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:

David Vicente Vega
1972
Games Design Teacher
Board Games (various), Electronic Games (various - console and PC)
a library catalogue full plus some
6 guaranteed, 4 to 6 in constant flux
Sydney, Australia

Q1: How (and when) did you begin your career as a VTES-player? Who introduced you to the game? Where did you play originally?
Basically the day it was released in Australia I bought a starter and 6 boosters along with a friend, Tony. We had a couple of games to work out how to play and we were hooked. Then we showed the other members of our RPG group – at least I think we did, or did they find it in parallel. My memory is misty on this one.

The place we bought the cards was Tin Soldier in Hornsby and we normally played at my place (since it was the RPG headquarters for our little group).

Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice?
Dark Sovreigns and Bloodlines because they introduced the Ravnos and Baali respectively. Both used to be difficult to play (until expansions came out) and that's what I found challenging. However I generally like all cards if I can see a use for them.

Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why?
Up until now my favourite deck is tied for one of my "all girls" decks. Either the Gangrel Girls or my Ahrimanes Vulture Eaters.
The Gangrel Girls is a Force of Will, Movement of the Slow Body, Rapid Healing deck.
The Vulture Eaters can be seen in the Ahrimanes Newsletters.

Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be?
More balance. As a design teacher I'm always hounding my students to ensure Economies of Scale are addressed in their designs. I think that VTES still has a way to go for perfect balance (as do most games).

I did have an issue with Dominate Strategies which are slowly being taken care of, however a lot of people can agree that Nights of Reckoning was pretty broken, and even after the card bans it is still "off".

Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people?
As a Prince I'm regularly teaching new players how to play better (the game is easy to learn, but takes a lifetime to master). This includes holding live deck clinics to help them build viable decks. I will also talk them through every single card play I make during a demo game explaining the whys and hows of tactics.

Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play?
Unlike a lot of players I rarely actually build decks for tournament play. The Gangrel Girls and Vulture Eaters were built just to test out a trick or two and they did so well I used them in tournaments. I must admit that they seem pretty "hardcore" but they didn't start that way.

Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play?
My general style is one of being different. I don't do things that people expect. As such my style of play is the same in both instances, except that I tend to chuckle evilly in casual play and explain a lot of my actions for the benefit of new players.

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? Basically the day it was released in Australia I bought a starter and 6 boosters along with a friend, Tony. We had a couple of games to work out how to play and we were hooked. Then we showed the other members of our RPG group – at least I think we did, or did they find it in parallel. My memory is misty on this one. The place we bought the cards was Tin Soldier in Hornsby and we normally played at my place (since it was the RPG headquarters for our little group).	Q2: Which of the Sets and Expansions to VTES is your favorite, and why is it your top choice? Dark Sovreigns and Bloodlines because they introduced the Ravnos and Baali respectively. Both used to be difficult to play (until expansions came out) and that's what I found challenging. However I generally like all cards if I can see a use for them.
Q3: What is your favorite deck to play, and why? Up until now my favourite deck is tied for one of my "all girls" decks. Either the Gangrel Girls or my Ahrimanes Vulture Eaters. The Gangrel Girls is a Force of Will, Movement of the Slow Body, Rapid Healing deck. The Vulture Eaters can be seen in the Ahrimanes Newsletters.	Q4: If you could add something to the game, what would it be? More balance. As a design teacher I'm always hounding my students to ensure Economies of Scale are addressed in their designs. I think that VTES still has a way to go for perfect balance (as do most games). I did have an issue with Dominate Strategies which are slowly being taken care of, however a lot of people can agree that Nights of Reckoning was pretty broken, and even after the card bans it is still "off".
Q5: What do you do to help promote the game / why are you in this list of people? As a Prince I'm regularly teaching new players how to play better (the game is easy to learn, but takes a lifetime to master). This includes holding live deck clinics to help them build viable decks. I will also talk them through every single card play I make during a demo game explaining the whys and hows of tactics.	Q6: What is your favorite deck style for casual play / tournament play? Unlike a lot of players I rarely actually build decks for tournament play. The Gangrel Girls and Vulture Eaters were built just to test out a trick or two and they did so well I used them in tournaments. I must admit that they seem pretty "hardcore" but they didn't start that way.
Q7: Is there a difference between your casual play and tournament play? My general style is one of being different. I don't do things that people expect. As such my style of play is the same in both instances, except that I tend to chuckle evilly in casual play and explain a lot of my actions for the benefit of new players.