okemon are little monsters--150 in all--that can be captured, trained and set to fight one another. Called "Pocket Monsters" in Japan, Pokemon first appeared as a simple Game Boy game and has since grown into a national obsession. Now the Pokemon trading card game, which lets players train and battle Pokemon without batteries, has been brought to the west by Wizards of the Coast.
In the game, each player has a single Active Pokemon that stands (or squats, or flutters) ready to fight their opponent's Pokemon. Each Pokemon knows one or more attacks, but to make an attack, Energy cards must be attached to the Pokemon (kind of like paper batteries). Generally, the more Energy cards an attack calls for, the more damage the attack does. The Pokemon have different classifications such as Fire, Water, Grass and Lightning. Certain classifications are vulnerable to other's attacks. Water Pokemon, for example, take extra damage from Grass monsters.
Gameplay is quite simple. Each turn players can put as many Pokemon into play as they wish. They can play Trainer cards that have one-time effects, but they can only attach one Energy card to a Pokemon per turn. If a Pokemon has the right Energy cards to attack, it can attack once per turn. Damage is indicated with counters, and when a Pokemon accumulates damage equal to its Hit Points, it's "Knocked Out" and removed from the game. When using the starter set, the first player to Knock Out three opposing Pokemon is the winner. This number goes up to six in the standard game.
One of the neatest things about the Pokemon is that they can evolve. A Raichu card, for example, can be played on top of a Pikachu. Raichu is tougher than Pikachu and knows stronger attacks, but he can't be used unless there's a Pikachu already in play to evolve him from.
Choose your monsters wisely...
Although it's easy to learn, Pokemon is a game of complex strategy. This is mainly because up to three Pokemon can be waiting on the sidelines (the Bench) ready to be swapped with the Active, fighting Pokemon. So the key to success is juggling Pokemon for maximum effectiveness based on how much damage they've taken, how strong their attacks are and what the opposing Pokemon's abilities and weaknesses are. Typically players are faced with deciding whether to build up all their Pokemon evenly, or pump one up fast in hopes of delivering a devastating first strike, knowing that if that key Pokemon is taken down, the whole Bench may fall apart.
The luck of the draw plays a strong role in this game. Cards are played rapidly, Pokemon rise and fall, and a bad run of draws can leave Pokemon to languish unprotected, facing a certain K.O. The game also seems to suffer from the avalanche effect: players who get a good lead are hard to overcome. More capable players, though, probably won't experience this as much.
Pokemon absolutely shines in its excellent card design, which devotes lots of space to cheerful art, with all numbers, symbols and extra rules presented simply and clearly. As mentioned, it's very easy to learn, and appropriate for kids as young as eight, but older folks can enjoy it too. Wizards of the Coast deserves extra praise for making starter sets that include two decks, so people can play it right out of the box.
Pokemon is simple but fun, good for a quick lunchtime match or to introduce young people to the magic of trading card games.
