The Universes Beyond Necron Dynasties deck for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering and its Commander game format, which is sometimes played with a role-playing component, depicts the Necrons of the grimdark future.
What does it mean to be Necron? What narratives and themes are invoked in Necron-centric books and by the Necron characters in them to answer this question? How and to what extent are these notions translated or reflected in the Magic: The Gathering deck?
To answer these questions, I did a close reading of various Necron-centered literature (The Infinite and The Divine by Robert Rath, The Twice-Dead King Omnibus by Nate Crowley, and Tomb World by Jonathan D. Beer) and conducted play research of the Magic: The Gathering Necron Dynasties Commander Deck with a focus on game mechanics and text.
Findings conclude that the Necron condition is repeatedly presented as interwoven with themes of loss and philosophical pessimism. Afflicted by the violent interplay of time, reality, authority and their bodily constitution, Necrons may be understood as afflicted by an excess of life in a pessimistic sense, manifested as a violent echo – soulless, but conciouss. The personal struggles of Necron characters deliver remarkable notions of madness, humanity and soul.
I argue that the portrayal of Necron perspectives facilitates an external and distanced view on humanity, in which Necrons contrast with humans, while also providing grounds for the recognition of human-likeness in Necrons and Necron-likeness in humans.
Relating these findings to the game mechanics and text, shows that while they adapt facets of the Necron society, the Necron Dynasty deck approaches the Necrons primarily from the outside and repeatedly from a human perspective. However, there are elements of the deck that reference themes in Necron-centered literature.
Author bio
Roman Sachweh studies philosophy and psychology at Heidelberg University and engages with a wide range of creative media, art forms and topics, including the intersection of storytelling and philosophy.
