Magic: The Gathering
MEMORIES:
RangerFreund remembers...My brother was again the big influence on this one. He showed up with the starter pack. I bought one ... More »
Posted on 02/08/07
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Just because there isn’t always time for a rousing Dungeons and Dragons adventure, doesn’t mean that an up-and-coming wizard can’t get in a little practice. With no board or playing pieces necessary, a simple card game called Magic: The Gathering has been allowing enthusiasts an alternative to more complicated fantasy games - one that only requires a deck of special cards and about an hour to complete. And fans have been forever grateful.
Seeking a portable game that could be easily learned and played during the down time at sci-fi conventions, game designer Richard Garfield conjured up Magic: The Gathering for fantasy company, Wizards of the West, Inc in the early 90s. In what amounted to a simple luck-of-the-draw game, players were transported to the imaginary world of Dominia, represented by the exquisite artwork contained on each card. Slarting as a Plainswalker, each player sought control of their magical environment while working to expel their fellow players. Starting with 25 points each, each player worked to lower their opponents score to nothing until they were forced to leave Dominia.
Two players each assemble a forty-card deck from the 60-card starter games that they had purchased. The decks are then shuffled and cut by their opponent. The top card in each stack is then flipped over, serving as an ante - which would eventually go to the lucky winner. Within these decks, cards that represented the five types of land – islands, forests, swamps, plains and mountains were the most common and also, color-coded. White cards represent healing and protection, red for combat purposes. Blue cards, associated with air and water magic, are used to counteract spells which could include sorceries and summonings, as well as various enchantments, instants and interrupts.
The game rose to popularity rather quickly, thanks to the fact that there was always potential to increase one’s power. Through the course of playing numerous games, players could try to build their deck and increase their wizardry skills to be used in future games. A number of booster packs were also made available for purchase to further enhance the game. All in all, over a thousand different cards available allowed for endless possibilities, as each player strove to collect, build and customize their collection to assemble the most powerful deck they could muster.
Players personal preferences were virtually endless. Some preferred to focus on one particular spell color, others organized their decks according to theme. Still others preferred to collect cards that contained specific artwork that they liked, thanks to the numerous sci-fi artists that contributed their work to the game. And should even more variety be sought, various expansion packs were also released with themes such as Antiquities, Legends and Arabian Nights.
All in all, this simple little card game has been delighting fantasy fans for years – a perfect combination of simplicity and the ability to customize to a level that keeps the game from ever growing old. And it appears that it will keep casting an alluring spell on fanatical players for many years to come.
