The Yellow Brick Road

We come to Goblin Artisans for all sorts of reasons. Some of us are looking for a fun pastime making up Magic cards; some are looking to improve as game designers through feedback and discussion; and some want nothing more than to craft this game we all know and love as a career. Some want all three.

Next week I start a summer internship doing Magic design at Wizards of the Coast.

That's not the end of the road. There aren't currently any openings on the design team. If all goes well I'll probably find a job somewhere else in the company. I'll do hole filling. I'll try to get onto design teams. I'll wait.

But nevertheless I'm giddily, ludicrously, over-the-moon excited. I know many of you would be too. So while I can't promise that your journey will be anything like mine, I'm going to tell you how I got here.

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It's funny, really. We spend countless hours talking, but most of us don't really know one another. I'm 22, I grew up in San Francisco, and just last week I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Linguistics and Computer Science and a minor from the Scandinavian department. I have two incredible parents, a younger brother, and an older sister.

I used to think I was going to be a physicist. My dad read me The Inflationary Universe and Black Holes & Time Warps as bedtime stories. In fact, I was a physics major for two years, but it wasn't all that I'd hoped it would be. And through it all, I played as much Magic as I possibly could: FNM, PTQs, GPs, Commander, sixty-card casual, Chaos Drafts, Cube, Mental Magic, Design Playtests...

Time Reversal by Howard Lyon

Then somehow I ended up in the midst of preparations to move to Seattle. It was contrivance, the kindness of strangers, and luck. But none of it would have been possible without a lot of hard work, and most of that happened right here. I've been commenting on Goblin Artisans for five years, and writing for the last one. I wouldn't recommend looking at my early work; let's just say I've learned a lot.

I would never have gotten here without the help of this community, the endless hours you've devoted to discussing designs, teaching basic principles, and creating an environment for exploration. I can only hope I've been a fraction as helpful to you.

Entrance Exam

There's no sure path into Wizards R&D. There's no subject you can study or feat you can perform which will guarantee a spot. Really there are only two things you can do. The first is to be visible to the people inside. Participate in the next Great Designer Search, compete in high level tournaments, or best of all, write something they're allowed to read. The other is to become the best designer you can be, and you're already in the best place there is to follow that path.

Congregate by Mark Zug

Of course every rose has its thorn. Wizards of the Coast employees can't look at unsolicited designs, and so I won't be able to continue contributing to Goblin Artisans. Fear not, Tesla is in good hands. To see for yourself just take a look at Inanimate's first post! I can't tell you how thankful I am for my time here, and I can't wait to see more Magic designers come from Artisan ranks in the future. In the meantime, I'll miss being here and designing with you.