Introduction
Black Friday. I tell stories of working retail during Black Friday and people gasp. The truth of the matter is that I worked it almost 30 years ago before it became a thing. Back then, retail workers spoke of the term in hushed tones. But, there was no small business Saturday or Cyber Monday. There were no sales where people murdered one another for a blender. Just long lines and endless Garth Brooks on the PA. This year, I just call it the day after Thanksgiving. And a day off from work so I can write why I’m thankful for tabletop gaming 2023.
After talking about PC (mostly) and mobile earlier in the week, I fear that this, too, may be a bit of an anticlimax. I usually save the best for last with these articles. But, looking back on it now, the only real reason I can think of to be thankful for tabletop gaming this year is that Chris, Jason, and I were able to get together to play Magic the Gathering a couple of times.
Commander! Live and in Person!
Granted, that’s not that bad of a reason. But, I feel bad because I kept meaning to sit down with Quinn and play more Dungeons and Dragons. We compromised a couple of weeks ago with a session of Roll Player Adventures. Heck, even this weekend, I wanted to play some D&D with him to set up articles for next week. Maybe I can convince him and Chris to sit down for a quick session tomorrow before we record the next episode of 2 Guys Gaming.
But I, as I often do, digress.
The first time we played, we brought our own decks that we either built or, in my case, used an upgrade guide to make it better. I played my Naya landfall deck to some success. I think Chris knocked out Jason and then I stalled the game like I do for a few turns before misplaying and scooping. Hey, like I say, some things never change.
Then, Chris and Jason went halves on Lord of the Rings Commander decks. We played them fresh out of the boxes. I played an elves deck. Again, I found some early success in the game. I set up my board, made dudes, planned out a winning strategy. This time, instead of misplaying, Chris simply drew a board clear that killed all my dudes and left me exposed. And, so, back to the drawing board. Playing the deck gave me some ideas to improve it, but I haven’t actually implemented any of them yet. Once we nail down a time for the next meeting I’ll take care of it.
The Verdict
Again, perhaps underwhelming. But, I can’t say how much having a regular playgroup has improved my attitude and enjoyment of Magic the Gathering again. If only I could find one for D&D. Maybe that’s one of my resolutions for next year. Also, it inspired Chris and I to resurrect the podcast again. So, MtG is truly why I’m thankful for tabletop gaming 2023.