Ten places from Magic the Gathering that I would like to visit

Basic lands

In Magic the Gathering, you summon creatures and cast spells with mana and you get the mana from lands.  There are five basic lands in Magic the Gathering, but there are many other lands that have other utilities as well as producing mana.  Here are ten places that I would like to visit as an adventurer.








Library of Alexandria

First, I'll start up with a real life place, the Library of Alexandria.  This magnificent place once apparently had a volume of every book ever written at the time.  It would be amazing to walk through the corridors lined with scrolls and books and uncover all of the great secrets locked within.  Places like this are usually needed to advanced the plot in gamebooks, usually as a means for fining how to kill the big villain.  For example, Codex Mortis may come in handy in Night of the Necromancer and joining the Wizards' College in Fabled Lands allows you to gain a lot of knowledge about your travels.  However, as the mechanics of this card suggest, you need to have a certain level of knowledge to make use of the knowledge stored here.  An illiterate barbarian would get nothing from this place.

Bazaar of Baghdad

A good adventurer always needs to prepare and this is generally where they find the food and equipment they need for their travels.  Of course, you will need some money to get started and in terms of value, you generally end up on the losing end.  After all, merchants need to make a profit to survive.  However, you can't  cross a desert and break into a treasure laden tomb with silver coins.  The important thing is what you do with the items you have obtained.




Cabal Coffers

When you have obtained your new equipment, you could do worse than to break into this vault and loot it.  In this story, the cabal rule a city and raise hordes of treasure by hosting arena battles.  This money has all been raised through corruption and bloodshed.




Gemstone Mine

The ground is full of treasures.  If you return from a quest with some gems or precious metals, then you may start a huge rush as miners and opportunists seek to share in your success.  This may lead to the expansion of civilisation.





Buried Ruin

There are also treasures in the far flung corners of the world.  If you discover a ruin, there is no knowing what lost treasures you might uncover.  It could be art beyond price or a powerful magical item, its means of construction having been lost in time.  Of course, that might be a bad thing...





Halimar Depths

The ground is not the only place that hides treasures.  The sea is home to many cities, sunken ships and caves which could hide treasure beyond measure.  Of course, you need to find a way to explore the depths without drowning.





Undiscovered Paradise

Some great treasures are not physical.  Exploration and discovery is a good enough reason for some to face the unknown dangers of the world on a quest and it may lead to a place beyond your wildest dreams.




Mouth of Ronom

Beautiful landscapes do not have to be tropical paradises teeming with life.  There is also much beauty to be found in the snow capped mountains and the tundra as you can see in Tower of Destruction and The Caverns of Kalte.  Of course, these inhospitable places are full of dangers.  Beyond the obvious dangers of cold, avalanches and snow blindness, there are many snow monsters.  It would be wise not to anger the local population either as they will probably be pretty tough to survive out there.



Ancient Ziggurat

One reason to explore inhospitable areas is that you may find the remains of great civilisations and unearth their treasures and knowledge.  I would love to see such an ancient temple.  As an adventurer, you may also end up in such a temple to stop some evil cult from raising a powerful creature.




Mirrodin's Core

Finally, there may be great wonders to be seen in the centre of a world rather than just on the surface.  Descending into a simple cave may lead to a place full of magic and strange creatures.




As well as the basic lands, these are the places that I would like to visit the most.  Adventure takes you to many strange and beautiful places and these ten are only the start of the adventure.

Turning Magic the Gathering creatures into AFF characters

Here are six Advanced Fighting Fantasy character sheets of Magic the Gathering creatures.  Three of them are common creatures and so I have built them from scratch.  The other three are legendary creatures and so I have given them 750 experience points worth of skills, spells and abilities on top of their starting stats.  I have used my conversion table and have tried to stick faithfully to it, but it doesn't work with toughness - stamina conversions.

You can find the files here.


Captain Sisay

Here ability revolves around finding other legends so I have her skills in leadership, con and etiquette.  She is also an accomplished ship's captain and scout so I have given her sea lore, awareness and world lore. 

Ertai, Wizard Adept

His ability revolves around countering spells, so I have put most of his points into magic and spells that either directly disrupt other wizards' spellcasting (such as counterspell) or indirectly (such as tongue twister, pucker and restrain).  The stamina was a problem here.  In AFF, you start with a stamina of 8, which translates to a toughness of 2, so I lowered it in return for 15 extra experience points. 





Kahmal, Pit Fighter

I have given him a high skill (which would reflect his power) and combat reflexes (which reflects his haste).  His damage dealing ability is reflected in his sorcery spells.  I can imagine Kamahl using ZAP and HOT on his enemies while smiting them with his sword.  I think his low toughness can be explained by the fact that he is using his stamina draining spells on his opponents. 

Youthful Knight

I have given this creature the knighted talent (obviously) and given him the skills that 14th century knights would learn.  His conversion was pretty straightforward.  Another stamina problem, which I ignored in this case.   






Samite Healer

Another straightforward conversion where I make him a cleric with the healing power.  Another stamina problem, which I ignored in this case. 





Talas Warriors

Since these warriors are unblockable, I gave them sneak, hide and locks skills.  Since they are pirates, I gave them sea lore and fishing skills.  Another stamina problem, which I ignored in this case. 

Twelve forces of destruction inspired by Magic the Gathering

Here re twelve absolutely unstoppable monsters (around Tarrasque level) that would cause worldwide devastation if a band of valiant heroes do not stop them in time.  Usually, these forces of nature are locked away and the heroes may be able to keep the door of their prison closed or sometimes, they may have to come up with another way of stopping the creature (like there are ways of stopping the Tarrasque).  However, as H.P. Lovecraft, Peter Davill-Evans and Dave Morris has shown us, entities this powerful cannot be destroyed for good.


Hellkite Overlord

Even smaller dragons cause havoc in the lands of humans, but this one really takes the biscuit.  It fits the criteria of dragons - flying and firebreathing but it is also larger than most dragons and it can attack as soon as it is summoned, trampling anything in its path.  If by some miracle, it is dealt lethal damage, if it has access to some green mana, the mana of nature, it can regenerate itself so it will start the whole cycle of destruction again.

Hydra Omnivore

Just as big as the Hellkite Overlord and capable of damaging any number of opponents with its multitude of heads.  This monster not only causes massive damage.  It causes massive damage to everyone at once so even ganging up on it isn't that effective.  Good luck.





Stormtide Leviathan

This creature is so big that it displaces enough water to flood the rest of the lands.  It also surrounds you with plenty of water so that creatures who cannot traverse it or fly over it cannot attack you.  what is more, it is impossible to defend against it if you are on an island so it will be coming to swallow you up soon.

Godsire

This is the beast of beasts.  It is huge and can attack and summon another beast just like it in the same turn.  You aren't just dealing with one massive force of nature - you are dealing with a steady stream of monsters all just as hard to kill and there will be no end to the assault unless you kill the original Godsire.






Avatar of Slaughter

This is a huge nasty creature, but the death and destruction it will cause is nothing compared to the damage caused by the rage it incites. It makes everyone simultaneously bloodthirstry and deadly and they will not stop until they are dead or all of their enemies are.  This creature can start a huge world wide bloodbath.  Beware its release.



Hypnox

This creature is the physical manifestation of the darkest thoughts of twisted wizards. Its presence is enough to wipe your mind of all of its spells and more through the sheer terror of its appearance.  Left mentally defenceless, this nightmare will crush you like a bug.



Gaea's Revenge

The world itself is angry and it is now fighting back.  Nature herself has assembled an elemental to destroy anything that is not like itself and it will not stop until the artifice and corruption that blights it has been layed low.  Cheap tricks and dark magic are not going to stop this elemental.


Demon of Death's Gate

Mighty demons require mighty sacrifices.  You can summon this demon with mana or you can summon it with blood.  Wither way, it will crush your enemies.






Vengeful Archon

As well as being a powerful creature, this archon will definitely avenge you by reflecting any hostile magic against its perpetrator.




Blightsteel Colossus

It's huge.  It can't be destroyed and it will kill you with its corrupting disease.  Only a sick and twisted world could come up with such a sick and twisted artefact.






Dark Depths

Marit Lage is imprisoned under the ice.  If it is released, its 20/20 flying indestructable form will make short work of even the most powerful planeswalker.
Whatever you do, make sure that the ice stays thick.



Emrakul, The Aons Torn

Finally, we have a huge beast that goes further than the previous eleven.  They were only content to destroy a world.  This thing destroys worlds.  It is almost unstoppable.  It is huge.  It flies.  It can manipulate time so that it seems to move twice as fast and every time it attacks, it devours creatures or even lands.  Finally, it will never truly die.  If the Eldrazi come for your plane, you find a way to get off that plane.  Or you try to imprison them.  or you get devoured.



Only one of these creatures is enough to overturn the world, but they can do so in many different ways.

Until next week...

Lords of Benaeron now available!

Hello gamebookers! Jeffrey Dean, author of the excellent Road Less travelled books has just released his third book that was funded in his Kickstarter. The book is called Lords of Benaeron and you can get it from Jeffrey's website - Greek Winter Media.

Jeffrey is also selling Westward Dystopia with a $5 discount on his website and the ebook of Westward Dystopia will be available for only $0.99 on Amazon starting on Friday 23rd September. Have fun!

Magic the Gathering - the planes

I love the descriptions of the planes in Magic the Gathering.  They are one of the great strengths of the card game.  Every few sets, we usually visit a new plane in the multiverse, each one with its own unique character.  

Here, I will describe my three favourite planes and some ideas for adventures on them.

Zendikar

Imagine a world where every woodland is as hostile as the forest of Snatta, every hill is as dangerous as the Shamutanti hills and every plain holds a dark dungeon beneath it.  This is Zendikar, a place where nature is extremely hostile and even the largest settlements are no bigger than Kaad or Stonebridge.  

However, the land holds many treasures, artefacts left over from an ancient and powerful civilisation which still influences the land with its large magical monuments known as hedrons.  Where the magic is strong, natural laws are overturned and it can sometimes cause tectonic upheaval and storms.  This is known as the Roil.   

It is basically as if every inch of the land was like Darkwood Forest - full of hostile creatures and plants but also containing powerful magical items and lots of gold with its own dungeon underneath.  

If you are brave enough to face the dangers of the plane then great material and magical rewards are yours and may people do.  This is why there are many allies in Zendikar, who, when they work in teams, get stronger.  

Adventure hook:  You are approached by a shady wizard who has a map to a horde of treasure.  However,  you can keep most of it - the wizard just wants a hedron in order to unlock its secrets.  There will be dangers of all kinds - deadly storms, carnivorous plants, huge cliff faces to climb and an uderground cave that suffers from quakes every few hours.  Can you get the wizard to the treasure?

Ravnica

From one extreme to another.  The plane of Ravnica is one big city.  Nature forces its way through ruins, but there is no place that has not been built upon.  

On this plane, ten rival guilds vie for power, money and knowledge using different approaches and abilities.  For example, the Boros guild is an army warlike and fanatical vigilantes who mete out swift punishment to those who break the law whereas the Orzhov guild is a huge crime family which operates behind the respectable front of religion.  Think Port Blacksand but with about three times the intrigue and many hundred times the size.  

Adventure hook:  An apparently abandoned neighbourhood that you are squatting in suddenly becomes overrun by soldiers from at least three guilds.  Within minutes, the whole place is a war zone.  The first thing you have to do is get out before you end up on the wrong end of a sword.  When you are safe, you think about what could have caused such a conflict.  You have been there for a few days now and know the area and the sewers underneath it well.  Do you hire yourself out to one of the factions or try to find the object of their desires on your own?

Mirrodin

This is a realm of pure metal created by a silver golem planeswalker.  However, it used to be uninhabited before his servant went a bit mad and summoned loads of creatures to the plane in order to find a 'planeswalkers' spark' within one and take it for himself.  He is killed and the creatures he bought here are sent to their homes, but their children stay.  In the latest set, the plane is becoming corrupted and they must fight for it.

Adventure hook:  You parents have disappeared along with the rest of the elders.  You need to recreate the community on Mirrodin and prevent your tribe falling apart.

Another adventure hook:  You have spent several years surviving on a metal plane.  You have changed so that you are part metal yourself.  Suddenly, you find yourself on your own plane and have to learn to fit in again, even with your radically altered appearance.  

What's your favourite Magic the Gathering plane?  Have any planes inspired your own settings?

Have a good week!  

You want to make games? Just do it! No programming skills required.

Before I jump into it, I would like to thank Stuart for inviting me to be an author at lloydofgamebooks.com and I feel honored to be here with you.

In my first post here, I decided to share my theory that to be a game designer is something completely different than being a programmer. Many kids make the mistake of assuming that in order to make games, they have to learn computer languages. I know that because I was one of them. Almost 30 years later, I can tell you that most of the computer code I have written in my life was a waste of time and I regret that I didn't use more of that time to research and learn how to design games rather trying to code them. I thought that if I learned how to write programs, I would most certainly be able to create games. Well, I was completely wrong! Let's face it, even if you become the best programmer in the world, you will most certainly not succeed in developing the next Doom, Diablo, Heroes of Might and Magic or World of Warcraft all by yourself. If you don't believe me, just read the credits of each one of those games! Sure, there are a few programmers listed there, but there are many more people involved in the process, who never wrote a single line of sourcecode: graphic designers, special effects, music composers and so on. The bottom line is that to produce a game of such great scale, you need a big team of people where each one of them is a specialist in a different area.

Now, I am not trying to tell you that you can't create good games all by yourself, nor I am telling you that learning some programming would be a complete waste of time. I am just pointing out that if you want to make a good game, you should first and foremost focus on how to write a compelling storyline and learn the principles and mechanics that make it interesting for the players. As a matter of fact, to create a game, you don't need to have any computer programming skills at all. If that is your case, the game mechanics of the gamebook adventures genre come to the rescue.

Many of you will argue that gamebook mechanics are very limited, if existing at all. Actually, gamebook mechanics do exist and in some ways, they could be better than video game mechanics. I wrote a whole article on the subject and I will re-post it here on lloydofgamebooks.com in the near future. I would go even further and I will add that, even though the advanced visual and sound stimulation of the brain makes for a more enjoyable experience, they are not game mechanics at all. As a matter of fact, I believe that a lot of modern video games implement pretty 3d graphics to make up for the lack of quality gameplay most of them suffer from.

Diablo2: a gamebook adventure with graphics and sound

Let's take a look at one of my all-time favorite games: Diablo. If we dissect the engine this game runs on, we will find some gorgeous graphics combined with good sound effects and not much of game mechanics. If you really think about your input as a gamer, it is pretty much limited to clicking the mouse button over endless hordes of enemies, keeping your fingers over the potion keys to make sure you stay alive and absolutely no test of performance (it doesn't matter where or when you hit the enemy). The damage dealt is based entirely on a formula similar or exactly the same as the calculations in the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop RPG (using random dice rolls). Therefore, if we removed the graphics and the sound effects, the gameplay of the Diablo franchise is the exact same as the gameplay in any gamebook adventure. Why do we enjoy playing that game so much? Well, because it implements other very appealing game mechanics: Exploring a Map, Treasure Hunt and Economics (collecting coins and buying stuff). The best thing about those three is that they are forming the very core of any good gamebook adventure. Actually, think how much better Diablo would have been if it implemented more of the gamebook approach and the player was required to solve some logic puzzles or to make some meaningful choices (I'll talk more about those gamebook mechanics in a later post). What I am trying to say is that Diablo is a poorly designed gamebook adventure with some pretty graphics and pleasant sound effects garnished with horrible narrative.

NSS mobile: the simplest and most successful

My point here is that anybody, who can write on a piece of paper can create a game similar to, if not better (at least from a gameplay and storyline perspective) than most games available on the market today. Sure, the lack of graphics and sound are going to seriously affect the enjoyment of your players, but gamebook adventures are a great place to start for anybody who wants to become a game designer. Once you learn how to write a compelling story and how to correctly implement test of performance that is based on the gamer input rather than random dice rolls, you can take a look at some programing languages. Even then, don't make the mistake to start learning C++ just because it is one of the most powerful computer languages out there. Start simple! A good example that the complexity of the source code is not relevant to the quality of the game is the New Star Soccer series developed by one of my idols: Simon Reed. All of his games were almost exclusively developed in Blitz Basic (a very simple to learn computer language) starting from 2d and moving to much more advanced 3d game engines. After 5 relatively successful versions of New Star Soccer for PC (he admits that he had a very hard time supporting his family with the profits from the series), Simon decided to go mobile and experimented for the fun of it. Due to the lack of computing power of the phone processors, he developed a game that had the simplest engine of them all (there are no 3d graphics and the sound effects are very limited). Surprisingly, New Star Soccer mobile is the game that made him a millionaire. I was not at all surprised when he later released New Star Soccer Story, a game that is ultimately a gamebook adventure. In his own words, during all those years of developing new versions of his game, he perfected not the code for the engine, but the principles that made the game addictive for millions of fans worldwide.


To summarize this post, I'd like to say to you: Stop wasting time on learning programming languages, start writing gamebook adventures and read about gamebook mechanics! You can find a lot of useful information on Gamebook Theory here at LloydOfGamebooks.com, AshtonSaylor.com and my own blog at Visual Gamebook Adventures.

In my next post, I am going to talk about Augmented Reality and how you can make a game like that for your friends or kids by using just your imagination and no computer at all. Actually, augmented reality didn't start with Pokemon. It has been around for more years than most of you can even guess, but more on that subject in my next article here on lloydofgamebooks.com

Peter Agapov
Game Designer at AugmentedRealityAdventure.com
President and Chief Executive Officer of American Limo Naperville
Former Road Captain of Marine One at Operation "Welcome You Home"

My Magic the Gathering set in progress.

Hello all! I'm realeasing a load of Magic the Gathering posts I did ages ago as they are going out of date. Occasionally, I like to add cards to a set I'm making. It is a bit along the lines of a base set, with only one new keyword - Prismatic. A card with prismatic is all colours.I have been working on the artifacts a lot, but there will be more coloured cards.

You can check out my set here.

If you want to check out an old set I did, go here.