Emergent Narrative in Magic: The Gathering

I’ve made many memories with Magic over the years - the booster draft I held at the old Wizards of the Coast store for my 8th birthday party, the time I pulled Phage and Akroma in back to back Legions packs, the crazy set I played against a local Radio DJ in a draft at Penny Arcade Expo 2009… but after 15 years with Magic, the memories which stick out the most to me aren’t the epic plays, game-winning top decks, or the the money rares I pulled. Magic is a beautifully social game, and the memories which stick out the most are the stories I’ve created with my friends.

After briefly pondering his hand, my opponent tapped his two plains and said “I’ll enchant my Yoked Ox with Chosen by Heliod.” “Well that’s pretty bold of Heliod, isn’t it?” I replied. I could hear Heliod’s godly voice in my head, booming down onto the grainy fields of Theros. “Yoked Ox!” bellowed Heliod, “You have been chosen!” “Moo?!” asked the Yoked Ox, confused, bewildered, and uncomprehending. “I see a great potential in you, Ox, and have chosen you to become a bastion of my godly favor! Step forward, Ox, and accept your path of bovine radiance!” “Moooo!” exclaimed the Yoked Ox, rearing with head and hoof towards the mighty sun god.

Most games carefully craft a storyline and seek to take you along for an enjoyable ride, while Magic creates a world filled with possibility and has its story emerges through gameplay. Game designers call the process of generating story through gameplay “emergent narrative”, a developing aspect of game design which I heavily emphasized in my card game, The Big Fix.

The emergent narrative of Magic is strong by virtue of both the quality and quantity of Magic cards. The art, flavor text, and deep surrounding mythos of the Magic universe make for a rich background of storytelling potential which manifests as emergent narrative when the many cards of Magic interact in flavorful or unintended ways. That is, if you’re willing to start taking notice of it.

“I’ll equip Lightning Greaves onto Engulfing Slagwurm.” “How, exactly, does a Slagwurm wear boots?”

Its very easy to get completely wrapped up in the competitive aspects of Magic and forget that part of what makes Magic so great is how intrinsically social it is. Even the most simple of plays can bring a table to laughter if you’re willing to briefly take your mind away from victory and focus on having a good time. The strategy, decision making, and complex mental aspects of Magic make up a significant part of why I love the game so much, but I’ve found that there is plenty of room in Magic for both strategy and story when you’re playing for fun. In purely competitive environments (FNMs, Grand Prixs, etc.) your opponents might not appreciate the humour which can so easily be found in the game, but the majority of Magic games have nothing but pride at stake.

Cards don’t have to be as silly as Sensation Gorger, Phelddagrif, or Bottle Gnomes to draw your attention away from Magic’s intrinsically competitive undertone. Light-hearted cards provide a well deserved break from the intense thematic elements of Magic, but only seem to end up in the hands of players sifting through collections. To experience the emergent narrative of Magic, you, as a player, simply need to seek it out. Magic can be a powerful storytelling tool if you want it to be one, and I guarantee that the amount of memories you can make and enjoyment you can draw from the game can benefit from paying a small amount of attention to Magic’s emergent narrative.

Its easy to get wrapped up in the competition and forget that when you’re playing with friends, Magic can be about having fun.

- Aleco Pors