Updated: March 2022.
In VTES, combat always involves two minions, and it occurs either as the result of a successful block or a successful action to enter combat with another minion (such as Bum’s Rush). Combat is essentially a separate mini-game where the participating minions go back and forth playing combat cards (which are marked with the combat icon shown to the left). However, different combat cards are played during different phases or timing windows during the battle. In each of these phases, the acting minion has the opportunity to play cards first. This gives the defender an important advantage during combat as they may respond to the attacker’s play. Each player may continue to play cards during a phase until both players have passed. Note that declining to play a card does not prevent you from playing other cards later during that phase, but once both players have sequentially declined to play a card or use an effect, that phase ends. Finally, combat cards are unique in that a minion may play multiple copies of the same card during a single combat (remember that Action Modifiers and Reaction cards are limited to one per action).
Combat proceeds in four major phases: Determine Range, Strike, Press, and End of Round. But there exist a number of cards that are played during special timing windows that don’t perfectly conform to these four main phases, the result being that there are ~8 main timing windows during combat. While that might sound overwhelming, it very quickly becomes intuitive first because each card carefully indicates when it can be played, and second because most combats won’t actually use all 8 timing windows. Combat proceeds smoothly and easily if both players carefully announce each timing window and declare whether they have cards to play or not. Complications arise when one player skips a phase that the second player wanted to use.
Alright, let’s dive in! I’ll describe each timing window, and then I’ll walk through a pretty complicated example of combat so that you can see all the pieces in motion. Finally, I’ll discuss how to rectify play order mistakes.
Phase 1a: Pre-Range
Cards played during this phase include the text: “Only usable before range is determined” in bold at the top of their text box. This window is breaks the normal combat rules as players have the opportunity to play multiple cards in a row before giving their opponent the opportunity to play cards of their own. The acting player goes first, playing as many pre-range cards as they wish to play, and only then does the defending player have the opportunity to play their pre-range cards. If the defending player passes, the phase ends. If the defending player plays any cards then the acting player has a chance to play additional pre-range cards. Once both players have had the opportunity to play cards (and respond to any their opponent played), the phase ends.
Example Cards: Trap, Carrion Crows, and Torn Signpost.
Phase 1b: Determine Range
Combat in VTES occurs at one of two different ranges: Close (where you can punch each other) and Long (where you can’t punch each other). You start this phase assuming that range will be Close, but each vampire has the chance to play cards or use equipment/retainers that grant Maneuvers. Each Maneuver takes the fight from one range to the other (Close to Long or Long to Close). Note that if your opponent passes, you can’t keep playing Maneuvers (which just means that you can’t Maneuver to Long range, have your opponent pass, and then Maneuver back to Close range). Once both players have elected not to use a Maneuver, the range is determined, and the phase ends.
Example Cards: Flash, Swallowed by the Night, and Apportation. You can also gain maneuvers from cards in play (like IR Goggles), successful action cards (like Bum’s Rush), and reaction cards (like Spirit’s Touch), all of which must have been played before combat.
Phase 2a: Pre-Strike
Cards played during this phase include the text: “Only usable before strikes of chosen” in bold at the top of their text box. Since so few cards utilize this step, the acting player commonly just asks if their opponent has anything to play before strikes, or if they are ready for strikes.
Example Cards: Immortal Grapple, The Death of my Conscience, and Blood of Acid.
Phase 2b: Strike
During this phase, each minion declares their strike, starting with the acting minion. A minion can always declare a punch that deals their strength (usually 1) in damage if the range is at close, but they may also play a card that gives them a strike or use equipment that provides a strike option. Ranged strikes (which will say “Ranged” and have an “R” next to the damage) are effective at both Close and Long range. Strikes that are not Ranged are only effective at Close range. It should be noted that there are a number of cards and equipment that give a minion a maneuver and a specific strike. If a minion uses the maneuver, they are obligated to make the connected strike. If that strike is no longer a legal option, the minion instead makes no strike.
There are two special strikes that need to be specifically discussed. Strike: Dodge prevents any ill effects of the opposing minions strike (including damage and any other lasting effects). Strike: Combat Ends causes the combat to immediately skip to Phase 4: End of Round. Strike: Combat Ends resolves before the opposing minion’s strike, meaning that the other strike won’t actually connect. Very occasionally, a strike will be made with “first strike.” In this case, it resolves before normal strikes (but still after Strike: Dodge and Strike: Combat Ends).
Example Cards: Undead Strength, Theft of Vitae, and Majesty are examples of cards with strike options. Cards that provide a maneuver along with a strike include Aid from Bats, Thrown Gate, and Slam. Finally, some equipment like .44 Magnum, Baseball Bat, and Sengir Dagger will provide you with strike options.
Phase 2c: Strike Resolution
Once both minions have declared their strikes, the strikes resolve. While this usually just means that damage is dealt, it could mean that you steal equipment, break a weapon, or steal blood (depending on the strike played). Damage comes in two flavors: normal and aggravated. Aggravated damage is caused by things that vampires have specific weaknesses to: fire, sunlight, and supernatural magics. Once damage is assigned to a minion, they must either prevent the damage by playing cards or using abilities, or suffer the ill effects of that damage. Normal damage is healed by burning one blood per damage dealt. If a vampire doesn’t have enough blood to heal all the damage, it will go to Torpor and combat skips to Phase 4: End of Round.
Aggravated damage cannot be so easily healed. If a vampire takes any aggravated damage (and doesn’t prevent it), they immediately go to Torpor and combat skips to Phase 4: End of Round. They must also burn a blood for every point of aggravated damage they take past the first. So, if a vampire were dealt 4 points of aggravated damage, they would go to Torpor and be forced to burn 3 blood. If a vampire can’t burn the appropriate amount of blood, that vampire is burned and sent to your Ash Heap (discard pile). Note that allies treat aggravated damage as normal damage. If an ally is ever reduced to zero life, they are sent to the Ash Heap.
Example Cards: Skin of Steel, Rego Motus, and Glancing Blow are examples of damage prevention cards. Leather Jacket and Flak Jacket are equipment cards that allow you to prevent damage during this phase. Finally, cards like Bear’s Skin and Flesh of Marble are played during earlier phases, but they allow you prevent damage during this phase.
Phase 2d: Additional Strikes
After this pair of strikes has been resolved, minions may gain additional strikes. Most cards and abilities that grant these extra strikes have the text “(limited)” – you may only use one of these effects per round of combat. Each player announces whether they are gaining additional strikes and how many they are gaining. Then each minion with additional strikes selects their strikes (as described in Phase 2b: Strike) and strikes are resolved (as described in Phase 2c: Strike Resolution). This continues until all additional strikes have been declared and resolved.
Example Cards: Blur, Pursuit, and Arms of the Abyss. Additional strikes can also be granted by equipment like Sword of Judgment and AK-47.
Phase 3: Press
While many combats only last a single round of combat, some can continue over multiple rounds. If a minion wishes to continue the fight, they must play a card or use an effect that grants them a Press (to continue). This can be countered by the other minion playing a Press (to end). Like with maneuvers, you can’t play a Press to cancel your own Press. If there is an unanswered Press (to continue), a new round of combat will start after Phase 4: End of Round. Otherwise, combat will end after the End of Round phase. Sometimes a card that provides a Press will specify that it can only be used to continue or end combat. In these cases, the card will either say “Press, only usable to end combat” or “Press, only usable to continue combat.“
Example Cards: Deny, Fade from View, and Movement of the Mind. Some cards like Aid from Bats and Indomitability are played in an earlier phase but they provide an optional Press during this phase.
Phase 4: End of Round
A few cards are played at the end of a round of comba, these cards will include the text: “Only usable at the end of a round of combat.” It’s important to remember that this phase happens even if one minion played Strike: Combat Ends, and even if a minion is killed or sent to Torpor. If there is an unanswered Press to continue combat, another round of combat (starting with Phase 1a: Pre-Range) will start after this phase. Otherwise, combat is now over.
Example Cards: Disarm and Taste of Vitae.
Example Combat:
Let’s see how all this would play out in an actual game. The following is a fairly complex combat between vampires controlled by two players, who I will call Ian and Brandon. Ian controls the acting minion, meaning that he will always have the first chance to play cards during a combat phase. For convenience, I’ll assume that all discipline cards are played for their advanced effect unless otherwise noted. So let’s look to see how combat would proceed:
Pre-Range:
- Ian: ”Before range, I’ll play Carrion Crows.” (This will deal 2R damage to Brandon’s minion during the Strike phase.)
- Brandon: “I have no pre-range to play.”
- Because Brandon passed, the phase ends. But note that Ian could have played several pre-range cards before Brandon had the chance to pass.
Determine Range:
- Default range is close.
- Ian: “I’ll maneuver to long using Aid from Bats.” (This forces Ian’s minion into a specific strike and provides an optional press for this round.)
- Brandon: “I’ll maneuver back to close using inferior Pursuit.”
- Ian: “I’ll go long using the maneuver on my vampire’s IR Goggles.”
- Brandon: “I’ll maneuver back to close using Slam.” (Brandon’s minion spends 1 blood to play the card and it forces that minion into a specific strike.)
- Ian: “I have no more maneuvers.”
- Brandon can’t play any more maneuvers since he can’t counter his own maneuver.
Pre-Strikes:
- Ian: “Got anything before strikes?”
- Brandon: “Just Immortal Grapple, now I’m ready for strikes.” (This prevents minions from making any strike other than a hand strike, and provides him with an optional press this round.)
- Ian: “Sigh.”
Strikes:
- Ian must strike with Aid from Bats, but Immortal Grapple says that only hand strikes can be used this round, so Ian’s minion can’t strike.
- Brandon must strike with Slam, and because the strike from this card is a hand strike it is allowable even with Immortal Grapple in play.
Strike Resolution:
- The Carrion Crows previously played by Ian’s vampire now hit Brandon’s vampire for 2R damage (this isn’t a strike, so it’s not impacted by Immortal Grapple). Brandon’s vampire burns 2 blood to heal the damage.
- At the same time, Brandon’s vampire hits Ian’s for 3 damage (vampires have a strength of 1 and the strike did Strength +2 damage). Ian plays Skin of Rock which prevents 2 damage and his vampire burns 1 blood to heal the last damage.
Additional Strikes:
- Ian: “I have no additional strikes.”
- Brandon: “I’ll play Blur to gain two additional strikes.” (He spends 1 blood to play the card.)
- Ian: “Ok, what are those strikes?”
- Brandon: “Both strikes will be hand strikes for 1 damage.”
- Ian burns 2 blood off his vampire to heal the damage.
Press:
- Ian: “I’ll use the optional press from Aid from Bats to continue the fight.”
- Brandon: “I’ll use the optional press from Immortal Grapple to end combat.”
- Ian: “I have no other presses.”
End of Round:
- Ian: “I have nothing to play at the end of combat.”
- Brandon: “I’ll play Taste of Vitae.” (His vampire gains blood equal to the amount that Ian’s vampire lost during this round, which was 3.)
- Since the only Press to continue combat was countered with a Press to end, combat is now over.
Result:
- Ian’s vampire spent 0 blood and lost 3.
- Brandon’s vampire spent 2 blood, lost 2, and gained 3, for a net loss of 1 blood in that combat.
Misplays and Skipped Phases:
If you carefully walk through each of the phases outlined above, you should never have any problems with combat. But sometimes players make mistakes by playing a card before they should. Examples include playing a maneuver before your opponent has had the opportunity to play a Pre-Range card, or playing a Strike card before your opponent has had the opportunity to play a Pre-Strike card. It is important to remember that these play mistakes do not cause combat phases to be skipped and that it is always within a player’s right to protest. In the case of such a misplay, it is typical to rewind the game state until the error occurred and to continue from that moment. Here’s an example from another combat between Ian’s acting vampire and Brandon’s blocking vampire:
- Ian: “Do you have any pre-range?”
- Brandon: “Nope.”
- Ian: “I don’t maneuver.”
- Brandon: “I’m fine with close range.”
- Ian: “My strike is Majesty.” (This would end combat.)
- Brandon: “Hold on, I would like to play a Pre-Strike card.”
- Ian takes the Majesty back into his hand and puts whatever card he drew as a replacement back onto his Library. Play now resumes during the Pre-Strike phase.
- Ian: “I have nothing to play Pre-Strike.”
- Brandon: “I’ll play Immortal Grapple.” (This prevents minions from making any strike other than a hand strike, and provides him with an optional press this round.)
- Ian: “My strike is Undead Strength.” (Ian is not required to use the same strike he mistakenly played. In this case he’s changed his Majesty strike which would now be illegal to a permissible hand strike for 3 damage.)
- Brandon: “My strike is hands for 1 damage.”
- Combat continues as normal.
Note that while another player can’t force you to skip a phase, you can cause yourself to skip phases by prematurely using an effect that belongs in a later phase. Consider this example: you control the defending vampire and your opponent says they have no press. It is now your opportunity to press, but instead you play Taste of Vitae, which is played during the End of Round step. By playing a card from a later phase, you have forfeited the opportunity to play a card during the Press step. Another example of this is when you verbally indicate that you have no card to play. Consider this example: you control the defending vampire and just after resolving strikes you declare that you have no additional strikes or presses. Your opponent then plays Taste of Vitae, which is played during the End of Round step. You cannot then claim that your opponent forced you to skip the Press step because you already declared your intention. This might all sound complicated, but if you let common sense guide your decisions, you’ll arrive at the right solution nearly all the time.
Retainers in Combat:
Your minions may end up hiring the services of a servant or follower who is called a retainer. These retainers are attached to the vampire who employed them and they have a life value printed on their cards. This means that they can take damage during combat and potentially be killed. When a ranged strike is made at long range against a minion who has a retainer, the striking minion may declare that their ranged strike is targeting the retainer rather than the minion itself. Retainers burn 1 life per damage dealt (and they treat aggravated damage as normal damage). If they are ever reduced to 0 life, they are killed and moved to your Ash Heap.
Gaming with Brett S. 