Wyvern (card game)
Encyclopedia
Wyvern is a two-player collectible card game
featuring dragon
s and wyvern
s battling for treasure. The game was produced by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
, with the original product launch in January 1994.
Players begin with 6 face-down dragon and terrain cards on the battle
field, as well as 25 gold painted pieces. The game ends when one player no longer has any deployed dragon or terrain cards; this player is the loser. At the end of the game, a scoring system is used which rewards players for resourceful use of their assets (25 points + 1 [point for each gold piece remaining). The loser scores his remaining gold pieces divided by 2, rounded down. Multiple games are typically played to form a match, which ends when one player reaches a certain score. The objective is thus to defeat the opponent's army while expending as few of one's own resources as possible.
Each turn, players can perform limited card movement, play actions, and initiate a single battle. As play progresses, dragon and terrain cards which were turned face down are turned face up and the cost to do so is paid. Conceptually, one wants to defeat the opponent's cards using the appropriate counter-measures. Dragons defeat weaker dragons, but are vulnerable to terrain effects. Very weak dragons called scouts are designed to defeat terrain, but guessing where an opponent has a terrain card (when face-down) can be difficult. Dragons can be augmented with treasure for an additional cost, but running out of gold is a constant peril.
A non-tournament variant exists where players share a single set of two decks (presumably from a single player's collection). In this game mode, the "Dragon Lair Draw Pile" is recommended to contain at least 30 cards, while the "Treasure Horde Draw Pile" should contain at least 70 cards. Players share a single discard pile as well, so cards which allow one to retrieve cards from the discard pile can be used to obtain cards played by either player.
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...
featuring dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s and wyvern
Wyvern
A wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
s battling for treasure. The game was produced by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
U.S. Games Systems, Inc. was founded by Stuart R. Kaplan in 1968. This U.S. company publishes a variety of books, tarot cards, oracle card decks, and playing cards. Some of their best known products include the Rider-Waite Tarot, the multi-volume Encyclopedia of Tarot, Wyvern Collectable Card Game,...
, with the original product launch in January 1994.
Game overview
Wyvern is played with two decks per player (with each player supplying his or her own two decks). One of the decks, the Dragon Lair Draw Pile, is made up of dragon and terrain cards. The other deck, the Treasure Horde Draw Pile, is made up of action and treasure cards.Players begin with 6 face-down dragon and terrain cards on the battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
field, as well as 25 gold painted pieces. The game ends when one player no longer has any deployed dragon or terrain cards; this player is the loser. At the end of the game, a scoring system is used which rewards players for resourceful use of their assets (25 points + 1 [point for each gold piece remaining). The loser scores his remaining gold pieces divided by 2, rounded down. Multiple games are typically played to form a match, which ends when one player reaches a certain score. The objective is thus to defeat the opponent's army while expending as few of one's own resources as possible.
Each turn, players can perform limited card movement, play actions, and initiate a single battle. As play progresses, dragon and terrain cards which were turned face down are turned face up and the cost to do so is paid. Conceptually, one wants to defeat the opponent's cards using the appropriate counter-measures. Dragons defeat weaker dragons, but are vulnerable to terrain effects. Very weak dragons called scouts are designed to defeat terrain, but guessing where an opponent has a terrain card (when face-down) can be difficult. Dragons can be augmented with treasure for an additional cost, but running out of gold is a constant peril.
Card types
- Dragon cards (Red Border) - Mythical dragons which form the bulk of each player's forces. Dragons typically have a gold piece cost associated with turning them face up (which must be done in order to make use of them).
- Terrain cards (Green Border) - Treacherous terrain, able to defeat or negatively impact certain dragons. If the terrain card negatively influences a dragon attacking it, the terrain card earns the owner gold pieces.
- Action cards (Purple Border) - Cards which can be used once to take some action, or in reaction to something happening. These cards also include dragon slayers, able to defeat certain face-up dragons.
- Treasure cards (Yellow Border) - Valuable treasure items and artifacts, often conveying some bonus to the dragon guarding them. Treasure cards are played face up behind dragons and terrain, and usually have a gold piece cost.
Card sets
The initial card set for Wyvern was the "Premiere Limited" card set, launched in January 1995 and featuring 136 cards. The "Limited" edition, released in March 1995, expanded this number to 239 cards. The two expansion sets were dubbed "Phoenix" and "Chameleon", and consisted of 90 new cards each. In 1997, the "Kingdom Unlimited" edition was released, featuring 277 cards from the "Limited" edition and the "Phoenix" edition (in some cases with wording or cost changes/corrections).Deck construction
The rulebook indicates that each player's "Dragon Lair Draw Pile" must contain at least 15 cards, while the "Official Tournament Rules" require 20 cards, with no more than 1 of any given dragon. Similarly, the "Treasure Horde Draw Pile" must contain at least 35 cards per the rulebook, or 50 cards (with no more than 4 of any one card) per the tournament rules.A non-tournament variant exists where players share a single set of two decks (presumably from a single player's collection). In this game mode, the "Dragon Lair Draw Pile" is recommended to contain at least 30 cards, while the "Treasure Horde Draw Pile" should contain at least 70 cards. Players share a single discard pile as well, so cards which allow one to retrieve cards from the discard pile can be used to obtain cards played by either player.