If you have read any of my other articles about trading cards, you have probably picked up on the fact that I am much more of a trading card collector than a trading card player. That is not to say, however, that I do not enjoy a good beat down using monsters on paper. So when I got the chance to experience the newest set in maple story mesos lineup, OMG Bosses!, I was more than willing to oblige.
Of course, before you can start any game, whether tabletop or otherwise, you must first understand the rules. In the maple story mesos, cards are split into four categories and four colors. The four categories split the cards into characters, monsters, items and tactics, while the four colors (green, red, grey and blue) further enhance each card by placing it in the line of Bowmen, Magicians, Thieves, and Warriors, respectively.
Character cards are different from the other three categories in that they are not included in each player deck. Instead, you choose a character to begin the game with, and place it on the playing surface in front of you as a team leader. After each player has their decks and characters situated, the gameplay begins by drawing cards for your hand.
You can use cards from your hand to level up your character on each turn, which add HP and abilities to your character roster. These abilities are found in the bottom section of each card, with each ability having a minimum level that your character must be in order to use it. Some abilities are a One time only deal, while others add different UNDERSTAND party members to your team. For instance, if your character is a Warrior and you place a Bowman card under it, you now have access to Bowman and Warrior abilities, as if you added a Bowman to your team.
Monster cards come into play in the form of attacking, which can be done once per turn. Your monster cards can attack either your opponent monsters or their actual characters. Like in most other trading card games, each character and monster, including boss cards, have a set attack strength and set amount of HP with which to work with (with the character HP being changeable in the manner we discussed earlier). Turn after turn, each player takes their stabs at attacking, leveling up, etc. until one player has eliminated the other party leader.
