Published by White Wolf (2000/10)

Release date: April 10, 2006

Total cards: 65 (20 rares, 20 uncommons crypt cards, 20 commons, plus 5 rule cards)

Boosters: 11 cards (6C, 3V, 1R +1 rule card)

Decks: none

Nights of Reckoning is a mini expansion for V:TES, the tenth expansion set released by White Wolf, and the first to introduce non-vampire crypt cards, themed on the mortal monster-hunters, that can be used to build all-mortal decks or alongside vampires in standard decks. Each booster contains one rules cards from the set of five rules cards describing the new rules for the set. For added use in draft or sealed play, each rules card also doubles as a library card as indicated on the card when turned upside down. The library cards represented on the rules cards are chosen from previous sets for their general utility (that both vampires and imbued can use). Introduces 7 new "Disciplines" (the Virtues and Edges of the Hunters) and there's no reprinted cards in this expansion.

New Rules 

Imbued - Imbued are new crypt cards. An imbued is considered a mortal ally, not a vampire. Imbued have 1 strength and 1 bleed, by default. Their cost is also their starting life, and it is specified on each card individually (like capacity). They have creeds (like clans). They have virtues (like Disciplines, but only one level). When they have zero life, they are incapacitated (like torpor) instead of being burned (see 5 below). Any "burn ally" effect will still burn an imbued, however.

Conviction - Conviction is a new card type. It is played in the untap phase, so it is an "untap" card, not a master or minion or discard (event) card. During your untap phase, you may play 1 conviction on each of your imbued. You may play these conviction cards from your hand or from your ash heap. When an imbued enters play with no conviction, he may gain 1 conviction from your library, hand or ash heap. In addition to their own effects, conviction cards may be spent (burned) to pay the conviction costs which some cards require. Each imbued has a limit of 5 conviction. Any conviction gained above five is burned instead.

Incapacitated - When an imbued has no life, he is placed in the incapacitated region (controlled but not ready). Effects which are not usable by an ally being burned are not usable by an imbued being incapacitated. Any minion may burn an incapacitated imbued and take his equipment as a (D) action. If that action is successful, then each ready imbued may burn 1 conviction to inflict 1 unpreventable damage on that acting minion. An imbued may leave the incapacitated region and gain a life (not to exceed his starting life) by burning 3 conviction during his untap phase.

Power - Power is a new minion card type, only playable by imbued. An imbued may get a power as a +1 stealth action, like equipment or retainers. The imbued untaps if the action is successful. An imbued may not have two copies of the same power. Some effects or powers are "always on". Others have a card type icon (action, combat, etc.) indicating when and how the effect can be used. To use one of those effects, you must tap the power card (and pay whatever cost the effect requires). Standard rules for using such effects apply (e.g., a reacting minion must be ready and untapped). "Always on" effects are still on while the power card is tapped.

Terms and Icons

• Imbued: a new minion type which counts as a mortal ally.

• Monster: any vampire or non-mortal, non-animal ally or retainer.

Card Rulings

In earlier sets, card effects that deal with crypt cards have generally assumed that crypt cards were all vampires. Now that this is no longer true, some questions arise.

In general, if you (the Methuselah playing the card or activating the effect) can look at the crypt card (e.g., because it is in your uncontrolled region or in any ash heap or in play, or if you're "searching" your crypt), then the target crypt card must match the parameters given by the effect. This usually means that imbued cannot be targets of these effects.

If you target a crypt card "blind" (either an unseen card from the crypt or an unseen card in some other Methuselah's uncontrolled region), then work with whatever you find. If the effect only checks/compares the card's "capacity", then treat the imbued's cost (starting life) as its capacity for that comparision.

Those two guidelines should clear up all the ways of interacting with imbued who aren't in play. But for clarity, individual cases are shown below.

The following effects are imbued-compatible:

" Bear-Baiting (checking cost as capacity from crypt OK).

" Brainwash (targeting unknown uncontrolled card OK).

" Cairo Int'l Airport (targeting unknown uncontrolled card OK).

" Clotho's Gift at [obf] (moving card from crypt OK).

" Effective Management (moving card from crypt OK).

" Gemini (targeting unknown uncontrolled card OK).

" Gisela Harden (targeting unknown uncontrolled card OK).

" Goodnight, Sweet Prince (moving card from crypt OK).

" Innocent Bystander (removing card from crypt OK).

" Kindred Intelligence (moving card from crypt OK).

" Lázár Dobrescu (targeting unknown uncontrolled card OK, but the recipient must be a vampire).

" Memory's Fading Glimpse (moving unknown uncontrolled card OK).

" Petra's Resonance (checking cost as capacity from crypt OK).

" The Portrait (checking cost as capacity from crypt OK).

" San Lorenzo de El Escorial (targeting unknown uncontrolled card OK).

" The Soul Gem of Etrius (can retrieve an imbued, and will even put him in play if he's smaller than the bearer, but he gets no blood or life).

" The Trick of the Danya (targeting unknown uncontrolled card OK, but the recipient must be a vampire).

The following effects are not imbued-compatible:

" Chain of Command (cannot put imbued into play).

" Clotho's Gift at [tem] (cannot target imbued in uncontrolled region).

" Illusions of the Kindred (if the bottom card is an imbued, no new combat begins and the imbued is removed from play).

" Might of the Camarilla (won't force a Methuselah to burn an uncontrolled imbued).

" Recruitment (search as indicated: vampire).

Note: Heaven's Gate text applies in full -- an imbued can be moved to the uncontrolled region, controlled but not ready, and will eventually be moved to the ready region just as a "normal" ally would be. These rulings go into effect when the set is legal for play.

V:TES Nights of Reckoning Pre-Release Event 

On April 8th & 9th, Princes will have the opportunity to run a Nights of Reckoning Pre-release tournament. Princes begin by securing a venue and registering the event on the calendar.

TOURNAMENT/EVENT SUGGESTIONS - Organizers have the option of choosing the format that best suits their playgroup. We have included some suggestions here.

The 40/40 Rule

Format

Since Nights of Reckoning is not a standalone set, the format will require players to bring their own "base" decks to add to the Nights of Reckoning cards they receive at the event. These base decks should have 40 library and 8 vampire cards (average capacity 5 or more). So 40 library cards and 40 capacity of vampires: the 40/40 rule.

Each attendee purchases from the sponsoring retailer 4 packs of Nights of Reckoning. These are then booster drafted at the tables.

Players must use at least 20 library and 4 crypt cards from their drafted Nights of Reckoning cards. (Obviously you can use more if you want; you can even replace some of your 40/40 premade deck with additional Nights of Reckoning cards if you like. You must have at least 60 cards in your library and 12 cards in your crypt when you're done.)

Participants are encouraged to bring multiple base decks and then choose one after drafting their Nights of Reckoning cards.

Booster Draft

Booster draft Nights of Reckoning with whatever combination of sets you like or have access to.

Anything you want!

If you feel another format fits your playgroup more appropriately, feel free to do as you like. This is not a sanctioned format so be creative! Try and take down Nergal in the final, if you want!

AFTER THE EVENT

Let us know how things went. The WW Website will be putting up a news story on the Pre-release events. We want Pictures, Tell us how many people showed up. Who won? What was the most creative combination? We'll draw a name from the post-event reports submitted and send one person a display of Nights of Reckoning. Just to say thanks for keeping us in the loop.

Three cards in Nights of Reckoning are misprinted:

- Smite is missing the "strike" label. It is a strike, as indicated by the rest of the card.

- The reaction effect of Vigilance is usable by a tapped imbued (it would have little use otherwise).

- Elder Library (a reprint found on one of the rules cards) still costs a pool. (Since the card is only usable in draft or sealed, this won't affect much, but is still important for draft and sealed play).