You should already know I'm a noob in the game universe. Following my post “RPG: Hearthstone, my newest addiction,” some of our readers pointed out to me that Hearthstone isn't exactly an RPG, but first and foremost a TCG.
I made my case, they made theirs, and in the end we still had doubts.
While Hearthstone is based on as hardcore a roleplaying game as World of Warcraft undoubtedly is—or is it? We'll get back to this—Hearthstone itself is more of a card game. You do get into character, but you don't create the whole persona—I mean, you can't even edit or change their speech bubbles during games. You’re stuck with the personality that each class has been given.
You can't actively trade cards with other players either. You can disenchant yours, get dust and then craft new ones, but it's not like your friend can entice you with three awesome cards just so he can have your Ragnaros.
However, when you’re playing against your friends, be it a friendly banter or the ultimate challenge, you're not "you." There's this Mage, Warrior, Hunter, or Rogue who molds your actions—and therefore how your personality comes through. Of course you will have a determined gaming strategy that sets you apart. Maybe you like to attack the Hero directly from the very beginning instead of wiping all its minions off the table. Nevertheless, one can argue that you are indeed playing a role. You don't have as much creative freedom as you get in other RPGs, but you are in character nonetheless.
“How about the cards?” I can hear some of you shouting. “How can you not see that you’re playing freaking cards?!?”
Well, yes, cards are the gateway to your actions, they're how you express yourself—outside of the speech bubbles. You can change the backs of the cards, and you can choose whether or not to use the golden ones, giving your personal touch to the game. Hey, you can even buy new characters that will, in turn, grant you access to new card backs. And don't forget that you can interact with the different settings where you're playing.
Then again, what makes an RPG or a TCG? Wait. You didn't think there were just these two terms did you? Because there are more to count, starting this small list—and this is just concerning the CG part as a constant:
BCG: Battle Card GameCCG: Customizable Card Game
ECG: Expandable Card Game
LCG: Living Card Game
OCG: Official Card Game
OCG: Original Card Game
TCG: The Card Game
XCG: Expandable Card Game
This IS confusing.
Even worse, did you know some people claim that WoW goes by the name of TCG? Hey! Don’t crucify me! I have yet to play it to reach any conclusion.
If you look for definitions of each of the aforementioned terms, they vary from source to source. Opinions differ and the rules get hazy when you scan through different forums.
So... Here I am. New at this and without certainties about nomenclatures. But you know what? Even though most of you would probably smack me in the face for saying this, I do have to admit that I don't really care what it is called. The important word on that fancy and—sometimes confusing—pot of acronyms is the G word. I simply want to enjoy myself playing GAMES, no matter if they're slightly more TC based or RP oriented.
May I just add how interesting this whole acronym thing is? It makes you feel like you’re an old soul gamer. No? Is it just me? Well, at least it impresses non-gamers... Anyway...
What do you think? RPG or TCG? Weigh in with your opinion in the comments and see if you can convince me!
S.G.
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