RTFC

Inspired by a similar custom card for MtG. No, this will not be a part of the upcoming PDF edition for VtES.

Bochum VtES League Rules 2012

For our bi-weekly VtES league games (and league) in Bochum, Germany we use almost the same rules in 2012 as in 2011. The only significant change is the reduction of games required for the final ranking to six games (instead of eight).

• Bochum VtES League Rules

Proxy Cards

On vekn.net there was a discussion (as part of a thread regarding the fan-made set for VtES in 2012), what a proxy card in a collectible card game actually is. Wikipedia has the following definition for proxy cards:

A proxy card is an easily acquired or home-made substitute for a collectible card. A proxy is used when a collectible card game player does not own a card, and it would be impractical for such purposes to acquire the card. This usually occurs when a player desires a card that is cost-prohibitive, or is "playtesting" with many possible cards. When doing intensive training for a competitive tournament, it often makes more sense to use proxy cards while figuring out which cards will be brought to the tournament. Another card is substituted and serves the same function during gameplay as the actual card would.
A proxy can also be used in cases where a player owns a very valuable card, but does not wish to damage it by using it in actual play.

Common use of proxies
Proxy cards can be used in various situations. The rules and restrictions are object of common agreement, or a given policy, and may differ from the above mentioned "fair play requirements".

• In casual games, the players may agree on a common policy of how to deal with proxy cards. This allows to play a higher variation of card combinations and strategies, while keeping a limit on the expenses.
• In tournaments, the organizer may permit a limited number of proxy cards, and define rules about how these cards must look. This policy has become especially popular in games or formats where some vital cards are far too expensive, such as the vintage format in Magic: The Gathering.
• For playtesting. Proxy cards allow a player to test new cards, before he or she decides to actually buy or trade for them.
• In card prototyping. Card developers in companies like Wizards of the Coast use proxies to playtest their ideas for new cards before they are printed.
• Some players create cards based on their own ideas for card themes and mechanics. In this case, however, the term "proxy" may no longer be applicable, as these cannot be considered substitutes for existing objects.
• An extreme form of copying original cards is forgery of expensive cards, which is again outside the "proxy" category.

Did you know, that ... (Part 91)

... that Lucian the Perfect (bleeding for 4) can still be burned by an Archon Investigation if the bleeds using Night Moves? Although the amount of pool burned due to the bleed action can't be higher than one (during the resolution of the bleed), Lucian still (attempts to) bleeds for 4, and therefore is within the range where Archon Investigation. The same applies to the situation when a Metuselah has a Protected Resources in play, and vampire is trying to bleed him for more than 3.

References: [LSJ 20010502]

Information Highway: Hypergeometric Distribution

From a theoretical point of view one of the most interesting question in VtES is about card drawing probabilities. That is, how probable is it (for example) to draw one of our 2 Information Highways in our opening hand of 7 cards (and deck of 75 cards). The thing you need to answer this type of question is called a hypergeometric distribution (function).

In probability theory and statistics, the hypergeometric distribution is a discrete probability distribution that describes the probability of (exactly) k successes in n draws from a finite population (of size N) without replacement.⁽¹⁾

Above you see the mathematical formula for the hypergeometric distribution (i.e. the probability mass function), where

• N is the population size
• m is the number of potential successes in the population
• n is the number of draws
• k is the number of successes

You can see that this generalization is easily adapted to an (trading) card game:

• N is the size of deck
  
• m is number of cards I want to draw
  
• n is the number of draws (the number of cards of our opening hand)
  
• k is the number of cards I want to draw
  

If we continue the example from above, then N=75 (the decksize), m=2 (the number of Information Highways in our deck), n=7 (the number of draws = our initial handsize), and k=1 ( the number of cards we want to draw initially).

Memorable Quotes (Part 132)

'Brian Moritz is such a good player. He even makes VPs when he's no longer at the table.' -- paraphrased statement from a Dutch VtES player commenting on Brian's awesomeness during the VtES EC 2011.

Post Scriptum: In one of the tournaments the judges proclaimed a deal made at one of the deals illegal retroactively, awarding Brian a VP (after he was ousted) that way.

Announcement German EC Qualifier 2012

This year the German VtES European Championship Qualifier will take place on April 14th 2012 in Darmstadt, Germany as the "The Grand Ball of Gwendolyn". Even though Darmstadt lies more or less in the middle of Germany (in fact, about 30 km south of Frankfurt) the organizers are looking forward to welcome some players from our European neighbors!

• The Location:
  "The Grand Ball of Gwendolyn" will take place in the seminar rooms of the
  

  Schirner Verlag (publishing company),
  Elisabethenstraße 20-22
  64283 Darmstadt
  

  It offers enough room for about 40 players in one room. Drinks will be available on location, but there are also a lot of shops (and restaurants) near by.
• Format
  Standard Constructed; 3R+F; detailed tournament rules can be found on the VEKN tournament rules webpage;
  Please note: You will not have to qualify for this event. The top 25% players (at minimum the 5 finalists) will automatically be qualified for participation in any Continental Championship in 2012.
• Time Table
  Registration -- 10:00 - 10:45
  Round 1 -- 11:00 - 13:00
  Round 2 -- 14:00 - 16:00
  Round 3 -- 16:15 - 18:15
  Finals -- 18:30 - 20:30
• Entry Fee: 5 EUR
• Pre-Registration:
  Pre-registration in German VEKN forum is not required, but highly appreciated. Alternatively you can use the announcement thread on vekn.net.
• Special Prize:
  A signed art print of "Gwendolyn Fleming", the missing Toreador of the Keepers of Tradition release!
• More Prizes & Notes:
  TBA.
• Travel:
  Though Darmstadt lies more or less in the middle of Germany, it is quite close to Frankfurt airport (about 30 minutes with the shuttle)!

Reasonably Priced Decks: Lasombra

The following deck based on the Lasombra clan is the third deck in the Reasonably Priced Decks series, which I have outlined in a previous blog post.

The deck is in its essence a stealth bleed deck based on the Dominate and Obtenebration clan disciplines supported by a number by allies, i.e. a couple of Nocturns.

Poll: Deck of the Year 2011

After having presented twelve VtES decks of the month in the past year here's the poll for you to pick the Deck of the Year 2011 (see sidebar on the right). Please observe, that the initial choice of these decks were driven not by any wanna-be-objective-here motivation, but by my (likely flawed) preferences for originality of design.

There is no actual prize support for this "award" other than your five minutes of fame.

• December 2011: Shattering test Villein Perfectionist by Vincent Ripoll (FRA) -- a Daughters of Cacophony using Shattering Crescendo massively.
• November 2011: Toreador Powerbleed by Aleski Nuora (FIN) -- an Enkidu multi-rush deck based on Earth Meld/Psyche!
• October 2011: Unexpected Coalition by Soufiane Bouzouf (ESP)-- a Brujah antitribu vote deck based on the Unexpected Coalition vote modifier/reaction.
• September 2011: Assamite Dementia by Simone Langobardi (ITA) -- an Assamite Dementation Bleed deck.
• August 2011: Marcus, Marc and the Funky Bunch by Robert Sycthe (USA) -- a Lasombra Presence Vote deck with Faerie Wards as defense.
• July 2011: Govern is weak sauce by Darby Keeney (USA) -- a Guruhi Brutal Influence deck.
• June 2011: Victory in Anarchy by Norman S. Brown (USA) -- a Prince/Baron Vote deck with a combat angle.
• May 2011: Turbo Nergal by Tomàs López Jiménez (ESP) -- is a Turbo deck based on Call the Great Beast and Eternal Mask.
  
• April 2011: Pancake Mix by Izaak Havelaar (NED) -- an Assamite Stealth Bleed deck with a strong Black Hand angle for bloating and untapping.
• March 2011: Para Bailar la Bamba by Riccardo Fabiani (ITA) -- an Assamite Laibon Vote deck with Olugbenga and Bambas.
• February 2011: Tremere/Tremere antitribu vote played by Marc Lussier (USA) -- a Tremere/Tremere antitribu G4/5 vote deck 5 vampires with Orlando Oriundus as star.
• January 2011: Samedi eat your brain played by Dmitriy Konstantinov (BLR) -- a Samedi bleed & bloat deck based on Reanimated Corpse and Little Mountain Cemetery

This year, that is 2012, (at least) Mephistopheles will take over the Deck of the Month feature on his blog HunFragment.

"White Wolf/CCP North America no longer owns any cards, sealed product or promo cards for V:TES"

White Wolf/CCP North America no longer owns any cards, sealed product of promo cards for Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.

Stone Mountain, GA – January 2, 2012 – Johannes Walch, Chairman of Vampire: Elder Kindred Network, has confirmed that White Wolf/CCP North America has no more Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Cards, sealed Displays or Promo cards in stock. The last remaining product was purchased by Walch & Nusser Game Distributors.

"State of the V:EKN" 2012

As posted on VEKN.net on January 1st, 2012:

Fellow Methusalehs,

First of all a happy new year 2012 to all of you. May you and your families be healthy and happy. I have decided to write this letter to close the information gap that has been correctly pointed out by members of the community. I will give you a summary of what has happened in the past year, an outlook on the year to come and I will make it a priority in the future to keep the player base better informed. In return I ask you, if you have not done so already, to come to the www.vekn.net website, register and voice your opinion through the forums. A community only lives through the participation of its members.

What is the V:EKN? The Vampire: Elder Kindred Network is the player organization of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle. The purpose of the organization is to be the sanctioning body for official tournament (rules) and to ensure the continued health of V:TES. It consists of a small Inner Circle with dedicated positions and the national coordinators, but more importantly it is based on the work of hundreds of princes and players out there. Let us always keep in mind that we are a great community of wonderful people and in the end we will hopefully all push in the same direction: continue to play this game, that is not only about strategy and winning but at least as much about friendship and socializing.

Back from the Grave: Minion Tap

After the rule changes in the Rules Team Rulings from December 2nd, 2011, Minion Tap is actually playable again in VEKN sanctioned tournaments from now on.
Hurray, Minion Tap is back ... oh, wait .. you're not talking about us?