Designers' Diary entry for October 2014

Hey, everyone!

I had a fantastic weekend at the European Championships in Mannheim. Many thanks to everyone who attended - it was great seeing you all! Many thanks to the hosts, as well!

At the EC Mike and I gave a presentation and Q&A session for the new expansion, The Unaligned. By now you've all seen the cards, but here are some additional announcements from the presentation:

- The next set, due in October of 2015, will be Anarch-themed. It will be 50 or so cards in size. We're strongly considering Bloodlines for 2016.

- Playtesting for the next set will start in November. Please talk to Playtest Coordinator Hugh Angseesing (Squidalot on vekn.net) if you'd like to be a playtester.

- If you have ideas for Anarch cards, or any other cards, feel free to post them in the Expansion Sets & Card Ideas forum on vekn.net. We do read that forum - Illusory Resources from The Unaligned was directly inspired by a post there.

- An even better way to try out card ideas is to run a Storyline event! They get your ideas out there and tested in actual games. Talk to Storyline Coordinator Mike Nudd (mikelosaurus on vekn.net) if you'd like to do this.

- We'll be releasing some overdue Storyline reward cards sometime in the next several months. This will include older Storyline events, such as the Battle Lines event, and the Budapest EC Storyline. We'll also be reviewing the crypt cards from The Returned event for possible approval in sanctioned tournaments. We don't have an exact release date for these as they'll need testing and we'll need artwork for a couple of cards, but we're hoping to have them ready by February.

- We're very grateful for all of the work that our artists have contributed. I highly recommend checking out their other works in their portfolios. Most of them are available for commissioned work, and some have prints and original pieces for sale. You can find the list of artists and links to their online portfolios here: http://www.vekn.net/vekn-artists

That's all for now! Have a great weekend!

- Ben Peal and the V:EKN Design Team

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