Thursday, April 9, 2020

"Spring Strings" Music Series



Welcome to our "Spring Strings" music series, now on YouTube!

Part 1: https://youtu.be/l4zoaWWSqr4





The Blackstone Public Library would like to thank Kathryn Boisvert for providing the music used in this video.

Regarding her musical background Kathryn writes:

"Hello my name is Kathryn Boisvert. I am going on 30 years as a resident in Blackstone, MA. I have been married almost 37 years. I have two grown daughters, one son-in-law, and three granddaughters.

I am a musician, an avid 'book worm', a passionate cook, and I also enjoy crocheting in my free time. I sing and minister to the elderly in nursing homes, both at the bedside and in groups on the dementia units.

As a child, I grew up with three sisters and my mother - five of us in the family, all of whom were very musical. As an 8th grader, I took my guitar with me, accompanying my two sisters where we were a part of an Outreach program sponsored by the Berkshire Atheneum. We went into the nursing homes to sing for the elderly, which was very well received.

In more recent years, I became a caregiver for four years total to a wonderful elderly woman in her late 80s. I would entertain her in her home, singing and playing my guitar. Eventually, the family had to place her in a nursing home where I was asked if I wanted to be hired to sing for everyone there. My dear friend passed away several years ago and I have been singing in nursing homes ever since."

Monday, April 6, 2020

Welcome to Magical Mondays




Introducing Magical Mondays!

Calling all Young Adults (and YAs at heart)! Are you a fan of trading card games (TCG), like Magic: the Gathering? Ever wanted to learn, but didn’t have the money to start or anybody to teach you? Did you play in the 90s, and want to try it out again?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is the place for you!
I’m Amanda, I will bring videos of gameplay performed by none other than me, and some basic knowledge that I have about Magic, D&D, and other cool magical things to you every Monday.
Since my inspiration for these posts is Magic: the Gathering, I’m going to start there, with some history and how to play.




This is what happens to most TCG cards, where they’re sold for change at yard sales. This can be a huge mistake.

TCGs have only increased in popularity since their inception in 1993 with Magic: the Gathering. Games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon, and countless other collectable card games have surfaced after Magic gained traction in the gaming community. Not only a game, these cards have trading and collectable value. Cards with a limited number of prints (like the ones printed in the very first sets called Alpha and Beta) can be worth thousands of dollars when kept in mint condition. To see prices by set visit https://shop.tcgplayer.com/price-guide/magic/alpha-edition.

Sounds pretty risky to play with $1,000 cards, right? It definitely is, so most people don’t play with those cards. Actually, most of those cards are on a banned or restricted list. This means they can only be played in a particular format of Magic, or not at all. Even with relatively inexpensive cards, players cover their cards with sleeves to protect them since the values of the cards fluctuate so much.
This leads me to mention, what is this game really all about? 


First, let me clarify. When I talk about formats, I mean different ways of playing Magic. All the basic rules stay the same, but deck construction, amount of life, and number of players can change. Different formats are called Vintage, Modern, Commander, and Standard, just to name a few. You can visit https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/formats for more on this.

Ultimately, each player is a planeswalker (kind of like a wizard). Each player has a deck of cards that have creatures and spells with varying different abilities and mana costs. These cards, depending on their type, allow for players to interact with their opponent or their own cards. You play creatures to defend yourself and attack your opponents for life, and you play spells to buff up your creatures or stop other spells from being played. The last player alive wins! 

If you want to watch some gameplay, one of my favorite streams is MTGGoldfish: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZAZTSd0xnor7hJFmINIBIw/playlists

I swept past a new word: mana. Each card is associated with one-five colors – white, green, blue, black, and red – and can be paid with their associated colors of mana given by land cards – plains, forests, islands, swamps, and mountains, respectively. These colors are known for specific abilities. An example: black cards are best at getting cards from your graveyard (cards defeated by your opponents or spells that are only cast once). Having to pay a mana cost limits how much a player can do on their turn, keeping the game fair.

Here’s an awesome picture to sum up the parts of a card 


I know this sounds like a lot, and yeah, it can definitely get complicated. But there is a deck for everyone!

And I’ll tell you a secret…there’s a program that can teach you how to play!

Yup, that’s right. It’s called Magic: the Gathering Arena, and it’s an easy and free way to play the first and, I unabashedly say, the best TCG (yes, even above Pokémon). If you’re a YA, always ask a parent before downloading anything onto your computer or using any of the pay to play features

Next week, I’ll be playing MTG Arena!

So stay tuned for more Magic: the Gathering and other magical content every Monday!
~
Email me with questions, suggestions, to talk about Magic, or just to say hello at alandry@cwmars.org.