Q1: How (and when) did you begin your career as a VTES-player? Who introduced you to the game? Where did you play originally? August 1994. I was living in Austin, Texas, and trying M:tCH, but I was quickly losing respect for the game (poor multiplayer, one turn kills, and power cards - I hate games that boil down to "he with the most money to buy the right pieces for the one turn kills wins."). At that time, Stephen Beaulieu (the guy credited with the “Bloody Politics” variant.) started talking me into this new CCG that was coming out based on V:tM. I was never a V:tM person, but I was intrigued by the multiplayer aspect and being able to get in on the ground floor. So I reserved some cards and tried the game out a few times. I almost left the game after that first few tries, but a trade deal for all of my Jyhad cards fell through, so I decided to stick with it for a little while. We got a group of four people to meet regularly at Stephen's apartment and started trying to get new players. Eventually, Ethan Burrow and Greg Faulkner joined us and the Austin group pretty much took off from there.	Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice? the Sabbat is still my favorite. lots of reasons why, for instance: to me, it is the high point in the visual design of the game. Bolton's clan backgrounds are wonderful (just take a good look at the Tzimisce background), the interface design had matured from the original set, and the art (most of it) really felt appropriate for the dark and dangerous set. It really marked my true initiation into the “temple of pain”. Prior to that I had dabbled in pure combat decks, but most of them were a bit on the toolboxy side. Working on that set was really a lot of fun (mixed in with the frustration), some of my favorite vtes memories are from that time period.
Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why? I have too many decks that I like to play to name a favorite (though if you really really pushed me to name one, I guess it would have to be the thrown gate deck. Jeff has a beta version of it somewhere on his site). Though I did always enjoy playing “Hooters with Shooters” – an old aus, dom, cel toolboxy theme deck; all female vamps with guns. I think my favorite type of deck to play is one that uses cards no one ever uses (and works). It's great to see people's faces screw up while they think "wtf is he up to now?!"	Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be? well, I think we have some good people in a variety of important places (card development, rules, ratings, promotion) and while some things could be done to improve those areas I think the one thing _I_ would add is a better art dept at WW (note: when I say art dept, I do not mean the guys and gals who paint the pretty pictures. I mean the folks at WW who try to do the nuts and bolts of putting the pieces together into a coherent package). They took a stab at updating the look of the set and while they have accomplished some of the things they stated they wanted to do with the updated look (and Anarchs improved on that a little), they are still falling short in spots. I see no reason why the quality cannot be improved here. that's not an "I don't like the way it looks" bitch, that's an opinion from someone in the design industry on the effectiveness of the interface. (look at my occupation folks, what was I supposed to say?) :)
Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people? Lately? Not much. I've sort of been in torpor. I am mostly a "behind the scenes" sort of guy, so it's no big surprise if most people are scratching their heads saying "Who the hell is this guy? Never heard of him". Some of the things I have done have included: Once upon a time I had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time and got the opportunity to work with WotC on vtes for a little while. There is also a preview of "the Sabbat" in an old issue of the Duelist (14 I think, though I could be very wrong) that bears my name and caused a bit of tooth-gnashing back in the day. Around 1999 or 2000, I worked with the Lasombra and LSJ to create a full color version of the vtes playmat, which Jeff had laminated and then distributed at that seasons summer cons. WW also graciously hosted a .pdf version of the mat on their site for a while (the big 67mb file - my fault. Though no one there ever asked for a smaller version.) In 2000 I began what I had hoped would be a grand crusade of recruitment in the gaping hole of the vtes demographic that is Indiana (how is it that a state surrounded by Illinois, Michigan and Ohio can have so few people who play?). It's a Sisyphian task ... It’s been a very tough road trying to get locals excited about the game (the local “gamers” are ALL about ‘fast’ games and first turn kills – so vtes has been a very tough sell). Been much easier to cheer on the other Indiana princes, support and encourage them as best I can.	Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play? I like doing things that people don't normally do. Those decks don't usually make it into tournaments though. I really try to mix things up so people don't know what to expect from me. I'll bring politics to one tournament, ranged combat to another, heavy bleed another time, something toolboxy...
Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play? that depends. If we are talking about casual play when I am with experienced players who meet regularly, I don't think there is much of a difference. But when I am teaching people how to play or trying to bring people back into the fold, I think you almost have to hold back on opening up the throttle all the way. I've seen too many people who are thinking about getting back into the game get crushed by an experienced player and then decide it's not worth their time. I don't think there are enough of us to afford losing any.

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