While I intellectually dislike (yes, I'm complex, I do it but I still don't want to be 'that' person) putting people into a box labelled as either X or Y, I must admit it is sometimes helpful. Mark Rosewater and Mark Cavotta have defined players using psychographic profiles. Motivations, the actual psychographics, are defined using the names Timmy, Johnny, and Spike. Appreciation of the flavor of the game is defined by the names Melvin, Melthos, and Vorthos. I don't want to explain it here, but the Melvin/Vorthos scale isn't actually psychographics (although most players refer to them in this manner). If you're interested, one of the better articles on this topic is by Mark Rosewater and can be found HERE.
So you could be a Timmy/Vorthos - someone who plays overall less skillfully but still believes that you shouldn't allow elves and goblins to be in the same deck without a good reason. Or I could be a Spike/Melvin - someone who wants to win at all costs and has no problem playing both Xenagos the god and Xenagos the planeswalker on my battlefield at the same time. These categories for players are not absolutes. Nor are they permanent. Over time, I've personally become less of a Timmy and more of a Johnny. Jacob, my son, is much more of a Spike than I'll ever be.
There is a problem though with the existing categories. I feel these profiles don't fully allow for classifying players as much as I would like to. Neither sets of categories address how to describe a player's level of preparedness. Given how often this is the first thing we note when facing another player across the table, I think it's an area that should be explored.
I submit the following concept for review.
New Category: Preparedness
The new player category I am proposing will be used to define how prepared a player is for a match or an event, whether a game at the kitchen table or a something as grand as the Pro Tour. It covers several different benchmarks, all of which are important I feel for the player's enjoyment of Magic as well as the enjoyment of playing against or with said player.
Consider this new category as a way to define a player's level of consideration. This new scale can be used to measure how considerate a player is to their opponent(s) and to the game. It's no more a psychographic profile than the Melvin/Vorthos scale and I believe it to be a great deal more important. Is that Johnny/Melvin someone who takes seriously the prep that goes into making the game a clean experience? Or is that person someone who approaches Magic slovenly, with little respect for fellow players?
Preparedness is a only a working title for the new category. I find the word itself to be funny and slightly awkward, so I am open to suggestions. I do believe the concept to be sound, so any help in finding a better name would be appreciated.
Let's take a look at the most prepared side first, then unprepared. Before I wrap up, we'll also take a look at the middle of the spectrum.
Prepared Ernest
I'm basing this name on one of the better examples of preparation I can think of, albeit in a round
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| E. Seton, an obviously dapper fellow. |
There are many players I've met who fall into the category. These players are considerate. They come to the table on time. They bring necessary supplies to pilot their decks in a manner that is clear and concise. But that's not all. A player who is an Ernest takes time before an event to confirm they have the items they'll need at the tournament. Their list may include, but are not limited to: pen, paper, dice, tokens, decks, extra sleeves and playmats. Playmats are optional, but fun. Sleeves are viewed as optional by some players that are in this category - but extra sleeves are not optional if they sleeve their decks. An Ernest also makes sure to bring a pre-printed decklist to sanction, constructed events. They have a few extra pens on hand, not just one. Their trade binders and deckboxes have their DCI number hidden inside of them to help in their recovery in case of theft or misplacing them. If any of this sounds a little 'too prepared' or even a bit odd, that's a telling indicator you aren't a true Ernest.
There's more to be an Ernest player though than just making sure you came prepared. Ernest has checked in advance to see what places near a venue are good for lunch on the go. An Ernest is the one who figures out travel arrangements in advance, making certain to allow for unexpected delays. And an Ernest is the player who freshly showers the morning of the event and uses deodorant. Ernest players may also spend a little bit more time than non-Ernest players in planning their wardrobe for the day, instead of just picking up something out of a pile of cloths and giving it the 'smell' test. If you're not sure if you're an Ernest, ask yourself, "Did I plan at the last day long event I attended to bring some healthy snacks to curb hunger pangs when I can't get to food?" Being Ernest isn't just about sitting down ready to game as you can see - it's about your whole approach to Magic.
Speaking of the 'whole' approach, you can spot a true Ernest player in the first minutes of a draft. The Ernest players are the ones who take less than a minute on each pick. They spent time before coming to the event, reviewing new cards and making a few loose theories about what they wanted to try to accomplish. No player should ever come into a draft thinking, "I'm going to draft UG because that is the best strategy." Ernest players though have at least done some homework. They aren't the people that sit next to you that have to read 4-5 cards in detail, often re-reading several of them before making a decision.
There are other methods of defining if a player is defined as prepared. Personally, I've thought recently about becoming more Ernest. I haven't decided yet, but I am playing with the idea of making a cheap dice bag of leftover dice (almost 35 years of hard gaming I have quite the supply) for less-Ernest players to use. I've waffled on doing so, only because the counter argument to being considerate in this way is that I'm enabling inconsiderate behavior. Speaking of which, let's take a look at Ernest's nemesis.
Unprepared Bluto
When I tried to think of what name to use for the unprepared player, for some reason I immediately thought of my Christmas tree this year. Why? I have a bit of a collection of Hallmark ornaments. This year, among the many new additions to the tree was one John "Bluto" Blutarsky of Animal
House fame, in all his glory. Yes, there is a man in a toga on my Christmas tree. Get over it.
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| Don't be this guy. Even if it looks like fun. |
A Bluto is the polar opposite of an Ernest. Bluto doesn't bring recommended, or even needed supplies to a match. Bluto borrows everything, from a pen from a Judge to fill out a decklist to dice for counters from their opponent to place on their creatures. Even worse, true Bluto players don't bother to worry overmuch about fixing their deficiencies. Bluto could turn himself into a partial Ernest simply by purchasing a few very easy to obtain supplies from a vendor - but can't or won't be bothered. Your average Bluto probably has one or two things needed, but they are often afterthoughts. An example of this would be a sanctioned match at a GP, where the player across from you doesn't have pen and paper to record life totals. Instead, the Bluto pulls out a spindown counter. Mechanically, there is nothing wrong with recording a game that way. At a very fundamental level though, it shows lack of foresight and consideration, as playing at any level higher than kitchen table magic should require players to use nearly any method in place of spindowns.
At my most recent organized play experience, GP Baltimore, I encountered an overwhelming number of Blutos. "Can I borrow a die?" was the second most frequent thing I heard in matches after, "Do you have a morph token?" Of my 6 matches of sealed, 4 opponents came to the table insufficiently prepared for the day. This was very disconcerting, when you think of how many vendors were in the hall. I'm sure nearly everyone who had a phone with them brought a charger. Some thought went into what to bring. So why did I run into so many Blutos? The answer is probably simple variance. To everyone else who attended GP Baltimore, you're welcome. I was apparently the Bluto magnet, so I reduced your chances of running into one by .00031%. It was the least I could do.
Whether you attend a Friday Night Magic event or a 1,200 GP event, you should come prepared with the supplies you need to play the format you'll be entering. Failing that, you should come prepared to purchase a few supplies to make up for this.
Some may draw a conclusion that new players should be called Bluto. I'd argue against that. I don't believe this classification can be used with anyone that is at their first, or even third, organized event. I think this classification, whether trying to define someone as Bluto or Ernest, should not be used on players that haven't been to at least 4-5 events at a game store or larger venue. It takes a little bit of time for new players to have a chance to become self aware. It also takes a small amount of time for players to figure out how they want to organize their supplies.
This is not meant to offend (especially since I'm not that much of a neat freak or germaphobe myself), but it is true that many Ernest players don't want to share their supplies with Bluto players because they don't know if they are harboring a cold or worse. No one was with the Bluto when they recently used the bathroom to know if they washed up thoroughly or just ran their hands under some tepid water. I'm not overly concerned by these things - but I know players who are.
The thing that amuses me most about Bluto players is this: most players will interact with them more than the other two types. It would almost seem intuitive that the opposite would be true. This is not to mitigate Bluto player's lack of contributions, but rather to point out that you can't help but interact more often with people who don't bring needed supplies to the game. You will spend more time with them figuring out how many counters are on their creature or trying to puzzle out why they think they have 53 life when you have them at 46. In a game when we are often kept to 50 minute slices of time to play three games, no one should be thankful for spending time on these issues. Bluto players don't necessarily make games longer on purpose, but I would argue they don't finish them very fast either as they fumble with your dice bag or ask you for the fourth time in the match for a token.
One final word of caution. I'm not suggesting it is intentional by any player, but I think that Bluto players have an increased chance of being involved in Judge calls. In matches with Bluto players (particularly between a double Bluto), gamestate can become confused due to lack of proper supplies to maintain it clearly. If both are playing no tokens, no counters, and no lifegain - then it should be fine. But venture into any of these three areas and I can see increasing the chance for a Judge to be called. Being prepared for play can help prevent this, yet another reason being a Bluto isn't desirable from a player standpoint.
Middle of the Road: Stan
Apologies in advance to anyone named Stan in the audience, but I wanted to go for a name that meant something to me. I've known a few Stan's in my life, but the reason I'm locking onto it to
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| Average Stan. |
A Stan will come to the table with some sleeves, a spindown counter, and maybe a few dice as well. He's not well prepared for the match, but you don't have to lend him much for it to proceed smoothly. He may have tokens but no dice, or the reverse could be true. To paraphrase the great Douglas Adams, "Stan is mostly prepared."
Stan is also someone who, while not someone you can describe as a truly considerate player, is at least polite about the lack of preparedness in the face of your supply of 15 different token types. Stan wants to be received warmly in spite of his or her shortcomings. You'll find Stan to be likable, even when they ask you where they can get a soda or a bite to eat because they have no idea of the world outside the convention center.
Stan is generally clean. Maybe they forgot deodorant, but at least they took a shower recently. Stan isn't afraid to go out to a local convenience store to rectify the odoriferous oversight either.
Everybody generally likes Stan - but that doesn't mean Stan couldn't find areas to improve. Stan may be an average player in this scale due to peer pressure. Surely, even most Bluto's are capable of better preparation. Stan is no different. What may keep someone a Stan is a desire to not exceed expectations of friends and fellow gamers. Some people are simply afraid they'll be thought of as a nerd or different if they become too much of an Ernest.
Who Are You?
I'll admit it. I'm curious about people. I like watching how people react to challenging situations. I also enjoy seeing how people react to the mundane - something I think can be very telling about someone's personality. There are few things about Magic as mundane as preparing to have the right supplies on hand for a match or for scheduling your wake up time such that you can get a shower before going to a venue. Yet they are critical to how you are perceived.
When I look at the list of classifications, I'm somewhere between a Timmy and a Johnny. I'd like to think I'm getting closer to the latter. I am solidly in the Melthos camp. And I'm very, very Ernest. Jacob is more of a Spike (although he can act like a Timmy at times). He's probably also much closer to being a base Melvin than I am. I'm not sure why that is - perhaps it was my upbringing playing more fantasy games than him. And despite my best efforts, Jacob can be a bit of a Stan with sparks of being an Ernest.
But what about you? Are you a Johnny/Melthos/Ernest like me? A Spike/Melvin/Stan like Jacob? Or are you some other combination? Please leave your particular player make up in the comments second as well as any thoughts you wish to share about the new category.
I look forward to our next match together - especially if you're as Ernest as I am.
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