I was browsing around for old magic writings and decks for Ray's day 2 event at Waterbury when I stumbled upon this article:
(I especially love his closing statement!)
Fantasy Card Game Catches On Like Magic
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I wish I'd thought of it. The concept, a stroke of marketing genius, is beautiful and simple: produce a line of collectible fantasy cards, each one featuring an original piece of art, but make those cards a game. Put a different, random assortment of cards in each pack, so collectors will buy them to get a complete set and players will do the same to increase their chances of winning. That's the story behind Magic: The Gathering, the latest offering from Renton, WA based Wizards of the Coast. Of course, if the game was poor, Magic would be nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick. But the darn thing plays well, and as a result it's touched off the most astounding phenomenon to hit the gaming world in years.
Just how popular is Magic? Game stores across the country sell out within days-- sometimes within hours-- of receiving the cards. When I told one game store owner I was looking for Magic decks, his reponse was, "Good luck!" Even in the Seattle area, the home of Wizards of the Coast, demand has far exceeded the supply. The initial print run of two million cards, intended to last for months, sold out in mere weeks. According to Wizards of the Coast Production Manager Dave Howell, "Six weeks into our product launch, and we've sold well past our six month estimate."
A dream come true for any company, but the short supply has created some backlash. Some customers, disgruntled at their inability to get their hands on the game, have accused Wizards of the Coast of hoarding decks and rationing them to preferred dealers. WotC claims the patchy availability of Magic is not their fault. "Some distributors ordered thousands of decks and packs, and some... well, one distributor ordered six." Six? That distributor must be kicking himself.
The remaining 7.5 million cards in the limited print run first edition should be close to sold out by the time you read this. When those are gone a second, unlimited edition (distinguished by a grey border on the face of the cards) will be printed "until people stop buying them." WotC expects to have the unlimited print run ready by Christmas. Also on the slate for the holidays is the collector's edition of Magic-- a complete boxed set of all 302 cards with a different card back to distinguish them from the regular cards-- and an expansion set, Arabian Nights. The latter will introduce sixty new cards to the game and will be sold in packs of eight cards at a price of $1.45 each. Although Magic: The Gathering features common, uncommon, and rare cards, Arabian Nights cards will be divided into just two divisions of rarity.
Where will they go from here? Two more expansions (Antiquities, featuring lots of new artifacts, and Legends, introducing a new type of card) have been announced and Magic: Ice Age is also in production. The latter will be an entirely new set of cards using the same game system as The Gathering, but will be a completely separate game unto itself.
And that's still not all. Magic is just the first in Wizards of the Coast's Deckmaster series of games, all of which will have similar mechanics. The first will be based on White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade role playing game, and it should be ready by the end of 1994. A Cyberpunk game is also in the works. Farther down the road, FASA would like to see a Shadowrun Deckmaster game. And who knows what else will come up before then.
Meanwhile, Magic card collectors are just now beginning to take the next logical step-- collecting the original artwork used for the cards. Wizards Gallery (5228 University Way NE, Seattle WA, 98105) has negotiated with many of the artists for a show in November. Prices range from $120 to $675. Marc Rieck, the friendly proprietor of Wizards, can be reached at (206) 528-1990 or, preferable, via email to 72172,2227 on CompuServe.
The Gathering is a remarkable phenomenon. It's not clear how long this craze will last, but in the meantime it's carving an entirely new market niche for itself. And that's nothing short of... well, magic.
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The Game Report Online - Editor: Peter Sarrett (
editor@gamereport.com)
