√enice (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
venicism) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
girodivenezia2014-07-17 10:45 pm
venicism) wrote in girodivenezia2014-07-17 10:45 pm
Internet TCG's For Dummies!
I've tired getting friends into TCG's before and they all say it looks so complex. Even I had that thought when I first started playing in them! So, I've written this guide to help people who are confused about how to play in TCG's but are interested and hold themselves back, thinking they can't do it too. I'll be going into as much detail as I can with my own limited experience, trying to give you a comprehensive guide to the basics of TCG's. I hope this serves you, the reader, and all your friends well! Good luck, players~
The basics!
First off, you have to start by picking a game that interests you most. There are many to choose from out there, but don't get overwhelmed. You don't have to join them all! Alternatively, you can join the one(s) your friends are playing. For the later, they can help you out in the game by answering your questions about the workings of that specific games. They all have their own ways of being played, my guide is just a general pool of information.
Each game will be hosted on a website dedicated to that specific game; take colors for example! In most games, everything takes place here on dreamwidth in their own dedicated communities. Things like gamename_tcg/gamename_trade, ect. They do everything there from card releases, where to join that game, the games being played that earn you cards, leveling/trading achievements, and (most importantly!) trading cards with other players. ** Although it's player choice on where they want to trade cards. Some players have dedicated websites with a trading form that they would rather use.
Essentially, it's kind of important if you have a dreamwidth journal to participate in most TCG's out there.
However, that's not the case for all of them! While there are quite a few games played on dreamwidth, there are some that require you to do everything via your own dedicated tcg website. There are hosts out there willing to take you on for free as long as you remain active and they're not full. These kinds of websites have their own learning curve, though. They're not for the faint of heart, if you don't know someone who can help you figure things out. If anyone out there has a comprehensive guide to etcg, I will happily link it here!
Some games will make you choose an image for your "member card". Member cards are made by mods and issued to you upon your card post update, and tend to be something of a trade boost. Swapping member cards with other players earns you another trade that you can hand in for an achievement at certain numbers. Say... every 25 trades or so, you get to turn it in for a bonus of some kind. Most of the time, this means a certain amount of random cards issued to you. So, make sure you pick an image you'll love months down the road! You usually only get one shot at this part of the game.
What to do once you've picked the game you want to join!
First thing's first; pick the deck you want to collect out of the game's card decks. There will be a link saying "card decks" or "cards" somewhere on the game's website. Give those a look through and see which you want to master first. It's important to pick something you know you'll actually want to master first, since your first mastery is very gratifying and it helps the mods feel like you'll be staying with them for a long while.
Each game will require that you have a post somewhere displaying your cards. The best thing to do is to start with that first. It can be a simple post saying "TBA" or something similar, as long as it's in existence at the time of application to a game. Once accepted, a mod will give you your intro cards and ask you to update your post. This is where you can be as fancy or no frills as you want to be! Most players have html layouts that they put their cards into, making it look pretty. Some players don't do html as well as others, so they opt for using simple img tags and links. It's all up to you, as a player, of what you want and what's most comfortable for you! There will be a list of resources later on in the post, if you're interested in the html tables.
Now it's time to join and play in that game!
So, you've got your post up and your shiny new cards and you're eager to start playing. Hold on there, tiger. Make sure you have your cards uploaded to your own image host, first. Most games frown upon you hotlinking their images to your card post. Photobucket is great for this, as it allows you to be as organized as you want to be. My personal photobucket has a folder and two subsections dedicated to placeholders and then the cards I've gained playing the game.
The best thing to do when joining these games is to get into it toward the end of a release cycle. This way you get your starter cards, the current cycle's deck releases, and shortly after the new releases. You gain a fair amount of cards in a short time, allowing you to potentially have a whole mastery within a couple weeks of joining. Or you gain the cards to obtain a mastery through trades. However, that does depend on the deck and amount of that deck's cards in circulation.
To trade with other players, there are three methods you can use to finding the cards you want:
One) You can go onto the trading community of the game you're in and surf through other players card posts. Most players will link their posts as a player-made image or their member card toward the bottom.
Two) Surf the websites member database for card posts.
Three) Posting an offer to the trade community for your release slots will get you the cards that you want fairly fast. As long as you put an emphasis on which deck(s) you want the most and a link to your card post so other players can see.
Trading cards isn't hard, though! So don't feel like it's an arduous task of Goliath proportions. Most of the time players will be good about taking a card in acceptance for something that you want. Though it's definitely better to offer a card they're looking for, as it will most often guarantee that you get the card you want from their trade pile.
Keeping track of your activity!
Activity counts as trades with other players, what cards you get from mod-run activities, and monthly deck releases. It's important that you update this as soon as possible, to enjoy the other aspects of the game. Being slack on logging your activity can really bog the rest of the game down and take some of the enjoyment out of it. It's best to get the yucky stuff out of the way first, right?
Protip: Separate your posts! It's easier to keep track of all your activity if you have one post for mod-run activities and another for trades between yourself and other players. You might want to also make note in your trade post of how many cards you've traded, so it's easier for mods to add them up later when handing your achievements out. Great examples of both: Activites - Trades
Decks and the cards you want!
The whole reason you're even in a TCG is because of the shiny, beautiful cards they have. It only makes sense you want to collect all the ones you like the best. Well, what if they have one character and not another? It can be kind of a bummer, I know. Most games don't have everything ever, but they're always willing to make that deck. This is where an interesting part of the game comes into play. There are deck donations!
So, what is a deck donation, you ask? Simple. Most games have a section that allows you to "donate a deck". This means that you collect official images or screenshots of the anime/game that you can submit to deck makers for the next card release. Each game will have their own set of information they want you to submit for this, though most of the time you have to name the deck yourself (or suggest deck names) and give a deck a color designation. Like blue or something. Usually there's a minimum limit to how few images there need to be in order to make a successful deck, but starting at a general 30+ works.
There is a divide between decks! There are normal cards, special cards, and in some games puzzle cards.
Normal cards are one single character with a deck name specific to them. Such as in the game Colors, Zack Fair of the Final Fantasy franchise has a deck named "Squats" and it consists only of him.
Special cards tend to be series dominated, such as all the Disney villains in one deck or all the arcana cards from the Persona franchise.
Puzzle cards make up one single image to consist of a whole deck, such as the Black Order deck in Himitsu.
In each game, different cards have different worth amounts. In Colors, every card is worth one card - it doesn't matter if it's a special card or not. Players exchange a normal card for a special card, regardless. In games like pairings, special cards are worth two normal cards. Where as in games like Himitsu and Nakama, puzzle AND special cards are worth two normal cards per one puzzle or special.
Game currency!
Many games have their own form of currency that you can earn through game play. In Colors they have Crayons that you can exchange for cards with the same deck color as the crayon color. In pairings they have potions that are worth certain amounts of cards and different variety of card types. While one potion in pairings can grant you six random cards, another can give you the ability to choose a certain number of cards you want. Pairings also has something called a "love letter" that you can earn through certain games that allow you to exchange one love letter for a any card of your choosing. In games like himutsu they have milk cartons and pencils that do the same types of things as love letters and potions do in pairings.
Resources!
There are basic html tcg card tables here, done by replica on livejournal.
colorpicker.com for all your hex color needs.
gimp.org for photo editing.
The basics!
First off, you have to start by picking a game that interests you most. There are many to choose from out there, but don't get overwhelmed. You don't have to join them all! Alternatively, you can join the one(s) your friends are playing. For the later, they can help you out in the game by answering your questions about the workings of that specific games. They all have their own ways of being played, my guide is just a general pool of information.
Each game will be hosted on a website dedicated to that specific game; take colors for example! In most games, everything takes place here on dreamwidth in their own dedicated communities. Things like gamename_tcg/gamename_trade, ect. They do everything there from card releases, where to join that game, the games being played that earn you cards, leveling/trading achievements, and (most importantly!) trading cards with other players. ** Although it's player choice on where they want to trade cards. Some players have dedicated websites with a trading form that they would rather use.
Essentially, it's kind of important if you have a dreamwidth journal to participate in most TCG's out there.
However, that's not the case for all of them! While there are quite a few games played on dreamwidth, there are some that require you to do everything via your own dedicated tcg website. There are hosts out there willing to take you on for free as long as you remain active and they're not full. These kinds of websites have their own learning curve, though. They're not for the faint of heart, if you don't know someone who can help you figure things out. If anyone out there has a comprehensive guide to etcg, I will happily link it here!
Some games will make you choose an image for your "member card". Member cards are made by mods and issued to you upon your card post update, and tend to be something of a trade boost. Swapping member cards with other players earns you another trade that you can hand in for an achievement at certain numbers. Say... every 25 trades or so, you get to turn it in for a bonus of some kind. Most of the time, this means a certain amount of random cards issued to you. So, make sure you pick an image you'll love months down the road! You usually only get one shot at this part of the game.
What to do once you've picked the game you want to join!
First thing's first; pick the deck you want to collect out of the game's card decks. There will be a link saying "card decks" or "cards" somewhere on the game's website. Give those a look through and see which you want to master first. It's important to pick something you know you'll actually want to master first, since your first mastery is very gratifying and it helps the mods feel like you'll be staying with them for a long while.
Each game will require that you have a post somewhere displaying your cards. The best thing to do is to start with that first. It can be a simple post saying "TBA" or something similar, as long as it's in existence at the time of application to a game. Once accepted, a mod will give you your intro cards and ask you to update your post. This is where you can be as fancy or no frills as you want to be! Most players have html layouts that they put their cards into, making it look pretty. Some players don't do html as well as others, so they opt for using simple img tags and links. It's all up to you, as a player, of what you want and what's most comfortable for you! There will be a list of resources later on in the post, if you're interested in the html tables.
Now it's time to join and play in that game!
So, you've got your post up and your shiny new cards and you're eager to start playing. Hold on there, tiger. Make sure you have your cards uploaded to your own image host, first. Most games frown upon you hotlinking their images to your card post. Photobucket is great for this, as it allows you to be as organized as you want to be. My personal photobucket has a folder and two subsections dedicated to placeholders and then the cards I've gained playing the game.
The best thing to do when joining these games is to get into it toward the end of a release cycle. This way you get your starter cards, the current cycle's deck releases, and shortly after the new releases. You gain a fair amount of cards in a short time, allowing you to potentially have a whole mastery within a couple weeks of joining. Or you gain the cards to obtain a mastery through trades. However, that does depend on the deck and amount of that deck's cards in circulation.
To trade with other players, there are three methods you can use to finding the cards you want:
One) You can go onto the trading community of the game you're in and surf through other players card posts. Most players will link their posts as a player-made image or their member card toward the bottom.
Two) Surf the websites member database for card posts.
Three) Posting an offer to the trade community for your release slots will get you the cards that you want fairly fast. As long as you put an emphasis on which deck(s) you want the most and a link to your card post so other players can see.
Trading cards isn't hard, though! So don't feel like it's an arduous task of Goliath proportions. Most of the time players will be good about taking a card in acceptance for something that you want. Though it's definitely better to offer a card they're looking for, as it will most often guarantee that you get the card you want from their trade pile.
Keeping track of your activity!
Activity counts as trades with other players, what cards you get from mod-run activities, and monthly deck releases. It's important that you update this as soon as possible, to enjoy the other aspects of the game. Being slack on logging your activity can really bog the rest of the game down and take some of the enjoyment out of it. It's best to get the yucky stuff out of the way first, right?
Protip: Separate your posts! It's easier to keep track of all your activity if you have one post for mod-run activities and another for trades between yourself and other players. You might want to also make note in your trade post of how many cards you've traded, so it's easier for mods to add them up later when handing your achievements out. Great examples of both: Activites - Trades
Decks and the cards you want!
The whole reason you're even in a TCG is because of the shiny, beautiful cards they have. It only makes sense you want to collect all the ones you like the best. Well, what if they have one character and not another? It can be kind of a bummer, I know. Most games don't have everything ever, but they're always willing to make that deck. This is where an interesting part of the game comes into play. There are deck donations!
So, what is a deck donation, you ask? Simple. Most games have a section that allows you to "donate a deck". This means that you collect official images or screenshots of the anime/game that you can submit to deck makers for the next card release. Each game will have their own set of information they want you to submit for this, though most of the time you have to name the deck yourself (or suggest deck names) and give a deck a color designation. Like blue or something. Usually there's a minimum limit to how few images there need to be in order to make a successful deck, but starting at a general 30+ works.
There is a divide between decks! There are normal cards, special cards, and in some games puzzle cards.
Normal cards are one single character with a deck name specific to them. Such as in the game Colors, Zack Fair of the Final Fantasy franchise has a deck named "Squats" and it consists only of him.
Special cards tend to be series dominated, such as all the Disney villains in one deck or all the arcana cards from the Persona franchise.
Puzzle cards make up one single image to consist of a whole deck, such as the Black Order deck in Himitsu.
In each game, different cards have different worth amounts. In Colors, every card is worth one card - it doesn't matter if it's a special card or not. Players exchange a normal card for a special card, regardless. In games like pairings, special cards are worth two normal cards. Where as in games like Himitsu and Nakama, puzzle AND special cards are worth two normal cards per one puzzle or special.
Game currency!
Many games have their own form of currency that you can earn through game play. In Colors they have Crayons that you can exchange for cards with the same deck color as the crayon color. In pairings they have potions that are worth certain amounts of cards and different variety of card types. While one potion in pairings can grant you six random cards, another can give you the ability to choose a certain number of cards you want. Pairings also has something called a "love letter" that you can earn through certain games that allow you to exchange one love letter for a any card of your choosing. In games like himutsu they have milk cartons and pencils that do the same types of things as love letters and potions do in pairings.
Resources!
There are basic html tcg card tables here, done by replica on livejournal.
colorpicker.com for all your hex color needs.
gimp.org for photo editing.