Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter January 2024

Greetings fellow Methuselahs,

Once again we have the privilege of previewing some new Vampire: The Eternal Struggle art above, this time by Krasen Maximov. Cool huh?! Previously behind illustrations for Priority Contract, Spoils of War and Suspension of Disbelief, he has a very nice style that we are delighted to see more of in the upcoming sets. Thanks Krasen!

FINALLY! VAMPIRE: THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE ON PRINT-ON-DEMAND IN EUROPE!

While Drivethrucards has been an excellent place to produce cards, Black Chantry Productions has since its start been looking for a print-on-demand partner also in Europe. Many of the most vibrant VTES communities are located in that part of the world, and shipping from the United States is expensive. And now it´s finally in place!

Gamepod produce cards in Spain and use a quality that is similar to Drivethrucards and Carta Mundi (who print VTES for normal store distribution). The “pick and mix freely” model is in place, so you can chose any cards to print for EUR 0.45 per card. So far 895 different cards are available, but more will be added in “batches”, just as at Drivethrucards.

You find the webshop at Gamepod.es, and you can browse VTESdecks.com for some extra filter possibilities when choosing cards.

WELCOME TO THE IBERIAN GRAND PRIX 2024!

The registration for Grand Prix Iberia 2024 is open. The tournament will be played at the VIP Executive Zurique Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal on March 9 – hope to see you there!

Link: Event page on Facebook

Link: VEKN Forum thread

WHO WILL BE THE ATLANTIC CUP CHAMPION 2024?

Words by organiser Martin Weinmayer:

We are happy to announce the prizes for the Atlantic Cup 2024 online tournament!

• Day 2 qualification for EC in Warsaw

• Free SAC entry

• Origins weekend pass for NAC

• 50 Euro for the winner, and 20 Euro for each finalist on Drivethrucards

• Huge bunch of promo cards sponsored by Black Chantry

Register now on the tournament discord channel.

The Atlantic Cup is an international online tournament designed to give players from both sides of the Atlantic a chance to play together and compete for the crown of Atlantic Champion. It is a single-deck 3R+F standard constructed tournament, played on the LackeyCCG online platform over the VTES Discord server. Preliminary rounds will occur on March 2nd at 16:00, 18:30, and 21:00 CET (Central European Time). Finals will be played the next day, March 3rd, at 17:00 CET. Rounds (preliminaries and finals) will have a 2-hour time limit.

The Atlantic Cup is sponsored by Black Chantry Productions and Midnight Sun VTES Store.

THIS GULF COAST ROAST 2024 TRAILER IS FANTASTIC!

As we told earlier, the southeast USA tournament series Gulf Coast Roast will be played throughout 2024 in Lafayette, Dallas, Gulfport, New Orleans and Vidor, with finals also in Vidor in December. Now we also know that organiser Kelly is a great musician - you MUST check out the trailer above, for it might be the best piece of VTES related content ever!

More information is on the official Gulf Coast Roast Facebook page and other places!

THE KING OF THE DEAD - A MANAUS STORYLINE EVENT

Words by Eduardo Simões, Baron of Manaus:

On January 13, Manaus played a single game with 8 players and experimented with a game system created by me, Eduardo, with the great support of Daniel Simões. The game lasted for 3 hours and 30 minutes. The player positions in the game were as follows:

1st Daniel Simões (Malkavian Dementation)
2nd Izael Beckman (Banu Haqim V5 Rush & Block)
3rd Tiago Sant'Ana (Gangrel V5 Camera Phone & Block) 2 VPs
4th Oliver Barbosa (Ministry Power Bleed) 1 VP
5th Eliomar (Toreador V5 Grand Ball)
6th R. B. (Lasombra Bleed & Vote)
7th Giuseppe "Kela" (Lutz Vote) 4 VPs - GW
8th Eduardo "Baron de Manaus" (Giovanni Zombies Hordes) 1 VP

The storyline followed, essentially, the effects of the cards Archenemy and Defiance:

They had a deck for the Archenemy, which tells a story before the game, 3 alternative endings, and a trophy for the champion (who finishes with GW). Whoever holds the GW has to survive until the end to receive the best ending of the story; if any Methuselah who left the game has the GW, then they would have a divided ending; and if the main archenemy survives in the game, with or without GW, he wins the storyline, and the others receive the worst ending.

Giuseppe was the winner!

Here is Giuseppe's deck: “Lutz Vote”

Crypt (12 cards, min=36 max=44 avg=10.25)
3x Lutz von Hohenzollern  11 AUS DEM OBF PRE pot  inner circle Malkavian:4
2x Adana de Sforza  11 CEL OBF POT PRE PRO aus  inner circle  Brujah:4
2x Rafael de Corazon  11 AUS CEL DOM OBF PRE  inner circle  Toreador:4
2x Unmada  10 AUS DEM OBF VIC cel for  justicar  Malkavian:5
1x Tryphosa  10 AUS DEM DOM OBF POT  prince  Malkavian:4
1x Dmitra Ilyanova  9 CEL FOR POT PRE obf  justicar  Brujah:5
1x Stavros  7 AUS OBF PRE dem  priscus  Malkavian antitribu:4

Library (80 cards)
Master (21; 8 trifle)
2x Dreams of the Sphinx
1x Giant's Blood
1x Information Highway
1x Metro Underground
1x Monastery of Shadows
7x Villein
1x Wider View
7x Zillah's Valley

Political Action (17)
1x Anarchist Uprising
1x Ancient Influence
1x Ancilla Empowerment
2x Banishment
6x Kine Resources Contested
4x Parity Shift
1x Political Stranglehold
1x Reins of Power

Action Modifier (26)
1x Bewitching Oration
2x Elder Impersonation
1x Faceless Night
5x Forgotten Labyrinth
4x Into Thin Air
2x Lost in Crowds
3x Perfect Paragon
8x Voter Captivation

Action Modifier/Combat (4)
2x Force of Personality
2x Swallowed by the Night

Reaction (7)
4x Mental Maze
1x On the Qui Vive
2x Telepathic Misdirection

Combat (5)
4x Majesty
1x No Trace

The Story: Jurupari, the Shadow of Cadaverous Spirits, the King of the Dead

Prologue:
Manaus, where the shadows of the Amazon rainforest weave their enigmas, witnesses the sinister awakening of Jurupari. This Methuselah, feared as the incarnation of cadaverous spirits, emerges to cast a web of darkness over the city.
    Under a sky where the stars hush their murmurs and the moon retreats before the imminent threat, Manaus finds itself at the mercy of the looming shadow. The moans of the resurrected dead intertwine with the echoes of Amazonian spirits summoned by Jurupari to march in sinister harmony with his undead.

Development:
The Methuselahs, selfish by nature, realize that the only way to preserve their supremacy is to deal with the imminent threat of Jurupari. While attempting to unite forces to contain the invasion of the dead, their rivalries persist, and the city becomes a board of sanguinary intrigues.
    Amidst the chaos, protagonists emerge as reluctant rivals forced to set aside their disputes amidst the chaos created by the King of the Dead, eager to eliminate Jurupari and claim the city for themselves. Internal disputes among the Methuselahs intensify, as death and betrayal become allies to each strategy.

Conclusion:
With the dissipation of Jurupari's influence and the other Methuselahs, Manaus remains divided but with a new order established by Methuselah Giuseppe. The city becomes fertile ground for incessant political battles, where vampires continue to vie for control, taking advantage of the instability left by the war against Jurupari while all remain subjects of the new sovereign Methuselah.

Commentary: To enhance the game, I created a vampire using artificial intelligence (all illustrations were done through this feature) and a new ally to help illustrate the scenario during the game. I consider it a success! We followed through with the storyline of the story, and we had a winner who suffered a lot to achieve the prize; in the end, it was 3 hours and 30 minutes of gameplay. During the event, Magic players stopped to check out what we were doing; I heard comments from people who were thinking of quitting Magic to play V:tES and also heard comments from a V:tES player who was watching us (volunteered to take our photos) and confessed not being so excited to face a competitive tournament but loved the idea and the way the storyline unfolded. She mentioned feeling like in an RPG, and all of this made me believe that we are heading in the right direction!

VTES IN THE PHILIPPINES - THE RETURN OF THE GAME

We asked Joscar Malacaman, the Prince of Taguig, to tell us about the health of Philippine VTES. This is his report.

Embracing New Blood
With the Covid-19 pandemic putting the Philippine VTES scene on hold for more than three years, it proved to be quite the challenge to regain the momentum in the years leading up to it. Our main haven in Metro Manila closed down as well, which left us without a regular place to play in and most of our Methuselahs entered torpor following the strict lockdowns.
    However, in September 2023, we received an invite to demo the game to a bunch of new players who were interested in finding a new game for their playgroup. One demo led to another and then another until we found ourselves meeting almost weekly for demos to prospective players and then some casual game nights. Soon enough we have enough new bloods to run tables on their own and introduce the game to even wider circles.

Waking the Elders
With the community facebook group abuzz with activity, it was bound to happen that our little neonate recruitment drive would attract the elders and wake them from torpor. By October 2023, our weekly demo and game days had blossomed into regular community events frequented by new players and veterans alike. The community chat is active 24-7 and requests for game nights are a regular occurence. Our National Coordinator even paid us a visit in early November and the Metro Manila community welcomed him with a game night in his honor.

New Havens, New Princes
A huge part of the VTES revival in the Philippines is the discovery of two new Havens who welcomed the community with open arms: 89 Panay and The Office by Rollplay. These two venues would cater to our larger events in North and Central Metro Manila respectively.
    We also welcomed two new Princes to help keep the community engaged and organize events regularly. These two are Joscar Malacaman, the Prince of Taguig, and Micon Garcia, the Prince of Manila. Micon would take care of the community in the South of Metro Manila, while Joscar would take care of the community in the North and Center.

Barnett's Birthday Basagan ng Bungo
It was time to put the community to the test with our first Sanctioned Event in the post-pandemic era. This event took place in 89 Panay on November 25, 2023. As fate would have it, it was also the birthday of one of the pillars of our community, Richard Barnett. We had 17 players vying for packs of Twilight Rebellion, Black Chantry promos, and other prizes. Richard Barnett, a lifelong Brujah combat Methuselah, also gave our special prizes for the Methuselahs with the most number of burns and torpors during the day.

While Haig Bobis took home the title of King of Combat, it was Joscar Malacaman who would take the day with his Banu Haqim Anathema deck with 2 GW, 6 VP and 4 VP in the Final.

The other finalists were:
Paul Castillo: Palla Grande 2 GW 7 VP with 1 VP in the final
Paul Tio: Gangrel Anarchs 1 GW 4 VP
Richard Barnett: Brujah Amaranth/Lay Low 1 GW 3 VP
Mara Narciso: Nosferatu Animalism 1 GW 3 VP

December Danse Macabre
The second sanctioned tournament took place in the Office by Rollplay on December 16, 2023 and we had 19 players vying for League promos, Anarch Converts, and Direct Intervention sketch promos. We also gave away special prizes for the King of Combat (most burns and torpors), Prince of Politics (highest votes for a successful referendum), and the Baron of Bleed (highest successful bleed on one's prey).

Joscar Malacaman takes home his second tournament win with his Unforgiven Stanislava stealth multi-Act/MMPA (2 GW 7 VP, 4 VP in the final).

The other finalists were:
Ernest Andew Ellis: Ministry Platinum Protocol 1 GW 6 VP
Hesed Samuel Ramos: Anu Procurer bleed 1 GW 4 VP with 1 VP in the final
Haig Bobis: Potence rush 1 GW 3 VP
Kevin Michael Cabrera: Ministry stealth-bleed 0 GW 2VP
Kevin replaced Troy Espiritu in the final as Troy had to bow out from the tournament.

January's Jocular Jawbreaking Jamboree
With the new year comes a new tournament season and we kicked it off with an 11 player tournament last January 27, 2024. Our prize for this tournament was a sealed copy of the Berlin Anthology gifted to us by the Prince of Taipei, James Lin. Despite the smaller turnout due to the flu season, this tournament marks the first time we've used the 3 rounds + finals format in order to accommodate the awkward number of participants. Players who were sitting out the first round also introduced the game to two curious onlookers who played their first game of VTES as the tournament was happening. Participants were also treated to some pizza and drinks courtesy of the Prince of Taguig as he opted to celebrate his birthday with the community.


With a little bit of birthday luck, The Prince of Taguig makes it 3 for 3 in the post-pandemic tournament series as he bags another tournament win with his Matasuntha Guardian Vigil wall (2GW 7VP with 3 VP in the final).

Other finalists:
Richard Barnett: Bell and Barons 2 GW 7 VP
Ernest Ellis: Ministry Platinum Protocol 1 GW 4 VP with 1 VP in the final
Adrian Nuyda: Tremere V5 toolbox 1 GW 3 VP
Hesed Ramos: Baali Blood Storm 1 VP

Forward unto 2024
With the momentum from the community's effort to continuously embrace new players and create a welcoming environment for the game to thrive, it is about time to bring back the Philippine National Championships which will take place on May 25, 2024. Before that there will be monthly tournaments to keep the competitive scene growing in order to reach our goal of breaking 30 participants (for the 30th anniversary of the game) come Nationals.
    We are currently commissioning a local artist for a customized playmat reserved for finalists of the event. Constructed rating will also matter as our participation prize for nationals will be a set of player seating order cards representing the top 5 players of the country. We are very excited for this year and we have so much more in store for the community.

BLACK CHANTRY SUMMARY: JANUARY 2024

• The Spanish print-on-demand service Gamepod now makes VTES! See above.

• There´s a revised edition of the Fifth Edition VTES rulebook that soon will be revealed, it maybe even by the time you read this. Have a look at www.blackchantry.com/utilities.

• The Ravnos, Salubri, and Tzimisce preconstructed decks are now in stores everywhere, and the reviews are great! If you can´t find these decks in your favorite store, please show them the list of distributors and maybe they can get them. If you need some strategy tips, make sure to check out the Fifth Edition helpsheets and look for videos about the decks online, for example Lies From The Tabletop (not all lies!)

• The second rounds of playtest of both the Hecata/Lasombra, the Ravnos/Salubri/Tzimisce New Blood and the 30th Anniversary preconstructed decks ended on January 31, and playtest coordinator Norman Brown compiled a 131 pages long report of the results that are now being digested by the design team. Big thanks to him and all the playtesters!

• Playtest of the two-player variant of VTES is also going on, we look forward to telling you more about that later.

Currently these Black Chantry products are available through 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.

RECENT NEWS IN THE WORLD OF DARKNESS

The long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Extended Gameplay Reveal video is OUT. Check it out, or start with the shortened, spoiler-free trailer!

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

CALENDAR

Upcoming tournaments for the coming month (registered so far) are in:
Brazil x10
Chile x2
Deutschland
Finland
France
Hungary
Italy x2
Lithuania
Online x2
Serbia
Spain x12
USA x2

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.

“Every now and then a man's mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions.”.