The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Based on the popular Japanese cartoon, Poke'mon is Wizards of the Coast's latest entry into the crowded collectible card game market. Poke'mon is purported to be on the verge of repeating it's stellar success in the United States which Wizards of the Coast hopes to ride to an even higher plateau of financial ecstasy. Whether they reach this summit may depend more on the success of Poke'mon as a franchise rather than the quality of the CCG in particular.

WOC's market strategy is slightly different from it's past CCGs. This time around, they are releasing Portal-like Starter Sets that contain two half-sized decks along with both simplified and expert game rules. Theme decks and booster packs are soon to follow. WOC seems to be concerned with catching as many non-gamers as possible, which would explain releasing the Starter Set earlier than the Booster Packs.

In Poke'mon, each of the two players assumes the role of a Poke'mon trainer who conditions monsters (cute and fuzzy, with sharp teeth and claws) to do battle against one another in an effort to be "the greatest Poke'mon Master of all time." That this sounds eerily like a cock-fight is probably attributable to low familiarity with the television show.

Each player is armed with a deck of 60 cards and can have one "active" Poke'mon along with five "benched" Poke'mon. Benched monsters become active when the current active fighter is defeated or retreats. A deck can contain more than 6 Poke'mon so that the bench can remain full throughout the game. A trainer wins the game when his Poke'mon defeat six of his opponent's fighters. (The game also ends when a trainer's opponent has no active or benched Poke'mon, or has run out of cards entirely.)

Fighting occurs between the two active Poke'mon. Each Poke'mon card lists one or more attacks which players activate by attaching Energy cards to the monster. Like Mana, Energy comes in various colors and attacks can require multiple color or colorless energy. For most attacks, the Energy cards remain in play and can be used again next turn. More powerful attacks force players to discard Energy cards.

Successful attacks place damage tokens on the defending monster. Each Poke'mon has a limited number of Hit Points. When the number of damage tokens equals or exceeds a fighter's Hit Points, that Poke'mon is defeated and removed from the game.

Besides Poke'mon and Energy cards, decks also contain Trainer and Evolution cards. Trainer cards are the Instants and Interrupts of the Poke'mon universe. They cover various game effects such as healing fighters, moving benched and active Poke'mon, and destroying opponent's cards. Evolution cards are played on Poke'mon cards, adding Hit Points and new attacks.

As is evident from the low number of cards types and from a rule book that weighs in at less than 25 graphic-laden pages, Poke'mon is significantly less complicated and more streamlined than its competitors. WOC is probably targeting a younger audience with this CCG (as does the cartoon and video game.) This does not mean, however, that there will be a dearth of cards to purchase.

The instruction book claims that there are currently 150 different Poke'mon. If the entire collection includes one or more Evolution cards for each creature, then WOC will be printing more cards than a standard Magic: The Gathering set. For those who are unhappy with WOC's past marketing tactics, Poke'mon will really get their fur flying. Each card is marked to indicate rarity. Some cards are marked "Edition 1" meaning that future cards of the same type may be printed, but will not include that logo "ensuring that your first-edition cards will maintain their value!"

Marketing ploys aside, Poke'mon offers a swift game with the flavor of CCG strategy and deck building. Young players will find it easier to master than most other CCGs and will not get bogged down in multi-phase turns that pivot on who played what card first. Players who enjoy the Poke'mon cartoons and video games will probably enjoy commanding their favorite monsters into battle for their personal glorification.

Experienced gamers, however, will not find then next stage in CCG evolution here. While Poke'mon is packed with character and personality, it lacks innovation and new game mechanics. The game recalls OverPower with active and benched characters and limited Hit Points. Trainer cards operate like Instants in Magic. Evolution cards are simply Creature Enchantments. Energy cards are a combination of OverPower's Basic Power Card and Magic's Mana.

Poke'mon needs a new idea in the game play itself, not just in the window dressing of theme and character. Where Star Wars offered the endlessly circulating Force system and Deadland's cleverly employed Poker hands, Poke'mon repeats mechanics players have already seen. Because WOC is depending on the characters to sell Poke'mon rather than unique game play, the CCG will probably follow the fortune of the Poke'mon franchise itself. If the cartoon tanks, look for the cards to start appearing in the hundreds at the next convention auction.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Poke'Mon
Author: Tsunekaz Ishihara, Kouichi Ooyama, Takumi Akabane, Translated by Wizards of the Coast Category: Collectible Card Game Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Cost: $7.99 Starter Set, $2.79 Booster Pack Page count: n/a ISBN: 1-57530-605-0 Starter Decks Capsule Review by Brad Weier on 01/24/99. Genre tags: Anime	Based on the popular Japanese cartoon, Poke'mon is Wizards of the Coast's latest entry into the crowded collectible card game market. Poke'mon is purported to be on the verge of repeating it's stellar success in the United States which Wizards of the Coast hopes to ride to an even higher plateau of financial ecstasy. Whether they reach this summit may depend more on the success of Poke'mon as a franchise rather than the quality of the CCG in particular. WOC's market strategy is slightly different from it's past CCGs. This time around, they are releasing Portal-like Starter Sets that contain two half-sized decks along with both simplified and expert game rules. Theme decks and booster packs are soon to follow. WOC seems to be concerned with catching as many non-gamers as possible, which would explain releasing the Starter Set earlier than the Booster Packs. In Poke'mon, each of the two players assumes the role of a Poke'mon trainer who conditions monsters (cute and fuzzy, with sharp teeth and claws) to do battle against one another in an effort to be "the greatest Poke'mon Master of all time." That this sounds eerily like a cock-fight is probably attributable to low familiarity with the television show. Each player is armed with a deck of 60 cards and can have one "active" Poke'mon along with five "benched" Poke'mon. Benched monsters become active when the current active fighter is defeated or retreats. A deck can contain more than 6 Poke'mon so that the bench can remain full throughout the game. A trainer wins the game when his Poke'mon defeat six of his opponent's fighters. (The game also ends when a trainer's opponent has no active or benched Poke'mon, or has run out of cards entirely.) Fighting occurs between the two active Poke'mon. Each Poke'mon card lists one or more attacks which players activate by attaching Energy cards to the monster. Like Mana, Energy comes in various colors and attacks can require multiple color or colorless energy. For most attacks, the Energy cards remain in play and can be used again next turn. More powerful attacks force players to discard Energy cards. Successful attacks place damage tokens on the defending monster. Each Poke'mon has a limited number of Hit Points. When the number of damage tokens equals or exceeds a fighter's Hit Points, that Poke'mon is defeated and removed from the game. Besides Poke'mon and Energy cards, decks also contain Trainer and Evolution cards. Trainer cards are the Instants and Interrupts of the Poke'mon universe. They cover various game effects such as healing fighters, moving benched and active Poke'mon, and destroying opponent's cards. Evolution cards are played on Poke'mon cards, adding Hit Points and new attacks. As is evident from the low number of cards types and from a rule book that weighs in at less than 25 graphic-laden pages, Poke'mon is significantly less complicated and more streamlined than its competitors. WOC is probably targeting a younger audience with this CCG (as does the cartoon and video game.) This does not mean, however, that there will be a dearth of cards to purchase. The instruction book claims that there are currently 150 different Poke'mon. If the entire collection includes one or more Evolution cards for each creature, then WOC will be printing more cards than a standard Magic: The Gathering set. For those who are unhappy with WOC's past marketing tactics, Poke'mon will really get their fur flying. Each card is marked to indicate rarity. Some cards are marked "Edition 1" meaning that future cards of the same type may be printed, but will not include that logo "ensuring that your first-edition cards will maintain their value!" Marketing ploys aside, Poke'mon offers a swift game with the flavor of CCG strategy and deck building. Young players will find it easier to master than most other CCGs and will not get bogged down in multi-phase turns that pivot on who played what card first. Players who enjoy the Poke'mon cartoons and video games will probably enjoy commanding their favorite monsters into battle for their personal glorification. Experienced gamers, however, will not find then next stage in CCG evolution here. While Poke'mon is packed with character and personality, it lacks innovation and new game mechanics. The game recalls OverPower with active and benched characters and limited Hit Points. Trainer cards operate like Instants in Magic. Evolution cards are simply Creature Enchantments. Energy cards are a combination of OverPower's Basic Power Card and Magic's Mana. Poke'mon needs a new idea in the game play itself, not just in the window dressing of theme and character. Where Star Wars offered the endlessly circulating Force system and Deadland's cleverly employed Poker hands, Poke'mon repeats mechanics players have already seen. Because WOC is depending on the characters to sell Poke'mon rather than unique game play, the CCG will probably follow the fortune of the Poke'mon franchise itself. If the cartoon tanks, look for the cards to start appearing in the hundreds at the next convention auction. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)

Poke'Mon