The long and dusty road
June 12th 2010 02:57
Once I had the strength but no wisdom; now I have the wisdom but no strength.
-- Persian proverb
Motion, by necessity, involves a change in perspective.
-- from Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri
According to my edition of the Complete Encyclopedia of Magic: the Gathering, just over fifty different people have designed Magic cards. My edition is from its last printing before being discontinued, but still, that was in early 2002 – over the last eight years, that number has grown by only about twelve or so. For those of you doing the math out there, that means that each of those people has designed an average of about 193.5 different cards.
Of course, some people have designed a lot fewer or a lot more cards than that. Mark Rosewater himself claims responsibility for many more. Either way, it doesn’t seem like a very large number for either staff turnover or influx of new talent, especially by comparison with the art and flavor side of the franchise, which has a much more diverse set of both in-house staff and contractors who are not afraid to push boundaries.
I think the veterans are doing a fine job, but I do think the company needs to remember that innovation is the driving force behind any company’s success. There is value in experience of a field, but the most successful corporations are often those which are able to see further forward than others. At some point, “more of the same” will no longer be enough for Magic, both literally and figuratively. If Mark Rosewater and the other people who have been leading mechanic design for over fifteen years at this point truly believe they have the wisdom, perhaps they would do better to share it with people who have the strength.
-- Persian proverb
Motion, by necessity, involves a change in perspective.
-- from Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri
According to my edition of the Complete Encyclopedia of Magic: the Gathering, just over fifty different people have designed Magic cards. My edition is from its last printing before being discontinued, but still, that was in early 2002 – over the last eight years, that number has grown by only about twelve or so. For those of you doing the math out there, that means that each of those people has designed an average of about 193.5 different cards.
Of course, some people have designed a lot fewer or a lot more cards than that. Mark Rosewater himself claims responsibility for many more. Either way, it doesn’t seem like a very large number for either staff turnover or influx of new talent, especially by comparison with the art and flavor side of the franchise, which has a much more diverse set of both in-house staff and contractors who are not afraid to push boundaries.
Coming soon: Jace and Chandra meet Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
I think the veterans are doing a fine job, but I do think the company needs to remember that innovation is the driving force behind any company’s success. There is value in experience of a field, but the most successful corporations are often those which are able to see further forward than others. At some point, “more of the same” will no longer be enough for Magic, both literally and figuratively. If Mark Rosewater and the other people who have been leading mechanic design for over fifteen years at this point truly believe they have the wisdom, perhaps they would do better to share it with people who have the strength.
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