I was asked by the organizers of the Eels Castle Cup if I wanted to write something for a little “newspaper” they were going to release in connection with their tournament. Such an honour!
The task was broadly defined as “a tournament report, some deck tech or whatever you could think of.” Such recklessness!
Giving me almost completely free reins within some very loosely defined frames! Nice.
Let’s see. I knew at once that I did not want to send in a tournament report. And I have to feel in a very specific mood to write deck tech articles. No, I wanted to write something more general about the format, the community and specifically the creativity and innovation it sparks.
So this short article, first published in the very first edition of the Åle-Posten will be about that: The creativity that is the Old School format.
And let’s begin with the very thing you are reading right now. Not this specific article but, more broadly, the Åle-Post in general. I have never before experienced a Magic Tournament with an attached newspaper. It is a whole new level of creativity and a great example of the apparently ever-expanding sphere within which the game of Magic the Gathering – and especially, is my claim, the Old School format – dwells.
The creativity shows itself in everything from things like this newspaper, over the awesome patches you get for tournament attendances or in other cases, to the truly artistic alters, fine apparel, fantastic playmats and the content on Youtube, blogs and podcasts to the brewing of spicy decks for both kitchen-table play as well as tournaments and beyond. Many tournaments also include sub-themes or special prices for specific “quests.” The creativity of the format even extends to developing new formats or new takes on existing rules and a whole host of other things.
The Devil’s attorney would probably say (roar, whisper, telepath or however such beings communicate) that all these awesome stunts, tricks and trinkets are simply necessary measures to keep a very narrow, non-rotating, extremely expensive format alive. It may, to some extent, be true; the Devil’s attorney often is. But I don’t think it is the entire truth.
I accept that it is a funny thing, really, that so many of both the players, content creators and tournament organizers are creative in this small format. I guess the community formats to some extent fosters more creativity, as there is not a lot of “central” development or support from Wizards/Hasbro or some of the big vendors out there.
If we want something to change, or if we want something done in a different way, we have to do it ourselves.
But I still find it funny that we find this very overwhelming innovative and creative spark in exactly a format like Old School that is so driven by nostalgia and love for the cards, the artwork, the “true form” of the game and the stories. An innocent bystander could be inclined to think that in a format like this, all you really have to do is find a table – or really just a flat surface – and an opponent. Our love for the game and the cards should be enough to render said flat surface into a good time.
And I think it is true: even though I really enjoy the magnificent tournaments I am lucky enough to be able to attend; some of my best experiences with Old School Magic is actually just me and a couple of others sitting around a table talking trash, playing trash, eating trash and drinking (non-trash) beer. I don’t think I am alone with this feeling.
So why are so many of us creative when we organize tournaments, brew decks, make sweet swagger for the opponents we beat 2-0 or whatever else all of you are doing out there?
Because we can. Because even if our love for the game, the format and the cards would be enough for us to enjoy playing it, being creative and figuring out new ways to honour the old cards or the community that we cherish them with, is a way to get even more out of the format. It is a way to widen the experience. Was that not exactly what the devil’s attorneys howl from beyond was all about?
Not really. Because I don’t think the extra are keeping the format alive. It is not even necessary to keep it interesting. It is simply a small thing – that extra seasoning – that makes us warm inside. Actually I think, our creative use of the cards, the art and the format in general does not make the format interesting in and of itself, but it helps us enjoy the game in wider aspects of our lives.
When I make my Hama beads reproductions of iconic Old School Magic art, I do it because it is a way for me to feel a connection with the game and the atmosphere even when I am not able to play it (because of lack of opponents for example). It is the same thing when I write about the game and the cards.
And when tournament organizers go above and beyond in a creative way, and make sure that there is more to their event than “simply” some rounds of play against beforehand unbeknownst opponents, it is a way to broaden not the game, but the experience in general.
And so also by this newspaper. The first of hopefully many to come.
To all of you, who are competing at the Eels Castle Cup: Good Luck!
No Responses