VtES Clan Newsletters in April 2010

One clan newsletter has been posted in the Usenet Newsgroup "rec.trading-cards.jyhad" this month. Beside using a newsgroup reader, you can also access the VtES Usenet Newsgroup by using Google Groups.

• Tremere antitribu Newsletter April 2010.

Announcement Belgian EC Qualifier 2010

The Belgian VtES EC Qualifier 2010 will take place in Brussels, Belgium on May 29th, 2010. Here are the details for this constructed tournament:

Format:

• Standard Constructed. Detailed rules can be found on the VEKN tournament rules webpage.

Time:

• Saturday, 29th May 2010
• Doors open/registration: 11:30 h
• Start first round 12:00 h
• Expected end: 21:15 h
  

Location:

• The Outpost
  Rue de la Tribune 8
  1000 Bruxelles
  Belgium
  Tel. +32 (0)2 2180400


• Please take note, that it is not allowed to bring your own drinks into the shop.

Round system:

• 3 rounds, plus final (time limit: 2 h each)

Entrance fee:

• 3 Euro

Pre-Registration:

• Pre-registration is very useful to ensure appropriate prize support and a timely start of the tournament. If you intend to participate, please sign up as soon as possible by replying to the thread on the Belgian forum or by writing to emiliano (dot) imeroni (at) gmail (dot) com.

Travel:

• By train: The Outpost is situated less than 10 minutes walking from Brussels Central Station (Gare Centrale).
  If you arrive from Paris/London, you will end up at Brussels South Station (Gare du Midi). From there, take the metro line 2 or line 6, direction "Simonis (Elisabeth)", get off after about 8 minutes at the stop "Madou", then walk 5 minutes to the Outpost.
  The above directions can be clarified with a map linked in the Belgian VtES forum as well.


• By car: there is usually plenty of free parking space around Rue de la Tribune.

You can find the original information in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

Memorable Quotes (Part 74)

"Why are all the other players leaving the table?" ..
.. "The Una deck is taking his turn!"

-- Conversation during the
Praxis Seizure: Hilversum
tournament on April 24th, 2010

Pictures from the "Praxis Seizure: Hilversum" VtES tournament

Here are a few pictures from the Praxis Seizure: Hilversum VtES tournament, that took place on April 24th, 2010 in Hilversum, Netherlands with 20 players from the Netherlands and Germany attending the tournament:

Left: The tournament took place in a venue named "De Akker" right next to this church, the Oud-katholieke Kerk St. Vitus.

Right: The prize support, a really nice metal VtES edge, and some Heirs to the Blood stuff.

Left: The inside of the "De Akker" during the second round of the tournament.


Right: Round 3 Table 1 with Rens, Yuri, Koen, Debbie and Manuel.

Left: Round 3 Table 2 with Boris, Laurien, Bart, Jeroen and Paul.



Right: Round 3 Table 3 with Herman, Mark, Jarno, Izaak and Didi.

Left: Round 3 Table 4. Desperate card cycling for bouncing an unblockable bleed. It didn't help ...

Right: This guy didn't make it to the final, and it clearly shows .. sooo sad!

Left: The Una Freakshow is running on the final table. Always a sight to behold.



Right: The final table with Jelmer, Laurien, Herman, Izaak and Koen.

Results "Praxis Seizure: Hilversum" VtES Tournament in Hilversum, Netherlands

Here are the results of the "Praxis Seizure: Hilversum" VtES constructed tournament in Hilversum, Netherlands after 3 rounds and final. The tournament was played on April 24th, 2010 with 20 players participating. Dutch players from the Amsterdam, Hilversum, Nijmwegen, Tilburg and Utrecht playgroups as well as two germans were playing in the tournament. Here are the standings after 3 rounds and the final:

1. Izaak H. -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 4 VP -- Toreador Antitribu Undue Influence
2. Laurien van D. -- 1 GW 7 VP -- 1 VP -- Ventrue Neo-Lawfirm
2. Herman J. -- 2 GW 10 VP -- 0 VP -- Una Freakshow
2. Koen T. -- 1 GW 6 VP -- 0 VP -- Pro/Dom Bleed/vote w/ Stanislava
2. Jelmer W. -- 1 GW 5 VP -- 0 VP -- Aus/Cel Intercept w/ Big Guns

Congratulations to Izaak for his victory in the tournament. You can find the tournament winning deck (along with some comments from the creator) in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup and a tournament report by the winner in the Dutch VtES forum.

The mad prophetic Sibyl

"The mad prophetic Sibyl you shall find,
Dark in a cave, and on a rock reclin'd.
She sings the fates, and, in her frantic fits,
The notes and names, inscrib'd, to leafs commits.
What she commits to leafs, in order laid,
Before the cavern's entrance are display'd:
Unmov'd they lie; but, if a blast of wind
Without, or vapors issue from behind,
The leafs are borne aloft in liquid air,
And she resumes no more her museful care,
Nor gathers from the rocks her scatter'd verse,
Nor sets in order what the winds disperse.
Thus, many not succeeding, most upbraid
The madness of the visionary maid,
And with loud curses leave the mystic shade."

-- The Aeneid by Virgil (17 BC)

Announcement French EC Qualifier 2010 (II)

More information in the VtES Usenet Newsgroup or VEKN France forum. And, by the way, great promotional flyer/poster.

US National VtES Championship 2010

The US VtES Championship 2010 takes place at Origins Game Fair 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. The actual national championship tournament is on Friday, June 25th, 2010, but there is not only the championship tournament at Origins, but a series of different tournaments (and formats).

• Jay Kristoff's Pre-Origins: Constructed #0, 2R+F
  -- Wednesday, June 23rd, ~7:00 PM
  
• Constructed #1, 2R+F
  -- Thursday, June 24th, 11:00 AM
  
• Constructed #2, 2R+F
  -- Thursday, June 24th, 5:00 PM
  
• U.S. National Championship, 3R+F
  -- Friday, June 25th, 1:00 PM
  
• North American Qualifier, 3R+F
  -- Saturday, June 26th, 09:00 AM
  
• Recursion Draft, 6 Packs, 2R+F
  -- Saturday, June 26th, 5:00 PM
  -- Draft will use 3x Anarchs and 3x Twilight Rebellion
  -- $20 entrance fee, 24 spots available
  -- All participants will receive 2x HttB booster
• Constructed #3, 2R+F
  -- Sunday, June 27th, 11:00 AM

You can find some further information in the original announcement on the VtES Usenet Newsgroup.

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).