What’s the rule for using two colons in a single phrase?
20th Century Fox will have to answer that question and more as they have acquired the film rights for Magic: The Gathering.
Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game and was first introduced over 20 years ago. Magic opened the floodgates for customizable card games and is the precursor to games like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh.
Now Fox is hoping to turn the fantasy card game into the next fantasy epic. Enough time hasn’t yet passed to remake The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies, so studios are still grasping at whatever wizards, elves, dwarves and orcs they can get their hands on.
I haven’t played a lot of Magic recently but I do have some fond memories of it and these other card games.
Magic: The Gathering
I started playing Magic: The Gathering in junior high. One of my friends had two or three starter decks and we began to play. I think I was far too young to fully understand the strategy involved in the game, but I just liked looking at the cards and the artwork. I also liked the rush I got from playing a game that seemed so much like Dungeons and Dragons. D&D was banned in my home because of its potential to cause demon possession. I felt like a rebel, though, gathering all of my mana and casting all of my spells.
Star Trek Customizable Card Game
I played Magic but my love was reserved for the Star Trek Customizable Card Game. STCCG was released in 1994 at the height of The Next Generation’s popularity. As a growing Trekkie I jumped fully on board with STCCG, buying as many starter packs and expansion packs as my small budget allowed. For a year I dedicated every nickel I had to STCCG, buying box after box of expansion packs. I enjoyed playing the game but was more interested in playing all of my cards and manning all of my ships. When I played those who were more interested in winning, the game was over far too soon for my liking.
Star Wars: Customizable Card Game
While Star Wars is my first love, Star Wars: Customizable Card Game was always overshadowed by STCCG. SW:CCG was released a year after STCCG in 1995. Upon its release I diverted some of my funds toward SW:CCG, but couldn’t stop buying STCCG boxes in my search to complete the Enterprise’s bridge crew. I had a lot of SW:CCG cards but it came in towards the tail end of my card game phase. Again, I was more interested in playing all of my characters and equipping them with their weapons than I was in actually winning. I was always upset when I lost before fully equipping Luke with his lightsaber and X-wing.
Even though I haven’t played Magic for over 15 years, it is still popular enough to warrant new expansion sets. I’m sure Fox is hoping that popularity will help make Magic: The Gathering: The Movie a box office success. If not, then Uno will probably be next in line to get the movie makeover.
What customizable card games did you enjoy playing?
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