Our connection to these world HAS been thorough its legendary characters.
We liked Ice Age because of Jodah (who never got a card, mind you); We liked Weatherlight because of the rich cast of characters in that saga. Odyssey and Onslaught got strong reactions because of how people felt about Kamahl, Chainer, Braids and Jeska/Phage/Karona. Same with Glissa and Slobad, or Toshi, Konda and Hidetsugu, or Agrus, Teysa and Szadek.
They are trying to use media other than the books to introduce us to the major players in the Mirran/Phyrexian war, i.e. the webcomics and the "reports" on the official Scars site. And beyer's gotten into it by outlining some of the intricacies of the war in his column (finally). This is all a noble attempt, but I don't think you feel as connected to these guys as you would be if there were some novels about what what was going on. These are all snapshots and snippets, when this war needs a whole movie.
And I, too aren't feeling the "epicness" of this conflict yet. Not anywhere near what I felt for the other two epic wars they had (Invasion and the Kami War). now, THOSE felt epic.
I love the short stories. They add flavor to the world and help round it out in a way that the novels, and even the style guide, can't. The Kamigawa short stories were awesome, as were the Ice Age and Ravnica stories.
Savor the flavor is indeed getting better. maybe Beyer's been reading our complaints.
That wouldn't work for any number of reasons. Cheif among them is that they base sets around settings, not the story. So you should be focused on the plane that they'd be spending thier time on, and not on them.
Well, my entry was focused more on the world. The PW family was just to get some planeswalkers into my set.
Now that I'm out of the contest, i'm going to take my ideas and write a series of fantasy adventure novels about the family and the world (I already have a couple of short stories from it in the writing contest forum)...obviously, sans the "Planeswalker" and "Spark" lingo (and anything else that may tie my stuff to MTG, for that matter.)
My idea for the Great Designer search was for a whole planeswalking family. their sparks all ignited, sending them to a new world together. but none of them have any magic experience, so they're literally learning on the run while trying to stay alive and figure out how to get home.
My opponent wants to use the merfolk thaumaturgist + serendib sorcerer combo against a creature I have equipped with slagwurm armor. if my creature is equipped and he changes my guy to a 0/2 or a 2/0, does the equipment count, or would he still have that toughness boost?
You need card tags in future posts. Read the Forum Guidelines. -Carsten
Wow. You guys are the first people I've read in these forums to openly admit you liked Legions and Scourge.
I've heard so many bad things about the Scourge novel, and I was personally disappointed in Legions. I was looking for some hardcore, all-out war with epic battles and stuff, and what I got was....dice games.
I've been married for 3 years, and most of the guys I play MTG with are married. Our wives are tolerant of our "guy's night" hobby (I guess they prefer us playing Magic to gambling or hitting strip clubs). Most of our wives know how to play, but mostly to humor us. They don't play regularly.
I have two simple 40-card decks made especially for games between my wife and I. whenever we play, we play competitively. i don't let her win, but I don't try to embarrass her, either. and every time we play, I'm trying to convince her to get a little deeper into the game, so we can REALLY play (haven't been successful yet, but I won't give up!).
and by "not letting her win" I mean that I compete seriously with her, not that I'm keeping her from getting wins. She's beaten me a few times, and I like seeing her smile when she wins.
maybe now that I've gotten her 10-year old favorite niece interested in the game, the two of us combined can bring her in...
The Brother's War is #1 on my list.
#2? Champions of Kamigawa.
Toshi Umezawa is by far the most fascinating anti-hero MTG has seen. He's charismatic and thinks quickly on his feet. he is completely and totally looking out for self, but his actions seem to steer in a noble direction anyway. The epic story of the Kami war is brought down to a personal level through the eyes of Toshi, Michiko and the people they interact with. heartless Hidetsugu is a complete and total bad-@$$, and even the villains (Moshi and Konda) have cool moments. There are no clear-cut good guys, and the story moves at a very fast pace. It's definitely worth a read, if you can get your hands on it.
Thanks for the positive feedback, and I'm very happy for the 3rd place finish.
Mark my words, you haven't seen the last of Abjicnal. This is my second short story starring him, and there will be more. I kind of envision him as a "Wile E. Coyote" of evil wizards, and he's a blast to write.
Kamigawa is one of MTG's most beloved stories for a reason (actually, many reasons). Toshiro is a well-written, likeable antihero, and the war between Konda and O-Kagachi is suitably epic in scope. the books also do a great job of incorporating many of the cards from the set into the story.
Not to mention, much of the flavor text on the cards allude to a history of the war that the books can only scratch the surface of telling. It was a masterpiece, and this synopsis is a great way to bring those that missed the books up to speed.
just wondering...he looked really "not happy" in that picture.
We liked Ice Age because of Jodah (who never got a card, mind you); We liked Weatherlight because of the rich cast of characters in that saga. Odyssey and Onslaught got strong reactions because of how people felt about Kamahl, Chainer, Braids and Jeska/Phage/Karona. Same with Glissa and Slobad, or Toshi, Konda and Hidetsugu, or Agrus, Teysa and Szadek.
They are trying to use media other than the books to introduce us to the major players in the Mirran/Phyrexian war, i.e. the webcomics and the "reports" on the official Scars site. And beyer's gotten into it by outlining some of the intricacies of the war in his column (finally). This is all a noble attempt, but I don't think you feel as connected to these guys as you would be if there were some novels about what what was going on. These are all snapshots and snippets, when this war needs a whole movie.
And I, too aren't feeling the "epicness" of this conflict yet. Not anywhere near what I felt for the other two epic wars they had (Invasion and the Kami War). now, THOSE felt epic.
Savor the flavor is indeed getting better. maybe Beyer's been reading our complaints.
Well, my entry was focused more on the world. The PW family was just to get some planeswalkers into my set.
Now that I'm out of the contest, i'm going to take my ideas and write a series of fantasy adventure novels about the family and the world (I already have a couple of short stories from it in the writing contest forum)...obviously, sans the "Planeswalker" and "Spark" lingo (and anything else that may tie my stuff to MTG, for that matter.)
try these: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=256034
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=246019
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=246019
these should give you a good roadmap of what to read first.
You need card tags in future posts. Read the Forum Guidelines. -Carsten
I've heard so many bad things about the Scourge novel, and I was personally disappointed in Legions. I was looking for some hardcore, all-out war with epic battles and stuff, and what I got was....dice games.
I have two simple 40-card decks made especially for games between my wife and I. whenever we play, we play competitively. i don't let her win, but I don't try to embarrass her, either. and every time we play, I'm trying to convince her to get a little deeper into the game, so we can REALLY play (haven't been successful yet, but I won't give up!).
and by "not letting her win" I mean that I compete seriously with her, not that I'm keeping her from getting wins. She's beaten me a few times, and I like seeing her smile when she wins.
maybe now that I've gotten her 10-year old favorite niece interested in the game, the two of us combined can bring her in...
#2? Champions of Kamigawa.
Toshi Umezawa is by far the most fascinating anti-hero MTG has seen. He's charismatic and thinks quickly on his feet. he is completely and totally looking out for self, but his actions seem to steer in a noble direction anyway. The epic story of the Kami war is brought down to a personal level through the eyes of Toshi, Michiko and the people they interact with. heartless Hidetsugu is a complete and total bad-@$$, and even the villains (Moshi and Konda) have cool moments. There are no clear-cut good guys, and the story moves at a very fast pace. It's definitely worth a read, if you can get your hands on it.
Mark my words, you haven't seen the last of Abjicnal. This is my second short story starring him, and there will be more. I kind of envision him as a "Wile E. Coyote" of evil wizards, and he's a blast to write.
JACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hell, he's already everywhere, so why not?
Okay, I'm being a d*ck. i'll stop now.