i dont get presses

So by default, if no-one can get any presses from cards or effects, does combat always end after one round? seems weird.

It says "if there is an uncancelled press to continue, then another round of combat begins." but as they dont have any presses by default, then mostly combat would just end, right?

Yes, combats end if there are no presses. Most combat do not have presses.

TobyB wrote:

So by default, if no-one can get any presses from cards or effects, does combat always end after one round? seems weird.

It says "if there is an uncancelled press to continue, then another round of combat begins." but as they dont have any presses by default, then mostly combat would just end, right?

This is correct.

Generally, you need to have combat cards to have meaningful combat.

this is super interesting. so generally combat is just the result of an intercept being succesful? the bleed/action didn't succeed lets move on? Only very specialized combat decks actually send vampires to torpor as a route to victory. is this correct?

Well, combat has many uses. You might want to read the Codex strategy guide to get a feeling on how things interact ☺︎ codex-of-the-damned.org/en/strategy/combat.html

TobyB wrote:

this is super interesting. so generally combat is just the result of an intercept being succesful? the bleed/action didn't succeed lets move on? Only very specialized combat decks actually send vampires to torpor as a route to victory. is this correct?

Pretty much correct. There are two main ways to get into combat: Either successfully blocking something, or using an action via some card to enter combat (nicknamed "rush"). Combat-focused decks that use the latter method are called "rush combat". The former "combat wall".

Some vampires have an in-built ability to enter combat with other vampires as an action (such as Theo Bell from the brujah V5 starter)

Note that sending vampires to torpor does not get you ousts, reducing your preys pool to zero gets you an oust and a victory point. Combat is tool for getting into position where you can oust your prey or keep your predator at bay.