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:

Matthew Hirsch
1976
Web Developer
Warhammer 40k(the minis), almost any board game put in front of me, and every once in a while I'll get into an RPG (D&D or Vampire, usually). I try to stay away from other CCG's as they tend to be too much of a money drain.
A few thousand
about 10-12
Boston, MA

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 used to game with Carnegie Mellon University Gaming Club in Pittsburgh (which included a certain Mr. Ben Peal) and they started playing Jyhad when it came out in 94. I picked up a starter and few boosters a few weeks after the game came out, and, with some moderate trading, built a 120-card Nosferatu/Malk deck (which was my only deck until Sabbat came out). We got into the habit of having a Jyhad night once a week.

Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice?
Bloodlines would be my favorite for the tons of clans and disciplines it added. I was somewhat disappointed by the crypt art not matching my vision of what some of the BL vamps should look like; the Baali should look angry, not bored! But the added clans, disciplines and gameplay mechanics make up for the set's visual failings.
Sabbat would be my second choice, for the added clans and the increase in violence/gore.

Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why?
My favorite deck changes pretty frequently. Usually I favor whatever casual decks have provided the most fun out of my backpack o' decks. Right now my two faves are "Cat Scratch Fever" and "NecroSnakeLord". Cat Scratch is a mid-level Ahrimanes/!Nosferatu combat deck based on animalism and strength damage boosters(Wildebeast, Depravity, etc.). NecroSnakeLord is a 'just for fun' deck loosely based around creating a mid-to-high capacity Setite (preferably Sutekh) with Ex Nihilo and Heart Of Darkness. Then, when people ask what the NecroSnakeLord does, the reply is "ANYTHING HE WANTS!."

Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be?
Others have said it, but I'll say it again: More players. Some cities need recruitment more than others, but even in VTES-rich New England I think we could use more.
If I could subtract something from the game, I'd rewind time and stop White Wolf from doing the horrible card reformatting in Camarilla Edition.

Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people?
I help with tournaments in Boston, the Boston:VTES website (http://www.darkwindrising.com/vampire) and I try to cross-promote other Massachusetts VEKN domains like Seekonk and Worcester. I mostly lurk on the NG, and keep my comments to the Boston VTES mailing list.

Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play?
For casual decks, anything goes. I like to have an arsenal of different decks in my bag which can hopefully match the whim of the moment.
such as...
- a weak/fun deck for playing newbies
- a tournament deck for serious competition
- a '3AM' deck, built with more straightforward gameplay to compensate for impaired thinking
- a speed deck for making the game quicker (usually Baali)
In tournaments, I usually go for either stealth/bleed or combat, but usually with a healthy toolbox complement to keep opponents guessing.

Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play?
Yeah, I tend to play more aggressively in tournament games. In a casual game I might sacrifice VP's for the sake of sticking around longer.

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 used to game with Carnegie Mellon University Gaming Club in Pittsburgh (which included a certain Mr. Ben Peal) and they started playing Jyhad when it came out in 94. I picked up a starter and few boosters a few weeks after the game came out, and, with some moderate trading, built a 120-card Nosferatu/Malk deck (which was my only deck until Sabbat came out). We got into the habit of having a Jyhad night once a week.	Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice? Bloodlines would be my favorite for the tons of clans and disciplines it added. I was somewhat disappointed by the crypt art not matching my vision of what some of the BL vamps should look like; the Baali should look angry, not bored! But the added clans, disciplines and gameplay mechanics make up for the set's visual failings. Sabbat would be my second choice, for the added clans and the increase in violence/gore.
Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why? My favorite deck changes pretty frequently. Usually I favor whatever casual decks have provided the most fun out of my backpack o' decks. Right now my two faves are "Cat Scratch Fever" and "NecroSnakeLord". Cat Scratch is a mid-level Ahrimanes/!Nosferatu combat deck based on animalism and strength damage boosters(Wildebeast, Depravity, etc.). NecroSnakeLord is a 'just for fun' deck loosely based around creating a mid-to-high capacity Setite (preferably Sutekh) with Ex Nihilo and Heart Of Darkness. Then, when people ask what the NecroSnakeLord does, the reply is "ANYTHING HE WANTS!."	Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be? Others have said it, but I'll say it again: More players. Some cities need recruitment more than others, but even in VTES-rich New England I think we could use more. If I could subtract something from the game, I'd rewind time and stop White Wolf from doing the horrible card reformatting in Camarilla Edition.
Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people? I help with tournaments in Boston, the Boston:VTES website (http://www.darkwindrising.com/vampire) and I try to cross-promote other Massachusetts VEKN domains like Seekonk and Worcester. I mostly lurk on the NG, and keep my comments to the Boston VTES mailing list.	Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play? For casual decks, anything goes. I like to have an arsenal of different decks in my bag which can hopefully match the whim of the moment. such as... - a weak/fun deck for playing newbies - a tournament deck for serious competition - a '3AM' deck, built with more straightforward gameplay to compensate for impaired thinking - a speed deck for making the game quicker (usually Baali) In tournaments, I usually go for either stealth/bleed or combat, but usually with a healthy toolbox complement to keep opponents guessing.
Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play? Yeah, I tend to play more aggressively in tournament games. In a casual game I might sacrifice VP's for the sake of sticking around longer.