Vampire: The Eternal Struggle

V:TES Player Profile - Stephane Lavrut
Vampire: the Eternal Struggle - Top Player Interviews

Bonjour! The trans-Atlantic cables have been on fire with e-mails back and forth with Stephane Lavrut, Titan of the Parisian VTES scene. A handful of grammatical corrections later and the wisdom of the Old World becomes available for fans everywhere. While no longer on the tournament scene, Stephane muses over the good times of his heyday. – Ned Coker, White Wolf

Name: Stephane Lavrut

Hometown: Paris

Birthyear: 33

Trophy Room: Ranked number one for 25 months. (mainly during years 2002 and 2004)
I did win 15 tournaments. Among them :

* Paris French Champ Qualifier 2003(42 players)
* Paris Cup 2003 (52 players)
* German Championship 2003 (ECQ) (66 players )
* Austrian Champion 2002 (Final ECQ)(172 players)
* French EC Qualifier 2002 (40 players)

Job:
Sadly, yes ;)

When did you start playing and how?
I’ve been playing since the birth of the game. With a group of friends, we were playing the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, so it was natural for us to try the card game.

What do you appreciate about V:TES that keeps you coming back for more?
I think the main thing was traveling and encounter people abroad. With time, you can make some true friends (i.e. people you will see again for something else than playing cards ;) Sadly, I stopped playing in tournaments in 2005, just didn’t have the time for it. But, time to time, I accompany my play group to some big event just for the fun of it.

What about V:TES should appeal to the average gamer?
First, the background, as it’s bound to the role game.
Second, the interaction between players, and the high strategy needed to win.

Tell us a bit about your local playgroup…
Well, Paris is more than a local playgroup. There is between 300 and 400 players here, and more than 50 play on regular basis in tournaments. It’s hard work for the Prince of Paris (it used to change very often ;)
Still this gives the opportunity to challenge a lot of different players, and so the average level in Paris is quite high.
I should say that despite the number of VTES players, everyone knows each other, and that makes some very fun and friendly tournaments !

Tell us about your time spent as national coordinator of France and Prince of Paris.
It could be boring, so I’ll try to make it fast ;)
I was Prince of Paris from 1999 until 2004, and national coordinator until 2005.
At the beginning, it was a challenge to gather 12 players to play in tournaments, but very soon, in 2000, I gather about 100 players at the French Open (with the help of Kamel, who ought to be the second Prince of Paris later on)
I build Paris Vekn at the beginning, and later on Vekn France, with the agreement of every French Prince (there was no official National Coordinator title at this time)
Glad to do this, I build the French Championship in 2002, with qualifiers all around France (well, I mean every city with a Prince)

On the other hand, I did some tasks in the shadow (where Inconnu Monitor reside ;), like the new rating system, working on the new qualification system for the Continental championship, and many others things.

I think that people like Johannes and Andreas in Germany, or Damnans in Spain did some similar job for Vtes.
I guess that’s why those countries have very active playgroups.

Why did you step down from those positions?
It cost me too much time, I needed to rest ;)
If you consider I’d been Prince of Paris for years, national coordinator, and a crazy tournament player at the same time, you will get the picture.

Do you see any differences between players in Paris and the rest of the world (the rest of France, Europe, US)? (In terms of playstyle, deck choices etc…) Why do you think there are those differences?
Not really, I think the play style and decks are mainly the same. Only the size of the play group is an influence, introducing more diversity.
As a player, I never had any problems playing abroad. I think that the diversity of the Parisian style of play helped me to get such good results abroad (Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, USA, …)
The only time I played in an sanctioned constructed tournament in the US, I made 3rd in the NAC (sadly missing 1 minute to win. Scott, are you still sure of your watch ? ;)

What is your favorite type of deck and why do you like to play it?
Toolbox.
I like the adaptability of such deck: you can face any situation and you can use a different tactic in each game.

But in tournament, I used to change my type of deck each time.

Favorite strategy for winning a game. (Pacing, reading an opponent, when to play what, etc)
Laying a trap and keeping the right card for the right moment.

What do you think makes a successful player?
1- You need luck (thanks god, I had some J)
2- The ability to analyze situations and players in order to find a proper response
3- Creativity: changing your type of deck and your style of play as often as you can.
4- Excellent table talk

How important do you think the political aspect of the game is?. Reading / intimidating / fooling your opponents? Do you consciously practice this?
This is perhaps the most important thing about the game.
Any good player who tells you that he didn’t practice this is lying ;)

How do you approach the release of a new set? Preparation—reading teasers? Dividing/assessing the cards?
Assessing the cards is a good way to begin with a new set.
But I liked to make a lot of new decks-even if some of them seem to be stupid. It will help you discover some new cards that you would never have used otherwise.

If they released equal amounts of cards for every clan discipline, etc. what would you tackle first?
I have no preference, I would tackle at random I guess.

How do you prep for tournaments?
Having a good rest the night before, and a good party the night after!

Any rituals you employ to win? Superstitions?
No.

Do you have a memorable tournament moment?
Well, the 15 I won, and some finals I did loose…
;)

What’s your favorite card art?
The Succubus Club (first edition). The picture reflects exactly the mood of the place, like you can imagine it after reading “Chicago by Night” and “The Succubus Club” source books.

Favorite set?
Jyhad, because it is the first one. So, we had enough time to play every card of this first release… once upon a time, when we were innocent beginners…

If there was a card based on you, what would it be?
Victor Pelletier will do fine. J

What other games do you play?
Poker
Tennis
Blood Bowl
And a lot of board game.

Anything else?
Just a couple notes on other international players.
Kamel Senni and Olivier Perez, are the best French players at this time (since I’m retired of course lol ;)
On an international level, the best players I encountered were Jo Herroelen (Belgium), Jay Kristoff (USA), Stefan Ferrenci (Austria), Kamel, and lately Andreas Nusser (Germany) .

Can you explain the picture below?
Uh, I lost a bet to Mike Tinney…