Hi all

I was always a big fan of WoD and used to play a lot back in the days. Which triggered me to get VTES cards as a memento of those nice days. I want to learn how to play and connect with people who can help a newbie take their first steps in the game.

I'm currently in Montgomery County, Maryland. Any players around here?

Hi everyone!

As people have seemed to appreciate my spoiler collection pages before (especially during the Sabbat spoiler season), I've set up the New York and Brazil expansion pages well in time in anticipation of the spoiler season, that should begin any day now.

New York

https://garourimgazette.wordpress.com/2026-new-york-spoiler-page/

Brazil

https://garourimgazette.wordpress.com/2026-brazil-expansion-spoiler-page/

Please let me know if I've missed anything!

Come back every now and then to take a look at the spoilers as they come. I'm usually pretty quick to update the sites (within 12 hours of the spoiler landing).

https://www.blackchantry.com/2026/07/17/let-slip-the-dogs-of-war/

Two months of work and we're finally here!

At the end of May I published the first "designer diary" entries for my New York trilogy exercise. Back then I was still thinking it'd probably be a few cards here and there I might have ideas for, but the more I worked on it, the more I knew I had enough ideas (and probably even competence) to finish up a whole expansion, that resembles an official product. Which this of course isn't, let's make this abundantly clear from the start. It's a fan project, from a fan.

There are still some follow-up updates incoming, but if you follow the links in the Part VII blog post, you can find pictures of all the "cards".

My philosophies:

- Respect current trends of the existing game

- Try to push power reasonably, but avoid power creep

- Steer clear of existing options and try to invent new avenues

- Bolster existing strategies that are missing puzzle pieces

- Silver bullets are bad design

- Forward momentum leads to resolved games, leads to better VTES

You can find the full card lists with pictures from the link and follow further links to the designer diary entries.

Please, I'd love to hear what you think overall of the outcome, what cards are your favorite and which sorts of ideas here do you think might have actual legs!

And, especially, if anyone who's played the New York games can identify the characters through the cards here. That's, besides not pushing power levels, the main goal.

I love the concept of putting out a zombie horde, but haven’t been able to make it work. I’ve decided to try Hecate for a while, and revisit PoDatS later when the New Blood cards are announced.

What do you the current deck is missing to be more effective? I was wondering if more small-cap vampires would help flood the zone, allowing more attempts to churn out more zombies per turn while avoiding combat themselves?

In this penultimate part VI of my New York design exercise we explore the two Nosferatu in the setting, Tamika the Gangrel, as well as a few plot-inspired cards. The next one will be the last one! Exciting!

I'll admit I've had even more fun with the exercise than I thought I would. I hope you've had fun following me as well!

Did you hear BCP are already finished with their designs? They're in printers now and products should roll out in October! Exciting!

Note! These have nothing to do with BCP designs, and I know nothing of the process.

These cards are only little brain children of mine that I couldn't help but write down. I can argue for their power and design, but obviously they aren't play tested.

My philosophies:

- Respect current trends of the existing game

- Try to push power reasonably, but avoid power creep

- Steer clear of existing options and try to invent new avenues

- Bolster existing strategies that are missing puzzle pieces

- Silver bullets are bad design

- Forward momentum leads to resolved games, leads to better VTES

In part 5 of my New York expansion design exercise, I finally take on the protagonist designs. Kali, Pádraic and Julia are all wonderful characters and VTES is not normally a medium where protag-energy is easily portrayed - nor should it be! It's an interesting challenge, especially in V5 where the protagonists are often very young vampires, not ancillae and elders VTES so often portrays (intentionally).

Did you hear BCP are already finished with their designs? They're in printers now and products should roll out in October! Exciting!

Note! These have nothing to do with BCP designs, and I know nothing of the process. I know there's play testing going on, but that's practically all.

These cards are only little brain children of mine that I couldn't help but write down. I can argue for their power and design, but obviously they aren't play tested.

My philosophies:

- Respect current trends of the existing game

- Try to push power reasonably, but avoid power creep

- Steer clear of existing options and try to invent new avenues

- Bolster existing strategies that are missing puzzle pieces

- Silver bullets are bad design

- Forward momentum leads to resolved games, leads to better VTES

Take a look at how I think a few of the cards might look from the games, and let me know what you think!

First shown in the June VEKN Newsletter https://www.vekn.net/2-uncategorised/765-vampire-elder-kindred-network-newsletter-june-2026