Home - Vampire: Elder Kindred Network

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter June 2020

VTES Fifth Edition preview card. Art by Amy Wilkins.

Greetings fellow Methuselahs

THE CURRENT TOURNAMENT SITUATION

We usually report a lot about tournaments in this newsletter, but due to corona those activities are scarce right now. This is what you can do:

• If your national and local authorities allow, you can arrange a physical tournament. Always follow current health recommendations about number of players, distance, face masks and other things. An example of a vibrant tournament scene is Palma de Mallorca, who had a 27-player tournament on June 28, won by Moisés Ferrer Gallegos playing Lasombra stealth-bleed (images below). He got 5 victory points in the final – congrats Moisés, impressive!

VTES Mallorca 2020-06
• You can also play VTES online on LackeyCCG. Many do, mainly casual and leagues, but you can also arrange VEKN sanctioned tournaments – just mark it with “ONLINE” in the title when you enter it to the VEKN event calendar. You can find Lackey games on VTES-Hook and in the Facebook group VTES LackeyCCG.

• Another way to play VTES online is Tabletop Simulator – it´s at a 50% summer discount on Steam right now!

Wall Street Night Financial Newspaper - David Day VTES

VTES IN THE NEWS!

Recently we have seen VTES mentioned in some game media, for example Dicebreaker, Geek Pride and a bunch of non-English sources. This is excellent, because the more attention the game gets in media (including blogs and all kinds of influencers), the more potential players discover it and the more players we will have. Three things concerning this:

• If you see VTES mentioned in any media, please share it in social media.

• Tell Black Chantry, because they want to share it too.

• If you know anyone in game media, ask them to cover VTES!

THE FIFTH EDITION SET SYMBOL: THE CAMARILLA ANKH

Last week Black Chantry Productions revealed the set symbol for VTES Fifth Edition. Many veteran players immediately reacted with “Both Camarilla Edition and Blood Shadowed Court had an ankh symbol, why do an ankh again?”. Well, that was 2002 and 2008, and the official Vampire: The Masquerade V5 symbol for the Camarilla sect is that ankh, so an ankh seemed like a natural choice. Hopefully sorting your collection will work anyway!

Gonzalo Del Rio VTES Chile MEET THE VEKN: GONZALO DEL RÍO, NATIONAL COORDINATOR OF CHILE

We continue this series of interviews with VEKN volunteers, this time with Gonzalo Del Río, NC of Chile, a small but growing VTES nation.

Hello Gonzalo! When did you start playing VTES?
- I started in 2001, when I was at university. Back then I just knew a few TCG like Magic or Pokémon. I came across VTES through my roleplaying group of friends, and since I love World of Darkness, it was a nice discovery.

What do you like most about the game?
- One of the most challenging and fascinating things about VTES is the multiplayer system. It was created that way and well-thought-out, and it is the main reason I love this game. Also, VTES is not a pay-to-win game. The deck doesn't win for itself, there are too many variables to handle. Winning the game is very much up to player skill.

What is your favourite deck?
- My all-time favourite deck is the Ventrue antitribu grinder, but back in my early days I didn't know it by this name. The Sabbat War Ventrue preconstructed deck was my second purchase so I grew old with it. I changed and proved different versions, evolving it to its final form. It's a reliable and well-oiled deck that never disappoints me.

What other decks do you currently like playing?
- I still play the Ventrue antitribu. However, I found other loves along the road. My main clan is Ravnos, so I have several Ravnos decks. An Eldest Are Kholo-voter and a Necromancy+Chimestry one are funniest to play. Another deck that I secretly love is the Imbued, even though my friends hate when I play it.

Do you think you have a special style of playing?
- I believe my style is being patient, not depending on table deals and trying not to get unnecessary attention. Sometimes you need to be still until it´s the right moment to make your big move. In any case, you have to be prepared for any strange things that could happen on tables, so you need to have the necessary precautions in your deck.

How is the situation for VTES in Chile?
- In Chile the great majority of players are in the capital, Santiago. We also have a few players in other cities like Rancagua and La Serena. Sadly, we don't have a large community. The active players are around 25-30 people.

What are your ideas for spreading VTES?
- One of my personal goals is maintaining the players interested, so I established the one tournament per month rule. However, with covid-19 that won't be easy to maintain for now. I'm also trying to make us noticeable as a community doing collaborations with roleplaying game groups and showing VTES in different stores.

Thanks to Gonzalo for the interview, and thanks to the Chile community for playing this great game!

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: JUNE 2020

• This month Black Chantry started to take in VTES Fifth Edition preorders from distributors. This is to get a better idea of how large the first print run should be. So please ask your favorite store to stock Fifth Edition, they will in turn talk to their distributor who will preorder. Estimated release is sometime in September and the suggested retail price will be € 82.50 ($ 95).

• VTES Fifth Edition will be Black Chantry´s first simultaneous multi-language launch, as versions in French and Spanish will be in stores at the same time as the English version.

Govern the Unaligned Spanish VTES
• Fifth Edition spoiler season continues in social media, although a bit slowed down. Lately we have seen Govern the Unaligned with new art (see above), Roundhouse (heavily debated) and some crypt cards. In this newsletter you get another one, and more will, of course, follow.

• The open playtest of the proposed change of the crypt card contest rule is still ongoing. Please, report your comments in the Your opinion sheet and your games in the Game report sheet.

BCP products

RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

• A really cool Vampire: The Masquerade intro video was published, starring Josephine McAdam.

• A new rather impressive cinematic trailer for the upcoming Werewolf: The Apocalypse video game Earthblood is out.

• Swedish Fast Travel Games are to create the Wraith: The Oblivion-based VR horror game Afterlife.

• Freelance writer (and VTES player) Matthew Dawkins was interviewed in episode 8 of the World of Darkness News show. Especially interesting for VTES fans was what he said about the “Let the streets run red” scenario collection for Vampire: The Masquerade. One of the scenarios include the reappearance of none other than Sir Walter Nash, Prince of Chicago in the original VTES set!

• Paradox Interactive has appointed Justin Achilli as new Creative Lead for the World of Darkness brand.

CALENDAR

Upcoming events:
Follow local regulations on what physical events are possible. Notice that online tournaments are possible - just note "ONLINE" in the event name when you add the event in the calendar!

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

"Think above the box."

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter May 2020

"Foureyes" by Joel Biske.

Greetings fellow Methuselahs

YES, ONLINE TOURNAMENTS CAN BE VEKN RANKED!

As it has been declared earlier in a forum posting, you can arrange an online tournament that is VEKN official, sanctioned and ranked. Just report the tournament as usual and add "ONLINE" to the event name. In these days of pandemic, this is a natural way to move forward. Later these tournaments might be moved to their own ranking We´ll see.

OPEN PLAYTEST OF POTENTIAL RULES CHANGE: CONTESTING VAMPIRES

Recently Black Chantry Productions made an announcement about a open playtest of a possible change of how vampire minions are contested. Please read the full original message, but this is the proposed change:

• A contested vampire remains in play. Their controller must pay 1 pool to continue to contest them, or yield during the unlock phase, but can play with them normally (act, block, play cards, cast votes or ballots etc.). If this vampire has a title that is also contested, the vampire must pay 1 blood point to keep it, as usual.
• It is still forbidden to contest a vampire with oneself, and if this were to happen, the last vampire to enter play would be immediately burned, as usual.
• This concerns both vampires influenced from the crypt and unique vampires brought into play with library cards (Abomination, Call the Great Beast etc.)
• Unique library cards (including allies) and imbued are still unaffected by this rule change.

For everybody's convenience, two separate Google Forms have been created to help gather as much data and feedback as possible in a handy form:

• Game report sheet (for actual game reports)

• Your opinion - Contest rule change (for your thoughts about the change)

if you have already stated your opinion somewhere in text - please help out by cut-pasting it into the "Your opinion" form. Thanks in advance!

THE VEKN FACEBOOK GROUP IS GROWING

It´s great to see all the interesting discussions at the VEKN Facebook group! This online community is growing almost every day. Please join the group and make a posting!

However, some questions about the group arise frequently, and the VEKN Board want to answer them here:

Q: What is the purpose of the VEKN Facebook group?
A: The group is for promoting of and discussions about the game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle. This includes rules questions, event announcements, deck building tips, organizational questions, design ideas, etc. Nothing else. The group is not for posting stuff that you think are “funny”, memes, political discussions or anything else. Any such post will be removed immediately. There are 100+ other VTES Facebook groups where you can try to post that stuff.

Q: Is advertising allowed in the VEKN Facebook group?
A: Yes! Limited advertising is allowed for now. This of course includes Black Chantry and Paradox/White Wolf products, but also distributors, retailers and Ebay sellers. The VEKN is not going to block or stop any such postings as long as they are not too frequent. If items are repeated or reported as “spam”, such postings might get removed. Please use common sense!

Q: Are there any rules of conduct for the VEKN Facebook group?
A: Yes! The rules are called “Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Facebook discussion guidelines” and are pinned at the top of the group. Please read them and follow them! But also use commons sense before starting a new topic or commenting on one. Be clear on what you want to ask or discuss. The topic should be relevant for the group. Never “hijack” threads with off-topic comments. Please aim for a constructive discussion that group members will enjoy.

Q: Who are the moderators, and what do I do if I feel that a group user has treated me unfairly?
A: First: Note and accept that moderators' words are final. This means that they are not up for discussion. If you still feel that something is wrong with a moderation, contact a moderator directly. Current moderators are Hugh Angseesing and Henrik Klippström. Do NOT start a new topic about the moderation. The group is for discussing VTES, not for discussing how the group is moderated.

Q: So if we have a Facebook group, why keep the VEKN.net forum?
A: Some people don´t use Facebook, and it might be the better place for some questions, for example if you want to be somewhat anonymous. See you there too!

The most commented topics on the VEKN Facebook group the past month:
1. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, May 9: VTES rule open playtest: Contesting vampire
2. Abadroza P S, May 26: Alternative contest rule change
3. Milutin M, May 25: Can you self oust, does that rule exists?
4. Bill T, May 10: How many vamps are highly contestable?
5. Igor B, May 23: Accident contest of Ludmijla

VTES content 2020-05
RECENT GREAT VTES CONTENT

• Death by the Coven - Italian VTES blog at deathbythecoven.wordpress.com

• The Neonate Diaries - New York-based blog at www.facebook.com/MikeTheNeonate

• Codex of the Damned - especially the Best cards, Deck Search and Card Search sections, at codex-of-the-damned.org

• VTES-DB Crypt Search - A new strong contender for best VTES tool, at vtes-db.smeea.casa/crypt

Seen any other new good VTES content? Share at VEKN.net forum or VEKN Facebook!

Tomasz Izydorczyk VTES Poland
MEET THE VEKN: TOMASZ IZYDORCZYK, NATIONAL COORDINATOR OF POLAND

We continue to give attention and show appreciation for VEKN volunteers by a series of interviews. This month we present to you Tomasz 'izi' Izydorczyk, the NC of the great VTES nation Poland.

Tomasz, when did you start playing VTES?
- It was during my first year of studies, 1999. I had made a lot of new friends and one of them introduced me to a playgroup. They played various roleplaying games, Warhammer Fantasy Battle and collectible card games. I was immediately hooked. The first CCG I played was Legend of the Five Rings, and I started playing VTES shortly after that.

What do you like most about the game?
- The social aspect of the game. Nothing compares to VTES in this area. Perhaps connected is that VTES players are a great bunch. I've made a lot of friends over the years. Relations that go way beyond gaming. Also, the game stays consistent over the years. You can play a deck – successfully – that is 20 years old. How great is that?!

What is your all-time favorite deck?
- It´s a Toreador gun wall deck... [Version below is from Warsaw Station League Finals, December 2013, 4 vp in final, but Tomasz has won several tournaments with similar decks]

Deck Name: Torki dla Olki
Crypt (12)
3x Anneke 10 AUS CEL PRE dom justicar Toreador:1
3x Marcellus 8 AUS CEL pro prince Toreador:2
2x François Villon 10 AUS CEL PRE chi obf pot prince Toreador:2
1x Felicia Mostrom 5 AUS CEL pre Toreador:1
1x Dorian Strack 4 AUS cel Toreador:1
1x Isabel de Leon 3 AUS Toreador:2
1x Zöe 3 AUS cel obf Malkavian:2

Library (89)
Master (18)
1x Art Museum
2x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Giant's Blood
2x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Powerbase: Montreal
1x Rack, The
2x Vessel
5x Villein
1x Wider View

Political Action (3)
3x Parity Shift

Equipment (7)
7x .44 Magnum

Combat (29)
4x Blur
6x Concealed Weapon
5x Psyche!
5x Pursuit
5x Side Strike
4x Taste of Vitae

Reaction (32)
2x Enhanced Senses
8x Eyes of Argus
2x My Enemy's Enemy
2x On the Qui Vive
1x Quicken Sight
11x Second Tradition: Domain
6x Telepathic Misdirection

That I first created as a training deck, to teach a basic aspect of the game: blocking. That is definitely the simplest deck I've ever made. Otherwise, I tend to overcomplicate things – my first deck was a Dawn Operation + Skin of Night + Weather Control combo deck. I got drawn to it though, started playing it in tournaments and played it for many years.

What other decks do you currently like playing? Is it just old favorites or do you like to create new stuff?
- I love checking out other players' decks I have seen. Check what I could do with them. See how they play from different perspectives. Check how they can be modified. It's endless fun. People are so creative!

Do you think you have a special “style” of playing?
- I try to play my turns as fast as possible. I have a plan for my next turn as soon as the present one is finished. Then I focus on what others are doing and modify the plan accordingly. Because of that I dislike decks that cannot be adjusted to the situation – the ”solitaire” type of decks.

You are the National Coordinator for your country. How is the situation for VTES in your country?
- There are a lot of new players, but we also lost many old players when VTES was in a limbo. On average we've had around 20 players per event year. So not bad, but it could be better.
I took over the position from Radosław "Szewski" Staszewski and those are big shoes to fill. He is arguably the single person that has done the most for VTES in Poland over the years. I hope to continue his great work and build on that in the future.
    The Polish scene is organized over a long time existent forum you can find at vtes.pl/forum. We have a Polish league, not like the European Grand Prix, but focused on national events. It's on hold this year, but I hope we can carry on next year. We've had prizes for most successful players obviously, but, what is unique, we also distinguish players in other areas like number of attended events, deck building, and superb organizers.
    We have a southern Polish league called Silesia by Night, organized by Grzegorz "Mały" Winter. Check it out at silesiabynight.com. There are galleries with pictures for every league tournament.
    My idea, apart from organizing big events in Poland, is to support those activities in the best way I can. I am hoping to get prize support for one of the polish leagues from a sponsor, much like the Grand Prix is sponsored by Ultra Pro.

Thanks to Tomasz for these words. Good luck to him and future Polish events. The Polish community is always very welcoming for travelling VTES players – try to attend a tournament there when you can!

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: MAY 2020

• The first official VTES card sleeves from Ultra Pro are now in stores! Current variants are crypt amber marble and library green marble, but other motifs will most likely appear later. Artwork suggestions are welcome!

• VTES Fifth Edition will appear in stores in French and Spanish versions at the same time as the English version! Cards have been translated, translation of the new rulebook is in progress.

• Speaking of the new rulebook: the writing is almost nailed, and graphic layout is in progress. It will be illustrated and in full colour - super secret previews look beautiful!

• The FAQ on www.blackchantry.com has been updated to reflect current reality. Check it out!

• Promo Pack 2 now available if you are an organizer or store who want to promote VTES. It contains the five 2019 Barons of Columbus, Versailles, Canberra, Fortaleza and Manila, as well as some other goodies.

• An open playtest of a suggested new contest rule for crypt cards was announced (see above in this newsletter).

• Since May 2 the previews of actual VTES Fifth Edition cards are ongoing. So far 12 cards have been spoiled, so there´s still about fifty cards to reveal!

• Later this year, more cards will be made available as VTES Legacy card print-on-demand. This is being prepared for now - cards need to be reworded and set in new layout.

BCP products

RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

• There´s a new Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 trailer out, and the game will have a Playstation 5 version!

• As you might expect of a weekly TV show, the official World of Darkness News show has aired four episodes since our last newsletter. Among the topics has been the VTM comic (episode 2), VTM novels (episode 3), VTM interactive novels (episode 4) and Latin America (episode 5). Check it out streaming every Friday at twitch.tv/worldofdarkness or later on the WoD Youtube channel.

CALENDAR

Upcoming events:
Follow local regulations on what physical events are possible. Notice that online tournaments on LackeyCCG or Tabletop Simulator are an option - just note "ONLINE" in the event name when you report the results! (see the top of this newsletter)

For more information on upcoming events see the V:EKN Event Calendar.

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter April 2020

Art by Samuel Araya

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Editon art by Samuel Araya.

Greetings fellow Methuselahs

BCP FAQ BLACK CHANTRY FAQ, APRIL 2020

We are getting closer to the launch of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition, so why not ask the makers some questions?

You have been rewording cards to the modern template. What is the most problematic thing with rewording old cards?
Vincent Ripoll, rules director: I would say that it is clarifying the card texts without breaking how they are supposed to work. VTES has mostly been built on layers of lax rules and numerous rulings, and I try to balance it the other way by moving the rulings to the cards and unifying some game patterns. For instance, most timings are pretty obscure in VTES and create complex interactions. Being able to play Obedience when someone is about to enter combat with you with a Deep Song or when you block, all without being locked, required to introduce the concept of "block resolution". Another example of problematic timing is Spying Mission versus burning Major Boon that don't trigger exactly at the same time despite the same wording.

Why do we use “realistic art” for VTES nowadays, and not more “old school”?
Ginés Quiñonero, art director: Nowadays, the main challenge to VTES art is to convey the World of Darkness in a way that makes its dark horror theme believable. That requires a great deal of experience with photo art and/or human figure drawing, colouring and lighting in order to produce realistic pieces that veer far away from several of the "old school" styles (for example the “comic book” style).

Some noticed on the Bolesław Gutowski promo card that the clan symbol for the Malkavians was slightly different. What's up with that?
Ben Peal, product director: Astute observation! The symbols for the Camarilla clans got a facelift in 5th Edition Vampire: the Masquerade. VTES is derived from that source material, so any new crypt cards we make for those clans will accordingly have the new clan symbols. The new symbols don't represent new clans – it's just like the changes to the clan symbols for Tzimisce and Lasombra way back between the Sabbat and Sabbat War expansions. Note that for reprints of the White Wolf-era cards we'll have available via print-on-demand, we'll be using the original clan symbols so that the look of those cards remains consistent with the cards you already own. For library cards, anything printed (or re-printed) in brand-new products based on the V5 source material (like the upcoming V5 set) will use the new clan symbols.

Where in the world is VTES most popular? How does this show and do you have any idea why this is?
Hugh Angseesing, CEO: There are many countries across the world where VTES is very popular; Brazil, Finland, France and the US all have large playing populations for events. I have also attended the huge events in Paris and the relaunch event in Berlin. However I missed what is probably the largest event we have had in Barcelona in 2003! There's something about Spain and VTES, it seems embedded in the psyche and we saw this when looking to produce VTES in Spanish – the interest was astounding! I don't know if it's because the volunteers have been so dedicated or if it's the social politicking that makes it so popular, but it's truly amazing seeing the enthusiasm coming out of Spain. Most recently have been impressed with the Spanish online tournaments, and I have seen they've spread that excitement to Brazil and Mexico among others.

Many players ask questions in social media. What are the most common question asked right now, and what is the answer?
Henrik Klippström, marketing director: Most questions are about how they can get our products, and that is usually easy to answer: either you print-on-demand on Drivethrucards.com, or you buy from your local game store or favourite online store. If that store doesn´t have our products in stock, please ask them to contact a distributor (who are listed at blackchantry.com). Another common question right now is of course when Fifth Edition will be available, and that is not decided yet, but will be soon!

Thanks to Black Chantry for the answers. Do you have a question too? Don´t hesitate to ask them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or in a mail to

EC 2020 CANCELLED OR POSTPONED

Sadly, the current health crisis has forced the organizers of the game convention Ropecon to cancel or postpone the event, which means the 2020 VTES European Championship cannot be played in Helsinki in July as planned. Please read the EC website notice to get the full picture. Discussions are now held about what to do and where to do it - stay tuned to VEKN channels for news about that!

PLAY VTES ONLINE!

Sure, it might not be the same thing, but if you really love playing VTES, don´t let a pandemic stop you. Playing online is possible. The two most popular ways are using either Tabletop Simulator (found on Steam) or LackeyCCG (found at LackeyCCG.com). In the case of Lackey, you can register games at www.vtes-hook.com and participate in various leagues and tournaments. The site creator Kai Kimmerle has a series of Youtube clips to help you understand how everything works - check it out at VTES-Hook Event Management!

Wes Weston and Howler
MEET THE VEKN: WES WESTON, NATIONAL COORDINATOR OF CANADA

This month we are delighted to present to you an interview with Wes Weston, veteran player and the current Canadian NC. Take notes, here comes wisdom!

When did you start playing VTES?
- Right from the get go, shortly after it hit the market. I had played a little bit of Vampire: The Masquerade, the role-playing game that VTES is based on, so I was already familiar with the World of Darkness. I really enjoy the theme of trying to hang on to one's humanity, and all of the different warring clans and interesting disciplines. They had taken the age-old vampire mythology and made it into such an elaborate and detailed world filled with interesting conflicts and histories.
    When I came across the cards in a game store in Windsor, I was intrigued and picked up a starter box. I didn't really know too many people who would also be interested, but over the years I managed to rope a few friends into occasionally playing with me, none of whom stuck with it, sadly. I eventually met up with a lot of the players across the river in Detroit, Michigan, and they became my regular playgroup.
    I was very active in the newsgroup, rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad, and produced a lot of the clan newsletters, starting with the Brujah Antitribu in 2001 and then the Followers of Set until 2004.
    When it became more difficult for me to play the game in person, I became active in JOL, and I started the JOL league and hosted semi-annual tournaments, which attracted as many as 75 people. I think this worked pretty well, given the resources we had available at the time.

What do you like most about the game?
- I've always enjoyed the predator-prey dynamic and how it creates intrigue and temporary alliances. Having cross-table allies who will eventually be your enemies, and trying to manage this dynamic to your advantage... not many games can do this, or do this well.
    I also really enjoy building original decks, with card interactions that no one else has thought of. It is always great pleasure to see an original deck design winning a table, whether it is my own deck or someone else's. I don't mind losing a game, but bonus points if you kick my ass with something original.
    I have also met so many great and interesting people over the years, both in person or virtually via JOL. I was able to renew some old acquaintances at our most recent Hamilton tournament which was fantastic. It's not always easy for me to travel as much as many of you do, but I hope I will be able to do so in the future.

What is your all-time favorite deck?
- Ever since the Detroit group playtested the Ahrimanes I have had a Howler deck built and ready to play, and it hasn't changed much over the years. I've won several tournaments with it and still to this day have a lot of fun when playing it – though I am not sure others feel the same way about it!

What other decks do you currently like playing?
- I generally try to play decks that are, not so much toolboxy, but that do not fall into the typical bleed/vote/combat archetypes.
    Currently I think my playgroup most associates me with a !Salubri deck, which is very aggressive toward my prey but can also be quite capable of walling up when needed. I don't see a lot of !Salubri decks being played, or at least I don't see many entered in the TWDA, but I've been having a lot of fun with them.
    I also tend to build a lot of decks that combine PRO and SER. My most current PRO/SER monstrosity is a Nadima anarch deck which uses Hatch the Viper, Guardian Vigil and Donnybrook.
    Neither of these decks did well at our recent Hamilton tournaments, but I enjoyed playing them.

Do you think you have a special style of playing?
- I tend to make a lot of deals, and I build decks that facilitate deal-making. For example, one card that usually goes into all of my decks is Rumor Mill – not because I need the intercept, but because someone else at the table usually will. And I can sell that intercept to my predator for a turn of no bleeds or what-have-you. Not only is it a commodity that my predator will need, it will also cost her a blood to borrow, and usually more, if she manages to block and enter combat. The net gain from this arrangement is a weaker predator, slightly weaker future predator/prey, more room for me to maneuver, and better control of the table.
    I also pay a lot of attention to blood on vampires. Many of my decks tend to take advantage of my opponents' vampires spending blood on cards or losing it to combat. If I can keep their vampires low on blood, and scrabbling for more, I can use that to my advantage. Cards like Free States Rant are ideal in this regard. By the same token, I tend to try to keep my own vampires from being too anemic. Perfectionist is a great way to gain blood while doing other things. This card goes into all of my decks.

You are the National Coordinator for Canada. How is the situation for VTES in your country? What are your ideas for spreading VTES?
- It's been difficult to get much done as Canadian Coordinator, honestly. We have a vibrant and relatively new group in Hamilton and Toronto, where I usually play, but there isn't a lot of communication between players across Canada, whether it be Ontario, where I am, or BC on the west coast, or, say, Halifax on the east coast. We are a very large country geographically, obviously.
    I will occasionally get a question from someone in a different part of Ontario, asking about local playgroups, but the closest group is usually us, and we are many hours away. I wish it were easier to coordinate this. So, I think we have been very successful in promoting the game locally, but, as a country, I don't give myself high marks.
    Still, I have managed to find some older players who did not know the game had been resurrected, or new players who see us playing and want to join in. Again, this has been more successful locally, and this has certainly not been due to my efforts alone. My playgroup has been fantastic at promoting the game.

Thanks for the interview Wes, and good luck with further deal-making and coodinating!

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: APRIL 2020

• Black Chantry is now active on Instagram, of course with focus on sharing images, but also on dialogue with the community! Please follow the account black_chantry

• Work on Fifth Edition continues, now mainly marketing preparation and the last touches on the new rulebook. The actual card and deck design is finished and both cards and deck lists will be spoiled very soon. Recently a render of the box content was shown:

VTES 5E box content

• Print-on-demand on Drivethrucards is back on track again as per April 20, but might be slow due to light staffing. Read their update at COVID-19 Update from OneBookShelf.

• All who participate in a VTES game online that is registered on VTES-hook.com participate in the Fifth Edition Raffle!

BCP products

RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

The World of Darkness team at Paradox Interactive has started a weekly news tv show! Hosted by Brand Community Developer Martyna "Outstar" Zych, the show will air every Friday night at the World of Darkness Twitch channel but will be available on Youtube after that. In the premiere show the World of Darkness team members were introduced, and there was talk about Shadows of New York, The Chicago Folios and the current state of Bloodlines 2. Sounds interesting? Enjoy!

CALENDAR

Upcoming events:
Nope, we still cannot encourage any physical tournaments. Instead, tune your decks, sort your collection and try playing online on LackeyCCG or Tabletop Simulator!

For more information on upcoming events see the V:EKN Event Calendar.

Page 37 of 148

Login Form

Main Menu

Rules

Events

Resources

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter June 2020

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter May 2020

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter April 2020