The Sensible Player's Tournament Rules
A. Deck Construction
1. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle tournament decks may be built
using cards from the Jyhad, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and Dark
Sovereigns card sets. Cards from new releases may not be included in
"Sensible Player's" tournament play until thirty (30) days following the
retail release date. If you use cards from more than one set, read the
rules on marked decks (Section 5).
2. The crypt must contain a minimum of 12 (twelve) vampire cards.
There is no maximum on the number of vampires that can be in your crypt.
The library can contain a minimum of 60 (sixty) cards and maximum of 90
(ninety) cards total.
3. Revisions from official rules: The following rules are contrary
to official policy.
a. There is NO restricted list.
b. The "Golden Tenets" of Jyhad will be used:
1. No minion can take the same action type twice
in a turn (regardless of untapping).
2. A minion may only use one political action
card during a vote (including the calling vote).
c. Redefinition of (D)-Action:
Actions directly affecting another player are called directed
actions. Actions not directly affecting another player are
called non-directed. A directed action can be taken upon
oneself, causing the action to become undirected. Some directed
actions specify who the action can be directed at.
NOTE:
1. No minion can attack a minion controlled by the same player.
2. Darius Styx's special must always target another player.
4. The Banned List: The following cards are banned from tournament
play:
* Cunctator Motion
* High Stakes
* Succubus Club
* Playing For Keeps (Dark Sovereigns)
Some cards on the Banned List are not allowed because they clearly state
that they are only usable if playing for ante. Wagering an ante is not
required in a Vampire: The Eternal Struggle tournament (see General
Floor Rules, rule #C2). Any future cards that make the same statement
will subsequently be banned.
5. Marked Decks
In order to stop the playment of decks that could be considered "marked",
plastic sleeves may be used to hold the cards so long as all cards are
sleeved, and the backs of the crypt and library are uniform. If other
cards are used in the sleeves to mask the back of cards, all cards must
be sleeved with another card.
B. Adjudication and Playing Areas
1. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle tournaments will be presided
over by a Judge, who may be assisted by as many Assistant Referees as
necessary. NEITHER THE JUDGE NOR THE ASSISTANT REFEREES MAY PLAY IN A
TOURNAMENT THAT HE OR SHE IS ADJUDICATING. A Judge may be required to
interpret rules, interpret a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Closing, rule
#G2 ), or make any other adjudication as necessary during the
tournament. The Judge is also responsible for maintaining the tournament
records. Assistant Referees will aid by answering rules questions on the
floor, assisting with matching players for a new round, and making
themselves available to the Judge for any other assistance they may
require. In necessary cases, the Judge may overrule any decision made by
an Assistant Referee. The decision of the Judge is always final.
2. A "table" is defined as a playing area where four or five
players are competing in a game of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle in a
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle tournament.
3. A Vampire: The Eternal Struggle tournament must have a
minimum of 12 (twelve) players, and a minimum of 3 (three) tables per
round (excluding finals). Each table must have a minimum of 4 (four)
players at the start of the game.
4. An index card (or reasonable facsimile) will be prepared for
each player in the tournament with that player's name and other
tournament information. Cards will be shuffled and grouped randomly
before tables are assigned in each round of the tournament (excluding
finals). Alternatively, tournaments may use a computerized system for
generating random groupings for each round, provided that the Judge can
keep accurate records of each player's points throughout the tournament.
5. For each round, players will be randomly assigned in groups
of five. In the likely event that the number of players is not evenly
divisible by five, players should be assigned in groups of four and five;
most groups should consist of five players.
6. Each table has five positions (numbered one through five)
arranged clockwise around the table. The first player assigned to a
table occupies position one, the second player occupies position two, and
so on. When play begins for the round, the player in position one plays
first (with one transfer allowed), followed by the player in position two
(with two transfers allowed), and so forth. At tables with only four
players, simply ignore the empty position for turn rotation.
C. General Floor Rules
1. Players must use the same deck they have at the beginning of
the tournament throughout the tournament. Changing or altering a
tournament deck during the tournament may be interpreted by the Judge as
a Declaration of Forfeiture.
2. Players are not required to wager ante during the
tournament. Players may play for real ante, provided that all
participants at the table give their consent, though this agreement does
not allow the inclusion of banned ante cards in a tournament deck. Ante
cards won in a tournament must be kept separate from the tournament deck
and may not be used in the tournament in any capacity. If the loss of
ante cards from a player's deck reduces the deck below 60 (sixty) cards,
the player no longer has a legal tournament deck and will be removed from
the tournament.
3. The use of "proxy" cards in the tournament deck is not
allowed. A proxy card is one that has been placed into the deck to
represent another card the player doesn't want to play with for one
reason or another; i.e. using a card with the words "Aaron's Feeding
Razor" written on it because the player doesn't want to play with his
actual Aaron's Feeding Razor.
5. Players must keep the cards in their hand above the level of
the playing surface at all times. If a player is in violation, the Judge
may issue a warning to the player or interpret the violation as a
Declaration of Forfeiture (at the Judge's discretion).
6. Players may not have any outside assistance (i.e., coaching)
during a match. If a player is in violation, the Judge may issue a
warning to the player or interpret the violation as a Declaration of
Forfeiture (at the Judge's discretion).
7. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated at a
tournament. Players, Judges, and Assistant Referees will conduct
themselves in a polite, respectable, and sportsmanlike manner. Any
player who is excessively belligerent, argumentative, hostile, or
unsportsmanlike may receive a warning or have this behavior interpreted
as a Declaration of Forfeiture (at the Judge's discretion).
8. Players must take their turns in a timely fashion. While
taking time to think through a situation is acceptable, stalling for time
is not. If the Judge feels that a player is stalling to take advantage
of a time limit, the Judge may issue a warning or interpret the stalling
as a Declaration of Forfeiture (at the Judge's discretion).
D. Scoring
1. One player at each table will be appointed as that table's
scorekeeper by a tournament official. At the conclusion of each round, a
tournament official will collect the scores for that table from the
scorekeeper and register the standings with the Judge.
2. There are three different types of points used in a Vampire:
The Eternal Struggle tournament. They are listed here in descending order
of importance. Victory points are awarded when a player's prey is ousted
and when a player survives a round. Tournament points are awarded based
on a player's table ranking at the end of a round. Blood points are
awarded based on the amount of blood a player controls at the end of a
round. Victory points are the primary indicator, with tournament points
and blood points used as the first-degree and second-degree tie-breakers.
3. A player receives 1 (one) victory point each time he or she
ousts his or her prey during the game. A player receives an additional
half victory point if he or she has not been ousted by the end of the
round, unless one player is the last one surviving at the table, in which
case, that player gets a full victory point (as outlined in the Vampire:
The Eternal Struggle rules). Players are then ranked at their table from
First to Fifth (i.e., the player with the most victory points places First).
4. Tournament points are awarded each round as follows: First =
60 pts., Second = 48 pts., Third = 36 pts., Fourth = 24 pts., Fifth = 12
pts., provided that table had five players at the beginning of the
round. If the table had four players, they are ranked as First, Second,
Fourth, and Fifth, with the a "table bye" going to the Third place
position. If more than one player is tied for a certain table ranking,
average the tournament points contended (see Scoring Examples below).
Scoring Examples:
a. Example 1: Five players are at the table. Players A
and B each ousted one prey and survived the round. Players C and D were
the unfortunates ousted by A and B, and they did not oust any prey.
Player E ousted no one, but survived the round. Players A and B each
receive one-and-one-half victory points (one oust plus survival each),
player E receives one-half (for surviving), and players C and D receive
no victory points. Players A and B tie for First (which really means
First and second), so they each receive 54 Tournament points ([60+48] / 2
= 54). Player E is clearly Third, and receives 36 Tournament points.
Players C and D tie for Fourth (Fourth and Fifth), and each receive 18
tournament points ([24+12] / 2 = 18).
b. Example 2: Four players are at the table. Player A
ousts one prey and survives the round. Neither player B nor C ousted
prey, but both survived. Player D was player A's victim. Player A
receives one-and one-half victory points, players B and C each get
one-half of a point, and player D gets no points. Player A is clearly
First, receiving 60 tournament points. Players B and C tie for Second
(which is really Second and Fourth remember that Third goes to the "table
bye") and each receives 36 tournament points ([48+24 / 2 = 36]), and
player D is in Fifth with 12 tournament points.
5. Additionally, at the end of the round, each player must count
the number of blood points he or she has left: each player adds all of
the blood left in his or her blood pool to the amount of blood on all of
the active vampires he or she controls. Players report this number to
the scorekeeper, who verifies that the count is accurate. In some cases,
blood points may be used as a second-degree tie-breaker, though this may
be rare.
E. Rounds
1. Each round of the tournament must have a time limit declared
by the Judge, with a minimum time limit of 2 (two) hours, and a suggested
time limit of 3 (three) hours. The tournament coordinator must announce
and advertise this time limit prior to the tournament. During the first
twenty minutes, officials record any scoring from the previous round and
reassign players to new matches; this is followed by a playing period of
two hours and forty minutes. All players begin play at the same time.
If all of the twenty minute set-up time isn't used, the remainder of the
time may be added to the playing period. At the one hour and fifty-five
minute mark, the Judge should issue a warning that only five minutes of
playing time remain in the round.
2. All play from a round will cease immediately when the Judge
announces that the round is over. Players in mid-turn will be permitted
to complete that turn before scores are calculated, up to a maximum time
of one minute. "A player in mid-turn" is defined as a someone who has
finished untapping all of his or her cards in play that could be untapped
at that time during his or her turn.
3. Each tournament must consist of a number of rounds determined
by the Judge, with a minimum of 3 (three) rounds. The five players with
the highest total victory points from all three rounds advance to the
final round. In a tie, the player with more tournament points from prior
rounds advances to the final (first degree tie-breaker). If players are
still tied, the player with the largest total blood pool from prior
rounds advances (second degree tie breaker). Finalists will be rated
First through Fifth by victory points. Ties are resolved as above.
F. Finals
1. Table positions are not assigned in the final round. In
reverse order of ranking, all players choose who already at the table
will be their prey. Each subsequent decision overrides all previous
decisions. After seating is finished, the first finalist chooses who
goes first.
Seating Example:
The five finalists are ranked as follows A=1st, B=2nd,
C=3rd, D=4th, and E=5th. Player E has no one to choose for a prey and
simply sits at the table. Player D has only E to choose for a prey, and
also sits. Player C chooses E as her prey, overriding D. Player B
chooses C as his prey. Player A chooses E as her prey, overriding C.
After E: -->E-->
After D: -->D-->E-->
After C: -->D-->C-->E-->
After B: -->D-->B-->C-->E-->
After A: -->D-->B-->C-->A-->E-->
A chooses who goes first.
2. At the conclusion of the final round, the player with the
most victory points from the final round alone is the winner of the
tournament, with other players ranked accordingly by victory points. In
case of ties, blood points from the final round alone are used as the
tie-breaker.
G. Closing
1. Failure to adhere to the above rules, or any other rules
specific to a particular tournament, may be interpreted by the Judge as a
Declaration of Forfeiture. Only the Judge may make an interpretation of
a Declaration of Forfeiture. This is a more pleasant way of stating that
if a player breaks the rules, the Judge will remove that player from the
tournament.
2. Rules note: The author of the Sensible Player's Tournament
Rules reserves the exclusive right to add,\delete, alter, transmute,
switch, seduce, blood bond, Dominate, Obfuscate, vote in or out with any
Primogen, Prince, Justicar, or Inner Circle Member that ever has been or
ever will be printed, or in any other way change these rules, in whole
or in part, with notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or
desirable for a good tournament. Everyone else who wants to make
suggestions or additions to these rules, please e-mail me at
.