Who's Who in the V:TES Community

Vital Statistics:

Name:
Year of Birth:
Occupation:
Other Games Played:
Number of Cards owned:

Number of Decks ready to play:
Play in:

John Newquist
1982
Software Developer
All kinds of board games, some RPGs
A lot. It's kind of hard to keep count at the moment, because all of my Lords of the Night cards are still scattered around the game room.
Usually 8-10. Currently around 6-8.
Atlanta, USA

Q1: How (and when) did you begin your career as a VTES-player? Who introduced you to the game? Where did you play originally?
I bought some cards after reading an interview by Richard Garfield in The Duelist magazine. I was a big fan of Magic at the time, and reading the designer's thoughts on what worked and didn't in Magic and how he wanted to improve those areas sparked an interest. Most of my friends at the time weren't interested in getting into another CCG though, and I couldn't really afford it myself, so a couple of decks sat in my room unused for several years.
While I was in college, I spent a lot of time at the Game Closet in Terre Haute, Indiana, where I discovered some V:TES starters for something like $3 each. My girlfriend at the time (now my wife) and I bought up what they had and discovered that several of the store's regulars also played, and got into things. They were a somewhat isolated playgroup, and still did things like 4-card-limits and stuff, but it was a lot of fun, whenever enough people could be roused for a game.
After college I got a job in Atlanta, and eventually found the local playgroup where I now play in earnest.

Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice?
I'm a huge fan of Nights of Reckoning. I've always had a fondness for Hunter: the Reckoning, but I was pretty apprehensive when the set was first announced. I was pleasantly surprised by some design decisions that allowed for a relatively smooth integration of some important RPG elements into the CCG.

Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why?
I'm a huge fan of Darby Dance imbued decks. I scour every new set for additional equipment to move around alongside the Laptop/Leather Jacket and other effects to eke out every little bit of additional performance.
The most recent version is here: http://thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#2k7mbsatl
However, it's out of date in 2008 - I'll leave it to the reader to figure out what should replace the Edge Explosion.

Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be?
Joshua "God45" Matthews, Wayward :)

On a more serious note, I really think a couple of new convictions would be a really good idea. The existing cards do a great job of translating the conviction mechanics from the RPG, but when you're building an imbued deck, 20+ cards in your deck are pretty much locked in as convictions, so some more variety there would be really nice.

Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people?
When I overcome my inherent laziness, I write newsletters for the imbued. When I'm succumbing to it, I'm a prolific newsgroup poster.

Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play?
We've seen a lot of new players in the Atlanta playgroup recently, so I've shied away from playing imbued so much casually, as it can be a lot of information overload at times.
When I'm not playing imbued, I'm a big fan of non-weenie swarm decks, such as Honor the Elders.

Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play?
Atlanta's got a very experimental playgroup, with a lot of variety in experience and skill level, so casual play is pretty forgiving, and I run with that. A lot of that experimentation bleeds into the tournament scene as well, but generally only the more successful experiments.

Back to the index of Who's Who in V:TES.

Q1: How (and when) did you begin your career as a VTES-player? Who introduced you to the game? Where did you play originally? I bought some cards after reading an interview by Richard Garfield in The Duelist magazine. I was a big fan of Magic at the time, and reading the designer's thoughts on what worked and didn't in Magic and how he wanted to improve those areas sparked an interest. Most of my friends at the time weren't interested in getting into another CCG though, and I couldn't really afford it myself, so a couple of decks sat in my room unused for several years. While I was in college, I spent a lot of time at the Game Closet in Terre Haute, Indiana, where I discovered some V:TES starters for something like $3 each. My girlfriend at the time (now my wife) and I bought up what they had and discovered that several of the store's regulars also played, and got into things. They were a somewhat isolated playgroup, and still did things like 4-card-limits and stuff, but it was a lot of fun, whenever enough people could be roused for a game. After college I got a job in Atlanta, and eventually found the local playgroup where I now play in earnest.	Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice? I'm a huge fan of Nights of Reckoning. I've always had a fondness for Hunter: the Reckoning, but I was pretty apprehensive when the set was first announced. I was pleasantly surprised by some design decisions that allowed for a relatively smooth integration of some important RPG elements into the CCG.
Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why? I'm a huge fan of Darby Dance imbued decks. I scour every new set for additional equipment to move around alongside the Laptop/Leather Jacket and other effects to eke out every little bit of additional performance. The most recent version is here: http://thelasombra.com/decks/twd.htm#2k7mbsatl However, it's out of date in 2008 - I'll leave it to the reader to figure out what should replace the Edge Explosion.	Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be? Joshua "God45" Matthews, Wayward :) On a more serious note, I really think a couple of new convictions would be a really good idea. The existing cards do a great job of translating the conviction mechanics from the RPG, but when you're building an imbued deck, 20+ cards in your deck are pretty much locked in as convictions, so some more variety there would be really nice.
Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people? When I overcome my inherent laziness, I write newsletters for the imbued. When I'm succumbing to it, I'm a prolific newsgroup poster.	Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play? We've seen a lot of new players in the Atlanta playgroup recently, so I've shied away from playing imbued so much casually, as it can be a lot of information overload at times. When I'm not playing imbued, I'm a big fan of non-weenie swarm decks, such as Honor the Elders.
Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play? Atlanta's got a very experimental playgroup, with a lot of variety in experience and skill level, so casual play is pretty forgiving, and I run with that. A lot of that experimentation bleeds into the tournament scene as well, but generally only the more successful experiments.