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Friday, December 01, 2006
World of Warcraft trading card game
After 10 years of Magic the Gathering (paper and online) and 2 years of World of Warcraft you would assume that I'd buy the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game as a matter of reflex. But in fact I am not interested at all. For the simple reason that I wouldn't know who to play with.
So if you are waiting for a review of the WoW TCG from me. You're out of luck. I only read a description of the game in Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine, which also lists all cards. But the game seems to be a lot simpler and more primitive than Magic the Gathering, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Nevertheless the whole exercise smells of somebody trying to revive the flagging trading card business with a license from a highly successful video game.
But in my area people aren't even playing Magic any more. And all the other trading card games had tiny followings at the best of times. What good is a trading card game if you have neither somebody to trade nor somebody to play with? The next time I play Magic will be when Magic the Gathering Online v3.0 will finally be released, after years of delay. Online games are the future, because there is always somebody online somewhere.
- posted by Tobold @ 6:12 AM Permanent Link
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But the game seems to be a lot simpler and more primitive than Magic the Gathering
Definitely a good thing. What finally drove me away from M:tG was the constant release of not just new card sets, but new game mechanics. It got to the point where, every card played, you had to read the abilities, work out which mechanics they used and how those mechanics were implemented.
I remember my first game of Magic, when a friend was introducing me to the game. I built a deck almost entirely from walls and 1/1 creatures, and won several games. Things were simple, yet fun; summoning minions actually meant you were a wizard creating your army to send forth and smite your rival, not just trying to get broken-combo no. 5 into play.
It's probably analogous to the 1-60 game in WoW, compared to end game raiding, in many ways. Maybe the Gnomish Rose-tinted Spectacles of Nostalgia are skewing things somewhat, but the early days when things are new and uncomplicated always hold the fondest memories for me.
Definitely a good thing. What finally drove me away from M:tG was the constant release of not just new card sets, but new game mechanics. It got to the point where, every card played, you had to read the abilities, work out which mechanics they used and how those mechanics were implemented.
I remember my first game of Magic, when a friend was introducing me to the game. I built a deck almost entirely from walls and 1/1 creatures, and won several games. Things were simple, yet fun; summoning minions actually meant you were a wizard creating your army to send forth and smite your rival, not just trying to get broken-combo no. 5 into play.
It's probably analogous to the 1-60 game in WoW, compared to end game raiding, in many ways. Maybe the Gnomish Rose-tinted Spectacles of Nostalgia are skewing things somewhat, but the early days when things are new and uncomplicated always hold the fondest memories for me.
# posted by 
: 1/12/06 08:20
: 1/12/06 08:20
I guess a lot of us took the same path to here. I was a MTG junkie, too, from about Revised/Ice Age to 5th ed./Stronghold (I always seem to be late and miss the golden age of a game). I even got into the local tournament scene for a while. I still have my cards in a box in the closet. Never could bring myself to sell them.
But one obsession at a time is enough. Don't even talk to me about a WoW card game. :P
The main thing that got me out of Magic was that friends and family who played lost interest. They were driven away primarily by the overwhelming card output (once the Magic machine got past their early production problems). Ever-more-complicated game mechanics didn't help, either. And back then, Magic designers seemed to be always changing direction - stop production forever on some sets and weaken new releases, then trend back toward broken cards and combos, then dumb down the main set; meanwhile introducing separate basic sets and championship decks and promo stuff and joke cards until it all made me dizzy (and broke) just trying to keep up with it all.
But it was fun while it lasted.
But one obsession at a time is enough. Don't even talk to me about a WoW card game. :P
The main thing that got me out of Magic was that friends and family who played lost interest. They were driven away primarily by the overwhelming card output (once the Magic machine got past their early production problems). Ever-more-complicated game mechanics didn't help, either. And back then, Magic designers seemed to be always changing direction - stop production forever on some sets and weaken new releases, then trend back toward broken cards and combos, then dumb down the main set; meanwhile introducing separate basic sets and championship decks and promo stuff and joke cards until it all made me dizzy (and broke) just trying to keep up with it all.
But it was fun while it lasted.
A gimmick with WoW:TCG is the bonus cards that can be used in-game. As I approached the pier at Menethil Harbor, waiting for the boat was a Giant Red Ogre. It was a costume the player had received in a WoW:TCG pack. I've since seen other items, vanity pets, etc, that have no use in-game other than making players stop and go, "Cool. Where did you get that?" "WoW:TCG." "Awesome. I'm gonna have to get it!"
# posted by : 1/12/06 18:01
: 1/12/06 18:01
Which is one reason I (unfortunately) got into MTGO. Now I can play MTG whenever I want to! ...Which is bad because I've sunk waaaaay too much money into MTGO.
I do think WotC's release strategy is much too fast. It's currently 1 entire triad every year (3 related sets, with the releases spread out - something like Oct., Jan-Feb. and ____) and a new main every other year, I believe. Way too many too fast for my tastes. Even so, I'm suckered in.
I do think WotC's release strategy is much too fast. It's currently 1 entire triad every year (3 related sets, with the releases spread out - something like Oct., Jan-Feb. and ____) and a new main every other year, I believe. Way too many too fast for my tastes. Even so, I'm suckered in.
# posted by : 1/12/06 19:45
: 1/12/06 19:45
I am actually collecting them for the art & as a memory thing. To be honest you can trade theses cards via the 'net, so I don't feel thats a problem if you are into just collecting.
# posted by : 2/12/06 11:23
: 2/12/06 11:23
I bought the starter set (subtly implied in the ad that it would have one of the ingame cards) and 2 booster packs. No in game goodies =( A guildmate bought a single pack and got the turtle mount. Shame he used it cause apparently it's selling for ~250 on ebay.
I just wanted it for my future BE hunter. It was making me laugh just thinking about it.
I just wanted it for my future BE hunter. It was making me laugh just thinking about it.
# posted by : 4/12/06 22:56
: 4/12/06 22:56
I went to the official website for WoW:TCG and clicked the link to purchase the game online, but I was unable to access the vendor's site because I was using Firefox. Apparently their website uses old security technology and my up-to-date Firefox doesn't like it.
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# posted by : 5/12/06 00:19
: 5/12/06 00:19<< Home
