Word by Ginés Quiñonero, art director of Black Chantry Productions:
The artwork of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (VTES) has captivated players for three decades with a unique and alluring characteristic: its eclecticism. This diversity of styles has been present since the game’s first edition, evolving with each new release and attracting players from all backgrounds. Each has found a style they resonate with among the game’s illustrations. As VTES expanded over the years — especially during the White Wolf era — its artistic range broadened to include influences from comics, manga, fairy tales, and medieval fantasy. Today, although some variety remains, VTES artwork has crystallized into a signature dark horror atmosphere that is both dramatic and mature.
Throughout the history of VTES, two artists stand out for their near-continuous contributions from 1994 to 2024: Ken Meyer, Jr. and Lawrence Snelly. In their works, iconic characters like Zebulon and Anneke, capture the distinct styles of these illustrators.
In addition to this stylistic evolution, the game also experienced a technical transformation. In its early days, such as with the original edition and Dark Sovereigns, illustrations were created using traditional techniques like watercolors, acrylics, and oils. However, with the Ancient Hearts expansion, digitally modified photographs made their debut, thanks to pioneers like Lawrence Snelly and Max “Shade” Fellwalker, who added a new dimension to the game’s visuals with works like Bindusara and Praxis Seizure: Monaco.
In 2000, VTES took a further step into the digital age with Christopher Shy’s work in Sabbat War and later Chad Michael Ward in Gehenna (2004). These artists introduced photo-based illustrations with painterly finishes, creating eerie atmospheres that became the dominant style in Bloodlines (2001). Their contributions shifted the game’s art towards a haunting, cinematic aesthetic.
Another milestone arrived in 2013 with Danse Macabre, the first fan-made expansion, which brought fully digital 3D-modeled illustrations into VTES. Artists like Javier Santos and Martín de Diego Sábada left their unmistakable mark on this new phase, contributing to the ongoing visual evolution of the game. This type of art has become the dominant style in VTES today, with Carmen Cornet being its foremost representative.
In 2006, the Player’s Kit introduced cards featuring preliminary sketches — a technique that wouldn’t reappear until Direct Intervention was released with its sketched versions years later. More recently, in 2022, the first full-art card, Maila, illustrated by Noora Hirvonen, made its debut. Then, in 2024, Mythic Form became the first library card with a full-art design specifically conceived for VTES’s vertical card format. These innovations highlight VTES’s constant drive to explore new presentation forms and breathe life into its characters and settings.
Beyond these technical and stylistic developments, VTES artwork has also served as a way to honor key figures associated with the game—designers, illustrators, and even players. For many fans, the idea of being immortalized as a vampire has become an achievable dream, particularly for those who have won continental championships and other major tournaments. With Black Chantry Productions now at the helm, this tradition has been extended to a wider variety of players, allowing the community to see itself reflected in this unique game.
At the top of this article and on the card above you see a preview of Monica Giovanni by Mark Kelly from the upcoming Fifth Edition Hecata preconstructed deck, He started to contribute to VTES in The Unaligned set in 2014, and has so far illustrated 37 cards.
And so, as Vampire: The Eternal Struggle enters its fourth decade, one thing remains certain: its artwork continues to evolve, surprising and inspiring players with its boundless creativity.
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