Hello Gentle Entities and Noshable Nemeses!
Today is World Blood Donor Day! In this time of earth roils, high heats, contagious cosmopolitans and sanguine situations, it is a time where the donation of one’s vital fluids is clearly a moral good in the maintenance of sentient survival so a celebration to those who donate, a ritual of thanks for the continued health of those who have received and an honorable mention to the specialists who keep the flow of blood at peak efficacy as it makes its way to those in need
As this is our twenty-fourth 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;
So I know we have to support our local games store if we want to have a chance to play with people or get local FNMs going for things other than commander again, but the people who have come to play are just really unpleasant to play against, the ones that aren’t overly focused on grinding are not actively doing things that are racist or sexist so it’s not that kind of discomfort but they also aren’t doing much to make it pleasant to be around them. They’re gatekeeper and condescending and they come in larger groups together. I’ve been with the store a long time and I KNOW the store owner really needs them there. Most of the pre-covid folk have kind of literally moved on or aren’t coming to in person play.
I really support this owner and this LGS. I know if these folk were doing the “bad stuff” he’d throw them out and not worry about the temporary income drop. But I don’t want to play here. Is it rude to travel around to some other stores and see if I gel better there?
Would it be wrong to keep supporting this LGS or thinking of it as my “home store” if I end up playing elsewhere. I just feel like maybe stores go through “eras” or something and I don’t want to write off my connections here.
Sincerely,
Anxious Local
Dear Anxious Local;
May I first commend you for your loyalty to your community and your recognition that just because it’s not the right place for you at the moment that does not mean that it will be the wrong place for you forever. You are an entity of forethought and nuance and I applaud your community mindedness.
In terms of etiquette, there is no requirement for you to continue to attend events that do not give you the positive benefits you seek from an activity. As long as you did not make specific promises of commitments, such as running a game or judging an event, it is neither wrong nor rude to simply stop attending.
In terms of supporting the owner and the third space for other members of your community to learn to game or have a space to compete you will be happy to know that many gamers have split their patronage across worthy endeavors to contribute to the health of their community within the scope of their own budgets or frequency of play.
It is not unheard of to buy all one’s singles from one store, one’s sealed product from another and go to a third store to draft.
If you are hanging about the store and socialize a bit with your preferred shop keep in the down time you could let them know that the current crowd isn’t your cup of tea but if they hear of any casual groups or others who are looking for a different vibe you’d be interested in playing when they play (or starting such a group yourself and buying your product from the store).
Most stores that sell Magic ALSO sell other adjacent accessories or games in other genres and you might support your LGS by making such purchases there.
And finally, if you discover you like playing with a different crowd at a different store because the local demographic is slightly different as long as you are not gossiping or denigrating your former LGS there is no reason at all to consider it a “betrayal” to enjoy something more in one place than another. Communities shift all the time. Life is short unless you are a nephilim – do things that make you excited and happy!
I do hope you have a lovely time finding new places to play while supporting your local store.
Good Luck!
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.
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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.