Monday, December 14, 2009

Amuse-bouche: A Magic Christmas

Let me relate a little story.

On Sunday morning (ie. yesterday), The Giggling One and I were lying in bed. I was browsing the net on my iPhone as I am wont to do. I remembered hearing about the Magic: The Gathering game on the Xbox 360 (the only current gen console we don't own), and reminiscing about the games of Magic I used to play online led me to check out a review of the game out of curiosity.

I then decided to head on over to Wikipedia and see what the latest expansions were, as I hadn't been keeping track for the last couple of years. I had a chuckle reading the amusing code names each of the sets of three were given (eg. Control, Alt, and Delete; Live, Long, and Prosper; etc. - full list here).

The Giggling One asked me what I was laughing at, so I showed her. Then, just like that she said "We should get it."

I was a little taken aback. This was a game she had never seen before, but she had heard me mention it here and there. I've played plenty of games of Magic online, but I've never actually played the real, physical-cards-in-your-hand version of the game. In total I own one Magic card (called Oppressive Will), and only because that came as a freebie with a magazine.

Did she not know how pervasive the trading card game genre could be? Did she not understand that Dominion is one thing, but Magic is quite another? Did she not know how much more geeky playing this game would make her?

Well yes. Turns out she did. And she was OK with that. She figured it would be nice to play it together.

So, on a whim we went out that afternoon and bought two intro packs for the 2010 Core Set, as well as eight booster packs.

So shiny new Magic: The Gathering cards are sitting under our Christmas tree just waiting to be played come December 25. Now there's a way to celebrate.
 

4 comments:

Reddyredrooster said...

OMG!!! Don;t you know what you've done?
Or should I say - can I interest you in a few thousand 'vintage' magic cards?
The kingstin guys and I were hooked on this for a few years, as being hte good collector that I am I immediately set to work collecting them! Love the game - just hate the concept of every expansion getting more nad more powerful and inventing new rules to make the old cards useless.

Enjoy!

nijoos said...

OMG!!! That's amazing! I've been trying to get my gamer wife into A Game of Thrones LCG and she just wouldn't bite. In fact, she is so off it that she isn't likely ever to play it again...

Jeremy said...

OMG indeed. We'll just have to see if she thinks she's bitten off too much...

If she doesn't like it, I might just try flogging the new cards to you Mr Rooster. :-)

Bernd said...

What can I say? The beginning of the end ... (or the end of the beginning?).