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Blue Moon (game)
Encyclopedia
Blue Moon, published by Kosmos/Fantasy Flight Games
, is Reiner Knizia
's most successful take on the collectible card game
(CCG) genre. It is a card game for two players that bears some resemblance to the well-known Magic: The Gathering
(by Richard Garfield
), although the game mechanics are quite different. However Blue Moon is not a CCG; although each player has to use his own deck, there are no booster packs and, apart from a few promotional cards, all cards are sold in decks of fixed composition, so that there are no rare cards.
Based in a unique fantasy setting, Blue Moon simulates the struggles of the various peoples who live in the Blue Moon world. Each people has its own unique traits and gameplay mechanics, and is represented by a 30 card deck (plus a "leader" card).
The base Blue Moon game box contains a small game board, three small plastic dragons (used as scoring counters in the game) and two complete decks for the Vulca and Hoax peoples. Blue Moon cards are over-sized and resemble tarot cards: at the moment, it is quite difficult to buy card sleeves to protect them.
Additional peoples (to be bought separately) are the following:
In addition, two more decks called Emissaries & Inquisitors: Allies and Emissaries & Inquisitors: Blessings contain additional cards which can be used in at least two ways. Advanced rules in the basic set allow players more freedom in constructing their own decks, each based on a single people with imported cards from other peoples (limited by the cards' deck construction costs measured in "moons"). The Emissaries & Inquisitors decks allow additional deck building possibilities.
Many Blue Moon cards carry text to specify the cards' influence on the game (sometimes overriding the game rules). The game is therefore very language-dependent. Known available editions exist in English (Fantasy Flight Games), German (Kosmos), Dutch (999 Games, excluding the Buka Invasion), and (very incomplete) French (Tilsit). Artwork for game boxes differs. Some promotional cards have been released and given as gifts at various gaming events.
In 2006 Fantasy Flight Games published a Blue Moon-related board game called Blue Moon City
: this is not compatible with the Blue Moon card game and is a complete German-style board game
for 2 to 4 players, set in the same Blue Moon world. It also shares artwork with the Blue Moon card games, but (apart from some fairly tenuous thematic links) this is where the links end.
During the 2007 edition of the Lucca Comics & Games Italian comics and games convention, Reiner Knizia himself confirmed that no new decks for Blue Moon are under development, as the publisher is no longer interested in publishing them. So, the game should be considered "complete" with its current set of decks.
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
, is Reiner Knizia
Reiner Knizia
Reiner Knizia is a prolific German-style board game designer. Born in Germany, he developed his first game at the age of eight. He has a PhD in mathematics, and has been a full-time game designer since 1997, when he quit his job from the board of a large international bank...
's most successful take on the collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
(CCG) genre. It is a card game for two players that bears some resemblance to the well-known Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
(by Richard Garfield
Richard Garfield
Richard Channing Garfield is a mathematics professor and game designer who created the card games Magic: The Gathering, Netrunner, BattleTech CCG, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle , The Great Dalmuti, Star Wars Trading Card Game, and the board game RoboRally...
), although the game mechanics are quite different. However Blue Moon is not a CCG; although each player has to use his own deck, there are no booster packs and, apart from a few promotional cards, all cards are sold in decks of fixed composition, so that there are no rare cards.
Based in a unique fantasy setting, Blue Moon simulates the struggles of the various peoples who live in the Blue Moon world. Each people has its own unique traits and gameplay mechanics, and is represented by a 30 card deck (plus a "leader" card).
The base Blue Moon game box contains a small game board, three small plastic dragons (used as scoring counters in the game) and two complete decks for the Vulca and Hoax peoples. Blue Moon cards are over-sized and resemble tarot cards: at the moment, it is quite difficult to buy card sleeves to protect them.
Additional peoples (to be bought separately) are the following:
- Mimix
- Flit
- Khind
- Terrah
- Pillar
- Aqua
- Buka (Buka Invasion)
In addition, two more decks called Emissaries & Inquisitors: Allies and Emissaries & Inquisitors: Blessings contain additional cards which can be used in at least two ways. Advanced rules in the basic set allow players more freedom in constructing their own decks, each based on a single people with imported cards from other peoples (limited by the cards' deck construction costs measured in "moons"). The Emissaries & Inquisitors decks allow additional deck building possibilities.
Many Blue Moon cards carry text to specify the cards' influence on the game (sometimes overriding the game rules). The game is therefore very language-dependent. Known available editions exist in English (Fantasy Flight Games), German (Kosmos), Dutch (999 Games, excluding the Buka Invasion), and (very incomplete) French (Tilsit). Artwork for game boxes differs. Some promotional cards have been released and given as gifts at various gaming events.
In 2006 Fantasy Flight Games published a Blue Moon-related board game called Blue Moon City
Blue Moon City
Blue Moon City is a 2006 designer board game by Reiner Knizia. The game has similar artwork to, and some thematic connections with, the Blue Moon card game, also designed by Knizia.-Awards and rankings:* Winner, Meeples' Choice Award 2006...
: this is not compatible with the Blue Moon card game and is a complete German-style board game
German-style board game
German-style board games, frequently referred to in gaming circles as Euro Games or Euro-style, are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, indirect player interaction and abstract physical components...
for 2 to 4 players, set in the same Blue Moon world. It also shares artwork with the Blue Moon card games, but (apart from some fairly tenuous thematic links) this is where the links end.
During the 2007 edition of the Lucca Comics & Games Italian comics and games convention, Reiner Knizia himself confirmed that no new decks for Blue Moon are under development, as the publisher is no longer interested in publishing them. So, the game should be considered "complete" with its current set of decks.
External links
- Official Blue Moon page (Fantasy Flight Edition)
- Kosmos-supported Blue Moon Fans website (English language forum)
- "(Almost) official" English language FAQ list and Simple Tournament Rules
Illustrators
- John Matson - Vulca
- Franz VohwinkelFranz VohwinkelFranz Vohwinkel is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.-Works:Vohwinkel drew the cover art for the book Dataware for TSR's Alternity game, and illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game...
http://www.franz-vohwinkel.com - Hoax and Mutants (also dragon designer) - Todd Lockwood - Mimix
- Jim Nelson - Flit
- Scott M. Fischer - Khind
- Daren Bader - Terrah
- Michael Phillippi - Pillar
- Randy Gallegos - Hyla
- http://www.larsgrantwest.com Lars Grant-WestLars Grant-WestLars Grant-West is an American artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.- Early life and education :Lars Grant-West was born in Brooklyn. He attended New York City's School of Visual Arts. As of 1997, he lives in North Scituate, Rhode Island...
- Aqua - http://www.jeremyjarvis.com Jeremy JarvisJeremy Jarvis-Early life and education:Jeremy Jarvis grew up in a small town in Alabama, and moved to New York City right after high school just before his eighteenth birthday. There, he attended Pratt Institute as a Fine Arts major, graduating Summa Cum Laude...
- Interference Cards