~☆☾CLAMP in CARDLAND☽☆~
This translation of CLAMP in CARDLAND's rules, as published in the Irreplaceable Book, is also available as a txt file here.
CLAMP in CARDLAND features numerous of CLAMP's mangas and animes, all within a card game.
We'll introduce you to the game's flow, from the objective/win condition to victory!
**
//Summary
//1- ~☆☾The cards☽☆~
//1.1 - Card Types
-1.1 ~Your own story - Story cards~
-1.2 ~The characters who colour the world - Character cards~
-1.3 ~Numerous events not to be missed - Event cards~
-1.4 ~Hot action! - Hardships/obstacles and drama~
-1.5 ~The ending of the story is… - Towards a brighter tomorrow~
//1.2 - How to read the cards
-1.2.1 - Story cards
-1.2.2 - Character cards
-1.2.3 - Event cards
//1.3 - On card rarity and illustration types
//2- ~☆☾Deck building☽☆~
//3- ~☆☾Before the game starts☽☆~
//3.1 - Prepare the cards
-3.1.1 - Overview and explanation of the playmat
//3.2 - Shuffle the deck
//3.3 - Determining who goes first
//3.4 - Draw your hand.
//4- ~☆☾Playing the game☽☆~
//4.1 - How to play the cards
-4.1.1 - Victory condition
-4.1.2 - How to choose Story cards
-4.1.3 - How to complete a story card
-4.1.4 - How to bring a Character on the stage
-4.1.5 - How to view costs
-4.1.6 - How to pay for cost
-4.1.7 - Let's make a Character take the Stage
//4.2 - The phases of a turn
~4.2.1 - Start of the turn~
~4.2.2 - Main phase~
~4.2.3 - Action phase~
~4.2.4 - Recovery phase~
~4.2.5 - End of turn~
//4.3 - About Actions
//4.4 - Blocking actions
//4.5 - Acting prowess competitions
//4.6 - Event cards
-4.6.1 - About Event cards
-4.6.2 - Let's use an Event!
//4.7 - Retiring Characters from the Stage
//4.8 - About the Recovery phase
//5- ~☆☾A guide to your first games☽☆~
//5.1 - How to Make a deck
-5.1.1 - Choose your favourite work or character!
-5.1.2 - Choose the colours to use for your deck!
-5.1.3 - Select your Stories!
-5.1.4 - Card ratios
-5.1.5 - Now it's time to play!
**
//1- ~☆☾The cards☽☆~
//1.1 - Card Types
-1.1 ~Your own story - Story cards~
CLAMP in CARDLAND is a game where you choose from five stories and complete them. Choose your own story and lead it to a happy ending!
-1.2 ~The characters who colour the world - Character cards~
Your story will be unfolded by the characters you've chosen. Their course and actions are up to you!
-1.3 ~Numerous events not to be missed - Event cards~
Event cards display the character's triumphs. They are key to advancing the story. Use them to create a better story!
-1.4 ~Hot action! - Hardships/obstacles and drama~
In order to complete the story, characters need to meet certain conditions and the moment must be right (?). Even if you meet the conditions to complete the story, your opponent may interfere. Complete the story by showing more acting/storytelling prowess than your opponent.
-1.5 ~The ending of the story is… - Towards a brighter tomorrow~
Once completed, story cards are turned over, revealing beautiful illustrations. Complete five stories to create your own!
//1.2 - How to read the cards
The following section provides an overview of the cards and their function.
-1.2.1 - Story cards
(1) Card type
(2) Name
(3) Interruption modifier
(4) Action condition
(5) Bonus effect
(6) Cost
(7) Card Number
(8) Rarity
(9) Source/Story of origin
(10) Illustration type
Story cards represent a story that you choose and complete for yourself. The goal of the game is to complete five stories faster than your opponent.
Each story card has an Action condition written on it, and you can bring the story to a conclusion by having characters who meet that condition take an action.
-1.2.2 - Character cards
(1) Card type
(2) Colour (The colour of the card frame.)
(3) Name
(4) Special feature
(5) Entry cost
(6) Return cost
(7) Acting prowess
(8) Resilience
(9) Card effect
(10) Flavour text
(11) Card number
(12) Rarity
(13) Source
(14) Illustration type
N.B.:
Regarding the Colour (2), there are five colours in total: Red, blue, white, black and purple.
Regarding the Name (3), You can only have up to three cards with the same name in a deck.
Regarding the Entry cost (5) and Return cost(6), there are two types of cost: colour cost and colourless cost.
These represent characters from CLAMP's works who work together to complete the story.
They are able to take the actions necessary to complete stories. They can also interfere with the completion of another person's stories.
-1.2.3 - Event cards
(1) Card type
(2) Colour
(3) Name
(4) Usage cost
(5) Card effect
(6) Flavour text
(7) Card number
(8) Rarity
(9) Source/Story of origin
(10) Illustration type
N.B.:
All rules outlined in '1.2.2 - Character cards' in regards to Colour (2), Name (3), and Cost (4) apply here as well.
Events show scenes of your character's great deeds. These cards do not stay on the field after being played. You may play these cards from the hands to give you an advantage in game.
//1.3 - On card rarity and illustration types
There are five different card rarities, as follow:
N - Normal
R - Rare (Characters and Events will be silver foil)
SR - Super Rare (The background will be holographic)
UR - Ultra Rare (The background and the card name will be holographic and the word 'Story' will be in gold foil)
SE - Secret Rare (The background of the picture will be holographic and in relief, the word 'Story' will be in silver foil)
P - Promotion card
There are three illustration types, as follow:
Crown - Newly drawn illustration by CLAMP
Sun - Coloured illustration by CLAMP
Star - Black and white illustration by CLAMP, coloured by Upper Deck Japan under the supervision of CLAMP
//2- ~☆☾Deck building☽☆~
First of all: Let's prepare for the match. Let's review how to create a deck and the criteria for choosing Story cards.
CLAMP in CARDLAND is a game for two players. Each player must prepare their own deck.
Here are the rules for building a deck:
- Your deck must contain only Characters and Events.
- Your deck must contain exactly 40 cards.
- There cannot be more than three copies of a card with the same name in a deck.
In addition to the deck, you must prepare five stories.
- You must have exactly 5 stories prepared.
- The total cost of your stories must be 10 or less.
- You cannot have two stories with the same name.
//3- ~☆☾Before the game starts☽☆~
Once you've built your deck and chosen your story cards, it's time to prepare the match!
//3.1 - Prepare your cards
Spread out your playmat and place your deck face down on the Deck Area of the playmat.
Place your five Stories face up in the Story area, in any order.
-3.1.1 - Overview and explanation of the playmat
Each player has their own playmat, facing the other player's.
(1)Story area.
(2)Stage Area. This is where you play your Characters from your hand. You can play as many Characters as you want.
(3)Extra Area. This is where you place the Extras needed to pay for cost.
(4)Deck Area.
(5)Discard Area. This is where discarded cards are placed.
(6)Reminder of the phases of a turn.
//3.2 - Shuffle the deck
Thoroughly shuffle your deck. Cut your opponent's deck.
//3.3 - Determining who goes first
Play Janken with your opponent. The winner gets to decide if they go first or second. In the case of successive matches, the loser of previous matches gets to decide if they wish to go first or second.
//3.4 - Draw your hand
Draw 6 cards from the top of your deck as your hand. There is no limit to the number of cards you can have in your hand at the same time. during the game.
If you don't like the cards you first drew, you can optionally choose to redraw your hand. Place all the cards in your hand at the bottom of the deck, in any order. Then, without shuffling, draw six new cards from the top of the deck. You can only redraw your cards this way once.
//4- ~☆☾Playing the game☽☆~
It's now time to start playing! Here, you will learn the 'flow' of the game, and its mechanics.
//4.1 - How to play the cards
-4.1.1 - Victory condition
The objective of CLAMP in CARDLAND is to complete (turn to the illustration side) your Stories before your opponent completes theirs.
-4.1.2 - How to choose Story cards
Story cards have a cost. Choose cards so that the total cost of the five cards is less than 10 and there are no cards with the same name as another.
-4.1.3 - How to complete a story card
The top line of a Story card's text box has one or several 'Action conditions' written on it. (See chapter 1.2.1.) These are akin to the cast of a play, and by gathering the characters and performing the actions written here, you can complete the Story.
-4.1.4 - How to bring a Character on the stage
To complete a Story, you need the cooperation of Characters.
Look at the numbers in the upper left corner of the character card. (See chapter 1.2.2.) This is the cost required to bring that character into play.
-4.1.5 - How to view costs
The cost is represented by one of five colours. You can pay the cost by using an Extra of the corresponding colour.
Purple cost is special. It can be paid by Extra of any colour of red, blue, black or white.
-4.1.6 - How to pay for cost
Extras are placed in the Extra area. (See chapter 3.1.1.) You can play an Extra at the start of yoour turn each turn. To play an Extra, place the card upside down in your Extra area. (The card is still placed vertically. A vertical Extra is considered Active, and can be used to pay for cost.) You can place up to one Extra per turn, but placing an Extra is not compulsory, and you may choose to place none.
Cards placed in the Extra area are considered as having no text nor numbers, only colour. Therefore, characters placed as Extras cannot fulfil the conditions of the Story.
-4.1.7 - Let's make a Character take the Stage
Characters can complete Stories by appearing in the Stage area. (Referred to here as 'Taking the Stage.)
For this example, let's bring out Kinomoto Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura! (For an overview of this Character, see chapter 1.2.2.)
For Kinomoto Sakura to take the Stage, you must use Extras equal to the cost of the Character.
Kinomoto Sakura has a cost of 2 Red and 2 Purple. You will need to pay four Extras, including two Red and two of any colour.
To pay for cost, turn the Extra sideways. (Horizontal Extras are considered Resting, and cannot be used to pay for cost.)
Characters taking the Stage will do so in a Resting state. (You must play them sideways.)
Additionally, Characters with the same name cannot simultaneously take the Stage. (Only one character with the same name can be in the Stage area at the same time.) However, the 'Same person from a different world' can take the Stage at the same time. For example, if Cardcaptor Sakura's 'Kinomoto Sakura' is in the Stage area, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle's 'Sakura' can take the stage.
Stages areas are considered separate from one another, so even if your opponent has played Kinomoto Sakura, your own Kinomoto Sakura can still take the Stage.
//4.2 - The phases of a turn
Now you know how to have your Characters take the Stage to complete a Story.
In addition to the cards explained so far, there are also times in the game when you can use Event cards. Those are called turns. Turns alternate between you and your opponent. Furthermore, turns are divided in phases. Below is an outline of the phases of a turn, and what you can do within each phase, as well as whether you can take those actions during your own turn, your opponent's turn, or both.
~4.2.1 - Start of the turn~
Draw a card - Own turn
Activate a card in play - Own turn
Play an extra - Own turn
~4.2.2 - Main phase~
Make a character take the stage - Own turn
Using Events/effect text - Own turn, opponent's turn
~4.2.3 - Action phase~
Take action (for an action on your turn) - Own turn
Check the action conditions - Own turn
Take action (for an action outside of your turn) - Opponent's turn
Using card effects - Own turn, opponent's turn
Check if Story has been completed - Own turn
Retire Characters from the Stage - Own turn, opponent's turn
~4.2.4 - Recovery phase~
Return Character - Own turn
~4.2.5 - End of turn~
Check if either player has won.
Then, it's the opponent's turn.
//4.3 - About Actions
Now we come to the most important part of the game: Actions. As mentioned briefly in chapter 4.1.3, Characters must perform actions to complete the Story. So, how can an action be performed?
During your own action phase, you must perform an action with the active Character so that it meets the action conditions on the Story card. (This is called 'Taking action'.) To do so, you must turn your Character card (or cards) sideways, in a Resting state. Then, you check whether the participating character meets the Story's conditions. (Or 'Checking the action conditions.)
If your action conditions have been met and the action is successful, then congratulations! The Story is completed! Turn it over to the illustration side.
You can perform the action of up to two Stories in one action, and up to three Characters can participate in one action.
Please note that the action conditions of a Story don't always require one single specific character to be completed.
//4.4 - Blocking actions
Actions are taken to complete a Story, but taking an action does not guarantee that the action will be completed. This is because your opponent's Characters can also take action outside of their turn. After your action is completed, your opponent can also take action for that Story. As with actions on your own turn, the opponent's Characters take action by going in Resting state. In this case, before checking if the Story's action conditions are met, a competition of Acting prowess will take place.
//4.5 - Acting prowess competitions
When you are interrupted by an opponent, add up the Acting prowess of your Characters currently acting, and compare it to the sum of the Acting power of your opponent's acting Characters plus your Story's interruption modifier. Both values are called Performance scores. In an Acting prowess competition, your Performance score must be higher than your opponent's by at least 1 for the Story to be completed.
//4.6 - Event cards
-4.6.1 - About Event cards
When you are losing to your opponent in Performance score, you can use an event card to help. (In this case, an action event.)
Event cards are categorised according to two factors outlined below: Phase timing (of which there are two,) and usage timing (of which there are four.) Both are indicated in the card effect.
Phase timings:
-Main (メイン) - This card can be played during the Main Phase
-Action (アクション) - This card can be used during the 'Using card effects' part of the Action Phase
Usage timings:
-↱自分 - This card can be used during your turn
-↲相手 - This card can be used during your opponent's turn
-↱↲両方 - This card can be used during either turn
-⌁割込 - This card can be used during either turn to interrupt a card played by your opponent
Normally, when cards are played, their effects are immediately applied. But events and effects with a '⌁割込' will apply their effects before the interrupted card, and then the interrupted card's effects are applied. As a result, if the interrupted card's use is cancelled, its effect is not applied. However, keep in mind that you can interrupt a card with a '⌁割込' with one of your own in the same way.
-4.6.2 - Let's use an Event!
Let's use the Event 'Clow Card "Wind"'
The effect has the conditions 'Action' and '↱↲両方', so I can use it during a an Acting prowess competition. Like a Character card, cost is indicated in the top left corner. (See chapter 1.2.3.)
This card requires you to select a Character for its effect. Let's choose Kinomoto Sakura.
Thanks to 'Clow Card "Wind"', my performance score is now 10, and my opponent's performance score is 8. I can now complete the Story.
//4.7 - Retiring Characters from the Stage
When your and your opponent's Characters both take action, you must retire Characters from the Stage. Each player sends one or more of their opponent's Characters to the discard so their total Resilience is lesser than the total Performance score, minus the Story's interruption modifier.
Taking our specific example, 'Kijuu Arashi' has a resilience of four, and is thus retired from the Stage. Our 'Kinomoto Sakura' has a resilience of four, and 'Sakura' has a vitality of 1, so the opponent will choose one of them to retire.
//4.8 - About the Recovery phase
During the Recovery phase, you can return a retired Character in the discard to your hand. You do so by paying the return cost, at the top right of the card. This will prevent you from running out of the Characters you need to complete your Stories, so use it well!
//5- ~☆☾A guide to your first games☽☆~
The fun of CLAMP in CARDLAND starts with creating your own deck. Make a fun deck with your favourite CLAMP Characters, Stories and universes to enjoy the game even more!
//5.1 - How to Make a deck
-5.1.1 - Choose your favourite work or character!
First, choose your favourite work or character. It's difficult to play a deck with many different works or characters, so choose one or two that you love (or would love to play) the most.
-5.1.2 - Choose the colours to use for your deck!
The colour of the CLAMP in CARDLAND cards are mainly divided by original works. Since you chose your favourite work/character previously, the main colour of the deck should be decided naturally. In addition to those colours, you can also put cards of multiple colours into the deck, but the deck will not function if you put in too many colours. Try to limit it to one or two colours. Do keep in mind that Purple cards do not require a specific colour as cost, so make good use of those!
-5.1.3 - Select your Stories!
Remember the total cost of your five Stories must be 10 or less. First, pick a stary that includes the name of your favourite character in its Action condition. Stories don't have colours, but the Stories with illustrations from the works you use in your deck are generally designed to be easy to use with that deck. At first, use Stories that match the work in your deck, then try out different stories!
-5.1.4 - Card ratios
A decent deck can generally be put together with these guidelines:
- Between 25-30 Characters, and 10-15 Events.
Try to include extra Characters who allow you to fulfil the Action conditions of your Stories in your deck!
If one of your Stories mentions a Character by name, you will likely need at least two copies of this Character.
-5.1.5 - Now it's time to play!
Playing with others will allow you to pinpoint the potential shortcomings of your deck and how to make it stronger.
By playing, you will better understand both your deck and the game, becoming a better player!