Entrevista com Guy Fullerton - parte final

Segue a parte final da entrevista com Guy. Na próxima seman providencio a tradução da mesma.

Boa leitura,
papa

...

Papa: How did you see the coming of 2.0?

Guy Fullerton: I'm very excited about it. I do have a little bit of inside info (which I can't share, sorry), and it looks pretty cool. But there is a lot of info about it that I *don't* have, so it's hard to for me to judge it completely.

There is one thing I can share, though: Personally, I don't think the new rule book matters as much as the new creatures and maps. The success of the game will depend on how cool, fun, and well-designed the creatures and maps are, as well as how well-written the card text is.

Papa: In the begining i was one who have great restrictions, but now i´m too ansious to wait the new 2.0 game. Did you think the anoucement of a 2.0 colection even with two previous colections to be lauch (Night Below and Desert of Desolation) have been made early to studie the players react? Both of us know, that the reactin through the comunitie in the begining and even now, it´s not a "seven heaven of delight".

Guy Fullerton: I don't believe the announcement was made to study the players' reactions; WotC already gathers player opinions in several other ways. I believe the announcement really was what WotC planned at that time to do.

Papa: It is a common knowledge that, it’s a hundread of times more easy to maintain an older client, that to conquer a new client. When has been announced the update to 2.0 a lot of players around the world became very upset with the news about the discard of the old ones minis. Do you believe that has been the players rebellion that made Wizard come back in his stupid decision?

Guy Fullerton: First, I don't think the initial plan was stupid. There are several potential benefits of retiring old sets, regardless of whether people are willing to believe those reasons. Personally, I think retiring the older sets is a good idea, and I am still in favor of it, even though it would mean several thousand US dollars worth of my own personal collection would be useless in skirmish.

I don't know what changed WotC's mind about the initial plan. I bet it was a combination of several factors, possibly including players, retailers (who have lots of back stock of older sets), and WotC designers & developers (who might have said they are willing to use personal time to do the re-stats).

Papa: Even respect your oppinion, i highly disagree with that. I can´t think anouces a retiring of the older sets it´s a good idea. One of the greatest problems that i saw, was a lot of player who had stoped play DDminis aflter that annoucement. I´m one that became very, very, but really very upset with that. Specialy because i´m very new to the game. Less than two years. And i spend a lot of money to complet my collections. I think wizards can have made this process without this rudness. And this made a lot of players think, in something. Did Wyz really think in the players? What you think about that?

Guy Fullerton: I'm *absolutely* sure WotC knew some players would be unhappy with the decision. (*Every* decision WotC makes will upset some of the players.) But apparently that was a sacrifice WotC was willing to make. I believe WotC felt that new players would replace any players who stopped playing, and 4th Edition D&D offered them a unique opportunity to attract more players to the skirmish game. Also, I know for a fact that some Dreamblade players were planning on starting to play D&D Minis when the new game came out *specifically* because they wouldn't need to collect minis from the oldest 11 sets.

To be honest, I'm a little bit surprised (but not completely surprised) that the skirmish players are more sensitive to a new version of the game than the role players are. Many role players have spent just as much money on soon-to-be-obsolete 3e and 3.5 D&D role playing books as the skirmish players have spent on would-have-been-obsolete minis. And heck, the skirmish players could still have gotten value out of their old minis by continuing to use them in the role playing game, or selling them to role players.

You also mention that you were upset partly because you spent a lot of money to complete your collections. I don't mean to be rude, but I think that's a little bit silly. If you spent lots of money over the last two years buying things like the Harbinger Mummy or the Dragoneye Large Monstrous Spider or the Archfiends Vrock, you already knew that you were spending money on minis that were so "bad" in the skirmish game that you'd probably *never* use them. So it barely matters that - under the old plan - you wouldn't have been able to use those minis (and hundreds of other similarly "bad" minis) in the new game.

But I also know that I'm probably not going to change your opinion about the original decision, and I also know that the original decision no longer matters. So I'll let you have the last word on that topic

Papa: A lot of players because of DCI system, take the game very seriously, and play to win and not to have fun. I knew a lot of players along the time, that have been defeated so many times in tournaments, that have take them to abandon the hobbie. You don´t think Wizard must make an greater effort to stimulate 4fun games?
Guy Fullerton: Stimulating more casual events is great. The hard part is doing that without significantly reducing the number of players that play competitive events. The fewer D&D Minis formats there are, the easier it is to find other D&D Minis players that will play that format. We already have a lot of formats: Constructed, Sealed, Draft, Wretched, Heroes, and some of those support both 200 point and Epic. That's a lot of formats, and events have been canceled at Gen Cons because not enough people were willing to play a particular format. Personally, I think WotC should *reduce* the number of formats that they officially support.

Papa: Personally i´m too conservator. I play only 200 and 500 points warbands. But in the last week we have made an friendly game with 1000 points and four players against each other in 6 hours of game. It´s ben very funny. Maybe Wiz must not make an championship with this others format, but an enconter who people don´t go to compete but to enjoy. Agree?

Guy Fullerton: I've heard other people (most notably, the Vancouver DDM team) say how fun the 1000 point format is. I think the 1000 point format would probably make a fun "casual" format.

Papa: At this year world championship, the champion have an warband very unnusual at the time. The warband, don´t represent the metagame at the moment. How this it´s good to your eyes?

Guy Fullerton: Eddie's warband is extremely strong. It offers several different offensive options for dealing with a variety of opposing warbands. It's a generally effective warband that also acts as a hate warband against Large Shadow Dragons, Ultroforge, and Storm Silverhand warbands. It's true that Eddie got a little bit lucky in some of his key matches, but nobody (and I mean *nobody*) wins a D&D Minis Championship without getting a little bit lucky in some of their key matches.

I also think Eddie's warband did represent the metagame. Sure, he didn't play triple Large Shadow Dragons or Ultroforge, but he did play multiple dragons, and 5 of the top 8 warbands featured multiple dragons. (Despite there being 16 Ultroforge warbands in the Championship, which was more than any other warband concept, none of them made top 8.)

Papa: Which is Guy Fullerton style of play?

Guy Fullerton: I prefer very competitive play, but I also enjoy casual play. Given the choice between playing in a sanctioned tournament and a casual league, I prefer the sanctioned tournament. I also like Sealed & Draft more than Constructed.

I am friendly when I play in a competitive, but I am still very competitive. I do not go out of my way to help my opponent, and I absolutely will take advantage of any mistakes they make. If you make a silly mental mistake in a competitive event, I will not allow you to take it back. I would not expect my opponent to let me undo a move, either.

In a casual event, I will help my opponent. In our local league, we often discuss each others' strategies as we are playing so that we can both learn from the match.

Papa: Something in your answer have take my atention. this part: "If you make a silly mental mistake in a competitive event, I will not allow you to take it back." Like you i´m also help a lot of my adversaries in games, even in sanction games, but just when the adversary it´s a new to the game. I have highly problems to acept an bad player, and specially bad loosers. You don´t think this can be made a rule. If you move with a peace, you can´t undo your move, just to be said.

Guy Fullerton: This rule basically already exists in the DCI judging philosophy, although it's not really written down anywhere. In general, judges shouldn't (or won't) allow take backs. It's hard to explain whether take backs should be allowed, and it's very problematic for me (or the DCI rules) to say "take backs can sometimes be allowed," because I don't want to set players' expectations incorrectly. So the only thing I'll really say is this: If you want to take back one of your moves, don't expect a judge to allow it. Don't bother asking, and do your best to learn from your mistake.

Papa: As a colector i have complete all DDminis colections since aberrations to desert of desolation. As a player, i´m well-know to scape from metagame options. I´ve alredy has been to a tournament with only two activation. It´s too good to be a collector and a player. But unfortunately, to brazilian people have their dreamed D20minis, it´s almost a sacrificy. A great part of us has becamed importers, buying the products direct from USA. Wizards will one day look to Brazil and recognize our potential? In last year we realize our national championship with 60 players in two days long. It was a great party, but unfortunately we don´t have any support. What you think we must do to get Wizard´s attention?

Guy Fullerton: Play lots of sanctioned events (every week, if you can) and make sure they are reported. This might help.

Becoming involved with the D&D Minis judge tests might also help show WotC how serious you are. The judge test can always use new questions, and can always use new translators.

But I don't really know anything about how WotC distributes product to Brazil, so there may be other factors involved with the lack of support.

Papa: Lets talk about something funny. I´m 36 years old. Have wife and one half year child named Julia. When I go to streets with an box under my arm to play minis i´m called “child”, “crazy”, only to say the light names. And I´m not the only one. The American players also have problem about “other” people who don´t understand the games: minis, rpg, strategic game, and don´t accept growing people played this games?

Guy Fullerton: I'm 36 years old too, lol

Yes, there are social stigmas associated with role playing games, miniatures games, and card games in the US too. But the stigmas here aren't really about being childish. They're about being geeky, nerdy, or un-cool.

Papa: Hehehe. And you people have problem to find a girlfriend to understand that? Thank´s god, My wife see no problem with that. She don´t play anithing but don´t care. But i really see a lot of friend´s of my with this problem.

Guy Fullerton: My wife also doesn't have a problem with it. She plays a few games herself, but I'm lucky. Not every woman is as open-minded about games as she is. I'm sure some players have problems finding a woman who will tolerate their hobby.

Papa: In Brazil a lot of players are divided in clans. This is a big shot of our co-forum-brother D20miniatures. To you have an idea, we have clans like: Tiamat, Silver Lords, Wargods, and others. I´m also in a clan. Each clan have directions who defines our conduct and play stile. At the each year´s end each player get points to your clan in the Brazilian minis League. You have something like that in USA? How did work?

Guy Fullerton: We don't have D&D Minis clans in the US ... at least not that I am aware of. But we have something close: A few geographical regions call themselves "teams." For example, when the Southern California players travel to big events, they wear "So Cal DDM" team shirts. The "Team Amish" players (mostly from the East Coast of the US) and the Vancouver (in British Columbia, Canada) players also wear team shirts to big events. For the 2007 Gen Con Indy events, Michael Derry (2006 Constructed Champion), Jesse Dean (top 8 in 2004) and I wore "Team DDG" shirts.

But we don't keep track of points. Teams here are mostly just a loose association of players that practice together and travel together to big events.

Papa: You know some brazilian players? What message you have to us?

Guy Fullerton: My message to the Brazillian players is this: I highly recommend traveling to Gen Con Indy if you can. I'm sure it's expensive, but there is nothing like it. Playing against, talking with, and going out to dinner with players from the US, Canada, and Europe is absolutely amazing! The minis events are great, too! It's a great time, and you will make many new friends!

Papa: What are the plans of Guy Furlleton about future? More minis games?

Guy Fullerton: My wife is pregnant with our second child, who will be born in early July, so I won't have as much time to play games in a few months. But I still plan to play D&D Minis occasionally, and - if I have the time - continue to help out with the clarifications, judge test, and articles.

My two and a half year old son already likes to play games, and he likes using my D&D Minis as toys, so I am really looking forward to playing more games with him too!

I also plan to try out 4th edition D&D when it is released. I haven't done any role playing in about five years, so I'm looking forward to it. It looks very fun, and it might even convince my wife to try role playing again. (She used to play too, but that was a long time ago...)

Papa: Well, thank you very much for this great experience. I, and with sure our forum comunity wish to you and your family the best. And we really hope one day I and my friends can go to Gen Con and also you can come to our country to play some plastic game with some "growing brazilian child".

Guy Fullerton: You're welcome!

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