I disagree that it is “ham-fisted.” Maybe you could argue that about past top downs sets (Gothic Horror World, Greek Myth World, Ancient Egypt World etc). But I think MTG is really broadening the tropes they are using. “70s and 80s horror, but it’s in a universe-sized mansion” isn’t exactly low-hanging fruit.
The most “obvious” of these planes is Thunder Junction and even that is built around a multiverse angle that isn’t common in westerns (and I’m not familiar with many Westerns that have magic rayblasters as part of the aesthetic).
Looking at this, and future sets in the lineup, I think we are seeing top-down sets move from just “This is a campaign setting based around this genre” and more “This set is this specific type of story.” So we don’t get a “Murder Mystery world” we get a Murder Mystery set on Ravnica. There isn’t a “race world” but a set designed around a race held on three existing planes. I like that technique.
And hey , it’s not like the Innistrad Trope world sets are stale either. Space Opera is something both generally liked and a new frontier of design space for Magic.
I’m not buying any of these products, but that’s because I am boycotting Hasbro for their exploitative business practices, discriminatory operators, and abuses of employees. The actual game design seems pretty good for the most part.
I disagree that it is “ham-fisted.” Maybe you could argue that about past top downs sets (Gothic Horror World, Greek Myth World, Ancient Egypt World etc). But I think MTG is really broadening the tropes they are using. “70s and 80s horror, but it’s in a universe-sized mansion” isn’t exactly low-hanging fruit. The most “obvious” of these planes is Thunder Junction and even that is built around a multiverse angle that isn’t common in westerns (and I’m not familiar with many Westerns that have magic rayblasters as part of the aesthetic). Looking at this, and future sets in the lineup, I think we are seeing top-down sets move from just “This is a campaign setting based around this genre” and more “This set is this specific type of story.” So we don’t get a “Murder Mystery world” we get a Murder Mystery set on Ravnica. There isn’t a “race world” but a set designed around a race held on three existing planes. I like that technique. And hey , it’s not like the Innistrad Trope world sets are stale either. Space Opera is something both generally liked and a new frontier of design space for Magic. I’m not buying any of these products, but that’s because I am boycotting Hasbro for their exploitative business practices, discriminatory operators, and abuses of employees. The actual game design seems pretty good for the most part.