[OT] What are Fantasy Card Collecting games

[johnsemlak]

I have come back to D&D after a break of 10 years ago. I've just recently learned of these Fantasy Card Collecting games. I still don't understand them.

Can somebody offer a brief summary of how these games are played, what is the point and the objective?

 

[roytheodd]

Do you mean collectible card games like Magic: the Gathering, Legend of the Five Rings, Warlord, and the like?

 

[johnsemlak]

yeah, I think so

 

[Zappo]

There are a heap of them, but Magic has I think a 90% market share. Basically, they are complex card games, save that you play with special cards. Additionally, a card can have text on it which describes a special rule or condition which is valid while the card is in play or an effect it causes by being played. This can even contradict the game rules (the card takes precedence). There are literally thousands of different Magic cards, each with its own unique effects, so you have to build a deck which attempts to combine effects or to use the most powerful ones to give you an edge. Games are fairly fun and unpredictable at amateur level. Pros, OTOH, only play with the two or three most powerful strategies available at the moment (since expansions roll out constantly, the strategies change over time).

Since you find cards at random in packs, players trade them to get what they need to build their deck. And since not all cards are being printed at any given time, and some aren't going to be reprinted any time soon, hardcore players often lust after out-of-print cards.

TCGs can be fairly addictive and fairly expensive, but they're better than tobacco. Top-notch players can even gain some money out of it (usually by screwing newbies out of all their rares, and then selling them for outrageous prices).

 

[roytheodd]

To add to the above... There are different "expansions" for all the games. The Lord of the Rings CCG's first set (base set) is called "Fellowship". After a few months they released "Mines of Moria", then months later "Realms of the Elf Lords". The sets expand upon the older sets for almost all CCGs. In other words, you can buy cards for Fellowship and Elf Lords and use them together when you play. Some games produce a set of starter decks for every expansion with the idea being that you can buy that and hop into the game (Lord of the Rings is an example of this). Some games make starters only every few sets (like Yu-Gi-Oh). Most card games have an annual base set printed. The new base set is a reprinting of some of the essential cards printed over the previous year(s) and is designed to allow new players to build a collection that has some depth to it. Often times, new base sets will have once-hard-to-get-cards in an easier to get fashion.

Then there is Magic. Magic is so old that they're started to regulate what cards are still tournament legal. I believe that cards over two years old are no longer tournament legal. They do this because they need to control the card pool and with over 10,000 types of cards printed this is their method of control. Magic has a new base set every two years (currently it's 7th Edition with 8th Edition coming July 2003). For every expansion they make "theme decks" which are pre-constructed decks with a certain play style, or theme, to them. They are a good way to further your playing once you've got the rules learned. "Tournament decks" are packs of random cards desiged for in-store tournament play, but because they're random some people buy them in place of boosters.

I hope this helps. I really only play one CCG (Warlord), but having worked in a game store I got pretty indoctrinated into the ins and outs of CCGs.

 

[Eternalknight]

Then there is Magic. Magic is so old that they're started to regulate what cards are still tournament legal. I believe that cards over two years old are no longer tournament legal. They do this because they need to control the card pool and with over 10,000 types of cards printed this is their method of control.

Not quite 100% accurate. Cards that came out over two years ago are not tournamnet legal in one type of tournament format. In fact there are many types of formats, this just being one of them. One of the formats allows you to play with all cards from all sets, though some cards are banned. People can make a lot of money from playing Magic if they are good enough. Wizards of the Coast holds a "Pro Tour" every year where they give away was of cash to the winners. They even have a world championship (which I believe gets telecast on ESPN2).

 

[Oni]

I would like to add just one thought on Magic: The Gathering. Where the game really shines (in my opinion) is in games involving several people. Group games allow for more social diplomatic metagaming (which is really a good thing in magic) strategies rather than particular cards.

 

[Deedlit]

But don't bother with M:TG, for it is incredibly boring. Play a good TCG like Pokemon or Duel Monsters(Yu-Gi-Oh), where the creatures battle one another, and people actually play formats where you can use every card released, and you can get access to all cards through boosters(Sets don't go out-of-print.)

 

[Tsyr]

Duel Monsters is my current favorite CCG, but Magic was fun in it's day. It's still FUN, really, I just don't enjoy playing it... if that makes any sense. Basicly, I got tired of it, but it's still fun enough.

 

[roytheodd]

Okay, if we're going to toss favorite CCGs into the hat then I'm going to call out my one and only: Warlord by AEG.

The game is designed so that you assemble an army, its gear, and its signature actions as your deck. You then lay out your cards and attempt to kill your opponent's leader (their "warlord"). The game play is especially interesting because combat is resolved like it is in D&D - with a d20! You've got Armor Class, an Attack bonus, a Saving Throw Bonus, Hit Points, Classes (and sub-classes), Alignment, and special abilities. You can play wizards, rogues, clerics, fighters and a whole slew of subclasses. As your armies mosh, you just roll the die and try to roll higher than their AC to hurt them. As guys die, more spill forward to replace them. You continue until you've slain their warlord.

The game is set in a setting called the Accordlands and it's based on an old AD&D campaign that John Zinser (President of AEG) and friends once ran. The setting is dynamic enough that they'll likely make it into a d20 book one day (but they're still not saying).