TCG_Exchange Newbie Survival Guide: unchainedfenrir

unchainedfenrir

TCG_Exchange Newbie Survival Guide

Mar 19, 2009 23:29

TCG_Exchange : Newbie Survival Guide
Welcome to tcg_exchange, where you can collect pixel cards to your heart's content. Whether you're looking to advance from n00b to ace or just brushing up on logistics, you certainly have come to the right place. So cozy up, settle down, & let's get started!!

..A Brief History..
But before we move forward, let's take a few steps back and examine the origins of this community. TCG_Exchange was the brainchild of its founder, angeling, who drew inspiration from and put a twist on tsunderes's anime_lj_tcg community. Conventionality tells us to earn cards by playing games. However, the underlying principle of this community is simply this: participate in affiliated communities to earn cards and trade with other players.

..Getting Started..
Now that you're up to speed with that, let's move on to the fun stuff: getting started. Ok, so you've signed up, created your card post, and gotten your 12-card TCG_Exchange starter kit. Whew, job well done! So... now what?!

Have no fear. Newbie Survival Guide is here to.. umm, guide you, for lack of a better term. First off, if your card post needs a little spiffing up pay a visit over yonder. From this point on you can let loose and start playing.

Be sure to contribute to affiliates, typically by voting and submitting icons, to earn cards and beef up your card post. Check out the other members and offer up trades. Got a few cards to kill? Then mosey on over to the Card Exchange to swap 'em out for shiny, new ones. Enjoy tangoing with Lady Luck? Test out your luck at the Lotto. Ouch. Didn't you know that the house always wins? Don't worry; relax and replenish your tradepile at the Card Shop. And most importantly, make sure you pay attention to community rules!

..Rules..
To view the complete listing, click here.

Be a lady/gentleman | Be courteous and don't cheat
Don't bite the hand that feeds you | Be respectful to the mods
Don't be a drama queen | Let's all just be friends, kay? ;)
Look before you leap | Pay attention to each affiliated community's guidelines
Get off my space | Upload images to your own photo host
Vandals will be prosecuted | Don't alter badges or cards please
Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde?! Say it ain't so | Stick to one journal
Work it and stay active | Participate and respond to trades

Got it? Good. Because we'd hate to see you banned from the community.

..Participate in Affiliated Communities..
To browse through the affiliates, click here
Find a few that peak your interest. There are several to choose from. The majority of the affiliates are icon-based communities. In general, icon submissions run through the weekdays. Voting will start Friday evening and last through Sunday, and results are posted shortly thereafter. Each community is a bit different, so remember to read through their rules.

..Claim..
Alright, so you submitted a few icons and voiced your opinion by voting.. maybe you even placed. Time to reap your rewards. Links to prize claim posts are found on the Affiliated Communities page. Place your claim by posting to the correct prize claim using the template below:

Journal:

Community:

Contribution:

Date of Contribution:

Indicate if your claim is for submitting, voting, or placing
Specify which week/challenge you contributed in
Include a text link to your contribution
Post each claim in separate posts (e.g. if you submitted an icon for week 15 and voted in week 15, as well, comment twice to the prize claim post; one for submitting and one for voting)
If you placed, specify if it's for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place
Wait until the "New Week" post goes up before posting your claim
Double check your comment for accuracy before posting it

Please note that there is no prize for receiving mod's choice.. other than bragging rights, that is.

..Trade..
You scored a bunch of cards from your claims; your tradepile's growing. What are you sitting there for? Get trading!! Trading occurs when Player A offers up one or more of his/her cards to Player B by posting the card images in a comment on Player B's card post. The trade is pending until Player B comments back. One of three responses typically occurs:

Acceptance | "Yes, thank you."
Rejection | "Sorry, not trading that card."
Other | "It's not for trade, but can you hold CARD X for me instead?"

If Player B agrees to the trade, it isn't official until he/she comments back to the trade offer in a post that includes the image of the card he/she is trading. If Player B asks for a hold, he/she is asking Player A to set aside a card for him/her, which he/she will come back for once he/she gets a card that Player A is actively collecting.

The larger, special cards are typically worth two normal cards. Event cards, which are earned during special events, are typically worth more than special cards. Their worth is ultimately up to the player.

TCG_Exchange has its very own trading community to facilitate trades, exchange_trade. While there, you can browse through other players' posts to see which decks they're collecting. Post your own entry there, as well, and tag it with the decks you're interested in. The tag list is extremely helpful when trying decide which cards to pick up from claims or when you're simply looking to trade with others.

Trade counts
When keeping track of the number of trades you've had with other players keep the following in mind:

Giving 1 Normal & receiving 1 Normal = 1 Trade
Giving 2 Normal & receiving 1 Special = 1 Trade
Giving 1 Special & receiving 2 Normal = 1 Trade
Giving 2 Normal & receiving 2 Normal = 2 Trades

Keep a careful record of all completed trades
Keep track of your pending trades

..Certificates..
Certificates come in 5 different flavors and can be redeemed for any choice cards (including retired decks and limited releases!!) at this post.

Certificate values are as follows:

Rank C can be cashed in for 1 choice card
Rank B can be cashed in for 2 choice cards OR 1 choice special
Rank A can be cashed in for 3 choice cards OR 1 choice special +1 choice card
Rank S can be cashed in for 4 choice cards OR 2 choice specials OR 1 choice special + 2 choice cards
Rank R can be cashed in for 2 choice retired cards OR 1 choice retired special

Maximum is 2 certificate redemptions a week
Wait until the "New Week" post goes up before posting
If you redeem a certificate for cards that you are collecting, you forfeit a no-cert mastery (explained later)
If you redeem a certificate and trade those cards for cards that player B received by also redeeming a certificate, you forfeit a no-cert mastery
If you redeem a certificate and trade those cards for cards that player B did NOT receive using a certificate, you do NOT forfeit a no-cert mastery

..Mastery..
Once you collect all the cards from a deck, you can claim your mastery by commenting at this post. Not all decks are created equal. Refer to the mastery post to see what your deck mastery earned you, in addition to the deck's unique mastery badge.

Comment with a link to your card post and tradelog when claiming a mastery
You MUST display, at the very least, your mastery badge on your card post
If you master a deck you can NOT trade those cards away

..Maintain Your Card Post..
You will want to keep your card post well organized in order to avoid frustration later on. Keep track of your card count, contributions, and trades.

Increase your card count when you have an inflow of cards and decrease it when you have an outflow of cards
Voting counts as 1 contribution for EACH community you vote at weekly
Submitting counts as 1 contribution for EACH community you vote at weekly, regardless of the number of icons you submit each week
Placing 1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd does NOT count as a contribution.. but you win pretty cards!!
Trading 2 normal cards for 1 special card counts as 1 trade for you
Gifting counts as a trade for the player that gave the card to another, but doesn't count as anything for the player that received the card (other than an increased card count)

..Level Up..
Leveling up is based off of pure card count. For example, players with 1-50 cards are level 1, while those with 51-100 are level 2 players. Comment at this post to claim a level up. Prizes are:

Level 2-3 | Rank C Certificate + 1xLEVEL cards
Level 4-6 | Rank B Certificate + 1xLEVEL cards
Level 7+ | Rank A Certificate + 1xLEVEL cards

..Fun Stuff..

You can receive event badges when you reach certain milestones. For more information look here
A no cert mastery is one in which no certificates were spent to complete the deck. Achieving a no cert mastery results in a shiny badge, plus other goodies on your first no cert mastery. Visit the Event Badges page for more information.
If you have some unwanted cards that are marring your card post, you can exchange them for a choice card at the card exchange, located here. You have a maximum of 1 exchange a week, and specific rules apply.
Visit the lotto to try and win goodies like event cards and certificates here.
Drop by the card shop every now and then to get new cards right here. Note the rules before posting.

Please refer to the Guide and FAQ for further clarification. Make sure to poke around at tcg_exchange to discover other activities, which weren't even touch upon in this guide, that you can busy yourself with. Hey, I can't tell you everything, now can I? ;) Enjoy the game.