Gaming in Walsall

Back in my first post about MtG I mentioned that i wanted to build up to playing at a Friday Night Magic event. One of the problems I have is that I have never played Magic in any other setting than a casual, kitchen table type of game, so I have been looking for a way to rectify this. In to this breach steps my  lovely wife, who pointed out a store to me right here in Walsall that actually has games running in store, every day that it's open. Step forward Nebula Custom Gaming! I popped into the store a couple of weeks back and had a nosey round, liking what I saw and the interaction I had with the staff there. I would come back I promised myself.

However there is one problem in this: I actually find socialising in settings where I know no one really very difficult. I find myself getting nervous and physically clumsy, and it's a great source of anxiety and embarrassment to me. To mask this I normally go in tandem with my brother, but this wasn't really going to be an option if I wanted to get down and game regularly in public. So, I bit the bullet and went ahead and turned up on my own. I needn't have worried! The staff and fellow gamers in the store were fantastic: first time I went I had a couple of great games and spent a good deal of time talking to Lee (one of the regulars there) about ways to improve one of my decks (Mirkov Miller, something i plan to write about in an upcoming post).

I went along again this past weekend, and spent a good couple of hours playing MtG and trying to get to know people. I managed to get involved in a four player game straight off, and my aforementioned deck managed to look just powerful enough to get smacked down pretty quickly! After that I played three more games using my modified Voracious Rage in a three player game (me and two friendly chaps both called Mat). These were pretty good games, in which I managed to carve out two victories before coming a cropper in the third hand (although my good record may have had more to do with misfortune on my opponents part than skill on mine!)  It was a pretty good way to pass a Saturday afternoon, and as my first experience of playing Magic in public, it was great! I am looking forward to getting down to Nebula more regularly in the future, and if they start to run Friday Night Magic, it will be my port of call to get involved in that too.

Thanks very much to he guys and girls and Nebula, and keep up the good work!