Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
Encyclopedia
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, published as Jyhad in the first or "Limited" edition and often abbreviated as VTES, V:TES or V:tES, is a multiplayer collectible card game
set in the World of Darkness
. It is published by White Wolf, Inc.
The game was designed in 1994 by Richard Garfield
and initially published by Wizards of the Coast
. As Garfield's first follow-up to his popular Magic: The Gathering
collectible card game, he was eager to prove that the genre was "a form of game as potentially diverse as board games" In 1995 the game was renamed from Jyhad to Vampire: The Eternal Struggle to increase its appeal and distance itself from the Islamic term Jihad
. After the 1996 Sabbat expansion, Wizards of the Coast abandoned the game, and in 2000 White Wolf took over development. It is thus one of the oldest collectible card games in existence.
White Wolf announced that Vampire: The Eternal Struggle would cease production on the 10th of September, 2010
Richard Garfield noted that the experiences he had made with the Magic: The Gathering
collectible card game had helped him to improve his design of the game. In an interview with Robert Goudie, Garfield particularly notes dedicated multi-player (3+) rules, a lack of "land cards", and a more rapid card drawing mechanism (cards normally being replaced instantly after being played).
, drawing mainly from the Vampire: The Masquerade
role-playing game
. After the events of Gehenna ended the official World of Darkness storyline, VTES is considered a sort of alternate reality
of the setting, as it continues though White Wolf, Inc.
publishes no further official products for the roleplaying game.
In VTES, each player takes on the role of a Methuselah, an ancient and manipulative vampire
, who is not itself present in the struggle, but acts from afar. Each Methuselah will try to eliminate all others by nullifying their influence and power. To that end, the Methuselahs will control and manipulate a number of minions (mostly younger vampires) to attack and destroy the other Methuselahs' resources.
As in most other collectible card game
s, each player designs his or her own deck. Each deck is built with two components:
'Crypt' - containing cards representing vampires (and in some cases mortal allies) that the player may control during the game.
'Library' - containing cards generally representing assets or actions to be taken during the game.
Most cards in the library can only be used in conjunction with vampires. Some cards have no cost in resources to play, in other cases to put a card in play it must be paid for using 'pool' or the blood on his vampires. Pool represents the player's influence, and if it is reduced to zero the player is out of the game (each player starts the game with 30 pool). Therefore, players continually have to make decisions based on how much they want to invest into assets in play and how much to retain to stay alive, especially against other players capable of sudden dangerous 'bleeds' (direct attacks on the players pool).
Each turn one player directs his minions to perform a number of actions and attacks, which other players' minions may intercept or interrupt. Each player attempts to 'oust' (remove from game) his 'prey' (the player to his left) while defending himself from his 'predator (the player to his right). This continues until only one player is left on the table. Ousting one's prey is worth one victory point, and being the last person left at the table is worth an additional victory point. However, ousting one's prey also nets the player 6 pool, and thus makes him stronger and more dangerous to the next prey. This is one of the reasons why other players may suddenly start helping a player in a weak situation, or even gang up on a player who seems to be going for a 'table sweep', making shifting alliances part and parcel of the game.
Gameplay offers many options for alliance or betrayal. Short-term deals and trade-offs (with very fluid terms) are typical. Bluffing
(appearing stronger or weaker) is also often used.
Games can take anything from half an hour to three or more hours (for a 5-player game). In tournament play and in some informal games, a time limit may be imposed, after which all remaining players receive half a victory point in addition to any they may have already received. Standard time limit for a tournament game is 2 hours. Game time varies greatly depending on the number of players and the style of decks played.
All the above deck types have various weaknesses, the most glaring being that a deck should theoretically be able to do ALL the above well, to take advantage of evolving game situations, and to counter other styles it may come up against. However, if it uses this 'Toolbox' approach too strongly, it may spread itself too thin, and end up being incapable of following through.
These conditions create a game where players are almost always interacting with the other players for both short- and long-term goals instead of simply waiting for their turns. VTES is a game of negotiation, skill, and deck-building. Deals and alliances, both for the moment or for the whole game, can play a big role. A whole classification of cards, political cards, are designed with this in mind. When a vote is called each player can cast votes, either by using votes granted from cards in play (typically from vampires with a 'title' such as Princes & Archbishops) or by playing cards from the hand.
All expansion sets from Dark Sovereigns expansion onward are identified by an expansion symbol printed in the upper right corner of cards. In newsgroups and on web pages character codes are used to identify each set, usually an abbreviation of the expansion's name.
Magazine picked VTES as the all-time best multiplayer collectible card games.
In 2006, Inquest Gamer Fan Awards called the Third Edition expansion the 'Best CCG Expansion'.
had allowed CCG Workshop to release the Camarilla, Anarchs, Final Nights, Legacies of Blood, Black Hand and Kindred Most Wanted sets for online play.
"JOL3", the new version released in 2005, uses a web interface. The deckserver still handles the decks, but the players can move cards and counters around through the web interface. Games can take place in real time if all the players are online.
in which players create and share plugins for various CCGs and may create decks and play online without fees. A plugin for VTES is available and can be used to play VTES on this platform.
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
set in the World of Darkness
World of Darkness
"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
. It is published by White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
The game was designed in 1994 by Richard Garfield
Richard Garfield
Richard Channing Garfield is a mathematics professor and game designer who created the card games Magic: The Gathering, Netrunner, BattleTech CCG, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle , The Great Dalmuti, Star Wars Trading Card Game, and the board game RoboRally...
and initially published by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
. As Garfield's first follow-up to his popular Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
collectible card game, he was eager to prove that the genre was "a form of game as potentially diverse as board games" In 1995 the game was renamed from Jyhad to Vampire: The Eternal Struggle to increase its appeal and distance itself from the Islamic term Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
. After the 1996 Sabbat expansion, Wizards of the Coast abandoned the game, and in 2000 White Wolf took over development. It is thus one of the oldest collectible card games in existence.
White Wolf announced that Vampire: The Eternal Struggle would cease production on the 10th of September, 2010
Richard Garfield noted that the experiences he had made with the Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
collectible card game had helped him to improve his design of the game. In an interview with Robert Goudie, Garfield particularly notes dedicated multi-player (3+) rules, a lack of "land cards", and a more rapid card drawing mechanism (cards normally being replaced instantly after being played).
Setting
The game is set in the World of DarknessWorld of Darkness
"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
, drawing mainly from the Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. After the events of Gehenna ended the official World of Darkness storyline, VTES is considered a sort of alternate reality
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
of the setting, as it continues though White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
publishes no further official products for the roleplaying game.
In VTES, each player takes on the role of a Methuselah, an ancient and manipulative vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
, who is not itself present in the struggle, but acts from afar. Each Methuselah will try to eliminate all others by nullifying their influence and power. To that end, the Methuselahs will control and manipulate a number of minions (mostly younger vampires) to attack and destroy the other Methuselahs' resources.
Overview
The game is ideally played by a group of four or five players, but it can be played by any number of players from two up. Group play with more than six players is rare, as an individual's turn can easily take two to three minutes, causing a slow game for all. Two-player games (and to some extent three-player games) also suffer from lack of opportunity for the kind of inter-player alliances and treachery that are a large part of the game.As in most other collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
s, each player designs his or her own deck. Each deck is built with two components:
'Crypt' - containing cards representing vampires (and in some cases mortal allies) that the player may control during the game.
'Library' - containing cards generally representing assets or actions to be taken during the game.
Each turn one player directs his minions to perform a number of actions and attacks, which other players' minions may intercept or interrupt. Each player attempts to 'oust' (remove from game) his 'prey' (the player to his left) while defending himself from his 'predator (the player to his right). This continues until only one player is left on the table. Ousting one's prey is worth one victory point, and being the last person left at the table is worth an additional victory point. However, ousting one's prey also nets the player 6 pool, and thus makes him stronger and more dangerous to the next prey. This is one of the reasons why other players may suddenly start helping a player in a weak situation, or even gang up on a player who seems to be going for a 'table sweep', making shifting alliances part and parcel of the game.
Gameplay offers many options for alliance or betrayal. Short-term deals and trade-offs (with very fluid terms) are typical. Bluffing
Deception
Deception, beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification, bad faith, and subterfuge are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth . Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda, and sleight of hand. It can employ distraction, camouflage or concealment...
(appearing stronger or weaker) is also often used.
Games can take anything from half an hour to three or more hours (for a 5-player game). In tournament play and in some informal games, a time limit may be imposed, after which all remaining players receive half a victory point in addition to any they may have already received. Standard time limit for a tournament game is 2 hours. Game time varies greatly depending on the number of players and the style of decks played.
Playing styles
There are many ways to win in VTES, though they all depend on eventually wearing down your prey's pool. Some of the most common styles, as described in official player's guide are:- Bleed / Stealth Bleed - this deck concentrates on causing as much pool loss as possible, either as quickly as possible, or by bleeding heavily during a moment of weakness. It usually has some way of ensuring that bleeds are more likely to slip past the defenses, the classical way of which would be playing 'stealth' cards.
- Combat / Rush - this type of deck is based on attacking opponents vampires, rendering them incapable of acting, or destroying them outright. After the defense has been whittled away it then starts bleeding normally. It also defends itself by attacking individual vampires (mainly of its own predator) which pose a threat.
- Political - this deck is geared to take advantage of the political system inbuilt into the game. It concentrates on having as many votes (usually via powerful vampires) on the table as possible. It is then able to call and pass its own political actions, which classically include those directly damaging its own prey.
- Build - this deck attempts to survive during the early game while it builds up to later on control the table via these accumulated assets, be they vampires, large amounts of reserve pool, votes or other cards. It is usually combined with another style.
- Intercept / Wall - This deck, often combined with the 'Combat' or the 'Build' style, tries to intercept the vampires of the prey when they act (and then likely attempts destroying them). Alternatively, it may be a defensive deck slowly building its strength for the late game, using its intercepting abilities to stop itself from being ousted in the meantime.
- Toolbox - this style attempts to be able to do as much as possible of all the styles above at the same time, mixing its cards. It is often a 'Build'-style deck at the same time.
All the above deck types have various weaknesses, the most glaring being that a deck should theoretically be able to do ALL the above well, to take advantage of evolving game situations, and to counter other styles it may come up against. However, if it uses this 'Toolbox' approach too strongly, it may spread itself too thin, and end up being incapable of following through.
Distinct nature
What sets VTES apart from most other collectible card games is the strong group play element. In general a player will concentrate on the player to his immediate left, his prey, and a player who succeeds in ousting his prey receives a strong boost by gaining 6 additional pool. This boost of resources might possibly enable him to eventually "sweep the table" (gaining momentum with every kill) and oust every other player. Thus there is a tendency for players to help weaker ones to frustrate the stronger players' dominance. This ensures that most players stay in the game longer, instead of the playing field being reduced quickly to those with the best cards and the greatest skill.These conditions create a game where players are almost always interacting with the other players for both short- and long-term goals instead of simply waiting for their turns. VTES is a game of negotiation, skill, and deck-building. Deals and alliances, both for the moment or for the whole game, can play a big role. A whole classification of cards, political cards, are designed with this in mind. When a vote is called each player can cast votes, either by using votes granted from cards in play (typically from vampires with a 'title' such as Princes & Archbishops) or by playing cards from the hand.
Sets and expansions
White Wolf releases VTES cards in base sets, expansion sets and mini expansion sets. The main difference between these are the size of the set and the number of reprints.- Base sets contain booster packs as well as a number of pre-constructed starter decks (ranging from 3 to 6). The starter decks contain 89 cards (with 77 library and 12 crypt cards) as well as a rule booklet. The booster packs contain 11 cards (in newer sets, often with 7 common, 3 vampire and 1 rare card, but refer to the table below). The base set should provide a new player with a number of cards to be able to build a wide variety of decks. A base set usually contains a high percentage of reprinted cards from earlier expansions.
- Expansion sets contain booster packs and may contain a number of pre-constructed starter decks. The distribution of cards in boosters and starters is similar to a base set. They feature also a particular theme. New players are usually not able to build a large number of different decks with only cards from this expansion's boosters due to the lack of basic cards provided either in the starters or in a base set. The number of reprints is low and usually restricted to the pre-constructed starter decks.
- Mini-Expansion sets contains only booster packs and the number of cards are restricted to 60 new cards (20 rare, 20 uncommon and 20 common cards).
All expansion sets from Dark Sovereigns expansion onward are identified by an expansion symbol printed in the upper right corner of cards. In newsgroups and on web pages character codes are used to identify each set, usually an abbreviation of the expansion's name.
| Expansion Name | Type | Symbol | Code | Release Date | Total cardsThe total cards include the cards from booster and starter, the number in brackets only include those from the booster packs. | New cardsThe new cards include cards from booster and starter packs. | Booster distribution |
| Jyhad | Base | (none) | Jyhad | 16 August 1994 | 437 | 437 | 11C, 4V, 3U, 1R |
| Vampire: The Eternal Struggle | Base | (none) | VTES | 15 September 1995 | 436 | 6 | 11C, 4V, 3U, 1R |
| Dark Sovereigns Dark Sovereigns Dark Sovereigns is the first expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on December 15, 1995 - then published by Wizards of the Coast. The expansion's theme are the vampires of Europe and introduced the clans Ravnos and Giovanni. It also introduced the... |
Expansion | Gothic window | DS | 15 December 1995 | (173) | 173 | 8C, 4V, 3U |
| Ancient Hearts Ancient Hearts Ancient Hearts is the second expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on May 29, 1996 - then published by Wizards of the Coast. The expansion's theme are the vampires of North Africa and the Near East... |
Expansion | Eye of Horus | AH | 29 May 1996 | (179) | 179 | 6C, 4V, 2U/R |
| Sabbat Sabbat (VTES) Sabbat is the third expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on October 28, 1996 - and the last expansion published by Wizards of the Coast... |
Expansion | Calligraphy S | Sabbat | 28 October 1996 | (410) | 340 | 16C, 5V, 5U, 2R |
| Sabbat War Sabbat War Sabbat War is the fourth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on October 31, 2000 and is the first expansion published by White Wolf after Wizards of the Coast had abandoned the game in 1996. The expansion's theme is the Sabbat sect, which is a... |
Base | Inverted spiked ankh | SW | 31 October 2000 | 437 (300) | 77 | 5C, 3V, 2U, 1R or 4C, 3V, 3U, 1RFirst printing had 5C, 3V, 2U, 1R; which was subsequently changed for second and subsequent print runs into 4C, 3V, 3U, 1R. |
| Final Nights Final Nights (VTES) Final Nights is the fifth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on June 11, 2001. The expansion's theme are vampires of the Independent clans, thereby continuing the support for these clans started in the Dark Sovereigns and Ancient Hearts... |
Expansion | Broken ankh | FN | 11 June 2001 | 386 (162) | 170 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Bloodlines Bloodlines (VTES) Bloodlines is the third expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on February 21, 2005. The expansion's theme are the bloodlines, minor clans and often offshots of the 13 major clans.- New clans :... |
Expansion | Ankh on red blood spatter | BL | 3 December 2001 | (196) | 196 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Camarilla Edition Camarilla Edition Camarilla is the fourth base set of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on August 19, 2002. The expansion's theme is the Camarilla sect... |
Base | Ankh | CE | 19 August 2002 | 547 (385) | 115 | 5C, 3V, 2U, 1R |
| Anarchs Anarchs (VTES) Anarchs is the fifth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on May 19, 2003. The expansion's theme is the Anarch movement within the vampire society. Anarchs can use special three-way cards, i.e. cards can be played for one of three effects that... |
Expansion | Combined CE/SW Ankhs | Anarchs | 19 May 2003 | 260 (132) | 128 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Black Hand Black Hand (VTES) Black Hand is the sixth expansion of White Wolf's trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on November 17, 2003. The expansion's theme is the Black Hand, a militant group within the vampire sect Sabbat.-Contents:... |
Expansion | Handprint | BH | 17 November 2003 | 286 (136) | 145 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Gehenna Gehenna (VTES) Gehenna is the seventh expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on February 17, 2004. The expansion's theme is Gehenna, the vampires' prophesied Armageddon. White Wolf also published in 2004 a series of books named Time of Judgement for its fictional... |
Expansion | Stylised Clock | Gehenna | 17 May 2004 | (150) | 150 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Tenth Anniversary 10th Anniversary Set (VTES) The 10th Anniversary Set is a special expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on December 13, 2004... |
Special | Foil "10" | Tenth | 13 December 2004 | 190 | 10 | -- |
| Kindred Most Wanted Kindred Most Wanted Kindred Most Wanted is the eighth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on February 21, 2005. The expansion's theme are the most wanted vampires who appear on the so-called Red List. These vampires are also called Anathema. The vampires whose... |
Expansion | Gun | KMW | 21 February 2005 | 314 (150) | 162 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Legacies of Blood Legacies of Blood Legacies of Blood is the ninth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on November 14, 2005. The expansion's theme is the Laibon sect consisting of vampires native to Africa. The expansion features four new clans, namely Akunanse, Ishtarri, Guruhi... |
Expansion | Split ankh (black) | LoB | 14 November 2005 | 461 (300) | 236 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Nights of Reckoning Nights of Reckoning Nights Of Reckoning is the tenth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on April 10, 2006. The expansion's theme are the Imbued, mortal vampire hunters in the fictional world of Vampire: The Masquerade. The background for this expansion is... |
Mini expansion | Plus with circle | NoR | 10 April 2006 | (60+17)Each Nights of Reckoning booster had one rules card. There are 5 different rules printed on 17 different rules cards. These cards, although printed with a different layout and mostly abbreviated card text, are legal in both constructed and limited tournaments. | 60 | 6C, 3V, 1R, 1X |
| Third Edition VTES 3rd Edition VTES 3rd Edition is a complete base set for White Wolf's trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on September 4, 2006. White Wolf's page dedicated to the set indicates the reasoning for calling it the third edition: "White Wolf's eleventh expansion for Vampire: The Eternal... |
Base | Tri-snake biohazard | Third | 4 September 2006 | 537 (390) | 160 | 5C, 3V, 2U, 1R |
| Sword of Caine Sword of Caine Sword of Caine is the twelfth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle released on March 19, 2007. The expansion's theme is the Black Hand, a militant group within the vampire sect Sabbat... |
Mini expansion | Bundle of swords | SoC | 19 March 2007 | (60) | 60 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Lords of the Night Lords of the Night (VTES) Lords of the Night is the thirteenth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, released on September 26, 2007... |
Expansion | Crown | LotN | 26 September 2007 | 295 (150) | 175 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Blood Shadowed Court | Special | Silver Ankh | BSC | 16 April 2008 | 100 | 0 | -- |
| Twilight Rebellion Twilight Rebellion Twilight Rebellion is the fourteenth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, and was released on May 31, 2008. The expansion's theme is the Anarch movement within the vampire society... |
Mini expansion | Tri-snake on Red Star | TR | 28 May 2008 | (60) | 60 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
| Keepers of Tradition Keepers of Tradition Keepers of Tradition is the fifteenth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, and was released on November 19th, 2008... |
Base | Castle tower | KoT | 19 November 2008 | 457 (398) | 176 | 5C, 3V, 2U, 1R |
| Ebony Kingdom Ebony Kingdom Ebony Kingdom is the sixteenth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, and was released on May 27, 2009. The expansion's theme is the Laibon sect consisting of vampires native to Africa... |
Mini expansion | Split ankh (white) | EK | 27 May 2009 | (62) | 60 | 4C, 3V, 1R, 3C |
| Heirs to the Blood Heirs to the Blood Heirs to the Blood is the seventeenth expansion of White Wolf, Inc.'s trading card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, and was originally scheduled for release in late October, 2009, then December 2009, and was finally published on February 3, 2010... |
Expansion | Three blood drops | HttB | 3 February 2010 | TBA (168) | 168 | 7C, 3V, 1R |
Awards
In 2004, Inquest GamerInQuest Gamer
InQuest Gamer is a discontinued monthly magazine for game reviews and news that was published from 1995 to 2007. Originally, the magazine was named InQuest and focused solely on collectible card games ; InQuest, along with its competitor Scrye, were the two major CCG magazines...
Magazine picked VTES as the all-time best multiplayer collectible card games.
In 2006, Inquest Gamer Fan Awards called the Third Edition expansion the 'Best CCG Expansion'.
V:TES Online
From December 2005 to the end of 2007 an online implementation of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle named "Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Online" was available. It was developed and maintained by CCG Workshop. Using CCG Workshop's gatlingEngine, players could create decks and compete online for a monthly fee. White Wolf, Inc.White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
had allowed CCG Workshop to release the Camarilla, Anarchs, Final Nights, Legacies of Blood, Black Hand and Kindred Most Wanted sets for online play.
Jyhad Online
Developed and maintained by George Finklang since 1996, "Jyhad Online" hosts a series of VTES games over the Internet. Originally players emailed their actions to the players in the game, and other players responded with their reactions, with the deckserver dealing the cards. Each game was guided by a moderator who maintained the game page."JOL3", the new version released in 2005, uses a web interface. The deckserver still handles the decks, but the players can move cards and counters around through the web interface. Games can take place in real time if all the players are online.
Lackey CCG
Another alternative is LackeyCCGLackeyCCG
LackeyCCG is a computer program used to play virtually any collectible card game against online opponents or for building and testing of CCG decks offline in a solitaire mode. It also allows for the searching of cards within each CCG. LackeyCCG currently has Mac and Windows versions but it has...
in which players create and share plugins for various CCGs and may create decks and play online without fees. A plugin for VTES is available and can be used to play VTES on this platform.
External links
Official- Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (official website)
- Vampire: Elder Kindred Network (VEKN) (official V:TES players' organization)