Abstract:
Trading card game and methods of play. A trading card game consisting of reserve of trading cards or a deck. Each card consists of an identical back surface and a face surface with different content thereon. The deck is comprised of four different types of trading cards: character ( 1 ), event ( 13 ) item ( 18 ), and relic ( 24 ) cards. Each type of trading card has a different unique playing ability. The goal of the game is to reduce the life points of your opponent to zero. In this game of strategy and chance, the players will construct a playing deck from a reserve of trading cards and will compete with other players using their reserve of cards or deck. The trading card game utilizes multi-purpose character cards ( 1 ) to bring into play the different cards needed to play the game and allow the player to reduce his/her opponent&#39;s life points to zero. The reserve of trading cards or deck that the player utilizes must conform to the unique rules of the game so as to ensure fair and balanced play between competitors of different levels and experience.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
       [0003]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights rights whatsoever. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates generally to games that combine chance and strategy, and, more particularly, to such a game wherein collectable trading cards are used. Two objectives were envisioned in the creation of this trading card game. The first objective was to create a trading card game with firm rules/restrictions wherein competitors of all different levels can play the trading card game on a balanced and level playing field. This type of trading card game ensures that players do not rely on a heavily themed deck to create an unfair advantage to a lesser experienced player and make the trading card game less fun and less enjoyable. The second objective was to create a novel trading card game wherein the game centers around a multi-purpose character card which can be used to rally or summon higher level character cards, or to set and pay for event cards, item cards, and relic cards, to attack an opponent or to defend against an opponent&#39;s attack. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention is directed towards trading card games and methods of play. The present invention overcomes the limitations and disadvantages present in the art by providing a collectable card game of strategy and skill that limits the need for heavy themed reserves of trading cards or decks and eliminates the need to possess very rare cards in order to create powerful collections of trading cards or decks that are unbeatable. The present invention implements a limitation on the number of relic cards that are incorporated into a reserve of trading cards or deck, creates a unique manner for the placement of character cards on the battlefield, places a limitation on the number of item cards that can be used in connection with a character card, and places a restriction on the number of character cards that can be used to attack an opponent. In addition, the present invention does not use mana/land to summon characters/creatures, spell cards, and artifacts nor does the trading card require sacrifices to bring higher-level creature/characters to the battlefield. Instead the present invention uses characters as a way to summon/rally higher star-level characters and to pay for of event cards, item cards, and relic cards, as described in further detail below. They can be used to attack the player&#39;s opponent or defend one&#39;s own life points. 
         [0006]    Once each player has configured his/her reserve of trading cards or deck and both players have shuffled their deck, the players engage in a game/battle that consists of a series of rounds. During each round, the players engage in a series of alternating offensive strikes and mitigating defensive plays, the combined net score of which is then deducted from a predetermined “power” value assigned to the defender&#39;s character card or from the player&#39;s total life. The game concludes when a person&#39;s total life points has been reduced to zero. 
         [0007]    An objective of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game of strategy and chance. While improving the game of strategy, the goal is to create a game where players of different levels of experience can play against one another without using a reserve of trading cards or deck that is heavily designed towards a specific function or attribute. 
         [0008]    Another objective of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is to use multipurpose character cards to develop the player&#39;s strategy to rally higher star level character cards and pay for event cards, item cards, and relics with the ultimate goal of defeating the player&#39;s opponent. 
         [0009]    Another objective of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the game no longer ends when the player&#39;s reserve of trading cards or deck is completed, as is the case with other games in the art. Here, when such a situation arises while players are using the present invention, the player&#39;s inactive pile is reshuffled and the game continues. 
         [0010]    Another objective of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide a game of battle strategy and skill based on fictional characters having individual characteristics and capabilities. 
         [0011]    In accordance with these and other objectives, which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIGS. 1A-1D  are the plan views of the playing face of the collectible trading cards in accordance with the present invention with  FIG. 1A  representing a common character card,  FIG. 1B  representing an event card,  FIG. 1C  representing an item card, and  FIG. 1D  representing a relic card. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  represents the battlefield of play from the player&#39;s perspective. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    The present invention provides a game of strategy played using collectable character trading cards. Using a reserve of trading cards or a deck, at least two players will engage into a game of strategy and chance. Each player will start with a predetermined number of life points and the game will end when the other opponent&#39;s life points is reduced to 0. In addition, the trading cards are provided from a plurality of characters that are separated into distinct themes with a unique story. 
         [0015]    The present invention is comprised of four different types of trading cards as depicted in  FIGS. 1A-1D . 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 1A , the character card ( 1 ) is a multi-purpose card. It can be used to rally higher star level character cards ( 1 ) onto the battlefield ( 29 ), pay for event cards ( 13 ), item cards ( 18 ), and relic cards ( 24 ), and to attack the player&#39;s opponent or defend the player&#39;s life points from an attack from his/her opponent. Each character card ( 1 ) has its own character name ( 2 ), an ability name ( 9 ), ability description ( 10 ), a unique quote ( 11 ), and unique artwork ( 12 ). With regard to rallying higher star level character cards, the characters are divided into four levels. The lowest level is the common character and it does not have a star level ( 5 ). The area on the character card where the star level ( 5 ) would appear is blank. The next level character card is the green star level character card. The green star level character card is denoted by a green star ( 5 ) and will have a cost ( 6 ) associated with it. In order to bring in a green star level card to the field, the player must pay the green level character card&#39;s cost ( 6 ) by rallying that number of common character cards by altering the configuration of the character card being used for the rally ( 35 ). The next level character card is the red star level character card. The red star level character card is denoted by a red star ( 5 ) and will have a cost ( 6 ) associated with it. In order to bring in a red star level card to the field, the player must rally the red level character card&#39;s cost ( 6 ) by using that number of green character cards. The next and highest level character card is the blue star level character card. The blue star level character card is denoted by a blue star ( 5 ) and will have a cost ( 6 ) associated with it. In order to bring in a blue star level card to the field, the player must rally the blue level character card&#39;s cost ( 6 ) by using that number of red character cards. 
         [0017]    Each character card ( 1 ) has a life number ( 3 ) and a power number ( 4 ), which plays a role when the player is attacking with the character card or defending against an attack. The power number ( 4 ) refers to the character card&#39;s ( 1 ) attack strength. The life number ( 3 ) refers to the character card&#39;s ( 1 ) defense strength. Each character card ( 1 ) has a life number ( 3 ) that is greater than 0. 
         [0018]    In addition to rallying higher star level character cards ( 1 ) to the battlefield ( 29 ), Each character card ( 1 ) has its own unique ability ( 9 ) that can impact game play. The character card&#39;s ability description ( 10 ) tells the player what the character card&#39;s special ability is. The character card ( 1 ) also states whether the character card&#39;s ability ( 9 ,  10 ) can be played from the player&#39;s hand or only once it has been set onto the battlefield ( 7 ). Depending on the character card&#39;s ability ( 9 ,  10 ), the ability may only be played once during the game or once each turn depending on the ability description ( 10 ). 
         [0019]    The character card ( 1 ) can also be used to attack the player&#39;s opponent as well as defend against attacks from the player&#39;s opponent. When the character card ( 1 ) is set to attack the opponent, the character card&#39;s configuration is altered to denote that the card is being used ( 33 ). When the player declares his/her attack on his/her opponent and he/she may have different character level cards on the battlefield, the player can only attack his/her opponent using character cards that are all common characters or that have the same star level ( 5 ). Once a character card has been used/set it cannot be used/set to pay for another card nor can the character card&#39;s ability be used again during the turn unless an event card or another card&#39;s ability causes that character card to become unset or return to an unused position. The used character card cannot be unset or un-rallied until the player&#39;s next turn. 
         [0020]    The rallied card cannot be used by the player to defend against an attack from his/her opponent. Once a character card has been destroyed, it is placed into the inactive pile ( 31 ). 
         [0021]    Moreover, a player can have no more than 4 of the same character card ( 1 ) in his/her reserve of trading cards or deck. A player can keep track of the number of character cards ( 1 ) by referring to the character name ( 2 ) or the card number ( 8 ) 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 1B , the event card ( 13 ) can be played at any time from the player&#39;s hand. Each event card ( 13 ) has its own event name ( 14 ), an event description ( 16 ), and unique artwork ( 17 ). Each event card has a card cost ( 15 ), which can be paid for by any level character card ( 1 ). Once the event card is used, the event card ( 13 ) is placed in the inactive pile ( 31 ). 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 1C , the item card ( 18 ) can be used to bolster a character card ( 1 ). The item card can only be used during the player&#39;s turn. Only 1 item card ( 18 ) can be equipped to a character card ( 1 ,  33 ). Each item card has a card cost ( 15 ), which can be paid for by any level character card ( 1 ). An item card ( 18 ) will bolster the character card ( 1 ) life/power points by the life number ( 21 ) and/or power number ( 22 ) denoted on the item card ( 18 ). Each item card ( 18 ) has its own item name ( 19 ), an item description ( 23 ), unique artwork ( 20 ), and a unique quote ( 11 ). When the character card on which the item card is equipped ( 33 ) is destroyed, the character card ( 1 ) and the attached item card ( 18 ) are sent to the inactive pile ( 30 ). 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 1D , the relic card ( 24 ) can be used both individually and in combination with a character card ( 1 ). When played individually or in combination with a character card, the relic card can be the target of an attack from the player&#39;s opponent. The relic card is the only card that can be directly attacked by an opponent. When played in combination with a character card ( 1 ), the character card&#39;s life number ( 3 ) will bolster the relic card&#39;s life number ( 28 ) the character card&#39;s power number ( 4 ) is ignored, as relics cannot attack. Each relic card has a card cost ( 15 ), which can be paid for by any level character card ( 1 ). Each relic card has its own name ( 25 ), unique artwork ( 26 ), relic description ( 27 ), and unique quote ( 11 ). When the relic card has been destroyed, it is placed in the inactive pile ( 31 ). 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  depicts the battlefield ( 29 ) of play for one player. The battlefield has a location for the reserve of trading cards or deck ( 30 ) and the inactive pile ( 31 ). Above this location, the player will play his/her character cards ( 1 ) in the battlefield so that they are ready to pay for other character cards ( 1 ), event cards ( 12 ), item cards ( 17 ), or relic cards ( 23 ). The character cards ( 1 ) whether equipped with an item card ( 33 ) or not ( 32 ) can be used to attack the opponent or defend against the opponent&#39;s attack. The relic card ( 24 ,  34 ) once on the battlefield ( 29 ) can be used individual or in combination with a character card ( 1 ,  32 ,  33 ) on the battlefield ( 29 ). When the character card ( 1 ) has been used to rally another card, attack the opponent, or set to use an ability, or pays for an event card ( 13 ), item card ( 18 ) or relic card ( 24 ), its configuration will be changed to denote that the card has been used. ( 35 ). 
         [0026]    When the player has configured his/her reserve of trading cards or deck with the desired proportion of the different category type of trading cards, he/she can engage in a game with another player. Each player begins the game with a predetermined number of life points. At the start of the game, each player will draw a predetermined number of cards from his/her reserve of trading cards or deck. If the draw from the deck is unfavorable, the player can reshuffle his/her reserve of trading cards or deck and draw one less card. 
         [0027]    On the first turn of the game, the player can rally a common character card ( 1 ) onto the battlefield ( 29 ). Depending on the type of cards that were drawn by the player, he/she may be able to rally a higher-level character card ( 1 ), an event card ( 13 ), an item card ( 18 ), or a relic card ( 24 ) onto the battlefield ( 29 ). Unless the common character card&#39;s ability description ( 10 ) or a rallied event card ( 13 ) permit the common character card to attack, the common character card will be unable to attack during the player&#39;s first turn. The player&#39;s turn will end and the opponent&#39;s turn will begin. The opponent&#39;s first turn will proceed in the same manner in which the player&#39;s first turn went. 
         [0028]    On the ensuing turn, the player will draw a card from his/her reserve of trading cards or deck ( 30 ). He/she can play another common character card ( 1 ), rally a character card on the battlefield ( 29 ) to summon higher-level character cards ( 1 ), or set to pay for event cards ( 13 ), item cards ( 18 ), or relic cards ( 24 ). Once this phase of the player&#39;s turn has been completed, the player has the option to attack his/her opponent using any of their same level character card(s) ( 1 ) that are rallied on the battlefield ( 29 ). If the player decides to attack the opponent, the player must declare his/her attack and can only attack the opponent using character cards ( 1 ) of the same level (e.g. attack with common character cards only or attack with only green star level character cards only). The opponent will then decide if he/she will use his/her character cards to defend against the player&#39;s attack. If the opponent opts to not block or has no character cards to defend against the attack, the opponent&#39;s life total will decrease by the total number of power points ( 4 ) from the attacking character cards. If the opponent chooses to block the player&#39;s attack, he/she will declare which character card(s) ( 1 ) will be used to defend against the player&#39;s attack. There is no restriction on which character card ( 1 ) may be used to defend against a player&#39;s attack. If the player&#39;s attacking character card ( 1 ) has a power total ( 4 ) greater than the defending character card&#39;s life total ( 3 ), the defending character card will be sent to the inactive pile ( 31 ). If the attacking character card has a power total ( 4 ) less than the defending character card&#39;s life total ( 3 ), the attack will be deemed blocked and the defending character card ( 1 ) will not be sent to the inactive pile ( 31 ). If the attacking character&#39;s life total ( 3 ) is less than the defending character&#39;s life total the attacking character is sent to the inactive pile ( 31 ). If both the attacking and defending character&#39;s life totals are equal to the opposing character&#39;s power total both characters will be sent to their respective inactive piles. If the player attacks his/her opponent, the set character cards cannot be used to defend against an attack by the opponent on his/her turn, unless a character card&#39;s ability or an event card ( 13 ) permit the character card ( 1 ) to return to an unset position ( 32 ,  33 ). Once the player has completed the attack phase of his/her turn or the player opted to not attack his/her opponent the turn is complete. The opponent&#39;s second turn will proceed in the same manner in which the player&#39;s second turn went. 
         [0029]    The battle/game will then continue as the players will continue with a series of further rounds/turns. The battle/game will continue until one of the players has 0 life points left. The trading card game does not have a limitation as to the number of character cards ( 1 ), item cards ( 18 ), or relic cards ( 24 ) that can be placed onto the battlefield ( 29 ) at any given time.