Friday October 8th marks our first event under our new initiative for all of our Magic: the Gathering that we are affectionately referring to as “Kitchen Tabletop Magic.”

As Brainstorm Comics and Gaming reviewed not only our own events but those of other stores in the area, we realized there were many events that competitive people could play the way they liked, but little to none for those who played the game for fun.  This unfortunately normally drives the more casual people from stores.

Most of you are more than likely familiar with the term “Kitchen Table Magic.”  For those of you who are not, it generally refers to casual games played at a friend’s house instead of a store and where every card is playable.

You spent money on the cards–they should be playable.  Standard rotates cards way too quickly.  Modern and legacy are pricey.  Besides, you just want to build something cool and fun.  And that is where Kitchen Tabletop Magic comes in.

Every card is allowed. We will have no restrictions.  You have unglued, play it.  You have Power 9. Play them. If it was a card, it should be allowed.  However, to keep the competitive level down and the fun factor up, there will not be any prizes for first or second place–just for the categories listed below.

We want to bring that type of fun and excitement back to stores.  How are we going to do that?

The categories will be these or ones similar to them:

1. Best sportsmanship
2. Most encouraging
3. Most engaging player
4. Coolest Combo

There will be other categories added as well.  When we started playing Magic: the Gathering, one of the most awesome pieces of the game was the social interaction.  As games have gotten more competitive, it seems like that has been lost.  We want to bring that back.

Cost to participate will be $3.

This is a big change and we know several people will not be fans of it.  We feel very strongly and committed to bringing the casual people back into the game, though, so we will be sticking with this initiative through at least the end of year.  We are hopeful to change the environment for the game in a way that allows it to get back to its roots.

We are hoping you join us in this push.