TWD + Report: Finnish ECQ (Ropecon 2011), July 29th

Tournament: Finnish 2011 ECQ Date: Friday July 29th, 2011 Place:Ropecon 2011 gaming convention, Dipoli, Espoo, Finland Players: 90 Format: EC Qualifier (constructed), 3R+F Organizer/judge: Petri Wessman Winner: Otso Saariluoma (see below for deck list) Another Ropecon , another big annual VTES tournament and Finnish ECQ (for the European Championships in Warsaw , Nov 11-13). At least so far, the cancellation of the game doesn't seem to have had any effect on player attendance; in fact, with 90 players we had the third highest attendance ever. Not bad for a "dead" game . In addition, everything went really smoothly, I actually managed to get the first round started almost at 18:00 which is a new record. Thanks for this goes to the players; everyone registered on time, lots of people helped out with organizing the tables, and in general it was just a very fun tournament to run. Thanks, everyone. Most of the players were Finnish of course, but we had a nice Scandinavian (Sweden & Denmark) team also present. Most of my own time and energy went into running things and answering rules questions, or course, but my impressions based on watching random tables for random amounts of time was that the quality was quite high. Lots of nice, well-tuned decks and good play, and also a ton of different deck types -- no one type seemed to dominate (pun alert) the game. What I heard from some players seems to confirm this, I was told that the game was tighter and more focused in general this year. There were precious few easy wins to be had, this time. I got the impression that there were fewer vote decks out there than usual, at least I didn't see all that many around... but on the other hand the final had two so what do I know. The final round this year was interesting but drawn out, it actually ended in a tie -- there is a transcript of the final round at the end of this article for those interested in the nitty-gritty. The finalist decks were a varied bunch: an Auxpex weenie deck, an ani/pot combat deck, a Lasombra vote deck, a Undele-powered vote deck, and a Tre/!Tre dom bleed deck. After a long struggle the game ended in a timeout, with Otso's Auspex weenies and Ville's Ani/Pot hurt machine still left on the table. Otso took the tournament win due to a higher initial seed. This was especially impressive considering he also won last year's 93-player tournament(!). Ville was awarded an extra "most brutal combat deck" award (judge's discretion) in the form of a Theo Bell action figure (with torn signpost!). Very fitting. All attendees also got a huge pile of promos, thanks to Finnish NC Janne Lönnqvist. -Petri “Orava” Wessman Results The bolded players received EC qualification for 2011. RankNamePrelim GWsPrelim VPsFinal VPsDeck/comment 1Otso Saariluoma3121.5"Victoria's Secret" (see below) 2Adam Esbjörnsson291"Rautakanki" (see below) 2Toni Karjalainen210"Gratiano sucks!" (see below) 2Ville Kaijasaari3101.5Nana + Nangila Ani/Pot combat (see below) 2Teemu Sainomaa210.5"Undele's Domain" (see below) 6Tuomas Vuokko28 7Arto Heinonen28 8Marko Lindroos16.5 9Jarkko Suvela16.5"To be humiliated and pissed upon" 10Heikki Palomäki16 11Matias Frosterus15.5 12Kari Mäkinen15.5"Lily Serenade" 13Jari Vulli15 14Raymond Mäkeläinen15"Settite Duat Production" 15Jesper Wøldiche15"Gents with sticks" 16Janne Kilpi15 17Anssi Rekola15 18Aleksi Kivilahti15 19Elias Maliniemi14.5"Juusto haisee" 19Ville Kilpi14.5 21Jyri Puhakka14"Please, fix group 6!" 22Ville Ruuskanen14"Hostel" 23Mikko Berkovits14 23Aleksi Nuora14 25Mikko Hyvärinen14"Chantry of 5 Boroughs" 26Marko Saari13.5"Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill!" 27Lauri Salmi13.5"Girls will find AIDS" 28Johan Wahlström13 29Kari Vieno13 30Mikko Moisander13"Wall o' Zombie" 31Petrus Makkonen13"The Groaning Carnival" 31Otto Kukkasniemi13 33Seppo Lipponen13 34Are Vaskela12 35Ari-Pekka Alestalo04 35Joonas Vaittinen04 37Sauli Samila03.5 37Tom Lindberg03.5 39Teemu Pulkkinen03Malkavian S+B 40Jari Mäkikyrö02.5 40Kimmo Pekkola02.5 42Juhani Puska02"Pettämätön 1 VP:n pakka joka petti" 43Joni Huumonen02 43Michael Holmström02"Ailien" 45Jussi Hattara02"Love you to death" (Theo+Beast anarch) 45Janne Lönnqvist02 45Johannes Leppä02 45Jussi Ranta02 49Mikko Raimi02 50Matias Hurme01.5"Die fast, Die young!" 50Joonas Oja01.5 52Taija Sainomaa01.5 53Pauli Kiova01.5"Anarchs rule VTES!" 53Tommi Hakomaa01.5"Settite Deathstar" 53Tuukka Kallas01.5 53Rami Hänninen01.5 57Tuomas Nyberg01.5 57Ari Lensu01.5"Terminus (BB-house)" 59Henri Ketonen01"Chainfist" 60Markku Lumijärvi01AUS DOM THA 60Akseli Jalava01 60Mika Uusi-Kilponen01 63Timo Rekola01 63Niina Stenberg01 63Antti Martikainen01 66Antti Horelli01 66Randal Rudstam01"rautakanki" 68Pekko Kurttio01Joaquin Murietta Zip Gun Anarchs 69Juri Juskevits00.5 69Juha Nyholm00.5 71Matti Palomäki00.5"Lilja" 71Peter Kaario00.5 71Isak Bjärmark Esbjörnsson00.5"Rautakanki" 74Lasse Pöyry00.5 75Ari Särkkä00 76Kenneth Peltokangas00 76Pasi Karjalainen00 78Juha Ivanoff00 78V-H Kilpiä00Julius Eye of Hazimel 78Samuel Mäenpää00 78Juho Saari00 78Antero Hakala00 83Kirmo Lassheikki00 83Niko Heinonen00 83Mika Nurmikolu00 83Mikko Laine00Harrod Flurry+Torrent+politics 83Karri Rintamaa00 83Hannu Kokkonen00 89Juho Vuorikoski00 DQTommi Ketonen00 The DQ is from leaving the tournament after two rounds (yes, he asked permission . And yes, all the Swedes named their decks "rautakanki", which is Finnish for crowbar. Why? You'll need to ask them . Decklists Tournament Winner (Otso Saariluoma) Deck Name : Victoria's Secret Author : Otso Saariluoma Description : Weenie auspex with some anarch/madness network tech. This deck owes to Pascal Bertrand for perfecting the deck concept. Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 5 average: 2.66667 3x Anarch Convert (1) Caitiff (group 0) 2x Victoria (5) Malkavian (group 2) 2x Zoe (3) Malkavian (group 2) 1x Aleph (4) Malkavian (group 1) 1x Dollface (3) Malkavian (group 1) 1x Isabel de Leon (3) Toreador (group 2) 1x Brazil (2) Malkavian (group 1) 1x Franciscus (1) Caitiff (group 2) Library [79 cards] Action [3] 1x Aranthebes, The Immortal 2x Constant Revolution Ally [3] 1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter) 1x Muddled Vampire Hunter 1x Ossian Combat [8] 2x Aura Reading 3x Disguised Weapon 3x Target Vitals Equipment [6] 3x .44 Magnum 1x Bowl of Convergence 1x Ivory Bow 1x Sniper Rifle Event [1] 1x Uncoiling, The Master [15] 2x Anarch Revolt 2x Direct Intervention 2x Madness Network 1x Pentex(TM) Subversion 1x Powerbase: Montreal 1x Rack, The 2x Smiling Jack, The Anarch 3x Vessel 1x Wider View Reaction [42] 2x Delaying Tactics 7x Eagle's Sight 4x Enhanced Senses 8x Eyes of Argus 4x Forced Awakening 4x My Enemy's Enemy 4x On the Qui Vive 2x Precognition 7x Telepathic Misdirection Retainer [1] 1x Mr. Winthrop Other Finalists Adam Esbjörnsson Deck Name : rautakanki Author : Adam Esbjrnsson Description : Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 3 max: 7 average: 5.33333 2x Carna, The Princess Witch (7) primogen Tremere (group 3) 1x Bryan Van Duesen (7) Tremere antitribu (group 2) 1x Marlene, The Infernalist (6) Ventrue antitribu (group 2) 1x Reverend Blackwood (6) bishop Tremere antitribu (group 2) 1x Selena (6) Tremere antitribu (group 3) 1x Valois Sang, The Watcher (6) Tremere (group 3) 1x Kurt Strauss (5) Tremere antitribu (group 2) 1x Pieter van Dorn (4) Tremere (group 3) 1x Thelonius (4) Tremere antitribu (group 2) 1x Brooke (3) Tremere antitribu (group 2) 1x Ehrich Weiss (3) Tremere (group 3) Library [75 cards] Action [17] 14x Govern the Unaligned 3x Magic of the Smith Action Modifier [25] 7x Bonding 6x Conditioning 8x Mirror Walk 4x Seduction Ally [2] 1x Carlton Van Wyk (Hunter) 1x Ponticulus Equipment [3] 1x Bowl of Convergence 1x Heart of Nizchetus 1x Sniper Rifle Master [9] 2x Anarch Troublemaker 2x Dreams of the Sphinx 1x Giant's Blood 2x Misdirection 1x Pentex(TM) Subversion 1x Spirit Summoning Chamber Reaction [19] 2x Deflection 6x Eyes of Argus 3x My Enemy's Enemy 3x On the Qui Vive 5x Telepathic Misdirection Toni Karjalainen Deck Name : Gratiano sucks! Author : Toni Karjalainen Description : Typical old-school Lasombra presence vote deck. Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 10 average: 7.41667 3x Ambrosio Luis Moncada, Plenipotentiary (10) cardinal Lasombra (group 2) 3x Francisco Domingo de Polonia (9) archbishop Lasombra (group 2) 2x Gratiano (8) priscus Lasombra (group 2) 1x Sela Adv (7) archbishop Brujah antitribu (group 2) 1x Dr. Julius Sutphen (5) bishop Lasombra (group 3) 1x Cameron (3) Lasombra (group 2) 1x Royce (1) Pander (group 2) Library [80 cards] Action [9] 2x Entrancement 7x Govern the Unaligned Action Modifier [31] 1x Awe 3x Bewitching Oration 2x Iron Glare 2x Perfect Paragon 3x Seduction 4x Shadow Play 4x Shroud of Absence 4x Shroud of Night 3x Tenebrous Form 5x Voter Captivation Action Modifier/Reaction [2] 2x Murmur of the False Will Combat [4] 2x Oubliette 2x Shadow Body Equipment [1] 1x Zaire River Ferry Master [12] 1x Direct Intervention 2x Dreams of the Sphinx 1x Elysian Fields 1x Pentex(TM) Subversion 1x Power Structure 1x Secure Haven 5x Villein Political Action [12] 1x Anarchist Uprising 1x Ancilla Empowerment 2x Banishment 7x Kine Resources Contested 1x Reins of Power Reaction [9] 6x Deflection 3x On the Qui Vive Ville Kaijasaari Deck Name : Ville's Ropecon 2011 deck Author : Ville Kaijasaari Description : Ani+Pot smackdown Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 1 max: 11 average: 7.16667 4x Nana Buruku (8) Guruhi (group 4) 3x Nangila Were (9) Guruhi (group 4) 2x Fish (5) Guruhi (group 4) 1x Eze, The Demon Prince (11) magaji Guruhi (group 3) 1x Fode Kourouma (5) Guruhi (group 4) 1x Anarch Convert (1) Caitiff (group 0) Library [75 cards] Action [13] 6x Deep Song 1x Entrancement 2x Founders of the Ebony Kingdom 2x Public Trust 2x Well-Marked Combat [29] 1x Burning Wrath 1x Canine Horde 5x Carrion Crows 1x Glancing Blow 5x Immortal Grapple 1x Mighty Grapple 1x Pushing the Limit 1x Stunt Cycle 5x Taste of Vitae 2x Thrown Sewer Lid 5x Torn Signpost 1x Undead Strength Master [25] 1x Archon Investigation 9x Ashur Tablets 1x Fame 1x Giant's Blood 2x Guardian Angel 2x Lilith's Blessing 1x Mbare Market, Harare 1x Pentex(TM) Subversion 1x Powerbase: Luanda 6x Villein Reaction [7] 1x Cats' Guidance 1x Delaying Tactics 2x On the Qui Vive 3x Sense the Savage Way Retainer [1] 1x Shaman Teemu Sainomaa Deck Name : Undele's Domain Author : Teemu Sainomaa Description : Ropecon 2011 finalist Crypt [12 vampires] Capacity min: 7 max: 10 average: 8.66667 3x Undele (9) magaji Ishtarri (group 5) 1x Mary Anne Blaire (10) justicar Ventrue (group 5) 1x Dmitra Ilyanova (9) justicar Brujah (group 5) 1x Gerald Windham (9) Tremere (group 5) 1x Johannes Castelein (9) prince Ventrue (group 4) 1x Orlando Oriundus (9) bishop Tremere antitribu (group 4) 1x Carlak (8) prince Brujah (group 5) 1x Epikasta Rigatos (8) prince Toreador (group 4) 1x Lodin (Olaf Holte) (8) prince Ventrue (group 5) 1x Graham Gottesman (7) prince Ventrue (group 5) Library [76 cards] Action [2] 2x Entrancement Action Modifier [16] 3x Awe 3x Forgotten Labyrinth 2x Perfect Paragon 3x Veil the Legions 5x Voter Captivation Combat [4] 4x Majesty Master [24] 1x Creepshow Casino 2x Dreams of the Sphinx 1x Elysium: The Palace of Versailles 1x Giant's Blood 1x Information Highway 1x Monastery of Shadows 1x Pentex(TM) Subversion 1x Ventrue Headquarters 8x Villein 7x Zillah's Valley Political Action [17] 2x Banishment 2x Disputed Territory 1x Justicar Retribution 6x Kine Resources Contested 4x Parity Shift 1x Political Stranglehold 1x Rumors of Gehenna Reaction [13] 8x Deflection 1x On the Qui Vive 4x Second Tradition: Domain Final Round Transcript This is based on my personal notes, scribbled down during the game. Some detail is missing and there may be mistakes here and there. Play started at 1:24 am and ended in a timeout 2 hours later. The players were (in seating order): Teemu Sainomaa Otso Saariluoma Toni Karjalainen Ville Kaijasaari Adam Esbjörnsson Turn 1 Teemu: (just transfer) Otso: Powerbase: Montreal bring out Brazil and Franciscus Toni: bring out Royce Ville: Ashur Tablets bring out Anarch Convert Adam: (just transfers) Turn 2 Teemu: (just transfers) Otso: Smiling Jack Brazil tries to bleed, is blocked Franciscus bleeds for 1 bring out Victoria Toni: Royce hunts, blocked by Victoria, Royce to torpor Ville: Ashur Tablets bring out Fish Adam: Pentex on Fish bring out Carna Turn 3 Teemu: bring out Gerald Windham Otso: Vessel on Victoria Franciscus bleeds for 1 Brazil hunts Victoria bleeds for 1 bring out Zoe Toni: (just transfers) Ville: Powerbase: Luanda bring out Fode Kourouma Adam: Carna Governs down bring out Valois Sang Turn 4 Teemu: Villein Gerald for 5 Otso: Franciscus bleeds for 1 Brazil bleeds for 1 Zoe bleeds for 1 Toni: bring out Gratiano Ville: Convert tries to burn Pentex, Victoria blocks via Eagle's Sight Fode burns Pentex Fish burns Smiling Jack Adam: Carna Governs down Valois Sang Governs down bring out Reverend Blackwood bring out Erich Weiss Turn 5 Teemu: Gerald tries to steal Montral, Victoria blocks Otso: Villein on Zoe Anarch Revolt Franciscus hunts Victoria goes Anarch Zoe becomes Anarch via Convert Toni: Gratiano calls vote to burn Revolt, Victoria blocks Ville: Convert hunts Fish steals Montreal Fode bleeds for 1 Adam: Reverend equips Heart of Nizchetus Valois calls vote to remove Revolt, passes Carna GtU bleeds for 3 Turn 6 Teemu: Zillah's Valley bring out Dmitra Ilyanova Otso: Anarch Revolt Victoria recruits Mr. Winthrop Zoe recruits Muddle Franciscus steals Montreal Brazil gets Aranthebes bring out Isabel de Leon bring out Dollface Toni: Dreams Gratiano Governs down, Victoria tries to block but fails Ville: Lilith's Blessing Luanda on Fish Fode steals Montreal Fish hunts bring out Eze Adam: Misdirection, tap Gerald Reverend GtU bleeds + Conditioning, bleed of 6 Valois bleeds with Bonding, bleed of 2 Teemu is ousted Carna tries to play Magic of the Smith, blocked by Victoria who also gets Magnum via Disguised Weapon bring out Pieter van Dorn Turn 7 Otso: Madness Network Victoria tries to play Constant Revolution, Carna blocks pay 1 for new vampire Toni: Villein Gratiano for 5 Power Structure Gratiano calls Anarchist Uprising, vote fails Ville: Luanda on Fode Eze bleeds for 1 Fode bleeds for 1 Adam: Valois tries to go Anarch, Zoe blocks and gets Magnum via Disguised Weapon Pieter goes Anarch Madness Network: Brazil bleeds for 1 Turn 8 Otso: Isabel bleeds for 1 pay 1 for new vampire Toni: (nothing) Ville: Eze bleeds with Deep Song, bleed of 2 Fish bleeds with Public Trust, Erich blocks and goes to torpor Adam: Dreams Carna Governs down Valois rescues Erich Erich hunts, Victoria blocks, Erich back to torpor Pieter hunts Reverend hunts, Victoria blocks Madness Network: Brazil bleeds for 1, one bounce is DI'ed but another bounce succeeds, Eze blocks, Brazil goes to torpor Madness Network: Dollface rescues Brazil Turn 9 Otso: Brazil hunts Isobel gets Magnum Franciscus gets Carlton bring out (contest) Convert Toni: Gratiano Governs down Seducing Victoria, Isobel blocks Ville: Villein Eze for 3 Ashur Tablets Luanda on Eze Eze calls vote to remove Revolt, passes Fode burns Madness Network Eze rushes Victoria, Dollface blocks and goes to torpor Fish hunts Adam: Anarch Troublemaker Carna hunts Seducing Victoria, Zoe blocks bring out Selena Turn 10 Otso: Rack on Victoria Isobel rescues Dollface Dollface hunts Franciscus tries to steal Montreal, Eze blocks Brazil bleeds for 1 Toni: Gratiano steals Montreal, Seducing Eze Ville: Fame on Carna Luanda on Fish Eze plays Founders of Ebony Kingdom (blood down) Eze hunts Fish Deep Song rushes Victoria, Zoe blocks and goes to torpor (Magnum burned by Canine Horde) Fode Deep Song bleeds, bounced to Otso (bleed of 2) bring out Nangila Were Adam: Tap Victoria with Anarch Troublemaker new Anarch Troublemaker (contest) Carna hunts, Carlton blocks, stealth, hunt ok Selena bleeds Seducing Victoria, Isobel tries to block, Bonding, bounced to Ville, bleed for 2 Valois tries to recruit Carlton, Otso's Carlton blocks Reverend Govern bleeds Seducing Victoria, bounced to Toni, bleed of 3 Turn 11 Otso: Franciscus hunts Victoria rescues Zoe Zoe bleeds for 1 Brazil bleeds for 1 Dollface steals Montreal Toni: Gratiano steals Montreal Ville: Villein Nangila for 5 Guardian Angel on Nangila Luanda on Eze Eze bleeds, bounced to Otso (bleed of 1) Eze rushes Carna, Valois blocks and goes to torpor Nangila rushed Carna, Carna goes to torpor (with Fame) Adam is ousted Turn 12 Otso: Smiling Jack Franciscus bleeds for 1 Brazil bleeds for 1 Dollface bleeds for 1 Zoe bleeds for 1 Toni is ousted Ville: Villein Fode for 2 Ashur Tablets Luanda on Eze Nangila rushes Victoria, Victoria goes to torpor Convert tries to steal Rack, (somebody?) blocks, Convert to torpor Fode Deep Song bleeds, Muddle blocks, Fode goes to torpor Eze Deep Song rushes Dollface, Muddle wakes and blocks, Eze goes to torpor pay 1 for new vampire Turn 13 Otso: Zoe rescues Victoria Franciscus recruits Ossian Dollface hunts Brazil hunts Ville: (nothing) Turn 14 Otso: Pentex on Nangila Ossian rushes Fish, Ossian is burned Muddles rushes Fish, Fish goes to torpor all vampires bleed (for 1 each) Ville: Villein Nangila to zero Ashur Tablets bring out Nana Buruku Turn 15 Otso: Tap Nana and Nangila with Anarch Troublemaker Zoe bleeds for 1, Nana wakes and blocks, Zoe goes to torpor Franciscus bleeds for 1 Isobel bleeds for 1 Dollface bleeds for 1 Victoria bleeds for 1 Game times out, Otso wins due to higher initial seed Pics Some pictures from the tournament, by Marko Saari. Attachment DSC_7276.jpg not found Attachment DSC_7279.jpg not found Attachment DSC_7311.jpg not found Attachment DSC_7325.jpg not found Attachment DSC_7329.jpg not found Attachment DSC_7336.jpg not found

BTW, what's the current procedure for the list of qualified players, should I email it somewhere (else) or post it separately somewhere?

There must be a typo in Adam's crypt: Pieter van Dorn instead of Pieter.

> PetriWessman wrote: > BTW, what's the current procedure for the list of qualified players, should I email it somewhere (else) or post it separately somewhere? > Please, email the Archon to the Ratings Coordinator . V:EKN Website Coordinator

There is also an error in the turn 12 of the final write-up with Victoria blocking something after going to torpor in the previous action of the turn.

> PetriWessman wrote: > BTW, what's the current procedure for the list of qualified players, should I email it somewhere (else) or post it separately somewhere? > Updated. www.vekn.net/index.php/forum/10-news-and-announcements/6144

Is there ANY WAY that I could obtain one of those sky blue dominate shirts? If so, msg me here on VEKN.net. Thanks! Kevin M., Prince of Las Vegas "Know your enemy and know yourself; in one-thousand battles you shall never be in peril." -- Sun Tzu, *The Art of War* "Contentment...Complacency...Catastrophe!" -- Joseph Chevalier Please visit VTESville daily! vtesville.myminicity.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/129744447064017

I'll do some corrections (and add Teemu's deck list) once I get back from Dublin, have to leave for airport pretty soon so no time atm Yes, there's some weirdness around turn 12 and Victoria. I'll see if I can figure it out, but probably it's just that I've missed some action in there.

1. Many for the extensive reporting, Petri. I know how much work that is! 2. 90 players (again), I really hope many of Finnish players will come to the EC this year. 3. Both brothers playing the same deck (and I think they're equally good players): one nearly winning the finals, the other ending almost at the end of the ranking .. > > Rank Name Prelim GWs Prelim VPs Final VPs Deck/comment > 2 Adam Esbjörnsson 2 9 1 "Rautakanki" (see below) > ... > 71 Isak Bjärmark Esbjörnsson 0 0.5 "Rautakanki" > If this is true, it shows how important table seating and the individual opponents are.

> extrala wrote: > 2. 90 players (again), I really hope many of Finnish players will come to the EC this year. > Like we never arrive anywhere in en masse... > extrala wrote: > 3. Both brothers playing the same deck (and I think they're equally good players): one nearly winning the finals, the other ending almost at the end of the ranking .. > Brilliant players and whats more, really nice people! Even having ousted Teemu, I don't really think that Adam had that much of a chance of winning the tournament though. With Otso's Auspex weenies being his prey and Ville's combat monster being his predator... BTW They weren't playing with the same deck, the Rautakanki thing is just a slogan the Swedes were hyped out with. Rautakanki apparently sounds so much cooler to them than the Swedish equivalent Järnspik (literall "Iron bar" which is a 1,5 metre long 10 kilogram tool used in construction/dismanteling/gardening etc). Here's a pic: 212.50.144.81/tyokalu/ekauppa/images/kanki2.jpg Apparently, during the tournament, all the Swedes were supposed to yell "Rautakanki" every time after ousting someone. As Adam did during the finals when he ousted Teemu causing much puzzlement amongst Finnish onlookers... The guys themselves will probably be able to explain the reasons for this behavior better than I. Heh, when we went ovet to my place on Saturday evening and had a Duffin Draft I brought out my rautakanki from the shed to be used as the edge > KevinM wrote: > Is there ANY WAY that I could obtain one of those sky blue dominate shirts? If so, msg me here on VEKN.net. Thanks! > Kev, the design is ridiculously simple so you can EASILY silkscreen one yourself. Just print the symbol and cut it with a hobby knife in like 5 minutes and then silk screen it. If you want to skip purchasing the $20 tools for printing (which can be used for other designs ad infinitum), even having similar one printed for you at local silk screening company, or an internet one, will most likely be way cheaper than to have one printed AND mailed to you. AFAIK the colors on the shirt are important as they are the colors of Swedish flag so you might want to modify them a bit for American use. Like buy a red/white striped shirt and use blue paint for screening... Also personally I think that the Swedish design would be even more perfect if they had used the Tre Kronor design for it and used three DOM symbols. Like this: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Tre_kronor_3.jpg en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Crowns Finnish Politics!

BTW guys, is it just me or you had a low turn out of Girls Decks? Girls decks are so last year? People are sick of them / frowned upon? They stood no chance? Lönkka made a secret Thaumaturgical pact with the Inconnu's master deamons to ban such a type of deck? Hugh spoiled it for everybody else?

> Lönkka wrote: > BTW They weren't playing with the same deck, the Rautakanki thing is just a slogan the Swedes were hyped out with. Rautakanki apparently sounds so much cooler to them than the Swedish equivalent Järnspik (literall "Iron bar" which is a 1,5 metre long 10 kilogram tool used in construction/dismanteling/gardening etc). > > Here's a pic: > 212.50.144.81/tyokalu/ekauppa/images/kanki2.jpg > We call that a "digging iron." I think Rautakanki sounds better, too. Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one. -Friedrich Nietzsche brandonsantacruz.blogspot.com/

Thanks Petri! That's a lot of great work. Congratulations to Otso for winning with that deck

> brandonsantacruz wrote: > We call that a "digging iron." I think Rautakanki sounds better, too. > Heh, you should hear it being pronounced. It sounds even better. Rrrrrautakanki... Digging iron, a new word learned. Thx! Finnish Politics!

> Brum wrote: > Lönkka made a secret Thaumaturgical pact with the Inconnu's master deamons to ban such a type of deck? > This was during Saturday's draft when I had some 5 Biothaumaturgical Experiments in my deck... But speaking of Friday, I honestly got no idea why the Girls deck were mostly absent. Now that we have a TWD thread on Ropecon, I'll link my previous post with some random pics during the tournament in the Event Announcement thread. Finnish Politics!

As Marko couldn't stay the whole finals Petri asked me to take few pics during the finals so after finishing the chores of packing the tablecloths etc I proceeded to do as asked. Unfortunately this meant that I missed the initial part of the finals and basically just started snapping shots when Teemu was about to be ousted. So I first took some pics of the players and proceeded to do likewise for their mid game play areas (after each player's round). Unfortunately Teemu was just ousted when I started to do this so we're missing a pic from his play area... So here we have one of the Svearike's very best, Adam Esbjörnsson. Attachment Adam2.JPG not found Attachment IMG_0988.JPG not found Moving on clockwise, here's Teemu Sainomaa. Attachment Teemu2.JPG not found Otso Saariluoma (as well as Teemu). Attachment Otso3.JPG not found Attachment IMG_0989.JPG not found Toni Karjalainen was between a rock and a hard place. Attachment Toni1_2011-08-24.JPG not found Attachment IMG_0991.JPG not found Ville "winner of the most brutal combat deck of the tournament -award" Kaijasaari contemplating the next beatdown. (These two pics are from different rounds, the play area pic is from the same turn as the other players') Attachment Ville2_2011-08-24.JPG not found Attachment IMG_0994.JPG not found Finnish Politics!

Some additional pics of later rounds. Please note that the mugshots of the players are from totally different turn than the pics of their play areas! The latter should be from the same turn and of consequtive rounds though... Adam. Attachment Adm3.JPG not found Attachment end-adam.JPG not found Otso. Play area missed this time though. Attachment Otso4.JPG not found Toni. Attachment Toni2.JPG not found Attachment End-2Toni.JPG not found Ville. Attachment Ville1.JPG not found Attachment End-3Ville.JPG not found Finnish Politics!

Moving on, but this time we have even more random pics. Play area pics are again of consequtive player rounds. And once again moving on to Adam who now starts to feel the heat. Attachment Adam1.JPG not found Attachment end-4Adam.JPG not found Otso, but you can also see Toni's play area. Attachment Otso6.JPG not found Attachment End-5OtsoToni.JPG not found A slightly closer look of just Otso's play area. Attachment End-6OtsoCloser.JPG not found Toni and Ville. Attachment ToniVille1.JPG not found Finnish Politics!

Some random player pics from the finals. Teemu and da judge, Petri. Attachment Teemu3.JPG not found Things are looking good for Ville. Attachment Ville3.JPG not found Otso making bambi eyes. A threat, who me? Attachment Otso5.JPG not found Finnish Politics!

Bambi eyes, FTW! Seriously, thank you, Orava, for running the whole show as well as the extensive tournament report. I’m sure that was one hell of a lot of work. I at least had a very relaxed and entertaining tournament. I thought I’d gloat a bit and comment some aspects of the final table from my perspective. It was nice to be the first seed, a luxury not often granted to an Auspex weenie deck such as mine (or Pascal’s, if credit for deckbuilding goes where it’s due). This was result of a bit of hard work and a lot of pure dumb luck. I’m not really sure why Teemu chose to be Adam’s pray as I don’t know his deck. As far as Ville is considered, I guess he saw Adam as a nice prey with nonexistent combat and only little capacity for pool generation and Toni as a relatively manageable predator. As for my choice of seating, I obviously didn’t want to sit next to Ville, as his combat could just ruin my game, and there would be precious little I could do about it. That was my priority number one. On the other hand, I also didn’t want to sit next to Adam’s deck, as he could block all my tool-up actions. I thought I would have been happy being Toni’s pray or predator, as I had been his predator during the earlier rounds and I believed that although he would occasionally gather enough stealth to get some actions through, the Auspex dudes could handle it pretty well. I didn’t want to be Teemu’s pray, as I didn’t really know what he was playing, I had just heard he had some sort of a vote deck. As it happened, I just had to choose either to sit between the vote decks (always such a good idea) or being the prey of an aggressive, lunge-type light stealth bleed with intercept capabilities (I believe I had a pretty good idea what Adam was playing from his earlier TWDA entries). So, in the end, I sat between the vote decks, but wasn’t really sure about my choice at the start of the game. The game itself was actually not all that eventful, the it pretty much played itself. I had a really great start, gaining pool with Pb: Montreal and Victoria’s special ability, but I had to slow down a bit, as in not to turn the whole table against me. Toni had a pretty horrible crypt draw as the Presence-Lasombras seemed to lurk at the bottom of the crypt. Ville was sitting with the Pentex and Adam had the chance to govern down several times. I guess Teemu had a sub-optimal draw (to say the least) and a tad too aggressive predator and was ousted surprisingly easily. After that came the most interesting moment in the game as Adam tried to convince Ville to cross-table rush me. He claimed that if I and Ville should remain for the heads-up, Ville would have an arduous task torporizing all my minions to get the oust he would need for the tournament win. Toni was pretty much dead (or that’s what Adam said) so Ville should kill all his predators in a row for a 2-2-1 split with Adam and the tournament win. And Ville should probably start pounding the most difficult obstacle in this plan - that’s me - right away. At the time I guess I wasn’t really able to create a credible alternative for Adam’s scenario, I just pointed out that my kung-fu was not very strong and he could just vaporize my minions if he wished. (This was only half true, as even though I did fear his combat, I had had time to build up, so it would have been a tight match - which Adam of course didn’t fail to point out.) I also complained that Adam’s proposal was pretty much just: ”Hey, I just ousted one prey, you should help me oust another one.” This is of course not really an argument, but the best I could do at the moment. I believe I should have reminded Ville that in a heads-up with Adam he’d have to be really quick getting Adam’s minions into torpor as all of them could bleed for up to 5 or 6 with one or two stealth. But then again, I guess Ville knew that already, being the player he is. The other problem with Adam’s proposal was that Toni still had, for quite a long time, a rather decent buffer of about ten pool or so. That meant Ville couldn’t really cripple me so much I couldn’t oust Toni if I wanted to, as then Adam would probably get three VPs and the GW. Perhaps for these reasons, or perhaps just because of the bambi eyes, Ville didn’t really warm up to Adam’s suggestions. So nothing much really happened for some time: I bled Toni, who just tried to stay alive with nothing but Gratiano. Ville bled Adam chipping away his pool and occasionally did some crosstable mischief to keep me under pressure. Adam tried to gather some resources hunting and governing for the final lunge, but I kept him in a tight leash. Adam is chipped away slowly and kind of tries to lunge without significant success. He is ousted and Toni the buffer goes also in a quick succession. I believed we didn’t really have time for the heads-up, but I came surprisingly close to ousting Ville, as his combat module couldn’t really handle Muddled Vampire Hunter at the time being. In the end it didn’t really matter. I think the table sort of played itself, but nevertheless it was a fun to play and, at times, exciting too (at least from my point of view, Teemu and Toni probably wouldn’t agree ). Whoah, this rant got somewhat longer than I meant it to be, but hopefully someone had the three dots of stamina required to get to the end. It was nice seeing you guys, I hope I’ll see as many of you as possible in Warsaw! - Otso S.

> Otso wrote: > > Whoah, this rant got somewhat longer than I meant it to be, but hopefully someone had the three dots of stamina required to get to the end. It was nice seeing you guys, I hope I’ll see as many of you as possible in Warsaw! > > - Otso S. > I had to spend a willpower, but it was worth it. Congratulations on the win! Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one. -Friedrich Nietzsche brandonsantacruz.blogspot.com/

> brandonsantacruz wrote: > it was worth it. > Ditto on that. It was very nice to go through a very detailed decription of the game from the winner's point of view. Congrats for the win and good luck for making it a third one in a row next year! Wouldn't that be a hat trick, eh? Finnish Politics!

> Otso wrote: > I’m not really sure why Teemu chose to be Adam’s pray as I don’t know his deck. > - Otso S. > I just sat there not knowing either one of the decks. After seeing them I know I should have chosen otherwise. Tough luck. Either way it was a very fun tournament and interesting final where Otso played well. Can't really say that for the rest of the table, reason might have been late time(or early . Here is my decklist, there are couple of small changes I'm going to make. Deck Name: Undele's Domain Created By: Teemu Sainomaa Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 31, Max: 37, Avg: 8,66) 1 Dmitra Ilyanova obf CEL FOR POT PRE.9 Brujah 1 Epikasta Rigatos cel AUS DOM PRE8 Toreador 1 Graham Gottesman obf pre tha DOM FOR7 Ventrue 1 Lodin (Olaf Holte) aus pro DOM FOR PRE8 Ventrue 1 Orlando Oriundus obf AUS DOM THA9 Tremere Antitribu 3 Undele obf pre ser CEL FOR9 Ishtarri 1 Mary Anne Blaire ani pot AUS DOM FOR PRE10 Ventrue 1 Johannes Castelein DEM DOM FOR PRE9 Ventrue 1 Gerald Windham AUS DOM FOR THA9 Tremere 1 Carlak dom pot CEL PRE8 Brujah Library: (76 cards) Master (24 cards) 1 Creepshow Casino 2 Dreams of the Sphinx 1 Elysium: The Palace of Versailles 1 Giant`s Blood 1 Information Highway 1 Monastery of Shadows 8 Villein 7 Zillah`s Valley 1 Ventrue Headquarters 1 Pentex Subversion Action (2 cards) 2 Entrancement Action Modifier (16 cards) 3 Awe 3 Forgotten Labyrinth 2 Perfect Paragon 3 Veil the Legions 5 Voter Captivation Political Action (17 cards) 2 Banishment 6 Kine Resources Contested 4 Parity Shift 2 Disputed Territory 1 Political Stranglehold 1 Justicar Retribution 1 Rumors of Gehenna Reaction (13 cards) 8 Deflection 1 On the Qui Vive 4 Second Tradition: Domain, The Combat (4 cards) 4 Majesty

Added Teemu's decklist, fixed Adam's decklist (Pieter -> Pieter van Dorn).

This Report is so complete and well done, it has several versions, upgrades and revisions. Awesome job, sirs. An example for all of us. Cheers! Tiago

It was a great tournament and the finals were really exciting and hard. One of the better finals I've played. Lots of props to Petri for arranging the tournament as well as providing an excellent tournament report (as always). There is really no big explanation about the rautakanki. We just kind of agreed that it is phonetically the most finnish word there is. Also me, Isak and Randal did not play the same deck, we just named them in honour of the finnish language. I think Otso pretty much nailed it for finals analysis, I agree and I have nothing to add. Huge respect as well to Otso, who's biggest achievement this tournament is easily overlooked. Three GWs (or iso rautakanki(ja?)) in the preliminaries with an AUS weenie is extremely impressive and what gave him the tournament win. Adam Esbjörnsson, Prince of Örebro

> Xaddam wrote: > Three GWs (or iso rautakanki(ja?)) > Actually Kolme/three "isoa rautakankea"... Issa difficult and not that logical language. Finnish Politics!

Haha, that was pretty far off! You can expect more faulty finnish next year. Maybe some new phrases even, if you're lucky! Adam Esbjörnsson, Prince of Örebro

> Xaddam wrote: > Haha, that was pretty far off! You can expect more faulty finnish next year. Maybe some new phrases even, if you're lucky! > To quote immortal words of A. Anka: Jävlä bögland! I'll do my best to participate in Swedish Championships this year and you can count on me mangling some of your language... Finnish Politics!

> Lönkka wrote: > > > Xaddam wrote: > > Three GWs (or iso rautakanki(ja?)) > > > Actually > Kolme/three "isoa rautakankea"... > > Issa difficult and not that logical language. > Finnish might be difficult because there are lots of rules, but it's the most logical natural language language I know of. AFAIK there is only once exception in the whole Finnish grammar. Jussi Hattara Webmaster Extraordinaire Finnish Politics!