Where did the Black Sheep come from? It starts around 1995.
Chris and Paul met in high school and started playing Magic: the Gathering. Not long after Chris' brothers Joey and Nick were sucked in as well. Josh was a friend of a friend of Chris and eventually was a part of our regular gaming clique. Eli joined up in the late 90's, days of Star Wars: CCG. He was a kid who played Star Wars: CCG at the local shops and was a little more mature than the other kids that played. Lucas showed us how to play Star Wars CCG competitively. Before him we were very much fanboys rather than tourney level players. Jason started hanging with us and going to tourneys after Chris met him Freshman year in college. Dave was a friend of Paul who started hanging out and getting into games with us. Over the years, we've thrived on the hobby and competition of strategy games. Here is a little bit about each of us.
The First Nine
Chris(Talapas): A strong strategist, Chris is always playing to win. Lately he has been playing Warhammer, Dominion, Settlers of Catan, Race for the Galaxy, Magic the Gathering (Occasionally), Warmachine (starting it). He has played many games in the past like Star Wars Collectible Card Game, Star Wars Minis, Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Ed., Twillight 2000, Rune Wars, Twillight Imperium, Rifts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, VS, Heroclix, Battlefleet Gothic, Mordheim, Carcasone, Puerto Rico, Agricola, Ticket to Ride, Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Magic The Gathering Online, NES Games, SNES Games, Ascension, and Descent.Chris has amassed the following honors:
- Undefeated at OFCC 2011 to help my team to a 3rd place finish.
- Won a 3-D set of Settlers of Catan in a Settlers Tourney with 20+ Participants.
- 2 Top 10 finishes at Star Wars CCG Regionals Tourneys.
- First Place in the very first Warhammer Fantasy Battle Tourney played in at Borderlands.
Dave(Spoken): Dave has been honing his Settlers of Catan and Dominion skills to perfection. He is usually up for anything board or non CCG card game, but has a rule, “If it takes longer than 2 hours to play one game and it is not a role-playing game, he is out.”
Eli(Horde_o_SeaGuard): Bringing the forces of good to bear, Eli has been concocting formulas of attack with the light side for years. Lately, he has been playing Warhammer, Dominion, and sometimes Race for the Galaxy, also sometimes video games. In the past, he has played Star Wars CCG, DnD, Magic, Babylon 5, Young Jedi, various boardgames.
He started playing Dungeons and Dragons with his brother and his friends when he was really young. At 13-14 he bought his first packs of Star Wars CCG, not so much to play but more because he was way into Star Wars. One of his friends told him about a tournament at game store in Salem called Wild Things and he went, even though he still didn't know how all the rules worked. He became a regular at the tournaments and became friends with the other members of the Black Sheep. Because of Star Wars, he became friends with the owners of Borderlands Games store in Salem, who introduced him to Warhammer and Warhammer 40k. He didn't actually start painting any of his models until about 5 years after buying the first ones. Then, it wasn't until Chris, Josh, and Paul asked him to join their OFCC (Ordo Fanaticus Club Challenge) team that he finished painting any units. He thinks that army would still be only partially painted if the tournament hadn't required painted armies. He had an awesome time at the tournament and all the Warhammer played and painting done in preparation for the tournament reignited his interest in the hobby. He is currently finishing the painting on his high elf army and has begun painting a new Bretonnian army.
Jason: The most uber power gamer among the Black Sheep, Jason always finds the biggest, strongest, fastest way to win, and executes it precisely.
Joey: Playing a little bit of everything, Joey brings a strong presence to any game.
Josh(Iraf): A poker player at heart, Josh plays with precision, and a strong tactical sense. His games include Swccg, boardgames, WoW, Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40k, Sw:Tor (pending).
He frequents Ancient Wonders in Tualatin, usually on Wednesday evenings, and gets to WoW (Western Oregon Wargamers) at 717 SE Main St, Portland Oregon on Sunday nights at 6pm as much as he can. Sundays is Fantasy night, and more information can be found at Ordofanaticus.com/forum. Iraf has been gaming with the Black Sheep for going on 15 years now, taking a 6 year hiatus while in the military. He is currently playing Skaven, and has an up and coming Warriors of Chaos army he is slowly painting.
Lucas(GandhiinAK): With a shrewd intellect, Lucas is a fearsome opponent in any game. He has contented in Star Wars CCG world championships in the past. He also has played many other games like: Warhammer Fantasy, Dominion, Magic: The Gathering, Rio Grande Games, Last night on Earth (zombie game), and looking for more.
He enjoys learning new games, but especially the quality time spent with old friends.
Nick(Moby): Famous for his Big Blue deck back in the old Magic: The Gathering days, Nick plays with an overwhelming style, that somehow creeps up on you. Making you lose when you least expected, though I suppose that's a kindness in a way.
Paul(Ioscode): Willing to play most any game, Paul is most fond of games with unique mechanics, or heavy strategy elements. Lately he has been playing tile and card games like Settlers of Catan and Dominion, as well as Warhammer. In the past, he has played Star Wars: CCG, Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars Galaxies, EVE Online, Everquest 2, Age of Conan, everything based in Forgotten Realms that Bioware has made, Dungeons and Dragons, Twilight Imperium, Descent, and on, and on. He's won many a small town tournament, and placed 3rd at a regional Star Wars: CCG tournament.