We’re having chat with Alex this week and Jason gets all creative with a Haiku!
Full name: Alexander Michael Smith (but only when I’ve been naughty...) I go by Alex and can be found online under the pseudonym KhadorRed
How long have you been a fan of Bushido?: A long time! I think it was the 2011 UK Games Expo, GCT Studios’ first; I had a demo then proceeded to buy all four starter sets.
What got you into Bushido in the first place?: The first thing that caught my eye was the aesthetic; I’ve always been fascinated by medieval Japan (which I think I owe to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 movie) as well as games like Legend of the Five Rings. At the time, I was heavily into the Warmachine & Hordes games and had previously played games like Confrontation, so the small scale, tight rule set was also a big draw.
What role -- if any -- do you play in the production of Bushido?: I don’t have a role in production per se but have recently taken responsibility for managing social media content. It’s been really rewarding so far, and I love interacting with fellow fans of the game.
Player? Painter? Or Collector?: I’d say a little of each. I do love to play, but I also like to put time and effort into making my force as presentable as possible. With regards to collecting, I must say that I am somewhat ashamed of the pile of unpainted blisters I own; I’m pretty sure I have at least 1 model from each faction.
Favourite Faction/s?: For a long time, I was a loyal servant of the Prefecture of Ryu (who doesn’t love Critical Strike 0 in abundance); more recently, though, I have been working on painting some Cult of Yurei, and hopefully, once life goes back to normal, I will be trying to get some games in with them.
Favourite Model/s: I have recently finished painting The Wraith for my Cult of Yurei force, and he was a challenging yet rewarding model to work on. I must say that I LOVE Ryujin and have certainly been tempted to “jump ship” to the Jung Pirates.
What specifically about Bushido drew you into the game?: As I have mentioned above, the aesthetic and ruleset are excellent, but to expand further, I would also say that the models are fantastic(and just keep getting better) also, the player base is really great too.
Competitive Player? Or Harry Casual?: Again, a little of both. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to commit to becoming a grandmaster, but I do love attending tournaments. Every event I have played in has been super friendly and has given me the opportunity to meet some great people.
Battle Plans for when the Plague is over?: Subjugate the Jwar Isles to the will of Yurei!
What’s on the painting station, hopefully not gathering dust?: I’m between projects at the moment but am in the process of putting a list together to work towards having a fully painted force. It will definitely be something from Cult of Yurei, just not sure what yet; I’m open to suggestions though.
Reading anything game or gamer related at present?: Nothing specifically game-related; also, but I do love manga and have recently been reading Lone Wolf & Cub and Vagabond. Both are historical fiction set in medieval Japan so go great adjacent to Bushido.
Watching anything game or gamer related at present?: I am quite partial to watching painting content on both YouTube and Twitch; there are also some great Bushido battle report creators who I enjoy watching. Similarly to my reading, I do love anything “Bushido adjacent” and am mid-way through Kingdom which is a Korean zombie show on Netflix, set this time in medieval Korea. I can neither confirm nor deny this is why I have gone all-in with Yurei!
Thanks to Alex for that; I’m sure we will hear more from him in the future as there are some pretty nifty projects coming down the pipe.
And now, the moment I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for, Jason’s haiku!
If you liked this one…
Then you will love his brother!
I have said enough.
Food for thought indeed. Ook is available to order now!