A poor man's blog for Magic the Gathering (MtG), Wizards of the Coast (WoTC), deck construction, cards, combos, game play, MtG podcasts, etc.
What is "Magic: the Gathering"? Magic is a collectible fantasy-themed playing card game kinda combining Uno, War, Chess, and art dealing: match colors, draw 4, high card beat low card, different cards attack in different ways while you ogle hot chicks and dragons drawn by your favorite artists on cards you can sometimes sell for big money.
It's Pokimon for grown ups. Srsly, get your Pokimon player a Magic deck and they'll instantly sprout pubes and consider a career as a mathmatician.
People who play Magic the Gathering often have experience with roleplaying Dungeons and Dragons, people who roleplay Dungeons and Dragons often have experience with Magic the Gathering, and there are alot of people who talk about either game, but I rarely ever find people who talk about both, even if they regularly play both. I consider that a problem for WotC, it hurts market exposure and segregates WotC's consumers. Food for thought...
D&D Class: Planeswalker
Planeswalkers prepare their spells prior to casting (they build a deck). When planeswalkers want to cast a spell, they play Magic until they find the spell they want and have the mana to cast it, which means their spells may take a few rounds to cast and various spells may trigger before the desired effect is achieved ("Where did these glowing elves come from? You only paid for one tenant you know." - Innkeeper). Mulligan is a simple action. Planeswalkers are not proficient in weapons, armor, or shields, but may have spells which function as such ("So many different tools on so many planes, I'll just eat with my hands so I don't make myself looks stupid." - Joe "I put what in my mouth?!" Planeswalker).
HP: 20 Planeswalkers do not die, they divide by zero. ...on another plane. During each planeswalker's turn(/round/whatever) after they "die", that planeswalker may roll the planar dice (d-6) whenever they could cast a sorcery; the first roll each turn/round/*sigh* is free, subsequent rolls in that turn cost 1 more than the last: roll 6 and they return, roll 1 and they get a random planar encounter / sub-plot.]
Every point of MtG damage is equivalent to 10 D&D damage, so a Lightning Bolt which does 3 MtG damage does 30 D&D damage and a 1/1 Lanowar Elf does 10 D&D damage, has 10 HPs, and costs at least 10 copper to put for the night, but doesn't cost anything to sacrifice unless the Innkeeper watches you through the spyhole and calls the town guard.
Might consider making rules for both Limited and Constructed play. I really really really want to start calling Magic cards "scrolls". :) Maybe I'll make some rules for a "Scrollcaster" class, sounds cool. Hmmm... CCG RPG? ...RPCCG? MMORPCCG?
Anyway, character generation is awesome, every game needs more of it, especially CCGs: Character packs - stats (like avatars), items... Story Packs - locations (like planeshift), NPCs, equipment, goals/quests...
Mulling it over.
Ok, so now I hear on Monday Night Magic that there's an article kinda relating to this on the Star City Games site, but I think SSGs rips people off like so many profiteering card dealers do, so I think I'll not go there to read it.
It seems like God just hasn't wanted me to play Magic, so I took a few months off from even trying, but I missed the MtG podcasting community so much I had to pop back in for a listen. I no longer play Magic, I no longer have a collection (well, one pauper deck), but I can't help but get a kick out of Monday Night Magic, Mana Nation, The Mana Pool, and The Magic Sock. I love those guys. ^_^
Maybe someday I'll manage to get back into Magic. Maybe I'll save up for a bunch of commons on the secondary market and get a Pauper league going. Heck, I've met a surprising number of homeless people who played Magic and Pauper Magic really is quite affordable even for most of them. That would be a hoot, a homeless Pauper league. Maybe WotC PR could toss a few pauper decks to disaster victims in shelters, get people's minds off their troubles and get some good press from paupers in the papers. Worth looking into? IDK, maybe, I would not know who to talk to and I lack motivation these days.
What have I been up to? Becoming a Cynic (in the Socratic sense), being reclusive, driving off eternal love-slaves, hiding from the world, deleting online networking accounts. Basically, I've just been laying around on my tree-couch (it's not a tree-house, it's just a tree-couch) reading Robert Asprin's books, the Another Fine Myth series and the Phule's Company series, fun stuff, general absurdity, kinda reminds me of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Maybe someday I'll stop reading books and start writing them. What if, what if, what if... I'm such a dreamer. :)
4 Mourning Thrull 1W/B (W/B can be paid with W or B.) Creature - Thrull Common Flying. Lifelink. 1/1
4 Beckon Apparition W/B Instant Common Remove target card in a graveyard from the game. Put a 1/1 W/B Spirit creature token with flying into play.
3 Edge of the Divinity W/B Enchantment - Aura Enchant creature Common As long as enchanted creature is White, it gets +1/+2. As long as enchanted creature is Black, it gets +2/+1.
1 Batwing Brume 1W/B Instant Uncommon Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn if W was spent to play Batwing Brume. Each player loses 1 life for each attacking creature he or she controls if B was spent to play Batwing Brume. (Do both if WB was spent.)
1 Orzhov Guildmage W/B W/B Creature - Human Wizard Uncommon 2W: Target player gains 1 life. 2B: Each player loses 1 life. 2/2
1 Gwyllion Hedge-Mage 2w/b Creature - Hag Wizard Uncommon When Gwyllion Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more Plains, you may put a 1/1 white Kithkin Soldier creature token into play. When Gwyllion Hedge-Mage comes into play, if you control two or more Swamps, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. 2/2
1 Deathbringer Liege 2 w/b w/b w/b Creature - Horror Rare Other white creatures you control get +1/+1. O ther black creatures you control get +1/+1. Whenever you play a white spell, you may tap target creature. Whenever you play a black spell, you may destroy target creature if it's tapped. 3/4
WotC will be integrating several brands through cross-over products: a set of Magic & Miniatures cards will double as both Magic cards and Miniatures stat cards, some of your favorite Magic cards will have Miniatures (and vice versa). Magic PlayMATs will double as PlayMAPs for Miniatures and roleplaying while D&D will introduce new character classes which bring your Magic deck into the game:
Magic cards will be roleplaying suppliments. Roleplaying suppliments will be Magic cards. You will be able to play D&D by playing Magic.
Magic Pro-Tour events will be immortalized as D&D novels:
"The leaves of the primoridal forest shone like foil, shimmering in the light as a lone elf sprang from the foliage, fighting off a wave of dizziness from being conjured, preparing to unleash the power that would unlock his Planeswalker's scroll to summon reinforcements to his side. He was born to do this, he was...
Imagine a new kind of Magic card. ...that has a Miniature to RP with. Can you imagine it?
This consolidation of product lines will create a more cohesive social structure uniting and solidifying previously seperate consumer bases. Roleplayers, cardplayers, collectors, and readers can much more easily flow from one line of products to another, to whichever they prefer, as each product advertises another: cards have miniatures, miniatures have cards, miniatures are great for role-playing, roleplaying books relate to novels, novels are based on card tournaments, etc.. I also like this idea because...
Magic needs a Succubus tribe: Am I right or am I right?
I love the Pacifism card with Akroma on it, from Mirrodin. We should use that art for Pacifism in the Core Sets from now on, instead of that silly daisy-chain zombie. Don’t get me wrong, I like the zombie, it’s fun, but look what fun did to UnSet sales. I’m telling you, if I had gotten a Mirrodin Pacifism in my first Unlimited Starter Pack I wouldn’t have thrown all my cards away for being nothing but flowers and jewelry. ...and I’d still have that Black Lotus. WotC will focus more on hot chicks and dragons and such and save the G-rated stuff for Pokimon. [Pokimon! :D Pure and wholesome fun for children and parents. Almost but not quite totally unlike hot chicks and dragons.] THE WORLD NEEDS EVIL CHICKS IN BLACK LEATHER. Chain-mail bikinis or bust!
TOGTFO.
...and dragons:
...and Dungeons & Dragons shall now be known as...
Hot Chicks & Dragons.
Ok, maybe I wouldn't say it *exactly* like that, but these are damned good ideas and WotC should make it happen.
