Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter September 2024
Danilo Torrisi, European Champion 2024.
Greetings fellow Methuselahs,
THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF VAMPIRE: THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE CONTINUES
… and the EC 2024 was one of the peaks in the celebration! We would love to return to you within shortly with details about how these events played out, but for now we can say this:
Week of Nightmares 1: Winner Jorge Delgado (Spain)
Week of Nightmares 2: Winner Tommi Hakomaa (Finland)
Week of Nightmares 3: Winner Tero Aalto (Finland)
EC Friday tournament: Winner Marius Iscru (France)
EC Day 1: Winner Simone Parmeggiani (Italy)
European Grand Prix 2023-2024 final: Winner Sebastian Fredenberg (Sweden)
EC Sunday tournament: Winner Michał Kochanowski (Poland)
EC Day 2: Winner Danilo Torrisi (Italy) – congratulations Danilo, the new and returning European champion!
We hope to return with a winner interview in the next newsletter, and more photos by Marko Saari!
WELCOME TO EC 2025 IN DENMARK!
A message from Jesper Bøje, VEKN National Coordinator of Denmark:
Dear Methuselahs,
I am excited to announce that Aarhus, Denmark, has been chosen to host the European Championship (EC) in 2025! Preparations are already underway, with scouting for locations, gathering volunteers, planning a thrilling week of events, and seeking sponsors.
With this year’s EC reaching full capacity, I am confident we can make 2025 an even greater success.
In the coming months, I’ll be reaching out to players, Princes, National Coordinators, and stores to explore what it will take to bring players to Denmark. While not every idea may be feasible, I want to hear them all. What would it take for you and your playgroup to attend EC2025?
The Championship is scheduled for October 17th-19th, 2025. For now, you can visit vtes-ec2025.org, where you’ll find the most basic information. The website will be updated with registration, information and more as we get to spring 2025.
I hope to see you all in 2025 – whether at the EC itself or at the tournaments leading up to it!
Best regards,
Jesper Bøje
JOSÉ ROBERIO BARBOSA DA SILVA IS THE SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPION 2024!
This event was played on September 7 in Campina Grande, Brazil with 41 players.
Read the full report: SAC 2024
ALEXANDER TÜSCHEN IS THE 2024 GERMAN CHAMPION!
The German championship gathered 32 Methuselahs in Darmstadt-Arheilgen on September 7.
Read the full report: German Championship 2024
RECRUITMENT EXERCISE: THESSALONIKI
Some words from Babis Giannios, VEKN National Coordinator of Greece:
Dear reader! Our demo event is over and as an organiser I'm more than elated with how things went in a city where the VTES scene was dead. Twelve people showed up – 11 of them new to the game and 1 of them a veteran. Due to personal reasons, 6 people cancelled their attendance beforehand.
We had an awesome time going on with 2 preliminary rounds and a final. The entire event took us roughly 7 hours, and we all felt excited in the end, wishing for more!
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We have established our VTES gaming nights, and the store has pledged to offer us a “Gaming Saturday” each month for a local tournament -as well as a hanging place to play VTES.
Needless to say that the store almost sold out every item they had, as the players excitedly proceeded in purchasing precon decks and other VTES packs.
In a nutshell, it was a blast, marking this as my first successful organised event! Thanks to VEKN and Black Chantry so much for everything! Looking forward for more games!
Kind regards,
Babis Giannios
WALBERT IBARRA WINS TWILIGHT CAMP 2!
This tournament was played in El Tabo, Chile on August 31 with 40 players. It is not a national or continental championship, but it had high attendance, so we are happy to highlight it here!
Read the full report: Twilight Camp 2
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RECRUITMENT EXERCISE: GIJÓN
Words by Daniel Méndez Carreño, VEKN Prince of Gijón:
CometCon 2024: Breaking the Masquerade in Gijón
CometCon 2024, held on September 6, 7 and 8 at the Luis Adaro Fairgrounds in Gijón, was an event that attracted thousands of enthusiasts of alternative culture and leisure. Although an exact number of attendees is not available, it is estimated that participation was massive, consolidating CometCon as one of the most important events of its kind in Spain.
However, among the shadows of the pavilions and the echoes of laughter and conversations, something darker was brewing. The breaking of the Masquerade was underway, and the Kindred of the night gathered in secret, hidden in plain sight among mortals.
One of the highlights of the event was the area dedicated to board games. The AsturMeeple association managed to gather 2 050 players, a number that resonated like a whisper in the night, attracting those who seek power and intrigue. This success was possible thanks to the support of numerous publishers who provided materials for the games, enriching the experience for attendees. Black Chantry played a crucial role in ensuring the presence of VTES, a reflection of the power struggles between the vampire clans.
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Throughout the event, tournaments, raffles, demonstrations, and game activities were held, attracting a large number of players and curious onlookers. The younger Kindred, still learning to handle their disciplines, mingled with the elders, sharing strategies and secrets in an atmosphere charged with tension and mystery. The Methuselahs, ever watchful, sought among the mortals for potential candidates to strengthen their clans, carefully evaluating those who showed potential and cunning. In every glance and every gesture, the Eternal Struggle for power and survival was palpable.
In summary, CometCon 2024 was not only a success in terms of attendance and organization but also significantly contributed to the growth of the VTES community. Although only 16 newblood formally joined the Bastion of the North, ”dozens have tasted the flavor of the foreign pool” and will return, drawn by the promise of power and the Eternal Struggle for dominance.
CometCon 2024 has once again proven to be an essential event for lovers of alternative culture and the perfect showcase for VTES, where the line between reality and fiction blurs, and the Masquerade threatens to break at any moment.
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RECRUITMENT EXERCISE: BRATISLAVA
Martin Dudik of Slovakia send us these pics from a recent demo he did in Bratislava. He created these beautiful rollup banners with the help of Black Chantry. He uses a rebuilt Fifth Edition box set for decks and components, handy to immediately recommend people to buy it if they like the game. Three games were run at this occation, but two more are planned in the near future. Great work Martin!
Do you also want to run demo games? Talk to !
BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: SEPTEMBER 2024
• Four out of five Black Chantry ghouls attended the European Championship in Warsaw. Yes, you guessed correctly, it was the European ghouls Ginés, Hugh, Henrik and Vincent who spread their questionable celebrity presence in the Polish capital, and of course this was a pure delight, this 30th Anniversary year! Hugh helped judge tournaments while the others failed miserably to win games.
• The fifth ghoul, Ben Peal, instead attended the South American Championship in Campina Grande, Brazil, which you can read about above in this newsletter. He enjoyed this very much! Listen to his smooth voice in these two interviews: Garagem do Nerd TV and Blood Faca VTES
• When you read this you might already sunk your claws into the Fifth Edition Lasombra preconstructed deck – the official release date is October 31, so the official legality date for the new cards is November 30.
• In other printing news is that another batch of the Banu Haqim, Brujah, Gangrel and Ministry preconstructed decks is being printed, on the shelves in December.
• Promo Pack 3 and Shadows of Berlin are now totally out of stock and will not be printed for stores again, but appear for print on demand in the future.
• Draft is coming back to VTES! Black Chantry has given VEKN National Coordinators the chance of testing a print-on-demand draft kit for 8-10 players. Are you interested in testing this experience, talk to your National Coordinator.
• The first round of playtesting of four 2025 Fifth Edition Sabbat preconstructed decks has concluded. Thanks to all that tested and the playtest coordinators! Now the design team will analyse grades and comments and prepare the next round of testing.
• The last art and final text editing is being done for the Hecata preconstructed dec. Then it´s off to the printer - the aim is to have it in stores in January.
• The five 54-card New Blood packs for Hecata, Lasombra, Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce is also almost ready for print.
• More old legacy single cards for print-on-demand will hopefully be up before Christmas shopping is over – Dementation and Temporis stuff have priority.
• The 2-player VTES variant is still on hold for now.
• Currently these Black Chantry products are available through Gamepod, Drivethrucards.com and 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
Den of Fiends Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
Libertine Ball Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
Pact with Nephandi Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
Parliament of Shadows Preconstructed Deck (Also Spanish, French)
Anthology I bundle
VTES Card Creator (Drivethrucards only)
25th Anniversary
First Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French)
First Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French)
VTES Legacy Card Singles (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 1 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 2 (Drivethrucards and Gamepod only)
Promo Pack 3 (For promotion only)
Promo Pack 4 (For promotion only)
VTES "Parity Shift" playmat
VTES card sleeves
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition (Stores only)
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Fifth Edition Latin (Drivethrucards only)
Fifth Edition: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Promo Pack 3 (Event promos only)
Fifth Edition: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Brujah (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Fifth Edition: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Malkavian (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Nosferatu (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Toreador (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Tremere (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
New Blood: Ventrue (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
The Fall of London (Also Spanish, French, Latin)
Echoes of Gehenna
Shadows of Berlin (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Banu Haqim (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Brujah (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: Gangrel (Also Spanish, French)
New Blood: The Ministry (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Ravnos (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Salubri (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Tzimisce (Also Spanish, French)
30th Anniversary (Also Spanish, French)
Fifth Edition: Lasombra (Also Spanish, French) (UPCOMING!)
Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS
When this is written, the World of Darkness crew over at Paradox are almost through their annual "Month of Darkness" October reveal-and-content extravaganza. It´s one thing every day for a month, so you have to check out the whole thing at their site, but so far our favourite pick is In Memoriam for Vampire: The Masquerade. This sourcebook steps up the game a bit from the "street level" neonate style of the original setting, to ancillae level - that is the 100-200 year old almost-elders that have seized power in many cities in the absence of the true elders now whisked away by The Beckoning.
The official content blurb:
• Dive into and take part in Kindred history through flashback with expanded Memoriam rules.
• Craft Ancilla Characters with enriched rules designed for advanced play.
• Consolidated and Streamlined Memoriam Rules featuring new variations and advanced rules for deeper character development.
• New Lore, Resources & Plotlines surrounding 11 mortal eras and 8 pivotal Kindred events.
• Six New Loresheets that link characters to significant historical moments.
• Learn more about integrating Memoriam rules into your existing stories and how to tie your characters to older events
Sounds awesome, don´t you think?
Subscribe to the World of Darkness News show for more news!
CALENDAR
Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia
Brazil x21
Croatia
Czech Republic
Finland
France
Germany
Great Britain
Greece x2
Hungary
Italy x2
Netherlands
Online x2
Philippines x2
Poland
Serbia
Spain x10
Sweden
USA x10
For details about these events, see the VEKN Event Calendar.
Remember: Online tournaments are possible - just check the box "Online tournament" when you add the event to the calendar!
CONTACT VEKN
You can contact the VEKN Inner Circle members using contact forms at VEKN.net. Also follow the official VTES Facebook page Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, the official VEKN X (Twitter) account @VEKN_VTES and the official VTES Discord server.
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.
Vincent Ripoll is the 2024 France champion!
This event took place on October 19. Report by Christophe Baltazar, VEKN National Coordinator of France, and TWD comment by the champion:
French Championship 2024 is over. 50 players were in Villeurbanne for this event, coming from many places in France, and also 4 swiss guys, Martin Weinmayer from Austria and a big suprise as Mehdi Mazni came specially from Atlanta ❤ It's been a long time since the French championship gathered so many people, so first of all, I wanna thank everyone of you who make this event a success!
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After 3 rounds we had nearly a Parisian table in finale:
Sélim 1st seed with 2 GW 8 VP 174 TP playing Ventrue obf royalty (Arika ...)
Vincent Ripoll 2nd seed, 2 GW 8 VP 156 TP, with Baron swarm pro deck
Serge, 3th seed, 2 GW 7.5 VP 174 TP, with a Toreador Grand Ball AAA vote deck
Karim Baloul, 4th seed, 2 GW 7.5 VP 156 TP, with a baron ani deck
Frederic Pin 5th, 2 GW 7.0 VP, with weenie Gangrel Garou
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Serge was ousted first, followed by Selim (Obedience doesn't works vs Garous) and at time limit, with Fred and Karim still alive, Vincent wins his 2nd title of French Champion. Congrats to you Vincent Ripoll!
Fun fact : It's been more than one year that we planned to prepare a book about the French championship since the start in 2000. I've started the job and Vincent spent a lot of time finishing writing and organizing the book. At the end, it was too late to have it for Saturday ... so Vincent will receive it this week ... What's not natural that a winner "prepare" his own prizes?
The tournament winning deck, with comment:
Deck Name: Baron Protean
This deck is heavily inspired by Simo Tiippana's "Garou Rim: Foreshadowing Destruction" deck (TWD 11456) but I tweaked it a lot, removing the "bad" 8-cap barons to include smaller PRO vampire and reworking the master module.
I doubled all the key cards (so that the only copy doesn't end up in the bottom of the deck): Carfax (blood is crucial), Garibaldi (recursion is strong), and Club Illusion (because we need it to oust!). I played the deck at the EC, and noticed that the cardflow could be problematic, so I added two Heart of Nizchetus and a Powerbase: Los Angeles.
I didn't put The Uncoiling, but Scourge is really a pain in the a**, so it could be included somehow.
The Dark Influences completely screwed my predator during the final (by preventing him from getting a Renegade Garou with his 2-cap before any baron was out to block) and other predators during other rounds playing Immortal Grapple or whatever.
The Erciyes Fragments was a last-minute addition, allowing me to oust to preys with their own bleed cards, but also to retrieve Carrion Crows during the final to fight against the Renegade Garous. The Discipline spread is so wide that you can almost play any card.
Crypt (12 cards)
1x Sergio Bueno 8 OBF PRE PRO aus pot baron Ministry:6
1x Ángel Guerrero 7 ANI DOM PRO baron Tzimisce:6
1x Massimiliano 7 ANI FOR pro baron Gangrel:6
1x Valeriya Zinovieva 7 POT cel pre pro baron Brujah:6
1x Vivian VI 7 PRE PRO obf tha baron Ministry:6
1x Branimira 6 ANI dom pre pro baron Tzimisce:6
1x Casey Snyder 6 PRO ani cel for baron Gangrel:6
1x Elisha Tucker 6 PRE cel obf pro baron Ministry:6
1x Kuyén 6 ANI PRO baron Gangrel:6
1x Kamile Paukstys 5 PRO ani for Gangrel:6
1x Indira 3 PRO Gangrel:6
1x Joseph Fischer 3 PRO Gangrel antitribu:5
Library (90 cards)
Master (27; 6 trifle)
1x Anarch Free Press, The
1x Anarch Troublemaker -- to burn any annoying weapon (Sniper, Ivory Bow) or to deliver the final blow
2x Carfax Abbey -- "The blood is the life!"
2x Club Illusion -- plan A for ousting
1x Dark Influences -- a great defensive card
1x Erciyes Fragments, The -- a last-minute addition, allowed me to oust to preys with their own bleed cards
2x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum -- as usual, gets back the bounce or intercept, or the killing votes
1x Papillon -- "The blood is the life!"
1x Poacher's Hunting Ground -- more blood, or if someone has already a Papillon or Carfax out
1x Powerbase: Los Angeles -- required to cycle more
6x Protean -- we don't need 8 of them for the 8 Childe, as we never play them all. Can be used on some barons to give them PRO
1x Rötschreck -- nice ot have, but not crucial at all
1x Tribute to the Master -- never drawn at the right time
6x Villein -- probably better than Vessel / Blood Doll, allows to get more vampires out, and I rely on the HG to regain blood
Action (10)
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal -- to contest, always useful anyway
8x Childe of the Revolution -- bleed or Revolutionary fodder
1x Constant Revolution -- I removed it, then put it back because it's a great end-game card (before, it's just fun, no need to defend it)
Political Action (2)
1x Eat the Rich -- easy to call, recursive with Garibaldi
1x Revolutionary Council -- endgame oust and/or threat removal (Ivory Bow or strong locations)
Equipment (2)
2x Heart of Nizchetus
Action Modifier (6)
4x Earth Control
2x Monkey Wrench -- for the surprise bleed boost, recursive
Action Modifier/Reaction (4)
4x Form of the Bat
Combat (14)
6x Donnybrook -- agg threat is efficient (can be retrieved with Garibaldi)
8x Earth Meld
Reaction (25)
6x Bait and Switch
1x Delaying Tactics -- I added it for the EC, never used
16x Organized Resistance -- spam! spam! spam!
2x Protection Racket
I would like to thank Ultra Pro for their support, once again, they send us several products for finalist.
Thanks also to Thibaut Trampont, our french distributor for his support too because he offered us several bundles of cards!
Thanks to Octogones who host us the week-end.
Thanks to Mickael Lavallée who co-organized this event with me and spend his entire week-end providing demos.
José Roberio Barbosa da Silva is the South American champion 2024!
Reported by Márcio Pinheiro, VEKN Baron of Fortaleza and National Coordinator of Brazil:
This year's South American championship took place in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba State, on September 7, Brazil's Independence Day, and featured 41 players. Below is a little about the participants:
• Campina Grande/PB was the largest playgroup;
• Followed by Recife/PE, which sent 6 players, who traveled 200 km (3 hours), in a car and a motorcycle;
• Teresina/PI sent 4 players, also by car, for 1,030 km (15 hours);
• Fortaleza/CE also sent 4 representatives, 3 by plane and one by bus (624 km, 14 hours);
• The North region sent two representatives, both by plane, Belém/PA (2,000 km) and Manaus/AM (3,500 km);
• The Southeast region sent two representatives, both by plane, Barra do Piraí/RJ (2,200 km) and São Paulo/SP (2,300 km); and
• North America sent one representative, by plane (Ben Peal).
The Teresina playgroup.
The event structure was impeccable, the store was exclusively for VTES, with VTES material in Portuguese on display and food available throughout the event, including a place to rest:
Thanks to the store owner and player Daniel Weslley Silva Xavier.
The organization was perfect. All the tables were set up on time and there was a raffle of material, in Portuguese, during the break between rounds. Thanks to the organizer and Baron Joab Rogerio Barbosa da Silva.
The prizes were grand, with the support of Conclave Editora and Black Chantry Productions.
The top players after the preliminary rounds:
1. José Roberio Barbosa da Silva 3 GW, 11.5 VP
2. Nilceu Galvão 2 GW, 7.0 VP
3. Joselmo Soares 2 GW, 6.0 VP, 148 TP
4. Diego Rodrigues 2 GW, 6.0 VP, 138 TP
5. Rafael Barbosa da Silva 1 GW, 7.0 VP
Let's get to the final: Rafael Barbosa da Silva was playing Tremere and took out Nilceu Galvão who was also playing Tremere. Joselmo Soares played Brujah V5 and took out Diego Rodrigues playing Chameleon. The two of them were left against the SAC 2024 Champion José Roberio Barbosa da Silva who played Gangrel V5, who ousted them both.
The tournament winning deck: ”Lobisomem america em campina 2.0”
Crypt (13 cards)
1x André the Manipulator 6 FOR PRO Gangrel:5
1x Casey Snyder6 PRO ani cel for baron Gangrel:6
1x Crow5 ANI for pro tha Gangrel:5
1x Dario Ziggler 5 FOR ani pro tha Gangrel:6
1x Hanna Nokelainen4 ani for pro Gangrel:6
1x Indira3 PRO Gangrel:6
1x Joaquín de Cádiz3 for pro Gangrel:6
1x Kamile Paukstys 5 PRO ani for Gangrel:6
1x Kuyén 6 ANI PRO baron Gangrel:6
1x Martina Srnankova 6 FOR PRO ani Gangrel:6
1x Massimiliano7 ANI FOR pro baron Gangrel:6
1x Nathan Turner 4 PRO ani Gangrel:6
1x Ruslan Fedorenko2 pro Gangrel:6
Library (88 cards)
Master (22; 8 trifle)
1x Anarch Free Press, The
1x Anarch Railroad
1x Backways
1x Carfax Abbey
1x Club Illusion
2x Direct Intervention
1x Ecoterrorists
1x Effective Management
1x Parthenon, The
1x Powerbase: Montreal
1x Smiling Jack, The Anarch
1x Tribute to the Master
2x Vessel
6x Villein
1x Zoo Hunting Ground
Action (16)
1x Constant Revolution
1x Rewilding
14x Thing
Ally (5)
1x Ossian
4x Renegade Garou
Retainer (4)
4x Raven Spy
Action Modifier (2)
2x Earth Control
Action Modifier/Reaction (2)
2x Form of the Bat
Combat (12)
11x Earth Meld
1x Form of Mist
Reaction (25)
6x Bait and Switch
5x Deep Ecology
1x Delaying Tactics
8x Eyes of the Wild
5x Protection Racket
Thanks to the players and Márcio for the report!
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