This is some sort of landmark--I'm selling off my Magic:The Gathering collection on ebay. Actually, that's not quite true, since I decided to save the twenty or so decks I've still got constructed. Only one or two of those are the sort of preconstructed decks you buy intact. Everything else is my own design, and almost all of those date from my early days enjoying this game. So I'll still have plenty of options to play the game some more, should that happen again. But the 5000+ cards I'm that are just sitting in card storage boxes are being sold.
A lot of boardgamers don't think too much of M:tG. And although my interest in boardgames came at the expense of Magic, I don't really think of one style of gaming being obviously better than the other. It's just different. Even though I played in a few small scale, regional tournaments, I never found much validity to the criticism that Magic is a "money game." Yeah, you end up spending more than twenty bucks, but most boardgamers I know spend more on the boardgame collection than I ever did on Magic cards.
The real difference between Magic and boardgaming is intensity. When I was playing Magic from 94-96, it was the only game I really played, I thought about it all the time (on my commute, etc.), and it's what I read about on the Internet and in magazines. I played a few hours every week, plus some rudimentary online play (using text shorthand over chat channels!). A decade later, I think I spend about the same time & mental energy on boardgames today!
Where boardgames do have an edge over Magic is socially. Not that playing Magic isn't social--I met a lot of interesting people through that game. However, anyone who's been reading my blog or other comments knows that I'm always trying to shift my hobby to one more inclusive of the rest of my family, and to distance myself from the "geekier" aspects. Magic, with all of its fantasy theming and dark imagery, doesn't do that very well. Bohnanza and Ticket To Ride are much, much better in that regard.
Good move. I sold my Middle-Earth CCG rares - just finished up packing them today. They went very, very cheap, but it's always better than having them taking space in boxes and binders. After all, it's been years since I last played the game. Now I just have to get rid of the other cards... It's much easier with Magic, I bet there are lots of new players who'd take a similar bunch of Magic cards with 20 euros or so. Finding the MECCG newbies can be tricky.
Posted by: Mikko at November 9, 2004 06:51 AM