The Card Game Guide
From Free Realms Wiki
Contents |
Introduction
Free RealmsTM Trading Card Game is based on the Free Realms™ MMO (massively multiplayer online) game and can be played in two different ways: • A physical, tabletop version with cards and a playmat. • An online version played from within the MMO. The rules for both versions are the same. This rulebook is divided into three major sections: • Online Game shows how to use the computer game client. • Standard Rules explains the rules for playing the game.
Trading
To trade, one player specifies the exact trade that he is looking for (both what he wants and what he is offering in exchange) and leaves it in the Trade Lobby like a post on a message board, waiting for another player to reply and accept the trade. When you enter the Trade Lobby, available trade listings are shown. Each listing contains the following information: • Username – The name of the player that posted the trade. • Offered – A list of the items offered by that player. • Wants – A list of the items wanted by that player. Search, sort and edit this list of trades with the buttons on the panel at the right. You can restrict your view to: • Trades I Can Do • Trades from Friends • Trades with Virtual Rewards • Trades without Virtual Rewards • Trades I created Click Reset to show all trades once again.
Battle Sequence
Each player gets one star for each card in his inventory. 1. Playing Tricks The attacker can play a trick by spending stars or he can pass. The defender can play a trick by spending stars or he can pass. Keep playing tricks until both players pass in a row. 2. Attacker Flips The attacker flips a card from the top of his deck. If the flipped card has gems that match the attacking creature’s power-up, then that power-up happens. Add the number of gems on the flipped card to attack. 3. Defender Flips The defender flips a card from the top of his deck. If the flipped card has gems that match the defending creature’s power-up, then that power-up happens. Add the number of gems on the flipped card to defense. 4. Winner and Loser The player with the highest attack or defense wins the battle! The loser’s creature is destroyed (put in his discard pile). If it’s a tie, both creatures are destroyed! If the attacker won the battle, his creature scores a card. Discard all the tricks played and flipped cards.
If you see an offer you’d like, and you have what is specified in the Want column, double click
Deck Builder
You can start playing the Free Realms Trading Card Game right away using any starter deck. Most players, however, like to personalize their own decks. You may build a deck using any of the cards in your collection. Constructing Your Deck Using your online collection, you can create decks for casual games and tournaments.
If you’re new to trading card games, click Deck Builder Helper and you’ll go through a few simple steps that makes a playable deck from your card collection.
The Collection Window on the right shows all the cards in your collection. The Deck Window on the left shows the cards in the deck you’re working on. You can move your mouse over the vertical divider between these two windows and drag it left and right to resize both windows. You can add cards to your deck in two ways: • Double-click a card to add one copy. • Right-click a card and select the number of copies you’d like to add to or remove from the deck. At the top left are three buttons to manage your decks: • New Deck clears the deck you’re working on. • Open Deck opens a deck you’ve already saved.
You can type your Deck Name and choose an Image to appear beside this deck in your list. The Spheres used in your deck are also displayed, along with a green check or red X to show Validation for your deck.At the right are your Search and Filter tools. Type a word on the Search line and your Collection Window will show only cards that have that word in their names, traits, or text. Click a Sphere icon (Chaos, Nature, Machine, or Order) to show cards belonging to that sphere (there’s an icon to show Hero creatures as well). Click a Type icon to show Creatures, Resources, or Tricks. Filter for Cost by clicking the arrows next to Low and High. You can search for cards that cost between 2 and 4, for example. Filter for Attack/Defense in the same way. Filter for Rarity by clicking Common, Uncommon, Rare, Exclusive, Promo, or Starter. Show your Foil Cards or your Non-Foil Cards. Click Reset to remove all searches and filters. Just below the Deck Window on the right is a number that shows your average number of gems flipped for the current deck. Since gem flips add to your battle totals, you’ll want this to be as high as you can get and still have playable cards in your deck. On the left is the Count of cards in the current deck and a button to check Validation for that deck. If you see a green check on this button, your deck validates and you’re ready to go. If you see a red X there instead, click the button to see an explanation of why your deck doesn’t validate.
Collector Information
On the bottom of every Free Realms Trading Card Game card, you’ll find information to help you identify it. You’ll see a number-letter-number combination like “1 U 132.” The first number tells you which series the card comes from (from the example, the 1 means Series 1).
The letter tells you the rarity of the card:
- C is Common
- U is Uncommon
- R is Rare
- E is Exclusive
- P is Promo
- S is Starter
The numbers after the letter are the card number (from the example, it is card number 132 in the set).
Rules
For a tutorial on how to play the Free Realms Trading Card Game, go online to www.FreeRealms.com! Introduction Your deck has creatures from Free Realms that hunt and attack to score cards. Play resources to earn more creatures and use tricks to win battles. Goal The first player to score 12 cards wins the game! Setup You and your opponent each need a deck that has at least 40 cards to play the game. You can use the playmat from your starter set, but it’s not required. Shuffle your deck and draw six cards for your hand. Flip a coin to see who goes first. The first player can shuffle his deck and redraw. (If this player doesn’t like his opening hand he can shuffle those cards back into his deck and redraw six cards.) The second player can shuffle and redraw.
Turn Sequence
Ready Phase Draw two cards. (On the first turn, the first player skips this step.) Ready your zapped cards by turning them back right-side up. (You have no zapped cards on your first turn.) Set Phase Play a resource to your inventory (or play any other card face-down instead.) Get one coin for each card in your inventory. Play creatures and use actions by spending coins. (You can play a new creature to a column where you already have a creature. Chase the old creature by putting it in your discard pile.) Finish your Set Phase and lose all your unspent coins. Go Phase Each of your creatures can zap to hunt or attack. Zap your creature by turning it sideways to show that it’s not ready. When your creature has no foe (an opponent’s creature in the same column), it can hunt to score a card. When it scores a card, put the top card of your deck face-down in the score pile behind the creature. When your creature has a foe, it can attack that foe. See Battle Sequence. Finish your Go Phase. Your turn is over and your opponent begins his turn.
Battle Sequence
Each player gets one star for each card in his inventory. 1. Playing Tricks The attacker can play a trick by spending stars or he can pass. The defender can play a trick by spending stars or he can pass. Keep playing tricks until both players pass in a row. 2. Attacker Flips The attacker flips a card from the top of his deck. If the flipped card has gems that match the attacking creature’s power-up, then that power-up happens. Add the number of gems on the flipped card to attack. 3. Defender Flips The defender flips a card from the top of his deck. If the flipped card has gems that match the defending creature’s power-up, then that power-up happens. Add the number of gems on the flipped card to defense. 4. Winner and Loser The player with the highest attack or defense wins the battle! The loser’s creature is destroyed (put in his discard pile). If it’s a tie, both creatures are destroyed! If the attacker won the battle, his creature scores a card. Discard all the tricks played and flipped cards.
Glossary of Terms
Action
Game text that has an arrow is an action. The text before the arrow is the cost, and the text after the arrow is the effect. You must pay all the costs to get the effect.
Ally
Your creature’s allies are all your other creatures in play.
Attack
This attribute on your creature is used when it’s battling and you are attacking.
Battle
During your Go Phase, your creature can zap to attack its foe and begin a battle. (See Battle Sequence.)
Chase
You can play a creature to a column where you already have a creature. The old creature is chased by the new one. When you chase a creature, place that creature in your discard pile. A chased creature is not destroyed.
Coin
When your Set Phase begins, each resource card in your inventory creates one coin for you to spend on creatures and coin actions. At the end of your Set Phase, you lose all unspent coins.
Coin Action
During your Set Phase, you can spend coins to use actions on your cards in play that have a coin cost in their game text.
Collect
Collect text begins with the word “Collect” followed by a number (such as “Collect: 3”). Your creature gets its collect game text while there are as many cards in its score pile as that number. For example, a creature that has “Collect 3” game text only gets that game text while there are three or more cards in its score pile. Column
Three columns on the playmat define where creatures and scored cards are played. Each column has one space for each player to play one creature. The score pile goes on the player’s end of that creature’s column.
Cost
Creatures and coin actions have numbers that show you how many coins you must spend to play or use them. Tricks and star actions have numbers that show you how many stars you must spend to play or use them. Actions can have other costs, such as discarding or zapping a card, in addition to a coin or star cost.
Creature
Creature cards are shuffled into your deck and played from your hand to one of the three columns on the playmat. Usually, you play a creature during your Set Phase. A Hero is a special kind of creature. A creature has a name, traits, coin cost, attack, defense, game text, and gems.
Deck
Shuffle your deck before the game begins and place it face down on the playmat. Neither player can examine the cards in a deck. Mouse over either deck icon on the playmat to see how many cards are in that deck. If at any time your deck runs out, reshuffle your discard pile to make a new deck and continue. If you have no cards in your discard pile when this happens, you can’t draw, flip, or score a card. This happens very rarely, and playing tricks puts cards in your discard pile to make a new deck again.
Deck Building
You must have at least 40 cards in your deck (there is no maximum). You can’t have more than three copies of each card by the same name in your deck. The easiest way to make a deck is to choose a sphere. Then choose cards that match the sphere. You’ll want to have more lower-cost creatures in your deck than expensive ones. You’ll also want to include some Heroes, since they are among the most powerful cards in the game. Your starter deck is a good example of how to build a deck.
Defense
This attribute on your creature is used when it’s battling and you are defending.
Destroy
Place your card in your discard pile from play. You can’t destroy a card in your hand.
Discard
Place your card in your discard pile from your hand. You can’t discard a card in play.
Discard Pile
When your cards are flipped, discarded or destroyed, they are put in your discard pile. Cards in your discard pile are face up and both players can look at them.Mouse over either discard pile icon on the playmat to see how many cards are in that pile. Right-click that icon to examine the cards in that pile.
Draw
Take a card from the top of your deck and put it in your hand.
End This Battle
When an effect ends a battle, there is no winner or loser and no cards are scored.
Face Down
When a player uses an action on a resource, often that card is turned face down. Face down cards in your inventory don’t count as resources.
Flip
Reveal the top card of your deck face up to look at its gems. When you’re done with a flipped card, place it in your discard pile.
Foe
Your creature’s foe is an opponent’s creature in the same column.
Game Text
Nearly every card has game text that tells you what it can do in the game. Game text includes coin actions, star actions, and power-ups.
Gems
Nearly every card has one to four gems along its bottom edge. The gems on a card are used when you flip that card in battle. Your Go Phase is the last phase of your turn. That’s when your creatures hunt and attack. When a battle begins, cards in your inventory create stars for you to spend on playing tricks and using star actions.
Hand
Cards in your hand can’t be examined by other players. There is no limit to the number of cards you can have in your hand.Mouse over either hand icon on the playmat to see how many cards are in that hand.
Hero
You can’t play another Hero that has the same name as one you already have in play. Heroes are creatures, but they don’t have spheres. For example, you have a Hero creature named Nirvi in play. You can’t play another copy of Nirvi.
Hunt
During your Go Phase, your creature can zap to score a card if it has no foe, or if its foe is stunned.
Inventory
When you play a resource, it goes to your inventory. You can play any card from your hand face-down to your inventory instead of playing a face-up resource. All the cards in your inventory (face up resources and face down cards) are counted to create coins in your Set Phase and create stars during battles in your Go Phase.
In Play
A card that is on the playmat is in play. Cards in any hand, deck, or discard pile are not in play.
Look At
When an effect tells you to look at a card, only you can see that card. It’s not shown to the other player.
Lore
Text found in italics at the bottom of a card’s game text box is lore text. Lore provides fun facts about the world of Free Realms and it has no effect on game play.Many cards in the Online Game have a lore button that you can click to read their lore texts.
Lose
Your creature loses a battle when it’s attacking if its attack is less than its foe’s defense. Your creature loses a battle when it’s defending if its defense is less than its foe’s attack. When your foe wins a battle as an attacker, it scores a card. When a creature loses a battle, that creature is destroyed. When one creature is removed from the battle before the battle ends, the creature that remains is the winner.
Move
When a card effect allows your creature to move, you can only move it to one of your empty spaces. If you have more than one empty space, you can choose where it moves.
Name
Every card has a name at the top. You can’t play a Hero card that has the same name as a Hero card you have in play.
Play
Take a card from your hand and place it in play on the playmat.
Playmat
The starter sets come with a playmat that is used when learning the game. It shows three columns for creatures and score piles. Also provided are inventory, deck, and discard pile areas for each player. The online version of the game shows the same areas.
Power-Up
Game text that only happens when you flip a card in battle and match the gems of that game text.
Ready
Turn your zapped or stunned card back right-side up.
Ready Phase
Your Ready Phase is the first phase of your turn. That’s when you draw two cards and ready your zapped cards. After you ready your zapped cards, zap your stunned cards.
Resource
Resource cards are shuffled into your deck and played to your inventory during your Set Phase. Like any other cards in your inventory, resources create coins to spend on creatures and stars to spend on tricks. A resource has a name, traits, game text, and gems. Resources can be zapped or turned face down for other effects as described in their game texts. When a resource is turned face down, it is no longer a resource, and it’s just like any other face down card in your inventory.
Reveal
When an effect tells you to reveal a card, that card is shown face up to both players.
Set Phase
Your Set Phase is the second phase of your turn. That’s when you play one card to your inventory and then cards in your inventory create coins for you to spend on playing creatures and using coin actions.
Score a Card
Put the top card of your deck in a score pile face down without looking at it. Creatures score cards by battling and hunting. Cards can also be scored by power-ups or other game text.
Score Pile
Cards that your creature scores are placed in a pile right behind that creature. Players can’t look at cards in score piles.
Space
Each of the three columns on the playmat has a space on your side in which you can play one creature.
Sphere
Every card (except a Hero creature) has a sphere. There are four spheres: Chaos, Machine, Nature, and Order.
Star
When a battle begins, each resource card in your inventory creates one star for you to spend on tricks and star actions. At the end of that battle, you lose all unspent stars.
Star Action
During a battle, you can spend stars to use actions on your cards in play that have a star cost in their game text. You can use a star action on your creature that’s not in the battle.
Stun
Physical Game – Turn your card 180 degrees (upside down). Online Game – Your card is dimmed and marked with stars.
A stunned creature can’t attack or hunt, it can’t be attacked, and foes can hunt past it without battling.
Tie
When the attacking creature’s attack and the defending creature’s defense are equal at the end of a battle, that battle is tied. There is no winner and no loser and both creatures are destroyed.
Traits
Creatures and resources have traits. These are labels that can be referred to by another card. For example, a card gives all your Chugawugs +1 defense. That means it gives +1 defense to all your creatures that have the trait of “Chugawug.”
Trick
Trick cards are shuffled into your deck and played from your hand. Play a trick when your creature is battling. A trick has a name, star cost, game text, and gems.
Win
Your creature wins a battle when it’s attacking if its attack is greater than its foe’s defense. When your creature wins a battle as an attacker, it scores a card. Your creature wins a battle when it’s defending if its defense is greater than its foe’s attack. When one creature is removed from the battle before the battle ends, the creature that remains is the winner.
Zap
Physical Game – Turn your card sideways to show that it’s not ready. Online Game – Your card is dimmed and marked with a lightning bolt.
Only a ready card can be zapped. Exception: In your Ready Phase, after you ready your zapped cards, you must zap your stunned cards.
