Hello Gentle Entities and Amuse-Gueule Enemies! I would like to take a moment to wish the 2,043,100 inhabitants of Castilla -La Mancha a very pleasant Day of Castilla-La Mancha. I do love Lapis and have great respect for a ruler who knows how to store her treasure and protect it with spells…
As this is our twenty-second column, we at Mizz Mizzet’s School for Complicated Lifeforms would like to remind you that we answer between 1-3 letters from our interrogative entities across the multiverse each week.
This week we shall focus on a single question involving the etiquette of offering advice.
If you missed our initial column, you may peruse it at your leisure at this location.
Content Warnings
Mizz Mizzet’s Guide to Magical Manners is pleased to provide Content Warnings, given that solving bad behavior often means describing bad behavior.
Dear Mizz Mizzet;
I want to have friends over to play Magic but I’m really concerned about hosting a regular group where not everyone can afford the same level of available cards. In college our dorm group got involved with an arms race real quick and we were playing what would be equivalent to CEDH real quick so I’d also like to avoid that if I wanted to invite newer players who had a learning curve. I don’t want anyone I invite into my home to feel like they have to spend money just to enjoy their time there – even if it’s indirect spending it still feels rude.
Is it rude for me to supply decks or cards? Is there a way to cap spending if I invited a friend or two from my old college group?
Kindest Regards.
Cacophony Scamp
My dear equity oriented Scamp
Let us begin with a very clear statement: as the host of a home event it is a wonderful idea for you to provide decks or booster packs as required for play. As a matter of fact many of your concerns can be addressed simply by supplying all the materials and setting the “menu” of gaming for the event.
Doing so will allow you to control power levels, preempt any conversations about usable cards, most construction based house rules, and of course, create the expectation that your guests will not be required to provide supplies.
It also allows you to set the tone through invitation. “I’m having a gathering where we’re going to play all the New Capenna pre-cons I’m supplying all the decks – they’re gonna be unaltered from the official build – we’re just taking them out for a spin and playtesting them – are you interested?”
It can work the same way with drafting. The most common form of hosting a limited format event without additional cost to your guests is creating an MTG Cube but you may not want to invest that much or your personal time, or may want to specifically participate with the current release rather than design a cube.
I would like to propose two different options then – one is based on your purchasing the sealed product in advance the other is a quick way to create a “draft box” possibly using cards you already own.
And finally if you are inviting friends who are bringing their own decks while also inviting someone new to either the game or your group, you can extend the invitation and offer to supply decks under the cover of play balance rather than the declasse concerns of unfair costs.
“I’d love it if you joined our group on Thursday – I’ve got a few different decks I can loan you so that you can just enjoy yourself rather than worry about being over or underpowered for the table- also there’s a house rule that if someone’s really dominating the table with a deck or level of play that’s higher than most of us we all vote on which pre-con or one of my library decks they are going to have to play next -so I’ve got plenty to choose from. You’re also welcome to bring your own”
This allows your guest to determine for themselves if they have things they would like to bring but also reassures them that accepting the use of one of your decks is a standard practice at your table. This form of invitation also helps open discussion of power and proxies so you may express your house rules regarding those.
I wish you and your guests the most enchanting and equitable entertainments!
MM
Thank you to Adrienne Reynolds, for her interplanar transcription services.
Mizz Mizzet Portrait by Andres Garcia
Delightful Readers, Please Submit Your Questions to Mizz Mizzet.
You may submit your questions to Mizz Mizzet using this form.
New Mizz Mizzet columns are posted every Wednesday right here as well as in Hipsters of the Coast‘s weekly email newsletter. You are also encouraged to follow her at @MizzMizzet on Twitter.
Any questions answered publicly will be made anonymous, and noms de plume will be created to represent any parties mentioned.
Born a perfect dragon in an imperfect multiverse, Mizz Mizzet (she/her) is the pioneer broodmother of today’s multiplanar civility movement. She is now working to persuade Planeswalkers to participate in it.
Her tireless efforts to expand the understanding and exercise of etiquette beyond the stereotypical terror of too many pieces of silverware, and whether to use poisons or explosives at celebratory conquest dinners, have not escaped official notice.
She specializes as a consultant in seating arrangements for inter and intra planar political events as long as contracts include the option to eat the rude.
Out of respect for her relative’s delicate sensibilities regarding draconic rank, she does not reside on the plane of Ravnica.