Transcription System for V:TES Games

 Version 2.6

This transcription system is intended for those who want to immortalize their V:TES games.

We have simplified this transcription system as much as possible to enable the transcriber (who must be a single person) to record the course of a game real timely. But it is precisely because of this necessary simplicity that, once completed, the game should be reconstructed and its transcription should be translated into a more comprehensible language.

It would be logical to think that transcribers should memorize the abbreviations of each V:TES card, but this is not the case, since card names have been abbreviated so that anyone can transcribe them (given just a few guidelines) without such an undesirable mental task (see section 1. Abbreviating card names). Notwithstanding, this mechanical abbreviation method forced us to create the Dictionary of V:TES Abbreviations, which will be essential to decipher and translate such abbreviations, once the transcription is over.

What's new in version 2.6?

1.2.4.4. The Master Disciplines section has been updated with a list containing the abbreviation of each discipline.
1.4.1. A complete list of clan name abbreviation has been added.
2.1.3.2.3. The Discipline Cards section has been updated to include the new Reflex rule.
2.1.10. 2. The infernal rule has been updated.
2.3.3. New section: Marking a Red List minion.
2.4.1.1.1. New section: Attacking a marked Red List minion.
2.4.4. New section: Moving one or more Trophy cards to a vampire
4. The Dictionary of V:TES Abbreviations has been updated for Legacies of Blood, Kindred Most Wanted, 10th Aniversary and new promo cards.

1. ABBREVIATING CARD NAMES

In order to effectively transcribe a V:TES game and ease the transcriber's task, card names have been abbreviated, becoming thus abbreviations containing a maximum of 4 characters.

1.1. Abbreviating vampire names

Vampire abbreviations are formed by their names or nicknames, ignoring their articles (e.g., Al-Ashrad), prepositions (e.g., Isabel de León, or Aurora van Brande), and appositions (e.g., Muaziz, Archon of Ulug Beg, or Selma, The Repugnant).

The resulting abbreviations can only have a maximum of 4 characters (unless the vampire is Advanced or Merged, see section 1.1.4. Abbreviating the names of Advanced and Merged vampires). Vampire names must be abbreviated according to the following criteria:

1.1.1. Single-worded vampire names

The abbreviation of a single-worded vampire name is formed by the first 4 letters of his or her name (with initial capital letter).

Name: Gwendolyn Abbreviation: Gwen Name: Anneke Abbreviation: Anne

 

1.1.2. Two-worded vampire names

The abbreviation of a two-worded vampire name is formed by the first 2 letters of each of his or her names (with initial capital letter each couple of letters).

Name: Roland Bishop. Abbreviation: RoBi. Name: Aurora van Brande. Abbreviation: AuBr.

1.1.3. Three or more worded vampire names

The abbreviation of a three or more worded vampire name is formed by the first letter (upper case) of each of his or her names/nicknames/titles, with a maximum of 4 characters.

Name: Sir Walter Nash. Abbreviation: SWN. (Note that Walter Nash's title -"Sir"- is a part of his full name, for transcription purposes). Name: Little Tailor of Prague. Abbreviation: LTP.

1.1.4. Abbreviating the names of Advanced and Merged vampires

In order to indicate that a vampire is Advanced, a circunflex accent "^" should be written right after the vampire's abbreviation:

Name: Ramona [ADVANCED]. Abbreviation: Ramo^.

In order to indicate that a vampire is Merged, an octothorpe "#" should be written right after the vampire's abbreviation.

Name: Ramona [MERGED] Abbreviation: Ramo#

Both symbols were first used on the newsgroup by Kevin Mergen and Gomi no Sensei (Paul Echeverri), respectively.

1.1.5. Abbreviating vampire/minion abbreviations

Sometimes, during an action or combat, a vampire's or minion's abbreviation will have to be transcribed many times until the action resolves or combat ends. In such cases, the first time one or both involved minions takes an action, plays a card, or uses a special ability or effect, their abbreviations will be transcribed as normal, but, once those minions's abbreviations need to be transcribed again during the same action or combat, the transcriber will have to write down the initial letter of their abbreviations:

Name: Menele
Abbreviation: Mene
Shortened abbreviation: M

Description: Korah attempts to bleed with a Kindred Spirits at superior, and Joaquina Amaya attempts to block. So Korah plays a Swallowed by the Night at inferior to get +1 stealth. Joaquina Amaya plays a Cat's Guidance at superior to get +1 intercept. Korah plays a Confusion at superior to get +1 bleed and +1 stealth. Joaquina Amaya plays a Draba at superior to reduce Korah's stealth to 0. Korah plays a Mind Tricks at superior to get +1 stealth, but, since Joaquina Amaya still gets +1 intercept, the action is successfully blocked and combat occurs. Joaquina Amaya plays a Carrion Crows at superior; Korah strikes with her hand, and Joaquina Amaya's strike is a Scorpion Sting at superior. Combat ends afterward. Transcription: Kora kisp> JoAm bk K swni< J cagu> K conf> J drab> K mitr> x J cacr> K hd J scst> x

1.2. Abbreviating library card names

In order to abbreviate library card names, articles (e.g., The Treatment), prepositions (e.g, Rolling with the Punches), and appositions after a comma (e.g. Wasserschloß Anif, Austria) are ignored, but not appositions after a colon ":" (e.g., Elysium: The Arboretum).

In addition, there is another important factor on which the abbreviation of library card names must be based: the number of words contained in a card's name.

1.2.1. Single-worded library card names

The abbreviation of a library card name is formed by the first 4 letters of its name (lower case).

Name: Acrobatics. Abbreviation: acro. Name: The Treatment. Abbreviation: trea.

However, there is a type of single-worded library card names that must be actually considered two-worded card names. This happens when you can split the card name into two meaningful English words. 

Name: Backways. Since we can split this word into two meaningful words (Back+Ways), it must be considered a two-worded name (see section 1.2.2.). Abbreviation: bawa. Name: Bloodbath. (Blood+Bath) Abbreviation: blba.

 1.2.2. Two-worded library card names

The abbreviation of a two-worded library card name is formed by the first 2 letters of each word (lower case both).

Name: .44 Magnum. Abbreviation: 44ma. Name: Elysium: The Arboretum. Abbreviation: elar (since "The Arboretum" is an apposition after a colon ":", it has not been ignored for purposes of creating this card's abbreviation).

1.2.3. Three or more worded library card names

The abbreviation of a three or more worded library card name is formed by the first letter of each word (lower case all).

Name: Temptation of Greater Power. Abbreviation: tgp. Name: Arcanum Chapterhouse, Alexandria Abbreviation: arch. "Alexandría" has been ignored because it is an apposition after a comma. Name: Elysium: The Palace of Versailles. Abbreviation: epv. Name: Cardinal Sin: Failure of Mission. Abbreviation: csfm

 

1.2.4. Special abbreviations for special cards

In this category we include Hunting Grounds, Praxis Seizures, Crusades, Powerbases and Traditions (i.e., cards containing specially frequent words)

1.2.4.1. Hunting Grounds

Hunting Ground names are abbreviated in a different way than other card names are (although still using lower case). Thus, their abbreviations are a combination of two separate abbreviations:

• First. The abbreviation of the specific Hunting Ground's name (e.g., Uptown HG), formed by its 2 first letters (if its name contains just one word); or formed by its initials (if its name contains two words)
• Second. The invariable abbreviation of the term "Hunting Ground": "hg" (lower case).

[HG's abbreviation] [hg]

Name: Academic Hunting Ground. Abbreviation: achg. (Note that "ac" is the abbreviation of "Academic"). Name: Shanty Town Hunting Ground. Abbreviation: sthg. (Note that "st" is the abbreviation of "Shanty Town").

 

1.2.4.2. Praxis Seizures, Crusades, Fee Stakes and Powerbases

Praxis Seizure names must also be abbreviated in a different way than other card names (although still using lower case). Thus, their abbreviations are formed by two separate abbreviations:

• First. The invariable abbreviation of the term "Praxis Seizure": "ps" (lower case).
• Second. The abbreviation of the city's name (e.g., Praxis Seixure: Atlanta), formed by its 2 first letters (in case of a single-worded name); or formed by its inititial letters (in case of a two-worded name).

[ps] [city's abbreviation]

Name: Praxis Seizure: Barcelona. Abbreviation: psba.

The abbreviation of Crusade names differs just a bit from that of Praxis Seizure's. Thus, their abbreviations are formed by two separate abbreviations:

• First. The invariable abbreviation of the term "Crusade": "cr" (lower case).
• Second. The abbreviation of the city's name (e.g., Crusade: Pittsburg), formed by its 2 first letters (in case of a single-worded name); or formed by its inititial letters (in case of a two-worded name).

Name: Crusade: New York. Abbreviation: crny.

The abbreviations of Fee Stake names are formed by two separate abbreviations:

• First. The invariable abbreviation of the term "Fee Stake": "fs" (lower case).
• Second. The abbreviation of the city's name (e.g., Fee Stake: Perth), formed by its 2 first letters (in case of a single-worded name); or formed by its inititial letters (in case of a two-worded name).

[fs] [city's abbreviation]

Name: Fee Stake: Perth. Abbreviation: fspe. Name: Fee Stake: Los Angeles Abbreviation: fsla.

The abbreviations of Powerbase names are formed by two separate abbreviations:

• First. The invariable abbreviation of the term "Powerbase": "pb" (lower case).
• Second. The abbreviation of the city's name (e.g., Powerbase: Montreal), formed by its 2 first letters (in case of a single-worded name); or formed by its inititial letters (in case of a two-worded name).

[pb] [city's abbreviation]

Name: Powerbase: Madrid. Abbreviation: pbma. Name: Powerbase: Mexico City Abbreviation: pbmc.

1.2.4.3. Traditions

For simplicity's sake, we have decided to abbreviate the card names of the six Traditions by using just their ordinal numbers:

Name: Second Tradition: Domain Abbreviation: 2nd. Name: Fourth Tradition: The Accounting. Abbreviation: 4th.

 

1.2.4.4. Master Disciplines

Since the usual abbreviations for vampiric disciplines are formed by three letters (the first 3 letters of their respective names), we have kept here this abbreviation system for transcription purposes (exception: Thanatosis' abbreviation will be "thn" instead of "tha" to make it different from that of Thaumaturgy, "tha").

Discipline	Abbr.	Discipline	Abbr.	Discipline	Abbr.	Discipline	Abbr.
Abombwe	abo	Fortitude	for	Potence	pot	Temporis	tem
Animalism	ani	Melpominee	mel	Presence	pre	Thanatosis	thn*
Auspex	aus	Mytherceria	myt	Protean	pro	Thaumaturgy	tha
Celerity	cel	Necromancy	nec	Quietus	qui	Valeren	val
Daimoinon	dai	Obeah	obe	Sanguinus	san	Vicissitude	vic
Dementation	dem	Obfuscate	obf	Serpentis	ser	Visceratika	vis
Dominate	dom	Obtenebration	obt	Spiritus	spi	Flight**	fli

* That's the exception mentioned above.
** Although it is not technically a discipline, Flight has been included in this list.

1.3. Abbreviating a player's name

The abbreviation of a player's (or Methuselah's) name is formed by the first four letters of his or her name (upper case all).

Name: Andrew. Abbreviation: ANDR. Name: Magdalena. Abbreviation: MAGD.

If there is more than one player with the same name, their abbreviations are formed by the first 2 letters of their names and surnames (upper case all).

 

Name: Francisco Rojas. Abbreviation: FRRO. Name: Francisco Pérez. Abbreviation: FRPE.

1.4. Other abbreviations

1.4.1. Clan name abbreviations

Sometimes it is necessary to use a clan's name when specifying the effect of a card (e.g, Consanguineous Boon). The abbreviation of a clan's name (as well as those of Master Disciplines) is formed by the three first letters of that clan's name (lower case). In case of an Antitribu clan, an exclamation point "!" should be written before the clan's name.

Clan name	Abbr.	Clan name	Abbr.	Clan name	Abbr.
Abomination	abo	Gargoyle	gar	Pander	pan
Ahrimane	ahr	Giovanni	gio	Ravnos	rav
Akunanse	aku	Guruhi	gur	Salubri	sal
Assamite	ass	Harbingers of Skulls	har	Salubri antitribu	!sal
Baali	baa	Ishtarri	ish	Samedi	sam
Blood Brother	blo	Kiasyd	kia	Toreador	tor
Brujah	bru	Lasombra	las	Toreador antitribu	!tor
Brujah antitribu	!bru	Malkavian	mal	Tremere	tre
Caitiff	cai	Malkavian antitribu	!mal	Tremere antitribu	!tre
Daughters of Cacophony	dau	Nagaraja	nag	True Brujah	tru
Followers of Set	fol	Nosferatu	nos	Tzimisce	tzi
Gangrel	gan	Nosferatu antitribu	!nos	Ventrue	ven
Gangrel antitribu	!gan	Osebo	ose	Ventrue antitribu	!ven

1.4.2. Default actions

According to the V:TES Rulebook, these actions are basically: bleed, hunt, go anarch, Diablerie, leave torpor, and rescue a vampire from torpor.

Contrary to the method used to abbreviate card names, the abbreviations of the default actions have two letters:

• If the action's name contains just one word, its abbreviation is formed by the first and last letters of this word (example: bleed = bd).
• If the action's name contains two words, its abbreviation is formed by the initial letters of both words (example: leave torpor = lt).

Below is the resulting abbreviation list of the default actions:

Action name	Abbreviation
Bleed	bd
Hunt	ht
Go anarch	ga
Diablerie	de
Leave torpor	lt
Rescue from torpor	rt

1.4.3. Miscellaneous game terms

These important game terms have also been abbreviated according to the same criteria as the ones above, with a few exceptions:

Game term	Abbreviation
And	,
Antitribu	!
Attack a marked Red List minion	/rl
Be affected by	/
Block or attempt to block	bk
Blood (after a number)	b
Burn Option	bo
Burnt or burned	bt or rip
Close range	cr
Contested card	cc
Contested title	ct
Enter play	ep
Enter torpor	et
Hand (strike)	hd
Hand size	hs
Inferior or at inferior (discipline level)	< or << or <<<
Long range	lr
Mark a Red List minion	rl
Merge	me
Minus	-
No block or player <X> does not block	nb
Plus	+
Pool (after a number)	p
Press to continue (combat)	pc
Press to end (comhat)	pe
Removed from the game	rg
Special ability	sa
Superior or at superior (discipline level)	> or >>
Use	/
Weapon (strike)	wn
Yielded card	yc
Yielded title	yt

 

2. GAME TRANSCRIPTION

2.1. Preliminary considerations

2.1.1. A new turn begins

At the beginning of each turn, the transcriber must write down the acting player's abbreviation, and may (from time to time) write down his or her current blood pool (as he or she finds it necessary for game tracking purposes).

[Player's abbreviation] [(blood pool)*]

Description: At the beginning of his turn, Nelson has 12 pool. Transcription: NELS(12)

* Optional.

 Turn numbers will be ignored, because there is no need to write them down, since the entire game transcription is chronological.

2.1.2. Turn phases

Each player's turn consists of five phases, which will be ignored for transcription purposes (see Sample Game Transcription), unless their transcription is essential, in which case we will use the following abbreviations before a given action or effect:

Phase	Abbreviation
Untap phase	UN
Master phase	MA
Minion phase	MI
Influence phase	IN
Discard phase	DI

[Phase's abbreviation] [action or effect]

 

Description: Harry gains 1 pool from the edge and, during his master phase, he uses his Barrens to discard a card from his hand and draw a new one. Afterwards, he plays a Short-Term Investment. Transcription: HARRY /edge MA /barr sti

 

2.1.3. Playing cards

2.1.3.1. Cards played by a Methuselah

2.1.3.1.1. Cards played by the acting Methuselah

In order to transcribe that a Methuselah is playing a card during his or her turn, we will simply write down the abbreviation of the card being played, and the abbreviation of its target (if any), omitting the acting Methuselah's abbreviation.

[Card's abbreviation] [target's abbreviation]

Description: Felipe puts the Labyrinth in play. Transcription: laby. Description: Portia plays a Vampiric Disease on Goratrix. Transcription: vadi Gora.

 2.1.3.1.2. Cards played by a non-acting Methuselah

In order to transcribe that a Methuselah is playing a card out of his or her turn, we will just write down the Methuselah's abbreviation, the abbreviation of the card being played, and that of its target (if any or if necessary).

[Methuselah's abbreviation] [card's abbreviation] [target's abbreviation]

Description: Susanne plays a Direct Intervention. Transcription: SUSA diin.

 

2.1.3.2. Cards played by a minion 

2.1.3.2.1 Cards played by an acting minion

In order to transcribe that an acting minion is playing a card, we will simply write down the abbreviation of this minion followed by the abbreviation of that card, and that of its target (if any).

[Minion's abbreviation] [card's abbreviation] [target's abbreviation]

Description: Crusher plays a Bum's Rush targetting Alexandra. Transcription: Crus buru Alex.

 

2.1.3.2.2. Cards played by a reacting minion

In order to transcribe that a reacting minion is playing a card, we simply write down the abbreviation of his or her controller (when essential), the abbreviation of the reacting minion followed by the abbreviation of the card, and that of its target (if any).

[Methuselah's abbreviation] [minion's abbreviation] [card's abbreviation] [target's abbreviation]

Description: Stanislava (controlled by Igor) plays a Pulling Strings at superior affecting Etrius. Transcription: IGOR Stan pust> Etri. (Note that, most of the time, it will not be necessary to transcribe Methuselahs' names).

 

2.1.3.2.3. Discipline cards

Some cards require one or more Disciplines to play. In case of a card requiring just one discipline, we will write a "<" after the card's abbreviation to indicate that the inferior level of that discipline is being used; and we will write a ">" after the card's abbreviation to indicate that the superior level of that discipline is being used.

[Card's abbreviation] ["<" or ">"]

Description: Normal plays a Lost in Crowds at inferior. Transcription: Norm locr<. Description: Synesios plays a Pushing the Limit at superior. Transcription: Syne puli>.

However, since the release of Bloodlines a new type of cards requiring Disciplines have appeared: multi-discipline cards, i.e., cards that have two Discipline icons on the left side. Cards played as a Reflex (first appeared in Legacies of Blood) will be considered played at the Reflex level, and will follow the transcription guidelines given below.

 Most of cards requiring disciplines have more than two effects, and we will transcribe them as follows:

• First inferior level: "<" shall be written after the card's abbreviation.
• Second inferior level: "<<" shall be written after the card's abbreviation.
• Third inferior level: "<<<" shall be written after the card's abbreviation.
• First superior level: ">" shall be written after the card's abbreviation.
• Second superior level: ">>" shall be written after the card's abbreviation.

Description: Krassimir plays a Lapse at the first inferior level (i.e., requiring basic Potence). Transcription: Kras laps<. Description: Krassimir plays a Lapse at the second inferior level (i.e, requiring basic Temporis). Transcription: Kras laps<<. Description: Lord Ashton plays a Skullduggery at the third inferior level (i.e., requiring basic Protean). Transcription: LoAs skdu<<< Description: Krassimir plays a Lapse at superior level (i.e., requiring superior Temporis). Transcription: Kras laps>.

 

2.1.4. Card costs

The invariable cost of cards will be omitted during a game transcription, since it is public knowledge.

Description: Jost Werner plays a Propaganda at superior, which costs 2 blood. Transcription: JoWe prop>. Description: Guillermo puts a Short-Term Investment in play, which costs 1 pool. Transcription: GUIL sti. (Note that during the transcription of a Methuselah's turn, we will not write down his or her name, since it is obvious who the acting Methuselah is).

 

When the cost of a card or the payment of blood to use a card's effect are variable, we will indicate it by parenthesising the cost or blood payment value after the card's abbreviation:

Description: Nakova plays a Hidden Strength at superior which costs her 3 blood. Transcription: Nako hist>(3). Description: Tethmes plays a Lightning Reflexes at superior, and pays 3 extra blood to get 3 additional strikes. Transcription: Teth lire>(3). (Note that we do not include here the invariable cost [1 blood] of the Lightning Reflexes).

 

2.1.5. Card effects

Card effects will be omitted unless they are vital to keep track of the current game. However, when their transcription is required, we will write them down after a semicolon ";".

Below, we will see a couple of examples of card effects which need not be transcribed.

Description: Sarah Cobbler attempts a Govern the Unaligned at inferior. (Since we all know that this action targets the acting minion's prey, and that Sarah is bleeding for 3 pool, we will not transcribe this action's effect). Transcription: SaCo goun<. Description: Agrippina plays a Nosferatu Performance Art targetting François Villon, which sends him into torpor. Transcription: Agri npa FrVi.

 

And next, we will see another couple of examples of card effects which must be transcribed.

Description: Thomas Thorne plays a Revelations at inferior, which allows him to look at his prey's hand, and remove a Deflection from it. Transcription: ThTh reve<; defl. Description: Lena Rowe plays a Cull the Herd to look at her prey's hand, and burns 1 War Ghoul and 1 Raptor. Transcription: LeRo cuhe; wagh, rapt.

 

2.1.6. Using (or being affected by) cards

Playing a card and using (or being affected by) a card are different things. While the former involves moving a card from your hand to the table or to your ash heap (such as Minion Tap, Redirection, Masochism, etc.), the latter involves utilizing (or being affected by) the effect of a card already in play (e.g., a vampire's special ability, Hunting Grounds, a press to continue combat granted by a Vampiric Speed, The Barrens, the Edge, Derange, Society of Leopold, etc.).

Thus, in order to indicate that a minion or Methuselah is using (or being affected by) the effect of a card in play, we will write a virgule "/" before the name of the card being used (or affecting someone or something).

"/" [Card's abbreviation]

Description: Sybil taps The Parthenon to get an additional master phase action. Transcription: /part. Description: Ulug Beg, the Watcher, uses his special ability to discard an additional card. Transcription: UlBe /sa. Description: Ashur uses the edge to gain 1 pool from the blood bank. Transcription: /edge. Description: Omaya uses the strike granted by an Aid from Bats played as a maneuver when choosing range. Transcription: Omaya /aiba. Description: During his controller's untap phase, Lazverinus burns 1 blood to untap, because he has a Derange. Transcription: /dera Lazv (see section 2.2. Untap Phase for more information about how to transcribe effects occurring during the untap phase).

 

2.1.6.1. A single Methuselah or card using (or being affected by) multiple copies of the same card

When 2 or more copies of the same card are either being used by the Methuselah or minion, or are affecting the same Methuselah or card, we will write a number before the card's abbreviation, indicating the number of copies used or being affected.

"/" [Number of copies] [Card's abbreviation]

Description: Marco is affected by 3 Anarch Revolts during his untap phase. Transcription: /3anre Description: Scott uses the 2 Blood Dolls on Hesha Ruhazde to move 2 blood from this vampire to his pool. Transcription: /2bldo HeRu; -2b

 

2.1.6.2. Multiple copies of a card affecting (or being used by) different cards or Methuselahs

Sometimes several copies of the same card are affecting (or being used by) different Methuselahs or cards. Transcribing this normally takes longer than desirable, and makes the transcription excessively repetitive. In order to avoid this, we will write down a virgule ("/"), the abbreviation of the card in use or affecting a Methuselah or card in play, followed by the different users or targets of that card (separated by commas):

"/" [Card's abbreviation] [User or target #1] "," [User or target #2] "," [User or target #3] ...

Description: Both Arika and Marcus Vitel burn 1 blood to untap during their controller's untap phase, because they have two Deranges. Transcription: /dera Arik, MaVi Description: Juana uses a Blood Doll to move 1 blood from Jost Werner to her pool, another Blood Doll to move 1 blood from Donatien to her pool, and another Blood Doll to move 1 blood from Lachlan Noddist to her pool. Transcription: /bldo JoWe, Dona, LaNo; -1b

  

2.1.7. Card or action specifications

There are both cards and actions that must be specified in order to make an accurate transcription (such as many Political Actions, rescuing a vampire from torpor -who pays its cost?-, the effects of using the Heidelberg Castle, the controller of a card being targetted by another card or action, etc.). In such cases, we will write their specifications between parentheses after the card's or action's name.

Description: Violett Prentiss calls a Kine Resources Contested that nobody attempts to block, so she decides to allocate 3 to Ferdinand and 1 to Stanislao. Transcription: ViPr krc (nb*, FERD 3, STAN 1). Description: Rufina Soledad rescues Arika from torpor, announcing that this action's cost will be paid by both vampires. Transcription: RuSo rt Arik (RuSo, Arik). Description: Sebastián taps the Heidelberg Castle to move 2 blood and 1 Corpse Minion from Sarah Cobbler to Cardano. Transcription: /heca (SaCo, Card); Card +2, +comi. Description: Dimple plays an Arson targetting a Storage Annex controlled by Pamela. Transcription: Dimp arso stan(PAME).

* This abbreviation means "no block" (see section 2.4.1.5. Unblocked actions)

2.1.8. Non-unique cards

When a non-unique card is put into play (e.g, The Embrace, Courier, or Storage Annex), then a number should be written just after the non-unique card's abbreviation in order to make them different from each other. Thus, the first copy of a non-unique card will be numbered "1", the second will be numbered "2", and so on.

Description: Kendrick recruits a Courier, and Nigel the Shunned recruits another one. Transcription: Kend cour1 NiSh cour2

 

 2.1.9. Contesting cards and titles

When a card becomes contested, we will indicate it by writing "cc" (in case of a card) or "ct" (in case of a title) after the card's (both library and crypt card) abbreviation.

[Card's abbreviation] ";" [cc] or [ct]

Description: David puts a Powerbase: Madrid in play, which immediately becomes contested. Transcription: pbma; cc. Description: Felicia Mostrom becomes Toreador Justicar, so her title and Anneke's are contested. Transcription: FeMo; ct. (Note that this should be written immediately after the transcription of the Toreador Justicar referendum).

Once a card or title is contested, during each untap phase of the contesting Methuselahs, we should write the card's or vampire's abbreviation before a perenthesised "cc" (for a contested card) or "ct" (for a contested title) to indicate that the acting Methuselah is not yielding:

 [Card's abbreviation] [(cc) or (ct)]

Description: During his untap phase Jan pays 1 pool not to yield a contested Gang Territory. Transcription: gate (cc). Description: During Alicia's untap phase Anneke burns 1 blood not to yield her title. Transcription: Anne (ct).

When a Methuselah or vampire yields a card or title, we will have to indicate it during his or her untap phase by writing the card's or vampire's abbreviation before a parenthesized "yc" (for a yielded card) or "yt" (for a yielded title):

 [Card's abbreviation] [(yc) or (yt)]

Description: During his untap phase Jan yields his Secure Haven. Transcription: seha (yc). Description: During Alicia's untap phase Anneke yields her title. Transcription: Anne (yt).

 

2.1.10. New terms and rules appeared in Bloodlines.

Many new terms and rules have appeared in Bloodlines, but we will only take into account those which should be transcribed.

2.1.10.1. Burn Option

When a Methuselah burns a card via the Burn Option rule during any Methuselah's untap phase, we will indicate it by transcribing the Methuselah's abbreviation (if the card is being burned during another Methuselah's untap phase) followed by "bo" (Burn Option) before the card's abbreviation.

[Methuselah's abbreviation] "bo" [card's abbreviation]

Description: Horace burns a Sight Beyond Sight during his untap phase. Transcription: bo sisi. Description: Horace burns a Sight Beyond Sight during Marta's untap phase. Transcription: HORA bo sisi.

 

2.1.10.2. Infernal

To indicate that a Mathuselah is burning 1 pool during his or her untap phase to untap an Infernal minion he or she controls, we will write a virgule "/" (see section 2.1.6. Using Cards) before the minion's abbreviation.

"/" [minion's abbreviation]

Description: Luis burns 1 pool to untap Nergal during his untap phase. Transcription: /Nerg.

 

2.1.10.3. Slave

If a member of the owning clan controlled by the slave minion's controller is blocked, and the controller taps the slave minion to cancel the combat and untap the acting vampire, and has the slave minion enter combat with the blocking minion, we will transcribe it by using the following formula:

["Owning" vampire's abbreviation] "/" [slave vampire's abbreviation]

Description: Cardano "uses" his slave Gargoyle, Ublo Satha, and untaps. Transcription: Card /UbSa.

2.2. Untap Phase (UN)

In order to transcribe effects transpiring during this phase, we will write a virgule "/", then the abbreviation of the card being used or affecting someone or something (see section, 1.4.2. Miscellaneous game terms), and afterwards, its target's abbreviation (if any).

"/"[abbreviation of the card being used] [target's abbreviation]

Description: Zoë gains 1 blood from the Asylum Hunting Ground. Transcription: /ashg Zoë. Description: Nikolaus Vermuelen burns 1 blood to untap due to a Derange at superior. Transcription: /dera NiVe. Description: During his untap phase, Kevin's Army of Rats makes his prey (Patricia) burn 1 pool. Transcription: /arra (Note that we could also write: "/arra PATR". However, we need not write Patricia's abbreviation, since Army of Rats can only affect its controller's prey). Description: Democritus suffers 1 damage from Charnas the Imp and enters torpor. Transcription: /chim Demo; et Description: Yolanda burns 1 pool due to an Anarch Revolt in play. Transcription: /anre.

2.3. Master Phase (MA)

2.3.1. Playing a master card

2.3.1.1. Playing a master card or putting it into play

In order to indicate that an acting Methuselah is playing a master card, we will simply write down the abbreviation of the card being played, omitting the acting Methuselah's abbreviation.

[Master card's abbreviation] ";" [result]

Description: Thomas puts The Hungry Coyote in play. Transcription: huco. Description: Valerio plays a Malkavian Prank. Kathia holds 4 pool, Irving holds 3 pool, and William holds 2 pool. Valerio guesses only the pool held by Irving, so Kathia gains 4 pool, Irving loses 3 pool (which are gained by Valerio), and William gains 2 pool. Transcription: mapr; KATH +4, IRVI -3, WILL +2 (Note that we do not mention Valerio's 3 pool gain, since it is obvious).

 

2.3.1.2. Playing a master card on a minion

The transcription procedure here is quite the same, but in this case we will also add the abbreviation of the target minion's name, regardless of who is his or her controller.

[Master card's abbreviation] [target card's abbreviation] ";" [result]

Description: Miguel plays a Society of Leopold on Parnasus. Transcription: sole Parn. Description: Sandro plays a Secure Haven on Gratiano. Transcription: seha Grat. Description: Claudia plays an Unnatural Disaster targetting the Ventrue Headquarters. Transcription: undi vehe. Description: Nuria plays a Hostile Takeover affecting Caliban. Nuria bids 8 pool for Caliban, and Iván (his controller) bids 10 pool. Then Nuria bids 12 pool for him and gains control of Caliban, so Iván gains 12 pool. Transcription: hota Cali; -12p. (Note that if Nuria had not bidden 12 pool, Iván would have kept Caliban under his control by bidding 10 pool and paying 5 pool, which could be written: "hota Cali; IVAN -5").

 

2.3.2. Using an effect of a master card in play

If it is an acting Methuselah the one using or being affected by the effect of a card during his or her master phase, we will omit his or her name and will only write a virgule "/" (which means "use" or "be affected") followed by the abbreviation of the card being used, the target minion's abbreviation (if any), and the result of the effect (just when necessary) after a semicolon ";".

"/" [Master card's abbreviation] [target minion's abbreviation] ";" [result]

Description: George gains 1 pool from his Short Term Investment. Transcription: /sti. Description: Carolina uses The Parthenon to get 1 extra master phase action. Transcription: /part. Description: Flavia uses a Blood Doll on Hannibal to move 1 blood from him to her pool. Transcription: "/bldo Hann; +1p" (Note that "p" after a number means "pool", see section 1.4.3. Miscellaneous Game Terms ) or "/bldo Hann; -1b" (where "b" means "blood", see section 1.4.3. Miscellaneous Game Terms). On the other hand, if Flavia had moved 1 pool from herself to Hannibal, it would have been transcribed as follows: "/bldo Hann; +1b" or "/bldo Hann; -1p". Description: Paul burns his Form of Corruption to take control of Tatiana Romanova. Transcription: /foco TaRo. Description: Hélène taps her Steam Tunnels to look at the top three cards in her prey's library, and sees a My Enemy's Enemy, a Palla Grande, and a Propaganda. Transcription: /sttu; mee, pagr, prop.

 

If it is an acting minion the one using or being affected by the effect of a card during his or her controller's master phase, we will write down the minion's abbreviation, followed by a virgule "/" and the abbreviation of the card being used, the target minion's abbreviation (if any), and the result of the effect (just when necessary) after a semicolon ";".

[Minion's abbreviation] "/" [card's abbreviation] [target minion's abbreviation] ";" [result]

Description: Antonio Delgado gains 1 blood from the Palatial Estate. Transcription: AnDe /paes. Description: Nefertiti burns her Mummy's Tongue to tap Anson. Transcription: Nefe /muto Anso. Description: Gaspare Giovanni uses his special ability to move Carlotta Giovanni from your ash heap to the top of your crypt. Transcription: GaGi /sa CaGi

2.3.3. Marking a Red List minion

To indicate that a Methuselah is using a master phase action to mark a Red List minion, we will use the "rl" abbreviation (meaning "Red List"), followed by the name of the minion being marked:

rl [minion's abbreviation]

Description: Anthony marks Mata Hari. Transcription: rl MaHa.

2.4. Minion Phase (MI)

2.4.1. Performing an action

In general, when a minion attempts an action, we will simply write down the minion's abbreviation followed by the action's abbreviation:

[Acting minion's abbreviation] [action's abbreviation]

Description: Didi Mayers attempts a Computer Hacking. Transcription: DiMa coha.

 

2.4.1.1. Cardless actions

Cardless actions are governed by the same rules than any other action, except for the fact they have shorter abbreviations (see section 1.4.2. Default actions).

Description: Don Cruez attempts to hunt. Transcription: DoCr ht. Description: Muaziz attempts to diablerize Arika. Transcription: Muaz de Arik. Description: Wynn enters combat (via his special ability) with Zebulon. Transcription: Wynn /sa Zebu.

2.4.1.1.1. Attacking a marked Red List minion

Attacking a marked Red List minion can be transcribed by using the acting minion's abbreviation followed by a virgule and the "rl" (Red List) abbreviation before the name of the minion being attacked:

[Acting minion's name] /rl [target minion's name]

Description: Nergal attempts to attack Valerius Maior (just marked). Transcription: Nerg /rl VaMa.

2.4.1.2. Actions requiring a card

These are the most common action types. In order to transcribe them, we will write down the acting minion's abbreviation followed by the abbreviation of the card being played, as well as the discipline level used (if any). (See section 2.1.3.2.3. Discipline cards)

[Minion's abbreviation] [card's abbreviation] [discipline level]

Description: Ezmerelda attempts a Scouting Mission at inferior. Transcription: Ezme scmi<.

 

2.4.1.3. Actions targetting a card in play

In this case, we will merely write down the acting minion's abbreviation, the abbreviature of the action being attempted, and the target card's abbreviation:

[Acting minion's abbreviation] [action's abbreviation] [target card's abbreviation]

Description: Jimmy Dunn plays a Bum's Rush targetting Sir Walter Nash. Transcription: JiDu buru SWN. Description: Talaq, the Immortal plays a Cryptic Mission at inferior, targetting Leandro. Transcription: tala crmi< Lean Description: Héctor Sosa plays an Ambush targetting Thadius Zho. Transcription: HeSo ambu thzh

 

2.4.1.4. Actions granted by a card in play

When a minion attempts an action granted by a card in play, we will consider the minion is using that card. So we will write down the acting minion's abbreviation followed by a virgule "/", the abbreviation of the card being used, and the parenthesized abbreviation of its controlling minion or Methuselah (when necessary):

[Minion's abbreviation] "/" [abbreviation of the card being used] [(controlling minion's or Methuselah's abbreviation )*]

Description: Jost Werner attempts an action to burn an Army of Rats controlled by Tom. Transcription: JoWe /arra(TOM) Description: Astrid Thomas attempts an action to burn an Atonement on Vincent Day, Paladin and Paragon. Transcription: AsTh /aton(ViDa). Description: Democritus attempts an action to burn The Grand Temple of Set, controlled by David. Transcription: Demo /gts(DAVI). Description: Angelica, the Canonicus calls a referendum to burn a Templar on Jacko. Transcription: Ange /temp(Jack). Description: Smudge attempts to burn a Brainwash on Zack North. Transcription: Smud /brwa(ZaNo).

* The controller of the card being used may be omitted if he or she is the controller of the acting minion.
 

2.4.1.5. Unblocked actions

When an acting minion declares an action that everybody declines to block before the acting minion plays any action modifiers (not including those making actions unblockable nor those played during the action declaration), then the transcriber may indicate it by writing "nb" (the accronym for "no block") between parantheses, since it's considered an action specification (see section 2.1.7. Card or action specifications)

Description: Juggler announces a Govern the Unaligned at inferior that nobody attempts to block, so Juggler plays a Conditioning at superior. Transcription: Jugg goun< (nb), cond> Description: Nu announces an Ambush against Etrius that nobody attempts to block. Transcription: Nu ambu Etri (nb) Description: Ira Rivers calls a Kine Reources Contested that nobody attempts to block. The terms are: 3 for Mario and 1 for Jean. Transcription: IrRi krc (nb, MARI 3, JEAN 1)

 

2.4.2. Referenda

To indicate that a referendum begins, we will write a "%" at the beginning of the referendum, and "%" again when the referendum ends.

It is not necessary to declare if a referendum passes or not, since, thanks to the transcription of the votes cast, its outcome will be obvious.

2.4.2.1. Casting the votes of all the titled vampires controlled by a Methuselah

When all of the titled vampires controlled by a Methuselah vote for or against a referendum (as a block), we will trabscribe it as follows:

"+" or "-" [Methuselah's abbreviation]

Description: All of the titled vampires controlled by Silvia (i.e., Queen Anne and Sir Walter Nash) vote against the referendum. Transcription: -SILV. Description: All of the titled vampires controlled by Oliver (i.e., Stanislava and Gitane St. Claire) vote for the referendum. Transcription: +OLIV.

 

2.4.2.2. Casting the votes of a single vampire

When a titled vampire casts his or her votes, it will be indicated as follows:

"+" or "-" [Vampire's abbreviation]

Description: Marcus Vitel votes for the referendum. Transcription: +MaVi. Description: Jaroslav Pascek votes against the referendum. Transcription: -JaPa.

Vampires can also cast their votes by both playing cards or using cards in play. In this case, we will transcribe it with the following formula, taking into account the guidelines given in sections 2.1.3. Playing cards and 2.1.6. Using cards:

 "+" or "-" [Vampire's abbreviation] [card being played or used]

Description: Gideon Fontaine plays a Dread Gaze at superior against the referendum. Transcription: -GiFo drga>. Description: John taps his Alamut to give Parnassus 3 votes for the referendum. Transcription: +Parn /alam(3).

 

2.4.2.3. Using cards or effects during a referendum

When a Methuselah uses a card in play, or burns the edge for a vote during a referendum, we will transcribe it as follows:

"+" or "-" [Methuselah's abbreviation] "/" [card or effect being used]

Description: James taps his Ventrue Headquarters to gain 3 votes for the referendum. Transcription: + JAME /vehe. Description: Jorge burns the edge to gain 1 vote against the referendum. Transcription: - JORG /edge.

 

2.4.2.4. Burning a political action card from a Methuselah's hand to gain 1 vote.

To indicate that a Methuselah is burning a political action card from his ir her hand to gain 1 vote for or against the referendum, we will transcribe it as follows:

"+" or "-" [Methuselah's abbreviation] [abbreviation of the political action card]

Description: Nicolas burns a Disputed Territory from his hand to gain 1 vote for the referendum. Transcription: +NICO dite.

 

2.4.2.5. Sample transcription of a referendum

Description: Victoria Ash calls a Kine Resources Contested that nobody attempts to block. The terms of the political action are that Roberto (the acting Methuselah's prey) will burn 3 pool and that Vladimir (the acting Methuselah's predator) will burn 1 pool. The referendum begins and Klaus (Victoria's controller) has 5 votes for (Anneke + Victoria Ash + Kine Resources Contested); Vladimir has 2 votes against (Ingrid Rossler); Roberto has 4 votes against (Gideon Fontaine plays superior Dread Gaze); Adelaida (another Methuselah) has 3 votes against (Lachlan Noddist + Edge). At the moment, the referendum has 5 votes for and 9 against. Victoria Ash plays superior Awe (paying 3 blood to get 7 additional votes). The referendum passes (12 to 9), and Victoria plays superior Voter Captivation to gain 1 blood and make her controller gain 2 pool. Transcription: ViAs krc (nb, ROBE 3, VLAD 1) % +KLAU -VLAD -GiFo drga> -ADEL, /edge +ViAs awe>(3) % ViAs voca>; 1b, 2p Description: Lucinde Alastor calls a Parity Shift. Ublo-Satha plays a Patrol to get +1 intercept and attempts to block; Lucinde plays a Cloak the Gathering at inferior to get +1 stealth. Since there are no further block attempts, Lucinde's controller (Bart) sets the terms of the vote: Mike burns 4 pool, and Bart gains 3 and Claudia gains 1. Bart has 4 votes for (Lucinde and the political action card); Walter has 6 votes against (Alexandra, Anson); and Claudia has 3 votes for (Jaroslav Pascek). The vote passes. Transcription: LuAl pash UbSa patr LuAl clga< (MIKE -4, BART +3, CLAU +1) % + BART - WALT + CLAU %

 

2.4.3. Combat

Although, according to the rules, combat has its own subphases, we will not take them into account when transcribing it.

However, if we want to indicate that a combat begins, we will write an "X" at its start, and another "X" at its end. On the other hand, combat transcription is governed by almost the same rules than taking actions, since minions in combat play or use cards as well as special abilities.

Description: Lucita plays an Ambush to enter combat with Ellen Fence. Combat occurs. BEFORE RANGE IS CHOSEN: Lucita plays a Torn Signpost at inferior, and Ellen Fence plays a Flesh of Marble at superior. MANEUVERS: Ellen Fence plays a Flash to maneuver at long range, but Lucita plays a Shadow Step at inferior to get at close range. STRIKES: Lucita plays an Arms of the Abyss at superior to dodge and get 1 additional strike. Ellen Fence strikes with her hand. ADDITIONAL STRIKES: Ellen Fence plays a Blur at superior to get 2 additional strikes. Lucita plays an Entombment at superior as her additional strike. Ellen Fence's first additional strike is a Vampiric Speed at superior, and her second additional strike is a Body Flare at superior. DAMAGE PREVENTION STEP: Lucita prevents all damage via a Skin of Steel at superior. PRESS STEP: Ellen Fence uses the press granted by the Flash she played before to continue combat. Lucita plays an Indomitability at superior to press to end combat. But, Ellen Fence uses the press granted by the Vampiric Speed she played before to continue combat. SECOND ROUND: No cards before range, and no maneuvers. STRIKES: Lucita plays an Oubliette at superior, and Ellen Fence strikes with her hand. Combat ends. Transcription: Luci ambu ElFe (nb) X Luci tosi< ElFe flma>, flas> L shst<, arab> E hd, blur> L ento> E vasp>, bofl> L skst> E /flas L indo> E /vasp L oubl> E hd X

 

When both combatants use the same strike, there will be no need for the transcriber to write down the combatants' abbreviations and their respective strikes, since the transcriber will only have to write down the chosen strike by each.

Description: Giotto Verducci makes his default hand strike, and Angus makes his default hand strike. Transcription: hd Description: Anson plays a Majesty at superior, and Arika does the same. Transcription: maje>.

 

2.4.4. Moving one or more Trophy cards to a vampire

Moving one or more Trophy cards to a vampire who has just burned a Red List minion as a (D) action should be transcribed as follows: the name of the Methuselah who put the Trophy card(s) in play (unless he or she is the acting Methuslah, in which case his or her name should be omitted), followed by a virgule and the name(s) of the Trophy card(s) moved, and the name of the target vampire:

[Methuselah's name] /[Trophy card's name] [target vampire's name]

Description: Nergal has just burned Mata Hari as a (D) action (Diablerie), so Nergal's controller (Mike) moves Trophy: Diablerie to Nergal, while another Methuselah (Verónica) moves Trophy: Hunting Ground to Nergal. Transcription: Nerg de MaHa /trdia Nerg VERO /trhg Nerg Description: Saulot has just committed Diablerie on Petaniqua, so Saulot's controller moves 2 Trophy cards to Saulot (Trophy: Diablerie and Trophy: Domain). Transcription: Saul de Peta /trdia,trdo Saulot

2.5. Influence Phase (IN)

The best way for a transcriber to keep track of the blood transfers made by a player during his or her influence phase is by having a look (when necessary) at the crypt cards in that player's uncontrolled region.

If the transcriber cannot have a look at the vampire being influenced or does not want to reveal his or her name to other players (in the case the transcriber is the Methuselah making the transfers), then he or she should write "vamp" instead of the vampire's name, followed by a number indicating the order in which the uncontrolled vampires were drawn from his or her crypt.

CRYPT

vamp4

vamp3

vamp2

vamp1

 

2.5.1. Transferring blood

When a Methuselah transfers blood to one or more uncontrolled vampires, we will write it down as follows:

[Uncontrolled vampire's abbreviation] "+" [transferred blood]

Description: Mike transfers 4 blood to Guido Lucciano. Transcription: GuLu +4. Description: Samuel transfers 1 blood to Al-Ashrad and 3 blood to Parnasus. Transcription: Ashr +1, Parn +3.

 

2.5.2. Transferring blood back

In order to indicate that the acting Methuselah is transferring back blood from one or more uncontrolled vampires, we will use the following formula:

[Uncontrolled vampire's abbreviation] "-" [removed blood]

Description: Heinrich transfers 2 blood back from Joaquina Amaya. Transcription: JoAm -2. Description: Alessandro transfers 1 blood back from Dimple and another one from Dan Murdock. Transcription: Dimp -1, DaMu -1.

See section 2.5.1. Transferring blood

2.5.3. Moving a vampire from your crypt to your uncontrolled region

If the transcriber has time to have a look at the chosen vampire, then he or she should use the formula below:

"+" [Uncontrolled vampire's abbreviation] 

Otherwise, he or she should write:

"+vamp"

Description: Julio pays 1 pool to move the top vampire of his crypt (Courtland Leighton) to his uncontrolled region. Transcription: +CoLe. Description: Humberto pays 1 pool to move the top vampire of his crypt to his uncontrolled region. Transcription: +vamp.

 

2.5.4. Merging a vampire

When a Methuselah spends his or her four transfers and burns 1 pool to merge a vampire in his or her controlled region with another in his or her uncontrolled region, the transcriber should indicate it by writing down the vampire's abbreviation (including it's Advanced symbol, if needed, see section 1.1.4. Abbreviating the names of Advanced and Merged vampires) followed by "me" (i.e., the abbreviation of the verb "merge", according to the two-letter method used to abbreviate default actions (see section 1.4.2. Default actions).

Description: Nuria merges her controlled basic Lucita with her uncontrolled Advanced Lucita. Transcription: Luci me. Description: Nuria merges her controlled Advanced Lucita with her uncontrolled basic Lucita. Transcription: Luci^ me.

 

2.5.5. Other effects

There are effects other than transfers during the influence phase (e.g., Pier 13, Port of Baltimore, Arcane Library, Grand Temple of Set). In order to transcribe them we will have to take into account the factors below:

• The minion or Methuselah using or being affected by a given influence phase effect.
• The card granting a given influence phase effect.

Thus, we get the following formula:

[Minion's or Methuselah's abbreviation] "/" [card's abbreviation] [target's abbreviation] ";" [result]

Description: Ivan Krenyenko uses the Pier 13, Port of Baltimore, to equip with a Flame Thrower. Transcription: IvKr /pi13; flth. Description: Lazverinus burns 1 blood during his or her controller's influence phase to burn a Memories of Mortality on himself, so he enters torpor. Transcription: Lazv /memo; et. Description: Julia taps her Art Museum to move 1 blood from the blood bank to Alexandra. Transcription: /armu Alex. Description: Kevin taps his Grand Temple of Set to take control of Jost Werner. Transcription: /gts JoWe.

 

2.6. Discard Phase (DI)

2.6.1. Discarding a card

In order to transcribe that a Methuselah is discarding a card and drawing another one, we will write down a "-" plus the discarded card's abbreviation, then a comma ",", and thereafter the symbol "+" followed by the drawn card's abbreviation:

"-" [discarded card's abbreviation] ", +" [drawn card's abbreviation]

2.6.2. Playing an Event card

When an event card is played, you just have to transcribe its abbreviation:

[event card's abbreviation]

Description: Alberto puts a Fall of the Camarilla in play. Transcription: faca.

 

2.6.3. Other effects

Other effects transpiring during this phase are rare. For this reason we will transcribe them according to the criteria already stated in previous sections.

Description: Ulrich taps his Waste Management Operation to move an Immortal Grapple from his ash heap to the bottom of his library. Transcription: /wmo imgr.

 

3. DEAL TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEM FOR V:TES GAMES

This transcription system is a complementary tool to the usual transcription system for V:TES games, and has been created with the help of Franck Bernard. However, since this is our first approach to the transcription of deals, there may be some factors that have not been taken into account due to the lack of testing of this transcription system. We encourage anyone who has any ideas to improve it to e-mail me here: damnansVTES@ono.com.

3.1. Deal Transcription Syntax

Since deals always involve one or more conditions, we will use the structure of conditional sentences (i.e., if X, then Y) when transcribing deals, which will abbreviated as follows:

X -> Y (which means "if X, then Y")

In addition to this basic structure, the syntax of deals transcription is formed by the following elements:

• Subject: The Methuselah or minion to be taking an action.
• Action: The thing to be done.
• "Not": Negation of the action.
• Target: Something or someone to be affected by the action.
• Deadline/Duration: The time until or during which the deal is to be kept.

Those elements must be arranged according to the order below:

[Subject] [Action] [Not] [Target] [Deadline/Duration]

3.2. Specific Abbreviations for Deal Transcription

Although most of the time the transcriber will be using the usual game transcription system when transcribing deals, there are terms an actions speciffically related to deal-making that need abbreviations of their own:

Abbreviation	Game Term
->	If...then
ak	Attack (see "ec")
ec	Enter combat (see "ak")
let	Not actually an abbreviation: let.
not	Not actually an abbreviation: not
nxt	Next
ot	Oust
pa	Politcal action
rm	Referendum