Fancy a game in Amsterdam?

[AlexHighHigh]

Hi all,

Totally new to this forum and travelling to NL only for a handful of days so please excuse my use of English.
I'll be working from NL tomorrow and Wednesday, then coming up to Amsterdam for a couple of days to relax.
I'd absolutely LOVE to meet at least one of you or a group of MTG players for a game in a coffeeshop or similar on Thursday / Friday (18th/19th December).

Anyone about? I visit every 2-3 months for events so it would be lovely to have regular playmates!

Thanks in advance, looking forward to hearing from you!
Alex

[pi]

(English isn't a problem, you're not the first with a request like this either).

I live in Amsterdam. Unfortunately I can't really make those dates, but I can make some suggestions anyway.

- I used to regularly play in a coffeeshop, we got special permission to play, all other games were banned. It might be wise to check before you start playing somewhere, the main fear is usually that you're playing for money. (Strangely they never commented on trading or buying/selling).
- The 2 Klaveren is a bar/cafeteria like place that might be worth a visit. They specifically advertise as a place to play games and they host FNMs (they used to have drafts on Monday evenings, but not sure they still do). They have decent meals.
- You might want to check out The Gamekeeper, the best B&M store we have in Amsterdam (not that that is saying much as they are actually comparatively small: a location in Amsterdam Center is rather expensive). Depending on who's behind the counter it might be worthwhile to try to negotiate, particularly if you're getting singles (offer cash, do not tell them that was suggested to you).
- Are there any formats you particularly like? Depending on your tastes I might possibly be able to make some more specific suggestions. I much prefer multiplayer myself, regular or EDH. For 1 on 1 I can't really bring a Block or Standard deck to the table, but should be able to put together respectable decks for most other formats.
- Depending on where you're from it might be possible to find some ways to make mutually beneficial deals due to local price differences and card availability. For example a friend from the US brought me a couple hundred bulk rares recently that he could only get $0.10 for locally (which I could easily double). Do you have any bigger shops near you?

Are you into other tabletop games at all? There are quite a few clubs you might consider visiting (including the one where I organize). Magic is not too common at those clubs, but you might be able to get your 'fix' from other games.

[AlexHighHigh]

Wow, first up I really appreciate the quick reply and SO detailed!
Yes, I will most likely only bring my mono black deck with me - enough to play an evening of games but there's not much luggage space for all of my decks.
As you had mentioned I also prefer multiplayer but it can get out of hand, I can imagine even more so after smoking..!
1vs1 is still a treat, I'll take playing magic over looking at the pictures in a Dutch newspaper any day

It would be great to meet, albeit on a different visit if you're busy this week, as playing strategic games against new friends always seems to be a great laugh for all involved.
MTG is something I enjoy, linking that to a smoke in a coffeeshop would go down a treat!


Thanks for the advice on shops, I shall check out the GK store and see what's up! Even if it is just to try and meet someone to play, I'm sure it will change the seedy existing view I have of Amsterdam.

Thanks again, let me know if your plans change!

[pi]

I'm quite familiar with your situation, my work had me travel to Germany on a weekly basis for some time. I eventually found people to play with by myself, but some guidance would've been much appreciated. At least in NL we subtitle rather than redub television shows, Dutch television should provide some shows you can watch (were as in Germany you really needed to understand German).

I asked about your preferred format to get some idea of the appropriate power level: it may not be a problem with most players you'll face, but my collection has grown so extensive that I can pretty much bring anything but fully powered, tournament quality, Vintage decks to the table (and I'm close to being able to do that too, unpowered Dredge is a viable choice in Vintage and I could bring that). It's quite easy for me to accidentally bring decks that are out of my opponent's league if I don't have a good idea of what to expect and I can also easily bring decks that turn out to be too weak too. Either way it's not going to lead to very interesting games unless I get a better feeling for what you will bring (should we ever play).

I should clear up that the only reason I ever went to a coffeeshop was to play Magic, so at best (worst?) I only got some second hand smoke. Playing at a coffeeshop was definitely the reason I started double sleeving my cards, they tend to be somewhat dirty places in my (limited) experience. I never heard of other groups playing in a coffeeshop, so I wouldn't count on playing in one. As for it influencing the game, not as much as you'd expect, but the people I played with who smoked were quite experienced at it. The only time it really messed with them was when tabaco got banned from public placess and they got the choice of smoking pure or horrible tasting surrogate tabaco, smking pure certainly messed with their play. (One guy Wrathed away the board only to discover the other players had on-board tricks to save most of their teams, while destroying most of his own stuff...)

It's getting near the end of the year and I'm taking next week off, so quite busy at work. On the 19th I have to get up really early for a Christmas breakfast and will go to a Christmas dinner in the evening, which basically rules out any playing for me during this period. It's a shame you're no longer here on the 20th: there's a Legacy event in the 2 Klaveren, that'd be a good place for you to meet a bunch of local players. I understand they will also have some side events.

Will you ever be here during weekends? Most events will be held during the weekend, ideally you'd be able to attend a pre-release or something to meet other players. Also most tabletop clubs play during the weekend.