V:TES History – H is for Hold – Wizards of the Coast stops publishing V:TES

On the mailing list VTES-L, Ryan S. Dancey (then brand manager for VtES) wrote around February 2nd, 1998:

—– Begin Quote —–

H) Vampire: The Eternal Struggle

Ah, letter H. For VtES fans, “H” might as well stand for “Hold” which is where VtES is in terms of future expansions. There is no chance for a VtES product in 1998, and virtually no chance for new VtES in 1999. We are, however, planning to get some better support for Vampire players in terms of Organized Play at cons this summer, and a better and more responsive internal team for answering rules questions.

As one of the most successful TCGs ever, Vampire has a special place in the hearts of many people here at WotC. While it is not a part of our current design plans, we do respect deeply the people who have invested in the game and continue to find it an enjoyable diversion. After three expansions and a reprint of the basic set (and the conversion of the backs of the cards, a conversion more painful than any other in TCG history…) the game has probably reached the end of its lifecycle here at WotC. However, we continue to monitor the market and to talk about the brand, and if the company makes the decision at some point to reawaken the beast, we’ll ensure that you’re the first people to know.

—– End Quote —–

The Original 7/7/98 LSJ Post

Below a copy of the message posted by VTES “Rulemonger” LSJ on 7/7/1998 that changed many long standing VTES/Jyhad cards and rules:

As before, some comments are included for clarification, or
to give a concrete “real world” reasoning to aid in remembering/
explaining a rule. Some comments address the reason/need for
the errata.

The comments may be safely ignored or deleted.

New Rule:
———

No vote pushing: Each Methuselah can only play no more than one
Political Action card to gain a vote during a political action,
including the Political Action card used to call the vote, if any.
#
# Idea: arguable reading of the original Jyhad rules. Fixes the
# same problem that the DCI vote-replenishment rule attempted to
# fix (so the DCI rule shouldn’t be used with this rule).

Other Changes to the Rules (or changes to Errata to the rules):
—————————————————————

Golden Rule of Card Ownership has been modified. Your cards are still
your own, but are not burned when you are ousted – only the cards
that you control are burned when you are ousted. The rest (stolen
by or traded to other players) are returned to you when they are
burned or when the game ends.

Directed actions are actions that directly affect another Methuselah,
one of her minions, or a card a Methuselah controls. Cards that
involve directed actions have a “(D)” in the card text. Nondirected
actions are actions that are not directed against a Methuselah or one
of her minions. Hunting, equipping a minion, recruiting an ally, and
employing a retainer are examples of nondirected actions.
#
# Yeah, I know – this is a direct quote from the VTES rulebook. But it
# does change the way the (D) symbol currently works [back to the
# correct way] by removing the long-standing errata. Specifically, the
# “(D)” symbol merely identifies (redundantly) a directed action. The
# symbol does *not* address who the action can be directed at – the rest
# of the text on the card should make that clear. Some errata is
# introduced for expansion cards that are dependent on the errata – but
# these cards have caused confusion anyway. The card-specific errata for
# (D) actions is limited to the expansion cards, and then only when
# necessary. See: Darius Styx, Goth Band, and PB: Mexico City

Equipment: is not optional, except as noted on card text. (Note: weapons
always grant the ability to strike, but the minion is still free to
use other strikes.)
#
# Removes some strangeness possible with Writ of Acceptance and possibly
# some other cards, matches the rule for Retainers and Locquipment (so
# should be easier to remember/explain) and doesn’t unbalance the game.

Aggravated Damage: aggravated damage done to a ready vampire sends the
vampire to torpor (since it cannot be healed) but does not cause the
vampire to burn any blood. Aggravated damage done to a vampire with
unhealed damage (including aggravated damage after the first point)
requires that the vampire burn one blood per point of damage to avoid
being burned.
#
# Like the original Jyhad rules, only without the “packet” problems.
# Some of the aggravated-damage-dealing effects from the original set
# (and some from later sets) were unbalanced with the VTES-style
# aggravated damage rules, so this serves to restore some of the balance
# to those.

CARDS:

Darius Styx:
“Non-Camarilla. As an action, Darius may allow his controller to look at one
card at random from any other Methuselah’s hand. If it is an equipment card
or a retainer card, it is placed on Darius at no cost.”
#
# Net effect: no change. Textual change needed to uphold the (D) symbol
# conventions that were in effect when the card was printed, and which are
# necessary in Darius’s case.

Fame:
“Unique Master. Put this card on a ready vampire. If the vampire with this
card goes to torpor, then his controller burns 3 pool. Each Methuselah
burns 1 pool during his or her untap phase if this vampire is in torpor.”
#
# Hoses the controller of the vampire instead of the Prey – which makes more
# sense from a World of Darkness perspective (the controller has to expend
# resources to cover up the famous one’s disappearance, not the Prey, although
# all suffer from the mounting questions people start asking after an
# extended period.)
# This removes the “watch me shoot myself” abuses, and gives combat decks
# slightly improved speed, which helps in a tournament situation where the
# games are timed.

Fire Dance:
Is directed or not based on the controller of the target, as always.
#
# Previous RT Ruling makes this statement necessary.

Goth Band:
“As a +1 stealth (D) action, the Goth Band may move one counter from
a master card controlled by another Methuselah to a master card you
control that uses counters.”
#
# Net effect: no change. Textual change needed to uphold the (D) symbol
# conventions that were in effect when the card was printed.

Heidelburg Castle, Germany:
Cannot be used during an action (including during a combat, since that
is part of the action now – including combats resulting from blocks).
Can be used after an action resolves and before the next action begins, at
the beginning of any minion phase, or at any time outside of the minion
phase.

Major Boon:
“Play this card when another Methuselah is successfully bled. Not usable if
you control the acting minion. The bleed amount may be modified after this
card is played. You burn pool for the bleed instead of the target Methuselah
(must be at least 1 pool) and give this card to the target Methuselah. You
may burn this card to have that Methuselah burn pool instead of you when you
are successfully bled.”
#
# The VTES version munged the “may be modified” clause pretty badly

Mind Rape:
“Superior: (D) put this card on a younger vampire and tap that vampire.
The vampire with this card does not untap as normal during his
controller’s untap phase. During the acting vampire’s controller’s next
minion phase, she must burn this card to untap the vampire and take
control of the vampire until the end of her turn.”
#
# The original version of this card is just way too powerful. This new text
# is copied from Temptation, with slight obvious modifications.
# Still probably better than Temptation – it costs an extra blood and doesn’t
# untap the target and doesn’t stick around to let you regain control
# later, but it more than makes up for all of this in speed. Plus it has
# variety in the inferior version – which is worth a good deal.

Of Noble Blood:
Is directed or not based on the controller of the target (and the
definition of “directed”).

Powerbase: Mexico City
The action to steal the blood from your powerbase cannot be attempted
by your own vampires.

Pulled Fangs:
The damage is not aggravated.
#
# to balance the card with Lucky Blow, Disarm, and Twisting the Knife.

Return to Innocence:
Action – 4 blood.
Bleed. If you successfully bleed your Prey for one or more, put this card
on the acting vampire. Burn this card if this vampire loses any blood or
goes to torpor, or if your Prey is ousted. During your next untap, this
vampire is removed from play and your Prey burns X pool, where X is the
capacity of this vampire.
#
# to offset the “sudden death” aspect somewhat – not sure if it goes far
# enough, though. We’ll see.

Sleeping Mind:
Cards played after Sleeping Mind are still free to break these rules, as
always. So while you are provented from untapping (with Rat’s Warning),
for instance, you are not prevented from playing Wake to block – since
Wake allows you to attempt to block “as if untapped”, and untapped
vampires can still block the action as normal.

Thoughts Betrayed:
“Superior: Opposing minion cannot play strike cards for the rest of combat.”

Tomb of Ramses III:
“Master: Unique Location. 3 pool.
When this card is brought into play, or the controller of this card changes,
the controller chooses a vampire in her uncontrolled region. During your
influence phase, tap to move 1 blood from the blood bank to the chosen
vampire. Burn this card when the chosen vampire leaves the uncontrolled
region.”
#
# Basically a clanless Eco Terrorist that costs an additional pool and can
# feed only 1 vampire (to balance the clanlessness and the fact that you
# can play it on your first turn).
# This may not be the best fix (indeed, I’ve seen some better ones posted
# on the NG), but it is the easiest to explain/remember.

Treatment, The:
The action to burn this card is directed (unless the Prince and the
Treatment somehow come to be controlled by the same Methuselah), by the
definition of a directed action.

Wake with Evening’s Freshness:
“Do not replace until your next untap phase.”

Zip Gun:
Cannot use ammo cards.

—
L. Scott Johnson (vte…@wizards.com) VTES Net.Rep for Wizards of the Coast.
Searchable database of official card text, errata, and rulings:
http://deckserver.net/cgi-deckserver/rulemonger.cgi/powersearch

VTES History: White Wolf Acquires VTES from Wizards

WHITE WOLF ACQUIRES VAMPIRE CCG FROM WIZARDS OF THE COAST

ATLANTA, Ga. • White Wolf, best known for its roleplaying game Vampire: The Masquerade, has acquired the license for production of its collectible card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle from former licensee Wizards of the Coast.

Designed by Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle adapts White Wolf’s popular roleplaying game to the CCG format with over 1,000 cards depicting various aspects of the World of Darkness. The advanced strategy and social elements of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle earned it a 1999 selection as one of the ten best CCGs by InQuest Magazine.

“Vampire: The Eternal Struggle has always been regarded as one of the best, if not the best, strategy CCG. Expert CCG players who are looking for a card game with more play strategy inevitably get hooked on Vampire: The Eternal Struggle once they play.” said Steve Wieck, White Wolf President.

White Wolf’s first Vampire CCG release will be a heavily revised edition of the sold-out Sabbat set. The new edition Sabbat will be redesigned to include plenty of new cards plus some older cards that are in high demand. The set will include Booster Packs plus Pre-Constructed Starter Decks so new players can get an easy introduction to the complex, strategic game play of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.

New and old Vampire: The Eternal Struggle players will continue to be able to take part in over a hundred worldwide tournaments each year. White Wolf has recognized the Vampire: Elder Kindred Network (V:EKN) as its official player-community support organization. V:EKN is active in organizing player communities in major cities around the world, hosting tournaments and maintaining player rankings for the V:TES player community.