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Step up to the Mike
by Jennie Bloom This is the first of a series of interviews I hope to conduct for WNOHGB. My first interviewee is Kate De Stephen, AKA Goddess of Empathy, who hails from the great state of Colorado. 1) When did you first start playing STCCG? Who got you interested? I started playing the game in early fall 1995, I believe right after the Beta release of premiere. My boyfriend (now my ex-husband) and I were over at a friend's house for dinner. Our friend showed us the cards, helped us build decks and taught us to play. We both started playing and collecting cards for a while, but I was the one who really took to the game and continued to play. 2) What do you enjoy most about the game? Is there any aspect of the game that you would like to change? I enjoy the massive variety of cards you can put into your decks. There are just so many different strategies to chose from. I think the game is very well balanced at the moment, but I feel that some of the games are lasting too long. Many games in tournaments time out these days. If there is some way of speeding up games, that would be worth looking into. 3) What is your favorite affiliation to use in a deck? Is there any affiliation that you would NEVER use? My favorite affiliation is the Romulans. I also like to combine the Romulans with the Cardassians. I haven't tried Borg or Dominion yet, but that doesn't mean that I won't one of these days. I don't think there will ever be an affiliation that I would never use. 4) I know you are a TD...has there ever been a funny or strange occurrence at any of the tourneys you ran? Actually, I've been part of the Ambassador program since October 1998. I see something amusing in just about every tournament. I seem to notice the most funny things happen in sealed deck tourneys because of all the cards in play that are not normally used. An example of this would be Targs ending up in Parallel Romances. One amusing observation in the first tournament I ran was watching DS9/Terek Nor flip about 5 or 6 times in a game between the Cardassians and the Bajorans (both had only the station with which to report personnel). 5) Which Star Trek character do you feel you are most like in real life? Well I'd have to say a combination of several characters. I'm stubbornly independent like Ro Laren, I can be a bit flirtatious like Jadzia Dax. However, I am often overwhelmed by the many facets of my personality, like Ezri Dax. 6) What do you think should be done to get more females involved in playing STCCG? I have been pondering this question for quite some time. I've been trying to talk a friend of mine into learning the game, then the one question she asked me was, "Are there any cute guys who play?" (I won't comment on my reply) ;-) Many of the women (but certainly not all) who play, do so because their boyfriends, spouses, significant others, and in some cases children got them into it. In my observation, the ones who do not end up playing for very long are overwhelmed by the complexity and the competition. I feel that there are some self-confidence issues here that can be alleviated by added encouragement from the people they play with. Some may not stick with it because it is so male dominated and they may feel alienated. I think more women assuming leadership roles in the game would help get other women interested. For instance, more female TD's and Ambassadors, and more women appearing at conventions giving demos, etc. would make them feel like they're not the only ones out there playing. 7) I'm hoping they create a new Star Trek television show soon...if you could make the new show about whatever you wanted, what would you do? I think it would be interesting to have the focus be on one of the other affiliations besides the Federation. It would be neat to see the Trek styled story line from another perspective. 8) Out of all the female characters in Star Trek, which one would you most want to be your friend? your sister? your mom? Jadzia Dax would be cool to be friends with. For a sister, I'd pick Amanda Rogers. Who wouldn't want to be related to a Q? For a mother, Moogie! Just look what she's done for Ferenginar! 9) Is there any certain card that you would never go without in a STCCG deck? Space/Time Portal 10) What is your all-time favorite ST:CCG deck that you've played or played against? My favorite one to play is my Cardie/Rommie Ore processing deck. I just love the way these two affiliations mix and I love the Nor mechanics. Honorable mention must go to my yearly Valentine's Day theme deck. I use all characters that have ''Romantically Involved with. . .'' in the lore or were involved with someone in some way on the shows. I have a variety for TNG and DS9. I also seed Risa (with a Horga'hn seeded there). All of my dilemmas are Female's/Male's love interest, Parallel Romance, and Brief Romance. I also use about 6-8 Jamaharons. 11) Do you play any other CCGs besides ST? Right now the only other one I play is YJCCG. I got totally hooked on it at the SW Celebration in Denver a few months ago. It's fun to play between rounds of a STCCG tourney because the rounds go so long these days there's usually time for a game of YJ. I've also played some B5:CCG. It's great for social/casual play, but I don't think I would every play competitively. 12) What do you like to do for fun besides STCCG-related activities? I like to go to movies and go out with friends. I also enjoy outdoor activities such as swimming, hiking, and camping. 13) Where do you buy your cards? If you haven't done it before, would you ever buy cards from an online retailer? There are a couple of local shops where I buy cards. I haven't bought from an online retailer yet, but I might one of these days. I usually buy here in town because I like to get the new cards for an expansion the day it is released rather than waiting for the cards to come in the mail. I'm just a little impatient. ;-) 14) Which Star Trek captain do you think would win in a caged deathmatch? Kirk, Picard, Sisko, or Janeway? I would have to say Janeway. Here are my reasons: Kirk would most likely beat the other 2 but would probably just put the moves on Janeway, he'd be quite distracted and she'd beat him senseless. The Prophets would probably take Sisko away at the last second, and Picard, well, Picard is not exactly the deathmatch type of captain. 15) What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in STCCG? Try not to be discouraged or overwhelmed at first. Keep playing lots! The more you play the better you get. |
