Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (published as Jyhad in the first or "Limited" edition and often abbreviated as V:TES) is a multiplayer collectible card game published by White Wolf Publishing. It is set in the World of Darkness[1][2] and is based on the Vampire: The Masquerade roleplaying game.[3]: 6
The game was designed in 1994 by Richard Garfield and initially published by Wizards of the Coast and was the third CCG ever created, after Magic: The Gathering and Spellfire.[4][5] As Garfield's first follow-up to his popular Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, he was eager to prove that the genre was "a form of game as potentially diverse as board games".[6] The release consisted of 438 cards sold in 76-card starter decks and 19-card booster packs.[3]: 6 In 1995 the game was renamed from Jyhad to Vampire: The Eternal Struggle to increase its appeal and distance itself from the Islamic term jihad.[7]
White Wolf published The Eternal Struggle: A Strategy Guide to the Jyhad in 1995,[3]: 6 and Wizards published a player's guide Darkness Unveiled in August 1996.[8]: 12 [9] After the 1996 Sabbat expansion, Wizards of the Coast abandoned the game, and in 2000 White Wolf took over development.
White Wolf announced that Vampire: The Eternal Struggle would cease production on September 10, 2010.[10]
On April 24, 2018, Black Chantry Productions, a fan-run organization, announced the company had obtained the license to produce Vampire: The Eternal Struggle and return the game to print. They produced new sets of physical cards, along with expansions that were made available for free as PDFs.
Richard Garfield noted that the experiences he had made with the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game had helped him to improve his design of the game. In an interview with Robert Goudie, Garfield particularly notes that dedicated multi-player (3+) rules, a lack of "land cards", and a more rapid card drawing mechanism (cards normally being replaced instantly after being played).[6]
The game is set in the World of Darkness, drawing mainly from the Vampire: The Masquerade role-playing game. After the events of Gehenna ended the official World of Darkness storyline, V:TES is considered a sort of alternative reality of the setting, as it continues though White Wolf publishes no further official products for the roleplaying game.
In V:TES, each player takes on the role of a Methuselah, an ancient and manipulative vampire,[11] who is not itself present in the struggle, but acts from afar. 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.
The game can be played by any number of two or more players but is ideally played by a group of four or five players. Group play with more than six players is rare, as an individual's turn can easily take two to three minutes, causing a slow game. Two-player games (and to some extent three-player games) also suffer from lack of opportunity for the kind of inter-player alliances and treachery that are a large part of the game.
As in most other collectible card games, each player designs his or her own deck before play begins. Each deck is built with two components:
Each player starts the game with 30 "pool", which represents the player's influence. If a player's pool is reduced to 0, the player is "ousted" and eliminated from the game. The object for each player is to oust their "prey" (the player seated on their left) while defending themselves from their "predator" (the player seated on their right).[11] Each time a player is ousted, their predator gains a victory point and 6 pool, with a bonus victory point for being the last surviving player in the game; when all but one of the players have been eliminated, the player with the most victory points wins.
On a player's turn, they direct their minions to perform a number of actions and attacks, which other players' minions may intercept or interrupt. A player must spend their own pool in order to bring vampires out from their crypt or sometimes to play cards from their hand (as indicated on the card). Therefore, players continually have to make decisions based on how much they want to invest into assets in play and how much to retain to stay alive, especially against other players capable of sudden dangerous "bleeds" (direct attacks on the player's pool).
Gameplay offers many options for alliance or betrayal. Due to the fact that being ousted nets the predator 6 pool, and thus makes him stronger and more dangerous to the next prey, it is not uncommon for players to suddenly start helping a player in a weak situation, or gang up on a player who seems to be getting too strong. This makes forming and shifting alliances part and parcel of the game. Short-term deals and trade-offs (with very fluid terms) are typical, and bluffing is also often used.
Game time varies greatly depending on the number of players and the style of decks played. Games can take anywhere from half an hour to three or more hours (for a 5-player game).[11] In tournament play and in some informal games, a time limit may be imposed, after which all remaining players receive half a victory point in addition to any they may have already received. The standard time limit for a tournament game is 2 hours.
There are many ways to win in V:TES, though they all depend on eventually wearing down your prey's pool. Some of the most common styles, as described in the official player's guide[12] are:
All the above deck types have various weaknesses, the most glaring being that a deck should theoretically be able to do everything well enough to take advantage of evolving game situations, and to counter other styles it may come up against. However, if it uses this "Toolbox" approach too strongly, it may spread itself too thin and end up being incapable of following through.[12]
V:TES is a game of negotiation, skill, and deck-building. What sets V:TES apart from most other collectible card games is the strong group play element. In general a player will concentrate on the player to his immediate left, his prey, and a player who succeeds in ousting his prey receives a strong boost by gaining 6 additional pool. This boost of resources might possibly enable him to eventually "sweep the table" (gaining momentum with every kill) and 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. Deals and alliances, both for a moment or for the whole game, can play a big role. A type of card called "political action" cards are designed with this in mind. When a player plays one, a referendum is called in which each player can cast votes, either by using votes granted from cards in play (typically from vampires with a "title" such as a Prince or Bishop) or by playing cards from hand, and the results of the referendum can affect all the players - though which players benefit and which players get hurt are all up to how the votes are cast.
White Wolf releases V:TES cards in base sets, expansion sets, and mini-expansion sets. The main difference between these are the size of the set and the number of reprints.
All expansion sets from the Dark Sovereigns expansion onward are identified by an expansion symbol printed in the upper right corner of cards. In newsgroups and on web pages, character codes are used to identify each set, usually an abbreviation of the expansion's name.
In a review in issue #10 of Pyramid magazine, Scott Haring stated that while Magic: The Gathering created the collectible card game market, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle established it as a "legitimate game category".[11] He also stated that the game had "pretty good" art, but that the numerous icons would take time to learn.[11]
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle was a very popular card game in the 1990s,[27][28] outselling most other collectible card games on the market at the time, although behind Magic: The Gathering in sales.[28] A common criticism reported from players was its slow play speed. An article in the first issue of InQuest stated that the game is "complicated and takes a while to play" but can be "fiendishly rewarding".[3]: 6
Steve Faragher of Arcane magazine gave the game a score of 7/10, calling it the most "intriguingly political" card game he had played, and praising its storytelling atmosphere. He appreciated the higher play speed that came with the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle re-launch's revised rules, although fellow Arcane staff member Jon Moore still found the game slow to play.[27]
Martin Klimes reviewed the Ancient Hearts expansion for Arcane magazine, rating it an 8 out of 10 overall.[29] Klimes comments that "There is now pretty much always a good attack you can choose, and almost always a choice of defenses against it. Ancient Hearts will add significant interest to your games, which is all you can ask of any expansion."[29]
Jennifer Clarke Wilkes reviewed the Sabbat expansion in the December 1996 issue of The Duelist, stating that as an expansion set it is "remarkably helpful" but that it "falls a little short of its goal" as a standalone set.[16]
In 2004, Inquest Gamer Magazine picked Vampire: The Eternal Struggle as the all-time best multiplayer collectible card games.[30]
In 2006, Inquest Gamer Fan Awards called the Third Edition expansion the "Best CCG Expansion".[31]
From December 2005 to the end of 2007 an online implementation of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle named "Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Online" was available. It was developed and maintained by CCG Workshop. Players could create decks and compete online for a monthly fee. White Wolf Publishing had allowed CCG Workshop to release the Camarilla, Anarchs, Final Nights, Legacies of Blood, Black Hand and Kindred Most Wanted sets for online play.