Heroscapers
Go Back   Heroscapers > Blogs > AliasQTip's Blog

Notices


Rate this Entry

'Scaper-of-the-Month #80 - Griffin

Posted June 6th, 2012 at 03:26 PM by AliasQTip
Get to know one of the founding fathers of the C3G...



'Scaper-of-the-Month #80 is...


Griffin


PROFILE:


Who are you, really?
David Karl Shearin. Christian. Husband. Father of 4. Business owner. Song writer. Constitutionalist. Descendant of 3 Scottish Kings. Rebel from a long line of rebels. And a Heroscaper.

How old are you?
I just recently turned 30.

What is your occupation?
My wife and I own a family entertainment business. We book DJs, Face Painters, Balloon Artists, Magicians, Musicians, and Bounce Houses for family events. I do most of the work, but we hire other entertainers as well.

What other interests do you have?
I love European history, mainly ancient Celtic and Roman history, though I am not as well informed on Roman history as I should be. I've been digging up hard to find information on Celtic people and the histories of their families more.
Me and my closest friends have a tradition that I love. We call it ATF. That is where we go out into the deep country and celebrate freedom with Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. While I love drinking home brewed beers and whiskeys, we NEVER drink anything until AFTER the guns are put away. Safety first, kids.

What’s another board game you enjoy and why?
I love Last Night on Earth. I played a game just yesterday with my wife and brother in law.

Who, or what, is your avatar and how did you come up with your username?
I change my avatar frequently, but my online name is Griffin because it is the animal that is on top of my family's crest.


HEROSCAPE:

When and how did you first get into HeroScape?
My brother in law, knowing how much I loved comics, bought me the Marvel Master Set for my birthday. It didn't arrive on time, so he took me to WalMart to show me what he got for me, and I was super excited. I noticed then that there was a fantasy/sci-fi/historic version of the game, and I was very intrigued when I saw that there were Celts and Romans. I remember saying to him "it would be so awesome if there were Cowboys and Zombies" then he yelled out immediately "there are"! We bought a few packs that night, and when the game arrived, we played a few games and I fell in love, though I knew that my collection was poor. I spent the next few weeks hitting up every Target and Walmart within 30 miles of me, until I had bought out all of their supplies. Then I hit up Ebay and bought the rest of everything else. My wife and I played everyday (before all the kids) and learned how to use Gimp and started making customs with the Heroclix figures I was buying online. Basically, I jumped in head first and never got out of the water.

What is your favorite aspect of HeroScape and why?
It's cliche at this point, buy you know I have to say the people. I have met my best friends because of this game, and they are far more important to me than the game itself. With that obvious answer out of the way, I have to say I love how easy it is to make customs for Heroscape. All you need is a miniature of close enough scale and a creative mind, and you can have years of fun adding onto the best game ever.

To whom is your allegiance and why?
DC of course.

In Classic Scape, I love Vydar's range and that is what I play with in competitive armies, but I am more loyal to the General who has been more loyal to my people and descendants: Jandar.
Oh Jandar, blessed above all other Generals. None can compare to your valor and unyielding loyalty.

Who are your favorite heroes and why?

Classic
Unique: Agent Skahen Because she is by far the best GenCon exclusive ever, and she is also a really nice person who lives about 30 miles from me.

Uncommon: Fen Hydra Because not only is it one of the coolest looking figures from the DnD line, it is completely horrifying for squads, whom I hate with a passion. OK, I don't hate squads, I just hate how they generally take the Hero out of Heroscape.

Common: Swog Rider Because these guys scream The Lord of the Rings and that was another big draw for me to this game.

C3G
Event Hero: Brainiac Because capturing the essence of such a complex character with a long history of rewrites is difficult, but I really feel like we nailed it. Basically, this guy has a Shrinking Ray Gun Equipment Glyph that makes people tiny and affects their stats, then he collects them by removing them from the game. Just a nasty Event Hero Villain to go up against, although Anti-Monitor really is tougher.

Unique: Angel is easily my favorite, still. His tactical flexibility in moving his allies around as enemies are shooting at them is brilliant. We took one of the most boring of Mutants (note that this is not the super awesome Archangel) and gave him an amazing array of interesting and useful powers. This is a Balantai design too, and it really shows how smart that guy is and well could listen and take the best ideas from other people and try so hard to have one design represent so many views. I never told him that, so I hope he reads this.

Uncommon: Doombot they are great decoys for any version of Doctor Doom you are playing with.

Common: Moloid these guys are always great filler, especially if you can field about 10 of them. They have a Zombie like board control that I love, though they are even weaker.

What are your favorite squads and why?

Classic
Unique: Airborne Elite Because they are WWII figures, and also because they kicked the game off with a style of innovation that makes people go "oh, that's cool" when it is read for the first time and every time they actually drop.

Common: Templar CavalryBecause even though they suck, due to their crazy low defense (what the heck was the design team thinking ), they are the coolest looking figures and Heroic champions of European History.

C3G
Unique: Hired Guns Because if your opponent doesn't break the squad up soon by killing one or more, these guys are gonna gun down just about any low life Hero that gets in their way.

Common: LexCorp Security Wanna see a completely new way of bonding? Check out these guys take a look at their Criminal Alliance power.

What is your favorite Special Ability and why?
Classic: The Drop by the Airborne Elite. Geez, that sounds like a song and 80s band.

C3G: Web Slinger on Spider-Man. Wanna see a C3G version of Spider-Man that shows how tricky active he is in a fight? Go check him out.

What is your favorite map and why?
I have to shout out to C3G's very own Statue of Liberty. Plus that scenario/campaign for our Fantastic Four set is a BLAST.

What can you tell us about the C3G?
Well you should know, it stands for Comics Customs Creators Guild. We are a group of people who are fans of Comicbooks and Heroscape Customs. We continually work on adding to the Heroscape Marvel line. We take what we do VERY seriously, so if you want to get involved, don't be surprised if you get caught up into a bit of a "debate" from time to time. Like any comic geeks, we have an unspoken brotherhood and appreciation for each other, and we also love Heroscape and Heroscapers.com. C3G is easily the nerdiest thing I have ever done, and I am very proud and honored to be a part of the experience. Plus our games are much better than Classic games.

What is your favorite C3G custom?
Favorite, all out custom. Well out of the ones I picked already, I'd say Angel, but to diversify it a bit, my favorite non-figure C3G custom is this 5 map/scenario campaign: The Book of Fantastic Forces Unite


COMMUNITY:

What do you enjoy most about HeroScapers.com?
C3G of course. I actually can narrow it down even more. Before a design is even posted as a thread for the group to work on, a few of us usually chat about it and tweak it before it goes up. That pre-design collaboration among friends is ABSOLUTELY my favorite part.

Describe your favorite HeroScape moment.
When I beat Elstree for grand champion at a local Tournament and won several hundred dollars in prizes, then had Bunjee sign my Agent Skahen card. That was pretty memorable, and one of my most proud moments in Scape.

I also thoroughly enjoyed setting up the "Odin's Challenge" Scenario at my local game store last year, and had a GREAT turn out of new players. The scenario was a blast, and everyone was completely excited about how much fun we had with a custom game. IMO, that scenario is the best way to introduce new people to C3G, as long as the guy running the scenario knows what he is doing.

Is there any member of HeroScapers.com you’d really like to play against?
I have three.
G-bob. I've always looked up to him as a designer, gamer, playtester, and person.
Dok, because I think I could beat the crap out of him, and I want to go to there. Dok is a great guy, and after winning his tournament, people treat him as the best. To be the best, you gotta beat the best, and I think I can for sure.
Even though I have played against my best mate IamBatman already, I look forward to him moving down here in a couple of years so we can spend out our days playing Heroscape until we are old men... and then we'll know what it is like to be Matt Helm.


UNIT DEBATE:

Which unit would you say is better: Microcorp Agents or Omnicron Snipers?
Define "better".
What is the map I'm on?
Who am I fighting against?
Do I have Taelord?
I have to say Microcorp. They have great survivability and I use them in my own Vydar tournament winning army.

What two units would you like to see in the next Unit Debate?
Incredible Hulk (Hasbro) - VS - Incredible Hulk (C3G)



LIE DETECTOR:

Tell us two true things about yourself and one lie.
1. My family first arrived in the common wealth of Virgina as slaves and criminals under the care of Major Gideon Macon, who took part in the Monmouth Rebellion and were captured in the battle of Sedgemore. The Shearins were one of the first families in this country.
2. When I was 7, I was walking into my grandmother's house when a bolt of lightning hit an aluminum chair and arched over to me as I was opening the aluminum door. I fell down and felt sensations for about 10 minutes, but I wasn't harmed at all.
3. I have been to the tombs of my family that fought for the Confederate States of America in the Civil War and have seen the Confederate markings and Iron Crosses on their graves.


THREE FUN FAVORITES:

Favorite food: Pizza

Favorite movie: Batman: The Dark Knight

Favorite song: The Parting Glass


CLOSING:

What message do you have for the ‘Scaper community?
If you are watching and enjoying C3G stuff, get involved with us. You don't have to playtest or design, but you could post and share your experiences or just make requests. We love making new friends, and we are really forgiving about thread hijacks and tangents. I am a Moderator there and half of my comments are off subject.

Also, start your own custom thread. We love customs, and I love seeing new ideas and designers. If you have been playing Heroscape for any amount of time, I am sure you have some great ideas.

Whom do you pick for the next ‘Scaper of the Week?
He is young, he is bold, he is smart, and he is Tcglkn.
Total Comments 12

Comments

Old
quozl's Avatar
That was a great read!
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 03:59 PM by quozl quozl is offline
Old
ZBeeblebrox's Avatar
Nice interview, glad you were able to do this Griff, before your retirement.
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 04:04 PM by ZBeeblebrox ZBeeblebrox is offline
Old
IAmBatman's Avatar
Yeah, awesome stuff there!

Quote:
What do you enjoy most about HeroScapers.com?
C3G of course. I actually can narrow it down even more. Before a design is even posted as a thread for the group to work on, a few of us usually chat about it and tweak it before it goes up. That pre-design collaboration among friends is ABSOLUTELY my favorite part.
Bar none, this is what I'll miss most of all. If you're out there reading this somewhere, Griff, I hope you'll still pop in on Skype from time to time and share some of your wisdom with us.
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 04:08 PM by IAmBatman IAmBatman is online now
Old
Scapemage's Avatar
Love this all. Perfect timing too. Fantastic interview, you will be forever missed from this site Griffin.
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 05:54 PM by Scapemage Scapemage is offline
Old
MegaSilver's Avatar
Shoot, I need to remember to do the Unit Debates, because I like that one!

Sad to see you go Griffin! Nice to see your interview!

AliasQTip, could you perhaps change is avatar pic back to the one he had previously with the Griffin symbol?
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 06:30 PM by MegaSilver MegaSilver is offline
Old
tcglkn's Avatar
I think his avatar picture is perfect because he changed it when he left. If you look it is the cover for the Funeral of Superman (I believe) and he basically said he's not coming back to the site.

This is bittersweet to see this because he's gone now and it took us all by surprise, but he very much deserved this honor. I am genuinely surprised that I was selected as the next Scaper-of-the-Month. Can't wait to fill out the answers.
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 06:51 PM by tcglkn tcglkn is offline
Old
Tornado's Avatar
Bittersweet irony. You will be missed.
Posted June 7th, 2012 at 12:22 AM by Tornado Tornado is online now
Old
Red Eyed Jedi's Avatar
Great read Griff, you were always a master of leaving us wanting more. You may be gone but you will never be forgotten.
Posted June 7th, 2012 at 03:08 AM by Red Eyed Jedi Red Eyed Jedi is offline
Old
A3n's Avatar
That's the Griffin we love, it's sad to see you go mate.
Posted June 7th, 2012 at 07:08 AM by A3n A3n is offline
Old
AliasQTip's Avatar
I didn't even know he was leaving. I'm so out of the loop these days.

@MegaSilver: I just used the avatar image he was/is (I'm sure he'll lurk now and then) currently using and will probably keep it that way.

@tcglkn: I was reading the comments and suddenly remembered I hadn't sent you your questionnaire. Sent!
Posted June 8th, 2012 at 04:14 PM by AliasQTip AliasQTip is offline
Old
Sherman Davies's Avatar
I'm glad he got this honor; few deserve it more. I hope one day he and Bats can get together and live out his dream of Senior Citizen Scape.
Posted June 20th, 2012 at 06:27 PM by Sherman Davies Sherman Davies is offline
Old
Matt Helm's Avatar
I can't believe I just found out that he retired from the site. My own senility keeps me from being a regular around these parts but to see Griff move on from these parts is sad to see. Such personality is hard to replace.
I wish him the best. The interview is a great read and maybe well down the road when he and the Bat are playing checkers in the park and thinking it's still Scape, I can pull up my walker and pretend I remember how much he gave to the site.
Posted June 25th, 2012 at 10:32 PM by Matt Helm Matt Helm is offline
 
Recent Blog Entries by AliasQTip

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:37 PM.

Heroscape background footer

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.