Magic vs Miniatures

[Tomsche]

The newest of opinion pieces I have been thinking about lately, this time the difference between magic the Gathering and the Miniature wargaming hobby, two things I spend much time (and TOO MUCH money) on

http://tomsche69.blogspot.com/2012/02/magic-vs-miniatures.html

[Sangennaru]

five good points indeed.

But to me the most important point is the creativity. Miniatures imply a whole world of painting, assembling, scenery, and the miniatures itself are something "hardware"!

I started playing both games when i was 6-7 years old. Magic were much more versatile and pratical when very young, and playing is faster! but now i'm totally in love with lead-free lead!

[FramFramson]

Man, I've been playing Magic for almost 20 years. Anybody who thinks they should take up Magic because there's more women involved must be tuning in from Barsoom, because the average Magic player looks more like a kid with a runny nose or a GW orc than a human. And they are massively, overwhelmingly male.

Which is not to say there are no woman (decent-looking or otherwise) in Magic - that's how I met my wife. But is a ratio of 1:1000 really better than it is for wargames?

Maybe it's just because I'm from North America and most of the posters on this board are European. Perhaps the experience over the pond is different.

[rob_alderman]

I used to really like MTG, realised that I couldn't keep up with the cost and tbh, I enjoy the 'spectacle' of  a miniatures game.

To me, anything could be at the top of a MTG card, it would make no difference. When it comes to a tabletop miniatures game, telling a story and creating vivid imagery is natural.

[Daeothar]

After a single introductory brush with MtG when in uni, I quickly decided to update my reality and maintain that there is no such thing as Magic.

To each his own; I'll stick to miniatures, as the best part of my hobby time is spent sculpting, building, converting and painting...

[phreedh]

Magic is great fun and one of my best hobby moves was to construct a draft cube for Magic! I've got a box with roughly 700 cards in identical sleeves. 100 of each colour, 70 or so each of artifacts, multicoloured and special land cards. No duplicates, each card is unique. You then draft from this pool (cards pulled at random) using your favourite method.

Don't have time to read your post yet Tomsche, I'll get back to you. =)

[Delaney]

Ahh, I played it when it first came out but left after the first someone got a plank to the face over a rare card.  Not related events... just, well, a memorable time to leave.
I got into it just after EVERWAY got me into collecting fantasy art cards to use as campaign idea generators.  Still have those cards, but I got rid of my magic deck as soon as I could.  I had the classic plague deck... you know, plague rats, plague rats, plague rats, sacrifice... rinse and repeat.  Prefer painting minis.

[Lowtardog]

Magic the gathering got me wargaming again as used to play it with mates at work (lunch times in the RAF) It was ok but very limited appeal for me

[Mr Brown]

I gave up Magic a long time ago but got suckered in again with the release of their Commander boxes. Based on the Elder Dragon Highlander concept it is geared more towards fun rather than the usual chase for the best deck.
Decks require 100 cards with no more than one copy of any non-basic land hence the 'highlander' (there can be only one!) tag. One legendary creature is your 'Commander', originally one of the Elder Dragon legends. Yes there is still a benefit to having the 'best' cards but as you only need one of any its not to budget breaking. I've also found that a knowledge of older cards is very useful but not crippling if you dont.

Strongly geared towards pub style multiplayer games its a a good way to while away an hour. I'd very much recommend looking out for a community in your local areas and giving it a bash. Give any 'traditional' magic games a swerve though unless you have a very healthy bank balance that you dont mind wiping out every time a new set is released! 

[FramFramson]

That reminds me of a feature a year or two back. The German team sent to the world championships were asked what game store they frequented most (among other questions asked of most national teams) and they gave some name or other.

Only someone later pointed out that the name the cheeky Germans gave was of a local pub and not a game store.