3D Battle-Card Game
The Transformers: 3D Battle Card Game is a "constructible card game" from Wizards of the Coast (who are, of course, owned by Hasbro). The game involves punching out pieces from little plastic trading cards and assembling them as either a Transformer or its vehicle mode and then battling another player with a similar punch out figure. Release Date: June 2, 2007
Game play
Game play is largely based on Rock Paper Scissors. Players choose one of 3 colored attacks secretly, then both players reveal their choices at the same time. If the opposing player's color matches the target color of the attack, damage is recorded and any special effects occur. Special effects include extra damage, transformation, and changing distance from an opponent. If both players pull the same colors twice, the player with a lower health scores a "critical" attack, which does extra damage and sometimes includes a powerful special effect.
Cards
WoC has announced that there will be 26 Characters in the premier set featuring characters from the upcoming live-action film and favorites from other Transformers series past.
Each pack will retail for $3.99 and include everything needed to play: two punch-out Tansformers figures (each made up of two "trading cards" worth of pieces), a character stat card for each of those figures, a token card, and rules.
Autobots
- Bumblebee
- Cliffjumper
- Evac
- Ironhide
- Jazz
- Jetfire
- Longarm
- Mirage
- Optimus Prime
- Protoform Bumblebee
- Ratchet
- Smokscreen
- Swerve
Decepticons
- Barricade
- Blackout
- Brawl
- Dreadwing
- Dropkick
- Megatron
- Payload
- Protoform Starscream
- Skorponok (sic)
- Starscream
- Thundercracker
- Wreckage
Energon Wars expansion
The first expansion to this game arrived in stores in October 2007. The set brings in characters based on those found in Generation 1, Beast Wars and Unicron Trilogy figures. According to the game's official site, Optimus Primal and Megatron are the faction leaders for the set. The set also relies heavily on redecos of the designs used in the original set, only adding the 'Ape', 'T-Rex', and 'Cat' designs to the mix.
Autobots
- Blurr (Armada)
- "Classic" Bumblebee
- Cheetor (Transmetal 2 form)
- Grimlock
- Hot Rod
- Inferno
- Optimus Primal
- Side Swipe (Armada?)
- Skids
- Trailbreaker
- Warpath
- Whirl
Decepticons
- Blackjack
- Blitzwing (who strongly resembles Quake)
- "Classic" Bonecrusher
- "Classic" Starscream
- Cruellock
- "Predacon" Megatron
- Quickstrike
- Ramjet
- Rampage
- Ravage
- Sky Lynx (apparently a new character)
- Skywarp
- Vortex (who strongly resembles Energon Stormcloud)
The art style for the Energon Wars expansion continues the trend found in the first series - characters either are redesigned to fit the movie "aesthetic" or are copied directly from their toy likeness; in particular, Ramjet is clearly based on his "Classics" figure, while Trailbreaker more closely resembles a recolored Dropkick.
Two new battle mechanics "Stun" and "Grapple" were also introduced. Both of these rules make a character more vulnerable to damage until he either transforms (for stun) or changes range (for grapple).
Trivia
- In many cases, even allowing for punch-card construction, the robot and vehicle designs differ significantly from all past versions of the characters. For example, Cliffjumper bears the head of Alternators Swerve.
External Links
