Off Topic: Land Ho!

[Meyou]

I'm stopping this argument by stopping. I've been down this road before. It becomes a battle of egos rather than rheoteric. It devolves into catty comments about pointing out anything I misspoke on or wrote unclearly. It won't matter how I explain it, defend it, or back-peddle. The conversation will continue pointing out the 1% thing I said wrong instead of trying to understand what I was saying rather pointing out my flaws.

My sense is this is about the fact I called a group of players lazy. Some are lazy. It is being contorted to mean a blanket statement. I sure I will hear a snippet about something blanket statements blah, blah, and blah. The fact somebody wants me to state percentages boggles my mind. Seriously? Instead of it creating a conversation it has turned into a crusade to attack me. That's fine. I've been doing this for what three years now? I'm used to it. In that time, when things devolve, I've learned to just let it go otherwise anything and I mean anything I will say will just keep that wheel turning.

Do I think all players are lazy?
No.

Do I think there are players who lack motivation?
Yes.

Do I think there are group of players out there who feel entitled?
Yes.

I know I shouldn't even be writing this response. There will only be another retort. If I reply, there will be another retort. Most likely a philosophy major pulling out terminology and blah, blah, blah.

I write these articles cause nobody writes about these subjects. Some don't write them because it is a hot topic. Some are bound by corporate, but I think these things are interesting to talk about. Are we entitled as a consumer? I think so. I've thought it.

This is no longer a conversation. I thought my last post might spur a conversation. It has continued with attacks on me. If I cared, I would have stopped writing a long time ago.

I won't continue with this reposting. Even though I am reposting.

The truth is it is like trying to convince any one a political belief that believes Obama is a muslim terrorist. It won't matter what I say. They will still believe what he or she thinks. It is the same here. Frankly, I feel like I am having a conversation with Sheldon.

Anyway, nice post drudge.

I await the predictable reply.

[sephirothx]

Okay, I'll throw in. Your land designs explored undiscovered territory. I thought there was some real brilliance there. You expanded on your ideas, and it kept me reading. Then you went off about card costs. What the heck does that have to do with the price of bananas in Africa?

Your reply actually seems to point to the other problem. If it's a hot-button issue akin to starting a flame war, what did you expect? It's not like you didn't know, your post suggests you've seen this all before. Common sense could have been applied here, and leave the talk of politics, religion, and class out of a discussion it had nothing to do with.

Wouldn't you be offended and brought to debate a sacred cow you hold dear if it had been planted as a 'gotcha' in an unrelated article you had genuine interest in? You seem intelligent and reasonable, so it's bizarre your common sense seems so obtuse in this. Best of luck to you, though, you really had me interested up until then.

[MisterZeek]

I enjoyed reading your articles, while I do enjoy your take on lands, it was an interesting read. Lands are indeed a confusing lot, when I was still new to magic I had the hardest time understanding why people played cards like Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion was so powerful because they were overcosted for what they did. I eventually realized what made them so powerful is they didn't cost CA and it was always a looming threat.

The thing that kind of threw me off is you started ranting about MTG players, money, and laziness. I don't want to hear about that, it has nothing to do with the topic aside from MTG. What I want to hear as a reader is to learn some else's take on making mtg cards. If your going to write about that for nearly half the article can you keep it separate in terms of articles? A little bit of off topic as your column name suggests is fine, but I feel 50/50 is too much. I enjoyed your ideas for counterspells and commander. Anyways not my position to tell you want to do, just how I feel. Happy MTGing Overcome the stresses man.

[DrendDragonspawn]

There is more to getting a good job than hard work. There is a great deal of luck involved. I've worked hard my entire life, earning a greater than 4.0 gpa and everything. When the economy collapsed, my scholarships disappeared. The school I was attending cut them off. Now, I'm not saying that's why I don't have a great job. It is only a part of the equation. Lets look at the hundreds of thousands of college graduates who work extremely hard and STILL take out the garbage at Applebee's. You were incredibly fortunate. Some of us aren't.

I treat Magic as a godsend. I played Yugioh competitively for years, graduating to judging high end events. That game is ridiculously expensive. 1 copy of some staples in that game could buy me play sets of Magics most expensive current cards. While maintaining the same gaming budget as I had in ygo, I've managed to build 5 capable commander decks, with some of the best cards in those categories. I couldn't have managed a single tournament in ygo with that money. The cost griping in this game is pointless. You guys have it great.

[Gilmok]

Hi, Meyou. It's me again.

A couple of things:
-One thing to be careful with when designing lands is that all decks have access to these lands. Every color and every faction will have access to whatever is printed on a land. If a land has an effect that clearly belongs in one color, then it's probably best as a card of that color.
-Keep in mind that lands are physical entities that just sit there, so you run the risk of a flavorful disconnect when lands begin interacting with the mental component of the game (cards and libraries).
-Players don't like to play with cards that outright give their opponents an advantage. There is a big difference between playing a powerful card with a drawback that is easily minimized or exploited, and playing a medium-power card that has a drawback that cannot be expoited.

May I ask again what the design goals for this set were? Wasn't your goal to make enchantments a centeripiece of gameplay? How do these cards contribute to that goal? (Sidenote: How does political commentary contribute to the goal of expressing your set design process? I hate it when Maro comments about life in his articles, too.) It seems like you've regressed to just designing individual cards. I understand that life happens, but if you are committed to doing this, you need to re-orient yourself.

[Meyou]

The lands came about and I thought it was worthy of an article. The other-half of the answers is I am stalling. Enchantments are a tough cookie to crack. I've made headway, but I don't want to talk about them until things are more solidified. The same with charge, except I'm getting much closer to the tail-end of charge cards. Focusing on charge will probably be my next article. Hopefully, I will have enchantments tackled by then.

I'm going to keep these rare lands in my the set for now. I want to try them out when I playtest with them. I have a group willing to draft and what not when I am done. I'm curious to the reactions and the effects of the cards. This whole thing is an experiment to learn. Are they perfect for this set? Maybe not, but the goal here is foremost to learn something. As with anything, I can always rip them out later.

[hyalapterouslemur]

Lands are tricky. There's only so much design space, but I think your idea works.

Do you mind if I give the mechanic a name? I suggest Newman. Why Newman? Because it's scry vs. scry.

[Meyou]

Since you asked so nicely, sure, why not. Hence forth, it will be the Newman mechanic.

Clever by the way.

Originally Posted by hyalapterouslemur

Lands are tricky. There's only so much design space, but I think your idea works.

Do you mind if I give the mechanic a name? I suggest Newman. Why Newman? Because it's scry vs. scry.

[TigerStripedDog]

100% agree about the expense of magic cards point that you made here. But we have left the age of enlightenment for the age of entitlement. Its participation trophy mentality. "I exist, therefor I deserve". I busted butt through 11 years of higher education for my job. I came from very little, and have acquired very much through hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and biological/god-given talent. And while I recognize that the last part of that isn't something we control, success is available to all but the absolutely deficient. It just takes time, and its hard.

I think you should reconsider your stance on welfare Meyou. The bottom line is that food, healthcare and shelter, even our most basic needs come to us only by the hard work of others. To expect to have these things for free is ridiculous. It seems to make sense... after all if one needs something to live one shouldn't have to pay for it. Right? Air is free, so why isn't the rest?

The problem is its not the food that you're paying for. Its the hard work and dedication of other people who produce and then distribute the food that you are paying for. And I don't believe anyone has the right to demand that others work for them for free. When my tax money goes towards welfare for those that truly have no means to provide for themselves, I get it. That's compassion, and a necessary institution. It is when my tax money goes to those who have made bad choices, or simply don't/haven't tried that I have a problem. And I see it all the time. Everywhere.

But if that wasn't bad enough, the sense of entitlement has grown out of control even beyond the necessities. Now there are people who testify before congress that their student loans should be forgiven! That HIGHER education (beyond the considerable free education they receive) should be free. Recently a woman testified that birth control be free. I agree that birth control should be available, but free? Why should anyone else have to pay for her CHOICE to be sexually active? Even if she does have a medical condition that requires her to take birth control, why should all those people who work 8-5 every day have to work for free to provide that for her? Why do they owe her anything?

And what you have mentioned is the culmination of this ideal. People believe that they even have a right to entertainment. They have a right to cheap magic cards! Its insane! Its a market, a limited amount of resource produced at great expense (by Wizards and the people there) for the purpose of profit. The idea that there should be any limit to the prices is unbelievable.


/rant.

Get a job. Better yourself. Get a better job. Life is hard, no one owes you anything.


Tiger