C3G Interview - December 2018

C3G Interview
Spidey’tilIDie
Author: LordEsenwienIV


Time once again to go back to a classic interview with C3G’s first fan, Spidey! Even though this one originally aired back on March 30th, 2011, it still feels pretty fresh. Enjoy.

What do you like most about being a C3G Hero?
I really enjoy the chance to take characters I have loved for years and attempt to translate them to a game that I am really still learning. Honestly, I think Griff, Hahma, and Bats are three of the best players out there. I am amazed at how they continually find ways to put designs into interesting conundrums to first break them, and then figure out a way to keep the idea and also fix them. I really do love comics. I sometimes wonder if I come off as a know-it-all when I post info; believe me, that is not my intent. My family says I am the King of Useless Information and I like sharing it with you guys. Sorry, if I ever came off snooty.

But the thing I like best about being a C3G Hero is working with my friends. I have spoken with most of the Heroes via Skype (still gotta chat with Tickle) and I can tell you they are my true friends. They have helped me by listening when I needed an ear (for personal, non-C3G stuff), they have prayed for me (which may be my favorite part), and they have just laughed and enjoyed life while sharing a conversation. I’d say interaction with my friends is my favorite part of being a C3G Hero.

Were you the first C3G Member?
If by this you mean the first person who was not a Hero or Sidekick to participate, yes.

What made you jump on the project so fast?
I saw Heroscape in Walmart for literally years and even have comics with mini-Heroscape comics inserted, but I was never interested enough to buy it. That is until I saw Marvelscape. I bought that for my nephew for Christmas. I opened it to read the rules and figure out how to play before I gave it to him. I realized that we really needed more pieces, so I got him SotM and RotV. That was his Christmas gift. He really liked it, but both of us really wanted to play with other characters as well. I was lucky enough to find this site and downloaded several cards (as I recall, they belonged to AllSkulls, hihihihi, Bats, and ShermanDavies.) I chose the best of the bunch for each character. We played them several times, but I began to realize that, while each one worked well on its own, they really didn’t mesh well in tandem with each other. I then looked to see if I wanted to get a certain person’s collection. I literally was about to try to see if some people wanted to try and tweak the NM24 stuff so they were appropriate across the board, when I noticed the Thread That Started It All. I introduced myself and was welcomed for my encyclopedic knowledge (not my wording, someone actually described it that way) and nearly ran myself out of the group trying to push for Heat Vision on Superman’s card. Eventually, times grew thin (I think someone met a girl and someone else got hit by a car) and before I knew it I was nominated for Sidekick status. I eagerly accepted and was overjoyed to be an official part of the project. I was a Sidekick up until nearly the release of “World’s Finest,” when they needed Heroes to fill some voids. I think I made it by a hair. So, to summarize, it was the desire to have a Wolverine, Hulk, Thor, Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern fight on my table top where they worked together, (i.e. Wolverine wasn’t more powerful than Superman). And I was in the right place at the right time.

What is your favourite aspect of C3G?
As I said I love comics, so I love watching a character I love get translated into a really awesome figure and card. I think Heroscape would still be going strong if Hasbro had thrown all their licenses into the game. Imagine G.I. Joe in Heroscape. Or Transformers. Or Star Wars. With Marvel. Pretty wicked, huh? (Also Axis and Allies, Disney toys, D&D, Indiana Jones, and Tonka for in-scale vehicles) Who wouldn’t want to field Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow vs. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader vs. Spider-Man and Wolverine vs. Optimus Prime and Megatron? I mean for Marvel, a backstory was already built in. Their heroes had been kidnapped for Secret Wars at least twice already. If they had put all the various characters they already make toys of into it, this would have been the most popular game of all time on top of being the greatest! But I digress. I love seeing the comics come to life on the board. Let me just tell you, some of the best is yet to come!

What would you change about C3G?
What? Besides making it so we were all paid for this? I mean that is the number one change I’d make. Short of that, the only negative I see to C3G is the stress people seem to feel. I hate that anyone would feel pressure from what is essentially a hobby. I know at different times most of the Heroes have felt pressure and needed some downtime or a breather. In short, if we can’t get paid to do this, I’d remind everyone this is a hobby and alleviate the stress this project can create.

Why did you choose Tickle and Good Pig for heroes?
I didn’t. If you think we just chose them, you don’t understand the process. They distinguished themselves by going the extra mile for Art and Playtesting. It was pretty easy to see who the best candidates were when some Heroes stepped down. Just like SirG distinguished himself, they also went above and beyond. I don’t mind sharing that there are few people that have been mentioned for possible future Heroes, though I won’t give any names. I guarantee if I stepped down tomorrow, the guys in the Sanctum already have a pretty good idea who they would consider. Basically, Tickle and GP made themselves the clear choices.

How much work is it to be a C3G Hero?
Honestly, it’s fun as long as you keep things in perspective. It can be overwhelming if you don’t try to do things regularly. There are some great designers in the Sanctum and trying to keep up with their passion and creativity can be challenging but also rewarding. There is so much that goes into making the cards, but probably the toughest and most important is humility. It’s hard to hear that what you thought was a great idea isn’t. It’s hard to swallow your pride and see that someone other than you has a great idea for a power for one of your favorite characters. It’s hard to hear that even though you think a card is perfect, everyone else thinks it’s over- or under-powered. It’s hard to hear that pictures you may have spent hours on aren’t good enough. It’s hard to spend hours on the actual art of the card and have people criticize it. If you can’t look big picture and see everything is for the greater good, you won’t last long here. In short, if you think you will work hard until you get into the Sanctum and then slack-off once you have access, think again! A Hero has at least twice as many threads to keep up with as you do and twice as much work!

3 C3G truths and 1 C3G lie.

• Before the Hero-only Sanctum was created, I can say with 100% certainty, I read every C3G post ever made.
• I got to decide who would design which cards for “X-Men: Mutants Arrive” and the first wave of “Ala Carte.” [From A3n: He did decide who would design what in the X-men release but not the first wave of “Ala Carte.” He decided the draft order for the first wave of “Ala Carte.” So this is the lie.]
• I have never played the basic rules in a game of Heroscape.
• After literally years of people looking for a substitute, I found the Impact bases most Heroscape modders use for rebasing.

Do you have any final words for the Allies and Sidekicks?
Thanks for making this a fun thing to do. Thanks for all you guys do to make this a success. Thanks for your continued activity on this site. There are some really great designs coming, so stick around!

Plus, if you aspire to be a Hero, keep active and do what you do best. I am not a great playtester, nor am I a whiz with Photoshop. I do, however, have gifts and I try to share them. When all this started, I wanted to be a Hero, but I quickly noticed the demands on those guys and realized I was gonna have to “work” for it. My Dad always said “anything worth having, is worth working for,” so I just stayed active and found myself one day a Hero. So many people have come into this subforum and found new and unusual ways to help out. When you start a good idea, stick with it. Those awesome ideas for threads get noticed, but so does the fact that they get abandoned half done. If you are gonna be here and participate, persevere. No one will become a Hero overnight; that is just not going to happen. The ship has sailed on anyone getting in on the ground floor. But I am a walking, talking, breathing example that if you stick with it and keep a positive attitude, you may just find yourself where you wanted to be.

• C3G Interview - Dr. Jekyll by japes
• C3G Strategy - May 2017 by Taeblewalker
• C3G Interview - GamerHusband by A3n
• Scaper of the Month - October 2020 by DomPredator77
• C3G Interview - LordVenoc & MrNobody by Tornado