Cambridge, cards and blood magic

On Saturday I attended my very first VTES tournament and I can safely say this: it exceeded my expectations in every possible way. I went in excited, slightly nervous and armed with far too many internal monologues, but what I found was a room full of welcoming players, sharp gameplay, and exactly the kind of atmosphere that makes you fall in love with a game all over again.

This was my first real chance to meet and play with people who have been in the Eternal Struggle for a decade or more. I'd spoken online with some of them before (Antonio from Bedford, James from Norwich) but meeting in person felt different. Real tables, real cards, real political tension. I also managed to convince my friend Aaron to join me. He'd only played a single game before, but like me, he was drawn in by the artwork and the social side of VTES. Watching him jump straight into a tournament and genuinely have fun was a perfect reminder of why this community is so special.

We arrived just before the venue opened and immediately found ourselves chatting with other players outside, like vampires politely waiting for the doors of Elysium to open. Inside, James and David (our tournament organizers) had everything prepared. Food was ordered (eternal hunger addressed, very on-theme), registration sorted, and we waited to see which fates the seating algorithm would assign us.

From the moment I picked up VTES, I knew one thing for certain: my first tournament deck would be Tremere or Ventrue. These clans are home to me, structured, authoritative, scholarly… with Lasombra lurking temptingly close behind. In the end, playtesting convinced me that my Tremere were a bit more resilient, so my aristocratic Ventrue politicians were regretfully benched in favor of blood magic and defensive rigor.

Aaron took my Malkavian deck (yes, the one my wife loves killing me with), drawn in by stealth and bleed. Wisely spared from learning combat timing windows on his first tournament day. 

 

Round One: Baptism by Elder Fire

My first table had me seated as Player 1 with Tremere. James (our national coordinator) sat next to me with Banu Haqim, Aaron followed with the sneaky Malkavians, and Niki rounded things out with Giovanni.

I'd prepared diligently, Discord discussions, meta reading, theoretical matchups. I knew what my prey, the assassins, might try. I knew what the Malkavians would attempt. But my predator, the Giovanni? A mystery wrapped in necromancy. This made me… cautious. In hindsight, perhaps too cautious.

The game was balanced early on, but over time it became clear that this Tremere neonate was being outmaneuvered by two very experienced elders. Still, the table was fantastic. Rules explanations were given freely, mistakes corrected kindly, and the atmosphere never stopped being fun. Aaron's Malkavians fell first, followed by my Tremere, awarding victory points to the Banu Haqim and Giovanni. Eventually, James emerged victorious, claiming the table with well-earned authority. Excellent play all around.

 

Round Two: Politics, Panic, and Partial Glory

Somehow, the second game was even better.

David led with a Path of Death deck, Antonio followed with Path of Power, Manuel brought his ever-reliable assassins, and I took the fourth seat. The banter started immediately, before the first blood counter even moved. It was quickly established that my Spanish is good enough to ask for some water, but not good enough to survive VTES table talk, so we stuck to English. Problem solved.

This time, I made the classic neonate error: I got greedy. My crypt lineup was perfect, Govern did its job beautifully, and I pushed hard for a VP. I even managed to punch through David's zombies with some hefty bleeds. But momentum is a fickle thing, and eventually my deck ran out of steam. The table rebalanced, deals were made, hints were dropped, and I witnessed true table politics in action: subtle, elegant, and terrifying. After two hours, we all walked away with half a victory point. Special thanks to Hugh for helping me untangle a rules question mid-game.

Bonus Round: Out-of-Tournament Triumph

With only half a VP after two rounds, I didn't make the finals, but while the elders battled for ultimate supremacy, I was invited to play one more casual game. Obviously, I said yes.

This table was glorious chaos: Path of Death, Lasombra voting, Path of Caine, my Tremere, and a Toreador antitribu deck. The banter was nonstop, the mood light, and the plays bold. This time, things clicked. I ousted the Toreador antitribu first, gained precious pool, and suddenly the possibilities opened up. One by one, I managed to oust the Path of Death and the Lasombra as well. When time was called, I had three victory points, my best performance of my entire VTES carreer. I was thrilled, and I truly hope my tablemates had as much fun as I did.

Loot, Gifts, and Gratitude

The generosity didn't stop at gameplay. I was gifted staples by James, received a signed copy of Damian from Antonio, collected tournament promos, and (perhaps most exciting of all) this neonate is now the proud owner of a Carna.

More than anything, this event reinforced why I love this game and this community. Knowledge shared freely, competition without ego, and a welcoming atmosphere that makes even a first-time tournament player feel at home. 2026 has only just begun, but this was already the best event I've attended in a long while. The bar is set very high now.

 Finalists table (Niki winning the tournament):

Some other photos:

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave

Winning decks without a time machine

In my previous post I already confessed my full-blown addiction to VDB, so if you also enjoy staring at tables of numbers and whispering "interesting…" to yourself at 11 p.m., this post is very much for you. I've only been playing VTES for about 4-5 months, so my insights will never rival those players who were around when Jyhad was still new and mysterious. Still, I'm convinced a fresh perspective can sometimes spot patterns others overlook, like a Ventrue neonate earnestly explaining cryptocurrency to elders who invented compound interest.

Lately I've been spending a lot of time browsing tournament-winning decks from 2025. Partly because I want to learn what actually works at high-level play, and partly because I'm always hunting for inspiration. You know the feeling: "Oh, that looks fun. I could absolutely build something like that". Then reality hits. Some of those decks rely heavily on crypt cards from older groups, and unless you've been hoarding cardboard since the late '90s, getting those cards as a neonate is… optimistic. For most of us, groups 5, 6, and 7 are the realistically accessible ones, with a few notable exceptions (looking at you, Stanislava Gangrel deck). Yes, you can always print cards that can solve this problem.

So I took a closer look. I gathered all decks that won tournaments in 2025, focused only on the 13+1 original VTM clans (no antitribu or bloodlines this time, tabletop preferences die hard), and counted how many wins each clan had. Then I filtered out any decks that used crypt cards from groups 1–4, leaving me with a ratio showing how often winning decks rely solely on G5–G7 vampires.

Here's what I found, with a bit of thematic commentary along the way:

Banu Haqim

The assassins claimed 16 tournament wins, and every single one used recent crypt cards. Efficient, modern, and entirely uninterested in nostalgia, exactly how you'd expect a clan of professional killers to operate.

Brujah

With 15 wins, and 14 of them using recent vampires, the Brujah prove once again that rebellion doesn't mean being stuck in the past. Turns out you can rage against the system and keep your card pool up to date.

Gangrel

The big surprise. 60 wins total, but only 34 with recent crypts. Gangrel clearly value their elders, so why evolve when your ancestors are still punching just fine?

Hecata

11 wins, all with recent vampires. Death, it seems, adapts quickly. Necromancers clearly understand the importance of keeping their paperwork (and their crypt) current. Necromancy being retired and having access to Oblivion also helps, I guess.

Lasombra

Out of 20 wins, 15 used recent vampires. The clan of shadows has embraced modern darkness, though they still keep one foot firmly planted in the past. Very on-brand.

Malkavian

18 wins, but only 9 with recent crypts. Half the time they're prophetic visionaries, half the time they're clinging to ancient lunacy. Exactly as planned. Probably. I don't know. Next!

Ministry

With 13 wins and 12 using recent vampires, the Ministry proves that faith-based manipulation benefits greatly from modern marketing.

Nosferatu

A tragic 5 wins, with only 2 using recent crypts. Apparently, living in the sewers makes it harder to upgrade your vampire lineup.

Ravnos

19 wins, 15 with recent vampires. The tricksters have clearly reinvented themselves, proof that survival sometimes means burning the old playbook and writing a new one.

Salubri

Only 4 wins, but all with recent vampires. Rare, refined, and future-facing. Also worth watching closely, especially with new blood on the horizon.

Toreador

A strong showing with 25 wins, 21 of them using recent crypts. Style may be eternal, but it clearly benefits from a modern refresh (the 30th edition deck does a lot of heavy lifting here).

Tremere

A painful 6 wins, and only 2 with recent vampires. Either the elders are still doing all the work, or the Warlocks are stubbornly clinging to the old grimoires. As a Tremere fan, I choose to believe it's all part of a very long-term plan.

Tzimisce

22 wins, 18 with recent vampires. Evolution is kind of their thing, so it's no surprise they've embraced newer crypts with enthusiasm. Having access to Protean also helps, I guess.

Ventrue

8 wins, split evenly between old and new crypts. The clan of kings clearly believes experience and tradition still matter, though perhaps a little modernization wouldn't hurt.

 

So to summarise: 

Banu Haqim, Hecata, and Salubri rely entirely on recent vampires.
Brujah, Ministry, Toreador, Tzimisce, Ravnos, and Lasombra use recent crypts at least 75% of the time.
Malkavian, Ventrue, Nosferatu, and Tremere lean heavily on vampires from lower groups, sometimes more than half the time.

Of course, a deck is more than just its crypt. This analysis doesn't touch library cards at all, and I can easily imagine older vampires pairing beautifully with newer tech, or the other way around. Still, if you're a new neonate looking to build something competitive without selling a kidney for out-of-print cards, this paints a hopeful picture. Banu Haqim, Hecata, Brujah, Ministry, Toreador, Ravnos, and likely Salubri very soon, all look like solid, accessible choices. That's a pretty healthy spread and plenty of room for experimentation.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave

Lost in the night: a tour of VTES content

If you're anything like me, discovering VTES content online starts innocently enough. One quick Google search. One simple question. And then suddenly it's midnight, you've got a dozen tabs open and you're wondering whether you really need sleep when there are still articles left unread.

In this post, I wanted to share some of the websites, blogs, and channels I stumbled upon during my own research journey. I'm genuinely grateful to everyone who spends their free time creating content for this game, writing articles, compiling data, recording videos, and generally keeping the Eternal Struggle alive on the internet. I just wish there were more of it. Always more!

Think of this as a travel journal written by a curious neonate, hopping from archive to archive, trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible without accidentally summoning a demon or blowing up the chantry.

The Obvious Beginning: VEKN

My journey began, as it probably does for most players, at vekn.net. I downloaded the rulebook to my phone and spent several evenings reading it like a forbidden manuscript, scrolling through sections and occasionally stopping to mutter, "Ah, that's how that works".

From there, I found the tournament reports and newsletters, which I still enjoy reading regularly. They're a great way to get a sense of what's happening in the wider community. Then something unexpectedly surreal happened: shortly after I started this blog, I opened the September newsletter and saw my humble little site mentioned, flagged as great VTES content. I stared at the screen like I'd just been acknowledged by a Prince. It was a fantastic feeling, and one I'm still grateful for.

VEKN also helpfully links to other VTES-related sites, so  this eager neonate clicked onward.

Black Chantry: Where the Future Lives

Next stop was the Black Chantry Productions website. I went through their articles like a scholar cramming before an exam, learning about promo cards, upcoming releases, and the general roadmap of the game. This was also where I learned an important lesson: not all previous sets can be purchased anymore. It makes sense, of course… but it still stings a little when you realize how many shiny things exist just out of reach.

That said, the site is incredibly useful, and yes, I ordered a few decks shortly afterward. Research requires funding.

Orpheus' Information Highway

Then I found Orpheus' Information Highway, and this one really resonated with me. I loved the way Orpheus ranks cards, explains synergies, and walks through deck ideas while keeping the atmosphere and lore of the game intact. It feels like VTES when you read it, not just math and mechanics. My favorite article there was about the Tremere New Blood cards (no surprises there) and I particularly appreciated seeing deck lists featuring my beloved Warlocks. I've been an eager follower of the blog ever since.

The Codex of the Damned

At this point, I wanted to deepen my understanding of the game beyond individual cards. That's when I discovered the Codex of the Damned, which felt like opening a long-sealed vault. Finally, a place that clearly explains strategies, archetypes and example decks in a structured, approachable way. For me, this site was a treasure trove, but my favorite section has to be the breakdown of best cards by discipline or action type. It's incredibly helpful when you're trying to understand why certain cards keep showing up and what roles they play across different decks.

Community Connections

Soon after joining the VTES Discord, Antonio reached out and helped connect me with players in my area, something I was genuinely thankful for. He also showed me the blog he was writing, Damian's Quest, which became another enjoyable stop on my journey through community content.

Not long after that, I stumbled upon Kraus' The Garou Rim Gazette. I really enjoy the articles there ( they're thoughtful and well-written)  and my only complaint is that I wish they appeared more often. Still, quality over quantity is a very respectable philosophy.

And then there's VDB. I've reached the stage where I can no longer pretend this is a casual relationship, I am fully addicted. I browse the tournament-winning deck archive the way others browse social media, look up individual cards "just for a second", and run increasingly specific searches while deckbuilding like I'm interrogating the database. I've even leaned on VDB as a research tool when writing articles about clan and card statistics. At this point, it's less a website and more a trusted companion. Whoever is maintaining this resource has my undying gratitude, my eternal loyalty, and a heartfelt thank you for enabling this obsession so efficiently.

YouTube: Seeing the Game in Motion

Thanks to the community content channel on Discord, I also discovered several YouTube channels focused on VTES. Watching games and discussions helped bridge the gap between theory and practice in a big way. A few favorites, in no particular order:

HeySteev: A fantastic archive of online games that really helped me understand pacing, table dynamics, and how decisions actually play out.

Waterdog’s: I love the vibe here. It's very clear these folks genuinely love the game and love talking about it, and that enthusiasm is contagious.

SuakuOZ: Insightful, thoughtful content. I'll admit they sometimes reference cards or combos I've never even heard of, but that just gives me more things to look up. Always interesting, always friendly.

Garagem do Nerd TV: A Spanish-speaking channel. My Spanish is… aspirational at best, so I rely on auto-dubs, which can get hilariously creative. If you speak Spanish, though, this one is definitely worth checking out.


This list is far from exhaustive, but it represents a big part of my own journey into the wider VTES community. If you're a fellow neonate looking for content to devour, I hope this helps. And if you know of blogs, channels, or resources I've missed, please let me know! The night is long, the library is vast, and there's always another forbidden tome waiting to be opened.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave

Star vampires, hard lessons, and two weeks to go

There are only two weeks left until my very first VTES tournament in Cambridge, and I have officially entered the emotional state of a child waiting for Christmas morning. I am very excited. I am also preparing like a Tremere apprentice who has just been told there will be an exam, a practical demonstration, and possibly a public execution if things go poorly.

Naturally, this means research. Lots of it. Reading, thinking, rethinking, and staring at decks like they might reveal secrets if I glare hard enough. Unfortunately, actual play opportunities have been a bit scarce lately, so I was genuinely thrilled when David (who also happens to be one of the tournament organizers, no pressure there) reached out and asked if I wanted to get a game in.
Of course I did!

So today I drove to Cambridge to meet up with David and Manuel, ready to put theory into practice.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what deck I actually want to bring to the tournament. When I first started playing, I was very taken with the idea of a star vampire, you know, the big-cap powerhouse you include multiple times so something impressive is guaranteed to happen. For my Tremere deck, that role initially went to Ian Carfax, Justicar and undisputed winner of the Best Moustache in the Camarilla award. Karl Schrekt was also on the shortlist, but Ian had the edge.

In practice, though… Ian never really shined. Worse, I learned a painful but important lesson: some combat decks don't care how important your star vampire is. They will happily punch them straight into torpor in a single combat. And then you're left staring at the table, wondering how your entire strategy ended up face-down with zero blood and all of your dignity gone. So while I still love the idea of a star vampire, I've decided that in the current meta, I'd rather bench him and go wider instead of taller.

With that in mind, I made a few adjustments. The deck is still very much a wall/toolbox thing (I'll fully understand the difference one day, I'm sure), but now it leans more on numbers than on a single shining hero. Govern is still doing a lot of heavy lifting, some habits are hard to break. And I just love Dominate.

Manuel brought his ever-reliable Assamites, while David showed up with a Sabbat Path of Death deck, because nothing says "friendly practice game" like zombies. Since there were only three of us, we agreed that the first player to oust their prey would win.

Manuel wasted no time dropping Al-Ashrad onto the table as well as Smiling Jack, who then proceeded to sit there like an immortal biker mascot and slowly drain all joy and pool from the room. We tried. We really did. But Jack stayed. David, meanwhile, surprised me with zombies that hit far harder than I expected, plus Sakura, who kept unlocking after successful actions like she had somewhere better to be.

The game was tense from start to finish. Ousting opportunities appeared, vanished, and reappeared, usually stopped at the last possible moment by a well-timed wake card. All three decks felt evenly matched, which made every decision feel important and every mistake feel immediately educational. In the end, Manuel emerged victorious, well played, well deserved.

As always, I learned a lot. New card interactions, better sequencing, and one very important rules clarification, special thanks for finally explaining what "limited" actually means on a card. That one had been quietly mocking me for weeks.

In two weeks, I'll be sitting down at my first tournament. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm looking forward to meeting new players and getting more games in. And if I manage to secure a few victory points along the way? That'll just be the cherry on top of an already unforgettable experience.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave

From clan flavour to bloodshed: A first VTES lesson

Last Sunday I finally got to do one of my favorite things: introduce VTES to a new victim. Sorry, player. A friend of mine had never played before but was curious, and I was more than happy to guide him gently into the Eternal Struggle.

Before the game, I tried explaining the clans to see which one would grab his attention. In hindsight, this might not have been my brightest idea. Liking a clan's vibe doesn't always mean you'll enjoy its playstyle. Still, he gravitated toward the Banu Haqim, so a few days before game night I sat down to build him a deck. I'd never played them either, so I did what any responsible Methuselah would do: asked around and consulted the VDB for… inspiration. The goal was simple: make sure the deck actually worked and didn't immediately betray him.

When I told my wife about this, she had one request: "Can you please look at my Malkavian deck too?" Fair enough. The Clan of the Moon had been running on an unmodified V5 precon for far too long. So once again, I turned to my trusted accomplice, the VDB, and tried to improve those sneaky lunatics. I'm happy to report that I emerged from the process feeling moderately competent.

Then came my own dilemma. With Banu Haqim and Malkavians at the table, what should I play? My hand instinctively reached for the Tremere, but that meant more Blood Sorcery, and I wanted to show off political actions too. Ventrue? Toreador? Then it hit me! I had preordered the Sabbat Path of Power deck and had never played it. This felt like the perfect excuse to embrace the darkness.

Naturally, that led to another problem. Most of my collection is firmly Camarilla-focused. I have about as many Sabbat cards as I have reasons to trust them. The VDB wasn't much help either, one Path of Power example deck relied heavily on Aaradhya, running five copies. I had two. So I did the only thing left: mashed two precons together and hoped for the best.

The game itself was so much fun. My friend was my prey, my wife my predator, an arrangement that felt deeply symbolic. My friend quickly discovered how brutal the Banu Haqim combat module can be, especially when repeatedly topping up vampires with Hunger of Marduk. My wife, meanwhile, did what Malkavians do best: bled me for 5 or 6 like it was a casual suggestion. If only I'd owned an Archon Investigation, that would've taught her some manners.

 

After two hours, all three of us were still standing, so we pressed on. About half an hour later, I managed to oust my friend and claim a VP. We called the game there, though I'm fairly certain the Malkavians would have eaten me alive shortly after, handing my wife the win. A familiar ending.

Afterward, I reflected on the decks I'd built. They both worked well, but in hindsight, a combat deck might not be the best introduction for a new player. Combat in VTES is practically a game within the game, complete with its own timing windows, rules, and opportunities to say "wait, can I respond to that?" A stealth-bleed deck would've been a gentler on-ramp. Still, we all had fun. My friend wasn't discouraged by defeat and immediately suggested playing again. Who knows, in time he might turn out to be a competitive player after all. And if there's one thing vampires have plenty of, it's time.

As this was my last post of the year, it feels like a good moment to pause, take a step back, and appreciate how far this little journey has already gone. From first games and questionable deck choices to data dives and late-night theorycrafting, it's been a joy to write these thoughts down and share them. There's plenty more coming next year (more games, more experiments, and undoubtedly more mistakes) but for now, I'll let the cards rest. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you again after the calendar turns. Just remember, that the game never ends, only pauses!

Custodian Hargrave

Sixth Tradition: Destruction

The final lesson was given far from the manor, in a forgotten industrial quarter where even mortals avoided the night. Lord Henry Woolcott brought his progeny to a place where ash still clung to brickwork and the ground bore scars no rain could wash away. Here, he explained, judgment had once been rendered. The Sixth Tradition was not spoken lightly, for it was the law that ended all others. Destruction was forbidden not because Kindred life was sacred, but because chaos was. To kill one of their own without sanction was to declare oneself above the hierarchy, a crime that could only be answered with extinction.

Woolcott taught that the right of destruction belonged to elders alone, those whose age, power, and perspective placed them beyond impulse. To destroy a Kindred was not vengeance; it was governance. A fledgling acting on rage or fear risked unraveling centuries of carefully balanced order. The young Ventrue learned that even righteous anger meant nothing without authority behind it. Without permission, without command, a Kindred who destroyed another became nothing more than a liability and liabilities were removed swiftly and without ceremony.

Then Woolcott spoke of the Blood Hunt, though not with reverence. Only the Eldest could call it, for only they bore the weight of what followed. To name a target was to unleash the city itself, sheriffs, hounds and opportunists all bound by tradition to pursue destruction. The hunted Kindred ceased to exist in the eyes of the law, they were already dead, merely waiting for the night to catch up. Woolcott made it clear: the Blood Hunt was not cruelty. It was the city proving it could still enforce obedience.

As dawn threatened the horizon, Woolcott regarded his progeny one last time as a teacher rather than a ruler. This lesson, the last, carried no comfort. Power did not grant the right to kill; hierarchy did. Survival did not belong to the strongest, but to the most obedient. "Remember", his silence seemed to say, "even monsters answer to something greater". With that, the lessons ended. The fledgling now carried all six Traditions within him, laws not meant to be debated, but endured. And if he forgot them, Woolcott had ensured he understood exactly what awaited those who did.

 

I've been playing VTES for a few months now, and in all that time I've seen exactly zero vampires commit diablerie. Not once. Not accidentally. Not even as a "well, this seems funny" moment. At my tables, diablerie is treated like touching the big red button labeled DO NOT PRESS. Everyone knows it exists, nobody wants to deal with the consequences.

Maybe diablerie happens more often in tournaments. Maybe there's a secret underground scene where vampires are slurping elders like smoothies. But in casual play? It's a rare beast. Which makes a card that specifically punishes a diablerist (assuming your +1 stealth action actually goes through) feel a bit like bringing a silver bullet to a knitting circle. The theme is fantastic, don't get me wrong. Passing judgment on someone who committed the ultimate crime is peak Camarilla drama. Mechanically, though? I'm just not seeing it.

When I look back at the other Tradition cards, I can easily imagine situations where each one shines. They do things you expect vampires to do: manage blood, enforce domains, create progeny, manipulate resources. Sixth Tradition, on the other hand, is waiting patiently for a crime that almost never happens, like a very bored sheriff polishing a badge no one ever asks to see.

The tournament data doesn't help its case either. The last winning deck that included even a single copy of this card dates back to 2007. That's eighteen years ago. In VTES terms, this card hasn't just fallen out of favor, it's been quietly sealed in a vault and forgotten. And I can't blame the players.

I'm not sure what this card would need to become relevant again. Destroying a vampire is obviously a powerful effect, and the Sixth Tradition is literally about destruction. But maybe the design focus should've been closer to a Blood Hunt, something that lets Camarilla vampires actively dogpile a target instead of waiting for someone to commit a very specific and very avoidable crime. A tradition that says "you messed up, now everyone gets involved" feels more on-brand and more playable.

And with that, my Traditions series comes to an end. Six cards, six very different design philosophies, and one very lonely punishment card waiting for a diablerist that may never arrive. It's been a fun experiment to go through all of them, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed overthinking every single one.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave

Fifth Tradition: Hospitality

The lesson began at the city's edge, where the lights thinned and the old boundaries still mattered. Lord Henry Woolcott halted his progeny beneath an iron bridge, the hum of distant traffic echoing like a warning rather than comfort. This was not their domain. The air itself felt hostile, unclaimed by Woolcott's will, and that alone was enough to command restraint. He explained that the Fifth Tradition was the etiquette of survival. Not courtesy, but acknowledgment of power. A Ventrue did not trespass. A Ventrue announced himself. To do otherwise was to invite annihilation before one ever drew breath within foreign shadows.

Hospitality, Woolcott taught, was the recognition that all domains were sovereign realms, each ruled by a will as merciless as his own. When entering another city, a kindred became less than a subject until recognized, a thing without title, protection, or rights. The fledgling listened as Woolcott outlined the ritual: present oneself, declare lineage, await judgment. Acceptance was not guaranteed, nor was it owed. Without the ruler's word, one was nothing: prey, interloper, or example. Among the Ventrue, to forget this was not ignorance but arrogance, and arrogance was swiftly corrected by final death.

Woolcott spoke of princes who had erased entire bloodlines over breaches of hospitality, not out of cruelty but necessity. A ruler who allowed unannounced predators into their domain invited chaos, and chaos was an enemy of order. The young Ventrue learned that even the most powerful elders bowed to this law. To honor another's domain was to preserve the hierarchy that kept their kind from tearing itself apart. Control began with restraint, dominance began with respect for the throne one did not occupy.

As the lesson ended, Woolcott straightened his coat and turned back toward the city they ruled, leaving the foreign lights behind them. "Remember this", his presence seemed to command. "Power does not travel with you. It is granted." The fledgling carried the weight of the Fifth Tradition with him as they departed, understanding now that survival was not only about strength or discipline, but about knowing when to kneel, when to speak, and when to wait for permission to exist.

 

Before I kicked off the Tradition card series, I did what any sensible Tremere would do: I read all of them first and made notes, just so I wouldn't accidentally praise something that clearly wanted to be compared to Govern the Unaligned. I knew the Fourth Tradition would invite that comparison, but the Fifth Tradition walked in, sat down, and said, "Hold my goblet".

Mechanically, it looks familiar at first glance. You still need a Prince or a Justicar, the acting vampire burns one blood, and you move blood to another vampire. Business as usual. But then you read it more carefully and realize something interesting: it doesn't say the target vampire has to be younger. It doesn't say they have to be uncontrolled. Suddenly the card stops being a polite accounting exercise and starts looking like a deluxe room-service menu.

So yes, unless I'm missing something crucial (which is always possible), you can absolutely use this to top up a ready vampire or accelerate an uncontrolled one. Four blood. Four! That's not "nice", that's "someone just skipped three hunts and a bad decision". It's like hunting, but faster, cleaner, and with a title involved. Very Camarilla.

Naturally, I went digging through the VDB to see who's actually using this thing. As expected, it shows up in only a handful of decks, but interestingly, it's been showing up consistently for about twenty years. That alone earns it some respect. The usual suspects benefit the most: Ventrue, Toreador, and Nosferatu. Which is delightfully thematic. Princes tend to come from the clan of kings or the clan of roses… and the Nosferatu? Well, if anyone appreciates a quiet, well-managed arrival, it's the people who prefer not to be seen at all.

I can absolutely imagine slipping this card into a few of my decks, probably as a one- or two-of. More than that feels hard to justify, at least with my current level of experience. It's powerful, but it's not screaming for full commitment. It's more of a "you'll be glad it's there when you draw it" kind of card.

So what about you, dear reader? Have you made good use of the Fifth Tradition? Any clever tricks, combos, or stories where four blood at the right moment completely changed the table? I'm genuinely curious and always eager to learn new ways to make titles feel even more important.

The game never ends, only pauses. I'll see you at the next move.

Custodian Hargrave