Not much sense, part 1
May 6th 2010 07:09
I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s clouds’ illusions I recall.
I really don’t know clouds at all.
-- Judy Collins, “Both Sides Now”
Aaron Forsythe’s famous article “Not Their Time” is part of the Wizards of the Coast site’s extensive discussion of how Time Spiral’s timeshifted subset (120 cards from Magic’s past transported into the year 2007 with their original art, flavor text, and card frame) was designed. It provides detailed, articulate reasons for why fifteen cards that almost made it were eventually cut.
And unfortunately, many of those reasons conflict with other stated policies, or with other publicly-stated set design decisions, or are simply wrong-headed.
Concordant Crossroads
Forsythe points out, correctly, that one of the historical uses of Enchant Worlds (also known as World Enchantments) is to destroy other Enchant Worlds, and that a single Enchant World in the timeshifted set would have “done nothing.” Fine. But why did he not later apply the same principle of “want[ing] to make sure that the keyword actually did something” to Future Sight, specifically Steamflogger Boss?
In fact, Forsythe at one point expressed pride that he fought successfully to keep Steamflogger Boss in Future Sight, and to make its text as nonsensical as possible. Which is the design principle? Or did he deny this generation both the chaotic gameplay that the Crossroads creates and the beautiful sylvan grove illustrated by Amy Weber simply because he liked the Steamflogger and not the Crossroads?
Takklemaggot
I was already playing during the first printing of Takklemaggot, and I can confirm that it was not an easy card to play against, both in a strategy sense and in a remembering what the heck it actually does sense. Overly complex or wordy cards can be difficult to handle, for sure. What is the definition of “overly?” It’s decided partly by us and partly by Research and Development.
So decide for me: is this card overly wordy?
What about this?
If you think about it, both these cards are really a lot like Takklemaggot. All three have a very simple concept, which has a relatively more involved implementation in-game because of the nature of the rules. All three of them can extend turns because players need to read them, often more than once. All three have lots of text on them explaining what they do. None of them have room for flavor text. The difference is that Lash Out and Eel Umbra have italicized reminder text, and Takklemaggot’s is all actual rules text. Why is it okay to push flavor text out for reminder text (for a keyword like flash that has been around for three years, of all things) but not for flavorful rules text?
Oh, and I don’t buy the argument about Takklemaggot’s rules text being too long for any language in the minimum-size font. Well, I believe that it is, but I also know for a fact that they have frequently made significant amendments to phrasing of old cards, including ones with almost as much text as Takklemaggot. (Open the Gatherer site and look up what Timmerian Fiends and Amulet of Quoz originally said if you don’t believe me.) Also, consider the reminder text on cards like Obsidian Fireheart – reminders that save space by using verbs related to the concept rather than the rules are clearly part of current practice.
Armadillo Cloak
Forsythe cites the increased power of green and white creatures since Invasion as a reason to exclude Armadillo Cloak from Time Spiral. This is possibly the most (unintentionally) darkly humorous thing that I have ever read about Magic: the Gathering. Forsythe and the rest of the Research and Development team were in complete control of this issue. Nobody forced them to make Ravnica’s Loxodon Hierarch and Watchwolf so powerful – they chose to, to nudge and herd people towards two-color decks. If they later found that this restricted their design and development choices, they cannot forget that it could easily have been avoided.
The other, even more depressing issue here is that they have chosen to sell successive sets to powergamers in much the same way – Loxodon Hierarch and Watchwolf are hopelessly outclassed even by creatures from sets like Shadowmoor, that are considered “weak” by many forum dwellers!
We are not done with this by a long shot, but we are out of space for this article. Check back some other time for dissection of Aaron Forsythe’s reasoning on Granger Guildmage, Spiritmonger, Urza’s Rage, and Anger.
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s clouds’ illusions I recall.
I really don’t know clouds at all.
-- Judy Collins, “Both Sides Now”
Aaron Forsythe’s famous article “Not Their Time” is part of the Wizards of the Coast site’s extensive discussion of how Time Spiral’s timeshifted subset (120 cards from Magic’s past transported into the year 2007 with their original art, flavor text, and card frame) was designed. It provides detailed, articulate reasons for why fifteen cards that almost made it were eventually cut.
And unfortunately, many of those reasons conflict with other stated policies, or with other publicly-stated set design decisions, or are simply wrong-headed.
Concordant Crossroads
Forsythe points out, correctly, that one of the historical uses of Enchant Worlds (also known as World Enchantments) is to destroy other Enchant Worlds, and that a single Enchant World in the timeshifted set would have “done nothing.” Fine. But why did he not later apply the same principle of “want[ing] to make sure that the keyword actually did something” to Future Sight, specifically Steamflogger Boss?
In fact, Forsythe at one point expressed pride that he fought successfully to keep Steamflogger Boss in Future Sight, and to make its text as nonsensical as possible. Which is the design principle? Or did he deny this generation both the chaotic gameplay that the Crossroads creates and the beautiful sylvan grove illustrated by Amy Weber simply because he liked the Steamflogger and not the Crossroads?
Takklemaggot
I was already playing during the first printing of Takklemaggot, and I can confirm that it was not an easy card to play against, both in a strategy sense and in a remembering what the heck it actually does sense. Overly complex or wordy cards can be difficult to handle, for sure. What is the definition of “overly?” It’s decided partly by us and partly by Research and Development.
So decide for me: is this card overly wordy?
What about this?
If you think about it, both these cards are really a lot like Takklemaggot. All three have a very simple concept, which has a relatively more involved implementation in-game because of the nature of the rules. All three of them can extend turns because players need to read them, often more than once. All three have lots of text on them explaining what they do. None of them have room for flavor text. The difference is that Lash Out and Eel Umbra have italicized reminder text, and Takklemaggot’s is all actual rules text. Why is it okay to push flavor text out for reminder text (for a keyword like flash that has been around for three years, of all things) but not for flavorful rules text?
Oh, and I don’t buy the argument about Takklemaggot’s rules text being too long for any language in the minimum-size font. Well, I believe that it is, but I also know for a fact that they have frequently made significant amendments to phrasing of old cards, including ones with almost as much text as Takklemaggot. (Open the Gatherer site and look up what Timmerian Fiends and Amulet of Quoz originally said if you don’t believe me.) Also, consider the reminder text on cards like Obsidian Fireheart – reminders that save space by using verbs related to the concept rather than the rules are clearly part of current practice.
Armadillo Cloak
Forsythe cites the increased power of green and white creatures since Invasion as a reason to exclude Armadillo Cloak from Time Spiral. This is possibly the most (unintentionally) darkly humorous thing that I have ever read about Magic: the Gathering. Forsythe and the rest of the Research and Development team were in complete control of this issue. Nobody forced them to make Ravnica’s Loxodon Hierarch and Watchwolf so powerful – they chose to, to nudge and herd people towards two-color decks. If they later found that this restricted their design and development choices, they cannot forget that it could easily have been avoided.
The other, even more depressing issue here is that they have chosen to sell successive sets to powergamers in much the same way – Loxodon Hierarch and Watchwolf are hopelessly outclassed even by creatures from sets like Shadowmoor, that are considered “weak” by many forum dwellers!
We are not done with this by a long shot, but we are out of space for this article. Check back some other time for dissection of Aaron Forsythe’s reasoning on Granger Guildmage, Spiritmonger, Urza’s Rage, and Anger.
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