Places to see in Warsaw: Ujazdów Castle

Ujazdów Castle (Polish: Zamek Ujazdowski) is a castle in the historic Ujazdów district, between Ujazdów Park (ark Ujazdowski) and the Royal Baths Park (Łazienki Królewskie).

The first castle on the spot was erected by the Dukes of Masovia as early as the 13th century. Since then it had a very volatile history. After World War II the building was to be rebuilt as the Central Military House. However, the works did not start as the walls of the castle were demolished by the Communist authorities of Poland. In 1975 however, the works on reconstruction of the castle to its 18th century design started.

The castle currently houses Centre for Contemporary Art (since 1981), with some permanent and temporary exhibitions, concerts, shows and creative workshops. The centre also develops unique art programs that correlated with the reconstruction and organization of the Ujazdów Castle architectural spaces. The Centre of Contemporary Art currently realizes about 500 projects a year.

Player Profile: Szewski

This is the first in a series of interviews (or at least I plan to make a series) of Polish VtES players you may meet during the upcoming VtES European Championship 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. Today I am starting with the National VtES Coordinator of Poland:

Name: Radoslaw "Szewski" Staszewski
Year of Birth: 1979
Occupation: Sales Rep
Hometown: Pszczyna, but I grew up in small village Goczalkowice.

Question: Describe yourself ... What's your current occupation? Where do you live right now? ..
Answer: I'm living in Pszczyna with my wife and kids . I'm working as sales rep in one of the biggest companies in the house cleaning industry. In Poland I've been known as a movie-director (some shitty independent horrors productions ), VtES player (one of the most talking ) and vocalist of some undergrounds project from the past (more like "grrrrrrrrrrr" than "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-si-do" ).

Question: When did you start VtES playing and how? For how long do you play it?
Answer: I started in 1997 I guess. my friend Tomo was working in the local RPG store (one of the first in Poland!!!) called "The Bard". He was my first VtES teacher (badly I think ). So I'm playing for about 14 years (with short break between 1998 and 2001)

Question: What VtES accomplishments do you have under your belt?
Answer: I won ECQ two times (both in Poland, 2005 and 2009) Was in EC Budapeszt, Prague, ECQ Kosice (two times!!! Greetings to Asnek!!!). To be honest I like to playing VtES without winning. (Ask my friends, they will tell you why? )

Question: What do you appreciate about VtES that keeps you coming back for more?
Answer: VtES is all that I need when it comes to: gambling, trash-talking with friends, sometimes drinking. For me it's the most complicated and difficult card game I've ever played. Now it's more like fun than sports, but there was a time when I was angry every time when I've lost.

Question: What about VtES should appeal to the average gamer?
Answer: Only to the mind.

Question: Tell us a bit about your local playgroup!
Answer: My local playgroup is not exist anymore. Everyone are abroad and make some money far, far away from our local playground. Now I'm visiting my friends in Myslowice or Bedzin and make some travels around the country.

Question: Tell us about your time spent as national coordinator of Poland!
Answer: Before the "NC times" I was the first person which made VtES tournament after the "Polish Hiatus". In Pszczyna back in 2004 we started something great (tournaments we reborn, players went out from the torpor, some great friendships were made) and the position NC was very natural for me (with great support of my VtES friends).
I created Polish VtES League (now we have 3rd edition, it's year to year, 12-18 tournaments with the big final in Pszczyna - always in December). I got to life some of the Princes and made some new too. And finally my last dreams was to organize the EC in Poland .. As you can see the dream will come true.

Question: Do you see any differences between players in Poland and the rest of the world? (In terms of play style, deck choices etc.) Why do you think there are those differences?
Answer: Yes, I see the difference. I was playing a few times with: Slovakian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Swedish and Finnish Players and there are some difference like talking (Finnish players are the best, with Hungarian just a step ahead ), friendly-no-harming (Slovakian are the best ), playing for winning (Germans I think will be the most "want-to-win" nation as far as I remember ) ..
Seriously I like to play with all guys from the world .. except .. it's a secret.

Question: What is your favorite type of deck and why do you like to play it? (Appreciated if you could provide a decklist as well!)
Answer: My favorite deck to play is .. oh, it's hard to say, because I have a few decks that I really loved (like Petaniqua deck -- Polish players please don't laugh so loud ) or Eldest are Kholo deck or Nana Buruku will kill you deck or Unnamed with actions...or Spell of Life deck...
But there is one deck I loved so much and it will be a pleasure for me to share with you this list: Gangrel's Assault

Question: Favorite strategy for winning a game. (Pacing, reading an opponent, when to play what, etc)
Answer: Waiting, listening, talking .. and be nasty when time is come.

Question: What do you think makes a successful player?
Answer: Ability to hide your own feelings and fears. And ability to sacrifice the VPs when it is necessary.

Question: How important do you think the political aspect of the game is?. Reading / intimidating / fooling your opponents? Do you consciously practice this?
Answer: I think it is important, but not necessary. Intimidating is a very tricky and could be dangerous so I practice this only on the special occasion , but I like to play with guys who try this kind of stuff on me.

Question: If they released equal amounts of cards for every clan, discipline, etc. what would you tackle first?
Answer: From new cards? I think it will be the Enkil Cog. From the "Goldie-Oldiest" the Parity Shift.

Question: How do you organize your cards? Do you have an inventory of cards? Do you use a deck building utility? Which one?
Answer: I'm quite a bangler so only the 30% of my cards are in catalogs or albums or sleeves .. the rest is .. I won't tell you . And yes, I have the list of my cards, is in my head.

Question: How do you prepare for tournaments?
Answer: I drinking a lot (just kidding with "a lot"). Seriously, since I don't have any pressure on "winning" I prefer a very loud music in my car (when I travel) and a few good drinks (before playing).

Question: What was your greatest moment in your VtES Life (not necessarily as a player)?
Answer: Getting the EC to Poland.

Question:

• What's your favourite crypt card? Cybele
• What's your favourite library card? Magic of the Smith
• What's your favourite expansion? Bloodlines
• What's your favorite card art? Call the Great Beast by Fred Hooper (don't know why, maybe because my infernal connections ).

Question: What other games do you play?

• Vampire the Masquerade RPG (and Old WoD)
• Football Manager
• Call of Cthulhu RPG
• Arkham Horror
• NBA Live 2010

Question: Last words?
Answer: Hope I will see all of you at EC 2011 in Poland!!! There will be lot of fun and VtES so be there or die trying!!!

EC 2011 FAQ (version 1.1)

This is a simple repost of the Frequently Asked Question list for the upcoming VtES European Championship 2011 as provided by the tournament organizer (as posted on VEKN.net.

1. Can every EC2011 participant book the room at the Novotel hotel for the duration of the Championships with special price?

Yes, under the condition that the booking has to be made by October 31st . Starting from November 1st the price reverts back to the standard deal offered by the hotel (the price range can be seen at the Novotel website).

2. What about the prices for EC2011 participants who want to book a room before and / or after the Championships?

The price for such booking would also be included in the special offer, which is 240 PLN for a double room (120 PLN per person in a double room). The only condition is that the participant has to complete the booking before October 31st 2011.

3. Are there any extras included in the 3-day Championships pass?

Yes. We will have a limited edition t-shirts designed specifically for the Championships, available only for the EC participants – every participant who purchases the 3-day pass will receive the official Championships t-shirt for free. However, the number of t-shirts is limited, therefore the attendees who registered on the official Championships website will receive them first.

4. Will the official Championships t-shirts be available for purchase?

Yes, if the number of 3-day passes does not exceed the limit of t-shirts.

5. What will be the price of the official EC2011 t-shirt?

The t-shirt will cost approximately 20 PLN (5 EUR).

6. Is there a possibility to buy a one day pass and a t-shirt?

Yes (however, please see 3., 4. & 5.)

7. Do I have to pay in advance for booking the room for the discounted price?

No. All payments will commence after the participants arrive for the EC2011.

8. Are there any additional attractions / bonuses / prizes planned for the EC2011 participants?

Yes, however we cannot reveal any details at this stage. Some negotiations regarding these are still in progress. Please rest assured that we will do everything we can to make your stay at the EC2011 a memorable and enjoyable experience.

9. Why the registration process and the hotel reservation is so important?

The registration is needed when you want to get the EC 2011 t-shirt. The hotel reservation is needed when you want to get the discounted price so make sure you will do the reservation up to 31 October 2011.

10. Can you tell us something about "the Great Auction"?

"The Great Auction" will be some kind of shopping. We think to divide "the Great Auction" into three separately events (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). We want to give you the best things (unique clothes, gifts...) to buy in reasonable price. We will put all the information like stuff, price etc. etc. on the EC website, Facebook profile etc. etc. We hope that you will enjoy it. More details soon.

Places to see in Warsaw: Palace on the Water

The Palace on the Water (Polish: Pałac na Wodzie), also called the Łazienki Palace (Pałac Łazienkowski) is a Neoclassical palace in Warsaw's Royal Baths Park. Itwas built in the 17th century by Tylman van Gameren for Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski. Between 1772 and 1793 it was remodeled by Domenico Merlini for King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who made it his residence.

The palace's furniture and paintings belong to the Classicist style. The building is dominated by an attika supported by columns, and featuring statues of mythological figures.

The palace stands on an artificial island in Łazienki Lake, and is connected to the rest of the park by two arcaded bridges. The long Łazienki Lake is divided by the palace into two parts, a smaller northern lake and a larger southern one.

VEKN Tournament Rules 2011

For a rather large event like the European VtES Championship 2011, a framework is required for providing the necessary infrastructure in terms of rules, responsibilities and procedure.

Beside the actual VtES rulebook the second most important document for running a VtES tournament are the VEKN Tournament Rules. While VtES rules provide the necessary rules for running a single game of VtES, the VEKN Tournament Rules provide the necessary framework for running whole tournaments.

Furthermore the VEKN website hosts the following documents/information:

• The V:EKN Judges' Guidelines help judges resolve play errors and determine the appropriate penalty for infractions that occur during the course of a game or tournament.
• The VtES Rulings is a list of general and card specific rulings, that have been accumulated over the past 15 years.
• The Complete Rules Reference gives a tabular overview of the game with special emphasis on the the different phases with a game turn.
• The list of banned cards for VtES tournaments is part of the VEKN tournament rules, but deserves a special mentioning here.

Places to see in Warsaw: Palace of Culture and Science

The Palace of Culture and Science (Polish: Pałac Kultury i Nauki) in Warsaw is the tallest building in Poland. The building was originally known as the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki imienia Józefa Stalina), but in the wake of destalinization the dedication to Stalin was revoked.

As the city's most visible landmark, the building was controversial from its inception. Many Poles initially hated the building because they considered it to be a symbol of Soviet domination, and at least some of that negative feeling persists until today. Some have also argued that, regardless of its political connotations, the building destroyed the aesthetic balance of the old city and imposed dissonance with other buildings.

However, over time, and especially in recent years, Warsaw has acquired a number of other skyscrapers of comparable height, so that the Palace now fits somewhat more harmoniously into the city skyline. Furthermore, since Soviet domination over Poland ended in 1989, the negative symbolism of the building has much diminished. Four 6.3-meter clock faces were added to the top of the building in 2000, making it briefly the tallest, and now the world's second-tallest, clock tower.

VtES European Championship 2011 Schedule

The VtES European Championship 2011 is going to take place from November 11th to 13th, 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. The location of the tournament is the

Hotel Novotel Warszawa Airport
UL. 1 Sierpnia 1
02-134 Warsaw
Poland

As in the past years these days will see five major VtES Constructed tournaments, starting with the Last Chance Qualifier and ending with final EC Championship tournament on Sunday. The rough schedule for the event looks like this:

• 10 November 2011 – Thursday
  
  • Welcome Party
• 11 November 2011 – Friday
  • Last Chance Qualifier tournament
  • Legendary Vampire tournament
• 12 November 2011 – Saturday
  • EC Day 1 (qualification) tournament
    
  • Silence of Death format tournament
• 13 November 2011 – Sunday
  • EC Day 2 (championship) tournament
  • First Chance Qualifier tournament

You can find more information on the event, accommodations, travel, etc. on the official VtES EC 2011 website or in the Polish VtES forum, where you can also ask questions and have a discussion about all things related to the EC 2011. In addition there's an Facebook page for the EC 2011.

Last year in Paris the EC had more than 230 participants from (at least) 25 different countries. So come to Warsaw and join the VtES party!!