I like to think that for a nerd, I'm actually pretty cool. I'm not sure if that's actually the reality of the situation but in my head I'm like a bald, fat Fonz. In order to maintain my cool nerd status there have always been lines that I've refused to cross because they're just a bit too far down the nerd road for me. For the most part these lines have been Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft and Magic the Gathering.
Recently one of the 'cool kids' at my local club has taken up D&D. Although I'm still on the fence as to whether I'll enjoy playing, I'm willing to cross that line to find out (and am actually looking forward to it).
Magic has always been (in my mind) associate with a particular type of gamer. This is because when I go into my local comic/game store, Travelling Man in York, there's always a guy stood at the end of the counter flipping through a folder of rare cards. That guy (not always the same one) always smells a bit funny and seems the type of person that was made to create socially awkward silences.
Today I popped into the club to see how the 40k tournament was going and ended up chatting to some of the club regulars that happened to be building Magic decks. One thing led to another and the next thing I know, there's a deck in my hand (I suspect rohypnol fits into that equation somewhere!). I played a game and, to my horror, actually enjoyed it. Since getting home I've ordered some starter stuff and will be joining in at some point in the near future.
I may be getting further and further towards the end of that nerd road but dammit, I'm still too cool for WoW!
I always find it odd when I here about people in our little gaming that never played D&D. It seems like for so many of us its that first formative game that brings us to this greater world of Mini games, complicated board games and other RPGs. At least in the States, maybe in the UK with GW vast presence its a different kinda thing.
ReplyDeleteAnyways D&D is great, but don't bother with 4E, either play old school classic Advanced Dungeons and Dragons or try 3rd edition.
Keep staying to cool for WoW though.
I think the UK and US scenes are very different. In the UK you can't swing a cat without hitting an outpost of the evil empire an independent game stores are few and far between (my closest true gaming store is a 1.5 hour drive away). As far as I know, 100% of my gaming buddies started with GW games because for a long time they were the only place in York selling hobby stuff. It's a crying shame but I've made it my mission to save the children from the tyrany of the space marines!
DeleteD&D is a tough call for me. On one hand, I love the game, and it's the first taste of this nerd culture that I got. On the other hand, I've found that a lot of the stereotypes are true all too often. I've had to be very selective in who I choose to game with. It sounds like you know at least one person you think is worth the time, though, so I'd say take the dive.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't worry about all that edition war stuff. I've played AD&D, 2nd edition, 3rd and 3.5, 4E, Pathfinder, and the playtest materials. They're all different flavors of the same dish, and if you don't have an established preference, you'll be fine with any edition as long as you have a decent DM.
Cheers for the comment. I'm quite lucky because there are 2 gaming clubs in my home town and most of the fun gamers go to the same one. I'm confident that anyone at the club will be ok to join in and will shower accordingly. We are starting with 4E (just because its what he is currently DMing for another group) but between us we have copies of almost every version. I know one of the locals really favours 2E so that'll probably be on the cards at some point too. I've heard good things about Pathfinder too so I might have to look into that.
DeleteMagic is - if played for fun - a great little game still. Always has been really.
ReplyDeleteThe problems with it arise from the obsessive tourney players and the rare chasing. You CAN build a good deck without those chase cards, but there are always going to be two or three deck types dominating the tournament meta. (In my experience the social awkwardness is higher than most gamers, though Historical players are still the really sstrange types on every scale).
This is why imo Drafting is the best way to play the game. Getting a box of boosters between a gang of you, agreeing how to split them up afterwards, then just playing drafts. I would like to have a group to do that with.
Drafting was mentioned by someone at the club so I'll definitely get in on that action, cheers for the tip :)
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