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