Greetings fellow Methuselahs
Winter is upon us, in all its dark glory! Celebrate the darkness, and remember that the most charitable thing you can do to a fellow Cainite is to deliver her the oust. Well, not charitable to her, but to yourself, and, after all, that is what matters, isn´t it? I am sure most of you agree, deep in your heart, that is why you have reached this esteemed age. So do not hesitate the next time you have a decent hand and your prey's pool is low enough and all her minions are locked – what could ever go wrong?
EC PARIS WILL BE PLAYED AUGUST 16-18 2019
Organizers have announced the dates for EC 2019 in Paris, of course great for everyone who wants to plan their vacation and buy travel tickets early.
- “Week of Nightmares” with tournaments starts August 12th
- EC tournaments: August 16th to 18th
See this VEKN.net forum thread: European Championship 2019 (EC 2019) in Paris and the official Facebook event: Parisec2019vtes
VEG 2018-2019 TOURNAMENT SITES REVEALED!
V:EKN Organized Play Coordinator Orian Gissler has decided the schedule for the 2018-2019 V:TES European Grand Prix (VEG). The tournaments are:
• Bologna, Italy (December 2018)
• Brno, Czech Republic (March 2019)
• Portugal (April 2019)
• Warsaw, Poland (TBA)
• Helsinki, Finland (July 2019)
Also, the V:EKN and Black Chantry Productions are proud to announce that game accessory manufacturers Ultra Pro continue to sponsor the VEG circuit. If you attend at least one of the five GP tournaments you will get one copy of V:TES playmat featuring Evil Jensen (see above).
Please visit the official VEG information page at VEKN.net for more information – details about each tournament will be added as they are set.
ARTIST IN FOCUS: KEN MEYER JR.
Ken Meyer Jr is one of the most iconic VTES illustrators. He has been creating flavorful and captivating artwork for almost every expansion since the original Jyhad set in 1994. Totally it has become 155 cards over the years. The VEKN and Black Chantry Productions are very happy to continue to work with mister Meyer now that the game is back in production again. You can see an example of that at the top of this newsletter – Carolina Vález from the upcoming Black Chantry product. And he also agreed to answer some questions in this interview - many thanks!
Let’s start from the beginning: What is your background as an artist?
- Well, I started drawing because of comic books. When I was very young, around 10 or less, I was tracing from the comics, using carbon paper. Later I would try to draw what I saw on the comic page beside the paper. Then, I made up some characters of my own, stories as well. I would try to get illustrations published in the fanzines of the day – this would be in the early to mid-70s. I always knew I was going to be an artist.
Though I went to college, I was a terrible student, and the college wasn't that great to begin with, so I did not learn much. Most of what I knew was self-taught. I worked in many places; ad agencies, military contracts as a civilian, software companies, etc. I did do some comic work, but mostly for small publishers such as Caliber and Eclipse, with a few smaller jobs along the way for Marvel. But, I realized I just did not have whatever it took to really make it in that industry, though I continued to dabble in it.
At some point, I did some work for a now defunct company, Mayfair Games, on a werewolf book called “Lycanthropes”. An art director there at the time, Maria Carbado, eventually went on to work for Wizards of the Coast, and because of that connection, I did some work for Magic the Gathering. But, all through that (and to this day), I did many illustrations for White Wolf games ... hundreds of paintings! I do regular work now for Onyx Path.
What artistic techniques do you prefer?
- As for media, for the longest time, I used watercolor primarily. I still use it, but use acrylic ink a lot more frequently. But I have also used other media such as acrylic, oil, mixed media, etc. I just use whatever seems to fit that particular job.
What kind of motives do you prefer? What kind of assignments?
- I have to admit, I think I work better with deadlines and exact assignments. This whole “do what you want whenever” approach doesn't do me much good. I do like working with humanoid subjects when I can. I have the most fun with pictures that incorporate some sort of dramatic lighting ... which horror is tailor made for! In fact, I did not drift into the horror gaming genre because the horror aspect, but because of that dramatic lighting that so often you see in classic horror films. Most of my work early on was black and white, which fit it even more.
You have made lots of work for VTES, other games and other places – what are you most proud of?
- Well, many of the portraits I did for VTES are some of my favorite pieces, for example the whole book “Kindred Most Wanted” which was all me. I just love painting people. Along the same lines, some of my favorite pieces were done for the Clive Barker game Imagica, but the game went nowhere unfortunately. Many of the pieces in my first big assignment for White Wolf, “The Masquerade”, contains many favorite early pieces.
How do you work with models? Some of your pieces seem obvious model work, others are not so sure?
- Yes, at some point in the nineties, even in my comic work, I used more and more models and photo references, wanting to get the work as realistic as possible, and to get all those lovely shadows. It was usually a combination of shots I took myself, some friends took for me, and references I would find in books and later, the internet. You have to be able to do at least the basic work without a model when necessary, but there are so many specific, individual characteristics that are very hard to just dream up, especially when you apply out of the ordinary camera angles and all those ... shadows!
What other work do you do these days?
- I am always doing something! If it isn't a new Magic playmat to take to tournaments, it's altered Magic cards, or a commission... the variety of what I have done and do is pretty big. At the moment, I have four illustrations for Onyx Path, a portrait of a couple, some illustrations for an educational software company, a few "repaintings" of a few of my classic Magic cards, and god knows what else!
Also, I do a monthly column on the fanzines of years gone by called Ink Stains. Each month, I cover a different zine or group of zines. They were a big part of my childhood and college years, so it is really enjoyable to me, and I like sharing them with people who had no or little chance to see them for themselves.
I also teach some painting techniques at a local community college. I am also working on a cure for the common cold and a time travel machine in my spare time.
Thanks again to Ken Meyer Jr for this interview. Check out his work at www.kenmeyerjr.com, where you also can find links to his Ink Stains columns. Also visit his Storenvy-page, where you can buy art and a lot of other related things.
Please also read our previous artist interviews, with Carmen Cornet, Noora Hirvonen and Riccardo Fabiani - many more will follow!
ONE MONTH – THREE NORDIC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
By strange coincidence, three Nordic countries held their national championships this month. Let's take a look at the results!
• DANISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2018
Final table: Michael (Tzmisce G2 wall) > Morten (Malkavian G3-4 stealth-bleed) > Rudolf (Tremere with obfuscate vote) > Jesper (Nergal Power-bleed) > Nikolaj (Gangrel G4-5 Rush & Block)
Final results: Rudolf 4, Michael 1
Champion: Rudolf Scholz (GER) – congratulations Rudolf!
For winning deck list more information: VEKN.net forum thread
• SWEDISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2018
Final table: Randal (AUS midcap gun-wall) > Mathias (!Salubri rush/wall) > Zack (Harbingers Khurshid toolbox) > Erik (Sabbat OBF PRE vote) > Matti (Tremere anarchs with nec stealth-bleed)
Final results: Zack 1.5, Erik 1, Randal 0.5, Mathias 0.5
Champion: Zack Holmgren (SWE) – congratulations Zack!
Special thanks to all travelling players, extra special thanks to our Finland friends that showed up.
For winning deck list and more information: VEKN.net forum thread
• FINNISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2018
For this we got some words from one of the organizers, Tero Aalto:
The tournament took place in the same venue as the previous two years: the library in the Center of Espoo, i.e. in the middle of nowhere. Attendance was significantly up from the previous years, a whole 33% from 24 to 32 players. The renewed availability of cards and beginning revival of the game must have had an effect. And in fact, during fall 2018, weekly games in the capital region have also been increasingly popular. Who knows, next year we may be forced to look for a bigger space for the Nationals, but that will be a positive problem.
The tournament was a success in other respects as well. Many players described the games as interesting and even pleasant. My personal experience supports this observation: it's hard to remember another tournament where in each of the three rounds (almost) everybody had the chance to play their own game and even to win the table. The decks were very varied, and generally not very aggressive. Even the trademark Finnish combat-heavy decks were quite few.
Two game wins were required to make it to the final, and only five people did (including one with three), so the cut-off was very clear. From what I saw, the final seemed very close.
Final table: Matti (Tremere with nec anarch stealth-bleed) > Marko S (The Unnamed, Xeper & Annazir) > Otso (Girls stealth-bleed) > Juho (Setites with Bima stealth-bleed) > Jyri (Ventrue grinder)
Final results: Otso 1.5, Jyri 1.5, Matti 1
Champion: Otso Saariluoma (FIN) - congratulations Otso!
For winning deck list and more information, please also read the champion's own tournament report at the VEKN.net forum – a very good read!
BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: NOVEMBER 2018
• In the most recent production update, it was revealed that distributors are getting the Belgium printed Heirs to the Blood bundles and restock of Keepers of Tradition bundles by mid-December. So if you are a player that feels our products are missing from the shelves of your local game store – talk to the manager, and make that person talk to their distributors, who in turn will contact Black Chantry.
• Four preconstructed decks are almost done for printing. If everything goes well they will turn up on both Drivethrucards and in stores early in the first quarter of 2019.
• Anthology 1, which was revealed last month, is being prepared for printing. Most likely you will be able to get this too in first quarter 2019, both print on demand via Drivethrucards and normal printing in stores.
• The V5-themed boxed set is being designed. Product director Ben Peal and freelance game designer Mike Nudd are in charge, and hopefully the first round of playtesting will begin really soon. There are a number of setting-dependant issues to be cleared which are being discussed with White Wolf at the moment – Ben will talk more about that in an upcoming designers' diary-text.
• Rules director Vincent “Ankha” Ripoll is vetting wording all cards that are to be reprinted and also (in his spare time) rewriting the VTES rulebook. He is always pondering various changes for cards, rules and tournament rules – please check out his threads at the VEKN forum, for example about optimal seating and time limit variants for finals.
• Currently five Black Chantry products are available through DriveThruCards.com, and the top three can also be found in other stores:
- Lost Kindred bundle
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2
Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.
CHICAGO BY NIGHT KICKSTARTED AT 296%
1 852 backers pledged $119 039 of av $40 000 goal to help bring Chicago By Night for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition to unlife. By looking at absolutelly FANTASTIC artwork spoiled at the Kickstarter page and the hundreds of pages of preview text files, this setting book is going to be a total blast. Now there will be lots and lots of waiting for the actual book, and hopefully some interesting tie-ins with future Black Chantry VTES products. According to that preview material, at least some of the lower capacity vampires already in VTES are still active in the Chicago area, and maybe also some of the really old ones …
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed
CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
December 1: Bleeding is Coming - Alicante, Spain
December 1: Friendly Saturday Tournament II - Bologna, Italy
December 2: VEG 2019 - Bologna, Italy
December 2: Loughman's Fifth Tradition Birthday - Heath, USA
December 8: IV. Round - Pest, Hungary
December 9: Natal na Camarilla - São Paulo, Brazil
December 15: Christmas massacre - Santiago, Chile
December 15: Crónicas del Califa: The Raid, fight for Córdoba - Córdoba, Spain
December 15: Black Forest Base - Hyvinkää, Finland
December 16: Algeciras Silent Death I - Algeciras, Andalucía, Spain December 16: Marató TV3 - Badía del Vallés, Catalunya, Spain
For more information on upcoming events see the V:EKN Event Calendar.
CONTACT V:EKN
You can contact the V:EKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at V:EKN.net. Also follow the V:EKN Facebook group, the official V:TES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and the official V:EKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Greetings fellow Methuselahs
Sorry for being late again! I am already snowed in because my lazy ghouls refuse to do their job, but I also have another problem. My crypt, located in the middle of a Swedish graveyard, is currently under siege by a large number of spooky, ethereal folks calling themselves “the emerald legion”. I have no idea what they really want, but they are in my way and they are prone to violence. I have consulted Tobin´s Spirit Guide, but the page about these folks seems to have been torn out. Could someone send help? Please?
ANTHOLOGY 1 – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Recently the complete contents of the upcoming product Anthology 1 were spoiled on Blackchantry.com. Yes, it is the same selection of cards as for the limited ”Berlin Anthology” set produced in 2017 for the World of Darkness Berlin event, with the exception of 11 cards that were designed inspired by the live-action role-playing scenarios held at the event. The most common questions answered by Black Chantry about this set are:
Q: Why do you release this set now?
A: It contains many cards that are still in high demand among players. In spite of the 2017 set, cards like, for example, Enkil Cog and Monastery of Shadows are still hard to get.
Q: What about the 11 storyline cards? Are they still legal for tournament play? When will they be reprinted?
A: Yes, they are still legal. They will be made available again, shortly. Don´t worry.
Q: When can we buy Anthology 1?
A: A definitive date has not been set, and better wait to give even an approximate date.
Q: Is it for print-on-demand or stores?
A: Both. It will probably be made available on both Drivethrucards.com and through normal distribution simultaneously.
Q: What will it cost?
A: The recommended retail price will be about $20/€18.
DISTRIBUTOR LIST REVEALED – AND CONSTANTLY UPDATED
Black Chantry has published a list of distributors on Blackchantry.com. So far no exclusive deals are made, so it’s up to any distributors to contact the company to get products. This means:
• Are you a player and want VTES in your local game store? Tell your store!
• Are you a store and want to sell VTES? Contact your distributor!
• Are you a distributor and want to distribute VTES? Mail !
VEKN FACEBOOK GROUP = SUCCESS!
With last month’s newsletter, an official Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Facebook group was launched. Not only has it gathered almost 700 members in just 30 days, but it’s also jam-packed with posts and comments, and the mood is generally love and happiness. If you use Facebook and are not yet a member, please join – all players of VTES are welcome, as long as you follow the rules in the Discussion Guidelines and the normal Facebook rules (no fake identities, etc.). See you there!
Most engaging post in October:
1: Nathan call for ban on Pentex and Brainwash
2: Humble Bundle Exclusive VTES Set
3: Janne says “Greetings from the Boondock, Finland!”
4: Ignacio: “Someone who trade Pentex?”
5: Dave: "Here´s my Trujah selection; who gets to star in a deck?"
BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: OCTOBER 2018
• The 1000 kilograms of Belgian printed cards mentioned in the September newsletter have now been distributed in Europe, Asia and Australia. Some of it disappeared immediately due to preorders, but don´t worry – more cards are being printed!
• Black Chantry is still working on how to get products to some places, for example Brazil. But options are being evaluated and hopefully solutions to these problems will be found shortly.
• Black Chantry has been part of its first charity event. During the period 3-14 October the product Humble Bundle Exclusive VTES Set was available through Drivethrucards.com, as a part of the White Wolf Humble RPG Book Bundle. 11 560 bundles were sold of the book bundle, but how many of these will take the opportunity to get the physical VTES set is not clear. The content was two each of Lord Tremere, Mithras, Montano, The Capuchin and The Dracon. These cards will be made available again soon, but without the red Humble Bundle set symbol. “We enjoyed getting some minor exclusives out for Humble Bundle, but we'll work on making the process smoother for future similar offers”, says Black Chantry CEO Hugh Angseesing.
• The first distributors list were revealed on October 18.
• Anthology 1 were announced and spoiled on October 21.
• Due to the previous problems with misprints, Black Chantry is now applying new, very thorough routines for proofreading. The whole staff are involved in this work.
• Chief marketing ghoul Henrik Klippström attended Spiel 18 in Essen, Germany, the world’s largest board game fair. The booth was shared with Paradox Interactive, White Wolf and Nice Game. With the help of friendly players Rudolf, Ali and Mike he ran demos of VTES for three days. “It was a blast! All who tested the game loved it, and MANY old time players approached me to thank Black Chantry for our efforts to revive the game – some were almost crying of joy”, Henrik says.
• Currently five Black Chantry products are available through DriveThruCards.com, and the top three can also be found in other stores:
- Lost Kindred bundle
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2
Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.
RULES QUESTIONS
Rules Director Vincent Ripoll answers some recent rules questions:
Q: Eric Kressida's revised text says that "he can burn the Edge to move to your ready region." (previously: "you can burn the Edge to move Eric to your ready region"). Does it mean he can now burn the Edge that is not controlled by his controller?
A: No. First of all, "burn the Edge *to*..." means that burning the Edge is a cost. You can pay costs only with resources you control. Then, minions you control have access to your resources:
- a minion you control can burn the Edge you control (Eric Kressida)
- a minion you control can discard a card from your hand (Uchenna)
- a minion you control can burn a location you control (Osric)
- a minion you control can burn the top cards of your library or crypt (Paul Cordwood)
- etc.
Q: Can "The Line" be used to reduce the cost of a recruit action card (e.g., Shambling Hordes)?
A: Yes. Recruit action cards are action cards.
Q: Who is the acting minion when Marie-Pierre uses her ability?
A: Neither Marie-Pierre nor the opposing vampire are acting (for effects that refer to "acting minion"), but standard sequencing rules apply (i.e., acting player, then blocking/target player, then clockwise from the acting player).
Q: What is the timing of Marie-Pierre's ability with respect to action modifiers (specifically Freak Drive)?
A: She enters combat before the acting minion can play Freak Drive. The acting minion can play Freak Drive at the end of the action, as usual.
Q: What if the acting Samedi successfully rushed and has Perfectionist? When do they gain the blood (not that it matters much, but just curious)?
A: During the same window as Freak Drive.
Q: What about the timing of reaction cards? If Marie-Pierre isn't acting when she uses her ability, can the opposing minion play a reaction card like Obedience?
A: Not Obedience because Obedience works only against acting vampire (and Marie-Pierre isn't acting in that case). If the opposing minion is not the acting minion, he could play reaction cards that apply.
Q: What about cards like Psyche or Telepathic Tracking? If my other Samedi was acting and combat ended with both combatants still ready, can I use Marie-Pierre's ability before the opposing minion can play Superior Psyche?
A: Psyche! is played during combat, way before Marie-Pierre's ability can be used.
Q: Can Marie-Pierre's special interrupt Rötschreck's effect to prevent another Samedi from going to torpor?
A: Yes. Effects that end combat and then do something else after combat (all in the single resolution of the effect) will fizzle if combat doesn't end or if a new combat is started.
Q: An Anarch vampire attempts to block and is successful. Can he play Guardian Vigil before combat?
A: You can't play it once the block is successful, you must play it before. However, the following scenario is possible:
Acting Meth: A bleeds
You: B attempts to block.
Acting Meth: Blocked*
You: B plays Guardian Vigil
Acting Meth: Still blocked**
You: OK, combat then.
*: when he says "blocked", he should say "no more stealth" or "no more effects".
**: he could play stealth at this point.
Q: Is Alvusia's bonus bleed or strength permanent? It says "Once each action, you can burn 1 counter from this card to give a slave Gargoyle you control +1 bleed or +1 strength."
A: If an effects works "once each action" or "during an action", the default duration is until the end of the action.
Feel to discuss one of these rulings? Use the VEKN.net forum or the brand new VEKN Facebook group!
KICKSTART CHICAGO BY NIGHT
Hot RPG news: Our friends at White Wolf and Onyx Path have launched the Kickstarter campaign for the V5 edition of Chicago By Night. This is the third incarnation of this awesome city sourcebook, by some called the best setting material ever produced for any role-playing game. Many VTES cards spawn from the iconic characters of Chicago; Helena, Menele, Lodin, Ublo-Satha, Inyanga and many others. Check it out!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed
CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
November 1: Bachanalia - Zielona Góra, Poland
November 2: Dead-End Alley - II limited 2018 (Darkness Day) - Fortaleza, Brazil
November 3: Danish Nationals 2018 - Copenhagen, Denmark
November 3: Nacional Portugal 2018 - Lisboa, Portugal
November 3: Vampire the Eternal Saturday - Waterloo, United States
November 4: No Secrets From The Magaji - São Paulo, Brazil
November 4: Silence of Death - Lisboa, Portugal
November 10: Finnish National Championship 2018 - Espoo, Finland
November 10: Forced Awakening - Szczecin, Poland
November 16: Torneio Alagoano - Maceió, Brazil
November 17: Swedish National Championship 2018 - Stockholm, Sweden
November 17: Nordestão 2018 - Maceió, Brazil
November 17: Werewolf uprising - Santiago, Chile
November 17: Brujah Debate In the north - Sant Celoni, Spain
November 17: Algeciras Nocturno I - Córdoba, Spain
November 17: Crónicas del Califa I: Calma antes de la Tormenta - Andalucía, Spain
November 17: Round III. - Vác, Hungary
November 18: Rage Across Appalachia 3 - Asheville, United States
November 24: Rebirth Gatineau - Gatineau, Canada
November 25: Algeciras Nocturno II - Algeciras, Spain
For more information on upcoming events see the V:EKN Event Calendar.
CONTACT V:EKN
You can contact the V:EKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at V:EKN.net. Also follow the V:EKN Facebook group, the official V:TES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and the official V:EKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES
"Speak softly, and carry a big stick."
Greetings fellow Methuselahs
After months of horribly sunny weather, many of us now enjoy cozy, rainy dark autumn, well suited for shutting yourself in your crypt by a table with your favorite friends … enemies … frienemies? Oh, how I love to host them … socialize with them … manipulate them … dominate them!
VEKN IS NOW OFFICIALLY ON FACEBOOK
An official VEKN Facebook group has been created: “Vampire: Elder Kindred Network”. Here you can, under your own name, discuss anything that you previously used to discuss on the VEKN.net forum. The old forum will continue as normal – this will just be an alternative way to talk about our favorite game.
The guidelines for posting are in most ways the same as for the VEKN.net forum (plus any general Facebook rules). Please, read those rules in the top announcement before posting.
Also, as there won´t be any subsections, please remember to add a post topic and/or start your post with concrete subject, for example “Rules question:”, “New card idea:” or “Tournament announcement Mexico City:”.
BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: SEPTEMBER 2018
• A set of preconstructed decks have been playtested by many groups, coordinated by Darby Keeney. Rules Director Vincent Ripoll is now struggling with playtest feedback on template issues to make all future cards worded in the best possible way. Artwork for the new cards in these decks is complete – one of the pieces can be seen at the top of this newsletter, by Carmen Cornet. Isn´t it fantastic?!
• Almost 1 000 kilograms of VTES cards were finally delivered from the print shop in Belgium. They are to be sent out to our first non-US distributors, and from there to stores and customers. This first batch is Lost Kindred and the two Keepers of Tradition reprint bundles, but more products will be made available this way gradually.
• At the same time as new VTES cards will be available in other stores, you can still order print-on-demand cards from DriveThruCards.com. Current products are:
- Lost Kindred bundle
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 1
- Keepers of Tradition Reprint Bundle 2
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 1
- Heirs of the Blood Reprint Bundle 2
• Black Chantry will appear at Spiel ´18 in Essen, Germany on October 25-28. Spiel is the world’s biggest consumer fair for gaming, with 80 000 square meters of exhibition space, over 1 100 exhibitors and an expected 180 000 visitors. Please drop by the booth next to White Wolf, and please direct your curious friends to a demo game of VTES!
• A very special surprise product will appear early in October. Watch out for that announcement!
Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.
VTES ONLINE ON LACKEY – HOW DOES IT WORK?
People say VTES can´t be played online. Igor and Martin do not agree! They are two of the organizers behind VTES on LackeyCCG, the application for playing almost any collectible card game online. We had the opportunity to ask them some questions.
Who are you guys?
Igor: Hello, my name is Igor Beslin. I am a VTES and chess player from Serbia. I play chess for team Bezdan. In the last 11 years I attended every International Championship of Vojvodina. In my free time, I also like to watch football. My favorite team is Red Star from Belgrad. In the last couple years I also organized five VTES online tournaments on LackeyCCG.
Martin: Hi, my name is Martin Weinmayer. I am a VTES player from Austria. In my free time I love traveling the globe to compete in VTES tournaments. Other hobbies include computer games (mmorpg, moba, strategy), board games, pen & paper rpgs and all kind of sports. I have been leading a competitive World of Warcraft guild for 3 years, so I am familiar with building and maintaining an online community.
What is Lackey?
Martin: LackeyCCG is a tool for playing any type of card game online (or offline in solitaire mode). It is also a great tool for building and designing decks. You basically meet in a gaming lobby where you can chat and set up games with fellow players. The server is maintained by an American named Trevor, who is usually around in social media if we need help. The plugin used to play VTES on Lackey is maintained by Fernando Cesar, a Brasilian VTES player. Eternal thanks to both of them.
Igor: For me Lackey is a good place for fun. There I test my deck strategy, play with friends, talking and laughing. Since I don´t have a playgroup in my near vicinity, it is currently my only place to enjoy and play VTES. Some day I hope I can attend the European Championship and test my skills acquired in online play.
When did you start playing online? Who introduced you to Lackey?
Igor: I started to play VTES in August 2011, and on Lackey in December 2011. The player who taught me to play VTES introduced me to Lackey. Our first idea was to test our decks for real life play. At that time my English was not very good, and that´s why I very rarely played online. Unfortunately I lost my playgroup shortly afterwards, and then I focused to play VTES on Lackey.
Martin: It started for me when I met Bram van Stappen and Martin Schumacher at the Belgium GP earlier this year. I always felt that Bram and Martin, despite being great players, had a certain advantage because their decks are really well designed. I was curious to what part LackeyCCG played in all of this. It didn´t take me long to see the huge potential for VTES in online play, and ... here I am :-)
Can anyone play VTES on Lackey? What do you need?
Igor: First you need an internet connection. (Editors note: Currently Lackey run over Windows, MAC, iPad and Linux with emulator. No Android support yet). It is also important that you like VTES and have some free time to play.
Martin: Anyone can play, yes. If you are already a VTES player in real life, it takes me about 15 minutes to explain to you all the online mechanics used to play. It is surprisingly similar to real life games. It is also a good place for new players to explore and learn VTES at their own pace. You can play training games (solitaire mode even), work on your deck, or find other new players to explore the game together.
What are the main differences between playing on Lackey and playing the physical game?
Igor: I played real life VTES only as a beginner, and I also played with beginners, so I probably cannot get you the best answer. But the obvious differences are: you play the game on PC, not with cards. You don´t talk, you write messages, although the group playing with the voice-software Discord is growing each week. If you want to play VTES you do not need to travel, you can find online players and play with them.
Martin: The best thing about playing online is being able to connect to the entire VTES world and play games outside of your own continent’s meta. The experience you get is invaluable. You also have more freedom to experiment with deck ideas for real life tournaments, when you are not limited by organizing your physical cards. Another difference with online play is that you can have a game in your underwear while eating pizza if you feel like it :-)
How do VTES tournaments on Lackey work?
Igor: I organized five tournaments via Lackey until now. People choose their schedules (days and hours), and based on those schedules I made a calendar and tables for the games. Some of the tournaments took more than a month to finish, but the last one was finished in 8 days. We are planning our next online tournament to be a 1 day worldwide event coming this late October.
Martin: Currently we are organizing an Online World Championship. Games are played in a league once every Monday, from the 3rd of September until the 3rd of December. This is a total of 14 games, and you need 6 games to get a final ranking. There is still time to join! Players can choose to play in either the American League (7 pm PDT) or the European League (9 pm CEST). 50 players have participated in this first Online World Championship already. At the end of the league stage the best players from both leagues will fight for the Online World Champion title. The World Final will be played and streamed live on TwitchTV on the 15th of December.
How can Lackey help supporting the game?
Igor: Since I lost my playgroup, Lackey is the only way for me playing VTES. I hope that I will find a playgroup someday, and go to real life tournaments.
Martin: The community needs people playing the game, and there are lot of reasons why people stopped playing. Maybe they lost their playgroup like Igor, or they don´t fit into their playgroup, or they just don´t enjoy playing with those same people anymore, or they simply don´t find enough time to meet up in real life regularly. Online play can help with all of that, connect you to a wide range of players throughout the world and lets you keep playing the game. Because it’s so easily accessible, Lackey encourages you to experiment with new decks, and then buy or trade the cards needed to play.
Are any deck type better or worse to play on Lackey?
Igor: I think vote decks have the best results. But I’m not 100 % sure, if you want to be sure, you can join in online games and test it ;)
Martin: I played almost all my tournament decks on Lackey with same results as in real life. So no, I don´t think any deck type is better or worse online.
If I want to start playing now, where do I go?
Igor: Turn on your PC, install LackeyCCG from www.lackeyccg.com and the VTES plugin from www.lackeyccg.com/vtes and have fun! We also have a League Webpage hosted by Kai Kimmerle for rankings and statistics: www.vtes-hook.com/liga/liga_liste.php
Martin: My first place to visit would be our group "VTES LackeyCCG" on Facebook. We also have Skype or Discord channels set up for connecting the players. You can also contact one of the admins for LackeyCCG:
Organizers American League:
Karl Schaefer () Lackey name: kschaefer
Mark Jasper () Lackey name: mjvtes
Adam Hulse () Lackey name: Erewego
Organizers European League:
Igor Beslin () Lackey name: Beslin Igor
Martin Weinmayer () Lackey name: angrynewb
Thanks for the answers guys. See you in hackerspace!
RULES QUESTIONS FROM EC 2018
Here is a list of questions asked during Days 1 and 2 of the EC (and Polish NC), answered and compiled by the Head Judge Pascal Bertrand.
Ingrid Rossler - can I use the extra transfers immediately?
No.
I play a Torn Signpost. I play an Increased Strength. I handstrike. Why is it not for 5?
Because handstrike is not a strike requiring Potence.
Kindred Spirits cancelled by Veil of Darkness. Am I locked, and can I play it again?
No, and yes (like a DI).
Sascha Vykos’ controller plays a Wash on a Master. Can he draw before playing the Wash?
No. First goes Wash, then the opportunity to draw.
Malkavian Dementia: the stolen vampire is locked. Do you return them locked or unlocked?
Locked.
An imbued with React with Conviction is trying to cancel Xeper’s ability. What happens next?
Xeper is unlocked, and can do the same action again.
Who controls the Art’s Traumatic Essence?
It is a minion card, so the controller of the minion it is attached to.
Can I play multiple Spying Missions against the same Methuselah?
Yes. You play it before resolution, and the burning happens at resolution.
I played Forced Awakening, and they play Tangle Atropo’s Hand. Do I burn blood?
Yes.
Can I change the terms of a “discussed Banishment” after playing the card?
Yes. There are no terms before the resolution.
Can I stick to a deal if I have a GW?
Yes.
I have drawn for Uncoiling 2 turns ago. What should I do?
We removed a Dreams and didn’t fix anything else.
A contested imbued comes back during the unlock. Can he get a conviction (normal unlock conviction)?
Yes.
If they yield their title, do I get mine back immediately?
No, wait until your next unlock phase.
Two players left. Can we deal 3-2 if one player has 3 VPs already?
Yes.
If I hunt then play Change of Target, can I hunt again?
No.
I contest Unmada. Do I get momentarily +1 hand size?
No.
I Dodge against Flash Grenade. What happens?
You’re OK: Flash Grenade has no effect on the dodging minion.
Nephandus in combat with minion with Murder of Crows, what happens?
Nephandus takes unaltered damage from Murder of Crows (not opposing minion).
Opposing minion plays Serpent’s Numbing Kiss, I play Bond with the Mountain. Is my vampire locked or unlocked?
Locked.
In combat, I get hit by Flash Grenade. Can I play Cats’ Guidance?
Yes. End combat first, and then, at the end of the action, play Cats’ Guidance. You would be unlocked.
My grand predator is bleeding me for 2 and has a Spying Mission against me. Can I play Archon Investigation on him at some point?
No. AI is played before resolution, whilst Spying Mission burns at resolution.
If I play basic Majesty against Flash Grenade, do I get locked?
Yes.
He played Tangle Atropo’s Hand on a Govern the Unaligned. Why can he do it again?
Because it never reached resolution.
It’s my minion phase, but I forgot to take the Edge. Can I gain 1 pool from it?
No.
Dark Influences is in play. I play Delaying Tactics on a Parity Shift. Is my Delaying Tactics cancelled?
No. It isn’t a card that cancels a card.
I bleed. My prey doesn’t block, so I play Conditioning. My grand prey wants to Eagle’s Sight.
You should ask other players if they want to block after your prey declines.
Can I play superior Indomitability for a press when there is no damage to prevent?
Sure.
I play Concealed Weapon and Flash Grenade. But they DI the Concealed Weapon. Where should my Flash Grenade (that was in play) be?
Flash Grenade should not be in play. It remains in the hand until Concealed Weapon reaches resolution.
I am ousted, but I previously played a Dark Influences. Where does it go?
You control the card, so it is removed from the game.
I replaced a card without checking for Veil of Darkness. What should we do?
[Judge picked a random card from the deck and showed the rest of the players another card of that kind from the hand.]
I forgot to do stuff for Constant Resolution (1 counter) when I was at 1 pool on my turn.
[Judge discarded a random card.]
Can we get extra time because we called the Judge 3 times?
No. Judge grants time, not players.
Do I get to see the replacement card after using Le Dinh Tho’s ability?
No.
4-life Shambling Hordes declares a hand strike against Lucian the Perfect. What is the amount of damage the Hordes inflicts?
4.
Ashur Tablets: Do I announce which cards I want to get back when I play the third one?
No. The effect is to put them in play. What they do there is irrelevant.
Pentweret tries to steal an Imbued with his strike. The Imbued uses React with Conviction. Can Pentweret do it again?
Yes.
Can I steal an Imbued with just one corruption card that adds corruption counters?
No, you need to match cost, which is the number in the green circle.
Can I play a Telepathic Misdirection with the minion whose Telepathic Misdirection just got cancelled by Hide the Mind?
No.
Are Stone Dog and Razor Bat animals?
No.
I play Terra Incognita on a Telepathic Misdirection. Can they block?
No. The Telepathic Misdirection is cancelled, but they have already declined blocks.
My prey has 1 pool. I have Lutz and call a KRC. I put 1 on my prey, and 3 on my grand prey. Who burns 1 pool from Lutz’s ability?
Lutz’s ability triggers after the referendum, so after the prey burn 1 pool (and got ousted) and the grand prey burned 3 pool.
Can I play Villein on an empty vampire?
Yes.
Can I play superior Resilience to prevent damage from both Carrion Crows and Aid from Bats?
Yes.
Can I play Hidden Strength for a press if there are no damage to prevent?
No.
Can I bring Emerald Legionnaires in play from my ash heap if I don’t control any?
No. You need at least one.
Can I play Delaying Tactics before terms are set?
No.
Does Alexandra’s ability work in torpor?
Yes.
Can I play Sense the Savage Way + Eagle’s Sight to cross-table block?
No. Sense the Savage Way is a block attempt declaration, so you can’t play it to cross-table block.
Can I use Psyche! against Unleash Hell’s Fury ?
No. You’re not in combat with it.
Can Nephandus gain more than its starting life after burning people in torpor?
Yes. Allies don’t have a maximum life.
Toreador Grand Ball’s locked vampire is burned, does the other one remain unblockable?
Yes :)
If I Touch of Clarity a Govern the Unaligned, can they play Govern the Unaligned again?
Yes.
Dragos plays superior Chiropteran Marauder, does he burn any blood?
Yes, 1 to Chiropteran Marauder’s cardtext.
I heard my predator say “No block”, but then grand predator said “why don’t you block, I won’t rush you”, and the other players didn’t hear the “no”
[Judge’s discretion.]
I get a Rowan Ring with Horrid Reality; does it get shuffled back in my deck afterwards?
Yes.
If I’m acting, can I play Target Vitals after the opposing minion declared their strike?
No.
If I bleed and they play Deflection and I play Touch of Clarity, can the same minion play Deflection?
No.
Is gaining 2 from the Rack mandatory?
Yes (currently by card text).
We are in my influence phase, but we realize I played an I Am Legion to cancel a Telepathic Misdirection while Dark Influences was in play, and then I played Enkil Cog. How do we fix this?
[Judge burned the Dark Influences, un-cancelled the Telepathic Misdirection, tried not to penalize too much on the increased hand, and moved Enkil Cog back to hand, and resolved the action.]
Can I play Will-o'-the-Wisp when no one declares blocks?
Yes.
My predator play Enchant Kindred to bleed me, can I play On the Qui Vive + Touch of Clarity? If they do, can I do it again?
Yes, and yes.
A player didn’t pay for the contest for several turns, and now we are in his minion phase and he didn’t pay. What do we do?
[I gave the player a warning for not paying for contested cards.]
Can I play Toreador Justicar and chose another vampire than the acting?
Yes.
Can Jerry’s ability be used when he is in torpor?
Yes.
A vampire with a contested Pentex Subversion is banished. Does the other Pentex come back?
Yes, during the unlock phase of the controller of the other Pentex.
My grand predator is bleeding for one, deflected to me. I have 3 pool. I play On the Qui Vive and My Enemy’s Enemy (which is illegal per cardtext) to deflect back to my predator.
[Judge decision: the block window is closed, take My Enemy’s Enemy back in hand.]
If my opponent in a duel withdraws, how many VPs do I get?
One.
Two players want to Life Boon the same player, what happens?
The clockwise order prevails when it comes to who gets to play a card first in this situation.
If I attempt to burn Smiling Jack and get blocked, and unlock, can the same minion do it again?
No.
I announced a diablerie on my prey, but then my prey convinced me not to do it. Can I rollback?
No (but the prey can block).
Can I play intercept cards when I’m not attempting to block?
No.
A Telepathic Misdirection is cancelled with Direct Intervention, can the same minion play another Telepathic Misdirection?
No.
Delilah invited Alexandra to the Toreador Grand Ball. However, Alexandra got afraid of Mekhet. And burned. Is Delilah locked forever?
She doesn’t unlock as normal, because Toreador Grand Ball is still there.
I think I didn’t take the pool from my Ashur’s Tablets, 10 minutes ago.
Too bad.
Can I On the Qui Vive + Touch of Clarity an action card?
Yes.
Can I play Eagle’s Sight to attempt to block even though I don’t have any intercept?
Yes.
Can I use my Warsaw Station to save my vampire from Vulnerability?
No.
I play Mind Numb on Anson. Does it burn during my unlock phase or their unlock phase?
Theirs.
Can I burn a Blood Doll from a vampire in the uncontrolled region (moved there by Banishment) with a Vessel?
No, the Blood Doll is not in play.
Would I be allowed to transfer out at the end of my next turn?
[Judge’s discretion.]
Feel to discuss one of these rulings? Use the VEKN.net forum or the brand new VEKN Facebook group!
V5 NOW IN STORES – AND IT´S A HIT!
The latest edition of VTES “mother game” Vampire: The Masquerade has been in stores for about a month, at it seems to be a great success. Old fans like it, new fans like it, even game reviewers like it. And White Wolf has a lot of stuff going on to promote the game. For example, check out the Los Angeles by Night campaign played on Geek and Sundrys Twitch-channel, with WW´s own Jason Carl as Storyteller.
CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
October 6: Elysium Reus IV - Reus, Spain
October 6: Torneo Estaliano Octubre 2018 - Córdoba, Spain
October 7: Make vampires great again: drain the crowd! - Utrecht, Netherlands
October 7: Children of Stone: Moss - Moss, Norway
October 13: 8th Hiekkaharju Nightmare - Vantaa, Finland
October 13: Renewed Vigor - Barga, Italy
October 14: Unnamed II: Boston - Billerica, United States
October 14: Neonate Breach! (Demo games) - Reykjavik, Iceland
October 20: Chilean October Tournament - Rancagua, Chile
October 20: Camarilla Conclave 2018 - Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain
October 21: Maleficia: Newark - Heath, United States
October 26: Spiel ´18 (Demo games) - Essen, Germany
October 27: Spiel ´18 (Demo games) - Essen, Germany
October 28: Spiel ´18 (Demo games) - Essen, Germany
October 27: Fear Not This Night - Bochum, Germany
October 27: Rugir comme un lyon - Lyon, France
October 28: Crusade: Montreal - Montréal, Québec, Canada
October 28: Crusade: Montreal - Montréal, Québec, Canada
For more information on upcoming events see the V:EKN Event Calendar.
CONTACT V:EKN
You can contact the V:EKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at V:EKN.net. Also follow the official V:TES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and the official V:EKN Twitter account @VEKN_VTES
"If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right. You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run."
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