Published by White Wolf (2000/10)

Release date: February 21, 2005

Total cards: 314 (162 all-new cards)

Boosters: 11 cards (pool of 150 - 7 common, 3 uncommon, and 1 rare)

Decks: 4 non-random preconstructed decks, Alastors, Anathema, Baali, and Gangrel antitribu (each contains 2 new vampires and 1 new library card that aren't found in the boosters - 89 cards)

Kindred Most Wanted is the eighth V:TES set released by White Wolf, with a focus on the four Independent clans as well as the Baali and the Gangrel antitribu. It introduces many new group-four vampires for the four main independent clans, the Assamites, the Followers of Set, the Giovanni and the Ravnos, along with several new clan-specific library cards for each. Designing the set was an interesting challenge. In particular, finding the interplay of power necessary to preserve balance while still capturing the feel of the Red List and the dread those vampires inspire was tough to get right.

Red List, the Anathema.

The vampires so ruthless and vicious that even elder vampires consider them monsters, and so cunning that they elude capture even when they're marked for destruction by those elder vampires. It will focus on the vampires of the Red List as well as other hunted vampires (and other characters) and the vampires that hunt them.

From the guile of Kemintiri, who looted Camarilla coffers in the guise of the Ventrue Justicar, to the unbridled savagery of Enkidu, the most powerful predator the world has known, they're ready to enter your decks in a big way. In all, 13 of the most feared creatures in the World of Darkness make their way to the Eternal Struggle.

Some of the original 13 have been replaced with new names. And, of course, there are cards that allow Methuselahs to add the names of their rivals' minions to the list during play. The set also features a few of the more renowned alastors, the vampires who spend their unlives tracking down the Kindred Most Wanted.

Of course, the anathema are fair game for any vampire, no special license or commission is necessary. That’s the primary purpose of the Red List — to engage all vampires in the hunt and destruction of the few singled out for the list. As fugitives, Red-List vampires constantly face the threat of combat in the game. Fortunately, they have the skills to survive such assaults. Many are simply fearsome enough that their would-be attackers have to spend some effort equipping with weapons and building up other resources before attacking, and not every deck will field vampires up to that task. Others are less fearsome, but also more wily and difficult to catch.

The rewards for bagging a Red-List vampire are great, however. Havens, hunting grounds, wealth, training in new Disciplines, progeny and even sanctioned diablerie are for the asking to one who takes down an anathema. In the card game, this is accomplished through a mechanism similar to the rules for diablerizing vampires of greater capacity. Instead of Discipline cards, though, there are now Trophy cards to place on the triumphant vampire.

We ended up with a special rule for Red-List minions which allows anyone to try to bring them down in combat. That rule helps weigh the Red-List vampires down and offset the increased Disciplines, strengths and special abilities designed into them. Without that rule, some of the Red-List vampires would seem very powerful indeed, quite out of line with their predecessors. For example, Valerius, a Tremere possessed by his former dark master, Varro.

New Clan: Abomination 

Kindred Most Wanted introduces a new clan: Abomination. The members of this clan are printed with the Scarce and Sterile traits. The rules for those terms, and others, are collected section 11 of the new KMW rulebook. The default sect of an Abomination is Independent (in case anyone wants to impersonate one).

Note that the Abomination library card (printed in Final Nights) creates a vampire of the Abomination clan (errata to that card), so having one of those out will increase the scarce penalty of a crypt card Abomination.

New Rules 

• Infernal Rule Update - Before KMW, the infernal penalty was paid to avoid tapping the infernal vampire in the untap phase. Now, as of KMW, the infernal penalty is paid to untap the infernal vampire (who now doesn't untap as normal). So if the vampire is untapped already at the start of your turn (either because he didn't tap or because he untapped some other way via Majesty or Change of Target or the like), you don't have to pay to keep him that way.

• Red List - Some minions are identified as Red List. Any Methuselah may use a master phase action to mark a Red List minion for the current turn. Any ready vampire she controls may enter combat with a marked Red List minion as a +1 stealth (D) action that costs 1 blood. Each vampire can take this action only once each turn. If a vampire burns a Red List minion in combat or as a (D) action (including diablerie), his controller may go through her library, ash heap and/or hand to get a master trophy card to put on that vampire and then reshuffle her library or draw back up to her hand size as necessary. See the Trophy rule for more about playing Trophies.

• Blood Curse - Update Before KMW, the Blood Curse was tied to what clan a vampire was. Every Assamite had the Blood Curse even if card text didn't say so (unless card text explicitly overrode that, of course). Now, as of KMW, the Blood Curse only affects the vampires whose card text say so (just like all of the other attributes: Scarce, Cold Iron Vulnerability, Sterile, etc.). So Assamite Embraces and vampires that Clan Impersonate an Assamite don't acquire the Curse, and an Assamite Impersonating another clan won't lose it.

• Trophy - Trophy is a new type of master card. A trophy may be put into play using a master phase action (or can be retrieved as listed under "Red List"). It has no effect until it is moved to a vampire. When any vampire burns a Red List minion in combat or as a (D) action (including diablerie), the controller of the trophy may choose to move the trophy to that vampire. Any number of trophies in play may be moved to the vampire in this way. Once placed on a vampire, a trophy cannot be moved again. See the Red List rule for more about playing Trophies.

• Double Edge - The concept of a double edge was discovered in the eleven year old playtest notes from when Jyhad was first created. It was playtested for Gehenna. It didn't make Gehenna, though. It hasn't been abandoned, yet, did it?