THE SIMPSONS’ NEWS
Nothing exciting to report. Been working on storyboard revisions this last week. We’ve been given a good amount of time to get the show ready.
If there is one annoyance, it’s that I don’t have the other program I need to do my job installed in my computer. It’s pretty darn ridiculous. I have to go to another cubicle if I want to use the program. We’ve already asked to get this taken care of, but as of the time of this writing, it hasn’t been.
ROLE PLAYING GAMES
Kids are great. They just ooze imagination. The other day, Munchkin discovered the teddy bear I keep by my bed. She immediately took a liking to it and gave it to me to “puppeteer” The little guy, came to life for her and she started adventures with it, right away. It was amazing. I was blown away.
When we were kids, my brother and I did something similar (I’d control a toy and he pretended it was real) but it just seemed natural to do back then. Now that I’m older, I’m much more aware of what’s going on. Still, I found myself getting into the “role” of the teddy. Munchkin made it so easy. It was fun.
When you’ve got young kids around, who needs complicated Roleplaying game books.
BOARD GAMES
So I was going to write about non mainstream games. In other words, games that can’t be found at regular stores. Then I realized that some of the “hobby board games” I play CAN be found in some of these stores, they just tend to be overlooked, looked down upon or just thought to be too weird and generally avoided. This week I’m going to be writing about one of those games. Today I’m going to be writing about Magic: The Gathering.
I’m pretty sure, at some point, you must have seen a set of Magic cards somewhere, either in booster pack form or in Starter Deck form. They tend to be sold in most of the American “Mart” stores (Walmart, Target, K-mart) as well as many Pharmacies and toy stores. The last time I visited my relatives in El Salvador, I saw the game being sold (in Spanish) in liquor stores. The game has been translated to many different languages by now.
What is Magic: The Gathering?
Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game where in you take the role of a wizard who is partaking in a magical duel against another wizard by summoning Creatures to fight for you.
It borrow a small element from the game, Cosmic Encounter. As can be seen from the following quote:
‘Though there are about a dozen games that have directly influenced Magic in one way or another, the game’s most influential ancestor is a game for which I have no end of respect: Cosmic Encounter.”
Richard Garfield, designer of Magic: The Gathering
But it’s a unique game all it’s own (well…sort of. It’s been copied so many times that it might not be so unique anymore. It became so popular, it created it’s own genre of games). Magic: The Gathering is to Collectible Card Games/Trading Card Games (CCG/TCG) what Lord of the Rings is to Fantasy Novels.
It even has a Pro Tournament. Gran Prize for first place in the Pro Tournament, $40,000.00.
How do you play Magic: The Gathering?
Each player needs to have their own deck of Magic cards. You can either build a customized deck yourself by buying a Starter Pack and a few booster packs or you can buy pre-built themed decks. Your deck is your repertoire of Magic spells. Your Spell Book, if you will. Officially called, your Library. Your Library consists of a minimum of sixty cards.
Each player has twenty points of life. The object of the game is to reduce your opponents points, down to zero. You do this, mainly, by “summoning” (playing) Creatures onto the table which you use to “attack” (reduce the points of) your opponent. Creatures you summon can also be use to defend you from you opponent’s Creatures. You also have other magic spells in your deck that can be used to do damage to your opponent or to his Creatures. As well as cards that add benefits to your Creatures and/or generally break the rules of the game. It’s pretty simple. In fact, you can make the argument that Magic is, in essence, a very elaborate game of trumps. All you’re essentially doing in the game is trying to put cards on the table that can’t be trumped or that can trump your opponent’s cards.
There are three types of cards in a Magic Deck:
Land,
Creatures,
Instants,
Sorceries,
Enchantments,
Planeswalkers
and Artifacts
Each has it’s use within the game. For example: some Enchantment cards can be played on your Creature cards to strengthen them or benefit them in some way, while other Enchantment cards can be used to cause an opponent’s Creature cards some ill. Meanwhile, Instant cards can be played at anytime during the game. The effect of Instant cards vary greatly from countering opponent’s spell cards to…well…many other things.
The theme and flavor of the game goes something like this: You (the wizard) tap into the magic of the land you are affiliated with and soak up that land’s “Mana” (magical energy). By doing so you can bring forth your Creatures or spells. The more powerful the spell or Creature you attempt to bring forth, the more Mana from Lands you have to tap into.
In game play terms: both players start off with a hand of seven cards. On your turn you “Untap” (see below) any Lands and Creatures you have tapped and then draw a card from your deck.
After that you check to see if you have any Land cards in your hand. If you do, you place one down. You may only place one Land card per turn.
Next, you can play any of your spell cards in your hand that you can “pay” for. You see, every Magic card costs “Mana”. The cost of the card is on the card itself (on the right top corner). Some cards cost Mana from certain types of Land. These Lands are forests, swamps, mountains, islands, and plains. If you can pay for the card you wish to play, you “Tap” the Land card, which is to say, you turn the cards sideways to show that you are using the Land or Lands’ Mana this turn. Once you pay the cost of the card you put it in play. Tapped Land stays Tapped until the beginning of your next turn. Depending on which type of card or cards you put down this turn, or have put down in previous turns, different things will happen. You can put down as many cards as you can pay for. Meanwhile, your opponent can cast certain cards that he has, by Tapping into his Lands, to try to interrupt some of your spells, which in turn you can counter, if you have enough Lands left to Tap with the right card to counter it with.
Now, you can attack with any summoned Creature that you have summoned on previous turns. The ones you have summoned THIS turn can’t attack because they are suffering from “summoning sickness”. Your opponent can then decide to use his Creatures (if any) to defend, take the blow, or cast some other spell to try to prevent you from taking points away. If your opponent decides to block with his Creature or Creatures, your Creatures battle it out. Strongest Creature wins. Losing creature goes to the discard pile. If the Creatures are equally strong, they both go to the discard pile. If both creatures have good defense but low attacks, the battle is a draw and nothing happens. During a battle, players often try to use spells and counter spells to insure victory for their side.
Then, that’s it. Your turn is over and your opponent does the same thing. Rinse and repeat until one player loses twenty points. Below is short video showing you what I’m talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhdtksO-Pd4&feature=PlayList&p=A670214EC52DF002&index=3
I’ve left out a ton, but this is the essence of the game. What makes the game unique, of course, is the variety of cards in the game, and the plethora of card combination players can put together.
To download the official rule book, Click Here.
A little personal history about me and this game.
So up until a few weeks ago, it had been some 13 to 14 years since I had played Magic. I had completely forgotten how much fun it was. I first got into Magic when the game first officially came out in 1993. I was wandering around a store that sold novelties and I saw a Starter Deck there. I think perhaps I saw some kids at that same store looking at the cards or perhaps playing the game. I got curious, read the back of the box, got really intrigued by the fantasy feel it invoked, but I didn’t buy it. For the next couple of days, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I began to romanticize about what the game might be like. It’s silly to think about now. In any case, I finally caved in and bought the deck. I fell in love with it before I had even read the rules. I’d never played anything like it. I realized then that I’d always wanted card games to feel like this when you played them. This was the card game I had always wanted.
I got many of my friends into it and we used to play quite a bit. It was an expensive game for a teenager to get into, especially since I was still in high school and didn’t have any money (I graduated that year and began an unpaid internship on The Simpsons). Still, I managed to get enough cards to play the game and have fun but not nearly as many cards as my friends did. I found out, real quick, that if you didn’t buy as many cards as your friend did, you would always lose. I stopped after that. I felt cheated.
About three years after, the Pro Tournaments began.
Now a days, I can play the game without having the “feeling cheated” problem. Mainly because the friends I play with don’t have every card ever made. They just have some cards and I have some cards so the playing field is fairly even. Magic is a blast to play again.
Why do I like it?
First of all, Magic is a deep game. There is tons of things to think about and tons of ways to play this game. It’s also a game which is infinitely customizable. If you want to play a game that keeps on giving, this is it. It’s officially on it’s tenth edition, which is really crazy for me to think about. Playing Magic can be a very personal thing. The way you set up your deck is very much a reflection of the type of game you want to play. Aggressive, defensive, chaotic, quick, it’s all up to you. The game gives you the rules and you get to decide what it will feel like.
Like with Dreamblade, part of the fun is building up a combination of cards that will work well together. The other part of the fun is trying it out to see if what you built was any good. In this way, the game is very creative. It’s also very satisfying when you build a deck that works well.
The game itself has a bit of luck in it, but since your deck is meant to be optimized to mitigate that, it’s not too big of an issue.
Magic is both an expensive and inexpensive game. On the one hand, you can buy a fifteen dollar pre-built deck and play with it all you want, without having to buy anymore cards. On the other hand, if you really like the game, you may start buying a three dollar booster or two just for the heck of it. This wouldn’t be too big a deal, except that you had so much fun opening up the booster you bought and seeing the new cards and thinking about the possibilities of those cards, that you can’t wait to buy another…and another…and yet another. Pretty soon you’ve spent tons of money and you have no idea how that happened.
Still, isn’t this a sign of how creative the game is? How each booster gives you more ideas for possible combination of cards? How it makes the game new, over and over and over again? It’s debatable whether the collectible aspect of Magic is a good thing or a bad thing. It doesn’t take away from the fact that the game is just really fun to play in spite of this.
I highly recommend it (in moderation).
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Luise,
That is a great illustration of the Podcast Expo. Sorry you did not make it to the Mass.
God bless,
Fr. Jay
Just found your page about Italy! Loved it! Lived in Italy a couple of years; just doing a YouTube video about how to get to the Sistine Chapel. Your sketches brought back so many memories (especially the “Metro at Rush Hour” type).
Dear Luis,
Very interesting and thoughtful blog. If you are interested in Catholicism and boardgames you might appreciate “Vatican” the boardgame I designed. It has been selling worldwide and we have gotten very favorable comments
Sincerely,
Stephen Haliczer Ph.D.
Distinguished Research Professor
Product Designer
The College of DuPage Press
Hey! I’ve been trying to call you for a couple weeks! I should have checked your blog sooner. I thought you might have had the baby by now! Congrats! Call me ya bum. My number…unlike yours… is the same xxx-xxx-xxxx.
im doing a piece of it coursework and wondered if i could put your
“computer stoopid” picture on it.
I would acknowledge where it came from beneath it and in the bibliography.
If the answer is yes then could you tell me the artists name too?
thanks. keith.
Sure, absolutely, go right ahead. Thanks for asking.
Hi Luise,
I just came upon your Nephilim skeleton debunking image….very interesting.
I wish we could have met at Comic Con to discuss certain issues. Nothing that
I would want to discuss openly here.
Hope to hear from you,
Den
If you want to discuss something privately, you could always e-mail me. The address is up there under the “Hi, Welcome!” about the top commentators. It’s luis(at)luisescobarblog(dot)com.
Can you give me permission to use one of your illustrations for a tee shirt. I really want to wear “there must be some way to plug this keyboard into this game” – It’s how I see the world.. and you explained everything I want to tell the world in that one illustrzt8ion.
Gina
Yes, Gina. You can make it into a shirt for yourself off of that cartoon. I’m flattered.
I’ve been thinking about making shirts off of my little cartoons but I’m not sure which ones to do. Outside of an occasional cartoon that really hits home for someone, I’m not sure if they would sell.
So go right ahead Gina. Have fun.
Hi Luis,
My name is Phil and I came across your site while looking up information about animation and voice-over work. I’m a huge fan of the Simpsons & Futurama and a big Billy West fan (Ren&Stimpy, Futurama, Ect.). It is truly amazing to me how so many individuals come together to create these animated cartoons and the quality of the end product. I’m curious from your perspective how much work you have to re-do sometimes because of the networks and the way they censor some of the work that is being done. Best of luck to you in your projects. – Phil
You’d be surprised Phil. The biggest censors of the show are the writers themselves. They often pull back a joke they think is going too far. Sometimes, some of the jokes are funny too. It’s the artists that end up complaining about it. For example, there was a joke in one of the Halloween shows that all the artists thought was really funny. It was the show where Homer goes back in time on his toaster. In one of the futures he comes back too, he finds himself married to Patty and Selma. He discovers this when they show up waring lingerie. They looked really nasty, with their flab and hairy legs. When we saw it, everyone roared with horrified laughter. It was crazy. For some reason, during the re-write, they cut the gag because they thought it was too much. It was very disappointing. They didn’t even put the scene as an extra on the DVD.
Hope that answers your question.
It does. Thanks for the reply Luis. That gag actually would have been hilarious! Too bad it didn’t make it. I wonder if some unnecessary second guessing happens though because the writers feel they may be going over the top? (If that’s possible.) I know there is that fine line that writers and creators have to walk probably not only with the content of the show that’s created but with the networks as well. At least from what I understand in reading interviews and seeing convention interviews. Storyboards I think really help to set the tone of an episode and I bet it probably helps to justify many of the ideas that get spun out during the writing sessions of the writers. You all do great work on the show and I’m going to continue reading through your website. Thanks! – Phil
Hello there. I was researching nephilim for a report and I foung your blog. Its too bad those pics were all frauds. If they had been real, it would have been amazing.
After I read your stuff on the pictures I hung around a little, and read your “about me section”.
I am merely curious, so if I overstep a boundary, please feel free to tell me so.
I was wondering, sir, since you state that you are in fact a roman catholic, weather or not you believed in the deity of Jesus Christ?
I myself am a Christian, but I research other religions and alternate sects of my own. You could say its a hobby. In any case, if you find my inquiry impolite, I am sorry. I mean no offense.
Heh, no Christine, your question isn’t impolite. It’s good of you to ask. Too often people just assume things about Catholicism without asking.
The simple answer to your question is, “Yes”. Catholicism, teaches that Jesus Christ is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity.
The slightly more involved answer is as follows: The Catechism of the Catholic Church (the official book that explains all that the Catholic Church teaches) in paragraphs 446-451 ( http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1H.HTM ) states the following:
Arianism was a Heresy that the Catholic Church fought against that deputed this belief around the years AD 250-336 which concluded in the Council of Nicea. For more info go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism or http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01707c.htm .
Hope that answers your question.
thank you. most people would out-right refuse to answer that question nowadays.
May the Lord bless you, Luis!
Luis – my name is Luis Escobar – every now and then I Google my name just to see what pops up. Well – I often come across you. No doubt – you have discovered me too. Anyway – sure there a ton of our Luis Escobar’s out there but I thought that I would just say hello and let you know that you have a cool name. BTW – I am the third Luis in four! Grandpa, Father, me and my son. Louie’s all around!
HA ha! Yeah, you have a great name too.
Wow! That’s a lot of Luisesesss in your family. Pretty cool. Love your site dude. I’ll link to you.
wow – that was fast – I am a photographer, distance runner and high school cross country coach. I live in Santa Maria California. Married with three kids. Your work is great. You are very skilled. I will take some time and learn a little more about you and your work. Very cool. Well – I am off to a work with one of my running students. I will look forward to talking with you a little more in the future. Luis
Cool. Anytime.
i like simpsons, starting watch becouse my doughter like it
I write comment but strange dropdown
Howdee Luis, if you are a real Christian then i would suggest you to do some research on your big boss (Matt Groening being a 33rd degree mason).
Loads of subliminal messages in the Simpsons, and occult symbolism.
(Even 9-11 was announced).
Greetings…. (Peace be upon you)
I would like to present to you all the sciences related to cosmogony together with its rules as per its identity which is something not similar to any of the other things and is out of any and assimilation according to the following point of view:
1. The theories of on cosmogony lack the fundamentals of the origin of things as they are mainly based on incidence and on the unseen.
2. The cosmic extension that has been taking place is the result of the range of vision through using the telescope and any other instruments because the thing being seen is determined by vision and this is one of the universe laws.
3. Knowing the within secrets of man will uncover secrets of the universe as the apparent entities of existence are of six kinds: the perspective (what is being seen), the tangible world (what can be touched and felt), what can be weighed, what can be heard, things that have flavor and things that have smell. These, in most cases, are overlapping and are counted six in number.
The origin of all entities are bare pictures of materials, void of force and readiness; it shines in debate and is complete when read. The investigation of scientists is restricted to this reading (capability and liability) where the material is with all its atoms, energy and speed and this alone is useless compared with its radiance.
The first cosmic law is that nothing can be determined unless established with what is contrary to it. And things are sometimes concrete and sometimes abstract and both are the same according to law.
The origin of radiance is the brain and by saying this I do not mean perception but the simple core of it. By formulating this equation the truth becomes uncovered.
The subject is highly complicated and can only be clarified by word of mouth or by arguments.
So, what do you have to present. (show)
بعد التحية :-
أود أن أعرض عليكم جميع علوم نشأة مفردات الكون وقوانينه وفق ذاتيته التي هي شئ ليس كباقي الأشياء خارجه عن حد التعطيل والتشبيه حسب النظرة التالية :-
1/ أن نظريات نشأة الكون تفتقد لأصول نشأة الأشياء وتحيل على ألصدفه أو الغيب .وكذلك استغراق البحث في الأفاق لم يأتي بغايته إلا بقدر ربطه بالوعي الإنساني.
2/ التوسع الكوني الحاصل هو نتيجة المد البصري من خلال التلسكوب وغيره لأن المنظور أليه يثبت بالبصر وهذا أحد قوانين الكون
3/ معرفة أسرار بطون الإنسان تكشف أسرار الكون حيث أن مفردات الوجود الظاهر على ستة أنواع (المنظور أليها ). (الملموسة). (الموزونة). (المسموعة). (ذات طعم). (ذات رائحة). وتكون في أغلب الأحيان متداخلة .وأصل الأشياء كلها صور عارية عن المواد . خاليه من القوه والاستعداد . بمناظرتها تشرق وبمطالعتها تتم . وبحث العلماء ينحصر في هذه المطالعة (القوه والاستعداد) حيث المادة ودقائقها وطاقتها وسرعتها وهذا وحده لا جدوى منه بقدر إشراقها . . وأصل الإشراق هو العقل ولا أقصد به الإدراك أنما هو )جوهر بسيط درأك محيط) وبتكوين هذه المعادلة تنكشف الحقيقة .
الموضوع غاية بالتعقيد يوضح بالمشافهة والجدل فما هو عرضكم ؟
توضيح:-
* أود أن أبين بأن وسائط الإدراك هي الحواس ألخمسه + تحسس الوزن.
* إما أحوال الإدراك ( تصوراته أي المعاني التي يلبسها ) فهي ستة أيضا ثلاثة وخلافها :-
1/ الحياة والموجود ولها صور فمثلا صورة الحياة هي الماء.
2/ الحركة والسكون ولها صور فمثلا صورة الحركة هي الهواء.
3/ الانفعال والسكينة ولها صور فمثلا صورة الانفعال هي النار.
* إما مراتب نفس الإدراك إي نفس ألصوره فهي خمسه:-
1)الجماد 2) النبات 3) الحيوان 4) الملكوت 5) الإنسان وصور ذلك كثيرة.
*** وكل هذه الصور تندرج ضمن تصورات الإدراك .منها ظاهره ومنها كامنة إي لم تظهر لحد الآن . والتوسع الكوني الحاصل هو ظهور لبعض هذه الصور الكامنة.
*وأروع إبداعات الإدراك هو العقل (جوهر بسيط درأك محيط ) ولكل واحده تفصيلاتها الوظيفية.
ووظيفة العقل هي ربط كل الصور المذكورة أعلاه بعوالمها الحسيه ألسبعه. وعالمنا هو العالم السابع وفق نمطيته الحسيه. وتجري آثار العقل على كل الصور الكونية فتصبح محسوسة وفق قوتها واستعدادها التصوري.
قد لا يفهم الموضوع بشكل جيد كونه لم يطرق بتاتا
Lol been stalking you. You’re pretty good. Not bad for a dad of many. Very talented. Don’t know how you keep up. Chat soon on twitter
An overwhelming desire to keep sane helps.
I’m doing some onsite interviews at Mystic Dragon’s Festival of Books. Would you have time to talk with me about your work and “The Art of Draw Fu”? at 4 pm on August 15th? Please let me know (and your “Black Terror Kid” comics, along with your comic about your trip to Rome, are really fun!).
Yes, absolutely. I’d be happy to.
Great, thank you! Could you email me a contact for you, at the above email link, and I’ll send you more information (and I’m ordering your book now!).