TCG Basics

Trading Card Games are collectible card games. The goal is to gather all cards of a given deck by playing a TCG's various minigames, buying cards from the shop, or using services. Since the cards you get from most activities are random, a TCG's other main activity, trading with other players, helps you to complete decks by trading cards from decks you're not collecting for theirs. Once you earn all 20 cards by a combination of games and trading, you master the deck and move on to the next one!

Trade Posts

All cards are displayed on a player's trade post - their hub for all the cards they earn, want to collect, or have to trade away! Trade posts can look however you want and be hosted on your own personal site or on another site such as Dreamwidth or Neocities, but standard trade posts contain a few basic elements:

• Player Details: A list of things pertaining to you - your player name, date you joined the TCG, a place to contact you, and a place to trade!
• Card Count: Your card count is a numerical representation of the amount of cards you have. When you earn cards by playing games or using services, you increase your card count by 1 for each card you earn. By gathering certain milestone numbers of cards, you will level up, earning you additional cards, choice cards, and currencies.
• Currency Count: The amount of currencies you have earned by participating in the TCG. Each time you earn a currency, you add to the number, and each time you spend it, you subtract from the number.
• Card Categories: Card categories are different sections that you divide your cards up into based on how much you want to collect each deck. These can be called whatever you want, but typical names are "collecting" (the cards you are actively seeking and the decks that are your highest priority), "future decks" (cards you are actively seeking and plan to collect after you master your current collecting decks), and "trading" (cards you are not seeking to collect and have to trade with other players).

However, the most important thing on your trade post (other than your cards!) is...

Logs

Your logs are detailed records that list where you earned each card or currency that you have listed on your trade post. Logs are required for playing TCGs as they help both you and admins keep track of where your cards are coming from! Typically, they are separated into two types: activity logs and trade logs.

Activity Logs contain the various activities you participate in to earn the cards you have - playing games, taking cards from updates, spending currencies in the shop, using services, and so on. For each activity log, you must list:

• the name of the activity;
• the full name of each card or currency (ie, hatsunemiku01, hatsunemiku02, neutral crystal);
• the date the activity took place; and
• the cards that you earned or lost by participating in that activity.

Trade Logs are a list of players that you traded with and tracks incoming and outgoing cards. Keeping track of your trades is important not only to list where you obtained the cards you have, but also to earn various rewards for trading with others. For each trade, you must list:

• the name of the player that you traded with;
• the full name of each card or currency you traded away, and the full name of each card or currency you received; and
• the date the trade was completed.

A bad example of a log would be:

• Played games and got some cards
• Traded with a few players and received cards I'm collecting
• Spent some shards in the shop

Conversely, a good log looks like the following:

JANUARY 05, 2023 -------

• Telepathy: hatsunemiku01, kagaminerin04, cool crystal, +5 shards
• January 01 Release: boukennosho04, kagaminelen10, lower20
• Traded Noelle: my kagaminerin05, kagaminerin06 for kagaminelen17, kagaminelen20

The more detailed and up-to-date your logs are, the easier it will be for you and other players to see where you received the cards you have!

Trading

Finally, the major part of trading card games - the trading!

1. The first step is to check a player's profile and their trade posts for the cards they have and the cards you want! Check their trading section of their site - commonly called a "trading pile" or "trade decks" - for the cards they don't wish to keep and have up for trade.
2. Then, check their "collecting" or "future" decks - cards they're actively seeking and hoping to obtain. Often, players will have priorities levels for cards they're searching for, with different trade terms for each; make sure you abide by the terms they've set.
3. Search your card post for cards you don't want, but they do! Gather a list of each side of the trade you're hoping to send. Trades usually must contain the same amount of cards on each side, unless you are gifting cards to someone else (ie, sending them a card without getting one in return).
4. Finally, take your list and offer the trade by contacting the other player - either with their email, Discord, Dreamwidth post, etc; the trade form on their website, if they have one; or even directly through Module's own trading system on the site!

Once the player accepts your trade, that trade is completed and you can remove the cards you sent them, add the cards you received, and mark the trade in your logs. Aim to complete a full deck by trading cards with others!