Subject: Formal Response to Bill Jackson's Post on 6th Edition MtG Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 14:36:47 -0800 From: Peter Adkison To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com First of all, let's start with a quote from the good doctor. "I have been following and participating in Classic Rules (6th Edition) development and have been happy with the trimming of needless complication from the rules that distract from the strategy of the game. The rules are getting closer to my original concept of simple, clear rules with strategic play depth introduced through cards." -Richard Garfield Folks, there really isn't any secret here. We've been saying for a long time that our goal is to make Magic: the Gathering a classic game like Chess or Go. What makes Chess and Go classic is that they have very deep strategy while having relatively easy rules. I'm sure that many of you would agree that Magic has very deep strategy, while many of you would also agree that the rules are not easy. With this goal in mind, our staff set out to do some minor house cleaning of the Magic rules. The intent was not to reduce the amount of strategy in Magic, but to make it more intuitive and easy to learn for people who had never played the game and make it easier for expert players to resolve rules disputes. Most of the rules "changes" that we are planning will not even affect the way Magic is being currently played, but rather will simply make the rules easier to understand. The rules changes that will occur in 6th Edition were never meant to be some big secret that we were going to spring on you (the players) the day that 6th Edition was released. We are planning to explain the rules changes next year before the set even comes out. We were intentionally refraining from releasing information on new rules until shortly before 6th Edition is released so that players, both tournament and casual, would not get confused by which set of rules they should be using. The rules changes will not go into effect until after 6th Edition is released, in accordance with DCI rules. None the less, we wanted to clear up some rumors about possible rules changes that have been discussed here. 1. No more interrupts. This is true. But this doesn't mean that counterspells will go away. Counterspell and all other old interrupts will be played as instants. This has very little effect on game play. 2. No more Damage Prevention Phase. This is true, but it doesn't mean no more damage prevention. You'll still be able to play Healing Salve in response to my Lightning Bolt and prevent the damage. 3. No more Mana Pool. This is incorrect. You'll still have a Mana Pool. However, if you wish, you'll be allowed to play a spell then tap your lands to pay for it. 4. Tapped artifacts will function normally. (A tapped Winter Orb will still be turned on and have its normal effect.) This is true. We've decided to remove the rule from the rulebook and instead add it to the cards. Expect to see artifacts like "As long as this card is untapped, creatures can't attack." We apologize for any confusion or panic that any posts about 6E rules changes might have caused you. The rules changes have been made with the help of many external play testers as well as certified judges so that we wouldn't suffer from ivory tower disease. I realize that we are now a big corporation, but when you peel away that corporate façade, there remain a large number of gamers here who love this game as much as you do. We are not trying to alter the game for the sake of fiddling or to cater to beginner players at the expense of our valued and loyal long time players and fans. I hope that players can understand and respect why we wouldn't want to introduce or discuss the rules changes at this time since it would cause confusion in the play environment. I also hope that players understand and support our goal to make Magic: the Gathering a classic game. Stay on target, Peter D. Adkison CEO, Wizards of the Coast