So, the topic of how the MtG multiverse and the DnD multiverse interact keeps coming up in threads, and I just wanted to have a discussion on the topic without derailing other threads.
Some have said that the two aren't compatible. I personally feel they are completely compatible.
What do y'all think?
(my preferred take will be in a reply)
I am not familiar with the multiverse of Magic the Gathering, so I don't want to misrepresent myself. I only played it for the first time last year after visiting Wizards of the Coast in Renton with my ten-year old daughter and being gifted with a starter set. In fact, I was at the GenCon where it debuted in 1992 or 1993 and remember everyone playing it in the hallways and I was simply not interested, I was too busy geeking out on meeting Gary Gygax, Ed Greenwood, Dave Cook, and seeing all the new TSR stuff, etc.
So, I am probably not that useful. But, I like your posting so I will offer my thoughts.
Part of the appeal of D&D to me, ever since I was a kid, was the generic component of its fantasy where it seemed to embrace all fantasy. I would stare at the diagram of the planes in the back of the PHB and
Deities & Demigods and relish the idea of a world of worlds where Tolkien's Middle Earth, the gods & heroes of ancient mythic Greece, Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser, and Conan (does anyone remember the one or two Advanced D&D modules that TSR put out set in the Hyborian Age with Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover as Conan?) could all exist side-by-side. As an adult, I realize that the distinctive character and mood of a specific fantasy world can be better captured by specific games and game mechanics (here's looking at you Call of Cthulhu!), but the appeal of Cthulhu in the same multiverse as Terry Brooks's Shannara series or whatever is wonderful. And, to be honest, I still love the all-inclusive quality of D&D. A talented and creative D&D
can use D&D to capture the spirit of HP Lovecraft or Michael Moorcock or Jack Vance or Tolkien. It is all possible.
I love that. Anything that would make my fantasy environment something where it is "all possible" is fun for me. For that reason, I thought the introduction of the Feywild and the Shadowfell were brilliant because they made existing fantasy literature tropes, ideas, and elements even more possible within the multiverse. Also, back in the 1990s, I purchased most of the Historical Reference series books because I loved a multiverse that incorporated the historical world of Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Celts, or the early Renaissance (I loved my campaign I created using
A Mighty Fortress) with Oerth, Krynn, Toril, Athas, etc.
So, even though I don't really play MtG, I will definitely be purchasing
Mythic Odysseys of Theros.