I probably fire up MTGO once or twice a week to draft. Most of the time my opponents are the quiet type. I don't mind this at all, as I often play this way. Maybe they don't understand English well enough to table talk. Maybe they have a slow computer and don't want to waste time chatting. Maybe they just want to play Magic: the Gathering.
Other times I encounter those players. The ones that inspired Radha Rudyak to write this article. Of course, this behavior isn't limited to MTGO. Many online games suffer from this. Anonymity is a powerful enabler of bad behavior. From time to time, I see my friends post on Facebook about playing against these players.
I want to do the opposite. I want to tell you about people I play against who are fine, upstanding MTGOers. This week, that player is KeithPPowers. I ran into him in the finals of a triple-Theros Swiss Draft. I had a U/W heroic deck and he had nearly mono-black with a white splash. The match was great. It went to 3 games and each game was well contested. We had a few comments about our decks, and especially our money rares. He had a foil Nykthos (powering out double Gray Merchant of Asphodel) and I had a foil Master of Waves. In Game 1, I was light on lands and couldn't break through his Asphodel Wanderers--yeah, generally a bad card, but they did the job of slowing me down and powering up his devotion for Nykthos and Gary.
In Game 2, I got an Order of Heliod onto my Triton Fortune Hunter and used my Ephara's Warden to tap down his Wanderer (I love it when a sideboard plan comes together). Game 3 dragged on for a bit in stalemate fashion as I didn't draw a second white source for my Wingsteed Rider. By the time I did, he had an army that ran past my Yoked Oxen and Traveling Philoso-Bears thanks to Mogis's Marauder. Before Game 3 started, I told him that I would be writing this blog and asked him if it was ok to use his username. It's not necessary to do that, but it's the polite thing to do.
Over the course of 3 games, we exchanged maybe a dozen comments total. It wasn't like we became best friends, and it is probably less table talk than you might have at Friday Night Magic. But it was on MTGO, and that made it significant. When I spoke earlier of anonymity, maybe the fact that his username is likely his real name played a part in KeithPPowers being a pleasant opponent. Whatever the reason, I hope that telling stories like this will improve the culture. Thank you for the fun match, KeithPPowers.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Don't Be a Hero Judge
The past two weekends at GPs Sacramento and Vancouver, I've had the opportunity to watch Magic Judges in action from the perspective of Staff Manager and Side Events Lead respectively. From these positions, I've noticed that there are far too many Hero Judges around, and frankly, I'm here in Dragon Mode to slay a few of them. Let's start with a simple definition:
Hero Judge - A judge who begins working before their scheduled shift starts or stays after their scheduled shift ends.
This type of behavior is very common with judges. There are a lot of pyschobabbly reasons for it, but fundamentally judges enjoy judging and want to do more of it. The problem is that there are reasons we have shifts, and while you might think that you are helping by extending your shift, you're actually being a problem for the following reasons:
1) Managing judges on staff is a skill that people need to learn. I compare it to playing a worker placement board game like Stone Age or Lords of Waterdeep. As a Shift Lead, you have to figure out how best to allocate your judges to serve all of the events, or if you are the Head Judge or Team Lead, you have to find a way to give all of your judges a break in a timely fashion. If a bunch of judges show up early for the Mid or PM shift, the people responsible for the AM shift don't get to learn how to allocate their resources efficiently because they have a bunch of extra workers to place.
2) Your Lead needs to know how long you've been working. Leads are responsible for the well being and health of the judges working under them. If a Mid-Shift Lead comes on at 11am, he or she is expecting all of the judges on the shift to have come on at 11am, not 10am or 9am, and will make break decisions based on that assumption. Similarly, if you stay on the floor after your Lead has dismissed you for the day, there is often no one there to relieve you.
3) The effects of you overworking might not be seen until the next day or the day after. How many times have you said, "I fee fine. I can stay on for another hour..." on Friday night of a Grand Prix. There are two more days on this event. Get off the floor, get out of the event hall, go eat some food. At a GP you need to pace yourself for multiple days of work. If you frequently find yourself completely tuckered out on Sunday night, you may need to re-evaluate what you did on Friday or Saturday night, not how hard you worked on Sunday.
Over the years, I've heard a lot of people say "take care of yourself. Drink water. Take breaks." Working your scheduled shift and only your scheduled shift needs to be included in this.
Hero Judge - A judge who begins working before their scheduled shift starts or stays after their scheduled shift ends.
This type of behavior is very common with judges. There are a lot of pyschobabbly reasons for it, but fundamentally judges enjoy judging and want to do more of it. The problem is that there are reasons we have shifts, and while you might think that you are helping by extending your shift, you're actually being a problem for the following reasons:
1) Managing judges on staff is a skill that people need to learn. I compare it to playing a worker placement board game like Stone Age or Lords of Waterdeep. As a Shift Lead, you have to figure out how best to allocate your judges to serve all of the events, or if you are the Head Judge or Team Lead, you have to find a way to give all of your judges a break in a timely fashion. If a bunch of judges show up early for the Mid or PM shift, the people responsible for the AM shift don't get to learn how to allocate their resources efficiently because they have a bunch of extra workers to place.
2) Your Lead needs to know how long you've been working. Leads are responsible for the well being and health of the judges working under them. If a Mid-Shift Lead comes on at 11am, he or she is expecting all of the judges on the shift to have come on at 11am, not 10am or 9am, and will make break decisions based on that assumption. Similarly, if you stay on the floor after your Lead has dismissed you for the day, there is often no one there to relieve you.
3) The effects of you overworking might not be seen until the next day or the day after. How many times have you said, "I fee fine. I can stay on for another hour..." on Friday night of a Grand Prix. There are two more days on this event. Get off the floor, get out of the event hall, go eat some food. At a GP you need to pace yourself for multiple days of work. If you frequently find yourself completely tuckered out on Sunday night, you may need to re-evaluate what you did on Friday or Saturday night, not how hard you worked on Sunday.
Over the years, I've heard a lot of people say "take care of yourself. Drink water. Take breaks." Working your scheduled shift and only your scheduled shift needs to be included in this.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
1000 Miles - Week 3
Thursday - 13.3 miles (half marathon in 1:48:25 + cool down; personal best)
Wednesday - 5.2 miles
Week total - 18.5 miles
Year total - 70.2 miles
A definite off week due to the rigors of GP Sacramento. I was in a new role for me and decided not to push myself too hard. This week's GP Vancouver shouldn't be as bad, and I anticipate getting some solid runs at the hotel.
Wednesday - 5.2 miles
Week total - 18.5 miles
Year total - 70.2 miles
A definite off week due to the rigors of GP Sacramento. I was in a new role for me and decided not to push myself too hard. This week's GP Vancouver shouldn't be as bad, and I anticipate getting some solid runs at the hotel.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
1000 Miles - Week 2
Here's the weekly tally sheet:
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: 4 miles incline
Sunday: 3.4 miles outdoors
Monday: 7.3 miles
Tuesday: 3.5 miles (5K at 22:33 plus cooldown)
Week Total: 21.2 miles
Year Total: 51.7 miles
I had a short week at home since we went to Oakland to celebrate Jeff Morrow's (40th) birthday. But I did manage to get some outdoor running done while in relatively sunny California. I've also started to mix in incline and speed work based on the advice of my personal trainer. Yes, this is a thing now. I decided to take the plunge because I wanted to get expert advice on my fitness and health. It's already paid off as she identified that I was favoring one leg over the other in some of my exercises and that could have led to my Marathon injury (left calf). She has a background in cross country distance running as well, so that should help in crafting the right routines to help me get the most out of my workouts. This week, we fly to GP Sacramento, but I'm hoping that between hotel fitness room and decent outdoor running weather, I will get in 2-3 runs while we are there.
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: 4 miles incline
Sunday: 3.4 miles outdoors
Monday: 7.3 miles
Tuesday: 3.5 miles (5K at 22:33 plus cooldown)
Week Total: 21.2 miles
Year Total: 51.7 miles
I had a short week at home since we went to Oakland to celebrate Jeff Morrow's (40th) birthday. But I did manage to get some outdoor running done while in relatively sunny California. I've also started to mix in incline and speed work based on the advice of my personal trainer. Yes, this is a thing now. I decided to take the plunge because I wanted to get expert advice on my fitness and health. It's already paid off as she identified that I was favoring one leg over the other in some of my exercises and that could have led to my Marathon injury (left calf). She has a background in cross country distance running as well, so that should help in crafting the right routines to help me get the most out of my workouts. This week, we fly to GP Sacramento, but I'm hoping that between hotel fitness room and decent outdoor running weather, I will get in 2-3 runs while we are there.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Running 1000 Miles: Week 1
I'm generally not one for making New Year's Resolutions. I prefer to make goals at any time of the year rather than just at the beginning, especially since NYRs have such a deadly reputation for petering out by February. The one thing that I like about a year is that it is a convenient amount of time to track any kind of numerical accomplishment. This year, I've decided to run 500 miles plus 500 miles in honor of the Proclaimers song. Yes, that's technically 1000 miles. That comes out to just under 20 miles per week, which is a perfectly reasonable rate given my normal run rate.
For the purposes of this exercise, I won't be counting any walking that I do, running only. That means treadmill, outdoor runs, and races. After the first week, I am at 30.5/1000 miles. That's a good number, as I will need to rack up extra mileage in slow weeks to make up for those times when I am heavily on the road.
Overall, I feel good. After the Marathon last year, it took me a long time to recover, and the heavy end-of-year travel/holiday schedule didn't help. Now I am finally "back on my feet." I've registered for a Portland Half Marathon in May, and am considering either a Half or Full in Missoula, Montana in July.
For the purposes of this exercise, I won't be counting any walking that I do, running only. That means treadmill, outdoor runs, and races. After the first week, I am at 30.5/1000 miles. That's a good number, as I will need to rack up extra mileage in slow weeks to make up for those times when I am heavily on the road.
Overall, I feel good. After the Marathon last year, it took me a long time to recover, and the heavy end-of-year travel/holiday schedule didn't help. Now I am finally "back on my feet." I've registered for a Portland Half Marathon in May, and am considering either a Half or Full in Missoula, Montana in July.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
The Hugo and Nebula Project
A few months ago, I made an announcement on Facebook that I was going to read all of the Hugo and Nebula award-winning novels. These are the two highest honors that a Science Fiction novel can achieve, and the best of the best will sometimes win both in the same year. As of 2013, there are 62 Hugo winners and 49 Nebula winners. (The Hugo has been in existence longer and has a number of years where two novels tied.) When I started this project, I had read 16 Hugo and 13 Nebulas.
Since posting about it and putting together my checklist, I've read 5 novels, 3 double-winners, and 2 Hugo winners. There are still 8 double winners that I have yet to read, which can shorten the process a little. The biggest roadblock for me may be the number of tangents I go down while reading. For example, I read Dan Simmons's "Hyperion" and sucked into a tangent reading the four sequels. I'm also now interested in reading a few other Dan Simmons novels now.
Since posting about it and putting together my checklist, I've read 5 novels, 3 double-winners, and 2 Hugo winners. There are still 8 double winners that I have yet to read, which can shorten the process a little. The biggest roadblock for me may be the number of tangents I go down while reading. For example, I read Dan Simmons's "Hyperion" and sucked into a tangent reading the four sequels. I'm also now interested in reading a few other Dan Simmons novels now.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
State of the Region
It has been just over a year since I accepted the role of Regional Coordinator for the Northwest United States, and that makes it a decent point at which to take stock of things. When I first started as RC, I was in "survival mode," trying to simultaneously learn the ropes of being an RC and to learn the people and peculiarities of a region that I did not yet live in (I was in Virginia until June of this year). As my understanding of the region took shape, I identified several regional goals:
1) Develop new L3s. This year, the NW gained a new L3 in March, Jeremy Behunin from Odgen, Utah. This promotion was kind of a cheat because Utah itself was absorbed into the NW in January, something that I negotiated for when I accepted the role, partly because I wanted Jeremy in my region (both because he is an excellent judge, but also a close friend), but also for a longer term goal of mine which I will get to.
Before Jeremy, the last new L3 promotion in the NW was... Aaron Hamer, former RC, promoted to L3 in 2006. So the rest of the L3+ in the region are even older than that. There's nothing inherently wrong with that--their collective experience is a huge boon for their communities--but I believe that it is always better to mix new with old.
However, at the time that I took over, there were no prospects on the horizon. There were a few solid L2s who for one reason or another had not moved from "expert L2" to "L3 candidate." (There's no real line here, but it's more about perception combined with the judge personally deciding to make the jump, but you should definitely be an expert L2 before looking to make this switch.)
What a change a year makes. Looking ahead at 2014, I don't want to name names and place undue public pressure on people, so I will just say that I think we have 3 or 4 strong candidates for L3, and more interest buzzing in advancing. I will say that L3 is not for everyone, and if you're an L2, you shouldn't feel obligated to try to become an L3, nor should you ever feel shame that you are "only an L2." Especially at the regional level, L2s are the backbones of our communities. They do the lion's share of work at Competitive REL events, and serve as leaders of communities. But if you find yourself aspiring for more, or already doing work above and beyond, you should talk to me (or your RC if you are reading this from another region--Hi!) and explore your options.
2) Fill the gaps. At this time last year, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska had zero L2s. Now Wyoming has 4 and Montana has 1. These are huge steps forward for these states in terms of being able to run more Competitive REL events without having to import judges, and more importantly, in their ability to certify new judges and become self-growing communities. Idaho, a state that started my term with 1 L2 judge (with 2 recently moving away), has also gained 2 new L2s and looks poised for several more. Alaska, you're next.
I've also tried to focus my efforts on developing the secondary cities in various states like Spokane, Washington and Eugene and Medford, Oregon. While the states of Washington and Oregon are doing well by pure numbers, they are severely imbalanced towards their Seattle and Portland metro centers.
3) Conquer and divide. When I first became RC of the "Northwest," I asked Andy Heckt and Cristiana Dionisio to give me the states of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado (the first was in the Southwest and the latter two in the South). Why? Because I like games of territory conquest like Risk. Also, I wanted to consolidate these states and the current NW holdings of Idaho and Montana under one regional flag. Talking with Jeremy, he helped me see how these states had a lot more in common with each other than other parts of their region.
Ultimately, I would like to see the Mountain Region become its own entity, separate from the Pacific states. (I've waffled back and forth on which side of the divide Idaho should go on.) Right now, that isn't a viable option; mostly the numbers don't work out for a split... yet. However, we've seen some great growth in these states, and we're on the right track, which is why I'm sharing this idea more publicly now. I'd like the judges in the region to be involved in growing this idea and the region.
This isn't just a call to action for the Mountain States. I don't think that the Pacific States have reached enough saturation to be considered for their own separate regionship. The Judge Program has grown by leaps and bounds, but a lot of that has been big getting bigger, by which I mean that the metro centers have gotten a higher concentration of this growth. It's time to spread the butter with the knife.
1) Develop new L3s. This year, the NW gained a new L3 in March, Jeremy Behunin from Odgen, Utah. This promotion was kind of a cheat because Utah itself was absorbed into the NW in January, something that I negotiated for when I accepted the role, partly because I wanted Jeremy in my region (both because he is an excellent judge, but also a close friend), but also for a longer term goal of mine which I will get to.
Before Jeremy, the last new L3 promotion in the NW was... Aaron Hamer, former RC, promoted to L3 in 2006. So the rest of the L3+ in the region are even older than that. There's nothing inherently wrong with that--their collective experience is a huge boon for their communities--but I believe that it is always better to mix new with old.
However, at the time that I took over, there were no prospects on the horizon. There were a few solid L2s who for one reason or another had not moved from "expert L2" to "L3 candidate." (There's no real line here, but it's more about perception combined with the judge personally deciding to make the jump, but you should definitely be an expert L2 before looking to make this switch.)
What a change a year makes. Looking ahead at 2014, I don't want to name names and place undue public pressure on people, so I will just say that I think we have 3 or 4 strong candidates for L3, and more interest buzzing in advancing. I will say that L3 is not for everyone, and if you're an L2, you shouldn't feel obligated to try to become an L3, nor should you ever feel shame that you are "only an L2." Especially at the regional level, L2s are the backbones of our communities. They do the lion's share of work at Competitive REL events, and serve as leaders of communities. But if you find yourself aspiring for more, or already doing work above and beyond, you should talk to me (or your RC if you are reading this from another region--Hi!) and explore your options.
2) Fill the gaps. At this time last year, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska had zero L2s. Now Wyoming has 4 and Montana has 1. These are huge steps forward for these states in terms of being able to run more Competitive REL events without having to import judges, and more importantly, in their ability to certify new judges and become self-growing communities. Idaho, a state that started my term with 1 L2 judge (with 2 recently moving away), has also gained 2 new L2s and looks poised for several more. Alaska, you're next.
I've also tried to focus my efforts on developing the secondary cities in various states like Spokane, Washington and Eugene and Medford, Oregon. While the states of Washington and Oregon are doing well by pure numbers, they are severely imbalanced towards their Seattle and Portland metro centers.
3) Conquer and divide. When I first became RC of the "Northwest," I asked Andy Heckt and Cristiana Dionisio to give me the states of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado (the first was in the Southwest and the latter two in the South). Why? Because I like games of territory conquest like Risk. Also, I wanted to consolidate these states and the current NW holdings of Idaho and Montana under one regional flag. Talking with Jeremy, he helped me see how these states had a lot more in common with each other than other parts of their region.
Ultimately, I would like to see the Mountain Region become its own entity, separate from the Pacific states. (I've waffled back and forth on which side of the divide Idaho should go on.) Right now, that isn't a viable option; mostly the numbers don't work out for a split... yet. However, we've seen some great growth in these states, and we're on the right track, which is why I'm sharing this idea more publicly now. I'd like the judges in the region to be involved in growing this idea and the region.
This isn't just a call to action for the Mountain States. I don't think that the Pacific States have reached enough saturation to be considered for their own separate regionship. The Judge Program has grown by leaps and bounds, but a lot of that has been big getting bigger, by which I mean that the metro centers have gotten a higher concentration of this growth. It's time to spread the butter with the knife.
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