Magic the Gathering on the Net

Having recently reinstalled Magic the Gathering and gone back to
playing it, I decided to have a look round the Net and find out
more about the game. I wanted to learn more about the cards, and
work out which ones would be of most use to me at certain parts of
the game such as when duelling a particular colour opponent or
working my way through one of the dungeons or a wizard's castle.

I must admit that I have never seriously played the original
trading card game but I've been fascinated by it ever since I
first heard of it.  I even bought two starter decks and a book on
it, but couldn't find anyone willing to play it with me. So I had
to wait until the PC version came out and allowed me to duel to my
heart's content. A friend of mine collected the cards for several
years and when he came round he used to bring his folders. I loved
the art work and just found the whole concept fascinating.

I did find loads of information on the Net about it, both at its
official site http://www.wizards.com/ - the home of Wizards of the
Coast who originally devised the trading card game - and at
unofficial fan sites which have proliferated over the Net.

On visiting the Wizards site, I was amazed to learn exactly how
popular the game is. I didn't realise that it is played by over
six million people in 52 countries around the world and has been
translated into 9 languages.

Trying to sort out the different game versions is quite difficult.
The current edition of the game is called the Sixth Edition or
Classic.  The first three versions were known as Alpha, Beta and
Unlimited.  There was also a Revised edition. These are the basic
sets. There are several starter sets and 19 expansion sets, all of
which are built around a particular theme such as Arabian Nights
based round the famous Middle Eastern tales, Ice Age with
creatures like Arctic Foxes and snow covered lands, and Mercadian
Masques which adds Mercenary and Rebel cards. The full card
listing is in a text file on this issue's disk.


There are also numerous add-ons for the game and help for the
novice. The latest starter set now comes with an instructional
CD-ROM and two 22-card decks, two play mats, a play guide, rule
book and scorekeeping disks. There's also a new interactive
encyclopaedia on CD.

From the Wizards site, you can download card details, art work,
articles and reference files such as a Comprehensive Rulebook,
Official Tournament Rules, Oracle Card Reference, Rulings and
Errata and other unofficial rule variants such as Vanguard
Variants and Emperor Rules.

Licensed products are also covered - T shirts, comics, figures,
play mats and books. The latest books are Nemesis, Bloodlines and
Mercadian Masques. These link to different expansion sets. You can
look back at older releases in The Archives. I especially liked
the sound of The Colors of Magic which is a collection of short
stories. A sample chapter was displayed and I have also included
the text on this issue's disk. Various strategy guides have been
released, some of which have been collected from articles in The
Duelist magazine. You can also subscribe to a range of mailing
lists. Talking of books, there is a story section which explains
the background of Dominia, the land where Magic is set. There are
links to story based decks and chat areas related to recent books.

I don't know that searching through the site gave me an edge for
playing MtG, but it did leave me amazed by the amount of detail
which has been incorporated into the game design. And more
fascinated by the game than ever before.

                                                     Sue








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