City of Heroes Collectible Card Game
Encyclopedia
The City of Heroes Collectible Card Game is a trading card game based on the NCSoft
MMORPG
, City of Heroes
. The card game was designed by David Williams
, the designer responsible for other games such as Legend of the Five Rings
. The initial product release from Alderac Entertainment Group
was in January 2006. The City of Heroes CCG has been discontinued in February 2007 as it "did not reach critical mass" according to AEG CEO John Zinser.
es, testing themselves against other superheroes in the arena of Paragon City. Players take turns performing a single action, until only one hero remains standing; that player is the winner.
Players can take the following actions:
The core gameplay revolves around using powers to damage opponents, while simultaneously positioning oneself favorably (by adding or upgrading powers and activating defensive powers). Because powers must be recharged before they can be used again, it is possible to get into a state where a number of turns must be spent simply getting back into a position from which one can again attack.
Cards also feature small inspiration icons in the bottom corner. These icons represent a fixed minor effect which can be utilized by discarding the card, instead of playing it normally. Because the game has no draw phase, this mechanism must be used with care, to avoid exhausting one's hand.
s. These archetypes define the types of powers that a hero will have and hence how a deck will be constructed. The following types of heroes exist:
The first expansion set, Secret Origins, was released in August 2006. It introduces 22 new heroes, 10 new powersets, and a new winning condition. This set will be available both as booster pack
s and as battle packs containing the new heroes.
The game also allows one to make use of a "Build your own hero card" mechanism, provided by the official website. One fills out a form, picks appropriate powers and selections, and then uploads an image. The data is then processed into a PDF
file which can be printed out and used in official play (including in tournaments). Presumably this is not considered exploitable because all heroes created using this system are balanced appropriately.
NCsoft
NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:...
MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
, City of Heroes
City of Heroes
City of Heroes is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the superhero comic book genre, developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCsoft. The game was launched in North America on April 27, 2004 and in Europe on February 4, 2005 with English, German and French language...
. The card game was designed by David Williams
David Williams (card player)
David Anthony Williams is a professional poker player and popular Magic: The Gathering player.-Personal life:Williams was born in Arlington, Texas. He briefly attended Princeton University before switching to study economics at Southern Methodist University...
, the designer responsible for other games such as Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings (collectible card game)
The Legend of the Five Rings collectible card game is a collectible card game created by Alderac Entertainment Group, in 1995. L5R takes place in the fictional empire of Rokugan from the Legend of the Five Rings setting, where several clans and factions vie for domination over the empire.The card...
. The initial product release from Alderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group, or AEG, is a publisher of role-playing game and collectible card game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993 and is based in the city of Ontario, California...
was in January 2006. The City of Heroes CCG has been discontinued in February 2007 as it "did not reach critical mass" according to AEG CEO John Zinser.
Gameplay summary
Players take on the role of superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es, testing themselves against other superheroes in the arena of Paragon City. Players take turns performing a single action, until only one hero remains standing; that player is the winner.
Players can 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 revolves around using powers to damage opponents, while simultaneously positioning oneself favorably (by adding or upgrading powers and activating defensive powers). Because powers must be recharged before they can be used again, it is possible to get into a state where a number of turns must 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 can 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 feature small inspiration icons in the bottom corner. These icons represent a fixed minor effect which can be utilized by discarding the card, instead of playing it normally. Because the game has no draw phase, this mechanism must be used with care, to avoid exhausting one's hand.
Hero types
Heroes are split up into five different categories or archetypeArchetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s. These archetypes define the types of powers that a hero will have and hence how a deck will be constructed. The following types of heroes exist:
- 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 combatMêléeMelee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
, these heroes are used to getting in close and fighting hand-to-hand. - Tankers - The toughest of heroes, capable of withstanding incredible damage.
Products and availability
The City of Heroes: Arena base card set consists of 324 unique cards. Of these, 99 are only available as part of a battle pack, 75 are common, 75 are uncommon, and 75 are rare. The following products are available for purchase:| Product | Cards | Notes and other comments |
|---|---|---|
| Battle box | 145 | Includes 4 battle packs and 4 booster packs |
| Battle pack | 25 | Features a hero and his or her special powers |
| Booster pack | 11 | 7 commons, 3 uncommons, 1 rare |
The first expansion set, Secret Origins, was released in August 2006. It introduces 22 new heroes, 10 new powersets, and a new winning condition. This set will be available both as booster pack
Booster pack
In 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....
s and as battle packs containing the new heroes.
The game also allows one to make use of a "Build your own hero card" mechanism, provided by the official website. One fills out a form, picks appropriate powers and selections, and then uploads an image. The data is then processed into a PDF
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
file which can be printed out and used in official play (including in tournaments). Presumably this is not considered exploitable because all heroes created using this system are balanced appropriately.