Harry Potter Trading Card Game

Edition History

In August 2001, the first set was published, which did not have a special name, so it is customary to call it the Base Set. Four more issues were later published: in November 2001 - the Quidditch Cup Set, in March 2002 - the Diagon Alley Set, in June 2002 - the Adventures at Hogwarts Set, in October 2002 - Chamber of Secrets Set. In the Quidditch Cup issue, a fifth kind of knowledge (Quidditch) appeared, as well as match cards ^[6] , and in the issue of Diagon Alley - position cards ^[7] .

The game was very popular not only among children, but also among adults. Several game leagues have been formed ^[8] .

Card Value

According to the value and likelihood of getting into sales sets, all cards were divided into three groups: ordinary (common), unusual (uncommon) and rare (rare). The latter can also include metallized (foil) and holographic (holofoil).

At the end of 2009, the cost of cards ranged from 19 cents (for ordinary cards) to $ 30 (for some holographic cards) ^[9] .

Types of Publication

Cards for this game are available for sale in the following forms: starter decks, theme kits (theme decks) and mini-kits (booster packs).
Mini kits have been published for all issues. Each mini-set included six regular cards, two unusual cards, two lesson cards, and one rare card.
Starter kits have been published for three issues: Basic, Diagon Alley, and the Chamber of Secrets . Each starter kit included two pre-assembled decks of 40 cards each, two character cards, a playing field with simplified rules, a booklet with full rules, and chips for calculating damage.
Themed kits were a variation of the starter kits and were published for the release of The Chamber of Secrets . Each thematic set included one deck of 60 cards, a character card and a playing field. In total, two thematic sets were published: Percy Weasley Potions and Twin Trouble. Two additional theme sets by Hannah Abbott's Spellcaster and Dean Thomas' Restrike were released for the Toy Fair in 2001, but were never released later ^[10] .

Types of cards and their characteristics

A total of 475 types of cards were issued. All cards are divided into 8 types ^[11] .

Cards for the introduction of which the game does not require knowledge

• Lessons . Each lesson card provides a unit of knowledge of a certain type, however there are position cards that double the amount of knowledge from certain lesson cards. There are five types of knowledge (respectively, five types of lesson cards): care for magical creatures (Care of Magical Creatures), spells (Charms), potions (Potions), transfiguration (Transfiguration) and Quidditch (Quidditch). The number of lesson cards on the playing field for each player is not limited. To enter a lesson card into the game from the hand, one action is required, however, there are other cards whose action allows you to enter several lesson cards into the game in one action.
• Characters Each character has any skills and abilities that can be used in the game. These skills can occur every turn or once a game. Some character cards provide a unit of knowledge of a certain type, which is indicated on the field of the card. Two actions are required to introduce a character’s card from the hand into the game, however, there are other cards whose action allows you to enter the character’s card into the game in one action.
• Adventures In the description of each adventure card there are three sections: Effect, which the card, being on the playing field, makes each move on the opponent; Solution (To Solve) - actions that the opponent must once perform in order to get rid of the adventure card; Compensation (Reward), which the opponent receives once if he gets rid of the adventure card. Each player can have on his playing field only one adventure card for his opponent. Two actions are required to introduce an adventure card from a hand into a game, however, there are other cards whose action allows you to enter an adventure card into a game in one action.

Cards for the introduction of which the game requires knowledge on hand (in this case, cards must already be present on the playing field, provided that the total knowledge corresponds to the cards that are currently being entered, and at least one type must be present among these knowledge, the type of which corresponds to the necessary for the card currently being entered):

• Spells, when introduced into the game, require the execution of the instructions that are laid out on them, and then carried into the demolition deck. The effect of spell cards usually extends to the current turn or the opponent’s next move. To enter the game from the hand usually requires one action.
• Creatures Each creature has a Health level that reflects the amount of damage it takes to remove a creature card from the opponent’s playing field. Most creature cards, while on the playing field, can inflict damage to an opponent each turn; this ability is reflected in the “Damage each turn” parameter, indicated on the map field. However, there are creature cards that do no damage, but have other special abilities. To enter the game from the hand usually requires one action.
• Items (Items) while on the playing field have a certain effect on other cards; Some item cards provide several units of knowledge of a certain type, which is indicated on the field of the card. Item cards can increase their level, for which they need to be replaced with an item card of a higher level. To enter the game from the hand usually requires one action.
• Matches There are two sections in the description of each match card: To Win conditions - actions that one of the opponents must take in order to win the match; The prize (Prize) that the opponent who won the match receives once. Unlike an adventure card, a match map does not require the execution of actions leading to a win at a time. Only one match card may be present in the game at the same time, so any of the opponents (and not just the player who introduced the card into the game) can win the match and get a reward. To enter the game from the hand usually requires one action.
• Positions (Locations) while on the playing field have a certain effect on other cards. Unlike item cards, position cards have an effect on both opponents. Only one position map may be present in a game at a time. To enter the game from the hand usually requires one action. If, at the time of entering the game, one of the playing fields already has a position map, it must be deleted in the appropriate demolition deck.

Map Information

Cards are issued in two versions: vertical (spell cards) and horizontal (all others). Each card contains a name on the banner in the upper middle, a picture, instructions for the game and a phrase from the book that describes the map. Information on the publication is indicated in the lower right corner of the card: artist’s name, list number for this issue and the total number of cards in the issue; a sign of value (for ordinary - a circle, for unusual - a rhombic crystal, for rare - a five-pointed star) and a symbol reflecting the issue (this symbol is not on the cards of the basic issue).

In the upper left corner (for vertical cards) or in the upper right corner (for horizontal cards) the symbol of knowledge and the total amount of knowledge that are necessary to enter this card into the game (not shown on the cards of lessons, characters and adventures) are indicated.

Keywords

Some cards are thematically assigned to certain groups; membership in such a group is indicated by the keyword above the instructions for this card. For example, there are Healing cards that help restore other cards from the demolition deck to the hand, to the playing field, or to the playing deck; maps thematically related to faculties of the Hogwarts School; cards of various types of creatures (owls, plants, dragons), etc. The action of many cards is aimed only at cards with a specific keyword (for example, the Eeylops Owl Emporium position map, being on the playing field, can enhance the health of creature cards referred to to her band “Owls”).

Some cards have the keyword “Unique”. It shows that at the same time on the playing fields of both players two identical cards with the same keyword cannot be present (for example, all character cards are unique, therefore, both players cannot have the same character at the same time) ^[12] .

The game is designed for two players. Players take turns making moves. The main goal of each move is to inflict the maximum amount of damage to the enemy and minimize the amount of damage inflicted by the enemy. When causing damage, the opponent must remove from his playing deck or from his playing field a certain number of cards in his demolition deck. The loser is the one who has the first to end the game deck ^[13] .

Before the start of the game, each player selects a map of the initial character for which he will play. The starting character card must have the keyword “Witch” or “Wizard”. The starting character cannot be removed from the playing field in the demolition deck or in the hand. It is allowed for both players to have a card of the same initial character.
Then each player collects a game deck of 60 cards (the initial character is not included in this number). It is forbidden to include more than four identical cards in the game deck (with the exception of lesson cards, the same lesson cards may be present in the game deck in any quantity).
It is determined who will walk first. For each player, the initial character card is laid out on the playing field. Then each game deck is shuffled and laid out next to the card of the corresponding initial character. Each player draws seven cards from his playing deck into his hand. Then, in turn, a move is made, including the following steps:

• Prior to the start of the turn, the active player follows the instructions indicated by certain cards.
• The active player draws a card from his playing deck into his hand.
• If the active player has creature cards on the playing field that can cause damage to the opponent, then damage is done.
• An active player performs no more than two actions (however, there are cards that increase the number of actions in one turn). These actions can be spent to put any cards from your hand into the game or to take one card for each action from your playing deck.
• At the end of the turn, the active player follows the instructions indicated by certain cards.

At any time after the end of the second stage (take a card from the game deck), the active player can complete the quest for an adventure card (if it is against him on the opponent’s playing field) and use the abilities of the character cards available on his playing field. Cards to be removed from the game are stacked in demolition decks on the playing field of each player. At any (!) Time, the player can view the demolition deck of his opponent.

Network Play

Since the cessation of the development of new cards, the number of people interested in the game has decreased. For those who want to play, but do not have partners, it is possible to use the LackeyCCG program, which allows you to find partners on the Internet and play with them online. As an alternative, an addition to the Apprentice program was proposed on Pojo.com ^[14] .

• Harry Potter Trading Card Game product page
• Pojo's Harry Potter Site (includes complete card lists )
• Wizards of the Coast Harry Potter Site from web.archive.org
• Official site of the company Sargona Ltd