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'Scaper of the Month - September 2017

Posted September 14th, 2017 at 04:00 AM by HS Codex

’Scaper of the Month
Dad_Scaper
Author: The Grim Reaper’s Friend

Dad_Scaper was previously interviewed for an old ’Scaper of the Month back in 2011. However, since we have started the Codex over in an online format, we decided we can redo the old ’Scapers of the Month again as well. So without further delay: Dad_Scaper!


Profile

Who are you really?
Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the Codex!

Your readers might be interested in this ’Scape-related introduction of myself: I am one of the original members of the C3V, and the longest-serving member of its Executive Review Board. I am one of the founding judges of the Soldiers of Valhalla. I’m a tournament director in the Baltimore/DC area, and once a year for the last few years a tournament director at the General Wars tournament at GenCon.

How old are you?
46

What is your occupation?
I’m an attorney. Specifically, I represent the prosecution in cases on appeal. For years I was a prosecutor at the trial level, but I don’t do that anymore.

What other interests do you have?
Other than tabletop games? Ultimate frisbee, baking and cooking, lately I’ve been playing Neverwinter Online.

What’s another board game/RPG you enjoy and why?
D&D 5th Edition. I’ve played on and off over the years, and in my opinion this new-ish edition is better even than AD&D was, back in The Day. I encourage people thinking of finding an RPG to give it a shot; it’s very accessible and quick to get started.


HeroScape

When and how did you get into HeroScape?
I saw it somewhere in late 2006 and it caught my eye. I told my mother that I thought it would make an excellent gift for my son, then 7, and she got it for him. I joined Heroscapers soon after. I figured I’d always be a lurker, so any old dumb screen name would do. All these years and almost 20,000 posts later, here I am.

What got you started in C3V?
I believed then, and believe now, that the fluid metagame is part of what makes Heroscape special. Grungebob described that time—the end of D&DScape—as the beginning of the “FanScape” era, and I took that as a call to arms. I offered to help in the C3V as an editor, because that’s part of what I do for a living. In time, I transitioned to the ERB.

What is your favorite C3V unit?
I have a soft spot for Heracles, because I was a bit more involved in the direction of his design than I was in others. There have been so many good ones, though. I’ve always allowed them at my tournaments and people are always bringing them, and telling me how much fun they are. How can I choose from all my little pre-painted plastic children? I can’t.

Describe your favorite HeroScape moment.
Hmm. Hard to say. The honor of running General Wars, one of the biggest tournaments at GenCon? Maybe when Sir Heroscape told me that he followed my “How to Run Your First Tournament” instructions and got the Idaho community fired up? My first tournament win? Any one of my own local tournaments, when I set up an event and a bunch of people come and play? When Craig Van Ness told me that the C3V is doing a great job developing new units? Hard to say. This hobby has given me a lot, over the years.

Is there anything you would change about the game (unit, rule, mechanic, etc)?
Well, I suspect that the original designers themselves would agree that some of the earliest units don’t really work well in competitive play. Raelin is a bit much; the Krav are a bit much. So is Q9, and the rats are a tournament-game-killing chore. So some of those could have been better balanced for competitive play.

What is your favorite aspect of HeroScape?
The people who play it. It’s a good group.


Community

What do you enjoy most about Heroscapers.com?
It’s a friendly, mature community. It has proved remarkably troll-resistant over the years. Lots of good people here.

The C3V in particular has been a great source of pride for me. We—together with the SoV—have released 98 units, any one of which, in my opinion, could just as easily have been released in an official pack and would fit right in. Some better than others; some more my taste and others perhaps more yours, but they all work.

We are volunteers. It is very difficult for all-volunteer projects to sustain consistency and quality over time, but we have, and that is an achievement I’m especially proud of. I appreciate what everyone’s given, including those who are no longer within our private sanctum.

Is there any member of Heroscapers.com you’d really like to play against?
I was excited to meet Sir Heroscape at GenCon 2017, but we didn’t get to play. I would have liked that.


Lie Detector

Three truths and a lie
  • I’ve participated in the Rehoboth Beach Lifeguard Olympics.
  • As a lawyer, I’ve won a case before the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • I’ve played to a draw against an international grandmaster in a game of chess.
  • I’ve directed tournaments for the following games: chess, Heroscape, Magic the Gathering, and Diplomacy.

Last Month’s Lie (Son of Arathorn)
  • I can read ancient Greek, French, Arabic, and Elvish.
  • I have an irrational hatred of cows. Well, I think it’s rational hatred, but people I trust tell me it’s not.
  • I once taught a high school class on the fictional history of Middle-Earth.
  • I’ve been smacked full in the face while standing in front of a crowd of 350 people.



Three Fun Favorites

Favorite Movie
Hmm. Ask me tomorrow and you might get a different answer, but I recently saw Unforgiven again. It was brilliant when it was written in 1976, brilliant when Clint Eastwood made it & it hit theaters in 1992, and still brilliant when I saw it a couple of weeks ago.

Favorite Book
The greatest adventure story of all time is The Count of Monte Cristo, and for that reason it is my favorite book, though I am choosy about which abridged edition you select. My favorite book that nobody ever heard of is The Prague Cemetery, which is a short(ish) novel by Umberto Eco from a few years ago.

Favorite Song
Hmm. I’ll say Warren Zevon’s “Don’t Let Us Get Sick.” Or maybe his older gem, “Desperadoes Under the Eaves.” People unfamiliar with the brilliant, funny, and colorful Warren Zevon should listen to some of his songs on the streaming service of their choice.


Closing

What message do you have for the ’Scaper community?
Run a local tournament. Follow my tips in How to Host Your First Heroscape Tournament, a thread on Heroscapers in the Events subforum, and just start something near you. I bet you’ll be surprised at how many people are interested in joining you.

Whom do you pick for the next ’Scaper of the Month?
Grungebob.
Total Comments 3

Comments

Old
Tornado's Avatar
Great interview.

I did not know C3V/SoV were approaching a 100 units.
Really impressive work considering the extensive time and playtesting that goes into it. Well done!
Posted September 20th, 2017 at 09:54 AM by Tornado Tornado is online now
Old
Dad_Scaper's Avatar
Oh, look, this got posted! Just noticed it today. Thanks for the opportunity to participate, and thanks Tornado for reading.
Posted November 6th, 2017 at 11:28 AM by Dad_Scaper Dad_Scaper is offline
Old
Tornado's Avatar
NP DS.

May I inquire what your case in front of the SCOTUS was about?
Posted November 16th, 2017 at 06:58 PM by Tornado Tornado is online now
 
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