Community Spotlight
11th August, 2011 by Popeychops

Watson

Watson looked over his shoulder while the bartender chatted amicably with the well-dressed gentleman. Any second now, his accomplice would walk through the mahogany double-doors, carrying a claymore. There were easier ways to rob a high-class drinking establishment, surely, but the voices in his head said “no guns”….
At 17:03, on the dot, NowhereT walked into the lounge. Detective Constable Jecon casually leaned into him, before shoving him in the small of his back. NowhereT sailed over Jecon’s knee, and was handcuffed as soon as he hit the floor. Watson flinched involuntarily, despairing at the arrest of his associate. Had someone talked? Were the police preparing, right now, to arrest him? He turned back to his double of… whatever it was he was drinking. He raised the glass to his mouth, which coincided with the moment the pistol touched the base of his skull.
He froze, and the sudden stopping if his wrist flung the contents of his glass down his throat. A single tear formed in his left eye. He felt too young to die.

“Watson, take your hands out of your jacket pockets, and place them flat on the bar.”
Watson complied, glad that he was being given a second chance to live. He looked behind him at the well-dressed gentleman, and was alerted by the darkness creeping over his vision that he was blacking out.

Watson opened his eyes, to see a single light above him in the cell. He was handcuffed, seating with his wrists in the small of his back. If he tried to get up, he would probably fall over. Detective Inspector Popeychops had struck him on the temple, and Watson’s head was still spinning.

A sharp click announced the awakening of the ancient tape recorder in the desk in front of him. A clear voice enunciated:

Bold: Interviewer (Popeychops)
Regular: Suspect (Watson)

“Interview commencing with Watson, alias; The Unconvincing Spook, at 6:58PM. Present in the room are Detective Inspector Popeychops and Detective Constable Jecon.

So, Watson, how long have you been frequenting the AoKH lounge? What brought you to our fine institution?”

“I’ve been around for about a year and a half, and it feels quite long. :p

I believe it was during the time when I was looking for scenarios others might have made, and stumbled upon the blacksmith. I kept returning ever since, amazed by the quality of the scenarios. I was also surprised that there was such a large community online dedicated to the game. Eventually I discovered the forums and signed up.”

“Do you visit any other “heavenly” establishments?”

“A fair few; The HeavenGames Main Mafia Forum and the fairly new Age of Empires Online Heaven are my frequented ones. Excluding AoKH, of course.”

“How did you start playing Age of Empires II?”

“I believe I received the game as a present from someone, and was immediately sidetracked by the game’s well-captured war atmosphere.”

You’re an avid player of the “Mafia” forum game. What’s that all about? Why do you play it?

“It’s an extremely interesting game, which is about pitching an uninformed “majority” against an informed “minority”, who must work together to equalise the number of players between the groups. This minority of the players know who each other are, while the majority don’t. Together this majority (“Town”) must work together (by logically deducing, trial and error, taking risks) to eliminate the minority (“Mafia”) while conserving their numbers.

And I play it because it is basically the most fun one can get from a forum game.”

“You currently have three entries in the Blacksmith. What are the stories behind them? Will there be any new additions?”

“There isn’t an awful lot to tell about them, actually; one is an entry to the Totally Terrain Contest hosted by BF_Tanks, which won third place surprisingly. The next one is a tiny map pack I submitted after experimenting with really small map sizes. The final one is an entry to the Pretty Terrain Contest which I never finished, and probably never will.

I’m rather disappointed that I’ve never released a single complete game, but I still have many in the works, some of them being occasionally worked on, though interest is lacklustre.”

“Who is your favourite designer of all time?”

Piece by Piece 3 being my favourite scenario of all time, I’m rather inclined to say “the SD community”. :p

The works of Ingo were probably some of the best told stories, but as a designer Turty is often overlooked. Julius, Mashek and Basse are other favourites.” (Y)

“Your records show you’re still in education. What do you study? What societies are you part of?”

“At university I’m currently studying Law. I’m part of a couple of societies, one of which is Student Union.”

“What are your other interests?”

“I like casual sports, namely badminton and tennis, and reading.”

Quickfire questions…

“What colour is the shirt you’re currently wearing?”

“Red.”

“Name your favourite foodstuff.”

“Chocolate.”

“What would be your dream job?”

“Private investigator.” :p

“Tea or Coffee?”

“Tea.”

“Town or Countryside?”

“Countryside.”

“Where will your next holiday be?”

“I’m hoping it will be Italy. *Fingers crossed*”

“Lastly, is there anything you’d like to recommend?” (Band/website/composer/scenario/film etc.)

“Composer — Saint-Saëns. One of the greatest.”

“Thank you, Mr Watson, for your co-operation. We will notify your family in order to arrange your bail.”

About the Interviewer
Popeychops is a multiplayer scenario designer and a member of Black Forest Studios. He currently is a student reading Physics at Southampton University. In between excommunications, he likes to relax while reading or spending time in the gym.