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Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, published as Jyhad in the first 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. 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.

In 2004, Inquest Gamer Magazine picked VTES as the all-time best multiplayer collectible card games.

Setting

The game is set in the World of Darkness, drawing mainly from the 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. 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.

Game play

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 or more. Groups of more than six players are rare, as an individual turn can easily take two to three minutes, causing a slow game for all.

As in most other collectible card games, each player designs his or her own deck. Each deck is built with two components:

  • the "crypt" containing cards representing vampires that the player may control during the game.
  • the "library" containing cards generally representing actions to be taken during the game.

Most cards in the library can only be used in conjuction with vampires. To put card from the crypt in play, the player must pay for it using his "pool". Pool represents the player's influence, and if it is reduced to zero the player is out of 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 "oust" the player to his left, his "prey", from the game while defending himself from the player to his right, his "predator". 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.

In tournament play, and sometimes in informal games, the game can end instead after two hours, with all remaining players receiving half a victory point in addition to any they may have already received. The player with the most victory points wins.

Uniqueness

What sets VTES apart from most other collectible card games is the strong group play element. A player who succeeds in ousting his prey receives a strong boost, possibly enabling him to "sweep the table"—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, play a big role.

Game sets and expansions

Vampire:The Eternal Struggle Online

In December 2005 "Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Online" was launched. It is an online implementation of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle developed and maintained by CCG Workshop. Using CCG Workshop's gatlingEngine, players can create decks and compete online for a monthly fee.

White Wolf, Inc. has allowed CCG Workshop to release the Camarilla, Anarchs, and Final Nights sets for online play.

Jyhad Online

Developed and maintained by George Fink, "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.

See also

External links

collectible card games

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Vampire: The Eternal Struggle".

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