Religious views of Magic the Gathering--PLEASE HELP!

sadly, yes. heck even my mom has been calling some contemporary art "pornographic" and she's not even religious.

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אָרַח

that's brilliant! lol.

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אָרַח

I think if you go buy 3 started decks and sit down with the kids, you might have trouble learning the game. Its pretty complicated. Still though, I think its a great game. Very dorky but very fun, and the depth of the game and strategy required are challinging.Half of the game, after you've learned how to play, isn't actually playing the game but building the decks, which can be done alone, and designing that deck for a specific purpose. Nowadays they have pre-made decks for sale that are already put togther for a specific function. The back of the box explains how it is to be used and after you learn how to play you can pick a pre-made deck that interests you.The best way to learn, IMO, is to sit down with someone who already knows how to play, learn the very basic rules of tapping land for mana to cast spells and summon creatures, and then just start playing.This, IIRC, is how the rule book included in the started deck 'teaches' the game too. You get a couple of here's-the-instructions chapters followed by, just sit down as start fooling around with the cards now. Followed by all the extra rules that are needed when something happens and you don't know what to do. Then you just look it up while you're playing.......I've been playing magic for about 10 years now. My favorite deck that is still together is red and black. Lots of dragons and direct damage, life stealing, vampires and more direct damage. Its a little slow and lacks the little creatures, but its fun. And with my friends 'house rules' (start with 3 land and automatic Howling Mine {draw 2 cards instead of 1}) it gets the early boost that it needs.We also started playing must-use-all-five-colors games for a challange and variety. Then they came out with the Fifth Age expansion, and with sunburst and the like, the five colored games really changed.

Oh, I just had another thought. You can play on Magic Online for free with the current Eigth Edition Theme decks. I do this and I learned I don't really enjoy online Magic and largely because though there is some social interaction it's not really like playing with people you know and I that is what makes the game really fun for me.I have a dial up connection and it took me over night to download the online game. It's pretty big. Still the information is on the Magic the Gathering web site and you can practise and the computer enforces the rules there is even a tutorial available to get one started. Anyone who doesn't know some one who can teach them might find the Magic Online resource valuable.Bit of personal history. I started using the nick "nelf" to ask Magic questions on the Usenet Newsgroups and still do, and that is my account name on the Magic Boards also. Later on I found sites that I couldn't use that nick as someone else had taken it, who'd have thought it would that popular? Eventual nelf was transformed into lfen.lfen

I checked out the web site and thought about how to get started. I thought maybe my nephew and I could sit down and figure the game out together by reading and playing as you suggest and then he will be able to teach his family if we take it to a larger group. This will give him a bit of an edge over his sister.Since he likes helping me figure out computer games, that is probably my best strategy. Thanks for the idea!

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"The average man does not know what to do with this life, yet wants another one which lasts forever." --Anatole France

When I checked out the web page I noticed the added packs etc. Now I understand the "Magic the Spending."I haven't heard him mention Yu-Gi-Oh, but I'll check.If we get into it I will defintely check out Ebay for additions. I found one game store in this area that might have it. Last time I was in there looking for dominoes I think they had the D&D, so they should have this one.I look forward to trying it out. Thanks!

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"The average man does not know what to do with this life, yet wants another one which lasts forever." --Anatole France

Boy, that's the truth. Likewise, when I was a kid I remember marbles being popular. I remember my dad showing me a marble game where you cut a small hole in the top of a shoebox. The challenger would place the shoebox at his feet and try to drop his marble through the hole from waist level. If they made it, the kid with the shoe box had to give up 2 marbles. If the kid missed, the kid with the shoebox kept the marble. I think that was my first introduction to gambling. I grew up in the 70's so we also had slinkeys, silly putty, frisbees, and super balls. Basically anything made by a company called "Wham-O".

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MTG, much like music, is amoral IMO. The decision to delve into witchcraft or the ocult can come from any outside source. One reformed witch said he got into it from watching the old TV show Bewitched.

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Just in case you didn't realize, Tal, it is the year 2005, not the Middle Ages.

That remark gave the demons a good chortle.

Geekery I can appreciate. The question is why all the occult imagery. I took a brief look at the game's website and saw just HOW oriented to the occult it is. Surely a good game of adventurous complexities for the geekery gang could do without the sorcery.

No, the question is why does it matter. Given that magic and witchcraft and the occult don't actually exist, what harm can come from drawing cool picture on trading cards?I get a good laugh from things like this. Another good example would be libraries in Georgia declining to carry Harry Potter because it encourages sorcery (note: sorcery also doesn't exist).

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'Most temperate in the pleasures of the body, his passion was for glory only, and in that he was insatiable.'

This is generally because part of what makes role playing games and fantasy movies and books exiting is that they describe things that you can't really do in real life.It doesn't have to be about demons, really. Take Star Wars, which has magic (the force), near instant travels, heroes and bad guys.There are of course realistic games, like board games that simulates wars (Diplomacy, Risk), but these often appeal to different people.So in short, a game about being a salesman trying to duke it out against 'customers' using various brands of cars (creatures), neon signs (artifacts) and special prices (enchantments) would probably play the same if you look at it from a mathematical point of view, but would be utterly BORING.Sidenote: There are, or rather were, a couple of cards that had borderline sexual images, but as far as I know all the objectionable ones were removed (as in not printed anymore) quite a while ago. I have an example from my own collection if anyone would like me to scan it in. It's safe for work.This message has been edited by Melchior, 06-17-2005 05:29 PM

Also, they're not occult. They're never been used in occult practices; they have no traditional ties to occultism.It was a party game invented in 1890 by two businessmen, and later sold to Parker Bros. It's about as occult as a game of Scrabble.

The sight of two untapped islands will forever haunt your nightmares after a game with me.

What occult imagery? How can you have a fantasy adventure without magic?