Q1: How (and when) did you begin your career as a VTES-player? Who introduced you to the game? Where did you play originally? Hmmm...back in 6th grade I was young and vulnerable and somehow got addicted to a substance several times more potent and more evil than crack. It was this CCG by Wizards of the Coast that will be forever known only as "that other game." (Hint: It involves land, mana, 5 different colors, and some really cute and cuddly Savannah Lions). In any case, "that other game" was my first introduction to the wonderful(ly evil) world of collectible card games. About a year later my friends and I were still playing "that other game" and loving it. Two of my playgroup wanted to convince the rest of us to try this other CCG called Jyhad. When they first told me about it I thought it was uber-lame. Scrye had a card list and this Jyhad game had lame card titles like Torn Signpost and RPG Launcher (which at the time I thought stood for "Role-Playing-Game Launcher"). In addition, White Wolf's Vampire the Masquerade was this forbidden area of gaming. When I was growing up, my father was one of those who was brainwashed by media and the religious right that "AD&D was satanic and EEEEVIL!" When I was a kid he forbade me from even watching the D&D cartoon (which I thought was really cool) and wouldn't let me play. ='( Eventually he came around, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be coming home with some game about vampires! Anyway, the only people who played Vampire the Masquerade in Junior High were the scary not-yet-Goth-but-future-Goth people (one of who actually got in trouble for reading Clanbook: Tremere during class once). All in all, this Jyhad game didn't sound like a really good idea... ...but those two friends eventually did convince everyone to give the game a try. I bought a starter deck or two. One of these guys then went off "assigning" clans to everyone (or at least that's what it felt like). He was nice enough to lend lots of people free cards (and due to a limited card base, this is probably why clans were more or less "assigned"). I ended up with Ventrue. I really wanted Tremere myself, but I could have ended up with far worse. Later on, I even did manage to build a make-shift Tremere deck on my own. Our playgroup played Jyhad for a little bit but it never really took hold. We eventually reverted back to just playing "that other game." The problem with "that other game" was that it released far too many expansions too quickly, meaning that poor kids like us didn't have the money to keep up. After junior high school, we pretty much stopped playing "that other game" and that particular circle of friends gradually broke up. Most of this took place somewhere between after Ancient Hearts and before the time of Sabbat. Jyhad also had the dubious distinction of truly introducing me to the World of Darkness. Whereas many players get introduced to Jyhad through Vampire the Masquerade, for me it was the other way around. Of course heaven forbid that I would ever actually *play* Vampire the Masquerade (at this time, creepy LARPers hanging around the downtown Riverwalk were causing quite a stir). But it piqued my interest enough that even though I had long stopped playing Jyhad, I did study up quite a bit on the Vampire the Masquerade RPG and White Wolf's World of Darkness. Fast forward to several years later. Jyhad appears to be "dead" (at least officially). It pretty much comes to: one day out of the blue I think "hey, remember that Jyhad game, it was actually pretty cool." From there, I gradually re-learn it and also eventually find the wondrous newsgroup. Of course many years pass by where I still do not have a playgroup, yet I still post prolificly. I eventually find a small group at school in Champaign-Urbana and the Chicago playgroup eventually coalesces. And in the Summer of 2002, while going undercover as a homeless bum, I finally get a chance to meet in real life many of the luminaries of the VTES world. Interesting to meet in real life people you've been talking to on-line for the past several years. And here we are to the modern day...	Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice? I'd have to say that the Sabbat is the coolest expansion. It includes tons of awesome and useful cards. And of course, it has the Tremere Antitribu. I am *not* however particularly fond of the artwork for the Sabbat ('cept for the Succubus of course). A little too bloody and a little too gruesome for my tastes. In regards to artwork, Ancient Hearts wins hands down. The artwork in AH is simply breathtaking. Ranging from gorgeous vampires like Aisha and Kemintiri to stunning pieces of architecture like Arcanum Chapterhouse and Grand Temple of Set. And of course it had the super powerful card that should have been banned along with The Return to Innocence - the very much feared Mummify! The original Jyhad base set also has a special place in my heart. It was so simple, yet so elegant and so balanced all at the same time. There were also some great pieces like Aching Beauty, Gunther, Cassandra of course (Lookee! She's floating in the air!), Anneke, Smudge, the cute Wolf Companion puppy, and the absolutely devastating Jackie Therman. The original. I am still extremely annoyed, pissed off, and offended by the Camarilla Edition rendition of her. Oh Jackie, what has happened to you?
Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why? My personal favorite deck to play would be my classic Tremere/!Tremere weenie Thaumaturgy deck (Cryptic Mission Deck). This was really the first "real" deck I made and one that has been constantly tweaked and improved throughout the years. It's also seen all sorts of different incarnations. I'm a big fan of the Tremere and Tremere Antitribu so that's always been a big plus as well. Also note that recently, I took a version of this deck to the 2002 North American Championship and it performed *so* well that I managed to qualify for the Triple-Zero Club! I'd tell you more about this clandestine organization but I'm sworn to secrecy... This deck has also gained quite a bit of notoriety in my Chicago area playgroup. A few tournaments ago, my deck was apparently the only thing that kept one player from winning. I guess it had so much of an impact that he added Letter from Vienna to his deck just because of me! Recently I played against him at the Naperville Storyline Tournament and he was rather dismayed to learn that the Tremere Antitribu don't really care about such international dispatches (he ended up having to discard it).	Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be? #1. Um...more hot Jyhad/VTES players? #2. Um...more hot vampire crypt cards? #3. Um...and how about fashionable VTES apparel and a signature Jyhad cologne (that of course wouldn't smell anything like blood, dead things, or sweaty gamers)?
Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people? Hmmm...I typically do a lot of posting on the newsgroup (though recently I've been out of action for a few months). It typically ranges from giving some commentary, answering some rules questions, getting frustrated from repetitive rule questions, and defending the honor of my dear lady Cassandra, Magus Prime. To her detractors: Know that payback is coming soon one way or another... I'm also the on-and-off Editor for the Tremere Antitribu Newsletter (the latest installment is coming soon. Really! I mean it this time!). I have completely finished two full newsletters in the past but I usually try to do an insanely thorough job on them which is why I have such a hard time finishing them. I guess I also get some points for being an old-timer on the newsgroup. My. I've been posting for so long that sometimes I just lose track. I don't have a web-site ready right now but I am working on one. And of course another major way I try to promote VTES and gaming overall is by trying my best to break gamer stereotypes. Not all gamers are fat, dirty, smelly, disgusting people who haven't bathed in weeks (a la that comic store owner in the Simpsons). Thus I try my best to bring some style to the game. I do my best to plan and wear fashionable outfits to all the Jyhad tournaments I attend. In fact, I've found that half of the fun of conventions is shopping and prepping for the convention (as opposed to the actual event). And due to the dynamics of large groups of people at conventions and the unhygienic habits of some gamers, I'm never without a bottle or two of cologne at most of the tournaments I go to (I tend to prefer Abercrombie Woods and Gap Blue, though I'll consider other requests! I also really like the new Abercrombie Fierce!).	Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play? I personally tend to prefer slow and steady decks that plan for the long-term. I like decks which gradually build up permanent resources as opposed to decks that cycle a lot and play all of their cards and are therefore out of their library by turn 4 or 5. I prefer fun and amusing trick decks more than efficient but boring tournament worthy decks. And of course, I still don't play Nosferatu, !Nosferatu, Harbingers, or Samedi! Eeewwww!
Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play? Not really. At tournaments, I might be a bit stricter with the rules (i.e. less take-backs). I typically won't go into "L.A. style" mode unless someone's really pissing me off or I *really* want to win (i.e. for storyline tourneys, etc.). I'm also a lot friendlier in casual play and usually don't have to try to go incognito then.

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