The Wonderful World of CCG's: A community based approach
     Rivendell artwork by Jerry Vanderstelt     
   
   
Much like those that came before me, I was introduced to the world of TCG's (Trading Card Games) through Magic: The Gathering. Magic is designed in a way (in my opinion) to encapsulate you in it's own world. It does this in such a way that you see Magic as the only card game, since they offer so many different formats and ever increasing number of product releases.
   
I speak about Magic like a recovering addict, but I really did enjoy my time playing the game, for the most part. I started playing the game during the release of their Core Set 2020. I felt very under prepared during my time playing Modern at local events. I didn't possess the intimate knowledge that handling decades of cards gives you and that meant I lost pretty much every game for years. The deck building aspect of Magic was where I found my solace. The creativity and freedom it allowed was an amazing outlet.
  
In the same way that Spielberg ushered in the age of Blockbusters with 'Jaws', Richard Garfield ushered in the age of TCG's. Following Magic's boom in the early nineties, every major franchise saw it appropriate to profit off of the cultural zeitgeist by creating CCG's (Collectible Card Games) for every major franchise in existence. The term TCG came about afterward by marketers to avoid the stigma that was created after the initial frenzy that ensured.
   
 
A small example of franchises capitalizing on the CCG Frenzy of the nineties
   
    
As you would expect, none of these obvious cash grabs actually stuck around (Star Wars always being an exception to the rule). There are a few other exceptions however, which took the task of producing a collectible card game much more seriously and ended up producing genuinely fun and immersive games. These games are still played to this day, with loyal and dedicated groups all across the world hosting tournaments and providing in depth support to the games communities.
   
I happened to stumble upon a game which had died, revived, died again, revived again, died once more and then finally is still being officially supported to this day by a company called Black Chantry.
  
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle is a Richard Garfield game which has been in the hands of numerous publishers across a number of years. Despite having a long history and a library of cards spanning almost thirty years, the rules and mechanics haven't changed much at all.
   
   
Black Chantry Productions
  
   
This is a game I recently discovered for myself when scouring YouTube for something different. After playing countless hours of competitive Flesh and Blood TCG, I was ready for a breathe of fresh air. I was taken aback by the amount of online content that exists for a game that has been so 'on and off' since it's inception. Numerous blogs and websites such as this one are indicative of the dedication and love that the players feel for this game, especially the ones that have been around for decades. 
   
In the same way that Spielberg ushered in the age of Blockbusters with 'Jaws', Richard Garfield ushered in the age of TCG's.
  
The complex rules and seemingly high barrier to entry for this game is what drew me in initially. After hosting games for myself however, I can see that this complexity has created depth and a need for negotiation/interaction with your opponents, unlike some other modern card games.
  

 Our V:tES monthly meetup at Dragon's Lair St Marys 
  
   
Inevitably, this opened a can of worms for me as I began discovering the vast world of CCG's (Collectible Card Games) as they were called. A passion for these games has been fostering within me and it's hard to say exactly why that is. I believe, however, it's due to a number of things: The community based approach these games take when making decisions about their futures, the small yet dedicated communities these games tend to foster and of course the hand painted artwork on the cards, which in my opinion, is steps above any artwork you find on trading cards today.
   
   
   Middle Earth CCG and Vampire the Eternal Struggle CCG card examples
   
   
Recently I've been diving into the extremely complex rules and game play of MECCG (Middle Earth CCG). A game which has a two page, essay long turn sequence and game system which is so complex that not a single player can be sure if they are playing correctly. This is something I absolutely love; Complexity that drives creativity and immersion.
  
I believe that a lot of modern games now are over engineered to the point where they all start to blend together and become indistinguishable from each other: The winning formulas have been discovered.
  
That isn't to say there aren't great modern games coming out still, just look at Flesh and Blood TCG. This is a game I've written extensively about and always encourage people to give it a go. The TCG market as a whole has recently been in a bullish trend upward as more people seek safe investments and comfort in nostalgia.
   
I strongly encourage everyone to not just look at what's coming out now, but to also look at what has been out for decades already. It can be all too easy to stick to what you know and love, but you never know what you could be missing as a result.
   
   
   
   
   
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