The ''City of Heroes Collectible Card Game'' is an out-of-print
trading card game
A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
based on the discontinued
NCSoft MMORPG
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game.
As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
,
City of Heroes
''City of Heroes'' (''CoH'') was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game which was developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSOFT. The game was launched in North America on April 28, 2004, and in Europe by NCsoft Europe on Febru ...
. The card game was designed by David Williams, the designer responsible for other games such as
Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings (often abbreviated ''L5R'') is a fictional setting created by John Zinser, Dave Seay, Ryan Dancey, Dave Williams, DJ Trindle, Matt Wilson and John Wick and first published by a joint venture between Alderac Entertai ...
. The initial product release from
Alderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group, or AEG, is a publisher of role-playing game, board game, and collectible card game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993 and is based in the city of Ontario, California. Prior to getting into their cur ...
was in January 2006. The City of Heroes CCG was discontinued in February 2007 as it "did not reach critical mass" according to AEG CEO
John Zinser.
CoH CCG RIP - Hero Vs. Villain (Dead Link)
/ref>
Gameplay summary
Players took on the role of superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
es, testing themselves against other superheroes in the arena of Paragon City. Players took turns performing a single action, until only one hero remained standing; that player was the winner.
Players could take the following actions:
* Power Up - Put a new Power, Enhancement, or Sidekick into play.
* Act - Use an action from an Edge card held in the hand, or from existing cards in play.
* Move - Move from close quarters combat to distance combat, or vice versa.
* Assemble - Call for help by searching the deck for a Sidekick, revealing that card to the opponent, and then putting it into the hand.
* Recharge - Gather strength by moving non-ready Powers one step closer to again being ready.
* Mission - Reveal a threat to the city by playing a Mission card.
* Rest - Draw two cards to replenish one's hand, while taking no further action.
The core gameplay revolved around using powers to damage opponents, while simultaneously positioning oneself favorably (by adding or upgrading powers and activating defensive powers). Because powers had to be recharged before they can be used again, it was possible to get into a state where a number of turns had to be spent simply getting back into a position from which one can again attack.
Card types
The cards in the ''City of Heroes Collectible Card Game'' could be broken up into the following types:
* Heroes - The actual superhero himself (or herself). These cards define starting powers as well as other attributes (e.g. travel method, such as flight).
* Powers - The super powers which set the hero apart from others. Powers can be used to attack opponents or protect oneself.
* Enhancements - Enhances existing powers, focusing them in some unique way (for example, causing them to do more damage).
* Edges - Gaining the edge or the upper hand, these cards allow a one-time effect to occur.
* Sidekicks - Junior superheroes, able to assist as needed. Sidekicks do not enter play with any powers, but can gain them during the course of the game.
* Missions - A threat or villain terrorizing Paragon City. Such cards have a negative impact on all superheroes until defeated, at which time they turn into rewards.
Cards also featured small ''inspiration'' icons in the bottom corner. These icons represented a fixed minor effect which could be utilized by discarding the card, instead of playing it normally. Because the game had no draw phase, this mechanism had to be used with care to avoid exhausting one's hand.
Hero types
Heroes were split up into five different categories or archetype
The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis.
An archetype can be any of the following:
# a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...
s. These archetypes defined the types of powers that a hero would have and hence how a deck would be constructed. The following types of heroes existed:
* Blasters - High-offense heroes adorned with long-range powers. Capable of inflicting great damage, they often lack defense.
* Controllers - Manipulative heroes with the ability to distract or confuse their opponents.
* Defenders - Adept at helping and boosting the powers of others, Defenders can also use their powers to assist themselves.
* Scrappers - Masters of mêlée combat, these heroes are used to getting in close and fighting hand-to-hand.
* Tankers - The toughest of heroes, capable of withstanding incredible damage.
The game also allowed one to make use of a "Build your own hero card" mechanism, provided by the official website. One filled out a form, picked appropriate powers and selections, and then uploaded an image. The data was then processed into a PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
file which could be printed out and used in official play (including in tournaments). This was not considered exploitable because all heroes created using this system were presumed to be balanced appropriately.
Products and availability
The ''City of Heroes: Arena'' base card set consisted of 324 unique cards. Of these, 99 were only available as part of a ''battle pack'', 75 were common, 75 were uncommon, and 75 were rare. The following products were available for purchase:
The first expansion set, Secret Origins, was released in August 2006. It introduced 22 new heroes, 10 new powersets, and a new winning condition. This set was available as booster pack
In collectible card games, digital collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection. A box of multiple booster packs is referred to as a b ...
s and as battle packs containing the new heroes.
References
External links
City of Heroes MMORPG Website
*
{{City of Heroes
Card games introduced in 2006
Collectible card games
Collectible Card Game
A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
Alderac Entertainment Group games