The Robotech Collectible Card Game (CCG) 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...

 produced by Hero Factory that is set against the science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 backdrop of Robotech

Robotech

Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...

. Cards are based on characters and mecha

Mecha

A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...

 from this popular anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

. After a limited public beta testing period, the game debuted at Anime Expo

Anime Expo

Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...

 in 2006.

Gameplay

In the Robotech CCG, players battle against each other in a race to accumulate battle points. The first player who accumulates 25 battle points, either through directly attacking an opponent's base zone, or through destruction of enemy units, wins the game.

The basic game mechanics are similar to older games such as 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...

, although with several differences. For example, attacks may be declared not only directly against an opponent (in this case, the base zone), but also against an opponent's units. This leads to concepts such as intercept defense, where fast units can intercept attacks made against individual units. Another gameplay element is that of transforming, where certain cards can change their configuration during play (much as the mecha do in the anime).

Card types and decks

There are three basic card types in the Robotech CCG:

• Character cards represent the people and heroic individuals of the Robotech universe.
• Mecha cards depict fighting machines of various types, including Veritech fighters.
• Action cards represent events or actions occurring during battles, such as a unit making an evasive maneuver.
• Vessel cards were introduced in the Azonia expansion deck.
• Location cards were introduced in the Robotech Masters expansion deck.

Each player's deck must contain at least 50 cards, and may not contain more than three of any one card which does not have the keyword "Basic" (which represent non-unique assets available in any quantity). The following expansion decks have been released:

• Azonia deck
• Blue Squadron (Max Sterling) deck
• Breetai deck
• SDF-1 deck
• Robotech Masters deck
• The New Generation deck

A "Beta" deck was also publicly released and can be distinguished by its square corners, which are not rounded like the standard issue cards.

External links

• Robotech Collectible Card Game Official Webpage