WELCOME

Welcome to the "Sheriff of Legends" HeroClix "Authority" blog. I created this blog about 6 years ago, with the intention of writing HeroClix related and inspired articles, but my busy life and greater interest in actually playing and collecting HeroClix rather than writing about it (but I have done my fair share of that, too in other venues).

So, why "HeroClix Authority"? I know the term "authority" chaps the butts of gamers collectively everywhere, so the inclusion of a word I myself chafe at in my mind bears some explanation. Why am I an authority on Heroclix?

I've been playing HeroClix for 10 years (actually will be 10 years this June), nonstop without pause. This includes during the dark times, during the "hiatus" where we all waited with baited breath on whether or not our great game would return to routinely raid our wallets. I've been here, and always will be here. By being here, I've seen every "era" of HeroClix and very rarely as only a casual observer.

Up until Lord of the Rings, I've owned a copy of every single HeroClix available for inclusion in a legal game of HeroClix starting from Infinity Challenge. To do that, I had to become an expert collector, and let me tell ya, that ain't easy. I know how to collect - quickly, efficiently, relatively inexpensively.

I've been a judge almost as long as I've been playing...pretty much since August of 02, where I was the first official HeroClix judge in Pittsburgh, PA. This has always kept me abreast of the rules and on the 'inside' of the game. I must admit, though, many times I felt like being a judge was either a hassle or "lame" - in terms of the name - which is how I became "Sheriff of Legends". One day, while judging a tournament at my long time venue, Legends Games and Comics I said (as a joke) I didn't want to be called a "judge" anymore, and I would be known henceforth as "The Sheriff of Legends" or as "The Sheriff" for short. It stuck, and so by the time I set up this blog 6 years ago, it was the obvious title. I've taught many people how to play, and collect HeroClix.

I've been a regular poster on HCREALMS, since I've been playing. hcrealms only hosts the largest collection of heroclix players on the planet in the premier heroclix discussion board on the internet. My handle there is "sol" - which stands for amongst other things "Sheriff of Legends" - Clever, right? YMMV on the quality of my posts, but there it is.

As a player and collector (with the above credentials), I can tell you I've won most of the prize figures in my collection. I also got a lot of choice ones from the Judge program, but I have definitely won most of them. My reason for trotting that out is, I like to think I am also a pretty good player. Back in the day I top 8'd Regionals and even won one. I got lucky, but that's part of the game.

All of that is to say that the HeroClix Authority part of the title is earned and not made up. Also, because like Odin, there is purpose to everything I do it is a deliberate act to set myself up as an authority on the subject of HeroClix from the customer perspective. I'm sure I'll be made fun of by all the other experts out there, but hey - I'm not as modest.

The other question that no one has actually asked, but needs to be addressed is "Why now"? I mean, this blog has sat unloved and unused for 6 years, right? The answer is a bit complicated, but a large portion of the reasoning is segmentation of interests. Another reason is practice writing original content and writing web "copy", which segues into my career as a web designer developer. Oh, and while I mention that, don't be surprised to see radical changes (or just small changes) to this blog while I tweak the presentation.

In the coming weeks and months I'll be posting a lot of original content about Heroclix from my perspective, including team building, reviews, and marketing commentary. Every once in a great while, I might also write about other games I play, as HeroClix doesn't exist in a vacuum, and since it is HeroClix that is my primary gaming interest the others don't support a blog of their own.

One thing I want to foster here is the idea of community and conversation. In further blog posts, I will attempt through my limited writing capabilities to write blogs that are open to comment, addition, heck - even argument. The idea of this blog is not to spout hard, inarguable "facts", but totally open and approachable opinions that generate discussion and greater interest. While I am the "authority", I am far - so far - from the only authority - or even the best authority. But I will always strive to be the best authority I can be. Also, it is definitely a part of the plan to have guest blogs and be a guest blogger myself to other blogs in the HeroClix blogosphere. In fact, I'm already a contributor to Al's Clix Cave Cantina, another fine HeroClix related blog right here at blogger.