French National VtES Championship 2010

The Lyon V:tES community, along with the association Pioche Ta Carte, is holding the French National Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Championship 2010 on August 28th and 29th, 2010 in Lyon, France. Please take note that you need to qualify to attend the actual French Championship tournament, but on Saturday there's a last chance qualifier tournament for the championship (on Sunday).

Location:

Maison Ravier
7 rue Ravier
69007 Lyon

Accessibility:

• From La Part Dieu station ..
  
• Take the B metro line towards Stade de Gerland ..
  
• Exit at the Jean Jaurès stop..
• Exit the station and follow Avenue Jean Jaurès towards the Stade de Gerland (i.e. the same way the subway goes) until next crossroads. Turn left to get in Rue Ravier.
  

Rules:

• Deck format is official (constructed w/ 60 to 90 library cards).
• The tournament follows the VEKN Tournament Rules.
  
• A print or paper copy of your deck list (mentioning your first name, last name and VEKN number) is mandatory and we will ask for it during the registration for each tournament.
• Opaque card sleeves are mandatory.

Schedule:

• Saturday 28th August 2010 : Last Chance Qualifier
  
  • Registration start: 11:00
  • First round: 13:00 - 15:00
  • Second round: 15:30 - 17:30
  • Third round: 18:00 - 20:00
  • Final round: 21:00 - 23:00
• Sunday 29th August 2010 : France Championship & First Chance Qualifier
  
  • Registration start: 9:00
  • First round: 9:30 - 11:30
  • Second round: 12:00 - 14:00
  • Third round: 14:30 - 16:30
  • Final round: 17:00 - 19:00

Fee:

• 10 euro for either LCQ or France Championship.
• 16 euro for both days (LCQ and France Championship/First chance qualifier)

Remarks:

• A refreshment area will have sandwiches, snacks and drinks on sale.

More information can be found on the Association Pioche Ta Carte blog.

Announcement French EC Qualifier 2010

The French VtES European Championship Qualifier 2010 will take place on Saturday, June 19th, 2010 in Paris, France. The organizers are expecting a lot a foreign players, and that's great because they have a lot of space (for up to 100 players). So don't hesitate to plan your trip now as it's not too expensive (yet).

You can go to VEKN France forum to check for the latest updates, but here are the main details:

Location:

• Crous
  45 Boulevard Diderot
  (12th arrondissement)
  75012 Paris
• The place is located about 5 minutes (by foot) from the main station Gare de Lyon.
• On Google Maps

Schedule:

• 10:15 - 10:35: Registration
• 10:35: First round announcement & seating
• 10:45 - 12:45: First round
• 12:45 - 13:25: Break
• 13:25: Second round announcement & seating
• 13:30 - 15:30: Second round
• 15:30: Third round announcement & seating
• 15:40 - 17:40: Third round
• 17:40: Final round and qualified players announcement
• 17:55 - 19:55: Final round

Fees:

• 10 Euro

Preregistration:

• .. in the VEKN France forum
• .. or by email : veknfrance (at) gmail (dot) com

Remarks:

• There's a very tight planning, so the organizers require you to be very punctual with:
  
  • your sleeved deck (opaque sleeves mandatory)
  • your decklist
  • your pool
• You'll be able to eat some very good sandwiches, drinks, cacao bars...
• You'll also be able to buy some cards, pool...

Anatomy of a VtES Crypt Card

VtES cards, as cards from other trading card games, are the living proof, how much information you can cram onto a rather small piece of cardboard.

There are generally two types of VtES cards, library and crypt cards. Crypt cards can be identified by the amber marble card backs (in contrast to the green marble of the library cards). At the start of the game you have crypt (card stack) consisting of at least 12 crypt cards. After the start of your game you immediately put the top four cards of your crypt into your uncontrolled region (face down). Once you put more or equal blood counters than the vampires capacity (usually from your pool) to a crypt crypt , he is moved face up into the ready region (during the influence phase). In general, a crypt card represents a vampire (or in some cases an Imbued, a mortal vampire hunter), which the Methusalem (the player) can use to attack other player's resources and defend his own resources.

A VtES crypt card usually consists of the following elements:

• Card Name -- the name of the vampire (or the Imbued).
• Clan -- the name of the clan the vampire belongs to. Like the disciplines some cards require a vampire belonging to a certain clan. The card background is also clan-specific.
  
• Disciplines -- each vampire has a set of disciplines which allow him to play cards that require one (or more) of these disciplines.
• Group -- technically you're only allowed to have vampires in your crypt from two consecutive groups. During an ongoing game there are no further effects of the group number.
• Card Text -- this is description of the vampire extra abilities, e.g. the sect the vampire belongs to, the title of the vampire (if any) and additional abilities (if any).
• Capacity -- the number stands for the capacity of the vampire. The higher the capacity is the more powerful the vampire generally is, but at the same time you need to put more blood counters on him before you can move him to the ready region.
• Card Image -- in the oval central area the depiction of the vampire can be found.
• Expansion Symbol -- this shows the VtES expansion this card is from. The symbol has no actual meaning in the game.
• Copyright -- the copyright statement of White Wolf/CCP.
• Artist -- the name of artist.

In the example shown above, you see the vampire Alsonso Petrodon (card name) from the clan Nosferatu (clan). This crypt card is from the expansion "Keepers of Tradition" (expansion). The vampre has the disciplines Fortitude and Thaumaturgy on inferior level, and Animalism, Dominate, Obfuscate, Potence at superior level (disciplines). Alsonso Petrodon has a rather high capacity of 10 (capacity). He belongs to the group 5 vampires (group), and therefore and only be combined with either vampires from group 4 and 5 or alternatively from group 5 and 6. He's a member of the Camarilla sect, and he's the Justicar of the clan Nosferatu. Additionally when he bleeds successfully, each anarch controlled by the target takes 1 unpreventable damage. He also has an inherent +1 bleed modifier. The artist who made the card picture in the oval area is Tony Shasteen (artist). The card was printed in 2009 by CCP (copyright).

Anatomy of a VtES Library Card

VtES cards, as cards from other trading card games, are the living proof, how much information you can cram onto a rather small piece of cardboard.

There are generally two types of VtES cards, library and crypt cards. Library cards can be identified by the green marble card backs (in contrast to the amber marble of the crypt cards). Library cards make up the bulk of your VtES deck (betweeen 60 and 90 in tournaments), and at the start of your game, they are in the library (drawing card stack). Immediately after the start of your game you are dealing the top seven library cards to yourself to form your hand. From there on you play your library cards from your hand, they represent the things you or your minions can do or use, when you play them.

A library card usually consists of the following elements:

• Card Name -- the name of card.
• Type -- the symbols show the card (sub-)type. If there's no symbol the card is a master card, other card types are action, political action, action modifier, reaction, combat, equipment, ally, retainer and events cards.
• Requirements (Clan / Discipline) -- this symbol shows the requirement of the cards. Usually this is a clan or one (or more) discipline(s).
• Cost -- the cost of the card. If the cost is in the form of a red blood drop, it is the blood cost to be paid by the minion who uses it. If the cost is in the form of white diamond, it is the pool cost the player has to pay.
• Card Text -- the actual effects of the card are described here. If the card text is preceded by discipline symbols (as shown in the picture), the card usually has two effects. The first text is the inferior version with the discipline symbol as a square. The second text is the superior version with the discipline symbol as a diamond.
• Draft Text -- this text with the grey background can only be used in a draft game. Take note, that the requirements on the left side of the card do not apply for the draft, unless explicitly named in the draft text.
• Expansion Symbol -- this shows the VtES expansion this card is from. The symbol has no actual meaning in the game (as the other items following as well).
  
• Card Image -- in the rectangular central area the artist's depiction of the card can be found.
• Flavour Text -- some cards have a flavour text. The text does not have any actual meaning, but provide some flavour from the World of Darkness background or real world references.
• Copyright Notice -- the copyright statement of White Wolf/CCP.
• Artist -- the name of artist.

In the example shown above, you see the combat card (type) "Blur" (card name) from the 3rd Edition (expansion). The card requires Celerity (discipline) and costs the minion one blood to play (cost). On inferior Celerity the card grants the minion who played it an additional strike, while on superior Celerity even two additional strikes (card text). In a draft game, the card can be used in combat for gaining a maneuver without any requirements (draft text). The text at the bottom of the card is from a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson named "Prudence" (flavour text). The artist who made the card picture in the rectangular is Ken Meyer Jr. (artist). The card was printed in 2006 by White Wolf Publishing (copyright).

Memorable Quotes (Part 73)

"I wanted a game that was dedicated multiplayer, complete with cards just for multiplayer play."

-- Richard Garfield on VtES in an interview with Robert Goudie (2001)

Pictures from the Swedisch ECQ 2010 in Gothenburg

Here are a few pictures from the Swedisch VtES European Championship Qualifier 2010, that took place on April 3rd, 2010 in Gothenburg, Sweden with 37 players from 3 countries attending the tournament:

Left: During GothCon: Swordfighting in Gothenburg (complete with stroller in the foreground).
Right: The front of the main building of the Hvitfeldtska gymnasium in central Gothenburg.
Left: Round 1 Table 1: Randal's Tap and Bleed deck vs. Tomas Giovanni Powerbleed deck.

Right: Round 2 Table 4: War Ghouls vs. War Ghoul. Daniel (left) managed to overcome Michael's numerical superiority.
Left: Round 2 Table 2: Not much crosstable love at this table with hate events played and vampires graverobbed crosstable.
Right: Round 2 Table 2: Guillaume Giovanni vs. the Imbued. New rule: the player with the most cards in play wins (.. or not).
Left: Round 3 Table 2: Stefan's Kiasyd managed to keep Michael's War Ghouls under control, even managing to kill two of them with Earth Swords + Target Vitals.
Right: Round 3 Table 4: Anders, Ola, Markus, Marko and Alex concentrating on the game.
Left & Right: The finalists of the Swedish ECQ were Robert (Weenie Presence), Adam (Tremere/!Tremere Powerbleed), Ida (Kiasyd S&B), Anders (Ani/Dom Bruise & Bleed) and Erik (Cybele Girls find inner peace).
Left: The final table after the first player (Robert) had been ousted by Erik.
Right: My favourite deck during GothCon: Randal's Ani/Pro Tap & Bleed deck. He got 2 GW 6 VPs in the preliminary rounds, but got DQed due to an illegal crypt (Huang had accidentally slipped in).

Gelsenkirchen VtES League 2010: April 7th

Here are the decks of the Gelsenkirchen VtES League 2010 from the meeting on April 7th (prey is from left to right, from top to bottom):

Left: Didi fielded his Tremere / Tremere antitribu Big Cap Toolbox deck. Slow to build up, hard to oust in the long run!
Right: Kinner played his well-known Anarch Presence Bleed deck, with no pressure early on, he was becoming a force of nature in the game.

Left: Martin's Ventrue/Brujah Royalty was pressured hard from the start, although he managed to get two Progenies out, he hardly had a chance against the Presence Weenies.
Right: Another player without a predator early on, was Zille with his Ravnos bleed deck.

Left: Although Ralf had a good start with his Tzimisce/Toreador antitribu War Ghoul deck, being able to bleed Didi a couple of times, he overextended by playing three vampires and two War Ghouls, and was ousted after Zille played a Week of Nightmares for his Ravnos.





Result: The first one to go was Ralf, after the Ravnos overran his defenses with the Week of Nightmares. Soon after Martin had to succumb to the bleed power of Kinner's horde of Anarch vampires. Since Zille had influenced out 4 rather big Ravnos vampires, and had little pool gain, he also was ousted more or less quickly by the Anarchs. In the heads-up game it was the Anarchs' raw attack power against the well-laid defenses (Carlton and Ponticulus) of Didi's deck. Eventually the game timed out -- with Kinner emerging as victor with 2.5 VPs.

Website for the VtES European Championship 2010 online

The website for the VtES European Championship is now online and fully functionally. This year's EC will take place in Paris, France from October 29th to 31st, 2010.
The newly designed website offers the following information:

• The schedule for the EC weekend is now available.
• You can now register for the EC.
• You can book a room at the venue (the Résidence Internationale de Paris or short R.I.P.).

The organizers of the tournament (VEKN France, VEKN Paris and Sabbat in France) kindly ask to pre-register in advance, so they can plan for the event accordingly.

Currently not determined in detail are the events during the Week of Nightmares-style extension before the VtES EC 2010 weekend.

The most interesting new event is the Legendary Vampire tournament, which will take place in parallel to the Last Chance Qualifier on October 29th, 2010. The tournament is an invitional tournament for the top 25 players in the world (as per VEKN ranking).

For more information, please visit the website for EC 2010 or send an e-mail to info (ad) ec2010vtes (dod) com.

Results from the "VtES 2010 Nossies" Awards

The VtES 2010 Nossies Awards is an online award the VtES blog Charlotte by Night has introduced in 2008 to allow fans of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle to vote and acknowledge the best new VTES cards from the past year.
The voting for the VtES 2010 Nossies Awards has ended April 3rd, 2010, with the following winners by category:

• Best Card of the Year -- Nana Buruku
• Best Vampire in a Leading Role -- Nana Buruku
• Best Vampire in a Supporting Role -- Nana Buruku
• Best Equipment -- Codex of the Edenic Groundskeepers
• Best Ally or Retainer -- Impundulu
• Best Event -- The Bitter and Sweet Story
• Best Artwork in a Library Card -- Remnant of the Endless Storm by Ron Spencer
• Best Artwork in a Crypt Card -- Abiku by Matthew Kollros

Read the full & illustrated post on the Charlotte By Night blog.

Results Swedish EC Qualifier 2010

During GothCon XXXIV on April 3rd, 2010 the Swedish VtES EC Qualifier was held in Gothenburg, Sweden with 37 players attending the qualifier tournament. The final standings were as follows:

1. Erik Torstensen (SWE) -- 3 GW 9 VP -- 3 VP -- Girls will find inner peace
2. Adam Esbjörnsson (SWE) -- 2 GW 8 VP -- 1 VP -- Tremere/Tremere antitribu powerbleed
2. Ida Olson (SWE) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 1 VP -- Kiasyd Stealth Bleed
2. Robert Doktorow (SWE) -- 2 GW 10 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie Presence Bleed
2. Anders Löf (SWE)-- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Weenie Ani/Dom Bruise & Bleed

Congratulations to Erik for his win of the Swedish ECQ 2010 with an astonishing game win (with 3 VPs) in every single round he played.

Results "GothCon 2010 Draft" VtES Tournament in Gothenburg, Sweden

Here are the results of the "GothCon 2010 Draft" VtES tournament in Gothenberg, Sweden after 2 rounds and final. Drafted were 4 3rd Edition boosters, followed by another 4 boosters of Keepers of Tradition. The tournament was played on April 2nd, 2010 with 29 players participating during GothCon XXXIV. Here are the standings after the final round:

1. Alex E. (SWE) -- 1 GW 4 VP -- 3 VP
2. Marko L.(FIN) -- 2 GW 6 VP -- 2 VP
2. Randal R. (SWE) -- 2 GW 7 VP -- 0 VP
2. Erik T. (SWE) -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP
2. Alex G. (SWE) -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 0

Congratulations to Alex for his victory in the draft tournament.

Left: The final table of the draft tournament early on.





Right: Closeup of the final table.

Deck of the Month: March 2010: Paella au d'Erlette

This month's deck is the tournament winning deck "Paella au d'Erlette" played by Jordi Tomás. I am sucker for hybrid decks, and for decks with Nephandi mages as well, so this one was an easy choice. The deck is your regular Antonio D'Erlette Nephandus deck mixed with the well-known Toreador antitribu Palla Grande deck. The deck follows the pattern of the Paella y Tortilla de Patata deck (originally Iñaki Puigdollers by which mixed the Tzimisce War Ghoul deck with the same kind of Palla Grande deck.

Torneo en Badia
Badia del valles, Barcelona, Spain
February 28, 2010
39 players
3R + F

Jordi Tomás' Tournament Winning Deck with 3.5 VPs in the finals

Deck Name : c
Author : Ignasi Vilagrasa
Player: Jordi Tomás
0,5+3VP+3VP FINAL:3,5VP

Crypt 12 vampires] Capacity min: 2 max: 5 average: 3.91667
------------------------------------------------------------
4x Antonio d'Erlette 5 THA dom for pot !Tremere:4
1x Cristos Mantigo 5 aus cel dom obf pre !Toreador:3
1x L'Epuisette 4 aus cel pro !Toreador:4
1x Loonar 4 PRE cel !Toreador:4
1x Sabrina 4 aus cel pre !Toreador:3
1x Jonathan Gursel 3 aus pre !Toreador:4
1x Monique Kim 3 aus cel !Toreador:4
1x Justine Chen, Inno 2 pre !Toreador:4
1x Nicholas Chang 2 aus !Toreador:3

Library 72 cards]
------------------------------------------------------------
Action [15]
1x Aranthebes, The Immortal
10x Art Scam
4x Embrace, The

Action Modifier [6]
6x Change of Target

Ally [10]
1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter)
1x Gregory Winter
6x Nephandus (Mage)
1x Ossian
1x Young Bloods

Combat [8]
4x Dodge
4x Target Vitals

Equipment [1]
1x Heart of Nizchetus

Event [4]
1x FBI Special Affairs Division
1x Slow Withering, The
2x Unmasking, The

Master [17]
1x Anarch Troublemaker
2x Direct Intervention
1x Fortschritt Library
1x Jake Washington (Hunter)
4x Life in the City
1x Not to Be
3x Palla Grande
1x Pentex(TM) Subversion
1x Secure Haven

Reaction [14]
7x Deflection
3x Delaying Tactics
4x On the Qui Vive