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| image from here |
In 1993, Wizards of the Coast published the first collectible card game in Magic: The Gathering. It took off soon thereafter, and its success launched a wave of games in the same vein- the collectible gaming genre was born.
What's a collectible card game? It's a game where you and your opponent each build a deck of cards, and use your respective decks to battle each other until a victory condition is met. The rules of the game will tell you about the types of cards, how the cards interact, the turn order, etc. A generic turn order generally goes like this: you draw a card, play cards on the table, and use those cards as their abilities state to further yourself to victory. Then, your opponent follows the same process. You continue alternating turns until one side wins. There are overall game rules, but each card, once played, specifies certain rules or abilities that will hold true only while the card is in play. For this reason, the cards you choose as you construct your deck are the key to victory.
How do you construct a good deck? Your deck (which is kept secret from your opponent until you play) can have any cards you want, as long as your deck follows the specified construction guidelines. Most games have cards that are resource cards, which must be played to give you the ability to 'pay' for your other cards- cards like characters, weapons, or effects. Generally, more powerful cards cost more to play, so you have to find a balance between:
- resource and non-resource cards
- types of cards
- low and high cost cards
Achieving an effective balance can get quite scientific, but for overview purposes, I just introduce the concept. To help visualize what I mean, let's make up a card game- I'll call it the World War II game. In this game, you have to produce infantry, tanks, and aircraft to fight your opponent, who is doing the same. As you build your deck, you need to put in some of each type of unit, plus resource cards like metal ore, food, and gunpowder to 'pay' for your units. A tank, for example, might cost 3 metal ores, whereas an infantry unit might cost 1 food to play. A tank costs more- but is more powerful, and harder to destroy. A simple illustration, but hopefully it's helpful.
So what makes these games collectible? It's how you obtain the cards. Cards are available in 'booster' packs, which contain some number of cards, but you don't know which ones. Think baseball card packs- it's the same concept. They call this a "blind buy." You could strike it rich, and get very powerful cards- or you could get garbage. Either way, these games are set up to keep you buying, with sets (or "expansions") of cards released every few months, each of which can contain hundreds of new cards. Collecting all the cards in a given set can get quite expensive, as the cards are distributed with a varying rarity- generally common, uncommon, and rare- and the rare cards in particular can be quite pricey to obtain. If you insist on having complete sets, be prepared to spend a lot of money. Magic, the longest running game, has 73 expansions to date (yes, you read that correctly), each of which contains several hundred cards. Simple math tells you that's a lot.
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| a Magic tournament; image from here |
1) With so many cards, no two games will ever be the same, giving near infinite variety. Even if you use just one deck for years, the randomness of the draw will produce a fresh experience.
2) You have to build a good deck, and execute it well. Fail at either, and you'll likely lose. A military analogy is helpful: you have to construct a good army (with the right equipment), then deploy that army correctly and implement good tactics. This game-within-a-game makes for great strategy on several levels- and its mathematical, cost/benefit relationships make for an experience that really appeals to some. Building a deck is almost as fun as playing with it.
What are the downsides to such games? Cost is the obvious detriment. It also can be quite time-consuming, as it takes time to construct a good deck, and time to store and organize the cards.
How many collectible games have been produced over the last 19 years? Hundreds. I don't know the exact number, but the list here gives you an idea. Of these, I've played five regularly, and sampled five or so more (perhaps a review will come later on some of the better ones). After card games found a niche market, they've since come out with Collectible Miniatures Games- quite similar to their Collectible Card Game neighbors, just with miniature figures rather than cards. They're also good, fun games.
What does the future hold for the genre? It will continue to go strong, most likely, as Magic has demonstrated, running for 19 years and counting. There are two major future trends, though, that will slightly alter the landscape: online games and living games.
1) Several card games, including Magic, have been released in purely online form, so you can maintain a digital card collection and digital decks. Shockingly (to me), you have to pay the same amount for the digital cards that you do for the paper versions, so playing online won't save you any money- just the (physical) storage space.
2) Like the idea of a collectible game, but don't have the budget to participate? A new trend may be for you. Fantasy Flight Games has tweaked the genre and produced several "Living Card Games" (see here). These games are similar to Collectible Card Games, in that you build a deck of cards, and sets are released regularly to expand the card pool. They differ in eliminating the 'blind buy' concept. In a Living Card Game, you buy complete sets when they release, meaning you're guaranteed one of every card. This cuts costs down significantly, while keeping the game fresh by continually introducing new cards. The format has been quite successful, and promises to continue to be.
Are Collectible Games for you? Only you can decide, of course, but I have the following recommendations if you're considering getting into this hobby:
1) be responsible. These games are addictive- I've had several friends politely refuse to join game nights, not because they weren't interested, but because they were too interested. Know your limits- count the cost- and be responsible. I need to pay attention to that myself.
2) see if other players are in your area. It doesn't matter how much you, personally, like a game, you can't play with just one person.
3) try before you buy. If you can find players, sit with them and use their cards. It's a great way to try before committing yourself.
In the end, these are great games, and I'm happy the genre exists. If you get a chance, I recommend you sample a game some time.
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