Paul Direktor is the 2024 VTES champion of Austria!

This event was played in Vienna on June 8 with 30 players. Reported by Richard Unter, with comments by the champion:

Comment by Paul Direktor:
“Returning the Austrian championship title to a Viennese player feels great and fitting for a first tournament victory. After playing competitive VTES for almost exactly a year (my first tournament on June 10,2023), this was my second national championship. Gaining some experience in Grand Prixs and some successes (one final, almost another one in my last 4 tournaments) in previous tournaments, I was looking forward to this one. It was great to see so many players (30) from nine different countries around. This community is the main reason I've stuck with the game. Everyone is welcoming and helpful to new players, which is fantastic.

I decided on the deck at the last minute, after some fine-tuning (thanks to Tero for his assistance!) the night before. I hadn't tested that deck version yet; the first version had been crushed in our weekly Thursday night games the day before. I expected a decent amount of combat from our eastern european neighbours and decided that eliminating them before they could harm my vampires was a viable strategy.

Round 1 (5 players):
I had a great start to the first game, quickly eliminating my prey (Giovanni combat). Following intense pressure from G1 Malkav powerbleed, my predator (Ventrue multi-act) was swiftly removed. After my second prey (Massassi combat/wall) proved hard to oust, I got some help from the Malkavian. Two back-deflects and one Direct Intervention from Massassi brought him down to 5 pool. One Week of Nightmares and a bleed for 4 later he was killed by the Famous Royce in torpor, allowing me to finish the Malkavians off and getting my GW and 4 VPs.

Round 2 (5 players):
Weenie Animalism's Deep Songs destroyed my vampires after a very strong Round 1. I was ultimately expelled following a few cross-table rescues and assistance from my own prey. The final player on the table was dispatched quickly by the Weenie animalism Deck, earning them 1 GW and 3 VPs.

Round 3 (5 players):
The third round proved to be really important in the end. I encountered two finalists (Martin and Lukas), and learned about their decks. I decided to try to oust Martin as soon as possible, which proved very hard. He stayed in the game longer than I had anticipated thanks to his strong pool gain and crosstable assistance with votes and rushes (at one point, he had to play an alastor on my grandpredators Banu Haqim deck in order to rush my vampires).
    After ousting Martin with my Week of Nightmares, I needed to deal with Lukas Unnamed Platinum Deck. I came very close to ousting him, but with an unlocked Unnamed and Carlton he would have blocked my ousting bleed, as I had no stealth on hand and no way to cycle. After that, i lost to Igor Beslin's Stanislava, but the 1 VP from ousting Martin proved to be enough for the final. 1GW 5VPs.”

Standings before the finals:
1. Lukas Simandl 2 GW 7.5 VP
2. Florian Koller 1 GW 6.5 VP
3. Martin Weinmayer 1 GW 6 VP
4. Milan Popovic 1 GW 5 VP
5. Paul Direktor 1 GW 5 VP

“As the last seed, I didn't get to choose my position anyway. Martin was fortunate enough to be seated behind the two Unnamed decks, who started contesting right away. Since there was just one vampire in Florian's crypt, this was the only thing he did for the remainder of the game.
    Fortunately for me, aside from a few Platinum Protocol bleeds, I was under minimal pressure.
My best chance was to oust my prey as soon as possible, before they could build up their Emerald Legionnaires. The free "influence" on Breaking the Bonds proved invaluable; I quickly gathered five minions and ousted my prey. Meanwhile, Martin managed to oust Flo.
    Lukas crumbled under the pressure of votes and bleeds, without the pool gain of The Unnamed he got ousted and it was only me and Martin, who was on 26 pool at that point.
    By then I had a Week of Nightmares and a Heart of Nizchetus, but I still saw my chances very slim since Martin could deal a lot of damage.
    Bringing Martin down to 14 pool, I passed the turn and hoped for the best. He only managed to bring me down to 2 pool, having 16 himself and gave me one last turn. I got a Club Illusion on hand, so I used my second to last pool to play it. Having 4 ready minions, Sreelakah bled him for 7, three more bleeds for 3 and Martin was suddenly and to my own surprise at 0 pool, which gave me the second VP and the gamewin as last man standing.”

Final results: Martin Weinmayer 2 VP, Paul Direktor 3 VP. Congratulations Paul!

The tournament winning deck: “Breaking the protocol”

Crypt (12 cards)
2x Phaibun 5 OBF PRE ani Ravnos:7
2x Roberto Rivamonte 6 ANI OBF PRE Ravnos:7
2x Sreelekha 8 ANI FOR OBF PRE Ravnos:7
1x Doc Martina 6 ANI OBF for pre Ravnos:7
1x Gathii 5 ANI PRE obf Ravnos:7
1x Jean-François 4 ani obf pre Ravnos:7
1x Luciano Carvalho 6 ANI OBF pre Ravnos:7
1x Oleg Kaprizov 3 obf pre Ravnos:7
1x Zafira 4 PRE obf Ravnos:7
 
Library (80 cards)
Master (17; 6 trifle)
1x Anarch Railroad
1x Club Illusion
3x Dabbler
1x Direct Intervention
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Fortune Teller Shop
1x Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
1x Giant's Blood
1x Park Hunting Ground
3x Villein
2x Week of Nightmares

Event (2)
1x Bitter and Sweet Story, The
1x Narrow Mind

Action (18)
12x Break the Bonds
2x Field Training
2x Platinum Protocol, The
2x Public Trust

Equipment (2)
1x Heart of Nizchetus
1x Treasured Samadji

Action Modifier (25)
4x Elder Impersonation
3x Faceless Night
4x Lost in Crowds
3x Power of One
2x Spying Mission
1x True Love's Face
2x Veil the Legions
6x Visions of Gehenna

Action Modifier/Combat (2)
2x Swallowed by the Night

Combat (4)
4x Majesty

Reaction (10)
3x On the Qui Vive
2x Party Out Of Bounds
5x Visions of Zapathasura

With 30 players from 9 different countries this event was a real blast. Thanks to everyone who participated and big thanks to the whole VTES community which never spares costs and efforts to support local tournaments and events.

Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter May 2024

 

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF VAMPIRE: THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE CONTINUES

Great news: The release date for this 120 card set is moved from September (what a lousy idea!) to mid/late July! Here are some previews:

• Ian Carfax is another Tremere Justicar from the Vampire: The Masquerade lore, and also a previous Archon of notorious Karl Schrekt. The design team gave him a really interesting discipline spread as well as very strong special abilities, don´t you think? Art by Ginés Quiñonero.

• Reinforcement is not new, but a reprint of a card that first appeared in the Final Nights set. Only playable by titled vampires and removed from game when resolved, it is debated what decks this really is suited for. The original art by Steve Ellis is used.

• Lasombra Justicar is the a way for "The Night Clan" to get a Justicar, now that they officially joined the Camarilla sect. Art by Riccardo Fabiani.

More previews coming soon - follow Black Chantry Productions in social media.

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NAC 2024 COMING UP

Very welcome to the North American Championship, played at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio on June 22. As usual, the main event is surrounded by a plethora of side events, this year no less than 12 of them. The tournaments are:

June 16: Week of Nightmares - Event 1
June 17: Week of Nightmares - Event 2
June 17: Week of Nightmares - Event 3
June 18: Week of Nightmares - Event 4
June 18: Week of Nightmares - Event 5
June 19: Week of Nightmares - Event 6
June 19: 30th Anniversary Jyhad Draft (<---- How cool is this?!)
June 20: Origins - Thursday 1
June 20: Origins - Thursday 2
June 21: Origins - Friday 1
June 21: Origins - Friday 2
June 22: Origins NAC 2024
June 23: Origins - Sunday

Organisers are Jay Kristoff and Ben Peal. Please, check the VEKN Event Calendar for details.

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ANOTHER WAY TO ASK RULES QUESTIONS + RULING OF THE MONTH

Have you seen that there´s now a dedicated section at the VTES Discord to ask rules questions? Check it out!

Question of the month goes to "Th3lonius" who asked:

Q: Is it legal to search for a card that I know I don't have just to shuffle my library? For example: Magic of the Smith with no equipment cards left in my library.

A: Yes, you are allowed to search and not find a card. Extra shuffling might come in handy if you think cards are clumped due to poor shuffling, or use of another card like the Heart of Nizchetus. But some care must be taken with regards to if you only search to "waste time" - that would be stalling (see Slow Play in the tournament rules). As always, please be respectful of others when you play! 

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MARCIN ZAKRZEWSKI IS THE 2024 CHAMPION OF POLAND!

38 players wanted to battle for the title in Lublin on May 18.

Read the full report: Polish National Championship 2024

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SEBASTIAN FREDENBERG WINS GRAND PRIX AARHUS 2024!

25 players played this event in Denmark on May 19:

Read the full report: Grand Prix Aarhus 2024

The European VTES Grand Prix circuit moves on to Helsiniki on July 20. 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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JOSCAR MALACAMAN IS THE 2024 CHAMPION OF THE PHILIPPINES!

This event was played with 25 Methuselahs on May 25.

Read the full report: The Philippines National Championship 2024

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MILOS KRSTIĆ IS THE 2024 CHAMPION OF SERBIA!

14 players turned up for this tournament in Belgrade on May 4.

Read the full report: Serbian National Championship 2024

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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: MAY 2024

• From the 31st of May to the 2nd of June the Black Chantry team of Ben, Beth, James, Mikey, Hugh and Owein attended UK Games Expo in Birmingham, England (not Birmingham, Alabama like the prince Alexander Silverson!) and had a lot of fun demoing over the three days.

The team also gave out copies of new "business cards" which include legal playable full art cards on one side with key contact notes on the other. These are a test to see if we can produce something useable as a flyer rather than something that just gets binned post an event.

These cards have also been used by our team in Italy and can be requested for free via your national coordinator for conventions and other demo events.

 

• Hugh was also lucky enough to attend the Aarhus Grand Prix to help with judging decisions. Nothing too onerous came up to trick him with.

• As mentioned above, the 30th Anniversary will be out earlier than first expected, official premiere date July 20. The box is manufactured in Germany and should be able to contain the fully sleeved deck.

• The Lasombra and Hecata preconstructed decks are in late pre-production stages, as are New Blood packs for Hecata, Lasombra, Ravnos, Salubri and Tzimisce. Pre-playtesting design of four Sabbat preconstructed decks is in progress. The two-player VTES variant is 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)

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

We once again want to give special attention to the book "Crimson Gutter" for Vampire: The Masquerade. It is not a setting book in itself, but more of a toolbox for the Storyteller. If you are the slightest interested, please have a look at this "deep dive" presentation video with designers Juhana Petterson, José Garcia and Andrew Peregrine. It is a VERY worthwhile watch about a very well-thought-out book, created by people that really know what they are doing. If you are new to Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition, you also get key concepts of the game explained. All in all, an inspiring presentation of a helpful book!

Other news of the month that past:

• "Alma Maters" for Hunter: The Reckoning is available for preorder.

• Developer diary #12 for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, about the Ventrue.

• Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York is now also available on Android and iOS.

• "Scent of Decay", the first chronicle book for Werewolf: The Apocalypse Fifth Edition, is now available in PDF for physical pre-orders.

• Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Purgatory from Different Tales was announced, available on Steam later this year.

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:
Austria
Brazil x13
Chile
Czech Republic
Germany
Finland x3
France
Hungary x2
Italy
Mexico
Netherlands
Online
Poland x3
Portugal
South Africa
Spain x9
USA x13

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.

 

Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.