In my EDH column last week, one of the subjects I didn’t get into was the politics of playing multiplayer Magic. This is partly because it’s something that’s applicable to other non-EDH formats, but also because it’s a topic worthy of discussion on it’s own. While I’m writing this from a Magic-based perspective, I think the concepts I’m going to present could be applicable to other card, board, and video games that allow multiple players.

Multiplayer politics is almost a game within a game. There are no turns or set rules, but you can definitely win and lose. If you want to win at the multiplayer games you’re playing, you’ll need to consider politics as part of your general strategy. So, without further adieu, here are some of the concepts I think are the most important: Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, summer. A wasteland of gaming. Maybe an occasional oasis to provide some respite. Sadly nothing new to be found for me lately, so I decided to share a Magic variant format that has become very popular among all types of players and that I enjoy working in during downtimes: Elder Dragon Highlander (or EDH for short).

The rules for EDH are fairly straightforward. You select a Legendary creature to be your general (originally, only the “Elder Dragons” could be generals, hence the format name) and the colors in the casting cost of the general determine what colors you are allowed to have in your deck. For example, selecting Rafiq of the Many as your general would mean you could only use cards that have blue, white or green mana costs. Once you pick your general, you then build a 99 card deck that can only use one copy of each card (“There can be only one!” aka “Highlander”) except for basic lands. There are some generals and cards that are banned in the “official” rules, which can be found here, but individual groups are encouraged to modify the list to suit their own needs. In this regard, EDH is a format that is very adaptable to many groups and playstyles. Read the rest of this entry »