Can someone explain the MLP CCG card game to me?

[MarcelineA 126]

I have played Yu Gi Oh in the past and got really good at it which helps a bit but I watched quite a few tutorials on the MLP CCG and now I'm even more confused. I just got a Rainbow Dash/Rarity deck.

[ranul 132]

it would be help full to know what it is that confuses you about the game

[MarcelineA 126]

it would be help full to know what it is that confuses you about the game

That's the thing almost everything confuses me... I don't get the frighten thing, the exhausted thing, the trouble maker thing, or any attacks?, and the tokens, and the points, etc. and the main character thing

Edited April 30, 2014 by MarcelineA

[Quinnton117 13]

Your best bet might be to find a CCG meetup and have some other players show you everything they can. It's a very complicated game with a very poorly written instruction manual. I don't know about you but I'm more of a visual, hands-on learner.

[MarcelineA 126]

Your best bet might be to find a CCG meetup and have some other players show you everything they can. It's a very complicated game with a very poorly written instruction manual. I don't know about you but I'm more of a visual, hands-on learner.

I'm a visual person as well and grr I'm not that social either I only like playing with close friends... I guess I have to figure out which of my friends own this decks :/ and I really doubt there're CCG meetups here lol I know they have Magic The Gathering but that's it because they think that's the only cool card game (and by they I mean people in my town)

[rainbowdashbrony1 130]

If you don't like the mlp fim card game you could play Mlp Fim Monopoly anyway I've played many card role play games even Yugi-oh dungeon dice monsters, Poke'mon and Bakugan and last RAGE-Werewolf the Apocalypse attack survival werewolves card game made by WHITE WOLF company back in 1995 most card games are played like magic the gathering I think not so sure ?

[MarcelineA 126]

If you don't like the mlp fim card game you could play Mlp Fim Monopoly anyway I've played many card role play games even Yugi-oh dungeon dice monsters, Poke'mon and Bakugan and last RAGE-Werewolf the Apocalypse attack survival werewolves card game made by WHITE WOLF company back in 1995 most card games are played like magic the gathering I think not so sure ?

it's not that I don't like it I want to understand it and I do get they're all like MTG that's where all these games were based on I used to play Yu Gi Oh but I just don't get how the CCG for MLP works the instructions are too complicated

[rainbowdashbrony1 130]

Ok that's cool ! hope have fun with your game !

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

The MLP CCG plays much more like Call of Cthulhu or A Game of Thrones than it does like Yu-Gi-Oh! or MtG, so unless you're familiar with those it can be difficult figuring it out (*I'm* still figuring it out myself lol).

 

I don't know if this will help at all (and this seems an older topic anyhow), but:

 

Your Mane character card (you can only pick one to play with from your theme deck, if I'm not mistaken) goes into play immediately.  Mane characters are double-sided, and you'll start with the close-up of their face showing (the weaker version).  They can't leave play, can't be the target of certain (or perhaps any) card effects, and can be used towards "confronting" a problem (card).  The "home limit" lets you know how many friends you can have at your home at one time.  This isn't usually a big deal, since you can deploy friends directly to problems upon paying their respective costs.  When you satisfy the conditions of a Mane card it gets flipped over, thus becoming MUCH more useful.

 

When "frightened," a friend card gets flipped face down.  When in this state, they're pretty much good for nothing.  They can recover from this if you spend Action Tokens (should say how many on one of the non-playable cards included with the theme deck), but I *think* you can only do so during an early game phase (when you would also ready exhausted characters).

 

An "exhausted" friend can not help you / contribute its power when confronting a problem (and probably not when confronting a troublemaker, either).  I believe certain actions (performed by the friend card) will require that you exhaust them, and there may be other card effects that exhaust friends.  If you're familiar with MtG, you know the term "tapped," and it's kinda sorta like that.  I recommend simply rotating exhausted friends 90 degrees to indicate their status.  Exhausted characters are readied at the beginning of your next turn.

 

Accumulating points is a bit odd in this game.  If you've got three friends with a combined power of 6 at an opponent's problem whose requirement is 6 (of whatever color / icon type), then you can confront that problem.  If you're the first to confront that problem, you score its bonus points (indicated on the problem card).  Every turn that you successfully confront that problem (meet its requirements), you also receive 1 point.  The problem will be replaced only when both players can confront the same problem and a faceoff occurs.  I'm still figuring that stuff out, but faceoffs involve comparing the power on your side of a problem to that of your opponents.  No fighting occurs, and you'll never be "blocking" or picking an attack target.

 

All of this is from memory (and, admittedly, I don't completely understand it myself).  The rules could definitely use some refining.  But maybe it will help; if only just a smidge xD.

[Noodles 109]

OK I have a question do you "confront" the problem at the main phase or during the scoring phase. and if you do "confront during the scoring phase what is the point of giving your cards + power except to be able to bring other friends to play?

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

OK I have a question do you "confront" the problem at the main phase or during the scoring phase. and if you do "confront during the scoring phase what is the point of giving your cards + power except to be able to bring other friends to play?

You confront the problem(s) during the scoring phase.  And if there's a face-off triggered when both you and your opponent can confront the same problem(s), having additional power on your side might help to win said face-off.  Winning a face-off can give you a nice little points boost, as you will score a number of points equal to the bonus points listed on that problem.  A face-off will ultimately result in having to swap out the problem or problems.

 

I imagine that a bit of extra power might even help during a face-off against a Troublemaker, assuming it was already played on one of your cards / you have a card that can be played during "Any phase" (I'm not well-acquainted with card timing just yet).  Confronting a Troublemaker, if I'm not mistaken, can only occur during the Troublemaker phase.  It's a bit odd to me that the main phase follows the TM phase, but I *guess* I get why TM is its own phase / precedes scoring.  I mean, the way it reads, getting a TM out of the way that phase frees up the problem itself, which can then be confronted the same turn.  I think the phases are a bit clunky, but I'm fairly sure I'd get the hang of it after playing a few games.

[Noodles 109]

thank you for the response. getting use to the game myself.

the situation I was confused about was a card that gives colored power Only during the main phase. so it seems that additional power would not help confront the problem as in that's done in the scoring phase. but would help in getting other cards on the board.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

thank you for the response. getting use to the game myself.

the situation I was confused about was a card that gives colored power Only during the main phase. so it seems that additional power would not help confront the problem as in that's done in the scoring phase. but would help in getting other cards on the board.

OH, I see.  I guess that would be helpful; especially during earlier turns.  I played a mock game against myself lol, and it went sooo slowly at first.  Probably coulda used that card xD.

[Dashtastic57 40]

Glad to read about the readying cards each turn.  The first and only time I played the guy that taught me said you had to pay to ready a character.  His damn parasprite exhausted another character each turn so if I didn't have enough action tokens all my ponies at a problem became exhausted.  Gotta remember to tell him that...might not have beaten me if I'd have known that.

 

And if you don't me asking a question, Do you score a point each turn if you're meeting the requirements to a problem and you opponent hasn't met theirs?  Like I know you get 1 point then however many bonus points if you get it first.  But then say if it takes your opponent 2 more turns to confront the problem do you get a point each turn up until that?  That was how my new Brony friend showed me, but he was wrong about the exhaustion thing so maybe he was wrong about that too.  Must admit the rulebook kinda sucks.

 

There is a link on the Enterplay website that has the up to date offical rules and they're pretty extensive....30 pages on a pdf.  

 

http://www.enter-play.com/products/mlpccg.html   There are links to the basic rulebook (comes with the decks) and the comprehensive rulebook i mentioned.  Also there are links for updates to the rules and Canterlot Night updates too.   

[Noodles 109]

 

 

Glad to read about the readying cards each turn. The first and only time I played the guy that taught me said you had to pay to ready a character. His damn parasprite exhausted another character each turn so if I didn't have enough action tokens all my ponies at a problem became exhausted. Gotta remember to tell him that...might not have beaten me if I'd have known that. And if you don't me asking a question, Do you score a point each turn if you're meeting the requirements to a problem and you opponent hasn't met theirs? Like I know you get 1 point then however many bonus points if you get it first. But then say if it takes your opponent 2 more turns to confront the problem do you get a point each turn up until that? That was how my new Brony friend showed me, but he was wrong about the exhaustion thing so maybe he was wrong about that too. Must admit the rulebook kinda sucks.

in short yes you get a point every turn your confronting a problem.

[Archer Dash 163]

Hey Marceline?  You still there?
Pegamister pretty much covered it, but just in case you still don't understand I have a video prepped for you.

It's a bit long, but he does a good job.
  Edited May 26, 2014 by Archer Dash