of the Serpent also work.

Daniel Gargulák smashes the opposition in the Czech Republic championship with an Emerald Legionnaire & Shampling Hordes deck.

Bram Van Stappen (remember him from twice above?) is the 2023 Netherlands champion, with a Banu Haqim Kasim Bayar deck. Politics and combat is the trickiest combination in deck design, but Bram can handle it.

VTES EC 2023 finalists
October: Time for a fabulous European Championship in sunny Barcelona. Jonas Ståhle (Sweden) is the VTES 2023 European Champion – Ministry Dabbler stealth-bleed strikes again! Other winners this weekend is Milan Matthes (221 players “Last Chance”), Otso Saariluoma (269 players Day 1), Bartosz Kalinczuk Grand Prix final and Martin Weinmeyer (140 players “Redemption”).

Nerijus Mikalajunas becomes the 2023 VTES Champion of Poland playing a Harbingers & Giotto Verducci Emerald Legionnaire deck.

November: Hernán Rodríguez is the 2023 South American champion! He also played a Harbingers & Giotto Verducci Emerald Legionnaire deck.

Jens Johansson, back in VTES after a long absence, is the 2023 champion of Sweden, playing a Malkavian Petra Resonance stealth-vote deck.

Akseli Jalava wins the Finnish national championship with a True Brujah Shalmath Summon History Emerald Legionnaire deck.

Mikey Ferguson is the United Kingdom champion, playing a classic Gangrel Stanislava stealth-bleed/vote deck.

Milos Krstic becomes the 2023 Austrian champion, playing a Giotto Verducci & Maris Streck deck with Emerald Legionnaires and 12 Ashur Tablets.


Rodinei Teixeira de Camargo manages to get the full table sweep in the German championship finals with a Thing-heavy Gangrel Anarch toolbox. Quite an accomplishment!

Eduardo García is the 2023 champion of Mexico, playing a Lasombra Nocturn stealth-bleed deck (no Kiasyd!).

Also in December, the VEKN issued a couple of since long expected, debated and tested errata for Ashur Tablets and Emerald Legionnaire.

More information about all these events, the finals and the winning decks can be found in the newsletter archive.

The VEKN wants to thank all tournament organisers for your efforts this past year – you rock!

In addition to this, we saw many demo events all over the world this year, heroic efforts to welcome new players to VTES – we will continue to spotlight these deeds more often in these newsletters and elsewhere.

Happy new year, and never forget: Prey is to your left!


THREE NEW PRECONSTRUCTED DECKS IN STORES

We have been blessed with a huge bunch of new Vampire: The Eternal Struggle cards again! Three new Fifth Edition preconstructed decks are now in stores: Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce, packed with both brand new cards and needed reprints of old gems. The official legality date for tournaments is February 1, 2024, but don´t miss organising some fun release events too! The deck lists and all previews are available here:

- Fifth Edition Ravnos

- Fifth Edition Salubri

- Fifth Edition Tzimisce


GP Milan 2023 winner

DANILO TORRISI WINS GRAND PRIX MILAN 2023!

60 players turned up for this spectacular event in Italy on December 9.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Milan 2023


VTES Chile 2023 finalists

LUIS ESPEJO IS THE 2023 CHILEAN CHAMPION!

39 Methuselahs participated in this tournament in Santiago on December 8.

Read the full report: Chile National Championship 2023

Also, check out this video snippet for an extra look - looks like an AWESOME event!


PABLO ANDRADE WINS GRAND PRIX CEARENSE 2023!

55 players turned up for this one, in Fortaleza, Brazil on December 16.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Cearense 2023

While we´re at it, here´s some more Brazil GP info from Marcio Pinheiro, the Prince of Fortaleza:

Brazil is a continental country, we have 26 states and the federal district, distributed across 5 regions. Currently 13 states and the Federal District have VTES organizers, this makes us great enough to have our own Grand Prix. The National GP is made up of 14 states and 5 regional stages, each stage scores normally, similar to the European GP. Qualifying for the Final table of the National GP that takes place on the same weekend as the Brazilian Championship. Below are some images of the state and regional GPs that have already taken place.

GP state Stage - VI Torneio Paraibano - 06 August 2023

GP state Stage - VI Torneio Paraibano - 06 August 2023 - Campina Grande - Paraiba - Brazil - 21 players.
Mailton made a 700 km drive to play with us.

GP Regional Stage - Nordestão 2023 - 09 September 2023

GP Regional Stage - Nordestão 2023 - 09 September 2023 - Recife - Pernambuco - Brazil - 21 players.
Desso traveled 2 100 km to play with us.

GP state Stage - CariocAÇO - Estadual de VTES do Rio de Janeiro 2023

GP state Stage - CariocAÇO - Estadual de VTES do Rio de Janeiro 2023 - 25 November 2023 - Rio de Janeiro - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil - 39 players.
Márcio traveled 2 600 km to play with us.


Ashur Tablets Emerald Legionnaire

ASHUR TABLETS AND EMERALD LEGIONNAIRE HAVE OFFICIAL ERRATA

Already mentioned above, but we don´t want anyone to miss this: official errata have been issued for the cards Ashur Tablets and Emerald Legionnaire. The full statement with explanations is found at www.blackchantry.com, but let's summarise them:

• Only one Ashur Tablets can be played each turn.

• You cannot use the Emerald Legionnaire’s ability during your unlock phase if you control as many or more copies of them as ready unique Harbingers of Skulls.

Black Chantry has made these changed cards available as print-on-demand at Drivethrucards.com with a special discount ($0.15 per card).

Also, in the same post you found an addition to the tournament rules: VEKN sanctioned tournaments MAY now be played with more than one deck. Note that this format is totally optional.


VTES Gulf Coast Roast hosts

A NEW GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT REVEALED: THE GULF COAST ROAST 2024

This southeast USA tournament series will be played in:

• Lafayette: March 9

• Dallas: April 27

• Gulfport: August 24

• New Orleans: October 12

• Vidor: December 7

• Finals: Vidor: December 8

What a wonderful initiative! The VEKN wishes all the best to organisers and participants. More information will appear on the official Gulf Coast Roast Facebook page and other places!


RECRUITMENT EXERCISE: FRANCE

Words by Christophe Baltazar, National Coordinator of France:

A report from recent demos in France.

First demo, was held on November 18 at Trolls2Jeux in Paris, but unfortunately no photos.

Two persons were interested: Lucas has discovered the pleasure to play with Nosferatu vs Jorge (Ventrue) and Chris (Banu Haqim). Mathieu already knew the game before covid but has no playgroup in south of Versailles, where he's living. He has taught by Chris (Ventrue) and myself (Nosferatu) to play a constructed Brujah. I´m not sure Lucas will commit in VTES, but I try to find some players in Versailles area for Mathieu. Thanks for Chris and Jorge for helping!

VTES demo France 2023 VTES demo France 2023

 

VTES demo France 2023

Second demo at Vitrolles, located near Marseilles, which was held on 25th November at the game festival Jeux Joue. A special thanks for Nathan and Laurent. In all, we taught the game to 8 persons, and gave out 7 New Blood packs from the Black Chantry support.

Third demo was on 9th December at Trolls2Jeux in Paris. Unfortunately, Jeremy met nobody for that demo. Bad advertising and also bad timing because of christmas approaching, people hurried. But thanks to Jeremy for trying!

The fourth demo was held at Repaire du Dragon in Paris on 16th December. We've met another Mathieu from south of Paris, near Fontainebleau. He knows the game for a long time, but had no real opportunity to play where he live. We did two games: one with New Blood decks and one with normal decks. Mathieu is very interested in the game and will join us regularly for weekly games.

We'v also met two other guys, Antoine and Damien. Antoine is living Paris, near le Repaire Du Dragon, and Damien comes from north of France, no real playgroup over there but I will ask around for him and send him the Discord link.

Each of these three guys received one New Blood pack. Again, special thanks to Jeremy!

For promotion before each of this event we asked local players post on Facebook, as well as posts the VTES France and VTES Marseille groups. There was also information posters in nearby shops and game bars.

Are you interested in doing demo games? Reach out to !


Event posters

EVENT POSTERS FOR DOWNLOAD!

Black Chantry has made some nice VTES-themed posters with a blank lower part that are now available for free download, perfect for event organisers. So far there are six variants:

Anarch (Branimira by Mark Kelly and Theo Bell by Carmen Cornet)

Parity Shift (Art by Mark Kelly)

Fall of London (Art by Amy Wilkins)

Camarilla (Art by Carmen Cornet)

Enchant Kindred (Art by Carmen Cornet)

Faceless Night (Art by Samuel Araya)

Do you have ideas for more of this kind of material that would be useful for you as an organiser? Reach out to the VEKN or Black Chantry directly!


Anarch Convert Julius

IN MEMORIAM: JULIUS STONIS

"I‘ll give this one a try" said Julius Stonis after watching a few VTES games at his friend´s apartment in Vilnius, Lithuania back in 1996. He chose from a very limited selection of primarily Ventrue vampires and their assets, won 4 games in a row that evening, and has been the dominating force of the Lithuanian VTES until his untimely death in January 2022. Since then, the Lithuanian VTES Nationals ("Vilnius by Night") are held in his memory, on the Saturday closest to Julius‘ birthday – the 26th of February. This year they will take place in Vilnius, on the 24th of February, at the Wargamer club.

Black Chantry Productions and the VEKN will honour the memory of Julius with a special Anarch Convert promo card (see above).


 

Black Chantry logo

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: DECEMBER 2023

• As mentioned above, the Ravnos, Salubri, and Tzimisce decks are now out in the wild. The distribution has been uneven, but by the time you read this, you have probably already had the opportunity to get your hands on them.

• There was a last-minute name change on a crypt card. This 6-cap powerhouse got renamed:

VTES Roberto Rivamonte Ravnos

• Black Chantry partner Conclave has a new batch of VTES cards in Brazilian Portuguese ready for you!

Conclave VTES

• The second round of playtest of the Hecata and Lasombra preconstructed decks is now ongoing and will end January 31.

• Playtest coordinator Norman Brown has compiled a first 63-page playtest report on the two-player variant of VTES. 42 playgroups sent in their views, now for the design team to analyse and more forward on. Big thanks to all participants!

• A first draft of the 30th Anniversary preconstructed deck has been sent to playtesters. Yes, this will contain powerful group 6 and 7 Camarilla vampires of capacity above 8. First playtest reactions are positive!

• At the same time, the first draft of five new New Blood packs were sent to playtest - clans Ravnos, Salubri, Tzimisce, Hecata and Lasombra. Yes, there will be lots of work for the testers now, but it´s good to start early with testing to be able to do as many testrounds as possible.

VTES Fifth Edition 

Ravnos Salubri Tzimisce

Black Chantry Products 2022 October

Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Drivethrucards.com and other stores:

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mailFacebookInstagram or Twitter.


Blood-Stained Love RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

Some highlights from December:

• The Vampire: The Masquerade actual play New York by Night will return in 2024, it was disclosed in the World of Darkness News show.

• Another development diary for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was published, this time about the upgrade from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.

• The "Blood-Stained Love" sourcebook for Vampire: The Masquerade is now available in PDF for all that made pre-orders of the physical book. This one includes various tools on how to play vampires in romantic stories, how maximize or minimize romance as a Storyteller, new Merits, Flaws and Disciplines, as well as advice for safety and healthy boundaries at your roleplaying.

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


CALENDAR

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Brazil x15
Chile
Czech Republic
Deutschland
France
Hungary
Italy
Online x2
Poland x2
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Spain x9
Sweden
UK
USA x8

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 and the official VEKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES


The man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.