Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter March 2024

 

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF VAMPIRE: THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE CONTINUES

It has been thirty years since this fantastic game was first published, and throughout the year it will be celebrated in various ways by VEKN, Black Chantry and players all around the world. There will be articles, events and, of course, a special 30th Anniversary product. Now we can reveal that this will be a Toreador deck with a group 6 and 7 Camarilla crypt, focused on politics. And YES, this will mean a significant strengthening of the clan, with several new library cards, high capacity vampires and a new Justicar. And YES, the product will also contain new Justicars for the other Camarilla clans! The design team is putting the last card wording details in place as this is written. Most of the new art is already in, for example the stunning new art for François Villon by Carmen Cornet you see above. Yes, Villon is back!

The release date for this 120 card product is September 2024.

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EDOUARD MENNESON WINS GRAND PRIX IBERIA 2024!

64 players turned up for this event in Lisbon, Portugal on March 9.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Iberia 2024

The European VTES Grand Prix circuit moves on - the upcoming tournaments are April 20 in Paris, May 19 in Aarhus and July 20 in Helsinki. The final with the top 5 players will be played in Warsaw during the EC weekend. More information about that when we have it!

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DANIEL SALES WINS GRAND PRIX FORTALEZA 2024!

43 eager Methuselahs wanted to play this event in Fortaleza, Brazil on March 17.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Fortaleza 2024

The upcoming tournaments in the Grand Prix Sulamericano are São Paulo April 14, Minas Gerais May 4, Macapá June 23, Paraíba August 9 and Nordestão November 16. Chile events to be announced!

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KELLY LYONS WINS GRAND PRIX LAFAYETTE! (GULF COAST ROAST LEG 1)

22 players showed up for this tournament in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA on March 9.

Read the full report: Grand Prix Lafayette 2024

The US "Gulf Coast Roast" Grand Prix circuit continues with Dallas April 27, Gulfport August 24, New Orleans October 12, Vidor December 7, with the final also in Vidor on December 8. Please join the fun!

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GREAT VTES CONTENT

Nowadays it´s impossible to keep up with all the great VTES content being published every month, but we want to highlight some stuff:

 

 

• A new introduction video to VTES is up! In English! This time it's by Lionel, creator of Codex of the Damned, who did a 10 minutes video available at the Codex KRCG channel. Big thanks, this kind of material helps the game a lot.

• The “Nossies” awards are an early popular survey with lots of categories; Best Card, Best Artwork, etc. Check it out at Charlotte By Night!

• Lies from the Tabletop continues to put up nice content – lastly a deck analysis of the “Goratrix High Tower” wall deck.

• Reading Between the Lyons does not only do the best VTES-related music ("Bleeds and Bounces!"), but also has many interesting clips about rules, strategy and news.

• The longtime foremost VTES blog is still doing it´s thing! In the last posting, VTES One talks about disciplines, before that it was statistics of clan cards.

• If you are a Facebook user and VTES player and still do not follow Martin Weinmayer on that platform, you should. He posts great thoughts about the game and gets good discussions in the comments. Recently he also published a very nice, event photo collection on YouTube - don´t miss it if you´re into VTES nostalgia!

• We are, of course, delighted to see that Stephen Buonocore (“The Podfather of Gaming”) mentions VTES as the best CCG/TCG ever in episode 12 of The Quad over at BoardGameGeeks YouTube channel. Check it out!

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DO YOU WANT TO HOST EC 2025?

The application period is now open for the 2025 Vampire: The Eternal Struggle European Championship.

Interested organisers are encouraged to submit their proposals for consideration between today and August 31st to 

The proposals should include the following information (fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.), in addition to any other information that the organisers deem relevant:
• Country:
• City:
• Approximate dates:
• Scheduled off season (Y/N):
• Organizer(s):
• Head judge:

VENUE
• All inclusive location (room, hotel, food, refreshments) (Y/N):
• Accommodations close to venue (Y/N):
• Snacks and meals on-site (or within 5 minutes) (Y/N):
• Distance to major hubs:
• Distance to major city:
• Non-smoking venue (Y/N):
• Air-conditioned venue (Y/N):
• Enough area suited for mass registration (Y/N):
• Free WiFi available (Y/N):
• Microphone/loudspeaker announcements (sound system) (Y/N):
• Video projection system (remaining time) (Y/N):
• Opening hours:

ROOM(S)
• Enough room for 200 players (Y/N):
• Separate rooms for side events (Y/N):
• Comfortable chairs (Y/N):
• Table cloths (Y/N):
• Round tables for 5 players (Y/N):
• Are toilets close to reduce game delays? (Y/N):

ORGANIZATION
• On-site registration on multiple computers (number of players/30) (Y/N):
• On time registration, breaks and events (Y/N):
• Using armbands to indicate registration type (Y/N):
• FAQ (handout at registration) (Y/N):
• Lunch breaks (Y/N):
• Two head organisers (side events/main tournament) (Y/N):
• Organizers and judges properly identified (Y/N):
• Assistants (non VTES players) (Y/N):
• Documentation/archiving person (traceability) (Y/N):
• Spouse info/events (Y/N):
• Seating print-outs on multiple spots (Y/N):

SCHEDULE
• Last Chance Qualifier:
• EC Day 1:
• EC Day 2:
• Side events:

COVERAGE
• Live webcam as weekend documentation (Y/N):
• Detailed final round(s) report (Y/N):
• Final round video recording/streaming (Y/N):
 

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: MARCH 2024

• An odd piece of news is that the next printing of the New Blood packs for Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere and Ventrue will have 1 card less than the previous printings, so 55 cards instead of 56. This is because the printing had to be done in another factory that had a different capacity. This is sad for continuity, but not catastrophic for the actual product function. The cards removed are:
  Malkavian: -1 Wake with Evening's Freshness
  Nosferatu: -1 Forced Awakening
  Toreador: -1 Second Tradition: Domain
  Tremere: -1 Forced Awakening
  Ventrue: -1 Wake with Evening's Freshness

• Gamepod.es has added the four legacy Sabbat precons (Den of Fiends, Libertine Ball, Pact with Nephandi, Parliament of Shadows) as well as Heirs to the Blood 1 & 2 and Promo pack 1-3 to their print-on-demand offering.

• A funny but hardly believable April Fools' joke was published. No, foil cards are not for VTES in the foreseeable future, but there will be a lot of full art promo cards coming up.

• As for the upcoming products, things are moving on smoothly. The Hecata, Lasombra and 30th Anniversary are all in the last steps of design and playtesting, as are a new bunch of New Blood packs. The two-player VTES variant is put on hold for now, as these other things have priority. Four Sabbat preconstructed decks are in early design stages, not quite ready for the first round of playtest yet.

 

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 only)
  Promo Pack 2 (Event promos 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)

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.

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RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

From the World of Darkness team over at Paradox, this month we would like to mention:

• The Crimson Gutter is a brand new chronicle book for Vampire: The Masquerade, perfect for starting a new chronicle. It describes no less than 21 stories, 20 storyteller characters and 8 recurring locations ready to use in any city setting – sounds great, right?

• Another Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Clan Highlight is out, featuring Silky, Brujah Primogen in Seattle, an “eloquent, persuasive, and a man of letters, quoting Milton, Shakespeare, and the Sex Pistols with equal reverence”.

• We are still very excited for Vampire: The Masquerade - Gehenna War that was announced last month – an action-focused sourcebook now available on pre-order, for August 2024 release.

Subscribe to the World of Darkness News show for more news!

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CALENDAR

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Australia x2
Brazil x15
Czech Republic
Finland x3
France x3
Hungary
Italy x4
Mexico
Online
Poland x3
Portugal
Spain x10
Sweden
UK
USA x3

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!

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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.

 

“Every man dies. Not every man lives.”

Kelly Lyons wins Grand Prix Lafayette! (Gulf Coast Roast leg 1)

Report by Norman Brown, with comments from the winner:

So Gulf Coast Roast Weekend Started with a bang Thursday Night, March 7th, Vidor, Texas. We followed up with a tournament Friday Night on March 8th with the Fire Dance in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Main Event, The Gulf Coast Roast Leg 1- Lafayette LA was all day on Saturday March 9th. On Sunday March 10th, we hosted the final tournament of the weekend, Wind Dance Lafayette, Louisiana. It was like a miniature Week of Nightmares.

We began Saturday with Burgers and Daiquiris at Daiquiris Supreme.

The Gulf Coast Roast kicked off at 1 PM with 3 rounds of 2 hours each and an untimed Finals at Sanctuary Games and Comics.  We had 22 players in attendance with the farthest traveling player, Ian Lee, traveling all the way from San Jose, California to participate.

It was a brutally fought tournament, but we took our time after the second round to enjoy some crawfish etouffee that was home-cooked in my kitchen by Paula Brown.

The final contestants were
1. Justin Shackleford (Ghede Typhonic Beast) 2 GW 8.5 VP
2. Sidney Conklin (Ravnos Powerbleed) 2 GW 8 VP
3. Kelly Lyons (Gangrel Skullduggery) 2 GW 7 VP
4. Clint Jordan (V5 Malkavian Stealth & Bleed) 1 GW 6 VP
5. Ian Lee (Presence 8-cap Vote) 1 GW 5 VP

Kelly Lyons emerged victorious with 4 VP in the final!! Sidney got 1 VP.

Here is Kelly’s winning deck and his comments on the finals:

Deck Name: "Water Dog - Unscrupulous Behavior in the Wild"

"I started with skullduggery. I just wanted a skullduggery deck. But, like most Gangrel Anarch Decks it morphed into more and more THINGS. The card is just too good. But, I stuck to my guns and kept the premise. Skullduggery Bleed into a Monkey Wrench. The crypt is based on Protean. Best discipline for Anarchs 5th Edition in my opinion. Just so versatile.

FINAL TABLE: Just like anything else in life you have to get a little lucky but you also need to make your own luck. I set myself up in the seating to possibly get some help from another combat rush deck (GHEDE). 1.) Clint - Malkavain Bleed 2.) Me - Gangrel Skullduggery 3.) Sid - Ravnos Bleed 4.) Ian - Politics 5.) Justin - Ghede... This seating arrangement favored me. Thing could happen unopposed. The nail in the coffin was when Sid decided he had enough Gangrels and he wanted help, so he propelled the situation by playing Club Illusion. It helped his vampires but it also helped mine. Sid crushed Ian and weakened Justin. Clint was never able to totally ruin me. Ghede had done his job. However, I did take four 6-Bleeds (reduced to 4) in a row (Malkavians can be resilient) . Deep Ecology and the use of Thing to transfer up gave me elbow room. I took Sid and Justin out in one turn. I finished Clint a turn later.

Thanks to Norm Brown for hosting. Congrats to my Vidor Vampires. Three Vidorians at the final table. Shout out to Black Chantry!!! Great Playmat and Promo!!! Thanks!!!"

Crypt (12 cards)
1x Casey Snyder 6 PRO ani cel for baron Gangrel:6
1x Kuyén 6 ANI PRO baron Gangrel:6
1x Martina Srnankova 6 FOR PRO ani Gangrel:6
1x Crow 5 ANI for pro tha Gangrel:5
1x Dario Ziggler 5 FOR ani pro tha Gangrel:6
1x Kamile Paukstys 5 PRO ani for Gangrel:6
1x Mickey Wheeler 5 ani cel for pro Gangrel:6
1x Hanna Nokelainen 4 ani for pro Gangrel:6
1x Nathan Turner 4 PRO ani Gangrel:6
1x Indira 3 PRO Gangrel:6
1x Joaquín de Cádiz 3 for pro Gangrel:6
1x Ruslan Fedorenko 2 pro Gangrel:6

Library (90 cards)
Master (16; 2 trifle)
1x Anarch Free Press, The
1x Anarch Railroad
1x Backways
1x Club Illusion
1x Ecoterrorists
7x Effective Management
1x Ennoia's Theater
1x Information Highway
2x Wash

Action (28)
2x Rewilding
2x Shattering
6x Skullduggery
18x Thing

Action Modifier (12)
4x CrimethInc.
2x Earth Control
6x Monkey Wrench

Action Modifier/Combat (4)
2x Form of the Cobra
2x Rapid Change

Action Modifier/Reaction (2)
2x Form of the Bat

Combat (12)
4x Donnybrook
6x Earth Meld
2x Form of Mist

Reaction (16)
10x Deep Ecology
3x Delaying Tactics
3x Eyes of the Wild

 

Thanks to Norm for the report - next up in the Guld Coast Roast is Dallas on April 27!