Magic: the Gathering (or Magic as it is often called) is a game. More specifically it is a collectible card game (also called a trading card game.) This is the term used to describe a genre of games which involve trading or collecting different cards for the game. It does not all come in a single box such as Monopoly or Scrabble, instead you buy packs in various forms or types and get different cards for the game.

The Story

In Magic, the story is that players are powerful wizards that are called "Planeswalkers." These are beings who are able to cast spells or travel between "planes" such as you might have seen in fantasy movies. Magic has a rich fantasy theme similar to those of The Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings. Each new set that they release brings in new characters, new realms, and new places to be explored by players and fans of the game.

How the Game Works

Each player brings their own deck of cards to the game, using their own deck to drive their game experience. Each player will draw cards from their own deck and use the cards to do various things throughout the game. The goal of the game is to defeat your opponent. The most common way to win is to take your opponent's "life" total from 20 to 0, there are numerous other ways to win or to lose the game but this is the most common way.

The game is very rich and in depth, adding new cards and new mechanics to the game every 3-4 months. Imagine being able to sit down and play a game and have it continually changing every time you get together!

The Pro Tour

There is a Magic the Gathering Pro Tour that travels the globe to multiple destinations around the world. At each Pro Tour stop players compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. These events are usually spread over three days with videos being produced daily and a live webcast of the Top 8 competitors playing on Sunday!

External Links

To learn more about Magic look at these links:

• Wikipedia: Magic the Gathering
• PlayMagic.com - This page is by Wizards of the Coast, the makers of the game. This page has a large flash animation so if you're on a slow connection you might want to go get a cup of coffee.
• Magic the Gathering on BoardGameGeek.com