Hit the wall
December 2nd 2011 00:11
"People who complain about tourneyf#*s to me are like the f$%^ing idiots who want to play sports with their friends, but suck at it, so they bitch and complain until everyone takes it easy on them, so they can win without even putting in any practice or dedication."
-- Unspecified tourneyf^*, as quoted on Encyclopedia Dramatica
For all that Dungeons and Dragons has always been held to be a game for misfits, freaks, and losers, it had (especially at its prime) a very highly-developed social contract and conventions of interaction. The hint should have been how much mainstream high school culture hated it: if high school considers it abnormal, chances are it’s actually perfectly fine (and vice versa). It’s worth noting that all the gaming lexicon synonyms for powergaming that come from Dungeons and Dragons – “min-maxing,” “munchkin,” etc – were derogatory terms. Acting like a jerk, not co-operating with your party members, and only caring about your power level were not tolerated. (Gary Gygax may have acted like that, but D & D people are fond of calling him out on it - google it if you don't believe me.)
It’s not that Magic doesn’t have the practices that Dungeons and Dragons players invented so many synonyms for: it’s just that many of our players call them “good deckbuilding.” As a playerbase, we have a mental block about building decks the same for every setting. Even a nonstandard player-made style with a ridiculous name like ”Filth Casserole” uses the same pool of power cards that are in regular Modern decks.
There can easily be an inverse relationship between power and fun, but especially between min-maxing and fun. There’s a good reason that first-person shooters only give you one or two shots with rocket launchers, and why spells with names like “Firestorm” cost hundreds of magic points in Final Fantasy or Skyrim. The best games are those that are both challenging and beatable, and something that lets you steamroll any opponent with no effort takes all the fun out of playing. But then again, fun isn’t the point for all too many of our Magic compatriots.
When you need a break from deckbuilding and juggling werewolf romances in Skyrim, come follow me on Twitter!
-- Unspecified tourneyf^*, as quoted on Encyclopedia Dramatica
For all that Dungeons and Dragons has always been held to be a game for misfits, freaks, and losers, it had (especially at its prime) a very highly-developed social contract and conventions of interaction. The hint should have been how much mainstream high school culture hated it: if high school considers it abnormal, chances are it’s actually perfectly fine (and vice versa). It’s worth noting that all the gaming lexicon synonyms for powergaming that come from Dungeons and Dragons – “min-maxing,” “munchkin,” etc – were derogatory terms. Acting like a jerk, not co-operating with your party members, and only caring about your power level were not tolerated. (Gary Gygax may have acted like that, but D & D people are fond of calling him out on it - google it if you don't believe me.)
It’s not that Magic doesn’t have the practices that Dungeons and Dragons players invented so many synonyms for: it’s just that many of our players call them “good deckbuilding.” As a playerbase, we have a mental block about building decks the same for every setting. Even a nonstandard player-made style with a ridiculous name like ”Filth Casserole” uses the same pool of power cards that are in regular Modern decks.
FOR GOD'S SAKE IT'S EVERYWHERE
There can easily be an inverse relationship between power and fun, but especially between min-maxing and fun. There’s a good reason that first-person shooters only give you one or two shots with rocket launchers, and why spells with names like “Firestorm” cost hundreds of magic points in Final Fantasy or Skyrim. The best games are those that are both challenging and beatable, and something that lets you steamroll any opponent with no effort takes all the fun out of playing. But then again, fun isn’t the point for all too many of our Magic compatriots.
When you need a break from deckbuilding and juggling werewolf romances in Skyrim, come follow me on Twitter!
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