These hard hitting questions were curated by a group of… one. Yes, Psydekick Larry came up with these questions all by himself. He also will speaks about himself in the third person on occasion. If you have any interesting or funny questions that you would like to submit to Psydekick Larry, write them down… and keep them to yourself until Psydekick Larry decides to make a reader’s Q&A issue. So without further adieu, let’s begin...

Psydekick Larry: Hey Melissa! Let’s get this interview started.Where are you from? And how long have you lived in Greenville?
Melissa: I'm originally from Maryland, not too far from Washington DC. So I root for most of the DC and Baltimore teams. I've been living in Greenville for a little over 20 years.
 
Psydekick Larry: Baltimore girl! Interesting… Give us 2 truths and a lie about yourself?
Melissa: I'm a professional puppeteer. I've visited Dracula's castle in Transylvania. I won a Ticket to Ride tournament at Gen Con. 
 
Psydekick Larry:  Hmm… Good luck to the folks guessing that one. What got you into the board gaming hobby?
Melissa: I grew up playing games like Clue, Mastermind, Pay Day, and Rook. After Kevin and I got married, another couple introduced us to hobby games like Agricola, Dominion, and Ticket to Ride. We were hooked. We also learned a lot from the owner of our local game store and a gaming group that met at our local library. 
 
Psydekick Larry:  What do you love about board gaming?
Melissa: Besides spending time with friends and family, I love challenging myself by learning new games and finding better strategies to improve my gameplay. I love solving puzzles and stimulating my brain.
 
Psydekick Larry: What is your favorite board game and/or board game genre?
Melissa: I love mid-weight Euros that have a puzzly nature to them (Castles of Mad King Ludwig; Five Tribes) and escape room games and mystery games (Exit, Unlock, Chronicles of Crime) 
 
Psydekick Larry: What did you think when Kevin told you he wanted to join Will and Ryan?
Melissa: I thought joining Tantrum House sounded like a good opportunity. We loved playing board games so getting involved in an organized board game community just made sense. And who really can say no to Will? 
 
Psydekick Larry: What was your response when Kevin asked you to do videos?
Melissa: I'm not really sure if he asked me or if I asked him. As part of my day job, I write scripts for video and perform on camera. So being in the videos is something I have experience with and enjoy. I'm glad to have an opportunity to share my love of boardgaming and hopefully inspire other women and girls that games are for them too. 
 
Psydekick Larry: That’s awesome that you wanted to be in the videos. What is your favorite drink and snack while playing board games?
Melissa: Coffee! It's hard to pick a favorite snack—pretzels, popcorn, cheese its, something chocolately. Definitely need a sweet and salty combination. 
 
Psydekick Larry: And the final question is: what RPG race and class best describes you? (Human not allowed).
Melissa: Half-elf (since I'm not tall enough to be a true elf) Wizard (slingling spells and reading books).

PsydekickLarry: Great stuff. Thanks Melissa!

These hard hitting questions were curated by a group of… one. Yes, Psydekick Larry came up with these questions all by himself. He also will speaks about himself in the third person on occasion. If you have any interesting or funny questions that you would like to submit to Psydekick Larry, write them down… and keep them to yourself until Psydekick Larry decides to make a reader’s Q&A issue. So without further adieu, let’s begin...
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PsydekickLarry: Hey Dan! Let’s do the interview. Where are you from?
Dan: Oregon! Go Ducks, baby!!
 
PsydekickLarry: Ok… and how long have you lived in Greenville?
Dan: 11 years! Close to half my life. 😉
 
PsydekickLarry: Hmmm, I think you may have lied just now, but why don’t you give us 2 truths and a lie about yourself?
Dan: I met my wife when we were 9. We went to Canada on our honeymoon. When I first said “I love you,” she didn’t say it back.
 
PsydekickLarry: What got you into the board gaming hobby?
Dan: I grew up playing games with friends and family, and would always try to get a game to the table. Back then it was Hearts, Careers, Risk, All the King’s Men, and The Farming Game. Then one day in college, I saw some people playing Catan and thought it looked dumb, but once I tried it, I loved it and quickly got into other “gateway” type games and the rest is history.
 
PsydekickLarry: What do you love the most about board gaming?
Dan: The social connection in general, but specifically, introducing people to the hobby and (hopefully) watching their eyes light up with how cool games are today. I’m totally okay losing games if it means someone else had a good time and wants to play again.
 
PsydekickLarry: What is your favorite board game and/or board game genre?
Dan: Marvel Legendary is my favorite game, and deck builders are what I tend to prefer. Dominion, Clank, Quest for El Dorado, and Tyrants of the Underdark are all quite fun!
 
PsydekickLarry: How did you get involved with Tantrum House?
Dan: I believe it was 2018 when I went to Mega Moose Con with Will. We were talking on the way home and I just asked, “I get what a IT intern does, but what is a board game intern supposed to do??” I genuinely was just curious, but Will being Will whipped his head around to look at me and jumped straight to, “DO YOU WANT TO BE ONE?!?!” haha! Luckily, we stayed on the road (he was driving btw) and after a month or so, I officially joined as "Intern Dan".
 
PsydekickLarry: So what DOES a board gaming intern actually do?
Dan: Well, like most interns, it’s whatever is needed to try to lighten the load on the business partners. . . and yes, I’ve gotten donuts for everyone before. In general though, I help with learning and teaching games so that we can do informed overviews and reviews. I also help write newsletters, appear on the podcast, and help with the live events.
 
PsydekickLarry: So wait, weren’t you an apprentice, and now your Journeyman Dan? How do you rank up?
Dan: I can hardly keep it straight! I like to think it’s because of my mad skillz, but it’s basically just Kevin or Will assuming I’ve been at one level way too long and deciding I need a new nickname :P
 
PsydekickLarry: What is your favorite drink and snack while playing board games?
Dan:: Mtn Dew for the drink, and just about anything salty to snack on that isn’t Cheetos. It’s not a good hue on my cards.
 
PsydekickLarry: What RPG race and class best describes you? (Human not allowed)
Dan: I recently discovered that RPG’s probably aren’t my thing . . . or maybe I shouldn’t start out as a premade blonde alto gnome bard. That doesn’t describe me despite my killer falsetto. Best describes me? Maybe an Elf Ranger of sorts. I don’t tend to gravitate to being the center of attention, but I can jump in comfortably when needed . . . and I like shooting things at a distance.
 
PsydekickLarry: Thanks Dan!