Collectible Card Games (CCGs) hold a special place in my heart (see here). I've enjoyed them since their inception in 1993, when Magic: The Gathering was released; it created (and heavily influenced) the CCG genre. When Magic's popularity soared, companies were quick to follow suit and design/release their own CCGs; over the years, hundreds of games have been released (though the CCG flood of 1995 soon crashed). In 2003, Scrye (who issued regular CCG-themed magazines) released its second edition of Collectible Card Game Checklist & Price Guide, which covered every CCG released to that time.
The book covers a lot of territory. Its initial contents:
- A brief history of CCGs
- An introduction to the genre (by defining it)
- A guide to estimate your collection's value
- Full-color examples of each CCG covered in the book
- Tips for organizing your collection
A lot of good stuff, but the meat of the book is the checklist and price guide it includes for CCGs. Listed alphabetically, each game gets an introduction/description, rating in four categories (concept, gameplay, card art, player pool), and checklist (with associated price) for all cards produced for that game until 2003. Cards are listed by expansion. Over 150 CCGs and 550 expansions are covered here, as shown in the picture below.
This book is fun for reference and reflection. I owned it before, and decided to pick up a used copy for fun. The prices- now 13 years old- are obviously worthless, the information can be dated (obviously, nothing after 2003 is covered, and the 'player pool' rating is no longer accurate), the game descriptions vary wildly (some go over actual game play, others just cover themes and critical reception), and most checklists can be had online in a more usable, accessible format. Despite these shortcomings, it's a nice trip down memory lane . . . the historical aspect is interesting, and it is shocking to see the number of games that game out in the mid-90s during the CCG heyday:
Most of these games are now 'dead,' meaning they're no longer produced or supported. But some mainstays remain, including the three most popular from the era: Magic, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Paging through this book, I had forgotten just how many things received "CCG treatment." Every theme under the sun is explored, and generally a game could be categorized based on fantasy, sport, religion, sci-fi, history, and pop culture (movie/TV/book) themes. Some games are expected- franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and so on. But some are not- Pez (yes, the candy company) made a CCG, as did Survivor (the TV show), Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Looney Tunes, and all major sports (to include Professional Wrestling). There were even three Christian games and one adult-oriented (yes, sexually-focused) offering! Crazy times.
I've played 15 CCGs over the years (I still maintain collections for 3). While I enjoyed this work, I probably won't keep it on my shelf. Seeing these old games triggers nostalgia and tempts me to pursue them. Games I've already played, I'm tempted to buy again. Games I've never played, I'm tempted to pursue- games like Wheel of Time, Warlords, Quest for the Grail, Middle-Earth, Lord of the Rings, Wyvern, and Vampire. These games are dead for a reason- they were either no good, had run their course, or had no player pool to support them. Collecting can be fun, but is ultimately futile- a lesson I learned last year, and I don't want to fall back into it. And so, I'll enjoy these dead CCGs from afar. They're expensive to obtain, anyway- due to scarcity, and not (necessarily) quality.
Rating: B+
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