People I know were talking about MTG; something I know next to nothing about and I got reminded that the TF TCG is coming.

Spoons:
What do you all expect from it?
How do you want it to play?
Y/N- toy-pack in cards?
Any cards you want to see in particular?

My answers:
1. I expect it to become more full of TF lore the longer it goes on... I can see them making decks for each part of the franchise.
2. I think I'd like a more fluid card game like Pokemon TCG rather than MTG, but that's just my opinion.
3. Yes please. Maybe if they're just foil versions.
4. DJD cards that can combine... in fact just all combiners should get cards and a special class.

 

1. I expect the game to be fairly small scale, maybe gain a cult following within the fandom. I'm hoping it generates significant enough interest in the market to warrant a longer run than say, the A:TLA TCG.

2. I'd like for game mechanics to remain faithful to the lore and play to the strengths and weaknesses of the characters, rather than on the cards themselves. This would apply to character types (i.e. a combiner is always stronger than a mini-con) and to individual characters, (i.e. Trailbreaker would be better for defense with little HP, while Bulkhead would have greater offensive capabilities). This would allow for some nice, strategic gameplay that would simultaneously please the veteran fans and educate new fans. In short, I don't want a common Devastator card to be destroyed by an ultra-rare hologram Bumblebee card.

3. I'm with the OP on this one.

4. I'm hoping the character selection will extend beyond the usual poster boys.


On a side note, I think it'd be neat if Hasbro used the card game to expand the lore in new ways. Maybe explore some obscure and unseen sectors of the TF multiverse, or if they're feeling really adventurous, develop a brand new universe just for the game, with new lore, character designs, etc.

 

The only CCG I've ever played is the Star Wars one form Decipher from the late 90's. I'd be fine if it played like that. The game I've been working on for years (seem to get into working on it for a while, stop and later on get into it) was pretty much based on those rules.

I'd expect the first set to be G1.
Then for expansions you can have a BW expansion, Armada expansion, etc.
Pack in cards with the figures would be great. Have that character in the game as well with different stats to make both desirable.

 

1. I hope they include all generations of Transformers from G1 to present. Starter packs should be themed around a specific series like Beast Wars while booster packs could have a random mix of different Transformers from various franchises.

2. Similar to Pokemon but you have to start in alternate mode and build on top of that to get to robot mode instead of evolving. Plus you can potentially remove cards in order to turn back into vehicle mode rather than being permantly in robot mode for the rest of the game. Items would also obviously be different being things in the Transformers universe. Energon cards would replace the type cards. Oh and I think combiners should require all the robots in that combined mode to be in play before you can use them as I expect them to be really powerful cards and it would make the game broken if you could just start with a team full of combiners.

3. Yes, they'd have a lot more value than those useless cards we normally get recently. And I think they should be exclusive cards that you can't get unless you buy the toys. Not exactly like you can't have that character at all unless you buy the toy but just it's a foil version of another card or the art is different from other variants. Maybe an attack that's exclusive to the figure. They wouldn't be super powerful cards just rare cards to give an incentive for people who normally don't buy toys but are interested in the card game.

4. Beast Wars and Beast Machines... which reminds me in addition to using the Pokemon evolution mechanic to transform you could also use the same mechanic to upgrade characters into their other forms such as starting the game as S1 Primal and working your way up to Beast Machines. This should only apply to Transformers who are actually the same character so you can't turn a G1 Optimus into a Movie Optimus for example. Anyway, I'd build my deck around my favorite series... though that might actually be two starter decks, but I'd mix and match some cards to customize the decks with cards from both shows.

 

they could get IDW or Takara to do some mini comic strips for pack ins with box sets... that'd be neat if they went with the whole new continuity route, but I expect them to want to hinge on the nostalgia factor so it could use characters from every continuity.

... What if it were Transtech though?

 

I'd absolutely build my main deck around Beast Wars cards, though I'd collect everything I could and make multiple decks for playing the game.
What if turning a card to defensive mode would be turning into alt-mode though?

 

That could be a thing but Pokemon didn't really have that mechanic and I like the idea of robot and vehicle modes potentially having different attack capabilities.

There's also characters with more than two modes to think about too. I wouldn't really feel like I'm transforming if all I'm doing is turning the card sideways. I need that card art to signify exactly what mode I'm in.

 

The main card games I've played in my youth were Middle Earth, Overpower and Star Trek. If this is similar to Overpower, I'll be happy.

 

I've never played CCG's in the past so I'd have to learn how. I know my sons and I will love it though. I'm super excited for it, mostly for the collectability of it.

 

I haven't played a CCG is ages, but I'm looking forward to seeing this game and giving it a shot. Back in the day, I played the werewolf game Rage, which had cool transformation mechanics, and I hope Transformers does something similar (more than just flipping the card over, I mean).

 

Rage, huh? I've never played it, but I guess I now have a reason to check it out. On a different note, the old A:TLA TCG had these neat "chamber cards", basically a card inside of a card that you would unsheathe to access different abilities. I'm thinking something like that would be interesting to see in a TF context.

 

The way i handled triple changers was the two alt modes at 45° . So robot mode on Astrotrain was straight up and down. Train or shuttle mode would have the card spun around but at an angle so the alt mode would be facing the top.

Those cards would have got really crowded with pics and text.

 

That sounds pretty cool too, I'll have to see if I can find some of the Airbender cards. Good luck finding Rage though, it was it back in '93 or so.