The Conan Collectible Card Game is a 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...

 set in the fictional Hyborian Age

Hyborian Age

The Hyborian Age is a fictional period within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, in which the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian are set....

 of Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...

. The game was designed by Jason Robinette, and produced by Comic Images and released in 2006.

Game summary

Each player in the Conan Collectible Card Game takes on the role of Conan, attempting to earn renown throughout the land for his deeds and adventures. While each player has his or her own Conan, they are considered to be in parallel dimensions, so each exists only when it is the respective player's active turn. During this time, the opponent takes on the role of Conan's foes, attempting to defeat Conan. Victory is achieved either through earning 40 renown for one's own Conan, or through defeating the opponent's Conan.

This mechanism, where a player controls the hero forces during their turn, and the enemies during the opponent's turn, is also used in games such as The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game

The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game

The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game is a collectible card game produced by Decipher, Inc. Released November 2001, it is based on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and the J. R. R. Tolkien novel on which the films were based. Decipher also have the rights to The Hobbit novel...

.

Card types

• Conan - The legendary barbarian himself. Each player begins with a Conan, but the two never directly interact.
• Foes - Enemies of Conan controlled by the rival player. Foes form their own separate Foe Deck and Foe Discard Pile.
• Allies - Friends and others who would lend assistance to Conan. Allies often have a requirement which must be met before they can be played, but stay in play until defeated or until Conan rests.
• Regions - Portions of Cimmeria
  Cimmeria (Conan)
  Cimmeria is a fictional land of barbarians in antediluvian earth and the homeland of Conan the Barbarian in the works of Robert E. Howard.-Fictional history:...
  
  and other lands. Regions influence other cards in play, but only one region may be in play at a time for any given active Conan.
• Moves - Cards played during combat which provide bonuses or other abilities. In order to play moves, the prowess cost of the card must be paid.
• Items - Weapons and gear to assist Conan on his journeys. Most items have a minimum scar requirement which must be met before they can be played.
• Actions - Cards which can be played at various times (as indicated on the card) for their effects.

Turn sequence

Players alternate turns with each turn consisting of the following phases:

• Start of Turn where renown is checked to determine if the player has won. There are also other actions which may be resolved at the start of the turn.
• Prepare Step where any number of actions, allies, and items that have the prepare keyword can be played. A player is limited to one weapon item card, one shield item card, and one body item card at a time.
• Warrior Step where foes are deployed against Conan and he battles them. After the battle is resolved, Conan can choose to press on (by moving back to the prepare step) or to rest.
• Rest Step where, if Conan chooses to rest, Conan's prowess is reset, he may spend prowess to heal, and players replenish their hands.

Since players earn renown by defeating foes, it is in their best interest to do so as quickly as possible, without getting their Conan killed. Hence, the ability to press on represents a calculated risk, where one does not receive an opportunity for prowess or hand replenishment. Players also have the option of playing more conservatively with their own Conan, and hoping that they are able to kill the rival Conan during the opponent's turns.

Deck composition

Each player must provide two decks which meet the appropriate requirements. The Draw Deck must contain at least 40 non-foe cards. No more than 3 copies of any given card are allowed, with no more than 1 copy of any unique card. The Foe Deck must contain at least 25 foe cards. No more than 3 copies of any given foe card (or 1 copy of any unique card) are permitted. The total renown of the foes in the Foe Deck must total from 95 to 105 points.

External links

• Official Conan Collectible Card Game Website
• Conan Collectible Card Game Website (Comic Images) (taken down)
• Tempo Games Website (designer's site)