The Eternal Struggle - 10 December 2012

Since the beginning of this year, the enthusiasm to gather and play have slowly wound down to a point where Stephen commented that he never got a game in before ACC Japan 2012. Trying to pick interest back up, we got together for a game late November 2012 and from there decided to try for a monthly play session. 

So it was on the night of 10 December 2012, we met up at Gamersaurus Rex once again. Five Methuselahs shook off the inertia of torpor to once again continue the eternal struggle.

Game 1
Keith (Zombie Geeks ft. Anu Diptinatpa) ->
Me (River Snakes) ->
Fay (Kindred Spirits) ->
Bann (BB Kiev Circle) ->
Wei Yuan (G1/2 Tor/!Tor Celerity Close Combat)

I brought out Kahina, Halim Bey and Amenophobis and played a couple of Waters of Duats before being ousted by a bounced bleed of 3 and Anu's Mouthpiece Shambling Hordes.

Fay brought out Uncle George, Dolphin Black and Korah, and had a Good Thing(tm) going on for a while with Kindred Spirits, Eyes of Chaos, assorted stealthiness and Sleep Unseen. She managed to oust Bann and Wei Yuan before going heads up with Keith.

I took over for a while when she had to take a call.

Anu's shenanigans with Archon Investigation meant that I was stuck bleeding for only 2 per minion at some point. Ultimately, Keith overran the crazies with the *Power of Dominate*(tm).

Note to self: get rid of the Vessels. So. Not. Helpful.

Keith 3vp + GW
Fay 2vp

Game 2
Bann (Animalism Weenie with Dominate) ->
Keith (Giovanni SNS with Dragon Breath Rounds) ->
Fay (Kiasyd S&B) ->
Me (River Snakes) ->
Wei Yuan (Kindred Spirits)

I tweaked the Snakes after being ousted in game 1, removing all unnecessary actions, some overkill of stealth and a stack of Master cards. I was hopeful that this would be a better game.

Until I knew I was seating to the left of a Kiasyd S&B. Nucking Futs.

I felt a glimmer of hope when I saw 4 Deflections in my opening hand. Things went quite well until Wei Yuan decided to play Game of Malkav. I contemplated taking 3 pool with a fairly realistic chance of gaining that 3 pool, but was worried that I will not be able to oust Wei Yuan if he gained 6 pool. When the count was totaled, Wei Yuan lost 6 pool, I lost 5, Fay lost 4, Keith gained 1 (wuss) and Bann gained 3.

I thought with Wei Yuan at 8 pool and with 2 Deflection in hand, I could easily oust him. Except Fay decided to play conservatively. I managed to bounce a bleed of 3 (reduced by Wrong and Crosswise) and another bleed of 2, but was unable to generate the 5 bleed to oust my prey. Fay easily bled Wei Yuan and I out, and because Bann ran out of Deep Songs right at that moment, Fay cleaned up all the vps.

Fay 5vp + GW

Road to ACC 2012 - Where to Stay

Itabashi is fairly close and easily accessible to many popular places in Tokyo. Transport via the rail or subway systems is a breeze (just remember to write down the station names in advance in case you need to ask for help). This means that you can stay outside of Itabashi, enjoy all the sights Tokyo has to offer and still easily make your way to the ACC! How cool is that?

Itabashi (板橋)

Itabashi is right where the ACC 2012 will be held and if you are the active type, you can walk/jog/cycle to the Greenhall right from your hotel (some hotels even provide free use of their bicycles).

There are not many hotels in Itabashi, but they are all highly affordable and offer rooms that are bigger than similarly classed rooms in the busier parts of Tokyo.

Shibuya (渋谷)

Shibuya stands as a major entertainment and commercial centre in modern Japan. A direct train from Shibuya, Ebisu or Ikebukkuro rail stations will bring you directly to Itabashi.

Hotels in Shibuya range from the fancy Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel to the Granbell Hotel to various inns and youth hostels.

Shinjuku (新宿)
Shinjuku is home to many shopping malls and multi-storey departmental stores as well as a vibrant night life and is a major transport hub in Tokyo.

Just like in Shibuya, hotels in Shinjuku range from the classy Park Hyatt Tokyo to nice but affordable hotels like the Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku to various capsule hotels.

Road to ACC 2012 - Getting to Itabashi

Itabashi (板橋区) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan, with an estimated population of 531,793 and a population density of 16,270 persons per km².

From Narita International Airport, take a train run by either Keisei or JR East companies. Tickets and travel times varies by route (JR pass covers travel on the JR Sobu line)

If you are taking the Keisei Limited Express (快速特急) or the Keisei Express (特急) trains, stop at Nippori (日暮里) station and switch to the JR Yamanote (山手線) line.

If you are taking the JR Narita Express (成田エクスプレス) aka N'EX or the JR Sobu Rapid (総武快速線) lines, stop at Tokyo (東京) station and switch to the JR Yamanote (山手線) line.

On the Yamanote (山手線) line, switch at Shinjuku (新宿) station to the Saikyo (埼京線) line towards Saitama (埼玉) and stop at Itabashi (板橋) station.

Update: Asian Continental Championship 2012

 
The reigning Prince of Tokyo, 鮎方(Ayukata)-san has finalised the details of the ACC 2012!

Asian Continental Championship Tokyo 2012

Venue:
Itabashi Greenhall
板橋区役所 グリーンホール

36-1 Sakaecho, Itabashi, Tokyo

Map: http://bit.ly/LDss05 

Date:
22nd September 2012

Format:
3 rounds (2 hours) + Final (2.5 hours)

Time Table (Tentative):
All timings are based on local time in Tokyo, Japan (UTC+9)
9:00 Registration start
10:00 1st Round start
1:00 2nd Round start
3:30 3rd Round start
6:00 Final

Bleed you there!

Asian Continental Championships 2012

 
Ayukata-san has fixed the dates for ACC 2012 to be on 22nd September 2012 in Japan.
Other details to be confirmed, but yay, fixed dates!
 

Great News for V:tES

 
The latest State of the V:EKN is now available on V:KEN.net. Here's a quote from the Chairman himself, somewhere near the bottom of the article:

As I mentioned in the Cause & Effect interview, there's about a 20% chance of the game coming back into print. We've had dialog with various companies with respect to this. At this time, there is nothing tangible to report. However, dialog with those companies continues, and we'll be sure to let you know if there are any developments.

Johannes Walch
Chairman of the V:EKN

Fingers crossed!