As a preview to issue 3 coming next days I presents you the interview to Sterling Hershey (knowed as Silverforce in the SWMinis univers).

Firstly, some personal questions to introduce SilverForce to Initiative's readers. Who's Sterling Hershey really?
Star Wars RPG and minis players may know me as a long time Star Wars game designer. However, I'm also a licensed architect. Most recently I've been working on facilities for a multimillion dollar company, but I spent many years working on major league and large international stadiums, as well as arenas and collegiate facilities.

It seems you have been a game designer for over 10 years: five years at West End Games, then at Wizards of the Coast. Could you tell us more about your activities?
I started by writing Star Wars adventures for the RPGA in the early 1990s. That led to an opportunity to write for West End Games in 1993, though my first product wasn't released until 1995. I continued to write for them through the end of their run in 1998. After Wizards of the Coast acquired the RPG license, I contributed one adventure to the short-lived Star Wars Gamer magazine. I began writing for the Star Wars Miniatures game when it started up in 2004, and have contributed regularly to the Wizards of the Coast website since then. With the launch of Saga Edition, I've been writing extensively for the RPG.

So, you have a strong RPG background. How did you get involved in SWM game ? Who is SilverForce in the Star Wars Miniatures universe ?
For a number of years, there was little to no Star Wars work available to freelancers, after the cancellation of Star Wars Gamer. However, I kept in contact with the staff at Wizards and continued to attend GenCon. When the minis game debuted at GenCon, they were looking for some freelancers to generate scenarios for the website. My scenarios proved popular enough to give me the opportunity to write the scenario book for the Attack on Endor Scenario Pack. I continue to write scenarios and previews for the website.

Ok, you're an architect, you're a freelance game designer working for WotC, you have a Star Wars blog, you're an active member of the Wizards of the Coast message boards and you're married! So, do you have enough time to play Star Wars Miniatures game ? Do you play some others games?
Yes, I'm a pretty busy guy these days. Most of my miniatures time is spent creating new scenarios, though I play outside of that on occasion, such as at my local game store. As for other games, I currently run a Dawn of Defiance campaign, a monthly Saga Edition campaign at my local game club, a very occasional Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign and play in another regular 3.5 campaign that's been running for over two years. I'm also adding Savage Worlds and D&D 4th edition to the mix. Somehow.

In SWM game, which way do you prefer? The collector one, the gamer one or the designer one?
Probably the designer one, though obviously, I do like to play. I've never been into collecting just for the sake of collecting.

Some natural and trivial (but necessary) questions about what you really like in SWM. What do you like best about Star Wars Miniatures?
I think it balances speed and complexity nicely. As a scenario writer, I find there are a lot of elements I can play with when creating specialized scenario rules.

Which is your favorite Star Wars Miniatures expansion? What is your least favorite?
I've never really thought about it in those terms. I liked Bounty Hunters a lot when I saw it initially. I'm not sure I have a least favorite.

Who's your favorite Star Wars Miniatures character and why?
Another tough one. I'll go with Boba Fett, Bounty Hunter. Disintegration is fun, when it works.

You have created almost 25 scenarios (maybe more) since the early days of the SWM game. What is you favorite scenario? Why?
I've created close to 40 now. My favorite is probably Droidworks Assault, especially Part 3. Though it's one of the older ones, the series is still one of the more complex scenarios I've written - it has 3 parts, each of which influences the following part in some way. Getting it to work and balance out was challenging, but I really liked the results. It highlighted the Clone Strike set very well.

Could you give us some tips for the creation of a very well balanced scenario?
Playtesting is the number one tip. In the regular game, each player is trying to create the best squad possible. In a scenario, you're trying to create a pair of squads that have an equal chance of winning. You start by creating squads of approximately equal cost and then create your special scenario rules and victory conditions. Then play it through several times using different strategies. If one side keeps winning, you have to figure out what to change - squad makeup, the scenario rules and/or the victory conditions. Usually, I create a story to go along with the scenario, so I try to adjust whichever of those conditions least affect the story concept.

Concerning the scenarios that you have created, I think that we would really like to see you working in the next Ultimate Missions (or some similar product) for the SWM game. I think there are a lot of gamers waiting for a new UM since May 2005. Does WotC ask you to take part in this kind of project? Why doesn't WotC want to release a new UM book?
I was the designer of the Attack on Endor Pack scenario book, which followed the UM products. If Wizards produces a new UM book or similar product in the future, I'd be interested in participating again. As an active freelancer for Wizards, I can't speak to their internal decisions regarding these products.

Since April 2006 (release of CotF set) you have also participated in the SWM previews with Gary M. Sarli. Do you think we will see a preview of Master Ooroo miniature in the upcoming KOTOR set? J (sorry for the joke). The Universe set has been marked by the initiative control, CotF set by the Booming Voice, Bounty Hunters by Twin Attack, Alliance and Empire has virtually killed Thrawn with Never Tell me the Odds, The Force Unleashed introduced a lot of new agressive force powers and Legacy of the Force comes with the Greater Mobile Attack and General Dodonna's commander effect. What kind of new powers or abilities do you expect for KOTOR?
Sorry, I can't say anything about that either. Everyone will have to keep an eye on the Wizards' website for previews. Good question, though.

Do you feel that any aspects of Star Wars Miniatures should be changed to improve the game? If so, which ones?
Sometimes I'd like the costs adjusted to create balanced squads more easily. Most complaints seem to come from specific character abilities rather than the system itself.

You have worked in The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide and Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition. What other projects and challenges are on the near horizon for you?
My next release should be Dawn of Defiance, Episode 6, The Core of Corruption for the Star Wars RPG. A Knights of the Old Republic adventure for the website is also in the works, which was just announced this past week. Beyond that, I can't say due to non-disclosure agreements. I continue to contribute to the Wizards' website, however.

If you could work on any project at all, what would it be, and why?
I'm not sure. I've already been able to work on some of my favorites, old and new, especially the Knights of the Old Republic book. It's been a lot of fun to contribute to both the minis and the RPG games.

Could you tell us something about your blog Delusions of Grandeur?
It's my blog over at starwars.com . I post regularly about Star Wars Minis and RPG releases, plus occasional comments on the EU and other Star Wars stuff I feel like discussing. Actually, anyone can create a blog there by becoming a member of Hyperspace, the online portion of the official fan club. Also, the roleplaying section of the official starwars.com site has become more active recently, with exclusive previews for minis and RPG products.

If you became head of the Wizards Community for a day, what would you do?
No idea. Though I read the forums sporadically, I haven't put much thought into how they operate.

Do you have any advice for new players of the game?
Try different squads and factions. If you're trying to figure out what sets might appeal to you, don't forget online resources like the Database on the Wizards website. There you can see the stats for each mini, enabling you to search for those you might like to add to your squads. Also, check out the online FAQs and errata. If you have rules questions, drop by the Star Wars Miniatures Rules forums also in the Wizards' forums - they do a great job of clarifying things for players of all levels.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers of Initiative? Maybe the complete stats of the KOTOR set or an exclusive preview... (sorry but this is not a joke !)
Sorry, can't go there. All I can say is stay tuned to the Wizards' site for the latest info.

Initiative's staff and readers thanks you Sterling for this interview !