Tiffany is the only woman who pledged the Season 2 Kickstarter for having a dedicated Survivor and, as Shoogoo, she agreed to answer our questions.
The interview was designed and conducted by XofMdS:
How and when did you found out about Zombicide?
I came across the original Kickstarter about 10 days before the project ended. It was one of the earliest projects I backed, and it was definitely the most exciting! I got caught up in the excitement of videos, images, updates, and stretch goals… but I only pledged at the $100 level that time.
How did you decide to take the huge « I am Legend » step?
(« I am Legend » was the highest pledge, which allowed to be taken as a reference for a Survivor and its Zombivor.)
I really loved the first game from the moment I got it. I played it frequently, either solo or with my husband, and also took it to several family gatherings. I went a little overboard with the organization, too – card sleeves, plastic stands, dice towers, plastic cases, a binder full of color printouts of missions, custom pockets on the character cards using double-sided post-it tape… I even bought a laminator!
For Season 2, I was following Guillotine Games’ Facebook page, and they talked about the « I Am Legend » level for Season 2 there. I knew right away I wanted it, and made plans to be online as soon as the Kickstarter went live.
I got my pledge in right after the Kickstarter opened, but I was a little concerned that it said « limit of 2 » and yet it had 3 backers in it. So I emailed GG to make sure everything was ok. They were very gracious and made sure that all 3 of us got into the game.
After the KS is over, how did Guillotine Games and you processed into the design of your Survivor? Is there any easter egg around its art?
Nicolas Raoult emailed me after the Kickstarter ended. He asked for photos of me to use for the art and miniature, and to send any other suggestions, if I had any. He also asked for my height, for consistency among the minis. I sent him one photo as the main inspiration, with several other pictures as additional reference.
Regarding an « Easter Egg », I did say that I would love to see one item I had in my photo included with my character. But I didn’t see how they would be able to add it, since the characters usually only carry weapons. To my surprise and delight, they turned it INTO a weapon, and it is AWESOME! You’ll see what I mean when they release the images. 🙂
That IS intriguing!!! Is that a weapon in the game (a card), or is it « decorating » your illustration?
Sadly, I do not know yet. They have not mentioned a weapon card for me, so it may just be decoration. It would be a great ultra-red card, though! But I’m not as famous as « Will » or « Ross », who got the rocket launcher and bowling ball cards.
Did you get to choose your weapon(s)?
I did not choose any weapons specifically, although they did ask me for input. About a month after I sent the information, they sent me the rough sketches and asked what I thought. I asked them to change one small thing (swap the weapons in each hand), but otherwise the sketches were even better than what I’d imagined!
After the KS is over, how did Guillotine Games and you processed into the profile of your Survivor? Did you get some access to new Skills to eventually pick one of them? Does it reflect some kind of your personnality, or did you choose a more fictionnal path?
Along with the photos, I sent some of my interests and skills so they could include it in the character’s look or background story. I also told him that the zombie movie character I was most similar to was Reggie from « Night of the Comet », my favorite 80’s zombie movie.
On my own, I selected a complete list of Skills for both Survivor and Zombivor, following the standard skill progression. Since this was right after the Season 2 Kickstarter, I was only able to include Skills we knew about at that time.
Mostly I picked things I thought I could actually do, or the basic +1 die / +1 action abilities. Since I am a capable shooter, and would definitely prefer to fight Zombies at a distance, I was very gun-focused in my Skill selections.
Nicolas later sent me an update saying they were playtesting those exact Skills, and « Tiff » was killing lots of zombies! However, I have not seen my character’s final card or description yet, so I don’t know how much of what I sent will actually be used.
*Regina, played by Catherine Mary Stewart, in « Night of the Comet » (1984) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087799/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
So you did not get any « new » Skill? Or you don’t know your final ID Card? Can we assume « Tiff » will be the name of the Survivor? Is it your choice or theirs, and is there any reason why?
I haven’t seen the card yet so I am not sure what my character’s final skills will be. I would love it if they did give me something new and exciting, but no, they haven’t told me anything yet.
The name for the character will be « Tiff » and it is, well, my name, so… it was selected by me, I guess? You can hear one of the GG guys mention my character by name in the [CMON Expo’s] video – it’s at about 18:15 when he’s naming off who the box art characters are.
What about your Zombivor? Doesn’t it feel weird to have this reflection of yourself?
The Zombivor doesn’t bother me, I think it’s pretty neat – it was actually much more surreal to see « my face » on the cover of a board game box! And I would like to think that, during a « real » zombie apocalypse, if I were bitten I’d be strong enough to help my friends as a Zombivor, versus turning on them mindlessly!
We can’t imagine the « pride » (maybe a better word would fit) you can feel now that it comes a bit to the open. Are there anyone in your « neighborhood » with whom you can share that?
I think right now it’s mostly excitement and anticipation, rather than « pride ». And I am grateful to Guillotine Games for working with me when creating the artwork for my character. I wanted her to be someone I could show to my neices and nephews, my friends and co-workers, or even my boss, and not feel embarrased.
As a woman and a gamer, I wanted my character to be realistic – she’s dressed in tough clothes (denim), wearing comfortable shoes (not heels), and she’s armed and dangerous. I wanted her to be someone other gamers would choose to have on their Survivor team because she’s *awesome*, not because she’s wearing a sexy outfit. Guillotine Games did a wonderful job, and I am excited to be able to share that with everyone.
As for sharing in my « neighborhood », well… I’ve shown my husband all the images I’ve received, he thinks it’s very cool. I’ve also shown print-outs of the sketches to my family and friends, but since they’re mostly not gamers, they are a little confused at my excitement, haha. I am hoping once that I have the game in-hand, I can generate some more interest and maybe create a few new Zombicide fans!
What are your next moves regarding Zombicide?
Well, I’m definitely backing the next Kickstarter, but I wouldn’t do the « I am Legend »-level pledge again. While it has been an amazing experience, I will have my mini soon – someone else should get a turn!
