Benlugia
Gallery Contributor
When I first found out about the Pokemon Trading Figure Game (or TFG for short), I wasn't all for it. I already play the TCG and love it more than any other hobby of mine. When I saw the figures, I was shocked at the impressive amount of detail, but didn't think I'd actually play the game. After that, I sort of put the whole thought of the figures in the back of my mind; because, hey, info and pics of the game were released last summer. The only reason I was reminded of it back in March was because my League store owner mentioned it to me.
But then it happened. I perused the booths at the Origins Gaming Convention, the site for the 2007 Pokemon National Championship. One of the booths was dedicated to teaching people how to play the TFG. I thought I'd go check it out later when I'd get the chance. Well, later came, as I did absolutely horrible at Nationals. So, I signed up as a staff member, and they handed me an orange "Pokemon TFG Trainer" shirt. After realizing how great I looked in orange (and Liesik and Schwimmer both saying that I looked like a creamsicle :tongue
, I walked over to the booth and learned the rules from Randy Curry (Hagrid23 on the Gym), and I was ready to teach people how to play. Note that the demo games that were played were onlyt for 3-on-3 games. The full game is 6-on-6 and this reveals a much richer strategy game.Here are the rules:
Setting up (Note: these rules are for the 6-on-6 game): Starting the game
1. Put your Trainer figure on the playmat (not necessary for 3-on-3 format).
2. Put you Pokémon on your Bench. Each player puts a Pokémon figure on each spot on his or her Bench.
3. Put the 3 Trainer cards you're using face-up in front of you (not necessary for 3-on-3 format).
4. Randomly determine who goes first
Winning the game
You win the game when one of your Pokémon lands on your opponent's Goal. You also win if your opponent can't attack, move, or use their Trainer.
Win the spin!
When two Pokémon battle on the playmat, each player spins his or her Pokémon figure. Which Pokémon wins? Check the list below!
Blue: Blue beats everything! Your Pokémon dodges all attacks of the other Pokémon. (Battle ends with no effect.)
Purple: Purple beats White! Win with Purple, and do whatever your Purple attack says. If both players spin Purple, only do the attack that has the most stars.
White: White against White, the strongest attack wins! Win with White, the opponent's Pokémon is Knocked Out to their Pokémon Center.
Miss: Miss loses to all attacks. If your opponent spins Purple, do what it says. If your opponent spins White, your Pokémon is Knocked Out. If your opponent spins Blue, nothing happens.
If both players spin the same color and also tie, nothing happens.
What can you do during your turn?
Play Trainer cards (optional): Choose one of your face-up Trainer cards. Spin your Trainer figure. If you succeed, use that Trainer card, and then turn it face-down. If your Trainer figure's spin is a Miss, keep the card face-up and it is your opponent's turn. Some attacks have "Wait." If a Pokémon is affected by Wait that Pokémon can't move or attack during the next player's turn. (It can still help other Pokémon surround an opposing player's Pokémon.)
Move: Choose one of your figures to move. Move up to that Pokémon's Move Points (MP) on the board. You can attack an adjacent Pokémon if you move your figure next to an opponent's Pokémon.
Note: You must do something each turn. You may move your Pokémon to a new space (but not back). You might not move your Pokémon, so that you can attack from that space. If you ever reach a point in the game where you can't (or won't) move,attack, or play a Trainer card, you lose the game.
Rules for moving
1. Choose one of your figures to move.
2. Move the figure up to its total move points. Not moving is okay, but you must attack if you don't move.
• It takes 1 MP to move from one space to another. These spaces have to be connected by a line.
• On the starting player's first turn, Pokémon have 1 less MP. So, a Pokémon with 3 MP would only have 2 MP on that turn. A Pokémon needs at least 1 MP to move from the Bench to the Entry Point.
• A Pokémon figure can't move through any figures and can't land on the same space as another Pokémon.
• At the end of moving, check if you surround an opponent's Pokémon. If your Pokémon are on all sides, your opponent's Pokémon figure is Knocked Out. You can't surround more than one Pokémon at a time.
3. Attack (Optional)
• You can only attack with the figure that you chose to move (even if it didn't actually move).
• Your Pokémon can only attack an opponent's Pokémon that is next to it.
• You can't attack your own figure.
• If an attack says "the Defending Pokémon", it means the other Pokémon in battle.
Note: If you Knock Out an opponent's Pokémon with damage, it goes to your opponent's Pokémon Center. If the Pokémon Center is already full, the Pokémon that has been there the longest goes to the Bench.
Entry Points: Pokémon figures enter the game from the Bench through Entry Points. It's just like moving normally. It costs 1 MP. You can choose any Pokémon on your Bench, and you can use either Entry Point on your side. If a Pokémon is on an Entry Point, your Pokémon can't enter the game using that path.
Field: Pokémon figures battle on the Field. Your Pokémon are "in play" on the Field - they can attack other Pokémon here.
Bench: All of your Pokémon start the game on your Bench. Your Pokémon are "in play" but can't attack or be attacked while on the Bench. Special Conditions are removed from any Pokémon on the Bench. Your Pokémon can't use Move Points to go back to the Bench.
When a Pokémon goes to the Bench from the Pokémon Center, it has to Wait.
• If your Pokémon goes to the Bench on your turn, you need to wait to use that Pokémon until your next turn.
• If your Pokémon goes to the Bench on your opponent's turn, you can't use it on your next turn-you must wait one more turn before using it.
Pokémon Center (P.C.): The Pokémon Center is an area for your Pokémon to recover. When one of your Pokémon is Knocked Out, it goes to your Pokémon Center. If your Pokémon Center is already full, move the Pokémon that has been there the longest time to your Bench. The Pokémon Center is not "in play" for game purposes. The Pokémon Center removes Special Conditions from Pokémon that are there.
Trainer Cards
At the beginning of the game, put your 3 Trainer cards face-up in front of you. Before moving one of your Pokémon, you may play a Trainer card.
1. Choose 1 of your face-up Trainer cards
2. Spin your Trainer figure
3. If your Trainer spin is successful, resolve the card.
• If it has a lasting effect on a Pokémon, place the card underneath the figure, until the effect is over. Place the card face down next to your other Trainer cards when the effect ends.
• If it has an effect right away, do what the card says, and then place the card face down next to your other Trainer cards.
4. If your Trainer spin is a miss, it doesn't use up your Trainer card, but your turn is over.
Some Trainer cards let you move a Pokémon after you successfully play the Trainer card. If it does, it will be written on the card. First, do whatever the Trainer card tells you to do, and then you may move a Pokémon.
Important Terms
What is the 'Defending Pokémon' ?
Defending Pokémon refers to the other player's Pokémon that it is battling with.
What does 'Wait' mean ?
Wait is a special game condition that can affect a Pokémon. On the very next turn, that Pokémon can't choose to move or to attack. If my Pokémon has to Wait during your turn, it's not going to have an effect, and my Pokémon can still defend itself if it is attacked.
How do you 'Surround' an opponent's Pokémon'?
Surround is a maneuver that can automatically Knock Out a Pokémon. If a Pokémon is ever surrounded on all sides by the opponent's Pokémon, that Pokémon is Knocked Out to the Pokémon Center.
How to Special Conditions work?
Some attacks do Special Conditions to your opponent's Pokémon. Special Conditions do different things to Pokémon. If a Pokémon is affected by a new Special Condition, remove the old Special Condition. Special Conditions are also removed if a Pokémon leaves the Field (going to the Bench or Pokémon Center).
Paralyzed: If your Paralyzed Pokémon gets into battle, choose one of its non-Miss attacks before you spin. All attacks with that name are considered a Miss instead of their normal effect.
Poisoned: If a Poisoned Pokémon gets into battle, its attacks do 20 less damage. Apply any other effects (such as Trainer cards) before applying the Poisoned effect.
There are two other known special conditions at this point, Burned and Noxious. As of right now, there are no figures that are capable of inflicting either of these conditions, but there are a few figures that have abilities that make them immune to these conditions.
I literally had so many kids requesting rematches and more games with me it was overwhelming! But in all honesty, it truly is a fun game to play. And I really don't think the pictures do the figures justice.
After demoing the game, I spoke with the two creators who came all the way from Japan: Kouichi Ooyama, and Masayuki Miura. They told me that the packaging would be very different for the American release (which was good, because wrestling the packaging for my European figures was no fun for me). You can see the new packaging here. Also they said that prices for the figures would be lower:
A single window-figure would cost about $3.50, a pack that has revealed figure and a secret figure would cost $6.99, a pack that has a revealed figure, a secret figure, and a revealed D/P figure (Chimchar, Piplup, or Turtwig (not released in Europe!!!) would cost $9.99, and a starter set that contains four figures (there are two and you can see both) would cost $14.99.
Additionally, the figures would be more durable for the second series launch, and no more D/P figures will probably be released until series 3. There won't be any crystal and pearl figures because many people thought they made the figures ugly, and, it doesn't look like there will be rarities. There definitely seems to be a lot of luck involved in the game--moreso than the tcg maybe. Finally, they said that some boards would be downloadable, so it would be neat to see how different this game can get.
Now I am sure most (if not all) are wondering about OP for the TFG. Well, it’s pretty simple: if this becomes popular, then there is a strong possibility of there being OP for this game. I for one would love to see it happen, so I support this game 100%. Even if you don't play the game, the detail on the figures are amazing. For example, the trainer figures such as Misty and Brock are simply amazing.
Editor's notes:
We were also lucky to meet and speak with the creators of the TFG game. For those that don't know, Mr. Ooyama was also involved in the development of the TCG and he has a couple of "special" cards of his own, like Ooyama's Pikachu and he designed the famous "Bilingual Exeggutor"!
One extra tidbit that we leared from the creators is that while we have been denied a Kadabra card for many years, we will see a Kadabra TFG figure in an upcoming set!
PokePop, Masayuki Miura, Ms. Asako Musya, Kouichi Ooyama, and Chrisbo
Masayuki Miura, Ms. Asako Musya, Kouichi Ooyama, and Bulbasnore
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