About diversity and inclusivity (including VEKN Rules Team Rulings 05/07/2020)

Alles zum Thema VTES, das anderswo nicht passt – insbesondere auch Info zu kommenden Produkten
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About diversity and inclusivity (including VEKN Rules Team Rulings 05/07/2020)

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"It was a perfect plan - until it had contact with reality"
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Re: About diversity and inclusivity (including VEKN Rules Team Rulings 05/07/2020)

Post by hardyrange »

Wer von Euch den internationalen Foren oder FB-Gruppen folgt, hat den Shitstorm sicher wahrgenommen, der der Ankündigung durch BCP folgte.

Ich selber habe mir einen guten Scotch Whisky genommen und mir das Geschehen vom Spielfeldrand aus angesehen:
Die Internet-übliche Mischung aus guten Anmerkungen, sachlichen Recherchen (ich habe einiges über den Begriff "Tarbaby" und das Thema "Zigeuner" gelernt), Polemik, Ironie und Unflätigkeiten.

Und mich rausgehalten.

Heute dann eine Post, die ich für interessant genug halte, um sie hierhin zu kopieren; sie enthält auch Information zum Thema der vielleicht kommenden neuen Karten, die Ersatz für die gebannten Karten werden könnten:
BenPeal wrote:Hi Alain,

I direct your attention to statements I made on this same topic two years ago:

http://www.vekn.net/forum/generic-v-tes ... t=66#89091

To summarize, with the exception of Tarbaby Jack (who came later), the cards with the strongest problems come from the beginning days of V:TES. White Wolf made a progression of changes with the Ravnos in later editions of V:TM and V:TES. So the process to improve things really started 19 years ago. I think it would be a mistake for us to not acknowledge those changes.

I think there are still problems with some later cards. There have been many improvements, yes, but it's still not great and we wouldn't write these characters or design these cards that way today. But I don't think the problems are as strong as they were in the beginning and I think we can respect and acknowledge the improvements.

So after two years, in the interest of valuing other communities, treating them well, and being more inviting and welcoming to this game, we made a decision on 5 cards. Not 10. Not 100. Not 1000. Not the entire Ravnos. 5 cards.

We reserve the right to continue to review cards and make decisions we feel are necessary. If such a decision needs to be made again, my expectation is that such a decision will also happen much later and will only affect a few cards - and only if a decision happens at all.

At the same time, please understand that we do not make these changes lightly or on a whim or because anyone is whispering in our ears. Please understand that we respect the content of this game and the intentions of the designers. Please understand that the decisions made on the cards are not a statement against the players of V:TES.

Regarding the concerns about replacement cards, in our public statement we said that we we will design new cards as replacements, where possible. There are behind-the-scenes reasons why this might not be possible or why replacing cards might not be as quick as we would like. These reasons can include (and are not limited to) the time it takes to get new artwork and getting approval from WW/Paradox. It is also an opportunity to make game balance improvements on the cards, and these changes need to be playtested. If you are part of the playtest team, you will see some of these cards very soon.

As for how we will make those cards available, we're working on a viable plan for that. It will probably be in the form of a promo pack, but I don't want to give 100% confirmation on that because we're still determining what is permissible for us. You'll probably see the cards available in upcoming starter decks (as that is what we will playtest soon), but they will not be exclusive to those decks.

I hope that what I have said addresses your concerns and calms your fears. I appreciate your passion and dedication to V:TES, as well as your friendship.

- Ben Peal
"It was a perfect plan - until it had contact with reality"
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Re: About diversity and inclusivity (including VEKN Rules Team Rulings 05/07/2020)

Post by Hobbesgoblin »

Ich ahbe mich ja, bis auf hier, auch aus der diskussion rausgehalten, aber
Regarding the concerns about replacement cards, in our public statement we said that we we will design new cards as replacements, where possible. There are behind-the-scenes reasons why this might not be possible or why replacing cards might not be as quick as we would like. These reasons can include (and are not limited to) the time it takes to get new artwork and getting approval from WW/Paradox. It is also an opportunity to make game balance improvements on the cards, and these changes need to be playtested. If you are part of the playtest team, you will see some of these cards very soon.
Das ist alles was ich hören wollte.
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Re: About diversity and inclusivity (including VEKN Rules Team Rulings 05/07/2020)

Post by hardyrange »

Aus dem Vampire: Elder Kindred Network Newsletter July 2020:

http://www.vekn.net/2-uncategorised/479 ... -july-2020
AUGUST 2020 CARD BANS – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The VEKN recently announced five cards being banned from tournament play as of August 1, 2020. This caused some commotion in social media and elsewhere, and some clarifications are needed. Henrik Klippström, Marketing Ghoul of Black Chantry Productions, answers some frequently asked questions:

Why were the cards banned?
- The five cards contain words or images that are associated with real world racist caricatures.

Why was this important to do right now?
- We are currently preparing a large batch of older VTES cards for print-on-demand at Drivethrucards.com, so we needed to make this cut now. The card Terrorists was already cut from the batch published in December 2019.

Was this decision in haste?
- No. These cards have been discussed for a long time, and more so since Black Chantry got the license to produce VTES in 2018. One example is the VEKN forum thread "Card name change suggestion" with posts by Black Chantry Product Director Ben Peal. The VEKN National Coordinators were informed.

Are the banned cards being replaced?
- Yes, eventually. Two of them have already designed replacements – these will be handed over for playtesting in the first round of the upcoming preconstructed decks (Banu Haqim, Brujah, Gangrel and Ministry). New artwork has been commissioned.


Why didn´t you replace these cards when the bans were announced?
- When we decide something is wrong we want to fix it as quickly as possible. In this case it means removing cards that detract from the game whilst taking a little longer to consider what cards we want fulfing a similar function. Card design, playtesting and production of new artwork takes time.

How will the replacement cards be distributed?
- Most likely they will be promo cards handed out at tournaments and other events, but they might also eventually appear in new products and on print-on-demand.
"It was a perfect plan - until it had contact with reality"
---
Hardy Range
Playgroup Tradition Compliance Manager
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