Mage Duels [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Mage Duels [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DoveArrow
08-20-05, 10:56 AM Note: It's been a long time since I've played Magic (mostly because I can't build a winning deck to save my life), so forgive me if I don't have all my facts straight. I just thought this would be a fun new thread to start.

The concept of Magic the Gathering, at least the way I see it, is that two wizards are locked in a magical duel. I think for a world to be built around the card game, it needs to incorporate that aspect in some form. I could see several possibilities for how such a world came to be, but I thought this thread might serve as a kind of brainstorming thread for ideas. Here are some ideas of my own:

War: The world is comprised of four warring magocracies who disagree with the magical philosophies of their neighboring countries. Characters might belong to a particular city-state and are sent off to spread the knowledge of the 'true magic' to other countries through war and bloodshed. Meanwhile, these characters do their best to defend their country from the other pagan cultures.

Meanwhile, rebel factions, who either dabble in magic restricted by the four primary countries, or who do not believe that there should be restrictions on the types of magic that they employ, work against the machinations of these four countries in order to bring about a new world order, or an old tradition that has been long forgotten.

Ceremonial Duels: When spellcasters meet, they engage in a kind of magical battle of wits. In the past, these duels were typically fights to the death. Today, they take the form of challenges given to the spellcasters by an outside party. Common challenges between casters involve races to faraway destinations, finding particular magic items, pitting summoned monsters against one another, and so on. Most agree to civil rules of engagement, but some less scrupulous casters rely on dirty tricks to achieve victory.

There are still some in the world who adhere to the old tradition of fights to the death. These casters typically lead secluded lives, and are often evil in nature.
TolarianFlare
08-21-05, 01:57 AM :) Well here are some views from a Terisian.

Serious side Yes the game is a duel of sorts almost arena arranged and such. The Arena here :P Click me :P (http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415) is an example of RPing magic style. Your setting seems similar to Mirage somewhat in terms of a Guild segregation. In that setting they were hidden alliances and pacts between "enemies" as well as rogues who mix it up a bit to suit their tastes. Reduced to its basics M:tg like D&D is somewhat tactical combat with vivid representations in terms of numerical data. Shuffling a deck versus rolling a die, what manner of randomization would those enacting the duelists use?
The war would provide good cover for those intending to gather the secrets of each of the individual sects. The variety of gatherers might make for a shadow war where some intend to "unify" the seperated magical skills and others intend to just savor the spoils of the war that they may have incited.

Less Serious side :) Much like Terisia (see sig ) Magic has alot of depth and freedom which may seem strange to alot of D&D players. Mixing classes is no hassle, being classless is no hassle. You can RP a brute with a big sword or a wizard-knight, a merfolk-elf. The game offers alot more than the typical TCG in terms of its depth, and I dare to say that the setting offers a frontier that rivals D&D expansions. The game was created and it spawned a vast world, much like how d20 spawned various novels. I think the vastness of M:tg needs to be explored openly, like how d20 has been. The cards are flavored with storyline, culture and settings. Reading between the lines gives you things like brutes who would never cast a spell while chopping their way to a wizard, and wizards who are not what they seem when they too can handle themselves a bit more than a wizard should usually be able to because he or she might be simply a magically inclined shapeshifter or some such.
the_one_true_shea
08-22-05, 08:31 PM It is a very pertinant point that the M:tG game has this inherent - "duel" - feel to it. As opposed to the D&D "adventure/explore" mentality.

Now, not every D&D game is about traveling.. but most are. Most D&D games are about heading off into the unkown, or at the very least, the extreemly dangerous places of the world.

To a certain extent the WCP isnt concerned with replicating M:tG rule concepts into D&D rules.. more "creating a world that can be expressed in both."

Duels though.. could do with a "duel" theme .. one on one conflict.. hmmm, Im gonna let that one perkolate for a day or two.. something is picking at the back of my brain.
rmartin1
08-28-05, 02:19 PM In my opinion, the card duals should be able to be incorporated into the roleplaying part of it. Two mages meet in neutral terroritory, an Arena of some sort, and they battle each other using their magical decks. The creatures and spells manifest themselves in the arena. That way, a game session can have roleplaying and an actual card game. Perhaps that is the way they settle disputes, without having to have a "real" fight. It has been years since I played Magic, but I still have a deck in my car...for luck. :)
DoveArrow
08-29-05, 12:33 AM In my opinion, the card duals should be able to be incorporated into the roleplaying part of it. Two mages meet in neutral terroritory, an Arena of some sort, and they battle each other using their magical decks. The creatures and spells manifest themselves in the arena. That way, a game session can have roleplaying and an actual card game. Perhaps that is the way they settle disputes, without having to have a "real" fight. It has been years since I played Magic, but I still have a deck in my car...for luck. :)

I thought of that, but the concept just screamed Pokemon and/or Yugi-Oh to me. It is an idea, though, and I'm sure some mages might be willing to meet in an arena type setting. My thought was that the concept should veer away from it being an actual card game, and focus more on the idea of it being a duel between two wizards.
TolarianFlare
09-04-05, 12:42 AM I thought of that, but the concept just screamed Pokemon and/or Yugi-Oh to me. It is an idea, though, and I'm sure some mages might be willing to meet in an arena type setting. My thought was that the concept should veer away from it being an actual card game, and focus more on the idea of it being a duel between two wizards.

Thats part of the problem, M:tg did some arena settings and they were exciting and unsettling all at once. Fights were rigged, people were blackmailed...basically think corrupt sportsmanship.

Avatars could be used in the duel system , that is some representation of the duelists ( who are not just always wizards )

In M:tg you can tailor a deck to play like a persona you envisioned, think customizing an epic level character that you got blank, they would probably have an arsenal of spells and skills ( lots of M:tg spells replicate skills ) to fight with.

A barbarian could fight with a single summon , rage in his sword and lots of simple burn/elemental magic,
A druid with a stampeede behind him
A paladin with a legion along his flank and so on .
Jeweler
09-04-05, 03:01 AM Maybe you could have like an Avatar battle, what you could do is make an epic level person, your Avatar, and deck it out with to start 25 levels, then, even without a spellcasting class, give them a certain amount of spells, i don't know what is fair make it up. Now the way you get around what i think your think is, you can only use the Avatars in places of high magical energy, just any standard place is not enough. The arenas are magically enhanced so that an Avatar can be called apon.

There was something that i found that allowed you to make your own like classes through a point system, but i can't remember where i found it from so ill look for it and where i got it from, its a little complicated but it would make more sense doing it that way then doing normal classes, that way you could have like someone with rage and a couple of burn spells.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DoveArrow 08-20-05, 10:56 AM	Note: It's been a long time since I've played Magic (mostly because I can't build a winning deck to save my life), so forgive me if I don't have all my facts straight. I just thought this would be a fun new thread to start. The concept of Magic the Gathering, at least the way I see it, is that two wizards are locked in a magical duel. I think for a world to be built around the card game, it needs to incorporate that aspect in some form. I could see several possibilities for how such a world came to be, but I thought this thread might serve as a kind of brainstorming thread for ideas. Here are some ideas of my own: War: The world is comprised of four warring magocracies who disagree with the magical philosophies of their neighboring countries. Characters might belong to a particular city-state and are sent off to spread the knowledge of the 'true magic' to other countries through war and bloodshed. Meanwhile, these characters do their best to defend their country from the other pagan cultures. Meanwhile, rebel factions, who either dabble in magic restricted by the four primary countries, or who do not believe that there should be restrictions on the types of magic that they employ, work against the machinations of these four countries in order to bring about a new world order, or an old tradition that has been long forgotten. Ceremonial Duels: When spellcasters meet, they engage in a kind of magical battle of wits. In the past, these duels were typically fights to the death. Today, they take the form of challenges given to the spellcasters by an outside party. Common challenges between casters involve races to faraway destinations, finding particular magic items, pitting summoned monsters against one another, and so on. Most agree to civil rules of engagement, but some less scrupulous casters rely on dirty tricks to achieve victory. There are still some in the world who adhere to the old tradition of fights to the death. These casters typically lead secluded lives, and are often evil in nature.
TolarianFlare 08-21-05, 01:57 AM	:) Well here are some views from a Terisian. Serious side Yes the game is a duel of sorts almost arena arranged and such. The Arena here :P Click me :P (http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415) is an example of RPing magic style. Your setting seems similar to Mirage somewhat in terms of a Guild segregation. In that setting they were hidden alliances and pacts between "enemies" as well as rogues who mix it up a bit to suit their tastes. Reduced to its basics M:tg like D&D is somewhat tactical combat with vivid representations in terms of numerical data. Shuffling a deck versus rolling a die, what manner of randomization would those enacting the duelists use? The war would provide good cover for those intending to gather the secrets of each of the individual sects. The variety of gatherers might make for a shadow war where some intend to "unify" the seperated magical skills and others intend to just savor the spoils of the war that they may have incited. Less Serious side :) Much like Terisia (see sig ) Magic has alot of depth and freedom which may seem strange to alot of D&D players. Mixing classes is no hassle, being classless is no hassle. You can RP a brute with a big sword or a wizard-knight, a merfolk-elf. The game offers alot more than the typical TCG in terms of its depth, and I dare to say that the setting offers a frontier that rivals D&D expansions. The game was created and it spawned a vast world, much like how d20 spawned various novels. I think the vastness of M:tg needs to be explored openly, like how d20 has been. The cards are flavored with storyline, culture and settings. Reading between the lines gives you things like brutes who would never cast a spell while chopping their way to a wizard, and wizards who are not what they seem when they too can handle themselves a bit more than a wizard should usually be able to because he or she might be simply a magically inclined shapeshifter or some such.
the_one_true_shea 08-22-05, 08:31 PM	It is a very pertinant point that the M:tG game has this inherent - "duel" - feel to it. As opposed to the D&D "adventure/explore" mentality. Now, not every D&D game is about traveling.. but most are. Most D&D games are about heading off into the unkown, or at the very least, the extreemly dangerous places of the world. To a certain extent the WCP isnt concerned with replicating M:tG rule concepts into D&D rules.. more "creating a world that can be expressed in both." Duels though.. could do with a "duel" theme .. one on one conflict.. hmmm, Im gonna let that one perkolate for a day or two.. something is picking at the back of my brain.
rmartin1 08-28-05, 02:19 PM	In my opinion, the card duals should be able to be incorporated into the roleplaying part of it. Two mages meet in neutral terroritory, an Arena of some sort, and they battle each other using their magical decks. The creatures and spells manifest themselves in the arena. That way, a game session can have roleplaying and an actual card game. Perhaps that is the way they settle disputes, without having to have a "real" fight. It has been years since I played Magic, but I still have a deck in my car...for luck. :)
DoveArrow 08-29-05, 12:33 AM	In my opinion, the card duals should be able to be incorporated into the roleplaying part of it. Two mages meet in neutral terroritory, an Arena of some sort, and they battle each other using their magical decks. The creatures and spells manifest themselves in the arena. That way, a game session can have roleplaying and an actual card game. Perhaps that is the way they settle disputes, without having to have a "real" fight. It has been years since I played Magic, but I still have a deck in my car...for luck. :) I thought of that, but the concept just screamed Pokemon and/or Yugi-Oh to me. It is an idea, though, and I'm sure some mages might be willing to meet in an arena type setting. My thought was that the concept should veer away from it being an actual card game, and focus more on the idea of it being a duel between two wizards.
TolarianFlare 09-04-05, 12:42 AM	I thought of that, but the concept just screamed Pokemon and/or Yugi-Oh to me. It is an idea, though, and I'm sure some mages might be willing to meet in an arena type setting. My thought was that the concept should veer away from it being an actual card game, and focus more on the idea of it being a duel between two wizards. Thats part of the problem, M:tg did some arena settings and they were exciting and unsettling all at once. Fights were rigged, people were blackmailed...basically think corrupt sportsmanship. Avatars could be used in the duel system , that is some representation of the duelists ( who are not just always wizards ) In M:tg you can tailor a deck to play like a persona you envisioned, think customizing an epic level character that you got blank, they would probably have an arsenal of spells and skills ( lots of M:tg spells replicate skills ) to fight with. A barbarian could fight with a single summon , rage in his sword and lots of simple burn/elemental magic, A druid with a stampeede behind him A paladin with a legion along his flank and so on .
Jeweler 09-04-05, 03:01 AM	Maybe you could have like an Avatar battle, what you could do is make an epic level person, your Avatar, and deck it out with to start 25 levels, then, even without a spellcasting class, give them a certain amount of spells, i don't know what is fair make it up. Now the way you get around what i think your think is, you can only use the Avatars in places of high magical energy, just any standard place is not enough. The arenas are magically enhanced so that an Avatar can be called apon. There was something that i found that allowed you to make your own like classes through a point system, but i can't remember where i found it from so ill look for it and where i got it from, its a little complicated but it would make more sense doing it that way then doing normal classes, that way you could have like someone with rage and a couple of burn spells.