WizKids has let slip the dogs of Star Wars with their release of the Star Wars PocketModel Trading Card Game. The company is definitely pushing the multigenerational angle, as the press release (below) quotes WizKids president Lax Chandra (which was a character in Episode 1, wasn’t it?) as saying it’s “easy enough for children but with layers of strategy for adults”. So, rule the tabletop as father and son, yeah? Got it. A coupon for free samples is available through the WizKids site, StarWars.com, or CartoonNetwork.com, so now you have no excuse not to get your force on.
WizKids press release follows:
WIZKIDS LAUNCHES STAR WARSâ„¢ POCKETMODEL TRADING CARD GAME (TCG)
Revolutionary Game Lets Players Collect, Build and Customize 3D Star Wars Vehicles for Under $5
June 19, 2007 (Bellevue, WA) — WizKids Inc., a subsidiary of Topps and the creator of runaway hit games such as HeroClix® and Pirates of the Spanish Main™, today announced that its Star Wars™ PocketModel™ Trading Card Game (TCG) is now available at retail. The Star Wars PocketModel TCG revolutionizes the collectible trading card genre by bringing card games into the third dimension. By merging the enjoyment of building custom decks from card collections with the fun of building miniature models of Star Wars vehicles, the Star Wars PocketModel TCG lets Star Wars fans enjoy a complete Star Wars experience. This fun, easy-to-learn game is simple enough for 8-year-old kids, but features enough depth of strategy to appeal to adults, making it possible for fans of all generations to share and enjoy battling for control of the galaxy!
The Star Wars PocketModel Trading Card Game is a great value with its price tag of $4.99. Players receive between four-to-eight PocketModels Star Wars vehicles to punch out, build, collect and play; six random game cards; 2 micro-dice; complete rules and assembly instructions. Star Wars fans are able to collect and build Star Wars vehicles that are played in entertaining ways with cards featuring favorite characters, vehicles and scenes from the entire Star Wars Saga. Players use the cards to control their fleets of PocketModel ships as they attempt to destroy each other’s objectives. And with more than 200 Star Wars PocketModel vehicles and 300 cards being released over the next year, Star Wars fans will be able to constantly add to their collection to extend their Star Wars universe.
“Star Wars has multigenerational appeal and we’ve designed our Star Wars PocketModels to appeal to its passionate fan base,†said WizKids® president Lax Chandra. “The Star Warsâ„¢ PocketModelâ„¢ trading card game is easy enough for children but with layers of strategy for adults, and the game is affordable at under $5, so it’s accessible to every Star Wars fan.â€
To celebrate the game’s launch, WizKids has launched a promotion that gives Star Wars fans across the country free sample packs of Star Wars PocketModels playing cards. Fans can visit StarWars.com, CartoonNetwork.com or WizKidsgames.com for a link to a coupon redeemable at their local hobby retail store for free product samples. Sample packs contain three PocketModels (one X-wing™ fighter and two TIE Fighters™), and two playing cards – everything a player needs to start his or her Star Wars PocketModel experience.
Wizkids recently debut the Star Wars PocketModels game at Star Wars CELEBRATION IV, a massive Star Wars party that marked the 30th anniversary of the Saga. Fans clamored for show-exclusive Star Wars PocketModels tins and lined up to play the game with oversized Star Wars vehicles.
More info can be found at www.wizkidsgames.com.
About WizKids
A wholly owned subsidiary of the Topps Company (TOPP), WizKids is a Seattle-based game developer and publisher dedicated to creating tabletop games driven by imagination. Its HeroClix and Pirates brands are among the most successful games on the market today, with over 100 million-miniature game figures sold worldwide. For additional information, visit www.wizkidsgames.com.
Contact: Becky Wilson
beckyw@wizkidsgames.com
425.818.9342
©2007 WizKids Inc. All rights reserved. HeroClix, Pirates of the Spanish Main, PocketModel and WizKids are trademark of WizKids Inc.
® & ©2007 The Topps Company Inc. All rights reserved. Topps is a registered trademark of The Topps Company Inc.
STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners
I have bought about a box of these at this point. The sort is terrible…but thats about the only negative thing. It feels like a nicely scaleable boardgame.
Easier than pirates, yet way more depth. The game is way geared towards fans of the classic movies (way smart) with the ship mix, and some of the cards.
Massive thumbs up.
Where’s the free sample link?
Here’s the link
https://secure.wizkidsgames.com/coupon/
Yea. This is where I admit that I like the Star Wars pocket models. I’m not a huge fan of the hardboard minis – I had some trouble assembling the Pirates ones and broke more than a few. No such problems with the SW minis, and they look pretty sharp.
This game is so superior to the Transformers game it’s not funny. Still not a huge connection between the models and the rules, but hey, if it sells, it sells.
It seems a little like Dreamscape to me, in that it’s mainly a card game mechanic, but instead of cards, it uses these little figures. I’ve always felt that if I’m going to use figures, then the game strategy should be positional, like a miniatures game. From what I’ve seen of the rules, the Star Wars game plays like Magic or World of Warcraft TCGs with little toys instead of cards. I have to admit that turns me off to it.
Then would you rather all board games used wooden pawns that didn’t resemble anything?
(This is not a rhetorical or pejorative question, actually; I really want to know. I’ve generally agreed with you on this in the past, and for some reason your putting it like this is making me question my position. I think I kind of like board game pawns to look like what they are, even if that doesn’t enter into gameplay. The question, I guess, is whether that adds enough value to a game being sold like this one.)
I just bought two packs today and can’t wait to try this game out.
I’m a big fan of Wizkids’ Pirates CSG. I must say that I was a little disappointed at first when I found out that the miniatures and their placement on the tabletop does not enter into the strategy and holds no relevance to the game-play. However, after coming to the realization that this was essentially a TCG like Magic, Pokemon, or WoW and was never intended to be a miniatures game, I really appreciate and agree with their decision to include the constructable miniatures in the game.
Like Pirates, building the miniatures is part of the fun and adds to the whole experience, and each pack comes with at least twice as many miniatures as a Pirates pack and only costs about $1 more.
Also, using miniatures of the ships instead of cards or counters helps draw you into the game and lets you better visualize what’s going on. This is part of the main appeal with any miniatures game. After all, you could play Warhammer 40000 with green pawns as orks and blue pawns as space marines, but would you really want to? (by the way, I’ve only played Warhammer 40000 once and do not have any miniatures for it. I don’t have that kind of money or time to blow on a hobby)
I totally see these as board game pieces that will also work to satisfy a desire I have had for ages: readily available and varied star wars starship miniatures. Full Thrust here i come!
The card “Boarding Party” which reads, (Hanger Icon) If the opposing unit is not destroyed, put it into your home zone after this battle ends.
Am I, now in control of that ship???
I’ve found this game to be superior to Pirates. Pirates had a few mechanics that really got in the way of the whole sit down and have a quick play concept. Star Wars PocketModels doesn’t seem to have this problem. I can sit down and play with my friends, my wife, or even my 6yo daughter and have fun. I look forward to the added depth the next expansion (Ground Assault) will add with ground units. If you guys want to check out a community site that has pics and stats of all the cards and ships head over to http://www.swpocketmodels.com
Well my guess is that WotC holds the rights to Star Wars miniature combat games, the only thing keeping me from buy them is the cost. I love the cost of the WizKids game and I love the models but I haven’t played the game yet.