by Jay Annelli
It’s Friday night at your local game store, and the store’s regulars have gathered to play some FNM. As everyone is cracking packs, a newer player pulls a card featuring Jace Beleren.
“Hey, I’ve seen this guy before, he looks cool,” says the newbie.
“He’s the worst,” mutters another player scornfully, launching into a tirade about something called Cawblade.
“I love that guy,” shouts someone from across the room, “You should read about him!”
“Don’t bother, the story sucks,” scoffs a fourth player.
“I miss when the story was good,” mourns a fifth
“It IS good,” replies an incredulous sixth player.
Confused, the newbie lets the matter drop, not realizing that no one in that conversation was talking about the same thing. Like Magic itself, Magic’s story isn’t just one thing. It’s a framework for a half dozen different ways of engaging with the game’s story and lore, although those different levels of engagement are often conflated.
