Thank you Scott for taking time out for us poor plebes, and many thanks for giving Magic a better name as far as the book series have been going. I actually wrote a letter to MaRo a while back stating that you were an example for other magic writers to aspire too, based on Chainer's Torment, because I was generally unhappy with the quality of writing and editing of Invasion and Mirrodin Block. I never knew you had so much background with the game before writing.
I've got a few questions for you:
1) About how long does Wizards give you to write a book or a series of books? Do you feel that deadlines relating to set release make it more difficult to create and detail a good novel, and affect the quality of editing?
Do you feel the purpose of the novels is to provide players a backdrop and detail for the related set, or is it a vehicle for driving non-playing fantasy fans toward the card game?
2) Is there a story behind the Desolation Angel? I would have never asked, but she wound up on the front cover of the Apocalype book and I was kinda miffed that she was never brought up.
3) What's your favorite Magic block in terms of story/setting, and why?
4) I keep going around to various peoples about this and haven't gotten an answer yet, and I wondered if you might know anything about this poster of Kohljorn, Elder Druid of the Juniper Order. It's doesn't appear on any card. http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=24959
Thanks for taking time out for the responses.
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Mr.McGough- oh its ok, especially because you and Cory are currently working for Wizards, I expect some bullet dodging. That's just fine, your allowing your own questioning on matters is more than enough and a fine XMas gift.
1) can you tell us what partial color or full color the main character of the book you're writing now for WotC or won't they allowe even such a small tidbit? I know they hate leaks, but I'd noticed an over-abundance over highly well written Black based characters (skellum, Chainer, Braids, Tetsuo was BRU, Toshi, Kiku, Marrow Gnawer, etc...) And since Kos Agrus is RW I was hoping to a black return or even perhaps a blue main?
Anything would help...I don't wanna know if it's on Dominaria so I won't ask questions I'm + u can't answer.
Ix-
To answer your question, No, I cannot tell you.
Sorry. :grin2:
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"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
1) About how long does Wizards give you to write a book or a series of books? Do you feel that deadlines relating to set release make it more difficult to create and detail a good novel, and affect the quality of editing?
They schedule the novels about 18 months in advance of publication, but with all the meetings and first drafts and rewrites and reviewing, the author usually has about 6 months of full-time work to produce a final draft.
Cory and I tend to hate deadlines when we have 'em, but I do feel that they're important and necessary. If they left it up to me, I'd probably never turn the book in (just keep adding and rewriting scenes). Deadlines are part of the business and us writers have to accept that and learn to deal with them (though we don't always do it, or do it gracefully).
I can't speak to how this affects the quality of the editing, as my role stops when theirs begins.
Quote from Bad Luck »
Do you feel the purpose of the novels is to provide players a backdrop and detail for the related set, or is it a vehicle for driving non-playing fantasy fans toward the card game? .
The purpose of the novels is to tell a good story. They are Magic novels, however, and so they also have to do both of the things you cited.
Remember that I used to be the Story Guy for Magic (during Urza and pre-Invasion) before I became a Magic Author, so in my opinion, the cards only exist to steer players toward the novels.
Quote from Bad Luck »
2) Is there a story behind the Desolation Angel? I would have never asked, but she wound up on the front cover of the Apocalype book and I was kinda miffed that she was never brought up. .
There's no coherent story that I'm aware of. It's a nice image, though.
Quote from Bad Luck »
3) What's your favorite Magic block in terms of story/setting, and why? .
I'm going to leave out the sets that have books I wrote about them and say Mercadian Masques. We on the Story Team worked hard to weave as many world-based details into the card art, names, flavor text, and rules. The Caterans were one of my favorite "tribes", the mercantile nature of the place really came through in cards like Bribery, Customs Depot, Diplomatic Immunity, and Embargo, and I loved the design of Mercadia mountain, the kyren goblins, and the foppish Mercadian nobles.
Best/most powerful card set? Probably not. But it was a good example of how much story detail can make it onto cards in order to flesh out the game world.
Quote from Bad Luck »
4) I keep going around to various peoples about this and haven't gotten an answer yet, and I wondered if you might know anything about this poster of Kohljorn, Elder Druid of the Juniper Order. It's doesn't appear on any card. http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=24959
.
No, I can't help you there. It is an amazing image, though.
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Mr McGough,
It's great to have such an easy contact with mtg-writers! So, I have a few questions Thanks in advance;
Do you pick up a lot from the 'real world', and 'copy' it to one of your books, or in you Magic-creative time; to the storyline/plots/characters you were developing then? If so, can you give an example??
I'm not sure I understand. There's tons of real world stuff in my novels--the yabusame (archery from horseback) mentioned in Kamigawa is straight out of Feudal Japan, all Chainer's snake-men are based on real snakes, there's even a real world wasp that uses the same method Xira Arien uses to plant its eggs.
I don't follow what you mean after that, so I can't give examples.
Quote from Elf_Ascetic »
Isn't it hard to write a book with certain 'rules' from WotC? Are you let free in your line and the creation of characters, or does WotC plan certain events/plots/characters?
Magic fiction is what's known as a "shared world"--that is, there are lots of different creative people working on it, including authors, artists, and rule-makers. It's sometimes hard to keep all the stuff straight when you're comparing cards to books to art to rules, but it's also a collaborative effort. We authors sit down with the editors and the artists and the card guys (and often each other) and we hash out a rough idea of what's going to happen together. When it comes time to write, the author gets to make up whatever characters and dialogue and plot devices he or she needs to tell the story everyone agreed on at the outset.
Hope this helps.
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"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
I've just got the entire Legends II cycle from under our christmas tree, so now I'm in the mood for storyline-questions!
1) At the end of Betrayers, you have Isamaru and Yoshei alongside Eiganjoan soldiers fighting the Myojin of Infinite Rage's army of Akki, but in Saviors, when Toshi visits the ruins of Eiganjo, Isamaru is there with some constable and Yoshei's circling around the tower's remains. Now it has been a while since I read the Kamigawa Cycle, so it's possible that part just slipped from my memory, but what happened to the Myojin's forces? Who won the battle?
2) Pete Venters, MTG-Artist and former head-bobo of the Continuity Department, has often mentioned a Globe of Dominiara that was made by the Cont.-Dep. back in the days. Have they showed you this globe when you went to write a book set on Dominiara? Perhaps during the development of the Otaria book? (altough I don't know how involved you where with that)
3) Is there any specific MTG setting you would like to write about?
Okay, that was it. I'm going back to reading Assassin's Blade now
1. That's one of the untold stories of the Kami War. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, I thought that the story would be told as one of those web vignettes that WotC published, but I was mistaken.
But to sum up what I think happened: Yosei basically held the endlessly spawing goblins off until the Kami War ended. Then the assault petered out and Yosei went on to his final reward, loyal protector to the end.
2. Have they showed me the globe? My friend, I'm the one who used to show the globe to other people.
See, I used to have that very globe on my desk when I worked at Wizards. In fact, after Pete left it was *my* globe and sometimes I'd just sit and spin it around and around. I bet it's still there, somewhere in Continuity, but I can't say for sure.
3. I'd like to take a crack at Baron Sengir in Homelands. He's a great character and he pretty much owns the entire plane.
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"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Speaking of shared worlds (from the last page) writeing, do you often find it difficult to combine other's ideas into your work? Such as spell casting (the act of tapping the lands for energy)? The kinds of words names can make (Reading books by R.A. Salvatore, he has alot of wacky names, unlike in magic)?
I would imagine that we all love certain names we think of, and characters that couldn't be conjured without their names, but writeing a shared world, doesn't that get confineing to only have a limited amount of space for creativity?
I think Mr. Herndon already answared a question like this, but I would like the opinion of all shared-word-writers opinions on this note, as it seems a daunting and irritating task.
Also, how do you like Magic: The Gathering as a whole? Kind of a stupid question, but I'm just curios as to how good a writer you are. Sometimes people can write great on subjects they don't even like.
Thanks for taking the time out to answer our questions!
Here's one I've always wondered: How would you writethe effects of the Protection ability in a story? I know that sounds cornball, but it seems like an interesting writing challenge to figure out.
Oh, I do hope they pick up on the Homelands storyline/setting again sometime, but I think there's just too much stigma.
That's a nice map and all, but what we're talking about is an actual, physical, 3-dimensional object of a globe, that you can spin and everything. Dominaria is actually one of the more interesting looking fantasy worlds, geologically, that I can think of -- if anyone has seen a map of, say, the Wheel of Time world, it looks like someone threw it together in 5 minutes or so.
Hmm... which hemisphere would this continent be in?
Seriously, though, where did that globe come from in the first place? Who first designed Dominaria? Not that I'd think either of you would know that but, well, I haven't asked a question in a while.
Scott, I am beyond honored that you chose this site to speak with your fans. I will tell you right now that you are, without question, my favorite MTG author. Chainer's Torment was truly wonderful, and the Kamigawa block was, book for book, my favorite block.
That being said, I must take issue with some of your work.
While I loved Champions, Betrayers, and the first half of Saviors, I found the final half to be very dissapointing. My main complaint was with how you killed of O-Kagachi. Now, admitedly, you were playing with fire with him. How do you resolve a conflict when all you have are mortals fighting one of the strongest gods of all time? But your decision to end it by magically creating a "super being"(Sorry, forgot her name, but the girl who came out of That Which Was Taken), and pump up Michiko to unreasonable power for some reason, just seemed like the sort of lack of plot development I'd find in something like Dragonball Z. Could you seriously think of no alternatives other than making some people unreasonably powerful completely out of nowhere? I found this aspect very dissapointing.
Another point I found dissapointing was your lack of involvement with Konda's lost samurai, now spirits. My main issue here was Takeno. In the end of Betrayers, you create a truly beautiful scene in which Takeno, for the first time, doubts the reason behind Konda's war. We see that the two do love each other, in a very respectful way, and we watch as Takeno gives his life to prevent the death of a man he is no longer sure he completely trusts. You create a three dimensional character in someone who very possibly could have been a one or two dimmensional fellow. But when Saviors comes around, you cut off this plot line completely. Not only is there absolutely no mention of Takeno by Konda, he doesn't even SHOW UP as a spirit within the book! Why didn't you elaborate on this a little further? Also, the Samurai spirits seemed to serve no purpose other than fighting O-Kagachi and O-Bakemo. Was there really nothing else you could do with such a cool concept?
And the ending of the whole Konda storyline was simply to abrupt. Ms. Superlady walks in, punches him, and that's that. While I respect the slight irony in this(a man who can never be killed, forever cursed to do nothing), this just seemed like a "oh, crap, we have to end this!" development. Did you have a higher goal with this?
Please, do not take my criticism as an offense. I think that you are a truly great writer, and I eagerly await any novel you may write. But I was dissapointed by Saviors, and I was wondering why you made some of your decisions. Thank you very much!
BTW, Skellum is my favorite MTG character of all time. Good character, right there. "My name is Skellum, and I wear a funny hat!"
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Scott, I am beyond honored that you chose this site to speak with your fans. I will tell you right now that you are, without question, my favorite MTG author. Chainer's Torment was truly wonderful, and the Kamigawa block was, book for book, my favorite block.
Thanks for the love. Now on with the hate...:wink:
Quote from Yodafan »
That being said, I must take issue with some of your work.
While I loved Champions, Betrayers, and the first half of Saviors, I found the final half to be very dissapointing. My main complaint was with how you killed of O-Kagachi. Now, admitedly, you were playing with fire with him. How do you resolve a conflict when all you have are mortals fighting one of the strongest gods of all time? But your decision to end it by magically creating a "super being"(Sorry, forgot her name, but the girl who came out of That Which Was Taken), and pump up Michiko to unreasonable power for some reason, just seemed like the sort of lack of plot development I'd find in something like Dragonball Z. Could you seriously think of no alternatives other than making some people unreasonably powerful completely out of nowhere? I found this aspect very dissapointing.
I have to disagree with the basic premise of your question. I totally understand the DBZ reference, but I do not think it applies. I hope the text of the Kamigawa novels is clear about this, but That Which Was Taken/Kyodai was originally part of O-Kagachi, a very important and powerful part. Also, Konda stole that part with a ritual that exploited Michiko’s actual birth, allowing Konda to “deliver” TWWT in its embryonic disk form. So Michiko, O-Kagachi, and Kyodai were connected from the moment Konda commits his crime, connected on a basic physical and spiritual level. So it was never a question of someone achieving a high enough “power level” to take on an invincible foe (a la Goku vs. Frieza, Buu, etc.)—it’s a matter of the new generation taking over by overthrowing their elders and claiming the power that is theirs by birthright.
Quote from Yodafan »
Another point I found dissapointing was your lack of involvement with Konda's lost samurai, now spirits. My main issue here was Takeno. In the end of Betrayers, you create a truly beautiful scene in which Takeno, for the first time, doubts the reason behind Konda's war. We see that the two do love each other, in a very respectful way, and we watch as Takeno gives his life to prevent the death of a man he is no longer sure he completely trusts. You create a three dimensional character in someone who very possibly could have been a one or two dimmensional fellow. But when Saviors comes around, you cut off this plot line completely. Not only is there absolutely no mention of Takeno by Konda, he doesn't even SHOW UP as a spirit within the book! Why didn't you elaborate on this a little further? Also, the Samurai spirits seemed to serve no purpose other than fighting O-Kagachi and O-Bakemo. Was there really nothing else you could do with such a cool concept?
Leaving Takeno entirely out of the story after his physical death was a conscious choice I made, intentionally on purpose. You always want people to care when a character you’re writing dies (so I guess I accomplished that in this case) and I did honestly like and admire Takeno. But in my world, blind loyalty to an undeserving master can only end in tragedy. Anyone remember how badly things went for Boris Devilboon in Legends II? Takeno was a noble man, a great man, but he gave all he had to Konda, who quite literally used him up until he was all gone.
The same applies to his ghost army. Once they were dead, they were perfect warriors as far as he was concerned: loyal, obedient, and faceless. They weren't people, they were his army.
Quote from Yodafan »
And the ending of the whole Konda storyline was simply to abrupt. Ms. Superlady walks in, punches him, and that's that. While I respect the slight irony in this(a man who can never be killed, forever cursed to do nothing), this just seemed like a "oh, crap, we have to end this!" development. Did you have a higher goal with this?
I'm going to suggest you rephrase this one. As is, it's pretty much a "when did you stop beating your wife" question.
Quote from Yodafan »
Please, do not take my criticism as an offense. I think that you are a truly great writer, and I eagerly await any novel you may write. But I was dissapointed by Saviors, and I was wondering why you made some of your decisions. Thank you very much!
BTW, Skellum is my favorite MTG character of all time. Good character, right there. "My name is Skellum, and I wear a funny hat!"
No offense taken--lively discussion is one of the reasons I come to these boards.
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"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
I have to disagree with the basic premise of your question. I totally understand the DBZ reference, but I do not think it applies. I hope the text of the Kamigawa novels is clear about this, but That Which Was Taken/Kyodai was originally part of O-Kagachi, a very important and powerful part. Also, Konda stole that part with a ritual that exploited Michiko’s actual birth, allowing Konda to “deliver” TWWT in its embryonic disk form. So Michiko, O-Kagachi, and Kyodai were connected from the moment Konda commits his crime, connected on a basic physical and spiritual level. So it was never a question of someone achieving a high enough “power level” to take on an invincible foe (a la Goku vs. Frieza, Buu, etc.)—it’s a matter of the new generation taking over by overthrowing their elders and claiming the power that is theirs by birthright.
While I understood that you were going for "the rule of the parents to be overthrown by the new generation," I still just have to believe that there were better options available then creating a super-powered being that came from a part (admitedly, the most powerful part) of O-Kagachi, and suddenly beating O-Kagachi down like he's just a giant joke of a being that is supposedlay amongst the most powerful. Also, it seems as though you pumped up Michiko's power in a very DBZ manner. Here are some quick excerpts from the book, involiving a power I'm fairly certain Michiko never had...
"This time the bolt converted into gleaming white energy."
"...It had wholly covered it in stone."
"Michiko rose over it while Kyodai drew back."
What's more, these were all on two pages, and there were several left!
My point is, aside from creating an all-powerful being in Kyodai, you also give Michiko powers she never had before, with no real rational for why she suddenly has them. Apparently, he arrows turn people into stone now, and I guess she can fly (I may have misinterpereted that last one). She even seems MORE powerful than the being that we all know has otherworldly powers, due to that last quote again. Now, it's been a while since I've read Saviors, so if I'm missing something, please correct me. But it just seems like you could have at least kept the ridiculous power to the actual god, and not a mortal.
Leaving Takeno entirely out of the story after his physical death was a conscious choice I made, intentionally on purpose. You always want people to care when a character you’re writing dies (so I guess I accomplished that in this case) and I did honestly like and admire Takeno. But in my world, blind loyalty to an undeserving master can only end in tragedy. Anyone remember how badly things went for Boris Devilboon in Legends II? Takeno was a noble man, a great man, but he gave all he had to Konda, who quite literally used him up until he was all gone.
The same applies to his ghost army. Once they were dead, they were perfect warriors as far as he was concerned: loyal, obedient, and faceless. They weren't people, they were his army.
Oh, fair enough. However, did you ever consider keeping them around as spirits, and furthering the tradgedy of Konda's army? Here you have men, who died by the thousands protecting their lord, and now they are mutated spirits who are being denied their place in infinity because of their master's selfish greed. Did you ever consider playing at that angle? But I do understand your point there.
I'm going to suggest you rephrase this one. As is, it's pretty much a "when did you stop beating your wife" question.
Well, I'm not sure how to rephrase this, so I guess I'll give some quick background. When it finally comes time for the overthrow of "the fathers for the rule of the children," Konda, who I always assumed was the primary villain of the piece (he did, after all, put the whole thing into motion), is quickly dealt with in an anticlimactic manner. Kyodai shows up after Michiko tells Konda of his mistakes, paralyzes him with her snake tongue, and then punches him, shattering his body into a million pieces. While this is an ending, it plays into my "super-being" argument further. It seems as though you found yourself approaching page 310, which I take to be the recommended length of a Magic novel, realized that Konda was still around, so you had Kyodai kill him just to make sure the overthrow of the fathers actually ended within the book. And I just think you could have done something without making a mockery of Konda, supposedly the "most powerful man in Kamigawa." However, you may well have a reason for this, and it's not a huge deal. But feel free to explain this to me.
No offense taken--lively discussion is one of the reasons I come to these boards.
Excellent! I am very glad you understand that I'm still a fan of your work. Now, I hope you don't mind another quick question- At the end of Betrayers, you have a confrontation between Toshi and Konda. Toshi easily dodges all of Konda's attacks, and basically makes him look like a fool. So I guess my question is, why did you do that? I know you had to keep both of the characters alive for the third installment, but I think you could have done it without making "the most powerful man in all of Kamigawa" look like an incompetent old man.
Thank you for your time, and attention.
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...But it just seems like you could have at least kept the ridiculous power to the actual god, and not a mortal.
.
Okay, once again I'm not on board with your basic premise...specifically, the "ridiculous power" you want me to ascribe to the Sisters. Once they synch up, Kyodai and Michiko are supposed to be more powerful than O-Kagachi, or at least as powerful in a different way. That's the point, the old separation between spirit and flesh has to make way for the new, more interactive variety. In my mind, the Sisters absolutely have more and better abilities that Michiko and Kyodai didn't have on their own because they're entirely new beings who share flesh and spirit, who combine it instead of keeping them separate. I hope you at least liked the way the color of Michiko's arrow-spells followed the Magic color wheel--maybe the Sisters will discover land-based mana, or something like it as they rebuild Kamigawa.
But with respect to the transformation of Kyodai and Michiko into the Sisters, seems you plain just don't like this plot development. I do, and I'm happy with how it came out. Hope I don't sound too fussy, but if you don't like it, you don't like it and we can move on.
Quote from Yodafan »
It seems as though you found yourself approaching page 310, which I take to be the recommended length of a Magic novel, realized that Konda was still around, so you had Kyodai kill him just to make sure the overthrow of the fathers actually ended within the book. And I just think you could have done something without making a mockery of Konda, supposedly the "most powerful man in Kamigawa." However, you may well have a reason for this, and it's not a huge deal. But feel free to explain this to me.
<SNIP>
At the end of Betrayers, you have a confrontation between Toshi and Konda. Toshi easily dodges all of Konda's attacks, and basically makes him look like a fool. So I guess my question is, why did you do that? I know you had to keep both of the characters alive for the third installment, but I think you could have done it without making "the most powerful man in all of Kamigawa" look like an incompetent old man.
.
I don't know how to explain the first part except to say that isn't the way it happened. Sure, if I had six more months to work on the first draft, I probably would have spread the ending out a bit more and slowed the pace down to match the increased length. But it was planned from the very first outline to have Konda come in after all the fireworks are over and be held accountable by TWWT/Kyodai, who deals with him in short order. At that point O-Kagachi is gone, TWWT has become a sentient, mobile, independent being, and the great Daimyo Konda is entirely defeated...he just doesn't know it yet. Kyodai makes it clear to him, short and brutal, because that's what she thinks he deserves (and maybe because the author does too...a little).
And sure, I could have shown Toshi vs. Konda without making the most powerful man in all of Kamigawa look like an incompetant old man. I chose to show him that way. Konda represents the establishment and authority that Toshi spends three books mocking and circumventing. He has no respect for Konda, and he knows Konda can't harm him. So he toys with him, mocks him, and eludes him.
Also, by this point Konda is almost completely insane. It was fully intentional to show the grand and noble daimyo, beloved and respected by an entire nation, losing his cool and flailing after the wise-ass who has invaded his private sanctuary. It's one of those Wizard of Oz "Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain" glimpses of the man behind the myth.
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--Master Shake
Okay, once again I'm not on board with your basic premise...specifically, the "ridiculous power" you want me to ascribe to the Sisters. Once they synch up, Kyodai and Michiko are supposed to be more powerful than O-Kagachi, or at least as powerful in a different way. That's the point, the old separation between spirit and flesh has to make way for the new, more interactive variety. In my mind, the Sisters absolutely have more and better abilities that Michiko and Kyodai didn't have on their own because they're entirely new beings who share flesh and spirit, who combine it instead of keeping them separate. I hope you at least liked the way the color of Michiko's arrow-spells followed the Magic color wheel--maybe the Sisters will discover land-based mana, or something like it as they rebuild Kamigawa.
But with respect to the transformation of Kyodai and Michiko into the Sisters, seems you plain just don't like this plot development. I do, and I'm happy with how it came out. Hope I don't sound too fussy, but if you don't like it, you don't like it and we can move on.
Fair enough. I will cease to argue this point with you, as you are satisfied, and I was not satisfied. Either way, our opinions seem doubtful to change. Hey, that's a sign of a good writer- you absolutely believe that how you ended it was the best, and you're sticking with it. I, personally, disagree, but the fact that you stand by it shows that you actually believe in what you write, a trait harder and harder to find in modern authors. Good show!
And yes, I did like how you paid proper respect to the color pie. It's fairly irritating when a writer completely ignores the rules of the world they're writing about, and you consistently follow all the rules of Magic.
I don't know how to explain the first part except to say that isn't the way it happened. Sure, if I had six more months to work on the first draft, I probably would have spread the ending out a bit more and slowed the pace down to match the increased length. But it was planned from the very first outline to have Konda come in after all the fireworks are over and be held accountable by TWWT/Kyodai, who deals with him in short order. At that point O-Kagachi is gone, TWWT has become a sentient, mobile, independent being, and the great Daimyo Konda is entirely defeated...he just doesn't know it yet. Kyodai makes it clear to him, short and brutal, because that's what she thinks he deserves (and maybe because the author does too...a little).
Hmm. Fair enough. I'm not saying that that was what necessarily happened, that's just what it kind of seemed like to me. And since it obviously wasn't, it was completely your call, and you gave Konda what you felt would be fair treatment. I think this plays almost directly into my dislike of the ending of Saviors and your pleasure with it's ending- merely a difference of opinion.
And sure, I could have shown Toshi vs. Konda without making the most powerful man in all of Kamigawa look like an incompetant old man. I chose to show him that way. Konda represents the establishment and authority that Toshi spends three books mocking and circumventing. He has no respect for Konda, and he knows Konda can't harm him. So he toys with him, mocks him, and eludes him.
Also, by this point Konda is almost completely insane. It was fully intentional to show the grand and noble daimyo, beloved and respected by an entire nation, losing his cool and flailing after the wise-ass who has invaded his private sanctuary. It's one of those Wizard of Oz "Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain" glimpses of the man behind the myth.
Again, a fair point. This one, I actually agree with you on, and I thank you for clearing it up. You are right- He was almost completely insane, and there is a certain degree of built-up mockery in Toshi. It really plays out into the greater scheme of the block, too- the whole idea that no matter how famous a person may be, in the end they are just people. Now that that's been cleared up, I have absolutely no complaints about Betrayers. Cool beans!
Hey, thanks for talking with me. I'm sorry if my questions irritated you, but it has been a real pleasure to see your stance on how things worked out, and how you reached this position. And although you are a far better writer than I am, you never seemed particularily condescending, a trait which is very admirable.
Hey, thanks for talking with me. I'm sorry if my questions irritated you, but it has been a real pleasure to see your stance on how things worked out, and how you reached this position. And although you are a far better writer than I am, you never seemed particularily condescending, a trait which is very admirable.
Peace out!
Right back at ya. I like any discussion that takes the work seriously.
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Cheers,
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Wow--well done on the piercing questions for Yodafan. Some of them were my own, but I always look back on the whole picture of the block and say it was incredibly well written, and cannot find the gaul to complain. The put it flatly: if he had about 20 more pages to extend on Takeno in a chapter perhaps, maybe in a last appeal to an insane Konda, or to make Toshi have a say in the final battle vs. OK as well.
But since when is anything in the world perfect? Never. And for me and many, CHK is about as perfect as we can expect a whole block of books to get.
If I were to have a question, it'd be why Toshi doesn't even get involved in the fight vs. OK. I know the MoNR has abandoned him, but does he not have any powerful kanji magic to support him? He was doing amazing things before he accepted a patron you know...
And Takeno reminds me very much of a certain character you wrote once. Tragic alligance to an undeserving master....
I also where a funny hat
Oh btw, did you say a few threads back that Nicol Bolas was dead? Because when I find Champions Trial (my copy), I'm almost certain he's trapped, not dead.
Thou shalt not have others of the same Legendary before me Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face Thou shalt not change rules in vain Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities Thou shalt not kill mana burn Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards All must be one
Yes. But unfortunately, I don't have a scanner, or I would already have shared it with you. So I'm afraid I can't help you there, but that pic is as good as 95% complete anyway, so there's not much that would add to it.
Squirle: I have the Duelist this map is scanned from, and those three places simply say "ruins", nothing more, nothing less.
Thou shalt not have others of the same Legendary before me Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face Thou shalt not change rules in vain Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities Thou shalt not kill mana burn Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards All must be one
And what is more on Aerona map?
Some islands (any names?) or something?
The calendar map is basically the same as this one, but a little more detailed (and without the borders and colors drawn in). If anything is missing from it, it's little more than small pieces of unnamed islands. Here are the differences:
The area between the two horizontal mountain ranges in Keld is 'Gurdrungs'.
The stretch of water between the Keld/Parma continent (Icehaven) and North Aerona is 'The Rip'.
The river in the Cape Tempest area is 'K'cur'. Right of the Cape Tempest nametag the river has a delta, and somewhere ther's a city called Coraleon.
On the circle of mountains near Hammerheim, the top range is the 'Smoke Mountains' and the bottom the 'Bade Mountains'.
Go south from the Sea of Whales, and look for the biggest island. There's a city called 'Jenges' directly opposite it.
In 'Whispering Woods', the arrow-shaped forestbetween the rivers is actually 'Wild Woods', and the Whispering Woods themselves are west of it.
In Benalia, the gap in the mountains west of Hurloon is called 'Red Iron'. Benalia City is west of that, near the mouth of the river that comes from Red Iron.
Fors Basin (?), Tonga Mts., Amjad and Erg Mirab are not named on the calendar map.
There are two cities in Kush: Estark (on the big peninsula in the south), and Tantium (near the bay north of the samller peninsula).
The eastern part of Barbar (directly south of Erg Mirab) is called 'Green Lands".
On the calendar map, the sea south of the Green Lands is the Honeyed Sea, not the sea near Avenant .
The biggest of the islands between the Green Lands and Shanodin is Foriys (of Two-Headed Giant fame).
The land south of Oneah and east of Shanodin is Savaea.
The cape northwest of Verdura (or a city there) has a name, but it's cut off. It ends in "-la".
Thou shalt not have others of the same Legendary before me Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face Thou shalt not change rules in vain Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities Thou shalt not kill mana burn Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards All must be one
"Of all the regions of Dominaria, the Domains are the favorite of planeswalkers for the rich variety of creatures, cultures, and fierce warriors nurtured there.
The islands of the Eastern Domains stretch for thousands of miles, pointing the way to shattered Terisiare in the west, Sarpadia to the south, and the eternal ice of the north.
The Central Domains consist of three continents: inhospitable Icehaven, and North and South Aerona, which are linked by the Hurloon Mountains, a range of impassable peaks. Many of the greatest civilizations of Dominaria are found here. Benalia, risen from the ashes of the Sheoltun Empire, is a prosperous city-state thanks to the rich harvests of the Spice Isles she controls. Estark, the once-proud festival city in the heart of Kush, has declined since the Time of Troubles. Many of its citizens now live modestly in the countryside.
The Llanowar forest shelters a range of elvish civilizations, from communal treetowns to tribal matriarchies. One imperative unites these disparate groups - protecting their nomes from the orcs and goblins of the Ironclaw Mountains.
The minotaurs of Hurloon arrived in North Aerona centuries ago after being forced from their homeland by the encroaching glaciers. They traveled south until they faced an impassable chain of mountains where they chose to take shelter in the caves until the cold ended. They now dwell in the mountains, living in small tribes, the largest of which is in the fertile Hurloon Valley. Icehaven is home to many small states, separated by this barren land's indigenous tribes of stone giants. the Kingdom of Parma and the Land of Keld are foremost among those states.
The people of Parma believe that the hardship of their environment is a spiritual purifier that winnows out the weak and strengthens the worthy. Their paladins travel throughout the Domains spreading their society's central teaching.
The warlords of Keld tipify this cruel land, enslaving their people through magic, and sacrificing them in battle for the glory of Keld. Oneah once was one of the most enlightened of societies. Though famous for their martial skills, Oneahns viewed the ownership of a bladed weapon as strictly taboo. In time, the goblins of the Red Mountains overran and destroyed this beautiful city. Shanodin and Savaea lie south of Oneah, mysterious forests that even goblins fear to enter. Little is known of these places, for few who enter them survive, and those who do cannot bear to speak of their experiences within. Mysteries Remain
There are many other lands - blighted Muronia and Wrenna, both succumbing to corruption's cold embrace, but from different causes... Coraleon, the city of continued festival, where every emotion is celebrated... the Green Lands, home of the centaurs... Foriys, inhabited by giants... Sursi, with its pegasii... the Whispering Woods, so full of life that its sounds can drive one mad... Avenant, with its noble warriors... Efrava, the secluded home of the cat people. Each place holds countless stories - of hope and despair, of the rise and fall of individuals and societies, and the heart's struggle to survive. All these stories are waiting to be revealed in this part of Dominaria."
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Thou shalt not have others of the same Legendary before me Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face Thou shalt not change rules in vain Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities Thou shalt not kill mana burn Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards All must be one
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I've got a few questions for you:
1) About how long does Wizards give you to write a book or a series of books? Do you feel that deadlines relating to set release make it more difficult to create and detail a good novel, and affect the quality of editing?
Do you feel the purpose of the novels is to provide players a backdrop and detail for the related set, or is it a vehicle for driving non-playing fantasy fans toward the card game?
2) Is there a story behind the Desolation Angel? I would have never asked, but she wound up on the front cover of the Apocalype book and I was kinda miffed that she was never brought up.
3) What's your favorite Magic block in terms of story/setting, and why?
4) I keep going around to various peoples about this and haven't gotten an answer yet, and I wondered if you might know anything about this poster of Kohljorn, Elder Druid of the Juniper Order. It's doesn't appear on any card.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=24959
Thanks for taking time out for the responses.
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I do wish there had been more space and time for the Primeval Dragons' backstory.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
To answer your question, No, I cannot tell you.
Sorry. :grin2:
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
They schedule the novels about 18 months in advance of publication, but with all the meetings and first drafts and rewrites and reviewing, the author usually has about 6 months of full-time work to produce a final draft.
Cory and I tend to hate deadlines when we have 'em, but I do feel that they're important and necessary. If they left it up to me, I'd probably never turn the book in (just keep adding and rewriting scenes). Deadlines are part of the business and us writers have to accept that and learn to deal with them (though we don't always do it, or do it gracefully).
I can't speak to how this affects the quality of the editing, as my role stops when theirs begins.
The purpose of the novels is to tell a good story. They are Magic novels, however, and so they also have to do both of the things you cited.
Remember that I used to be the Story Guy for Magic (during Urza and pre-Invasion) before I became a Magic Author, so in my opinion, the cards only exist to steer players toward the novels.
There's no coherent story that I'm aware of. It's a nice image, though.
I'm going to leave out the sets that have books I wrote about them and say Mercadian Masques. We on the Story Team worked hard to weave as many world-based details into the card art, names, flavor text, and rules. The Caterans were one of my favorite "tribes", the mercantile nature of the place really came through in cards like Bribery, Customs Depot, Diplomatic Immunity, and Embargo, and I loved the design of Mercadia mountain, the kyren goblins, and the foppish Mercadian nobles.
Best/most powerful card set? Probably not. But it was a good example of how much story detail can make it onto cards in order to flesh out the game world.
No, I can't help you there. It is an amazing image, though.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
I'm not sure I understand. There's tons of real world stuff in my novels--the yabusame (archery from horseback) mentioned in Kamigawa is straight out of Feudal Japan, all Chainer's snake-men are based on real snakes, there's even a real world wasp that uses the same method Xira Arien uses to plant its eggs.
I don't follow what you mean after that, so I can't give examples.
Magic fiction is what's known as a "shared world"--that is, there are lots of different creative people working on it, including authors, artists, and rule-makers. It's sometimes hard to keep all the stuff straight when you're comparing cards to books to art to rules, but it's also a collaborative effort. We authors sit down with the editors and the artists and the card guys (and often each other) and we hash out a rough idea of what's going to happen together. When it comes time to write, the author gets to make up whatever characters and dialogue and plot devices he or she needs to tell the story everyone agreed on at the outset.
Hope this helps.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
1. That's one of the untold stories of the Kami War. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, I thought that the story would be told as one of those web vignettes that WotC published, but I was mistaken.
But to sum up what I think happened: Yosei basically held the endlessly spawing goblins off until the Kami War ended. Then the assault petered out and Yosei went on to his final reward, loyal protector to the end.
2. Have they showed me the globe? My friend, I'm the one who used to show the globe to other people.
See, I used to have that very globe on my desk when I worked at Wizards. In fact, after Pete left it was *my* globe and sometimes I'd just sit and spin it around and around. I bet it's still there, somewhere in Continuity, but I can't say for sure.
3. I'd like to take a crack at Baron Sengir in Homelands. He's a great character and he pretty much owns the entire plane.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
I would imagine that we all love certain names we think of, and characters that couldn't be conjured without their names, but writeing a shared world, doesn't that get confineing to only have a limited amount of space for creativity?
I think Mr. Herndon already answared a question like this, but I would like the opinion of all shared-word-writers opinions on this note, as it seems a daunting and irritating task.
Also, how do you like Magic: The Gathering as a whole? Kind of a stupid question, but I'm just curios as to how good a writer you are. Sometimes people can write great on subjects they don't even like.
Thanks for taking the time out to answer our questions!
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Oh, I do hope they pick up on the Homelands storyline/setting again sometime, but I think there's just too much stigma.
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I would just like to confirm that I have been shown the globe. It exists.
The continent that looks like McGough's head is very unsettling.
CJH
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You mean the one that looks like Adonis ascending into Paradise, or the one that looks like a half-melted mushroom?
Answer carefully.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Ain't those the same continent, the one that looks like a half-melted Adonis ascending a mushroom in paradise? And also looks like your head?
Veering dangerously off topic,
CJH
Seriously, though, where did that globe come from in the first place? Who first designed Dominaria? Not that I'd think either of you would know that but, well, I haven't asked a question in a while.
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That being said, I must take issue with some of your work.
While I loved Champions, Betrayers, and the first half of Saviors, I found the final half to be very dissapointing. My main complaint was with how you killed of O-Kagachi. Now, admitedly, you were playing with fire with him. How do you resolve a conflict when all you have are mortals fighting one of the strongest gods of all time? But your decision to end it by magically creating a "super being"(Sorry, forgot her name, but the girl who came out of That Which Was Taken), and pump up Michiko to unreasonable power for some reason, just seemed like the sort of lack of plot development I'd find in something like Dragonball Z. Could you seriously think of no alternatives other than making some people unreasonably powerful completely out of nowhere? I found this aspect very dissapointing.
Another point I found dissapointing was your lack of involvement with Konda's lost samurai, now spirits. My main issue here was Takeno. In the end of Betrayers, you create a truly beautiful scene in which Takeno, for the first time, doubts the reason behind Konda's war. We see that the two do love each other, in a very respectful way, and we watch as Takeno gives his life to prevent the death of a man he is no longer sure he completely trusts. You create a three dimensional character in someone who very possibly could have been a one or two dimmensional fellow. But when Saviors comes around, you cut off this plot line completely. Not only is there absolutely no mention of Takeno by Konda, he doesn't even SHOW UP as a spirit within the book! Why didn't you elaborate on this a little further? Also, the Samurai spirits seemed to serve no purpose other than fighting O-Kagachi and O-Bakemo. Was there really nothing else you could do with such a cool concept?
And the ending of the whole Konda storyline was simply to abrupt. Ms. Superlady walks in, punches him, and that's that. While I respect the slight irony in this(a man who can never be killed, forever cursed to do nothing), this just seemed like a "oh, crap, we have to end this!" development. Did you have a higher goal with this?
Please, do not take my criticism as an offense. I think that you are a truly great writer, and I eagerly await any novel you may write. But I was dissapointed by Saviors, and I was wondering why you made some of your decisions. Thank you very much!
BTW, Skellum is my favorite MTG character of all time. Good character, right there. "My name is Skellum, and I wear a funny hat!"
Yodafan: Official pro of one of Magic’s most casual formats.
Thanks for the love. Now on with the hate...:wink:
I have to disagree with the basic premise of your question. I totally understand the DBZ reference, but I do not think it applies. I hope the text of the Kamigawa novels is clear about this, but That Which Was Taken/Kyodai was originally part of O-Kagachi, a very important and powerful part. Also, Konda stole that part with a ritual that exploited Michiko’s actual birth, allowing Konda to “deliver” TWWT in its embryonic disk form. So Michiko, O-Kagachi, and Kyodai were connected from the moment Konda commits his crime, connected on a basic physical and spiritual level. So it was never a question of someone achieving a high enough “power level” to take on an invincible foe (a la Goku vs. Frieza, Buu, etc.)—it’s a matter of the new generation taking over by overthrowing their elders and claiming the power that is theirs by birthright.
Leaving Takeno entirely out of the story after his physical death was a conscious choice I made, intentionally on purpose. You always want people to care when a character you’re writing dies (so I guess I accomplished that in this case) and I did honestly like and admire Takeno. But in my world, blind loyalty to an undeserving master can only end in tragedy. Anyone remember how badly things went for Boris Devilboon in Legends II? Takeno was a noble man, a great man, but he gave all he had to Konda, who quite literally used him up until he was all gone.
The same applies to his ghost army. Once they were dead, they were perfect warriors as far as he was concerned: loyal, obedient, and faceless. They weren't people, they were his army.
I'm going to suggest you rephrase this one. As is, it's pretty much a "when did you stop beating your wife" question.
No offense taken--lively discussion is one of the reasons I come to these boards.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
While I understood that you were going for "the rule of the parents to be overthrown by the new generation," I still just have to believe that there were better options available then creating a super-powered being that came from a part (admitedly, the most powerful part) of O-Kagachi, and suddenly beating O-Kagachi down like he's just a giant joke of a being that is supposedlay amongst the most powerful. Also, it seems as though you pumped up Michiko's power in a very DBZ manner. Here are some quick excerpts from the book, involiving a power I'm fairly certain Michiko never had...
"This time the bolt converted into gleaming white energy."
"...It had wholly covered it in stone."
"Michiko rose over it while Kyodai drew back."
What's more, these were all on two pages, and there were several left!
My point is, aside from creating an all-powerful being in Kyodai, you also give Michiko powers she never had before, with no real rational for why she suddenly has them. Apparently, he arrows turn people into stone now, and I guess she can fly (I may have misinterpereted that last one). She even seems MORE powerful than the being that we all know has otherworldly powers, due to that last quote again. Now, it's been a while since I've read Saviors, so if I'm missing something, please correct me. But it just seems like you could have at least kept the ridiculous power to the actual god, and not a mortal.
Oh, fair enough. However, did you ever consider keeping them around as spirits, and furthering the tradgedy of Konda's army? Here you have men, who died by the thousands protecting their lord, and now they are mutated spirits who are being denied their place in infinity because of their master's selfish greed. Did you ever consider playing at that angle? But I do understand your point there.
Well, I'm not sure how to rephrase this, so I guess I'll give some quick background. When it finally comes time for the overthrow of "the fathers for the rule of the children," Konda, who I always assumed was the primary villain of the piece (he did, after all, put the whole thing into motion), is quickly dealt with in an anticlimactic manner. Kyodai shows up after Michiko tells Konda of his mistakes, paralyzes him with her snake tongue, and then punches him, shattering his body into a million pieces. While this is an ending, it plays into my "super-being" argument further. It seems as though you found yourself approaching page 310, which I take to be the recommended length of a Magic novel, realized that Konda was still around, so you had Kyodai kill him just to make sure the overthrow of the fathers actually ended within the book. And I just think you could have done something without making a mockery of Konda, supposedly the "most powerful man in Kamigawa." However, you may well have a reason for this, and it's not a huge deal. But feel free to explain this to me.
Excellent! I am very glad you understand that I'm still a fan of your work. Now, I hope you don't mind another quick question- At the end of Betrayers, you have a confrontation between Toshi and Konda. Toshi easily dodges all of Konda's attacks, and basically makes him look like a fool. So I guess my question is, why did you do that? I know you had to keep both of the characters alive for the third installment, but I think you could have done it without making "the most powerful man in all of Kamigawa" look like an incompetent old man.
Thank you for your time, and attention.
Yodafan: Official pro of one of Magic’s most casual formats.
Okay, once again I'm not on board with your basic premise...specifically, the "ridiculous power" you want me to ascribe to the Sisters. Once they synch up, Kyodai and Michiko are supposed to be more powerful than O-Kagachi, or at least as powerful in a different way. That's the point, the old separation between spirit and flesh has to make way for the new, more interactive variety. In my mind, the Sisters absolutely have more and better abilities that Michiko and Kyodai didn't have on their own because they're entirely new beings who share flesh and spirit, who combine it instead of keeping them separate. I hope you at least liked the way the color of Michiko's arrow-spells followed the Magic color wheel--maybe the Sisters will discover land-based mana, or something like it as they rebuild Kamigawa.
But with respect to the transformation of Kyodai and Michiko into the Sisters, seems you plain just don't like this plot development. I do, and I'm happy with how it came out. Hope I don't sound too fussy, but if you don't like it, you don't like it and we can move on.
I don't know how to explain the first part except to say that isn't the way it happened. Sure, if I had six more months to work on the first draft, I probably would have spread the ending out a bit more and slowed the pace down to match the increased length. But it was planned from the very first outline to have Konda come in after all the fireworks are over and be held accountable by TWWT/Kyodai, who deals with him in short order. At that point O-Kagachi is gone, TWWT has become a sentient, mobile, independent being, and the great Daimyo Konda is entirely defeated...he just doesn't know it yet. Kyodai makes it clear to him, short and brutal, because that's what she thinks he deserves (and maybe because the author does too...a little).
And sure, I could have shown Toshi vs. Konda without making the most powerful man in all of Kamigawa look like an incompetant old man. I chose to show him that way. Konda represents the establishment and authority that Toshi spends three books mocking and circumventing. He has no respect for Konda, and he knows Konda can't harm him. So he toys with him, mocks him, and eludes him.
Also, by this point Konda is almost completely insane. It was fully intentional to show the grand and noble daimyo, beloved and respected by an entire nation, losing his cool and flailing after the wise-ass who has invaded his private sanctuary. It's one of those Wizard of Oz "Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain" glimpses of the man behind the myth.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
Fair enough. I will cease to argue this point with you, as you are satisfied, and I was not satisfied. Either way, our opinions seem doubtful to change. Hey, that's a sign of a good writer- you absolutely believe that how you ended it was the best, and you're sticking with it. I, personally, disagree, but the fact that you stand by it shows that you actually believe in what you write, a trait harder and harder to find in modern authors. Good show!
And yes, I did like how you paid proper respect to the color pie. It's fairly irritating when a writer completely ignores the rules of the world they're writing about, and you consistently follow all the rules of Magic.
Hmm. Fair enough. I'm not saying that that was what necessarily happened, that's just what it kind of seemed like to me. And since it obviously wasn't, it was completely your call, and you gave Konda what you felt would be fair treatment. I think this plays almost directly into my dislike of the ending of Saviors and your pleasure with it's ending- merely a difference of opinion.
Again, a fair point. This one, I actually agree with you on, and I thank you for clearing it up. You are right- He was almost completely insane, and there is a certain degree of built-up mockery in Toshi. It really plays out into the greater scheme of the block, too- the whole idea that no matter how famous a person may be, in the end they are just people. Now that that's been cleared up, I have absolutely no complaints about Betrayers. Cool beans!
Hey, thanks for talking with me. I'm sorry if my questions irritated you, but it has been a real pleasure to see your stance on how things worked out, and how you reached this position. And although you are a far better writer than I am, you never seemed particularily condescending, a trait which is very admirable.
Peace out!
Yodafan: Official pro of one of Magic’s most casual formats.
Right back at ya. I like any discussion that takes the work seriously.
McG
_______________________
"...if I woke up looking like that, I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it."
--Master Shake
But since when is anything in the world perfect? Never. And for me and many, CHK is about as perfect as we can expect a whole block of books to get.
If I were to have a question, it'd be why Toshi doesn't even get involved in the fight vs. OK. I know the MoNR has abandoned him, but does he not have any powerful kanji magic to support him? He was doing amazing things before he accepted a patron you know...
And Takeno reminds me very much of a certain character you wrote once. Tragic alligance to an undeserving master....
I also where a funny hat
Oh btw, did you say a few threads back that Nicol Bolas was dead? Because when I find Champions Trial (my copy), I'm almost certain he's trapped, not dead.
Man do I crave more Umezawa...
IIRC, that came from a TopDeck (WOTC's follow-up to the Duelist), and it was the map for a Risk-esque 'Coalition' game or something.
There also was a version of this map in one of the Magic calendars. (Edit: the 1997 one)
Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face
Thou shalt not change rules in vain
Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy
Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities
Thou shalt not kill mana burn
Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility
Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack
Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards
All must be one
Yes. But unfortunately, I don't have a scanner, or I would already have shared it with you. So I'm afraid I can't help you there, but that pic is as good as 95% complete anyway, so there's not much that would add to it.
Squirle: I have the Duelist this map is scanned from, and those three places simply say "ruins", nothing more, nothing less.
Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face
Thou shalt not change rules in vain
Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy
Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities
Thou shalt not kill mana burn
Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility
Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack
Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards
All must be one
The calendar map is basically the same as this one, but a little more detailed (and without the borders and colors drawn in). If anything is missing from it, it's little more than small pieces of unnamed islands. Here are the differences:
The area between the two horizontal mountain ranges in Keld is 'Gurdrungs'.
The stretch of water between the Keld/Parma continent (Icehaven) and North Aerona is 'The Rip'.
The river in the Cape Tempest area is 'K'cur'. Right of the Cape Tempest nametag the river has a delta, and somewhere ther's a city called Coraleon.
On the circle of mountains near Hammerheim, the top range is the 'Smoke Mountains' and the bottom the 'Bade Mountains'.
Go south from the Sea of Whales, and look for the biggest island. There's a city called 'Jenges' directly opposite it.
In 'Whispering Woods', the arrow-shaped forestbetween the rivers is actually 'Wild Woods', and the Whispering Woods themselves are west of it.
In Benalia, the gap in the mountains west of Hurloon is called 'Red Iron'. Benalia City is west of that, near the mouth of the river that comes from Red Iron.
Fors Basin (?), Tonga Mts., Amjad and Erg Mirab are not named on the calendar map.
There are two cities in Kush: Estark (on the big peninsula in the south), and Tantium (near the bay north of the samller peninsula).
The eastern part of Barbar (directly south of Erg Mirab) is called 'Green Lands".
On the calendar map, the sea south of the Green Lands is the Honeyed Sea, not the sea near Avenant .
The biggest of the islands between the Green Lands and Shanodin is Foriys (of Two-Headed Giant fame).
The land south of Oneah and east of Shanodin is Savaea.
The cape northwest of Verdura (or a city there) has a name, but it's cut off. It ends in "-la".
Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face
Thou shalt not change rules in vain
Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy
Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities
Thou shalt not kill mana burn
Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility
Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack
Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards
All must be one
"Of all the regions of Dominaria, the Domains are the favorite of planeswalkers for the rich variety of creatures, cultures, and fierce warriors nurtured there.
The islands of the Eastern Domains stretch for thousands of miles, pointing the way to shattered Terisiare in the west, Sarpadia to the south, and the eternal ice of the north.
The Central Domains consist of three continents: inhospitable Icehaven, and North and South Aerona, which are linked by the Hurloon Mountains, a range of impassable peaks. Many of the greatest civilizations of Dominaria are found here.
Benalia, risen from the ashes of the Sheoltun Empire, is a prosperous city-state thanks to the rich harvests of the Spice Isles she controls.
Estark, the once-proud festival city in the heart of Kush, has declined since the Time of Troubles. Many of its citizens now live modestly in the countryside.
The Llanowar forest shelters a range of elvish civilizations, from communal treetowns to tribal matriarchies. One imperative unites these disparate groups - protecting their nomes from the orcs and goblins of the Ironclaw Mountains.
The minotaurs of Hurloon arrived in North Aerona centuries ago after being forced from their homeland by the encroaching glaciers. They traveled south until they faced an impassable chain of mountains where they chose to take shelter in the caves until the cold ended. They now dwell in the mountains, living in small tribes, the largest of which is in the fertile Hurloon Valley.
Icehaven is home to many small states, separated by this barren land's indigenous tribes of stone giants. the Kingdom of Parma and the Land of Keld are foremost among those states.
The people of Parma believe that the hardship of their environment is a spiritual purifier that winnows out the weak and strengthens the worthy. Their paladins travel throughout the Domains spreading their society's central teaching.
The warlords of Keld tipify this cruel land, enslaving their people through magic, and sacrificing them in battle for the glory of Keld.
Oneah once was one of the most enlightened of societies. Though famous for their martial skills, Oneahns viewed the ownership of a bladed weapon as strictly taboo. In time, the goblins of the Red Mountains overran and destroyed this beautiful city.
Shanodin and Savaea lie south of Oneah, mysterious forests that even goblins fear to enter. Little is known of these places, for few who enter them survive, and those who do cannot bear to speak of their experiences within.
Mysteries Remain
There are many other lands - blighted Muronia and Wrenna, both succumbing to corruption's cold embrace, but from different causes... Coraleon, the city of continued festival, where every emotion is celebrated... the Green Lands, home of the centaurs... Foriys, inhabited by giants... Sursi, with its pegasii... the Whispering Woods, so full of life that its sounds can drive one mad... Avenant, with its noble warriors... Efrava, the secluded home of the cat people. Each place holds countless stories - of hope and despair, of the rise and fall of individuals and societies, and the heart's struggle to survive. All these stories are waiting to be revealed in this part of Dominaria."
Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face
Thou shalt not change rules in vain
Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy
Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities
Thou shalt not kill mana burn
Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility
Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack
Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards
All must be one