Scaper of the Week 26 - S1R ART0R1US

For a while there, many of the older crowd bemoaned the presence of so many young fans fouling up our HS sites with their immature ways and hasty posts and threads.
To be absolutely fair, as time went on, a few of these young fans who had a genuine love for the game, learned to stick around, act appropriately and post with thought and maturity.

Further still, there arose a group of young'uns (in his own words) who came on board and were posting with a maturity and intelligence that impressed all of us.

It might be unfair to lump this latter group with those who created the bemoaning and sent many a cranky old man running for better places to hang or extolling on the doom and gloom of our country's future crop, but let's face it - anyone 25 or less years of age is definitely a young'un!
...So I lump them all together.

You all know our latest Scaper of the Week. He's a guy with a mature tone of post who passionately loves the game of Scape. He supports the site, assists many - be it mapmakers, customizers, competitive hopefuls, whoever! - this guy is young, but definitely exudes the presence of a seasoned adult.

I've had the privilege to play him in competition (read it in his own words below!) and in casual play in my own gaming garage. Both times he's had me on the ropes or soundly given me a trouncing I don't regret or will forget. He plays sharp and he plays for keeps.

I'm proud to see a young NorCaler as our latest and youngest Scaper of the Week. Even still, a young'un who doesn't send the cranky ol' farts running for cover and worrying our world will be inherited by the incompetent.




Our twenty-sixth 'Scaper of the Week is
S1R_ART0R1US

Who are you?

Jonathan Cook.



Who or what is your avatar and how did you come up with your username?

My avatar is a picture of a knight with his arms crossed. That is usually the position I take up whenever I'm just thinking about something, such as strategy in HeroScape or the crazy things they teach me in school. My username shows my love of medieval times with the title "Sir" paired with King Arthur's alleged true name, "Artorius", all in leet.

Age:

I'm a young 'un at just 17.

Occupation or what do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be a chemical engineer and work on different polymers and composites for body armor or work in other engineering aspects of national security.

Allegiance and why?

I would probably have to go for here, but runs a close second. I've always been interested in history, and these two factions are the primary generals geared towards that. As a child I was first in love with knights, then switched over to romans in middle school, so I guess that has stuck with me.

When did you get into HeroScape and why?

I first played HeroScape one day when my younger cousin invited me to come over. I got creamed, but my interest was piqued and as a member of the digital generation, immediately looked it up online when I got home. I found this site and began to peruse the many, many offerings, trying my hand at terrain, custom units, and maps. After playing a couple more times with him, I asked for it for my birthday (oh the days when Wave 1/4/5 were easy to find!) and I've been playing ever since. I was a junior then and school was pretty intense, as I had to start thinking about college, SATs, AP classes, and myriads of other things. I enjoyed the game so much because I found HeroScape to have a calming effect, one that it still has today.

Favorite aspect of HeroScape and why?

Diversity is definitely one of HeroScape's strong points, and the variety of units is what really makes HeroScape cool in my mind. The fact that I can put flying warriors with knights, mechanized robots with elves, and dragons alongside my soldiers is pretty darn cool.

Favorite Hero and why?

This is a tough question. It's between Sgt. Drake and Nilfheim. Both have high mobility (except for those darn wings!), a ranged special, and can lay down the beatdown in melee. I think I'll have to go with Drake since he's been around for much longer and was my original favorite.

Favorite Unique Squad and why?

My favorite Unique Squad has got to be the Airborne Elite. From the very first time I played HeroScape to today, I have always enjoyed the idea of infantry troops falling from the skies and annihilating the enemies. My only quip with them is that if the die decides to be fickle and they don't drop, it can be a real pain in the booty to use them efficiently and balance the use of other troops, especially since I tend to be fairly aggressive in my play style and mosy modern map designs have small footprints that lessen the impact thay can make early game.

Favorite Common Squad and why?

This question is really hard. I like to play Romans, Heavies, and 4th Mass, and I find 'Reavers in many of my armies. out of the four, I would probably say Heavies are my favorite since they can bond with Chompy and the other orc champions. They can be used more aggressively than the others, and I think that fits my play style better. I've yet to try out the Knights though, and they seem like they can mirror the Heavies strength.

Favorite Special ability and why?

I don't really know the answer to this one...I would have to say Bonding since it adds such an interesting dynamic to the game by enabling multiple activations per turn and the variety of bonding choices gives great tactical flexibility.

Anything you'd change about the game - a unit, rule, or mechanic?

I'm a fan of the Sacred Band, and I think they would really benefit from bonding with non-Einar warlords. Same goes with the Armocs and non-Ullar warlords.

Symmetrical or asymmetrical.

I like symmetrical maps since they are inherently easier to balance, but the flavor of asymmetrical can make for some interesting gameplay.

Favorite terrain?

My favorite terrain is definitely Volcarren Wasteland. The rules for the terrain are incredibly simple, yet adds an interesting dynamic to the consiiderations players need to make before they make their moves.

What do you enjoy most about Heroscapers.com?

The creations: from custom terrain to figure modifications, to even just articles theorizing about strategy and map development, the creations here are what really draw me in.

Favorite HeroScape moment:

So many...

I suppose my favorite moment would be during NHSD when I played Hex_Enduction_Hour (not sucking up here, I swear ) in the immortals special event. We both had Sgt. Drake (SotM) as our Immortal, but I had brought along the AE, Theracus and MDG while he brought Raelin, Stingers and Rats. We played on Overlord, and I grappled Drake up to one of the beginning hills and sniped some rats. Next round the AE dropped, and in one turn they took out Raelin. They proceeded to keep wrecking havoc, and eventually it was my Drake, MDG, Theracus and one AE against two Stingers, two rats, and his Drake.
I used Theracus to fly MDG over to his Drake, failing in an attempt to wound him. My Drake came over too, and proceeded to have the first strike on Other Drake. H_E_H defended like a machine and struck back for four wounds. My second attempt was not that successful either, and Other Drake cleaved mine in two.
Part of what makes HeroScape great is the variablility of the dice, and this was a match indeed decided by Lady Luck. Thanks for that intense match H_E_H!

Another board game you enjoy and why?

When my friends and I have the time to get together and play, we often play Risk or Catan. The multiplayer aspect of it is great and we have great fun screwing each other over. We are also fans of Munchkins, continuing the screwing over your opponents theme.

Three true things and one lie about yourself:

1. I do not like fruits or vegetables.
2. I've beaten the third best junior fencer in the world.
3. My GPA is over 4.0.
4. I've been accepted to Stanford University.

Are you the only Scaper at your school? Or at least the most dedicated to the game?

I have gotten a few of my friends to play with me, but most Silicon Valley kids my age are more interested in electronic games than traditional games, and even in those that enjoy them, even fewer are high school students. I would then definitely have to say I'm the most dedicated, unless there's a fanatical closet 'scaper out there that I don't know about.

Other interests?

I play tennis and golf, and am a cadet in my school's Marine Corps JROTC program. I really like learning new things, which is why i spend over seven hours a day at school.

Any Heroscapers member you'd really like to play against?

There are many members here I want to play, but cannot due to geographical restraints. I would like to play against the quirky armies of Clarrisimus, killercactus and Zealot, and try my hand against some of the more intuitive players, like Nwojedi and Spider_Poison, as well as some of the revered players here such as RevDyer, Jexik, and Rÿchean. It would probably be pretty entertaining to play against DrLivingston too!

What message do you have for the community?

Be a community. The ties that are formed here are what lends HeroScape strength. Without this site, there would be far less recognition and support for HeroScape.

Also, support the Fortress Door and Nilfheim for the final in the Unit Battle Royale

Who do you pick for the next 'Scaper of the Week?

A man whose posts are always well-written, a man held in high-esteem by me, and a central member of the Florida gaming group, 1Mmirg.