Rules Team Rulings: 02-Dec-2012

Today (on December 2nd, 2011) the VEKN released the rules changes for the upcoming calendar year. All these changes are going to be effective from January 1st, 2012 onward. The most significant change are the cardtext change on Villein, which makes all of sudden Minion Tap playable again, and making VEKN issued cards tournament legal. The later preparing the release of the upcoming first VEKN issued VtES expansion.

New terms:

• Ballot:
  A "ballot" is the name of the former's priscus vote, cast in the prisci subreferendum. A ballot isn't a vote, so some cardtexts were updated to match the distinction. For instance, Bribes now reads : "Only usable during a referendum before votes {and ballots} are cast. Gain 1 pool. Any other Methuselah who {casts one or more votes or ballots} in favor of and does not {cast votes nor ballots} against the referendum gains 1 pool when the results of the referendum are tallied."

Rulebook updates:

• The Prisci block (6.3.3):
  The prisci as a group have 3 votes. During a referendum, the prisci block of 3 votes is cast "for" or "against" the referendum according to the prisci subreferendum. Each ready priscus provides 1 ballot for this subreferendum, and votes may not be used in this subreferendum. Each ballot cast is either "for" or "against" the main referendum. Whichever side has the greater number of ballots in the subreferendum gains 3 votes in the main referendum. If the subreferendum is tied, the prisci block abstains from the main vote. As vampires cast their ballots in the subreferendum, the prisci block of 3 votes might shift between "for", "against", and "abstain" (as the majority in the subreferendum changes). A vampire must cast all of his votes and ballots in agreement.
• Action taken from Card in play (6.1.6):
  A minion cannot perform {each} action allowed by a card in play more than once each turn, even if he untaps. This addresses a question regarding the Kaymakli Fragment (but applies to several other cards too).
• "Ballot":
  The influence a Priscus has. A Priscus title grants 1 ballot.
• "During X, do Y":
  The "during X do Y" template is used in several cards. When this template is used, only one Y can be done per X with this card. For instance, you may move blood from your vampire to your pool with Vessel only once per untap phase.
• "Cancel a card":
  A "canceled" card has no effect, but it is still considered played. Unless explicitly written, cost for the card is paid. If the card was a strike card, the minion who played it must choose a strike, which might come from another strike card. If the card was an action card, the minion doesn't tap (he doesn't pay for the action card), and can play the same action card again.
• "Tap X to do Y":
  Some cards use this wording, for instance: superior Bauble, Isanwayen. Such effects can't be used by tapped minions, even those "able to play cards as though untapped". These effects require an untapped minion to be used. Conversely, "Tap X. Do Y" effects (for instance: Redirection) are usable by tapped minions "able to play cards as though untapped".

Complete Rules Reference (Outline):

• Cost of a card:
  When there are several options to pay the cost of a card, the Methuselah playing the card must announce, as part of the terms of the card, how other cards will be used to pay for the cost. For instance, a Ravnos playing an Embrace while Ravnos Carnival is in play must announce how much blood from the Carnival will be used to pay for the Embrace. Similarly, when using Travis "Traveler72" Miller's built-in action, the Methuselah must announce which conviction will be used to pay for the cost (if Travis has more than one kind).
• End of turn:
  Your turn ends when your discard phase ends. The Outline had this wrong.

Clarifications:

• Advanced vampires:
  All advanced vampires now read "Advanced" in their cardtext (some of them were lacking it).
• Spelling:
  Some typos (Ahrimanes, Blood Brothers) have been fixed.
• Strike with Conviction:
  If the action to bleed with Strike with Conviction is blocked, Strike with Conviction isn't burned. The action it provides is to burn it and bleed (none of which happens if the action is blocked).
• Titled vampires:
  All vampires with "... has X votes" now have the "(titled)" cardtext.
• Unique locquipment:
  Equipment cards that represent unique locations in play have been updated to show they are unique equipment when not in play. For instance, Ankara Citadel is a unique equipment when it is in the ash heap.
• Wording of "successfully [bleeds]":
  When appropriate, this has been replaced with "when [..] would successfully [bleed]". Examples are Andre LeRoux, superior Spying Mission, Dis Pater.
• Wording of "when X plays":
  Rulings show this effect always applies after the "as played" window. Cardtexts (Permanency, Sascha Vykos ADV, Servitor of Irad, Swiss Cut, Troglodytia) have been updated for better understanding.

Errata:

• Ballots:
  Several library and crypt cards were updated to match the ballot keyword. All the rulings that applied to such cards have been used to keep consistency.
• Change aggravated damage to normal:
  Cards with "change X aggravated damage to normal" have been updated to match "treats X aggravated as normal" - Adaptability, Death Pact, Fire Dance, Merrill Molitor. The damage is still aggravated (for matters such as Soak or Rötschreck).
• Combat cards are played inside combat:
  Psyche! and Coordinate Attacks have had their cardtexts changed to match the fact that they are combat cards, and should be played inside combat. These cards are now playable at the end of a round with no next round. They are treated as normal combat cards.
• Domain of Evernight:
  [TEM] Only usable when an action is successful. {Usable after resolution.} Untap this acting vampire. A vampire can play only one Domain of Evernight at superior each turn.
• Pocket Out of Time:
  [TEM] {Playable after a combat.} After any combat this action, this vampire can burn 1 blood to start a new combat with the opposing minion (if both combatants are still ready).
• Villein:
  Master: trifle. Put this card on a vampire you control and move 2 or more blood from that vampire to your pool. Minion Tap cards cost {you} an additional pool. Villein costs an additional pool to play on this vampire.

Tournament Rules update:

• Section 4.1 Cards allowed:
  All cards in a player's deck must be genuine Vampire: The Eternal Struggle or Jyhad cards or official V:EKN issued cards from the only authoritative source ww.vekn.net. When using V:EKN issued cards they must be color printed on standard paper and inserted into opaque sleeves before another Vampire: The Eternal Struggle or Jyhad card, this requires opaque sleeves for the whole crypt and/or library.
• Section 4.8 Play to win:
  During the finals, playing to win means playing to finish as tournament winner (as defined in 3.7.5).