Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter November 2018

Greetings fellow Methuselahs
Winter is upon us, in all its dark glory! Celebrate the darkness, and remember that the most charitable thing you can do to a fellow Cainite is to deliver her the oust. Well, not charitable to her, but to yourself, and, after all, that is what matters, isn´t it? I am sure most of you agree, deep in your heart, that is why you have reached this esteemed age. So do not hesitate the next time you have a decent hand and your prey's pool is low enough and all her minions are locked – what could ever go wrong?

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EC PARIS WILL BE PLAYED AUGUST 16-18 2019
Organizers have announced the dates for EC 2019 in Paris, of course great for everyone who wants to plan their vacation and buy travel tickets early.

- “Week of Nightmares” with tournaments starts August 12th

- EC tournaments: August 16th to 18th

See this VEKN.net forum thread: European Championship 2019 (EC 2019) in Paris and the official Facebook event: Parisec2019vtes

 

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VEG 2018-2019 TOURNAMENT SITES REVEALED!
V:EKN Organized Play Coordinator Orian Gissler has decided the schedule for the 2018-2019 V:TES European Grand Prix (VEG). The tournaments are:

• Bologna, Italy (December 2018)

• Brno, Czech Republic (March 2019)

• Portugal (April 2019)

• Warsaw, Poland (TBA)

• Helsinki, Finland (July 2019)

Also, the V:EKN and Black Chantry Productions are proud to announce that game accessory manufacturers Ultra Pro continue to sponsor the VEG circuit. If you attend at least one of the five GP tournaments you will get one copy of V:TES playmat featuring Evil Jensen (see above).

Please visit the official VEG information page at VEKN.net for more information – details about each tournament will be added as they are set.

 

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ARTIST IN FOCUS: KEN MEYER JR.
Ken Meyer Jr is one of the most iconic VTES illustrators. He has been creating flavorful and captivating artwork for almost every expansion since the original Jyhad set in 1994. Totally it has become 155 cards over the years. The VEKN and Black Chantry Productions are very happy to continue to work with mister Meyer now that the game is back in production again. You can see an example of that at the top of this newsletter – Carolina Vález from the upcoming Black Chantry product. And he also agreed to answer some questions in this interview - many thanks!

Let’s start from the beginning: What is your background as an artist?

- Well, I started drawing because of comic books. When I was very young, around 10 or less, I was tracing from the comics, using carbon paper. Later I would try to draw what I saw on the comic page beside the paper. Then, I made up some characters of my own, stories as well. I would try to get illustrations published in the fanzines of the day – this would be in the early to mid-70s. I always knew I was going to be an artist.
    Though I went to college, I was a terrible student, and the college wasn't that great to begin with, so I did not learn much. Most of what I knew was self-taught. I worked in many places; ad agencies, military contracts as a civilian, software companies, etc. I did do some comic work, but mostly for small publishers such as Caliber and Eclipse, with a few smaller jobs along the way for Marvel. But, I realized I just did not have whatever it took to really make it in that industry, though I continued to dabble in it.
    At some point, I did some work for a now defunct company, Mayfair Games, on a werewolf book called “Lycanthropes”. An art director there at the time, Maria Carbado, eventually went on to work for Wizards of the Coast, and because of that connection, I did some work for Magic the Gathering. But, all through that (and to this day), I did many illustrations for White Wolf games ... hundreds of paintings! I do regular work now for Onyx Path.

What artistic techniques do you prefer?

- As for media, for the longest time, I used watercolor primarily. I still use it, but use acrylic ink a lot more frequently. But I have also used other media such as acrylic, oil, mixed media, etc. I just use whatever seems to fit that particular job.

 What kind of motives do you prefer? What kind of assignments?

- I have to admit, I think I work better with deadlines and exact assignments. This whole “do what you want whenever” approach doesn't do me much good. I do like working with humanoid subjects when I can. I have the most fun with pictures that incorporate some sort of dramatic lighting ... which horror is tailor made for! In fact, I did not drift into the horror gaming genre because the horror aspect, but because of that dramatic lighting that so often you see in classic horror films. Most of my work early on was black and white, which fit it even more.

You have made lots of work for VTES, other games and other places – what are you most proud of?

- Well, many of the portraits I did for VTES are some of my favorite pieces, for example the whole book “Kindred Most Wanted” which was all me. I just love painting people. Along the same lines, some of my favorite pieces were done for the Clive Barker game Imagica, but the game went nowhere unfortunately. Many of the pieces in my first big assignment for White Wolf, “The Masquerade”, contains many favorite early pieces.

How do you work with models? Some of your pieces seem obvious model work, others are not so sure?

- Yes, at some point in the nineties, even in my comic work, I used more and more models and photo references, wanting to get the work as realistic as possible, and to get all those lovely shadows. It was usually a combination of shots I took myself, some friends took for me, and references I would find in books and later, the internet. You have to be able to do at least the basic work without a model when necessary, but there are so many specific, individual characteristics that are very hard to just dream up, especially when you apply out of the ordinary camera angles and all those ... shadows!

What other work do you do these days?

- I am always doing something! If it isn't a new Magic playmat to take to tournaments, it's altered Magic cards, or a commission... the variety of what I have done and do is pretty big. At the moment, I have four illustrations for Onyx Path, a portrait of a couple, some illustrations for an educational software company, a few "repaintings" of a few of my classic Magic cards, and god knows what else!
    Also, I do a monthly column on the fanzines of years gone by called Ink Stains. Each month, I cover a different zine or group of zines. They were a big part of my childhood and college years, so it is really enjoyable to me, and I like sharing them with people who had no or little chance to see them for themselves.
    I also teach some painting techniques at a local community college. I am also working on a cure for the common cold and a time travel machine in my spare time.

Thanks again to Ken Meyer Jr for this interview. Check out his work at www.kenmeyerjr.com, where you also can find links to his Ink Stains columns. Also visit his Storenvy-page, where you can buy art and a lot of other related things.

Please also read our previous artist interviews, with Carmen Cornet, Noora Hirvonen and Riccardo Fabiani - many more will follow!

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ONE MONTH – THREE NORDIC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

By strange coincidence, three Nordic countries held their national championships this month. Let's take a look at the results!


• DANISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

Final table: Michael (Tzmisce G2 wall) > Morten (Malkavian G3-4 stealth-bleed) > Rudolf (Tremere with obfuscate vote) > Jesper (Nergal Power-bleed) > Nikolaj (Gangrel G4-5 Rush & Block)

Final results: Rudolf 4, Michael 1

Champion: Rudolf Scholz (GER) – congratulations Rudolf!

For winning deck list more information: VEKN.net forum thread


• SWEDISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

Final table: Randal (AUS midcap gun-wall) > Mathias (!Salubri rush/wall) > Zack (Harbingers Khurshid toolbox) > Erik (Sabbat OBF PRE vote) > Matti (Tremere anarchs with nec stealth-bleed)

Final results: Zack 1.5, Erik 1, Randal 0.5, Mathias 0.5

Champion: Zack Holmgren (SWE) – congratulations Zack!

Special thanks to all travelling players, extra special thanks to our Finland friends that showed up.

For winning deck list and more information: VEKN.net forum thread


• FINNISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

For this we got some words from one of the organizers, Tero Aalto:

The tournament took place in the same venue as the previous two years: the library in the Center of Espoo, i.e. in the middle of nowhere. Attendance was significantly up from the previous years, a whole 33% from 24 to 32 players. The renewed availability of cards and beginning revival of the game must have had an effect. And in fact, during fall 2018, weekly games in the capital region have also been increasingly popular. Who knows, next year we may be forced to look for a bigger space for the Nationals, but that will be a positive problem.

The tournament was a success in other respects as well. Many players described the games as interesting and even pleasant. My personal experience supports this observation: it's hard to remember another tournament where in each of the three rounds (almost) everybody had the chance to play their own game and even to win the table. The decks were very varied, and generally not very aggressive. Even the trademark Finnish combat-heavy decks were quite few.

Two game wins were required to make it to the final, and only five people did (including one with three), so the cut-off was very clear. From what I saw, the final seemed very close.

Final table: Matti (Tremere with nec anarch stealth-bleed) > Marko S (The Unnamed, Xeper & Annazir) > Otso (Girls stealth-bleed) > Juho (Setites with Bima stealth-bleed) > Jyri (Ventrue grinder)

Final results: Otso 1.5, Jyri 1.5, Matti 1

Champion: Otso Saariluoma (FIN) - congratulations Otso!

For winning deck list and more information, please also read the champion's own tournament report at the VEKN.net forum – a very good read!

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BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: NOVEMBER 2018

• In the most recent production update, it was revealed that distributors are getting the Belgium printed Heirs to the Blood bundles and restock of Keepers of Tradition bundles by mid-December. So if you are a player that feels our products are missing from the shelves of your local game store – talk to the manager, and make that person talk to their distributors, who in turn will contact Black Chantry.

• Four preconstructed decks are almost done for printing. If everything goes well they will turn up on both Drivethrucards and in stores early in the first quarter of 2019.

• Anthology 1, which was revealed last month, is being prepared for printing. Most likely you will be able to get this too in first quarter 2019, both print on demand via Drivethrucards and normal printing in stores.

• The V5-themed boxed set is being designed. Product director Ben Peal and freelance game designer Mike Nudd are in charge, and hopefully the first round of playtesting will begin really soon. There are a number of setting-dependant issues to be cleared which are being discussed with White Wolf at the moment – Ben will talk more about that in an upcoming designers' diary-text.

• Rules director Vincent “Ankha” Ripoll is vetting wording all cards that are to be reprinted and also (in his spare time) rewriting the VTES rulebook. He is always pondering various changes for cards, rules and tournament rules – please check out his threads at the VEKN forum, for example about optimal seating and time limit variants for finals.

• Currently five Black Chantry products are available through DriveThruCards.com, and the top three can also be found in 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

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.

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CHICAGO BY NIGHT KICKSTARTED AT 296%
1 852 backers pledged $119 039 of av $40 000 goal to help bring Chicago By Night for Vampire: The Masquerade 5^th Edition to unlife. By looking at absolutelly FANTASTIC artwork spoiled at the Kickstarter page and the hundreds of pages of preview text files, this setting book is going to be a total blast. Now there will be lots and lots of waiting for the actual book, and hopefully some interesting tie-ins with future Black Chantry VTES products. According to that preview material, at least some of the lower capacity vampires already in VTES are still active in the Chicago area, and maybe also some of the really old ones …

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed

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CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
December 1: Bleeding is Coming - Alicante, Spain
December 1: Friendly Saturday Tournament II - Bologna, Italy
December 2: VEG 2019 - Bologna, Italy
December 2: Loughman's Fifth Tradition Birthday - Heath, USA
December 8: IV. Round - Pest, Hungary
December 9: Natal na Camarilla - São Paulo, Brazil
December 15: Christmas massacre - Santiago, Chile
December 15: Crónicas del Califa: The Raid, fight for Córdoba - Córdoba, Spain
December 15: Black Forest Base - Hyvinkää, Finland
December 16: Algeciras Silent Death I - Algeciras, Andalucía, Spain December 16: Marató TV3 - Badía del Vallés, Catalunya, Spain

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

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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

"With great power comes great responsibility."

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter October 2018

Greetings fellow Methuselahs
Sorry for being late again! I am already snowed in because my lazy ghouls refuse to do their job, but I also have another problem. My crypt, located in the middle of a Swedish graveyard, is currently under siege by a large number of spooky, ethereal folks calling themselves “the emerald legion”. I have no idea what they really want, but they are in my way and they are prone to violence. I have consulted Tobin´s Spirit Guide, but the page about these folks seems to have been torn out. Could someone send help? Please?

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ANTHOLOGY 1 – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Recently the complete contents of the upcoming product Anthology 1 were spoiled on Blackchantry.com. Yes, it is the same selection of cards as for the limited ”Berlin Anthology” set produced in 2017 for the World of Darkness Berlin event, with the exception of 11 cards that were designed inspired by the live-action role-playing scenarios held at the event. The most common questions answered by Black Chantry about this set are:

Q: Why do you release this set now?
A: It contains many cards that are still in high demand among players. In spite of the 2017 set, cards like, for example, Enkil Cog and Monastery of Shadows are still hard to get.

Q: What about the 11 storyline cards? Are they still legal for tournament play? When will they be reprinted?
A: Yes, they are still legal. They will be made available again, shortly. Don´t worry.

Q: When can we buy Anthology 1?
A: A definitive date has not been set, and better wait to give even an approximate date.

Q: Is it for print-on-demand or stores?
A: Both. It will probably be made available on both Drivethrucards.com and through normal distribution simultaneously.

Q: What will it cost?
A: The recommended retail price will be about $20/€18.

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DISTRIBUTOR LIST REVEALED – AND CONSTANTLY UPDATED
Black Chantry has published a list of distributors on Blackchantry.com. So far no exclusive deals are made, so it’s up to any distributors to contact the company to get products. This means:
• Are you a player and want VTES in your local game store? Tell your store!
• Are you a store and want to sell VTES? Contact your distributor!
• Are you a distributor and want to distribute VTES? Mail !

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VEKN FACEBOOK GROUP = SUCCESS!
With last month’s newsletter, an official Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Facebook group was launched. Not only has it gathered almost 700 members in just 30 days, but it’s also jam-packed with posts and comments, and the mood is generally love and happiness. If you use Facebook and are not yet a member, please join – all players of VTES are welcome, as long as you follow the rules in the Discussion Guidelines and the normal Facebook rules (no fake identities, etc.). See you there!

Most engaging post in October:
1: Nathan call for ban on Pentex and Brainwash
2: Humble Bundle Exclusive VTES Set
3: Janne says “Greetings from the Boondock, Finland!”
4: Ignacio: “Someone who trade Pentex?”
5: Dave: "Here´s my Trujah selection; who gets to star in a deck?"

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BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: OCTOBER 2018

• The 1000 kilograms of Belgian printed cards mentioned in the September newsletter have now been distributed in Europe, Asia and Australia. Some of it disappeared immediately due to preorders, but don´t worry – more cards are being printed!

• Black Chantry is still working on how to get products to some places, for example Brazil. But options are being evaluated and hopefully solutions to these problems will be found shortly.


• Black Chantry has been part of its first charity event. During the period 3-14 October the product Humble Bundle Exclusive VTES Set was available through Drivethrucards.com, as a part of the White Wolf Humble RPG Book Bundle. 11 560 bundles were sold of the book bundle, but how many of these will take the opportunity to get the physical VTES set is not clear. The content was two each of Lord Tremere, Mithras, Montano, The Capuchin and The Dracon. These cards will be made available again soon, but without the red Humble Bundle set symbol. “We enjoyed getting some minor exclusives out for Humble Bundle, but we'll work on making the process smoother for future similar offers”, says Black Chantry CEO Hugh Angseesing.

• The first distributors list were revealed on October 18.

• Anthology 1 were announced and spoiled on October 21.

• Due to the previous problems with misprints, Black Chantry is now applying new, very thorough routines for proofreading. The whole staff are involved in this work.

• Chief marketing ghoul Henrik Klippström attended Spiel 18 in Essen, Germany, the world’s largest board game fair. The booth was shared with Paradox Interactive, White Wolf and Nice Game. With the help of friendly players Rudolf, Ali and Mike he ran demos of VTES for three days. “It was a blast! All who tested the game loved it, and MANY old time players approached me to thank Black Chantry for our efforts to revive the game – some were almost crying of joy”, Henrik says.

• Currently five Black Chantry products are available through DriveThruCards.com, and the top three can also be found in 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

Do you have opinions or questions for Black Chantry? Start a topic on the VEKN forum, or contact the company by e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.

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RULES QUESTIONS
Rules Director Vincent Ripoll answers some recent rules questions:

Q: Eric Kressida's revised text says that "he can burn the Edge to move to your ready region." (previously: "you can burn the Edge to move Eric to your ready region"). Does it mean he can now burn the Edge that is not controlled by his controller?
A: No. First of all, "burn the Edge *to*..." means that burning the Edge is a cost. You can pay costs only with resources you control. Then, minions you control have access to your resources:
- a minion you control can burn the Edge you control (Eric Kressida)
- a minion you control can discard a card from your hand (Uchenna)
- a minion you control can burn a location you control (Osric)
- a minion you control can burn the top cards of your library or crypt (Paul Cordwood)
- etc.

Q: Can "The Line" be used to reduce the cost of a recruit action card (e.g., Shambling Hordes)?
A: Yes. Recruit action cards are action cards.

Q: Who is the acting minion when Marie-Pierre uses her ability?
A: Neither Marie-Pierre nor the opposing vampire are acting (for effects that refer to "acting minion"), but standard sequencing rules apply (i.e., acting player, then blocking/target player, then clockwise from the acting player).

Q: What is the timing of Marie-Pierre's ability with respect to action modifiers (specifically Freak Drive)?
A: She enters combat before the acting minion can play Freak Drive. The acting minion can play Freak Drive at the end of the action, as usual.

Q: What if the acting Samedi successfully rushed and has Perfectionist? When do they gain the blood (not that it matters much, but just curious)?
A: During the same window as Freak Drive.

Q: What about the timing of reaction cards? If Marie-Pierre isn't acting when she uses her ability, can the opposing minion play a reaction card like Obedience?
A: Not Obedience because Obedience works only against acting vampire (and Marie-Pierre isn't acting in that case). If the opposing minion is not the acting minion, he could play reaction cards that apply.

Q: What about cards like Psyche or Telepathic Tracking? If my other Samedi was acting and combat ended with both combatants still ready, can I use Marie-Pierre's ability before the opposing minion can play Superior Psyche?
A: Psyche! is played during combat, way before Marie-Pierre's ability can be used.

Q: Can Marie-Pierre's special interrupt Rötschreck's effect to prevent another Samedi from going to torpor?
A: Yes. Effects that end combat and then do something else after combat (all in the single resolution of the effect) will fizzle if combat doesn't end or if a new combat is started.

Q: An Anarch vampire attempts to block and is successful. Can he play Guardian Vigil before combat?
A: You can't play it once the block is successful, you must play it before. However, the following scenario is possible:
Acting Meth: A bleeds
You: B attempts to block.
Acting Meth: Blocked*
You: B plays Guardian Vigil
Acting Meth: Still blocked**
You: OK, combat then.
*: when he says "blocked", he should say "no more stealth" or "no more effects".
**: he could play stealth at this point.

Q: Is Alvusia's bonus bleed or strength permanent? It says "Once each action, you can burn 1 counter from this card to give a slave Gargoyle you control +1 bleed or +1 strength."
A: If an effects works "once each action" or "during an action", the default duration is until the end of the action.

Feel to discuss one of these rulings? Use the VEKN.net forum or the brand new VEKN Facebook group!

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KICKSTART CHICAGO BY NIGHT
Hot RPG news: Our friends at White Wolf and Onyx Path have launched the Kickstarter campaign for the V5 edition of Chicago By Night. This is the third incarnation of this awesome city sourcebook, by some called the best setting material ever produced for any role-playing game. Many VTES cards spawn from the iconic characters of Chicago; Helena, Menele, Lodin, Ublo-Satha, Inyanga and many others. Check it out!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed
 

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CALENDAR
Upcoming events:
November 1: Bachanalia - Zielona Góra, Poland
November 2: Dead-End Alley - II limited 2018 (Darkness Day) - Fortaleza, Brazil
November 3: Danish Nationals 2018 - Copenhagen, Denmark
November 3: Nacional Portugal 2018 - Lisboa, Portugal
November 3: Vampire the Eternal Saturday - Waterloo, United States
November 4: No Secrets From The Magaji - São Paulo, Brazil
November 4: Silence of Death - Lisboa, Portugal
November 10: Finnish National Championship 2018 - Espoo, Finland
November 10: Forced Awakening - Szczecin, Poland
November 16: Torneio Alagoano - Maceió, Brazil
November 17: Swedish National Championship 2018 - Stockholm, Sweden
November 17: Nordestão 2018 - Maceió, Brazil
November 17: Werewolf uprising - Santiago, Chile
November 17: Brujah Debate In the north - Sant Celoni, Spain
November 17: Algeciras Nocturno I - Córdoba, Spain
November 17: Crónicas del Califa I: Calma antes de la Tormenta - Andalucía, Spain
November 17: Round III. - Vác, Hungary
November 18: Rage Across Appalachia 3 - Asheville, United States
November 24: Rebirth Gatineau - Gatineau, Canada
November 25: Algeciras Nocturno II - Algeciras, Spain

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

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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

"Speak softly, and carry a big stick."