The Unaligned released!

 

Official release: October 4, 2014

Legal for Tournament Play: November 3, 2014

 

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network's second expansion for Vampire: the Eternal Struggle is The Unaligned, which focuses on the main Independent clans: Assamites, Followers of Set, Gangrel, Giovanni and Ravnos. The expansion is released in PDF format.

The set contains 47 crypt cards and 25 library cards.

 

PREVIEWS 9 and 10

In the Week of Nightmares, the Ravnos were nearly wiped out. Those who survived tended to be Ravnos antitribu, so we've included a few Sabbat Ravnos in The Unaligned. The Independent Ravnos in the set help fill some holes in Groups 3-6. The library cards are a mix of combat, bleed, and defense.

Francesc Grimalt is an artist from Spain. Please, check his online portfolio here.	James Richardson is an artist from California. Please, check his online portfolio here.

 

PREVIEWS 7 and 8

The Giovanni have long under-utilized their Potence in V:TES. In The Unaligned, we've deepened the crypt options and strengthened the Potence in the Giovanni crypt cards for Groups 5-6. The library cards likewise have a strong combat emphasis.

Gábor Németh is an artist from Hungary. Please, check his online portfolio here.	Ginés Quiñonero is an artist from Spain. Please, check his online portfolio here.

 

PREVIEWS 5 and 6

The crypt cards for Gangrel in The Unaligned add more depth to titled vampires, as well as more overall depth to their crypt in Groups 4-5. Gangrel have needed a lot of help with their library card options, but we didn't want to change their overall theme and feel. We've opted to expand their toolboxy options, as well as give them more time to develop their strategies. We're also thrilled to have fan-favorite Heather Kreiter and Jarkko Suvela return for artwork in the new set!

Jarkko Suvela is an artist from Finland. Please, check his online portfolio here.	Heather Kreiter is an artist based in Pennsylvania. Please, check her online portfolio here.

 

PREVIEWS 3 and 4

For the Followers of Set in the new expansion, the focus was on adding depth to their crypt options in Group 6. The library cards have a toolboxy feel, adding options for politics, defense, corruption counters, and mummies.

Mark Kelly is an artist from Scotland. Please, check his online portfolio here.	Ginés Quiñonero is an artist from Spain. Please, check his online portfolio here.

 

PREVIEWS 1 and 2

The Vampire: the Masquerade storyline concluded with Gehenna, cutting short the efforts of the Assamites to join the Camarilla. The Unaligned explores this plot arc more deeply with some emphasis on the Vizier caste and the Assamites' candidate for the Inner Circle. The library cards have a strong focus on the Assamites' combat capabilities.

Ari Targownik is an artist from California. Please, check his online portfolio here.	Ginés Quiñonero is an artist from Spain. Please, check his online portfolio here.

 

DOWNLOADS

• Crypt cards. Size: 57,3 MB
• Crypt cards print sheet (file with multiple copies -from 1 to 9- of the same card per page). Size: 57,8 MB
• Library cards. Size: 32,3 MB
• Library cards print sheet (file with multiple copes -from 1 to 9- of the same card per page). Size: 32,4 MB

PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS

http://www.vekn.net/official-expansion-sets

 

CHECKLIST

Crypt	Clan
Abid bin Haji	Assamite
Al-Ashrad (Advanced)	Assamite
Enam	Assamite
Imanna	Assamite
Matias Cazimirski, Biker of Blood	Assamite
Omer	Assamite
Rebekah	Assamite
Wise Frog	Assamite
Cao Nguyen	Follower of Set
Count Jocalo	Follower of Set
Elizabeth Dimitros	Follower of Set
Ghede	Follower of Set
Glycon	Follower of Set
Legba	Follower of Set
Missy Schillingford	Follower of Set
Sarrasine (Advanced)	Follower of Set
Shahara al-Rashwa	Follower of Set
Art Morgan	Gangrel
Brunhilde (Advanced)	Gangrel
C.J.	Gangrel
Dr. Sutton Gassaway	Gangrel
Inyanga	Gangrel
Malcolm	Gangrel
Mark Decker	Gangrel
Matasuntha	Gangrel
Rosa Hernández	Gangrel
Valkyrie	Gangrel
Xaviar (Advanced)	Gangrel
Bez Dunsirn	Giovanni
Domenic Giovanni	Giovanni
Dr. Oliver Genet	Giovanni
Enzo Giovanni (Advanced)	Giovanni
Lisandro Giovanni	Giovanni
Lupo Giovanni	Giovanni
Madeleine Giovanni	Giovanni
Martino della Passaglia	Giovanni
Salvatore Giovanni	Giovanni
Adri the Seeker	Ravnos
Delizbieta of the Dark Eyes	Ravnos
Dhita Choudhair	Ravnos
Dr. Lawrence Mayhew	Ravnos
Iago Castille	Ravnos
Ivan Krenyenko (Advanced)	Ravnos
Karmenita Yoryari	Ravnos
Sanjay Chakrabarti	Ravnos
Vestgeir	Ravnos
Library	Type
Bear's Skin	Combat
Blight	Combat
Dam the Heart's River	Combat
Ennoia's Theater	Master
Focus the Blood	Combat
Funeral Wake	Reaction
Gianna di Canneto	Ally
Gift of Proteus	Action
Giulia Giovanni Abruzzina	Ally
Hall of Mirrors	Combat
Illusory Resources	Action
In Memory of the Two Lands	Master
Nar-Sheptha	Retainer
Ophidian Gaze	Reaction
Priority Contract	Master
Rewilding	Action
Saatet-ta	Ally
Sanguine Entrapment	Combat
Serpent's Numbing Kiss	Combat
Skaald	Action
Spiritual Guidance	Combat
Suspension of Disbelief	Action
Thing	Action
Velvet Tongue	Action Modifier/Reaction
Zephyr	Action Modifier

Storyline Diary - October 2014

As I type this I am sitting in the Hotel Luxa in Mannheim, looking forward to playing VTES at this year’s European Championship, which also marks the 20th anniversary of our favourite card game. I don’t have any new rules or cards for you this month, but I thought I would take the opportunity to reminisce a little bit.

When Vampire: The Masquerade was first published in 1991 it really rocked my world. I’d already been roleplaying for a few years and had tried many ‘classics’ including Dungeons & Dragons, Paranoia and Call of Cthulhu. However I hadn’t yet found a game that I could claim as a games master but as soon as I saw VTM I knew that was it.

It wasn’t just that that game was new and was cool but it really changed the way people looked at the hobby – it really made you think about background, motivation and your character’s place in the world. Actually, what actually stood out the most, was not the VTM rulebook itself, but the first official scenario book Ashes to Ashes, which laid out very neatly how to tell a non-linear story with emphasis on the drama and conflict that might be present in every scene. As a teenage, fledgling Storyteller this information was invaluable and left quite an impression.

A couple of years later I discovered Magic: The Gathering. My first taste was at the convention GenCon UK where Wizards of the Coast were demoing the newly released Revised base edition. I was quickly hooked and so were my friends when I showed them the game after I got home. As a fan of both the Vampire RPG and the Magic CCG it was only natural to take up V:TES (or Jyhad as it was originally called) as soon as it was released. I have many fond memories of taking over tables in the common room of our sixth form college with our V:TES games, and sometimes even missing lessons to allow the games to finish.

Collectible card games were something of a phenomenon and V:TES was not the only one that I invested in. I also collected quite a bit of the Babylon 5 and Doomtown CCGs too – the thing in common with all three games was that they were primarily multi-player games and encouraged socialising and a high degree of player interaction. V:TES of course is the standout in this respect in the way it encourages you to bluff and manipulate the other players at your table.

Because of this social element, V:TES has attracted probably the most interesting fan base of any game I have ever seen. I attend official tournaments not just to play V:TES but to catch up with many people that I regard as my friends, and international events have given me an opportunity to meet great people from all over the world. I am proud to be a fan of the game, and a member of the VEKN.

V:TES has also achieved something very rare and very special within the games industry – it has come back from the dead due to the loyalty and support of the fans. Although the game is currently out of print again, I remain hopeful that this could happen again, and that I will still be playing at big events like the EC for many years to come.

 

The Returned – Epilogue

Thanks to all of you for participating in the Returned Storyline event. In way of thanks I offer a bonus, seventh vampire to allow you to continue the Returned League for another month (see below).

Remember that those of you attending the EC are welcome to use all of the Returned vampires in friendly games (regardless of League results).

Although you do not need to send me your Returned League results, I would be interested in any feedback you might have about the event format or the crypt cards that were offered.

I also intend to continue this Storyline Diary in a similar spirit, and would welcome any suggestions for new cards or new game formats that I would include here in future posts for the benefit of the V:TES community.

 

Returned Vampire # 7 – Vlad Tepes, Dracula

In the world of Vampire: The Masquerade, Vlad Tepes is a master schemer and manipulator that has always approached the world on his own terms. Schooled in the Ottoman court from a young age to be a political puppet, as an adult he turned upon hjs former masters and fought fiercely for the independence of his homeland Wallachia. He developed a reputation for cruelty and ruthlessness even before he become a creature of the night.

He encountered vampires as a mortal and was fascinated, but refused to be influenced by them. The circumstances of his Embrace were scandalous – he kidnapped the Tzsimice elder Lambach Ruthven and took his blood by force to complete his transformation. In the centuries since he has become an enigmatic and legendary figure. He is rumoured to have been in many places, fought in many battles, and to have been responsible for the demise of many Kindred. Over the years he has spent time with the Camarilla, the Sabbat and the Inconnu but few are sure where his true allegiances lie.

 

 

DOWNLOADS

• Prologue
• Rules
• Mythic vampire #1
• Mythic vampire #2
• Mythic vampire #3
• Mythic vampire #4
• Mythic vampire #5
• Mythic vampire #6
• Mythic vampire #7

 

Mike Nudd, VEKN Storyline Coordinator