From time to time I like to pick a player and ask him/her a few questions. The first English-speaking interviewee was galacticpresident, now I’m asking Mr Toff.
How old are you?
I’m 52 years old.
Where are you from?
Cardiff, the capital of Wales in the UK.
What do you do, when you’re not playing with Zandagort?
When I’m not playing Zandagort, I work as a carpenter, making scenery for TV programs, theatre, exhibitions and films. I’ve been working on Dr Who since it was rescued about 6 years ago. Also a lot of Welsh language children’s shows. I’ve played a lot of PC games over the years, my favorite is the HalfLife series. Particularly HalfLife Deathmatch, where I am a member of a clan called ‘The Skaro Faction’, a name I borrowed for the alliance I set up on server 5.
How did you get to know about Zandagort, why did you sign up?
I can’t remember how I heard about Zandagort, I think it was an e-mail asking me if I was interested in space games. I know I didn’t start straight away.
Why did you join Hydran Protectoratus?
I joined Hydran Protectoratus soon after joining server 4. My friend skopi from server 3 was half a galaxy away, so I asked him for advice. He suggested Hydran, and said Warson and Why would look after me. He wasn’t wrong, Warson in particular has been a great help.
Do you like scifi? What are your favorite scifi books, films, games?
I’ve been a huge sci-fi fan since I was a boy. I was brought up on Dr Who, Thunderbirds, Superman comics, and H G Wells, and Jules Verne stories. All my favorite films were sci-fi based. There is an arts centre near my house, they had a sci-fi festival for a month. I was there every night for 3 movies and an episode of Flash Gordon. 
My favorite sci-fi book is ‘Damnation Alley‘ by Roger Zelazny. Also made into a song by my favorite band Hawkwind. It’s impossible to pick a favorite sci-fi movie, but at a push I’d say ‘Quatermas and the Pit‘.
What do you like most about Zandagort?
The thing I like most about Zandagort is that it makes you think about the big picture. If I build this factory it impacts on the ecosystem, if I build that spaceship it means I need a city to support the research, and so it goes on.
What do you like least about Zandagort?
I would like it if the common fleets could be merged and split as neccesary. So that an effective fleet could be built to counter a particular threat.
What was the most interesting story that happened to you in the game?
I think the most interesting thing that happened in the game is that I tried learning some Hungarian phrases. My first language was Welsh, although I don’t use it much these days. But I still think in Welsh, so to think of something, mentally translate it to English, then try and translate into Hungarian… OMG!! It doesn’t help that Google Translate doesn’t speak Hungarian… or Welsh.
On average how many hours do you play a day?
I play far more than I should really. I play on server 4 for about 3 hours a day but that’s spread out over the day. I also play for much of the evening on server 5 where I set up an alliance to help new players. We are doing quite well. 2nd biggest alliance. Some of the members are friends from HalfLife, others are new friends.
How did you name your planets?
My planets are named after Hawkwind songs. Valium 10, Opa Loka, and Magnu. The other planet is named after Robert Calvert who was a founder member of Hawkwind. My fleets are also Hawkwind related, from an album of theirs, Doremi Fasol Latido.
What is your favorite type of ship?
My favorite ship is the Carrier, strong, fast, and it speeds up the slower ships.
What’s your gaming style? (e.g. builder, fighter, etc)
I like to build, I prefer not to fight, I think it’s more important to get a strong fleet together for the important fight. But I don’t like being pushed, and will push back if I need to.
What would you ask from the next interviewee?
Do you do the maths in your head or on paper/calculator?