Judge of the Month March 2023 – Erick Leong

Welcome back, judges! We’re here to recognize our Judge of the month for March, Erick Leong. You may know him for being the Judge Community Representative for the Midwest Region, posting fun and challenging judge quizzes in the Judge Hub Discord, or from being an active member of the community in both events and discussions. He has exemplified the community focused effort we love to see in the judge program, and for that reason we are excited to feature him as our Judge of the Month!

Name: Erick Leong

Level: 1

Location: Arlington Heights, IL

Occupation: I am a Design Mechanical Engineer for a large wastewater municipality, in summary everyday I handle other people’s biological matter.

Fun Fact: I am fountain of useless information whether that be a Chuck Norris joke or the need to discuss frames of reference of the celestial bodies moving and determining proper eigen values.

Favorite Hero: Prism due to the higher level of understanding of priority windows.

How long have you been judging Flesh and Blood?
I started playing Flesh and Blood right when the Farewell to Welcome to Rathe event came out which was right before Everfest. I became a L1 judge about 2 weeks after that, I have been on and off answering judge questions at any armories I could attend. My real appearance on the judge circuit was in August of 2022 when I started traveling to attend judge seminars or judge at circuit events (Battle Hardened+)

If you were a Flesh and Blood hero, what do you think your class and/or talent would be?
My unofficial nickname in L5R was “Origami Master” as I traveled to events gifting strings of hand made paper cranes (I primarily played the Crane clan (Diplomats / Duelists / Artisans)) to the events I attended (made ~3000 paper cranes for the 2020 year). So I imagine a Samurai Duelist who made paper cranes, likely played like a Warrior with a Misteria background.

What is your proudest moment in your Flesh and Blood judging career?
Proudest moment so far has been thanks given by players after an event for running an event smoothly, even though the players have endured so much to survive the gauntlet that is competitive events.

What has been your favorite Flesh and Blood event that you’ve judged?
One of my local stores, Good Games, had a fun format in celebration of the December 2022 armory kit where we played blitz decks with the goal of putting as many Cracked Baubles into our opponent’s deck before the match ended. (Note the Armory Promo Card, “Shitty Xmas Present” was introduced) It was fun as an alternative way of determining winners while incentivizing unique interactions (i.e. lots of Cadaverous Contraband questions).

What challenges have you faced in judging, and how have you overcome them?
Currently on my third attempt for the L2 examinations, I believe I’ve made great strides in understanding the rules by writing questions which was my inspiration for the Question of the Day (albeit the labor to make it successful was a lot higher than expected). Learning to interact with Tournament Organizers, working with stores has been an interesting challenge in that each store owner has their own bias / perceptions about Flesh and Blood, but all of them are in the business because of how games draw us together.

What is your favorite non-Flesh and Blood hobby?
Arkham Horror LCG (Cooperative universe where you’re in the 1920s thwarting the plot of Deities)

What are some tips you have for other judges?
Judging is a team activity rather than an individual activity, when working events to understand that you’re working as a team with staff / tournament organizers / other judges. Often times when judging it’s important to identify the disconnect or what’s missing between the player and the rules, the sooner you can identify it from an investigation can help guide the appropriate questions and prescribed resolution. At the end of the day, everyone involved is here to play a game with interactions both in game and in real life and it’s important to appreciate the opportunity to connect over something we love. Contrary to what you may believe that players will rely on you to be a community pillar which can include in game rulings to maintain fairness or in the players interest for events.

What motivates you to continue judging?
The players and the community that they have fostered, while getting an opportunity to learn more about the diverse backgrounds of those who choose to support them (judges / staff / and tournament organizers)

Who have been some of your biggest mentors in Flesh and Blood judging, and what did they teach you?
Niccolo Paqueo is the big head honcho for my roster of mentors who showed me that FaB judging involves customer service, a level of care for both players, fellow judges, and the appreciation of those involved.
Ward Warren for showing me the level of eloquence required to navigate rulings to achieve equitable results is a very delicate balance.
Howard Brody for helping me understand that active participation in a community is a great aspect of the game.
Juan Ortiz for reminding me that even as a judge, humility is important in understanding our skills, and for putting me up to this.

You started a weekly Judge quiz in the Judge Hub Discord, what inspired you to start doing those?
The original goal of the FaB Judge quiz was to help study for my third attempt at the L2 exams. It has taken a life of it’s own based on the positive feedback from the community in educating for common interactions that can be overlooked.

You participate in a lot of rules and policy discussion on the Judge Hub Discord, what draws you to the rules and policy aspect of judging?
I enjoy taking the time to help educate players and fellow judges as both practice to keep my understanding sharp and to support players / judges towards great games. (Also to help correct my own errors as my own understanding can be imperfect at times)

You were chosen to be the JCR for the Midwest Region, what things are happening in your region that you’re excited for?
It has been fun connecting and understanding the different communities in my region (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri). Identifying the community builders and stores that are passionate about Flesh and Blood and seeing how we can support each other.
Regarding events, the Realm Games $20k circuit has been an exciting endeavor by Keith Bartum to attract community building and the competitive spirit. While a local game store, MinMax Games, has taken the opportunity to explore running larger tournaments which can provide more competitive play opportunity for our region.
Regarding the growth in the judge program, I believe it has been naturally progressing as a result of the growing player community. There are some communities that are growing slowly but I believe the dedication of the player groups in those areas are what keeps players coming back for more. I can only hope that I can provide the support in the background to help them thrive and succeed.

Thank you to Erick for your contributions to the Flesh & Blood judging community and for taking some time to answer our questions! Want to nominate a judge for next month? Fill out this form to get them in the running!